Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Houston Hangs at Home

It’s never a good sign when you trail the Washington Wizards at halftime and with less than a minute left. Fortunately for the Houston Rockets, rookie Chase Budinger forced the go-ahead bucket with 28 seconds remaining in Tuesday’s Toyota Center meeting with the Eastern conference opponents. Budinger banked a jump shot and converted a pair of free throws to help Houston escape with a 98-94 victory over struggling Washington. The Wizards lost for a franchise record 16th straight time and remain winless in the month of March. They say April is the cruelest month, but March has been very cruel to the Wizards. Neither team has much to play for at this point in the Spring. The Rockets are all but eliminated from the playoffs, but continue to ride out a season of disappointment under Coach Rick Andelman. There’s no need to make excuses for why Houston won’t be partaking in any post-season parities. The Rockets simply faded down the stretch and couldn’t compensate or counter the critical injury cracks on the roster.
Budinger blossomed brilliantly for Houston. The Rockets entered Tuesday’s contest in the mires of a four game losing streak. Budinger infused the offense, dropping in 24 points. The first year player out of Arizona collected six rebounds and was 5-of-6 from the free throw stripe. Former Villanova stud, Kyle Lowry, bucketed 17 and Luis Scola added 16 for the Rockets. Aaron Brooks and Scola dominated the boards with eight rebounds each, but the Wizards still outrebounded Houston by six. Mike Miller was massive for Washington. Miller’s 12 rebounds and four assists led all Wizards. The nine year veteran was only outscored by Andray Blatche’s 31 points. The 37-36 Rockets, trying to finish the season on the winning side, exchanged leads with the visitors several times during the first half. James Singleton starred on defense for the Wizards, with three blocked shots. Washington finished with nine team blocks. The Wizards held a 30-27 lead after 12 minutes and upped it to five points at halftime.
Houston knotted the game at 80-80 with 8:30 left but the Wizards drained six straight points. Washington’s largest advantage reached six with just under seven minutes on the clock as JaVale McGee pulled up a jumper for a 86¬-80 Wizards edge. With Kevin Martin out of the lineup with a sore shoulder for Houston, the Rockets looked to other role players. The absence of Shane Battier and Jared Jefferies off the bench has hampered Houston. It was refreshing to see Budinger step up. Brooks helped carry Houston with 11 assists. Jermaine Taylor also made his presence felt with 14 points in the win. Houston trailed by five points at the four minute mark, but Scola notched to quick baskets to cut the lead to one point. After Budinger tied it up at 88-88, Washington’s Earl Boykins was fouled. Boykins sank two free throws and missed a 3-point chance with two minutes remaining. Lowry tied the game at 92 with a jump shot runner from the lane. The Rockets point guard was whistled for palming the ball, but Washington couldn’t take advantage. Blatche missed a fade-away attempt with 33.5 seconds. Houston followed a timeout with the go-ahead shot by Budinger from the top of the key. The rookie planted two from the line into the net and Lowry sealed the win with two more foul shots. The Rockets are a formidable squad. It’s a shame they will miss basketball’s second season this year, but there’s always next year. Budinger and Martin show promise in the backcourt, and the development of Jordan Hill should boost next year’s Rockets rotation. The return of Yao Ming is sure to spark something in this Houston team.

Parting Points: Song of the day- “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

L.A. Lull

The Los Angeles Kings are having trouble protecting the puck and preserving points for the playoff push. The team didn’t have to worry about looking after a lead last night on the road. The Kings dropped their third game in four tries (the fourth being a tie) Monday in Minnesota for their longest losing streak of the season. The Wild won 3-2 on a Martin Havlat slash midway through the third period to edge the Kings at Xcel Energy Center. Los Angeles is seventh in the tight Western conference, looking for their first playoff berth since 2002. Terry Murray has been toying with the Kings’ lineup lately. I am not sure this is the right time to signal adjustments.
Minnesota got goals from Owen Nolan and Brent Burns. Netminder Niklas Backstrom made 29 saves in the winning effort. Nolan’s goal at 1:19 in the second period provided the 1-0 Wild edge. Nolan backhanded a rebound through the legs of Kings’ goalie, Johnathan Quick. It was Nolan’s second straight game with a goal. The power play shot broke a scoreless tie and marked the fifth consecutive game Minnesota has notched a power play goal. Quick turned away 17-of-20 shots in defeat. Quick allowed Burns to beat him at 7:26 in the second with a nifty move at the left point. The wrist shot goal provided Minnesota a 2-0 lead and was Burns’ first in 29 games.
The Kings finally got on board at 7:13 in the middle stanza on one of Scott Parse’s two goals. Parse cut LA’s deficit to 2-1 with a blast past Backstrom from the blue line. Parse tied the game at 2-2 in the third period with another slap. Brad Richardson slid the puck to Parse at the 1:25 mark. The rookie right wing found the back of the net to keep the Kings alive on the ice. Richardson finished with a pair of assists. LA went on the power play for two minutes following Parse’s second strike, but could not convert another goal. The Kings are just 2 of 18 on power play opportunities in the last three games. Havlat’s game winner was too much for Quick to handle as the Wild took the lead for good at 7:38. Marek Zidlicky fed Havlat the pass and the Kings’ defense broke down to allow the Czech native an open look. LA pulled Quick late in the game, but Backstrom held strong in net to seal the victory for Minnesota. The crowns had opportunities to capitalize and put the puck in the net, but they failed to do so. Credit the Wild defense for a strong showing also. Backstrom wasn’t the only Minnesota player making diving stops in St. Paul.

Parting Points: NIT men’s final four is tonight.

Donovan McNabb to the Raiders is rumored.

Monday, March 29, 2010

MSU's March Mastery

The Spartans are the winners of the Midwest region. Michigan State punched a ticket to the Final Four for the second straight season. Tom Izzo’s Spartans’ success in March continued yesterday in St. Louis, where fifth seeded MSU clipped Tennessee 70-69 to earn a Final Four berth. This is the fifth time under Izzo’s tutelage the Spartans have advanced to the Final Four. Last year’s runner-up, Michigan State used a team effort and confident approach in inching out the sixth seeded Volunteers from moving on to their first Final Four.
Durrell Summers continued his torrid scoring for Michigan State. The junior guard with the hot hand finished with 21 points, including four from beyond the arc. MSU shot 76.2% from the charity stripe. Free throw shooting factored dramatically into the contest during the final minutes of the second half. Korie Lucious started at point guard for the injured Big 10 2009 Player of the Year, Kalin Lucas. Luscious clocked 35 minutes for the Spartans, picking up eight points and four assists. Lucious was fouled with 28 seconds left in the game and MSU clinging to a one-point advantage. Lucious missed a free throw, and Tennessee’s Scotty Hopson recovered the rebound. Draymond Green, Izzo’s sophomore forward, promptly sent Hopson to the line with a foul. Hopson made one of two free throws to tie the game at 69 with 11 seconds left in regulation. Lucious grabbed the rebound and passed to Raymar Morgan, who was subsequently fouled with 1.8 second. Morgan’s free throw lifted the Spartans to victory. Morgan connected on five-of-six from the line. He netted 13 points and added 10 rebounds for the 28-8.
The Volunteers were forced to settle for short jumpers in the school’s first ever Elite Eight matchup. Tennessee shot better than 50% and notched seven from downtown, but struggled to find an offensive rhythm against the Spartan defense. Bruce Pearl’s Volunteers were plagued by fouls but still held a two point halftime advantage. The lead faded during a grind-it-out second half. Brian Williams put the Vols within one on a putback with two minutes on the clock. The play was reminiscent of his tip-in go-ahead bucket two nights ago but this time the Volunteers couldn’t hold on for the win. Williams scored ten points and managed nine rebounds. Senior Wayne Chism led Tennesse with 13 points. He was one of four Volunteers to finish in double figures during his final collegiate game. Chism bucketed three 3-pointers. The Spartans led by as many as eight in the second half but Tennessee reloaded to remain in the contest. The game was a back-and-forth affair for most of the final minutes with the injury-plagued but battled-tested Spartans prevailing. It helps that the Spartans institute a tough non-conference schedule into their season. MSU came back from a slim halftime deficit similar to the way they recovered from Northern Iowa’s seven point edge at the break on Friday night. Izzo’s teams are seasoned and poised to pull these tournament games out, and they proved they are Indianpolis worthy yesterday.

Parting Points: Duke downs Baylor to return to the Final Four as the only number one seed. Boy, those Baylor Bears can bat down shots. Too bad they couldn’t banish their foul trouble.

Surprise hire- Fran McCaffery exits Siena for the Big 10. McCaffery replaces Todd Lickliter as the Hawkeyes head coach.

Seton Hall selects Iona’s Kevin Willard as their next basketball head coach.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Defense Dominates the Dance

K-State, Kentucky KO’d

The Butler Bulldogs are headed to their first Final Four in team history after besting second seeded Kansas State in Saturday’s West regional final. Butler beat the Wildcats 63-56 to advance to Indianapolis next weekend. The underdog Bulldogs clawed the Cats with fantastic defense to extend their winning streak to 24 straight games. Butler’s in-your-face defense propelled them to a 27-20 halftime lead, and the Bulldogs held K-State’s top two scorers to two first half points. Butler hounded Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen as they shot a combined 11 for 30. A late Kansas State comeback fell short. The Bulldogs were relentless despite falling behind briefly in the second half. Sophomore Gordon Hayward was the Bulldogs’ most consistent vessel, scoring 22 points in leading Butler to the Big Dance Final Four.
The Wildcats entered Saturday’s contest with a decided size benefit, but Butler grabbed a plus-12 rebound advantage in establishing their ferocity. Hayward collected nine of the team’s 36 rebounds. The teams scored an even 36 in the second half due in part to senior Clemente’s passionate effort. Clemente carried K-State with 18 points, including three from beyond the arc. Butler boasted their own big man downtown in team leader, Shelvin Mack. Mack, the Bulldogs’ sophomore guard, went 3-for-6 from long range and finished with 16 points. Pullen and Curtis Kelly added 14 apiece for the Big 12 Wildcats. Willie Veasley and Ronald Nored smothered the Wildcat shooters who scored a combined 53 points their double overtime victory over Xavier. Forty hours later, K-State looked lethargic and tired against the Cinderalla Bulldogs. Pullen clanked floating jumpers off the rim time after time, and Clemente hobbled throughout most of the game with a bruised thigh. The Bulldogs shot 38% and did not hit a basket outside 15 feet in the first half. Butler controlled the tempo and pace of the ball game and gave every indication they wanted it more. Clemente’s 3-pointer with 4:49 remaining capped an 8-0 run and the only K-State lead of the day. Butler continued to pack the zone, eliminating any driving chances for the offensive-minded Wildcats. Now it’s on to their hometown Indiana for a Final Four meeting with the winner of today’s Tennessee-Michigan State pairing.
Top-seeded Kentucky is the third number one to be ousted in the tournament. John Calipari’s favored Wildcats were downed by the dance darlings, West Virginia. The Mountaineers topped Kentucky in Syracuse last night, 73-66. Second-seeded West Virginia returns to the Final Four for the first time since Jerry West’s junior season in 1959. The Mountaineers played Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium against the victor of Duke-Baylor. The 31-6 Big East champions were fuled by junior, Joe Mazzulla’s career-high 17 points. Cold-shooting Kentucky was shocked from the opening tip in this one-two matchup. West Virginia made eight 3-pointers in the first half and succeeded in slowing the scintillating sensation, John Wall. Wall, an NBA-bound freshman, scored 19 points for the young and overmatched Wildcats. The aggressive and athletic Mountaineers used solid defense and played exclusively out of the 1-3-1 zone to puzzle the Wildcats. Kentucky’s inability to sustain runs and solve the WVU zone was a major factor in just their third loss of the year.
The Wildcats were dismal from long range, connecting a mere 12.5% of the time. Kentucky missed their first 20 attempts from deep. DeAndre Loggins ended the 3-point drought with 3:29 left, but it was too late for Kentucky. West Virginia allowed few chances for the Kentucky guard to penetrate as the defense and long range shooting kept the Mountaineers in the game during the first half. Bob Huggins’ team were held without a 2-point field goal the entire first half but still led by two points at the break. They were 8-of-15 beyond the arc. Kentucky’s inexperience showed as the ineffective Wildcats misfired following an 11-0 run to open the contest. Da’Sean Butler guided the Mountaineers with 18 points. West Virginia denied the top seed easy shot by committing fouls and forcing the Wildcats to make free throws. The Wildcats were just 16-of-29 from the line. Wall was 7-of-18 from the floor and hit half of his eight freebies. Kentucky outrebounded West Virginia by nine, but four Mountaineers reached double digits in this team effort. Kevin Jones and Devin Ebanks combined for 15 rebounds and 25 points. Patrick Patterson, the junior forward snatched 13 rebounds in Kentucky’s attempt to reject the Mountaineers. WVY deployed a second half strategy to get to the rim and implement layup opportunities. It paid off to play to their offensive strengths. The Mountaineers built a ten point advantage to begin the second half. The spurt put WVU in control the remainder of the game. The mighty Mountaineers exited the Carrier Dome with an encouraging upset to grab the spotlight in this unpredictable tournament.

Parting Points: Happy Palm Sunday!

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Sweet Sixteen Sendoff

A Brian Williams tip-in with 32 seconds left sent the Tennessee Volunteers to the Elite Eight and Ohio State home with a 76-73 loss in St. Louis’ Sweet 16 round Friday night. Bruce Pearl’s buried the Buckeyes behind Wayne Chism’s 22 points, 18 in the second half. Chism was 9-of-16 from the field, with 11 rebounds as Tennessee tallied 80% from the line. Evan Turner scored 21 of Ohio State’s 31 points in the second half in the Midwest regional semifinal. The number two seeded Buckeyes came up short on offense after leading 42-39 at the half. OSU played the final 13 minutes of the first half with David Lighty. The junior Buckeye logged 26 minutes total after being whistled for two touch fouls early. Lighty finished with 9 points and five assists.
The Buckeyes lost the lead after Lighty’s departure in the first half. His replacement, Jeremie Simmons notched a pair of treys within less than two minutes of each other off the thin Buckeyes bench. Simmons matched Lighty’s nine points in 14 minutes on the hardwood. He made three 3-pointers last night after knotting four all year long for the Bucks. William Buford recorded nine points in the game’s first four minutes to spot OSU a 13-7 advantage early on. The momentum quickly swung the Volunteers’ way. Tennessee responded with buckets from a variety of players the rest of the way. Sporadic scoring highlighted the ending minutes of the first half. Vols’ guard, Cameron Tatum, accounted for half of the points during a 10-0 Tennessee run. The dangerous Buckeyes suddenly did not seem so contested. Senior Bobby Maze deposited a layup to make it a 17-13 Tennessee deficit before Simmons responded by dropping one in from downtown. Tennessee’s Josh Bone and the Buckeyes’ John Diebler traded 3-pointers with four minutes before the break to even the score at 30. It was the only basket Diebler hit the entire night.
Ohio State led by six with just over 17 minutes remaining in the contest, but gradually gave way at Edward Jones Dome to the relentless sixth seeded Volunteers. Turner proved to be the only one who could score for Ohio State. He overcame a sloppy ball-handling first half in which he committed six turnovers to press the Vols and secure the ball following the intermission. After contributing just three baskets in the first half, the player of the year candidate surpassed that output in the second half’s first five minutes. The Buckeyes took a 59-56 edge with less than eight minutes in the game. Chism’s back-to-back jumpers cut the margin to one point. Scotty Hopson and J.P. Prince gave the Vols their first lead since late in the first half on consecutive connections from the rainbow. Tennessee pulled out the back-and-forth tussle in the paint, with Chism carrying the offense as the Bucks’ defense hit a lull. Thad Matta’s Buckeyes trailed 68-63 with four minutes but rallied to retake the lead twice. Lighty and Turner were successful from the arc in lifting OSU to a one-point advantage with 41 seconds left. Williams’ rebound gave the Volunteers the lead for good. Turner fouled Maze with 12 ticks before a timeout. Maze made both free throws to send the Big 10 champions home. Tennessee moves on to the Elite Eight, where they face another Big 10 team, Michigan State. Prince converted 6-of-13 on a 14 point night and Maze added 10 for the 28-8 Tennessee. The Buckeyes were hurt by their lack of depth in this enormous matchup of elite programs. OSU opened the game with more energy but the intensity subsided as the tired Buckeyes were worn down by a talented Tennessee team.
Parting Points: I’m still going with Duke to make the championship game. They topped Purdue convincingly last night.
Song of the day- “Tears on my pillow”- Little Anthony and the Imperials

Friday, March 26, 2010

Frost Feel

Happy Birthday, Robert Frost. I'm changing it up a bit today. There will be no mention of sports in today's entry. Instead, I'm posting a little lyrical original in honor of the inspirational poet's birthday.

Love Rush
This love has caused my eyes to strain
For joy is always mixed with pain
The crying pleasure leaves his stain
Upon my heart where his hand has lain
A dapple gray hides the silver sky
With his forlorn farewell goodbye
Until the dusk above shall die
My achiness shall seize to pry
He arrives with the attractive sun
A specimen of air solidly spun
His voice is a song quietly sung
Inside me implementing inspiring fun
Time takes away and gives again
Leaving no indication of why or when
My spirit hangs in wait hidden like a wren
For his rectifying rush resembles a deep glen

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Thursday Take-Twos (500th post!)

The reward for downing number one Kansas and reaching the Sweet 16? A $450,000annual salary and ten year contract. That’s what Northern Iowa head coach, Ben Jacobson, will collect starting next season. Jacobson’s Panthers stunned the top seeded Jayhawks in the second round of the NCAA tournament. While nobody expects Northern Iowa to reach the Final Four, the Panthers have opened the eyes of many after reaching the Midwest regional semifinals. The school’s athletic director awarded the 39 year old men’s hoops coach a substantial raise as the Panthers prepare to play 2009 national runner-up, Michigan State. Tom Izzo’s Spartans will be without leading man, Kalin Lucas. Jacobson’s fattened check runs through 2020 but his Cinderella squad will need more than dough to shrug off the star-less Spartans in St. Louis.
The 2009-2010 New Jersey Nets haven’t exactly stockpiled wins. The team with seven wins to 63 hapless losses managed to add another victory last night at the IZOD Center. The Nets are trying to avoid the stigma of being crowned the worst team in NBA history. Wednesday’s 93-79 triumph over the Sacramento Kings was a step in the right direction. New Jersey snapped an eight game losing streak and fourteen game home slide behind Brook Lopez’ 26 points. Nets’ point guard, Devin Harris added 24 for the league’s bottom feeders. New Jersey needs to win two of their final 11 games to avoid the distinction of fewest victories in a season. The ’72-73 hold that claim, a record nobody wants. The 24-48 visiting Kings presented a winnable game for Kiki Vandeweghe’s Nets, and they grabbed the rare opportunity to ring up the W.
Out for the Orange against Butler today is Syracuse center, Arinze Onuaku. The 6’9” Onuaku injured his quadriceps in the Big East tournament win over Georgetown and has missed the Big Dance so far. It didn’t matter for Jim Boeheim’s Orange, who dominated Vermont and Gonzaga without their fourth leading scorer on the court. Syracuse’s size advantage should be enough to compete with fifth seeded Butler in the Sweet 16 matchup today in Salt Lake. Boeheim still boasts a fairly tall lineup. The Bulldogs played the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament as the higher seed. Now they assume the more familiar role of the lower seeded underdog in the West Regional semifinals. Perennial mid-major, Butler trailed at halftime during both victories but pulled themselves together with strong second halves. The Bulldogs are 9-3 after trailing at the break. The Orange are a team known for getting behind in games, so this game presents an interesting matchup. The Bulldogs don’t turn the ball over very often and are excellent in robbing opponents inside the zone. Syracuse should focus their commitment on defense and taunting and forcing the Butler players to shoot from outside. They must not allow the Bulldogs an opportunity to attack the zone. The Orange held Vermont and Gonzaga to a combined 18% shooting from beyond the arc, while they themselves hit 46.8% from downtown. Balanced scoring is another Butler strength the Orange need to nullify in order to book tickets to the Elite Eight.
Michigan State and Syracuse aren’t the only Sweet 16 teams bitten by the injury bug. West Virginia lost guard Darryl Bryant for the remainder of the tournament. The sophomore, affectionately nicknamed “Truck”, broke his right foot during the Mountaineers’ Tuesday practice. Junior Joe Mazzulla will likely occupy Bryant’s slot in Bob Huggins’ lineup when WVU plays Washington tonight at the Carrier Dome.

Parting Points: The Yankees hand the fifth starter job to Phil Hughes.

“No matter how far life pushes you down, no matter how much you hurt, you can always bounce back.”- Birthday girl, Sheryl Swoopes

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Power Play Pouncing

The Devils skated into Prudential Center Tuesday night totaling just one goal in their previous two games. They glided out of the New Jersey arena 6-3 winners over Columbus following three power-play goals. New Jersey zipped the Blue Jackets in goalie, Martin Brodeur’s 40th triumph of the season. Milestone Marty has now collected eight forty win seasons in 16 career years. No other NHL goalie has more than three such seasons. Brodeur made 19 stops against visiting Columbus, the fourteenth place team in the Western Conference. Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and three assists for the first-place Devils. New Jerseys entered Tuesday’s contest 0-for-17 on the power play in their last six games. They garnered some confidence in those advantageous situations last night. Brodeur thwarted the Jackets’ efforts as his teammates looked like students of the game with the puck.
New Jersey struck four second period goals to break open a 2-1 game. Zach Parise slipped home a Jamie Langenbrunner rebound in the first period to stake the Devils a 1-0 lead at 13:05. Columbus’ Rick Nash was sent to the penalty box on the play for roughing up Langenbrunner, and the Devils seized the one man advantage opportunity. Blue Jackets’ netminder, Steve Mason, was beaten on a second power play goal in the second period. Paul Martin connected on a slap shot rebound to open the second period and give New Jersey 2-0 edge. Columbus pulled within 2-1 when Antoine Vermette burned Brodeur high for his 23rd of the season. The Jackets had a two-man advantage for nearly a minute midway through the second period as they trailed by one. They mustered only one shot against the tightfisted Devils’ defense. New Jersey’s penalty killers were superb in breaking the Blue Jackets’ momentum.
Tuesday marked the sixth time this season Columbus has allowed six or more goals to pass through the net. Mason’s first meeting with his boyhood idol Brodeur was spoiled by an erratic Columbus team. New Jersey was tremendous in protecting the puck and their early lead. The Devils cashed in on the permeable Jackets’ defense in the final two periods. Kovalchuk unleashed a wrist shot from the left faceoff dot to beat Mason. It was the New Jersey left wing’s 37th goal of the season and gave the Devils a 3-1 lead. It was a frustrating allowance by the sophomore goaltender, Mason. The Jackets did a poor job of clearing the net and giving Mason unconstructive views in goal. New Jersey’s Travis Zajac helped blow the game open with a pair of goals in the second period. Zajac scored two goals within four minutes of each other to pad the Devils’ lead 5-1. Jakub Voracek knotted his 13th of the year for Columbus to put an end to the barrage of New Jersey goals in the high scoring second period. Brodeur was beaten once more, on a Kristian Huselius goal six minute into the final period. Huselius was called for tripping Martin earlier in the game, leading to Kovalchuk’s power play goal. Huselius was guilty of two penalties for Columbus. Parise made his presence felt again in the third period, ending any doubt of a Devils’ victory at The Rock. Parise was left wide open in front of the net with ample time to knock it through the posts, tacking on his second goal. He fired on a spin move to give the home team a decisive 6-3 win during the first-ever visit by the Blue Jackets to New Jersey.

Parting Points: The NFL has new overtime rules. What do you think? I still say the college overtime policy is the best. Now sudden-death doesn’t seem so sudden. I still think the home team should get the ball first in OT. Why have all these silly rules?

Those UConn Huskies are unstoppable. It’s amazing how overpowering they are in dominating opponents. If they do not cut down the nets this year, the head coach should be canned.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Final Four Floater

It's a rainy day. The cable was out this morning so it's a perfect time to float some poetry your way:

It’s a reckless race to the rim
They chase after the ball like they chase dreams
A chance in this field is slim
Still they pursue, making the game more rewarding than it seems
He’ll collect a thought before he connects a shot
He’ll dance left, pivot and spin back around
Plant his feet just as he’s ready to release the knot
A floating jumper from the left lane before he lands back on the ground
The ball twists through the net
Upsetting the backboard glass with a static shake
They watch the scoreboard flash the closing debt
A go-ahead bucket on the road, with the Final Four at stake

Parting Points: Song of the day- "Float On" by Modest Mouse

Monday, March 22, 2010

Bucks Bump Bees at Bradley

Sweet Sixteen for Scarlet (and Gray)
Evan Turner recorded a game high 24 points in second seeded Ohio State’s victory over tenth seeded Georgia Tech. The Buckeyes eliminated the Yellow Jackets in the second round of the Midwest region, escaping Milwaukee with a 75-66 win. Ohio State moves on to the Sweet 16 in St. Louis, where the Tennessee Volunteers greet them on Friday. Tennessee bounced Ohio 83-68 on Saturday.
Turner, a junior, provided nine assists and nine rebounds for the smooth-in-transition Buckeyes. Georgia Tech went down with little resistance despite their size and depth advantage. ACC Freshman of the Year, Derrick Favors left the game after five minutes with two fouls. Favors and Gani Lawal picked up three fouls a piece in the first 22 minutes of the contest. Fast breaks by Ohio State hurt Georgia Tech early and a flourishing Ohio State defeated and ailed them late. Tech’s defense spotted a lead in the opening three minutes on three Buckeye turnovers but Ohio State came alive soon enough. The Yellow Jackets yielded two points in the first seven minutes of the contest as the miserable Bucks shot 3-of-13 from the field. Tech dominated at times in the first half but couldn’t hang with the high flying second half Buckeyes. The ACC representatives made adjustments on offense to try to get back in the game. It was challenging to get within striking distance with their foul troubles. The starting frontcourt for the Yellow Jackets didn’t rebound from the loss of their best shooters, but did threaten in the final minutes. Ohio State held off Tech’s last ditch effort to earn their Sweet 16 bid.
Ohio State led 28-26 at the break despite a 34.6% shooting from the field. The Yellow Jackets were sloppy and careless with the ball, committing 21 turnovers. Ohio State also benefited from Tech’s 12 personal fouls in extending a two point halftime lead to 15 points with five minutes in the game. Thad Matta’s Buckeyes did have 18 miscues themselves, but were able to wreck Tech’s rhythm. The Buckeyes have tremendous chemistry and seem to always know what they want to do with the ball. Turner makes every player around him better. The guard did turn the ball over eight times and missed a pair of key free throws in the final two minutes. He was helped the effort of his teammates at Bradley Center yesterday. Jon Diebler scored 17 of his 20 points to lift Ohio State in the second half. Diebler fired four 3-pointers, two in three consecutive possessions, as the Buckeyes continued to drain shots from downtown. David Lighty notched a 3-pointer to ignite a 14-2 Ohio State run, culminating in a 46-32 lead with just over 12 minutes remaining. Favors dazzled in the second half to pull the Yellow Jackets within nine points at the nine minute mark. The Tech freshman finished with 10 points.
The Buckeyes needed pinpoint free throw shooting to ward off an 11-0 Yellow Jacket run in the final minutes. Ohio State hit eight of its last ten from the stripe to stem the comeback. William Buford and Dallas Lauderdale pounded the ball on the inside off Turner feeds. Buford was strong on the glass with 8 rebounds and 6-of-7 from the floor in a 9 point effort. Lighty and Diebler both notched double-digit games, combining for six of the Buckeyes’ eight 3-pointers. Lawal finished with 11 points and Glen Rice, Jr. netted for Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets notched just four from the arc and didn’t accumulate enough points inside. The team that single-handedly defeated Oklahoma State on free throws, made 73.7% of their shots from the line Sunday. Ohio State was slightly better, succeeding 73.9%. The Buckeyes seem to have great energy and can win even when Turner draws the attention of defenders. They lack depth, but Matta likes what he has in his strong starting five or six men. The Bucks will have to do more than just ride the hot hand of Turner against Bruce Pearl’s veteran Vols.

Parting Points: Pittsburgh crumbles against Xavier to miss out on the Sweet 16. Only West Virginia and Syracuse survive the weekend for the Big East.

The Twins locked up Joe Mauer with an $184 million extension. Phil Hughes gives up a homerun to end today’s Yankee Spring training game.

Song that sums up Pitt in the first half yesterday- “Basket Case” by Green Day

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Midwest Mayhem

The Kansas Jayhawks were billed as the front-running national championship favorite and number one overall seed in the NCAA tournament. Anything short of the championship game would be a major disappointment for Kansas. It took a second round two-point win from a fundamentally-sound Northern Iowa squad to dash Kansas’ post-season hopes. Bill Self’s polished Jayhawks failed to reach the Sweet 16 after suffering a surprising loss in Oklahoma City last night. The Panthers finished off the mighty Jayhawks 69-67 Saturday at Ford Center to advance to St. Louis in the next round. The Missouri Valley Conference’s Northern Iowa will play the winner of today’s Midwest Michigan State-Maryland game.
The biggest upset in the tournament so far was complete after a colossal 3-pointer from UNI’s Ali Farokhmanesh . The long range basket put the Panthers on top by four. Farokhmanesh, the son of an Iranian volleyball player and first-round UNI hero, sealed the game with a pair of free throws in the closing seconds. The bracket-busting shot was one of 16 points, and one of four treys, for the Panthers’6’0” senior guard. The well-coached Panthers were seeded ninth but looked like the higher seed against a puzzled Kansas team. The deep and talented Jayhawks committed 15 turnovers and never quite found their rhythm. The Panthers proved difficult to guard on defense, especially seven foot lefty guard, Jordan Eglseder. The game was 12-9 in favor of UNI as the Panthers rattled off 10 straight points. Eglseder was credited with five during that run, and finished with 14.
The Jayhawks snuck by lower-seeded Lehigh in the first round. It wasn’t an easy win, but Saturday’s contest was twice as hard. Kansas coughed up the ball too many times and fell behind early against the Panthers. Veteran Sheron Collins ended his stellar Kansas career with just 10 points. Collins helped cut the margin to two points with 6:35 to play in the first half, but Farokhmanesh outshined the senior from Kansas. Farokmanesh derailed the Hawks by netting eight straight to close the half. Kansas went cold, trailing 36-28 at the break. The Hawks turned the ball over eight times in the second period, leading to one shy of a dozen Panther points. Things didn’t improve much in the second half for the number one seed and one of the nation’s highest scoring teams. UNI played with intelligence and patience. They continued to chase down offensive rebounds and score critical baskets after halftime.
Junior center, Cole Aldrich, drilled 13 points and picked up 10 rebounds for his 37th career double-double at Kansas. Marcus Morris led the Jayhawks with 16 points, including seven in the first half. The Jayhawks converted just 6 of 23 from the arc and 13 of 18 from the line. They were slightly better percentage shooters from the field than UNI. Self’s squad turned it up a notch with ten minutes left in regulation with the Jayhawks on the verge of an upset elimination. The Jayhawks outscored their opponent 39-33 in the second half. They out-rebounded UNI by five during the contest. Kansas used defense to pull within a point in the final 44 seconds, but Northern Iowa’s 18 second-chance points were too much to overcome. Tyrel Reed was charged with an offensive foul following Farokhmanesh’s crushing chip with 34 seconds, pushing aside any hope for an overwhelmed Kansas last-second comeback. Kansas’ last burst of full court pressure was too little too late, shattering many brackets around the globe. Saturday was Kansas’ earliest exit in the tournament since 2006. Prior to this year, UNI’s only tournament victory came in
1990.

Parting Points: Sunday spin-“Ruby Soho” by Rancid

Two teams impressing me this tourney- Cornell and Washington

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Tenth Tech Throws Terrific

The tenth seeded Yellow Jackets held off Oklahoma State in the Midwest region opening round of the NCAA tournament Friday. Georgia Tech took a 64-59 decision over the Big 12’s best 3-point shooting team to improve their record at Wisconsin’s Bradley Center to 5-0 in the tournament. The Yellow Jackets advanced to the second round, where they will face second seeded Ohio State, by securing a stellar 24-of-25 from the charity stripe. Seventh seeded Oklahoma State boasted more tournament experience than the Yellow Jackets, but Tech held a favorable size advantage.
Stammering Georgia Tech struggled to hit buckets from the field in the final quarter after hammering the game’s first six shots. The Yellow Jackets were rescued by excellent free throw shooting and aggressiveness. James Anderson, the nation’s third leading scorer, was held to less than 15 points for just the fifth time this season in the Cowboys’ loss. His season average is 22.6. Anderson knocked down 11 points and grabbed five rebounds for 22-11 Oklahoma State. He missed all six attempts from downtown and was just 3-of-12 from the floor. Marshall Moses added 14 and Keiton Page had 13 points for the Cowboys, including three 3-pointers. Page gave Oklahoma State the biggest lead of the game during the first half on a steal at midcourt. The tiny Cowboys guard gave his team a 34-27 lead but it was hardly sufficient for the 96% free throw shooting Jackets. Tech was led by junior forward, Gani Lawal. Lawal finished with 14 points and six rebounds in 26 minutes. He was 4-for-4 from the line. The free-throw challenged Yellow Jackets (65%) scored their final 13 points from the line Friday.
Senior guard and second leading scorer for the Cowboys, Obi Muonelo, closed out the first half by banking one of his ten shots. Oklahoma State forged a five point halftime lead but the Jackets learned to play through their scoring droughts with a stingy defense in the second half. Georgia Tech took a two point edge on Zachary Peacock’s jumper with 13 minutes remaining, and held a three point lead for three minutes as both teams exchanged offensive woes. Peacock, Tech’s most efficient free throw shooter, was also perfect from the line Friday. Anderson tied the game with an uncontested slam dunk on a Derrick Favors swipe. Favors came within a rebound of a double-double for Georgia Tech. But even the Big 12 player of the year, Anderson, couldn’t stop the Jackets from notching free throws. Head coach, Paul Hewitt’s Jackets continued to guard and rebound with ferocity.
Favors, the ACC freshman of the year, drained a pair of free throws with 2:27 left, and Iman Shumpert converted two more after drawing a foul for a 62-59 Tech advantage. It was a lead the Jackets wouldn’t relinquish. Shumpert was the only Yellow Jacket to miss a free throw in the final four minutes. The Cowboys’ attempt to set up a shot at the other end went for naught. Maurice Miller stripped Anderson of the ball and bucketed two free throws to seal the win for Tech. The turnover proved to be critical. Miller went 6-for-6 in the last two minutes of the game. The Cowboys fell to 38-23 all-time in the tourney. They never quite found their rhythm against a Tech team that lost five of seven headed into the tournament. Oklahoma appeared frazzled in the frantic final quarter as the Yellow Jackets put the sting in their saddle. They were outscored by ten points in the second half and were out-rebounded 28-17 during the contest. Travis Ford’s Cowboys end their season Friday on a sour note in what was likely the suppressed All-American Anderson’s final collegiate appearance.

Parting Points: Song to start the Spring-“The One I Love”- R.E.M.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Commodores Clipped at Clock by Cinderella

The first time was the charm for Bill Kennedy and Murray State. The Racers drew up a new play in the final seconds of Thursday’s game against Vanderbilt, and succeeded in pulling off the upset. The 13th seeded Racers defeated the fourth seeded Commodores 66-65 to prevail in the opening round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in 22 years (NC State, 1988). Kennedy’s play called for senior forward, Danero Thomas to deliver the game-winning shot with 4.2 seconds on the clock. Thomas sunk the buzzer beater over Vandy guard, Lance Goulbourne, to send the 21st ranked team in the nation home after day one of March Madness. Could Murray State be this year’s Cinderella club?
Isacc Miles, the veteran Racers’ guard, led all players on the floor with 17 points. Thomas and B.J. Jenkins also scored in double digits for Murray State. The little-known school from Kentucky took a four point advantage into halftime by battering Vanderbilt on the boards. The Racers pulled down 15 offensive rebounds by the end of regulation. The Commodores struggled at the foul line, finishing an uncharacteristic 58.6% in that category. Vandy shot over 70% from the charity stripe during the regular season but seemed to have a free throw meltdown Thursday in San Jose. To their credit, the Commodores did overcome a mighty second half deficit of 44-36 to gain control of the game. Freshman John Jenkins carried Vanderbilt with 13 points and 4 rebounds.
Murray State, a dismal 1-13 all-time at the big dance, made just 9-of-17 from the line. The Racers were shoddy from the field too, hitting just 41.7% compared to Vandy’s 44%. Still, Murray State overcame a 7-0 Vanderbilt burst in the final four minutes. Isaiah Canaan and Jenkins hit back-to-back 3-pointers for the Racers to regain the lead. Festus Ezeli missed his only two free throw attempts for Vanderbilt with less than three minutes, and they proved costly. Jenkins notched a trey with 2:51 to play to key the Murray State late rally. Vanderbilt took the lead again with 12.7 ticks. Jermaine Beal collected a pair of free throws for the Commodores and Jenkins missed a rushed 3-point attempt for 31-4 Murray State. The ball skidded out of bounds on the muffed Jenkins’ trey. It was ruled the Racers’ ball with 4.2 seconds. During the timeout, Kennedy instituted the miracle play that would set up the game-deciding shot. Jeffrey McClain swung an under-the-basket shot to Miles, who relayed the pass to Thomas. Thomas nailed a 15 footer in stunning fashion to complete the vivacious victory. Murray State faces Butler this Saturday in the next round.

Parting Points: Huge first day at the tournament. Georgetown was rocked by Ohio, Villanova escapes a scare from Robert Morris, and Notre Dame implodes against ODU, are just some of the highlights.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Sixth Strike Sweeps Season

The Devils didn’t need the luck of the Irish to skate past the Penguins on St. Patty’s Day at the Prudential Center last night. New Jersey swept the season series against Pittsburgh with a hard-nosed 5-2 victory in Newark. Goalie Martin Brodeur’s barrage of 24 saves and a bout of Pittsburgh turnovers gave the Devils their sixth win over the Pens this season. Pittsburgh played Wednesday without star, Evgeni Malkin. The Malkin-less Pens seemed to take the night off too, after dominating the first half of the opening period. Starting goalie, Marc-Andres Fleury, was yanked from the Pittsburgh net and sent to the bench after allowing four goals on 13 shots. The victory in Newark vaulted the Devils into a first place tie with their Atlantic Division rival Penguins. The Devils also saw the return of their top defenseman, Paul Martin.
Fans in New Jersey were treated to a retro, throwback jersey night. The Devils wore their classic red, white and green uniforms in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. The Penguins were the first team to find the pot of gold, however. Chris Kunitz gave the visiting Pens a 1-0 lead at 4:01 into the contest. The eight year left wing for Pittsburgh buried a rebound behind Brodeur as the Devils got off to a slow start. The Pens outshot the Devils 26-19 but it didn’t matter. New Jersey seized control of the game by roaring back. Patrik Elias fueled the offense, picking up an assist on Dainius Zubrus’ tying goal in the first period. Elias backhanded a pass off the Pittsburgh turnover and Zurbus deked Fleury onto his back to notch the game at one. The Devils’ sparkplug wasn’t done. After Paul Martin made it a 2-1 New Jersey lead in the first, Elias scored a shorthanded goal at 3:09 in the second period. Elias picked off a cross-ice pass by Jordan Leopold for his 13th goal of the season and 3-1 Devils’ advantage.
Zach Parise pushed the New Jersey lead to 4-1 seven minutes after Elias punched in a goal. Parise’s driving rebound past Fleury was enough to ship the paltry Pens’ goalie off the ice. Fleury made just nine saves on the night. Michigan native, Brent Johnson, replaced Fleury in goal. Ruslan Fedotenko tried to help the Penguins scratch back with a Pittsburgh goal early in the third period. Fedotenko’s 10th of the season cut the deficit to 4-2, but New Jersey’s Rob Niedermeyer’s empty-netter essentially sealed the Pittsburgh loss. New Jersey has now won four of their last five games. Brodeur earned his 596th career NHL victory. New Jersey has cooked the Penguins all season and should be confident with a potential playoff meeting with Pittsburgh. The Devils have revived themselves after a slight slump. The black and red clad team are flowing offensively and shutting down speedy skaters on defense. They are primed for the playoffs if they continue to play up to the level they exhibited last night.

Parting Points: Yankee notes- Marte gets drilled by a Ryan Howard bullet and leaves the game; Joba’s improved performance keeps him in the hunt for the fifth rotation job.

Thursday tune- “Beautiful Disaster”- 311

Let the games begin—March Madness has officially kicked off!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Observing the Order

The reigning world champion New York Yankees downed the Houston Astros 4-1 in a split squad scrimmage in Tampa on Tuesday. Manager, Joe Girardi showcased his probably opening day lineup as Mariano Rivera made his first appearance of the spring. Rivera needed 27 pitches but worked out of a bases-loaded jam for a scoreless inning. Girardi’s slated Nick Johnson behind leadoff man, Derek Jeter, in the New York lineup. Johnson is the projected number two hitter when the Yankees open a series April 4th in Boston. C.C. Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Andy Pettitte are the three starting hurlers expected in the first series of the season. Burnett is still struggling with control, walking four batters against the Astros. Only fifth-percent of his 66 pitches were deemed strikes.
The best team on paper in baseball, New York’s fifth starter position is still up for grabs. The 27 time World Series champs signed former Bomber, Javier Vazquez this offseason. Vazquez will shore up the back end of the rotation at the number four spot. Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain remain the leading candidates for the final pitching position. Hughes, the former first round pick, tossed four shutout innings out of the bullpen for the save Tuesday in his bid for job. Hughes instituted his changeup with effectiveness against Houston. I would be surprised if Girardi overlooks Hughes for the fifth spot. Right-hander Chamberlain faces a challenging Philadelphia squad this afternoon. Chamberlain is still in the race, but needs to be more confident and consistent on the hill. Personally, I feel Joba is better suited for the bullpen.
The Yankees did not resigned World Series MVP, Hideki Matsui this winter. Matsui signed as a free agent with the Angels. Girardi plans to replace Matsui’s bat with a slew of mediocre hitters. Johnson’s production won’t come close to the Japanese slugger, but the Yankees anticipate the return of the former first baseman to inject some punch at the top of the order. Johnson has a high on base percentage and should have decent RBI numbers with Jeter preceding him at the plate. Robinson Cano is vying for the fifth spot in Girardi’s lineup. The second base All-Star has a career .256 batting average but placing Cano in the heart of the order is a risk. Many New York fans do not feel comfortable with Cano protecting Alex Rodriguez. The 27 year old does not boast a high average with runners in scoring position. Girardi considered inserting newly acquired Bomber outfielder, Curtis Granderson, into the fifth spot. Cano’s low strikeout total and higher average indicate he is the man for the job, however. The second baseman hit .299 with 29 RBIS in 214 at-bats in fifth spot last year. Granderson has more power than Cano at the plate, but should settle into the seventh spot. Catcher, Jorge Posada, will follow Cano.
New York also failed to bring back Johnny Damon. Damon’s bat at the top of the order will surely be missed. Granderson will occupy centerfield full-time, with Brett Gardner in left field. Gardner will round out the Yankees lineup, hitting in the nine hole. Nick Swisher represents Cano’s former position at eighth in the order. The Yankees definitely lack a big bat at the bottom, but the switch-hitting mix throughout the second half of the order should frustrate opposing pitchers. Swisher juiced 29 taters last season and clubbed 124 hits. Gardner had an impressive second year with a .270 average in 108 games. The Tigers and Yankees swapped players in the Granderson deal. One of those players was Austin Jackson. The outfield prospect has been lighting it up for Detroit this spring training. It will be interesting to see what kind of season Jackson has in tiger stripes. Most expected big things from the youngster in pinstripes. Now we will never know.
Parting Points: Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Ron Washington was nailed for failing a cocaine drug test in 2009...nice.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Depleted Denver’s Defense Defeated

The Houston Cougars are in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1992. Amidst the madness o March, the Houston Rockets are trying to make the NBA playoffs. In the Mile High city, perhaps they are more concerned with Brady Quinn’s arrival than basketball. Monday night, the Rockets rallied to complete their largest fourth quarter comeback of the season in defeating the Denver Nuggets 125-123 at Toyota Center. Houston fans watched the home team overcome an eleven point deficit. The crowd of 16,000 witness Aaron Brooks delivering the game winning basket with 2.9 seconds left. The Rockets pulled off the NBA version of a clutch performance and snapped the Nuggets’ six game winning streak in the process.
Brooks, the savior of the game, compiled 31 points and nine assists in propelling hopeful Houston Monday night. The Rockets’ second year point guard was outshined by only Carmelo Anthony. The All-Star Nugget scored 45 points in the loss to snag his seventh 40-plus point game of the season. Anthony was 6-of-7 from the line and got fat on three 3-pointers and 10 rebounds. He missed a 3-point try at the buzzer, however. The Rockets’ best offensive first half was on display last night. The Rockets shot 59% in the first half. Houston led by 11 points at the half but the advantage vanished quickly after the break. Chauncey Billups sank consecutive 3-pointers early in the third quarter to get Denver’s offense moving. Billups finished with 17 points. Denver trailed by just two points heading into the fourth quarter.
Kevin Martin tallied 29 points for Houston. Martin surged in the second half, scoring seven points during a 16-6 spurt that put Houston up 58-42 with just over nine minutes remaining. Denver rode a 104-93 lead into the final quarter, with Anthony in the driver’s seat. Melo converted 11 points in the third quarter. Houston pulled back to within four behind Luis Scola’s inside scoring and Shane Battier’s sinkers from the rainbow. The high-scoring Nuggets slowed down the stretch, but rallied to grab a five point lead in the final minute. Trevor Ariza knocked down his first 3-pointer of the night with 1:21 remaining and Scola notched a layup on a fast-break rebound. Scola charged the lane with the tying layup and swished the ensuing free throw to put the Rockets on top by one point. Number four took a pass from midcourt after getting up from the floor on the opposite side of the court, and glided blissfully to the rim. Scola secured his sixth straight double-double with a superb 23 point, 11 rebound contest. Anthony knotted the game at 123 after Brooks split two free throws. The Rockets’ guard made up for the miss by going to work and lifting his team in the final six seconds. Houston spread the floor and allowed Brooks to make a sharp, one-dribble move to his right before nailing the deciding jumper. He looked like he was going to make a hard break to the basket, but instead pulled off the fake and plopped it in the net. Houston is now five games behind Portland in the Western Conference playoff race.
Denver came into Monday averaging 116 points per game and running opponents off the court. The defense was exposed by Houston at Toyota Center. Their inability to stop Brooks coupled with the Rocket’s knack for denying Denver the ball resulted in the Nuggets’ first road loss in four tries. Houston’s big three (Scola, Brooks and Martin) combined for 83 points and 19 boards. Kyle Lowry’s fourth quarter defense was excellent and his slick drives to the basket past Denver’s defense exhilarating. The Rockets just passed the ball really well in the last frame. The high octane Denver offense finally caught up to a stalwart defense. As long as Houston’s defense gives them a chance to win games, the Rockets will have success on the hardwood.

Parting Points: “If you love me, won’t you let me know”- Coldplay

The Cards and Phils are in trade talks—Pujols for Howard?

Agassi apologizes for his jab against Sampras...hmm.

I personally love it when the Rockets don’t fold!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Self Seer

Beware
For the ides of March are meant to scare
We all suffer dissatisfaction
An unconscious indefinable reaction
The fear that fuels us
Fosters a fretful fuss

It’s not the day that delivers death
But the turmoil behind each breath
There are folks who believe history will repeat
Where are they during an unforgettable sports feat?
The good, the bad
Seldom happens twice once they’ve been had

Predictions
Exist on logic and deduction
The team with the worst RPI
Will surely RIP against the better guy
A top seed won’t fail
Unless an underdog wags its magical tail

The well-rested warriors
Send their winning statements without couriers
The decisions are snap
In March, success doesn’t fall in one’s lap
Account for luck before you fill
Those brackets according to an expert’s will

Sometimes you don’t see it coming
The last thing to occur is numbing
A mid-month Monday
After selection Sunday
Should not interfere
With what inside is our own seer

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Mountaineer Muscle

Memories of Pat Ewing, Jr. swatting Da’Sean Butler’s drive from the left baseline a few years ago are now forgotten. Butler’s Mountaineers topped Georgetown on a grander scale last night. West Virginia University capped off a tremendous tournament to win the Big East championship for the first time since their inception into conference fifteen years ago. The Mountaineers halted the Hoyas with one final maneuver by Butler in the waning six seconds of the Saturday’s final at Madison Square Garden. Butler, a familiar hero for Bob Huggins’ Mountaineers, nailed a shot with 4.2 seconds left to give third-seeded WVU their first Big East conference crown. The 60-58 West Virginia win gives the Mountaineers a chance to snag a number one seed in the NCAA tournament during Selection Sunday. The Mountaineers, winners of six straight games, have 18 top 100 wins.
The Mountaineers are comprised of several metro NY area players. Newark native, Butler, drained all five of his free throws and finished with a 20 point night. Devin Ebanks, from Queens, grabbed nine rebounds but only mustered two measly points. Madison Square Garden was close to their home, but they failed to take charge from the tipoff against Georgetown. WVU took nearly six minutes to notch a field goal in the opening period. The abysmal start was salvaged by a solid first half from Wellington Smith. The 6’7” senior had 11 points and pulled down ten rebounds. He scored nine first half baskets to help the Mountaineers overcome a pair of turnovers and missed free throws. The Mountaineers missed four shots on their first seven possessions. The only one of the top four seeds to advance in the conference, WVU recovered to carry a four point lead into the locker room at the break.
Georgetown was led by junior guard, Chris Wright. Wright and Butler logged forty minutes for their respective teams, were perfect from the charity stripe and both scored 20 points. The 23-10 Hoyas shot 25% from the arc. Wright missed all five of his 3-point attempts but redeemed himself in the paint during the fourth period. Austin Freeman and Greg Monroe also tallied double digits in points for John Thompson III’s Hoyas. West Virginia needed Butler’s heroics after blowing a nine point lead in the second half. Freeman hit a trey from the wing with 51 seconds to tie the game before Wright inexplicably fouled WVU guard, Joe Mazzulla, near midcourt. Mazzulla broke the tie by swishing both shots from the line. Wright’s mad dash for a layup knotted the game at 58-58 with 17 ticks remaining in regulation. WVU called a timeout and designed a scheme to put the ball in the hands of their premier playmaker, Butler. The tournament MVP threw up a heave that bounced off the rim into the basket for the deciding points. Wright had one more opportunity to give Georgetown an eighth Big East crown, but his length-of-the-court drive fell short. The Hoyas are guaranteed a higher seed in the NCAA’s than the one afforded in the conference tournament. Saturday’s championship was a proud prevailing moment for the Mountaineers. WVU has done enough to prove they are darlings of the Big East and they deserve consideration for a number one seed. I still think the selection committee chooses Syracuse, despite Onuaku’s injury. Neither WVU nor Syracuse is a lock, however. We’ll just have to wait until tonight’s announcement.

Parting Points: Congrats to Siena for another MAAC title.

Here’s hoping OSU defeats Minnesota and lands a number one seed in the tourney.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Excellent Evan’s Euphoric Ending

It wasn’t quite Bo Schembechler versus Woody Hayes, but Ohio State’s 69-68 triumph Friday was escalated because it came against rival Michigan. Basketball games between the schools seldom have the fervor of football games but are still filled with pugnacious play. There’s something special about this rivalry no matter what the sport. It’s considered a huge setback to lose. Buckeye junior, Evan Turner, sent the Wolverines packing with a buzzer beating 37 foot shot in the Big Ten quarterfinal at Conseco Fieldhouse. The top ranked Bucks erupted in celebration after Turner took an inbounds pass with 2.2 seconds on the clock and released a shot over Michigan’s Stu Douglass as time expired. The blue and maize, seeded eighth in the tournament, rallied from 13 points down in the final ten minutes. They took the lead on junior, Manny Harris’ beautiful pull-up jumper with 2.2 seconds remaining. The two point netter should have sealed the surprising win for momentum-snatching Michigan. Officials consulted replay before officially ruling Turner’s basket a good shot. Turner, the probable player of the year in men’s college hoops, finished with 18 points and 8 assists to lead the Buckeyes. The phenom is closing in on 500 points this season. Harris drained 26 points in a disappointing loss for the Wolverines.
Friday’s win jolted the Buckeyes into a semifinal Saturday showdown against Illinois. Ohio State is now 25-7 and will have a legimate chance at a number one seed in the NCAA tournament if they win the Big Ten. Ohio State was down 23-19. The Bucks struggled with consistency on offense and suffered early foul trouble. Dallas Lauderdale went to the Buckeye bench with nine minutes in the half, but Ohio State overpowered the Wolverines to recapture the lead. Jon Diebler notched eight points during a 13 point run for Ohio State. Michigan was forced to play catch-up after trailing by ten at the break. The Wolverines outscored the Buckeyes 43-34 in the second half. Turner made just one of eight shots in an ailing and inaccurate second half for the junior. John Beilein’s Wolverines chopped the Buckeye’s edge to four points on back-to-back treys by Douglass. Douglass followed up with another 3-pointer to maintain the four point deficit before Ohio State went on a 9-0 run midway through the second half.
Harris sparked Michigan’s comeback with 22 second half buckets. Thad Matta’s Bucks allowed Michigan back into the game, something Hayes surely would not accept had this been on the gridiron. The Wolverines cut the Buckeye lead to two points in the fine frantic minutes. Harris’ floating jumper over Lauderdale was the highlight of Michigan’s comeback, and unfortunately for the Wolverines, the last hurrah. Turner put an end to the short-lived Michigan jubilee. The Wolverines chose not to defend Turner on the inbounds pass from David Lighty. The Big Ten Player of the Year’s remarkable shot will go down as one of the most memorable clutch plays in history of Ohio State basketball. Turner’s 37-footer did not even touch the backboard. It was nothing but net for Evan, and nothing but awesome for the scarlet and gray. I love how Matta plays his starters for all forty minutes. That decision is a testament to the trust he has in his players. All four Buckeyes who clocked forty minutes logged double digits. The Buckeyes are a rhythmic, grinding hardwood team. They played with plenty of heart against a motivated Michigan team. If #21 is not the player of the year, it’s time to eradicate the voters.

Parting Points: It’s nice to see Minnesota go on a bit of a run. They really cranked it up a notch in overtime against Michigan State in order to advance.

The Big East final is set for Saturday—A meeting between Georgetown and WVU.

Kansas pulled away from Texas A&M to reach the finals in the Big 12.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Butler Buzzes Bearcats

Thursday’s quarterfinal matchups at the Big East tournament were filled with drama and upset specials. The final feature was most theatrical. Bob Huggins’ nationally ranked seventh seeded Mountaineers bested his former Cincinnati Bearcats 54-51. The Bearcats, who defeated Louisville to reach the quarterfinal round, were a long-shot to advance. West Virginia was the only one of the four top ranked conference seeds to move on to semifinal Friday. Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Villanova were all defeated in the earlier games Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Maybe the double-bye is to blame for the disappointing play or maybe the underdogs were just finely tuned machines. It’s more likely the 16 Big East teams were somewhat evenly matched heading into the tournament. The Big East boasts some of the best players in the country and the most competitive conference. Third-seeded West Virginia squeezed out the lone win among the top four teams on Da’Sean Butler’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer. Butler’s clean trey lifted the Mountaineers to victory, breaking the hearts of Bearcat fans everywhere. WVU meets Notre Dame at 9pm tonight in a semifinal game. The Fighting Irish knocked off the number two seed, Pitt.
Cincinnati and West Virginia both struggled offensively. The offensive ineptitude shifted hands over the final three minutes. The Bearcats at least had an excuse. Cincinnati played for the third time in three nights, clawing their way to the quarterfinal Thursday evening. They did not dominate the glass in yesterday’s loss like they did Wednesday against the Cardinals. The Bearcats shot 33.3% and were led by freshman Lance Stephenson’s 19 buckets. The 25-6 Mountaineers’ leading man, Kevin Jones shot 50% from the field and finished with 17 points. West Virginia was aggressive on defense but blew an 18-4 first half advantage. Offensive woes are not new to WVU, a team that thrives on defensive prowess. Huggins’ squad has the worst shooting percentage of top 25 teams. The Bearcats made it a game with their durable free throw shooting (75%) and solid rebounding. Cincinnati turned to its perimeter shooting to get back into the game after trailing by three points at the break. Both teams scored 28 second half points. Cincinnati overcame a nine point deficit in the final six minutes of the game as WVU’s suddenly ugly defense allowed nine consecutive baskets.
Big East Rookie of the Year, Stephenson, drained a downtown shot to notch the game with 42 seconds remaining. The errant Mountaineers turned the ball over on a shot-clock violation instead of getting the shot off with six seconds left. Cincinnati’s Dion Dixon had a chance to win the game but fumbled the ball on the sidelines. Butler, who was covering Dixon on the play, took the ensuing inbounds pass from Devin Ebanks with three ticks on the clock. Ebanks notched 10 points and 5 assists. Butler sunk the game-winning shot on a high arching attempt from the arc. The Mountaineers were just 4-of-20 from long range, but Butler’s 3-pointer was the one that mattered most. Butler entered Thursday’s contest less than a week removed from a buzzer-beater against Villanova. Yancy Gates tallied 11 points and a team high seven rebounds for Cincinnati.

Parting Points: So many of the usual suspects will miss out on the NCAA’s this year. No UCLA. No North Carolina.

Jose Reyes is out two to eight weeks with a thyroid condition. Those Mets are pitiful.

Colorado signs lifetime Rockies slugger, Todd Helton, to two year deal.

Chill song- Paramore’s “Brick by Boring Brick”

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Stunning Storm Slaughter

It was a disastrous opening tipoff to the Big East tournament for the Connecticut Huskies. UConn was routed by the Red Storm 73-51 during a first round game at Madison Square Garden. Tuesday’s loss marked the fifth straight year the Huskies exited the conference tournament without winning a game. Connecticut has not won a tournament game since 2005. St. John’s beat a traditional powerhouse for the second consecutive Big East tournament. The Johnnies defeated Georgetown last season before falling to the Golden Eagles in the next round. Marquette is the second round opponent for St. John’s again this year. The 13th seeded Red Storm advanced thanks to exuberant play from Sean Evans. Evans smacked down 19 points as the Johnnies sunk a stunned Connecticut team on the bubble of the NCAA tournament.
St. John’s halted a nine game losing streak to Jim Calhoun’s Huskies Tuesday in New York. The Red Storm lost three of four games to end the regular season, so it was a bit surprising when they toppled a physical UConn squad. St. John’s shot 50% from the field against the number one defensive field goal team in Big East. Paris Horne and Justin Brownlee aided Evans, anchoring the Red Storm with 13 points each. The Storm paved a 22-12 lead with ten minutes remaining in the second quarter. They extended the advantage to 38-18 after a 13-2 spurt. Evans and Brownlee scored all the points during the Red Storm’s run before the break as the Huskies trailed by 13 at halftime. Kemba Walker managed 12 points for the losing Huskies. Walker was 2-of-8 from downtown for a Connecticut team that finished 30% from long range. Connecticut shot just 37.5% from the field and committed 20 turnovers. UConn hit 6-of-18 from the charity stripe in an embarrassing showing Tuesday. Connecticut scored its fewest points in a Big East tournament game.
The Huskies, a Final Four team a year ago, never got closer than eight points the rest of the game. The Johnnies grabbed rebounds, picked up loose balls and notched 54% of their 3-pointers. St. John’s leading scorer, DJ Kennedy, was limited to 25 minutes because of early foul trouble. Second leading man, Dwight Hardy, was sidelined with a sprained knee for St. Johns. It mattered little for the inspired Red Storm. The defense held 12th seeded UConn’s top scorer, Jerome Dyson, to four points. Dyson dismally turned the ball over nine times during the contest. The Huskies can only hope for an invite to the NIT. Tuesday’s blowout loss was a low moment for the prestigious Big East program. The Huskies went 7-11 in conference play. A below .500 Big East record is never sufficient enough to make a dent in the big dance. UConn’s only shot this season would have been to win the conference tournament. Meanwhile, St. John’s lives to play another day in perhaps the best conference tournaments in men’s college hoops. The Johnnies registered its most wins in a season under Coach Norm Roberts with the victory. Roberts’ players face a tough task Wednesday. Buzz Williams’ Eagles are a team under the radar. Fifth-ranked Marquette endured a rough start but has settled in to make the NCAA tournament. It should be an exhilarating four days on the hardwood. As of this post, St. John trails Marquette by ten at the half. The Red Storm are shooting just 30%.

Parting Points: Other Big East first round winners- USF, Seton Hall, and Cincinnati.

Tough break for the Minnesota Twins- Closer, Joe Nathan could be out for the season.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Athletic Accountability

Athletes continue to get preferential treatment in our society. Professional sports stars are handed VIP passes to shows and the given the best tables in restaurants. They often do not even have reservations or have to pick up the tab. Athletes are, unfortunately, also given a pass when it comes to the law. It bothers me to see a celebrated athlete skate from accusations of assault or charges of misdemeanor crimes. Some people argue that athletes are media targets. I disagree. Public figures are not victims. They should adhere to the same standards as every other citizen. An athlete’s earning power surpasses those in the ordinary workforce, but their conformity to the law does not. Society, league officials and governing bodies should not commend athletes for belittling their role.
Athletes are blessed with God-given talents. They are in the public eye because they are admired for their skills and ability to perform in a sport. Our country elevates professional players to such an elite status we sometimes consider them immune to human faults. Athletes make mistakes too. They should be accountable for their actions off the field. Sports stars should not be given special treatment, yet this happens at almost every level of the game. High school students who play sports are afforded the opportunity to pass on gym class or make up tests they fail in order to remain eligible. Collegiate athletes register for classes before all other students. This may seem strange coming from a former college athlete, but the concept is wrong. I understand the logic of having athletes register early. They need to leave their schedules open to accommodate practices, games and matches. But consider the non-athlete who volunteers afternoons or the student who has to work part-time to help pay for school. All three examples are choices. People can choose to volunteer or work just as they can choose to join a sports team. Professors and teacher who pass students simply because they are on an athletic team is unacceptable. By the same token, altering a student’s grade is wrong. It only hurts the student in the end. It’s nice to have certain privileges for being an athlete because it takes hard work and dedication to play. It is a privilege, not a right, to play. Participation on the field hardly makes someone special outside the playing field, however.
One of the major purposes of sports participation is to build character. Steelers’ quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger was recently accused of sexually assaulting a college student in Georgia. This is not the first time Big Ben has been pegged with such accusations. He may be innocent and the charges have yet to be proven. I used to admire Roethlisberger for his grittiness and guts. Fans have to question the quarterback’s character and intentions. Authorities must treat him as they would an everyday citizen. So many athletes get off scott free for serious crimes. They hurt other people and are simply reprimanded before they return to the game as heroes. Does that not contradict the entire philosophy of athletics? If athletics if founded in character, dignity and respect, what example does it set when professionals are given special treatment? It isn’t fair for the football player who punches an opponent or the basketball player who abuses his wife to continue to earn a paycheck as an athlete. Athletes are supposed to be role models and too often they are mere entertainers. I still hold to the idea that an athlete represents not only their sport, but the integrity of those associated with the game. It’s okay to accept people’s weaknesses but punishment has to be apportioned accordingly. There is an honor and nobility associated with the celebrity status. Professionals earn more annually than most people earn in a lifetime. Their opportunities to do good and set a positive example are endless. Yet, the majority of their time in the spotlight is not a reflection of what athletes should be. It shames me to associate with athletes when I see the type of behavior some exhibit in today’s society. If only their character were half as respectable as their professional talent, athletes would deserve the praise we show them.

Parting Points: Band of the day- Nsync

Monday, March 8, 2010

Buffalo Bests Blueshirts

I attended college outside Buffalo, New York. Believe me when I say, the Sabres and the Bills are a way of life to Buffalo and neighboring residents. Buffalo just endured the longest losing streak in the history of the franchise. Fans can’t be too ecstatic with those results. Perhaps Sunday, the Sabres made up their temporary collapse. The Sabres sit in first place in the Northeast, and last night scratched out an overtime win at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers .Buffalo topped New York 2-1 Sunday on Patrick Kaleta’s goal 2:22 into the extra session, spoiling a Rangers comeback. Goalie, Ryan Miller, made 35 saves in the win. It was the second time in as many games Miller was in goal for an overtime Sabres victory. Tim Connolly scored the game winner that beat the Flyers Friday night in Buffalo. That win leapfrogged the Sabres past the Senators into first place again. The Rangers fell to 29-28-9.
The score remained scoreless after two periods of hockey last night before Buffalo’s Adam Mair came through with the game’s first goal. Mair netted the puck past 28 year old, Henrik Lundqvist, fourteen minutes into the third period. New York’s Brandon Dubinsky rescued the Blueshirts from their second straight shutout in two days. Dubinsky tied the game with 1:23 left in regulation. His 16th goal of the season was the first in eight periods for the dejected Rangers. The power play equalizer by Dubinsky was poked past Miller on a rebound of Michael Del Zotto’s shot. Regulation concluded in a stalemate.
The Rangers are in ninth place, two points behind Boston in the standings. Both the Bruins and Atlanta lost last night. New York earned only one point in Sunday night’s loss and Kaleta extended their losing streak to three games. He was inserted into the game in a rare overtime appearance. The 23 year old Angola, New York native, banked a rebound off Lundqvist in overtime to give the Sabres their third win in eleven games. Kaleta’s goal took the air out of the Garden crowd and painted a dismal picture for the Rangers’ playoff hopes. New York still has an outside chance at making the postseason with 16 games remaining on the slate. The Rangers are 1-6 in overtime games this season and have ten road games remaining to right the slumping ship.
Sunday night pitted two Olympic goalies against each other and goaltending dominated the first two periods. Both goalies performed admirably. Lundqvist was outdueled by Miller, but was also pressured more in net. Buffalo struggled to solve a solid Lundqvist until the fourth liners got involved. The Rangers’ backstopped made 30 saves. Offense was tough to come by for the Sabres. They relied on two unexpected heroes in Mair and Kaleta last night. Marion Gaborik was ineffective, but logged 20 minutes for New York after returning from a groin ailment. The Rangers notched 17 goals during Gaborik’s absence. The top-line forward’s return seemed to put a stop to the offensive surge.

Parting Points: Those UConn women are too good. Will they ever lose? I bet there are no hurt lockers in that locker room.

Kudos to the Magic for dropping the Lakers yet again.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Strength in the Seventh

It takes alarming strength
And the gift of grace
To accept a loss
In the seventh game of a battle fought
Whether in baseball or tennis
The seventh is the last
One final chance to prevail
Before you trot off the court or grass
Winning is everything
When memories don’t let you forget
The willpower and effort reinforce
Only long enough before the score will stand
Winning isn’t anything
If the result produces animosity
To the victor goes the spoil
Even with occasional bitter arrogance
Let your face light up to shine
No matter what the outcome brings
Convey and assert your fortitude
And you’ll never find yourself backing into time

Parting Points: Here's hoping "The Blind Side" wins Best Picture tonight.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Collapse, Concern in Cleveland

The Detroit Lions, always a team of concern, are making a big splash in NFL free agency. The much-maligned and losing franchise signed WR Nate Burleson and DE Kyle Vanden Bosch at the midnight kickoff of the free agent signing period. Detroit hardwood fans are more concerned about the health of the Pistons. Point guard, Rodney Stuckey, was hospitalized Friday after collapsing on the bench during a third quarter timeout at Quicken Loans Arena. The 23 year old was immediately taken to the Cleveland Clinic with symptoms of dizziness. He remains in stable condition. The Pistons, meanwhile, couldn’t out-duel the hometown Cavaliers on the court. Detroit allowed a nine point halftime lead to vanish and later let a six point advantage slip away in the final two minutes to lose 99-92.
LeBron James hung 40 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the Cavs. James added six assists, two steals and three blocks as Cleveland rallied to overcome a 21 point deficit in the first half. The Pistons knocked down 70% from the free throw line and Stuckey collected 12 assists. Detroit built a substantial lead against a soft Cleveland defense but failed to uphold their edge in the final quarter. Antwan Jamison and Anderson Varejao punished the visiting team with 16 points apiece. Varejao snagged 10 rebounds off the Cleveland bench. Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince scored 23 points. Richard Hamilton netted 21 and Charlie Villanueva finished with 12 for the Pistons. Stuckey, the second year Eastern Washington guard, had eight points before exiting in the third quarter. The Detroit guard was walking over to give advice to rookie teammate, Jonas Jerebko when he started to feel dizzy. The Pistons struggled after Stuckey’s departure, scoring just one basket during the rest of the quarter. Jamison notched a 3-pointer to open the fourth quarter and give the Cavs their first lead of the game. The former UNC player scored the next five points for Cleveland as the Cavs seized control late. The Cavs capped off a 14-3 run to take a 75-70 lead with just over ten minutes in regulation. Cleveland clearly got busy in the final quarter after being scorched on defense in the first half. The Cavs plopped in 20 of the 26 points following Stuckey’s collapse to win their sixth straight game and fifth straight over rival Detroit. James made 16-of-27 shots from the field on another excellent night for the All-Star. Delonte West provided a second half spark from the bench with stellar defense for the Cavs. Jamison’s clutch offense really put the stamp on Detroit’s advantage. He bucketed eight points in the final quarter to hand the 21-41 Pistons their sixth consecutive defeat. Friday’s night victory improves the Cavs’ record to 49-14 on a night James broke the franchise’s all-time minutes played record.

Parting Points: A few good pick-ups for NY football teams. The Jets acquired CB, Antonio Cromartie, and the Giants roll out the free agent money for safety, Antrel Rolle.

Not so good for the Steelers- Ben Roethlisberger accused of sexual assault.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Ashton's Acrobatic Answer

Ashton Gibbs sunk a 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds left in regulation to lift the Pittsburgh Panthers over Providence at Petersen Events Center Thursday night. The 17th ranked Panthers pulled out a 73-71 victory to improve their Big East record to 12-5 and secure a double bye in next week’s tournament. Gilbert Brown dished an inbound pass to Gibbs, who drilled the game-winning 25 foot shot as time expired. The sophomore guard led all scorers with 25 points, and made six from downtown against the Friars.
Jamine Peterson, at 6’9”, netted 24 points and 18 rebounds for 12-17 Providence. The Friar forward recorded his Big East best 15th double-double of the season. The Friars are losers of nine straight games. The Panthers have won seven of their past eight contests and are 16-1 at home under coach, Jamie Dixon this season. Dixon’s team played a sloppy game throughout the first three quarters but rallied to tie the score in the fourth. The visitors trailed by four points at the half after scoring the last five points of the stanza. Pitt committed 15 turnovers and allowed Providence to shoot 45% from the field in the second half. The Panthers shot just 30% from the free throw line and 42% from long range. Providence executed an impressive 7-0 run in the second half to tie the game at 44-44. Marshon Brooks’ dunk gave the Friars their first lead of the second half with less than 12 minutes to play. The Friars’ Sharaud Curry added 16 points and Brooks chipped in 13. Providence is ranked 15th in the Big East and has one of the worst scoring defenses in the nation. Providence, losers of 18 of their last 21 at Pittsburgh, failed to hold a five point lead with seven minutes remaining.
Twenty-three win Pitt trimmed the lead to twice take over in the final five minutes. The lead changed hands five times in the game’s final four and a half minutes. Brad Wanamaker nipped a bucket from the arc with 4:16 remaining to give the Panthers a 66-65 edge. Wanamaker finished with 13 assists. Providence recaptured the lead they relinquished on a Brian McKenzie jumper. Wanamaker answered with a jumper off his own to vault the Panthers back into the lead, but Peterson tied the game at 68-68 with a free throw at 2:22. Jermaine Dixon scored a career high 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for Pitt. Dixon’s basket with 40 seconds remaining gave the Panthers a two point edge. Curry notched two free throws with five ticks on the clock. McKenzie responded to a Jermaine Dixon foul seconds later by hitting one of two from the line. Providence held a 71-70 advantage with 3.5 seconds left. The ball was placed in Gibbs’ hands for the deciding bucket in the nail-biting finish of a game that saw seven ties.

Parting Points: Friday’s artist- Sarah Mclachlan

A complacent day for Pittsburgh sports fans Thursday- Pitt wins at the last second and the Penguins top the Rangers in overtime.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

First Field

It's baseball season. Everybody remembers the first field they ever played on as a kid.

The base paths lined with chalk
The sand packed tight upon the mound
Remind me of the place we used to walk
With my eyes held on you and glove held to the ground
The field sprinkled with green grass
The sky filled to the brim with clouds
Remind me that not a day shall pass
When I won’t remember the faces of the crowds
The perpendicular surface and foamy raised plate
The two rectangular boxes symmetrically placed
Remind me of the incorrigible change the game can create
With everyday problems vanished and erased
The trophies, plaques and signed balls stored away
The soiled uniforms and jerseys too small to fit
Remind me of how my father taught me to play
When he oiled the leather on my first baseball mitt

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Solidfying Seed

Jon Diebler dialed up and drilled devastating downtown deliveries as Ohio State lit up Illinois 73-57 in Columbus on Tuesday. The Buckeye win guarantees them at least a share of the Big 10 crown and solidified them a number one seed in the conference tournament. Diebler knotted seven 3-pointers during his 21 point scoring night. Diebler seems to rumble and rise to the occasion behind the arc whenever he faces the Illini. He hit six 3-pointers on OSU’s Valentine’s Day rout of Illinois. Amazingly, he didn’t take a shot inside the rainbow last night. Diebler made 7 of his 14 from downtown to create the total of 21. The Value City Arena fans mobbed their beloved Buckeyes after the Illini annihilation. The conference title marks the third one in five years for Ohio State, and third in six seasons for coach, Thad Matta. It was the school’s 18th overall title.
Four Buckeyes reached double digits as OSU won their fourth straight game and 13th of their last 15. William Buford bucketed 17 points, Evan Turner turned in 16, and David Lighty collected 15 as the Buckeyes rolled over 18-12 Illinois. Illinois took an early 19-13 lead on four 3-pointers. The home team soon took over, leading 28-21 with seven minutes remaining in the half. Illinois rallied to close within a basket at the two minute mark before Turner drained a jumper. Diebler followed suit with his fifth 3-pointer of the half to give the Bucks a 37-33 advantage at the break. Each team made six shots from the arc during the first half. DeMetri McCamey had four for the visiting Illini. McCamey finished with an Illini team high, 18 points.
Ohio State opened the second half and extended their lead to eight. Lighty deposited five straight points during a fourth period OSU run as the junior began slashing the Illinois defense. The Illini cut the margin to four points with ten minutes remaining in the game before Lighty struck again. The Bucks pushed their edge up to eleven with just over nine minutes left on the clock. Brandon Paul scored 11 points in 18 minutes for the visitors. Mike Tisdale added ten in the loss. The Illini made 80% of their baskets from the charity stripe, but McCamey and Tisdale fouled out in the second half. Illinois was unable to overcome the loss of their two consistent shooters. The Buckeyes put the game out of reach in the final seven minutes. Lighty scored eight of the first ten points on a 17-6 decisive OSU surge. A nine day rest and top seed in the Big 10 tournament are OSU’s rewards. Next up for the Buckeyes will be the winner of the number eight and nine seed first round game at Conseco Fieldhouse March 12.

Parting Points: A song from a band straight out of Ohio State-“Shatter” by OAR

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

March Madness in Morgantown

March is finally here. Set the madness in motion. The menacing Mountaineers pounded Georgetown 81-68 in the season’s final home game in Morgantown Monday night. WVU senior, Da’Sean Butler, posted 22 points in the hammering of the 19th ranked Hoyas. The university’s third leading scorer behind Jerry West and Rod Hundley also holds the school’s record with 100 games scoring in double figures. West Virginia’s emphatic thumping of their Big East rival clinches them a double bye into the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. Georgetown’s free fall continued. The Hoyas trailed by as many as 27 points in the early second half before losing their fourth game in five tries.
Number ten West Virginia honored three of their senior players before 13,211 fans Monday (Butler, Wellington Smith and Cam Payne). The Mountaineers tallied 24 points by forcing 20 Georgetown turnovers. The Hoyas committed 12 turnovers in the first half. The home team had nine the entire game. The Georgetown giveaways resulted in a crushing 43-26 halftime lead for Bob Huggins’ Mountaineers. Georgetown entered Monday’s contest without leading scorer, Austin Freeman. Hollis Thompson replaced Freeman, but was held to three points. Greg Monroe collected 22 points and nine rebounds and Chris Wright added 21 and 7 assists for the Hoyas. The visitors shot 67% from the charity stripe. Monroe went 6-of-9 on free throws attempts, hitting the rim and falling short on three near misses. Georgetown outshot WVU from the field and from downtown, but the Mountaineers broke the game open during the second half. West Virginia sailed ahead so far the Hoyas were playing catch-up the entire night. The Mountaineers’ up-tempo transition offense and tenacious defense produced enough pressure to stymie any Hoya chances.
Kevin Jones notched six points to push the home team’s lead to 53-26 in the second half. Jones finished with 14 points and Devin Ebanks turned in 15 for 23-6 WVU. The helpless Hoyas had four giveaways in the first three minutes of the second half. Wright pounded in 10 of his 21 points during the span as the Mountaineers went without a field goal for five minutes. The hosts still held a comfortable lead until the game’s final five minutes. Georgetown used runs of 9-0 and 8-0 to whittle the deficit to eleven points with less than seven minutes remaining. West Virginia did not sleep on their advantageous lead. A few bad Georgetown turnovers ended in crucial conversions on West Virginia’s end in the closing minutes. Butler helped pushed the margin back to double digits with an uncontested layup and a pair of free throws with three and a half minutes left. The Mountaineer lead never fell below double digits from that point on. WVU finished with a 12-2 home record this season. Glory-less Georgetown is 6-5 in road games. The Mountaineers currently sit in third place in the conference standings. They visit Villanova Saturday for the season finale. Some writers have the Mountaineers tagged as darkhorse title contenders in the NCAA tournament. It’s true the massive Mountaineer front line is explosive. WVU can punish and overwhelm most teams. They have been ranked high all year long but are also prone to giving up too many points early. WVU won’t have a lengthy tournament stay if they dig themselves a hole against top opponents.

Parting Points: I am very happy for Syracuse landing the number one ranking this week. However, as Jayhawks fan, I am disappointed Kansas dropped out of the top spot.

“Tomorrow never knows what it doesn’t know too soon”- Oasis’ “Morning Glory”

Monday, March 1, 2010

Exceeding Expectations

Team USA was afforded a silver medal after a thrilling tournament in Vancouver. The red, white and blue skaters were clipped by Canada in overtime, 3-2. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby collected the game-winning goal in overtime for the host country. The closing ceremonies of the 2010 game followed shortly after Crosby beat Ryan Miller at 7:40 in the sudden death overtime. The 22 year old Stanley Cup winner hadn’t scored a point in more than three games, but was a mammoth factor in Sunday’s gold medal game.
The young Americans exceeded expectations at the Olympics. It was a monumental task for the USA to beat Canada twice in the one tournament. Ron Wilson’s American team was the youngest of any Olympic squad and really the surprise story of the games. Goalie Miller was awarded the tournament MVP and the team was 60 minutes from earning their first gold medal since the miracle in Lake Placid. Canada completed a remarkable renaissance of their own. After dropping a preliminary round game to the USA, 5-3, the Canadians surged to the final and capped it off by defeating an undefeated team. The Canadians had to win four games in six days. Sunday, they carried a 2-0 lead eight minutes into the second period. Blackhawks forward, Jonathan Toews, notched the first goal for Canada in the first period. Toews wristed in a rebound off Mike Richards’ shot at 12:50 to put the Canadians on board. Corey Perry followed with a snap past Miller at 7:13 of the second. Perry pounced on the puck intended for the USA’s Ryan Getzlaf. Canada outshot the Americans 10-8 in the opening frame and sustained little pressure through the first two periods.
Patrick Kane bolted toward the goal and flicked a low angle shot past Canada’s Roberto Luongo to trim the USA deficit to one in the third period. Ryan Kesler fed Kane the perfectly placed pass at 12:37 that made it a one goal game. The 21 year old Kane was stellar on defense after solving Luongo. He backchecked Crosby on a loose breakaway in the third period before the game’s eventual hero could fire a shot. The Canadians attacked hard and rattled shots off the post in the third period. The Americans remained aggressive and Miller continued to turn away shots. The Sabres netminder made 33 stops Sunday. Wilson pulled his goalie with 90 seconds to go in regulation. The frantic final minute featured an empty USA goal. Kane whirled a shot from behind Canada’s net that deflected off America’s captain, Jamie Langenbrenner. Forward, Zach Parise jumped on the rebound and found the net with 24 second remaining to tie the game at 2-2.
It seemed like team USA was headed to an outcome similar to 1980’s miracle over Russia. Canada has other things in mind as they outshot the Americans 7-4 in the extra session. Jarome Iginla tipped the puck to Crosby from the corner. The Penguins’ star hit a low and hard shot past Miller to set off a gold medal hockey celebration in Canada. The Olympic champions evaded and held off a fierce and vibrant team USA. They allowed a 2-0 lead vanish but withstood a determined American team. Luongo did not outplay Miller, but the Canadian backstop still made 34 saves and went 5-0 in the tournament. Sunday’s hockey gold was the eighth in Olympic history for team Canada.

Parting Points: Thank you Spartans for beating Purdue. Now, OSU has a shot at the Big 10 title with a victory Tuesday.

Monday tune- A truly American song- Blink 182’s “All the Small Things”

Speaking of small things--Happy St. David’s Day, Canada! (“do the little things”)