Unrelated Chatter:
-Hi, my name is Neil and I am a sports junkie. I’ve always known that I was a sports junkie but I think I officially hit rock bottom today. Why you ask? Well I type this as I am watching the NBDL’s Albuquerque Thunderbirds take on the Chinese National Team. And if that is not bad enough, I have known the outcome of the game for 4 days now. Then again I often watch both baseball and wrestling on Spanish-speaking TV channels even though I don’t speak Spanish so I’m not sure which is worse.
-I’d like to thank my dad for having ESP. I was talking to him minutes before the Pacquio/Morales fight last night and was debating whether or not to order when he said he didn’t think it was worth it. A ballsy statement considering their last 2 fights were epic but he was right as Pacquio won via a 3rd round knockout and I won by saving $49.95.
-The Cubs just laid out $136 million for Alfonso Soriano over 8 years. I’m not sure which is worse, the price or the fact that he might roam center field for them.
-Last but not least it appears as though Moises Alou is about to become a New York Met. Great, now we have a guy who pees on his hands throughout the month of February to toughen up his hands for the season. Moises, buy some batting gloves man.
Related Chatter:
College Basketball
-Some people go crazy over Christmas, others go crazy over Halloween. Me? I go crazy over the Maui Invitational. That first midnight game on the Monday before Thanksgiving brings a smile to my face year after year. The field is absolutely loaded this year and is arguably the best ever. UCLA is the favorite to win and I think they will prevail but I would certainly keep an eye out for a young Georgia Tech team that is going to give the ACC fits this year.
-The CBE Classic resumes play on Monday with Air Force taking on Duke in one semifinal matchup while Texas Tech draws Marquette. I’m not nearly as high on Duke as most people are and would not be surprised if Air Force defeated them. Marquette has looked awful in the early goings and while they may be the favorites, Texas Tech is the team playing better basketball at the moment. Tournament organizers are praying for a Texas Tech/Duke final featuring Bob Knight and Coach K and they just may get it, if Duke can survive Air Force.
-Bucknell, many writers’ trendy mid-major pick this year to pull a George Mason is off to an 0-3 start and are seeing their at-large bids fade by the day. They still have big games against Northern Iowa, George Mason, Xavier and Texas Tech but have now put themselves in a position where they must win them all if they want any chance at an at-large bid.
-Speaking of George Mason, tough loss for them last night as Wichita State came to town and defeated them in a Sweet 16 rematch. Wichita State coach Mark Turgeon is among the best in the country and while many people were unsure of what Wichita State was capable of this year, they quieted a few doubters with their statement win over Mason.
-The always dangerous Old Dominion Monarchs traveled to Washington DC today to take on the 8th ranked Georgetown Hoyas and defeated them soundly, 75 – 62.
College Football
-Before we get to the action from this past weekend, let’s discuss the hot rumor that developed today regarding the University of Miami and Steve Spurrier. Early today rumors began to swirl that the University of Miami was going to make a serious attempt at landing Steve Spurrier for their soon to be vacant head coaching job. Spurrier makes a ton of sense as he has a ton of connections in the state from his days at Florida and would make the Hurricanes an instant contender. Spurrier is doing the politically correct thing and saying he is perfectly happy at South Carolina and has no interest in the Miami job. Personally, I’m not buying it. Spurrier has to realize that while South Carolina is a solid program, he may never get an opportunity again like the one at Miami.
-Despite what most people are saying, I’d have to give the Michigan/Ohio State affair yesterday a B+. It was an entertaining game but certainly not the classic people are making it out to be. Yes I am obsessed with college basketball but I found myself watching George Mason/Wichita State more than the Buckeyes and Wolverines.
-The latest BCS rankings have come out and much to the surprise of everyone (except myself), the Michigan Wolverines remain in the #2 slot. The computers nor the voters were going to punish Michigan for losing a close game at Ohio State so the lack of change shouldn’t surprise anyone.
By no means does this assure us of a national title game rematch because USC, Florida, and Arkansas still have the chance to leapfrog Michigan. USC and Notre Dame square off this weekend and a USC win should move them up to 2nd in the BCS. I leave Notre Dame out of the picture only because they were beaten soundly by Michigan at home earlier this season and I don’t see them being able to jump over Michigan. Oddly enough Arkansas, sitting at #6 might have the best chance to play for the national title against Ohio State. No one is talking about it but with a victory over 10th ranked LSU this week and a victory over 4th ranked Florida in the SEC title game and suddenly their BCS ranking will skyrocket. This scenario presents a dilemma similar to Notre Dame’s because Arkansas got blown out by USC in the first game of the season. We may not get a playoff in college football anytime soon but with the way these last 2 weeks are shaping up, this might be the closest thing we get for a while.
-Congrats to my former school Cincinnati as they ended Rutgers dream season last night 30 – 11. No doubt Rutgers was on a high from the previous week’s victory over Louisville and was unable to get back down to Earth in time for last night’s game. Cincinnati certainly brought them back down to reality and you have to love what Mark D’Antonio is doing with the Bearcats. His reliance of undersized speedsters on defense mirrors how Greg Schiano built Rutgers.
That’s all for today. Tomorrow I will be flying home to New York so check back later in the week for my next column. Until next time, stay classy.
