The Best Month For Sports - By Jeff Bailey

The great month of March is upon us and that means just one thing…madness. Word madness and March have become synonymous with each other. When any sport fan thinks of the month of March they immediately think of the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament.

The NCAA basketball tournament has become more of a religion over the past years with millions of people, some who don’t even watch basketball, trying to create the perfect bracket. Almost every company around the country has some type of “office pool” with brackets, and the games instantly become water cooler talks. Looking over the past 20-30 years, some of the most infamous games, plays, and players have all come out of the tournament. What other sporting event can take a team from a school with no more than 3,000 students and instantly turn them into sporting celebrities, and take no name players and turn them into household names over night. Every year there is at least one Cinderella team that gets hot at the right time and makes an unseen run at a national title.

The tournament itself is an image of the American dream. If you make the tournament, no matter how big or how small the team is, if you’ve won 15 or 30 games, or if you are the #1 or #14 seed you have a shot at making history and winning a national championship. The tournament is the classic story of David vs. Goliath. Time and time again the little teams prove the David vs. Goliath story is true. Many sports analysts, and fans, agree that the NCAA tournament is the best postseason of any sport.

However, March is not just about the NCAA basketball tournament.

For all other basketball fans, the second half the NBA season is in full force with teams vying for playoff spots. On top of that, the top players are stepping up their games to win the MVP race. For hockey fans, the NHL season only has about 20 games left. Teams are fighting and putting their blood, sweat, and tears into making the playoffs and winning one of the most coveted trophies in all of sports; Lord Stanley’s Cup. The actual playoffs for the NBA and NHL might not be until April, but the playoff push is a lot more exciting to most fans.

This great month is just not about basketball and hockey, but can also be a month of madness for football, baseball, and soccer fans. Sure the college football bowl season is over, and the Super Bowl is in the past, but that does not mean football news stops. The month of March is just off the heels or college football’s biggest offseason news; National Signing Day. College fans are drooling over their newest recruits, and starting to bash other teams on their forums about how their team is going to go undefeated and win a national championship next year. Spring practices are still about a month or so away, but fans are already putting together their “ultimate” starting lineups.

NFL fans are in the middle of free agency and only weeks away from the NFL Draft. The NFL combine just happened, so fans are rethinking their teams’ needs and who they should draft. College players vault themselves from being unknowns to being first round picks with just running a 40 yard dash. This offseason has added another wrinkle in the NFL madness with the labor talks and the possibility of a season long lockout. With or without a lockout, the NFL will stay have their draft next month.

For baseball fans, spring training is just beginning and fans are finally getting to see their teams for this season. After all the trades in the offseason, fans are seeing their newly acquired players and are getting ready for nonstop baseball for the next 7-8 months. The dreams of winning it all are still alive at this point and with the season just weeks away. As for soccer, the MLS season is only two weeks away while the European leagues started just a few weeks ago.

March might come in as a lion and leave as a lamb in terms of weather, but in the sports world March comes in like a freight train and leaves with just as much power. The NCAA basketball tournament is the heart and soul of March, but almost every single sport has something going on in March. March is the greatest month of the year for sports, hands down. What other month has Cinderella stories, upsets, unknowns becoming household names, fresh starts to seasons, ends of seasons, and playoffs spots being won and lost? Only one word describes the month of March - madness.

Wild Thing, You Make My Heart Sick

In our reality television, TMZ world, Charlie Sheen has gained more notoriety for being crazy than for any of his work in Hollywood. It's no surprise really, that the same people who've allowed Keeping Up With The Kardashians to have not one, but two spin-offs, would eat up Charlie Sheen's insanity with the voracity of a stoner given a plate of pizza rolls, but let's see this for what it is. Charlie Sheen is bat shit crazy.

The people who seem to think that Sheen is some edgy genius are stupid. If you're one of those people, you got it right, I'm calling you stupid. I watched his 20/20 interview in its entirety and I saw that his drug test came back negative. I also couldn't help but think that if this is Charlie Sheen sober, someone should have taken hedge clippers to his manhood long before he produced five children. He's very clearly incapable of taking care of himself, let alone his kids. The sad thing is, I'm not entirely sure that Denise Richards and Brooke Mueller give those children any better chance at a decent upbringing.

Charlie Sheen during his 20/20
"interview"

People think it's funny that he laughs about his benders, claiming other prolific drugs users like Keith Richards have nothing on his penchant for almost killing himself. If you're one of those people, you probably think David Carradine just needed a longer belt.

This whole Two And A Half Men drama revolves around two men who have egos larger than the guns in Delonte West's guitar case, and neither of them are able to see the forest through the trees. There is no show without either one of them. As entertaining as Jon Cryer and the kid who used to be fat are, Charlie has always made that show work. Sure, Chuck Lorre's an ass. All you have to do is pause your TV long enough to read one of his post show title cards to realize it. That doesn't, however, exonerate Sheen's behavior.

Sheen's publicist resigned this week. In all likelihood he found better work selling sandals in Siberia. Sheen's spent a week talking about how great he is at everything. Now mind you, he did fail as a serious movie actor, and he's been married three times, but he's "bi-winning." I haven't heard much from him about how bad he feels for putting people out of work, either. The bodies he leaves in his wake don't matter right now. After all, he's got two very homely goddesses (read: out of work porn stars) by his side. Life is good.

Sheen was a childhood icon for
Cleveland Indians fans

Prior to this episode, I've always liked Sheen. He's made a grand living playing himself in movies and on television. Growing up a Cleveland Indians fan, Major League and Sheen were as much a part of my summers as fireflies, fishing, and swimming pools. These developments, however, make me sick.

I've heard some people say that they side with Sheen because Lorre gravy trained his way to TV's number one show and turned a blind eye to his erratic and dangerous behavior until his feelings got hurt. Keep in mind that sometimes it's perfectly acceptable not to take a side. If the Ravens play the Steelers, I root for a tie.

Screw the whole "at least he's honest" bit too. Charlie Sheen has been honest about the things that everyone already knows. Everything else is dismissed as stupid or unimportant.

Perhaps the majority of his 1.1 million twitter followers (at last count) are following him to see what crazy thing he says next. It's possible the Sheen defenders are the minority. Hell, I follow the guy, and I can't help but feel like I'm watching a train derail. 
I'm not writing this to let CBS and Chuck Lorre off the hook for the mess with Two And A Half Men by any means either. There's equal culpability for that show's demise. What's painfully obvious to me, however, is that this stopped being about that show long before Sheen got an hour long television interview.

This is what sobriety looks like?

Quite frankly, Sheen spoke like a cult leader in that interview. He invented phrases, gave his palatial mansion a name, and is developing a harem of women for his bedroom. I don't see how that is anything less than sickening to anyone. This isn't the sequel of Coco vs. NBC. This is the sad and complete deterioration of a man broadcast on live television.

Watching it all unfold, I can't help but feel that Sheen, in his current state, won't survive this calendar year. I hope I'm wrong, but people who've used drugs for their entire life don't just arbitrarily decide to blink and be done with it. People who go on week long drug vacations like Sheen's often take breaks from their behavior, creating the desire for such marathon escapades. Don't be dumb enough to think that every piss he takes from here forward will come up roses. It's a matter of time before he finds another hotel to redecorate with broken lamps and bloodied hookers. Until Sheen takes a step back from the cameras and realizes that all of his purchased attention is not love or freedom, but newspaper over the mess the dog left on the floor, he's one epic weekend from being part of a "stars we lost in 2011" slideshow.  I know the man loves attention, but that's one applause he needs to stop seeking.

I hope he wakes up from whatever this delusional tirade is and realizes that he's jeopardizing his career, his family, and his own life with his behavior.  I hope he can swallow his own pride and check his own ego long enough to get the help that he needs.  I also hope I win the lottery and the Browns win the Super Bowl.

Here are a couple of memorable quotes from Sheen's media parade:

Twitpic from Charlie Sheen's highly popular twitter feed.

“I closed my eyes and in a nanosecond I cured myself.”

“What’s not to love? Especially when you see how I party, it was epic. The run I was on made Sinatra, Flynn, Jagger, Richards and all of them look like droopy-eyed armless children.”

“I am on a drug. It’s called Charlie Sheen. It’s not available. If you try it once, you will die. Your face will melt off and your children will weep over your exploded body.”

Just one question. Does that sound like someone who's "winning" to you?

Here's A Guy You Root For - By Dan Wines

  His story's been documented and detailed.  ESPN's Tom Rinaldi broke out his favorite quiet voice for an inspirational piece about his determination and heart.  In May of 2009, emerging Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich was diagnosed with a form of bone cancer called Ewing's Sarcoma.  In one sentence from one doctor, dreams of playing on Sundays moved to the distant back burner.  A somewhat charmed life became a public battle with a monster that ends lives, let alone careers.  Typically, by the time Ewing's is diagnosed, it has spread to other parts of the body.  As with any form of cancer, once it begins migrating, survival rates become bleak.  For Herzlich, the cancer was treatable, but his football future was cloudy.
 

  In the piece by ESPN, Herzlich was asked if he'd play football again.  Simply, but profoundly, Herzlich responded with a nod of the head, "Yes sir. I am."  Amazingly, despite having his strength and energy zapped by the chemo, Herzlich managed to continue working out.  He kept his weight up.  He remained the inspirational face of the BC football program.  He traded his face paint, uniform and pads for khaki pants, a golf shirt, and towel.  Continuing to lead his team out of the tunnel at Alumni Stadium, Herzlich prowled the sidelines with the same intensity he had between the hash marks.  Cancer pressed pause on his playing career, but it couldn't quite tackle his will.  On October 3rd of that same year, in front of the Boston College faithful, Herzlich updated his prognosis on live TV.  Nuumber 94 was cancer free. 

  His journey back reached it's summit on September 4th, 2010, when he led his teammates through the BC banner in a season opening victory over Weber State.  Again he looked like a short haired version of The Ultimate Warrior, and again he'd take the field for the Eagles' defense.  While his senior season didn't meet the statistical standards he set prior to his diagnosis when we he was named the 2008 ACC defensive player of the year, it did put an exclamation point on his comeback.  He had soundly defeated the toughest opponent he'll ever face.

  I bring this up now because this week is the annual dog and pony show the NFL has named the scouting combine.  Aspiring prospects are picked apart at every level.  Character concerns come to the forefront.  Some players surprise, others disappoint.  Money is made at the scouting combine for those who leave incredible numbers on someone's stopwatch.  Draft stocks rise and fall based on the battery of tests these kids go through.  In recent years, players like running back Chris Johnson, and tight end Vernon Davis have gone from virtual unknowns to hot prospects and first round picks.  This year, Mark Herzlich took the next step in leaving cancer in his rearview by participating in the combine.  While his 40 time didn't wow anyone, and his overall performance isn't likely to make him a day one draft pick, he did show his peers and the deicision makers representing his future employer that he is indeed back.

  His long term health will be a question come draft day, and some teams will certainly shy away from him after a poor showing in the 40 yard dash.  Herzlich's instincts are great, as his is size (6'4, 240), but there will be questions.  He'll have to battle to become a starter in the NFL.  Will he be a 4-3 defensive end, or a 3-4 outside linebacker?  Can he handle the workload of a 16 (or possibly 18) game NFL schedule?  The experts seem to think Herzlich is likely to be drafted somewhere between the 4th and 5th rounds, a far cry from the sure fire first rounder he was projected to be prior to his cancer battle.  Odds are, those experts are right.   While answers to those questions will come in due time, for the time being, only one stat really matters.   Mark Herzlich 1, Ewing's Sarcoma 0. 

  During that interview with Tom Rinaldi in 2009 Herzlich said, "When I picture beating cancer, and I picture my fight through all this, the end result is me running out of that tunnel."  When the current labor dispute is settled and the NFL season begins, regardless of which tunnel he runs out of and which jersey he dons, I will be rooting for Mark Herzlich.

College Basketball Midseason Report - By Jeff Bailey

We are a little more than halfway through the NCAA basketball season, so it is time to look where the top teams and players stand.  Just like college football, I like to sit back and break down the top candidates for Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, and the teams that I think will be in the Final Four in Houston.

Player of the Year:
In my mind there about 3 guys that have separated themselves from the rest of the field for this award at the end of the season.  There are other guys that could be mentioned for this award but these are the three that have the best chance to win.

1. Jimmer Fredette, BYU

The 6-2 senior guard has led BYU to a 22-2 record at mid season.  Jimmer is leading the nation, by quite a large margin, in scoring at 27.6ppg.  On top of that he averages just over 4 assists per game, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals.  He is also a 48% field goal shooter.  Jimmer has had eight games of over 30 points, three of which he went for over 40 points with a high of 47 points.  As good as Jimmer has been the past few years, he is still relatively unknown around the country.  In my mind, the Player of the Year award is Jimmer’s to lose.  As long as he keeps his numbers up and BYU keeps on winning he should end up with some hardware in his hands at the end of the day.

2. Jared Sullinger, Ohio St

Sullinger is the best player on the best team in the country at the mid season.  He is also only a true freshman.  Sullinger was named National High School Player of the Year last year, and is showing why he won that award.  At this point Sullinger is averaging 18ppg, 10rpg, and shooting just over 58% from the field.  Sullinger had one game of over 40 points earlier in the season.  Most people believe that Sullinger will win this award, but I don’t believe he can keep up with Jimmer in stats.  Sullinger is on a better team, but I think stats will prevail.

3. Kemba Walker, Connecticut

Walker was pretty much an unknown name going into the 2011 season.  UConn was not supposed to make noise within the Big East, but Kemba Walker put the team on his back and took them from not ranked to a top 10 team.  Walker blew onto the scene averaging well over 30ppg, but as the season has gone on he has come back down to reality, and is now averaging 23ppg.  Walker is also averaging just over 4rpg and 5apg.  Walker did post one game of over 40 points, and also had a triple double earlier in the season.  Since his huge first few games of the season Walker has been pretty quiet.  In my mind he is a tier below Fredette and Sullinger and will not be able to overtake them for the Player of the Year.

4. JaJuan Johnson, Purdue

Johnson is my dark horse for this award.  His whole career he has been in the shadow of Robbie Hummel, but has finally stepped out this year.  A lot of people probably still don’t know who he is because when they think of the best player in the Big Ten they think of Sullinger.  After seeing Sullinger go head to head against Johnson a few weeks ago, Johnson is a much better all around player and should win Big Ten Player of the Year.  If Purdue gets things back together and BYU and OSU stumble a bit, Johnson in my mind could sneak up.

Coach of the Year:
Coach of the Year award is bit hard to determine, especially halfway through the season, but these are the top three candidates in my mind.

1. Thad Matta, Ohio State

Matta has led the Buckeyes to a 24-0 start, 2nd best in school history, and the sole remaining unbeaten in the country.  This is also the best start for any team in NCAA history after losing the National Player of the Year the previous season.  Ohio State might be the most well rounded team in the country, and we should see them playing deep into March.

2. Steve Fisher, San Diego St

Fisher has done an amazing job once again at SDSU.  In the past few years Fisher has done a great job at SDSU, but this year he has led them to their best start in school history.  San Diego State and Ohio State were the last two unbeaten teams in the country before their lone loss at this point in the season was to BYU.  SDSU is a very athletic team that could make a lot of noise in the tournament this year.

3. Rick Barnes, Texas

Texas was supposed to be somewhat of a player in the Big 12 race this year, but not to the level they currently are.  Texas is probably the hottest team in the country right now and is now up to #3 in the country.  At mid season they are undefeated in league play and have beaten 4 ranked teams in their past 6 games, including knocking off then #2 Kansas in a huge statement game.  Texas is another team that will probably go deep in March.

Final Four Prediction:
You can agree or disagree, but this is my prediction for the Final Four at the half way mark of the season.  My prediction will probably change as the season goes on.

1. Ohio St
2. Texas
3. Pitt
4. BYU

Automatic BCS bid for the Big East. Jeff and I exchange a couple of emails.

Truthfully, this conversation (or one like it) probably dates back to nearly 2004.  Jeff and I have debated, and rarely agreed, on sports topics for six or seven years.  We decided to have a little back and forth over sports topics again.  Below is the first of those.  I've abbreviated our names to separate the nonsense.  Enjoy.


I've been absolutely terrible about updating the blog since early December.  I intend to change that.  In the meantime, here's a little content to keep the lights on.

Also, nice job with the BCS picks Jeff.  Four of five correct with two (Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl) being awfully accurate in terms of the score.

Enjoy.
__________________________________________________________________________________


JB:  


The BCS has now been around for over 12 years, and many things have changed.  Mid majors now play a part in the national picture, a shift in power teams, and conference realignments.  There are big realignments starting next year, but a lot of people today forgot about the first big realignment.  When the BCS started, the Big East contained power teams like Miami(FL), Virginia Tech, and Boston College, which is why they got an automatic BCS bowl game bid.  But the times have changed and I believe the Big East does not deserve an automatic bid anymore.  In 2004 Miami and Virginia Tech bolted for the ACC, followed by Boston College in 2005.  To replace these three big time programs, the Big East brought in Louisville, South Florida, and Cincinnati; all three of which have not experienced much success.  A year later the Big East also added Connecticut to play football.  These 4 teams do not have the pull or success that the 3 teams that left had.  Since the big 3 left, the Big East is 3-3 in BCS bowl games, and have lost the past two by a combined score of 71-31.  2010 was the year the broke the camels back in terms of if the Big East deserves an automatic bid to BCS games.  The Big East winner in 2010 has 4 total losses, and they do not have a single team in the top 25.  This comes in the same year that the Big Ten has three teams finish 11-1 (one had to be left out of the BCS), the SEC is chalked full of great teams, and a great mid major with one slip-up.  Since the Big East has an automatic bid, teams like Michigan St, Boise St, and LSU got left out of a BCS game when they all deserve it, while an 8-4 UConn team got to go. It is time for the BCS to make some chances and not give the Big East (or as some people say, the Big Least) an automatic bid to a BCS bowl game.



DW:  


I could get behind your argument here if we were making an equal comparison.  I agree that UConn isn’t the most deserving automatic qualifier we’ve ever seen, but to say that the changes in the Big East are the reason to remove them now is absurd to me.  You point to power teams like Miami, Virginia Tech, and Boston College being replaced by lesser programs in Louisville, South Florida, Cincinnati, and UConn.  In terms of tradition, I concede that you’re right.  Miami and Virginia Tech have far greater football traditions than the schools that replaced them in the Big East.  However, we’re not talking about tradition; we’re talking about since 2004.  When you focus on the relevant years, you could argue that ALL of the Big East “replacements” have been as relevant or more relevant than Miami and Boston College.  Cincinnati was a BCS team last year and struggled this year after losing their best receiver, starting QB, and head coach.  This is, admittedly, a down year for the Big East, but they’ve made proactive efforts to increase the competitiveness of their conference.  Rather than sit on their hands when the Big Ten and Pac 10 tried to bully their way into even more prominent roles on the national landscape, the Big East added a team in TCU that will be able to consistently compete in that conference.  Ultimately, the BCS is flawed, and you’ll get no argument there, but as long as we stick with that system, I see no reason to change the automatic bids.  If we start doing that, where do we stop?  For several years, the only worthy BCS team from the Pac 10 was USC.  Should we eliminate their automatic bid?  With the new found parity in college football, we will continue to see programs rise and fall.  If we’re stuck with the BCS, why keep tweaking it?





I will give it to you that the replacement teams have had some success in the Big East. Louisville and Cincinnati have both won the conference since joining, and Cincy has actual won twice.  The main reason I say the Big East does not belong is because since 2004, the average ranking of their conference winner is, who is their BCS representative, is above #13.  That ranking is the lowest average for a conference winner of all automatic qualifying conferences.  I think most people agree that for the past few years the Big East has been the weakest of the automatic qualifying conference.  As other conference have down years, they will still have 1-2 teams step up and be in the national spotlight competing for a national championship.  The Big East on the other hand will have maybe one team show up, but it is commonly known that that team is not as strong as other conference leaders.  It seems to be a trend that since 2004, the Big East has been in a decline, and I did not see an end to that until a few weeks ago when they invited TCU to join.  Once TCU joins in 2012, I will agree that the Big East will once again be competitive with the rest of the nation just because of TCU.  I expect TCU to win and win often in the Big East.  Now does just adding one school make them more BCS worthy?  I would say no.  I have lost all confidence that a team from the Big East can compete for a national championship.  I will keep that mindset until some team proves they can once again play with the big boys.  Will the BCS ever make a drastic change like this?  Nope.  If anything they will add more conferences.  We know the BCS is going nowhere any time soon, even though we can hope.  As for the Big East though, I’m waiting for them to prove me wrong and that they belong with the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, Pac-10 and ACC.

---

DW:
The problem is that as long as you have the BCS, you’ll have automatic bids.  It’s not unreasonable to think that the talent pool in the Big East is shallower than that of the other automatic qualifying conferences, but the BCS is already trying to shed an elitist image.  Further shrinking the number of conferences with guarantees tarnishes an already tarnished system even further.  Also, if you replace the automatic qualifiers with another at large bid, who does it go to?  There are already rules in place that no conference can have more than two teams in the BCS (see Michigan State and Alabama on the outside looking in this year).  You’re basically trying to blow holes in a system that is already full of them.  Ultimately, I don’t care much if the Big East has an automatic bid or not because the entire system should be eliminated and replaced with a playoff.  There’s no need for automatics in sports, and on that principle I can agree with you, but if you eliminate one then you ought to eliminate all.  Of course, the other option is to replace the Big East with another conference.  I hear the MAC’s available.  One final note.  Had you made this argument two years ago, would you have assumed that the Big Ten and Pac 10 would have 12 teams?  We don’t even know if the Big East will be the Big East going forward.  If your car has a blown engine and a flat tire, fixing the flat tire isn’t going to get it out of the garage.  The Big East is the flat tire.  Let’s get the car running first.

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JB:

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BCS Preview - By Jeff Bailey

 Jeff Bailey weighs in with his thoughts on the BCS bowl games, complete with predictions.

Rose Bowl

Wisconsin (5) vs. TCU (3)

  The Grandaddy of them all is once again one of the best bowl games of the season.  It pits fifth ranked Big Ten Champion, Wisconsin against third ranked Mountain West Champion, TCU.  The Horned Frogs tried to burst the BCS bubble but came up short even after a 12-0 season.  TCU still wants to prove to people that they belong with the big dogs so they will be giving nothing less than 110%.  Wisconsin has not been to the Rose Bowl since 1999 and will be more than ready for the challenge.

  Wisconsin has one of, if not the best, running attack games in the country.  The 3-headed monster, as I like to call it, of White, Clay, and Ball each have over 860 yards and have at least 13 TDs.  TCU is no pushover though with the third ranked run defense in the country, and 1st overall defense.  Something is going to have to give in this game; either Wisconsin gets its run game going, or TCU stops them dead in their tracks.  Both teams cannot win in that category.

  I believe this will be a semi-high scoring game (both teams average 43 ppg) but the difference maker will be the QBs.  Which QB can spread the field better and move the ball down the field?  On paper TCU’s Andy Dalton has the better stats, but as a pure leader and getting the team going I will go with Wisconsin’s Scott Tolzien.

Final Score: Wisconsin 34 TCU 24

Orange Bowl

Virginia Tech (13) vs. Stanford (4)

  13^th ranked Virginia Tech is back in the Orange Bowl after missing a BCS game last season.  The nation’s fourth-ranked Stanford Cardinal has blown onto the scene the past two seasons and is rewarded with their first BCS game since the 1999 Rose Bowl.  Stanford is seeking their first BCS win while Virginia Tech feels right at home at the Orange (3^rd appearance in four years).

  Both of these teams have very solid and balanced offensive attacks and are coming into this game very hot.  Stanford is on a seven game win streak and the Hokies, after losing their first two games, have roared back to win 11 straight.  The two main keys I see to this game involve the QBs.  First, which Tyrod Taylor will show up for Virginia Tech?  Some days he can be an amazing QB while other days he can lay an egg.    
  Secondly, how does Virginia Tech slow down or stop Andrew Luck?  In my mind, Luck is the best pure passer in college football and will make an immediate impact in the NFL.  All season long Luck has pretty much had his way with defenses.  Virginia Tech has a solid defense but it won’t be enough to slow down Luck and Stanford.

Final Score: Stanford 28 Virginia Tech 20

Fiesta Bowl

Oklahoma (7) vs. Connecticut (NR)

  This is probably one of the most lopsided BCS games we have seen in a long time on paper.   Seventh ranked Oklahoma, the Big 12 champion, has only missed a BCS bowl game 3 times since 2000.  They’ll face the Big East champion, an unranked UConn team that has only been to four bowl games in school history.  Many people are upset that UConn gets to play in a BCS game while other “better” teams get left out.  This is the first time a team with 4 losses has played in a BCS game since the inception of the current system.  UConn has a lot to prove about themselves and the Big East. 

  Oklahoma is a very pass heavy offense with Landry Jones leading the way with almost 4300 yards passing and 35 TDs.  UConn, on the other hand, is a very run heavy offense with Jordan Todman, who has over 1500 yards rushing and 14 TDs.  Don’t count Oklahoma out on the running game because DeMarco Murray is a stud who has had a quiet 1100 yard season.  On paper, both teams are very similar in defense, but the Huskies didn’t play one team ranked in the top 25 all year.

  I have a feeling this game might stay close for a quarter, maybe 2, then the flood gates will open for Oklahoma.  I don’t see UConn being able to stop Jones or Murray, and they don’t have enough offensive weapons to move the ball on Oklahoma.

Final Score: Oklahoma 43 UConn 10

Sugar Bowl

Ohio State (6) vs. Arkansas (8)

  The Sugar Bowl this year looks to be a very hard fought game by two very solid teams.  Ohio State, currently ranked sixth, looks to extend its BCS win streak to 2 after losing 3 straight, while eighth ranked Arkansas is looking for its first BCS bowl win.  Ohio State is very used to playing in BCS games having played in eight BCS games since the system started; the most by any school in the nation.  On the other hand, Arkansas has never played in a BCS game and hasn’t even been to a bowl game since 2007.

  The Buckeyes are no stranger to Arkansas’ QB Ryan Mallet seeing that they played against him four years ago when he was at Michigan.  Since then, Mallet has become one of the best QBs in the country and threw for 3600 yards this season.  Ohio State’s QB Terrelle Pryor didn’t live up to the preseason hype for a Heisman-like year, but still lead the Buckeyes to an 11-1 record.  Both teams are very balanced on offense and very solid on defense.  Ohio State comes in with the third best overall defense in the country, but will it be enough to stop Mallet and the Razorbacks?  I look for both teams to move the ball, but special teams will be a big factor in winning the game.

Final Score: Ohio State 27 Arkansas 24

BCS National Championship

Auburn (1) vs. Oregon (2)

  Points, points, and more points.  That is what I think of when I see this match up.  How high can the score go?  #1 Auburn has the most exciting and explosive player in college football that we have seen in years, while #2 Oregon has the most explosive and high powered offense of any team in the country.  Neither team posts a great defense, which could make this a very exciting game.  Oregon is averaging an astonishing 540 yards per game, while Auburn is not too shabby themselves with 497 yards per contest.  Both teams also average over 42 points per game, with Oregon scoring nearly 50 a game.

  Oregon uses Chip Kelly’s patented spread offense with the two-headed monster of QB Darron Thomas and RB LeMichael James.  If you stop one of them, the other will pick up the slack and still put points on the board.  Auburn is lead by Heisman winner Cam Newton who is probably the best dual threat QB college football has ever seen.  Newton has accounted for 4000 yards of offense and 48 TDs this season.

Like I said earlier, neither team has much of a defense, so the main key to this game is which defense will show up more.  “Defense wins championships” should be the phrase of the week/month for these teams.    This could easily be the highest scoring national championship game ever, but the winner will be the team who’s defense show up more.

  Besides defense, the main key to this game is if Auburn gets down big early or not.  Auburn has had many come-from-behind victories this season and is never out of the game.  If Auburn gets down early again in this one, I think Chip Kelly and Oregon have it in them to stomp the fire out right away.

Final Score: Auburn 48 Oregon 44

Agree?  Disagree?  Post a comment with your thoughts.

The reinvention of Tiger Woods - Dan Wines

  A year later, I get the feeling it’s coming.  For the duration of 2010, Tiger Woods was a shell of himself.  His swagger gone, his spirit broken, he simply went through the motions.  He didn't seem to want to be there.  The relentless questions regarding his repeated extra-marital liaisons made him tired, weary, and to be honest, somewhat pathetic.  His play on the course suffered.  The previously “unbeatable if he wants to be” Tiger Woods was replaced by a child yelling at himself after every bad shot.  Every one with a microphone kept trying to predict when he’d turn the corner.  Some expected his return to Augusta to be the moment when Tiger said “screw it, I’m taking over.”  Others, more aware of what months off from golf does to anyone’s game, predicted it’d be at one of the other three majors.  They were all wrong, over and over again.

As each tournament came and went, Tiger walked off the course, in defeat, earlier and earlier.  While the leaders walked up the 18th fairway, Tiger climbed the steps to a jet and headed home.  I watched him quit at the WGC at Firestone Country Club in Akron.  No joke, the greatest golfer ever (sorry, Jack), quit.  No practice swings.  No advice from part-time caddy, full-time bully Steve Williams.  No effort.  No desire.  I’ve seen Tiger Woods play a dozen rounds of golf in person and never imagined I'd see that version. 

All that said, I have a feeling the golf world is in for one of the best years of Tiger’s decorated career.  The comeback trail started yesterday, at the Chevron World Challenge, a tournament he hosts.  His driver was good, his approach shots were better, and he didn’t leave himself long putts.  The result? Eight birdies, a bogey, and a one shot -7 lead.  Sure, it’s one round.  He could implode in this tournament, get in his own head, and spiral into 2010 Tiger.  Don’t count on that.

His behavior that lead to an image destruction like we’ve never seen before, nor will again, was humiliating.  Because of that, some people have already forgotten that prior to having his model wife destroy his car, cell phone, front teeth, and dignity, Tiger was a bit of a robot.  Every interview sounded automated.  Every move sounded calculated.  His routine was to dominate from Thursday through Sunday, and then go back to his private and sheltered life.  Then he played chicken with a fire hydrant and a tree, which he lost, and his whole life changed.  We watched with various degrees of interest.  At first, I laughed.  I’m a Lefty fan.  Then, as he went to “sex rehab” (seriously?) and his mistress list read like a football roster, I started to feel kind of bad for the guy.  Yeah, he screwed up, and he did it in such a stupid fashion it was hard to believe, but it got to the point where we were running out of mud to drag him through.  By the time the Ryder Cup rolled around, I found myself rooting for Tiger to regain his form.  I’ve spent over a decade rooting against the guy, and I suddenly wanted to see him dominate again.  He played fairly well in the Ryder Cup, an event he’s always played fairly well in, and he finally looked like a real golfer again.

That brings us to now.  The 65 he shot yesterday wasn’t his best performance, but it was by far his best performance since we found out he gave a Perkins waitress a tip.  His marriage, a large number of his endorsements, and a chunk of money are gone.  Lee Westwood is the new number one, almost by default.  He’s got a new swing coach, and because athletes are still largely entitled morons, a lot of the negative attention has found new targets.  There are three reasons I think Tiger’s desire to dominate is back and more intense than ever before.

First, he’s too close to Nicklaus’ record for major victories to let another year slip away.  It’s nonsense to think that at his age (turning 35 this month), he’s getting too old to get the job done.  He’s in better physical condition than any other golfer ever.  Phil Mickelson’s four majors have all come after the age of 34, and considering Woods’ superior conditioning, it’s a no-brainer to think he’s got plenty left in the tank.  With a renewed focus and less personal drama, I think he closes the gap by at least two this year.

Secondly, he’s not happy that Lee Westwood is number one in the world.  He wants that title back.  What was sometimes lost in Tiger’s “it’s all about the majors” attitude was just how much he valued that world #1 ranking.  It was mostly assumed he’d always be number one – until he wasn’t.  I think Woods will regain the top spot, and even if “it’s all about the majors,” he’ll hang on to it.

Finally, and maybe most importantly, Tiger cares about being “the guy”  in golf.  Never before in his career has golf seen such an influx of young, entertaining players.  Guys like Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, and Ryo Ishikawa are poised to steal some of the spotlight.  McIlroy and Johnson were close to getting over the hump in 2010, and I don’t get the sense that they’ll pull an Adam Scott and go from a future star to a relative disappointment any time soon.  In much the same way that NBA people expect Kobe Bryant to eventually pass the torch to players like LeBron and Kevin Durant, Tiger will someday be forced to turn the game over to the younger guys.  I don’t expect him to go quietly.

I anticipate that 2011 will be a banner year for the PGA.  With the infusion of this young talent and a focused, driven Tiger Woods, it’s coming, and I can’t wait.