The Luck of the Buckeyes.

After watching the score of the Tennessee-Ohio State game for most of the evening at work (gee, thanks, CBS, UCLA is up by a ton and you decide to stay on the game instead of switching over), and it's something about the Vols being up by 20+, 17 at the half, and OSU comes back and wins the game by one point (which I was actually able to watch).

What kind of deal did Thad Matta make with the devil at the crossroads before the tournament began? Did he go to the river Styx and send a message to Hades that he would be his as soon as the national championship trophy was in his arms? Did he hand his soul over before the Big Ten tournament, or was it before the season even started? Or did he have to do it to get Greg Oden and Mike Conley, Jr. in the first place? Regardless, something or someone is looking out for OSU. They should have lost this game, just like they should have lost the game before.

(No, I don't want to talk about the Texas A&M game. I'm just going to forget that I ever picked them. You hear me? IT NEVER HAPPENED. I'll just be rooting for all the Pac-10 teams to get into the Final Four now.)

Control Freak Bosses, TV News Division.

If you work for the CBS affiliate in Los Angeles, then you are working for one. Via L.A. Observed, we get the latest nugget from news director Nancy Bauer Gonzales on the rules for desks for the stations' new digs in Studio City (they are currently in the Sunset/Gower complex in Hollywood):

3. If you have an office, or sit with others in an office, it is to remain clean and streamlined. I need to approve anything you hang on your walls, but I also want that to be kept to a minimum. I need to approve all plants and living things. Do not let junk sit on your floor near the windows. When you leave for the night or the weekend, please open your blinds all the way to the top so that the sun comes in for the folks in the newsroom.

4. NO FOOD OR DRINK (except water) IS ALLOWED IN THE NEWSROOM, OFFICES, CONFERENCE ROOM OR CONTROL ROOMS.

Has anyone informed Ms. Gonzales that newsrooms don't operate or function without sugar and caffeine everywhere at all times?

Two Minutes, Hooking!

The Rangers' Colton Orr nails the right hook to end all right hooks on the Flyers' Todd Fedoruk:



That's some cold-cockin' right there.

To Die For.

I know, not my usual speed, but after reading the Newspaper Hack's bit on femme teachers and their male students, this caught my eye while doing the morning MSNBC viewing: Matt Lauer interviewing Eric McLean, a man who's confessed to killing the 18-year old student his student-teacher wife was having an affair with.

The McLeans had married 11 years earlier, when she was 19 and he 20. In recent years, he had put his hopes of earning a bachelor’s degree and becoming a band director at a school on hold to put his wife through college and graduate school. He worked delivering pizzas and played in a local rock band.

Plus, they have two sons, aged 11 and 7 -- if you have that much invested in that relationship at that age, would you be surprised if it fucked with your head if your spouse was cheating?

I don't have a lot of sympathy for McLean -- he shot and killed somebody -- but this is the first time that we've had one of these "hot for teacher" affairs turn into something violent, and at least it means a suspension in the "look at the hottie" approach, for now.

Bark Like the Dog You Are, McRoberts!

I bring this video montage from the Big Lead, because no picture really encapsulates the suck that Josh McRoberts encapsulated for Duke this year after playing well his freshman year, and now, he wants to go to the NBA and mix it up with the big guns?



"Young bones groan, and the rocks below say, 'Throw your skinny body down, son.'" - the Smiths

My Bracket Will Fall Apart Over the Next Few Days.

Not the online one -- that one I don't care about as much as the one that's in the office pool, because that's real-life bragging rights and an extra hundred or two in the pocket. I'm ahead of the sports anchor (and pool commish) by one point, and I was ahead before the Sweet 16 last year too, when George Mason took out my national champ (UConn).

I'm a little bit wiser now (although if I was really that wise, I wouldn't have picked Texas); all my Final Four teams are still in. So, let's recap the picks for the Sweet 16 games:

Tonight:
SIU vs. Kansas -- knock-down, drag out defensive war #1. If you're betting, place a bunch on SIU to cover. Kansas will move on.
Texas A&M vs. Memphis - still going with Billy and the long arm of the Law. Memphis usually manages to cough it before reaching the Four, and despite being able to hit free throws last round, I'm not sure they can do it again.
Pitt vs. UCLA - defensive war #2. Aaron Gray has to play out of his mind for Pitt to win, and I don't see that happening.
Tennessee vs. Ohio State - Bet on the Vols to cover, and if you're feeling really brave, this is not a bad game to pick an upset on. I think OSU survives.

Tomorrow:
Butler vs. Florida - Probably closer than any of us thinks, but Florida moves on.
Vandy vs. G-Town - Sorry, not close (and the line is a liar). Too much in the post for the Hoyas with Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert.
UNLV vs. Oregon - The Rebs' ride ends here unless Aaron Brooks has a horrific shooting night. Gotta stick with the Ducks; they're my winner in the Midwest region.
USC vs. UNC - Since I have nothing bracket-wise riding on this (see my stupid Texas decision, and I have G-Town winning the East region), I'm calling USC here, and with an 8.5 spread, taking the points too.

Giving Up Without Even Trying.

That is pretty much all you can say about the trade that will send Atlanta's backup QB Matt Schaub to Houston, and basically end David Carr's career in Houston before it even got a chance to develop.

David Carr has been royally screwed in several years with the Texans, bearing the brunt of the front office's inability to build an actual offensive line to give him some decent time to throw the ball instead of getting pounded and placed on his ass for at least 30 something times per season with the ball still in his hands. He had to continue to tolerate bad offensive lines and the Houston fanbase's screaming for Reggie Bush and Vince Young instead of Houston's drafting of Mario Williams (when your second round pick at LB outplays your first round DE when it comes to getting in the backfield and making plays, then maybe you might consider that you made a bad call there.)

Either way, some NFL team with an O-line will be happy to have Carr when, not if, he's put on the trade market. Pacifist Viking is probably still dying for the Minny front office to get on this like white on rice.

Schaub will get the chance he has long deserved after sitting behind Michael Vick as an insurance policy if the erratic quarterback ever fell completely out of favor in Atlanta, but Bobby Perino wants to put it all on Vick (rightfully so) and to do that, you have to stop the QB controversy for the time being. However, Schaub has no wins as a starter, and if Houston does nothing with their O-line again, he'll be looking for a while until he gets that win.

UPDATE: Schaub just got PAID IN FULL, people -- $48 big large over six years from his new team, and ESPNews is saying that Carr will be on the way out in the next couple of days. Brad Childress, please have your GM pick up the goddamn telephone!)

Due Process.

Based on every published report and track record, Titans CB Adam "Pac-Man" Jones is likely a jackass and probably has some issues to deal with (when your drug dealer is concerned about your focus on your career, that's a bad sign). But this is less about Pac-Man and more about the NFL.

Do you think Roger Goodell has the right to make an example out of someone whom the judicial system has decided is a free man, who has not been arrested nor convicted of anything related to the incident that happened in a strip club at the NBA All-Star Weekend, without even waiting to see if he is charged by a county DA in Nevada or given a trial by jury?

I think not. And if Goodell actually follows through on his "consideration" of suspending Jones for an entire season, then the players ought to realize that Gene Upshaw is an absolutely useless piece of shit and replace him immediately. At some point, "go along to get along" has to go out the window -- and that's when it's used to convict someone based on public opinion regardless of what the legal process produces. I understand Jones was supposed to report arrests in his contract, and he didn't with a couple in Georgia, but if Jones is suspended for all of the 2007 season, that's an overreach. Quarter to a half season -- maybe.

(Hat tip: FanHouse.)

A Long Way Down.

Remember when everyone and their mother could swear that Indiana was going to hire Steve Alford away from Iowa when Mike Davis got out of Bloomington, that it was going to happen for sure? Well, it didn't, and Alford has dealt with another subpar season in Iowa City, where the Hawkeyes didn't even make the NIT.

If ESPN's reports are even half-accurate, he's probably out the door and headed to the Lobos of New Mexico.

Sources said Alford was looking for a school that is passionate about basketball first and foremost after being at a football-first school. UNM athletic director Paul Krebs has pledged to make the Lobos a national program, bumping up the coach's salary more than $500,000 in an attempt to get it closer to Alford's nearly $1 million deal with Iowa.

Nice thought, but before you shell out for a coach like that, you'd better know what you're getting -- Alford has a problem with getting past the second round of the NCAAs regularly, and Iowa lost tourney games they should have rightfully had. The Pierre Pierce issues may have drained it out of him, but it's odd to see him go from shooting star to crawling out of Iowa City.

Does Tim Floyd Know What He's Getting Into?

Far be it for me to question Tim Floyd as a college coach right now, especially after the Trojans just dominated the Texas Longhorns and Kevin Durant in ways I didn't think were possible as an SC fan, based on how Oregon just decimated them in the Pac-10 final. Next season, he has a legitimate shot at making the SC-UCLA rivalry competitive in basketball, which is not something those of us who root for the Trojans have expected in recent years. However, as everyone knows, those hopes for next season lie on a recruit who is most likely one-and-done, and already has a propensity for troubling behavior, as well as bizarre ways of being recruited.

I won't cut and paste the first half of the article here; go read it for yourself (if you haven't already) and just read the oddities throughout. O.J. Mayo essentially recruited USC to host him; not the standard way it's done in college basketball. Floyd didn't have to do any work, he just had to say "Yes." Now, Floyd may be one of those Pete Carroll types who just do better in college than the pros, but it's really hard for me to think he's just hoping this doesn't blow up in his face.

(Also interesting: in the article, it says Mayo's second choice outside of USC would have been an historically black college or university. Now, as the Head Chick noted, the schools probably don't do a heck of a lot with their basketball programs, but imagine if say, Howard had actually made a pitch for O.J. -- the guy would bring the ESPN cameras to you.)

Update: Please note that D-Wil has probably just handed me my ass on a plate on this with his interpretation.

Michael Still Gets All the Calls In Retirement.

Dan Wetzel and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports have written a lengthy piece on complaints from other general managers that Charlotte minority owner Michael Jordan is getting to slide by on NBA regulations prohibiting contact with high school athletes by running his Jordan Brand high school game and Flight Camps.

As the article states, the basic problem is that Jordan is playing multiple roles: even though he has retired from the game, as the greatest to ever play it, he is still a valuable name in marketing and in branding; rightly or wrongly, he is the face that many observers of the NBA wish were still the dominant face of the game -- able to be everything to everyone, in every demographic.

And any complaints about this are entirely justified: although Jordan got slapped with a fine for talking about Kevin Durant recently, he ought to at least divest himself from day-to-day associations and special appearances at events for his companies with high school players, so long as he is an executive for an NBA team. However, I'm not sure those anonymous executives ought to worry too much about what he makes of it -- considering MJ's track record with the Wizards in the late 90s as president and player, where he again tried to be everything to all parties -- he's just as capable of screwing up whatever advantage is granted to him by virtue of his playing days. If the Charlotte Bobcats don't make marked improvements in the next few seasons, then we'll be talking about him in the same sentence as Isiah Thomas, Danny Ainge, and Billy King -- and this is not a category Jordan would like to be in.

Make Sure That Door Leaves a Mark, OK?

This appears to be the case with Long Beach State University men's basketball coach Larry Reynolds, who will not be offered a new contract after a 24-8 season that was great by all Big West standards. It's probably not the 20-something point loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the NCAAs that did it either.

What I've been told recently is that his firing (the university may phrase it any way it likes, but that's essentially what this is) was the worst kept secret in Anaheim during the Big West tournament, and one bit in this ESPN piece jives a little with what my friend heard down there:

Assistant coach Reggie Howard did not accompany the team to Columbus and was put on indefinite leave as the NCAA investigates recruiting violations at the school. The team's recruiting coordinator, Howard was credited with assembling much of the squad.

Reading the school's released statement again, I note the Golden Rule of Press Releases: the less information provided in the statement or release, the more questionable and seedy the circumstances surrounding the subject. A fundamental difference with an athletic director who came in during his contract is also likely, outside of anything recruiting related, and unless the NCAA actually turns up something with Howard in terms of actual violations, I'll say it's more likely that Reynolds and AD Vic Cegles did not work well together and Cegles pulled rank.

A Tree Will Keep Growing in Palo Alto.

Stanford forward Brook Lopez (the one on the right in the picture, looking on as his team gets shellacked by Louisville last week) has made a decision to stay in Palo Alto for another year with his brother and skip the NBA draft. That's not really newsworthy, as anyone who watched Stanford down the end of the Pac-10 regular season and in the tournament knew neither of the Lopez twins were quite ready for the big time (and that's probably an understatement.)

What makes me laugh is this:

According to ESPN.com's Andy Katz, the 7-foot, 240-pound Lopez would have been a likely lottery pick.

Lopez, whose twin brother Robin also plays for the Cardinal, averaged 12.6 points, six rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game for the Cardinal this season. Stanford's season ended with a loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Louisville.

Mostly because I would very much appreciate a bit of what Andy Katz is smoking in order to figure out how Lopez is a top ten pick to any NBA GM outside of considering size alone at this point. Sure, he gets his dozen, but it's a quiet one, and in a conference where the regular season champs (UCLA) have size issues and there's not exactly a dominant center on the good teams, he and Robin should have been able to tear motherfuckers up, and didn't.

(Tangent: Office bracket pool update -- I am currently in the lead at work by one point over our sports anchor, and we have a few points on the rest of the field. I was in the same spot last year too going into the Sweet 16, until George Mason tore my bracket apart by beating UConn and UCLA lost to Florida. So I expect Kansas and Memphis will fuck me over this year.)

Two Degrees of Pass Interference?

That's what Niners coach Mike Nolan thinks there ought to be, as a former defensive back himself. The FanHouse dug up this bit of Nolan saying there should be 15-yard infractions and spot fouls, much in the way face masks have degrees for intentional and unintentional.

Much like Michael David Smith, I am intrigued by Nolan's idea and wish to subscribe to his newsletter; however, I'm not sure how we would differentiate between the types of PI to make it worthwhile. However, I'm all for stopping the "throw deep and see if we can get a flag" strategy that occasionally happens to pop up in pro games. The spot foul is devastating, but it's not like 15 yards and a fresh set of downs is exactly a light sentence. If pushed, I'd probably side with the college rule for pass interference for 15 yards and a first down.

What confuses me more is the difference between O-holding and D-holding -- why make it 10 for the offense but five and an auto-first for the D?

Danny Ainge: Certified Moron.

In the dubious competition of NBA's Stupidest Executive, Danny Ainge is up there, filling Boston fans with consternation over idiot trades (how's that dealing the draft rights to Brandon Roy in exchange for Sebastian Telfair looking now, especially since the Celtics passed on Randy Foye too?) and wasting the best years of Paul Pierce.

Now, his team's been slapped for 30 large for him being caught at the Big 12 championship talking with Texas stud Kevin Durant's family. What good does this do you, Danny? It's not like you're guaranteed the #1 spot in the draft if the Celtics continue to tank -- the draft only assures you the best chance at it, and as of late, that hasn't helped a lot of the worst teams from season to season (Celtics fans remember having the worst season and missing out on Tim Duncan.) Basically, he's trying to convince the mother of a one-and-done to get her son to leave college (most likely) so he can have half a shot at drafting him, and gets caught on national television (yes, the ESPN announcing team caught him).

Even Isiah Thomas wouldn't be caught pulling that crap.

Cinderella Classic.

In the current college basketball landscape where mid-majors like Southern Illinois are expected to do some damage come tournament time, it's hard to say that anyone particularly thought that UNLV, butt of many jokes regarding its graduation rates, the short reign of Rollie Massimino post-Tarkanian, and general fall from grace after 1991, would be headed to the Sweet 16 a couple of months ago. A favorable draw helped -- GT was basically Javaris Crittenton, and Wisconsin, was, well, Wisconsin, as the Big 10 appears to be the weakest of the major conferences.

UNLV is probably the Cindy Classic of the year in a tournament without a double digit seed in the Sweet 16, and the press will continue to lap up the story of Kevin Kruger transferring over from ASU via a rule that's not off the books to play his senior season for dad Lon. Many might argue Butler or SIU as Cinderella teams, but four and five seeds are not really Cinderellas; SIU is good enough where semi-knowledgeable viewers of college hoops expect them to make the 16. The Salukis are Custom Cindy: the Fairy Godmother sent them to the plastic surgeon for a nip, tuck, and unobtrusive boob job. They're just not household names.

Quick rundown of Sunday, as compared to prior declarations here and in other venues:

I'm a Genius: UNLV knocks off Wisconsin. Oregon beats lovable Winthrop (Cinderella for some of you). All Final Four teams still in. Lost no more than two teams per region after first round. Picked the West regional contingent of the 16 perfectly.

I'm a Fucking Moron: Texas gets dominated by USC, costing me an Elite Eight team (I'm not alone here, by far; I bet some of you had Texas in the Final Four). Close second: Memphis decides to hit free throws when beating Nevada. Oops. Butler heads to the Sweet 16. So does Tennessee.

Now Kevin Durant Is Really Going to the NBA: Credit Bill Simmons with only this, as a broken clock is right twice a day -- Durant is going to want out after scoring 30, yet the rest of his team can't put anything together (and really, it's the quietest 30 point game he's had.) He'd have had to be Kobe to win against a USC team firing on all cylinders, and Texas should ask why Rick Barnes can assemble talent-loaded teams but can't do much with them come tournament time. (However, the kitchen would like to offer Simmons our fresh crow for saying the Pac-10 sucks, as now 3 teams from the conference are in the 16.)

The Revival of Tim Floyd's Rep: Has anyone gotten a rep upgrade as quickly by going back to college as USC coach Tim Floyd? From whipping boy coaching the post-Jordan Bulls to developing a team that, if all the players return (and at this point, Gabe Pruitt and Nick Young are low-first rounders at best) and O.J. Mayo comes in, could probably challenge UCLA for Pac-10 superiority next year?

The OSU Death Watch: I have them losing to Texas A&M come 8 time, but this team could very well lose to Tennessee, who opened up on LBSU and came back on a choking Virginia team.

Sweet 16 Picks:
Florida over Butler
Oregon over UNLV (probably will need OT)
Kansas over SIU (couldn't blame you if you take the Salukis, though)
UCLA over Pitt (how far has Aaron Gray's draft status fallen from last year to this one?)
Texas A&M over Memphis (barely)
OSU over Tennessee (even more barely)
G-Town over Vanderbilt (no contest)
USC over UNC (the UConn '06 Principle of Slacking at Inopportune Times will get the Tar Heels, I believe. Besides, I've got to pick one upset.)

St. Patrick's Day At the Sports Bar.

Part of the secret of doing St. Patrick's Day Saturday properly is to set yourself up in a place where you can eat constantly while boozing, and the local sports bar/in-house brewery is as good a place as any after you started at various bars at 6:30 AM and were drinking pitchers solo by 9. I missed no action yesterday, despite the actual memory of it being hazy. So far, I've only lost one Sweet 16 team. Here's what I remember from yesterday's viewing.

Butler over Maryland - and this was it. I think the Terps got a cheapie charge call in the last minute that screwed them over, but a 5 over 4 isn't much, although I thought Butler was an overrated 5.

OSU over Xavier - boy, did I think OSU was done, especially when Oden fouled out on this hard foul right here, but they somehow get to OT, and Mike Conley Jr. takes over.

Pitt over VCU - thought VCU was going to take it, and it's pretty clear that UCLA will clear out Pitt next weekend, because the Panthers take inconsistency to a new level.

Vandy over Wazzu - favorite game of the day, with the previous a close second. 2 OT barnburner where WSU just got kind of hosed on the .06 seconds at the end of regulation there for Vandy.

UCLA over Indiana - the most fun to watch with, not because of the game itself (although UCLA tried to give the game away for most of the second half), but because two of my drinking partners were an Indiana alum and a UCLA alum -- bad enough to have opposing alums watching a game with you sober; try St. Patty's Day blitzed. UCLA is kind of coasting and putting all the pressure on its defense. Afflalo stepped up with the free throws, but he needs to hit more shots.

Liveblogapocalypse, Day 2.

I got UNLV-GA Tech and Long Beach State vs. Tenn in a double-donger, double-duty special over at Awful Announcing today. First game starts at 9:20 Pacific. Join me and my compatriots, won't you?

Picks for those games: UNLV, LBSU (GO BIG WEST!)

The Ultimate All-Out Guy.

I don't much care for the Angels, being an NL guy when it comes to baseball, but I always liked watching Darin Erstad play, whether at first base or in the outfield -- he was the guy on the World Series team that did all the little things between Jim Edmonds, Tim Salmon, and Garret Anderson smacking balls around the park, and it's easy to forget that he made his share of great catches (everyone always thinks of Edmonds in these cases.)

Tim Brown of Yahoo writes a good Erstad profile in his column and his move to the Chicago White Sox -- I could have sworn Erstad was older than 32, the way commentators made it sound about his age being a factor. This is one of those moves the Angels are going to regret (as if signing Gary Matthews, Jr. and dealing with his extracurricular issues aren't enough right now) because players like Erstad tie clubhouses together and shore up teams defensively, and that's a guy you find room in your regular line-up for. It's not like Casey Kotchman or any other first base prospect the Angels have are anything to scream home about right now after the initial hype; it's confusing as to why GM Bill Stoneman was so willing to let Erstad go.

The Ghost of Bill Hicks Approves.

Saw it on Deadspin yesterday, but Cavs forward/center Scot Pollard had to apologize today (yeah, that's him in the dress) for saying "Hey kids, do drugs" while sitting on the bench during a game against Indiana. He said it was a bad joke; I disagree. I didn't see the game, but I bet that was pretty damn funny. Besides, why not encourage kids to do drugs? There are obvious downsides, but drugs have done good things for us. Don't believe me? Watch the master below.



(Really, this post was just an excuse to put up Hicks video, but it's a good one.)

The Armory's Getting Locked Up For a Few Months.

So sayeth a Chicago judge, who sentenced Bears DL Tank Johnson to four months in jail for violating his 2005 probation last year when police found six unregistered firearms in his home.

Johnson's lawyers said they had not yet decided whether to appeal the ruling, but suggested the football player's celebrity influenced the sentence.

"This sentence was unnecessarily harsh," defense attorney Lorna Propes said. "It's pretty unheard of for these circumstances."

The man has been found with handguns illegally twice -- to be fair, they are both misdemeanor charges, but anyone not able to afford the legal defense Johnson can and without his celebrity would be getting at least that for ANY probation violation. Like most, Johnson said he wasn't a man who belonged in jail, and maybe he doesn't, but the judge disagreed.

"Just because he's a professional football player and plays for the Chicago Bears, doesn't put him above the law," [prosecutor] Rick Cenar said.

Most athletes (or anyone else in the elite of society) would do well to remember that.

Update: Ajax provides a useful reminder of the proper cynicism in comments.

Elbows Aren't Supposed to Shift Like That.

This was part of the MSU victory over Marquette, which I thought would be Game of the Day, but the Spartans dominated. However, Idong Ibok got a Brian Butch-style elbow injury during it. Please only watch if you have not eaten or are ready to scream in horror at the shot of his elbow out of the socket while he is on the floor.



Video originally found by MJD at the Fanhouse.

This Never Gets Old. Ever.

Thank you, Virginia Commonwealth University. You may pop those unis with pride.

making that eventual case of carpal tunnel come that much sooner.

I'm guest-running things over at Our Book of Scrap today while Scrap is on work-related travel, and probably will join the LiveBlogging News Team at Awful Announcing for March Madness awesomeness later, after a few hours of sleep.

So, check 'em out, and I might drop one more note or two here.

ink and wheels #4.

Special Broncos edition, as they're looking to possibly bring in Colts WR Brandon Stokely as a slot receiver with Javon Walker and Rod Smith, according to MJD at the FanHouse, who nabbed a Rocky Mountain News article. You gotta love MJD, reveling in every stereotype of the "possession receiver," and mentioning the much-loved Easy Ed McCaffrey and his years in a Bronco uni.

With the signing of Daniel Graham rather than a catching TE, a better slot receiver becomes a necessity, but I can't help but think that they've got a somewhat talented second year WR in Brandon Marshall who should get the shot at being the third WR, especially before an injury-prone Stokely, who sat out most of last year with knee problems. If they can land him with an incentive laden contract, fine with me. But this off-season has been along the lines of bank robbery for free agents, and it would be nice if Denver didn't fall for it on Stokely.

(I promise I will eventually do a post on the more popular racially, um, loaded euphemisms in sports soon.)

half way there, Whitlock.

OK, Jason Whitlock is past the whole kerfuffle over the NBA All-Star Weekend, but he's still spewing shite, sadly, this time over Kevin Durant's style of play. I'm not going to go completely Sports Guy on you, but it'll be damn close.

Whitlock's basic thesis in his latest AOL column is that the Longhorns aren't more successful because Durant doesn't get his teammates involved by passing or make them better.

Durant doesn't give the ball up, so his teammates are reluctant to give it up when they get it.

No team in the country fires as many bad shots early in the shot clock as Texas. Augustin, A.J. Abrams, Damion James and Justin Mason -- the starters alongside Durant -- are totally unafraid to go one on five, especially Abrams and Augustin.

Texas scored 84 points on Sunday and recorded just eight assists. Augustin had six of the assists.

There's your problem. It's not necessarily Durant's fault that his teammates are streak shooters, and just as likely to go one-on-one as he is. This is more on Barnes and the rest of the Longhorns -- D.J. Augustin should be dishing more rather than slashing for the basket, number one. Watching those second halves against Kansas reinforced the inability of Texas to play anything resembling a set offense. Whitlock has it right in that sense, but that's not on the individual player. Durant has not been a black hole -- he has given it up when he doesn't have shots, and goes cold. The problem lies with Barnes, who seems to have no clue how to coach teams around the star.

If given a couple of half decent passers around him, this wouldn't be an issue, and despite this, I still like Texas to make the regional final in the East.

free-agent value heads down.

Eventually, someone's going to have to stage classes or something for NFL players on the basics of not getting pulled over for a DUI, because free-agent TE Jerramy Stevens got busted last night on those charges plus one for having marijuana in his pocket.

The Seahawks will be okay with getting rid of him, as they signed Marcus Pollard, and Stevens has underachieved in his tenure, becoming more notable for providing bulletin board material for Joey Porter in Super Bowl XL and being the target of a knee in the groin against the Raiders last year.

But back to the matter at hand: this is totally avoidable. Guys like Stevens and Dominic Rhodes (who got busted for DUI last month) have nothing but money to blow (or at least we'd like to think). If you're not interested in calling a cab, what about limo service? On the other hand, the stupidity on display gives us timeless mugshots like the one above.

Hat tip: Deadspin.

the Knight plan for academics.

Texas Tech coach Bob Knight is the Bill Parcells of his sport when it comes to press conference time: he always is an entertaining interview in the room, and this morning's presser was no exception, reflecting not so much on his team's upcoming game vs. Boston College tomorrow as a question that prodded an explanation of his belief that the one-and-done rule for players is a drawback for college basketball right now. (This is paraphrased as best as possible from the ESPNews telecast.)

Basically, Knight's concept has two levels, after you get rid of the rule that allows players to come in for one year (which he believes, as previously noted on this blog, allows that student to only spend one semester in class.)

1.) Ditch the one-year rule; it works against college basketball and any sort of academic integrity. (Noted previously.)
2.) Those coming into college basketball have to play two years in college and maintain a normal course load for those four semesters that they are on campus -- I believe he mentioned a certain number of credit hours over those semesters as a minimum, and explained exemptions for seniors who would probably take a lighter course load.

Post-presser, ESPN's Doug Gottlieb agreed with Knight, and brought up another interesting aspect: the NCAA and NBA work against each other when it comes to these rules. He suggested an NHL-like system where teams could retain the draft rights and pay for the athlete to go to college if the draftee wanted to attend.

What would a combination of Knight and Gottlieb's systems look like? I'm not sure an NHL-like system would actually work -- hockey has more roster spots to fit for the picks that eventually come out of college later on, compared to the 12 on an NBA bench, but retaining draft rights while the athlete wants to go to college plays in college sounds like the most attractive option (although it would probably violate every rule in the book if the team paid for college as far as college eligibility.)

The NCAA's lack of input or decision not to even bother speaks badly in the interest of protecting its game, because I presume they don't bother in order to preserve some sort of superiority; to act as if they are unaffected by the rules of pro basketball -- trying to avoid the view of college athletics as farm system for the pros. While the majority of D-I athletes in the power sports aren't going to make professional leagues, it's really for the best if you adopt rules that address the outliers, albeit the most visually prominent aspect of NCAA athletics.

milk was a bad choice.

A better one is to keep tuning in to Awful Announcing, as yours truly has been teamed up with JCMJ, RUTS, Extrapolater, One More Dying Quail, and Sam T for this week's utter first and second round craziness. Marco has previewed the East, I've hit up the South, and two more are coming tomorrow.

All of our previews and live-blogs come with bits of real panther.

why is this moron on my TV?

ESPN must have all its regular NFL analysts on vacation. There's really no reason to give Paul Maguire a half hour on NFL Live to pontificate and wax stupid while Suzy Kolber and Michael Smith watch on helplessly unless you are desperate for people.

the Pens will stay in the Steel City.

So sayeth the WWL, anyway, and qualified with a "reports" header to kind of half-ass the statement therein.

If eventually confirmed, it's the smartest move for both the team and the league -- there are teams in hockey that are not Original Six teams, but for all intents and purposes, ought to be treated like them when it comes to the possibility of relocation, and Pittsburgh is one of them. Problem: the price tag of the alleged agreement apparently exceeds the already gargantuan sum of $290 million. Again, who pays it? RUTS left a comment in the prior thread on this topic that stands out: we don't talk nearly enough about states and municipalities having to cough up for stadiums, especially when PA taxpayers have shilled out for the Pirates, Eagles, Phillies, and Steelers recently.

Major cities are going to need to drive harder bargains with professional leagues over the sports complexes. Arenas need to be dual-use where possible, and maybe the concept of four-sport cities just may not be sustainable for that much longer. We may have to move to four-sport "regions," meaning main cities and suburbs. The best examples I have are the various SF Bay Area teams, who run six teams through SF, Oakland, and San Jose, and the 49ers and A's are planning on bailing for Santa Clara and Fremont, respectively.

brackets on the brain.

L.A.'s still too damn expensive ($10 for a Jack and Coke???), and there's still too much traffic. I'm reminded why I moved. But, hey, when you get awesome sushi and Chinese food for the first time in months, it's hard to bitch that much.

I'll be all over the place with NCAA stuff this week, as Marco at JCMJ asked me for a general preview (go read Brandon from Sports Show on Mute's rundown), and I'll be contributing to Awful Announcing's previews and probably live-blog a second-rounder on Sunday as well. Oh, and I'll be guest-posting at Our Book of Scrap on Thursday.

With that in mind, I'll link to the stuff when it's posted.

So, I'll just give you my Final Four as it stands right now: Oregon, UCLA, Georgetown, and Texas A&M. I keep myself sane by filling out brackets the same way, from the entry in the office pool to every online entry. My winner: A&M. Can't get off the Aggie Bandwagon now.

Here are some upsets you might like to try: Long Beach State over Tennessee in the first round, Texas over UNC in the 16, VCU over Duke (1st round), Nevada over Memphis (2nd round), Vandy over Wazzu (2nd round), and if you're feeling really brave, So. Illinois over Kansas in the 16.

Deadspin is going balls out for the first round matchups, and the Newspaper Hack has outlined his picks for every game, and likes UCLA for the title.

Kevin McHale and Billy King still have cover.

Isiah Thomas will remain employed by the Knicks, after an earlier assertion of his job security by owner James Dolan this year.

Admittedly, the Knicks are in a decent position in a very weak East, and he has the team only five games under .500 (where .500 is a good record in conference), so he's effectively managed to outcoach Larry Brown in his one year there. However, it's still confusing why Dolan has allowed him to continue as team president -- Thomas isn't exactly the most competent of executives, and never really has been. It would have made more sense if he kept him as coach and got another GM, but Isiah has started to dig himself and the team out of the hole he got them into with questionable personnel moves, so I suppose that resembles progress.

(Oh, and so I'm a day early. Oh well. L.A. clubs continue to suck and overcharge for booze. About to start driving. Will have the fully unprofessional evaluation of the bracket tomorrow, unless I get back to my apartment early.)

cheap shots #7.

I'm headed to L.A. for the weekend post-work, which means de-camping, watching college basketball, and probably not posting despite the well of inspiration that the NCAAs provide.

1) A Price Above Bip Roberts imagines a new career for Billy Packer.
2) Shot to Nothing's theory about Tom Brady and Matt Leinart could shatter the space-time continuum.
3) Run Up the Score takes ESPN to task for running a puff piece on the last person who deserves one.
4) The Hater Nation wants to see the Pornstache in silver and black.
5) Awful Officiating thinks fouls for flopping are a good idea.
6) Extrapolater continues his crusade for a jazz band at the NCAAs.
7) The Head Chick runs Jason Whitlock. Literally.
8) The Babes track the silly saga that is Roger Clemens.
9) The Sports Dad brings our attention to an early contender for this year's Darwin Awards.

Be back Tuesday, unless I watch an absolutely amazing game. Have fun!

show your school spirit.

As Michigan is about to lose to OSU, I figured I ought to share this, which I noticed last week while watching Michigan in another game: forward Brent Petway has the Michigan football helmet pattern shaved into his dome. Now this is how it's done, Ron-Ron.

Steve Lavin is inching on Vitale's turf.

Steve Lavin is rambling today during the Michigan-OSU Big 10 tourney game so far (we're at halftime) and saying things that really aren't telling me a lot about the actual game on the floor. He won't come close to Dickie V ADD territory, but here are a few things I caught him rambling about instead of the game he was calling.

1. NASCAR
2. baseball
3. the hot dogs at the United Center
4. Tommy Amaker needing a fedora to be part of the Rat Pack
5. Thad Matta's gum (yes, he tossed it to Erin Andrews about the gum, but still)

I'm sure it'll get worse in the second half. Steve, when you have something stupid to say, just shut up and toss it to Erin.

unwelcome headhunting.

This should get Chris Simon suspended for the rest of the season, plus playoffs.

no one wants it that badly.

UCLA certainly didn't. These are the games we watch because we love seeing upsets like this in conference tournaments and the NCAAs, and Cal's upset didn't disappoint, unless you've seen what UCLA is capable of, and knew that wasn't even close to it. I've always been on the UCLA bandwagon due to geographic loyalties (same with SC), but watching the little things, like bricking free throws, was tough. At least Arron Afflalo copped to underperforming. You can't slam someone for admitting his complicity in a loss.

"It's hard to swallow, that's for sure," he said. "It's going to be a long week. The way I played tonight was a majority of the reason why we lost."

Afflalo scored his only field goal of the game to open overtime, but he never connected again. The Bruins watched as shots hit the rim and the Bears' offensive momentum continued unabated.

Afflalo, who prides himself on being UCLA's top defensive player, guarded Ubaka.

"What did he get, 29 points? That's unacceptable," Afflalo said. "It was my guy who was going above and beyond. I don't want to make an excuse for it. I'll make the adjustments."

Love that. Really do, but this is why I'm not completely with UCLA. They play lockdown defense almost all of the time, but like all good teams, they get complacent at bad times occasionally.

the last thing a team needs.

LSU women's b-ball coach Dana "Pokey" Chatman resigned much earlier than expected (as she was giving up the position at year's end). Now, she's out and will not be coaching the program through the tournament, and this is really the last thing necessary for a team that just happened to up-end Pat Summitt and the Lady Volunteers in the SEC tourney.

Chatman's immediate resignation is prodded by allegations of an affair with a former player, and it's a serious matter -- no matter how many jokes I try to keep back right now. (You may crack at will, though.) The whole mess at this point is just that, a mess. Assistant Bob Starkey, who's taking over for now, said this:

"She came in and said for personal reasons some opportunities had come available to her -- that it was something she needed to move on."

Really, I'm not sure if it's the allegations or if there's some truth to them, and I was actually kind of mortified reading the comments attached to the article (some implying that people thought it was okay because it was two women). Let's leave it like this: if she did have a relationship with a former player, it's improper -- position of authority and all that, regardless of gender and orientation. Regardless, it's a bad beat for the team -- you don't want to lose a coach with a 90-14 record.

I feel kind of odd even posting this -- the only time the majority of us pay attention to women's college hoops is when something bizarre happens with the coaches or the players that grabs our attention (unless you are a die hard or dedicated to the school.)

reclaiming the title of Sex Cannon.

I really don't know how Tom Brady managed to make it through four years at Michigan, getting wasted and hitting on sorority girls, without any conception of how to use contraception. I wonder now because rumor has it that after knocking up ex Bridget Moynahan, he's completed the pass to current squeeze Gisele Bundchen.

Matt Leinart is in awe of his skills. Clearly, Brady got pissed that Rex Grossman was getting internet love as the Sex Cannon and decided to claim a title he thought was rightfully his. Or maybe he's a moron. Either way, if verified that Gisele is knocked up, I can only imagine the meeting between the three of them if he has to sit down and talk it out. Brady's agent is now calling Pats GM Scott Pioli to ask about a contract extension.

(Everyone in the sports blog world is all over this, of course.)

ink and wheels NFL #3.

And this one's a biggie. The Ravens just dealt draft picks (two this year, one next year) to the Bills and nabbed Willis McGahee, and they're already cranking on a contract extension (as seems to be the universal practice these days).

Baltimore is again the favorite in the AFC Central until further notice. You have no idea how much it hurts to type that, but of course, this is a serious upgrade. Why Buffalo wanted to shop him over comments about having the team move to Toronto and working out in Miami in the off-season (when you draft someone from the U, you ought to expect this by now) is a mystery.

ink and wheels, NFL #2.

If I'm going to be doing semi-regular posts on NFL free agency (which I like doing), I'd better give 'em a name. Shorten "As the Ink Dries and the Wheels Turn," and you get the above for signings and trades. Of course, it will only make sense to me.

The ATL has made it perfectly clear to Michael Vick that this is the year that he ships up or they're looking elsewhere, because otherwise you would not ink Joe Horn up fresh after he's been released from the Saints. 35-year old Joe Horn still has juice in the tank, and he's the best receiver talent-wise that Vick has had in years. However, odds that Horn will help out the failed first-round picks Roddy White and Michael Jenkins have yet to be seen. If he does, you get double the value (and terms haven't been disclosed, Falcons management isn't even confirming it yet.)

Consider the Cleveland Browns out of the market for OU RB Adrian Peterson come draft day -- they've gotten Jamal Lewis fresh off the cut line from the Ravens. A year at $3.5 mil sounds appropriate, because he has much to prove after a couple of below-par seasons. Now, Cleveland needs to look to draft an offensive lineman to block for him -- Reuben Droughns was reprehensible last year, but it didn't help that he had no blocking whatsoever. I still don't think teams respect Charlie Frye enough at quarterback to not stack the line with 8 men against the Browns.

Obligatory Broncos note: they've signed a backup, former Washington and Jets QB Patrick Ramsey. Issue a collective yawn.

last ditch effort.

Wire services say that NHL commish Gary Bettman is going to attempt to resolve the relocation mess with the Penguins in a meeting on Thursday. His intent may be to preserve the franchise in a home city which actually supports it, but given Bettman's track record, we can safely say the Penguins are as good as gone to a city that will pony up for an arena but may not actually develop a fanbase (see Carolina, Nashville.)

Eric at Seal Clubbers has already detailed some of this, and he's right: why Kansas City and Vegas are considered destinations rather than place that actually have cold weather (Portland, Seattle) is bizarre.

Frankly, the city and the state of Pennsylvania have made the best-faith offer they can about this -- why privately-funded sports teams continue to get politicians and taxpayers to pony up for stadia and arenas still gets me, especially in tight fiscal times for most cities, states, and the federal government.

another tight end?

I'm not exactly sure why the Broncos inked TE Daniel Graham today outside of bringing a local boy back home. Good blocking TE, though, but we've got a couple of those in reserve (Stephen Alexander and a guy named Scheiffler, whom Cutler liked throwing to as well.) We're not exactly talking about someone who will compete in a conference wtih the upper echelon of tight ends (SD's Antonio Gates, KC's Tony Gonzalez) as far as catching goes. ESPN had him #5 on the coveted free agent list, saying he was obscured by the Pats' two-TE sets.

If the team's looking to stack the line for Travis Henry, it makes sense, but I'm not sure it makes $15 million guaranteed worth of sense (but then again, the NFL is having an off-season in terms of money numbers that resembles MLB's spending spree post-October.)

Rumor on ESPN is that the Redskins want to pry the recently acquired Dre Bly from us, and if Shanahan and the faceless GM are dumb enough to do, they deserve what they get. You never trade an element of a potentially lock-down corner team.

stretching out.

After winning the Aggro-Crag with Sports Shows on Mute, Marco at JCMJ offered me a guest post, and I have delivered, posting on the Big West tourney that gets cranking tonight, with the background being various telecasts on Fox (with the mute on, the announcers are awful), two Cal Poly home games, the Big West stats pages, and a sports guy who was willing to let me ask his ear off about the teams.

Go Mustangs!

as the ink dries and the wheels turn.

NFL offseason update, most info courtesy of the Big Lead (NFL Bukakke Party? Works for me!) and the rest cribbed from around the web, like this Yahoo column:

LB Joey Porter to the Dolphins -- Like Miami's D-line and linebacking corps isn't nasty enough already. Chad Pennington and J.P. Losman are gonna see some turf against the Dolphins next season.

RB Thomas Jones traded to Jets - At least one of those three sitting on the J-E-T-S hoard of no-name running backs will be cut. Jones gets what he wants, but remember that despite the improvements, the Jets got into the playoffs courtesy of an easy back-half schedule. Thomas may miss Chicago very soon.

QBs Jeff Garcia (free agency) and Jake Plummer (trade) to Tampa Bay - Plummer's retired, Garcia will win the starting job from Simms -- which won't really matter because TB won't have an O-line to speak of, so he'll look bad too.

QB Brad Johnson to the Cowboys - replace one non-mobile backup with another.

QB Joey Harrington and TE Randy McMichael released from Miami -- Fins, please note risk taken with a highly touted QB who couldn't win the big game, and keep that in mind if Brady Quinn falls to your draft spot at #9.

Patrick Kerney to the Seahawks - Atlanta loses another defensive player when it can't afford to; I'm pissed the Broncos didn't lock him up.

CB Nate Clements to SF - We all know the 80 million is backloaded. Walt Harris would like to talk about his contract, Mr. York...

OT Leonard Davis to the Cowboys - Failing upwards. Goes from the weak link in a very weak Cardinals offensive line to receiving the biggest signing bonus in Cowboys history.

FB Ovie Mughelli to the Falcons - Good fullback. Not exactly Lorenzo Neal, just look at Jamal Lewis 3.6 yards per carry (lowest among the top free agent RBs.) Lo earns his $5 mil in signing bonus. No one ought to be getting paid more than Lo in the fullback category.

welcome to Denver, Travis.

The Broncos went out and got the #2 on the list I compiled last night. Again, Travis Henry has had fumble trouble for a good portion of his career, but he's got the capability to be a feature back, and that's really what the team needs at this point rather than trying to compile two or three backs, despite the league trend towards two-back systems.

Again, at least Jay Cutler will have a backfield to go to next year, and while it would have been awesome to pry Willis McGahee from the Bills, the cost probably would have been too high, while a $12 million signing bonus on a five-year deal for a feature back isn't too bad.

just another American family.

Sports coverage outside of the NY/NJ area in the New York Times is actually interesting to me -- they have writers who find interesting and compelling human interest stories about athletes and their families, and UNLV forward Joe Darger's is no different.

Darger gets about six points a night in a little more than 13 minutes of action, but the NYT's fascination with him has more to do with his unorthodox family -- his father is a practicing polygamist, and the total number of kids is 19 -- and how they follow him around in games. (The article's tone is good -- I'm not a polygamy fan, but I think non-condemnation's a good way to go here.)

His story is interesting for the way we handle stories outside the accepted or common Judeo-Christian norms; Mormonism is one of the last few religious practices with a history banded about as "weird" in America (Islam is another; Buddhism has always seemed more of a philosophy to Americans.) Most of the stories we get about the old polygamist practices are about the ugly fallout -- see Warren Jeffs for the latest example -- but Darger's sounds highly all-American and pretty consistent with a strong, religious background, except for that one "deviant" aspect (it is worth noting that his father said he and his wives don't force their life choices on the kids.)

Darger's is a Rorschach test; we will read what we want out of it since the writer's tone seems neutral enough -- it's just an interesting backstory in college basketball, where there are plenty to be had, although many more of them have to do with rising above poverty, violence, etc. What will happen, though, if the NYT isn't exactly the last word on this? We may find out, depending on how UNLV performs in two weeks.

who should be the next member of the Factory?

That is, Mike Shanahan's Tailback Factory. The Broncos have addressed the secondary with the Dre Bly deal, but doing so requires nailing down a stud at RB to replace the fumble-prone Tatum Bell -- this is of utmost importance because said RB will be responsible for pounding holes in order to score and take pressure off Jay Cutler to win games with his arm alone. The Broncos have not had a serious feature back since Clinton Portis was dealt for Champ Bailey (and the Broncos got the better of that deal given Portis' injury problems -- if he doesn't get hurt as often, everyone wins.) Most observers note that the Denver O-line can be counted on to produce a 1,000 yard rusher every year, but it's instructive that the team has rarely advanced past the first weekend of the playoffs post back-to-back titles without Terrell Davis (and, of course, John Elway, but we're talking RBs here.)

Ahman Green has inked with the Texans, so he's out. Fortunately, there are five good options possible (old Denver Post article, but mentions these four names)-- two by trade, three* (please see the update/correction below) by free agency. They are profiled in my personal preferred order:

1. Willis McGahee, Buffalo Bills -- if he can be stolen from Buffalo (and the Broncos are willing to ditch lower draft picks), then he's the man to grab for a contract year and try to nail down for an extension. Only 25, with a couple of full seasons under his belt, he's young enough to run as much as the Broncos like to, and still got just under 1,000 yards this season while missing two games. I still question why Buffalo is even shopping him.

2. Travis Henry, cut by Tennessee Titans - 28 with a 3rd 1,000 yard season out of six total years in the league. Suffered bouts of fumble-itis in Buffalo -- part of why Buffalo got McGahee in the first place, but revived himself on the Titans by giving VY a back to go to. Probably the best back currently on the free agent market -- might not be coming cheap.

3. Thomas Jones, Chicago Bears - two straight 1,000 yard seasons, age 27. Probably can thrive as a feature back, but I'm not sure the Bears will take him for an offer that doesn't knock their socks off (likely something requiring a stud defensive player or place where they can draft one), especially because rumor in Chicago is the players prefer him to his tag-team mate Cedric Benson.

4.. Jamal Lewis, cut by Baltimore Ravens - 27, only one season w/o a 1,000 yard season, but yards-per-carry dropped dramatically post 2003-season (well, they had to, 2,000 yard seasons don't exactly come every year). 3.6 yards per carry last year**. Prone to off-field troubles. Ravens probably cut him to try and re-sign him for less money more than anything else.

UPDATE: Forgot one. (**This addition also removes the "lowest yds per carry of the group" from Jamal Lewis.)

5. Dominic Rhodes, Indianapolis Colts -- Has had a 1,000 yd season on his own, but most of last year's highlights belonged to Joseph Addai, and I suspect Indy would be OK with letting him go after his recent DUI arrest. Got 3.4 a carry last year. Not bad with the receiving stats. Should have split the Super Bowl MVP with Addai, but not exactly what you think of when you think of "franchise running back," and despite recent plug-and-play backs in the past few years, the Broncos could use one if they're going to stand a decent chance of another Super Bowl.

If you want someone teaming up with Mike Bell, you probably take a flyer on Lewis first and then try Rhodes. I'm not sure the Bears will get rid of Jones. Henry is visiting soon, and while inconsistent in other venues, the OL turns mediocre backs into 1,000 yard rushers. McGahee is the prize, though.

It's also highly likely that none of them will be a Bronco, as Shanahan may just pluck another back out of the draft and throw him in with Bell.

the pornstache walks away.

Jake Plummer is calling it quits rather than get traded to Tampa Bay -- apparently, he's not interested in being traded some place where he isn't automatically the starter. Great sentiment in terms of looking out for yourself, Jake, but have you looked at your stats the last few years? You are the last person who should be handed a starting job fresh out of the gate and without question.

What makes it worse is that he's giving up already and the guy he'd be going up against for Tampa's starting job is recovering from losing his goddamned spleen. Shave off the mustache and the beard or whatever you've got these days, Plummer, your wussing out means you don't deserve to wear that facial hair.

cheap shots #6.

First, some new adds to the blogroll this week: say hi to Shot to Nothing, The Sports Dad, Money Players, and the Feed. Second, I'm honored that some of you actually e-mail me items, and I want it known that they are actually read. Third, Blogger is bugging the fuck out of me; I'm considering a switch -- is WordPress worth it?

Now, can we hit it and quit it? Yeah!

1) The Feed unleashes their inner Tufnel and takes their baseball previews to 11. Start with the latest on the Marlins and work your way back.

2) Money Players takes a look at pensions across the major sports.

3) Extrapolater runs down another team (Marist) you probably know nothing about. I know they're Bill O'Reilly's alma mater, and for that reason, I'll be rooting against them (sorry, boys.)

4) D-Wil takes another hack at the Barry Bonds growth bit. You may agree, you may not, but it's worth reading.

5) One More Dying Quail wrote about the rich dentist suing Cory Lidle's estate, so now I really don't have to (he did a hundred times better anyway.)

6) In his tireless quest, Scrap comes across this plan for NBC's ratings to drop even further -- that's right, a reality show about the Beckhams moving to the U.S.

7) Business or Leisure at And Here Come the Pretzels is really looking forward to baseball.

8) Sooze tells us of the story of one pitcher who'll have mad bank without even throwing a fastball.

9) RUTS informs us of a middle school principal in Pennsylvania with some interesting extracurricular activities. (I so wanted to use the phrase "extracurricular activities" for a tease tonight, but I got outvoted.)

10) Twins gets you ready for your fantasy baseball draft -- the latest edition is all about the guys up the middle.

11) The Hack thinks Ted Leo's bass player is a fugly bastard. He is, but so is the drummer with that Grizzly Adams look. Plus, ugliness means more rock power -- just ask Lemmy! -- and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists rule.

12) If there's a championship out there to be contested this year, Sanchez is all over it.

13) Deadspin gives us a story sure to rob you of your appetite (it involves infection, rupture, and gonads) while you grimace in pain.

14) With Leather exposes us to a disturbing reality: people are actually writing to Ron Artest for advice.

15) And despite the name of her blog, the Head Chick just won't leave Jason Whitlock alone (and we're all better off for it.)

another entry for the "Bizarre Injuries" file.

John Daly is probably the most entertaining figure in golf outside of Tiger Woods, and for entirely different reasons than Tiger. A drinker and chain-smoker, Daly has long been the sort of People's Champ on the Tour, despite his flameout in wins after starting his career on a hot streak. He is also the Tour's hard-luck fellow, a guy for whom bad things just seem to happen (like huge gambling debts.)

Today, he hit the 12th hole of the Honda Classic, and someone just happened to have a camera:

The clicking could be heard almost at the same instant [Daly] started his backswing. He stopped and reportedly glared at the woman before trying to swing again, but immediately complained of pain and walked off to seek treatment in the tour's medical trailer.

He declined to comment afterward.

"All he said to us was, 'I'm done,' " [playing partner Joe] Ogilvie said. "It wasn't good."

Far be it for pudgy me to tell a full keg like Daly that the girth on him probably isn't good when you need to stop a backswing, but I can't help but think that had something to do with the injuries to his ribs and shoulder (also, if you see pictures of his swing, he generates a lot of power with a long wind-up). This is the kind of dumb golf injury that happens in books -- which is fitting that it happened to Daly; he is a Dan Jenkins character writ large.

(Fascinating aside from his Wikipedia page: "A John Daly is also a kind of drink. It is an Arnold Palmer (Lemonade and Iced tea) with whiskey and a splash of ginger ale. This drink was patented by Matt Schroeder." Sounds good, actually.)

blunt object, meet forehead.

Let me get this straight:

We (the U.S.) had an Agreed Framework with North Korea regarding the development of nuclear weapons via plutonium.

For five years, the current administration has believed that the nutcase on lifts over in Pyongyang was violating the agreement by enriching uranium. We got pissy, and who wouldn't, when you're pretty damn sure they're violating the agreement?

Now, well, maybe those uranium efforts weren't as far along as we thought, per the NYT:

The disclosure underscores broader questions about the ability of intelligence agencies to discern the precise status of foreign weapons programs. The original assessment about North Korea came during the same period that the administration was building its case about Iraq’s unconventional weapons programs, which turned out to be based on flawed intelligence. And the new North Korea assessment comes amid debate over intelligence about Iran’s weapons.

The public revelation of the intelligence agencies’ doubts, which have been brewing for some time, came almost by happenstance. In a little-noticed exchange on Tuesday at a hearing at the Senate Armed Services Committee, Joseph DeTrani, a longtime intelligence official, told Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island that “we still have confidence that the program is in existence — at the mid-confidence level.” Under the intelligence agencies’ own definitions, that level “means the information is interpreted in various ways, we have alternative views” or it is not fully corroborated.

As Robert Farley at Tapped puts it: "Morons. We have morons on our team."

is there an NFL term for "hot stove league"?

Because the NFL's is on at midnight tonight. The WWL provides a handy-dandy list of the 30 big free agent names for teams to lap up this offseason.

Meanwhile, my Broncos have found their replacement for the dearly and sadly departed Darrent Williams by dealing RB Tatum Bell and OT George Foster to Detroit for CB and ball-hawker extraordinaire Dre' Bly -- one of the few bright spots on those Lions teams. T. Bell is coming off a thousand-yard season, but has problems with fumble-itis and may actually want a semi-fresh start, as Williams was his close friend and teammate going back to their OK State days.

This automatically turns the Broncos into one of the top corner teams in the league, and even though safety John Lynch is getting older and losing steps, he's still one of the nastiest bastards when it comes to hitting. (I was one of those who would bet that D-Will was going to have a monster year in '07, so I thought the Broncos would be a nasty secondary regardless.)

Teams won't want to pass against these guys come next season. Would have been nice to take a stab at the Bills' Nate Clements, but Shanahan likes to get his guys for cheap on the free agent market or through trade and extension signing (see Champ Bailey, Javon Walker.)

Presumably, the departure of Tatum means the starting job is Mike Bell's to lose again, although it's safe to say that the Rat Fink will have a stable of runners for the the Halfback Factory once again.

hi there, Captain Obvious.

Do we know why former St. John's and BC coach Mike Jarvis is being paid to write drivel? His latest column for Yahoo about picking teams in March goes like this: watch the eight players away from the ball and observe rebounding. There are only two possible explanations:

A. Jarvis presumes he is writing for an audience that knows fuck all about college basketball. Problem is, if the reader knows fuck all about men's hoops, why would they click to read his thoughts? He's not exactly a household name, and he is writing for an online sports site -- most of the folks coming around to pick stuff out are junkies.

B. He actually believes this passes for insight. Even some of the most casual fans who tune in for the conference tourneys and March Madness know to watch for rebounds and screens -- ESPN has cornered the market on analysts who point these things out ad nauseum on pre- and post-game shows, and anyone who tunes in before February is well aware of the importance of what players do when the ball is not in their hands.

I'd like to be generous and give Jarvis the doubt necessary to believe A, but I'm pretty sure that B is the more likely explanation, and with that in mind, it's no wonder he's not employed by a Division I-A university right now (aside from the scandal issues at St. John's during his tenure.)

speaking the gospel.

Brett Hull has enough money in the bank to call bullshit when he feels like it, and he felt like calling out Versus, NBC, and ESPN on their NHL coverage:

On NBC's lack of pre-game coverage in USA Today (scroll down): "You need to have some sort of pregame or postgame show so we can sit down and talk about the trade deadline — or the Buffalo-Ottawa (brawl)," Hull says. "I have a lot to say. But in 20 seconds, you have to be some sort of English lit professor to do it with any style or bravado."

On Versus in the Detroit Free Press: "I don't even think people know Versus is a station. Just what is a Versus? It's a ridiculously bad channel."

I have noted here previously and in other forums that Bettman has allowed the league to be completely and utterly screwed by Versus -- a minimum of four games should be shown in prime time a week on that channel, and doubleheaders should be a constant; also, there should be a half-hour highlights show every night of the week. Money-whip people to do it. Back in the early days of NHL 2Night on ESPN2, I watched religiously. Get Buccigross and Melrose away from ESPN and re-create that again.

Hat tips for sources: Awful Announcing and Sports Media Watch.

the gunslingers meet in Austin.

How sick was A&M - Texas? I mean, you can look at the stat lines for both Texas' Kevin Durant (30 pts and 16 boards) and the Aggies' Acie Law IV (33 points and a couple of absolutely nasty 3-pointers when they mattered -- I'm convinced the "IV" on his uniform is the source of his power), but you could have guessed if you just saw the game go to double OT. Texas' Damion James and D.J. Augustin were playing lights out too (OMDQ has more on the bizarre that is Damion James. I saw some of what he writes. I suspect we may have another in the mold of Agent Zero for bizarre, yet endearing acts.)

Now Texas is giving me fits for this week's Aggro-Crag at JCMJ -- I'm not sure whether to go Texas or Kansas this weekend. And despite the loss, I am still gonna ride the Aggie Bandwagon unless something so shocking happens in the Big 12 Tourney that I'd sprain an ankle getting off. This could be the best of the conference tournaments with three teams with super-legitimate shots at nabbing the title and being teams NO ONE wants anything to do with come St. Patrick's Day weekend.

Another hoops note: I did not catch Maryland-Duke, but given that the Terps went into Cameron and owned the Blue Devils AGAIN (making them 3-0 vs. the usual power boys of Duke and UNC this year), I'm fearing the turtle right now.