January 28

As per my usual entries, I'll begin with a short update on life: I've applied for two internships, both in the world of hockey. A far cry from my typical interests, each organization has intrigued me and left me wanting more. Those two teams: The Knoxville Ice Bears and the Nashville Predators, each in the broadcasting department. 

Now to business...

• Deacons defense dominates Devils

In a matchup that appeared more like a heavyweight bout than a basketball game, two premier ACC programs collided in Winston-Salem. After losing a 13 point lead, #4 Wake Forest handed #1 Duke it's second loss of the season, 70-68. After a traveling call on Duke's Gerald Henderson gave Wake the ball with 2.8 seconds remaining, James Johnson came clear off a screen for the Demon Deacons (17-1, 4-1 ACC) and hit an uncontested layup with 0.8 seconds remaining. A last ditch effort proved futile as Kyle Singler's full-court inbounds pass was knocked harmlessly to the floor, securing the win for the Demon Deacons.

Duke ( 18-2, 5-1 ACC), down by as much as 13 late in the second half, tied the game at 68 when Henderson hit a jumper over Johnson with 10 seconds left. Henderson finished with 20 points, and Singler added a game-high 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Blue Devils.

The story of the night was clearly the defensive effort on both sides of the ball. Wake held Duke to a mere 18% from beyond the three point line-- an area in which Duke usually excels in-- and the Devils returned the favor, keeping Wake to only 20%. Both teams shot under well under 50% from the field, with Duke only managing to hit 33% of it's shots and Wake a meager 40%. Duke also slowed down the ACC's second leading scorer in Jeff Teague, keeping him to 11 points- 10 below his average. 

The loss likely ends Duke's shortlived reign as the number one team in the nation, lasting only one week. 

• Tigers claw Vols

Undefeated at home for 2+ years, the Tennessee Volunteers have now lost their fourth home game of the season, dropping their 7th game of the season to LSU, 79-73. I only watched the last 2 minutes of this game, prompting me to say one thing: when will anyone on this team learn to hit a shot under the basket? Countless times the Vols have had opportunities to put teams away or come back, only to come up short both underneath the rim and in the game. It's downright pathetic. This team is full of athletes, just not necessarily basketball players. The athleticism is ridiculous, but they don't play as a team and rely too much on what will get them on SportsCenter rather than fundamentals.  

The Vols have now  lost two more games than all of last season combined and don't appear to be getting better any time soon. This game was billed as a "must-win" by coach Bruce Pearl, but it didn't seem to matter much. Tennessee was consistently down seven the entire game. With Florida on the horizon in a battle that doesn't seem worthy of the ESPN GameDay crew, the Vols looked lackluster at best. Perhaps this was a trap game combined with a letdown game after a heartbreaking loss to Memphis. Potentially, Tennessee could lose three games--all at the friendly confines of Thompson-Boling Arena-- in a row when Nick Calathes and the Gators visit Knoxville this Saturday.

That's it for tonight. By the way, you should all buy an oUTlive t-shirt if entirely possible. Proceeds go to cancer research and will be sold for the "white-out" game against Florida. It comes at a great time, as coaching legend Kay Yow was just lost to breast cancer. Former UT player Chris Lofton recently beat testicular cancer and Tyler Smith's father lost his battle with cancer last year. 

Blue Reigns Supreme

It seems that the reign of Tennessee sports over the competition has taken a serious knockoff this year. The football team began the year with high hopes, a new offensive coordinator, a new quarterback, and a stout defense. At the end of 2008 we saw the exit of Phillip Fulmer and the entrance of Lane Kiffin, a 5-7 record, a homecoming loss to Wyoming, and a defense that ranked nationally in the top ten in almost every category-- what a waste the offense was so anemic. A school that is traditionally a great powerhouse in women's basketball has taken a hit this year, falling out of the top 10 in the ESPN/USA Today poll with three big losses. Now, the men's team that reached the top ranking for the first time in school history last year with a win over then-number one Memphis, has fallen from grace and out of the top 25 entirely. The rematch was Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena, and let's just say today's theme was that blue was a color of victory, not sorrow.

• Memphis wins rematch, takes down "Big" Orange

Memphis outlasted Tennessee 54-52, despite three shots in the final minute that could have sealed the game for the Volunteers. Similar to last year at the FedEx Forum, Tyler Smith had a shot from point-blank range with under thirty seconds left. Unlike last year, Smith missed the shot and the Vols were unable to secure another upset against the Tigers. One thing I noticed about this game, and all season, is that this team is very different from last year's edition, but it doesn't seem Bruce Pearl has figured this out. It appears that he wants this team to run the court like last year's, but they aren't capable of doing so. With more big men and less team speed, that's just not going to happen. We're much more suited to run a slow-tempo, controlled offense and as soon as Pearl adapts to that, we'll win the big games. Maybe we'll correct this come tournament time- assuming we make it to the big dance. We also need to learn to play some sort of defense. Simply standing in front of a man does not constitute enough effort. 

• Devils torch Terps

The Duke Blue Devils seem like the team Tennessee aims to become, after they thrashed the helpless Maryland Terrapins 85-44 at Cameron Indoor. The loss was Maryland's worst since 1963. While ratings may not matter much to Jon Scheyer and the Devils, they will indeed be number one when the new rankings are released on Monday. Gerald Henderson, Duke's resident man-child, scored 17, Scheyer added 12, and sensational sophomore Kyle Singler tallied 11. Duke held Maryland to 28% shooting in a fantastic defensive effort, keeping them to just 15 points in the entire first half. This is a team that, in my opinion, is peaking entirely too early. They're blowing out every opponent. Characteristic of most Duke teams in the 00's, they start out hot and cool off immediately following the ACC Tournament, leaving every Devil fan heartbroken in the second-round of the NCAA's. On the bright side, at least one team will be ranked #1 during this Wednesday's showdown in Winston Salem against previous number one Wake Forest. 

• Other notable games

Continuing the "Blue" trend, #3 UConn ended #19 Notre Dame's nearly three-year home winning streak as the Huskies handed the Irish a 69-61 loss in South Bend, it's first in 45 games at the Joyce Center. Marquette (#10 in AP) defeated DePaul 79-70 and #5 Oklahoma beat #23 Baylor 95-76 in the weekends lone Top 25 match-up.

• Death of a Legend

Kay Yow, the head coach of the women's basketball team at North Carolina State died early Saturday morning after a 22-year fight against breast cancer. Yow was inducted into 2002 and won 737 games in her 38 years as a head coach, the last 34 of which were spent at NC State. During he career, she compiled a 737-344 record, coached the 1988 US Olympic Women's team to a gold medal, four ACC tournament championships, 20 NCAA tournament bids, and a trip to the 1998 Final Four. An icon and ambassador of the game, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski described her as a "fighter until the end" in his postgame news conference. Yow was 66.

Sportsmanship

• Dallas blanked by Covenant

As earlier reported on ESPN, two high school girls basketball teams in Texas played last night. Nothing out of the ordinary there. What was extraordinary, however, was the score:

Covenant School: 100

Dallas Academy: 0

That's not a typo. 100-0. Final score. Various outlets interviewed patrons of the game and apparently Covenant kept a full-court press going on into the fourth quarter, even though they were up 59-0 at half-time. They are also said to have still hoisted up three's well into the fourth quarter. Now Covenant is trying to forfeit the win. What?! Am I forgetting something here? Aren't sports and games in general played to win? The principal of the school claims that, "a victory without honor is a great loss." I'm not a genius, but I'm pretty sure a win is a win no matter how you slice it. Critics will say there is more to it than just winning and losing, that sports teach us values and good judgment. Let me pose this question: Are coaches hired and fired because they teach good values and solid judgment? No. Coaches are hired to win. There are things out there more important than winning and losing, but not in sports. That fad went to the wayside in the early 90's. Perhaps this is just a personal opinion, but if Dallas Academy didn't want to get run out of the gym, maybe they could have made a shot? Played defense? Something to keep the game from getting out of hand. Better yet, if there are only eight girls on the roster, why are they playing? I don't know of any team that only has eight players on a roster on any given night. And why did they schedule a game against a team like Covenant who, from what I hear, is a state powerhouse? This wasn't a good game to gauge how well the team plays, it was a cupcake game. My suggestion for Covenant is to drop the petition to forfeit the game. That kind of reaction is unfair to the players, to the team as a whole, and to the fans. They earned the win, they played well, now move on. In the immortal words of Herm Edwards, "We play to WIN the game."

• Edwards out, Shanahan in?

What a nifty little segue! When Scott Pioli was hired as general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs, he said it was not a forgone conclusion that coach Herm Edwards would be fired. Less than two weeks after his hiring, Pioli fired Edwards. Edwards, a man with great character and moral fiber, went 2-14 in his last season with the Chiefs (See? It's not about values, it's about winning and losing), although it was mired by a myriad of injuries and attitude problems in star players (namely Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez). Now rumors are circulating that the Chiefs are close to a deal with former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. Shanahan is a good schemer, but has been unable to get back to the Super Bowl sans John Elway. Jon Gruden is a better fit here. The team needs some backbone, to play like they want to win, with some fire and passion. A young guy who can rebuild the team from the ground up. Gruden is that man. Shanahan deserves all the respect in the world for building the dominant Broncos teams of the late 90's and early 00's, but take a cue from Tony Dungy and retire. Don't take over a rebuilding job like George Seifert did with the Panthers, as it will only detract from your legacy. Go somewhere you can win and go out on top. There aren't enough years left in your coaching style to make that team a contender. 

I'm tired and hungry, not a good combination, so that's all for today. If I don't post again this weekend, have a good one. 

The intrigue of Super Bowl XLIII

Arizona and Pittsburgh. The only two teams left in the NFL. One game left to play. At the beginning of the season, I'm not sure anyone picked these two teams to be crowned champions of their respective divisions. That's the beauty of the game. On paper, the Patriots and the Giants were the favorites to make it back before opening day. Then week one happened and reigning MVP Tom Brady goes down for the year with a torn meniscus. Enter Tennessee, the team that began the season 11-0 before losing to the New York Jets at home. The favorites all season to make it to the big game bowed out in their first game, hosting the Ravens. Now, the Steelers are a solid team with a stout defense that has carried them all season. Big Ben and the offense are beginning to come around. 

But the Cardinals are a different story. Arizona has been enigmatic all season, becoming the first team in the NFL to secure a playoff spot, then getting dominated in a four-game losing streak to end the season before going into Wild Card Weekend against the favored Atlanta Falcons. They then dispatched my Carolina Panthers (well, we really beat ourselves, but hey, the Cardinals won and that's what counts) in Charlotte, and clipped the Eagles in Arizona. A surprising run in the playoffs has yielded Ken Wisenhunt exactly where he was hired to get the franchise: in Tampa on Feb. 1, which leads to the first of our intriguing matchups.

• Ken Wisenhunt vs. Mike Tomlin

An understudy of Bill Cowher, former offensive coordinator of the Steelers Ken Wisenhunt was once considered the favorite to replace Cowher once he retired. Cowher chose not to retire just yet, so Wisenhunt interviewed with the desolate franchise in the desert and was hired promptly, bringing with him defensive coordinator Russ Grimm.  When Cowher did give up his post, Tomlin was hired. A defensive man in Tomlin versus the trick-play minded Wisenhunt. Former Pittsburgh players during the Wisenhunt era said it wasn't uncommon to practice five trick plays and Wisenhunt aimed to perform two per game. I give the edge to Tomlin on this one. Offense wins games, defense wins championships. This, as we know, is a championship. 

• Larry Fitzgerald vs. The Steelers Secondary

How did Fitzgerald not win the Heisman? All this man does is make the most ridiculous plays ever. He's like a human highlight reel. Troy Polamalu plays with a lot of pride and passion, making me think he won't allow Fitzgerald to make those types of plays, especially on the world's grandest stage. Call it a hunch, but between Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Steve Breaston, I don't think the Steeler secondary can completely shut down all three options. Maybe one, but not all three. Edge: Cardinals

• Kurt Warner vs. Ben Roethlisberger

Both men have proved they can win a Super Bowl. Both were unreliable during the regular season. Both fluctuate in their accuracy, yet both have led their teams here. I'm going to take Roethlisberger on this one, because he's going against the worst defense ever to reach the Super Bowl. He'll have an easier time completing passes than Warner against the league's number two defense. 

My Prediction: Arizona-24 Pittsburgh-28

I really want to take the Cardinals because I love how they've completely transformed over the span of the playoffs, but I just don't see them being able to overcome inefficiencies on both sides of the ball, pressuring Roethlisberger enough to make the Steelers rely on Willie Parker, or the Steeler defense giving up more points in the biggest game of the season. 

January 20: Musical Chairs

January 20. Inauguration Day. Single-handedly the most important day of my generation. 

Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States today. After stumbling through his recitation and finally delivering an eloquent speech, my only reactions were: "The speech was decent, but after 3 months of planning, this was it? Aretha was awful! That band was disastrous!" Maybe that's just me. Oh well, onto sports.

• Gruden Ousted by Ownership

This is a story that is personally very funny to me. The University of Tennessee was said to have pursued Gruden quite heavily for its coaching vacancy after firing Phillip Fulmer. The irony is that he said he was going to be in Tampa for quite a while. Yeah, turns out quite a while is only a few months as Gruden was fired Friday, an hour after my last post. I also can't help but notice the timing. Dungy retires earlier last week, with a home in Tampa and a recent Super Bowl win, then the Buccaneers fire their coach? Too coincidental in my book. Yes, they may have already hired a new coach, but Dungy said he will take the year off and reassess his situation. A four-year contract like Meeks received is easy to terminate. 

• Spagnuolo "has a good feeling" about the Rams

The coaching carousel continued as Steve Spagnuolo, defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, was hired by the St. Louis Rams. Spagnuolo developed the game plan that lead to the biggest upset in Super Bowl history as his defense thwarted the prolific New England Patriots offense led by Tom Brady and Randy Moss. This is definitely a good hire for the Rams as they seemed to lack discipline during the season. The Rams have the worst winning percentage in the NFL the past two seasons, winning only 5 games. Even the Lions, winless this year, have a better percentage. Spagnuolo should instill some work ethic and backbone into a team that's not too far removed from "The Fastest Show on Turf". There's still a strong nucleus to build around with Leonard Little, Marc Bulger, and Steven Jackson.

• Jets fly high with Ryan

Finally, some news out of the Meadowlands that doesn't revolve around Brett Favre. The Jets hired defensive coordinator Rex Ryan away from the Baltimore Ravens this weekend. This is good news not only for the Jets, as Ryan is the mastermind behind that vaunted Ravens defense, but for Titans fans everywhere as the defense is sure to take a hit next year. Sources tell ESPN's Chris Mortensen that Jets management offered Ryan a contract "about an hour" after the Ravens 23-14 loss to AFC Champion Pittsburgh. The Jets were easily the best coaching job available in the NFL this offseason, having every piece in place to make a Super Bowl run. Coaching was the Achilles' Heel for the Jets last season, as an 8-3 start quickly turned into a 9-7 season and out of the playoffs. Mangini's inability to motivate his players to win just one more game eventually led to his ousting and Ryan's filling of the void. Ryan is known for his no-nonsense approach and helped construct one of the most dominating defenses of the 2000's. Ryan's defensive strategy also gels with current Jets players, as Ryan loves to run a 3-4. After bringing in Kris Jenkins and Calvin Pace last offseason, as well as drafting Vernon Gholston, the Jets defense under Ryan could lead them back to the glory days of Broadway Joe-- that is if they rebuild that secondary, a unit that ranked 28th last season. If Tom Brady's knee surgery is still way behind schedule as reported last month, then the Jets may soon be considered favorites to win that division, even with the revival in Miami.

• Papelbon signs record one-year deal

The Boston Red Sox agreed to a one-year deal with closer Jonathan Papelbon worth $6.25 million, making him the highest paid closer in the history of baseball. The previous high before this year's arbitration hearing was $5 million for then-Dodger Eric Gagne. Chicago White Sox reliever Bobby Jenks just agreed to a $5.65 million deal this weekend to avoid arbitration and was the highest paid reliever until today. This is still a paltry sum compared the Yankees free-spending ways in this years edition of the hot stove. 

Now, off to file the FAFSA so I can afford to continue school. Thanks for reading.

January 16- Tomlinson out?

Today seems to be just as drab as yesterday. The biggest news of the day seems to just be a rumor.

• Tomlinson may get traded

ESPN reported today that San Diego Chargers president Dean Spanos has had talks with running back LaDainian Tomlinson on trading-- or possibly releasing-- him. Tomlinson is coming off an injury-plagued 2007 campaign that saw him post his lowest rushing statistics of his career. Tomlinson missed the season-ending loss to the Steelers with an injured groin. Personally, this move may be coming a season too late. I'm one that has seen great promise in Michael Turner and Darren Sproles even in their college days. They are both explosive and don't shy away from contact. We've seen what they both can do. Turner lit it up this season after a move to Atlanta and helped carry them to the playoffs after a 4-12 season. Sproles had 328 all-purpose yards in the playoff victory over the Colts in the Wild Card round. Why pay more money to a less effective back when you had those two on the bench? As trade bait, Tomlinson could be used to get a top-notch wide receiver (Chris Chambers isn't cutting it) to pair with Antonio Gates, or maybe another outside linebacker to accompany Shawne Merriman. The Chargers are one piece away from the Super Bowl (and a head coach not named Norv Turner) and it would be a shame to see all this young talent like Philip Rivers, Merriman, and a stout defense go to waste. 

Hate to cut it short, but I'm off to Nashville. Four day weekend!

January 15- Sanchez enters Draft, Schwartz to Lions

January 15, not a monumental day in the sports world, but a few noticeable events occurred today. 

• Southern California quarterback Mark Sanchez declared for the NFL Draft. 
  

The redshirt junior threw his name into the hat Thursday afternoon. Good move on his part. Sanchez ended the season with 3,207 passing yards, 34 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions and another Rose Bowl win, this time over Penn State. With Oklahoma's Sam Bradford returning to school to defend his Heisman win and take another run at Tim Tebow and the Gators next year, Sanchez's stock couldn't go anywhere but down next year. Plus, the addition of a salary cap on draft picks beginning next year was undoubtedly a factor in his decision. Sanchez and Georgia's Matthew Stafford are ranked by ESPN's Todd McShay as the top two quarterbacks available. In short, good luck in Detroit next season. 

• Detroit hires Jim Schwartz
  

Speaking of the lowly Lions, Detroit hired their new head coach today- Jim Schwartz. Schwartz served as the defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans the past eight seasons. The Titans defense has consistently been in the upper echelon of the NFL during Schwartz's tenure in Nashville. This past season, the defense carried the Titans to the number one seed in the AFC, posting a 13-3 record. I think it's a good hire by the Lions, bringing in someone experienced with coaching tremendous defensive talent. Schwartz reportedly signed a four year deal, according to ESPN.com. However, their last head coach was a defensive mind-- which only lead to the NFL's first 0-16 season. Detroit is just a franchise that has been in free-fall mode since the early retirement of Barry Sanders. Last season was a fluke going 9-7. Hopefully Schwartz will make the executive decision to trade out of the number one spot in the draft. The Lions need help in too many areas to just use that one pick. Stafford or Sanchez won't cure their problems. The last time they tried the "baptize by fire" routine with a quarterback, Joey Harrington led them nowhere. 

• Red Sox, Youkilis agree to four-year deal

Boston has re-signed utility man Kevin Youkilis to a four-year deal worth around $40 million. Youkilis played 3rd and 1st base for the Red Sox this season and was an instrumental part in their postseason success, although it ended all too briefly against the Tampa Bay Rays. Youkilis hit .312 this season and jacked 29 homeruns and drove in 115. Earlier in the offseason we locked up AL MVP Dustin Pedroia for six more years. It's been a surprising week for my Sox, agreeing to terms with fromer Braves ace John Smoltz, locking up Youkilis today, and Jim Rice finally getting into Cooperstown. 

That's about all the headlines for today. Percy Harvin also declared for the NFL Draft. Yes, he's fast, but he's too small to be an impact in the NFL. Look at Early Doucet. Where is he now? I know, Steve Smith is under six feet and he's an explosive player. As evidenced by the SportsCenter commercial, his speed is "incendiary", but Harvin doesn't seem to have the tenacity of Smith. The heart, yes. Aggression, no. 

And I think Jodie Meeks just made another three...