Turnovers may really be the key.

This is from SEC Blog

The last three BCS national champions have finished no worse than fourth nationally in turnover margin.

• Alabama was fourth last season -- gaining 31 and losing 12 (plus-19).
• Florida was second in 2008 -- gaining 35 and losing 13 (plus-22).
• LSU was second in 2007 -- gaining 36 and losing 16 (plus-20).

Here is the SEC record for the past 5 years.

Here’s a complete rundown, spanning the last five seasons:

1. Florida: Plus-57 (138/81). Record: 57-10

2. Alabama: Plus-44 (127/83). Record: 49-17

3. LSU: Plus-14 (108/94). Record: 51-15

4. Kentucky: Plus-12 (123/111). Record: 33-30

5. Vanderbilt: Plus-6 (112/106). Record: 23-37

6. Arkansas: Plus-5 (118/113). Record: 35-28

7. Tennessee: Plus-5 (109/104). Record: 36-27

8. Georgia: Even (113/113). Record: 48-17

9. Auburn: Minus-5 (106/111). Record: 42-21

10. Miss. State: Minus-12 (113/125). Record: 23-37

11. South Carolina: Minus-22 (110/132). Record: 35-28

12. Ole Miss: Minus-27 (96/123). Record: 28-33

j

ESPN Dallas Blog

I really enjoy the Brian Broaddus articles.

Here is a link to the stories:

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys/category/_/name/broaddus-breakdown

Comments on West Monroe and LSU -Bradie James

James is very good as a run-at guy. He’s a physical, point-of-attack player who is adequate sideline to sideline. He has his shaky moments in coverage, though, which is why he’s on the field less often in passing situations. You can’t jump up and down about him, but you have to admire how steady he’s been.

Comments on Choice.

The most complete back on the Dallas Cowboys is Tashard Choice. He's a blocker, he's a catcher and he's a runner. In this offense, you have to have the ability to do all three.

Roy Williams

The best thing this guy does is block. You can’t question his desire or toughness, but he’s not paid to block. He’s paid to make plays, and he doesn’t make nearly enough. I’m willing to give him another year before declaring him an expensive mistake. At least there are options behind him.

Dez Bryant:

The thing about Bryant is that the learning curve does not appear very steep. He has size, and you can see the playmaking ability. His route running will need work, but when he’s open, he’s magical catching the football.

Interior O line-

The Pro Bowlers need to perform better than they did last season, when unheralded Kyle Kosier was the most consistent player in the group.

j

Haney on Woods Relationship

Haney told Golf Digest in an interview that his relationship with Woods "didn't get dysfunctional; it always was dysfunctional."

Two Egos clashing in the wind.

j

Aritcle on Romo and QB's.

http://espn.go.com/blog/dallas/cowboys

Calvin Watkins Comments-

We're not sure if Romo is an elite quarterback yet. He's a good one, probably in the top 10 in the league. Is he up there with Drew Brees, Brady, Manning and Favre? Not yet.

Will you take Romo over Philip Rivers? I would.

Romo over Donovan McNabb? Yeah, I would now. Last year, I wouldn't.

Romo over Ben Roethlisberger? That's a tough one seeing how Roethlisberger has won two Super Bowl titles.

Romo over Eli Manning? Another tough one with Manning having won a Super Bowl.

Romo is a good quarterback, and throwing for 4,000 or more yards might become a regular thing.

j

Byron Nelson Worship

Reviewing the info on the previous post made me look at Mr Nelson again.

Greatness with top competition.

Snead and Hogan were great. All born within 6 months of each other.

Pro Career- Nelson 1932-46 Snead 1934-1979 = Hogan 1930-1971

Wins while they all played. PGA only numbers.

Nelson -52

Snead - 42

Hogan 34- Hogan won 18 of these the last two years of Nelson's career.

Nelson won 24 during those last two years.

To kill a myth about Nelson winning because the big boys were gone.

The military was actually letting most players play a full schedule.

1945- Wins by player on Tour.

Nelson 18, Snead 5, Hogan 5

Nelson finished 2nd 7 more times that year.

Nelson's last year on tour.

This was Hogans best year.

1946-Nelson 6, Hogan 13, Snead 6.

I just cannot believe that ,Nelson, the best of the 3, is overlooked.

I understand that Hogan was great and gets the sympathy for what he did following the war, his popularity exploded at the same time as the American Pride that was everywhere following the war. Hogan also was the only one of the 3 that bragged about his greatness to the media and demeaned others publicly.

Snead actually spent more time in the military that Hogan and won more tournament. It is ashame that Hogan is consider greater just because he was better as an old man.

You want a comparison, Woods started playing pro tournaments in 1992 and had 54 to 52 wins in the same time span. We acknowledge this despicable human as possibly the greatest, but he did not have two true greats like Hogan and Snead competing against him during his years.

Of course Woods had played more golf at the time and was still a teenager.

Praise, Mr Nelson as possibly the greatest ever.

j

Sam Snead- Great Feuds in Golf

I found a great thought series on Golf Feuds.

Some good, Some Bad.

Jack- Arnie: Part of the time only, They went from best friends to logo enemies to friends again.

Tiger-Phil: Never understood why the best player in the world cared, Phil never seemed to care as much as the Woods and his Den of Demons. Even Butch Harmon has commented on the differences.

Snead- Hogan: S, you know very well that I think Hogan was an Ass and not as talented as Snead nor Nelson. I will not waste time going over the wins of each and time spans that allowed Hogan to win with the increased media coverage.

How about this for a media darling: Hogan was the best player in 1948-10 wins.

In 1950, Hogan was named player of the year.

That year, Snead won 11 times, Hogan won only the US OPEN, but was coming back from the wreck in 49.

j

ATT Tournament

Karma Event of the Week.

Tigger Woods will have to host and play nice at a tourney sponsored by ATT.

ATT did a good job dumping him publicly earlier.

j

Mike Modano

I see that the Stars have decide not to offer another year to the greatest player they have ever had.

It is ashamed that he went out this way, but if any athletes were overpaid, it is in the NHL.

They make tons of money with no TV rating or popularity.

Modano was just different, ruggedly handsome with with a sheepish grin that never embarrassed or caused problems in Dallas, while producing a Stanley Cup. I remember Dale Hansen once calling Modano the coolest guy he was every around, (and he has been around a lot.)

I have never been a Hockey fan, but Modano was worth listening to in an interview.

j

Armstrong.

Since I went ahead and bashed Tiger, I might as well hit the other fraud.

Lance "the injection cushion" is claiming this is his last tour.

Thank Goodness.

j

Woods

I see your golf hero, Woods is lying on TV again.

He is claiming that he there is no tension between himself and his jerk of a caddie, Williams.

Please, anyone with an eye for detail can see the change in body language between the two of them.

I wonder what Williams thought when the fraud Woods withdrew with a sore neck.

Yes, Woods is a talent.

But he is also the biggest personality fraud I have ever seen in sports.

j

Dirk Opts Out.

The way I understand the contract and CBA for next year.

Dirk needed to do this to get more money, even if he is going to stay in Dallas.

I cannot imagine someone other than th Knicks offering him big money.

He would be unstoppable in that Knick offense.

j

Cedric Benson

I see Ced is having problems with the law again.

Can a guy with that many yards in college be considered one of the most overrated players ever?

I remember how disappointed I was the first time I saw him play.

Coming out of his High School career, I thought he was going to be a special back.

He just never had the elusiveness to be special.

J

Tuberville on Rivals

Interesting interview on Mr. King's show today.

Tommy Boy went on national radio and said he did not expect the Big 12 to last much longer.

He is upset that TX and OK get more money than the other schools and have more impact in conference meetings.

--

Welcome to the dance, Tommy Boy.

Maybe the rest of the BIG 12 will now understand why the SEC manhandles them.

j

World Cup

I tried to watch some more of the teams, I enjoyed Brazil, Germany, and Argentina.

The game itself is just a bit boring. The idea that strategy is advanced in soccer is driven by arrogance of those who did not play the other sports or have someone they like that plays it.

Brazil proves the inadequacy of the theory of advanced strategy.

Brazil has been in 3 of the last 4 finals and they are the favorite again.

What sets Brazil apart from the others is obvious, it is speed and quickness.

Thank goodness the great athletes in the good ole US of A get push toward more explosive sports.

j

Fat Albert

This is for Jonathan, he was talking about the mess in Washington.


Any sympathy or understanding for Albert Haynesworth and his situation?

Muhsin Muhammad, retired wide receiver: "Absolutely not. I've always been a player that got thrown into different situations with coaching and scheme changes and had to figure out how to deal with it. Plus, he could increase his value long-term if he shows he can play both the 3-4 and 4-3 effectively."

Hollis Thomas, free agent defensive tackle: "There are two sides to every story. He was promised that he was going to play in the 4-3. Nose tackle in the 3-4 is not fun."

Orlando Pace, free agent offensive tackle: "No way. They could ask me to wash dishes for that kind of money and I wouldn't complain. I can't support what he is doing."

Leber: " No, not at all. We all sign a contracts in this league knowing that things change whether it is head coaches, coordinators, schemes, teammates, etc. When you sign a contract with a franchise, you have an obligation to perform for them."

Ward: "No sympathy whatsoever. You play the game to win a title and get a huge payday. He got his huge payday and now he is worried about how the scheme will affect his production?"

Brooks: "I know if I was his teammate, I would reach out to him privately and tell him how I feel. I would tell him that when you sign a contract in the NFL, you are signing up for changes. That is the one thing you know for sure that is going to happen in the NFL."



Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/ross_tucker/06/23/roundtable/index.html#ixzz0rvfjmd00

Story on Baylor and the QB

CNNSI.com has an article on Baylor.
What are the odds that the 15year bowl absence ends with Griffin coming back healthy.

They are 4-66 against the Big 12 South in the last 14 years.

J

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/cory_mccartney/06/24/griffin-baylor/index.html

Draft Review

Things I like outside of the obvious:

Grizzly- X Henry is a talent and can play D.

Rockets- Patterson- He has the body and the shot. Patterson really adjusted with sharing the ball this year.

Hornets to Thunder again.- Aldrich- His defense and ball skills are based on quickness and good timing. He is tough and that will fit well.

Things that I don't like.

Wolves - Wesley Johnson- Older player that seems to have peaked against college kids.
Warriors- Udoh- Freak athlete, but seems a bit raw to me. Maybe the dribble drive created a lot of openings for him to cheat on defense.


I do not disagree with what the Mavericks did, they need scoring. But Geez, how about some athletes so they can challenge some shots.

j

NBA Draft- I would take Wall

John Wall would be my top pick. I guess this is no surprise since I wrote it the first month of last season. Cousins 2nd.

I may pick X Henry 2nd over Turner.

Wall is just too quick and unselfish to pass up.

I like Favor's but he is small for 4 (young though)nand not quick enough for 3.

Cousin's could be the steal if he is mature enough.

But when do you go wrong picking a Louisiana guy, Monroe.

My hope for the Mav's is a move up for Aldredge.

j

1978 USC Team

37 Players went to the NFL.

19 were Freshmen or Sophmores.

World Cup

With my recent travels, I have watched some world cup and heard people discussing the games.

People seem excited, but no more than they were for the USA hockey team.

I still, do not feel anything more than USA pride.

Watching the games is just, well, not that impressive. I just do not feel good about the talent level of our athletes is up to the skill level of some other countries. It is like watching a marathon race with the Kenyan's, I expect the Americans to lose.

J

Josh Hamilton MVP at midway?

Considering the change in the Rangers record and Hamilton's hot streak falling at the time of the rise, it is hard for me to give it anyone else in the AL.

Cano is having a great half, but that team is loaded.

j

Hamilton

I remember the comments on Josh Slamilton.

Today he goes 5 of 6 and his last is the game winner in the 10th.

He is batting 337 with 16hrs and 52 RBI's. Not a bad start since, I questioned the hole in his swing.

Can Roy Hobb's do this all year?

Texas is 13 games over 500 and getting Cruz back.

I hope they get this sale completed so that Nolan can go after Oswalt.

j

US Open

S,

I have been a bit busy and was unable to comment on USC.

First, I want to start with the US Open.

I do not like being right, but Woods will still dominate when his putting is on.

The driver will come, but the dominance will be with the flat stick.

Phil, is just off, his alignment is off.

Dustin Johnson is the beginning of the freak athletes that will show up.

He is long, but the experience, or lack there of, will hurt him.

J

USC Debacle

I can't believe you haven't posted about USC going down hard. Total and complete arrogance. Did you see Mike Garrett's quote to the boosters the day after? "Reading through this document, all I see is jealousy; they all just want to be Trojans." That's what the athletic director of the school says 1 day after being punched in the mouth by the NCAA? That man has got to go.

I think most of these schools cheat, and the coaches as well. I just think Meyer and Saban are smarter than Carroll. He just didn't care, and knew he could bail to the NFL when needed.

Of course I have a soft spot for USC and don't like the thought of them out of the mix. But, you've got to be smarter than Garrett. What a boob.

S

Hamilton Again

Well, here is Hamilton on a tear maybe better than 2008. I posted a while back when he was hitting .204 with no homers. Now hitting .320 with 16 dingers & 48 rbi's. I still just don't know what I should expect. Is he going to be a HOF performer and live up to the draft hype, like Griffey, A-Rod, Jones, etc.? Is he a .300 hitter? Sometimes seems yes, sometimes no way. He has that prodigous power, but sometimes goes weeks without a homer. When he connects, it reminds me why I love sports. I was watching a couple of nights ago when he connected and just the sound of the connection made me gasp out loud. I think I'm nuts when I start thinking about how good I think he might be, but I don't want to get my hopes up. He truly has HOF talent, but can he stay healthy, can he find his swing and stay comfortable with it? Can he stay clean? I find myself pulling so hard for him I think I'm going to jinx it. The scouts said he was Mickey Mantle. Why couldn't he be? It's still possible.

S

All-Time NBA Players

With all this talk about where Kobe ranks now as an all-timer, I perused the records during the week to do some comparisons. Here are some random thoughts:

Bryant, while an all-time great at this point, can't match West or Baylor, either as a scorer or all-around player. West has him on career point average by 2, has him by FG% 47 to 45, and was a much better playmaker, averaging 6.7 asst career. Baylor outscored Bryant and was a monster rebounder at 6-5, averaging over 13 for his career. Right now I would rate Bryant behind those 2, also Jabbar, Magic, & Shaq.

West was an amazing player and I'm glad I reminded myself. He was a monster in those series against the Celtics in the 60's. His numbers were incredible, and he avg'd 29 in his playoff career.

Two under-appreciated stars: George Gervin and Bob Pettit. Why is Gervin dismissed? He avg'd 25.1 career and wasn't a reckless gunner at all, shooting 50.4% for his career. Meanwhile, Pettit avg'd 26 points & 16 rebounds over a consistently great 12-year career, yet you never hear his name.

Dr. J, despite that ugly jumpshot. was very effective and surprised me with his career 50.6 FG% and 78% FT% to go along with 24 pts & 8 boards lifetime.

The more I look the more I'm convinced Jordan was the greatest non-center of all time. His numbers, consistency, and diversity just cannot be topped. He finished with a career avg of 30.1, shooting 49.7% (compare Kobe at 45.5, West 47.4). In the prime of his career, the 7 years leading up to his first retirement, he avg'd an amazing 33 pts and shot 53%, as a guard.

The best player in history was either Jordan or Chamberlain. Put them on the floor in their prime, one on one, and Chamberlain wins. He was athletic enough to smother Jordan and never let him get up a good shot. He dominated more than anyone, even though he won only twice. He avg'd 28 & 28 in an incredible 142 games against Russell, while Russell avg'd 14 and 23 in those games. He shot only 51% from the line and his teams just couldn't stand up to the Celts. Tough call, but I still go with Wilt.

S

Sports Franchises - All Time

I was curious to compare the Lakers & Celtics during these finals, in terms of history. While the Celts have dominated the Lakers head to head, I would argue that the Lakers are actually the most successful sports franchise in the 3 major sports. Laughing are you?

During the 62 championship seasons contested by the NBA, the Lakers have appeared in an incredible 31 of them, a dead 50%. They have won 16 of their 31 appearances, meaning they have won 26% of the championships awarded. Only 5 times in 62 years have they failed to make the playoffs!

Also, I would rate their all-time team slightly better. If the Laker 8-man rotation was Jabbar, Baylor, West, Magic, Bryant, Shaq, Worthy, & Goodrich, I think they would take the Celts team of Russell, Bird, Cousy, McHale, Havlicek, Heinsohn, Jones, & Pierce. On a side note I also wouldn't want to tangle with the 76'ers all-timers: Chamberlain, Erving, Cunningham, Hal Greer, Iverson, Chet Walker, Cheeks, & Malone.

In baseball, the Yankees have appeared in 40 of the 105 World Series, 38%. They have won 27 of those 40, or 26% of all World Series, the same as the Lakers.

In football, the Cowboys have appeared in 10 NFL champ games/Super Bowls since 1960, or 20% of the 50 contested during that time. Their 5 wins equal 10%.

S

NBA Finals

Well, it was one of the ugliest games in memory, but the NBA did provide a marquee matchup between their 2 top franchises, tied with 6 minutes to go. I heard the overnight rating was a whopping 25.

As I feared, the Celts looked old at the end, and I think the last 2 years have pushed Gasol into possibly the top spot in the league in terms of true big men who play in the paint.

There is no doubt you're right about the nature of play. Riley and Daly, along with league compliance, ruined skilled basketball. I think it's also a reflection of American values. In America, like Canada, the public values toughness over skill when it comes to winning championships. Instead of appreciating skill, the public seems to want to see toughness rule, and we celebrate being able to "gut out" these scrums we call basketball now. It's a shame.

S

Conference TV deals

I am glad this super conference fiasco is over, it will kill much of our history.

Now we can discuss, the true point of power. National Television.

4 big channels- CBS, ABC, NBC and ESPN.

ESPN- Entrenched as the dominant College Football Sports Station.

They have a 15 year contract with the SEC for 2.25 Billion Dollars for the next 14 years.

These individual conference contracts (Big 10 network) are not relevant if they cannot get on the big channels and let the superstars from the south see them.

Only die hards will pay extra to watch these teams.

The SEC also has CBS locked up for 14 years 825 million.

Espn will be broadcasting the SEC into 58% of the country on just the regional games and killing the other conference time slots.

Notre Dame has NBC.

That leaves only ABC, which already shows the Pac 10, Big 10 and Big 12.

Slim choices when you consider the West Coast still does not clamour watch football games on TV.

The whole thing was a effort to take back the media from the SEC, but only winning titles will do that.

j

Big 12- SEC comments.

The SEC leaders were not keen on adding Texas and the 1000lb ego.

Texas was also told "no" on receiving increased revenue from the Pac 10 last week.

The SEC told them only "equal revenue sharing" was acceptable. Florida, like it or note, is on equal or ahead of Texas in Revenue, Academics, population is close with Texas at 24 million, Fla at 18mil.

Of course, Texas shot back at the SEC that the Academics in the SEC were not up to the standard they were looking for. B.S. Feeble shot at redemption, Texas recruits the same athletes that the SEC does. If you check college rankings it is a minuscule difference in the conferences.

Rank

SEC Vandy17, Fla 47,GA 58, Aub 88, Ala 96,TEN 107, SC, 110,LSU 128,ARK128,KY 128

SWC TX 47, TX AM 61, Baylor 80,Iowa st 88,Kan 96,OK 102, Mo 102.

Tier 3 Schools (La Tech)

SEC Miss State, Ole Miss

SWC Kansas ST, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State.

Side note: Tier 4- ULaLa, North Texas, Southern Miss

ULM is not ranked.

The ridiculous part is that this is primarily based off of research spending.

Not test scores.

j

MLB Pitchers

People are talking about the pitchers catching up with the hitters on sports talk shows and many have been talking about the drug testing.

I have another thought and I back it with the modern TV electronics.

It is obvious to me that MLB has increased the upper portion of the strike zone.

The boxes to show the zone is showing many less pitches inside the box that are being called balls.

Good for them.

j

World Cup

S,

I know you say you plan on watching the games.

Well, God Bless You.

I watched the 2nd half of the US/England - Draw.

It is strange to watch a US national team (in any sport), where our American team is smaller and not quicker than the other country. Soccer seems to be a country club sport in America, where the good athletes dominate，while the great athletes are playing the other sports.

Not that my 4 years of coaching helps with the machinations of the game, but I do know athletic talent when I see it. That US team maybe the best soccer players in the US, but they are not close to the best athletes.

I wish a 不illionaire would open up a tryout to the fastest and quickest athletes in America for people 21 and Under.They can train for 3 years at Soccer at 200k -300k a year.

Focus on getting the freak athletes that were good enough to play professional sports in the US.

I think they would beat the US team or at least shut them out.

Can you imagine the 6foot to 6 foot 8 quick ex-college basketball/Football players that are under under a 4.6 40, working on defense against these methodical offenses.

Or a 6-8 Goalie with a 6-11 wingspan and quickness.

How about a Diego Clone but at 6 foot instead of 5 foot 4.

How many football tailbacks have you watched in college, they can't play in the NFL, but they would be the best athlete on the soccer field， every game anywhere in the world.

j

Nebraska's real reason.

I found some quotes from the Nebraska leaders and was a bit shock.

Osbourne Quote:

"We're obviously not [located] in the Sun Belt," Osborne said. "And we find some of our sports at a disadvantage because of that. Most young people who are golfers or play tennis or play baseball or play softball, sometimes even soccer, would prefer to go someplace where they can practice outside year-round. ... So we would probably be having, in comparison, more of apples to apples [with Big Ten teams]. It doesn't mean that we can't compete.

"We can compete, but it's just more difficult."

Can you believe that Tom Osborne said that? He actually admitted that the Southern and California kids are better that his.

Some of the leaders are also trying to spread the manure about scholastic reasoning.

This is a school that is still pouting because the Big 12 would not allow partial qualifiers that the teams used in the past.

A major complaint that has come from Nebraska was on two specific votes in which the Big 12 voted 11-1 against what Nebraska wanted.

1. Partial Qualifiers- Nebraska wanted the thugs they had in the past to win. The Big 12 said, no and then the NCAA past the same law.

2. Nebraska voted against the Championship Game in the Big 12.

I find nothing about Osborne tenure nor coaching past to be anything but checkered.

Yes, I am saying he allowed players to cheat to win. He knew he couldn't beat Switzer, then the Canes and Noles. Switzer was 12-5 against this prima dona.

j

Lets Discuss College Football Re-Alignment

Unlike most of our post, I will post this chronologically.

Start to finish. 8 post.

I was asked by more than a few people why we had not responded to the issues.

So, Here we go:

First, Everything I see about the reason the Big 12 failed goes back to Texas administration.

1. Their sweetheart deal to get more money than the other schools in the Conference created huge problems.

2. Texas evidently strong armed and dismissed the other schools that they deemed less important.

The whole ordeal is sad for the SWC/Big 8 teams.

Why they would not be able to get along and see that unity is more important than a secular view is confusing.

j

Big 10

Since this mess started in the Midwest with the Big 10, I will start there.

Big 10 expansion seems to me as an almost a knee-jerk response to the
recent SEC dominance.

The exception is Notre Dame, this addition would be an obvious coup.
Otherwise adding anything but the New York-Philly-Boston Areas is a waste
of time for TV markets. Only 3 southern cities outside of Texas are in the
top 25 population regions.

They Big 10 coaches have gone so long being covered by a huge media market
that has worshiped the history and toughness of the league that they are
gasping at the SEC love fest from the national media. We have heard
excuses ranging from the hot weather in bowl games to the most recent
excuse of a population shift to the south.

The BCS has been the downfall of the Big 10. All of the rhetoric created
by only having to play the PAC 10 in the Rose Bowl has been dismissed when
the door opened to play teams outside of their region. The impact is
sending the history of college football into a tailspin.

Nebraska, Missouri add nothing except a Cornhusker history. Syracuse and
Boston College, Pittsburgh all add bigger markets.

A conference dynamo for TV markets is still available to the Big 10 with
these teams in the NE.
They would have 12 of the top 24 markets.
They just need to recruit the athletes that the other schools are keeping
home.

j

ACC

This conference has a problem because of the strength of the basketball
programs.

Florida State and Miami have been on a down hill slide since they joined
this league. The administrator did not take advantage of the TV
possibilities with Clemson, Va Tech, Boston College and Ga Tech playing
these schools.

When they split the conference they missed the chance to build a big fan
base.

They seem more interesting in selling tickets to 20,000 people at
Basketball games than the big TV income of College Football.

The ACC prize teams for TV sets are Miami, G Tech, Boston College and Va
Tech have possibilities. The talent in the ACC is behind only the SEC in
producing NFL players during the last 15 years.

They will fall apart because of a lack of insight and treating football as
an equal to basketball.

To me, North Carolina and Virginia are sleeping giants. They have to
willing to dump schools like Duke and jump to the SEC to reach their full
potential in football. They need the stadiums and big name teams to get
the football recruits.

j

Pacifist 10

I understand why they want to expand in the Pac 10. They lack national
coverage and have only 1 marketable team.

They games are played too late in the day, but the bigger problem is that
conference plays in an area that is not a football fanatical area.

USC has been lucky like Ohio St, and Michigan in that they have played in
a conference that teams don’t have the depth of tradition to push the
athletes to the other conference schools. Basically, USC gets all of the
players they want because the other schools can only promise a Holiday Bowl
and weekly games with sub par stadiums and crowds.

Texas will push the TV numbers up at first with the unknown, but eventually
if will return to the fact the nation doesn’t care about watching anyone at
10p and only USC, Oklahoma and Texas otherwise.

j

If the SEC gets into the Texas market, this will be a move that Texas
regrets much more that people realize.

ACC

This conference has a problem because of the strength of the basketball
programs.

Florida State and Miami have been on a down hill slide since they joined
this league. The administrator did not take advantage of the TV
possibilities with Clemson, Va Tech, Boston College and Ga Tech playing
these schools.

When they split the conference they missed the chance to build a big fan
base.

They seem more interesting in selling tickets to 20,000 people at
Basketball games than the big TV income of College Football.

The ACC prize teams for TV sets are Miami, G Tech, Boston College and Va
Tech have possibilities. The talent in the ACC is behind only the SEC in
producing NFL players during the last 15 years.

They will fall apart because of a lack of insight and treating football as
an equal to basketball.

To me, North Carolina and Virginia are sleeping giants. They have to
willing to dump schools like Duke and jump to the SEC to reach their full
potential in football. They need the stadiums and big name teams to get
the football recruits.

Big 12 Debacle

This conference had the resources, history and the talent to be better than
they are.

The lack of cohesion is unbelievable to me.

How can this happen, again?
The SWC and Big 8 were year in and year out an equal to the SEC and Big 10.

What happened? Texas seems to be the only constant in the bickering and
under achieving. People blame the isolation of a small market area, but the Big 12 had a bigger population base than the SEC. Excuses...Excuses..

Let’s assume that these teams leave:
Texas, A&M, TTech, Okla, Okie St, Neb. Colorado and Missou (only because the
Big can solidify the St Louis Market with both Illinois and Missouri.

That leaves- Baylor, Kansas, K State, Iowa St to suffer in exile.

Add Houston, with , Baylor, Kansas, K State, Iowa St to the Mountain West,
change the name and you could have some fun football.

I would expect the Pac 10 to fight for A&M when it recognizes the chance
to join the SEC and grow to be an equal to Texas and out of UT's shadow.

They will remain an also ran in Texas like Okie St in Oklahoma as long as they just follow people into a no win situation.

j

Big East

This conference is another basketball league that needs to disappear.
West Va and Pitt deserve better than this conference.

This entire conference re-organization may be good for these teams.

Pittsburgh, W Va, V Tech, Virginia, Boston College, Maryland, Clemson and a
couple of New York area teams would make for a much better scenario for all
of them.

Maybe Cincy and UConn would help a little also.

j

SEC Discussion.

I guess the SEC and Kramer are responsible for this mess.

In 1992, the SEC went to 12 teams and a championship game and getting the additional national TV. It helped recruiting, added money and helped make them the SEC deepest and most dominant conference in history. 6 years later the BCS allowed the SEC to play in bowl games against the overrate MIdwest teams. History:
4 teams with NC titles since the BSC started in 1998. (6 titles in 12 years. Maybe 7 if Auburn gets the one USC and the media Stole them the opportunity to win.)

What I would consider for SEC Changes:

1st.) Get Texas A&M and consider TCU. At all Cost. Take Baylor is
necessary.
You get a huge penetration in the Texas Markets with these teams.
DFW is the 5th biggest TV market and Houston is 10th. A&M also gets big

hits in San Antonio which would be the 3rd biggest market in the SEC.

Only FL, GA and Nashville have as many TV market numbers.

People will forget about Texas playing anyone out west, except maybe USC if
some of these teams show up for a Saturday game with A&M and TCU being
respectable.
(Example - Fla, LSU, ALA, Ga, Tenn, Auburn and yes, Arkansas, they have a
huge fan base in DFW )

The biggest impact will be on Texas and Oklahoma.
The SEC contract with CBS and ESPN for 3 billion dollars is about to start.
If the SEC gets into Texas, the recruiting wars will get horrifying for the
Horn and Sooners.
If a players want national exposure in a normal time zone, they will sign
with an SEC Team.

2nd ) The Biggest southern market untouched is north of Atlanta.
Va Tech gets the SEC into the DC. They fit on stadium and style of play.

3rd) The SEC already owns Florida, but adding Fla State and Miami keeps
everyone else out of the markets. I would prefer a North Carolina and
Virginia addition. Miami TV market is small for it population base but still top 20.
I do not want Miami in the SEC, but it is a top 20 market.

Florida State just fits as a fanatic fan base and stadium. Too Bad Bowden is gone.
Clemson falls into this category also, but offers nothing but quality sports.

I will miss the traditional games.

j

My Summary.

This entire diatribe may have some typo's because of the lack of time I spent completing it, so please forgive me.

I really do not want these conference changes to happen, but I might as well enjoy it.

Sports are cyclical if everyone has the same resources, so maybe this is not such a bad thing.

Because of my up bringing watching the SWC and SEC equally, I really hope that the SEC gets Texas A&M and one other Texas team to join.

The Big 10 will once again rise up to rival and sometimes pass the SEC at the top of the polls, but these changes and teams will not allow either conference to truly rival the SEC in overall talent and competition.

I really do not understand why Texas and the Oklahoma schools would join the Pac 10.

They would have been off going north to the Big 10 and staying in the Central time zone.

A couple of other opinions:

16 league Team Breakdowns is a problem with schedules and rivalries.

The Problem:
8 league teams’ means that either a team like Texas or Oklahoma may not see
USC
for a decade. Not exactly a dream for TV producers.
If you play a two year home and home if will take years to get all the way
thru the league.

Options:
4 Divisions-4 teams rotational every 8 years with a round table to maintain
some of the traditional games.

Example from SEC

Florida
Florida State
GA
S Car

Tenn
KY
Vandy
V Tech

LSU
Tex AM
ARK
TCU

ALA
AUB
MISS
MS ST

J

3 Hours of Paul Finebaum

It was a day of super conference talk.

His contention is that Texas is the only team other than ND that can make an impact anywhere.

Chip Brown was alson on the show and he says that the driver of everything is ND.
They allegedly have been put on a time-line like Nebraska for making a decision before June 15.

Finebaum a bama homer and vol grad, spent a large portion of the time trashing Arkansas and S Carolina since they joined the SEC. It is really funny considering that only a handful of teams have done anything in the last 20 years, if you judge it by NC games.

I wonder if he considers anyone in the Big 10 or Pac 10 other than USC, Mich, OhioSt, Penn St better than Arkansas in football tradition?

I do not. Who Illni, they can't beat Missou half the time.
Basically it is just a crazy time.

J

Gerode on the debacle in Minn 6 months later.

Red Jesus is not gonna like this.

He is quoted as saying that the O line did what they were suppose to and the Vikings were bringing people from places where they had no one to pick up the blocks.


We are getting back to the lack of adjustments made during the games.

j

NBA Finals

I am hearing the radio people blast the officiating because they are calling the fouls.

Big surprise, you have two teams that depend on "off the ball holding" to stop the other teams.
The league has turned into a experience in techniques of cheating to win, instead of the talent of passing and quick feet being the most important aspect.

j

Nadal

He has tied Johnny Mc in Grand Slam titles.

Kind of crazy that Tennis is so top heavy or lacking depth, whichever you prefer.

J

Wooden's Pyramid

The numbers speak for themselves. Espn Classic is showing some of his teams today.

He ran fastbreaks and presses before it was normal.

He truly had a different type of mind.

j

Woods

Here is my breakdown of Tiger.

He is still the best player hands down. I see his body shape coming back. (Ya'll can think about that. ) If he is teaching himself, I expect his swing to be fixed in a days.

The Driver is all that matters with him. He and Phil are in a different category when it inside 40 yards.

Without having to consider everyone else, he should be able to fix his driver swing quickly and pick up the 20 yards he lost. If he hits the driver straight, his confidence and arrogance will come back.

j

John Wooden

They are reporting that the 99 year old is gravely ill.

Of all the coaches I have ever watched and studied, Wooden is by far the most eloquent and the only coach that I never saw make an obvious mistake.

Is he the best coach ever, in my opinion, Yes

If he dies, I will post his pyramid.

j

Big 12 and Pac 10 make 16 team mistake

Rumor Mill:

Texas, Texas AM, Texas Tech, OKLA, OKIE ST, and Colorado are to join Pac 10.

I do not understand why the Big 12 would join a conference with a minor fan following.

(Force feeding the big TV markets is not relevant if the people do not watch football or basketball. ) The NFL finally realized this, now no team in Los Angeles.

Not to mention the late night home games when the PAC 10 teams think they need a win in Football and every basketball game. Texas football/basketball teams will be starting games at 920PM Austin time when they were getting up at 5 and 6 am two days before.

Why is the Big 12 reaching? Money?

What really makes me sick. There is "No" Tradition out west in the PAC 10.

Texas and Oklahoma should remain close to their southern roots and fan base.

They should either just recreate the SWC teams with the remaining Big 12 teams or do nothing.

Add - Houston, TCU, SMU and try for Arkansas. Maybe go after Arizona and/or Arizona State.

Then, when they win, (SWC and Big 8 were better than Big 12 combined) they will get the big contracts.

If not: Some teams should join forces with he SEC.

Tx, AM, Tech, Ok, Ok St, Fla St would create a 18 team mega force.

All with loyal fans, and the politicians in TX and OK are happy.

SEC

SE Div SW Div

Fla LSU

Fla St Tx

Aub TX AM

Ala TX TECH

Tenn OK

Ga OK ST

KY ARK

USC OLE MISS

VANDY MISS ST

3 NON-LEAGUE FOOTALL GAMES A YEAR.

Let the Pac 10 and Big 10 have anyone they want and it would not be relevant most years in football. The ACC would get almost as many Championship game appearances as the other two.

Texas is the only thing I see stopping this kind of a mega deal, they reportedly stopped TX AM and Texas of joining also during the addition of Arkansas to the SEC. The addition of adding Tech may force the to join.

Texas may have trouble playing with other AD's with the same political clout and money that they will see in the SEC. Ego Slap at Texas, Suddenly their stadium would be considered average at best and probably bottom third of SEC with Tech, Vandy, KY, MS State, Ole Miss.

j

HBO - Golf

If you get a chance, watch "Back Nine at Cherry Hills: The Legends of the 1960 U.S. Open."

A documentary about Hogan, Arnie and Jack playing in his first open as an amateur.

The reports show that Woods did not increase the number of people playing golf or buying golf equipment. His impact has been on the television side. Participation dropped 1% since 1997.

I was curious to see what the impact of Palmer and Jack on golf.

Here it is, forget the media love fest on Woods regarding his impact. It appears to be only a blip when creating true interest.

j

Finals

I am so looking forward to this series. This is the best sports has to offer; the 2 marquee franchises in a sport facing off, both loaded with talent. As much as I hate to pick against the team I think is tougher, I'm going to pick the Lakers in 7, due to home court, and Kobe. This is what it's all about.

S

Jimenez

Ubaldo Jimenez has now produced the best 11-game start to a season in major league history. So much for the 2-horse race for NL Cy Young. He has allowed runs in 6 innings in 11 starts! Where did this come from? He was building a career, but wow. And, I still haven't seen one single clip of him on TV. I wouldn't know him if he walked into my living room. I guess he's someone we better get to know since he's one third of the way to outpitching Bob Gibson's record ERA in '68.

S

World Cup

I'm going to try to watch. I've been reading up on some of these previews. It bothers me that I can't appreciate it because the writers who cover it talk about these great players like we talk about Pujols or Lincecum. It bothers me that I can't get into it because the idea of this world-wide competition every 4 years where national pride is on the line, and entire countries shut down to watch is just so cool. It's so odd that it is so huge, so massively important to so many people in the world, and America doesn't care. I drive around this town and see all the fields full of soccer players, but we can't produce any world class players? It's all strange to me, but I am going to try to get into it some this month. It's just too big to ignore.

S

Griffey

Griffey hangs it up after 22 seasons. Rookie of the year, MVP, 5th all-time in homers, a truck load of gold gloves. How refreshing it is to see a traditional hall of fame career arc without the assistance of, certain 'substances'. He burst on the scene, grew into greatness, started to decline, became injury prone, then fell off the cliff. Exactly the way it's supposed to happen. It will be cool that his standing will be enhanced as he stands out against all the cheaters. I'll remember that gorgeous long lefty swing, and the amazing plays in center field, and of course the smile.

S

Reds

Sitting here watching Cincy/St Louis. These are probably 2 of my 3 favorite teams outside of Texas (along with ATL). I miss the Reds being relevant so much. They are the cornerstone of major league baseball going back into the 1800's. There are signs they are starting to wake up as a franchise, and they still have Chapman on the way. Several good young players. I so hope they get back in the game. Still love those uniforms!

S

Colonial

The fact that Phil missed the cut in Fort Worth, with little fanfare, made me appreciate the mind-numbing consistent greatness that Tiger demonstrated during the last decade. A bad week for Phil is expected here and there, but if Tiger plays bad, it's front page news all over the world.

It's also great to see the top ranked players continue to support the Colonial. Tradition still has it's place in golf which is nice to see.

S

Roger Federer - Greatness

Six years since a Grand Slam final without Federer.
23 straight majors.

j