Terrapin Nation

Enjoying this Magical, Memorable Orioles Ride of 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:44:00 +0000

What a story the 2012 Orioles have been.

All the elements are there:

Surprise - really? we’re good this year?

Excitement - Best winning percentage in one-run games in the history of Major League Baseball.

Suspense - is this really happening? Can it continue?

Hope - This feels good!; and, hopefully

Joyous Resolution - no comment

Those who have followed the team at any level know the major plot points: Storied franchise known for winning and doing things the right way - The Oriole Way - falls on hard times to the tune of 14 straight losing seasons. Not just losing seasons mind you, but dreadful, interminable and seemingly pointless exercises in futility.

A revolving door of managers and general managers attempt unsuccessfully to right the ship. A generation of fans loses interest. Caring about the Orioles becomes, for the most part, uncool. Baltimore becomes, fully, a football town, immersed unapologetically in its Ravens, whose swagger and comparative success are completely foreign to the new Oriole Way.

The 2012 Orioles season begins with modest expectations. Sure, the confident manager, Buck Showalter, has had success in the past - particularly in his second full year with a club. But no one is expecting much out of these Birds. Their leadoff hitter and arguably best player, Brian Roberts, remains out indefinitely with concussion symptoms. The starting rotation appears thrown together haphazardly – someone’s No. 3 guy here, an unknown Asian import there. And the team’s top position players - Wieters, Jones, Markakis, Hardy - all seem to be a click or two below elite.

Here we go again.

But slowly, methodically, the 2012 Orioles play respectable, winning baseball. Buoyed by a stingy bullpen of all things, they reach the All Star break five games over .500. But rather than feeling optimistic for the future, the fan base awaits inevitable collapse. We’ve seen this act before.

Undaunted by relatively sparse crowds, the team keeps on winning as the calendar flips to August. A rookie makes a spectacular debut and provides a spark. And now it’s September and the beat of a magical, memorable summer goes on. A team that has called upon not less than 12 different starting pitchers finds itself neck and neck with that most hate-able of enemies - the New York bleepin’ Yankees. And now, after all this time, there can be no question - the 2012 Baltimore Orioles are for real.

I don’t know that there is some larger lesson to be learned here. One could argue that perseverance pays off; or that a team that has lost for so long is bound to win at some point, etc., etc. Will we look back on this season as the one when the Baltimore Orioles turned the tide and returned to winning baseball for years to come? Or might it just be a blip; a statistical outlier in an otherwise orderly series of losing campaigns.

Who knows? Does it matter? More than anything what I am personally trying to do as a fan of this team is enjoy the moments, enjoy the ride.

There was that night back in July as I watched the game lying in bed with my son Ethan, who is 8, both our heads propped up on pillows. After putting on PJs and brushing teeth, our summer routine often included watching Orioles baseball for a few innings together. On this night, the Orioles were down three runs late in the game. J.J. Hardy was up at bat; and I said aloud to Ethan, “we need a 3-run homer right here.” And on the next pitch, damn if J.J. didn’t launch one of his signature line drives clear out of the park. My son stared at me for an instant, mouth agape and eyes wide - “you called it dad!” - and then we high fived and hugged and rolled around on the bed together, celebrating one of those magical surprises that can only be delivered by a clutch three-run homer on a warm summer night.

Those moments, these opportunities, are what’s kept me into it all these years. For reasons having to do with obligation or inevitability, I’ve passed on the love of the game to Ethan and his younger brother Alec, who is 5.

We talk standings and statistics. We look together at averages and discuss the difference between a major leaguer and minor leaguer. We go to the games as a family and scream “Charge!” and buy ice cream.

And who am I kidding? I’m not just happy for them. I’ve invested a lot of time following some seriously bad teams. I have a few friends with whom I text nearly every single game talking about the minutia not just of wins and losses, but of individual plays and at bats all season long. Here, right now, is the payoff for caring. Something Oriole fans thought might never happen again is happening right now. I think it’s worth caring about. I hope my kids can think back on this 2012 Orioles team like I think about the ’79 Os, who went all the way to the World Series when I was 9. I vividly remember that team, those games, and those feelings.

Baseball is a game of failure. Most of the time your favorite player doesn’t hit a home run, or even get on base. I won’t be the first to point out that life is a lot like baseball in that it’s often about suffering; but also striving and enduring, which makes moments of glory and success all that much sweeter. It’s why I can’t stand the entitled attitude of Yankees fans, who don’t seem to take pleasure in small victories – they seem to care only for the big ones.

But us Oriole fans? We have spent a decade and a half in the baseball wilderness, forced to celebrate only the small victories – like the occasional win against the Yanks or Red Sox when our stadium is filled with their fans. Even during one of those recent 69-93 seasons, there were moments of glory and success, but they were fleeting moments against a backdrop of hopelessness.

Here in 2012, however, we have an entirely new and hopeful script. Each game presents an opportunity for success of a type that has everyone who cares about baseball, never mind just the Orioles, paying attention.

“How about those Baltimore Orioles?” they say on ESPN and write in The New York Times. Can they keep it going?

We can only watch and hope.

Maryland at Duke, the (probably appropriate) End of a Tradition

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:43:00 +0000

Maryland will play at Duke this afternoon, and it will be the end of a long era, one in which the teams have faced each other, home and away, each season, since the formation of the ACC in 1953.

When Miami and Virginia Tech joined the ACC in 2004, followed by Boston College in 2005, the ACC did away with the round robin format to the basketball season and introduced an unbalanced schedule. Prior to the league's expansion, the ACC featured nine member schools, a number that now seems quaint in the era of the super conference, when every team played every other team, home and away, every season.

Then when the ACC became a 12-team league, the conference created a system whereby each team had two 'primary partners' that they'd play home and away every year, and then rotate playing once or twice per year against the other teams. I personally hated the change because it replaced what was a perfect system -- you got to play each team on your court and on their court. But that's ancient history and not worth discussing. With the mid 2000s expansion following shortly on the heels of the Terrapins rise to the national championship in 2002 - and, more importantly, some truly epic battles with Duke during the Juan Dixon era - the ACC made Maryland a primary partner to Duke and UVa.

Over the years, Maryland had some great games with Duke, but none arguably more memorable or important than the ones in the late 90s and early 2000s, with both teams in the top 10. While Duke has maintained its excellence among the nation's elite program since that time, Maryland has been much more up and down, with a few very solid seasons interspersed with some very average, forgettable ones (Travis Garrison anyone?)

There were, of course, the stinging chants of "not our rival" from the Dukies when Maryland would visit Cameron Indoor, a chant meant to indicate that Duke's one and only true rival is and was North Carolina, a program that Maryland replaced at the top of the ACC pecking order for a short time, but not anymore.

And, so, where are we now? With Gary Williams retiring last year and the hiring of Mark Turgeon, Maryland has entered an entirely new era. And, perhaps fittingly, so has the ACC. This is the last year - and today is the last game in the series - where Maryland will play Duke twice a year, every year. Starting next year, the Terps' new primary partner is not Duke or even UVa, but Pitt, a team Maryland has absolutely no history or tradition with - but a very good program that's been among the nation's elite for the past decade under coach Jamie Dixon. Pitt is slightly down this year (15-9, 4-7 in the Big East), but has been to the NCAA tournament the past 8 seasons and hasn't won less than 25 games since the '04-'05 season.

As a Maryland fan, there are two ways to look at this new primary partner. One is to feel slighted by the powers that be in the ACC. After all, the Terps have been a part of the conference since its formation, so why are we the partner to one of the newbies? Is there not one school that we've developed a rivalry with worth preserving? Sadly, or perhaps just interestingly, the answer is "not really." I don't think any Terp fan gets particularly fired up to watch Maryland play UVa (and UVa is a natural rival to Va Tech), and who else was it going to be? N.C. State? Wake Forest? Nah, better to give Maryland and its new coach a new rival, one altogether worthy of respect, and, hopefully over time, the source of a kind of hatred reserved only for teams that it feels so good to beat.

Today, of course, there is the matter of Maryland at Duke. A rebuilding Maryland program without its point guard has little chance to beat the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor, but one never knows. Perhaps Terrell Stoglin has a career-defining 40-point explosion of a performance in his system, it wouldn't shock me. So I'll be watching. And, while I initially felt that losing the home and home with Duke every year would hurt the Maryland program and its fans, I now feel like it's the right change at the right time.

It will be a good change for the program to stop thinking so much about the Duke games, and more on building the kind of team and program that goes to the tournament every year and competes for the league title. Kinda like Pitt. No use fighting it, bring on the Blue Devils today, and bring on the new era under our new coach next year. Go Terps.

The 17 Games In, 2012 Season Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:36:00 +0000

Hola my friends, it's been a while. I'll spare the excuses for not prolifically filing reports about the young and 'developing before our eyes' 2011-2012 edition of the Maryland men's basketball team. Heading into tonight's contest at Florida State (9 p.m. on ESPNU), Mark Turgeon's Terps are 12-4, 2-1 and a win could get people talking about Maryland as a possible bubble team. Right now they are on no one's list, largely because they haven't really beaten anyone good, got clobbered by, um, Iona, and pulled out a series of a single digit, nail-biting victories over the likes of Mount St. Mary's, Florida International, Radford, and Alabany. I am not even making up that list of schools in such a way that would indicate Maryland has played a bunch of softies, those are among the schools Maryland has played against, and they almost lost to all of them.

Ah, but before we get all hyper-critical like an angry Ravens fan calling a sports talk show to complain about Joe Flacco's completion percentage, let's give these Terps a break, huh? They lost their big man, Jordan Williams to the NBA's New Jersey Nets (where he's appeared in 6 games and scored 6 total points and appears to be the last man on the bench... ) their designated foreign 'fundamentally sound guy,' Haukur Palsson to professional ball in Europe, and several decent roster fillers to graduation or the end of their eligibility or whatever it is happens when a college basketball player completes 4 years in a row of competition at an institution of higher learning. (Hey - side note, did you know that former Terp Cliff Tucker, who made that one game-winner against Georgia Tech, walked on the football team at UTEP? It's true. I don't feel like surfing and linking to his bio, but I think he had 2 or 3 catches.)

Anyway, where were we? Full admission, I have watched about 2/3 of the Maryland games this year and don't feel quite as 'plugged in' as I did in the past when I actually covered the team and/or made Terps games appointment TV or attended most home games.

However, I do feel qualified to now provide a journalistically questionable analysis of the top 5 or 6 guys on this years Terps, plus the new coach:

Let's start at the top with that whirling dervish of a two guard, Terrell Stoglin - Put it this way, you WOULD NOT want to have to try to guard Terrell in a pick-up game. He would destroy you and 3 other guys and score basically, all the points. Only problem is that in this made-up game that will never happen, the other guys on Terrell's team might not have a ton of fun watching him do his thing while they, well, watch him do his thing. He's not exactly a big sharer of the basketball, but man can he score. Stoglin leads the ACC in scoring at 21 points per game and without him, Maryland probably loses to Cornell, Albany, Mt. St. Mary's and few others. He's Maryland's only truly legit player, who would likely start for any other team in the ACC.

OK, moving on then, we have Shawn Mosley, the 34-year-old senior small forward from Baltimore, who is the Terps' what? Glue guy? Team leader? Insert cliche about pretty good but not great senior forced to stay for four years here? Mosley works hard, seems to do everything well, nothing great. Players like Mosley are very nice to have on your team if you have 2-3 stars and he can be content to be in the background, but if he's your guy, well, you aren't that good.

James Padgett - power forward. High energy. Leads the ACC in offensive rebounding at over 4 per game, but only gets 2 on the defensive glass. I don't understand this statistic. Padgett sometimes looks like he can take over, sometimes disappears, not sure what else to say here.

Pe'Shon Howard - when he came back from a toe injury about 10 games in to the season, Maryland had a breath of fresh air - a pass first point guard. Like his name, Pe'Shon is flashy, loves the spectacular or difficult pass and can hit an open shot. He is very entertaining and I'm guessing the coaches would say he's playing his way into game shape and will only get better. I like Pe'Shon.

Alex Len - So when Pe'Shon came back from the toe injury, the Terps also gained the services of Alex Len, a 7-1 center from the Ukraine who had to sit out 10 games because, in the eyes of the NCAA, he did something he shouldn't have, like accepted a few bucks for playing basketball.

Len plays a lot like you'd hope a 7-1 center from the Ukraine would play. He's not just gigantically tall, he's athletic, blocks shots, has a good court sense, and seems to be really enjoying himself. On the down side, big Alex isn't exactly the second coming of Patrick Ewing, or even Uwe Blab for that matter. He's a bit thin and got lost in the recent Georgia Tech game, where he scored only 0 points, but got 9 rebounds. Let's hope there are lots of double-doubles in store for this guy - Terps really need him to play well to be a good team.

Off the bench, Maryland gets thin fast, with Ashton Pankey playing a serviceable power forward and another skinny tall foreign white guy, Berend Weijs at center. Also serviceable. Another role player who shows flashes of serious talent is Mychael Parker, but he also seems inconsistent.

Wait, I'm forgetting Nick Faust, the athletic 2 guard from Baltimore's City College high school who started the first 9 games before Howard came back from injury. I think Faust was a bit overwhelmed at first and was shooting like 25 percent through his first 10 games or so but is probably better suited for a role off the bench right now. From what I've seen, he moves gracefully around the court, can make the three, but forces shots and makes plenty of bad decisions. Faust has the potential to blossom into a very good player but he's not exactly an impact guy who can throw his team on his back. The only guy Maryland has in that category is Stoglin.

And last, let me just throw out a few words about the new leader of the Terps, Mark Turgeon. From what I can tell, Maryland basketball is in very good hands. Turgeon not only works hard, coaches hard, recruits hard, he is brutally honest in press conferences. He says things like, "we need to grow up as a basketball team" and has pushed Stoglin with some tough love, including sitting him out to start a couple of games and chiding him for not passing the ball more.

I'm sure it's not easy to coach a guy like Stoglin, a player who can score like few others, but might not exert maximum effort on D or share the ball as much as he should. So far, so good, for these young, improving Terps. A win tonight at Florida State would be a great stepping stone, and might just get Maryland moving toward something more than just a rebuilding season.

Go Terps.

My Other Stolen Car, Another Essay

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 22:38:00 +0000

On Thursday, May 19, 2011, I had to get up very early to go to a business event in downtown Baltimore - had to be there by about 6:45 to set up. I walked out of the house and to my car and upon getting in, noticed that the car had been rummaged through. Papers were scattered about from the glove box, loose change on the floor, compartment in the dash was opened and emptied of the broken watch and bluetooth headset that had been in there.

It's a petty crime and one that happens a little too frequently in our Mt. Washington neighborhood for my comfort level, but so it goes. I reacted as most people would in such a situation, by releasing a stream of under-my-breath expletives about as loud as I would permit myself while standing outside before 7 a.m. At the same time as I was stomping around, my very kind, neighborly neighbor Marianne was driving by on her way to work and slowed to ask what happened. At that particular moment, I thought I had just lost a few things in my car and I was trying to remember what was even in the car to be taken. I just grumbled to her about my car being broken into and losing a few things including, I thought at the time, a tripod that I needed for a video shoot that day.

But, alas, the tripod I soon found in the trunk, along with a few other items that I thought were worthy of stealing. I figured they didn't bother or couldn't figure out how to pop the trunk ... so I considered myself a bit lucky and just got into the car and drove off.

Fast forward to about 8 a.m. and my cell phone rings. I'm with the client and quickly turn it off without looking at the screen. A half hour later I check the message and it's from my wife Jennifer who says simply, "Hey, hon, uh, where's the Volvo?"

And then it hits me. I didn't even notice ... when I drove off in in the early morning in my car, my wife's car wasn't there.

We have been through this before. Back in 2007, my then 6-month old Mazda sedan was poached from in front of our house. That time, I ran into the thief while he was running errands at the Home Depot at the Reisterstown Rd. plaza. Truly. [One comical side note to that whole story, by the way, was in telling my brother Ken that I ran into my car thief with my car at the Reisterstown Rd. plaza Home Depot, the first thing he said was, incredulously, "you go to the Home Depot at the Reisterstown Rd plaza?"] Not anymore.

Anyway, back to my current source of frustration with city living ... the missing 2001 Volvo V70 wagon, the one with 140k miles, our kid hauler, filled with toys and children's books and two carseats. Now in the hands of someone likely on a joyride, who went scrounging for loose change, ipods and GPS's in the middle of the night and hit the dirtbag jackpot.

And let me just go on a rant for a moment here about crime. We all have watched tons of movies and shows where slick thieves are portrayed as cool as they rip off unsuspecting dopes. When you are the person whose stuff a criminal takes, the only feeling you have for them is rage. They took our car. With our kids' stuff in it. It's maddening.

But then, you know, you calm down. It's just a car, a thing, you tell yourself and each other. Hell, it had a lot miles on it and we were shopping for something new anyway. The kids got an unexpected day off from school and by 3 p.m. we had a loaner Jetta and new car seats. A thing comes into your life and it goes away. It's a utility, you tell yourself, don't get too worked up about it, insurance will cover it. But still. It stings.

POLICE SQUAD

Now allow me to digress from that digression for a moment about the disinterest of the Baltimore police department in this particular crime. Jennifer and I weren't expecting Bunk and McNulty to bring down the criminals with an elaborate undercover operation, but what the police did do in response was just north of nothing.

A responding officer came out that morning to file a report. We learned the last time that what usually happens in these instances is that the thief is not an arch criminal with a network of comrades in Europe selling used parts to the mob ... no, it's typically a teenager on joy ride who is going to leave the car wherever it stops when it runs out of gas. Then someone will report that a car has been abandoned on their lawn or in the middle of the street and then Baltimore's finest will impound it and give you a call.

Our car was stolen in the overnight hours of May 19th. A week and a half later, Jennifer got a call from the insurance company saying that they were having trouble processing our claim because the car was not officially reported as stolen and in the police database. Jen called the officer who filed the report to find out what was up - the officer made a few calls and found out that due to "dispatcher error," the car was never reported as stolen. So, in the time from when it was stolen, not only was no one looking for it (as if) but there wouldn't even be a reason for a police officer to call in something suspicious if they saw the car or even pulled over the driver. Unless, of course, the driver posted a sign that said "stolen car" in place of our tags.

Two days after that call, they found our car. With the gas on E and the sunroof smashed in, the cops picked it up not far from Pimlico, less than 2 miles from our house.

THE IMPOUND LOT EXPERIENCE

Ever had your car impounded? When most people have their car impounded, it's usually for one of a couple of reasons:
1.) Failure to pay tickets.
2.) It's been in a hellacious accident and just gets hauled off there.
3.) Someone stole and abandoned it.
4.) Lord only knows.

Baltimore city's impound lot is located on Pulaski Highway, which looks a lot like a place called Pulaski Highway, in an area dotted with strip clubs, auto body shops, adult book stores, and shady looking motels. It fits right in. The office is a large shed of a building, with attendants behind barred off windows, gas station style, separating faithful city employees from people who might not be super psyched that their vehicle has been placed in the parking lot of broken dreams.

To get your car out, it costs $140 for the tow, $50 for storage and a $40 administrative fee. $230 is a figure we kept hearing people being charged for getting their car out. (Wonder why we haven't seen an impound lot Groupon yet...) You may use a credit card, but that carries with it a $12 fee because they consider it a cash advance and, you know, credit cards are such an exotic form of bill payment these days. In fairness, there is a MECU ATM in the corner near the cashier cages, just to the left of the nailed down plastic chairs.

So what happens when you get there is you take a number from deli-counter style machine and they call you and you step right up to the counter. You give the worker your title and driver's license and tale of woe. Then you sit back down until your car model is called, and a guy who's seen it all takes you back, three or four at a time into a massive parking lot of broken down, discarded, and otherwise troubled vehicles.

The lot is huge, and the cars populating it are not, generally in good shape. There's a caged off area of motorcycles and mini bikes. Because you go in groups, you get to see and hear the stories of the other people as you sit scrunched next to them in a crappy Chevy with a City of Baltimore logo on the side.

Anyway, I was in there with an elderly woman who informed us that she was there to fetch the belongings from her brother's car - she said he walked away fine after passing out at the wheel and slamming into 2 parked cars. She had to unload the car, a Crown Victoria, of a bunch of his stuff. Anxious to get to my car, I got out to help and watched as she waded through his car, a few hats, a travel iron, grocery bags. She popped the trunk and found some corn that had turned a spoiled brown. Before getting back in the car, she stood there for a while with a hand on a hip, just looking at the mangled front end. There was a massive, V-shaped crater in the front grill and both airbags had been deployed and now hung limp - "mmmph, mmmph, mmmph," she said, "good thing for those airbags."

Next up came a young woman who needed to pay a visit to her Chevy Blazer. She told the driver she couldn't afford to get it out right now, but needed her shoes and a bunch of other stuff. So I watched as she unloaded more pairs of shoes than you would hope that anyone you know stores in their car into a brown paper bag.

Next up came my turn... it's kinda like an airport Super Shuttle for losers this ride I was on ... and I saw the nose of the Volvo peeking out from the row. Looked OK. Got up close and saw that the sunroof was smashed. But the body looked alright, no major dents. Got out of the impound limo and got in my car, pushing glass off the seat... turned the key and it started. Realized there were a bunch of clothes that weren't ours all over the place ... didn't drive the car out because I didn't want to drive it with all the glass and didn't know if it was OK to drive. So I had to go back to the shack and release the car to the insurance company, which later sent a tow truck and had it brought to our car repair place of choice.

I felt happy to have the car back, still mad that it was stolen but overall a decent outcome considering the circumstances. As I write this we're still waiting for the adjuster to give us a damage total but I'm assuming we'll put it back on the road after a thorough cleaning. I'm thinking we are going to ask whoever details it to detail it after they detail it.

THINGS LEFT BEHIND
When you're out at the impound lot, it's hard to take a long time with the car because you feel the eyes of the other auto sweepstakes losers waiting for you, as is the friendly driver. Finally when the Volvo was at the auto shop, I put on a pair of gloves and sorted through the stuff in it.

Jen was happy that the kids "Bop It" toy was left behind, as was Alec's Thomas the Tank engine umbrella and sunglasses and their books and some action figures. Though I feel like I want to have those things washed or just toss em. I put em in bags.

Then I looked at what the car thieves left in the car. Very weird. It was an assorted bunch of karate gear - several black belts and a robe that included the name of a karate place. As it turns out, the name of the place is for troubled youths... and, here we go, one of the blackbelts had a person's name on it.

I'm not going to write that name here because I don't know if that person stole our car, is related to the person who stole our car, or had his stuff stolen by the person who stole our car. I'll let the police put their best team on that case.

Then, the final kicker. Jen later visited the car and found the kids' Milkshake CD (kids songs) had been destroyed, and in the CD player was a homemade mix called "In the Guttah."

You can't make this stuff up.

Thanks Gary

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Fri, 06 May 2011 11:36:00 +0000

My favorite memory of the Gary Williams era of Maryland basketball did not burn its way into my brain at Cole Field House, Comcast Center, or even Minneapolis or Atlanta, where Gary and the Terps played in back-to-back Final Fours.

No, the indelible moment took place in Anaheim in March of 2001. Gary and the Terps had just defeated top seeded Stanford in the Elite 8 and I was lucky enough to be in the stands, in the lower bowl even, having snuck down from the nose bleeds I scalped to sit in Terrapin red among a bunch of well-heeled, burgundy-clad Stanford alums.

After the final horn blew on an amazing game – Maryland won 87-73 – Gary climbed up the ladder to take his turn cutting down the net. He’d finally done it. All the years, all the battles, all the sweaty suits, and all the sideline rants were in the past. He had a look of elation and peace. The Final Four awaited. He’d done it.

For the prior two hours, his third-seeded Terps took apart top-seeded Stanford, led at the time by future NBA players Jarron and Jason Collins along with All America Casey Jacobson. Maryland's Lonny Baxter absolutely schooled the Collins twins in the second half to the tune of 24 points with an array of half hooks, drop steps and reverse layups. Juan Dixon nailed his share of trademark jumpers and the score kept stretching out, stretching out in Maryland's favor as the clock wound down.

I'm getting the chills now typing as I remember that game. It meant so much. No team before or since, in my opinion, embodied the Gary Williams era more at Maryland. They were scrappy and talented, but not overwhelming favorites. They played hard, like their coach, and took their share of criticism. Just a month or so prior to that magical night in Anaheim, the Terps fell at home to a mediocre Florida State team. The home crowd booed the team off the court.

As Maryland completed the win over Stanford (for my money, the best played game of any team in the Gary era), the Florida State loss felt like another season. But I bet Gary remembered. I bet he heard those boos somewhere in his brain as he ascended the ladder, scissor in hand. I remember watching him intently, not wanting to miss a second of it. I can’t remember feeling as happy as a fan or as satisfied for a coach as I did at that moment. He cut the remains of the net, grabbed it, and swung it over his head. “There! You see this?" he seemed to say with each twist of the rope. "You didn’t think I could do it, did you? Well here I am. What do you want to say now?”

I just want to say thank you. Thanks Gary. There will never be another coach like you. It was quite a ride.

Oh, Oh, Tokyo

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:01:00 +0000

Some friends have asked what I'm doing here in Tokyo, so I'll share the story here:

So, why the heck am I in Tokyo?

The story goes back to last fall when I took on a project to represent a Japanese company called Remo System that wanted to attract press in the US around the New York marathon in November.

The company makes, among other things, a shoe insert called the i-Grip, which has an elevated bump in the center that is intended to help your feet ‘grip’ better. Their media hook was that they were sponsoring an elite Japanese runner who had a chance to contend in the race. He had an interesting twist in that this runner broke away from the traditional Japanese corporate system and was running as an independent. So I took on the project and we were able to land some nice coverage, like in Runner's World and the Times

After that, they asked what I could do for the Tokyo Marathon in November. The goal, again, was press in the US because they want to get someone in the US to sell their product and want some credibility in the market. So I said well, you’re a Japanese company, with a Japanese product, and your endorser is Japanese and the race is in Japan. I don’t know how I’m going to get the NY Times to care about that.

So we got to thinking about who we might hire to represent Remo in the Tokyo Marathon that press in the US and internationally would take an interest in. At first I was thinking about a reality TV star or a retired athlete, but ultimately suggested Edison Pena, the Chilean miner who completed the New York marathon just three weeks after being rescued from the mine. I was in NY for the NY marathon for Remo and sat in on the press conference when he was introduced. The guy is a natural in front of the media and his story is compelling of course.

They liked the idea so then I had to go about finding him and making an offer and working out all the details. This took about two months, but we finally got it done. Here’s where I need to give a shout out to Barry Flaks. Barry speaks Spanish and made himself available to me to call Pena and his wife and present our offer to them and finalize all the details.

Anyway, so once Pena agreed, then we were able to make an announcement about it – which generated some good press - http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=gen&id=6145281

I’m over here now working to drum up more media interest, build the relationship with the client, and try to see what Tokyo is all about. There are so many details I could share, but let me just start by throwing out some random observations about Tokyo, in no particular order:

It’s clean, really clean. The people and the cultural are all very orderly. The people on the subway almost don’t talk at all. Very nice people if you ask for some help but they are not outwardly friendly; as in they don’t make eye contact and nod to a stranger, they barely make eye contact at all if you don’t know them; My toilet seat is heated and has a bidet feature. I would pay good money to install both of these features at my home, just sayin. Our American way of dressing down for work has not caught on over here. People wear suits. They are very stylish, they dress well and seem to be incredibly attentive to the details. Lots of people, maybe 15 percent, walk around with surgical masks in public, I think this is related to the cleanliness obsession.

There’s an odd, sort of whimsical nature about Japanese cultural that I can’t quite describe. For example, at night the last 2 nights I’ve noticed that there are these weird shows that I guess you’d describe as a variety show, where you have performers and talk segments and weird stupid human tricks, and it’s all set against a kaleidoscope of a background that’s colorful and weird and childlike.

What else can I tell you? I had a moment in a minivan today when it was me, Edison and his wife, and 5 Japanese people from Remo, the company that hired me. My contact to Remo is Kaz, a US-based Japanese business development guy, whose job it is to connect Japanese businesses with international opportunities.

I’ve gotten to know Kaz pretty well and today in the car I asked him what city he is from. And he replied, “Hiroshima.” And a short uncomfortable silence during which I contemplated apologizing on behalf of the US for dropping an Atomic bomb on his city, I instead went with, “so what is your favorite sport to watch?”; to which he answered baseball; so I quickly changed the conversation to my appreciation of Ichiro’s approach at the plate.

My role here is very odd in that I am a US PR guy who speaks only English and I’m with the Chilean miner who speaks only Spanish, working for a company of people that speak mostly Japanese. So there are weird situations where there isn’t much conversation going on because, basically, no one understands each other. Well, that's not entirely true. Kaz speaks good English so he talks to me and I speak a little Spanish, so I try with Edison and his wife but once they get going in Spanish in return, I can’t understand a word, unless for some strange reason they ask me ‘donde esta el quarto de bano?’ which means, as you who took Spanish in high school know, “Where is the bathroom?” But they have yet to ask me where is the bathroom.

Anyway, the language thing is confusing. I’m finding myself saying gracias to the Japanese concierge, who speaks pretty good English.

What else should I share? Here was my day today:
Woke up around 7 a.m. local time and went to breakfast with Edison and the media director from the NY marathon, who wanted to present him with a gift. Table conversation was difficult so I literally had Kaz call Barry, who walked away from his kid’s basketball practice in Reisterstown for 10 minutes to translate a conversation in Tokyo between me, Edison Pena and his wife and the NY marathon guy, Richard. Have I mentioned that I love Barry?

After breakfast we were picked up by the Remo CEO and drove to the official marathon expo, where Edison met the Chilean ambassador to Japan for a meet and greet and photo opp. A quick note on driving in Japan – they drive on the left. The cars are a touch smaller. Like the minivan we were in, was 3 rows, but a bit more narrow and sleek than the US minivans, which are more bulky. This design, it seems to me, goes hand in hand with the fact that Japanese people are much slimmer than Americans and don’t require as much space. I wish they sold a van like that in the US, it’s got what you need but isn’t a beast to drive around.

Anyway, after the expo, it was time to go to the official marathon press conference. I arranged for Edison to be introduced and interviewed and it went pretty well. There’s some conflicts between Remo and the official marathon sponsors that I’ve had to tip-toe around so it wasn’t as highly publicized as it could have or should have been, but hopefully we’ll get some nice coverage out of it.

After the press conference we took the train back to our hotels. The Japanese subway system is awesome. They have digital readouts above the doors that tell you where you are and what stop is next. There are English translations for most things and everything operates with mind-blowing efficiency. Unlike the subways in DC or New York for example, where people gaggle around the doors all mish-mashed, they have people whose job it is to line you up and there are tight lines of people waiting to get in, who stand behind the line. There’s a crush to get in, of course, but it’s an organized crush.

I’m trying to think of some other good tidbits but my brain is starting to feel a bit soft and uncooperative so I’ll wrap it up. I’ll send some more news and notes later this weekend, hope you made it this far in my little write-up.

GA

Not a Single Vote for the Terps? That Ain't Right

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 04:05:00 +0000

I'm not one to put a lot of stock in preseason polls. In fact, were I the King of All Things College Basketball, I would decree that no poll should be taken and released until teams have played at least five games. That way, the initial poll would be at least partly based on the actual performances on the court, and the not the reputation of the program, or Rivals ranking of the recruits.

But the world doesn't work that way and every year before a game is played, the AP and ESPN/USA Today release the "Top 25" ranked teams in college basketball. This year, a year after Maryland went 13-3 in the ACC, 24-9 overall and came within a buzzer-beater from the Sweet 16, the Terps received Zero votes in the AP preseason polls and 2 votes in the ESPN/USA Today poll, aka the Coaches Poll. It's not just that the Terps aren't ranked, not one AP voter thought enough of Gary William's program to give the Terps a single vote. Somehow Wofford, ODU, Utah State, and Ohio University received votes, but none for the Terps.

And so now I'm mad. And I'm guessing this is great for our program because Gary Williams will get mad, feel disrespected, and use this slight to fuel his team's performance. Which is all a very good thing for Terps fans, because no one is better than Gary as an underdog.

But what I'm annoyed about is that, really, how much does this program have to do to get a little respect? Sure, Maryland lost 3 senior starters in Grevis Vasquez, Landon Milbourne, and Eric Hayes, but do the voters think that the program has brought no one who's worth a lick in to replace them?

Just having Jordan Williams and Sean Mosley the starting lineup around three other decent players should get ONE voter to throw Maryland a bone. Hell, Duke or UNC could graduate every one of it starters and get ranked 15th in the preseason poll just because voters think, "those guys always bring in the best recruits."

But Maryland? Well, truth be told, Gary doesn't bring in the best recruits. He brings in good players, and sometimes he brings in great players. But give the man his due already. Maryland runs a quality basketball program. Even when we've complained in recent years that they aren't "good enough," the worst Maryland has ever done under Gary in the last 15-17 years is be "one the bubble." They are NEVER horrible, and they are often good. Just based on the fact that last year, Gary pulled off 13-3 in the ACC should be good enough for someone to give him the benefit of the doubt.

But no. No one thinks Maryland is any good, not even a top 50 team. Oh, how Gary and the Terps will love proving them wrong.

Embrace the Horror

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 20:15:00 +0000

This post was written and conceived entirely by Steve Sherman, known to Baltimore sports radio listeners as "Steve from Homeland." I hereby approve this message:

The Cusp of Greatness

When it comes to the Baltimore Orioles, fans like us are on the cusp of witnessing true greatness. Well, greatness at being not great. Greatness at losing, greatness at failing, greatness at sucking. And I think that's –well- great!

The Orioles (16-42, .276) are on a pace to win less than 30 percent of their games this year. In the last 60 years (that’s 60 with a “6” and “0” next to it), there have been two teams that have finished the season with less than a .300 winning percentage. The 1962 Mets* and 2003 Tigers-- That's it. Two teams. Yes, 2.

I calculated the following: 60 years X a rough average of 30 teams in the league= 1,800 seasons. The Birds are on pace to be ranked 1,798 (with luck maybe 1,799th or even 1,800th!). I say dare to dream.

Club 200

The O’s need to win less than 49 games to finish the season with a winning percentage that starts with a 2, which I hereby dub, “Club 200."

This is the kind of club that the B-Rated Hollywood stars go to at 4:00 a.m. to snort Oxycontin right off the lacquered tables. It’s so uncool, that it’s super cool. I’m picturing the bar scene in Star Wars and then ~~Dana Plato~~ , ~~Gary Coleman~~ , Todd Bridges does stand-up and starts puking out his teeth. Next thing you know, John Waters walks in with two trannies and you wake up 2 days later with no kidneys or wallet. The point is – Club 200 is an interesting (albeit disturbing) place to be.

And if the Orioles' season is going to be terrible (which it is), let it at least be interesting.

You Have to Earn You Way into Club 200

It's easy to be sort of terrible. Hell, the Pirates, Royals and even our Orioles have won in the recallable past. The Old Senators (think baseball, not Robert Byrd**) were never in Club 200. Even current terrible teams like the Astros can’t expect an invite. (Astros are at .390!).

But Orioles fans . . . we can expect an invite.

When the slit in the door opens, and the bouncer sees our squad of misfits (Izturis will need a box to stand on so he can be seen), we’re all getting in. First round is on Atkins.

I look forward to my captain and coke with Crowley.

Dare to Dream gentlemen, Dare to Dream-

Written June 9, 2010 by Steve Sherman

* The Mets’ Marv Throneberry was once ruled out after hitting a triple. He had missed both 1st and 2nd base.

** Robert Byrd (WV) was in the Ku Klux Klan and has served as Senator for 51 years.

*** By the way, the 1906 Cubs have the best record of all time at 116-36 (.763)—which is a real kick in the ironic pants.

Is Greivis an NBA player?

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 18:37:00 +0000

Recently, I read in the paper where Greivis Vasquez worked out for the Washington Wizards. As I pictured GV running around the top of the key, trying to impress Bullets brass with his ability to can open 3 pointers, I wondered to myself, "I wonder if that guy is going to make it in the NBA." And as I sit here writing this, I am not sure. I don't think anyone is. He's not a "can't miss" type of prospect like John Wall, or even a borderline lottery pick like Butler's Gordon Hayward who, my agent friend recently told me, is the best white North American player since Steve Nash. Not that that necessarily means anything.

But back to Greivis. I would love to see Greivis succeed at the NBA level, if for no other reason than no one on the planet just plain wants it more than that guy. I am quite certain that getting to the NBA has been on his mind all day every day for the past dozen or more years. He likely makes daily basic decisions based on whether or not that decision gets him closer or further from the NBA.

But desire is not enough. Playing in the NBA, if you're not a sure thing, requires the right mix of luck, opportunity, and timing. The good news is that only one team has to fall in love with Greivis and use one of its precious picks on him, most likely in the second round.

And if they take Greivis, what they'll get is a guy who will do literally anything to get on the court and help his team win. We learned that in four years during his career at Maryland. We learned that GV doesn't always make the best decisions, but he is capable of carrying a team, making clutch shots, throwing outrageous passes, and giving everything he's got.

Is that enough for the NBA? Is there' a place for a 6-6 point guard who isn't particularly quick and can't jump particularly high? Could he possibly guard the waterbug guards in the league like Chris Paul, Ty Lawson or Jameer Nelson? Probably not. But Greivis, with his long frame and ability to hit the running floater or spot the open man will give those guys match-up problems too.

Often in the NBA, as in life, it's about getting a chance. Here's hoping someone gives Greivis a chance. I think Maryland fans will agree that he's earned it.

One of these teams is not like the others

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:25:00 +0000

Opening Day

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:45:00 +0000

During the baseball season we're going to blog from time to time on the O's. After all, the Terrapin Nation includes the home town team. Mostly we're just going to rant on how much we hate Dave Trembly. Well, not really hate - its just that he always seems to make the wrong decisions. Anyway, for today:

1. Why does Adkins "run on contact" as Gary Thorne or Palmer like to say. Is this in the "book." The guy (Adkins) looks slower than Aubrey Huff (anyone think that Aubrey Huff would be an upgrade over Adkins. Huff is making $3mm in San Fran, Adkins $4mm). Anyway, isn't it a different inning if its second and third w/ one out instead of first and second. Where is Roberts going to hit it in the infield that actually results in Adkins scoring because he "runs on contact."

2. Why is Adkins running at all. He plays first base for Gods sake. Can't anyone play first base for one inning. How about Julio Lugo. He would have gotten into the game and that would have put off his complaining about playing time for at least a day. Most managers would realize that the run at third is way more important than having a moderate risk at first base for three outs when your "closer" hasn't gotten anyone out all spring.

Question for the next game - How many regulars is Trembley going to bench so that he can "get everyone in the game." If Lugo plays for Roberts ...

BOOOOOOO

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 03:39:00 +0000

I take it all back. Watching Duke celebrate is the worst. I am not only not OK with Duke's win, I am in pain. I hate Duke, now more than ever. And we've got like 11 more years of Plumlee brothers.

Thoughts from the national championship game:

Great game.

Hate the rotating, hovering, whatever that is camera.

Clark Kellogg is annoying.

We had to listen to Billy Packer for 30 years, how long are they going to let Kellogg blabber?

Both teams got some calls, I thought the officiating was pretty good, only blatant (and huge) miss was when Hayward drove and made a hoop and Scheyer clearly jumped in his path and got the charge call. Should have been a block. That was a 3-point swing.

Butler belonged, played great, coulda won that damn thing.

Damn.

Why it's OK for Duke to Win

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:49:00 +0000

Duke vs. Butler for the national championship will tip off in a few hours, and I'm not afraid or embarrassed to say that I am 100 percent OK with it if Duke wins.

I'm not rooting for Duke. I don't hope they win. But I am not going to be all pissed off if they cut down the nets sometime just before midnight in Indianapolis.

Let's get a few things straight first.

I don't like Duke.

But I do have a lot of respect for Duke and its program. Their fans... that's another story. I find them annoying and geeky and over-rated. Put it this way, if Maryland played in a 8,000-seat high school gym with fans seated 3 feet from the court, our place would be loud (er) too. But that's a different subject for another day. For today, for a few minutes, let's think about the 2009-2010 Duke men's basketball team.

Let's even forget Coach K. for the sake of this particular discussion. He's annoying too of course, reaching the pinnacle of obnoxiousness with those Amex commericals a few years ago when he said something like, "I am not a basketball coach. I am a leader of men." OK, whatever. But even if you call him coach Ratface and love it when Gary gets the better of him - is anything better? -
you simply can't ignore the incredible run of great team after great team that he puts out there on the court. Every. Single. Year.

Tonight Duke will start Jon Scheyer, Brian Zoubek, Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler, and Lance Thomas.

Which of those guys do you hate? I guess the most hate-able guy is either Zoubek - because he's a gigantic, screen-setting machine who looks like a henchman from the 1976 Soviet national team (seriously, can't you picture Zoubek in a red CCCP jersey?); or maybe Singler because... hmmm.... because he's a pasty white guy who is really good?

Scheyer gets made fun of for his maniacal facial expressions, but this is a Jewish kid from Chicago who just plain lights it up and can play ball. Forgive me, but I like Jon Scheyer. He's the best Jewish point guard for a nationally prominent team I can remember since Doug Gottlieb dished out 8 assists a game at Oklahoma State. But Gottlieb couldn't shoot to save his life. Scheyer is a dead eye. I wonder if he kept kosher for Passover this week? I doubt it.

Nolan Smith is a Maryland native and the son of Derek Smith, who died suddenly at age 34 while an assistant with the Wizards. Nolan was only 8 when his dad died. He is a classy player who has stepped up his game massively this season. He averaged only 8.4 ppg last year and pours in 17.5 this season. He's electric with the ball and can really shoot it. I like Nolan Smith.

And the third of the big three is Singler, an athletic 3/4 kind of a player who can beat you inside and out. Who wouldn't want that guy on their team? I kinda like Singler too.

Back in 2001-2002, when Duke featured Shane Battier, Chris Duhon, Jason Williams, and Carlos Boozer... I HATED those guys. I thought they were arrogant and entitled and got every call. I don't feel that kind of hate for this Duke squad. Forgive me Maryland fans, I actually like the way this Duke team plays.

The biggest reason most Maryland fans and most other fans around the country hate Duke is for the name on the front of their jerseys, not the backs. These guys represent a school that most people despise because they're perceived as the preppy rich kids who win. And who really wants to see preppy rich kids win? Again. Not me for sure.

But, here are three reasons why I'm OK with a Duke win tonight.
1.) Duke represents the ACC.

Around here we like to think we play in the best conference in the country. The point is debatable. But when your league owns the national title, you can point to that and claim bragging rights. For everyone who hates Duke for being, well, Duke. Think about this - how much would it suck if Duke weren't great? How great is it that Maryland gets to measure itself up against Duke twice a year, every year? Every season when Maryland puts a team on the court, they get the chance to play Duke, home and away, for a very real test to see if the Terps are any good. When we're good, we usually beat Duke at least once. When we're counterfeit or just OK, they rip us a new one. Hate on Duke all you want - believe me, I hate them most of the time - but be thankful they are in our league. When you lose all of your meaningful non-conference games, you need Duke in your league so that if you beat them you can point that win and say, "See, we really are good. We beat Duke!"

2.) Maryland is the last team to beat Duke, downing the Blue Devils 79-72 on March 3rd at Comcast. My friend Max said she felt like Michigan State had "our" tournament run this year. I agree. Maryland coulda been playing tonight if that shot from Luscious doesn't go in But it did. I kinda like the idea of Maryland being the last team to beat the national champs. It's something (not much). Duke is 9-0 since and hasn't been seriously threatened in the tournament. (side note - if they do win, they'll have beaten the biggest bunch of NCAA tournament no names in history on the way to the national title - Arkansas Pine Bluff, Cal, Purdue, Baylor, West Virginia, and Butler. There are some decent teams in there but NONE with any tournament pedigree to speak of).

And 3.) Well, you gotta have 3 in any list, but I'm reaching for this one. My third reason why I'm OK if Duke wins tonight is because... hmmm.... because ... oh hell, who am I kidding...

GO BUTLER!!!!

(those Plumlee brothers, now THEY are hate-able)

The Ultimate Dagger

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 21:26:00 +0000

My friend Gabe called it "the ultimate dagger." He called a few minutes after the end of the game, needing someone to talk to. I didn't pick up. Didn't answer the call from a few other friends either, just didn't feel like discussing it.

What was there to say?

That Maryland played with heart and courage.
That Greivis did exactly what a star is supposed to do. He put Maryland on his back, led an amazing comeback, and hit big shot after big shot.
It should have been enough.
It wasn't.

Michigan State made the last shot. Maryland lost an epic game, one in which the Terps came back from the dead to take the lead. And it wasn't like MSU choked (well maybe a little). The Terps came ROARING back into that game, refusing to go down without a melee.

It made me proud to be a Terps fan. Even though we didn't win, we left everything on the court. Gary's team fought like only a Gary team can, with every muscle in their bodies, to come back against an equally well coached Michigan State team.

There isn't, in my opinion, a whole lot to say. Maryland played great. They got beat. We'll get em next year.

What if Terps Win the ACC Tournament?

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:34:00 +0000

Right now the Terps are hot. They've won 7 straight ACC games, and just completed their best regular season record since the national championship season. The national champ Terps went 15-1, losing only at Duke. These year's Terps completed a 13-3 regular season with a nervy 74-68 win at UVa on Saturday.

How good is this 13-3 record? Well, in all of the seasons combined since the national championship, Maryland had a .500 record in ACC league play. This season, they are 10 games over .500 in the league. That's not just good, it's great.

It's "Gary Williams is the ACC Coach of the Year" great, and "Greivis Vaquez is the ACC Player of the Year" great. And it might even be, "Jordan Williams is ACC Rookie of the Year" great.

Those awards won't be announced until tomorrow, but I think both Vasquez and Williams have earned them, edging out Duke's Scheyer and Coach K. None of this is news to Maryland fans who have been paying attention, but it's new news to the college basketball nation at large, which is just now, in mid-March, getting an eyeful of the Greivis-led Terps, who jumped to 19th in the ACC and ESPN/USA Today polls out today.

Also today on ESPN.com, bracketologist Joe Lunardi slotted Maryland with a 5-seed, the team's highest projected seed yet.

So my next question is this - what if Maryland wins the ACC tournament? They'd be 26-7 and riding a 10-game winning streak, that would likely include another win over Duke, the only other ACC team that's currently ranked (4th).

Technically, just FYI, some consider Maryland 22-7 right now b/c the early season win over Chaminade doesn't count (they're a D-II team). That was so long ago, it almost feels like a different team. This team, the one that's roared in the ACC, is the one with the following key characteristics:

Jordan Williams has emerged as a true force inside averaging 9 points and 8 boards, and doing his best work during this late-season winning streak. Williams has very strong hands and gives Maryland an inside presence they've lacked since the Lonny Baxter years. He's very similar to Baxter actually. I'd say a little better rebounder and about the same offensively. Lonny was a better foul shooter.

Greivis has been off the charts for six weeks now. Last year, I didn't think it was a good idea for him to come back for a senior year. After all, he turned 23 this year, how much better was he going to get? What happened was that his teammates improved, he got hot at the right time, and has emerged as one of the elite PGs in the country. GV is the ONLY point averaging more than 19 points and 6 assists right now. If Maryland makes a deep run in the tournament, he has a chance to displace Juan Dixon as the program's all-time leading scorer and he's a lock to pass Bias to get to #2. Add to those career numbers his heroics against Va. Tech, UVa, and just about everyone else, and it's time to stop and say, "this guy is great." I've turned the corner on Greivis. It took 3 and a half years, but I now love the guy and you should too.

Gary has a well-defined rotation. Dino Gregory is the first big man off the bench; Tucker and Bowie are a great 1-2 scoring punch off the bench in the backcourt and wing; and James Padgett is there to consume some minutes if any of the big men get in foul trouble. The starters all have well-define roles and let's hear it for the steady hand of Eric Hayes who, like GV, is having an inspired senior year, making good decisions, making key shots, and playing, in general, great basketball.

So... back to the quetion - what if Maryland wins the ACC tournament? It kinda depends what the teams in front of them do... because it's a bit harder to push through the field from the back, as opposed to hanging on to a spot near the top. But... for my money, Maryland is a 3-seed if they win the tournament. There's still a good amount of doubting out there about these Terps, and I think a run from not ranked 2 weeks ago to a 2-seed might be too much to ask. But get Maryland in as a 3 and let's see what happens in the Dance. One thing is for sure, it's going to be fun to watch.

Who am I kidding? We will all be nervous wrecks. Except for Greivis, he seems to have this thing figured out.

Go Terps.

Terps 79, Dukies 72

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:24:00 +0000

Special thanks to Terps fan Big Russ Dlin for sharing this post-game shot. What a win.

Maryland Beats Duke on a Perfect Night

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 04:43:00 +0000

From my good pal and devoted Terps fan Gabe, couldn't have said it better myself:

Great start, great finish. Inspired seniors, clutch freshman. Stomping Gary, whining rat-faced Coach K. Father-son shimmying. Reborn Adrian Bowie. Erin Andrews. Crazy Greivis shot to seal the deal, and one last gratuitous 60 footer attempted at the buzzer. Maniacs storming the court. Perfect.

Remember Cole Field House?

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:03:00 +0000

As Maryland gets ready to play the Final Home game at Comcast for the season, I thought it might be the right time for a trip down memory lane for a look at Cole Field House. The last game at Cole was played on March 3, 2002 against UVa. Starting lineup for the Terps that day (you really don't need me to tell you this do you?)

Juan Dixon
Steve Blake
Byron Mouton
Chris Wilcox
Lonny Baxter

I made a video that day and cut it up into four parts, so here they are. Forgive the shaky camera .. but if you skim through it you get a great flavor for the sights and the sounds of an amazing facility.

Part One - arriving at Cole
Part Two - pre-game
Part Three - game
Part Four - celebration and post-game

Enjoy.

Post Game Thoughts After Maryland 104, Va. Tech 100 in Double OT

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 03:01:00 +0000

Post game thoughts:

That was a GREAT college basketball game. The kind of game that makes you love college basketball all over again. I was a nervous wreck the entire time.

I'd like to apologize to Greivis for all those times I yelled at him through the television. Sorry Greivis. This run he's on, carrying Maryland to their best ACC season since 2001-2002, has propelled him to the category of an all-time Terps great. His jersey will hang from the rafters and he deserves it.

If you are going to watch a game that makes you feel like you can't breathe and you love the excitement but hate the anxiety at the same time, I highly recommend watching said game with your 5-year-old offspring, in front of whom you don't want to act like a complete lunatic. It's calming.

That said, I had a whole conversation with my brother where we agreed that it's very hard to watch Maryland basketball. It just wracks the nerves. Both of us said that sometimes we record the game, then fast forward ahead to see what happened before settling in to watch because it's too hard to watch the game in real time and not be able to fast forward. Now that I think about it, this might be more of a family anxiety issue more than a Maryland basketball fan issue. Let's move on.

If the national polls come out on Monday and Maryland hasn't cracked the top 25, then they should shut down the national polls. At 21-7 and 11-3 in the ACC, Maryland should be a top 15 team, not just top 25. For the first time since the second half of the 2005-2006 season, I really feel like Maryland has a very solid team that can make a run in the tournament.

I stayed up late to watch SportsCenter, thinking that the excitement of this game might make it one of the top highlights. Nope, since they show highlights in the pecking order of the top 25, the SportsCenter that started at 11:30 didn't show anything about Maryland-Va Tech until after midnight. And the college basketball show that followed at 12:30 of course focused for a long time first about the losses from #1 and #2, Kansas and Kentucky; also spent a ton of time on Syracuse-Villanova and other Big East contests like Georgetown -Notre Dame and a West Virginia Cincinnati.

All of this annoyed me. ESPN should have recognized that even though Maryland and Va. Tech aren't currently ranked, they were the second and third place teams in the ACC, historically the best basketball conference in the country, and more importantly, had just finished playing one of the most epic, exciting, toe-to-toe battles in college basketball this season or any other. That was an amazing game. Here's Seth Greenberg's post-game quote in the Washington Post game story:

"It was a heck of a game," Virginia Tech Coach Seth Greenberg said. "It was like a prize fight, with punches and counter-punches, teams getting knocked down and getting right back up."

Terps already have the most conference wins of any Maryland team since the 2002-2003 team went 11-5. So if Maryland can win one of their last two - home against Duke or at UVa, they'll have the best ACC record of any Maryland team since the national championship team went 15-1 in 2001-2002.

I heard it first at NC State and again in the first half at Va. Tech. Home fans chanting "U-S-A, U-S-A," as Greivis Vasquez handles the ball. And on behalf of everyone with a clue, that is some non-creative, xenophobic bullshit. This is not the Iron Sheik against Hulk Hogan. This is a college senior who happens to be from Venezuela, but has never, ever had a negative word to say about this country and I would be that Greivis Vasquez loves America. I got no problem with opposing fans trying to rattle Greivis, but chanting "U-S-A" at him is weak and dumb.

Tech's Jeff Allen is very talented, athletic, and ... plays dirty. He throws elbows, pushes, and whines after every call. He also walks almost every time he makes a move to the basket. He does a quick little two-step and for some reason that I don't understand, the refs don't call it. I officially don't like Jeff Allen.

Dino Gregory is more important to Maryland basketball than you might think for the following reasons:
He plays with lots of energy and heart and plays solid defense.
He has great timing on blocked shots.
He can knock down free throws, shoots 84 percent.
Maryland was 5-3 without Dino; they are 16-4 with him.
I officially like Dino Gregory.

I don't think Va. Tech is a bubble team. I think they're an NCAA tournament team. those guys can play.

Malcolm Delaney is a bad man. He's a pro. His end-to-end play at the end of regulation was indicative of a guy who is a really smart and talented player. He knew he had enough time to get to the rack, knew Maryland didn't want to foul, and got it done. Shame on Maryland for not double teaming him and getting the ball out of his hands. Of course I'd rather see the drive to the hoop than a potential game-winning 3, but still.

I read in the post game reports that Hayes thought he had made a three and therefore did play as tight defense as he would have otherwise. Which is semi-defensible, but the Terps should NOT have just played phantom D with the game on the line like that.

Here's a great summary of how well the Terps took care of the ball from the Sun's Tracking the Terps Blog:

The Terps had only 11 turnovers in the game, and just two in the second half. It helped that the Hokies didn't press, but Maryland gave itself scoring chances nearly every time it had the ball. Vasquez had only two turnovers playing 48 of the 50 minutes. Eric Hayes had 10 assists and two turnovers in 40 minutes.

Grevis went 13 of 33 from the field, 10 of 10 from the line and scored a career-high 41 points. OK, 33 shots is probably too many, but more than anything, what GV did (again) was hit HUGE shots and was absolutely sublime in the second half. I think he got a little tired by the 2nd OT (who wouldn't be after playing 48 minutes?) but I have finally and completely come around to respect this guy 100 percent.

Seth Greenberg might be a bigger spaz than Gary. He pleads. He stomps. He sweats. He goes into anaphylactic shock after calls don't go his way. I like him. He's definitely done a nice job with Virginia Tech basketball which was never much of a program before his arrival. No doubt that joining the ACC has helped, but Greenberg is a great coach.

Maryland really should have won in regulation. Terps were up 80-77 with 22 seconds left and had the ball. That's when Milbourne threw it away. Then Tech made the 3 with 18 seconds left. Put me in the camp of people who think you should just foul and send a guy to the line when you're up 3 at the end of the game and the other team has the ball.

You see guys nail 3s to force overtime all the time. How many times have you seen it work when you force the other team to make a guy make 1 of 2 free throws, then miss on purpose and get the ball back and score? My count is never. It's definitely not a no brainer because there are risks - like if the opposing player is too quick and gets a 3 off while you're fouling him - but I think it's a better strategy than just playing D and hoping the opponent doesn't hit a 3.

Sean Mosley had a very quiet 17 but it's great to see him scoring again. I'm a little worried about Landon Milbourne right now. Doesn't seem to be in the flow of the offense and can disappear for long stretches.

Overall, I am personally very excited about Maryland basketball and I'm sensing more excitement in this region about the Terps for the first time since 2002. The Terps are playing great basketball when it matters most and seem to be coming together as team.

Duke at Mayland Wed. night will be a lot of fun and I think Maryland will win. They are ready to beat Duke. It might not happen, but at least you can think about it without feeling like you are being an unrealistic homer. Two more wins and the Terps will go 13-3 in the ACC for the season ... if they do that, and then get to the ACC finals, we're looking at a 3 or 4 seed. Win the ACC tournament and they'd be 26-7. Is that a 2 seed? Probably.

Terps have come a long way since losing at home to William & Mary, don't you think?

Do Terps Belong in the Top 25?

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 02:14:00 +0000

Certainly Maryland's recent run of strong play -- highlighted most recently by their buzzer-beating home win vs. Ga. Tech on Saturday -- has made them a team that feels deserving of being ranked in the Top 25.

Yet when the polls came out on Monday, Maryland was stuck near the top of "others receiving votes," hands pressed against the window, on the outside, looking in. That likely won't be the case when NCAA bids are passed out come the third week in March. With their current 9-3 mark in the ACC, Maryland has already won 2 more league games than it did last season, when they advanced to the round of 32 after winning a few nice games in the ACC tournament.

But back to this discussion of the Top 25. Today the Baltimore Sun's Jeff Barker reported that Gary Williams said, "We should be ranked."

If I was Gary, I would probably think so too. After all, Maryland sits alone in 2nd place in the ACC at the 3/4 mark of the league season. The ACC is typically regarded as one of the top 3 best conferences in the country. And if you're good enough to go 9-3 so far in the ACC, then you damn well ought to be considered one of the 25 best teams in the country.

I kinda like Maryland being kept out of the top 25 for now. Keeps em hungry. Keeps em feeling doubted and disrespected, and there's no better motivation to a player than to tell them that no one thinks they are any good. (unless, of course, you are former Terp big man Braxton Dupree, who wasn't any good).

Anyway, here are five reasons why Maryland should be ranked:
1. They've been smoking teams all season long. When Maryland gets a nice lead this year, they put teams away, big-time. Terps have defeated UNC, UVa, N.C. State, B.C., and Miami and a bunch of early season patsies by 15+ points in games that weren't ever close. That's the mark of a good team.

2. Maryland's 76-74 win over Ga. Tech on Saturday was electrifying. It's the kind of win that makes people take notice and often can/should/will propel a team playing well into the top 25. Didn't happen. Kinda weird.

3. Terps are .500 on the road in the ACC and perfect at home. That's the prescription for success and, in just about any other season, a top 25 ranking. Maybe top 15.

4. Because Maryland is good enough to beat any team in college basketball right now.

5. Because, as I wrote above, they are alone in second place in the ACC three-quarters of the way through the season. ESPN's bracketologist says 7 ACC teams should make the tournament, but the one alone in second place isn't ranked?

And here are five reasons why Maryland doesn't belong in the Top 25 and haven't don't squat yet:
1. Terps are 0-3 against Duke, Clemson and Wake. Those are 3 of the top 5 teams in the league (Maryland plays at Va. Tech Saturday, big game to see who will be #2 or if Maryland will have a chance to knock Duke off at the top).

2. Maryland lost, at home to William & Mary. I know William & Mary is having a good season and was hot at the time. It's still inexcusable. You don't lose at home to William & Mary.

3. Maryland lost to every decent out of conference team it played this season. 0-3 against Wisconsin, Cincinnati and Villanova (and you can throw in William & Mary if you feel like it). Wisconsin and Villanova are both very good, but Cincinnati is 6-8 in the Big East and a bubble team at best. Maryland just didn't beat anyone good... until the ACC started.

4. Maryland didn't even give Duke a game. I know Duke is really tough to beat at home. But if you're legit, you don't just get pummeled from the tip and allow that stiff Greg Zoubek to have the game of his life.

5. The ACC is down and Maryland is benefitting from playing weak competition. It's a fact that this week is the first time in 33 years that only one ACC team - guess who - is ranked in the top 25.

So, what's this all mean? Not a thing, really. Being ranked is just something to keep fans interested and provide some semblance of a pecking order among 300+ teams until the NCAA tournament starts.

For decades now, college hoops has been all about the NCAA tournament. Certainly regular season wins, and league championships matter, but they all pale in comparison to what happens in the tournament.

Did you make it?
How many wins did you get once you got there?

More than anything, what's been nice about this year's team is that they look like they belong. Early season losses aside, Maryland has been very good in 2010 and it's the second half of the season that matters. Maryland has a bona fide superstar in Greivis Vasquez, the kind of guy who can throw a team on his shoulders (he can also make you want to throw your shoe at the TV, but less and less).

So... here we go. Down the stretch ... home against Clemson, at Va. Tech, home against Duke, then at UVa to close it out before the ACC tournament. 2-2 will be good enough. 3-1 would be great. 4-0... and Maryland could earn a 3-seed.

The last chapter for Greivis Vasquez and company has yet to be written in Maryland basketball history. The view from here says we are going to do some celebrating this March. I'm looking for 12-4 in the league, a finals appearance in the ACC tournament, and a run to the Sweet 16. That would make for a GREAT year, top 25 or not.

Quick Reality Check

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:42:00 +0000

It's Feb. 19th and Maryland has five ACC games left:

Home vs. Ga. Tech, Clemson and Duke
At VT, at UVa.

Let's take them one at a time:
Ga. Tech - should win that one. GT is just OK, a .500 ACC team and has been sliding lately.

Clemson - see Ga. Tech.

at VTech - Hokes are 21-4 and tough at home. We are probably going to lose.

Duke - we ought to beat Duke at home. That would be the only marquee win we'd have. We have no other good wins. The only team Maryland has beat that will probably be in the NCAAs is Florida State. The rest of their wins are against the bottom half of the league (NC State twice, UVa, Miami, UNC, and Boston College).

at UVa - should win that one.

Best case - 12-4
Worst case - 10-6
Mostly likely 11-5 - best ACC record since Drew Nicholas and Steve Blake were seniors, that's 7 years ago.

Are they legit?
Not really. But you know what? They are legitimately pretty good, if that makes sense. Much better than last year, even though this year's ACC is very weak. Worst overall ACC I can remember in a very long time.

Greivis has been sublime at times. About 70 percent of the time. Which is great.

Best quality about this team is that when they get up on a team, they pummel them and put them away, very few Md. teams have ever really done that.

Terps already have 8 ACC wins and And last year, god love Dave Neal and all, but when Dave Neal is the starting center on your team and you play in a good ACC, I'm sorry, but you suck.
Go Terps.

Terps are Playing Great Ball Right Now, but I Still Have Some Questions

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:48:00 +0000

Some Questions following Maryland 81 Miami 59 (and it wasn't that close)

Is Maryland really legit?
Can they keep this going?
Have they beaten anyone yet who is really good?
Is this the best stretch of Terps basketball since the 2006-2007 team won its last 7 in a row in the ACC?
Does the ACC stink this year?
Will Gary Williams ever get a technical for standing on the court during the game?
Anyone know what this says?
Is there a better finisher around the rack than Adrian Bowie?
Is Greivis finally more productive than annoying?
Is Sean Mosley not a bad man?
Is Jordan Williams the next Ben Coleman?
Will Maryland win at Clemson on Sunday?
Does anyone like Sunday night basketball?
ESPNU?
Is Greivis an NBA player?
Should Maryland be ranked, even if they lose at Clemson on Sunday?
Has anyone seen my navy blue 1997 Cadillac NFL Golf Classic fleece?
If Maryland wins at Clemson on Sunday, how high should they be ranked?
Does it bother Gary that no one makes eye contact with him when he turns around and yells at the bench?
Isn't it wonderful to see the Terps get leads, build leads, and put teams away?
Who are these guys?

The Makings of a "Pretty Good" Team

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 18:52:00 +0000

Maryland basketball is pretty good this year. They are not great, they are not miserable. They are pretty good. After the convincing win up at BC yesterday, the Terps are now 11-5 overall and 2-1 in the ACC; a league that appears to be down overall this season.

As for Maryland, give the team credit for going up to Boston and taking care of business against a team the Terps said appeared "disinterested" in their post game assessments. The Eagles aren't very good this year and do not count as a marquee win - but an ACC win is an ACC win and Maryland will take each and every one they can get.

After the home loss to William & Mary, I predicted Maryland would go 4-12 this season in the ACC and I now must admit that I was wrong. They aren't that bad. The ACC isn't that good. Maryland can easily put together a 9-7 or 10-6 campaign and earn a bid to the tournament, especially if they keep playing with the passion and hustle they've shown since the start of the league season.

I do have a hard time understanding how it is possible for Maryland to lose at home to William & Mary, but pershaps that loss will continue to serve as a reminder for the rest of the year that the Terps aren't good enough to loaf to a win. BC loafed yesterday and got absolutely pummeled by the Terps.

It was great to see a more balanced scoring attack, especially the punch off the bench from Adrian Bowie - Maryland's best finisher around the rack since Drew Nicholas -- who scored 15; and Cliff Tucker, who looked like a big-time player yesterday with 14 points. Time will tell if Maryland basketball can reassert itself as a formidable program, but suffice to say that this will not be the year it all goes wrong. The Terps are pretty good. We'll see how far that gets them.

It's Official - Juan Dixon to Spain

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 18:40:00 +0000

From the Euroleague website:

Unicaja lands guard Juan Dixon

One day after the end of the regular season, Unicaja announced the addition of guard Juan Dixon (191, 31) for theremainder of the season. Dixon arrived from Aris BSA 2003, where he was playing until last month. In Eurocup action, Dixon averaged 14.3 points, 4.3 boards and 2.8 assists in 4 appearances in over 27 minutes per game. Before Aris, he was in Washington in the NBA, where he averaged 5.2 points and 2.4 assists in 50 games last season. For his career, Dixon produced 8.4 points and 1.8 assists in 436 games with Portland, Toronto, Detroit and Washington. His best season came during the 2005-06 campaign, when he averaged 12.3 points and 2 assists in 76 games for Portland. Dixon first made a name for himself playing college basketball at the University of Maryland, where he was a teammate of current Euroleague stars Drew Nicholas of Panathinaikos and Terence Morris of Regal FC Barcelona as well as big man Lonny Baxter of Eurocup side Besiktas. Dixon was one of the greatest players in the school’s history. He led the Terrapins to the 2002 NCAA championship, earning NCAA Tournament MVP and Atlantic Coast Association Player of the Year honors along the way. He is still Maryland’s career scoring leader with 2,269. Dixon will make his Euroleague debut with Unicaja with the start of the Top 16.

Dixon's Next Stop - Spanish League?

noreply@blogger.com (Greg Abel) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 21:37:00 +0000

After being released by Greek team Aris, looks like Maryland's all-time leading scorer Juan Dixon might be headed to Unicaja of the Spanish League.

This would be a good move on a couple of fronts. First, Juan needs a job. Second, Unicaja is in the Euroleague, which is at the top of the pecking order when it comes to European basketball.

Here's a link to a story in a Spanish paper, La Opinion de Malaga.

The caption for the photo of Juan reads:
"Juan Dixon, a former NBA, is number 1 on the list to strengthen the roster of Unicaja"

And here's the English translation of the article (via Google translator, excuse the typos):
AFAEL M GUERRA. Vitoria Unicaja wants to close over the next few days the addition of Juan Dixon, a shooter to strengthen the staff and try to stop the bad gameplay and results. The sporting director Juanma Rodriguez, will try to finish off today and tomorrow's arrival of the escort to the end of the season, once the Efes Pilsen has said he does not want to dispense with Igor Rakocevic, Aito great goal and 'chiefs' of The Guindos to change the team dynamics.
It will not be the only operation that has to do. The club will communicate to Shammond Williams will not renew his contract and that, therefore, from this week ended their contractual relationship with Unicaja. The club will sign a point guard to replace the U.S. with Georgian passport. On his replacement has not been much progress and there are different options on the table.
The operation itself is well on that of Juan Dixon. The sacrifice, as is 'vox populi', will be Taquan Dean. Aito Garcia Reneses has lost confidence in the U.S., to be 'cut' when the talks bear fruit that the entity has already undertaken with Dixon.
The aim is that the former NBA is in Malaga for the premiere of the second round league, next Sunday in Fuenlabrada. Dixon, a converted basis to guard, very scorer, 31, joined to the end of season for Unicaja. The 'Brownie' is free, after last week dissociated Aris Thessaloniki, and is enthusiastic about the idea of playing the ACB and the Euroleague with Unicaja.
Dixon, a base-guard. Born on 9 October 1978 in Baltimore (Maryland), Dixon is an emergency solution to alleviate the crisis. Unicaja has discarded other possibilities, since they had the required quality. And yes shooters who liked Aito Garcia Reneses had no contract and the clubs have agreed to free them. These are cases, as we reported yesterday, Igor Rakocevic and Charles Smith of the Ottoman Efes Pilsen.
Dixon has no experience in the ACB, one of the requirements requested by Aito, but his impressive career and his brief experience in European basketball represent insufficient guarantees.
Dixon has played 436 games in the NBA, averaging 8.4 points and 1.8 assists. It was 'drafted' by the Washington Wizards in 2002, being elected in the first round in 17th place. After playing in Washington, Portland, Toronto and Detroit, returned last year the franchise back to the capital.
This season he found a good contract in the NBA and decided to pack up and start heading for the first time in his career, to Europe. The Greek Aris Thessaloniki tempted him and accepted the offer from helena Dixon. However, it has come to fruition and terminated his contract last week.
Dixon is a 'gamer', a very fast and electric, very talented offensive, good long distance shot and excellent penetrator with both hands. Unicaja must act quickly if it wants to, because in recent days there has been speculation that the Caja Laboral is interested in recruiting him.
If incorporating fruits Dixon, the club will disenroll Taquan Dean, shall indemnify, assume the error that led to its recruitment and pass page. Then Shammond will do the same with Williams. The base signed to replace another 'temporary', Pooh Jeter, their performance has fallen sharply in recent weeks. The entity must now renew the player until the end of course and decided not to execute that option. Going to 'cut' and will also pay an incorporation, in addition to Dixon.
To strengthen the base station there is still no specific names on the table, and yes many alternatives. One of them, without going any further, embodies the basic Singletary, who will 'cut' by the Education Fund this week. Many fronts, two signings, two outputs and a future ahead. Unicaja has launched the Operation Resurrection '.