Bagels & Biscuits

It's Baseball Season...

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 19:56:00 +0000

Sorry we've been MIA for so long. For me, work has been crazy the past few weeks. I've been sick. And some family was visiting from out of town. Hopefully we can get back into the flow of posting regularly again.

Anyway, with that, I've decided to post my predictions for the upcoming baseball season, which starts tonight at 8 p.m. EDT as the Mets take on the Cardinals in a battle of two of the better teams in the National League. Since every so-called "expert" predicts division winners, playoff series and award winners before the season, why can't I? Well, I can. So here it goes (but I'm going to predict the entire finish of divisions, not just division winners).

AL East
1. New York
2. Boston
3. Toronto
4. Baltimore
5. Tampa Bay

AL Central
1. Detroit
2. Chicago
3. Minnesota
4. Cleveland
5. Kansas City

AL West
1. Los Angeles
2. Oakland
3. Texas
4. Seattle

NL East
1. New York
2. Atlanta
3. Philadelphia
4. Florida
5. Washington, D.C.

NL Central
1. St. Louis
2. Chicago
3. Houston
4. Milwaukee
5. Cincinnati
6. Pittsburgh

NL West
1. San Diego
2. Los Angeles
3. Arizona
4. San Francisco
5. Colorado

Wild Card Winners
AL: Boston
NL: Los Angeles

AL Division Playoffs
Detroit over Boston
Los Angeles over New York

NL Division Playoffs
New York over Los Angeles
St. Louis over San Diego

AL Championship
Detroit over Los Angeles

NL Championship
New York over St. Louis

World Series
New York over Detroit

I'm not really too sure about the playoffs, so don't trust my predictions on that. I think Chicago and Oakland in the AL and Atlanta and Philadelphia in the NL will have a shot at the wild card as well. San Diego and Los Angeles will come down to the wire again this year. St. Louis should be able to run away with the NL Central. The Mets will have a tough run, but repeat. The Yankees and Red Sox will come down to the final couple of weeks. Detroit will win the AL Central by 5+ games, and the teams finishing second through fourth will all be within four games of each other.

Your thoughts? Post them to the comments section!

FINAL PROJECTIONS - 5 p.m. EDT

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 21:00:00 +0000

Here are my final projections for the NCAA Tournament...

America East - Albany
Atlantic 10 - George Washington, Xavier
ACC - North Carolina, Boston College, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Duke, Maryland, Georgia Tech
Atlantic Sun - Belmont
Big 12 - Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech
Big East - Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Notre Dame, Villanova, Louisville, Syracuse
Big Sky - Weber State
Big South - Winthrop
Big 10 - Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Indiana, Illinois, Purdue
Big West - Long Beach State
Colonial - Virginia Commonwealth, Old Dominion, Drexel
Conference USA - Memphis
Horizon - Wright State, Butler
Ivy - Pennsylvania
Metro Atlantic Athletic - Niagra
Mid-Continent - Oral Roberts
Mid-America - Miami (Ohio)
Mid-Eastern Athletic - Florida A&M
Missouri Valley - Creighton, Southern Illinois
Mountain West - Nevada-Las Vegas, Brigham Young
Northeast - Central Connecticut State
Ohio Valley - Eastern Kentucky
Pacific-1o - Oregon, UCLA, Arizona, Washington State, Southern California
Patriot - Holy Cross
Southeastern - Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Southern - Davidson
Southland - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Southwest Athletic - Jackson State
Sun Belt - North Texas
West Coast - Gonzaga
Western Athletic - New Mexico State, Nevada

Five Teams I wouldn't be at all surprised to see in the bracket:
Kansas State
Florida State
Missouri State
Air Force
Stanford

If the selection committee favors the big conferences, Old Dominion and Drexel could be in serious trouble.

Bubble Update: Sunday 3:05 p.m. EDT

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 18:58:00 +0000

Purdue can breathe a sigh of relief...North Carolina State's run fell short in the ACC Championship. North Carolina wrapped up a No. 1 see with the win.

Bubble Update: Sunday, 2:30 p.m. EDT

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 18:36:00 +0000

Update to the bubble...not much change...I am removing Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Arkansas from the bubble. I would be shocked to see any of those three in the tournament.

Final Six In:
1. Old Dominion
2. Georgia Tech
3. Texas Tech
4. Illinois
5. Drexel
6. Purdue

First Five Out:
1. Kansas State
2. Florida State
3. Missouri State
4. Air Force
5. Stanford

NC State is within three of North Carolina right now, so that could spell trouble for Purdue.

I think your final six teams will come from this list of 11. Who knows, maybe all five I have out will be in and only one of the six I have in will make it.

The Ever Shifting Bubble

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 22:21:00 +0000

Through games at 5:20 p.m. EST here is how the bubble is changing...

Mississippi State and Michigan have fallen completely off. Arkansas is flying up fast, but still on the outside, looking in. Oklahoma State is winning early right now. A win over Texas could catapult them up the list. Kansas State played Kansas close, but lost. Arkansas's victory certainly doesn't help the Wildcats. Purdue's loss to Ohio State won't kill them. Nor would an Illinois loss to Wisconsin (though Illinois can't afford to get lown out here in the last nine minutes of the game).

So...

Final Six In:
1. Old Dominion
2. Georgia Tech
3. Illinois
4. Purdue
5. Drexel
6. Texas Tech

First Eight Out:
1. Missouri State
2. Florida State
3. Arkansas
4. Kansas State
5. Oklahoma State
6. Air Force
7. West Virginia
8. Stanford

But what do I know? I'm not on the selection committee. If I were on the selection committee this is how I would want it to play out, but of course there are many factors being discussed by the committee right now. That, and they have more information to work with than I have. But, this is my best guess as of 5:20 p.m. EST.

Seeding the Tournament

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 19:51:00 +0000

I've tried to once again seed the tournament...Here is what I've come up with...

East Rutherford Region
1. Florida
16. Niagra

8. Michigan State
9. Syracuse

4. Maryland
13. Wright State

5. Creighton
12. Gonzaga

3. Texas
14. Pennsylvania

6. Virginia Tech
11. Drexel

7. Louisville
10. Xavier

2. Wisconsin
15. Delaware State

St. Louis Region
1. Ohio State
16. Central Connecticut State/Mississippi Valley State

8. Virginia
9. Vanderbilt

4. Washington State
13. New Mexico State

5. Notre Dame
12. George Washington

3. Pittsburgh
14. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

6. Boston College
11. Texas Tech

7. Kentucky
10. Illinois

2. Memphis
15. Albany

San Jose Region
1. North Carolina
16. North Texas

8. Villanova
9. Arizona

4. Nevada
13. Holy Cross

5. BYU
12. Winthrop

3. Southern Illinois
14. Long Beach State

6. Marquette
11. Purdue

7. Duke
10. Virginia Commonwealth

2. UCLA
15. Eastern Kentukcy

San Antonio Region
1. Kansas
16. Weber State

8. Butler
9. Indiana

4. Oregon
13. Akron

5. UNLV
12. Davidson

3. Texas A&M
14. Oral Roberts

6. Tennessee
11. Georgia Tech

7. Southern California
10. Old Dominion

2. Georgetown
15. Belmont

NCAA Tournament Projections: The Day Before

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 15:40:00 +0000

Selection Sunday is tomorrow! So let’s jump right into the fray here and let you know what is going on. I am going to change up the look so you can see all the bubble teams together (just a reminder, automatic bids are given to the highest team left in the tournament).

Bubble teams are really sweating it out now that both Xavier (Atlantic 10) and Nevada (Western Athletic) both lost in their respective semifinals. Both of those conferences would have been one-bid conferences had those teams won. Now, they are likely to be two-bid conferences stealing precious at-large space.

One-Bid Conferences (18):
America East: Vermont
Atlantic Sun: Belmont
Big Sky: Weber State
Big South: Winthrop
Big West: Long Beach State
Ivy: Pennsylvania
Metro Atlantic Athletic: Niagra
Mid Continent: Oral Roberts
Mid-America: Akron
Mid-Eastern Athletic: Delaware State
Northeast: Central Connecticut State
Ohio Valley: Eastern Kentucky
Patriot: Holy Cross
Southern: Davidson
Southland: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Southwest Athletic: Mississippi Valley State
Sunbelt: North Texas
West Coast Conference: Gonzaga

The following are one-bid conferences assuming the top seed wins.

Conference USA (1): Memphis

Now for the rest of the conferences (total current bids in parenthesis):

Atlantic 10 (2):
Automatic Bid: George Washington
Lock(s): Xavier
Bubble In: None
Bubble Out: None

Atlantic Coast Conference (7):
Automatic Bid: North Carolina
Lock(s): Boston College, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Maryland
Bubble In: Georgia Tech
Bubble Out: Florida State

Big 12 (4):
Automatic Bid: Kansas
Lock(s): Texas A&M, Texas
Bubble In: Texas Tech
Bubble Out: Kansas State

Big East (7):
Automatic Bid: Georgetown
Lock(s): Marquette, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Villanova, Louisville, Syracuse
Bubble In: None
Bubble Out: West Virginia

Big Ten (6):
Automatic Bid: Ohio State
Lock(s): Wisconsin, Michigan State, Indiana
Bubble In: Illinois, Purdue
Bubble Out: Michigan

Colonial Athletic (3):
Automatic Bid: Virginia Commonwealth
Lock(s): None
Bubble In: Old Dominion, Drexel
Bubble Out: None

Horizon (2):
Automatic Bid: Wright State
Lock(s): Butler
Bubble In: None
Bubble Out: None

Missouri Valley (2):
Automatic Bid: Creighton
Lock(s): Southern Illinois
Bubble In: None
Bubble Out: Missouri State

Mountain West (2):
Automatic Bid: BYU
Lock(s): UNLV
Bubble In: None
Bubble Out: Air Force

Pacific-10 (5):
Automatic Bid: Oregon
Lock(s): UCLA, USC, Arizona, Washington State
Bubble In: None
Bubble Out: Stanford

Southeastern (4):
Automatic Bid: Florida
Lock(s): Kentucky, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Bubble In: None
Bubble Out: Arkansas, Mississippi State

Western Athletic (2):
Automatic Bid: New Mexico State
Lock(s): Nevada
Bubble In: None
Bubble Out: None

They way I figure it, there are six spots still left on the bubble with 16 teams fighting for those spots. That means a ton of possibilities over the next couple of days. Here is how I am breaking down the bubble:

Ranking the Final Six on the Inside:
1 Old Dominion
2 Illinois
3 Purdue
4 Georgia Tech
5 Drexel
6 Texas Tech

Ranking the 10 Teams on the Outside:
1 Missouri State
2 Florida State
3 Kansas State
4 Oklahoma State
5 Air Force
6 West Virginia
7 Stanford
8 Arkansas
9 Michigan
10 Mississippi State

With Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Arkansas and Mississippi State still in their respective conference tournaments, they have the biggest opportunity to jump up or down in the final rankings.

ESPN can throw its weight around

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer Sabin) — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 05:29:00 +0000

IF NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is watching ESPN's SportsCenter right now, he's probably gritting his teeth. Maybe he's cursing under his breath. Or punching the wall.

Regardless of what he may be doing to vent his anger, he's probably not happy. And the source of his rage may have a lot to do with those clips of indoor football stealing valuable seconds from those few-and-far-between hockey highlights.
Bettman has seen how ESPN can giveth and taketh away.

The cable network, located in Bristol, Conn., has become sports' biggest superpower. Bigger than the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Lakers or Dallas Cowboys. Bigger than any of the leagues it has brokered deals with to televise their games. Bigger than perhaps ABC — a television giant in its own right that carries the ESPN logo on any athletic event it broadcasts.

ESPN is so influential it can sway the masses to stop paying attention to one sport and focus on another.

Remember when the last time the NHL was relevant?

Try May 27, 2005.

That was the day before ESPN declined the option to televise games for the upcoming hockey season and ended its agreement with the struggling league. The end of the NHL's relationship with the network came on the heels of a labor dispute between the players and owners that led to the cancellation of the previous season.

The NHL has since stuck a deal with Versus, which was formerly known as the Outdoor Life Network, to bring its product into homes across the nation. But it hasn't been the same for the NHL. While ESPN continues as a juggernaut, the NHL has been marginalized. It's hard to even classify hockey as one of the four major sports anymore.

Meanwhile, ESPN has tried to bolster the popularity of the Arena Football League, which it has owned a minority stake in since last December. Suddenly, clips of games that would never have never appeared on the network's most prominent program — SportsCenter — are being shown.

So are lengthy packages on the AFL's most prominent stars. It won't be surprising that in the coming years if the AFL gains a stronger foothold in the cluttered sports landscape.

In fact, with ESPN behind it, it would be more shocking if it didn't.
Gary Bettman knows this all too well. And he can't do anything about it.

Photo Source: www.cbc.ca

NCAA Tournament Projections: Midweek Notes

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 20:26:00 +0000

I just wanted to make some changes to the back end of the NCAA Tournament. I have figured there are nine at-large bids still up for grabs (assuming no big conference tournament upsets – which of course is probably going to happen). But until there are conference tournament upsets, here are the final nine teams I have in the tournament, followed by the list of teams that are still under consideration for an at-large bid, but need to perform well at the end of the regular season an in their respective conference tournaments. I was able to make the first eight decisions pretty quickly. The ninth was really difficult and had me thinking to myself, if they didn’t have that damn play-in game, getting to 64 teams is easy.

Teams 57-64 (in no particular order): Texas Tech, Syracuse, Old Dominion, Drexel, Creighton, Missouri State, Stanford, Illinois
Team 65: Oklahoma State
Team 66: West Virginia
Teams 67-76 (in no particular order): Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Georgia, Kansas State, Purdue, Michigan, Bradley, San Diego State

I will work on new seedings and pairings soon.

NCAA Tournament Seedings

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 17:20:00 +0000

All right. Here is my first crack at trying to seed teams for the NCAA Tournament. I'm sure I've missed something as there are a few rules when seeding, such as conference opponents cannot play each other in the first couple of rounds. So I've attempted to follow that, and hopefully I've created matchups that follow NCAA Tournament rules in terms of the pairings. At very least I've given each team a seed 1-16 (whether they end in that exact matchup or region is another story all together).

I started by ranking the teams 1-65, which was difficult by itself. Than I snaked through the seedings for each four regions. From there, I tried to move a few teams around to make pairings follow NCAA guidelines, and hopefully I pulled that part off.

Anyway, here are the projected seeds and match ups.

East Rutherford Region
1. North Carolina
16. Weber State

8. Illinois
9. Villanova

4. Kentucky
13. Vermont

5. Arizona
12. Davidson

3. Pittsburgh
14. Toledo

6. UNLV
11. Old Dominion

7. Maryland
10. Stanford

2. Texas A&M
15 . Marist

St. Louis Region
1. Ohio State
16. South Alabama

8. Virginia
9. Vanderbilt

4. Butler
13. Pennsylvania

5. Air Force
12. Kansas State

3. Memphis
14. Long Beach State

6. Notre Dame
11. Virginia Commonwealth

7. BYU
10. USC

2. Kansas
15. East Tennessee State

San Jose Region
1. UCLA
16. Central Connecticut State/Mississippi Valley State

8. Creighton
9. Xavier

4. Duke
13. Bucknell

5. Tennessee
12. West Virginia

3. Washington State
14. Oral Roberts

6. Texas
11. Winthrop

7. Indiana
10. Missouri State

2. Georgetown
15. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

San Antonio Region
1. Wisconsin
16. Austin Peay

8. Marquette
9. Oregon

4. Nevada
13. Santa Clara

5. Boston College
12. Alabama

3. Southern Illinois
14. Wright State

6. Virginia Tech
11. Texas Tech

7. Michigan State
10. Louisville

2. Florida
15. Delaware State

If you want to see who is in and who is on the bubble broken down by conference, just scroll down to the post below. Who have I seeded too high? Who is seeded too low? Thoughts? Comments? Post them below!

NCAA Tournament Projections: Week 6

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Sun, 25 Feb 2007 15:18:00 +0000

We are just a couple of weeks away from Selection Sunday. Conference tournaments start this week and its time for teams to scramble for another good win or two, or maybe even a Cinderella run through the conference tournament so they can go dancing in the middle of March. Who’s in? Who’s out? Well, here is the sixth installment of our NCAA Tournament projections.

Just a reminder, automatic bids are given to the team currently leading the conference.

Let’s start with conferences that will absolutely be getting only one bid (these teams need to maintain their spots at the top to make the dance):
America East: Vermont
Atlantic Sun: East Tennessee State
Big Sky: Weber State
Big West: Long Beach State
Ivy: Pennsylvania
Metro Atlantic Athletic: Marist
Mid Continent: Oral Roberts
Mid-America: Toledo
Mid-Eastern Athletic: Delaware State
Northeast: Central Connecticut State
Ohio Valley: Austin Peay
Patriot: Bucknell
Southern: Davidson
Southland: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Southwest Athletic: Mississippi Valley State
Sunbelt: South Alabama

The following conferences will be one-bid conferences if the current leader wins the conference. If the current leader does not win the conference tournament, they are potentially two-bid conferences.

Big South: Winthrop
Conference USA: Memphis
Western Athletic: Nevada

Now for the rest of the conferences (total current bids in parenthesis):

Atlantic 10 (1):
In – Xavier (automatic bid)
On the Bubble – Massachusetts

Atlantic Coast Conference (6):
In – North Carolina (automatic bid), Boston College, Duke, Virginia Tech, Maryland, Virginia
On the Bubble – Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida State

Big 12 (5):
In – Kansas (automatic bid), Texas A&M, Texas, Texas Tech, Kansas State
On the Bubble – Oklahoma State

Big East (7):
In – Georgetown (automatic bid), Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Villanova, Louisville
On the Bubble – Syracuse

Big Ten (5):
In – Wisconsin (automatic bid), Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan State, Illinois
On the Bubble – Purdue, Michigan

Colonial Athletic (2):
In – Virginia Commonwealth (automatic bid), Old Dominion
On the Bubble – Drexel

Horizon (2):
In – Wright State (automatic bid), Butler
On the Bubble – None

Missouri Valley (3):
In – Southern Illinois (automatic bid), Creighton, Missouri State
On the Bubble – Bradley

Mountain West (3):
In – BYU (automatic bid), UNLV, Air Force
On the Bubble – San Diego State

Pacific-10 (6):
In – UCLA (automatic bid), Oregon, Washington State, USC, Arizona, Stanford
On the Bubble – None

Southeastern (5):
In – Florida (automatic bid), Kentucky, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Tennessee
On the Bubble – Georgia

West Coast Conference (1):
In – Santa Clara (automatic bid)
On the Bubble – Gonzaga

Final Four In: Texas Tech, Alabama, West Virginia, Kansas State
First Four Out: Oklahoma State, San Diego State, Purdue, Georgia Tech

I am going to attempt to seed them today and post that later. Not sure how it will go since it is my first time seeding this year, so check back later today to see who gets what seed.

What team did I miss? What team doesn’t deserve to be on the list? We want to know what you think. Post your comments below. Do us a favor and click on a Google Ad on the sidebar as well. It’ll only take 10 seconds.

NCAA Tournament Projections: Week 5

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 18:24:00 +0000

The projections are continuing to change. As the regular season starts to wind down things are shaking out and teams on the bubble are falling fast. But, there are still plenty of teams jockeying for one of the final coveted spots in the Big Dance.

Just a reminder, automatic bids are given to the team currently leading the conference.

Let’s start with conferences that will absolutely be getting only one bid (these teams need to maintain their spots at the top to make the dance):

America East: Vermont
Atlantic Sun: East Tennessee State
Big Sky: Weber State
Big South: Winthrop
Big West: Long Beach State
Ivy: Pennsylvania
Metro Atlantic Athletic: Marist
Mid Continent: Oral Roberts
Mid-America: Akron
Mid-Eastern Athletic: Delaware State
Northeast: Central Connecticut State
Ohio Valley: Austin Peay
Patriot: Holy Cross
Southern: Davidson
Southland: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Southwest Athletic: Jackson State
Sunbelt: South Alabama

The following conferences will be one-bid conferences if the current leader wins the conference. If the current leader does not win the conference tournament, they are likely to be two-bid conferences.

Conference USA: Memphis
Western Athletic: Nevada

Now for the rest of the conferences (total current bids in parenthesis):

Atlantic 10 (2):
In – Rhode Island (automatic bid), Xavier
On the Cusp – None
Long Climb Ahead – Massachusetts

Atlantic Coast Conference (7):
In – North Carolina (automatic bid), Boston College, Duke, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Maryland, Virginia
On the Cusp – Florida State
Long Climb Ahead – Georgia Tech

Big 12 (5):
In – Texas A&M (automatic bid), Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State
On the Cusp – Texas Tech
Long Climb Ahead – None

Big East (6):
In – Pittsburgh (automatic bid), Marquette, Notre Dame, Georgetown, West Virginia, Villanova
On the Cusp – Louisville
Long Climb Ahead – Syracuse, Providence

Big Ten (5):
In – Wisconsin (automatic bid), Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan State, Illinois
On the Cusp – Purdue
Long Climb Ahead – Michigan

Colonial Athletic (1):
In – Virginia Commonwealth (automatic bid)
On the Cusp – Old Dominion
Long Climb Ahead – Hofstra, Drexel

Horizon (2):
In – Wright State (automatic bid), Butler
On the Cusp – None
Long Climb Ahead – None

Missouri Valley (3):
In – Southern Illinois (automatic bid), Creighton, Bradley
On the Cusp – Missouri State
Long Climb Ahead – None

Mountain West (3):
In – BYU (automatic bid), UNLV, Air Force
On the Cusp – None
Long Climb Ahead – None

Pacific-10 (6):
In – UCLA (automatic bid), Oregon, Washington State, USC, Arizona, Stanford
On the Cusp – None
Long Road Ahead – None

Southeastern (5):
In – Florida (automatic bid), Kentucky, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Tennessee
On the Cusp – Georgia, Arkansas
Long Road Ahead – Mississippi

West Coast Conference (1):
In – Santa Clara (automatic bid)
On the Cusp – Gonzaga
Long Road Ahead – None

Final Four In: Kansas State, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Illinois
First Four Out: Purdue, Texas Tech, Missouri State, Louisville

What team did I miss? What team doesn’t deserve to be on the list? We want to know what you think. Post your comments below.

Top 10

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 17:10:00 +0000

Quick, name all the colleges and universities that have had both their men’s and women’s basketball teams reach the top 10 in the Associated Press’s poll over the past two seasons?

Some hints:

Only 20 different women’s teams have been in the top 10 over the past two seasons, while 35 men’s teams have made it into the top 10 during that stretch. Now among that group of schools, only 10 have seen both their men’s and women’s teams ranked for at least one week in the top 10 since the first poll of the 2005-2006 season. And, yes there is one school that had its men’s team make the top 10 for one week and is thus included in the list. One women’s also reached No. 10 in the rankings to qualify its school for the list.

More clues needed?

Among the 10, nine are from BCS-conference schools. Yes, that’s right there is one school that isn’t from one of the major conferences. Oh, and of the six major conferences, only the Pac-10 failed to have a school ranked in both top 10s.

Two schools have both their men’s and women’s teams achieve the top ranking in the nation at some point over the past two seasons.

All right, enough with the clues, here’s the list (with the top ranking achieved by both the men and women)…

Connecticut
Women: 4, Men: 1

Duke
Women: 1, Men: 1

George Washington
Women: 8, Men: 6

LSU
Women: 2, Men 5

Michigan State
Women: 9, Men: 5

North Carolina
Women: 1, Men: 1

Ohio State
Women: 2, Men: 2

Oklahoma
Women: 3, Men: 5

Tennessee
Women: 1, Men: 8

Texas A&M
Women: 10, Men: 6

Oh, and if you were wondering, the Tennessee men and the Texas A&M women were the two schools that only made it into the top 10 for one week to qualify for this list.

Surprised by any school on the list? Any college you would’ve expected to see on the list that wasn’t there? Post your comments below and tell what you think about these school and which teams could be added to the list in the near future, if any.

NCAA Tournament Projections: Week 4

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Sun, 11 Feb 2007 20:18:00 +0000

The projections are continuing to change. As the regular season starts to wind down things are shaking out and teams on the bubble are falling fast. But, there are still plenty of teams jockeying for one of the final coveted spots in the Big Dance.

Just a reminder, automatic bids are given to the team currently leading the conference.

Let’s start with conferences that will absolutely be getting only one bid (these teams need to maintain their spots at the top to make the dance):
America East: Vermont
Atlantic Sun: East Tennessee State
Big Sky: Weber State
Big South: Winthrop
Big West: Long Beach State
Ivy: Pennsylvania
Metro Atlantic Athletic: Marist
Mid Continent: Oral Roberts
Mid-America: Akron
Mid-Eastern Athletic: Delaware State
Northeast: Central Connecticut State
Ohio Valley: Austin Peay
Patriot: Holy Cross
Southern: Davidson
Southland: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Southwest Athletic: Mississippi Valley St.
Sunbelt: South Alabama

There are four conferences that would be one-bid conferences depending on who wins the tournament. If the NCAA Tournament was to start today, three of those teams are leading their conference, while one has fallen to second place. So as of now, from these four conferences, five teams would make the NCAA Tournament. Wright State is currently holding up a spot that would certainly go to someone else. Memphis, Butler and Nevada will make it as at-large teams if they cannot win their respective conference tournaments. Gonzaga would be on the bubble.

Conference USA: Memphis
Horizon: Wright State (automatic bid), Butler (at large)
West Coast: Gonzaga
Western Athletic: Nevada

Now for the rest of the conferences (total current bids in parenthesis):

Atlantic 10 (2):
In – Massachusetts (automatic bid), Xavier
On the Cusp – None
Long Climb Ahead – None

Atlantic Coast Conference (7):
In – North Carolina (automatic bid), Boston College, Duke, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Florida State, Virginia
On the Cusp – Maryland
Long Climb Ahead – Georgia Tech

Big 12 (5):
In – Texas A&M (automatic bid), Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State
On the Cusp – Texas Tech
Long Climb Ahead – None

Big East (6):
In – Pittsburgh (automatic bid), Marquette, Notre Dame, Georgetown, West Virginia, Villanova
On the Cusp – Syracuse, Providence
Long Climb Ahead – Louisville

Big Ten (5):
In – Wisconsin (automatic bid), Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan State, Illinois
On the Cusp – Michigan
Long Climb Ahead – Purdue

Colonial Athletic (1):
In – Virginia Commonwealth (automatic bid)
On the Cusp – Drexel
Long Climb Ahead – Hofstra, Old Dominion

Missouri Valley (3):
In – Southern Illinois (automatic bid), Creighton, Missouri State
On the Cusp – Bradley
Long Climb Ahead – None

Mountain West (3):
In – BYU (automatic bid), UNLV, Air Force
On the Cusp – None
Long Climb Ahead – None

Pacific-10 (6):
In – UCLA (automatic bid), Oregon, Washington State, USC, Arizona, Stanford
On the Cusp – None
Long Road Ahead – None

Southeastern (5):
In – Florida (automatic bid), Kentucky, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Tennessee
On the Cusp – Georgia
Long Road Ahead – Arkansas

Final Six In: Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, USC, Michigan State, Illinois, Xavier
First Six Out: Georgia, Bradley, Drexel, Providence, Texas Tech, Maryland

What team did I miss? What team doesn’t deserve to be on the list? We want to know what you think. Post your comments below.

Current stare of Italian soccer? Brutto.

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer Sabin) — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 02:04:00 +0000

As much as Italians were thrilled their national team's triumph in the last World Cup, they must be equally despondent about all of the problems their country's domestic league has encountered in the last 12 months.

On Thursday, Serie A received another black eye when the Italian Soccer Federation ruled that only six stadiums meet the minimum security standards that have been put in place.

In turn, officials have authorized the closing of 25 open arenas that have been deemed unsafe, which means fans in certain cities will be prevented from watching their favorite teams play on match days. The reason for the draconian decision?

A police officer was killed by a spectator last Friday in Sicily.
These are dark days in Italian soccer. For years we have heard about the financial problems that have afflicted certain clubs. But it's only until recently that the integrity of the sport itself was called into question.

Just last summer, four of Serie A's most powerful clubs — A.C. Milan, Juventus, Fiorentina and Lazio — were involved in a major match-fixing scandal. Juventus, the main perpetrator, was punished by being relegated to a lower division. Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina were all docked points for the upcoming season.

Not long after the details of the malfeasance were revealed, there was a mass exodus of international stars, who weren't exactly keen about sticking around to see how this whole mess would turn out.

Ukrainian striker extraordinaire Andriy Shevchencko waved goodbye to Milan and bolted for the English Premiership. Fabio Cannavaro, FIFA's World Player of the Year, left Juventus for Real Madrid.

Long accused of being a top-heavy league, Serie A now lacks great competition even among its elite teams. Inter, which was not involved in the scandal, has yet to lose a match this season and now holds an 11-point advantage over its next closest rival, Roma.

But is anyone watching?

As most of the stadiums have closed their doors, more pages will be written in this sad chapter of Italian soccer. With no crowds cheering them on, players will run around in empty tombs. It will border on the surreal — much like everything these days that is associated with Italian soccer.

For one day, the speculation ends and reality sets in

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer Sabin) — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 05:41:00 +0000

For those who hate recruiting, National Signing Day should be celebrated. No more speculation about who will sign where. No more message-board debates about the attributes of an 18-year-old kid who is undecided about where he will attend college. No more articles hyping star athletes who still live with their parents.

Until, of course, tomorrow.

Here in the South — a region that is passionate about college football — fans seem more interested in reading about a prospect that could play for their favorite team than one who actually is.

Recruiting articles are devoured and people actually pay for access to Web sites that specialize in compiling information about high-school kids who play sports. It's a strange phenomenon. And it only seems to get bigger and more ridiculous in the digital age.

It would seem foolish for anyone to invest his time tracking teenagers who are trying to select the college or university of their choice. Probably half of them will end up competing against the school the fan supports. Some will never even play a down the next four years at any program.

Wouldn't it be more worthwhile to start paying attention to these players when they actually arrive on campus? Sure. But then fans wouldn't be allowed to indulge their fantasies. The reason why recruiting is followed with such passion is because of the hope it offers. It's why baseball junkies love to speculate about the moves teams will make in the offseason. Recruiting is college football's version of free agency. It allows programs to revamp their rosters and set a new course. And it provides the season-ticket holders the chance to dream.

We just need to sign this five-star player and we're set. If we get two top-ten recruiting classes in a row we should be competing for a national championship in no time. I can't wait to see who we end up with.

All of these are thoughts fans have during the recruiting process. Once Signing Day comes, the fun ends and reality sets in temporarily — that is until Thursday comes along. Just like that, the process begins again and hope springs anew. The new batch of prospects will be dissected and analyzed. They will be profiled. And they most certainly will be tracked.

The absurdity of it all never ceases to amaze.

Photo Source: USA Today

NCAA Tournament Projections: Week 3

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 18:01:00 +0000

Here it is – the third installment of our weekly NCAA Tournament projections. After another wild week, the projections have again been shaken up.

Just a reminder, automatic bids are given to the team currently leading the conference.

Let’s start with conferences that will absolutely be getting only one bid (these teams need to maintain their spots at the top to make the dance):
America East: Vermont
Atlantic Sun: East Tennessee State
Big Sky: Weber State
Big South: Winthrop
Big West: Long Beach State
Ivy: Yale
Metro Atlantic Athletic: Loyola (Md.)
Mid Continent: Oral Roberts
Mid-America: Akron
Mid-Eastern Athletic: Delaware State
Northeast: Central Connecticut State
Ohio Valley: Austin Peay
Patriot: Holy Cross
Southern: Davidson
Southland: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Southwest Athletic: Jackson State
Sunbelt: South Alabama

Now there are four conferences that are almost certainly only one bid conferences, assuming the team at the top of the standings now wins the conference tournament. Potential at-large teams will have to root like hell for these four teams, because if they don’t get their conferences automatic bids, they are likely to steal coveted at-large spots.

Conference USA: Memphis
Horizon: Butler
West Coast: Gonzaga
Western Athletic: Nevada

Now for the rest of the conferences (total current bids in parenthesis):

Atlantic 10 (1):
In – Rhode Island (automatic bid)
On the Cusp – Xavier
Long Climb Ahead – Massachusetts, George Washington

Atlantic Coast Conference (7):
In – Boston College (automatic bid), North Carolina, Duke, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Florida State, Virginia
On the Cusp – Maryland
Long Climb Ahead – Georgia Tech

Big 12 (6):
In – Texas A&M (automatic bid), Kansas, Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State
On the Cusp – None
Long Climb Ahead – None

Big East (7):
In – Pittsburgh (automatic bid), Marquette, Notre Dame, Georgetown, Syracuse, West Virginia, Villanova
On the Cusp – Providence, Louisville
Long Climb Ahead – None

Big Ten (5):
In – Wisconsin (automatic bid), Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan State, Illinois
On the Cusp – Michigan
Long Climb Ahead – None

Colonial Athletic (1):
In – Virginia Commonwealth (automatic bid)
On the Cusp – Drexel, Hofstra
Long Climb Ahead – Old Dominion

Missouri Valley (3):
In – Southern Illinois (automatic bid), Creighton, Missouri State
On the Cusp – Bradley, Northern Iowa
Long Climb Ahead – None

Mountain West (3):
In – Air Force (automatic bid), UNLV, BYU
On the Cusp – None
Long Climb Ahead – None

Pacific-10 (6):
In – UCLA (automatic bid), Oregon, Washington State, USC, Arizona, Stanford
On the Cusp – None
Long Road Ahead – None

Southeastern (5):
In – Florida (automatic bid), Kentucky, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Tennessee
On the Cusp –Georgia, Arkansas
Long Road Ahead – LSU

Final Six In: Syracuse, Illinois, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, Michigan State, Missouri State
Final Six Out: Arkansas, Maryland, Xavier, Georgia, Providence, Michigan

What team did I miss? What team doesn’t deserve to be on the list? We want to know what you think. Post your comments below.

Super Bowl Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 15:44:00 +0000

Yeah, I know I’m late to the game with my Super Bowl preview, but I figured I’d wait until today and contemplate this match up all week. First off, I think this game is going to be closer than the roughly seven-point spread, so if you are gambling, I suggest taking the Bears and the points (I make this prediction with a word of caution – I don’t really ever bet on sports, so take the prediction for what’s its worth: my opinion).

Here’s why I think this will be a close game…

When the Colts have the ball: Peyton Manning is clearly going to be the main offensive weapon as he is every game he steps onto the field. It’s a pretty simple formula, slow down (you can’t completely stop him) Peyton and you have a shot to win the game. You might think that means Brian Urlacher has to have a ridiculous game where he is disrupting pass after pass in the backfield, but that’s just not true. Urlacher had no sacks this season, so why would he have a bunch today? Urlacher just has to establish the middle of the field as his. He can’t let Joseph Addai and Dominick Rhodes break any big runs. Then, it’s the Bears front four to establish play in the Colts backfield to be effective. Alex Brown, Adewale Ogunleye and Mark Anderson combined for 25.5 sacks this season. That is impressive. They have to continue to bring a pass rush like that today; rushing and disrupting Manning, forcing him into errant passes.

The key for the Colts offense today is its offensive line. The five up front have to give Manning plenty of time to hit his receivers, and if they do that, the Colts have a great chance of winning.

Quite simply, which ever team can control the line in this match up has the biggest advantage of the day, and the inside track to a victory.

When the Bears have the ball: The key here is the Bears ability to establish the run. Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson combined for more than 1,800 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. The Bears tandem has to establish the run to take pressure off Rex Grossman. Time of possession that comes with establishing a solid running game also means less Peyton Manning on the field and that is always a good thing for Colts opponents. Grossman probably isn’t going to be a guy who will win the Super Bowl, but with a solid running game, opening up the play-action pass, Grossman will certainly have a chance to contribute to a victory.

Bob Sanders in the Colts playmaker in the secondary. He seems to have a nose for the ball, so expect him to be around the ball quite often today. If the Colts force a couple of turnovers today, Sanders is likely to be on the receiving end of a bad Grossman pass. Shutting down the Bears running game is the key for the Colts defense. Force Grossman to win the game through the air and the Colts defense could have a big day.

Special Teams: The most exciting return man in the NFL this season and the most clutch kicker potentially in the history of the league are playing in this game today. Devin Hester returned six kicks for touchdowns this season and there is a sense that anytime he catches a kick, he could return it. That creates an intimidating threat that Indianapolis could struggle with today as its kick coverage is subpar. The Colts might be best to avoid kicking to Hester whenever the opportunity presents itself.

If the game is close and a team needs a field goal, Vinatieri is the guy you want kicking. He has proven this time and again, so there is no reason to believe it wouldn’t happen again if the opportunity presents itself.

Players to watch:
Colts Offense: Tarik Glenn, Ryan Lilja, Jeff Saturday, Jake Scott and Ryan Diem
Colts Defense: Bob Sanders
Colts Special Team: Adam Vinatieri
Bears Offense: Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson
Bears Defense: Adewale Ogunleye, Alex Brown and Mark Anderson
Bears Special Team: Devin Hester

What does this all mean? It means the Colts are going to win the game 27-24.

Photo Sources: www.nfl.com, www.chicagobears.com, www.spokesmanreview.com

NCAA should give more teams a chance

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer Sabin) — Fri, 02 Feb 2007 07:24:00 +0000

Earlier this month, Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury said that Kentucky isn’t what it used to be, the aura surrounding the program is gone and the prospect of playing in Rupp Arena isn’t all that intimidating anymore. It’s hard to argue with him.

The Wildcats are not even ranked in the current Associated Press poll and are second in SEC Eastern Division standings. Right now, they are just another team fighting to make the NCAA Tournament.

In college basketball’s new landscape, Kentucky finds itself in an unsavory position. Like a bully who used to dominate the playground, in recent years Kentucky has watched the pint-size kids they used to pick on suddenly become bigger, stronger and more equipped to assert themselves.

But Kentucky is not alone. Other storied programs are also being challenged for supremacy or have already surrendered in the fight. Indiana is currently in the process of rebuilding. Arkansas is still recovering after falling on hard times. Georgetown hasn’t really come close to matching the success it achieved two decades ago.

At the same time these established powers have withered, teams like Gonzaga and Vanderbilt have climbed the ranks.
Suddenly, there are a lot of pretty good basketball teams out there. But are there many great ones?

Well, not exactly. Because of scholarship reductions and underclassmen fleeing for the professional ranks, parity has been achieved in college basketball. The days of seeing Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler playing alongside each other are virtually over. The talent pool is now more spread out.

So it now comes as no surprise when a mid-major school like Oral Roberts struts into Allen Fieldhouse and knocks off Kansas — not after George Mason takes down Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut to make it to the Final Four.
These “shocking” events are becoming more regular. They are no longer isolated.

Yet the NCAA Tournament’s field is virtually the same as it it was in 1985. Sixty-five teams instead of 64 now get a shot to play for a national championship.

Last year, the National Association of Basketball Coaches proposed that the number invited should double. But the same NCAA that allows so many undeserving programs to qualify for college football’s ill-conceived postseason balked at the suggestion.

In this case, like so many others, the NCAA dropped the ball. An expanded tournament would remove the possibility that a team with legitimate credentials could be left without an invitation because the dancehall has already achieved maximum occupancy.

Fans have seen this happen too many times before and each year the number of teams on the bubble seems to get bigger. It’s better to be inclusive than exclusive when the circumstances warrant it. And in this case, they do.

After all, even in an expanded tournament, college basketball’s version of natural selection has to take place. That’s the beauty of a tournament.

It gives the old kings of the playground an opportunity to asset their authority while giving the new kids on the block a chance to stake their claim as well. And in this new era of parity that’s what every team wants — a chance.

Image Source: espn.com.

Random NCAA Hoops Musings

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 22:55:00 +0000

It's been a few days since I posted my second round of NCAA Tournament projections and since then I am beginning to wonder if anyone wants the last couple of spots in the NCAA Tournament (well maybe there are a couple of teams). Here's a quick rundown of some major happenings on the bubble.

Monday
Delaware shocks Hofstra - Seriously, can a team lose a game like this and make the tournament (Delaware is 4-19)?

Pittsburgh beats Villanova - The Wildcats had a chance to make a real statement. They came close but close isn't good enough. 'Nova's RPI is still rock solid though.

Tuesday
Notre Dame beats Syracuse - Huge road win for the Irish. The Orangemen (yes, I'm still calling them the Orangemen) take a serious hit with this loss at home.

Wichita State beats Northern Iowa - The Shockers get a huge road win. The MVC is looking like it will probably get three bids, but who knows which three will be making an appearance.

Florida State beats Maryland - The Terps can't seem to win a road game. Not good.

Wake Forest beats Georgia Tech - The Yellow Jackets are fading fast.

Illinois beats Michigan State - A must-win game for the Illini and they deliver.

Wednesday
West Virginia beats Rutgers - The Mountaineers get another decent victory.

Duquesne beats Xavier - A game Xavier absolutely needed. This qualifies as a bad loss.

Hofstra beats Virginia Commonwealth - The only bubble team to make this list on the winning and losing ends. You try and figure out the Pride. I can't.

San Diego State beats TCU - Taking care of business on the road.

Iowa beats Michigan - Brutal home loss for the Wolverines.

Alabama beats LSU - Both teams were struggling. Alabama comes out with a clutch road victory, which has been a rarity in the SEC West this year.

DePaul beats Connecticut - The Huskies are fading real fast.

Kansas State beats Missouri - Solid win at home for the Wildcats.

For college hoops fans looking for some other good sources of material, Ken Pomeroy's site is a must (www.kenpom.com). I use it to look at RPI ratings and other great stats. If you're anti-BCS, check out The Mid-Majority (www.midmajority.com) and YoCo Hoops is pretty good too (www.yocohoops.com).

NCAA Tournament Projections: Round 2

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 23:51:00 +0000

I apologize for not posting in a week. I was in D.C. for a few days, but I'm back and I'm back with my second look at the NCAA Tournament.

First I just want to clear up one thing before we get to projecting the field of 65; teams listed with the automatic bid are currently leading their conference, and thus if the tournament were to start today these teams would get their conferences’ automatic bids. My predictions are projected as if the tournament selection committee were choosing today (based on all games through Sunday, Jan. 28).

Let’s start with conferences that will absolutely be getting only one bid (these teams need to maintain their spots at the top to make the dance):
America East: Vermont
Atlantic Sun: East Tennessee State
Big Sky: Weber State
Big South: Winthrop
Big West: California State-Fullerton
Ivy: Pennsylvania
Metro Atlantic Athletic: Loyola (Md.)
Mid Continent: Oral Roberts
Mid-America: Toledo
Mid-Eastern Athletic: Delaware State
Northeast: Central Connecticut State
Ohio Valley: Austin Peay
Patriot: Holy Cross
Southern: Davidson
Southland: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Southwest Athletic: Jackson State
Sunbelt: South Alabama

Now there are four conferences that are almost certainly only one-bid conferences, assuming the team at the top of the standings now wins the conference tournament. Potential at-large teams will have to root like hell for these four teams, because if they don’t get their conferences automatic bids, they are likely to steal coveted at-large spots.

Conference USA: Memphis
Horizon: Butler
West Coast: Gonzaga
Western Athletic: Nevada

Now for the rest of the conferences (total current bids in parenthesis):

Atlantic 10 (1):
In – George Washington (automatic bid)
On the Cusp – Massachusetts, Xavier
Long Climb Ahead – None

Atlantic Coast Conference (7):
In – Virginia Tech (automatic bid), North Carolina, Boston College, Duke, Clemson, Florida State, Maryland
On the Cusp – Virginia, Georgia Tech
Long Climb Ahead – None

Big 12 (5):
In – Kansas (automatic bid), Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma State
On the Cusp – Kansas State
Long Climb Ahead – Oklahoma

Big East (7):
In – Pittsburgh (automatic bid), Syracuse, Notre Dame, Marquette, Georgetown, West Virginia, Villanova
On the Cusp – Providence, Louisville
Long Climb Ahead – Connecticut, Seton Hall, DePaul

Big Ten (5):
In – Wisconsin (automatic bid), Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan State, Michigan
On the Cusp – Illinois
Long Climb Ahead – Purdue

Colonial Athletic (2):
In – Virginia Commonwealth, Hofstra
On the Cusp – Drexel
Long Climb Ahead – None

Missouri Valley (3):
In – Southern Illinois (automatic bid), Creighton, Missouri State
On the Cusp – Bradley, Northern Iowa
Long Climb Ahead – None

Mountain West (3):
In – Air Force (automatic bid), UNLV, BYU
On the Cusp – None
Long Climb Ahead – Colorado State, San Diego State

Pacific-10 (6):
In – Oregon (automatic bid), UCLA, Washington State, USC, Arizona, Stanford
On the Cusp – None
Long Road Ahead – California, Washington

Southeastern (5):
In – Florida (automatic bid), Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee
On the Cusp – LSU, Georgia, Vanderbilt
Long Road Ahead – None

Final Six In: Maryland, USC, Hofstra, Syracuse, West Virginia, Michigan
First Six Out: Georgia, Bradley, Virginia, Xavier, Providence, Vanderbilt

What team did I miss? What team doesn’t deserve to be on the list? We want to know what you think. Post your comments below.

FedEx grounded in United States

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer Sabin) — Mon, 29 Jan 2007 06:04:00 +0000

Rarely a day goes by that we don't see Tiger Woods' face plastered on something, whether it his own video game produced by EA Sports or a magazine advertisement for Buick. He's everywhere. That's what happens when you are a cut above the rest in your sport. You become very marketable, and companies want you to be their pitch man.

But if that really is the true, then why isn't tennis maestro Roger Federer receiving the endorsement deals that Tiger Woods has? Why isn't he more of a household name in this country?

Federer is every bit as dominant as Woods is. On Saturday, he defeated Fernando Gonzalez in the Australian Open final to win his 10th Grand Slam championship. He didn't drop a set during the entire tournament — the first time that has been accomplished at a major event in 27 years. Even more remarkable is the fact that Federer is 99-5 since the start of 2006. Oh yeah, one more thing. He's only 25.

Federer, though, still flies under the radar. His name only pops up when one of the four Grand Slam tournaments come around.

But what if Roger Federer was American? Would people in this country gather around a television set and watch him play tennis like they do when Tiger Woods tees it up on Sundays? I think so.

When you strip our nation's psyche down the core, it's easy to come to the conclusion that this country's people are generally very parochial and chauvinistic. Not surprisingly, Americans like to see their own do well, especially in individual sports. When tennis was a relatively popular sport in the U.S. 25 years ago, we cheered on the flamboyant and petulant John McEnroe when he faced the stoic and unassuming Bjorn Borg. We loved seeing Carl Lewis win the gold the 100 meters. We cheered when Rocky Balboa defeated Ivan Drago in a movie featuring fictional characters.

But Federer? He's Swiss. He's not one of us. So he is not as worthy of our time. Instead we've tried to prop up one of our countrymen, Andy Roddick. For the last few years, we've wanted to convince ourselves that Roddick is Federer's equal. He's anything but. That was proven again last week when Federer spanked America's great hope and sent him packing.

Roddick isn't Pete Sampras or Andre Agassi. Federer, however, may be the new and improved version of both players. Too bad he isn't American or people here might actually care. They might even buy a video game with his name on it.

An unsatisfying end

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer Sabin) — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:53:00 +0000

In a world where people are judged every day, most football fans would probably assess Bill Parcells' career and say it peaked 16 years ago. They would be right.

It's always sad to see an accomplished figure tarnish his legacy, unless you happen to be someone who embraces schadenfreude. So watching Parcells wince, frown and at times offer surprisingly wan expressions during his forgettable four-year tenure as coach of the Dallas Cowboys wasn't exactly fun. Parcells didn't ride off into the sunset when he announced he was walking away from the NFL again this week. He limped.

Thirty years from now, people will look back at what Parcells accomplished and they will likely consider him to be a great coach. But they will also see the diminishing returns his teams produced as he went job-hopping . Two championships with the New York Giants. A conference title with the New England Patriots. An AFC Championship Game appearance with the New York Jets. And finally zero playoff victories with Dallas.

Parcells' only true failure came at his last stop. Up until his tenure with the Cowboys, he was known as an expert driver — the man you wanted behind the wheel. He had built a reputation for guiding teams to new heights even if that didn't always mean he could bring home the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

But in Dallas he was unable to turn around and revitalize America's Team. A franchise that seemed to have lost its way still isn't headed in the right direction now that Parcells has up and left.

And for once, Parcells wasn't hailed as a savior when he announced his "retirement" on Monday. He was seen as just a coach with a big name who couldn't get the Cowboys back to the Super Bowl.

It's not the storybook ending we had all hoped it would be. In some ways, you wish the latest chapter wasn't written in the first place. It certainly didn't have to be. Parcells could have been remembered not as a mercenary who ultimately failed to replicate the level of success he achieved in his first campaign but as a loyal general for the only franchise where he won the biggest prize.

To this day, the most indelible image taken from Parcells' career remains a pack of Giants players carrying him off the field at Tampa Stadium following New York's 20-19 upset of the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV. The victory in that game would be the defining moment in his career. Relying on a backup quarterback and a merciless defense, he somehow figured out a way to overcome the Bills and their prolific K-Fun, no-huddle offense.

At 49, he was regarded as perhaps the best coach in the game. He seemed destined to lead New York to several more championships. But he left the Giants in May 1991, five months after beating the Bills. Sixteen years later, Parcells still has the same number of Super Bowl titles to his credit he had when he walked away from the Giants.

Parcells will still be considered one of the greatest coaches in the history of the NFL. But even he must wonder if it could have turned out better. After all, nobody wants to go out at the bottom.

Photo Sources: msnbc.com., cnnsi.com

Can we now give Manning his due?

noreply@blogger.com (Rainer Sabin) — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 07:15:00 +0000

A year later than many expected it would happen, Peyton Manning finally peeled the monkey off his back. In front of a raucous crowd at the RCA Dome on Sunday, Indianapolis' star quarterback exorcised the demons that had been haunting him by leading the Colts to a thrilling 38-34 comeback victory over the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game.

It was sweet vindication for Manning, who will now make his long-awaited appearance in the Super Bowl after being perceived as a choke artist for much of his playing career.

Flash back 12 months and Manning was receiving heat from the media for criticizing his teammates after a 21-18 loss to Pittsburgh in the divisional round of the playoffs. Frustrated after the Steelers harassed him for much of the afternoon, Manning said there were protection problems. And there very well might have been.

But the attack dogs were out. Manning was targeted as the fall guy for Indianapolis' latest disappointment. There was no way he was going to avoid being blamed for this collapse — not after the Colts began the year 13-0 and seemed destined for the Super Bowl. So the media blitzed him. Manning was accused of finger-pointing and throwing his teammates under the bus. He was called a whiner. He was labeled a poor leader.

Now the same people who lambasted him not too long ago will likely be lauding him. They should. Manning is the Colts. There is no franchise that is more heavily dependent on a player than Indianapolis. He calls the plays at the line, makes split-second decisions and runs the most explosive offense in the NFL.

This season, Manning didn't have running back Edgerrin James alongside him for the first time in six years after James signed as a free agent with the Arizona Cardinals.No big deal. Insert Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai into the lineup and the Colts don't skip a beat.

In fact, they do better. Surprising, you may say. Not really. For Manning, it was only a matter of time before he got a chance to play on the biggest of stages. He's just that good. To offer a little perspective, Michael Jordan didn't lead the Chicago Bulls to the NBA Finals until his seventh season in the league.

Manning is in his ninth year as a professional. The fact that he didn't make it to the Super Bowl until now shouldn't be an indictment on his career. These things take time, after all.

For some reason, though, Manning has been held to a different standard than other athletes. While sympathy always seemed to be extended to former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino for his team's playoff disappointments, Manning has been skewered when the Colts have suffered setbacks in the postseason. That's interesting, because Marino played in the AFC when it was proven to be inferior to the more competitive NFC. Manning, meanwhile, is playing in an era when the AFC has been the dominant conference.

But the media won't hesitate to criticize Manning when he fails. Now that he has succeeded hopefully they will shower him with praise. It's well-deserved, after all.

Photo Source: manningpassingacademy.com.

Who's In and Who's Out: Inaugural Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Bernard) — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 17:18:00 +0000

Welcome to the first posting of which teams will be making the NCAA Tournament come March and which will be left at home.

I plan to update this on a regular basis (hopefully weekly). Just a few notes before we begin. The field is determined based on what is happening right now, as if the Tournament selection was today. I am not projecting what teams will be doing in the future. Because of that, teams that are in first place in their respective conferences get the automatic bids. In the case of a tie between two teams, the team that has performed better overall to this point in the season gets the nod.

Let’s start with conferences that will absolutely be getting only one bid (these teams need to maintain their spots at the top to make the dance):

America East: Vermont
Atlantic Sun: East Tennessee State
Big Sky: Idaho State
Big South: Winthrop
Big West: Long Beach State
Ivy: Pennsylvania
Metro Atlantic Athletic: Loyola (Md.)
Mid Continent: Oral Roberts
Mid-America: Toledo
Mid-Eastern Athletic: Delaware State
Northeast: Sacred Heart
Ohio Valley: Austin Peay
Patriot: Holy Cross
Southern: Davidson
Southland: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Southwest Athletic: Texas Southern
Sunbelt: South Alabama

Now there are four conferences that are almost certainly only one bid conferences, assuming the team at the top of the standings now wins the conference tournament. Potential at-large teams will have to root like hell for these four teams, because if they don’t get their conferences automatic bids, they are likely to steal coveted at-large spots.

Conference USA: Memphis
Horizon: Butler
West Coast: Gonzaga
Western Athletic: Nevada

Now for the rest of the conferences (total current bids in parenthesis):

Atlantic 10 (1):
In – Rhode Island (automatic bid)
On the Cusp – Xavier, Massachusetts
Long Climb Ahead – George Washington

Atlantic Coast Conference (8):
In – Boston College (automatic bid), North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Duke, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Maryland
On the Cusp – None
Long Climb Ahead – Virginia

Big 12 (5):
In – Texas A&M (automatic bid), Kansas, Texas Tech, Texas, Oklahoma State
On the Cusp – Kansas State
Long Climb Ahead – Oklahoma

Big East (7):
In – Pittsburgh (automatic bid), Syracuse, Notre Dame, Marquette, Georgetown, West Virginia, Providence
On the Cusp – Connecticut
Long Climb Ahead – Louisville, Seton Hall, DePaul, Villanova

Big Ten (4):
In – Wisconsin (automatic bid), Ohio State, Indiana, Michigan State
On the Cusp – Michigan, Illinois
Long Climb Ahead – Purdue, Iowa

Colonial Athletic (2):
In – Virginia Commonwealth, Hofstra
On the Cusp – Drexel
Long Climb Ahead – None

Missouri Valley (4):
In – Northern Iowa (automatic bid), Southern Illinois, Creighton, Missouri State
On the Cusp – None
Long Climb Ahead – Bradley

Mountain West (2):
In – Air Force (automatic bid), UNLV
On the Cusp – None
Long Climb Ahead – Colorado State, San Diego State, BYU

Pacific-10 (5):
In – Oregon (automatic bid), UCLA, Washington State, USC, Arizona
On the Cusp – Stanford
Long Road Ahead – California, Washington

Southeastern (6):
In – Florida (automatic bid), Kentucky, Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Tennessee
On the Cusp – Georgia
Long Road Ahead – Vanderbilt, Mississippi State

Final Four In: Maryland, Florida State, Missouri State, Creighton
First Four Out: Xavier, Michigan, Drexel, Stanford

What team did I miss? What team doesn’t deserve to be on the list? We want to know what you think. Post your comments below.