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14 January 2010
I'm a little beat from seething/texting/twittering all day yesterday (and from that 30 minutes on the Gazelle) to think in story form today. So I'm Claying in.
Yoda posted part I of his Lexington trip over at STF.
The short-handed Volunteers basketball squad kicks off SEC play tonight at Auburn. The Vols are a 14 point home favorite in this game. You can expect more full court pressure from Bruce Pearl in this one that in either of the Vols last two wins (Charlotte and Kansas) but it will take another hot-shooting day to win big. I like the Vols, but not by 15. Next up for the War Eagles, a visit by the 17-0 Wildcats. Yeesh. Thank you very much Mike Slive.
Gonzaga takes on St. Mary's out west tonight on the deuce. Let me know how that one finishes.
I had never heard of TJ Simers until last night, when he blew up Lane Kiffin's first USC presser, but I like him now. What? I have a soft spot for funny grumpy crumudgeons, and I hope to become one someday very soon.
From Simer's article:
I asked for clarification from The Kid because if he hadn't talked to Orgeron how did he know if the reports were inaccurate? Later, of course, we would find out they were not inaccurate. At that point it was like talking to one of my daughters, caught doing something wrong and when challenged and having nothing to say, it never stopped them from trying to double-talk their way out of it.
Ed Orgeron admitted at the least, being an unethical douchebag, and at the most, cheating.
Go here for more zingers like this: "Jeff Lebo’s team must take on Bruce Pearl and Tennessee, in Knoxville, to boot. Game is at 7 on ESPN2. Not sure if there will be much crowd there, however. Isn’t the Tennessee student body on its way to Los Angeles to lynch Lane Kiffin?"
ZING!
This is funny. "...me too"
Last thing, If you're a Vols fan, you should be following @wesrucker. Guy's got quotes for days.
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13 January 2010
Loyal readers, I do believe you're about to get an SD first. A day after a Kentucky basketball game, a huge college football coaching change, Big Mac admitting to steroid use, and an NBA game that evacuated the stands mid-game, we're breaking out the Wide Open Wednesday tag to talk about hockey for a minute. Now stay with me, because this is actually a good story.
Last night in the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning game, NHL poster boy Alex Ovechkin threw off the gloves to go to battle with Steve Downie. As the two are about to get down with it Ovechkin's teammate Matt Bradley skates in and starts laying the thunder to Downie. It was actually pretty exciting for hockey.
Is this acceptable? Do you step in and fight for one of your guys? Normally I'd say there's no call for that. Your boy gets himself into a one-on-one scuffle and he should get himself out of it. But this wasn't a normal situation. Ovechkin is the face of the NHL and by far the Capitals best player. You can't have him getting into a scrape and breaking his hand on the other guy's face. When your best player is getting ready to throw down you can't let him take a black eye and a broken nose because you can't go a game without him.
There's also the point that Downie is known as a bit of a snake. He's even been known to check one of his own players because, get this, the guy wouldn't participate in a hazing ritual. For shame!
If you grew up watching the NBA in the 90's you might remember a team named the Chicago Bulls and you might remember a couple of guys named Michael Jordan and Charles Oakley. Any time Jordan got into a minor scrape, and with Jordan's star power and famous mouth that was frequent, you saw Oakley step in front of Michael and get in the guy's face. Why? Well, I've always felt Oakley had either a clause in his contract or Jordan was paying him off to step in there. In reality, Charles realized the Bulls couldn't afford to have Jordan get hurt or suspended. I'm sure he wanted to protect a friend, but mostly they needed Jordan to win ball games.
That's exactly what Bradley did last night in Tampa. He knows the Caps can't win games with Ovechkin hurt or suspended (do they even suspend people for fighting in hockey?). That's why he stepped up and starting raining blows on Downey, and I, for one, couldn't appreciate that sense of team any more.
Hat tip to the Washington Post for the picture and summary.
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13 January 2010
How pumped is Mark McGwire right now? The guy admits doing steroids, surprising no one, and is expecting to be in the news for days (if not weeks). Then, Lane Kiffin bolts Tennessee for USC. Guess where McGwire played college baseball? You guessed it! USC! Wonder if McGwire ponied up some of the cash for Kiffin's buyout to get his name out of the news? It's not out of the question. People are acting as if Kiffin is a terrorist or something. Everyone needs to calm down. Kiffin didn't do anything wrong.
- Nothing any college coach does should surprise you. It's the nature of the beast. Coaches leave all the time with years left on their contracts. In the same regard, coaches are often fired with years left on their contract. It's just a wild profession. We all look up to these guys as if they have it made, but I don't know anyone with 100,000 people watching while they try and work. Kiffin isn't the first, or last, guy to bail on a contract. Don't make him the martyr for a flawed system.
- USC is a better job than Tennessee. It's easier to win in the Pac-10, there's no question. Tennessee has Florida, Georgia and Alabama on the schedule every year. USC has Notre Dame and UCLA. Who would you rather play on your way to the National Title game? Not only is the schedule great, but the school is mere miles from the beach which I hear recruits enjoy. Plus, USC has Matt Barkley at QB for the next two seasons (if not three). At the same position, UT has a lot of questions marks. USC is the only premier school in their region. Tennessee is one of a handful of schools in the Southeast that consider themselves premier. Recruiting battles are a lot easier to win at USC than they are at UT.
- If you burned something last night because a football coach left, you need a hobby. Seriously? He's a guy who led your team to a 7-6 record last season? I'd be more pissed about his dad leaving than anything.
- USC is Lane Kiffin's dream job. All of us have jobs that we would take no matter what, no matter when. Well, Kiffin just happened to be offered his after only one year at Tennessee. Whether he wants to admit it or not, Lane Kiffin wants to be Pete Carroll. He talks and acts like Pete. He will run USC just like Carroll did. Also, if you are saying that you wouldn't take your dream job and leave people at your old job high and dry, you're kidding yourself.
- If Tennessee is as good a job as USC, they should have no problem hiring a new coach. UT fans keep asking how Kiffin could leave Tennessee? Aren't you saying that your job is a great job when you ask that question? If the UT job is so great, coaches will be coming out of the woodwork to take it.
- Kiffin, like Carroll, will leave USC for the NFL. No matter how much Pete Carroll won at USC, he could never shake how bad he was in the NFL. There's a reason he was rumored for NFL jobs every offseason. When Kiffin starts winning at USC, you'll hear the same rumors. Coaches are ego-maniacs, it's part of the deal. They are wired to hate failure. Lane Kiffin will probably be back in the NFL before he turns 40.
For the record, Chris Petersen is a fool if he doesn't take the Tennessee job. Boise State may be ranked in the top-5 next season, but they're still not ever playing in a BCS Title Game. If Petersen doesn't take it, I vote for Grubby. Make JYeary the recruiting coordinator. Hell, even I'd go down there and coach the WRs or something. And yes, I look great in orange.
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13 January 2010
The student congregation last night outside the building hosting the departing Lane Kiffin's final press conference toddleresque squirmfest was estimated at between 500-1000. According to this morning's KNS, the crowd, while burning Lane Train t-shirts and shouting obscenities, never got unruly.
"The crowd was very manageable," UT Police Department Capt. Keith Lambert said. "We asked them to move and they moved, so you can't say they were an unruly crowd."
It's good to see that the current Volunteer student body, while upset, are still able to conduct themselves somewhat amicably. Which is more than I can say for the populations of Ohio State, West F. Virginia, or Michigan State (after wins, even). Not to mention a few UT alumni I know. No word if those associates had anything to do with any of the foulness painted on The Rock last night.
Hell, even the media is getting in on it. WVLT's Mark packer is calling him a "snake" and GoVolsXtra.com's Mike Strange insinuates he's either a wolf or a pig, I'm not sure which, but both probably fit.
I'm sure at some point we'll get a list of potential new(er? est?) coaches from our own J. Yeary, but until then, we can expect more tempered grumbling and douchebag-calling from Big Orange Country. Stay tuned, this could get interesting.
Image via govolsxtra.com
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12 January 2010
Billy Donovan's Gators showed some mettle in an 89-77 loss to Kentucky tonight. The Gators trailed at the half by the score 38-31 and got down by as much as 13 early in the second half. Kenny Boyton and Erving Walker led the Gators back to a one point deficit with 4:47 left in the game.
In the end it wasn't enough. Kentucky finished the game on a 15-4 run to improve to 17-0 on the season. Eric Bledsoe continued over from the first half to lead the Cats with 25 points on the night. John Wall padded the stats with some late free throws and a later three and finished with 19. The big guys all chipped in with Patterson having 15 and 7, DeMarcus Cousins having 13 and 5 in limited minutes, and Daniel Orton contributing 2 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 huge blocks.
Florida made 5 three pointers in the second half, many from well beyond the line. The Gators couldn't get enough of the deep shots to fall down the stretch and Kentucky got some big shots to fall from Darius Miller and Darnell Dodson.
A lot of talk over the last few days has centered around DeAndre Liggins recent good play, but Liggins did not see major minutes tonight. When he was in the game he played fairly good defense; however, DeAndre does not contribute any aggressiveness on offense.
A couple of parting shots on the announcing tonight. Overall, it wasn't horrible (for a Vitale called game). We did get a case of Jimmy Dykesesque repeating as "John Wall has a 43 inch vertical" was said at least 4 times. The other major problem with the broadcast tonight was Dick Vitale saying on multiple occasions that "the three point line is the great equalizer in the game today."
Okay, I understand that a team making a lot of three's is important, but I have a major problem with how Dicky V (and other announcers) say this. All of the older announcers say things like this. The bottom line is that the NCAA implemented the three point line in 1986. It has been nearly 25 years since this change was made. Can we drop the "in the game today" talk when discussing how a team's three point shooting can help them get back in a game already? I mean seriously, the three point line has been in the NCAA longer than several of my good friends have been alive!
Alright, mini-rant ends here. Overall, a pretty exciting game for UK and Florida fans but it ends in good fashion for Cats fans. A twelve point win on the road against a team that was ranked a couple of weeks ago is a good sign that this young team is making strides in the right direction. Florida hosts LSU Saturday while Kentucky travels to Auburn to try to extend their perfect record to 18-0.
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12 January 2010
How about a hand for Lane Kiffin? That was some rebuilding job huh?
Look, I'm not faulting good ol' Lane for making the move from Knoxville to Los Angeles. He's leaving one elite program for another, one where he has a history. It makes sense. And coaches leave all the time to take new jobs- nothing new about that. But for Kiffin, who announced his entrance to the SEC with a string of barbs toward the power programs, who had Vols fans rejoicing about the energy he brought, who talked more than any 7-6 coach ever should, his quick exit is decidedly fitting. A guy who promised to have the Vols competing with Florida and Alabama again is now on his way out of town, having barely spent a full calendar year there. For a guy who claimed to embrace the Vol nation, he sure was quick to jump on another offer the second it came his way.
And that my friends, is why SEC fans are laughing today. All of his bravado, all of his comments, all of his "energy"....and yet all Knoxville has to show for it is a 7-6 record, an embarrassingly lopsided bowl loss, and now, another coaching search. Given the class and maturity he showed throughout his tenure at UT, I can't say I'm surprised. Lane has always been all about Lane, and it's safe to say his smug smile won't be missed by many around the South, including Tennessee.
Yes, you read that correctly. I don't think UT fans should be that upset today. All of the talk about Kiffin energizing and turning around the program this season was a little shocking to me. I mean, they went from 5-7 to 7-5 in the regular season. Is that an improvement? Yes. But that's hardly a dramatic turnaround, and to be fair, he didn't exactly inherit a bare cupboard, going to a roster with more than its share of high school All-Americans who had underachieved in their college careers. Now there's something to be said for getting a roster to play to their potential. QB Jonathan Crompton and RB Monterio Hardesty, inconsistent at best during their careers, both showed tremendous improvements under Kiffin's watch. But the name of the game is winning, and in the end, the whopping two game improvement simply did not impress me much.
Now Kiffin could recruit- no question. He had some top notch athletes ready to hit campus this fall. But he also had the nasty habit of collecting secondary violations related to his recruiting. One or two- no big deal. It happens everywhere. But Kiffin collected at least seven between December 2008 and January 2010. So I don't think it's a stretch to think that the longer he spent there, the more headlines he would have made for the wrong reasons. (Of course, Kiffin would have probably found those violations and recurring NCAA investigations to be a compliment, as he stated last month). And considering Kiffin learned under Pete Carroll at USC, who's had his share of..ahem...questionable recruiting tactics...it's not unrealistic to think Kiffin may have eventually had the Vols headed down a dangerous path.
So I think I speak for all SEC fans when I tell Kiffin good riddance. He talked a real great game, but barely stuck around long enough to even try to back it up. As an SEC fan, I hope Tennessee gets someone good, but also someone who understands the SEC. We don't mind trash talk, outsized egos and energetic personalities, but you have to earn them. The SEC is better when Tennessee is good- even a Gator fan like myself can admit this. So let's hope they get this one right.
In the meantime, I hope USC knows what they've gotten themselves into.
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12 January 2010
It's halftime of the Kentucky - Florida game and it's been a good one. Kentucky weathered an opening run against Florida and took a 38-31 lead into halftime.
The first half began with Florida jumping out to a 7-0 lead as UK missed several bunnies in close and Florida took their opportunities in the open court. Kentucky's missed shots inside were so bad that Coach John Calipari said in the half time interview "we missed 10 one footers." When asked what he told the team, Cal replied with his usual witticism, "I told them please make it or dunk it! That's some good coaching huh?" Well done coach.
Florida was lead in the first half by Alex Tyus with 9 points. Tyus made the first two threes of his career in the first half. Combine that with the banked three pointer in the final minute and Florida has to feel good about being within single digits at the half.
For Kentucky, John Wall made a couple of impressive pull up 17-footers and Eric Bledsoe had a monster first half. Bledsoe scored 15 points on 6-7 shooting and knocked down two foul shots. Wall had 8 in the first half and Patrick Patterson added 7 points.
One of the biggest influences in the first half was the inside play of Daniel Orton. DeMarcus Cousins missed several inside shots (1-6 shooting at the half) and Orton came in to snag 7 rebounds and block three shots (all in the same sequence) in the first half, helping Kentucky to dominate the paint on the defensive end.
The second half is coming up. We'll see if Kentucky continues to press and try to wear down Florida. Florida will need to improve their shot selection and improve on their first half 3-13 performance from the three point line if they are going to knock off the #2 team in the nation at home. We'll be back with postgame coverage after the second half.
Also of note tonight, Purdue falls at home by the score of 70-66 to Ohio State despite Robbie Hummel's big 35 point night. Kid was on fire in the first half.
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12 January 2010
Breaking news tonight is that Lane Kiffin will be leaving the University of Tennessee to fill Pete Carroll's vacant spot at Southern Cal. We'll have more in the coming days with reactions, predictions, and coverage of UT's coaching search.
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12 January 2010
Kentucky goes to Gainesville tonight to play Florida in their first road game against SEC competition. An event like that obviously deserves a bullet-point post.
- It's put up or shut up tonight for Kenny Boynton. Kenny Boynton is a freshman guard for the Florida Gators. He was a McDonald's All-American. Before John Calipari came to Kentucky and brought John Wall, Eric Bledsoe and DeMarcus Cousins, he was probably going to be the highest rated incoming freshman in the SEC. Even after Cal brought those guys in and Kentucky was thought of as a preseason top-five team, Boynton had this to say to SLAM Magazine about Kentucky, "...I think we have a better team... I don't think they're as good as everyone says they are." I'm all for athletes being confident, but those comments seem a bit ridiculous considering that was in July and neither team had played a game. For what it's worth, Kentucky is 16-0 with wins over ranked UConn and North Carolina. Florida is 11-4 with losses to Richmond and South Alabama (at home).
- Pete Carroll knew when to get out of USC. A lot of people in the media will tell you Carroll didn't leave because of the violations that are forthcoming to USC, but that's horsecrap. He was the king of college football for almost a decade and could get almost any kid he wanted. Now, he's coaching the Seattle Seahawks. Can anyone remember the last marquee free agent they got? Yeah, exactly. The hammer is coming down on the Trojans (insert your own perverse joke) and a postseason ban and loss of scholarships are inevitable.
- Would Lane Kiffin leave Tennessee for USC? I've been going back and forth on this one since the Carroll news broke. On one hand, USC is a more prestigious job than UT and has a bigger recruiting base. USC's campus is nicer and much closer to the beach and ocean (depending on who you ask). It's also easier to win in the Pac-10 than it is in the SEC. On the other hand, no one knows for sure what the NCAA is going to do to USC. Kiffin still has one of the ten best jobs in college football and is already revered in Knoxville. He's got a top class coming in for 2010 and barring any arrests, the Vols have a chance to compete for the SEC East next year. Like everything else, it will probably come down to money should Kiffin decide to bolt. If USC wants a Carroll clone, someone who's energetic and doesn't mind ruffling some feathers, they'll throw a bunch of cash at Kiffin and he'll be out of Knoxville as quick as he was there.
- Mark McGwire took steroids. When informed of the news Jerome Bettis said, "Hey, did you know I'm from Detroit?!?"
- Auburn Basketball is irrelevant and not funny. I'm going to watch UK play Auburn this weekend down in Auburn. I don't take signs to games, but I was wondering what I would write on a sign if I were to take one. I can't think of anything other than, "Auburn Basketball is so irrelevant I don't have anything funny or insulting to put on this sign." That seems a little long to write on a posterboard. What say you, readers? Do you have any good ideas for a possible sign idea for Auburn Basketball?
- I hope John Wall dunks on Kenny Boynton tonight. While standing over Boynton, Wall could then pull the above-mentioned SLAM article out of his sock, then unfold the article and lay it on Boynton's chest. John Wall would immediately move past Tom Brady and Trey Anastasio and be my favorite person alive.
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11 January 2010
What a weekend. Three things happened on Saturday, in this order:
1. The Bengals pooped the bed against the Jets, continuing a 20 year tradition of crushing my spirit.
2. My old man called me for the 15th straight rendition of his "I don't think I'm going to renew my Bengals tickets" speech. This speech has become as much a tradition as the Bengals futility. At this point it wouldn't feel like the off-season without it
3. I started hearing this song in my head, on a loop:
Far be it for me to attempt to make any actual football analysis--I mean I'm no Dennis Miller--but it didn't take a genius to see this one coming. A combination of injuries, tragedies and an offense that hadn't really shown up for most of the season led to the giant steamer you saw out there on Saturday. Honestly, I'm too tired of thinking about it to give any more energy. I do know I'm about to stop following Ochocinco on twitter. Perhaps some more practice and less youstream next season, Ocho. I'm also considering spinning off a new blog titled "Overthrown by Carson Palmer." There will be no shortage of material.
Other things that happened between Friday and Monday:
- Purdue lost to Wisconsin up in Madison, making everything I said in my first post look completely idiotic. Thanks guys.
- Tennessee beat Kansas, ensuring that Grubby spent most of his Sunday night collecting traffic cones for home decoration.
- Landon Donovan had a kick ass debut for Everton (that's soccer, kiddos), was probably their best player, notched an assist and helped them to a 2-2 draw with Arsenal. These are all good things.
