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(05/13/10 12:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Lawrence Taylor’s NFL career ended more than 15 years ago, but the biggest blitz of his life is about to take place — in a New York courthouse.This time it’s likely Taylor will be the one taken to the ground because of a despicable act of crime and sleaze. Hopefully, for the sake of justice, this coming blitz of legalities and morals resembles one of Taylor’s helmet-rattling hits, one likely altering his address for a few years. Taylor has come a long way from being the NFL’s 1986 MVP, and is no longer one of the most feared defensive players in NFL history. Rather, No. 56 looks similar to the opposing quarterbacks he drove to the ground back in his heyday at North Carolina and with the New York Giants.After allegedly raping and admittedly paying a 16-year-old girl $300 for sex at the Suffern, N.Y., Holiday Inn last Thursday, the former Giant looks like a small, small human being.No longer considered a recovered addict, his attorney, Arthur Aidala, dubbed him “a caring family man.” No longer only the bearer of a gold jacket in Canton, but rather the bearer of criminal charges — rape and solicitation of a prostitute — carrying maximum sentences of four and one years in prison.This would be the same caring, family man who had a battered 16-year-old girl brought to his doorstep like a routine UPS delivery? Spare me the rationalizations, cover-ups and sympathy votes his attorney tried to jawbone in front of the judge.“Lawrence Taylor did not rape anybody, am I clear?” Aidala said. “We’re going to fight it as hard as he fought when he was a linebacker for the New York Giants.” First, good call from Captain Obvious, because the discovery of a condom and an alcohol container in Taylor’s room isn’t helping the argument too much. Second, it would be nice if his lawyer would avoid bringing something as frivolous as football into the equation, given the circumstances at hand.How can we take Taylor seriously again after the act he and Rasheed Davis arranged Thursday? Davis allegedly beat the runaway girl prior to arriving at the hotel. And if found guilty, Taylor would be adding two more convictions along with his priors of attempting to buy cocaine, leaving the scene of an accident and tax evasion — all of which have occurred since his retirement from the NFL. If convicted, it’s on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to strip Taylor of his Hall of Fame status and ban him from football for life. There’s no room for sleaze in Canton, and if found guilty, that’s all Taylor will and should be remembered for. These are acts that, aside from murder, rank as some of the worst in which an individual could participate.If all of this malarkey on the defense attorney’s part is accurate, where was the 911 call from Taylor, who went “out of his way” to make sure he was not involved in the girl’s beatings? It only points to something else happening between the time she arrived and the 911 call.While the truth will eventually come out, one can hope Taylor was framed and that no foul play occurred. But given the evidence, and lack of 911 call, there are too many gaps to realistically predict an innocent outcome.If Taylor is guilty, it will be a giant hit to Goodell’s continuing efforts to clean up the image of past and present players in his league — a hit synonymous to one of Taylor’s own, but for all the wrong reasons.
(04/30/10 3:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Do the Indianapolis Colts really want to put their snow boots on this December undefeated with a game or two remaining? I mean, do they really? Well, I sure hope they do, for the sole reason of not having to listen the jawboning of 1972 Dolphins running back Mercury Morris about why his team will always be the greatest thing since the golf club. The more Rogaine commercials he appears in, and the less ESPN news coverage, the better. But one thing is for sure: If the Colts do have this desire to test their player-management relations again this winter, it’s plausible that they will. Really, it’s probably more likely that they will roll through the majority of the season once again. That same Manning-to-Wayne connection and everything else that goes along with the firepower that owned the NFL’s regular season for the last decade is back, for better or worse. And, after losing a Super Bowl, so is their will, which is probably scarier. The special-teams game, specifically the return aspect and arguably the most pressing issue heading into the offseason, was addressed at last weekend’s NFL Draft. If you’re a Colts fan and your team makes it to late November or December with the division, home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and everything else but their flight to Super Bowl XLV locked up — fear for the worst. Colts president Bill Polian has had no trouble making the cocky, almost obnoxious move of shunning football immortality when it has been at the doorstep of Capitol Avenue. In fact, he’s done it multiple times. There was the fiasco of pulling the starters last year against the eventual AFC runner-up New York Jets in the home finale on Dec. 27. And, although rarely publicized, there was 2005, when a couple of the 13-0 Colts’ key defensive starters did not play against the Chargers because they were banged-up and were resting for the playoffs. Twice the football gods have tried to make company in a town once home to the basketball gods, and twice Polian has shunned them for a shot — key word — at a championship. “If you’re a professional, you recognize that what happens in this game is in the here and now, not the past,” Polian said. “You focus on the future, you focus on the task at hand. That’s what you are required to do, that’s what successful teams do.” I’m not arguing or challenging that point, but why, then, has Polian not lived up to it? If it’s about “the now,” then why look ahead toward the Super Bowl? Peyton Manning has started every game of his illustrious, Hall-of-Fame career. In the years the Colts took the last couple of games off, Manning and the offensive line’s rust in the playoffs has been the dominant topic of conversation. With that, I’ll take my chance on No. 18 playing a few more games — or at least until the contest is locked up in Indianapolis’ favor. There’s no doubt the Super Bowl XLI MVP wants it if the opportunity comes knocking again, as do the majority of his teammates. “Who wouldn’t?” Colts receiver Reggie Wayne said after Polian and coach Jim Caldwell pulled the starters on Dec. 27. “I mean . . . who wouldn’t? Doesn’t everybody want to be a part of history? Not a season goes by that you don’t hear about the ’72 Dolphins.” Amen. If Scrooge rains on the Colts’ Christmas parade this time, it might be the Colts’ resting and Super Bowl woes that NFL fans will hear about every season from here to eternity. “We are followers of our head coach and the people in the organization to lead us and give us direction,” Manning said. “Our job is to take instructions from our superiors and follow those instructions.” The Colts’ way — the right and honorable way — has perhaps been taken to the extreme. Keeping the mouth shut and the ears open is what has made the Colts so successful, but is it also what has held them back from one, or maybe two, more world championships? Although it would never happen, maybe it’s in the best interest of the Colts to just tank, say, the non-conference game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 7, pending a zero in the loss column. Save the pain, save the energy, save the chance at the ultimate prize the organization so often speaks of without having to worry about the undefeated season. “There’s no hangover, there’s no carryover, it’s a brand new season,” Polian said. Riddle me this: Brand new season, same situation?
(04/27/10 3:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>About a year-and-a-half ago, it was Tim Tebow standing at the podium, pledging to push his team harder than no one ever had in the past — to work harder than anyone ever had. And this past Friday, it was again Tebow at the podium pledging to the world. Although this time, it was pledging to do something much more challenging than working hard or speaking louder — playing quarterback in the NFL. “I love it when someone tells me that I can’t because it just pushes me that much more to accomplish that goal,” Tebow said after landing in Denver on Friday. “I am excited about this challenge of playing in the NFL and trying to be an NFL quarterback. I am truly blessed that I get the opportunity to try to accomplish that here.” Winning the Heisman Trophy is no easy task. Winning two National Championships is a harder one. Heck, making it to two National Championships in the always-grueling SEC might be the toughest out of all of the above. But right now, there is no question God’s football player has his toughest task to date at hand. With his throwing motion reconstructed after February’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Tebow now has to test it against more relentless defensive linemen, faster secondaries and harder-hitting linebackers.Is this a testament to the arrogance of second-year Broncos coach Josh McDaniels or a testament to the firm belief within the Broncos’ personnel department that Tebow really does have the ability to be a franchise quarterback at the next level?Whichever it is, it’s definitely not one thing — a testament to the confidence in the former heralded Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen, the blue chipper who arrived at his college commitment ceremony in a limousine back in 2006. There’s no doubt among scouts, general managers and coaches that Clausen is the more pro-ready quarterback compared to Tebow. There are even some minds out there that rank him as a better on-field prospect than No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford. But what the Broncos’ first-round selection does is solidify a commitment to off field standards. Standards that twice in his three-year college career, Clausen didn’t live up to. An alcohol transportation citation before he ever set foot on the Notre Dame Stadium turf, a bar scuffle after this year’s loss to Navy and countless jeers and shoves at opposing defenders have raised justified leadership questions among NFL executives. “I want to be a great quarterback for many years. That’s my goal, and it has been since I was six years old,” Tebow said Thursday night. “For the next few years, my mind-set is going to be to repay coach McDaniels for what he did for me, believing in me.”He’d better, for McDaniels’ sake, or passing up on Clausen or another pro-style quarterback could haunt the coach and the Broncos’ organization for years to come.There’s no doubt that Tebow is a model quarterback who needs to be on a 53-man roster come September. But risking a first-round pick on a guy who basically implemented his throwing motion after his collegiate career could be a bit out there. “The Denver Broncos are getting a winner,” Tebow’s college coach Urban Meyer said. “Tim will show on the field what he is capable of doing.” It almost seems that Tebow should have been in Clausen’s shoes — the Notre Dame golden boy primed for greatness and a first-round pick. But what a great story this would truly be if Tebow shows that good guys can be winners in a league as tolling and competitive as the NFL. And for McDaniels, it would be, to his credit, one of the great draft steals of all time. As for Clausen, the better man won. Now it’s time for him to take a lesson from the 13th disciple and get his off-field skills equal to those of his football ones.
(04/22/10 2:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Right now, as the NFL continues to undergo major reformation with Commissioner Roger Goodell, the NBA is still putting off fixing its major problem.The NFL has its overtime issues and character questions, while the NBA has the biggest rule flaw in all of sports — the age rule.How many more DeMarcus Cousins, Derek Roses, Eric Gordons or Greg Odens will it take for Commissioner David Stern to realize what this rule is doing to — or really, taking away from — basketball.With the age rule how it is, requiring prospective professional basketball players to be one year removed from high school graduation to enter the league, the NBA is really showing kids the easy way out.One of the lesser-publicized side effects of this insane clause is that kids don’t even have to show up for classes during the second semester before they put their name in the draft. There’s no sense of liability.Hey, show up for the fall semester, play your 30-40 games, sign your agent, pack your bags and adios — on to train for the pre-draft camp.It’s just that simple, isn’t it?Kids can go in with no motivation except to meet minimum grade-point average requirements — which at some of the premier programs require a decimal point and one figure — to succeed in the classroom. Is that what the NBA wants in its future employees?Moreover, is that what it should want?Here’s another brain-buster: Let’s say next year’s John Wall tears his ACL in an exhibition game against Northeastern State and kisses his career goodbye. That one year of college was forced upon him, thus bypassing guaranteed money in marketing, contractual and endorsement deals. Remember that in the NBA, teams are liable for their players’ contracts, unlike the NFL.You’d have to have a Johnnie Cochran-esque argument to convince me that those three-and-a-half months living in a dorm and risking millions upon millions was worth it, especially given the fact that legitimate one-and-dones can compete at the highest level right out of high school. There’s always a player’s post-career for coming back and finishing a degree.What about the maturity aspect? Sending these types of players to college for one year or one semester makes them immature in many cases. Think about everything coming along with the decision to go pro, with which agent to sign, what outfitter to bring on and countless other questions.Is that player really thinking about the team?Jermaine O’Neal said it best back during his time with the Pacers when he said if an 18-year-old man can go overseas and fight and die for his country, he should be able to make money playing professional basketball.Look at it from college coaches’ perspectives. Rebuilding has been taken to a whole new level. There are the John Caliparis of the world who will always recruit the types of players that will opt for the draft after their freshman year. There’s no consistency from year to year, no cohesiveness.Right now, the NBA has to make this giant step forward and spare us all from these wasted few months we watch these superstars suit up in the amateur ranks.It’s the biggest problem on the NBA’s plate, and now it’s time to fix it.
(04/13/10 1:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Last week, I wrote that if Tiger Woods miraculously pulled off a win in his return to golf at the Masters, which turned out to only add to this hoax, there would be no closure to go along with his tainted green jacket.Thanks to the golf gods — who we now know mostly likely aren’t Buddhist — and champion Phil Mickelson for bestowing the ending they did on us Sunday evening. It was the type of ending that should occur only along Magnolia Lane, and it was the ending needed after months of deception from the face of golf.It has been almost one year since Mickelson took his indefinite leave of absence to tend to his wife, Amy, as she was diagnosed with breast cancer last May. This week marked the first time Phil and his family traveled to his tournament since he came back to golf.And it goes down with the all-time classics, whether it’s the 2006 Indianapolis Colts winning Tony Dungy’s first Super Bowl a year after his son committed suicide, or Connecticut winning their bowl game this past season after cornerback Jasper Howard was murdered in-season.How sweet is it for Amy Mickelson, especially as she was able to celebrate the biggest win of her husband’s career with him in person?Prior to the final round of the Masters, Phil said he was unsure if his wife would have the energy to make it to the course due to her recent cancer treatment.“I want to recognize my family,” Mickelson said. “She’s an incredible wife and an incredible mother, and she has been an inspiration for me this past year in seeing what she went through.”“Incredible” is the right word to describe the entirety of Mickelson’s week at Augusta. Pinned against a tree on the par-five 13th on Sunday, Mickelson and his caddie, Jim “Bones” Mackay, chose a six-iron for what may go down as the shot of his career. Mickelson hit a high draw out of the woods to stick his ball three feet from the cup for a chance at his fourth eagle of the week.What a role reversal. Previously, it was Mickelson who couldn’t make the Sunday jump to catch Woods, who has never won a major after trailing after the third round. Now, it seems as if fate is doing its part.“I’m going to have to take a little time off and evaluate some things,” Woods said.Good. The last thing golf wants is more of the same. We heard the malarkey Monday that Tiger was a changed man off the course and his vow to keep his on-course emotions in check. What we witnessed all week contradicted what Tiger had said.Sure, he acknowledged galleries and spared his signature fist thrust. But what about the club dropping and constant cursing we saw and heard after a bad shot? Tiger was all about it Monday, but the control-freak struck again when he claimed the media was blowing it out of proportion after his final round.“I think people are making way too much of a big deal of this thing,” Woods said. “I hit a wedge from 45 yards and basically bladed it over the green. So I’m not going to be smiling and not going to be happy.”Woods had the perfect opportunity at Augusta to turn things around: the setting, the people and — to an extent — our sympathy. And apparently, Phil Knight’s, too.For his return, Nike filmed a commercial depicting Woods staring at the camera, with the voice of his late father rapid-firing questions at him about his mistakes. It was an embarrassment and a money-maker for Woods at the same time. It was Tiger at his best, campaigning for our sympathy during this so-called life of integrity. Why is Tiger financially benefiting from his past instead of him shelling out some of his millions to charitable foundations or his Buddhist religion, something Tiger tells us now is a major part of his life?It all points to a Tiger Woods that still doesn’t get it and never will, unless he starts to show us and stops telling us.But there was no need to tell after 2009 Masters champion Angel Cabrera donned Mickelson in his third green jacket.The deserving man won, finally. Strike up that signature Masters tune on the piano, because amid the dogwoods and setting sun was the perfect storyline. A storyline that will rightfully live in our hearts for a long time.
(04/08/10 1:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Well, here goes any attempt at a return to normalcy for Tiger Woods, if you want to even call it that. This doesn’t follow the storyline; it’s not supposed to end like this. Augusta National isn’t where fairy tales, or in this case horror tales, get even more sour. It’s supposed to be where the cloaking of the green jacket trumps the struggles and finishes of a feel–good story, even if it’s something as dark and morbid as the Tiger Woods story.Let’s say Tiger does proceed to claim his fifth green jacket this Sunday at the Masters. Even in the midst of the dogwoods along Magnolia Lane and setting sun along the Augusta tree line, it will go down as a weekend remembered for seclusion, what could have been and what was not.And how truly sad it will be. A perfect ending could have been written to this tragedy.It was right there for the taking, even after Tiger botched his life and marriage for some amount of time still yet to be determined.He announced his return would be at Augusta, which was where it had to be. The Masters has that aurora, that special gallery and that unique atmosphere where, for four days, golf is more than a game. There’s no heckling. There’s no media-hounding.But now, and worst of all, there’s no closure. From when Tiger announced he would play at the Masters in late March to just before his press conference Monday, it looked like he might have finally come around. Maybe this wasn’t just a recovering sex addict but a recovering control freak.Just when it looked like Tiger was going to come clean, come open, he again shut the door on the truth and buried what must come out for his sake and the sake of the rest of touring professionals.He was close. But at Augusta, close doesn’t cut it.Tiger is making strides in his fan relationships, which is good. We know that what Tiger isn’t doing is telling us what we don’t know and what will give closure to the last few months.“I made a conscious decision to try and tone down my negative outbursts, and consequently, I’m sure my positive outbursts be will calmed down as well,” Woods said.Okay, good intro. Now, let’s get to why we came.When asked about the infamous Thanksgiving night car accident, Tiger again backed away.“The police investigated the accident and they cited me 166 bucks, and it’s a closed case,” Woods said.Still waiting.This is where the problem lies. Why not 10, 15 or even just five minutes of what he hasn’t said? That’s all we want and all we need to finally put an end to this debacle. Tiger could have shut the door on this daunting and possibly dooming past. He’s taking baby steps, but for the most famous and recognized athlete across the globe, it’s not enough.To steal a line from Happy Gilmore, “Gold jacket, green jacket, who gives a (expletive).” Breaking Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championships or not, this one isn’t going away — not until Tiger allows it to by stepping out of his comfort zone and acting as the controlled for once.Whether it’s stubbornness or nervousness isn’t important. It’s what has to be done not only for himself and his future but also the rest of the field.“I know that the players over the past few months have been bombarded with questions by all of you and the public as well, and I would like to tell all of the players, hopefully after today, after answering questions at this press conference, the players can be left alone to focus on the Masters and focus on their game, not only for this week, but going forward as well,” Woods said. “And I certainly apologize to all of them for having to endure what they have had to endure the past few months.”Again, more of the same. And until Tiger realizes what he continues to dig himself into, it’s only going to get worse. He’s close; the opportunity is still there.But that doesn’t cut it.
(04/06/10 5:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was a season of magic, defiance, and continuous winning — dating all the way back to last December — that came to an end with a 61-59 loss to Duke at Monday night’s national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium.And at one time, it almost seemed like a step-for-step reenactment of “Hoosiers” would take place for national championship.Really, the only way a better story could have been written was the so-called “mid-major” winning a national championship on its home turf, six miles from campus.One shot short, and, man, it was close.That would have been two buzzer-beating, championship-winning shots at two different levels for Butler guard Gordon Hayward.This game wasn’t lost by Butler, as CBS analyst Clark Kellogg said after the game. It was won by Duke and the 30-year veteran coach Mike Krzyzewski. It was won by Blue Devils’ center Brian Zoubek countering every substitution and every look third-year Butler coach Brad Stevens threw his way, thanks to Matt Howard’s foul trouble. It was won by Duke forward Kyle Singler not only sinking, but working for, every look he had.It was a season with milestones never before accomplished in the age of the 65-team NCAA tournament format. With the modifications coming, these were milestones that will never again take place in the perfect era of a 65-team field.How fitting for this to have happened to a squad like Butler? What Duke matched up against last night was a team that chartered a flight to just three games all season prior to the tournament. It was a program that has a basketball budget of less than half of Mike Krzyzweski’s salary — a mere portion if he takes the $12 to $15 million deal the New Jersey Nets are prepared to throw his way.It couldn’t have happened at a better time given the condition of the Hoosier state’s basketball. As IU coach Tom Crean continues to eradicate the sleaze and embarrassment left behind by Kelvin Sampson and much of his staff, Butler kept Indiana as basketball’s heartland.On that note, here’s the scary thing for Crean and Purdue coach Matt Painter — Butler has arrived. Don’t plan on them leaving anytime soon as it relates to both winning and recruiting. And although Butler fought, scratched and clawed even in the midst of the “Hoosiers” theme song on CBS at the four-minute media timeout, it wasn’t enough this time.One shot short of a national championship only gives Butler another foundation on which to build. Should Stevens remain at Butler for the remainder of his contract or a longer tenure, this is a team that will go back to the Final Four and maybe even win it all.“When you coach these guys, you can be at peace from a win or loss standpoint,” Stevens said after the game. “What they’ve done, and done together, will last a lot longer than the outcome.” The Butler Way: It’s what separates them from the one-and-done and agent-hounding world of college basketball, and it’s what has elevated Butler to Indiana basketball’s elite.
(04/06/10 5:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The 2010 NCAA Tournament will be remembered for one thing: defying the odds. From the Butler Bulldogs’ magical run to Indianapolis to Northern Iowa finishing off overall No. 1 seed Kansas, it was the year that showed it can be done without agents, zillion-dollar facilities or endless budgets.But now, the CEOs of the so-called not-for-profit NCAA are throwing away so much of what we love about this time of year in exchange for a few extra billion.The $700 million the NCAA receives from CBS, the sole owner of tournament broadcast rights, just doesn’t seem to cut it.But it’s for the athletes’ sake, right?Just like the 9 p.m. tipoffs on ESPN and the Big Ten Network, and thus more lucrative television contracts, are for their sake, too?Remember, this is also the same not-for-profit that recently contracted its own ticket market, where it buys tickets from fans for less than face value but then proceeds to sell them for the stated amount on the ticket.It’s time for the NCAA to get its priorities straight. If it is going to turn into a business, which by all means has its fair amount of positives, then let’s get the show on the road. But don’t try and sugarcoat transformation from a collegiate organization to a multi-million-dollar firm.It goes right back to questions such as, “Should collegiate athletes be paid?” With the things such as time commitment, skill and academic adjustments college athletics require, isn’t it a job? Doesn’t the average student get paid for their on- or off-campus job? Why should college athletes be forced to balance, in the summer for instance, an offseason program, a job and summer school?The problem lies in between. Monetary and other gifts to players are seen as the absolute mortal sin in today’s world of college sports. If that were made into a permissible act, the talk of controversy would decline.Although with that, there’s no need to go beyond what is reasonable. Save the Escalades, beach houses, spring breaks in Cancun and other material recruiting tools for the next level.But what’s so bad about spending some cash here and there, especially in the midst of 30-plus hour team routines? It really is an act of hypocrisy when the NCAA campaigns that the model for paying players is professional sports when it shorts fans $100 or so with this new ticket issue.Wouldn’t that, in fact, be for the athletes’ sake?The bottom line is college athletes are the employees of the NCAA. Without them, there is no NCAA tournament and thus no $700 million from CBS.If the NCAA is turning into the next Fortune 500 company, why aren’t its employees getting a share of the cut?
(03/30/10 3:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Hopefully those of us making predictions for this weekend’s Final Four matchups will fare a little better than we have up to this point. According to ESPN, roughly 200 out of 4.8 million brackets in the network’s bracket challenge correctly selected all four teams playing this weekend. Keeping our fingers crossed, let’s take a look at the games slated for Saturday.DUKE VS. WEST VIRGINIA Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski earned his 10th Final Four appearance Sunday and West Virginia’s Bob Huggins is coaching in April for the first time since 1992, when he took Cincinnati to the final weekend. Whether or not Duke can counter the superior athleticism of West Virginia is the big question here. If Duke can slow the game up and avoid getting in a track meet, the Blue Devils have the potential to match the Mountaineers’ perimeter shooting.Transition will be key for both teams. Duke’s ability to get back on defense and limit fast-break points could be the difference in this game.Duke out-rebounded Baylor 41-35 in the regional final. West Virginia, which began its game Saturday with a one-guard front, will need to hit the boards hard to allow minimal second-chance points on Duke’s end.Prediction: Duke 65-West Virginia 74BUTLER VS. MICHIGAN STATE Saturday’s first semifinal pits the two hottest teams in the tournament against each other. On paper, Butler sizes up against the Spartans much like they did against Syracuse and Kansas State. The Spartans are deeper than Butler down low, as sophomore Draymond Green has been a super-sub all season for Michigan State. Green came off the bench for 13 points in the Spartans’ Elite Eight win against Tennessee.That said, Butler’s dribble-drive offense could again present problems if Michigan State continues to go with a two-guard lineup. The versatility of Willie Veasley and Gordon Hayward is what will keep Butler in the game. However, while the Bulldogs have found a way to win with Matt Howard getting in foul trouble throughout the tournament, this is one game where it could be fatal. Michigan State is too big and too deep in the post for Howard to not be in the game. Butler, with Hayward edging out of a shooting slump, will also have home-court advantage in this one. With that, why can’t Butler down a third-straight giant?Prediction: Butler 68-Michigan State 62
(03/29/10 2:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>From where it began in Milan, Ind. to Indianapolis, the Butler Bulldogs have redefined Hoosier Hysteria. The 32-4 Bulldogs’ road will end in their backyard, and how appropriately so. The final chapter in this fairy tale is coming home — to basketball’s home — for what could be the most magical Final Four story in the event’s rich history.It couldn’t happen to a more deserving “mid-major,” for those who still insult Butler with that label.This is a team coached by a lifetime Hoosier in 32-year-old Brad Stevens, who gave up a job paying triple figures at Eli Lilly to serve as a volunteer assistant at Butler. Stevens has amassed 88 wins, three NCAA tournament appearances and one Final Four berth in just three seasons as a collegiate head coach.“For a guy his age to do what he’s doing, as hard as it is to win, with such a young team, that’s big-time stuff,” Kansas State coach Frank Martin said.Butler’s roster containing 10 Indiana natives is also big-time stuff. And what makes this magical ending even more special is it’s being done with players that didn’t measure up to the nation’s elite in the eyes of many, including other college coaches around the state.“I think it was just us coming together as a team,” sophomore guard Gordon Hayward said. “We’ve just found ways to win. We go into every single game with a game plan expecting to win. Someone’s got to go to the national championship and win. So why couldn’t it be us?”That comes from the school of thought having been coined as “The Butler Way.”In an era where universities and boosters financially fuel programs for the newest and most up-to-date facilities, Butler does it in Hinkle Fieldhouse, the Wrigley Field of college basketball. Butler’s falling chunks of concrete are delivering it to where dreams come true, while programs such as Louisville construct a new amusement park of an arena. The young Bulldogs aren’t winning with the one-and-done’s and the sleaze those often bring. While some go to the camera and make fools of themselves after earning a Final Four bid, Butler is celebrating as team, chest-bumping its coach.It’s the Butler Way. The Colts proved in early 2007 that you can still win at the highest level of competition by doing it the right, subtle way. Now we’re seeing Butler do it. “It really didn’t hit me until the end of the game,” sophomore guard Shelvin Mack said. “It was, like, my first time ever shaking. That’s when it hit me. We’re going to the Final Four and have an opportunity to compete for the national championship.”And what an opportunity it is. Butler is scripting another “Hoosiers” by the day. Filmed partially at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the blockbuster movie put Hoosier Hysteria on the map. Now, with the noise Butler is making this March, the state of Indiana is seeing an unparalleled basketball craze. That’s saying a lot considering story lines such as the 1976 undefeated IU team or the heroics of former Pacers guard Reggie Miller.Yes, what makes this ultimately special for Butler is the Final Four takes place right at home, seven miles from campus at Lucas Oil Stadium. Would it be too much of a hassle for the NCAA to relocate the tournament’s final weekend from an oversized, trillion-dollar stadium to Hinkle Fieldhouse?“The only time I’ve ever thought about that — and I didn’t tell our guys this, I told my wife, and that was it, — was when we were driving on the bus back from the Murray State game and we passed the Lucas Oil Stadium,” Stevens said about playing in Indianapolis. “That hit a little bit. That was the first time I even thought about it.”Anyone want to watch “Hoosiers” this week?
(03/23/10 1:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the midst of the dancing shoes and excessive Cinderella slippers this year, I’d like to throw one suggestion — a plea, rather — to athletics directors, presidents, NCAA officials and others having influence regarding the format of the Division I postseason:For all that we love about this great month and the college hardwood, don’t expand to 96 teams.This isn’t football. Not everyone can nor should go basketball bowling in March.Right now, in our current tourney format, we have room for a major upset or two and an occasional middle-tier team to advance to the Final Four. Just for giggles, throw it in that there are an adequate number of large bids for teams from non-power conferences.Sixty-five is nice. But do you know what is great about 65?It’s not 96. End of story.There’s a reason we call it March Madness and not March Bizarreness. Seriously, who wants or has the desire to see the middle-tier team from the WAC exit the first Thursday or Friday with a 40-point loss to Kentucky or Syracuse? Do we really want to see an Illinois team with less than 20 wins dance into the first round? It’s really as simple as this: If the tournament expands, it loses credibility. It loses that aura. It loses “it.” The intangibles make this 65-team, one-and-done tournament the best postseason in sports.NBA Playoffs? Not even close. Not when you can simply show up the next night or two evenings later for another chance due to the best of seven format. The Super Bowl? Closer, but its madness only lasts for one night. The World Cup? Maybe if it weren’t soccer.There’s a reason teams such as Northern Iowa, Murray State and Old Dominion pulled the upsets they did and overachieved in the postseason: Conference tournaments and regular season play showed they deserve to be in the conversation and they have the ability to compete with the Goliaths.We saw Cornell, which earned its way into the school’s inaugural Sweet Sixteen appearance Sunday, take Kansas to the final seconds at Allen Fieldhouse in January. Now, would there be some upsets on the part of mid-major normally qualifying for the field of 96? Probably, but why have motivation to compete in the regular season if it’s known a relatively talented team can coast through the season?“Some are very, very open-minded about the possibility,” said Dan Guerrero, 2010 NCAA Tournament Selection Committee chairman and UCLA athletics director. “Some don’t want to see it.”The previous, and what should be the final, expansion to 65 teams occurred in 1985. Since then, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim’s Orange have played in two title games, losing to IU in 1987 and beating Kansas in 2003. Boeheim remains one of the most vocal advocates of the tournament’s expansion and said that any coach against it is “in the wrong business.” From a job security position, maybe. That’s understandable from a monetary and stability standpoint.But look at what the NCAA has going for it: an estimated $700 million in revenue each March during the next three years thanks to its contract with CBS Sports. Basketball wise, 65 teams allows it to balance automatic and at-large bids.With expansion comes questions. Would CBS renew the mammoth contract for 2014 and beyond if 96 teams became the norm, with the possibility of lower ratings in the early rounds?Jersey Shore or IU-Southeast vs. Duke? Tough one, but I’d rather spend my evening with Pauly D and J-Woww.The bubble watch won’t disappear. If 18- or 19-win teams are on the bubble as it relates to the 65-team field, 12- or 13-win are on the bubble in the field of 96. Again, do we really want to see a sub-500 team go dancing thanks to its strength of schedule or RPI that says it simply went to Rupp Arena and got beat by 50?That wouldn’t be mad. It would be bizarre.
(03/10/10 5:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>INDIANAPOLIS — Another Horizon League outright and tournament championship, and another NCAA Tournament appearance.It sounds easy, and the odd thing is, it really has been that simplistic during the last decade or so for Butler basketball.Tuesday night’s win against Wright State gave Butler (28-4, 18-0) its second Horizon League Tournament title in three years and the school’s fourth-straight ticket to the big dance.Not too shabby for third-year coach Brad Stevens, the DePauw alumnus coach who has already amassed 112 wins at the Bulldog helm. Oh, let’s not forget the fact the guy is just 11 years out of college himself.After two Sweet 16 appearances in the last seven years, some still want to pin Butler as a mid-major program.Nay to the naysayers who continue to slam Butler by labeling it as the favorite in the 12-5 upset slot or as the heavily respected No. 7 or 8 seed. Let’s get real here: Does a mid-major have four of its five starters, including the week’s MVP, selected to the all-conference team? Does it send its seniors out dancing four years in a row? Not in the college basketball game I know.We saw St. Mary’s thrive on the play of Paddy Mills a year ago and Gonzaga’s string of regular-season success start with Adam Morrison’s monopoly in the West Coast Conference. While what those types of teams have done during the years is a great feat and deserving of occasional at-large and NIT berths, the track record doesn’t lie. The Bulldogs have made noise then, but also in March, when the real ‘Dogs come out to play.Coming in to Tuesday night’s Horizon League Championship, I had questions regarding Butler’s ability to compete with the elite this year. But the balanced, sharpshooter-like attack witnessed Tuesday in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse proved the contrary.“We felt sorry for ourselves and didn’t play as well as we needed to,” Wright State head coach Brad Brownell said following his team’s loss.It’s easy to feel sorry for yourself when playing a team like Butler, especially when its two stars in Howard and Heyward combine for 10 first-half points and the rest of the team shoots almost 62 percent from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes.Sounds to me like Butler should be playing its pre-NCAA tourney ball later this week.“They’re going to be a tough out for someone out there,” Brownell said. “They’re not going to be afraid of anyone they play.” I’ll say.What will be interesting come Sunday after the nets are cut down at Conseco Fieldhouse is where exactly the selection committee places Butler, and thus whether or not they have come around and seen the light.Butler isn’t just a fundamental, star-set basketball team. It’s confident. The Bulldogs not only believe they belong with the big boys, but they know they do.Maybe it’s time everyone else jumps on the bandwagon.
(03/02/10 3:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was a start down what has shown will be a rocky road ahead.And that’s about all it was. Tiger Woods’ Feb. 20 press conference detailing his infidelity and continued indefinite absence from golf was the necessary start to a brutal healing process — one that won’t see a complete end anytime soon.Tiger, who neglected to answer questions and only allowed select media into his speech a couple of weeks ago, hopefully realizes that from a public standpoint, this situation will only disappear on his terms.Think of it this way: the No. 1 golfer in the world and quite possibly the most globally recognized athlete scandalized by sex, lies and subpar behavior on the course.Enough said.Was Tiger all in the right in how he went about this press conference and first public appearance? Absolutely not.But it was still a start. The questions will come, and they will come until they are answered; not on his terms, but on the terms of the media and his fans. If there’s one thing Tiger will struggle with down this road, it will be answering to others after never having to abide by what others say or do. Just look at his recent behavior.“I began to think I was entitled,” Tiger said. “I know people want to find out how I could be so selfish and so foolish. People want to know how I could have done this to my wife, Elin, and to my children. And while I have always tried to be a private person, I have some things to say.”And so do we. Sorry, Tiger. There is no club-throwing, interview declining or one-legged major championship that will get you around this one. Not only that, but these future, daunting encounters with the media should be the last thing he worries about. Now, it’s about saving his marriage and relationships with, most importantly, his family and those close to him.And then comes golf and his laundry list — well, former laundry list — of sponsors. There’s no question Tiger will use this as motivation to break Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major wins, a record from which he is only five away.If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Eldrick Woods over the last 14 years, it’s that he carries a chip on his shoulder. As for when he will be back on the golf course, we don’t know — there’s no way to. We are, after all, talking about one of the most private individuals in the history of fame and fortune.“I do plan to return to golf someday and do not rule out it will be this year,” Woods said.With another rehab session just underway, I have trouble betting it would be Augusta, although it seems like the perfect spot. Why not? Tiger not only loves it there, but he is loved there. The Masters has a special aurora and is accompanied by top-tier people. He wouldn’t be heckled, taunted or hounded in Georgia.Yes, things could have been done better. But cut the malarkey. This was not an attempt to steal the spotlight from his former sponsor Accenture’s Match Play championship, which was concurrent to Tiger’s revelations. Woods could no longer afford to keep living in a hole, especially between his rehab sessions. The time for questions and answers will come.But now, as human beings and not sports fans, let’s just hope he makes it down this road on par.
(02/16/10 2:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For all that is good, honorable and still respectable in today’s college game, hallelujah, an undefeated season is no longer possible for John Calipari’s southern sideshow in Kentucky.With Kentucky’s 68-62 loss at South Carolina a few weeks ago, college basketball was saved.For the time being, at least.Biases aside, the 1976 IU team not only remains the last undefeated national champion, but also the perfect group of posterboys for the game. While this is not supposed to be another out-dated — yet still rightful — campaign for Bob Knight and his standards on and off the court, college basketball will never see another coach who shared and obtained his equal desire for academic and hardwood success.That said, let’s look at Knight and Calipari. You have Knight, the three-time champion, major-college all-time wins leader, and holder of a flawless violations record. On the other side there is Calipari, the guy who has blown two opportunities at the Final Four and put both of those teams (UMass and Memphis) on probation in the process. One point to the “General.”How about the philosophy of exactly how to win? Recruiting one-and-done superstars was never an option for a guy like Knight. Players came to graduate and win championships. Whether it’s Marcus Camby, Derrick Rose or Tyreke Evans, Calipari has always made sure guys who can win come in right away.While that alone isn’t a problem, things such as SAT scores (in the Rose situation) and player-coach relationships (see: John Wall) seem to be sacrificed. Knight 2, Cal 0.In fact, it was the 69-year-old Knight who, just a few months ago, called out Calipari for still being allowed to coach at the college level. While speaking at an event last year on the southside of Indianapolis, Knight took subtle, yet directly blatant, shots as only he could pull off.“We’ve gotten into this situation where integrity is really lacking, and that’s why I’m glad I’m not coaching,” Knight said. “You see we’ve got a coach at Kentucky who put two schools on probation and he’s still coaching. I really don’t understand that. “And very few people know this, but a kid can play the first semester as a freshman, pass six hours of anything and play in the NCAA tournament without ever attending a class in the second semester. I don’t think that’s right.”Call it bold. Call it gutsy. Call it the General at his best. But whatever you call it, tie it to something along the lines of perfect.Not only is it fitting that the prestige of an undefeated season not fall into the lap of a regular season champion like Calipari but also with regards to the Kentucky program.Back in spring 2007, when the Wildcats fired current Minnesota coach Tubby Smith, Kentucky became part of the problem. The program forfeited a sure-fire Hall of Famer who won a championship in his first season for an unproven and eventual criminal in Billy Gilispie. To make things better, or supposedly so, they bring in ... Calipari?While the media seems to always bring out his regular season success at mid-majors, let’s not forget this guy couldn’t get a ring with the 7-foot and current NBA superstar in Camby, or with Rose and his freakishly talented teammates.Pattern?And just for giggles, there is Calipari’s baggage that came along with that contract, including country club memberships, frequent brand new cars and a southern mansion.No matter what Kentucky achieves under Calipari, how long will all of it stand?Because right now, it’s in the books that Calipari has never led a team to the Final Four. Again, one point for the General.
(02/09/10 4:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As a friend and I drove down State Road 37 to Bloomington late Sunday night after Super Bowl XLIV, I couldn’t help but wonder where some of the outrageous, senseless slurs were coming from on the Colts’ postgame radio show.This was a team that, at the most inopportune and unfortunate time, played its first subpar game of the season. It was previously a 16-2 team that came out firing in the playoffs after facing some of the most heated criticism in sports during recent years – criticism that, just or unjust, probably would have divided most locker rooms in the league.We saw this kind of letdown happen to the 2007 New England Patriots. Now we’ve seen it happen to an astonishingly talented Colts team.A down game. It happens. It’s hard to fathom, but get over it.“Gutless” and “never will be Tom Brady” were two of the words and phrases that stick out in my mind from the show.First, about gutless: I wouldn’t call Colts running back Joseph Addai bouncing and spinning off tackles en route to a third-quarter touchdown gutless. Nor would I blame an inexperienced secondary giving up over 32 completions to game-MVP Drew Brees on a lack of guts. For the former Purdue standout, it’s been a similar story all season.After five months of exceptional, almost surreal football, let’s be realistic here: Would you call a one-legged and one-armed Dwight Freeney sacking Brees in the game’s first half gutless?Any team with the kind of success the Colts have had in recent months is bound for a letdown. Face it, it’s the NFL. Technically speaking, Indianapolis’ starters were still undefeated coming into the night. It was bound to happen. The Saints had it at 13-0 when lowly Tampa Bay came in and beat the Saints’ starters.Just to further my point for what seem to be many pessimistic Colts fans, take those 2007 Patriots. It was a Super Bowl-bound, 18-0 team at the start of February. All it took was an overdue underperformance for the underdog New York Giants to take down Hoodie and Brady.And last night, it worked out to where it was the Colts’ turn to face the losing end. As sad and disappointing as the Super Bowl loss might be for Colts fans, there was nothing the front office or coaching staff could have done or not done to prevent this one.Now, about that Brady comparison: The difference is defense. From top to bottom, the Patriots’ management was able to keep just about all of the defensive cornerstones during the team’s era of dominance. I couldn’t even begin to count the instability and defensive shakeups the Colts’ roster has seen during its regular-season success, especially with the periodic absence of Bob Sanders.Brady hasn’t and probably will never match the numbers – aside from his single-season touchdown record in 2007 – Manning has put up over the years. The Colts defense gave up 24 points in this game, and it’s been either Phillip Rivers or Darren Sproles who have had field days with the Colts’ defense in past playoff matchups. Championships are all that matter, but I’d love to see what the Colts would have done with a consistent defense during this string of 12-plus win seasons.Bad tackling on the Colts’ part? No question. Some questionable play calling? Probably. I’m still wondering why Indianapolis elected to play power football and run on third down in the first half’s end. Isn’t this a team that has feasted through the air during a two-minute drill?But that said, the Saints won this game. Period.They had everything the doctor ordered: discipline, firepower and motivation. Whether it was Tracy Porter’s interception taken to the house or the onside kick to open the second half, the Saints made plays to win.Their 31-17 victory Sunday night at Sun Life Stadium was the perfect ending to a magical four-year fairy tale in the bayou. In a way, after everything the Colts have accomplished, the only team they should have lost this game to was a team as deserving as New Orleans.Lord, I’d love to be in that number down Bourbon Street on Tuesday night. I think it’s safe to say the parade will be anything but gutless.
(02/05/10 6:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This year’s matchup was all about the offenses, but the ankle injury to the Colts’ Dwight Freeney has spiced up the defensive talk. Rarely do you have two of the same type of one-dimensional teams contending for the confetti shower.New Orleans SaintsThe Saints gave perfection a run in the regular season. They started the year 13-0 before falling 24-17 against the Dallas Cowboys. They then went on to lose the next two games, one at home against Tampa Bay. Indianapolis ColtsThe Colts, like the Saints, also flirted with a 16-0 regular season, but coach Jim Caldwell controversially pulled his starters in Week 16 against the Jets, handing them a loss. They did the same at Buffalo, losing 30-7.Offensive Advantage: ColtsIf this matchup were two first-time Super Bowl contenders, I’d be tempted to go with New Orleans due to a balanced running game that complements Drew Brees’ 292 passing yards per game in the regular season. But until Reggie Bush can prove his electric play on the big stage, I’m still convinced the Super Bowl experience accompanying Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark will be too strong to keep up with. Defensive Advantage: SaintsIt almost turns my ankle to give the advantage to a team that gives up over 355 yards per game, but Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney’s ligament tear makes it a whole new ball game. Despite each club giving up five or more yards per play, the Saints have more experience in the secondary. The speedy rush of Saints defensive end Will Smith, averaging almost one sack per game in the regular season, will pose problems for somewhat-suspect Colts offensive lineman Charlie Johnson. Special Teams Advantage: ColtsI’m not sure we’ll see much of either kicker on Sunday. Both Jim Caldwell and Sean Payton know their teams need the most points possible to have the best chance at taking home a Lombardi Trophy. However, should Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri remain sidelined with a hip injury, it has an essential starter in Matt Stover. The 20-year veteran has played in two Super Bowls, and first-year special teams coach Ray Rychleski has greatly improved his surrounding coverage team. Coaching Advantage: SaintsHaving a four-time MVP under center always helps, but losing your best defensive player and pass rusher never helps a scheme. Both Caldwell and Payton have Super Bowl experience as assistants under Tony Dungy and Bill Parcells, respectively. Though at the last minute, the Saints got a chance to tweak their defensive game plan for the better with what will likely be the situational play of Freeney.
(02/05/10 6:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell was asked the Monday following his team’s AFC Championship win if he felt like the Saints’ fairy-tale spoiler heading into Super Bowl XLIV.“We’re not trying to stamp it out; we’re just trying to get in a position to win,” Caldwell said in reference to Hurricane Katrina’s 2005 horrific impact on New Orleans. “That region was absolutely devastated, and they’ve brought a lot of pride back, a lot of civic pride.”To say the least.This is a New Orleans team whose Superdome freezers were used to store the bodies of victims during the tragedy and a city that needed something – anything – to raise morale after the disaster. On a less important note, this was a team that also, prior to the arrival of franchise players like Drew Brees, Marques Colston and Reggie Bush, had both a history and public expectation of atrocious football.And just four short years later, who would have thought the pro football team from the bayou, previously commonly referred to as the “Aints,” would be playing for a world championship at such an appropriate time? In a way, one could see something like this coming simply because it was due.“We played from behind, we played with a lead,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “I think you develop a vision. I think our players felt that.”What a ride and pleasure its been to see the Saints make this incredible run for their city and state. The Saints and their fans needed and deserved a break. Along with it came the opportunity to achieve even more.That said, in the midst of all the rightful joy and pageantry, this type of situation is what could cost the Saints their first Lombardi Trophy. New Orleans has the excitement of being there, the relief and somewhat closure to Katrina and the unfamiliar experience going against them. In other words, they have distractions.But the Saints aren’t the only ones marching to that number.Take, for instance, the resting situation still surrounding the Colts. As much as it seems the sunny beaches of South Florida evaporated the question regarding Indy passing up a realistic possibility at 19-0, it’s still there; especially given Dwight Freeney’s ankle injury he suffered in the playoffs.What if?I would love for nothing more than this ongoing fiasco to end. It needs to. Yes, the Colts should have gone for the undefeated season given their final two opponents. Football and sports immortality was at the door and it was shunned. While it seems like an obnoxious move, the Super Bowl – the primary goal – is still at stake.“We worked very hard to build up that equity of knowing that we had the first seed so we could deal with those last couple of games the way we wanted to deal with them to position us for the playoffs,” Colts owner Jim Irsay said.That’s fine, now win the Super Bowl. If so, it’s forgive-and-forget. The Colts front office will again prove they know more than us about dealing with and assembling not only model citizens but model football players.It’s the first time since 1993 that two No. 1 seeds are playing in the season’s final game, but the circumstances for both teams make that stat seem minor. In a sense, this year’s matchup cannot go wrong with either team dancing in the confetti at the end of Sunday’s game. Just think back to recent years where there was one feel-good story, whether it was the Colts finally getting the New England monkey off their back in the team’s 2006 championship season or the Giants dethroning the undefeated and Spygate-guilty Patriots of 2007.How great it would be to see the Colts’ season-ending controversy finally, or hopefully, end on the joyous, winning note the organization more than deserves? But at the same time, how just would it be to see New Orleans go from a city of travesty, turmoil and devastation to that of joy, unity and one of a champion?In an age where image is a liability to the NFL, this is one championship weekend where the league cannot go wrong with its winner.
(02/02/10 3:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>INDIANAPOLIS – Just as Indianapolis saw after the Pacers controversially drafted Reggie Miller in 1987 and the Colts had the guts to pass up Ryan Leaf – gasp – for Peyton Manning in the spring of 1998, Cleveland is now witnessing the results of a franchise-changer hitting the city in the heroics of LeBron James. The effects of a franchise-changer have sent a dire message to Pacers Sports and Entertainment: Get one. Someone. A John Wall, an Evan Turner – anyone. Someone to finally start the climb out of the hole the November 2004 brawl in Detroit dug for the Pacers. It really can’t be any simpler for an organization that has suffered almost unprecedented circumstances and too many image issues to count in the last five years. Evidenced by another double-digit loss to the Cavs Friday night at Conseco Fieldhouse, this isn’t just any draft. It’s the draft – especially with the number of high-flyers like Wall, Turner, DeMarcus Cousins and Cole Aldrich expected to be floating around in the lottery. It’s the draft that the Pacers need to halt the periodic half-hearted efforts and formerly unfamiliar, one-sided blowouts. Friday, the Pacers caught a glimpse of the greatness they used to know and the greatness the Cavs and Lakers are currently experiencing in their franchise-changers James and Kobe Bryant, respectively.“We played two championship contenders (the last two games) and they played like it,” Pacers coach Jim O’Brien said after his team’s loss. “We just didn’t have enough bullets in our guns.”Everything points back to the bullets – or cups – fired at that fateful game between the Pacers and Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills. This was a 61-21 team in 2003-04 and returned all of its key talent. In my opinion, the Pacers have avoided cleaning house and an all-out rebuilding process as long as possible. Now, it’s time; it’s the break-’em-down-to-build-’em school of thought.Change is imminent. It has to be.Whether it’s the front office, coaching staff or major roster changes, something along with the draft has to happen to jumpstart the reform. In addition, the monetary issue here has already caused a major shake-up with the Pacers’ lease on Conseco Fieldhouse. Indianapolis’ Capital Improvement Board, which owns the arena, has already said it can’t afford to front the Pacers’ dues.In a sense, it’s sad.It’s sad to see a storied franchise in the heartland of basketball going through the problems it faces on the court and in its financial department, especially after owner Herb Simon and his later brother Melvin saved the club from relocating in the late-80’s.But in another sense, the basketball meltdown is an inevitable result of management’s past moves. Moves it didn’t have to make; moves it never should have made. These were the types of moves that could only bring the nightmares the Pacers are experiencing.To this day, I am still puzzled – no, dumbfounded – as to why the Pacers gave away the good guy identity for some years. Back in the days of the shaved heads, black socks and pin-stripes, this was a club which feasted on drafting Bill Polian-esque players – guys who weren’t the focus of CBS’s college highlight reels every Saturday. I mean, was Rik Smits a Pontiac Game-Changing Performer at Marist?Now it’s time for that game-changer – a LeBron or a Shaq. Wall is the perfect example of what the Pacers need; someone who can turn a team around and solve the dollar issues. But to what extent is team President Larry Bird willing to go to make this happen? The answer needs to be as far as possible. Both he and new General Manager David Morway have no room for error, not now. Not with Jamaal Tinsley’s contract fiasco and the loss of a draft pick after Al Harrington’s short return to the team happening on their watch.The three-year rebuilding plan isn’t working, there has not been improvement. It’s time to divide and conquer. This is a thing on which Bird and Morway can’t have a limit to the extent they’re willing to go, or else the Pacers’ future might.
(01/26/10 4:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The time has come for Packers fans to stop the whine from coming with their cheese.Their former quarterback, former hero, former God, is – even while graying in the beard and hair – giving Packer nation even more reasons to cherish his 16-year tenure in Green Bay.With the Vikings’ 31-28 overtime loss to the Saints in Sunday’s NFC Championship game, the Favre legacy has made an even stronger case as to why the 19-year veteran will go down as one of the greatest football men of all time.And yes, a loss has added to the first-ballot Hall of Famer’s pedigree.That’s because, biases aside, there is no question the Super Bowl XXXI champion’s scrutinized two-time return to football has been validated. The one-year turnaround seen in Minnesota this season happened under the watch of a winner.New team, new year, same Brett Favre. Although it seems sour to admit, Favre added to a legacy that had almost everything a professional football player could ask for in a place other than his true home. There is the 1996 Super Bowl win and a near repeat the following year. There is the 16 year career he gave the small town of Green Bay, Wis., and their storied football franchise. And then, most defining in my mind, there is what Favre did this year with Minnesota. Never has there been such an immediate and impacting effect as there was with Favre’s arrival in the summer. Even with arguably the best running back in the league in Adrian Peterson, the Vikings lacked the necessary spark at the quarterback position prior to this year. In a sense, there are two legacies synonymous with No. 4. There is the Brett and Green Bay, and then Brett and football.There’s no question that in terms of Green Bay, Favre will, or should at least, go down with the likes of Vince Lombardi, Bart Starr and Reggie White. It hinges on the public court of opinion and the treason-like exit Favre took from a football Mecca. Favre genuinely loves the game for what it is and simply cannot walk away on adverse terms, even if it would involve walking out on a fan base and town where his career was destined to end.Going out on a losing note in the 2007 NFC Championship Game didn’t settle well once Favre began his first year without football. By the way, how hard were the Favre-haters cheering after Sunday’s copycat ending to ’07 NFC title game, in which Favre also threw an overtime interception?There are some who will never forgive Favre for continuing his career elsewhere after his tenure in Green Bay ended. But then there are those who see the bigger picture, the clear picture as it relates to him. IU sophomore Landon Scott is a die-hard “cheesehead” but will always value Favre’s time in Green Bay for the excitement he brought.“He made every fan seem like part of the family; it was almost like you knew him,” Scott said. “No matter what, I love Brett for 14 weeks of the season.” What many Green Bay fans unfortunately fail to see is that to Favre, a fan of a team is a fan of the game. You have your family on the team and your extended family linked by a certain zeal for the game. IU sophomore Billy Kennedy has no loyalty to the Packers or Vikings, but doesn’t know a better ambassador in the game than Favre. “I wear my Brett Favre jersey every time I touch the turf,” Kennedy said. “Like Brett, I believe in the importance of character, heart and enthusiasm in the game.” Enthusiasm is where Favre’s passion for football is evident. His signature jump with his arms signaling a touchdown has become one of the most recognized gestures in the game. And, as seen in Sunday’s game after rolling his left ankle, he will have to be near death to miss a snap. Favre still has one year remaining on his two-year, $25 million contract which he signed prior to the season. Another Super Bowl ring for Favre remains a possibility, and his seemingly ageless ability only begs the question of how much more will be added to an already indelible legacy.
(01/20/10 3:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was a familiar story line, but this go-around had a different ending for the Indianapolis Colts.This time, there was no rust. There were no timing issues. And, most importantly, there was not another early, unexpected exit for a team that has faced more controversy in the last month than any other all season.The Colts’ 20-3 win against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium was more than a win. In a sense, it was a remedy. It served as relief from the monthlong media onslaught the franchise has faced since it forfeited a possible 16-0 in favor of preparing for the playoffs. It served as an answer to the question: Why did the Colts come out rusty in past years after resting starters near the regular season’s end?And although it would be a football sin to admit it, they can be somewhat content that their AFC Championship opponent is not the San Diego Chargers; a team that has had the Colts’ number in recent years. With that monkey off their back, the Colts can finally move on from the distractions presented with things like the whole resting question. For the time being, at least.The Colts now face what I see as their most pressing task at hand in franchise history. Bold, but think about it.This is one of those legacy-defining weeks for owner Jim Irsay and President Bill Polian. It’s the same New York J-E-T-S whose season the Colts could have ended, should they have chosen to play the starters for more than one half in Week 16. If Indianapolis loses next Sunday, the jeers of mediocrity will return to the organization, and questions regarding Polian’s decision to forego history will come like rapid fire. His rather conservative school of football thought will come under more scrutiny than ever.There’s no question the Colts have been an ideal model in society and brought unparalleled football success to a town and state once known purely for basketball. But with just one Lombardi Trophy during seasons of 12-plus wins and achieving continual statistical milestones, where will they fall in terms of the game’s greatest of all time?Just as triumph is no stranger to the Colts franchise, neither is trial. The 2005 Indianapolis team, in my mind the far-and-away best team Polian has ever assembled, dropped the divisional game to the six-seeded and eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Two and three years later, they dropped playoff games to less-talented Charger teams. If there is anything at which the Colts have more experience than anyone, it’s facing tribulation. But now, the Colts have momentum and experience to go along with the challenge they face.Say what you want about Ed Reed’s rare fumbled interception or the alleged “soft” Colts defense holding Baltimore to a field goal in the red zone, this team got the job done after years of coming up short after the chips had fallen in their favor.If the Colts are truly to go down as a dynasty of the 2000s along with the New England Patriots, they have to finish the deal with a second Super Bowl in four years because now there are no excuses. They have a defense to compliment their high-powered offense. Resting the starters wasn’t a deterrent, as the country saw.If the Colts somehow blow the opportunity at hand, the Indianapolis and national media will be barbaric come Monday morning. The possibility of that type of scrutiny alone should be enough for the Colts to bring out their A-game one final time before the big stage in South Beach.