I had to stray away from the standard fake athlete biography today for Hank Steinbrenner. Hank probably doesn’t read my blog. That’s because he’s a fat loser who can’t read and rides the coattails of his successful father.
While the previous statement may be inaccurate, it would only be so if Hank Steinbrenner actually knew how to read. If he does know how to do that, than I apologize. He is, then, just a fat loser who rides the coattails of his successful father.

I’ve never linked before, but: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3271124

Keep in mind, please, that I don’t even like the Red Sox. I don’t like Red Sox Nation. However, Hank Steinbrenner, if only for one day, is the person/thing/entity that I hate the most.

I could continue talking about how much of a loser Hank Steinbrenner is, and how he is just sad because his days of being a high school athlete are long past him and he’ll never be as successful as, say, Mike Lowell or Kevin Youkilis, or even Julio Lugo. That of course, is hinging on whether Hank had any athletic talent to begin with that would have led him to play high school sports.

On to the actual post today. Hank Steinbrenner sucks.

Some quick hits before the meat of the post (The Western Conference Power Rankings):

The Patriots have lost Asante Samuel to the Eagles. And have subsequently lost next season. Allow me to be the first person to say this: Bill Bellichick needs to be fired. Allow your indignation and outrage to settle, then think about what I just said. He has tarnished the face of this franchise, that, yes, he helped to build. However, his head has gotten much too big and he thinks HE is going to win the games. He is not. His players, if he has any left, are going to win games. And there may not be many to win next year without Asante and others.

I’m mad today. I don’t know why.

I nearly hit on my Game O’ The Day prediction yesterday. There’s no explanation for that.

The NFL makes no sense to me. Jonathan Vilma is only worth a fourth-round pick? I need to just get on to the teams in that I think can represent the Western Conference:

(We’re only going with the teams that I think can win the championship)

5. (brace yourself)

(seriously)

(are you ready?)

Golden State Warriors- I am completely serious. First, I think there are 5 teams that can win the West. There are obstacles to their progress. Everyone has them. Here’s why I think the Warriors are legit: They’re a great series team. Night to night, they’re going to lose some games. They’re not going to finish any higher than 6th in the west. And that’s fine. They proved it last year. In a 7 game series, the Warriors can wear out teams like the Spurs and the Mavericks. They’re so deep. They’re super fun to watch. I’d love it if they could get something out of Patrick O’Bryant (he’s black. I don’t know why he has that name). I don’t think they’re going to win the West, but they can.

4. San Antonio Spurs- I’d put them higher, but I don’t think that they’re as good as last year. Manu Ginobili has been playing out of his mind since his All-Star snub, but Tony Parker has been back-and-forth as far as health this year and they lost depth when they traded Francisco Elson and Brent Barry for 57 year old Kurt Thomas. I don’t buy into this whole “they’ll turn it on come playoff time talk.” With those criticisms said, they’re still the Spurs and they pose a real threat. People will be caught off-guard by the Warriors. That won’t happen with the Spurs. They’re supposed to be here and I think they belong here. Though no higher.

3. Utah Jazz- I like this team a lot and I think they’ve finally learned how to play together. They’re also deep, like the Warriors. They have the second best point guard in the NBA in Deron Williams (more on number 1 in a bit). They also have a very good front line with Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur. I loved the Kyle Korver addition, as did everyone, because it made perfect sense for them. They needed a shooter, so they got one of the best shooters in the NBA. As long as the Jazz keep the defense at least modestly decent, I think they can run the table in the West. I don’t know if they can do that for 3 straight series though.

2. New Orleans Hornets- I really don’t think that this is just my affection for this team. Chris Paul is the best point guard in the NBA. Period. If he doesn’t win the MVP, there will be a great injustice as no one is as deserving. David West is an all-star for a reason. Because he’s great, every night. Bonzi Wells does provide them with some depth, as long as he stays out of police cars. Throw in Jannero Pargo, Peja Stojakovic, Mo-Pete, Tyson Chandler, Mike James, and, heck, even Hilton Armstrong is playing. This team defends well. They score. They do everything right. The names don’t jump out at you. They’re going to jump out at a lot of teams. Just not the next one…

1. Los Angeles Lakers- They’ll lose, MAX, 5 more games this season. Nearly flawless. If Bynum comes back healthy, I don’t see how they’re going to lose in the playoffs. Kobe, Gasol, Odom, Farmar, Fisher, Walton, and the list goes on. Oh, and they’re coach has 9 championship rings. 9.

Game O’ The Day: Utah @ New Orleans. Hey! Look at that! Number 3 and Number 2. Number 3 is really hot right now. They’re 18-5 in their last 23 games. Strangely enough, those losses are to Minnesota, Denver, Sacramento, Portland, and the Clippers. Some of the 18 wins came against: Phoenix, San Antonio, Golden State, Houston, and, oh, New Orleans. They get another win tonight over the Hornets. 108-90 (Keep Reading)

If you pay attention, you might be thinking, “Wait, you don’t think that Dallas and Phoenix can win the West?” Uh, no. I don’t. Dallas looks old. Phoenix looks disjointed. I don’t think either will fix those problems. Neither can run with Utah or Golden State and there’s no way either beats the Lakers.

And Hank Steinbrenner is, as always, still a loser.

Besides sports, where else can you go from nearly fired to making over 5 million dollars a year, all within one calendar? Prediction: Tom Coughlin will not make it through his new 4 year deal.

There isn’t a whole hell of a lot to cover today. I feel like we get one of these super slow sports news days a week. And while I feel bad not giving you a list of some form, I feel like I’ve covered my college basketball lists. (And don’t think I’ve forgotten about my very early statement that I was going to rank the running backs entering this NFL’s Draft. It’s still February though. A lot can happen. Perhaps Darren McFadden will impregnate another woman. Who knows???)

The Celtics managed a really big win last night against the LeBrons, who they have had previous difficulty with this season. And the Hawks won a game. With that said, I have a list for you. My conference power rankings. I’ll do the Eastern Conference today and keep you in suspense all night waiting for tomorrow’s Western Conference rankings. (This is a list of the teams with the best chance to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, in my estimation. And no, the Hawks will not be #3.) In descending order:

15. Miami Heat- This team give terrible a new definition. I thought that picking up Shawn Marion (less so Marcus Banks) would rejuvenate them. They’re still 1-9 in their last 10 games. This is proof positive to NBA GMs that you don’t need just one good player to win. The Heat have a top 5 player in Dwyane Wade and now have a stat machine in Shawn Marion, yet they’re atrocious. They’ll get the top pick in the draft and probably waste it on Michael Beasley.

14. Indiana- I have nothing to add. Another terrible team. Too many white guys who aren’t good.

13. Charlotte- Eventually, they’ll be good. I’m just not sure when.

12….

You know what? The Eastern Conference sucks. Everyone knows this. I’d be better off ranking the lottery teams from the Eastern Conference and who they should draft. There are 3 teams that can win the Eastern Conference. They are ranked as follows:

3. Cleveland- I think they did a lot to improve last week. Ben Wallace and Wally are better than Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes in my estimation, not as players, but as far as filling a role. Larry Hughes was often unaware that he was playing with the best player in the NBA. Larry is not, never was, and never will be a star and shouldn’t have taken so many terrible shots in Cleveland. If he gets any playing time, Delonte will be the best get in the trade because of his ability to defend. I think what holds this team back is the lack of another scorer to play second fiddle to LeBron. Wally will inevitably get hurt. Daniel Gibson is streakier than store-brand window cleaner. And Zydrunas Illgauskus is the poor man’s Rik Smits.

2. Boston- Plain and simple, they don’t have enough guys on defense to stop the number 1 team. I wish they did. But they don’t.

1. Detroit- As much as this pick and team bores me (and probably you) they’re the best team in the East. I don’t see how you can argue it. The rise of Jason Maxiell has really helped this team. Chauncey continues to be a good to great player, Tayshaun Prince will shut down Paul Pierce in a 7 game series, and I think they have enough inside to neutralize KG. Detroit, as of today, is my pick to win the East, if I had to put my life on a team.

Tomorrow, I’ll countdown the Western Conference, where real teams play (I think I’d put Orlando at #4, but I don’t think they can win the East).

Game O’ The Day: Vermont @ UNH (men’s basketball). It’s senior night in Durham and the Wildcats will avenge 3 consecutive tough losses to the Catamounts with a hard 69-65 win. Also, Louisville and Notre Dame are playing tonight. But really, it’s all about the America East conference.

Police in California are seeking out St. Louis Cardinals blowhard Scott Spiezio on six criminal charges. Really, when you can’t trust a man with a red dyed soulpatch who plays in a band called Sand Frog and is a below average utility player for the St. Louis Cardinals, who can you trust?

The highlight of my day is listening to The Tony Kornheiser Show on D.C.’s 3WT (WWWT) radio from 2-4. Listen online. It’s great. Unless you have a job. Which you probably do.

I usually (okay, all the time) hate being wrong. Last night was an exception. I really wanted to be wrong about the Tennessee/Vanderbilt game. However, I wasn’t. Tennessee didn’t have “it” (as ESPN Color Commentator and fantastic singer Jimmy Dykes refers to their aura) last night. Their poor free throw shooting, combined with Romar Smith’s insistence on being a one-man team late in the game, and Shan Foster’s unconscious shooting did the Volunteers in last night. If you can’t tell, I really like this team. They’ve officially moved ahead of West Virginia into the number 2 spot of college basketball teams I root for, for no other reason than I love their coach and hate the Mountaineers’ coach (Bob Huggins). Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl (who I understand some readers (Matthew) probably dislike because his UW-Milwaukee team eliminated Boston College in the tournament a few years back) is such a lovable man. His grabbing of Erin Andrews Saturday night was genius. And he truly loves his kids. You don’t see that from most coaches. You see it from Roy Williams at North Carolina and Coach K at Duke, but you don’t see it from the masses of mediocre college basketball coaches. Pearl is a great personality and a great coach and I still think Tennessee is one of the 4 best teams in college hoops.

As for Vanderbilt, look, if they’re making 3’s, they’re the best team in the country. I mean that. The problem with Vandy is that outside of Memorial Gymnasium, they’re not the same team. Shan Foster isn’t the same shooter. If he can get right on the road, the Commodores are a legit sleeper. As it stands, I don’t think that they’re getting past the Sweet 16. But the potential is definitely there.

Some questions about my Power 16 from yesterday. The first being Drake. It took 10 hours since I published yesterday’s post for me to look foolish, as they lost at Missouri State. I thought that Drake had, again, righted the ship, after winning at Hinckle Saturday against a very good Butler team. Then they came out and had a close lose to a .500 Missouri Valley team. My argument for keeping the Bulldogs as a 4 seed is who else should be a 4. After I posted yesterday, I looked at ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s current bracket. His 4 seeds: UConn, Purdue, Indiana, Notre Dame. My 4 seeds: UConn, Drake, Marquette, Purdue. While Indiana has won since Kelvin Sampson’s “resignation,” it hasn’t been pretty and I’ve fallen off of the Eric Gordon love-mobile. In regards to Notre Dame, I think Marquette is a better team, though not by much. The two split their two games this season (both winning on the road). Notre Dame’s best non-conference victory was at home against Kansas State. Marquette’s was against Wisconsin in Madison and only lost by 4 at Duke. Notre Dame is hotter right now. Both teams have big matchups this week (Notre Dame against Louiville; Marquette against Georgetown). We’ll see.

Scott Kazmir is going to be on the shelf for 2 weeks. I feel like this won’t be the only time he’s shut down this year. Excuse me while I pray to the god of David Price.

Yao Ming has a stress fracture in his foot. So now, instead of being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, they just won’t make them. Tracy McGrady is so insanely overrated. He’s never won anything in his career, looks like an idiot, and takes idiot-like shots.

If you’re looking for a backup quarterback, David Carr is available. And will hopefully remain available. David Carr has to be considered one of the biggest failures in NFL history. While he had no O-Line help in Houston, allow me to point out that he’s also played with two of the NFL’s best wide receivers in Andre Johnson and Steve Smith. Apparently the NFL isn’t the Western Athletic Conference.

Finally, the owner of the Chicago Cubs has announced that he is willing to sell the naming rights to Wrigley Field. Get ready, baseball purists, for Pizzeria Uno Park.

Game O’ The Day: YEEESH! A poor slate of college games tonight. We turn to the NBA, where there is a huge slate of big games to choose from. I’m going to go with the Cavs/Celtics game, though I can’t see any of the big games because my local team is the Washington Wizards. Hooray. I’ll be watching Big Brother and Project Runway. And hopefully getting a testosterone injection.

According to the Daily News, a former teammate of Roger Clemens (presumably Chili Davis) has come forward and stated that Roger Clemens frequently told an anecdote about the famed Jose Canseco party (It must have been a blast) where his wife and Canseco’s wife argued over who had the better pair of surgically altered breasts. This is the part where we all stop paying attention to this story. Right?

So, I was close on last night’s Game O’ The Day, at least as far as the final score is concerned. Texas, of course, came out on top which will inevitably continue this slue of banter about how they are a National Title contender. Please, take my advice now, THEY ARE NOT! I don’t think DJ Augustin is as good as the POY talk that comes his way. AJ Abrams is too streaky. And Connor Atchley is not good. Yes, Texas has beaten Tennessee, UCLA, and Kansas, all of whom I believe are Final Four teams. Texas has also lost games to Michigan State, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Texas A&M, none of whom are going to win any championships this season. They’ll win their next 3 games against inferior teams (Texas Tech, Nebraska, and Oklahoma State) and enter the conference tournament as the Number 1 team in college basketball, with everyone talking big about them. Then they’ll lose in the conference semifinals, still get a number 1 seed and be done by the Sweet 16. Please, I beg you, follow up on this prediction.

As for BracketBusters, I neglected to give you my final standings for my weekend picks. I went a respectable (in my eyes) 10-4. The biggest win of the weekend (not for me, as it counted for a loss) other than Tennessee’s, belonged to Kent State who traveled to NorCal and beat a very good Saint Mary’s team.

The NHL Trade Deadline is today. Get prepared to say goodbye to your favorite player as he will be traded today. “The NHL: Where Even We Don’t Know Where Yesterday’s Stars Are Playing.” They need another lockout. By the way, give me a few months when I get stupid excited about the playoffs and start writing daily about how I think the Penguins can win the cup this year.

The Celtics are still capable of winning a basketball game, it just has to be against the Clippers, who did not enjoy being semi-respectable and have instead gone into late-1990’s mode.

I know what you’re saying: “Jason, why haven’t you given us your Power 16 yet?” Because I’ve been waiting for this very moment, that’s why.

For those of you who are unaware, the Power 16 is the 16 best teams in the country divided up into 4 groups (like the tournament). You could just list the top 16, but it looks nicer this way. Without further ado, MY Power 16 (the cities you see are the cities that are hosting the regional semi-finals and finals in March):

HOUSTON REGION
1. North Carolina
2. Kansas
3. Michigan State
4. UConn

DETROIT REGION
1. Memphis
2. Duke
3. Georgetown
4. Drake

PHOENIX REGION
1. Texas (Here for now because they are playing better today than UCLA)
2. UCLA
3. Vanderbilt
4. Marquette

CHARLOTTE REGION
1. Tennessee
2. Xavier
3. Louisville
4. Purdue

I reserve the right to change this weekly. I have Tennessee as the number one seed, hence them playing in Charlotte (close to home) in the weakest region 2-4. I’d take Tennessee, UCLA, Memphis, and Kansas to advance….oh, I’ve had that all year haven’t I? Weird.

Game O’ The Day: Tennessee @ Vanderbilt. As much as I want the Vols to win, I don’t see how they can. They’re coming off of a brutal game Saturday night in Memphis. They didn’t get back to Knoxville until early Sunday morning. Then had to travel yesterday back west, to Nashville. Meanwhile, the Commodores have spent the last 3 nights in Nashville in their own beds and are near impossible to beat in their gym. If Tennessee wins tonight, there is no debate that they are the best team in the country. This is a huge challenge for them. I think Shan (prnounced Shane…I don’t know) Foster shoots the lights out and Vandy wins 85-75 against a tired Volunteer team.

Apologies to my loyal readership for the tardiness of this post. I spent most of the afternoon between a walk-in clinic and a dentist’s office, then had to travel cross-town, which is impossible during rush hour. So here I sit, at 8 pm over a bowl of clam chowder, offering you a possibly brief post about this weekend.

First, Oscar got it right. Needless to say, I was a tad nervous that Juno was going to win Best Picture or worse, Ellen Page Best Actress. Neither of those things happened. I finally saw Michael Clayton prior to the ceremony and was shocked that Tilda Swinton won Best Supporting Actress. In the clip that they showed when reading the nominations, George Clooney steals the scene, presumably her best. I thought Amy Ryan was great in the underrated Gone Baby Gone. While her character, a coke-head mother from Southie, probably didn’t resonate with audiences because she was so hate-able, she played it well. Also, to the woman from “La Vie en Rose, ” (which I won’t even pretend to have seen or know anything about) kudos. Also, Jon Stewart was very funny; more hit than miss. A good show all-around.

Saturday’s Memphis/Tennessee game was more worthy of the title of “Heavyweight Fight” than the actual fight taking place at Madison Square Garden. The first four minutes of that game have no parallel this year in college (or pro, but that’s a given) basketball. Shot-for-shot. JaJuan Smith’s 26 foot three, instantly matched by Antonio Anderson’s 3. The game slowed down; it had to. The first half was controlled well by Memphis, who kept Tennessee playing at a slightly slower pace and kept Chris Lofton in absolute check. The second half became the most compelling war of attrition I have maybe ever seen in a basketball game. Late in the half, at every whistle, you had a player hobbling to the bench. Just a classic game. Sadly, it came down to Memphis’ lack of free throw shooting prowess, which I fear will inevitably do them in. I have never liked Memphis, however, I finally respect them and hope they stick around for a little while in the tournament because they’re such a tough matchup for every team in D-I basketball.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge Memphis freshman Derrick Rose’s game. At one point in the second half, Rose looked like he was going to die on the court (only a slight exaggeration). However, Rose carried Memphis in the second half and kept them in the game with great pull-up jumpers and senior-decision making, from a freshman no less. I haven’t been impressed with Michael Beasley and OJ Mayo and Eric Gordon nearly as much as I was with Derrick Rose’s second half Saturday night. That said, I think he should still stay at Memphis for another year to better season himself and develop some type of personality (as I don’t think he has any). But for now, kudos.

Cutting it short today. I’ll be back in solid form tomorrow.

Game O’ The Day: Texas @ Kansas State. Huge game for the Wildcats. Must win in fact. They’ve fallen off the radar in the Big 12, especially with the Baylor loss Saturday. Texas is wildly overrated in my eyes and not deserving of a 1 seed as some prognosticators have indicated. K-State gets the win they need tonight, behind a 30+ point performance from Beasley. Wildcats beat the ‘Horns 78-66.

No joke title mocking an athlete or coach today. I mean, it’s the weekend. Lets be friends.

In case you weren’t aware, there’s a monumental college basketball game tonight at 9 P.M. More on that later.

I’m going to take a brief moment away from the sports to give you my selections for the Oscars, which are happening tomorrow evening.

Best Actor
Daniel-Day Lewis (my celebrity look-alike)

Best Actress
Cate Blanchette (Because, you know, she has to win every year. It’s a rule)

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem (If he doesn’t win this award, I’ll be a little confused)

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Ryan (Cate Blanchette will probably win this one too)

Best Adapted Screenplay
There Will Be Blood (I don’t really have a comment here. Atonement and No Country…are also terrific. Tough category)

Best Original Screenplay
Lars and the Real Girl (Juno will win this)

Best Director
The Coen Brothers

Best Picture (I’m going to write about this)

Full disclosure, I haven’t seen Michael Clayton yet. I feel bad about this. I’ll leave it to the remaining four, Juno, Atonement, No Country for Old Men, and There Will Be Blood. That said, I have no right to be upset if Michael Clayton wins, until I see it, which I may do tomorrow, pre-Oscars.

The Breakdown:

Juno- I hate what this movie has become. The trailer made me excited. I saw it prior to The Darjeeling Limited and waited, anticipating its release. After seeing it, I was letdown. It’s not a bad movie. It’s a mostly enjoyable romantic comedy. However, that’s what it is. Juno being touted as this year’s Little Miss Sunshine is so off-base that it risks being picked off (had to throw in a baseball reference). Sunshine was dark and inspiring and well-acted and sad and all the things that movies like that are supposed to be. Juno is not. Ellen Page, in my eyes, is no better than Jon Heder. In Napoleon Dynamite, Jon Heder essentially played himself. In Juno, Ellen Page does the same (much like her co-star Michael Cera, who, while he is endearing, really needs to stop playing himself in every film he’s in). This movie would have been remarkably better if Jason Bateman’s character had slept with Juno. For the very reason that I didn’t, this movie finds itself in a category it does not belong in.

No Country For Old Men- Javier Bardem as Antoine Chigurh is amazing. There’s frankly not a ton for me to say about this movie. The plot is intriguing. The characters are interesting. The setting is perfect. The mood, also great.

There Will Be Blood- See above, substituting Daniel-Day Lewis for Javier Bardem and Daniel Plainview for Antoine Chigurh. The one thing that I would say is that there are brief stretches where I got a little antsy, as the film stretches over 2 1/2 hours. Also, I’m a little confused at the popularity of the “Milkshake” line, as, you know, this isn’t a really “catchphrase” type of movie.

Atonement- I really liked this movie. It wasn’t brilliantly acted or brilliantly written. However, the story is completely compelling and the twist at the end completely unexpected. I’m not exactly sure if anyone actually saw this movie and I realize that as much as I recommend it, it still remains to be unappealing to the masses. However, this is NOT The English Patient. And Keira Knightley is gorgeous. There’s that too.

THE WINNER: No Country For Old Men. Having seen it twice, I guess it is at more of an advantage as far as my preference, however, I had it ahead of There Will Be Blood before seeing it again.

Okay, back to sports…

The Celtics came out flat last night and lost to the Suns in, what was, a strangely low-scoring game. They need to come back to the east coast.

Game O’ The Day: Tennessee @ Memphis. I’ve talked about this game all week. The best thing I heard all week about this game was, “you can tell the 35 second shot clock guy to stay home.” This game is going to be fast, high-scoring, and fun. Neither team can shoot free throws, and frankly, I hope it doesn’t come down to free throws. I think it comes down to how well Derrick Rose can maintain possession in the face of Tennessee’s hard press defense and how well Tennessee’s Chris Lofton shoots the trey. Despite the game being in Memphis, I think Tennessee wins. Final Score: 93-90. PLEASE…WATCH THIS GAME!!!

Really though, just fire him already. He committed an illegal recruiting act while already on probation. It may have been a minor misdeed, however, he’s a repeat offender. If someone shoplifts once, you might let it slide. When they shoplift a second time, practically the next day, you might raise an eyebrow or two. He’s supposed to be a leader of young men. He failed them. Let’s move on.

So, this post is coming late in the day, as we got an inch of snow and they canceled school in and around the District. Therefore, my roommate was present. Also, again, there’s not much going on.

Today’s post will be short. Tomorrow’s (In the Morning) Weekend Edition will be longer. I promise. I don’t want to give the impression that I’m starting to be soured on writing long entries, it’s just there’s not a lot of controversial stuff happening that I feel the need to analyze. However, some housekeeping:

1.) Candace Parker, who, if you’re an avid reader, you may have realized I have a non-man crush on, has announced that she will forgo her senior year of athletic eligibility at Tennessee and begin training with the U.S. National Team and head to the WNBA before it implodes. Parker is graduating this May. I see nothing wrong with her decision, other than I will probably not watch very much Women’s College Basketball next season. I honestly believe she’s better than 5% of the players in the NBA. I mean this. I would rather have Candace Parker than, say, Brian Scalabrine or Kwame Brown.

2.) Really, if you plan on going out tomorrow night after 8:59 P.M. you are not a sports fan. The bar will be there next week. The club, unless Great White is playing, will not burn down before next Saturday. Your friends will not disown you. Sit down tomorrow night in front of ESPN, at 8:59 P.M. and watch the College Basketball Game of the Season. I don’t care if your team is playing tomorrow night. Their game will not be as good as Tennessee @ Memphis. I will have my official pick tomorrow morning for this game, though I’ve already made it clear who I think is going to win this game.

3.) Last night USC had a great come-from-behind win against Oregon at home. OJ Mayo bounced back nicely with a 32 point performance. The problem with Oregon is simple: If they’re not making their 3’s, their not winning their games. No team can sustain that for either an entire season or the tournament. Also, USC can play a very pesky Triangle-And-2 zone defense (if you don’t understand that concept, just know it’s a tough defense to play, as you have to be athletic, but also a tough defense to score on. Memphis struggled against it earlier this season when they played USC) that can shut down the 3. I’ve said it now 3 times this week, if they get Daniel Hackett back for the tournament, they can go as far as OJ Mayo can take them.

4.) Finally, BracketBusters starts this weekend. My Game O’ The Day (#2) today is Davidson @ Winthrop. Two very good mid-major (though Winthrop is not nearly as good as last year’s quality club) teams from South Carolina. If you haven’t seen Davidson’s Stephen Curry (Steffen, not Steven) play, do so. He’s the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry. He’s only a sophomore. My other non-Drake @ Butler highlight of the weekend is on at midnight tomorrow (in case you haven’t gotten your fix after Tennessee/Memphis). Kent State, better than you’d think traveling 2300 miles to the sticks of California to play Saint Mary’s, who I’ve also touted as a sleeper. The Gaels (St. Mary’s) bring an uptempo attack that Kent State will try to slow and, in the end, fail. Here are the rest of my BracketBuster Picks for the weekend in short form (We’ll look back Monday and see how much I really know):

Davidson over Winthrop
Utah State over UC-Santa Barbara
VCU over Akron
George Mason over Ohio
Oral Roberts over Creighton
Southern Illinois over Nevada
Drake over Butler
Valparaiso over Miami (OH)
Cleveland State over Marist
Rider over Cal-State Northridge
Bradley over UW-Milwaukee
Boise State over Siena
Saint Mary’s over Kent State
Illinois State over Wright State

We’ll see how well I do with that.

Game O’ The Day: Boston Celtics @ Phoenix Suns. The Lakers/Suns game the other night got all the hype nationally. I have no idea how the New England sports media is responding to this game, because, you know, I’m 500 miles away in a city that doesn’t care about sports like Boston does (not necessarily a bad thing). I think the Celtics, who really need to win a big game after losing their last two out West, will win tonight. Celtics get a much needed victory, 111-100.

Back tomorrow with my Oscar Picks (that’s necessary) and other things. This wasn’t really a short post. Sometimes, I even amaze myself.

Oh, and while Christopher Nixon is a better baseball player than me, “you know who,” he’s still a AAA baseball player. 🙂

Opening the “New Post” box, I sort of got the feeling that this would be the shortest post ever, besides the Patriots winning the Super Bowl error/post. On the first hand, I’m really not in one of those 1500-2000 word posts where I reorganize or fix a league. On the more important hand, nothing is really happening. We’re two days away from the biggest college basketball game of the season (of course, I speak of the big Albany at Canisius game). The NBA Trade Deadline came and went today. One semi-big trade happened. The Cleveland Cavaliers come away with Ben Wallace, Delonte West, Joe Smith, and Wally Szczerbiak. The Chicago Bulls with Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes (sorry Skip Bayless). Finally, the Not-So SuperSonics come away with the prospect of not winning any more games this year and Donyell Marshall, who, I believe, is 59 years old at this point.

I do not hide the fact that I, like every sound-minded fan of the Celtics, am in love with Delonte West. He can shoot the 3. He can defend on pure hustle. AND he can run an offense. He was being completely underused in Seattle, where he should have been on the court with Jeff Green and Kevin Durant, playing an uptempo style. Now, D should get the chance to be a part of this starting lineup: West, Wally, LeBron James, Ben Wallace, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, with Daniel Gibson, Anderson Varejao and veteran Eric Snow off the bench. I really like this lineup. Wallace is on the downside of his career, but, really, with LeBron, he’s not going to have to score a point. As long as he can defend Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh and Kevin Garnett, the Cavs will likely return to the finals.

From the Bulls standpoint, this trade is worthless. I don’t see the point of adding Drew Gooden, I think he’s terrible overrated. Larry Hughes does no good, other than push Ben Gordon back on the depth chart, unless they want to go REEEEEALLY small.

For the Sonics…expiring contracts are only good if you are going to be able to bring in free agents and no one is going to want to play for a team with an owner that is going to move his team to the sticks. If I’m Kevin Durant, I hate my life right now, despite being a future star.

So, the NBA Trade Deadline is gone. The 3 biggest winners are:

3. Hawks
2. Cleveland
1. Lakers

I’m still on the Hawks bandwagon, post-Bibby trade. Things will gel. Yes, they’re struggling right now, but things will begin to gel.

Cleveland, see above.

The Lakers may not lose another game this season. I’m only being slightly hyperbolic.

The biggest loser of the trade deadline is the Grizzlies, who have no idea what they’re doing. They were going to be good. They’re now going nowhere fast.

Chris Paul is the MVP of the NBA. Not Kobe. Not KG. Not Bron Bron. Not anyone, but CP3. He’s taken a mostly mediocre team and made them, and don’t scoff, the best team in the NBA and, still (well, with the Lakers) my favorite to win the NBA Title. This Year! I can’t beat this point hard enough. Look at what Chris Paul is doing with what he’s doing it with. Byron Scott is his coach! Not Phil Jackson! Byron Scott! If he didn’t play in a media blackhole and instead played in New York or LA, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.

Game O’ The Night: I wish I could say Tennessee @ Memphis, but it’s not Saturday. It’s a garbage slate tonight. If you can stay up, there’s a compelling Pac-10 game being broadcast nationally. Oregon @ USC at 11 P.M. I’ve mentioned previously that I think USC is much better than they probably are and a potential Elite 8 sleeper. I also think Oregon is much better than their playing. OJ Mayo needs to bounce back from a horrid performance Sunday against UCLA. For tonight, bounce back or not, I’m calling upset. Oregon really needs this win. They get is 84-77 in a typically good Pac-10 Thursday night tilt.

Barry is in game shape and would like a team. Now, I love Barry Bonds as much as, well, more than anyone, but really, no one is going to sign him. Barry will remain the best available home run champion on the free agent list.

I’m blogging early today because it is a super slllllllllllllow sports news day and I don’t foresee myself having to analyze a big NBA trade. At the very most, Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson might be suspended or fired. I don’t have anything to add if that happens. He should be fired. Sad too, because he’s a good coach.

I think tomorrow I may stray away from sports for a day and discuss the Oscars (well, the best picture category). If you think this is a terrible idea, please tell me.

Since I touted Drake as the real deal, they’ve lost twice, including last night to Bradley. I am the kiss of death. I’m beginning to rethink them beating Butler on Saturday.

UNH’s RPI is 315th out of the 341 Division I Men’s Basketball Teams. I’m just saying. I don’t think they’re going to beat Kansas in the tournament.

Last night’s Game o’ The Day was a laugher. The Hawks, who I touted as the 3rd best team in the NBA yesterday, lost to the Lakers by 29 points, after being down by more than 40 at various junctures. Again, Kiss of Death.

Today’s post was going to be my ranking of the 8 best teams in the West, however, I have yet to see the new-look Suns play (more on that a little later) and am going to hold off for about a week. Also, there is still one more trade to go down, I feel, possibly involving Jermaine O’Neal going to the Warriors, which could, again, completely change the landscape of this conference. It’s sad that the 9th place team in the West isn’t going to make the playoffs. Now, more than ever, the NBA needs to realign the conferences. So, without further ado:

THE NEW LOOK NBA CONFERENCES

Rather than an Eastern Conference and a Western Conference, we’ll name the two conferences after legendary players/figures, like hockey used to before they dumbed down the game for America.

Robertson Conference

East Division

Boston Celtics
New York Knicks
Charlotte Bobcats
New Jersey Nets
Orlando Magic

Central Division

San Antonio Spurs
Minnesota Timberwolves
Chicago Bulls
Houston Rockets
Indiana Pacers

West Division

Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Clippers
Denver Nuggets
Dallas Mavericks
Sacramento Kings

Russel Conference

East Division

Miami Heat
Atlanta Hawks
Philadelphia 76ers
Toronto Raptors
Washington Wizards

Central Division

Cleveland Cavaliers
New Orleans Hornets
Milwaukee Bucks
Detroit Pistons
Memphis Grizzlies

West Division

Utah Jazz
Portland Trail Blazers
Phoenix Suns
Golden State Warriors
Seattle SuperSonics

With This Format and the current standings, here would be your playoff matchups:

Robertson Conference

1. Boston Celtics
8. Denver Nuggets

4. San Antonio Spurs
5. Dallas Mavericks

3. Orlando Magic
6. Houston Rockets

2. Los Angeles Lakers
7. New Jersey Nets

Russel Conference

1. New Orleans Hornets
8. Philadelphia 76ers

4. Utah Jazz
5. Toronto Raptors

3. Phoenix Suns
6. Cleveland Cavaliers

2. Detroit Pistons
7. Washington Wizards

I set up the divisions for the long-term. I didn’t look at the current conference standings when aligning them. And look, not only do you have balance down the line, but you give teams like Houston a fighting chance and teams like the Cavaliers some actual competition within their division. And those matchups are great. Sure, there’s a clunker or two (New Orleans and Philly stands out). But how about a San Antonio/Dallas matchup to start? Phoenix vs. Cleveland? Utah vs. Toronto? Someone find David Stern.

Game O’ The Day: Lakers @ Phoenix. I don’t need to break this game down. It’s compelling enough. Just watch.

At this juncture in time, New Jersey Nets Guard Vince Carter, notorious for half-assing most things, is about to begin a monumental tank job. The Jason Kidd trade to the Dallas Mavericks became official this afternoon, thanks to Keith Van Horn who came out of retirement to make 4 million dollars in the next month and then retire again (The NBA…Where Hilarious Happens). As it stands, the Nets are getting back Devin Harris and a sack of manure with some late first round draft picks thrown in. The Mavericks are getting back a great catalyst for the next few months, in the hopes that they’ll win the NBA Title. The hope should be, if you’re Dallas, that Jason Kidd will make Dirk Nowitzki become a better playoff performer, because he’s been about as good as the filler that Dallas sent back to New Jersey in this trade, during his career in the postseason.

For the remainder of this year, Dallas is the clear winner in this trade. The Nets will have to work to make anything of the two first round picks they are getting back, as the Dallas Mavericks don’t tend to have lottery picks. Of course, this isn’t the biggest highway robbery of the past month in the NBA. That goes to the Lakers/Grizzlies trade, where the Lakers sent just the bag of manure and got a better, younger player, than Jason Kidd, in Pau Gasol. I hate to say it, but if Andrew Bynum comes back healthy and Kobe’s finger can stay attached, the Lakers are the favorites in the West. Though I am not giving up hope on my New Orleans Hornets.

This is such a dead zone for sports. The only good spring training baseball story is the prank the Phillies pulled on Kyle Kendrick. Find video of it, it’s fabulous. The NBA season has turned into the Hot Stove Report. The NHL is still the NHL. And, frankly, I write an awful lot about college basketball. With that said….

Here are my top 5 best conferences in Men’s College Basketball:

5. SEC
– In The Tournament: Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State
-Need to Do Work: Kentucky, Florida, Ole Miss, Arkansas
-Will Probably Fire Their Coach: Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina, Georgia
-Already Fired Their Coach: LSU

Breakdown: The SEC isn’t very good. However, Tennessee is a legitimate Final Four team, which sets it ahead of the Big 10. That pretty much says it all.

4. Big 12
-In The Tournament: Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, Kansas State
-Need to Do Work: Baylor, Oklahoma
-Will Probably Fire Their Coach: Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska
-Already Lost Their Coach: Texas Tech

Breakdown: The Big 12 also isn’t very good, though I think Oklahoma should be much better than their current record (5-5; 17-8) indicates. Baylor is a nice story and if they get into the tournament, will be a nice first round elimination for a 7 seed. I really think Kansas is the only Final Four Team in the conference. Texas is too inconsistent and coached by Rick Barnes. Texas A&M is a joke at this point and will be lucky to advance to the Round of 32. Kansas State is the dark horse. If they get a good draw in March, I could see them advancing to the Elite 8. However, a mediocre game by Michael Beasley, and they’re done. I see K-State as the second best team in this conference when the dust settles.

3. ACC
-In The Tournament: Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, Clemson
-Need to Do Work: Wake Forest, Miami
-Will Probably Fire Their Coach: Tyrese Rice University, Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State, Florida State, Georgia Tech

Breakdown: Sadly, no team has fired their coach in the ACC, so the joke couldn’t continue. Look, the ACC isn’t very much better than the Big 12. Duke and North Carolina are better, though, than the top two teams in the Big 12 (Kansas and whomever you’d like). The ACC is also slightly deeper. Wake Forest and Miami will probably make the tournament because the committee needs to pick at least six ACC teams every year no matter what the records are of those teams. Miami is not good. Wake Forest is VERY intriguing, especially after beating Duke on Sunday by having more heart and more bad calls go in their favor (more so the latter). The bottom of this conference, as a side note, is atrocious. You pick a team from that bottom category that is any good.

2. Big East
-In The Tournament: Georgetown, Louisville, UConn, Notre Dame, Marquette, Pittsburgh
-Need to Do Work: West Virginia, Syracuse, Villanova
-Will Probably Fire Their Coach: Seton Hall, South Florida, Saint Johns, Providence, Cincinnati, Rutgers, DePaul

Breakdown: Nine teams in. You have to. I think all three of the “Need Work” teams will make the tournament. Syracuse did well to improve their standing by beating an all-of-a-sudden beatable Georgetown team. The Big East is in this position because it is deep, not because it is top-heavy with talent. I think Louisville is on the rise and, like Kansas State, a potential Elite 8 team, though I’m more skeptical of the ‘Ville because of the presence of turnover-waiting-to-happen Edgar Sosa.

Super, Clear-Cut, NO DOUBT #1. Pac-10
-In The Tournament: UCLA, Washington State, Arizona State, Arizona, Stanford, USC
-Need to Do Work: Oregon, Washington, Cal
-Have Already Fired Their Coach: Oregon State

Breakdown: Don’t worry. I don’t think 9 teams will make the NCAA tournament from the Pac-10. I think that 7 should (who that 7th team is, I don’t know, though I favor the Oregon Ducks despite the fact that they are STRUGGLING). UCLA is top tier. Washington State, Stanford, and USC are very good teams (despite USC’s record, I think they are another sleeper, especially if they can get Daniel Hackett back healthy in time for March). Arizona and Arizona State (two very different teams) can also make runs to at least the Sweet 16. I wouldn’t be surprised if 4 Pac 10 teams make the Elite 8. These teams play marquee games every Thursday and Saturday night (similar format to the tournament). Oregon State is the only bottom feeder (granted, a huge one) in this conference. Not enough people on the east coast pay attention to the Pac-10. Watch, See, Learn. The Pac-10 is the best conference in basketball. HANDS DOWN.

In the course of this post, I’ve ruined a potential column. So with that, here are, with no explanation (for now) my top 5 sleeper tournament teams. These are teams not in the top 10 presently, who I think could make it to the Elite 8. Big 10 teams need not apply. Except for…

-Indiana
-St. Mary’s
-Louisville
-Kansas State
-USC

Game O’ The Day: (sidenote: Watch Davidson play UNC Greensboro on ESPN 2 at 7 p.m. tonight, if only for a few minutes. You’ll be seeing them the first two days of the tournament). Atlanta Hawks @ LA Lakers. This is Mike Bibby’s first game with the Hawks. I think his acquisition makes the Hawks the 3rd best team in the East. Better than Cleveland. They have a great starting 5 and with Acie Law IV, Zaza Pachulia, and Josh Childress coming off the bench they are legit. This is not an NBA Finals preview. It is, however, an intriguing matchup on a lackluster day for good games.

NOTE: I’ve reviewed a few of my posts and have noticed a slue of spelling errors. For this, I apologize. I type freely, rarely looking things up, attempting to post as much information in as little time as possible. I’m like the American Media. I could read these posts before I click the PUBLISH POST button, but I feel like because I’m writing for a very small audience who knows I’m literate, it’s more important that I just get the post published. Again, thanks to you all for reading.