Month: February 2008

"Mr. Clemens, Could You Sign This For My Sick Nephew," The Story of the U.S. House of Representatives

/ Jason / Leave a comment

I could turn this into a long rambling post about today’s hearing in D.C. I watched the first three hours of it. My opinion: Clemens is lying. McNamee is lying. There is no conceivable way that Roger Clemens is telling the truth. I just can’t see it. Andy Pettitte is not the type of guy to set up one of his good friends. How is it that Brian McNamee told the truth about Pettitte and Chuck Knoblauch, but not Roger? Roger would also do well to have his sniveling weasel of an attorney disappear.

But Brian McNamee is no better. The Rep. from Indiana (clearly a big Clemens fan) read off a list of quotes attributed to McNamee that the former trainer admitted were all fabrications/inaccurate. If body language determined guilt, both men would be guilty. I’ve had enough of this topic. Pitchers and catchers are reporting to camp. Let us all rejoice.

Some college basketball house cleaning:

1.) Texas’ victory over Kansas Monday night was huge. D.J. Augustine had a terrible night shooting, and the Longhorns still managed to beat the Jayhawks, who no longer look invincible.

2.) Rutgers should have won Monday’s game against Tennessee. I watched the entire game. Tennessee stopped getting the ball inside to Candace Parker in the 2nd half and it nearly cost them the game. Pundits are saying now that if these two teams play again, Rutgers will have all the motivation. I still think Tennessee beats them.

3.) North Carolina nearly lost last night to lowly Virginia. They need Ty Lawson back ASAP.

4.) Purdue looks like the best team in the Big 10. I’ve mentioned my dislike of the Big 10 in this spot before. They play basketball like they play football. No great athletes. Grind it out. Frankly, boring. I don’t think anyone in the Big 10 is a Final Four threat. Indiana could be, but Eric Gordon has been inconsistent in conference play (he needs to come back for his sophomore season).

Today, I will count down the current top 10 and break down their chances in the tournament, per Matt’s request.

(I use the ESPN Coaches Poll for my top 10)

10. Butler
-The Bulldogs are not a cute story. They’re a real team. While I don’t think Butler can win the National Championship, I do think they can beat a team that can win the Title. AJ Graves, despite looking like a 12 year old boy, is a star and capable of shooting the daylights out of anyone from Evansville to Memphis. They also have solid role players who do their job night in/night out. They nearly lost last night to UW-Milwaukee, on the road, which is not an issue. I like that they were able to pull it out in OT, on the road, against a decent team. I think they’ll lose one more game this season (hint: Bracketbuster), perhaps twice. They’re a 5 seed, at this point. They advance to the Sweet 16.

9. Michigan State
-I can’t say enough about how average I think this team is. Drew Nietzel is nothing more than the poor man’s AJ Graves. The loss last night to Purdue showed that this team is nowhere near good enough to be ranked number 9. Their best nonconference win is a six point win at home against an inconsistent Texas team. And then there’s the clunker against Iowa in January where they scored 36 points. Michigan State will be a 4 seed, somehow and will lose in the first round.

8. Georgetown
-Losing Jeff Green after last year hurt this team. There’s no denying it. If Green had come back, they would be a top 3 team. Jonathan Wallace is one of the best players in the Big East. He’s one of those guys who won’t get a shot in the pros, even though he is more than capable of running the show. Roy Hibbert is what he is. I’m not impressed every time I see him play. He doesn’t wow me. Their supporting cast is great right down to the spot above Jeremiah Rivers, who I fear will commit a silly turnover or take a ridiculous shot in a key game. I’d like to say that Georgetown could win the title, but I don’t see it. I see them as a 3 seed, losing in the Sweet 16, even though they’re better than that.

7. Stanford
-Huh??? This makes my head explode. Stanford is 20-3, which is good. Their 3 losses: UCLA (in Palo Alto), at Oregon (who should be better), and…SIENA!!! In their nonconference, they also beat Sacramento State, Santa Clara, Harvard, Yale (they apparently like the Ivies), and Northwestern State. They still have games (are you ready): at UCLA, at USC, at Arizona, and home against Washington State. They will lose 4 more games. They’ll be a 6 seed. They’ll advance to the Round of 32.

6. UCLA
-The best team in college basketball. All things equal, they are the best. They can beat you defensively. They can outscore you. They’re deeper than the Pacific (though not as deep as Kansas and Memphis). Kevin Love is one of the 5 best players in college basketball. Not just Freshman. Their coach, Ben Howland, is eh. He’s not Rick Barnes-level inept. But he’s not Coach K smart. They’re playing without Luc Ricard M’Bah Moute currently, a key contributor. The key to UCLA’s success though is Lorenzo Mata-Real. I think he’s the most inept key player on a major team. If he doesn’t senselessly foul big men, and miss 3 foot shots, he gives the Bruins a chance to win the title. UCLA also needs, as I’ve mentioned this week, Darren Collison to be healthy…fully healthy. There are a lot of ifs with UCLA, but a ton of talent too. They’ll probably lose another game, on account of how good and deep the Pac-10 is. They’ll be a 1 seed. They make it to the final four for the 3rd straight year.

5. North Carolina
-I’m going to leave this simple. With Ty Lawson healthy, they are unbeatable, unless they beat themselves. It’s been like that the last 3 seasons. Yet, they haven’t won a title. They’re not as deep as some people, Billy Packer namely, would allow you to believe. Marcus Ginyard and Danny Green are not starters at other top schools. North Carolina will be a 2 seed. They will be upset in the Elite 8.

4. Tennessee
-I’ve beaten my drum that I think Tennessee is for real. They are the only (ONLY) team in college basketball that can score 100 points on a regular basis. They are tenacious as all hell on defense too. Their one and only weakness, however, is a big one. They don’t have a post presence. The top teams: Memphis (Joey Dorsey), UCLA (Kevin Love), Duke (Kyle Singler), North Carolina (Tyler Hansborough), and Kansas (Sasha Kaun and Darrell Arthur and Cole Aldrich…my God they’re deep) all have guys who can get it done in the paint to varying degrees. Tennessee doesn’t. What they do have is Chris Lofton, the best 3 point shooter in college basketball since JJ Reddick. Mississippi State played a grinder against Tennessee, and the Vols won. Memphis is leaps and bounds better than Mississippi State. They have an ENORMOUS game against that Memphis team on the 23rd. The biggest game of the season. Tennessee loses twice more (but not to Memphis) and enters the tournament as a 2 seed. They advance to the final four.

3. Kansas
-The best team in college basketball. Because all things are not equal. I don’t really see why Kansas lost to Kansas State or Texas. They’re so deep. Insanely deep. Brandon Rush, Russell Robinson, Darrell Arthur, Sasha Kaun, Cole Aldrich, Sherron Collins, Mario Chalmers are all (too varying degrees) good-to-great talents. I love Brandon Rush. I wish they could get him the ball more, but with so many playmakers that’s tough. The one thing that I think will do this team in, if anything, is Bill Self’s inability to win a big game. Last year’s team should have gone to the Final Four, but Self was outcoached by Ben Howland. This year’s team will be a 1 seed and will advance to the final four.

2. Duke
-I could write a good deal about this team. I know more about Duke and have seen them play more than any other team (purposely because of my love). They lack a guy who can grab rebounds in the paint over the big boys. Kyle Singler is a great Freshman talent and a good mid-range player, but he’s not big enough to stay in the paint against Roy Hibbert and Tyler Hansborough all game. I’m also, as always, skeptical of Greg Paulus’ ability to run the show without making too many mistakes. Duke will be a number 1 seed, but will fall in the Elite 8. Sadly. Because I really love this team and think that DeMarcus Nelson deserves a better sendoff.

1. Memphis
-I think they’re beatable. Not having played a good team for a month and a half (sorry Gonzaga and Houston…you’re not “good” teams). Memphis is also extremely talented. Chris Douglas-Roberts is a great swingman (a lot like Brandon Rush). Joey Dorsey is a beast. He’s a more talented version of Ben Wallace, in that he can score actual points. Calipari is a good coach. They play a relentless style of offense. Oh, and they have Derrick Rose, an outstanding talent at point guard. Memphis will lose one game (I’ve hinted at that one in this post) on their remaining schedule. They will be a number 1 seed and advance to the final four.

And there you have it. I’m sticking with my final four.

Game o’ the Day: Maryland @ Duke. Duke wins by 5. It’ll be a great game. That’s all you really need to know.

Mid-Atlantic Bias is taking an undeserved break and will return on Tuesday of next week and will continue DAILY. We have the internet now. No more Panera. Instead of watching sports this weekend, spend time with the family. And be sure to check out the Daytona 500 and the NBA All-Star Game. Rudy Gay will win the Dunk Contest.

"No, Coach Brown, I Just Want to Sit Over Here and Bite My Finger Nails In Peace," The LeBron James Story

/ Jason / 1 Comment

For those of you who missed out on LeBron James’ antics in yesterday’s 30 point loss to the Nuggets, allow me to inform.  James sat alone at the end of the bench during a timeout when the rest of his team was huddled up.  Now, yes, this was not a playoff game.  It was just another of 82 Snooze-fests on the Cavs schedule.  However, someone needs to remind me of all the times Michael Jordan sat alone at the end of the bench during a timeout.  LeBron needs to cut the prima dona bullshit and play.  Play when his leg hurts a little bit.  Play when his team is getting run out of its own building by a mid-level Western Conference team.  Play in the fourth quarter.  He needs to start playing, shut his mouth about Jason Kidd, and be a star the may Jordan was a star.  LeBron will never be better than Jordan.  And he will never, if he continues this season’s trend, be the team player and LEADER that Michael Jordan was.


I’m happy to here that Richard Zednik of the Florida Panthers (hockey) is recovering well from his surgery to repair his severed carotid artery.  In last night’s game against the Sabres, Zednik’s teammate, Olli Jokinin fell to the ice, with his skate in the air, and literally slit the throat of Zednik.  While I am one for hyperbole, this is still one of the worst sports injuries I have ever seen.  Zednik is being credited for reacting quickly, applying pressure to his own neck, amidst the copious amounts of blood pouring out to the ice, and skating over to the bench.  Zednik left a trail of blood on the ice in his tracks.  When I saw the video last night, I stood covering my mouth in shock.  When I saw it again this morning, I had the same reaction.  Just a horrific injury, but I’m glad that he is doing well today.

UCLA suffered a big loss last night in Seattle to the Washington Huskies that moved them down to the number 6 ranking in this week’s ESPN USA TODAY poll.  Darren Collison had a horrendous shooting night, which led directly to the loss.  While Kevin Love has been special and is vitally important to the Bruins success, Collison is they’re most important player.  He is the second fastest Point Guard in college basketball, behind North Carolina’s Ty Lawson, and is the catalyst for their offense.  If he’s not scoring at least 10 a game, defenses can drop a man into the paint to double Love, making him less effective.  UCLA really doesn’t have another dynamic scorer.  Josh Shipp is a great athlete, but not capable of taking a game over.  Hopefully for the Bruins, Collison will get back on track.

Later this week, when we get internet in the apartment I intend to do a rundown and analysis of either the top 10 contenders for the title, or a breakdown of the power six conferences.  Send me along a comment as to which you would rather see and I will post accordingly.

I also intend to move away from sports for one day and breakdown the Oscar Best Picture Race.  You know, because I’m qualified to do that.

Saturday, I attended the BC/Duke game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.  Two days later, I am still incapable of describing what this meant to me, not only as a lifelong Duke Basketball fan, but as a sports fan.  I had been inside the doors of Cameron Indoor once before, sneaking in on an early Sunday September morning, before team pictures.  Standing in the empty gym filled me with an excitement that I rarely experience.  However, nothing can compare, as a sports fan, to the feeling I got walking towards Cameron on Saturday, knowing that I was going to see Duke in person and stand, and jump, and scream, and sweat, and cheer amongst the Cameron Crazies.  Tyrese Rice made every effort to spoil my Saturday, having an epic game for BC, but, in the end, the Devils won by 10, behind great games by DeMarcus Nelson and Kyle Singler.  

Cameron looks like a church from the inside and the out.  At the top of the gym there are stained glass windows, which add to the religious experience.  Other than the game itself and the fans, there is no pomp and circumstance.  You don’t need any.  During the timeouts, no one is throwing free T-Shirts into the crowd, there is no video board trivia, there is no video board.  The scoreboard is not gawdy.  It just tells you the score.  That is all you need.  

In the months since I graduated from college I have found it difficult to enjoy very much.  Completing the cross-country life goal, while satisfying, was also almost taxing.  I haven’t felt joy like I felt on Saturday in quite some time and it felt good to feel young again, to act as though every bit of my life hinged on the result of the next play. 

I had the opportunity to go to Wednesday’s big game between Duke and Maryland at Cameron Indoor, and as much as I would love to go, I know that I shouldn’t.  I should let Saturday sit in my mind.  I don’t want anything to taint how great that experience was.  On Saturday, I completed another life goal, and this team, despite the sore legs and throat, from jumping and screaming, it was anything but taxing.  It was epic, even if it was just another ACC conference game in the middle of February.  

Game o’ the Day: Rutgers @ Tennessee.  Yes, I am going with another women’s basketball game.  If you’re a sports fan, this is the clear game of the day.  While Kansas and Texas are playing in the Big 12 tonight, and that game is important for conference bragging rights, the Rutgers/Tennessee game is important for national bragging rights.  Rutgers is coming off of a huge win last week against previous number 1 UConn.  Tennessee has only one loss this season, to Stanford.  Last year, Tennessee ran Rutgers out of the arena in the national championship game.  Tonight, Tennessee could be without their star, Candace Parker.  Rutgers would love to grind it out against Tennessee.  I just don’t think they can do it.  The Lady Scarlet Knights might be more athletic overall, but if Parker plays at 80% or better, I think the Lady Vols can win.  I think Candace will play, and I’ll take the Lady Volunteers 68-59 over Rutgers tonight, though it may not be the last time they play this season.

I likely will not be back tomorrow, as I hate going to Panera on consecutive days.  However, check back just in case.  Again, continued thanks to those of you who read this daily or semi-daily.  I really like having an outlet to ramble about sports and really appreciate anyone who takes time out of their day to read my rambling.  

"I Have Some Extra Gauze Lying Around If You Need It" The Brian McNamee Story

/ Jason / 1 Comment

Rusty Hardin and Mercury Morris are really getting on my nerves.  Hardin is Roger Clemens’ attorney who is easily a ghost from the 1930’s American South.  He uses terms like “bunk” and “riff-raff” and I assume his grandchildren call him “grandpappy.”  I hate him.


Because of the lack of internet I’m at Panera, albeit a different one, in a mall in Arlington, VA.  People are walking by right now, as I am sitting outside of the Panera, and wondering what exactly I”m doing.  Or perhaps why the man two tables over from me is not wearing any shoes and why his feet are so purple.

I don’t have a lot of sports to write about.  I don’t feel comfortable doing long-winded posts about sports in this setting.  However, I promised Matthew M. Minton my Missouri Valley analysis, so here it goes.

A few years back the MVC could have legitmately had 6 teams in the tournament (SIU, Creighton, N. Iowa, Bradley, Missouri State, and Wichita State) and it seemed as though the MVC had moved well past the Atlantic 10 into the number 7 position of most relevant conferences.  Then those six teams didn’t get in to the tournament.  Only Bradley, Wichita State, Missouri State, and SIU got in, despite the fact that Missouri State had a top 25 RPI.  Bradley and Wichita State advanced to the Sweet 16 (losing to Memphis and George Mason, respectively).  

The argument (flawed as it was) was that the MVC teams didn’t play a tough non-conference schedule.  So the teams tried to fix that, which leads us to this point.

Southern Illinois should be the cream of the crop in the Missouri Valley.  However, this is the list of their non conference games, against big conference opponents, thus far (they have a BracketBuster game against Nevada in a few weeks): Miss St. (Win), USC (Loss), Indiana (Loss), Charlotte (Loss), St. Mary’s (Win), St. Louis (Loss), Butler (Loss).  And thus, the best team in the MVC, is barely above .500 at 12-11 and not going to even sniff the NCAA tournament this year, because they did what the NCAA Tournament Committee wanted and scheduled tough.

The team with the best record in the MVC, is the Drake Bulldogs, who I’ve mentioned in a post before.  They are currently the #15 team in the country and have a monumentally important BracketBuster game against Butler this month.  Drake’s toughest non-conference opponent was St. Mary’s, who they lost to (their only loss).  While you can argue that Drake has gotten through the Missouri Valley unscathed to this point, the MVC is down this year…way down.  SIU’s confidence was shot after losing all of those non-conference games, which is apparent when you see a sandwich loss to Western Michigan.

As it stands, only Drake, Illinois State, and Creighton will make the tournament.  Drake is on a 20 game winning streak currently, and if they beat Butler, will be a favorite to advance to the Sweet 16, barring them matching up with an athletic team, like Oregon, who will play fast and loose and could out shoot the Bulldogs.  Illinois State hasn’t been here (the tournament) very much lately and I look at them as an easy out for a 7 or an 8 seed.  Creighton is the veteran of this process, and despite the fact that they lost Nate Funk, a God in his own right, their leading scorer from last year, to graduation, they’ve done well to contend in the MVC.  The Blue Jays will be a tough out for some 6 seed, which will likely be one of the bajillion mediocre Big East teams that will make the tournament.  However, they won’t get much further.

Because of the NBA Draft eligibility requirements, college basketball isn’t a mid-major game anymore.  The talent pool is so deep at the top currently.  There’s really no chance of a mid-major making it to a final four, unless, and only if, they have a superstar caliber player who can take over a game, and another, and another, and another, etc.  

As it stands, I’m still very confident in Memphis, Tennessee, Kansas, and UCLA as my final four teams.  Though, Duke can beat anyone, if they’re shooting well (and it starts with Greg Paulus).  Speaking of Duke…

Game O’ The Weekend: Okay, so again, I’m playing favorites.  Tomorrow, 1 P.M.- Boston College @ Duke.  I will be there.  A life goal will be achieved.  And Duke will win by 20.  If you’re looking for a big game this weekend, watch the Spurs/Celtics matchup on Sunday.  Huge test if Garnett is still out of the lineup.  

I should be back on Monday.  Have a good weekend.  You’re now much smarter for having read this.

"Being Wrong" the Jason Botelho Story

/ Jason / 1 Comment

I’m very often wrong about most things.  My Game Of the Day picks are always a good supporter of this theory.  I pick a team.  That team loses.  Simple, really.


I didn’t think I was going to get this one wrong.  The Giants really couldn’t beat the Patriots.  Eli Manning couldn’t actually win the Super Bowl MVP.  Tom Brady wasn’t going to look that bad.  

I was wrong.

Eli Manning is really a once in a lifetime kind of athlete.  Rarely do athletes in any sport have a brother who is the face of their sport.  Can you think of any instance in history where someone really was the “little brother.”  Dom Dimaggio had Joe.  Billy Ripken had Cal.  Gerald Wilkins had Dominique.  And Eli Manning had Peyton.  Dom, Billy, and Gerald were never going to be mistaken for top draft picks and faces of glamour franchises.  Eli Manning was different.  He came into the league, seemingly sewed to Peyton’s coattails.  I mean, what did Eli Manning win in college.  He never even played in an SEC title game.  The best bowl he ever saw was the Egg Bowl, the annual rivalry game between Ole Miss and Mississippi State.  

Yet, there we sat last night as the little brother, Peyton’s brother, finally got to play in a real bowl.  The Bowl.  And he played better than his brother had.  He played better than his brother’s biggest rival did.  Eli Manning outshined any other quarterback in the NFL, at least for one night and offseason.  And I’m really confused as to which way up is and whether I should, if I’m leaving, really walk through the door with the “Exit” sign above it.  

My estimation that Benjamin Watson was going to be the key “surprise” Super Bowl guy was more incorrect than my final score prediction.  Had it not been for the pass interference call on Antonio Pierce in the first quarter, on the Patriot’s first drive, I would have thought that Watson was enjoying a beer with injured (and soon-to-be former) Giants Tight End Jeremy Shockey, way up in the luxury boxes of Univ. of Phoenix Stadium.

But really, no one showed up for the Patriots.  Brady fell victim to Romo-itis, it seemed, as Gisele watched, possibly from the same box as Shockey and Watson.  The Patriots offensive line, which was so solid this entire season, protected Brady as well as a loaded gun with no trigger.  Maroney couldn’t get to the edge fast enough.  The defensive secondary was overmatched by mostly mediocre (with the exception of Burress) receivers and tight ends.  The defensive line couldn’t quite get to Manning and even when they did, they couldn’t bring down the athlete that Manning had somehow become.

However, the turning point in this game was not the 3rd down, Montana-like scramble and pass to David Tyree.  It wasn’t the fade thrown to Plaxico Burress, who was only being defended by the spirit of Boise State running back Ian Johnson, that still resides in that endzone at U of Phoenix Stadium.  No, the real turning point was when on 4th and 13 from the Giants 31, Bill Belichick thought it was a better decision to throw to a double-covered Jabar Gaffney in the endzone, rather than have Stephen Gostkowski attempt a 48 yard field goal, indoors, on a perfect piece of sod.  Perhaps it was Gostkowski and not Brady with the injured ankle.  Or perhaps Bill Belichick just let the talk about his genius get the best of him.

Whatever it was that happened last night, the New York Giants won the game and the New England Patriots lost it.  It was not the greatest Super Bowl of all-time.  It wasn’t the greatest Super Bowl of this decade (Patriots/Panthers or Patriots/Rams).  It wasn’t the greatest upset of all-time (Jets over Colts was more historic; Patriots over Rams was more unexpected).  It was just a victory by a team that wanted to win more than its opponent.  

Next year, on February 4, 2009, we may be talking about how the New England Patriots, still seething over their Super Bowl loss from the year prior, ran the table and completed the undefeated season, for real and dismantled their NFC opponent.  And that still won’t erase the fact that on February 3, 2008, the New York Giants just wanted it more.

And message to Mercury Morris: You can crawl back into the hole you previously lived in.  On whatever block that is on.

I Have But A Moment and Need to Say That…

/ Jason / Leave a comment

The New England Patriots will win Super Bowl 42 by a score of 38-14 over the New York Giants.  Tom Brady will win the MVP award and Benjamin Watson will be the surprise player that everyone is surprised by (intentionally redundant).


I will be back sometime this week (here at Panera) to write about the Missouri Valley Conference.  Until then…

GO PATS!