So, the 68 teams were finally selected yesterday for the NCAA Division 1 Men's Basketball Tournament. As usual, there were teams selected as at-large picks which people did not agree with. Some schools with terrific records were left out. First of all, it's not a perfect process. After the 31 conference tournament winners are put in as automatic qualifiers, there are 37 spots left for selection bids. These picks are the big topic of conversation between fans, players, coaches, and media.
There are trends within the teams who qualified by winning their conference or were chosen by a ten member selection committee. More than half of the 37 at-large teams come from the six BCS football conferences. There is a strange thing about this designation. First, most basketball broadcasters and some writers do not use the words "BCS" to describe those leagues. They are referred to as "power" or "major" conferences. The Big Ten, Big East, ACC, SEC, Big 12, and Pac-12 make up those six. The BCS conferences collected 26 of the 37 non-automatic bids. The other 25 conferences picked up 11, this is actually a huge improvement from four in 2009. If you watch college basketball, you know there are a lot of good teams outside the BCS leagues.
For instance, the Colonial Athletic Association had two at-large NCAA teams make the Final Four in the last six seasons, George Mason in 2006 and VCU in 2011. The Butler Bulldogs, Horizon League tournament champions in 2010 and 2011, made the national championship game in those back-to-back years. The Memphis Tigers from Conference USA advanced to the title game in 2008 before losing a close game in overtime to Kansas from the Big 12. Unfortunately, the CAA and Horizon League get only its tournament champion in most years. Conference USA is a little more respected, especially this year, if you include all the teams the big, bad Big East took away in 2004-05.
The Big East has nine teams in this year's 68 team field, 8 if you exclude Louisville as conference tournament champion. Four of those schools (Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette, and South Florida) used to play in former Conference USA. There are 16 members in the conference, that's more than the ones in the NBA and NHL. Those two professional winter sports divide their 30 teams into two 15-team East and West conferences. There are NBA and NHL teams as far east as Massachusetts and west as California. The Big East's geographic locations stretch east-to-west only from Rhode Island, near Massachusetts, to Illinois. That's a big difference.
It was nice to see the Pac-12 get only 1 at-large selection besides their tourney champ Colorado. The University of Washington, located in Seattle, won the regular-season standings championship but did not get picked. That was a good move by the committee for once. Washington was a bad team which finished, 14 wins and four losses, first in the worst conference known to man. Okay, not that bad but the Huskies were only 7-6 against non Pac-12 teams. According to Eamonn Brennan of ESPN, the Pac-12 had one win and 29 losses versus teams outside their conference and ranked in the top 50 in the RPI index. They were awful facing good teams. There is one question, how did California get picked? Is there a rule saying the NCAA must choose one non-automatic from each BCS conference?
There are other teams with great stats. Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated wrote via Twitter that Marshall had four victories over teams with a 50 or lower RPI rating. Basically, it means the lesser the RPI, the better the team. Think about it, the Pac-12 as a twelve team conference had one win over a top 50 non-conference team while Marshall's Thundering Herd from Conference USA had two in both non-conference and conference play. They played at Syracuse of the Big East, number one in the RPI rankings, and lost by only six points, 62-56.
CBS Sports.com gives a breakdown of a team's wins and losses with the opponent's RPI rating alongside. According to the report, nine of Marshall's thirteen losses came against teams calculated 60 or higher. Six of Marshall's twenty wins were over top-60 rated teams. That's better than some at-large teams who were selected (California from Pac-12, South Florida from Big East, Virginia from ACC) for the NCAA Tournament.
The only good thing about Division 1's basketball championship is it's a 68-team playoff. In football, The FBS or Football Bowl Subdivision, uses the BCS or Bowl Championship Series. The BCS is a ten-team format featuring a two-team playoff with eight teams playing exhibition contests known as bowl games. It could be worse.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
The ending of Manning in Indy
So, after more than 13 years, four-time NFL MVP quarterback Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts are no longer together. This is the NFL’s version of a divorce. The Colts released Manning from his current contract days before he was suppose to receive $28 million dollars in bonus money and a club-controlled contract extension. Manning’s scheduled bonus was if he stayed on the active roster.
Unfortunately, there was a problem. Manning missed the entire 2011-12 season. Indianapolis finished with a 2-14 record without him. In the previous nine seasons, Peyton led the Colts to the playoffs each year including a Super Bowl victory in 2006-07 and another Super Bowl appearance in 2009-10. There were three things which lead to this separation, injury, age, and money.
The Colts had the worst record in the National Football League this season because their best player was literally on the sidelines. Manning had a surgical procedure done on his neck in May 2011 while the NFL was in a lockout. According to reports, Peyton was suffering from a bulging disc. He could do rehab work on his own but could not go to the Colts team facility for further examination. This was true for any player on any team, not just Manning.
However, it did set up a peculiar situation regarding his physical rebuilding. He and the team could not get the best estimate on whether he could play in 2011-12. After the lockout ended in late July, Manning could have formal conversations with Indianapolis again since League owners and players had signed a new CBA contract. All 30 teams conducted training camps but Manning was not on the field for any of the Colts practices.
His healing was slower than expected and the team had no legitimate replacement at quarterback. Indianapolis went into the regular season with no Manning and lost to Houston. The Colts announced right after the game that Manning had gone under the knife again. Peyton had surgery this time to fill in the gaps in his vertebrae.
According to Stephania Bell, a licensed physical therapist and health analyst at ESPN, doctors took the fractured disc material out of Manning’s body and put in a bone graft and metal plate in its place. It’s difficult to write and explain as a non-expert in health. However, it was easy to understand as a football fan, one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks was off the field for continuing neck problems.
Manning and the Colts faced another problem, age. Peyton will be 36 years old later in March. The old is the most important part. He had started every game for the prior 13 seasons before 2011. That was a streak of 208 consecutive contests from 1998-2010. Indianapolis won 150 of those ballgames, that is a astronomical 72 percent clip. Nevertheless, the large amount of games over more than a decade had its consequences.
Constantly, defensive linemen would hit Manning to the ground when he would drop back to pass. Unlike the New Orleans Saints alleged bounty-hunting hits, most times Manning was drilled hard but cleanly. Also, he threw the ball at least 30 times per game on most weeks. Manning has thrown for nearly 55,00 yards in terms of completed passes, 54,828 yards to be exact. He has also completed nearly 4,700 passes. That is a lot of strain on the shoulder and neck from throwing the football.
Finally, the biggest problem in this conflict is money. It was ironic that neither Manning nor Colts owner Jim Irsay mentioned it during their joint news conference on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the Indianapolis Colts saved at least $28 million dollars and maybe more depending upon the specific contract details. What we know outside the roster bonus is the Colts did away with a five-year deal that they signed last season.
It was a dumb deal by both sides considering Manning was going to have surgery before he would play in 2011. They should have worked out a smaller set of years and money for a still effective but aging QB. It’s sad that Peyton Manning can’t finish his NFL career as an Indianapolis Colt. Lucas Oil Stadium, where the Super Bowl was played last month, is the Colts new football home because of Peyton and the team’s success.
Unfortunately, there was a problem. Manning missed the entire 2011-12 season. Indianapolis finished with a 2-14 record without him. In the previous nine seasons, Peyton led the Colts to the playoffs each year including a Super Bowl victory in 2006-07 and another Super Bowl appearance in 2009-10. There were three things which lead to this separation, injury, age, and money.
The Colts had the worst record in the National Football League this season because their best player was literally on the sidelines. Manning had a surgical procedure done on his neck in May 2011 while the NFL was in a lockout. According to reports, Peyton was suffering from a bulging disc. He could do rehab work on his own but could not go to the Colts team facility for further examination. This was true for any player on any team, not just Manning.
However, it did set up a peculiar situation regarding his physical rebuilding. He and the team could not get the best estimate on whether he could play in 2011-12. After the lockout ended in late July, Manning could have formal conversations with Indianapolis again since League owners and players had signed a new CBA contract. All 30 teams conducted training camps but Manning was not on the field for any of the Colts practices.
His healing was slower than expected and the team had no legitimate replacement at quarterback. Indianapolis went into the regular season with no Manning and lost to Houston. The Colts announced right after the game that Manning had gone under the knife again. Peyton had surgery this time to fill in the gaps in his vertebrae.
According to Stephania Bell, a licensed physical therapist and health analyst at ESPN, doctors took the fractured disc material out of Manning’s body and put in a bone graft and metal plate in its place. It’s difficult to write and explain as a non-expert in health. However, it was easy to understand as a football fan, one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks was off the field for continuing neck problems.
Manning and the Colts faced another problem, age. Peyton will be 36 years old later in March. The old is the most important part. He had started every game for the prior 13 seasons before 2011. That was a streak of 208 consecutive contests from 1998-2010. Indianapolis won 150 of those ballgames, that is a astronomical 72 percent clip. Nevertheless, the large amount of games over more than a decade had its consequences.
Constantly, defensive linemen would hit Manning to the ground when he would drop back to pass. Unlike the New Orleans Saints alleged bounty-hunting hits, most times Manning was drilled hard but cleanly. Also, he threw the ball at least 30 times per game on most weeks. Manning has thrown for nearly 55,00 yards in terms of completed passes, 54,828 yards to be exact. He has also completed nearly 4,700 passes. That is a lot of strain on the shoulder and neck from throwing the football.
Finally, the biggest problem in this conflict is money. It was ironic that neither Manning nor Colts owner Jim Irsay mentioned it during their joint news conference on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the Indianapolis Colts saved at least $28 million dollars and maybe more depending upon the specific contract details. What we know outside the roster bonus is the Colts did away with a five-year deal that they signed last season.
It was a dumb deal by both sides considering Manning was going to have surgery before he would play in 2011. They should have worked out a smaller set of years and money for a still effective but aging QB. It’s sad that Peyton Manning can’t finish his NFL career as an Indianapolis Colt. Lucas Oil Stadium, where the Super Bowl was played last month, is the Colts new football home because of Peyton and the team’s success.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Kobe answers all concussion questions on hoops hardwood but questions remain
For someone who suffered a concussion on Sunday, Kobe Bryant did not show any clumsiness or forgetfulness as he remembered how to play basketball at an All-Star level. Kobe scored 31 points, dished out 8 assists, and grabbed 7 rebounds in the L.A. Lakers 104-85 victory over Minnesota late last night. Bryant wore a mask ala Richard “Rip” Hamilton to protect his broken nose. The Lakers never trailed and led by as many as 27 points.
Los Angeles actually got some good performances from players not named Kobe Bryant. Andrew Bynum decided to be a inside factor for the Lakers. When L.A. gets 13 points and more important 13 rebounds from Bynum, it makes them a more balanced team.. Pao Gasol who was rumored as trade-bait a week ago put in 15 points. They got a break when Timberwolves forward Kevin Love could not play due to the flu. Love is one of the top rebounders in the league. The Lakers outscored the T-Wolves 54 to 40 with regard to points in the paint. Basically, those are baskets scored from inside the painted free throw line.
That’s all good but the Lakers still are a one-man show. It was very risky to clear Bryant for action only three days after getting a head injury. Bryant is by far the best player for Los Angeles. He was their lone All-Star representative. We trust the Lakers judgment a little more because Kobe saw two separate specialists, nasal expert Dr. John Rehm and neurologist Dr. Vern Williams.. Bryant went for a CT scan Sunday night, a checkup from Dr. Rehm on Monday, and an MRI and visit to Dr. Williams on Tuesday.
Yesterday, Kobe was tested by Williams in four different procedures. He took a neurological exam which is basically a head analysis to make sure he was not seeing things or misinterpreting information. Then, Williams made Bryant pass a baseline exercise to test his head movements. After that, Kobe performed two physical workouts through riding a stationary bicycle and running up a treadmill. Finally, he actually played hoops, albeit 2-on-2 with trainers watching. At last, about an hour before tip-off, Bryant was given permission to play in Wednesday’s game.
Dr. Williams’ statements to the media seemed reassuring but were concerning. He said about Kobe, “he's been asymptomatic, or symptom-free, as well today. Although he's had a somewhat accelerated step-wise return to play, he has satisfied, to our satisfaction, a step-wise return to play". The second sentence stood out because of Bryant’s “accelerated step-wise return to play”. It’s understandable why Kobe would want to play as soon as possible. The Lakers are much better with him in the starting lineup. However, what happens if he’s hit in the head with the same velocity again? Does he get a bad reaction in the brain?
Sidney Crosby of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins was knocked out of action in January 2011 after a blindside hit by David Steckel of the Washington Capitals. Crosby did not play the rest of 2010-11 season, he returned three months into the 2011-12 season in December 2011. Sidney collided with one of his own teammates and has not played since for a second time in two seasons.
Kobe Bryant admitted, as reported by Dr. Williams to media yesterday, that he was experiencing bad headaches. He told Williams in their Tuesday meeting that he also had trouble with bright lights and loud noises. Watching highlights of last night’s game, Kobe was the same player we’ve seen since 1996-97 except he was wearing a plastic mask. Maybe he likes “The Mask” with Jim Carrey or “Phantom of the Opera”. Bryant went out on the basketball stage and delivered a great performance. Hopefully, the doctor’s diagnosis is correct allowing more Kobe basketball shows like last night..
Los Angeles actually got some good performances from players not named Kobe Bryant. Andrew Bynum decided to be a inside factor for the Lakers. When L.A. gets 13 points and more important 13 rebounds from Bynum, it makes them a more balanced team.. Pao Gasol who was rumored as trade-bait a week ago put in 15 points. They got a break when Timberwolves forward Kevin Love could not play due to the flu. Love is one of the top rebounders in the league. The Lakers outscored the T-Wolves 54 to 40 with regard to points in the paint. Basically, those are baskets scored from inside the painted free throw line.
That’s all good but the Lakers still are a one-man show. It was very risky to clear Bryant for action only three days after getting a head injury. Bryant is by far the best player for Los Angeles. He was their lone All-Star representative. We trust the Lakers judgment a little more because Kobe saw two separate specialists, nasal expert Dr. John Rehm and neurologist Dr. Vern Williams.. Bryant went for a CT scan Sunday night, a checkup from Dr. Rehm on Monday, and an MRI and visit to Dr. Williams on Tuesday.
Yesterday, Kobe was tested by Williams in four different procedures. He took a neurological exam which is basically a head analysis to make sure he was not seeing things or misinterpreting information. Then, Williams made Bryant pass a baseline exercise to test his head movements. After that, Kobe performed two physical workouts through riding a stationary bicycle and running up a treadmill. Finally, he actually played hoops, albeit 2-on-2 with trainers watching. At last, about an hour before tip-off, Bryant was given permission to play in Wednesday’s game.
Dr. Williams’ statements to the media seemed reassuring but were concerning. He said about Kobe, “he's been asymptomatic, or symptom-free, as well today. Although he's had a somewhat accelerated step-wise return to play, he has satisfied, to our satisfaction, a step-wise return to play". The second sentence stood out because of Bryant’s “accelerated step-wise return to play”. It’s understandable why Kobe would want to play as soon as possible. The Lakers are much better with him in the starting lineup. However, what happens if he’s hit in the head with the same velocity again? Does he get a bad reaction in the brain?
Sidney Crosby of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins was knocked out of action in January 2011 after a blindside hit by David Steckel of the Washington Capitals. Crosby did not play the rest of 2010-11 season, he returned three months into the 2011-12 season in December 2011. Sidney collided with one of his own teammates and has not played since for a second time in two seasons.
Kobe Bryant admitted, as reported by Dr. Williams to media yesterday, that he was experiencing bad headaches. He told Williams in their Tuesday meeting that he also had trouble with bright lights and loud noises. Watching highlights of last night’s game, Kobe was the same player we’ve seen since 1996-97 except he was wearing a plastic mask. Maybe he likes “The Mask” with Jim Carrey or “Phantom of the Opera”. Bryant went out on the basketball stage and delivered a great performance. Hopefully, the doctor’s diagnosis is correct allowing more Kobe basketball shows like last night..
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Kobe questionable for Lakers first game after All-Star break, DWade, Heat can't take criticism
I guess they really did play hard in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday. According to the L.A. Lakers medical and media relations staff, Kobe Bryant got a broken nose and experienced a concussion after a hard foul by Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat. During the third quarter of Sunday's game, Bryant playing for the West All-Stars was posting up Wade, who was on the East squad, in the low post.
Kobe made a quick spin move to the left baseline, blowing past DWade who hit him in the head trying to block the shot. Wade with two hands chopped down on Bryant's forehead all the way to his nose. It was a strange incident considering there was little to no intensity to that point. What was stranger was the changing diagnosis following examinations.
According to the Lakers, Kobe received a CT scan after the game on Sunday and it said he had a nasal fracture. On Monday, Bryant flew back to Los Angeles where he was examined by Dr, John Rehm, a physician whose expertise is the facial area. Rehm concluded that more tests needed to be done. He suggested an MRI told Kobe to see a neurologist for a better opinion. This was for a foul in an exhibition game. You couldn't make it up. Unfortunately for Lakers fans, it was a true nightmare not a sleepy dream.
Today, the team and fans finally got some news when the neurologist ruled Bryant clear of any concussion-like symptoms. According to team officials, Kobe passed three separate tests but still needs to pass two more by tonight's 7:30 PM Pacific Time tip-off against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
As for Dwyane Wade, he told reporters following the Heat's practice yesterday that he apologized to Bryant face-to-face and in writing. Wade stated he said sorry after the play where the foul happened. Additionally, he sent a text message to Bryant's phone on Sunday night following the game. However, DWade and his head coach had to open his mouth before we all could forget our bad feelings.
According to the Associated Press, he said one selfish statement saying "I don't care what I'm portrayed as...". Well, Dwyane, you're a crybaby. Heat coach Erik Spolestra had a dumber response to all the criticism.
Spolestra called it “a continuation of the theater of the absurd” and whined that "there's nothing we can do about it, about the extreme exaggeration about everything that happens with our team".
Erik, one of your superstars LeBron James, announced he was signing with your team two summers ago on a freaking TV show. You threw this garbage out into the street, now you have to pick it up and throw it back in the trash can.
Kobe made a quick spin move to the left baseline, blowing past DWade who hit him in the head trying to block the shot. Wade with two hands chopped down on Bryant's forehead all the way to his nose. It was a strange incident considering there was little to no intensity to that point. What was stranger was the changing diagnosis following examinations.
According to the Lakers, Kobe received a CT scan after the game on Sunday and it said he had a nasal fracture. On Monday, Bryant flew back to Los Angeles where he was examined by Dr, John Rehm, a physician whose expertise is the facial area. Rehm concluded that more tests needed to be done. He suggested an MRI told Kobe to see a neurologist for a better opinion. This was for a foul in an exhibition game. You couldn't make it up. Unfortunately for Lakers fans, it was a true nightmare not a sleepy dream.
Today, the team and fans finally got some news when the neurologist ruled Bryant clear of any concussion-like symptoms. According to team officials, Kobe passed three separate tests but still needs to pass two more by tonight's 7:30 PM Pacific Time tip-off against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
As for Dwyane Wade, he told reporters following the Heat's practice yesterday that he apologized to Bryant face-to-face and in writing. Wade stated he said sorry after the play where the foul happened. Additionally, he sent a text message to Bryant's phone on Sunday night following the game. However, DWade and his head coach had to open his mouth before we all could forget our bad feelings.
According to the Associated Press, he said one selfish statement saying "I don't care what I'm portrayed as...". Well, Dwyane, you're a crybaby. Heat coach Erik Spolestra had a dumber response to all the criticism.
Spolestra called it “a continuation of the theater of the absurd” and whined that "there's nothing we can do about it, about the extreme exaggeration about everything that happens with our team".
Erik, one of your superstars LeBron James, announced he was signing with your team two summers ago on a freaking TV show. You threw this garbage out into the street, now you have to pick it up and throw it back in the trash can.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Daytona 500 becomes a day(s) and night to remember
The NFL’s Super Bowl was played on Sunday, February 4th. Early this morning, NASCAR completed what many drivers, fans, and reporters call its Super Bowl, the Daytona 500. It was run for the fifty-fourth time in history and Matt Kenseth won it for the second time in third years. The fact it took three days and was delayed separately by rain and fire shows the great but dangerous unpredictability of auto racing. It’s incredible that these drivers steer their car in between each other at speeds close to 200 miles per hour. That’s three times more than the legal speed on most roads.
Unfortunately, one little bump from one car to another can cause dozens to crash due to a chain reaction. On the second lap of the race, five-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson was hit from the back by David Ragan and spun out of control hitting the outside wall. Uncontrollably, the car caromed back toward the middle of the track where David Ragan’s vehicle drilled Johnson. Ragan’s front bumper struck Johnson’s driver side door as Ragan was driving straight ahead while Johnson was coming back down the hill. Ragan started to twist around when rookie Cup driver Danica Patrick tapped Ragan’s back bumper in an attempt to slow down to avoid Johnson. There were several of these bumper car type incidents during the race but one really stood out.
With 40 laps to go, there was a yellow flag for debris on the race track. The yellow flag means drivers drive slower than normal race speed. Juan Pablo Montoya was driving along the bottom of the race track toward turn 3 trying to rejoin the rest of the racers. Montoya ‘s car somehow made a shaking motion and then jerked straight into a jet dryer truck. There was a huge explosion from the impact with flames torching up a portion of the third turn. The fuel from the truck leaked out of the gas tank and onto the race track.
Why was he driving so fast? Montoya did not want the leaders or the NASCAR pace control car to get in front of him or he would fall behind a lap. He just finished a pit stop before he went back on the course. According to radio communication replayed by Fox Sports, he had an electronic problem. The glitch created a bigger problem for the scope of the race. Was anybody injured? Could workers clean up the race track sufficiently? Would the other drivers drive okay through that for the final 40 laps? In addition, the weather radar showed green patches of rain heading toward Daytona Beach. The race was postponed on Sunday and pushed back from noon to 7:00 PM on Monday because of rain.
On Monday, the Daytona 500 was stopped at lap 160. The red flag flew due to the fire in turn 3 making it dangerous to drive. After two hours of cleanup, the green flag flew again around midnight. It was Tuesday, the third day for the race. Fortunately, the predicted rain seemingly missed Daytona International Speedway except for a few minuscule drops. Unfortunately, racing was yellow-flagged twice in the final laps. First, Jamie McMurray’s vehicle unexpectedly spun around without being hit by someone. According to Fox analyst Michael Waltrip, the back left tire punctured forcing McMurray to lose control. There was no driver fault. Several racers wrecked their cars as the action happened in the middle of the track.
With four laps to go, the racing became more intense but too reckless. Ricky Stenhouse was at the bottom of a three-pack with Joey Logano right above. According to replays, Stenhouse tried to cut in front of Logano when their bumpers met sending Stenhouse's car into the back of Tony Stewart's vehicle. The domino effect continued when Stewart's momentum took him into Kyle Busch who was in front of Stewart but behind Ryan Newman. All of this chaos happened around 10th place, drivers trailing were quickly trying to get to the front of the race.
At the front, Roush Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle ran first and second, respectively. 2004 race winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was in third place. In a final roadblock to the finish, the Daytona 500 would last more than 500 miles. Years ago, NASCAR smartly created a "Green-White-Checkered" finish to avoid races finishing under caution. Basically, it is a two-lap sprint at two hundred miles an hour. When the green flag waves, that means two more laps. After that lap, the white flag signaling the final lap is shown. Following the white flag, if there is a yellow flag for an accident, the race is over. If this sounds confusing, it is, it's better though than the NHL's regular season overtime format.
When the green flag flew to start NASCAR's version of OT, Kenseth, Biffle, and Earnhardt, Jr. were still the top three. Nobody made a big move on the first lap. On the final lap, it appeared Biffle moved to the outside a little while on the backstretch but then backed off. It was strange that he would not try to race his teammate side-by-side. Finally on turn 4, Earnhardt, Jr. whipped by Biffle to the outside of the track looking for a running lane. However, he did not have enough steam to pass Kenseth who won the race to the finish line. Kenseth was first, Earnhardt Jr., was second, and Biffle was third.
While there were plenty of negatives with the delays from rain and fire plus some poor driving, a number of positives came from the three-day event. The national network broadcast on Fox helped them win the ratings battle on Monday night. AcccordingDaytona 500, first time raced in weeknight primetime, bumped NBC's 4.4 mark out of the way at the finish line.
Also, Brad Keselowski turned into a social media star during the red flag delay. He texted comments and posted pictures from the race track through his phone. Apparently, he gained over 100,000 followers on Twitter in the two-hour period. Keselowski or @Keselowski now has nearly 212,000 followers. It was that sort of weekend, fans followed Keselowski to the Twitter finish line while Brad and his racing buddies followed Matt Kenseth to the Daytona 500 finish line.
Unfortunately, one little bump from one car to another can cause dozens to crash due to a chain reaction. On the second lap of the race, five-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson was hit from the back by David Ragan and spun out of control hitting the outside wall. Uncontrollably, the car caromed back toward the middle of the track where David Ragan’s vehicle drilled Johnson. Ragan’s front bumper struck Johnson’s driver side door as Ragan was driving straight ahead while Johnson was coming back down the hill. Ragan started to twist around when rookie Cup driver Danica Patrick tapped Ragan’s back bumper in an attempt to slow down to avoid Johnson. There were several of these bumper car type incidents during the race but one really stood out.
With 40 laps to go, there was a yellow flag for debris on the race track. The yellow flag means drivers drive slower than normal race speed. Juan Pablo Montoya was driving along the bottom of the race track toward turn 3 trying to rejoin the rest of the racers. Montoya ‘s car somehow made a shaking motion and then jerked straight into a jet dryer truck. There was a huge explosion from the impact with flames torching up a portion of the third turn. The fuel from the truck leaked out of the gas tank and onto the race track.
Why was he driving so fast? Montoya did not want the leaders or the NASCAR pace control car to get in front of him or he would fall behind a lap. He just finished a pit stop before he went back on the course. According to radio communication replayed by Fox Sports, he had an electronic problem. The glitch created a bigger problem for the scope of the race. Was anybody injured? Could workers clean up the race track sufficiently? Would the other drivers drive okay through that for the final 40 laps? In addition, the weather radar showed green patches of rain heading toward Daytona Beach. The race was postponed on Sunday and pushed back from noon to 7:00 PM on Monday because of rain.
On Monday, the Daytona 500 was stopped at lap 160. The red flag flew due to the fire in turn 3 making it dangerous to drive. After two hours of cleanup, the green flag flew again around midnight. It was Tuesday, the third day for the race. Fortunately, the predicted rain seemingly missed Daytona International Speedway except for a few minuscule drops. Unfortunately, racing was yellow-flagged twice in the final laps. First, Jamie McMurray’s vehicle unexpectedly spun around without being hit by someone. According to Fox analyst Michael Waltrip, the back left tire punctured forcing McMurray to lose control. There was no driver fault. Several racers wrecked their cars as the action happened in the middle of the track.
With four laps to go, the racing became more intense but too reckless. Ricky Stenhouse was at the bottom of a three-pack with Joey Logano right above. According to replays, Stenhouse tried to cut in front of Logano when their bumpers met sending Stenhouse's car into the back of Tony Stewart's vehicle. The domino effect continued when Stewart's momentum took him into Kyle Busch who was in front of Stewart but behind Ryan Newman. All of this chaos happened around 10th place, drivers trailing were quickly trying to get to the front of the race.
At the front, Roush Racing teammates Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle ran first and second, respectively. 2004 race winner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was in third place. In a final roadblock to the finish, the Daytona 500 would last more than 500 miles. Years ago, NASCAR smartly created a "Green-White-Checkered" finish to avoid races finishing under caution. Basically, it is a two-lap sprint at two hundred miles an hour. When the green flag waves, that means two more laps. After that lap, the white flag signaling the final lap is shown. Following the white flag, if there is a yellow flag for an accident, the race is over. If this sounds confusing, it is, it's better though than the NHL's regular season overtime format.
When the green flag flew to start NASCAR's version of OT, Kenseth, Biffle, and Earnhardt, Jr. were still the top three. Nobody made a big move on the first lap. On the final lap, it appeared Biffle moved to the outside a little while on the backstretch but then backed off. It was strange that he would not try to race his teammate side-by-side. Finally on turn 4, Earnhardt, Jr. whipped by Biffle to the outside of the track looking for a running lane. However, he did not have enough steam to pass Kenseth who won the race to the finish line. Kenseth was first, Earnhardt Jr., was second, and Biffle was third.
While there were plenty of negatives with the delays from rain and fire plus some poor driving, a number of positives came from the three-day event. The national network broadcast on Fox helped them win the ratings battle on Monday night. AcccordingDaytona 500, first time raced in weeknight primetime, bumped NBC's 4.4 mark out of the way at the finish line.
Also, Brad Keselowski turned into a social media star during the red flag delay. He texted comments and posted pictures from the race track through his phone. Apparently, he gained over 100,000 followers on Twitter in the two-hour period. Keselowski or @Keselowski now has nearly 212,000 followers. It was that sort of weekend, fans followed Keselowski to the Twitter finish line while Brad and his racing buddies followed Matt Kenseth to the Daytona 500 finish line.
Monday, February 27, 2012
NBA All-Stars fail to put in all-star performance
The NBA All-Star Weekend ended last night. There were three big events over Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. On Friday, first and second year players played in their mini all-star game, the Rising Stars game. On Saturday, a collection of those rookies and sophomores, invited dunkers along with three-point shooters, and All-Star Game players participated in the skills festival. On Sunday, the All-Stars finally hit the floor for the game. It was about 11 hours or so of programming and I watched probably 5 minutes total. I admit
I’m not a hardcore basketball fan. Hockey is my favorite sport, however, I spent about the same amount of time viewing their All-Star festivities. This weekend felt flat. After the season-opening rush from Christmas Day to near March, there was curiousness from myself about the NBA. They were playing a much limited schedule than most years meaning the games were more important. In early February, a unknown kid raised in California by Taiwanese parents named Jeremy Lin began starting games for the New York Knicks as their point guard.
Through his all-around excellence passing and scoring, he became an instant star in New York and across the world. Linsanity was born and you couldn’t escape it even if you were a non-basketball fan. All of a sudden, you saw and heard people talking about Lin and the NBA in a non-stop manner. I don’t’ know if I have Lin fatigue or NBA fatigue but I tried my hardest to get away during the All-Star celebration. I’ll probably watch pro hoops again tomorrow or the day after. One thing I know, the All-Star game and weekend celebration don’t excite me like they did when I was a kid even into my teenage years.
I think one of the biggest problems with All-Star games in general is it a celebration rather than a competition. There is no defense played in these games. The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference 152 to 149. There was no overtime. If a team scores over 100 in a regulation game, that is high-scoring. The two teams combined for 301 points. The losing team in the last three years has at least put up 139 points. There is no intensity, no effort, and no physical contact between offensive and defensive players.
For instance, the announcers during the National Hockey League’s showcase game told the viewing audience if a body check was thrown and when did it happen previously. In most hockey games, you can’t go seconds without a player hitting another player. With the NBA, there was a lot of buzz from people on ESPN and through social networking site Twitter when the East’s Dwyane Wade fouled the West’s Kobe Bryant hard in the face during the third quarter. Apparently from replays, Kobe had the ball in the low post, spun toward the left baseline, jumped up toward the rim, and Wade took his two hands knocked Kobe’s hands down to stop the shot. Kobe actually got a bloody nose from that job. Yes, there was some real intensity for about five seconds.
I understand that nobody wants to get hurt themselves or injure someone else but it devalues the game. I remember clicking over to the game and hearing Marv Albert say the Clippers’ Blake Griffin was 8 of 9 on field goal attempts and 7 of them were dunks or lay-ups. When I watched some of the highlights, I saw a lot of fancy crossover dribbles, passes off the backboard, and spectacular dunks with basically everybody on the defense standing still. There was a lot of one-on-one offensive plays with very passive defense. The Rising Stars game on Friday night had the same characteristics except the players were younger and not as good yet as the regular All-Stars.
I wanted to end with Saturday’s skills contest because it was something I would watch more than the game. I probably saw two minutes live and maybe five more in highlights. I should have probably watched the point guard skills challenge and the three-point contest since there is shooting and passing involved. I admit watching the Washington Capitals hockey game versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. The most frustrating part of the night was watching the Slam-Dunk Contest highlights on ESPN.
First of all, the dunkers were players I never heard about before. Second, they had ridiculous gimmicks like jumping over people. Chase Budinger of the Houston Rockets jammed one ball while leaping by rapper P. Diddy. Later on, he dunked a ball blindfolded. Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz did two jams jumping past people. The first dunk was a double-dunk with two basketballs tossed by someone sitting down. His final round winning jam used celebrity Kevin Hart as a high jump bar. Finalist Paul George of the Indiana Pacers slammed a ball down in a glow-in-the-dark jersey arena darkened except for some flashing glow sticks Meanwhile, it took ten attempts for Derrick Williams of the Minnesota Timberwolves to successfully make a slam-dunk in the last round.
I feel sorry for Evans, George, Budinger, and Williams since they had the guts to go out and perform. Where was Lebron James? Where was Dwyane Wade? Where was Kobe Bryant? Most importantly, where was last year’s champ Blake Griffin? They all played in the All-Star Game the next night. At least, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder was a big-time superstar who competed in an event. He finished second in the three-point shooting contest.
I think some of these superstars (Lebron, Kobe, etc…) are afraid of getting embarrassed. The fan response on Twitter was pretty obvious, “That was okay but where are the big-time players?".
I’m not a hardcore basketball fan. Hockey is my favorite sport, however, I spent about the same amount of time viewing their All-Star festivities. This weekend felt flat. After the season-opening rush from Christmas Day to near March, there was curiousness from myself about the NBA. They were playing a much limited schedule than most years meaning the games were more important. In early February, a unknown kid raised in California by Taiwanese parents named Jeremy Lin began starting games for the New York Knicks as their point guard.
Through his all-around excellence passing and scoring, he became an instant star in New York and across the world. Linsanity was born and you couldn’t escape it even if you were a non-basketball fan. All of a sudden, you saw and heard people talking about Lin and the NBA in a non-stop manner. I don’t’ know if I have Lin fatigue or NBA fatigue but I tried my hardest to get away during the All-Star celebration. I’ll probably watch pro hoops again tomorrow or the day after. One thing I know, the All-Star game and weekend celebration don’t excite me like they did when I was a kid even into my teenage years.
I think one of the biggest problems with All-Star games in general is it a celebration rather than a competition. There is no defense played in these games. The Western Conference defeated the Eastern Conference 152 to 149. There was no overtime. If a team scores over 100 in a regulation game, that is high-scoring. The two teams combined for 301 points. The losing team in the last three years has at least put up 139 points. There is no intensity, no effort, and no physical contact between offensive and defensive players.
For instance, the announcers during the National Hockey League’s showcase game told the viewing audience if a body check was thrown and when did it happen previously. In most hockey games, you can’t go seconds without a player hitting another player. With the NBA, there was a lot of buzz from people on ESPN and through social networking site Twitter when the East’s Dwyane Wade fouled the West’s Kobe Bryant hard in the face during the third quarter. Apparently from replays, Kobe had the ball in the low post, spun toward the left baseline, jumped up toward the rim, and Wade took his two hands knocked Kobe’s hands down to stop the shot. Kobe actually got a bloody nose from that job. Yes, there was some real intensity for about five seconds.
I understand that nobody wants to get hurt themselves or injure someone else but it devalues the game. I remember clicking over to the game and hearing Marv Albert say the Clippers’ Blake Griffin was 8 of 9 on field goal attempts and 7 of them were dunks or lay-ups. When I watched some of the highlights, I saw a lot of fancy crossover dribbles, passes off the backboard, and spectacular dunks with basically everybody on the defense standing still. There was a lot of one-on-one offensive plays with very passive defense. The Rising Stars game on Friday night had the same characteristics except the players were younger and not as good yet as the regular All-Stars.
I wanted to end with Saturday’s skills contest because it was something I would watch more than the game. I probably saw two minutes live and maybe five more in highlights. I should have probably watched the point guard skills challenge and the three-point contest since there is shooting and passing involved. I admit watching the Washington Capitals hockey game versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. The most frustrating part of the night was watching the Slam-Dunk Contest highlights on ESPN.
First of all, the dunkers were players I never heard about before. Second, they had ridiculous gimmicks like jumping over people. Chase Budinger of the Houston Rockets jammed one ball while leaping by rapper P. Diddy. Later on, he dunked a ball blindfolded. Jeremy Evans of the Utah Jazz did two jams jumping past people. The first dunk was a double-dunk with two basketballs tossed by someone sitting down. His final round winning jam used celebrity Kevin Hart as a high jump bar. Finalist Paul George of the Indiana Pacers slammed a ball down in a glow-in-the-dark jersey arena darkened except for some flashing glow sticks Meanwhile, it took ten attempts for Derrick Williams of the Minnesota Timberwolves to successfully make a slam-dunk in the last round.
I feel sorry for Evans, George, Budinger, and Williams since they had the guts to go out and perform. Where was Lebron James? Where was Dwyane Wade? Where was Kobe Bryant? Most importantly, where was last year’s champ Blake Griffin? They all played in the All-Star Game the next night. At least, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder was a big-time superstar who competed in an event. He finished second in the three-point shooting contest.
I think some of these superstars (Lebron, Kobe, etc…) are afraid of getting embarrassed. The fan response on Twitter was pretty obvious, “That was okay but where are the big-time players?".
Friday, February 24, 2012
Marquee NBA Thursday post-game report
So I went 1 for 2 on my predictions. The Heat again showed why they’re the best team in the NBA while the Thunder answered some of my criticism of their defense. Miami and Oklahoma City are tied for the top record in the league at 27-7 as the All-Star break starts today and lasts until Tuesday. The Heat have won eight straight games, all by at least 10 or more points. Meanwhile, the Thunder enter the midseason mark with a five-game winning streak.
What was supposed to be a showdown versus Linsanity and the New York turned into a showcase for the Miami Heat’s overall team play. Miami allowed only 88 points to New York while scoring 102 themselves in another Heat rout. On defense, they bump and hit Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin a lot early in the game whenever he dribbled the ball. We think if players from other teams make contact with a player dribbling, then it is a foul. It seems Miami receives some help from the officials making and not making calls toward their favor. On one play, Lin’s arm was knocked from behind causing the ball to squirt out of bounds. Most times, a foul is called on the defense. Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole primarily defended Lin and caused him to have his worst game of the season. In 34 minutes, Lin scored only eight points and shot a woeful 1 for 11 on field goal attempts. In addition, he had eight turnovers compared to only 3 assists.
Meanwhile, the Heat got contributions from everybody. Chris Bosh had his best performance of the season and career. He is a tall but skinny dude who looks like he is afraid of contact. He collected 25 points on 11 of 17 field goals and grabbed eight rebounds. Dwyane Wade added 22 points and dished out 5 assists. Lebron James played an all-around game putting up added 20 points, nine boards, and five steals. Miami made 12 steals while also forcing 19 New York turnovers. The Heat even blocked 10 shots with Joel Anthony’s left hand swatting away five. The Heat looked like a team that won the title in 2006 but more importantly a squad that lost in last year’s Finals and wants the championship this year. On the other hand, the Knicks appeared as if they were a group trying to win but don’t have the fluidity and confidence of Miami right now.
In Oklahoma City, the Thunder played a surprisingly good defensive game to defeat the Lakers 100-85. Yes, Oklahoma City allowed only 85 points. I did not type that wrong. They did an excellent job of guarding the Lakers inside scorers, Pao Gasol and Andrrew Bynum. The Thunder would double-team Gasol, Bynum, Metta World Peace (what kind of name is that?), or even Kobe Bryant when he posted up. Oklahoma City showed great athleticism to run whenever the ball was passed outside which was often.
Serge Ibaka is not talked about enough when people analyze the Thunder. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are the two-All-Stars on the OKC roster. Durant’s 33 points seemed an afterthought considering he scores around that every night. Westbrook added 19 from his point guard spot. However they need guys like Ibaka to rebound and defend the other team’s post players. Ibaka had a quiet but effective double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds. He also blocked three shots. Kendrick Perkins used his big body to set screens on offense and move Bynum and Gasol out of the paint on defense. Nonetheless, he needs to add some more inside scoring. Perkins got only 3 points and 9 rebounds while playing 31 minutes. The combo of Ibaka, Perkins, and currently injured Nick Collison need to give Oklahoma City a balance of inside and outside scoring.
The Los Angeles Lakers are a confusing team this season. They have a lot of age on their squad. Kobe and Derek Fisher are in their fifteenth NBA seasons. Bryant, who jumped straight high-school to pro ball, is 33 years old while Fisher, who spent four years in college, is 37. Metta World Peace, aka Ron Artest, is 32 in his eleventh campaign while Pao Gasol, 31 from Barcelona, is a ten-year pro in the NBA along with a few years playing in the Spanish professional leagues. Those are four of their five starters. Maybe I assumed their age work in terms of experience. Right now, L.A.‘s best players are too old to keep pace with teams like the Thunder while their younger guys are not good enough .
I think the All-Star break comes as a good time for the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. For the Knicks, the time off can represent a period of relaxation. Since Jeremy Lin was put into the starting lineup, the media attention has multiplied by millions. As far as the Lakers, they should use it to decide if they’re going to trade Gasol and regain their energy. The Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder don’t really need a stop to their season but players like James, Wade, Bosh, Durant, and Westbrook can enjoy their All-Star Game experience.
What was supposed to be a showdown versus Linsanity and the New York turned into a showcase for the Miami Heat’s overall team play. Miami allowed only 88 points to New York while scoring 102 themselves in another Heat rout. On defense, they bump and hit Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin a lot early in the game whenever he dribbled the ball. We think if players from other teams make contact with a player dribbling, then it is a foul. It seems Miami receives some help from the officials making and not making calls toward their favor. On one play, Lin’s arm was knocked from behind causing the ball to squirt out of bounds. Most times, a foul is called on the defense. Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole primarily defended Lin and caused him to have his worst game of the season. In 34 minutes, Lin scored only eight points and shot a woeful 1 for 11 on field goal attempts. In addition, he had eight turnovers compared to only 3 assists.
Meanwhile, the Heat got contributions from everybody. Chris Bosh had his best performance of the season and career. He is a tall but skinny dude who looks like he is afraid of contact. He collected 25 points on 11 of 17 field goals and grabbed eight rebounds. Dwyane Wade added 22 points and dished out 5 assists. Lebron James played an all-around game putting up added 20 points, nine boards, and five steals. Miami made 12 steals while also forcing 19 New York turnovers. The Heat even blocked 10 shots with Joel Anthony’s left hand swatting away five. The Heat looked like a team that won the title in 2006 but more importantly a squad that lost in last year’s Finals and wants the championship this year. On the other hand, the Knicks appeared as if they were a group trying to win but don’t have the fluidity and confidence of Miami right now.
In Oklahoma City, the Thunder played a surprisingly good defensive game to defeat the Lakers 100-85. Yes, Oklahoma City allowed only 85 points. I did not type that wrong. They did an excellent job of guarding the Lakers inside scorers, Pao Gasol and Andrrew Bynum. The Thunder would double-team Gasol, Bynum, Metta World Peace (what kind of name is that?), or even Kobe Bryant when he posted up. Oklahoma City showed great athleticism to run whenever the ball was passed outside which was often.
Serge Ibaka is not talked about enough when people analyze the Thunder. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are the two-All-Stars on the OKC roster. Durant’s 33 points seemed an afterthought considering he scores around that every night. Westbrook added 19 from his point guard spot. However they need guys like Ibaka to rebound and defend the other team’s post players. Ibaka had a quiet but effective double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds. He also blocked three shots. Kendrick Perkins used his big body to set screens on offense and move Bynum and Gasol out of the paint on defense. Nonetheless, he needs to add some more inside scoring. Perkins got only 3 points and 9 rebounds while playing 31 minutes. The combo of Ibaka, Perkins, and currently injured Nick Collison need to give Oklahoma City a balance of inside and outside scoring.
The Los Angeles Lakers are a confusing team this season. They have a lot of age on their squad. Kobe and Derek Fisher are in their fifteenth NBA seasons. Bryant, who jumped straight high-school to pro ball, is 33 years old while Fisher, who spent four years in college, is 37. Metta World Peace, aka Ron Artest, is 32 in his eleventh campaign while Pao Gasol, 31 from Barcelona, is a ten-year pro in the NBA along with a few years playing in the Spanish professional leagues. Those are four of their five starters. Maybe I assumed their age work in terms of experience. Right now, L.A.‘s best players are too old to keep pace with teams like the Thunder while their younger guys are not good enough .
I think the All-Star break comes as a good time for the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. For the Knicks, the time off can represent a period of relaxation. Since Jeremy Lin was put into the starting lineup, the media attention has multiplied by millions. As far as the Lakers, they should use it to decide if they’re going to trade Gasol and regain their energy. The Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder don’t really need a stop to their season but players like James, Wade, Bosh, Durant, and Westbrook can enjoy their All-Star Game experience.
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