College Hoops

Wisconsin and Illinois is just minutes away from tip off. I expect a good game, I think the Badgers will be in it for most of the game, but eventually fall short down the stretch, much like the first meeting in Madison. Theese two teams match up well, but the Badgers just don't have the overall talent to hang with the Illini. The reason for this being this, Wisconsin has a deep team, but I don't think they have a starting five, if you can follow that. If Wisconsin is going to win this game, Chambliss and Hanson need to do something. You know what you're gonna get out of Wilkinson and hopefully Tucker, but Hanson and Chambliss need to be on from the outside for a win

Savannah State Update

Well, one more game to go for the Tigers, or they will finish 0-28 just like the Prairie View A&M Panthers did in 1991-1992, the last time a team went winless. Savannah State lost 78-69 tonight and only has Florida A&M left between them and a winless season.

-Until next time...

Ramblings for the Weekend

With really nothing of note for me to write from last night; here is a spattering of what did happen and what's going on this weekend:

First an update on Rashad Anderson; he is out for Sunday's game in Storrs against UNC.

UMW came back at Loyola Chicago last night and won the game. They have a real chance of winning their first NCAA Tournament game in school history this season. Guard Ed McCants was not shooting well for most of the game, but hit some huge threes to lead the Panthers on their comeback.

With pitchers and catchers reporting next Wednesday and opening day being just 51 days away; is it too early to start getting excited about baseball? One reason I am so ready for it again is because baseball means Spring. Forget the groundhog and whether or not he saw his shadow, when pitchers and catchers report, Spring is right around the corner.

Be sure to scroll down and read Garcia's column on which teams had the best offseason this year to make sure you're ready for the first pitch.

The Washington Huskies played at an inspired Oregon Dcks team last night, winning in overtime 95-88. I was impressed by the way the Huskies went on a 9-0 run during the overtime to seal the victory, especially when it was in a tough place to play, The Pit. Road wins are big; and even though this was a hard-fought victory, I don't see Washington getting farther than the Sweet 16.

I also checked in with the Gonzaga/Pepperdine game because it is one of those great rivalries. The 'Zags were playing at The Wave (by the way, isn't The Wave a great nickname for a coastal school, it's like Longhorns, or Cornhuskers, just great nicknames) and played typical Gonzaga basketball coming out victorious 82-75. They always seem to get great guard and forward play. This season, look for Erroll Knight to control the offense, Ronny Turiaf to bang inside for rebounds and points in the paint, and Adam Morrison to fill the hoop. For all of the teams of Gonzaga's past which had a chance to reach the Final Four, this one has been flying under the radar and will surprise people during the tournament, like I was last night.

I have decided not to care anymore about what anyone says about other people using steroids until we find out exactly what has been going on (which probably won't happen). If Canseco wants to talk, let him talk. There's no way to prove what happened ten years ago; but we can start finding out what players today are doing to themselves by testing. How can we believe or not believe anything anyone says about steroid use anymore? We can't. All of the talking heads who are ripping Canseco for making accusations should just shut up. Who's to say he isn't telling the truth? Sure, he probably wants as much publicity for his book as possible, but don't discount the fact no one wanted to believe Pete Rose bet on games in the clubhouse right away either. We want to believe McGuire didn't take steroids because he "saved baseball", we hope Bonds took them because he is a self-contained-seen-as jerk in the sport and we want to bring him down, and we don't want Giambi to be sick but can't stand the fact he lied to us. I even heard David Justice saying something to the effect of he doesn't believe McGuire did this because he's such a good guy and doesn't think it will harm his reputation at all. But David, what if McGuire did take steroids, what if the man who saved baseball is tarnished, what if baseball was saved by steroids, what then?

After that soapbox, here's what's going on this weekend:

The PBA makes its stop in Fairlawn, Ohio this week. We could see a final pitting two of the top 5 players in the world rankings, as Hall of Famer Walter Ray Williams Jr. and Chris Barnes are both in the round of 16 and winning at thiis point. The semi-finals and finals are Sunday on ESPN.

Of course the annual Pro Bowl is in Hawaii this Sunday night on ESPN at 5:00. We'll see if this year's game can match the excitement and... uh... drama of last season's 55-52 "classic".

In NCAA basketball, tonight's highlight game is Savannah State at Bethune Cookman. What is this such a big game? Well at 0-26 the Tigers have only two more chances to avoid becoming the first team sine Prairie View A&M went winless in 1991-1992. Savannah State plays tonight against Bethune Cookman and Monday at home versus Florida A&M in its bid to win one game. Good luck for the Tigers may come in the form of The Cosby Show rerun on WGN today at 4:00, as Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable was wearing a Savannah State sweatshirt. Prediction: Tigers win for the good doctor.

On Saturday, Wisconsin tries to pay back Illinois for ending the 38 game home winning streak in January (noon CBS), Cincinatti tries to capitalize on last night's victory by traveling to DePaul and playing a tough Blue Deamon team (2:30 ABC), and finally Duke tries to avenge its first loss of the season and keep the momentum from beating the Tar Heels when traveling to always "up-for-Duke" Maryland (8:00 ESPN).

Sunday's marquee game is UNC at UCONN. Without Rashad Anderson, UNC should win this game and regain some swagger after the loss at Duke (noon CBS).

The best NBA games of the weekend (without comment) are Houston at Indiana, San Antonio at New Jersey, Denver at Cleveland, Seattle at Phoenix, and Dallas at Sacramento tonight; San Antonio at Miami, Lakers at Cleveland, and Dallas at Seattle on Sunday.

Whatever you're doing this weekend, enjoy it.

-Until next time...

Mailman Ends His Route

Karl Malone is calling it a career after contemplating coming back after knee surgery to play with San Antonio or Miami. He retires as the second leading scorer in NBA history (Jabbar). Click the headline for more from ESPN.com.

-Until next time...

Best Offseason

Having already evaluated the best offseason moves, here are the teams who had the best offseason.

10. Milwaukee Brewers
This is not a homer pick, just look at what they did. They kept their main core of talent in place, and chose to add around it. That's Doug Melvin's model for success, and one that I'm quite fond of. Offense was a problem for the Crew last year, and they made up grades to it. The only question facing this team is it's bullpen, will it be strong enough to hold. They lost Dan Kolb, but got a great arm in return for him in Jose Capellan. Capellan will eventually will be their closer, but until then they have a few guys who can fill the void until he is ready.

Notable Losses:
Keith Ginter, Dan Kolb, Craig Counsell, Luis Vizcaino, Scott Podsednik

Key Additions:
Carlos Lee, Damian Miller, Jose Capellan, Justin Lehr, Junior Spivey*, Brady Clark*, Ricky Botallico, Jeff Cirillo


9. Arizona Diamondbacks
Reluctantly I put them on this list. The D'backs fall into a group of teams like the Dodgers and Mariners who made a lot of moves, but for the most part I'm not sure why they made these moves in particular, or what their plans are. This team looked like they were going to rebuild and let their young guys get a lot of playing time, but then they began to add big contracts, mainly in the hopes of keeping Richie Sexson, but it didn't work. The moves they made are 50-50. They'll either work great, or Arizona is going to be one of the worst teams in the league. It should make for an interesting year in Phoenix.

Notable Losses:
Richie Sexson, Randy Johnson, Danny Bautista

Key Additions:
Javier Vazquez, Russ Ortiz, Shawn Green, Jose Cruz Jr, Troy Glaus, Tony Clark, Shawn Estes, Craig Counsell, Royce Clayton, Dioner Navaro


8. Chicago Cubs
This may be a little high for them, but I really think they had a top ten offseason. They got rid of Sammy Sosa. Theres no doubting what he can do offensively, but he was a defensive liability and he began to wear out his welcome. The loss of Sosa is a case of addition by subtraction and it gets rid of that dark cloud looming over this team. They don't have to worry about the Sosa situation anymore. They didn't make any big splashes in free agency, but they did add little pieces that will fit in with the unit they've assembled nicely.

Notable Losses:
Sammy Sosa, Moises Alou, Mark Grudzielanek, Kyle Farnsworth

Key Additions:
Jerry Hairston Jr, Jeromy Burnitz, Normar Garciaparra*, Aramis Ramirez*, Neifi Perez, Henry Blanco, Chad Fox



7. Detroit Tigers
The Tigers are interesting because they too are building like the Diamondbacks, half young guys and the other half high paid veterans. They did make some nice moves last winter, and if new additions like Mags can stay healthy this team is interesting. The AL Central isn't too strong, and the best case scenario for the Tigers is a third place finish, which believe or not could happen.

Notable Losses:
Nothing worth missing

Key Additions:
Magglio Ordonez, Troy Percival, Kyle Farnsworth, Carlos Pena*, Ramon Martinez, Vance Wilson, Dwayne Wise, Ugeth Urbina*


6. Baltimore Orioles
Didn't make too many moves, but they did add Sammy Sosa. Like him or not, and I for one hate him, he is one of the greatest home run hitters of all time. The addition of Sosa adds even more firepower to an offense that already features Miguel Tejada, Javier Lopez and Rafael Palmeiro. They also added to their bullpen, which was a weakness last year. If the young pitchers they have can take pressure off the offense to score 8 runs a game, then this team can win about 55-60% of their games.

Notable Losses:
Jerry Hairston Jr, Buddy Groom

Key Additions:
Sammy Sosa, Steve Kline, Steve Reed, Rafael Palmeiro



5. Atlanta Braves
Upgraded their offense, and pitching. Most teams look to do, or hope to do one of those two but the Braves did both. This team is built around a lot of older players and question marks though, particularly reguarding whether or not some of these guys can handle what will be asked of them, like Dan Kolb, or if they can stay healthy all year and not break down, like Smoltz and the corner outfielders.

Notable Losses:
Russ Ortiz, Juan Cruz, Charles Thomas, Dwayne Wise, Antonio Alfonseca, Jaret Wright, JD Drew, Paul Byrd

Key Additions:
Tim Hudson, Dan Kolb, Marcus Giles*, Jay Powell, Raul Mondesi, Brian Jordan, Gabe White, Julio Franco*


4. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cards lost the guy who made the offense go, Edgar Renteria, but they have more than enough offense to make up for the loss. The main issue with this team was starting pitching, and the addition of Mark Mulder gives their formation credibility, a left handed pitcher, and a true ace all in one move. I like that upgrade, and I like the additions of David Eckstein and Mark Grudzielanek.


Notable Losses:
Edgar Renteria, Mike Matheny, Kiko Calero, Steve Kline, Danny Haren, Tony Womack

Key Additions:
Mark Mulder, David Eckstein, Mark Grudzielanek, Einar Diaz


3. Florida Marlins
Kept their young nuecleus in tact and added nice components to it. They lost Carl Pavano who had a great year last year, but you could question if he is really coming on or just performed well in a contract year. The Marlins didn't really make many moves, but the ones they did were impact moves that upgraded the offense, and pitching depth.

Notable Losses:
Carl Pavano, David Weathers, Will Cordero, Chad Fox

Key Additions:
Carlos Delgado, Al Leiter, Josh Beckett*, AJ Burnett*, Paul Lo Duca*, Guillermo Mota*, Antonio Alfonseca, John Reidling


2. New York Yankees
This team resembles some of those late 90's teams, which is something you couldn't say for the last few units they Yanks trouted out onto the field. They added a Yankee in Tino, which should help the first base situation. On a side note, Jason Giambi is in for one nightmarish season, not so much statistically, but emotionally. He is going to get riddiculed at every park he goes to. I feel bad for Jason cause I like the guy and by all account he is a great guy, but he brought it on himself. Starting pitching is going to be interesting to watch. Can Jaret Wright and Carl Pavano, and Randy Johnson for that matter hold up to the New York pressure? If so then this is a pretty good rotation.

Notable Losses:
Javier Vazquez, Dioner Navaro, Orlando Hernandez, Miguel Cairo, Enrique Wilson, John Lieber, John Olerud, Tony Clark, Esteban Loiza, Travis Lee, Kenny Lofton, Paul Quantrill

Key Additions:
Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright, Tony Womack, Tino Martinez, Doug Glanville, Mike Stanton, Buddy Groom



1. Boston Red Sox
They Red Sox did a good job of maintaining what they had, and upgraded what they could. They did loose Pedro and Derek Lowe, but to make up for it they added David Wells, Matt Clement and Wade Miller (If he can stay healthy). They upgraded shortstop with Renteria over Cabrera, and the outfield by adding Jay Payton. If Matt Mantei can regain his form and stay healthy, then thats an upgrade to the bullpen.

Notable Losses:
Pedro Martinez, Derek Lowe, Orlando Cabrera, Scott Williamson, Ramiro Mendoza, Dave Roberts, Pokey Reese

Key Additions:
Matt Clement, Edgar Renteria, David Wells, Matt Mantei, Jay Payton, Jason Varitek*, Wade Miller, Bill Mueller*, John Halama

Nate on Justin

I figured since we have a new writer and Gaddis and I wrote out profiles about each other, we should "initiate" the new guy; so here goes:

Garcia is a name you will read when we are writing because like Gaddis, it is his last name, and we called him Garcia at school. He is one of the most informed people I know when it comes to Wisconsin sports. He loves the Bucks, Brewers, Packers, and UWM, but is intelligent enough to know when these teams aren't destined for greatness. He doesn't allow his loyalty and love of certain teams to influence his views, which is quite refreshing.

After working for ESPN Radio in La Crosse for two and a half years and working for TMJ4 with the Brewers for the past two summers, Garcia thought it would be a better career move to come and write for us. His behind the scenes knowledge of the Brewers and sports radio will bring a nice change of pace to the blog. We welcome him with open arms as long as he doesn't show us up!

He loves reruns of the Golden Girls, fruit roll-ups, and unicycles. One of his favorite hobbies is playing jacks with all of the kids from the old neighborhood. Garcia has an intense fear of analog clocks, but his favorite building in the world is Big Ben. I have seen him clear out an order of 20 chicken wings and 15 long island ice teas before going to class. His dream is to become a marine biologist, but he hates water. If he wasn't going to school and writing for us, he would be trying to prove no one has ever used steroids.

He's a great sports mind and will bring a lot to this site.

-Until next time...

Tobacco Road Classic

What an incredible game; Duke 71 UNC 70. Perhaps even more incredible is that I was able to walk through a sports bar, play volleyball, walk back through the sports bar, drive home, and watch the entire game on tape without having someone or something ruin it for me by telling me how the game ended before I was able to see it.

How did Duke do it? Even though I predicted a 7 or 8 point victory for Carolina, I also wrote the recipe for how to beat this team yesterday. I wrote:

As always, there are some things which need to improve. While the team averages 92.2 points and over 20 assists per game, they also average 17 turnovers. The high scoring usually lets them run away from teams so the turnovers don't hurt them, but if they get into a game in the tournament with a disciplined team who capitalizes on turnovers, plays solid defense, and doesn't turn the ball over itself, UNC could be in some trouble.

The Blue Devils have built themselves on their defense this season. This Duke team can't look for all five of its starters to go for 20+ on any night like they have been able to in the past. The team this season needs scoring from J.J. Redick, Sheldon Williams, and Daniel Ewing. Last night it got the scoring it needed to help its pressure defense thwart the Tar Heel threat. The Devils forced 23 turnovers last night and played disciplined enough to come out of the game with a huge victory.

I am not going to rip Raymond Felton for not driving to the basket in the final seconds, and not just because I am a Duke fan. As I was watching the final seconds and saw him beat Daniel Ewing off the dribble, I thought he was going to drive in for a 5-8 footer, and was surprised when he didn't. After the game he realized his mistake and owned up to it right away. He now realizes that even if the play isn't for him at the end of a game, if he has a chance he should take it. Felton had beaten the entire Duke defense to the rim on 2 of the Tar Heel possessions in the last 3 minutes of the game. He knows he can get to the rim, but was content on running the play his coach called to the end, or at least trying to run the play which was called. Remember, he is only a sophomore, he is still learning how to manage a game, and last night was a great lesson for him.

One thing which concerns me about the game last night for Duke is the fact they only hit one shot from inside the three point line (other than free-throws) in the second half. Strangely similar to the team in 1999 which lost to UCONN for the National Championship, this Duke team will live and die on the three point shot. Luckily freshman DeMarcus Nelson and senior Daniel Ewing both hit back-to-back threes at different points in the second half to keep the lead. Duke won't be able to rely on this every night in March, so they will need to focus on getting the ball inside to Sheldon Williams a little more in the future so they are ready for the tourney.

I was impressed by the way Nelson stepped up in a big game, as well as the 21-22 free throw shooting the Blue Devils did last night. The free throw shooting and an improving Nelson, along with the defense will allow Duke to be in a position to win every game it plays in March. Daniel Ewing and J.J. Redick will decide whether or not they actually win these games.

North Carolina can take away some positives from last night's game as well. Even though they lost a tough game; they can take back to Chapel Hill the fact they had a chance to win at Cameron despite 23 turnovers and Duke going 21-22 from the free throw line. Rashad McCants had an off night shooting just 3-13 from the floor and finishing with just 11 points. McCants will not play this poorly offensively very often, as he is a much better shooter than we saw last night. Also, Sean May was nothing short of brilliant last night, playing very solid defense, banging out a game high 23 points, and fighting for another game high 18 rebounds. His play will have teams even more worried when the shooting of McCants is on.

There is no doubt in my mind UNC will win the rematch (Sunday March 6th at 3:00 on CBS). This was a game in a hostile environment, where they didn't bring their best game, and still had a real chance to win. If they would have won, this would have been like the Patriots' Super Bowl victory, not playing very well, but well enough to win. The Tar Heels need to get over the hump of struggling on the road in the ACC, and they will with an "easy" conference road schedule the rest of the season.

March will be a different story for UNC and they can prove they are ready with a great statement this Sunday at UCONN. By the way, if you missed the game last night, you can catch it on ESPN Classic on Friday at 8:00pm. At any rate, it was another great chapter in the classic novel that is Duke/North Carolina.

-Until next time...

UCONN's Anderson in Hospital

Connecticut's leading scorer is in the hospital with an infected leg. The school does not know when he will be back. If the infection remains a problem, this would be a huge blow to a UCONN team which has been playing well as of late. The Huskies play North Carolina on Sunday and without Anderson probably don't have what it will take to win. Click the headline for more information.

-Unti next time...

Cubs Trade Farnsworth

The Cubs traded middle reliever Kyle Farnsworth to the Detroit Tigers today for Robert Novoa, Scott Moore, and Clarence "Bo" Flowers. Read more about it from ChicagoSports.com here, or from ESPN.com here.

-Until Next Time...

College Hoops IV

I will amend this list as many times as I need to until the actual Final Four to make sure I get it right. My previous Final Four had more errors in it than I originally thought when I first picked it. First of all, I have talked about Wake Forest as a Final Four team all season, and yet they were left off; there is no excuse for this.

Also, Illinois was coming out of the Austin Regional instead of the Chicago Regional because I misinterpreted the rule. A team may not play any games during the NCAA Tournament on its home court. I don't know why I thought Illinois may not be able to in the Chicago Regional after Wisconsin played at Milwaukee last year and Duke or another ACC team always plays in Charlotte.

Here was my list last week:

Albuquerque Regional- Syracuse
Chicago Regional- Kansas
Austin Regional- Illinois
Syracuse Regional- North Carolina

Although three of the teams remain this week; only one is in the same regional.

Here is the list for this week:

Albuquerquer Regional- Wake Forest University Demon Deacons

(At least one reader will enjoy this pick) I have always thought highly of this team, and after they defeated UNC at home last month; they were my top team in the country. A great back-court and solid frontline play will take them a long way in the tournament. Not once during this season have I doubted how good this team is, even after the blowout loss at Illinois early this season. The Deacs are in second place in the ACC right now, only one game back of the tar heels. If Duke can beat UNC tonight, and Wake beats Duke again at Cameron where they play on the 20th, then Wake will have the best chance at the number one seed in the conference tournament.

Even if Wake doesn't win the regular season title, a run to the championship game in the ACC Tournament will set them up for a run to St. Louis. They may not get a number one seed in the tournament, unless they win the conference tourney; but I can't see any team other than UNC beating them on a neutral court right now.

There are two items which may stop them from getting to the Final Four, first is their free throw shooting. Even though they made 50 in a row at one point; the team is shooting only 69% for the season. Also, they average 86.2 points per game but their defense has at times been suspect (read: end of the Duke game and the Georgia Tech loss). Fix these two little holes in the next month, and pack your bags for the midwest.

Chicago Regional- University of Illinois Fighting Illini

I have said so much about this team already, I don't know what else to say. Well, they are the first unanimous number one team in the country since Duke in 1998, they shoot 74% from the free throw line, 40% from three, and average almost twice as many assists as turnovers as a team! They don't really have any challenges left before the post season. They will play their tournament games in Indianapolis, Chicago, and finally St. Louis (a total of 445.01 miles one way). There's the stat of the day.

Austin Regional- Kansas University Jayhawks

They're getting healthier every week, playing better, and believing. Like Illinois, I have said a lot about this team during the season as well. They average only 76 points per game and shoot a worse-than-Wake 66% from the free-throw line. When you don't score many points during games and rely on your defense to hold teams down, you need to be able to shoot better than that from the charity stripe. Only two players on the team shoot better than 74% from the free throw line, and only 5 are better than 70%. This won't help Kansas if they get into a tough game in the tournament and need to hold a lead.

At this point, no loss will damage their confidence, so they need to work on free throw shooting. I am also a little concerned with their assist to turnover ratio, which is a little better than 1:1, but not by much. They turn the ball over almost 15 times per game. For a team that has senior leaders this is just unacceptable. These numbers have to get better, or Kansas won't even make it to Austin.

Syracuse Regional- University of North Carolina Tar Heels

I honestly believe this is the best team in the country. If they go into Duke tonight, and do to the Blue Devils what they have been doing to almost every other team in the ACC (blowing them out), no one should doubt this team. However, it is a rivalry, Duke has owned it of late, and it is at Cameron. While I don't see a blowout, I can see a 7 or 8 point victory for the Tar Heels.

As always, there are some things which need to improve. While the team averages 92.2 points and over 20 assists per game, they also average 17 turnovers. The high scoring usually lets them run away from teams so the turnovers don't hurt them, but if they get into a game in the tournament with a disciplined team who capitalizes on turnovers, plays solid defense, and doesn't turn the ball over itself, UNC could be in some trouble. The team does generate 11 steals per game and shoots well from the free throw line and from three point range at 73% and 42.7%, respectively.

The team is solid through its first 8 players, is coached well, has a great point gaurd, and expects to be in St. Louis. It is going to be hard to keep them out.

Wildcards

As always, becuase I am partial, Duke. A victory tonight would go a long way to giving this team confidence and a little swagger.

Syracuse- the team is athletic enough and plays tough enough defense to get hot and go all the way, but it is a long shot now.

UCONN- the Huskies are never that far from the elite in the country and proved it once again with a win at Syracuse.

Oklahoma and Oklahoma State- both play in a tough conference and will be battle tested heading into March. Each has the coaches and core players to lead them to St. Louis.


I wasn't on the B.C. bandwagon before and I am definitely not on it now. I don't think Kentucky will get there basically because they have lost to the best teams they've played (UNC and Kansas) and haven't really been tested since then. Louisville just isn't good enough, just like any other Big Ten or Big XII team.

As Mr. Tony would say, "There it is, that's the list, I win!"

(Commentary on the UNC/Duke game will be here tomorrow. If you want coverage or commentary on the Wisconsin/Iowa game, you better talk to Gaddis as I won't be home and am taping the Duke/UNC game instead of the Wisconsin game.)

-Until next time...

Props to Gaddis

I wanted to be the first to congratulate Gaddis on picking one of the unbeaten teams to fall last night. Although, since he is a diehard Michigan fan, we all know which team he thought would lose. However, even though he called yesterday upset Tuesday; there were only two upsets; B.C. and Texas. Since B.C. was undefeated, though, we'll give him credit for the title of the day as well. Nice work

-Until next time...

Best Offseason Moves

With pitchers and catchers reporting in just six days, I thought I'd take a look at the best moves of the offseason, and the teams who had the best offseason.

10. Carlos Lee
The Brewers were missing offense last year, and it cost them, and most notably Ben Sheets a lot of games that they should have won. Lee will have a good year in the hitters back that is "The Keg" aka Miller Park, and he gives balance to the Lineup by breaking up that log jam of lefties in the middle of the lineup, and gives protection to Overbay and Jenkins.

9. Al Leiter
If Leiter can be anywhere near the pitcher he was three years ago, the Marlins have one of the best staffs in baseball. They already do, but that would just be the cherry on top of the sunday. I love this move because it gives them another lefty, and a good veteran pitcher to work with the young staff of Willis, Beckett, and Hopefully Burnett.

8. Kevin Millwood
This move gives the Indians three very good pitchers atop their rotation to go along with what I think is a very good, young offense. Don't forget the Indians get Aaron Boone back from injury this year.

7. Jason Varitek
If the Red Sox would have lost him they would have lost their leader. Not only that, but barring an offseason move, Doug Mirabelli would be their starting catcher.

6. Tino Martinez
I know he's like 50 years old now, but the Yankees were unsure about first base given Jason Giambi's story, and by signing Tino they solidify it. If Giambi does return, then he can DH and Tino plays first base, if not Tino gives them consistancy in the lineup and field. He isn't the threat he once was, but he'll be a tough out batting down in the 6-8 spot of the lineup. Besides, doesn't Martinez just look right as a Yankee?

5. Dan Kolb
The Braves can now move Smoltz back into the rotation, and I fully expect that to work out, and get a closer who proved he is a top tier guy at his position.

4. Mark Mulder
The Cardinals lacked one thing last year, pitching. I know statistically they did have a good year, but it folded in the playoffs and we saw that they didn't have a true ace. Mulder gives them that, plus he is left handed. Anytime you can get a young, lefty ace, you've upgraded your club in a major way.

3. Tim Hudson
If they would have just made the move for Kolb, you could have questioned if the starting rotation was good enough, but now your top 3 are Hudson, Smoltz, and Hampton. Throw in Horacio Ramirez and this becomes one of the top staff's in Baseball.

2. Carolos Beltran
If not for the fact that the Mets have so many holes, then this would have been the best move of the offseason. However, there are still issues with the starting rotation, bullpen and bench. Best case scenario now is that Beltran makes this an above average team. Had they address those holes then they could be in position to challenge for the wild card. Who knows, they still might, we saw how he rejuvinated the Astros last year down the stretch.

1. Randy Johnson
No brainer here, what do I really need to say?


Notables:
Carlos Delgado: Marlins
Edgar Renteria: Red Sox
Felix Rodriguez: Yankees
Nomar Garciaparra: Cubs
Moises Alou: Giants
Magglio Ordonez: Tigers
Troy Percival: Tigers
Matt Clement: Red Sox
Pedro Martinez: Mets
Sammy Sosa: Orioles
Jason Kendall: Athletics
Damian Miller: Brewers

Check back for the best offseaon ratings

Most Important to their Team

As someone who religiously follows Arizona hoops, I disagree with your claim that Salim Stoudamire is most important to his team. The Wildcats have already proven that they can win without him, case in point his suspension earlier this year. The guy or guys who are most important to that team are Channing Frye and Hassan Adams. Without Channing they have no interior game what so ever and become an all guard team, and Hassan does everything for that team, boards, points, assists and brings energy.

Rambling Like School Girls

Well, since I couldn't really decide what to write about today, here are the thoughts going through my head.

We will really see next season if Belichick is the genius a lot of people think he is, as he is losing Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel. He supposedly delegated a lot of responsibility to them. Part of greatness is surrounding yourself with greatness, so let's see how he replaces them.

I will be unable to bring you coverage of the Badger/Hawkeye game on Wednesday as I will be playing volleyball and will be taping the Duke/UNC game to watch when I am done. My early picks are Wisconsin and UNC.

The best part of the Patriots win on Sunday was the fact they didn't play very well. They played well enough to win, but Philly should have been up by at least 2 scores going into halftime, the way their defense was playing, and the way the Patriots were playing. In the end, the Patriots simply willed their way to victory. The worst part of the victory as everyone has pointed out already was the "wing flapping". I thought it was funny the first time, then it got old, quickly.

The commercials were quite disappointing. I was planning on writing a commentary about the commercials after the game, but they just weren't that good. Sure, Eva Longoria made an appearance, but I only remember three of the spots today: Obviously the one with the Pepsi truck, the guy making spaghetti and spilling sauce on the cat, and the commercial with the actor troops coming home and being applauded and thanked. Other than that, the commercials weren't very good at all. Where was Terry Tate?

If the Patriots are in the Super Bowl again next year, do you think Vegas will just put the line at 3 instead of 7 like this year, because all of the Patriots' victories have been by 3?

Gaddis, you really went out on a limb there to state Ike Diogu is one of the most important players to his team in the country. All he does for Arizona State is lead the team in points, rebounds, blocks, and free throw percentage.

Instead of waiting until tomorrow to say it; Syracuse will not make the Final Four with the way they shoot free throws. They just can't get it done shooting 65% from the line. Look for the updated Final Four tomorrow.

If you were paid to watch the Pro Bowl and couldn't ever change the channel, would you watch it?

The worst thing about the Super Bowl is that now all there is to watch in professional sports is the NBA.

Pitchers and catchers report in 7 days; opening day is only 54 days away. By the way, I am not confident at all in the Cubs this season. I will obviously hope for the best and cheer for them, but I am going back on my early predictions and hoping for 83 wins this season, instead of expecting 90-100.

I can't believe Vince Carter is starting in the NBA All-Star game. This may be one of the reasons I don't like the NBA. A selfish player who admitted quitting on his team, who has also missed 25 games this season is an All-Star starter? Whatever.

What really bothers me about Digger Phelps is that the pregame, halftime, or postgame broadcast of a college game on ESPN cannot go by without him mentioning some stat which happened during his tenure as the Notre Dame head coach (1972-1991). Sure, he is the winningest coach in ND history with 393 victories, led his team to the NCAA tournament 14 times, made it to the Final Four in 1978, and ended the historic UCLA winning streak, but do we need to hear about it every broadcast? Notre Dame hasn't been relevant on the basketball scene (or football for that matter) since the last millenium. Last night we were able to hear how spectacular it was when his team knocked off Virginia the last time a team came into Notre Dame undefeated after 20 games. Anyway, I hate it.

Instead of sports programs trying to hire attractive sideline reporters (which I was all for a few years ago with Melissa Stark), I think many of us are getting sick of them (for the most part) not having anything to tell us. I am now more in favor of hiring someone who can think on their own and not simply report only what the producer is telling them to report, or what they planned to talk about before the game. We need info on gameplan changes, injuries, what's going on in the crowd, how the team is feeling on the sideline, etc.. I look mainly at Suzy Kolber and Pam Oliver for these missed opportunities, as they are two of the more prominent reporters in the NFL. Kolber simply reports on what she put together before the game and doesn't add anything to the broadcast by doing this. She rarely reports on anything going on during the game. Same with Pam Oliver, she is a little better at reporting injuries and things, but I just don't like her style. Am I the only one who thinks like this?

For those of you who actually have jobs and can't watch Around the Horn on a daily basis, let me just tell you that everytime Woody Paige speaks, I want to impale myself on something. I usually can't understand what he is saying, his arguments aren't usually concise or to a point, he yells everything he says, and I rarely find myself agreeing with anything he says. I know some people like him, otherwise he wouldn't be on the show anymore, but I can't watch him anymore.

Speaking of ATH, if there were a "Royal Rumble" style fight between the panelists, who do you think would win? If Reali was in the fight, I'd say he wins, otherwise, I have to go with Tim Cowlishaw or J.A. Adande. Cowlishaw just seems tough and Adande is just smooth when he's on the show, he'd probably go "Suger Ray" on everybody.

I really have too much time on my hands.

Finally, my short review of Friday Night Lights. I thought the movie was excellent. For those of you who have already seen it, much of this will just be review, and for those who haven't, don't worry, I'm not ruining anything, I can't really, since it all happened already. Tim McGraw was outstanding as the quintessential overbearing- pushy- can't let go of high school, football player dad. The way his character pushed his son to be a better player, wouldn't accept anything but perfection from his son, and shoved his own championship ring in his son's face painted a picture of just how ugly parents can be if they don't allow their children to live their own life in sports. Billy Bob Thornton was very convincing as a high school football coach, his lines, his delivery, the way he held himself, everything, great performance. The football action was about 95% realistic (the only play I can remember not being realistic was in the championship game when one of the Odessa players seems to fly like Superman for about 8 yards before landing on the Carter quarterback), whereas in Varsity Blues, the percentage was more like half. One of the reasons the action looked so real is because some of it was, as the film makers decided to tape some actual Texas high school football games and just change the numbers on the jerseys in editing. The assistant coaches were also actual Odessa-Permian assistant coaches. Using the real-life characters in the movie made it that much better. Even though the Odessa-Permian/ Dallas-Carter game was really in the state semi-finals, and not in the championship game, the movie was still outstanding. There wasn't anything about it I didn't like. If you havne't seen it, you should. Watch the performances of McGraw and Thornton. You will feel heartbreak for Boobie Miles as you know he won't have anything without football, you feel sympathy for Mike Winchell having to deal with his mother's problems as well as the pressure of leading a team which is expected to win the state title, you will feel relieved as Don and Charles Billingsley seem to connect at the end of the movie, and you will feel saddened as this team doesn't reach its ultimate goal. For those of you who have seen it; you know exactly what I am talking about.


-Until next time...

Jimmy King

Jimmy King wore number 24, not 23. C'mon Gaddis you should know that.

Skip Bayless

Am I the only person who dislikes Skip Bayless? As a memeber of the media, you are taught to use something called journalistic integrity, something Bayless never displays. Yeah Skip we get it, you hate T.O. but don't start making things up, or tilting them your way to make Owens look like a bad guy. To say that he had the most insignificant 120 recieving yards ever in the Super Bowl is just plain stupid. He made big grabs to set up their first scoring drive, and keep their last scoring drive alive with a huge third down catch. To call him selfish and classless for making the Super Bowl all about him is hypocritical too, because if he would have said "I'm not going to risk any further injury so I'm not playing" Bayless would have called him selfish for that. I hated the Cowboys as a young lad, but I knew Michael Irvin, and Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikmen were good so I gave them the respect they deserved. Do the same Bayless, you sound like a whiny child.

Driver Wrong?

According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, Donald Driver's prediction of a Favre retirement is probably not correct. Click on the link to read the article.

Upcoming this week

Here's what's coming up this week from Nate:

Tuesday- If I don't post this on Monday, you will read what I thought of the commercials and some final thoughts from the Super Bowl. Otherwise, I will probably discuuss the film, "Friday Night Lights" as I just viewed it (I know I'm a little late on that one).

Wednesday- In addition to discussing the teams I have seen recently and have impressed me, I have a change to make in my Final Four picks. Let's just say it had something to do with what I read on the college basketball blog and also with what I saw Syracuse do.

Thursday- Duke/UNC from the night before

Friday- What's coming up on the weekend; NBA games, PGA, PBA, Pro Bowl; whatever is going on.

-Until next time...

Super Bowl Diary

5:24pm

We’re coming to you live from Gaddis’ Apartment in lovely Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The weather is overcast, a little pea-soupy, but my view is excellent, because our good friend Nicole is sitting in my peripheral. Anyway, we are joined by our buddies, Janke, Andy, and Brent, and we will be enjoying a variety of beers; Goose Island, Miller Lite, Bud Light, Full Tilt IPA, and an assortment of chips, dips, Papa Murphy’s Pizza, and Italian Sausages.

Why is Michael Douglas out on the field?

5:26pm

First joke of the night as former Presidents Bush Sr. and Clinton come onto the field, Gaddis states, “What is this, a SNL skit?”

5:28pm

Star Spangled Banner. The room is silent except for my inconsiderate typing. What? I’m not there. Quote overheard from Janke as T.O. makes a screen appearance, “I hope he gets hurt on his first play.” It kind of tainted the National Anthem, but no one seemed to care.

5:35pm

The coin flip was great. However, how would you feel if you were the kid in the number 24 jersey? Isn’t this going to be the biggest moment of his life? It’s all downhill for him from here. Unless he eventually plays in the Super Bowl, he will never top that moment.

5:38pm

Last year I couldn’t stop saying how much I hated Phil Simms and Greg Gumbel; this year, I hate Pan Oliver. She doesn’t bring anything to the game.

Kickoff to Philly; out to the 38, the first series needs to be good for the Eagles. Well, T.O. started; I guess we don’t need to watch the game now, since that’s what was talked about.

5:40pm
14:41 1st quarter

T.O. is thrown to and catches it, awesome. Third down now, though. Ooh, Philly caught a break. Great challenge by Reid, leads to a punt instead of great field position for the Patriots.


5:48pm
11:39 1st quarter

Two series; two punts. This Super Bowl is strangely similar to Super 38 of last season.

5:52pm

We see footage of Belichick going to the wrong bench after leading his team out of the tunnel. Bad omen; we’ll see.

5:58pm
7:38 1st quarter

3 and out for both the Eagles and the Patriots. I swear to God if someone doesn’t have at least a little bit of a drive soon, I may fall asleep.

6:10pm
3:14 1st quarter

The fourth penalty against the Patriots may become the most costly as not only did it negate an interception; but the Eagles also got a first down.

6:13pm
3:06 1st quarter

Well, horrible pass by McNabb and an interception that stands for New England (by the way; it is the first red zone interception thrown by McNabb all season). At least we had a sustained drive, so I may be awake for the entire first quarter.

6:16pm
2:11 1st quarter

Huge stand by the Patriots; Eagles should get excellent field position. Brent is hoping the Patriots defense can hold for the final 1:35 so he can win $5 in our pool.

6:20pm
:42 1st quarter

Patriots come up with their second turnover of the game. If the offense doesn’t start doing something soon, Rodney Harrison may start destroying players on his own team. Gaddis believes a big play is coming for New England. So far, Dillon has not had much of an impact on the game.

6:22pm
End of 1st quarter

Thank God, only the 6th scoreless first quarter in Super Bowl History! I’ll give the first quarter to the Patriots though, based on the way their defense has created turnovers.

6:33pm
9:55 2nd quarter

Touchdown by the Eagles puts them up 7-0. A good looking drive, but what was even better was the comment made just before the touchdown. Gaddis stated, “Hey, is Rae Carruth in the remake of The Longest Yard as one of the prisoners?”

6:42pm
7:12 2nd quarter

A huge challenge coming here for the Eagles. The knee looked down, but we’ll see if the refs overturn the call. If Philly gets the ball back, look out. I stated just before the “fumble” that the Eagles touchdown seems to have woken the Patriots up, as this is there best drive by far. If the Eagles can stop them (if this play isn’t overturned), it will be a huge lift for the team, and may be the turning point in the game. We’ll have to watch and see what happens.

6:48pm
5:29 2nd quarter

There’s something that the Patriots don’t do very often, especially in big games, a turnover inside their opponent’s 10 yard line. Now, it’s New England that needs a big defensive stand, like 3 and out to get good field position for one last first half drive. If Philly gets another score here before halftime, game over.

6:50pm
4:35 2nd quarter

There it is, 3 and out. Anything but a touchdown for New England will be a small victory for Philadelphia.

7:00pm
1:10 2nd quarter

Touchdown catch by Givens and the Patriots are right back in this game, tying it at 7. I don’t see the Eagles scoring before halftime, and with the Patriots getting the ball to start the second half, New England may be ready to show why they have won 2 out of the past 3 Super Bowls. Warning to all Philly fans; this is why the Patriots are a dynasty.

7:10pm
Halftime

As good as Philly has looked in this game; I still have to give the first half to the Patriots. They didn’t play all that well and still came out tied and get the ball to start the second half. The Pats need to score on the first possession to keep pressure on the Eagles. Let’s see how they play coming from behind in the biggest game of their careers. The Eagles should look to just keep doing what they have been doing all game. Look for Todd Pinkston and Philly to keep attacking the middle of the field. If not for the turnovers, this game could be in hand for Philly. If they keep driving on New England, and stop turning it over; we will have a new champion. Not looking forward to the halftime show at all; so don’t expect to hear from me for a while.

Don Mischer put on a great halftime show. Amazing thing though, is that all of the music came from a Pepsi cap.

7:41pm
Start of the second half hey; let’s see if anything I said in my halftime analysis comes true.

7:47pm
11:04 3rd quarter

Uh-oh. Mike Vrabel catches a touchdown pass for the second straight Super Bowl and the Patriots picked up two huge 1st downs on 3rd and over 8 during that drive to score the go ahead touchdown; 14-7. That drive was exactly why I picked the Patriots to win the game in the first place. The Eagles need a score here. Not just a good drive, not a field goal, a touchdown.

7:56pm
9:03 3rd quarter

This game is really close to getting out of hand for the Eagles. They looked terrible in their first series of the half. The penalty on the kick return helps a little bit, but New England could just march farther and take more time off of the clock now. It just seems to me like New England is about to completely take over this game.

8:01pm
8:00 3rd quarter

Well, I may be wrong as the Patriots go 3 and out. An interesting call to throw the ball 30 yards down field on third down; so the defense will need to come up big again.

8:10pm
3:35 3rd quarter

Tie game after a superb drive by the Eagles. A great pass to make it 14-14. As bad as they looked in their first drive of the half; they looked that good in this drive. The Patriots went the other way with their first two drives of the half. This is an interesting game; how it has worked like that. Interesting, but a pretty boring game so far, hopefully it picks up in the fourth quarter like last year’s game. On a brighter note, the Eagles are now covering my bet and I am also in position to win the $5 here for the quarter if there are no more scores.

8:20pm
End of 3rd quarter

The best thing about the last 10 minutes was the fact I won $5 in our pool. Also, does anyone else feel an Adam Vinatieri 42 yard field goal winning this, or am I alone?

8:24pm
13:44 4th quarter

All I am going to say about this score is that Dillon has finally scored a Super Bowl touchdown. 21-14 Patriots, and if the Eagles don’t score on this drive, or at least pin the Eagles deep in their own territory, I have no problem saying the game is over.

8:31pm
12:29 4th quarter

So, this isn’t looking good for the Eagles. The Patriots are about 47 yards away from really putting this one away.

8:40pm
9:14 4th quarter

It was kind of obvious with the pass call on second down that the Patriots were trying to wrap up Brady’s 3rd MVP. Because of this, they come away with only 3 points to take a 24-14 lead. And, if this score holds up, I will win another $10 in our pool, but lose on my Eagles +6 ½ bet.

8:45pm
7:20 4th quarter

Devastating pick thrown by Donovan McNabb; it’s OVER, welcome to the Patriots dynasty.

8:58pm
2:15 4th quarter

Even though this game is kind of within reach for the Eagles, it doesn’t really seem like they believe they can win. People are just walking around with no sense of urgency out on the field. They are down by 10 points in the SUPER BOWL!!! What are they waiting for?!?!? This is making me very angry.

To pass the time during this boring game, we tried to answer the following questions:

Who were the five members of Michigan’s “Fab Five” and what were their numbers?

Name the four Major League Baseball players who started and ended their careers in the same city, but with two different teams.

(Answers are at the bottom of the column)
9:04pm
1:48 4th quarter

Well, a good throw, great catch and suddenly it’s 24-21. We’ll see an onside kick which matters for the first time I can remember. I know the Steelers succeeded with an onside kick in Super Bowl 30 against the Cowboys, but it was earlier in the game, and didn’t really have an impact on the outcome. A Patriots recovery and a first down sews it up.

9:06pm
1:47 4th quarter

Patriots recover and now need a first down to wrap up this game.

9:09pm
1:39 4th quarter

Final time out for the Eagles, 3rd & 5 for the Patriots, the Super Bowl basically hangs in the balance, one play, and I’m not even that excited. What is wrong with me? Well, it’s fourth down after a great stand by the Eagles’ defense. A punt here, trying to pin the Eagles deep and resting his Super Bowl hopes on his big play defense. By the way, I’m still not excited, no one in the room is really excited. This is kind of sad.

9:12pm
:46 4th quarter

The two greatest drives in post season history were 92 and 98 yards, and involved Jerry Rice and Joe Montana and John Elway, respectively. The Eagles have to go 96 yards and now the clock is still running. No chance. Congratulations to the Patriots.

Game Over

It’s official; 24-21 Patriots and Deion Branch is the MVP with 11 catches for 133 yards. The team of the decade is pretty much set and we’re only half way through it. A few final thoughts; I can’t wait to see how Super Bowl week in Detroit plays out next year after all of the things we heard about this year in Jacksonville, is there any reason why we shouldn’t expect the Patriots to be back in the Super Bowl next year, I complained about the halftime show but it turned out pretty good and the Hey Jude thing was pretty nice, finally, how many people were actually excited at any point in that game?


Here are the answers to the questions:
Jimmy King- 24
Jalen Rose- 5
Chris Weber- 4
Juwan Howard- 25
Ray Jackson- 21

Babe Ruth- Boston Red Sox and Braves
Willy Mays- New York Giants and Mets
Henry (Hank) Aaron- Milwaukee Braves and Brewers
Ron Santo- Chicago Cubs and White Sox

-Until next time…