From the east to the atlantic coast? Sounds the same. But it doesn’t act the same.

Get an updated logo please.

Okay, what’s going on here. Football teams that are supposed to be losing are winning and vice versa. Syracuse is moving to the ACC. Oh, where to start…. How about Indy, where if I was a Colts fan I’d be very, very worried. Kerry Collins is in no way, shape or form any reincarnation of Peyton Manning. I wish the Colts the best of luck on the season. Boy do they need it. A new QB probably wouldn’t hurt either. In other news, the Redskins are 2-0. Means nothing. Neither does 3-0. Get to 4-0, then we’re talking.

And now, to the biggest news of the day—Syracuse and Pitt to the ACC. Okay, let’s put Pitt aside for a second. Because no one cares about them. They’re clearly second-fiddle in these discussions. Why? Because by leaving the Big East, Syracuse, a founding member, is essentially allowing the conference to sink into a pile of nothingness. First off, we don’t know how long this process will take. Could be a couple years. But let’s look at both angles here. First, the easy part. The cons. And of course, with both of these conferences being basketball heavy (although probably not wanting to admit it), bball comes to my mind first. So Syracuse can say bye to conference games against Georgetown. Bye to the Garden and Big East tournament. Bye to a founding legacy!! Okay, enough drama. They’ll get over it all, and the ACC will probably weasel its way into the Garden somehow. Do I feel bad for the Big East? Sure. But not that bad. It was kind of annoying with half the schools being bball and half football. And Notre Dame just for bball. So now we get to the pros. SU can play UNC and Duke. And Maryland (for my sake). Football (which is most likely at the core of all of this transfer despite these being bball schools) won’t be an improvement as ‘Cuse will be leaving the worst big football conference for the second worst. But, the ACC is now very stable (although the Big East was before ‘Cuse and Pitt decided to leave). Regardless, there are mixed feelings here, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s still thinking about this move. Thoughts??

School uniforms

Back in black?

When I was younger, I used to think that the Yankees uniforms were ugly. This of course, was before I knew anything about baseball. Now I know that they’re the epitome of team tradition. Still, I’ve always been drawn to uniforms. If teams got new uniforms, I loved comparing them to the old ones. But now this uniform craze has taken on a life of its own, thanks to college football. It really gained traction with Oregon last year and its whole, ‘Let’s wear a different uniform every game!’ mantra. Fine. A little confusing, but its uniforms were admittedly cool. I’ve been ahead of the curve in talking about uniforms before everyone else crazily caught on. I praised the Wizards’ new unis last May. I’m a fan of going back to classic ways with a touch of new-school. I thought that was the ongoing trend. But that’s not really the case anymore. Now, flashy uniforms are “in.” When we look back in 10 years though, they’ll  be thought of as dumb. But not now. And everything came to the forefront with Maryland’s new football uniforms. Those are quite possibly the most outrageous unis I’ve ever seen—and the coolest. This is still too much fashion in sports, right? Now I’m left wondering what’s cool—traditional uniforms, old-school ones with a new twist, modern-day ones that aren’t flashy, or flashy ones.  Here’s my boring answer: it depends. Maryland’s were cool for the time being, Georgia’s were blocks of colors. Just weird. As for the Yankees? Still not a pinstripe fan. 

College costs

College sports are a tough world. All I hear nowadays is news about violations, debt, money, scandals and basically anything not regarding the games themselves. The University of Maryland is in debt. $83 million dollars worth, according to The Washington Post. Yet their new basketball and football coaches are some of the highest-paid coaches out there. It’s a Keeping Up With the Jones’ type thing. You have to get the best players, best coaches, need the best facilities. And if you have to lie, cheat, steal, or spend all your money, OK. Not saying that all programs are bad or do any of those things. They’re not, really. Everyone’s just trying to stay afloat and be successful. But often we forget that these are schools. Their players are students and believe it or not, the game is not their job. So this will continue. But I’d just like to get back to the games. Having only baseball isn’t enough right now.

Let the games begin

I used to think college basketball conference tournaments were long and drawn out. Why have a tournament before the actual tournament itself? So teams can improve their seeding? So bubble teams can burst or solidify? So an awful team can shock the world and automatically qualify? Well, I still think some of that is true. They’re a little annoying. And for a lot of teams, worthless. But at the same time, it’s tradition. And no conference more exemplifies that tradition than the Big East. They have their conference at Madison Square Garden, the world’s most famous arena. The Big 12 plays in Kansas City, the Big Ten in Indy, and the ACC in Greensboro. The SEC plays in the wrong dome. And who even cares about the Pac-10. My point is, those tournaments don’t even compare to the Big East tournament. With that being said, I can give props to the ACC tournament, only because of the 2004 version. Maryland, a sixth seed, ran away with the title, which included beating No. 1 seed Duke, a team that made the Final Four that year. And that was the year that I really started to understand what college basketball meant. And the thing about college basketball is, it consists of unified fan bases. As much as I hate to say it, college basketball fans are more passionate than their NBA counterparts. Because college basketball is more unique. So I’ll take time to appreciate these conference tournaments. Because come Sunday, they’ll all be over. And then the tournament that really counts will start.

Monday’s National Championship Game: Butler vs. Duke. Wait, what?

I may come out of my college basketball hiding stance to watch the National Championship game between Butler and Duke tomorrow. Even though Syracuse did lose to Butler, we sure look good now that they’ve made it to the final game. But I still don’t want to root for them. But who (besides Duke fans) wants to root for Duke? Exactly. Can you imagine if Butler won? Beating out the teams with multi-million dollar facilities and national prominence? Have you even heard of Butler for reasons other than their basketball team? Meanwhile, Duke is that strong, one-syllable team that sounds scary when you say it. Duke. They are the Yankees of college basketball. But will they join the Yankees in ending their championship drought, or will the college basketball world tilt off its axis with the unexpected? (A Butler win). I honestly don’t know. I saw Duke lose to Maryland and they didn’t seem that amazing. Meanwhile, Butler barely beat Murray St. while topping injured Syracuse and Michigan State squads, in addition to a tired Kansas State team. Still, they won, and Duke is allowed a slip up. This title game, and the final four in general, was lacking power. Will Duke show their power, or will Butler go down in history? We will see. (I’m going with Duke).

To rush or not to rush? (the court)

O.M.G. Maryland beat Duke. Let’s loot the stores and throw our bodies in the air. Seriously, Maryland fans. Calm down. Yes, it was senior day, and yes it puts you in a first place tie in the ACC. And yes, it was Duke. But still. I have to agree with ESPN on the whole rushing the court thing. You don’t rush the court for a win like this. Not when you are ranked just like Duke. Rushing the court should be a rarified experience. Let’s not water it down. Shouldn’t you expect to win? Fortunately, I have not experienced this this year because Syracuse expects to win every game and actually is better than every team. You rush the court when you eek out a win that gets you to the tournament for the first time ever (AU, ‘o8). You rush the court if you are unranked and you beat the number one team, for say, the first time ever. Got it, UMD? Good.

2002: Nothing but Net[s]

Best Trade Ever.

In 2002, the New Jersey Nets made it to the NBA Finals with Jason Kidd leading the way. This was the first full year that I followed sports, and it certainly helped that the Nets were winning. But hey, I didn’t know any better. I didn’t know that a team could be 2-26, or that a fastbreak wasn’t all that successful when Jason Kidd wasn’t on a team.

Before 2002, I didn’t read the sports page in the newspaper. I didn’t like the Nets (I didn’t know who they were). And I didn’t even know who Jason Kidd was. I had no idea hat he was in his first year with the Nets and that the Nets had been absolutely putrid the previous year with Stephon Marbury. All I saw was Kidd leading the Nets on a magical ride before they were swept in June’s NBA Finals by the Lakers, who had reached the peak of the Shaq/Kobe dynasty. The Nets posted 50 wins during the 2001-2002 season, with Kidd alley-ooping to Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson coming onto the scene as a rookie, and Kerry Kittles doing whatever it was that Kerry Kittles did. This was the year that Jason Kidd became my favorite player. I didn’t pick him. He just was. And I don’t have favorites. I do not have any favorites except in sports. That is what is so great about sports. You can have a favorite team and player. It is just that easy.

In 2002, I was mainly following the NBA. I realized that my local Maryland Terrapins won the NCAA Championship, and I heard about the Angels winning the World Series, and the Pats winning the Super Bowl in January, but I didn’t follow those sports. The NBA had my attention, and that was what I knew. And with the Nets’ success, that wasn’t a bad thing.

COLLEGE basketball

Last year, I did a mini college basketball preview about the arcs and certain perennial powers. Here’s a quick recap:

(From Nov. 2008)- The college basketball season is here. The Tar Heels are the national favorites, followed by the likes of perennial powerhouses UCONN and UCLA. The season figures to be entertaining, thanks largely in part to a bunch of players who stayed in school.
But what really is the biggest story at the start of the college basketball season? The new arc? Can you believe it? A line is hogging the spotlight. Both Sports Illustrated and The Washington Post did feature stories on arcs. They were good, but what a shame that an arc is stealing the limelight from the likes of Tyler Hansbrough, Luke Harangody, and Blake Griffin.
It’s all great and good that there is a new arc. But it probably won’t make a difference. So lets focus on the players shooting from the arc, not the arc itself.

 

 

I would like to say that things are the same this year, but that would be far from true. Gone is the dominance of UNC and Hansbrough. In is a lack of dominance, in my opinion at least. The stars that stayed in school last year are gone. Only Harangody is back. The other stars are labeled that way because that is what they have to become to replace the departed players. Kansas is supposed to lead the pack, with All Americans Sherron Colllins and Cole Aldrich. Did you know that those two were bench players in the Jayhawk’s national title team from two years ago? UNC is supposed to remain strong with supposed lottery pick Ed Davis, who is being declared great based on potential,not real life results. However, he did shows glimpses of skill last year.

Lucky Kentucky. They not only get John Calipari, but John Wall and a bunch of other top recruits. All for the price of one! Just kidding. But Kentucky did make the leap from no NCAA to top five team.

The Big East will be down. They lost Hasheem Thabeet, Jonny Flynn, Terrence Williams, Marquette’s threesome, and a bunch of others. So who’s left? Greg Monroe of Georgetown, who showed great flashes as a freshman last year. Syracuse transfer Wesley Johnson is supposed to be good. We’ll see. Harangody, a proven star, is back. Pitt is down. Louisville and Connectiuct are down key players from last year but not depleted like Marquette and Pitt. Cincy is on the rise, as are Seton Hall and St. Johns. Villanova leads the pack with Scottie Reynolds, while WVU trails closely. I think it’ll be a tight race.

The ACC will be lead by (gasp!) UNC and Duke. But UMD has Greivis Vasquez and Georgia Tech has some good recruits. Wake lost Jeff Teague and James Johnson. UVA has Sylven Landesberg.

In the SEC, they’re still focused on football.

In the PAC 10, Cal leads the way with guards Randle and Christopher. Washington has Isaiah Thomas (different one).

The Big 12 has Texas and Damion James. Also, can Mizzou repeat last year’s magic?

And the Big Ten. I’m feeling the Big Ten. Purdue is loaded with JaJuan Johnson, Robbie Hummel, Chris Kramer and E’Twaun Moore. Michigan State just made the final Four. Michigan and Manny Harris should be good. Wisco is always solid. Illinois was good last year and Penn State should build off their NIT Championship.

It will be an interesting year for sure. Is it too original if I pick Kansas?

 

 

As long as their football team doesn’t get to them first.

Forde Minutes: A look back and a look forward – ESPN–Found this on ESPN. Interesting.

This one’s for the regular people! And for sports people too I guess.

I find college basketball games to be pretty entertaining. But sometimes, they can get a little boring. Watching two random teams like Texas vs Texas Tech is not always exciting unless you are a fan of those teams. In reality, I think most people can agree on this: the end of college basketball games, if close (and by close I mean 20 points haha) are excting. So yesterday when I turned on the television to watch  Maryland-Duke, I was pleasantly surprised at how exciting the whole game was. Although the end was exciting as well, there was a period in the second half where each team matched each other basket by basket. I wanted to go to sleep. It was 11 o’clock. But I could not keep my eyes off of the game. It was just too good and exciting. Maryland lost, but I am still glad I stayed up, even if I lost 45 minutes of valuable sleep time.

American University basketball won again last night. They were down with three minutes left, but I knew they would win. They are on an absolute roll.

The Giants re-signed RB Brandon Jacobs for 25 million. Jacobs is a straight-up punisher. I can’t think of another running back that can plow through the fields like him. If he had wheels on him, the grass at Giants Stadium would look perfectly mowed.

I don’t really like golf. I find it boring, and I couldn’t hit a golf ball if my life depended on it (okay, I’m not that bad, but still). But I am happy that Tiger is back. Golf deseves him, and he is getting golf back in the spotlight. That, I don’t like. I would rather see basketball and baseball in the spotlight, but they have to share I guess.

One last thing unrelated to sports. So on the header of this website it says Rachel M. Underneath, it says, “Sports, and some other stuff too.” Well, I have maybe written three posts on that “other stuff” and I do have non-sports fans who read this. So here is a paragraph for you guys (and anyone else who wants to take a break from sports): I was listening to old music the other day, and by old music I mean from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and even 80s. I find that I like any type of music that can carry a tune. If a song has good rhythm, I like it. Which is why I love songs from those decades. They have a certain “something” about them that is so enjoyable. Where has that music gone? We don’t even have music anymore, just R&B hip hop shenanigans. Same with movies. Nobody is original anymore. Notice all the sequels? Exactly. Okay, that’s all. Hope you non-sports lovers (and I hope some sports-lovers too) enjoyed this one.

This one’s for everyone (c’mon, I can’t think of a catchy title every time)!

The Nets lost by one point yesterday, 107-106. American U basketball won by one yesterday, 68-67. One point wins are great. Until you lose by one the next night. One point losses are, in my opinion, the most difficult losses to endure. A 20 point loss, although quite horrific, feels better than a one point loss. With a one point loss, you are so close. Who missed that free throw? Or free throws in many cases.

Check out this week’s Sports Illustrated. Pretty cool cover with LeBron, although the article is on the shorter side. There’s also an excerpt from Joe Torre’s new book.

This year already can’t live up to last year. Unless the Super Bowl is insane, the Cardinals-Steelers are no match for the Giant Patriot killers.

Maryland basketball is well…..pretty futile right now. They are not just missing out on basketball recruits, but student recruits as well with all of those losses piling up.

I also would like to take this time of randomness to thank all of my loyal readers. If you are one, please post at the bottom of this post. If you do, then I will feature you in my next post.

And now on to one of my favorite pastimes…reading the paper. I better see responses when I return!