Big Dance Still Favors Big Conferences
Random thoughts while wondering what ever happened to Shawn Abner:
Bracket Dept.: The NCAA committee has spoken and the 65 teams are all ready to rock for the 2007 NCAA tourney. Non-combatants include Syracuse, Air Force, Drexel and Missouri State, although the odds for both Drexel and Missouri State were slim. It does make one wonder how Illinois and Purdue both got in and how Arkansas wooed the committee with a last ditch tun in the SEC.
All told, of the 34 at large bids, only six came from mid-majors which tells you the tournament is still dominated by the bigger conferences, even teams that perhaps didn't deserve to be at the dance.
For team like Syracuse and Drexel and disappointments like Alabama, it's the National Insignificant Tournament, where participants vie to be able to shout "We're number 66!." The action begins Tuesday.
Crack bracket analysis on Wednesday.
Wake Up Call Dept.: The Sox actually beat someone Sunday. On Tuesday, it's a one game playoff between Gavin Floyd and John Danks for the fifth spot in the rotation.
There will be one less lefty for the Sox to face in the AL Central. Given how awful this team is against left handers, this is welcome news. Let's hope they can take advantage of it.
Stick in the Mud Dept.: Chris Simon gets the longest suspension in the history of the NHL. Some think it wasn't long enough and I tend to agree. 25 games is significant though.
Have Some Cheese Rat Dept.: ESPN reports that Pokey Chatman's alleged inappropriate relationship was outed by one of her assistants. It was confirmed that the relationship was not with someone on the team, so does that make it inappropriate?
In the cloistered world of coaching, the assistant will probably have a tough time finding work because nobody likes an assistant that rats out the head coach. A huge premium on loyalty is part of coaching and what goes on with the team stays with the team unless it is an egregious legal violation. When something goes bad, people close ranks on a team, not point fingers. That's just the culture and there is nothing wrong with it.
What I would like to know is what motivated the assistant to rat. It is hard to believe that an assistant would rat on the head coach. The exceptions include the assistant wanted to be head coach or the assistant had a job lined up for next year at a different university and had nothing to lose. In the case of the former, that seldom works and when it does, it usually backfires (right, Mike Davis?)
It the assistant was uncomfortable with the head coach having a same sex relationship, the assistant needs to move on rather than turn the coach in. There is no guarantee that the next coach will be straight either.
Pokey Chatman could have a valid reason for a lawsuit here, but I'm guessing in exchange for their silence and looking the other way, LSU is off the hook.
Buh Bye Now Dept.: Looks like the Dave Wannstedt of college basketball was asked to leave the building at Marshall.
Viva Las Vegas Dept.: Great day for Hendricks Motor Sports yesterday. Jeff Gordon continues to run well.
Snake Oil Dept.: Jake Plummer's retirement to play handball is about as dumb as the time Ken Harrelson quit baseball to become a professional golfer. He'll sit out a year, manipulate a trade of his rights to a team he approves of and will come back.
Ring a Ding Ding Dept.: If you have to go to the hospital, you'll be happy to know that your cell phone will not trip Grandma's heart monitor. Your walkman however is a different story.
Law & Order Dept.: I hope Fred Thompson is bluffing. He could actually win. And he is scary, scary right wing. Scary, scary.
Butt Out Dept.: This story concerns me a little bit. The best remedy is to go outside. In an apartment, I can see where it might be an issue. Then again, the last place we lived we had neighbors that cooked with a ton of curry powder. I hate the smell of curry power. I do however respect their right to use it in their own home.
Watch for someone in the US to try and pull off some precedent based on this case. Again, David E. Kelley, we're counting on you.
Back Door Dept.: I wonder if we start bending laws for gays, do we then bend them for the obese, the people with depression, Women with severe PMS, the Arthritic and all of the other groups in the world that wish to make noise?
Are laws going to be determined by what groups can pressure and shame legislators into enacting them?
I don't think anyone should be discriminated against who is a legal citizen or temporary resident of this country. What I may think of their lifestyle is my issue and as long as wear that opinion on my sleeve or use it to influence others, then things should be fine. I don't think we need new laws.
Swinging Dept.: Researchers have located the hormone which causes radial mood sings in teenagers. When you come up with an atedote, put me down for ten cases and send them Fed Ex next day early delivery.
Bracket Dept.: The NCAA committee has spoken and the 65 teams are all ready to rock for the 2007 NCAA tourney. Non-combatants include Syracuse, Air Force, Drexel and Missouri State, although the odds for both Drexel and Missouri State were slim. It does make one wonder how Illinois and Purdue both got in and how Arkansas wooed the committee with a last ditch tun in the SEC.
All told, of the 34 at large bids, only six came from mid-majors which tells you the tournament is still dominated by the bigger conferences, even teams that perhaps didn't deserve to be at the dance.
For team like Syracuse and Drexel and disappointments like Alabama, it's the National Insignificant Tournament, where participants vie to be able to shout "We're number 66!." The action begins Tuesday.
Crack bracket analysis on Wednesday.
Wake Up Call Dept.: The Sox actually beat someone Sunday. On Tuesday, it's a one game playoff between Gavin Floyd and John Danks for the fifth spot in the rotation.
There will be one less lefty for the Sox to face in the AL Central. Given how awful this team is against left handers, this is welcome news. Let's hope they can take advantage of it.
Stick in the Mud Dept.: Chris Simon gets the longest suspension in the history of the NHL. Some think it wasn't long enough and I tend to agree. 25 games is significant though.
Have Some Cheese Rat Dept.: ESPN reports that Pokey Chatman's alleged inappropriate relationship was outed by one of her assistants. It was confirmed that the relationship was not with someone on the team, so does that make it inappropriate?
In the cloistered world of coaching, the assistant will probably have a tough time finding work because nobody likes an assistant that rats out the head coach. A huge premium on loyalty is part of coaching and what goes on with the team stays with the team unless it is an egregious legal violation. When something goes bad, people close ranks on a team, not point fingers. That's just the culture and there is nothing wrong with it.
What I would like to know is what motivated the assistant to rat. It is hard to believe that an assistant would rat on the head coach. The exceptions include the assistant wanted to be head coach or the assistant had a job lined up for next year at a different university and had nothing to lose. In the case of the former, that seldom works and when it does, it usually backfires (right, Mike Davis?)
It the assistant was uncomfortable with the head coach having a same sex relationship, the assistant needs to move on rather than turn the coach in. There is no guarantee that the next coach will be straight either.
Pokey Chatman could have a valid reason for a lawsuit here, but I'm guessing in exchange for their silence and looking the other way, LSU is off the hook.
Buh Bye Now Dept.: Looks like the Dave Wannstedt of college basketball was asked to leave the building at Marshall.
Viva Las Vegas Dept.: Great day for Hendricks Motor Sports yesterday. Jeff Gordon continues to run well.
Snake Oil Dept.: Jake Plummer's retirement to play handball is about as dumb as the time Ken Harrelson quit baseball to become a professional golfer. He'll sit out a year, manipulate a trade of his rights to a team he approves of and will come back.
Ring a Ding Ding Dept.: If you have to go to the hospital, you'll be happy to know that your cell phone will not trip Grandma's heart monitor. Your walkman however is a different story.
Law & Order Dept.: I hope Fred Thompson is bluffing. He could actually win. And he is scary, scary right wing. Scary, scary.
Butt Out Dept.: This story concerns me a little bit. The best remedy is to go outside. In an apartment, I can see where it might be an issue. Then again, the last place we lived we had neighbors that cooked with a ton of curry powder. I hate the smell of curry power. I do however respect their right to use it in their own home.
Watch for someone in the US to try and pull off some precedent based on this case. Again, David E. Kelley, we're counting on you.
Back Door Dept.: I wonder if we start bending laws for gays, do we then bend them for the obese, the people with depression, Women with severe PMS, the Arthritic and all of the other groups in the world that wish to make noise?
Are laws going to be determined by what groups can pressure and shame legislators into enacting them?
I don't think anyone should be discriminated against who is a legal citizen or temporary resident of this country. What I may think of their lifestyle is my issue and as long as wear that opinion on my sleeve or use it to influence others, then things should be fine. I don't think we need new laws.
Swinging Dept.: Researchers have located the hormone which causes radial mood sings in teenagers. When you come up with an atedote, put me down for ten cases and send them Fed Ex next day early delivery.
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