NBA Free Agent Playoff Team

          If I had $100 million and could turn my backyard into an NBA arena, I could put together a team that would have the potential to be a four or five seed in the playoffs. I could assemble a half-decent four-man lineup just off of Denver Nuggets free agents alone, assuming Wilson Chandler, J.R. Smith, and Kenyon Martin can escape from their contracts in China.

Courtesy of http://sportsofboston.com/2011/06/14/potential-2011-celtics-free-agent-target-nene-hilario/

Imagine this starting lineup:
Point Guard--Jamal Crawford
Shooting Guard--Jason Richardson
Small Forward--Thaddeus Young
Power Forward--David West
Center--Nene
Bench:

• Tyson Chandler (C)
• Mark Gasol (C)
• Andrei Kirillenko (SF)
• Tayshaun Prince (SF)
• Jeff Green (SF)
• Caron Butler (SF)
• Rodney Stuckey (PG)

          The team would by no means be a title contender, but if the NBA ever wanted to expand, now is the time to do it. A lot of these players are quickly approaching or already are in their thirties, but as soon as free agency opens on December 9th, expect half of these players will have time within the first few days. This is a great opportunity for serious contenders to improve their bench or even starting five with talented veterans.

List of free agents courtesy of http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=mc-spears_nba_free_agents_112711

Getting to Know Caleb Hanie

             After Jay Cutler's season-ending injury to a finger on his throwing hand after chasing after Antoine Cason, who intercepted Cutler in the fourth quarter, it will be back-up quarterback Caleb Hanie who will look to lead the 7-3 Bears into the playoffs.

Courtesy of http://planbphilosophy.blogspot.com/2011/01/are-you-prepared-for-opportunity-caleb.html

             The last we saw of Hanie was when he replaced Cutler after an "injury" in last year's NFC Championship Game. Hanie was 13-20 for 153 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions, which for a replacement QB in the biggest game of his life, was by no means a bad performance. Hanie is in his fourth NFL season after playing at Colorado State. He is almost the same size as Cutler, at 6'2" and 222 lbs. Luckily for both the Bears and Hanie, the team is capable of winning without relying too much on the play of the quarterback. As we saw against Detroit last week, Chicago managed score with its defense, special teams, and dual running back system under Mike Martz. As long as the defense can limit the scoring opportunities of their opponents, Hester gives the offense good field position, and Matt Forte and Marion Barber are able to carry the offense, Hanie will be gradually re-introduced to the offense. If he is able to lead the Bears over the Packers in Week 16, he'll become a living legend in Chicago.

A Nightmare Weekend for the BCS

            There must have been a meeting among the head coaches of some of the top college football programs in the country last week, where they were all going to camp out at a movie theater, have their players wear their Twilight gear, and watch the premier of the latest movie in the series, Breaking Dawn, because the top 25 teams were definitely not at the top of their game this weekend. Seven of the top twenty-five BCS teams lost, including four in the top seven. As soon as the BCS picture seemed to be set, undefeated #2 Oklahoma State lost in a double overtime thriller to Iowa State. USC ended any hopes of an LSU-Oregon rematch, Baylor outscored Oklahoma in a shootout, and North Carolina State demolished Clemson.

Courtesy of http://urbanchristiannews.com/ucn/2011/11/37-31-iowa-state-stuns-no-2-oklahoma.html

             So what are we left with? The SEC now claims the top three BCS spots with LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas. While it would be great to see an undefeated LSU in the national championship, how about we blur the BCS rankings even more and have Arkansas beat LSU next week. Then, we have three one-loss SEC teams at the top of the polls who have each lost to each other. How would that tie breaker even work? Now that would fire up the southern half of the United States when one of elite teams in the country gets screwed over despite having an identical record and conference. Furthermore, if Houston remained as the only unbeaten, they could find their way in the top five but still would have a zero percent chance of making it to the national championship. My prediction is that we'll see an LSU vs. Alabama national championship, because even if Arkansas wins against LSU, LSU has the advantage over Alabama and Alabama has the edge over Arkansas, so I have trouble seeing Arkansas making the leap to number one or two in the country. This weekend was a mess, but at least there is still one constant in college football the keeps us from losing our sanity--the SEC is far and away the best conference in college football.

The current Top 25 BCS teams:

• LSU
• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Oklahoma State
• Virginia Tech
• Stanford
• Boise State
• Houston
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Kansas State
• South Carolina
• Georgia
• Michigan State
• Michigan
• Wisconsin
• Clemson
• Baylor
• Penn State
• TCU
• Nebraska
• Notre Dame
• Georgia Tech
• Auburn
• Texas

Bengals Fall to Ravens because of A Ridiculous Rule

            You would think that the NFL would learn from the drama of last year's Chicago Bears-Detroit Lions game where Calvin Johnson caught the game-winning touchdown in the final minute, but dropped the ball before the play was officially over. It was ruled incomplete and the Bears won. A similar situation occurred in Baltimore as each tick of the clock brought the game closer to ending in a Ravens win. Quarterback Andy Dalton threw a pass to tight end Jermaine Gresham, who bobbled the ball three or four times before controlling it, taking one step, and then a second, which put him in the endzone. However, when he fell to the ground, the ball slipped out of his grasp and hit the ground before he grabbed it again.

Courtesy of http://www.cincyjungle.com/2010/11/16/1818418/jermaine-gresham-nominated-for-rookie-of-the-week

            To most football fans, especially Bengals fans, the play appeared to be a completion and touchdown. Gresham caught the ball, made two steps in bounds, and the ball crossed the plane while under his control. He held on the entire way down until he hit the ground. Sadly there is nothing the league can do for the Bengals, but they definitely need to re-evaluate this rule in the offseason and find a way to modify it. The rule seems to imply that the wide receiver has to hold on to the football until he runs back to the bench. The rule is overkill, and led to the Bengals losing 31-24, after not scoring on their final drive. Andy Dalton got cheated out of a fourth quarter comeback and the Bengals got cheated out of a win.

Monday Night Football: Week 11

Courtesy of http://bleacherreport.com/articles/913212-tim-tebow-sparks-awesome-tebowing-craze-you-must-include-in-your-daily-routine Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

                     If the Denver Broncos manage to beat the New York Jets tonight, I will officially jump on the Tebow bandwagon. I'll buy a Tim Tebow jersey, donate my life savings to his charity, buy a fathead of Tebow, tattoo his number on my bicep, and then spend an hour of my day "Tebowing" in the direction of Denver. Maybe tonight's game against the Jets isn't a good measuring stick for how good Tebow is, or the Broncos are as a team. The Jets are barely above five-hundred but are still making the ridiculous claims of past years that they are "Super Bowl contenders." It amazes me how Tebow, despite being 6 for 15 passing for 69 yards and only 11 rushing yards, is able to keep his team within three points of the Jets and have the ball in the fourth quarter. I don't know what's in Tebow's water, but whatever it is, count me down for a glass, because #15 is a natural winner.

Xavier Cruises For Its Second Win

         

Courtesy of  http://hawkcentral.com/2010/11/18/gatens-back-for-tough-xavier-matchup/

             I know it's very early in the season, with most teams having played only two games, but I predict Xavier will go on an Elite Eight run in the NCAA tournament. Sure, it's only November and we're four months away from March Madness, but Xavier's guard play is good enough to match up with any backcourt in the country. Tonight, the fourteenth ranked team in the nation beat IPFW by a score of 86-63 at home. The Musketeers' guards alone scored a combined 62 points. They are led by senior Tu Holloway and junior Mark Lyons, who led all scorers, outside of Mastadons guard Frank Gaines. I was encouraged to see Holloway bounce back well from his one-game suspension from playing in two summer leagues, when the rules state that a player is only allowed to compete in one. True freshman Dezmine Wells has stood out in Xavier's first two games to be a third scoring option, who can play as a guard or forward. The key to XU's blowout win was their phenomenal shooting. The Musketeers made over 56% of their shots and impressively shot above fifty percent from behind the arc. The biggest question in their lineup is the strength and depth of their big men. Kenny Frease, listed at 7'0", is a big body in the middle and will need to both stay out of foul trouble as well as be able to body up against skilled centers and forwards. The true test will come in the Crosstown Shootout against the University of Cincinnati on December 10th, when Frease will be matched-up against Yancy Gates.

             Xavier will head into a tough stretch of games against a lot of bulldogs, literally. In the next month, they face Georgia, Gonzaga, and Butler, as well as games against the ranked opponents of Vanderbilt and Cincinnati. Luckily, their schedule evens out with a pretty easy schedule in the second half of the year when they play most of their conference games, with a game against current #10 Memphis in the middle of the Musketeers' A-10 schedule. The next ten games will be a gauge to see if Xavier is worthy of their #14 rank, and if they can survive with only one loss, they could even find themselves somewhere around #10. Assuming their starting lineup remains healthy, I think Xavier can go undefeated in the A-10 and Tu Holloway has All-American potential.

NFL Injury Update

             Week 10 in the NFL was packed with serious injuries to key players. Here is a summary of the players' injuries and statuses.

• Matt Schaub--out for the year with a Lisfranc injury
• Michael Vick--broke two ribs
• Matt Cassel--potentially out for the year with an injury to his throwing hand
• Knowshon Moreno--out for the year after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee
• A.J. Green--knee injury, listed as questionable
• Leon Hall--out for the year with a torn right achillles tendon
• Chris Williams--out for the year after emergency wrist surgery
• Calvin Johnson--probable
• Rashean Mathis--placed on IR
• Eben Britton--placed on IR
• LaDanian Tomlinson--sprained MCL, questionable
• Jacoby Ford--ankle injury, questionable
• Al Harris--out for the year with a torn ACL
• Michael Hoomanawanui--out for the year with a torn ACL

Top NFL Plays of Week 10



3. Yesterday in the Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs game, half of Tim Tebow's completions were touchdowns. Considering that he only had two completions make that stat much less impressive, but nonetheless, I think he deserves credit for his sole passing touchdown after lulling the Chiefs' secondary to sleep in a game that featured fifty-five Broncos rushing plays. In the fourth quarter, while the Broncos were only up by three points, Tebow connected with wide receiver Eric Decker for a fifty-six yard score. I give props to Decker for his salute to the American troops in honor of Veterans Day even though the officials did not agree. He was flagged for excessive celebration.


Courtesy of http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/extramustard/hotclicks/11/14/catrinel-menghia-eric-decker-penalized-for-saluting-to-troops/?xid=cnnbin 

2. Chicago Bears speedster Devin Hester scored his third touchdown return of the year against the Detroit Lions on Sunday. As so many great special teams plays often start, Hester bobbled the punt, but doing so caused the Lions punt team to overcommit on Hester, allowing him to run to the outside and sprint down the sideline virtually untouched for his 12th punt return touchdown of his career. What was most impressive about his touchdown is that he returned the punt while he had an unspecified sickness. I would hate to be the opposing team when he's completely healthy!

Courtesy of  http://www.suntimes.com/sports/morrissey/8813736-419/why-teams-still-kick-to-the-bears-devin-hester-is-a-mystery.html

 1. Easily the most spectacular play from last Sunday was Kansas City wide receiver Jonathon Baldwin's catch, that ended up not counting because of a penalty on the play. Matt Cassel underthrew Baldwin, who was streaking down the field, and then amazingly, Baldwin caught the ball blindly behind the back of Broncos saftey Brian Dawkins. Baldwin went down with both the ball and Dawkins, but his efforts were nullified by the penalty.

 Couresy of http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/13/jonathan-baldwin-catch-chiefs-broncos-dawkins_n_1091370.html



It's Hard to Lose with Chicago's Defense

                The Chicago Bears got revenge at Soldier Field today after losing to the Detroit Lions in Week 5 at Detroit. The Bears were able to score in four different ways today and what is most promising for Chicago is that they were able to win despite Jay Cutler having a mediocre game. Cutler went 9-19 for 123 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. Matt Forte also had a bit of an off-night with only 64 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. However, the Bears defense and special teams carried the team against the Lions. Detroit never got into an offensive rythm after turning the ball over on their first two possessions in both halves. Detroit's fumbles, both lost by wide receivers, turned into ten easy points for the Bears and they never looked back. The second quarter started with a Robbie Gould field goal and less than a minute later, after the Lions went three-and-out, Devin Hester returned his NFL-leading 12th career punt for a touchdown. Despite being questionable leading up to the game he turned a mishandled punt into his third special teams touchdown this season. The Lions went into halftime down 20-6 and their woes continued when quarterback Matthew Stafford threw two pick-sixes on consecutive possessions to Major Wright and Charles Tillman. After Stafford's third interception to Tim Jennings, he took his anger out on Bears defender D.J. Moore, tackling him by his helmet, setting off a chain reaction that escalated along the Lions' sideline. Moore ended up charging back at Stafford before getting pummeled by two Lions players. Moore ended up getting ejected from the game, but that was the least of his worries since his team was up 37-6 in an absolute rout of Detroit.

Courtesy of  http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/14112011/5/photo/14112011004810.html (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

                     The Lions picked up a touchdown in garbage time, but seven more points could not heal Detroit after such a bad loss. While I wasn't thrilled with the Bears' offense, this was the type of game I love watching Chicago play. They didn't rely on Cutler trying to throw the ball across the field and be Tom Brady, but their defense forced six turnovers and they scored three touchdowns while their offense was on the sideline. Chicago definitely has a long way to go to make it to the playoffs, but having such a potent defense and special teams that can both limit their opponent's scoring opportunities and find their way to the endzone will give them an extra advantage against most of the Bears' opponents. As seen by Stafford's temper tantrum, a defense as good as Chicago's gets in the heads of their opponents and causes them to make more mistakes later in the game.The Chicago Bears are in great position at 6-3 in second place in the NFC North behind the Super Bowl Champion Packers. With a few more stellar performances by the Bears defense and if Hester can continue to tear it up on special teams, Chicago has great chances at making it to the playoffs, hopefully after finishing first place in the NFC North.

Boise State Relives Nightmare

          The sight was all too familiar for Boise State nation--a field goal that sailed wide right. Different year, different opponent, yet the same story. The team that uniquely plays on blue turf in Idaho and is on the verge of making a case for the BCS National Championship falls short because the kicker couldn't put the ball between the uprights when it mattered the most. The frustrating part for being a team such as Boise State, in a conference that doesn't have an automatic qualifying bid for a BCS bowl, is that the only way to do so is to execute every play nearly to perfection. However, assuming the Big East remains one of the "power" conferences and keeps its automatic BCS bowl bid, Boise State may avoid this dilemma in future years if they change conferences. There seems to be a flaw in the system if an undefeated team that has proven itself over and over again in the past decade by appearing towards the top of the rankings, completely drops out of the race for the national championship because a freshman kicker pushes a field goal wide right in the biggest moment of his life. I don't think that Boise State should be in the title game this year or in any of the previous seasons, but hopefully moving to the Big East would at least give the Broncos a legitimate chance to make an appearance sometime in the near future if they can have an undefeated or one-loss season. I can't imagine how hard it is for Kellen Moore and the rest of the Boise State seniors, who have only lost three games in their collegiate career by a combined five points. They have had back-to-back seasons with BCS National Championship hopes, but the team chokes in winnable games. The circumstances don't matter--a loss is a loss. The arguably unfair part of college football is that one loss has different effects on different teams. Alabama loses one game and they drop from being ranked 2nd to 3rd. Boise State loses one game and they'll drop to 10th at best. While the circumstances of the loss are important, such as the opponent and score, there are different implications for different conferences. If they join the Big East, Boise State will finally be put to the test to decide if they are deserving of title game bid. However, there are still other schools, such as Houston, that have excellent records but their opportunity to be in a BCS bowl is extremely limited. This certainly makes a case for a playoff system, which I would see implemented five to ten years down the road. A sixteen team playoff with a mix of automatically qualifying conferences as well as at-large schools would be a much better way to decide which team is most deserving of the national championship.


P.S. I would strongly recommend any kickers being recruited by Boise State to re-evaluate all of their options before choosing to become a Bronco.

Ohio Regional Cross Country Meet at Troy

            It's that time of year again when cross country fanatics drive for hours across the state to watch postseason races. Last Saturday, I got to one of my favorite cross country courses of all time in Troy, Ohio. It's an ideal course for both runners and spectators alike, which makes for an exciting annual meet. The starting line is located on a long, narrow grass field that runs along a the Great Miami River. A spectator watching the Regional Meet for the first time would think that the field is sacred, because no one ever goes down to it except for the runners, coaches and officials. Runners run two loops by the river, accounting for almost two miles, and then make their way up the only hill, which is no more than fifteen feet of elevation change. Troy's course then weaves its way behind the Troy High School football stadium and the runners finish on a straightaway near the stadium's entrance.
            Entering Saturday, most of the talk had been about the fierce competition among the Division I boys individual contenders. Some of Southwestern Ohio's elite runners such as Nick Vogele, who was once again at full strength after a rollercoaster season, Antony Parnigoni, and Jesse Moreno were all competing for the top spot on the podium at Troy. However, quite ironically, it was the Division III winner Samuel Prakel from Versailles who stole the show with a blazing 15:32. After watching the DI race, part of me wished that Prakel could have ran two divisions higher and obliterated the rest of the field. Moreno, from Riverside Stebbins, was leading for most of the race and appeared to be in control in the final stretch, but made the terrible mistake of turning around and looking behind every few strides. Although, high school cross country races are 5 kilometers, not three miles, so Vogele, with a phenomenal kick at the end, was able to pass Moreno with about thirty yards left and managed to win by one second. I was very pleased for the Anderson runner on his victory after his challenging season. In September, he was leading the varsity race at Lebanon and was about to finish, when he collapsed and was taken to the hospital. A few weeks later, he dropped a 15:20 at the Trinity/Valkerie meet, which was among the most competitive cross country meets in the Midwest. He injured his ankle a few weeks later at an extremely sloppy Harrison Invitational, but apparently has made a full recovery.
             After watching all of the boys races at Troy, I walked away with the realization that the winning team of each division is remarkably better than its competition in the region. In Division III, Mariemont, a team that has had its best cross country seasons ever in the past three years, came in first by sixty-two points, having a team score of fifty-nine. What is most impressive about Mariemont is that they run as a pack towards the front of the race. Their top seven all finished in the top sixteen at districts and their top three runners of Nate Kuck, Emmett Saulnier, and Ben Gorman had podium finishes at regionals. Their top six are all under 17:30 and they have great support from their school at their meets. Mariemont was good enough that they would have placed second in the DII race, which brings us to the Division II champion: Springfield Shawnee. Shawnee won with a score of thirty-three, which was less than one-third of the second place team Wyoming. Similar to Mariemont, they succeed because of a close pack. Their top four runners were in the top seven places overall, which meant that their fifth man could have crab-walked the last mile and they still would have won the race. With a team average of 16:43, they were the most impressive team in the Division II race and were well-deserving of first place. The Division I winner was St. Xavier. Many cross country fans were unsure of St. X's success in the post-season because of the mysterious loss of top runner Jake Grabowski. How could a team recover from such a blow? The answer is bring in secret weapon Michael Hall who didn't start racing until over half way through the season. Hall, a sophomore, placed fifth with a time of 16:02, and was the biggest contributor to the Bombers' victory. While St. X's top five runners were more spread out than those of the DII and DIII champions, they succeeded in matching Mason man-for-man, which allowed them to edge out the Comets by fourteen points for first place. The consensus seems to be that St. Ignatius in Cleveland is the front runner for the State Meet next Saturday, but if Grabowski comes back healthy, St. Xavier is a clear favorite to win state.
             I predict St. Xavier to win State, with Grabowski returning, two podium finishers, and a team score in the neighborhood of 95. St. Ignatius will be a close second, finishing ten to fifteen point behind the Bombers. The Mason Comets will come in third place for the boys and will win the girls race.