Wow

Davidson's something special, that's all I can say.

Barack's Bracket

Interested in who Obama likes in March? Take a look.

Is it all politics? Thoughts:

• Wonder how Indiana feels about him throwing IU under the bus? I mean it's Clinton country, obviously, but UNC's clearly more important to him. After all, he only leads by 1 point there.
  
• In fact, two Indiana schools lose - he toys with Notre Dame till the Sweet Sixteen, then sacrifices them to UNC as well.
• He also likes Duke, a little bit, thus winning over some elite liberals down here.
• After day 1, he's only missed three games: Wazzou/Winthrop, Purdue/Baylor, and USC/KSU. Not too shabby.

UPDATE: Is he fishing for Edwards' endorsement? As I noted months back, Edwards was endorsed by UNC legend Dean Smith.

A Tournament Weekend Storyline

Pitt beats Georgetown; UNC beats Virginia Tech and VT coach Stan Greenberg says that anyone who doesn't think his team belongs in the Big Dance is insane. But that stuff pales to Georgia, which played two games in one day on Saturday after Mother Nature disrupted the Bulldogs' scheduled SEC quarterfinal game against Kentucky on Friday. First, they beat UK's Wildcats in overtime then a few hours later they beat Mississippi State. Now they've got to take on Arkansas.

Of course they didn't just play two games yesterday en route to the championship game: they'd won a total of four conference games all season. More than that, Georgia coach Dennis Felton's job was on the line after the Dawgs' disappointing regular season. So this afternoon, the team is playing not just for the SEC Tournament title and a ticket to the Big Dance, but also for their coach.

It may not be just a losing season, however, that has Coach Felton's fate hanging in the balance. As ESPN's Mark Schlabach chronicles, it's the fact that, after Georgia brought him in to clean up a scandal-ridden program, Felton did too well. He dismissed players for disciplinary issues so that his squad started the season with just eight scholarship athletes. Additional transfers and injuries complicated the issue. But other coaches think the problem is the fact that Felton has brought the hollow old phrase "scholar-athlete" back into balance:

At least one college basketball coach suggested Georgia's new academic standards, which require student-athletes to attend dozens of tutoring, study hall and advisement sessions each month, make it too difficult to build a program that will consistently win.

"The job is too hard," said the coach, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "You can't find enough good players who are willing to do all of that."

But Evans, who instituted the policies last year to improve Georgia's lagging graduation rates, defended the new plan. Evans said Georgia's other athletic teams haven't struggled to adhere to the policies.

"First and foremost, we're about academics," Evans said. "Aren't we supposed to encourage our kids to go to class and do what they're supposed to be doing academically? We should be asking more of them academically, to be honest. We've had other teams at Georgia have success under the same guidelines. We want to graduate players from this institution and win basketball games." [Bolded emphases are my own.]

Let's get this straight: UGA's thinking about throwing him under the bus for maintaining his principles and making a commitment to his kids that extends beyond the court. Georgia shouldn't even consider firing Felton - the NCAA as a whole needs more coaches like him. Maintaining a healthy balance between the two halves of the scholar-athlete isn't impossible; just ask Coach K. In my eyes, most coaches are derelict in their responsibility to their players off the court - making sure they get an education of some sort while in college, preparing them for a future that may not involve the NBA.

Here's to hoping that the Dawgs win the SEC this afternoon and get a ticket to the Dance. Even UGA's apparent win-first culture would be hard-pressed to fire Dennis Felton then. And if they do? Quoth Felton, "I promise you this: If I were to get fired, it would be for not winning enough games. It would not be for a lack of our guys consistently representing our university and our program with class."

Three Events Today

Three events worth taking note of today:

1) Special election in the 14th CD of Illinois to replace retiring Representative Dennis Hastert. This isn't an especially juicy prize, as whoever wins will have to run again in November's general election. However, in a normally safe Republican district the Democrat is running almost even. Special elections such as this one are often considered bellwethers for the coming general - Paul Hackett's August '05 near-miss in the bright red Ohio 2nd presaged the Democratic gains in 2006. To that end, the NRCC has dumped almost 20% of their cash on hand into the race. Part of the GOP's issue here is their candidate - no one really likes Jim Oberweis, and if he wasn't a self-funder the party bosses likely would not have coalesced behind him like they did. Some of his attacks on his opponent have also been questionable in their accuracy. Democrat Bill Foster's also helped by the fact that Illinois is Obama country, and Obama's endorsed Foster; to me, at least, an Oberweis win may be another sign that Obama is losing some of his aura. Coverage from CQ (and CQ) and The Fix are worth reading. If the GOP's using its 72-hour GOTV program, I think Oberweis pulls out a narrow win.

2) The Wyoming Democratic Caucus. Wyoming Republicans caucused months ago - 2 days after Iowa to be exact. Democrats are only now getting around to it, but it's a lot more significant than the GOP contest which Romney won. There are eighteen delegates at stake, and for the life of me, I haven't found any polling on the race. Neither Kerry nor Gore cracked 30% in the state, but Republican Representative (the only one) Barbara Cubin's victory in 2006 was a relative squeaker. I think the outcome is a result of who shows up; fundamentally, I think it's a Clinton state: 89% white, a median income just under $38,000 (less than that of Ohio). But I also have to wonder about immigration to the state from elsewhere, specifically wealthy, liberal voters flocking to places like Jackson Hole. Obviously, they'll be Obama voters and thus could make things interesting. If Clinton wins, expect her to make a lot of noise about it - she hasn't won a primary in a long time. She also needs a win to slow Obama down a bit more; Tuesday's Mississippi primary is demographically Obama country. Coverage from the WaPo and the NYT is worth taking a look at, the latter piece describes essentially record turnout.

3) Duke-UNC: Go to Hell Carolina, Go to Hell! It's at Cameron Indoor, but Duke's been inconsistent of late (though they looked pretty good in their road win over UVA on Wednesday) and UNC's been looking pretty good. The Heels should also have their starting point guard back, though no word on whether he'll start or whether he's 100%. All that being said, Duke won in the Dean Dome by 11, raining 3 pointers. Assuming Demarcus Nelson doesn't get into foul trouble, and that the shooters aren't laying eggs all day long, it should be interesting. It's sort of a mismatch game as Carolina (really, Tyler Hansbrough) dominates the front court while Duke dominates the back court with legitimate marksmen in Paulus, Scheyer, Singler, and occasionally King; both teams have productive benches, and Scheyer has been known to have game-changing performances. Both teams also have that extra motivation. For Duke, it's a home game in the biggest rivalry in college hoops (if not college sports), and the last time senior captain Demarcus Nelson will step foot on Coach K Court. For Carolina, they're looking to protect their #1 ranking, as well as perhaps distract their fans from the tragic death of student body president Eve Carson. For both teams, the ACC regular season title is on the line. Duke's got their 6th man in the Cameron Crazies, so I'll (not entirely neutrally) give the Blue Devils the edge in this one - but expect it to be a classic.

Brett Favre's Retirement Press Conference

I'm a Bears fan. As such I'm supposed to hate the Packers, Brett Favre, the Lambeau Leap, and cheeseheads. I do hate cheeseheads, but I've never been able to bring myself to hate Brett Favre. #4 has always been a class act, a fantastic competitor, a guy who put a great face on the sport even while others - the entire Cincinatti Bengals organization comes to mind - besmirched its reputation. Yes, he kicked us around the NFC North, but then again we deserved to be kicked around.

His leadership of the team this year was amazing; after nearly retiring last season, with a receiving corps composed of nobodies, they went 13-3. (Two of those losses, I must note, were to a Bears squad that otherwise did nothing of note.) He took them to the NFC Championship game, which everyone expected they'd win, but they lost to a destiny-driven Giants team.

What all of this means is that I'm truly sad to see him hang up his cleats. All his best qualities were on display in his retirement press conference.

On to the Aaron Rodgers era.

When Chuck's Awed

So Michael Jordan's getting divorced; according to the Trib, his wife's getting a cool $15o million out of this. Your surprise, dear reader, is expected; what's not is that of Charles Barkley:

"You have to look at it two ways," Barkley, now an analyst for TNT, said. " 'Wow, that's a lot of money. Wow, that's a lot of money.' Then the second way, 'Damn, Michael's got a lot of money.' … Personally I would have to have somebody else write the check. You've got to be so [ticked] to write that check."

As he said, wow. And just because we're talking about His Airness, the greatest player ever to pull on a uniform - sorry Kobe, sorry 'Bron you guys aren't there yet - here's a great retrospective.

God was he good.

Bonds Charged with Perjury

The Home Run King* has finally gotten his comeuppance - indicted by a federal grand jury in San Francisco on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice; ESPN's got the story here.

Oh and while we're at it, the NFL reinstated, and the Miami Dolphins welcomed back, disgraced running back Ricky Williams. His antics will give at least some reason to watch the Fins for the rest of the season...right?

A Good Weekend for the Bears?

I don't know why, but after a few weeks of silence, my first post will be about...football. As I said, don't ask.

But do ask yourself this: could it be a very good weekend for the Bears? The answer may just be yes.

Let's review: thus far this season, the Bears have looked more or less godawful. A D that's so completely banged up as to be almost beyond recognition (starting safety Mike Brown out for the season, Darwin Walker out, Dusty Dvoracek out, Tommie Harris playing at 70-80% of potential). A change at quarterback. Thankfully Tank Jones, his pit bulls, and home arsenal are no longer around to distract us.

It also hasn't been a particularly win-heavy season: only victories against a bad KC Chiefs squad, a somewhat impressive win over an overrated Packers team (but hey, we beat the Pack!), and last Sunday's win over the Philly Eagles. It's that last that was really the ray of light: Brian Griese - the beneficiary of that midseason switch at QB - led the team on a late 4th quarter drive down the field, 97 yards in all, for the winning touchdown. He also didn't throw a pick. If it had been Rex Grossman, both of these would have been shocking.

The losses for their part have been heinous - never mind the loss to San Diego, in large part because a TV guide wire got in the way, or the loss to a Dallas team that's clearly talented (though no where near as talented as the inhumanly good Patriots). It's the defeats at the hands of the Lions and Vikings that rankle.

This week, the Lions come to Soldier field. I don't know why, but I'm feeling good about this one. Yes the Lions are 4-2, but they're more illusion than reality. They've beaten the Raiders (big whoop), the Vikings, the Bears, and the Buccaneers - none are especially stellar teams. They've also lost to the Eagles and the Redskins - 34-3. A win here puts the Bears at 4-4 and at 2-2 in the division (Lions will be 2-1). A loss means the Lions are starting to pull away from the Bears (their two meetings will have been concluded) although it'd hardly be wise to crown them NFC North champs as they haven't played the Pack yet.

But to make things even juicier, both the Packers and Vikings may have a tough time winning this weekend. The Vikings are playing the Eagles about which a lot can be said. Assuming the Eagles stop Adrian Petersen, they basically win. The Packers play Denver, a team which has had its moments, at Denver (an undeniable advantage). And if the final play comes down to Denver kicker Jason Elam's leg, it's over for the Vikes - Elam's kicked the game-winning FG in every one of Denver's three wins this season, including last weekend's against the Steelers.

But what does it really matter? Whoever wins the NFC this year gets crushed by the Patriots. It's that simple. Unless of course Tom Brady breaks a leg or something, which I certainly hope doesn't happen (oh and they're only getting better as Richard Seymour may return in a few weeks...).

Right now, I have to expect the sacrificial lamb to come out of the NFC East, either Dallas or the Giants. Which begs the question did anyone look at a map when putting the NFC East together? Dallas is west of the Mississippi; it's east of Austin? While we're on topic of stupid things in the NFL, Miami LB Channing Crowder (the Dolphins are 0-7 and stink like week-old fish play in London this weekend) only recently learned that in fact he won't need a translator in London as people there speak English. Incredible.

Cubs Win, Cubs Win!

For the first time since 2003, when Bartman infamously ended their pennant dreams, the Cubs are going into October.


This is good news for suffering Cubs fans everywhere, but also for the management. It justifies their off-season spending spree ($300 million); not only because they won, of course, but because the enormously expensive Soriano played a crucial role, as did Zambrano. The latter reminded us how good he can be last night, so long as he keeps his emotions in check.

So here's to hoping that we can finally break the curse...and hey, if the Cubs keep it up, we might not have to focus on the suffering Bears!

Michael Vick, A True Virginian?

So argues US News's Michael Barone, citing as evidence David Hackett Fischer's Albion's Seed, a book which I recently had recommended to me by a professor. One might almost call Barone sympathetic to Vick's legal troubles, noting that "we seem to consider fox hunting acceptable but have an almost universal feeling that dogfighting is not. Michael Vick, it seems, may have been born in the wrong century." This may be part of the sentiment fueling those polls in which whites have far less sympathy for Vick than blacks do; although a more likely explanation is simple racial solidarity.

Quick Thought on the Beckham Media Blitz

So tonight British soccer player ("footballer") David Beckham first took the field ("pitch") for his new team ("side") the LA Galaxy. No doubt Americans everywhere changed the channel. Beckham is the LA Galaxy (and in a way, Major League Soccer's) $250 million attempt to bring the sport into the mainstream. But the fact of the matter is that Beckham ain't all that great. He's past his prime and he more often made headlines for his off-the-pitch antics than for any match heroics (i.e. marrying Posh Spice, getting his hair redone, etc.) Don't take it from me, rather take it from the late George Best, a truly great soccer player ("footballer") from Northern Ireland:

"He cannot kick with his left foot, he cannot head a ball, he cannot tackle and he doesn't score many goals. Apart from that he's all right."

Read it again. This is the Galaxy's $250 million investment, their bid to make soccer really matter in America. The US Women winning the World Cup a few years ago helped; so does the fact that satellite television makes it possible for stupid Americans to watch the World Cup and to watch good soccer on Fox Soccer Channel and other networks. But is there a place for soccer in the galaxy of American sports? Arguably, in a day and age where everything from competitive eating to curling to bowling can have its day on ESPN (and even get talked about on Sports Center and PTI), yes.

But will we ever be much more than the NFL Europe of soccer? Probably not. That doesn't mean you should shut your eyes to the sport. It just means that instead of watching a boring MLS match (they usually are) or a Mexican League match on Univision, the only part of which you understand is "GOOOOOAAAAALLLLL," find a way to watch a Premiership match. Or a UEFA Champions League match. Watch two truly great sides go at it for ninety minutes with Old Trafford, Emirates, or another of the legendary stadiums reverberating with the roar of the crowd, and understand why it often deserves its title of the beautiful game.

101 Sports Experiences

ESPN's Caple runs down the "101 Things All Sports Fans Must Experience Before They Die." Sitting at #19? Duke-UNC, though he doesn't differentiate between contests held in the Dean Dome and Cameron. One's a huge stadium filled with morons in baby blue. The other one is an intimate experience with the fans in your face. Which is the real experience?

There are plenty of things I want to see - Chelsea-Arsenal (though the latter side without Henry is a different beast), Celtic-Ranger, the Masters, All-Blacks; and some I don't - the Women's College World Series, the Show-Me State Games. Anyways, worthy of an amused read.