Johnny @ the Chic-Fil-A Bowl

Aas we speak, I'm sitting at the fifty-yard line, partaking of a Chic-Fil-A sandwhich and broccoli au gratin. Life is good. The bowl games are bigger. Better food. More people in the press box. People from media outlets actually show up. Fans actually show up. It's a different experience. The atmosphere is, dare I say, electric.

The funny thing about being at this game is that usually I'm getting my party on at this point, so I rarely watch it. It has been since 2005 that I have watched the game.

Saturday Sight and Sounds[2]

-Florida is up on Kentucky 63-3. So much for Kentucky being good.
-Tech gives up their first points in the opening quarter in six games.
- Florida gives up the dreaded safety to make it a 63-5 final.
-UGA is up 21-7 on LSU. Surprise early. They may make me eat my words.
-L-Ville up on USF- 7-0.

Saturday Sight and Sounds

-Two Kansas defenders, including Mike Riviera absolutely blast the Texas Tech running back. It was ridicoulus. A play later, Graham Harrell throws a dart to Michael Crabtree for a TD. TT-14, KU-7
-Florida just blocked the second straight kick against Kentucky. UF-28, UK-0
-Shannon Woods of Texas Tech knocked over Mike Riviera this time, getting the touchdown. TT-28, KU-14.
-In the TT v. KU game is would come down to who blinks on offense. KU loss the ball on a fumble and now Texas Tech threatens to go up by three touchdowns.

Saturday Sight and Sounds[2]

Halftime- G-Tech-3, Duke-0
The story of this game so far is that Duke’s defense is actually pretty good and Tech’s offense is not as dynamic without Nesbitt. Tech can get the ball up the field in chunks but they are having a hard time getting real momentum. The third quarter is critical because if Duke can keep it close after this quarter, it is going to be a fight to the finish. They need the GTG's quickly!!

Saturday Sight and Sounds

G-Tech v. Duke:


End of 1st quarter- G-Tech- 0, Duke- 0

This is a somewhat surprising score. Part of the reason why we don’t have points yet is because both teams have played ball control early. However, Tech blew a major opportunity when Shaw fumbled the ball to Duke on second and goal. Duke has shown that they are somewhat game on both sides of the ball so it is important for Tech to step on the throat in this quarter. The longer they let Duke hang around the more confidence the Blue Devils will get.

G-Tech v. Miss. State

A battle of two young teams that are looking for a confidence boost. Tech is an emerging power in the ACC, but they have to beat teams that they are talented enough to beat. And they have to own the Flats (see loses to Virginia Tech and UGA last season, well UGA every season actually). Mississippi State won a bowl game last year but got shocked by Louisiana Tech and loss a game they should have won to Auburn last week. They would love to snag a road victory and bring more shame to the ACC name. Both teams have inconsistent offenses and will rely on their defenses to go out and win the game. The first defense to blink loses.

Will Paul Johnson get Croomed? Will Nesbitt and Dwyer run over another rugged defense. We shall see in the next 3 1/2 hours.

Saturday Sight and Sounds- Thursday Edition

A Stream of Consciousness

- Tech now has some lame-ass rap group doing their new song "the Perfect Option" on the big screen. There a cross between LFO and the 1985 Chicago Bears with Super Bowl Shuffle. The Perfect Option is this year's slogan.

-Nothing like the Delta Upsilon Fraternity, who was bumping R Kelly's Ignition. Man those white boys can get krunk!

-On what I would consider the first well executed play of the game Dwyer blazed around the corner for a 21-yard TD.

- Three great plays in a row:
o A great pass play to Lucus Cox, a sure handed A-back- 39 yards
o A sly handoff to Dwyer for a long run-37 yards
o A keep by Nesbitt for his first career rushing TD.

-Score- G-Tech- 27, J-State-0. If nothing else, J-State has a D-1 sounding band.
- Also, with Josh Nesbitt becomes the first QB from Greene County, GA to play major college football. Thank you Jon Bond, Greensboro Herald Journal, for the knowledge.

The Rays Success and their fans

The Tampa Bay Rays, formerly the Devil Rays, have had a magnificent awakening to this point in the season. Once the doormat of professional sports, the Rays have won 50 games in the first half of the season and have opportunity to put some distance between them and the rival Red Sox.

There a young team, full of high draft picks, that is coming of age. But there are haters. When a team that was bad for so long becomes good, some people relish in the story, while others knitpick. The team is good so now the problem is that too few fans come to the games or too many of the opponents' fans come to the games. Longoria hits home runs, now the problem is that the Trop is a dump. And of course, they are going to collapse in July and August, according to some.

The ease for which people trash the Rays is a direct reflection of their own team's status. So if you're team is hovering around .500 with a ton of injuries or your superstars pushing old secretaries around you probably skeptical of the Rays' success. I'm just saying.

Fans will come as the team continues to win. It just takes time; they haven't been bad for 10 years, they been the worst for 10 years. An afterthought for 10 years. Fans are jaded but they will come around. You'll see.

2008 NBA Draft, 1-5

The following predictions are more of a "this what who they should get" piece than a "who they will get" piece. The predictions are based on acute need and availability.

1) Chicago- Derrick Rose, PG, Memphis- No shocker here. It makes me feel a little uneasy that they are picking a hometown guy. Hometown guys, sans Lebron James, don't tend to do too well when they come home (See Stephon Marbury or Eddy Curry). However, his skill set is so far advanced over what the Bulls have now that it is hard not to pick him. Also Michael Beasley plays a similar position to Tyrus Thomas, accept Thomas is bigger amd more athletic. He's not more skilled though and that's what makes Beasley an intriguing pick. However, if Thomas and Rose can come on and Gordon and Deng can continue to develop, they will have a very good team.

2) Miami- Michael Beasley, PF, Kansas State- If Rose goes one, Beasley will certainly go two. Miami will be disapointed because they need a point guard, but Beasley will provide a solid piece that can take the pressure off of Dwayne Wade. If he continues to develop, Besaley has the potential to be a dynamic inside/outside scorer. He may also have a chip on his scored because people basically kissed his ass all season and then said he wasn't a first pick when it came to draft time.





3)Minnesota- Kevin Love, PF, UCLA- Most people will put O.J. Mayo in this position but Corey Brewer plays the same position. There is definitely an argument that Mayo could play the point and so they wouldn't be wrong for making that pick. However, with departure of Kevin Garnett and Al Jefferson's high post game, Love would make a good low post piece. Love is tough inside, has a good outside shot, and runs the court well. He also seems like he has an intangible ability to rise to the occasion.


4)- Seattle- O.J. Mayo, SG, USC- If things go the way that I think they should go, Mayo would fall to the Sonics. They should hope for this outcome, Mayo has the ability to score, much like Jarryd Bayless, but he also has good point guard abilities and is a good defender. If he continues to develop and mature (I feel I'm saying this a lot), he can be a nice complementary piece for Durrant. The key here is that he has to accept that he will not be the man, which he may have more ability to do than you would think.

5)Memphis- Brook Lopez, C, Stanford- They have the scorer (Rudy Gay). They got the point guard (Mike Conley and Javaris Crittendon), now, with Pau Gasol gone, it's time they get a big man. Lopez would be the best choice. He's got a good offensive game and he plays with a strong determination. One day Memphis is going to come around, I just don't know when.

Masters Update

Some jabroni named Trevor Immelman is winning right now at -10. Tiger Woods is six shots back and is shooting even today. Only four players are shooting under par currently. One of them is Stewart Cink.

At The Tech-UM baseball game

This is my first one. It is pretty typical to this point. Interesting and exciting in spots, dreadfully boring at other times. As usual, because I don't write for a major publication I'm an outsider in another press room. Miami is currently up 6-3 and despite Tech having a runner on first, seem to have much of the momentum right now.

What makes this game all the more intriguing is that Miami is the nation's top baseball team and you can kinda see why. They hit very well, at the end of six innings they have 11 hits and two home runs.

NCAA Tournament [8]

Two big times games going on right now. Davidson is up 57-56 on Gonzaga and Tenn is up 57-53 on American. Can you believe it? American is kinda beating Tenn at the own game. Hitting threes, getting steals.

Now the Dav/Gonz game is tied at 70-70. Both of these games are running at a high level of intensity.

NCAA Tournament [7]

Kentucky v. Marq- Great back and forth game, 36-36, right now. Crawford is a beast with 19 points. Only game of note. James is having a bad game with 4 points.

NCAA Tournament [6]

Baylor v. Purdue is about to tip-off. so is Oral Roberts v. Pitt.

Kent. St. v. UNLV- UNLV is putting on a shooting clininc so far. 16-6. Kent. St. looks outmatched.
Kentucky v. Marq.- Most intense of the games so far. Crawford looks great for Kentucky. 26-23, Marq.

Baylor v. Purdue- Good battle brewing right now. Purdue up 13-10.

ORU v. Pitt- It probably doesn't mean anything but ORU is up 10-8.

NCAA Tournament [5]

Kentucky v. Marq.- Marquette is pushing by them early, 19-14.

Kent. St. v. UNLV- SAme here for UNLV, they look crisper. 9-2, UNLV.

NCAA Tournament [4]

UGA v. Xavier- One minute left and Xavier is up 68-61. It may now be a wrap for UGA.

UGA v. Xavier- It's official Xavier wins. UGA fought hard but Xavier had a little more juice down the stretch.

Other winners include Kansas and Mich. St.

Getting ready to watch Kentucky v. Marquette and UNLV v. Kent St.

NCAA Tournament [3]

UGA v. Xavier- Xavier takes a three point lead. Horrible call on Bliss posterizing block. That's going to hurt. Bliss with four fouls.

Portland St. v. Kansas- They show KU football coach Mark Mangino on the broadcast drawing chants of "get in my belly" from the crowd.

UGA v. Xavier- Xavier is starting to exert themselves on both sides of the floor. 59-53, Xavier. It will be interesting to see what happens now as UGA has not been in this position in about a week.

NCAA Tournament [2]

UGA v. Xavier- Xavier is climbing the mountiain but they need a tangible run if they are going to win it. UGA keeps grinding.
- They get that run- two straight threes- give Xavier a 3-pt lead. 52-49.

NCAA tournament [1]

UGA v. Xavier- The Dogs continue to do everything right and are up 41-30 right now in the second half.

Portland St. v. Kansas- Kansas is beating the crap out of Portland State, 54-31.

NCAA Basketball Tournament Preview

Can I just say that I love this time of the year? There is no better time in sports than the month of March. Excitement builds with each game until its torrid creshendo in early April. I'm taking off a couple days to bask in the glory of it all. Below is my notes on the most important aspects of this weekend's games.




Georgia's entrance into the NCAA tournament ranks up there as the most unbelivable sequences of events in the history of college basketball. They were horrible this year, 4-12 in the SEC. That's why they were playing the late game on Friday. But because of tornado, which was an unbelivable scene in and of itself, the game gets pushed to noon. Leaving one team with the uninviable task of playing two games in one day to get to the finals. It was unbelivable to see Zac Swansey hit a turnaround three pointer to win against Kentucy. It was even more unbelivable to watch them outlast Miss. St. There's no way they can take an Arkansas team that just knocked off no. 5 Tennessee. Is it? Well, when they jumped out on Arkansas early you knew something could happen. The Hogs came back but I never felt that they were going to overtake UGA. It's an unbelievable run and with a very beatable Xavier team ahead of them, it could continue.

Who should be pissed right now?

Arizona St. - They definitely have an argument because Arizona got in but I want people to stop beleguering the point. It's over now, let it go! Arizona is good but they should have had a tougher non-conference. If they do well next year, they committee will make up for this year's mistake.

Virginia Tech- Thought they have been there because they were one of the top four teams in the ACC. I think when it comes down to it they didn't have enough quality wins. I though playing Carolina close would have been enough but I guess not.

The Games

UGA v. Xavier- Can the Dogs keep that momentum going. I don't think they can. Xavier is team built for the tournement with defense stopper Stanley Burrell and point guard Drew Lavendar, they will be ready to play. It is a tremendous story but I think the ride is done.

K-State v. USC- This is considered by many to be the game of the day with future NBA ballers O.J. Mayo and Michael Beasley going head to head. Advantage USC, while Beasley will do better today and better in the pros, Mayo has a better supporting cast. Look for Beasley to get his point and this to be a good game but USC to move away over the course of the game.

UK v. Marq- It's going to come down to guard play. Adavantage Marquette. Joe Crawford and Rameel Bradley are good but they can't match Damion James and Jereel McNeal over the course of a game. Should be a great one but look for James to come up big down the stretch

Bubble Report, Who's in as of Right Now

Who's in as of right now?

ACC:

UNC- They have all but wrapped up the one-seed. There may be a 1-seed overall in stake for them.

Duke- May already have a 2-seed wrapped up.

Clemson, V-Tech (Huge win over Miami), Miami (hanging by thread)

A-10:

Xavier

St. Joe- The win against Xavier put them in. They have a great shot to win the A-10 today.

Need Help: Temple needs to win today. Dayton needs Pitt to win the Big East and no major upsets today.

Big 12:

Texas- They are playing to strenthen their place as 2-seed.

Kansas- Competing for the 1-seed

K-State- Going to the dance with the nation's best player.

Okla (In), Texas A&M (Must Beat Kansas), Baylor (Prayer)

SEC:

Tenn- They are feaverishly battling for a 1-seed. W/O Vandy in the way, will the wins be strong enough?

Vandy,Miss. St.

Kentucky- Should still be in despite the loss to UGA

FL- Done, history will be made as UF becomes the first two-time defending champion to not return to the NCAA tournament the year after winning a championship.

Pac-10:

UCLA v. Stanford- UCLA wins they get a 1-seed, Stanford wins, they get a 2-seed

Wash. St.- No longer darlings but they are in.

USC- Could really make some noise in the tourney.

Ariz. St.- should be the fifth team in.

Big Ten:

-Mich. St., Wisc. Indiana (slipping , probably a first round out)

-Ohio St.- Really hasn't done enough to get into tournament.

ACC Tournament Preview

Here are excerpts from my ACC preview in today's Score Atlanta:

Tournament Locks

North Carolina- After holding Duke scoreless for the last five minutes of their game last Saturday, UNC is the favorite to cut down the nets in Charlotte. UNC have a distinct talent advantage over the league. They also have arguably the nation’s best player in Tyler Hansbrough.

Needs Work

Virginia Tech- They have come on as of late but a last-second loss to Clemson is a killer because it came against a bubble foe. Their first round bye sets them up for a potentially critical game against Miami. If they can get scoring from A.D. Vassallo they have a shot.

NIT-Bound

Georgia Tech- Jimmy Dykes has dubbed them “the team no one wants to play in the tournament”, for what that’s worth. Tech is dangerous because they have nothing to lose. Matt Causey’s shooting could be the difference.

Better Luck Next Time

N.C. State- A bunch of close losses, including Duke a few weeks back, tell their story. Another ACC tournament run for Sidney Lowe’s team would be a miracle.

Watching the game in Enemy Territory

I 'm a Florida fan from Tampa. I like the Gators but my buddy Kenny is a UT alum so when I went to Hudson Grille, I was hangin with the UT fans. It was kinda wierd at first, I didn't cheer for FL, but I didn't cheer for Tenn either. It was tough because UF was killing UT initially. Then I made a comment that was prophetic as it was fatal. I noted to Kenny how Florida was up big on Tenn. during the last game but lost by 40. Sure enough Tenn stormed back in the second half and took a 10-point lead on sharp shooting by JaJuan Smith. Of course this casued the Volunteer fans to come unglued. However, they became concerned when UF went on a 13-4 run to bring them close again. The crowd became disgruntled and I quietly rejoiced. I also quietly moaned when UT showed their championship ability, pulling through for the victory. Kenny didn't believe me when I told him I was disappointed by the loss, but I was Tennessee is a great team but Florida is home.

College Basketball- The Bubble[1]

The Bubble Report

Kent State- (MAC)- Kent scored a huge brackbusting win agsinst St. Mary's and then gave it back with a loss to Bowling Green a week later. They have 23 wins, including wins vs. George Mason and Akron. Will a win in the season finale against Akron be enough? Will going deep in the tournament be enough? I say no to both. This team's biggest win is the St. Mary's one and George Mason, which isn't all that valuable. They need to win their tourney. Bubble fading!

Baylor- (Big 12)- After a hot start, Baylor is losing in every way imaginable. Including getting roughed up by Oklahoma. To get in they will need to go on a little bit of a run at the end of season and in the tourney. They have good guards, but do they have enough to survive to the end in a tough conference?Bubble fading!

Dayton- (A-10)- Another team on fire to start the season. First, they exacted revenge on Pitt for a brutal beatdown from the previous year. Then they took Louisville to the woodshed. Both tourney teams. Since then, injuries have left them a little loss. A loss at LaSalle and a missed opportunity against Xavier cut deep, but is not too late for the Flyers. They need one more win against a quality opponent- Flat soda!

Miami- (ACC)- Started hot, fizzled a little, and has been on fire down the stretch. They have recently gotten both the signature win (Duke) and the win versus a bubble team (UVA). I think Jack McClinton and the boys have this wrapped up but another win and a strong tourney run would help. Bubble rising!

Saturday College B-Ball Minutes

March 1

This is the beginning of daily series of the wonderful world of college basketball, in this most appropriate of times; March.

Saturday Tube Rundown:

Georgetown v. Marquette- A slight upset is in the making in the nation’s best conference as the Golden Eagles lead the Hoyas 50-45 with 8:55 to play in the game.

Alabama v. Ole Miss- I have to admit that I haven’t seen Ole Miss this year. They are supposed to be good but I know they are slumping as of late. They currently leading 74-60. They are getting a big game from David (pronounced “Da-veed”) Huertas, a UF transfer, with 18 points.

George Mason v. Northeastern- Solid Colonial Athletic Assoc. action and a bit of a surprise. NU is up 54-50 on Mason. Matt Janny of NU hits a long-range three.

Texas A&M v. Oklahoma- Oklahoma is killing them, in this critical, bubblebuster match-up. The score is 54-29. By the way, BC is up big on UNC.

Wichita St. v. The Great Drake- Drake up 69-61 with a minute and a half left. They win 73-63. Drake wins their first Missouri Valley Conference title for the first time in 37 years.

Georgetown v. Marquette- Tight game Marquette up 59-57

Wake Forest v. Georgia Tech- Tech was up by 12 for most of this game but it is now going into overtime after a crazy exchange in which Zach Peacock gets injured and the clock goes out.

Georgetown v. Marquette- Wallace with a tremendous bank three in OT. Game tied at 66-66.
He then makes a spectacular pass in the paint to DeJuan Summers. McNeal keeps Marquette in it with a good put back. 69-68, Hoyas. Wake Forest v. Georgia Tech- Tech is putting this game away, up 80-76, 1:06 in OT. By the way, Arkansas is up 32-23 on Vandy!

Next up Bubble Report. . .

My Top Teams

With the NCAA tournament approaching, it's time to start looking at the top teams and the bubble teams and examine their strengths, weaknesses and what lies ahead for each of them:

Memphis- The Tigers are fast and fierce on both offense and defense. Don't have a weakness at any position. Chris Douglas-Roberts has been an outstanding slasher/scorer throughout the season. Derrick Rose has fit well into their system despite being the most talented player on their team. Joey Dorsey is a force in the middle (ask Roy Hibbert). They did a good of off-setting their mid-major conference schedule with great non-conf. match-ups against Georgetown and Tennessee (should determine South Region 1 seed.)

Weakness- Free Throw shooting. When it comes down the stretch, they will not be able win without shooting free throws.

Next: The non-conference game of the year- UTenn V. Memphis (2/23.)

Duke- As we speak, they are beating up on Maryland and last week they beat crap out of UNC. That's impressive! They have their offense kicking on all cylinders, Paulus is somewhat fulfilling his promise, Demarcus Nelson is looking dominant at times, and as always, they don't beat themselves. They are also road tested in and out of the ACC.

Weaknesses- A bigger stronger team, like Georgetown (or Pitt,) could slow down they game and push them around. For Duke to win, the pace has to be fairly high. Makes you excited about potential final four match-ups with Memphis or Tennessee.

Next- Duke v. UNC and the ACC tournament

Tenneessee- With the exception of Memphis, UT has the nation's most dynamic offense. That's with Lofton having a slightly off year. The Smith boys (JaJaun and Tyler) complement him well in an offense that scores over 83 points per game. Matter of fact, their offense is better than Memphis because UT can hit free throws.

Weakness- Like Duke, Tennessee can pushed around in the middle by more physical teams.

Next- The non-conference game of the year- UTenn V. Memphis (2/23.)

Kansas- They are probably the most talented teams, position by position, of the nation's elite. They have a balenced scoring, the guards (Chalmers, Rush, Robinson, and Collins) are the best in the nation. They are the type of team that can pull it together at tournament time and win it all.

Weakness- It looks like that every year, but they never seem to pull it off. As shown in game against Texas, they are prone to cold streaks. No room for that in March.
Next- v. K-State (3/1), at Tex. A&M (3/8)

Just beihnd them is UCLA, UNC, and Texas.