The Friday Fizz

July 14, 2006

After a long and arduous workweek, it’s easy to forget what’s transpired in the sports world in recent days and what sporting events lie in wait on the weekend. So, the Friday Fizz is here to remind you that life is not all about TPS Reports and moody bosses. Life, for most men, is about sports, women and sex, and not necessarily in that order. So, without further ado, the following is my weekly riff of newsworthy notes that you and the boys can use as fodder for happy hour talk over a couple of pints:

Never in my life did I ever imagine I’d write an entire article exclusively on soccer but since this is probably the last time I’ll even think about the sport until the next World Cup in South Africa, here goes nothing.

Sticks and Stones

Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me. Apparently, for Zinedine Zidane, names do hurt but unfortunately for him they broke something much worse than his bones. They broke his legacy.

Obviously, World Cup Golden Ball Award winner Zidane’s mother never taught him this valuable life lesson because if she had, he would not have gone WWF on the unsuspecting Italian who had reportedly called his mom “a filthy terrorist whore.” Shaquille O”Neal said this week on ESPN Radio that there’s nothing anyone could ever say to set him off like that in a championship game. During the regular season is one thing but during a championship, there was no way. I couldn’t agree more with the Big Diesel.

Clearly Zidane is not the supreme soccer player he’s been made out to be because to be truly great, to be considered amongst the elite in all of sports, you have to be as mentally strong as you are physically gifted. The great Yogi Berra famously said, “Baseball is 90% mental and 50% physical.” I argue that the same applies to soccer, or any other sport for that matter. If players reacted to every racial epithet, mom or sister joke, or “how’s your wife and my kids,” comment, games would resemble prison riots.

This week, Zidane has provided us with his reasoning behind the incident and although he apologized to all soccer fans, the French National Team, FIFA and just about every other person or organization affiliated with soccer, he also said that he would react the same way if it ever happened again. While I don’t buy into the argument that his departure from the game cost France the World Cup, I do believe that his loss was a tremendous blow to the French team and certainly had an impact on their psyche and strategy during those final overtime minutes and during penalty kicks. At the time, France was clearly the aggressor with Italy looking as if they were literally counting down the seconds, praying for penalty kicks. France had several shot attempts on goal, was getting more corner kick opportunities, was completely out hustling the Italians and consequently, dictating the action. Zidane’s Red Card changed all that. Once he was ejected, France had to pull back and play conservatively because they were a man short.

Zidane acted selfishly and immaturely – plain and simple. While I certainly don’t condone anyone calling anyone else a filthy terrorist whore, a terrorist, or any other condescending or derogatory term, for a player to react the way Zidane did is unacceptable. My own athletic career was cut short because I’m 5’10, white, and have a vertical leap of about 20 inches. During my entire life on the courts and in the fields I’ve been called everything from Honkey, Wonder Bread and Casper to Baldy and Mismatch, “I’ve got a mismatch – gimme the damn ball, I’ve gotta mismatch.” For me to throw an elbow and go to blows would affect no one except for me and the offender. Yet it would still never even cross my mind to do such a stupid thing because first, getting into someone’s head is a part of sports and second, the competitor who gets rattled and concerned by what’s being said instead of what’s actually happening usually loses.

Shame on Zidane for falling for the oldest trick in the book. He got rattled, lost the mental battle, and had to watch from the locker room as his team lost the World Cup. If Zidane truly was insulted and believed he had to take action to defend the honor of his family, then he should have confronted the Italian player after the game. I can’t think of a better way to end coverage of the World Cup than with Zidane coming at the Italian with a flying scissor kick neck lash in the center of the pitch. I can hear Brent Mussberger now, “Yesss!! The Golden Ball recipient connects…yet again!” Instead, we saw what we saw and perhaps, now, Zidane has finally learned one of life’s most valuable lessons.

Part II - Arizona versus Wisconsin

START OF THE SECOND HALF

I can hear Arizona’s band in the background. I like it.

Arizona loses the ball out of bounds. The announcer said it was a bad call. What a shocker!
Wisconsin’s big man, Butch, just drew his third foul with 19 minutes left to play. Mustafa’s going to the line.

Arizona 47 Wisconsin 34

Kirk Walters was just whistled for his third foul. No surprise here. These officials are so predictable…almost as predictable as how bad CBS’s coverage of the tournament was going to be.

What on earth…Radenovic was just called for his third foul. “Let them play, let them play, let them play.”

Arizona 51 Wisconsin 34

Adams just hit a driving lay up.

CBS is showing more commercials. The best one of the day has been the Sonic Burgers commercial where the driver attempts to pop a tater tot into his mouth while the passenger swats the driver’s hand away.

“Rejected…don’t you bring that weak tater action in here! You go strong to the hole or you don’t go at all.” Great line…great commercial…I just don’t need to see it again in five minutes. Hey, CBS, let’s get back to the games shall we.

By the way, Ohio State leads Davidson 49-46 with less than 8 minutes to play.

Arizona 59 Wisconsin 38

TV timeout…Wisconsin ball when we return.

Wisconsin drains a three right out of the timeout.

I just realized the radio announcers are total Arizona homers as the color analyst just through a hissy-fit on a call that went against the Cats. Also, he just used the term “we” three time in covering the game’s most recent action.

Another three by Wisconsin. Dear God.

Arizona 62 Wisconsin 44

“That is not a foul. I’m perplexed right now.” I love this color analyst. He’s not even trying to hide the fact that he’s rooting for Arizona. Walters was blown for his fourth foul Not good.

Arizona 62 Wisconsin 48

I know fourteen points sounds like a lot but this is the same Arizona team that blew a 15-point lead against Illinois with 3:30 on the clock in last year’s Elite Eight game.

Foul on Hassan Adams. That’s three.

Arizona 67 Wisconsin 48

Timeout Wisconsin as Arizona scores five straight.

By the way, Ohio State is pulling away from Davidson right now 64-53 with only 2 minutes to play. Is CBS going to change the game to something more competitive…I think not!

Oops, the Damned just switched us to the Bucknell/Arkansas game with Bucknell leading 40-36. There just might be hope yet for CBS.

Hassan is 7 of 8 from the field for the game. Another foul on Arizona. I swear the color analyst just sighed. Priceless! Wisconsin’s best player, Tucker, has 12 free throw attempts in the game. Arizona’s entire team has attempted a grand total of 13.

Mr. Announcer just said, “I don’t want to sound too one-sided here, but…” Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up.

Arizona 71 Wisconsin 54

Make that 73-54 on another Mustafa assist. Another foul on Arizona…wow!
I’m starting to get nervous. We’re under the 10 minute mark. It sounds like Wisconsin is being more aggressive than Arizona right now. Per my keys to the game notes above this is probably the reason why Wisconsin is getting all the calls.

Arizona 77 Wisconsin 58

The homer announcers finally referred to Hassan by his nickname, “Hot Sauce.” Great nickname, but not Arizona’s greatest. That distinction is reserved for one of Arizona’s most lovable and dominant big men in the Olson Era, Sean Rooks, affectionately known as “The Wookie.”

(an amusing side note about the Wookie…my buddy Jeff and I were at the pier in Hermosa Beach at night a few years back when we spotted The Wookie. He was playing for the Lakers at the time. We made a sprinting beeline toward the 6’11, 275 lb. monster and simultaneously leaped into him from opposite directions. The Wookie was laughing because Jeff and I are your typical Wildcat fanatics, plus we were apologizing profusely, but the local cops weren’t as pleased. They rushed over and started to attempt to separate the three of us. Luckily, we were drunk and probably said something funny to defuse the situation. Or, and more likely, the lovable Wookie told the cops that everything was cool).

Anyway, back to the game.

Arizona 80 Wisconsin 65

We’re heading toward the 5 minute mark. Mustafa’s at the line for two free throws. He missed the first (1 of 3 at the line today, very unusual). He makes the second.

Arizona 83 Wisconsin 65

Iowa is up five on Northwestern State with 3:35 on the clock. Bucknell leads Arkansas by five as well. Adams just made another driving lay up. He has 17 points. He averages 17 points a game. Man, my keys to the game appear to be dead on. Do you think CBS will hire me? Maybe they’re looking for someone to help them iron out their tournament game programming deficiencies….as I say this, I’m watching a commercial of two turtles atop a kitchen counter talking. Riveting, I mean absolutely riveting, CBS. Thanks for the excellent broadcast. I can’t wait to see what you have next in store for us viewers who are dying to watch the 63 basketball games you promised us in your pre-tournament advertising.

There’s a timeout by the way.

Arizona 87 Wisconsin 71

2:59 on the clock. We’re now in that dreaded under three minute mark that plagued Arizona in last year’s Elite Eight. Dillon just made two free throws, making it 89-71. I feel a little better. Arizona just got the ball back and Hot Sauce Adams made a three pointer for his 20th point. I feel much better now.

Arizona 92 Wisconsin 73

Arizona is clearing its bench. Onto the other games.

Let the Madness begin. Iowa is up 61-59 with 52 seconds on the clock against 14th seeded Northwestern State. I need to watch this…back in a few…

It’s still a one point game. Holy moly, Bucknell is up by two against Arkansas. This game is also in its final minute. Let’s see how CBS screws up this one!

FINAL SCORE

Arizona 94 Wisconsin 75

CBS is totally botching the Iowa/Northestern State/Bucknell/Arkansas situation.

Here we go…Iowa up by two, NW State bringing the ball up the flour…20 seconds and ticking.

Three point attempt…brick…loose ball…ohHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get yourself to a highlight show and watch the end of the Iowa game. NW State hustled for the lose ball in the corner, threw up a prayer and it was answered with 0.5 seconds on the clock. NW State 64 Iowa 63. Biggest upset of the tournament thus far and when the first round completely plays itself out will most likely be the biggest bracket buster of all.

Bucknell also earned a victory, edging Arkansas 59-55 on two made free throws to seal it in the final seconds. Things were a bit cozier for Ohio State who bested Davidson by eight.

Whew…what a wild last few minutes. I need a drink. See you at the pub.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

I hope you enjoyed reliving UA’s last basketball victory of the 2005/2006 basketball season. Tune in next week for more of the Weekly Wildcat. Until then, Bear Down!

The Weekly Wildcat
July 11, 2006

(The Weekly Wildcat will appear each week on Tuesdays as part of a running series, updating Wildcats supporters on the sports happenings at the University of Arizona)

The following article first appeared on my other now extinct website on March 17, 2006 and was written during Arizona’s first round basketball game against Wisconsin in this year’s NCAA Tournament. I’m rerunning the article in two parts as a prelude to the many running diaries that will be written during the upcoming football season.

Running Diary – Arizona versus Wisconsin (March 17, 2006)

NCAA First Round Game: Tip-off 9:30 AM PST

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Some initial thoughts…Both teams have had up and down seasons. Player suspensions, injuries, underachieving stars, poor inside play, terrible outside shooting; the list goes on and on. However, both have enough talent to make some noise in this tournament, especially Arizona where Villanova’s carefree, up-tempo style bodes well for the Cats who prosper on causing turnovers and getting steals that lead to transition buckets. This season has been such a disaster for Arizona that the only thing that could come even close to removing the bitter taste in many Cats supporters’ mouths is a respectable run in the tournament. While many of us remember the incredible turnaround the 1997 national champion team was able to make, reality tells us that this team is incapable of such an accomplishment. That team had a true leader in Miles Simon, a future NBA wonder boy in Mike Bibby, a supremely athletic and budding star in Michael Dickerson, and a supporting cast of role players who actually embraced the roles Lute Olson set for them. This year’s team has an identity problem, which has led to a consistent stream of inconsistent performances. One step forward, two steps back has been the norm for my beloved Wildcats this season and I sincerely hope that Arizona’s men’s basketball team can somehow find a way to take two steps forward this weekend and leave the backpedaling for another time.

The following are my keys to the game:

For Arizona, the Cats must match Wisconsin’s intensity. Referees in the NCAA Tournament typically favor the aggressor and coming into the game, Wisconsin’s hard-nosed reputation may cause the refs to swallow their whistles as the Badgers attempt to bang the Cats around early on. Second, Hassan Adams must produce numbers similar to his season averages. If he’s a no show, Arizona will be on the first flight out of Philly by sunset. Third, Mustafa Shakur must breakdown Wisconsin’s defense by penetrating the lane and scoring. When he does, the Cats look great. When he doesn’t, they play like they did in three losses to UCLA this year.

For Wisconsin, the Badgers must keep themselves between their man and the basket on defense. Arizona runs an NBA style motion offense that looks to score early in the shot clock. If they don’t get a good look on their first or second option, they’re big men get sedentary watching their guards over dribble. Second, the Badgers must win the three point contest. If Arizona outscores them from the three-point line, that means the Badgers are shooting poorly from the perimeter because the Cats are the Pac-10’s worst outside shooting team. Third, Wisconsin must out rebound Arizona. There’s little doubt that both teams will miss plenty of shots in this game so the team who wins the rebound battle or more accurately, prevents the fewest second and third chance points, will most likely win what I’m anticipating to be a closely contested game.

Deep breath, deep breath and…here…we…go…

Welcome everyone to the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a city Bernard Shaw once made reference to when describing the epitaph to be scribed onto his tombstone, “Better here than in Philly.”

Arizona 2 Wisconson 0

First possession ends with Mustafa Shakur driving the lane and dishing to Ivan Radenovic for an easy lay up.

Arizona 8 Wisconsin 0

It appears Arizona got an advanced copy of my keys to the game. Wisconsin has two turnovers, no rebounds and the Cats have already made two uncontested lay ups by guards penetrating the lane and assisting others.

Arizona 10 Wisconsin 3

This is a nice looking floor. Props to the Wachovia Center. Arizona just went on a mini run to make it 14-3. Timeout Wisconsin.

Coming out of the timeout, it appears that Hassan Adams has picked up his second foul. We’ve only played four minutes so this is not good. I find it ironic that in the NCAAs, the refs typically let everything go. I mean, you practically have to cause a puncture wound for someone to the blow the whistle and yet Hassan already has two fouls, the latest coming at half court. Pretty ticky-tack in my opinion.

Arizona 17 Wisconsin 5

CBS just turned away from our game. Um…somebody?

Arizona 19 Wisconsin 8

Radenovic just hit another baby hook. The refs just called another touch foul on Arizona. Did they not get the memo? I can hear the chants now from the fans in the Astrodome during the Bad News Bears game from the seventies….”Let them play, let them play, let them play!”

Arizona 24 Wisconsin 8

So far Arizona owns the boards. Hassan just re-entered the game. Coach Olson doesn’t usually play guys with two fouls in the first half so we’ll see what happens.

I’m waiting for CBS to leave the Arizona game for one that’s more competitive.
Still waiting…

Yep, there it is. Time of death on the Arizona game is 9:54 AM. Thanks CBS. Thanks Guggenheim Grotto. Thanks to me for not ordering Direct TV’s March Madness package. Outside of Dan Rather, I absolutely cannot stand CBS. Oh wait, I hate Dan Rather too.

Arizona 31 Wisconsin 11

I had to check espn.com for the score. Mustafa just set up Marcus Williams for a three pointer. That’s four assists for Mustafa, the Philly kid returning home to play in front of 34 friends and family he was able to get tickets for. What a nice Arizona boy he is. I hope he plays well today.

Arizona 35 Wisconsin 13

I’m stepping away for a minute. I’m searching other websites for a pod cast of the game.

Arizona 35 Wisconsin 18

7:39 on the game clock. I managed to find an audio broadcast of the game on Yahoo Sports. YAHOOOOOO!!!!

The radio announcer just informed us that Arizona passed on their morning shoot around today because of the early start. Nice pointer, Mr. Announcer. This isn’t so bad.
Sweet! Another rebound for Arizona.

Actually, listening to the game on the radio is pretty excruciating. I just realized that the audio cast is about a minute slower than the CBS score updates so not only am I typing, I’m listening and trying to avoid looking at the ticker tape on the television.

Arizona 37 Wisconsin 26

Gee…what a surprise. CBS turns off the Arizona game and Wisconsin goes on a 15-2 run. Wow, CBS producers. You must be shocked. I mean, this never happens. You guys are so good at directing the viewers from game to game…I’m shocked that you’ve once again gotten it wrong. Actually, I’m not. This just reminds me why CBS stinks at covering the NCAA tournament.
Meanwhile, CBS is making my case for me. There’s only one game that’s not at halftime right now and it’s the Arizona game. And guess what CBS is airing right now. COMMERCIALS. They also went to Greg Gumbel in the studio for a brief second to re-show us the Davidson versus Ohio State halftime score. Hey, thanks guys. It’s all good. I’d rather watch commercials and meaningless commentary instead of live action (sorry, I felt a sarcasm swell forming and had to let it out).

Arizona 46 Wisconsin 30

Still watching commercials on CBS. Unbelievable.

Arizona is 19-31 from the floor. I can’t remember the last time we shot over 60% in a half. I think it was back in the Reagan Era when Sean Elliot was a sophomore. I’m kidding of course, but watching this team this year has resulted in a tremendous amount of brain cells being killed since early February.

More commercials…I’ve almost given up.

Hey, Mr. Announcer from Yahoo just dropped another dime on us. The Arizona swimming team is in first place after the first day of competition in Athens, Georgia at the NCAA swimming championships.

We’re under a minute in the first half…

CBS has taken us to the Davidson game. The announcer just said Arizona’s Marcus Williams was hit on the arm during a jump shot. No foul called, result…air ball. Can’t refs figure this stuff out? Best shooter on a team throws up an air ball after contact from ten feet out and what, they think he misjudged the distance. So much for the NCAA stressing to officials this year that they must protect the shooter. I guess this rule only applies to Duke’s J.J. Redick and Gonzaga’s Adam Morisson.

HALFTIME

Arizona 46 Wisconsin 34

Sensory system overload, sensory system overload, sensory system overload.
Here’s the situation. I’m listening to the game on Yahoo Sports. I’m in a “virtual” admission line at www.ncaasports.com/mmod to gain Internet access to live video feeds of the game. The website is telling me I’m the 130th person in line. What does this mean? There’s also a running clock in the corner that tells me the next admission ticket will be punched in 42…41…40…39 seconds. Make that 35…34 now.

When I figure out what all this means I’ll let you know.

Wow…this is awesome. I’m in the video on demand. I’m selecting the Arizona/Wisconsin game. Let’s see what happens.

By the way it’s still halftime. Getting close though.

Give me a break. I can’t watch the Arizona game via Video on Demand because the game is blacked out by my local CBS affiliate who is airing the game. Damn CBS! Damn them!

The Weekly Wildcat
July 4, 2006

(The Weekly Wildcat will appear each week on Tuesdays as part of a running series, updating Wildcats supporters on the sports happenings at the University of Arizona)

Mark Your Calendars

For those of you who thought last year’s trouncing of the UCLA Bruins was exciting just wait until we play mighty USC on September 23rd. I’ve been saying it for two years and now as our team partakes in voluntary summer workouts let me be the first to officially predict that we will beat USC at home this year. My gut tells me the final score will be 24-23 but since our defense will be much improved and our relatively strong kicking game has produced results under the Stoops regime, let’s toss in a downed punt on the two and a safety to make the end result 26-23. How can this happen you ask? Let me tell you.

First, scheduling is always critical in sports and the schedule gods could not have mapped this one out any better for Arizona. USC opens the season at Arkansas; a team the Trojans pasted 70-17 last year at home. Now, I don’t think the Hogs have much of a chance here but it is their season home opener and they will play well enough to make the Trojans work a bit harder this time around. Next, USC plays a feisty and vastly improved Nebraska squad with a high octane offense and a ton of motivation to prove to the rest of college football that the Cornhuskers are back in business after a five year hiatus from the national scene. By the time USC rolls into Tucson the following week, it may be letdown city for the Spirit of Troy who’ll be coming off two emotional games and the additional red flag in that they may be overlooking the Cats in anticipation for their difficult showdown against Wazzou in Pullman a week later. For Arizona, we should be 2-1 heading into the game with home victories over BYU and Stephen F. Austin and a road loss at LSU. Despite the outcome of the LSU game, our team by week four will be battle tested and probably fuming off the mistakes they made that cost them an opportunity to compete against the Tigers. With a “get healthy” game wedged between LSU and USC, Arizona will be ready for the Trojans.

Second, if you closely watched our games at USC the past two years, 41-9 and 42-21 losses, respectively, you’ll have realized that we weren’t exactly pushed around by the bigger, more athletic Trojans. In fact, in that 41-9 loss, we were trailing 21-9 with four minutes remaining in the third quarter AND we had the ball. In the other game, it was 28-21 in the third quarter and we were driving inside the 20 when Vanderbilt’s newest nightmare transfer, Kovalcheck, threw an interception at the five-yard line. If Louis Holmes makes grades and becomes the run stopping defensive end he’s supposed to be, our improved linebacking core and seasoned secondary may have a field day in disguising defenses against either of USC’s inexperienced quarterbacks.

Third, it’s just time. Stoops is the kind of coach who was born for situations like this. I can imagine he, like me, has had this game circled on his calendar since the day he arrived on campus. Stoops has had to put up with consecutive road games at USC in his first two seasons and although we competed well, had no realistic chance of beating the Pac-10 powerhouse. But now, the tide has turned and it’s USC who has to come into our house to play a team who is absolutely chomping at the bit to make a statement to the college world. USC will have overcome two early season hurdles against Arkansas and Nebraska and will be looking forward to getting a chance to beat up on a lesser opponent. The only thing is that USC will find itself kicking field goals against Arizona instead of scoring touchdowns and once Tuitama connects with Mike Thomas on a post route over USC’s inexperienced safeties and the Cats go up 14-6 at halftime, our stadium will be rocking as loud as it did in 1992 when we beat the then #1 Washington Huskies.

There will be much more analysis to follow on this game and others but for now let me just say, mark your calendars because 9/23/06 will be a day to remember.

In the News

Annika Sorenstam reminded the world on Monday that you can’t keep a good Wildcat down by winning her third U.S. Open Championship. The ex-UA golfer and NCAA Individual National Champion outplayed the field at a time when analysts were beginning to doubt her ability to win against today’s younger talent. In winning, Annika claimed her 10th major title and proved yet again that she is the greatest female golfer of her era and possibly of all time.

Mike Stoops was featured in Fox Sports’ “In My Own Words” on Monday. The show aired at 9:30 PST. The 30 minute show highlighted Stoops’ relationship with his father and brothers, the love he has for his wife and children, and the passion he has for Arizona football. Coach definitely has our program on the right track. Let’s hope that his vision, ability and commitment begin to translate into a string of winning seasons.

Thursday, the Arizona football team will be featured on the Fox Sports Internet site as they continue their rundown of 119 Teams in 119 Days. They will preview Arizona’s season, evaluate personnel and make predictions. So far, their analysis of other teams has been very in depth and astute. So, you should be able to get a fair assessment of our team’s season ahead by catching the article.

Until next week, Bear Down!

The Friday Fizz
June 30, 2006



After a long and arduous workweek, it’s easy to forget what’s transpired in the sports world in recent days and what sporting events lie in wait on the weekend. So, the Friday Fizz is here to remind you that life is not all about TPS Reports and moody bosses. Life, for most men, is about sports, women and sex, and not necessarily in that order. So, without further ado, the following is my weekly riff of newsworthy notes that you and the boys can use as fodder for happy hour talk over a couple of pints at the local pub:

NBA Draft

The steal of the draft, no pun intended, has to be the Nets nabbing Marcus Williams from UConn with the 22nd pick. In an earlier edition of the Fizz, I predicted that Ronnie Brewer from Arkansas would be the last man standing in the famed Green Room on draft night. Instead, it was Williams with his laptop scandal and 14% body fat jiggling like warm jello at a summer barbeque. My bet is Williams checks in next season at 10% body fat and plays the back up role to Jason Kidd, perfectly. The second steal of the draft was the Nets taking Hassan Adams with the 54th pick. First, “Hot Sauce” Adams will make this team. Second, their up tempo, wide open offense will enable Adams to explode to the basket ala Richard Jefferson, as well as provide him enough wide open jumpers to take advantage of his marginal outside shooting. Third, drafted at 54, Adams’ salary will provide the Nets with the utmost bottom line value of any other pick in the draft.

On the flip side, one of the worst picks in the draft has to be Jordan Farmar going to the Lakers at 24. As a Pac-10 guy, I’ve witnessed my fair share of UCLA games both on TV and in person and believe me when I say that not once was I ever impressed by Farmar. I don’t know exactly what his end-of-season statistics were, but every game I saw seemed as if he had a turnover to assist ratio of 1:1. Not only that, I’ve never seen a point guard get outright stripped of the ball when entering an offense more often than Farmar. Sure, Farmar’s quick, explosive, and displayed a rather impressive 42-inch vertical leap at the Orlando camp, but turnovers in the NBA are met with disastrous results and Farmar is one lean, mean, turnover machine.

Nobody’s mentioning this but four college seniors were drafted in the top 11 picks. Furthermore, considering the fact that Adam Morrison basically played every minute of every game during his three years in college, a case can be made that five seniors were selected in the lottery. Sheldon Williams (5), Brandon Roy (6), Randy Foye (7) and JJ Reddick (11) proved that completing your degree and not jeopardizing NBA mega dollars is possible.

What’s the deal with the Supersonics? After they’re ridiculous 10th pick, I can see why so many only call them the Sonics nowadays. Sure, one can be wowed by a 7’8” wingspan but if that same person is not horrified at the fact that Fran Fraschilla watched this same kid barely execute a lay up two years ago in Senegal then something’s seriously, seriously, wrong. This all leads me to my biggest question about the NBA.

Why are teams so concerned with upside and potential and not just getting guys who can contribute consistently night in and night out? Think about it. There’s what, five or six superstars in the league today (D Wade, Kobe, King James, Nowitzke, Duncan, can’t think of another right now). With each team having around 12-14 guys, that means out of approximately 390 players, less than .01% are considered “super.” So, what in this math equation makes NBA execs think that they’re going to find the next great super athlete in the draft? This kid from Senegal goes 10th in the draft and might, I repeat, MIGHT, play in the NBA in two years. This makes no sense to me. Instead of searching for the next Jordan, snag an experienced player who’s proven himself against respectable competition who you know will give you 15 and 5 every night. If you draft enough of those players, overtime you’ll contend for a title and it won’t take a blockbuster, mortgage your entire future, kind of trade to do it.

The funniest side note of the NBA Draft came during Ronnie Brewer’s selection to Utah with the 15th pick. While Brewer and Stern were shaking hands, the crew at ESPN flashed a “most notable 15th picks in draft history” and the names they came up with were Steve Nash in 1996 and Matt Harpring in 1998. Matt Harpring? You mean to tell me Harpring is the second best 15th pick they could have listed. Unless his younger brother is the Director of Research at ESPN, or someone on the inside lost a bet to one of the Harpring’s, I can’t think of any reason why Matt’s name would have been mentioned here.

I know a trade is in the works for the Boston Celtics. Let’s just say I sincerely hope that Sebastian Telfair will be a part of it come July 1. His documentary is enough to make anyone sick. His 5’11” stature is very concerning. His arrest and release for carrying a concealed weapon on a team charter plane speaks to his intelligence and his play for the Trailblazers the past two seasons didn’t exactly warrant headlines. Fortunately, the Celts were able to dump Raef Lafrentz’s salary. If they can pick up Iverson without having to give up their other draft pick, Rajon Rondo, or having to part ways with Al Jefferson, they might actually have a fighting chance to be competitive in the East next season.

Tour de France

Did you know the race was starting tomorrow? I didn’t. Without Lance Armstrong in it, the Tour seems more like a jaunt than a tour. What’s really amazing though is that three of the top four contenders this year have been removed from the race. Five time runner up Jan Ullrich, Italian champ and last year’s second place finisher, Ivan Basso, and Spain’s Francisco Mancebo are all out on suspicion of their possible involvement with the doping scandal that came to light in Spain a few weeks ago. These racers must be kicking themselves in that their first legitimate chance to win the Tour since Armstrong first burst onto the scene is now gone without ever putting a single foot to pedal.

MLB

“Baseball is a simple game. You throw the ball. You catch the ball. You hit the ball.” I think the entire National League needs to have a shower talk with the coach of the Durham Bulls because collectively, they’re getting humiliated by the American League. The fact that Pedro got shelled in Boston, the Dodgers got swept by an average Twins team, and the Pirates needed a few seeing-eye-singles to finally snap a 14 game losing streak says it all. The good news for Angel fans, currently the bottom feeders in the AL West, is that another installment of their Freeway Series with the Dodgers begins this weekend, possibly enabling the Halos to get things rolling, finally.

Is it just me or is it absolutely brutal to watch a Giants game anymore? This team has absolutely nobody in the line-up to assist Barry Bonds. The fact that pitchers keep treating Bonds as if he were the home run hitting machine of old is incredible. Yet, Bonds is literally the only hitter in their entire lineup that can hurt you so why wouldn’t you continue to walk him in scoring, or game tying situations. With Moises Alou back on the DL, it would take Bonds another ten years to hit the 36 home runs needed to tie Hank Aaron’s record.

Will Eric Gagne prove to be the next casualty in the War on Steroids? Seriously, ever since the Palmeiro bust, Gagne has pretty much been a bust. Somehow, someway, the Dodgers need to drug induce another team’s GM and dump him in a player swap because something tells me Gagne will never be the same now that he’s not using

The Weekend Ahead

This weekend should provide for some exciting inter-league baseball match ups. For many, baseball doesn’t start until July 4th, or even after the All-Star Game, and both dates are right around the corner. Hopefully, I’ll get the opportunity to swallow a 12-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon and catch some games this Sunday for a change.

For you soccer hooligans France and Brazil, and England and Portugal square off this Saturday. If either of those matches is as dramatic as today’s Germany/Argentina penalty kick thriller, then we’ll all be in for a treat.

If you’re really bored, Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns fights this Saturday.

Enjoy the warm weekend and all the sporting events that make the days ahead so great. See you next week!

The Friday Fizz

June 24, 2006

After a long and arduous workweek, it’s easy to forget what’s transpired in the sports world in recent days and what sporting events lie in wait on the weekend. So, the Friday Fizz is here to remind you that life is not all about TPS Reports and moody bosses. Life, for most men, is about sports, women and sex, and not necessarily in that order. So, without further ado, the following is my weekly riff of newsworthy notes that you and the boys can use as fodder for happy hour talk over a couple of pints:

The World Cup

After three games and an unimpressive 0-2-1 record, the U.S. is officially Ghana with the Wind. So, with the first game of the tournament having kicked off a few weeks ago my interest in soccer officially lasted 16 days, 23 hours, 35 minutes, and 27 seconds. I do have a few parting observations, though, as we bid farewell to the Americans. First, I sincerely hope this is Reyna’s final game on our national team. During his tenure, he has managed to lead us to only one significant win in eight years, the 2002 World Cup victory over Mexico in the first game of the elimination rounds. Second, Dempsey and Beasley are two of our best players, yet they were used sparingly during this tournament. The two combined on an amazing goal in today’s game against Ghana, Beasley’s goal to put us up 2-1 over Italy was the goal that was called back, and Dempsey had several shots on goal against the Italians that challenged their goalie. Third, Mark Cuban should buy our national team so he and Coach Bruce Arena can throw up their arms in disgust at bad calls by the officials, or sit back in their chairs with arms folded and faces pouted. If you think about it, this is a match made in heaven.

College Football

The Big-10 Conference recently signed a 10-year contract extension to have their games televised on ESPN and ABC. Great…10 more years of Minnesota versus Purdue games in that awful, dank and dark dome the Gophers play in. For me, this ensures that I’ll still be able to do yard work and run errands on Saturday mornings between the ending of the College Game Day show and the 12:30 west coast kickoffs for SEC and Pac-10 games. More importantly, this will most likely help preserve my marriage for another decade since it will appear to my wife that I am capable of detaching myself from college football every now and again.

Baseball

Oregon State is playing North Carolina for the NCAA Championship this weekend. The more I read that sentence the more improbable it seems that college baseball’s crown can be worn by a Beaver come Monday night.

What’s the deal with Ozzie Guillen? There’s colorful and then there’s stupid. He makes a gay reference about journalist Jay Marrioti then justifies his remark by claiming that in his country what he said means something else. Uhmm…you’ve been a part of Major League Baseball in the States for nearly 20 years. What country are you referring to, Ozzie? Do you think we fans are dumb enough to believe that you are oblivious to the sensitivity people in the U.S. are to racial and sexual orientation epithets? Please…

If you haven’t read my article titled, “Baseball’s Unwritten Rules Turn Grimsley,” you should give it a quick glance because the suspension of Guillen for ordering his pitcher to hit two Cardinals batters during a game this week is exactly why the unwritten rules must not only be adhered to but at the very least, respected. Now that Bud Selig has set yet another ridiculous baseball precedent (i.e. “Let’s end the All-Star Game in a tie”) by approving the suspension of Guillen, I fully expect baseball to launch an investigation into every manager’s, pitcher’s and catcher’s intentions when a batter is hit by a pitch. Seriously, does baseball really think that Guillen is the first manager to order a high and tight pitch on a hitter in a similar situation? If so, they’ve got more serious issues to deal with than finalizing the sale of the Washington Nationals.

NBA

Dwayne Wade is better than Kobe Bryant. There, I said it. All other stats and skills aside, what defines Wade’s superiority over Kobe for me is that during Kobe’s championships, Shaq was in his prime and played great in winning three straight NBA Finals MVP awards. Shaq was Superman. In this year’s playoffs, Shaq was more like Mighty Mouse. He scored less than 10 points in two games. For a man who averaged 30-plus in four previous Finals Series, the proof is in the pudding. He played well in spots, serving more as a role player instead of THEE player. Wade on the other hand was simply phenomenal. It’s as if he went into Shaq’s locker and stole his cape. During the Finals, his stat sheets read more like Lotto tickets. In Game 6 alone, his stat line read: 36-10-5-4-3. That’s 36 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocked shots for those scoring at home. Incredible! In Kobe’s second season with the Lakers, he was shooting air balls against Utah. In Wade’s second season, he was one game from leading his Heat to the Finals before getting injured in Game 5 against the Pistons. This season, Wade’s body held up and in return, he helped the Heat hold up the championship trophy ON DALLAS’ COURT.

There seems to be a wave of momentum building up against Nowitzki now that his team lost four straight games. Sure, he missed some key free throws in Games 3, 4 and 6 and he couldn’t match Wade’s superstar performances, but he still played great. People want to say that Nowitzki choked. That he was soft and Wade was hard. That Nowitzki is a star and Wade is a superstar. This all may be true, but think about this. Nowitzki dropped 29 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, dished out 3 assists and had 2 blocks in Game 6. If Jason Terry, Josh Howard, and Jerry Stackhouse had not gone a combined 17 for 54 from the field, then perhaps Dallas would have won and perhaps Nowitzki’s own stellar performance would not have been overshadowed. Furthermore, as my buddy Jeff pointed out, if Terry had nailed the game tying three pointer at the buzzer and Dallas went on to win in overtime, Wade, as great as he played, would have been considered the goat after having missed those two potentially clinching free throws with seven seconds to go in regulation.

The Draft is this week and today the NBA released the names of the 15 individuals who will be present backstage, waiting for their names to be called so they can shake hands with Cuban’s mortal enemy and then sit in horrified silence as Stuart Scott from ESPN drops one Booyah after another during an awkward interview. My guess is that Arkansas junior guard Ronnie Brewer, projected to go as high as number seven to the Celtics, will be the player who slips into the middle of the first round and has to spend the moments leading up to every selection pretending to talk to his agent on his cell phone while internally praying that the embarrassment and misery of not getting selected when he should have will finally and mercifully come to an end.

The Weekly Wildcat

The Weekly Wildcat
June 20, 2006

(The Weekly Wildcat will appear each week on Tuesdays as part of a running series, updating Wildcats supporters on the sports happenings at the University of Arizona)

I don’t ever intend to bring religion into this weekly report but God bless football and basketball. With the NBA Finals hinting at a Game 7 in Dallas and the league’s amateur draft looming ahead, men’s basketball has been brought to the forefront with the recent re-enlist of Mustafa Shakur after passing on the opportunity to play pro ball a season early. While many fans are tired of Shakur and his three relatively unsatisfactory years at the point for UA, I firmly believe that his presence on the floor next season may provide our school with one of those shining moments. So, let’s take a deeper look.

Men’s Basketball

You can never put a tangible value on a senior point guard in college. The formula for winning the NCAA Tournament is not an exact science but it seems to boil down to one of three factors: A young, talented team that is so green to the tournament that they don’t know any better except to win (see Florida and UCLA from last season); a senior laden team that has been there, done that, and simply outclasses a younger team (see Mateen Cleeves’ Michigan State championship team); a player who gets hot at the right time, becomes an unstoppable force, and puts a team on his back while carrying them to the championship (see Danny Manning, Miles Simon, Carmelo Anthony and next year’s Ohio State team with seven foot freshman recruit Greg Oden).

Although UA is still relatively weak on the inside, if you look closely, our team possesses players from all three categories. Shakur and Ivan Radenovic provide us with senior leadership and should be two of our primary contributors. Marcus Williams is definitely a Climb on My Back and I’ll Take Us Home kind of player. Chase Budinger has all the tools to be a freshman sensation and is more than capable of duplicating the kind of tournament performance Williams displayed last year, filled with youthful exuberance and fearlessness. Then there’s Jawann McClellan, a bona fide ‘X’ factor that, if healthy, should provide us with Hassan Adams-like numbers. If Kirk Walters can give us eight and eight a night, we’re looking at six players that are going to be tough to beat. Add into the mix long-armed J.P. Prince, defensive stopper Daniel Dillon and all-around hustlers Fendi Onobun and Mohamed Tangara and things start to look even better.

The key, though, is for this team to mesh as one. Last season was a complete disaster. Forget about the two well-played NCAA games. Any team can get up for those. The season as a whole was defined by selfishness both on and off the court. Furthermore, cancer bugs like Chris Rodgers have no place in UA athletics. I’m sure he’s a great person, but he is clearly misguided. Plus, he and Coach O are both Psychology majors. That’s like trying to push two magnets together. Fortunately, Chris is gone and if our boys can put the T-E-A and M back in Team, we’re going to be a tough squad to beat next season.

Football

I almost wept this morning when I read this headline in the Tucson Citizen, “Back Picks UA over USC.” I mean, seriously, have you ever seen anything more beautiful that doesn’t involve a sunset, some wine, and a girl you’re trying to bed. Nicolos Grigsby, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound running back from St. Paul High in Santa Fe Springs, California pledged Monday to UA and in doing so, turned down USC and Oregon. Other schools Grigsby was considering included Miami, Arizona State, Washington and Utah. John Moredich reports that USC was selling Grigsby on the idea that he would be USC’s next Reggie Bush in that they’d play him all over the field, creating as much open space for him as possible. My goodness, the thought of UA with our first outstanding tailback since, dare I say, Chuck Levy, makes me happier than a dog with two peckers.

Football skills aside the best thing about Grigsby, though, is his name. Let us not forget that some names are destined for greatness and Arizona for so long has had so few. For us guys, having a great name can be the difference from you sinking a put to win the Masters or pulling a Carl from Caddyshack and pretending your playing the 18th hole at Augusta while tearing apart a flower bed with a hoe. Simply put, having a great name puts you on the fast track for stardom just like having a great name for women can help men gauge your “hotness” level without ever seeing you. Think about it, have you ever met a Carmen, Caitlin or Justine who is not just hot, but smoking hot? Now, think about the times you met a Diana or a Judy. For men, we see a name like Braeylon or Adonis and we automatically think athlete. Grigsby has one of those defining names. Let’s hope finally having a great name-guy in our backfield translates into more wins.

By the way, my buddy Scott Gordon recently had a baby boy and named him Camden. Camden Gordon, an absolutely great sports name. Scott and his wife Heather’s understanding of what really is in a name virtually guarantees Camden that he’ll be starting at quarterback for Notre Dame or Arizona in 2024.

Did You Know?

-More than 90 Wildcat athletes have competed in the Olympics? Seven won gold medals at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

-UA’s intercollegiate athletics program consistently ranks among the nation’s top 10 each year in overall performance on the playing fields and courts.

That’s all for now…please visit my site each Tuesday for the latest edition of The Weekly Wildcat. Until then, Bear Down!

Baseball's Unwritten Rules Turn GRIMsley

Baseball’s Unwritten Rules Turn GRIMsley

Jason Grimsley’s recent admonition about drug use in baseball and his subsequent 50-game suspension launches us into the next chapter in the sport’s storied history of dealing with players cheating to gain a competitive advantage. Whether we’re discussing Pete Rose gambling on games he managed while with the Reds or debating the validity of Barry Bonds’ home run accolades in light of his suspected steroid use, the art of revealing something without really revealing anything is as much a part of the game as doctoring the ball, stealing signs, and breaking up double plays. Unfortunately, for baseball and its players who need to face their families and wives at night, this onetime practiced art of adhering to the game’s unwritten rules is losing steam as more and more players are airing their dirty laundry to Joe Public on a regular basis.

Today, many argue that the claims Jose Conseco made in his tell all book of yesteryear have been validated and he himself vindicated from the abuse he took from so many for spilling the beans on one of baseball’s biggest locker room secrets. What they won’t say is that although he may have been right, sometimes being right and doing the right thing is not always the right thing to do. In writing his book about steroid use in baseball, whether he was being truthful or not, Conseco broke baseball’s golden rule: What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. No wait…that’s incorrect. What happens in the locker room stays in the locker room. A rule that could be amended to also include, what happens on the road stays on the road.

For those who think collegiate and professional sports are played by Christian fairing men who should serve as role models and father figures to today’s youth, grow up. Like Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio often says, big time sports are big boy sports. The same rules that apply in Little League aren’t even existent at the Major League level. If they were, strike zones would be wider than Roseanne Barr, fans would eat taco boats out of Fritos bags, and every player, including the bullpen catcher, would get at least one at bat and one inning in the field. Pro athletes are paid to produce and when the rewards (high salaries, bonuses, and worldwide fame) greatly outweigh the punishments (slap on the wrist fines and suspensions) players are going to cheat to get ahead and the question is should we really blame them? After all, the fans are partially to blame. Three years ago we fans were ready to anoint Bonds as the second coming of Christ. Now, we’re cursing him in the stands and putting hexes on his family in the basements of our homes for becoming the player that we, in part, helped create.

Conseco broke baseball’s golden rule and look what’s happened since. The BALCO scandal, Bud Selig’s constant tweaking of steroid suspension policies, the involvement of Congress, Mark McGwire’s refusal to testify, Rafael Palmeiro’s embarrassing testimony and fallout from the game, the disappearance of Sammy Sosa, and the ironic twist of all ironic twists: Amidst all the speculation, Barry Bonds still remains in the Clear. So, while Sosa joins Stan Van Gundy and Jimmy Hoffa on the “Where Are They” list, Bonds hit number 717 last night and although the sports world generally hates him today, until there is tangible proof of his violation of baseball’s drug policy, we must honor the fact that he is one of the greatest power hitters of all-time.

Truth be told, baseball can’t afford another player challenging its unwritten rules. Athletes may have to resort to Marine-like tactics and dish out Code Reds when a guy like Conseco opens his mouth the next time around or when a player like the White Sox’s Sean Tracy refuses to throw at a batter after being instructed to do so by his manager, Ozzie Guillen.

Before I get to this baseball atrocity, let me provide a quick rundown of some of the game’s most evident unwritten rules:

1) The Golden Rule (may Conseco be damned)

2) Talking to a pitcher during a no-hitter. This in short, is a no-no. Pitcher’s in the midst of a perfect game or no-hitter should be treated as if the team doctor just diagnosed them with Bubonic Plague. Furthermore, the mere utterance of the words “no-hitter” by any team player should automatically warrant the aforementioned Code Red.

3) No bunting in a no-hitter after the 5th Inning. The San Diego Padres’ Ben Davis did this a few years back against Curt Schilling and the Diamondbacks when Schilling had a perfect game going with one out in the 8th. Davis successfully bunted for a single and single-handedly leapfrogged his name to the top of baseball’s Bad Karma list. Reports that D’Backs Manager Bob Brenley called Tony Soprano to put a contract on Davis’ head have not been confirmed. Nor has it been confirmed whether or not Brenley at the time was aware that Tony Soprano was merely a fictional character played by James Gondolfini. Either way, in the eyes of baseball purists, the argument could be made that a hit on Davis would have been justified under the circumstances.

4) Never steal a base in a blowout after the 6th Inning. This rule applies to everyone except Ricky Henderson who after being caught playing cards in the clubhouse during the closing innings of a playoff loss with the Mets proved that he has absolutely no clue what rules or boundaries are.

5) Never show up a pitcher. Nothing in baseball will warrant a 95 mph heater striking you in the ear hole quicker than showing up any pitcher at any time, but especially after hitting a home run. Enjoy your moment, but do so in a timely manner typically defined by a confident yet brisk jog around the bases. Rule 5a) If you do show up a pitcher and later get a fastball whizzing by in the vicinity of your head, you have no right to charge the mound. Consider things even and move on. If you do charge the mound, you better bring you’re A-Game or else you run the risk of not only breaking a cardinal unwritten rule, but looking like Robin Ventura being manhandled by Nolan Ryan in the greatest I Think I’ll Go Out and Get My Ass Whipped in Front of a National TV Audience move of all-time.

6) When a key player on your team gets hit by a pitch, it’s your entire pitching staff’s responsibility to then bean a key player on the other team, which brings us full circle to Tracy’s despicable actions last night.

This Tracy/Guillen story is making headlines because Tracy was not only pulled from the game immediately following his refusal to hit Hank Blalock but was also informed later that night that he’d been demoted back down to Triple-A. An emotional Tracy could be seen in the dugout with his jersey covering his face after Guillen gave him the better half of his mind and you know what, rightfully so. Just like written rules, what’s the benefit of having an unwritten rule if no one’s going to follow it? In baseball, more so than any other sport, the unwritten rules are absolutely necessary. Tracy needed to hit Blalock. His personal morals or feelings had to be put aside for the betterment of the team. His team needed to know that he had their backs. The oldest cliché in sports, there is no I-in-Team, applies here. Guillen had to know whether this rookie was a “me” guy or a “team” guy and Tracy proved that at this point in his career, he wasn’t ready for big boy sports. With one of the White Sox’s best players, A.J. Pierzynski getting hit not once but twice in the game, the Sox had to respond and Tracy instead was non-compliant and it not only cost him a spot on the roster but it lost him the respect of his teammates who understand that at times in life the adherence to unwritten rules take precedence over written rules, societal laws, morals, personal beliefs and anything else your Little League coach taught you when you were 10 and still blowing bubbles with wads of Big League Chew.