College Basketball Trivia

Isn't it a shame that pro sports has been sullied by filthy lucre while college sports remain so pure?

(Pause)

Okay, I've returned from laughing at my semi-clever and ironic comment. (Okay, it wasn't really that funny... but still...). I did intend to post about college basketball, but I am curious as to whether or not any of you have thoughts about the Cameron Newton situation at Auburn? Until more evidence comes out either way, it really is all based on hearsay. And if he is innocent of any wrongdoing and this is all some bizarre plot to discredit Newton, it probably is an even greater sign of how sick college sports is right now and how far beyond reform it is. But that doesn't mean that I can't love college sports.

On Friday night, Michigan State, who was ranked in the top 5 for almost everyone who issued preseason college basketball rankings and advanced to the Final Four last year, took on Eastern Michigan University. As expected it was a blowout, the Spartans won by thirty points. But there were some notable points.

Eastern Michigan's Brandon Bowdry had 32 points (although he did go 10 for 28 from the field) and had 15 rebounds. He has made most news outlets preseason All-MAC team. From all that I have read about him, he kind of reminds me of Brandon Hunter, the Ohio University player who got drafted in the second round by the Boston Celtics in 2003. Bowdry might be a player to keep an eye on this season and if his team is able to make any headway in the postseason, he might land on some NBA teams' list of potential second round draft picks.

Eastern Michigan also has a 6'10" 285 pound sophomore starting at center. And as has been said many times, you can't teach size. But if Friday night is any indication Matt Balkema has a long way to go before he is a pro prospect. He had all of 2 points and 1 rebound in 12 minutes. At that rate, he might not be starting for Eastern Michigan very long.

Speaking of problems with college sports, Kentucky is most likely going to have to do without European big man Enes Kanter unless they win their appeal with the NCAA. And it is presently far beyond my cognitive abilities to ascertain the intentions of the NCAA.

Blog Possibilities and Thought(ful/less) Responses

The concept of changing the name to the blog to make fun of folks who run to South Beach.  Maybe we go with a broader idea?  Something that pokes fun at egos and insane trash talk ("you, sir, are a cancer to your team and to the league")?

I have promised to make this less of a Cleveland-related blog, so will quickly reply to James' thoughtful responses to my Cleveland rant the other night and then move on to things More Worldly.

Poor Jason Garrett.  He doesn't stand a chance now.  Although, he was the highest paid Assistant Coach in the league for the last few years.  He'll make it through.  Bet he wishes he took the Ravens job...

If Hillis is done, the Browns' running game is done.  Mike Bell has looked--past his prime this year.  The holes the Browns create aren't large enough for someone who can't either run over people (as Hillis did) or dodge people (as ostensibly Hardesty can do, when he's not injured).

I'm not too proud to say that if LeBron changed his mind in four years and went back to Cleveland, and actually was contrite about it ("I was young, 25 and stupid"--think Alex Rodriguez's steroids confessions), I'd welcome him back with open arms.  And heck, if he's still capable of putting up 30 on any given night, he doesn't even need to be contrite.  And isn't Isaiah supposed to be a college coach?  Why is he talking about the Knicks?

Our concerns about Colt McCoy (and I think Mike and Billy would agree on this) is that intangibles or not--and I think he's as confident as they come--he's an injury-prone guy.  He can't withstand a full season, I fear.

I like your point about baseball, especially since I think it's due for a broader discussion, but as long as Bud Selig is around--or at least operates as Stubborn Bud Selig--I don't think baseball gets a sustainable boost.  Future polemics against the sport await.

Regarding the lockout, no matter what actually transpires, the possibility of a lockout will loom.  Because if there are two things I know about lawyers, it's (1) that they only do things last-minute and (2) when there's leverage--like the possibility of another league going through a lockout--you really do things last-minute.  Fight. For. Every. Dollar.

New Name for the Blog

How about we rename the blog "Taking My Talents To..." and either leave it at that or add something like "The Interwebs"?

Will,

I have to admit that I have not been much help with renaming the blog. I don't really have a sense of creativity about such things, so I don't even know where to start with suggestions on this question. But, I CAN help by responding to your predictions and asking some questions of my own.

Before I do so, it should be noted that Jason Garrett, an alumnus of the high school that both Will and I attended (and brother of our 9th grade English teacher) was just appointed interim head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. I'm actually surprised that he was just named interim head coach. I thought that the Cowboys were pretty committed to him as the future head coach.

1)I wish I could sympathize with your fantasy football woes, but I gave up hope of being successful in that endeavor a long time ago. That does leave an intriguing question. If Hillis gives out due to injury, then what's Plan B in the backfield for the Browns? Montario Hardesty is hurt. Jerome Harrison is now an Eagle. James Davis was released. (I once thought he was a viable fantasy option.... shudder....) Do you think that Mike Bell can get the job done for the Browns? He was impressive at times last year for the Saints.

2) I actually agree with your prediction about LeBron James and I can't substantiate my agreement with any evidence. It just seems right. At ESPN.COM I read an interview with Isaiah Thomas who apprarently has a burning desire to return to New York as the GM. Does he return there (the man is more resilient than anyone else in pro basketball) and bring LeBron on board with the Knicks? Remember, you heard it here first.

3)I like Colt McCoy. He has all the intangibles that you want to see in a starting quarterback. He's a proven winner, he doesn't melt under pressure and he is smart. So here's my question. Can a quarterback succeed in the NFl if they have all of the intangibles and not many of the tangible qualities that you want to see in a quarterback? What is Colt McCoy's ceiling? Is he another Trent Dilfer in the making? Or does he have greater potential?

(By the way, whenever I hear Colt McCoy's name, I think of my favorite TV Show, Friday Night Lights. Have you ever seen that show Will? Simply wonderful)

4) Sorry, I cannot conceive of a world where the Browns win an NFL championship. Of course I never believed that the Red Sox would win the World Series, so I would not put a great deal of stock in my opinion. My guess is that the Indians will be next among Cleveland sports teams. They have come the closest (oh, Jose Mesa) of all the Cleveland sports teams of the past. Here's another question. Do you think that if there is a lockout in basketball and football that it will help increase the popularity of Major League Baseball?

5 and 6) I'll take your word for the lockouts in both leagues.

I'm not predicting championships for the Cavs and it is certainly too early to be making sweeping statements about the team. But so far this year, I have been really impressed this year with their bench production. In their first 8 games, it seems as if someone has stepped up off the bench and provided a nice boost to the team. I think that if this turns into a long term trend, it could provide the Cavs with an advantage over other teams. This is all contingent on the Cavaliers staying healthy, which in Cleveland sports is never a given.

While we are both native Clevelanders, I agree that this blog should not become another Cleveland sports blog. In view of that, I want to start talking about college bowl season and more college basketball. College basketball of course will give us a great chance to start talking about NBA Draft prospects, big and small at big and small schools.

5 (maybe 6) Non-Influential Predictions on Cleveland Sports

With an eye toward making no predictions that have valuable insight whatsoever.  I do not desire to turn this into a Cleveland sports blog (my good friend at http://www.clevelandfrowns.com has that--and a delightful Cleveland pun--covered), but wallowing in Cleveland sports-oriented self-pity just comes to mind at the moment.

(With only a little more ado, I think we need a new name for this blog.  Ignore the Chalk only really makes sense in the heart of March Madness.  I assume the blame for this naming error.)

1)  The Browns are slowly wearing down Peyton Hillis.  He'll be hobbling in to the (fantasy football) playoffs, which will crush my team.

2)  LeBron won't be playing for the Heat in five years.  He's the next Shaquille O'Neal-type vagabond.  Which is fine if he wins four championships, I spose.  (None in Cleveland.)

3)  Colt McCoy, as much as I derided him and his ability to stay healthy, might end up being a decent starting quarterback.  Better than Vince Young, UT's other golden QB.

4)  Now that the Cavs have no chance of winning the championship in my lifetime, the Browns probably have the next best bet, if only because of parity.

5)  Not that it matters, because the way things look, there will be a lockout in the NFL next year. 

6)  (Bonus)  LeBron will win a championship before the Cavs, but if he doesn't win it this year (thought I think he will), he's going to have to wait until the 2012-2013, 'cause there'll also be a lockout in the NBA next year.

It Begins!!

Greetings all,

For all of you college basketball fans out there, you may want to pay attention to box scores in tomorrow's (Tuesday's) newspapers. Tonight marks the start of the 2K Sports Classic benefitting Coaches v. Cancer. The games don't feature any marquee matchups this week, but next week's round of games at Madison Square Garden featuring Pittsburgh, Illinois, Texas and Maryland should offer a good chance to see some of college basketball's traditional powerhouses. The tournament's format is somewhat interesting. Correct me if I'm wrong, but even if one of the smaller schools pulls off an upset today, they don't advance to the next round. Anyone know the reason for that?

A quick note: I'm excited to be writing here at Ignore the Chalk. In the weeks to come we'll be moving in a new direction and putting some of our ideas to work. We welcome any of your contributions, and please do contribute your opinions by commenting. Have a good day and be sure to take a few minutes out to read the sports page, check your favorite sports website or watch a game at some point today.

I almost forgot

Brandon Marshall is the new T.O., but not in the good way.  And, suspended.

Let us compromise on "some worrying" about the Seahawks

Burleson may be viable, but Seattle's injuries on the offensive line and the fact that Hasselbeck is going to favor Houshmandzadeh on short-to-intermediate routes will keep him mediocre.  And while Jim Mora has said that James will play a "complementary" role, the fact is that Julius Jones is on a short leash, and James is the better pass blocker; Seattle's injuries up front will again be a factor here.  I just don't have a good feeling about either of these guys, especially Jones, who could end up stuck in Committee Hell.  No, thank you.  We're playing to win championships, People.

 

You're right about my irrational love for all things Texas, though.  (Am I getting slogan smack from a "Buckeye"?  Really?)  That said, (1) in our league, there's very, very little in the way of running backs on the waiver wire except handcuffs and lottery tickets, and (2) as handcuffs and lottery tickets go, you could do worse than Jamaal Charles.  I don't think he'll take over in Kansas City (either the starting job or in the more qualitative, "pwning" sense of the term).  Rather, I see his upside as being Jerious Norwood-lite by season's end, and that's enough for me.

 

I'm less committed to Earl Bennett, especially since I own Matt Forte, but he's still worth watching.  (Good point about the weather, though.)  But all things in perspective.  As with this year's rookie running backs, there's decidedly less hype surrounding this year's "sleeper" wide receivers than there was last year.  I'm not feeling another Eddie Royal/DeSean Jackson/Steve Breaston in this group.  You?

 

Grant could see a slight uptick this year, if only because he gets more attempts, but Green Bay's defense needs to improve.  I agree on Minnesota, but I'm not as worried about their downside.  I've got to think that if Favre's one-to-one touchdown-interception shenanigans (read: throwing into triple coverage because I'm a legend) resurface, someone would sit him down and remind him that this is the AP show and Sage Rosenfels--yes, Sage Rosenfels--would love to get some playing time.  I also like Chicago to win the division.  (Note the non-mention of Detroit.)

 

I'm sorry "Man Bear" hasn't taken off, but all "bear"-derived nicknames are precarious, as bears, while fearsome and deadly in real life, can also be considered, however unwisely (e.g., fiction, toys, pet names), cuddly and cute.  It's a sticky wicket.

I wouldn't worry about the Seahawks

Accounts are that Hasselbeck is looking good.  Look, these aren't the days with Steve Hutchinson anchoring the left guard position, but they have to do better than last year.  And TJ Houshmanzadeh (I hope that's spelled right) will help Burleson, especially if he moves into the slot next to Housh. 

And Mike, let's just get this out in the open--you have an irrational love of all things Texas (someone still needs to explain what "Hook 'em" means) to even consider Jamaal Charles as an option, 12-team, 14-team, or 10-team league at this point until he pulls a Sproles.  He's not going anywhere with LJ still on the Chiefs.  They're going to air it out with Cassel for the first month anyway.

Did I miss the Earl Bennett hype?  Who is he?

NFC North--not sure what to say about Ryan Grant.  He had an amazing 1,000 yard season two years ago, duped me in to taking him in the 2nd round last year and then proceeded to all but demand that I (and thousands of others) waive him and admit they mussed up.  RBs in this league are becoming too flash-in-the-pan--LT (our generation's LT) was the last great consistent dominant RB.  If Peterson can be a top 5 back next year I'll be surprised.  Wear and tear just kills backs. 

That said, Chicago probably wins the division.  I'm highly skeptical of Childress's decisionmaking as the Vikings' coach, and not sure he'll really know how to effectively balance Favre's aggressiveness--read: limit it--when he has Adrian "Man Bear" Peterson (still trying to popularize it as a nickname, not working).  And if Minnesota goes south they'll go south hard.  Although Minny opens up against the Browns, which is as good a place to open as anywhere.  Chicago's slow-paced running attack and Lovie Smith's stern coaching style will keep Cutler in check.  I'm not sold on their receiving corps but you can't use receivers in Chicago in December/January.

Green Bay is interesting but I'm not sure why the love for Rodgers.  Excellent "rookie" season last year especially under pressure but they were still a 6-10 team.  I'm not shocked if Green Bay wins but they need to prove something first.

And Detroit?  C'mon.

(How great is it when an team is relegated to "c'mon" status--as in, really, we're discussing Detroit?)

So, I'd say, Chicago 11-5, Minny 9-7, GB 8-8, Detroit...ugh...3-13.  'Cause someone's gotta lose.

This is what happens when you invest in a Seahawk

The offensive line falls apart, Edgerrin James tanks Julius Jones's value, and my late-round Nate Burleson flyer pick looks dumb(-er). At least I wasn't the only one.

Solution (under the circumstances): drop both, pick up Earl Bennett and Jamaal Charles. The former is already a trendy flyer, but the latter? Well, that is what happens when you play in a twelve-team league. Every team has value, but unlike last year's ten-team league, there aren't many teams with enough value to entertain a wide variety of trade offers. I'm new to twelve-team leagues, of course, so maybe things will pan out differently over the course of the season.

Anyway, what of the NFC North? Green Bay learned that Ryan Grant is capable only of situational greatness and is likely to keep relying on Aaron Rodgers's arm. Meanwhile, Chicago, Minnesota, and Detroit all received upgrades at quarterback to complement dominant-to-viable rushing threats. Who wins this division? What should we expect fantasy-wise?

By the way, Knowshon Moreno notwithstanding, I stand by UST Numero Uno: Never trust a running back from Denver or New England.

Re: [Ignore The Chalk] Dunkaholic

If I'm Jordan Crawford, I also make sure my grandkids never see this "lost footage." Talk about much ado about nothing. With the kind of hype that was surrounding this video, I was (justifiably) expecting crotch-in-face action. Instead, we get something that, yes, is LeBron getting dunked on, but he's defending from the side rather than one-on-one, and there isn't a whole lot of contact, if any. As annoying people like to say, there is no there there.

Yes, it is still July.

Dunkaholic

Well finally we have a clear picture of LeBron getting dunked on. I'm not sure how he'll get over this.

Anyway, I'd like to say I'm somewhat disappointed in the media.  Surely it didn't take over a week to get this footage?  No one else had a camera phone there? C'mon.  Yes, Nike "confiscated" the main video, but I was deeply afraid this was going to turn into the latest grassy knoll.

"Did Jordan Crawford really dunk on him, or was there a second person involved?"

If I'm Jordan Crawford, I'm telling my grandchildren I dunked on LeBron.  But if I'm in the media, I just admit that July is the slowest sports month of the year and move on.

Also, one more request of the media--please stop with the hokey puns--if I see one more "Le-" prefix like "LePosterized," I'm going to flip.

It's just frustrating

The lack of a clear #1.  If MJD can be a #1 pick--even in leagues with high PPR--there's something wrong with the running back system in the NFL (at least from a fantasy perspective).  I like Peterson as a #1 but he absolutely killed me when I drafted him in the 7th round as a rookie two years ago when he failed to put up any points down the stretch--I would have been as well off starting Barry Sanders.

 

I like Brady as well.  The problem is even if Belichick has faith in him, we don't know how Brady will do coming back from injury.  How much will it take for his knee to pop again?  He's not a mobile guy so you're not looking for Donovan McNabb rushing numbers out of him (before McNabb morphed into Byron Leftwich in his 30s) but he does need to be able to stand and drop back to throw.  Additionally, because Cassel's gone, I don't know if you can trust anyone in the Patriots' offense (because really, if Brady is done, can whoever's backing him up now perform as well as Cassel did down the stretch? if he can, every team in the NFL should look to pay Belichick $20 million/year for him to coach their franchise. it's ridiculous.).

 

I'd like to remind you that you Stole Drew Brees From Me.  I was there a few years back for Brees' first season in NO, when I bet on him as the Great White Hope.  I'm fine without Brees although I will take him if he's available.  There's another guy I have in mind as my Great White Hope this season.

 

I agree on IDPs.  By the way, if we're going to have IDPs, why not add punters to the mix?  What about dedicated kick returners and punt returners?  And what about coaches (gauging them on challenges won--would be a neat kicker)?  How can we make this game as authentic as possible?  If you're playing fantasy football, it should be fantasy football--not fantasy offense.

Re: [Ignore The Chalk] Fantasy Football - We need Hank Williams...

The Peterson question depends on whether you play in a points-per-reception league. If so, Maurice Jones-Drew and possibly Matt Forte are also contenders. If not, I do think he's this season's clear #1 pick. Maybe not as clear as some #1 picks of seasons past, but in a season like this one, where you could make a case for taking Chris Johnson at #2, he's as clear a #1 as there is going to be. Part of this, though, is inertia. Peterson was a very highly touted prospect coming out of high school and college. As we've learned from football's other grand stab at rankings (college football), once you start out highly ranked, you get the benefit of the doubt until you do something to lose, or don't do enough to maintain, that ranking. Peterson still has the benefit of the doubt--in my mind and in general.

Tomlinson is potentially a third rounder. People may still reach for him the way they reached for Shaun Alexander before him, and like Alexander, he may reward them off and on. But he could be this year's Joseph Addai (who is himself potentially a fifth rounder).

Brady, on the other hand, still has plenty of mileage left and a team deeply commited to bringing back the Tom Brady Air Show. The question is simply how long until we can all feel secure, under the circumstances, about that knee. The staph infection didn't help. But if Belichick is comfortable riding with him (and shipping Cassel), so am I.

Nevertheless, my sentimental pick is Brees since he won me a league championship. Which means Will will draft him in Round 2 just to spite me. (Rest assured, the Theft of Patrick Willis of 2008 has not been forgotten.)

Speaking of which, why hasn't everyone jumped on board with individual defensive players? Playing in an IDP league is akin to driving standard. Once you learn how to do it, you wonder how you ever called what you previously did driving/fantasy football.

Fantasy Football - We need Hank Williams...

...if only he can ask us if we're ready for it.

 

With fantasy football season only about 45 days away (well, the draft at least), I figure it's time to gear up this blog for what i sure to be the most entertaining time of the year--the glorious confluence of college football, NFL football, and last but not least, fantasy football. 

 

Let's get things started--here are my questions for you guys:

 

1)  Does Adrian Peterson deserve to be as clear a #1 pick as people think?

 

2)  Where does the "over the hill" LaDainian Tomlinson go?  Is there any way he's not a first rounder?

 

3)  Speaking of falling from grace, what about Tom Brady?  Have Drew Brees or Peyton Manning eclipsed him?  What about the immortal Matthew Stafford?

 

(Not that I'm trying to glean your preferences, since we are in the same league--cast those aspersions aside, if only for the blog's sake.)