I Don't Have Time For Your Vacation

Horrible weekend for the Cubs. I mean, they played poorly, the White Sox played well and the result was the complete 180' of last weekend. The White Sox played well, took advantage of average pitching and hit the ball out of the park. That will help you win. Having the Cubs run themselves out of two innings last night doesn't hurt either.

But last night almost seemed pre-determined. That was the most poorly umpired game I've ever seen. I mean, how many calls did those kids miss?

Lou should have been thrown out for arguing balls and strikes. I suppose. According to the rules. But when two umps absolutely BLOW a call that was CLEARLY a swing, Lou has every right to push the envelope. I mean, that wasn't close. You and I both know it.

Then, this low and outside strike to right-handed Cubs hitters was absurd. Unfortunately, K-Zone was not happening due to how fast Mark Buehrle works a game, but I can think of between 5-10 instances when in a one strike count, that pitch was called a strike, which totally changes the at-bat. The Cubs got the benefit of the doubt a couple of times, but nothing like the Cubs did. The one time K-Zone was utilized on the Sean Gallagher curve ball that wasn't even borderline but a clear strike, was completely missed. And Ronny Cedeno was safe. Noticeably.

Joe Morgan reported that two of the crew-members were on vacation and replaced by minor league umpires. Is this serious?

I mean, Umps work six months a year. They more or less get paid to pay close attention to watching baseball games. They get to travel to the best cities in the country for three hours of work a night. Then, they take vacation and allow amateur umps to decide games?

This is ridiculous. Almost as bad as Phil Mickelson needing a vacation from golfing. But this is pretty bad. I mean, I would love to take my vacation to ump a game. Wouldn't you?

There's no excuse for this. I'm sorry but I don't see the need for umps to need vacation. They have six months of it after the season. I mean, granted, Lou Pinella took a small leave of absence yesterday, but what if managers needed a vacation mid-season? If umps are apparently entitled to time away, why aren't managers and players? What if Jose Reyes just took a week off to hit Vegas? Seriously.

If it's too hard, don't be an ump. Find another job. Just like having a AAA player is a downgrade from a major leaguer, an AAA ump is just the same. They aren't big leaguers and shouldn't be expected to call games like a big leaguer. MLB needs to find a way to keep the game professional at all times. Last night was embarrassing.

Thank You!

All I have to say is this:

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140879/index.htm

Women and "Dancing" Fans Beware

As we all know, Green Bay is going to be a different place this fall. Life in Titletown is going to be without #4, something that most of us aren't ready for.

Maybe we aren't ready, but some of us are moving on. I personally like the direction the Packers are going. I think that Aaron Rodgers really is a good fit for the offense and though they are losing the greatest ever, I think they are getting a very nice and serviceable replacement who's really going to be a game manager.

Allegedly, Jason Taylor doesn't see it that way.

Taylor, once of NFL Defensive Player of the Year fame, now of "Dancing With The Stars" fame, has reportedly said that he doesn't want to be traded to Green Bay. Taylor, a premier pass rusher, isn't into the concept of leaving the worst team in the NFL to go to a contender. Interesting?

Well, first of all let's get this out there. Taylor has spent his entire career in Miami, but recently could care less about the Tuna led front office. So I don't see this as being a loyalty thing. What we do know is that Taylor is looking towards the future and hit commentating, acting, show-tuning career that apparently is waiting for him post football.

Taylor has pretty much said he wants to be in a big market so that he can keep his face in the news. So people see him around and his image is strong for his post football career paths. So Green Bay, without Brett Favre according to the Taylor camp is not really what he's looking for.

There are two sides of this. Both the irony and the fact that Taylor needs to get out of the league now. Where should we start.

Taylor is going to get himself critically injured if he keeps talking like this. Probably by a teammate. I mean, Chad Johnson is bad for a team, other receivers are bad for teams, but this guy not only doesn't care about winning and rings, he cares nothing more than about his image. Sure, he's a good looking cat according to my finance and mom, but football is the ultimate man sport. Whatever you do afterwards is irrelevant on that field. He's giving other players a reason to make a run at him. He's making a mockery out of the NFL and his current team is going to be the first to let him know.

But since apparently he doesn't want to play in Green Bay, who knows what will happen. Sure, Green Bay is the smallest market of any professional sports town, right? If not it's close. Either way, Green Bay, though the smallest, gets more media attention per capita than any other team in probably the world. In the NFL, the only teams that will get more attention that the Packers are the Giants and Cowboys and with Favre gone, Taylor would become the only "superstar" on the most historic team in NFL history. And they're going to be a playoff team. And he's only a private jet away from Chicago. What, is it too cold in Wisconsin for dancing Jason? Can he not keep the same tan?

Taylor has done great things for the community with his fame and fortune, things that can't be overlooked. He, just like most NFL players, gives time, money and foundations which help the needy and these acts of charity get overlooked by the likes of Pacman, Chad, and Jevon Kearse's DUI. Mind you, we hear more about Taylor than anyone else because he probably has more PR people on staff than Terrell Buckley ever did. But when it comes down to it, Taylor has to walk into a locker room and go to battle with ten other guys on his side of the ball in a few months. You think they want to go to battle with a guy who's not all there? And doesn't care about winning? You tell me how long this guy's going to last. Maybe he doesn't care about playing football. Maybe his post-football career is more important. If that's the case he needs to become an actor and stop faking to be a football player because right now, he's wearing a costume on the field, and on the dance floor.

Program Alert #2

The other day I got an e-mail. It was from arguably the most loyal reader of No Owens. She was irritated at the new format. One would think that as a loyal fan, she would take the extra minute of time to read the longer post and attempt to spare my professional career. This wasn't the case. So here is the new format: I'll try to get something together everyday even if it's only a couple of paragraphs. Friday will continue to be more of a feature. Alright? Get back in here.

Few things are bigger than a Cubs/White Sox series. There is so much pride on the line it's almost unsafe. I would imagine that more Chicagoans are arrested during these two weekends for battery than any other time of the year. I also bet more get off due to the color of their day's garb.

But aside from the fact that the Cubs pretty much smacked the Sox in the mouth, which is great, what really happened this weekend?

The Cubs were swept by the Rays in a three game series entering the crosstown match up. In the backs of Cubs fans minds, thoughts of "Is this the time where we fall apart..." thoughts were probably starting to stir. Especially since the White Sox came in just crushing the ball, putting up big numbers and leading the league in pitching.

But the Cubs showed up back on their home field held off the Sox in game one before just abusing them in the second two. Every part of their game was professional and close to flawless. They had quality starting pitching, decent bullpen work and prototype offense, most noted in Saturday's nine run fourth which include single after single. Yesterday they were stealing bases, hitting and running and getting a double play every time they needed one. They looked amazing.

With their backs against the wall, down in the seventh of game one coming off of getting swept, and swept bad, the Cubs dug deep and persevered. Who saw it coming? I don't know. I know that going into any late game situation this year, I've never for a second thought the Cubs were going to lose. They have something extra this year. I don't know if it's the balance in the lineup or the strong bullpen, but there is something else about this team and their ability to overcome.

Let's just see how long that this can last.

If No One Else Will Say It...

I started playing golf when I was in middle school. I'd play a lot actually and got to be halfway decent. The thing about it was that golf was not my number one sport, in fact far from it, but everyone I played with went on to play golf in high school if I'm not mistaken.

There are distinct differences in my golf game today. Today, I don't play as much but enjoy going out on a nice day, throwing back some beers, having a good time with friends, and if I play well that's a bonus. I mean, sure if everything is going really bad, I'll get a little irritated, but the chances of that happening aren't really that high. I can pull something out of the woodworks every once in a while.

When I was younger, I have no idea why I played golf. I mean, I guess I liked it, but I was so competitive with myself that I got pretty mad at everything I did that wasn't exactly what Fred Couples would do. Fred Couples. There's a name for you. See, he was my favorite player, but even when I did something bad, I'd get angry, hit my club on the ground, maybe say something I shouldn't and maybe throw a club if I wasn't with my parents. You never saw someone like Freddy do that.

And then I saw the same immature and really classless actions on TV this past weekend.

Golf is supposed to be a "Gentlemen's" game and I think until you get older you don't really appreciate that.

So why when I turn on the TV to watch the US Open do I see the greatest player in the world throwing clubs, hitting the turf with his clubs and dropping inappropriate language like no one is watching?

Tiger Woods plays golf with a drive that is unmatched by anyone in the game. That's a fact whether you like it or not. I mean, even Johnny Miller was wondering when he was going to get "one of those uppercuts" from Tiger in celebration. He sure got some and rightfully so in what I suppose is a gutsy performance by Tiger, hitting the track on one good leg and winning.

But honestly, what I take away from the tournament is Tiger hitting that shot out of the fairway bunker on 16 or 17, throwing his club and dropping a "GD" bomb on the gallery and the millions watching world wide, and then dropping an "F Yeah" into the camera after making his put on 18 to force the playoff. Not to mention yesterday on Sportscenter he had to get "beeped" out during a conversation with Kenny Mayne.

You know, the thing is, you know Tiger has to know better than this. Or is supposed to. But I just don't think he cares. He doesn't care what you and I think about him. All he cares about is winning majors, making money, and then his wife and kid. Maybe not in that order, but the first one is solidified at the top. But he's Tiger Woods, he can do whatever he wants and he knows it. So who's going to hold him accountable for his classless actions? The PGA? They need him a lot more than he needs the PGA.

Tiger is in an interesting position. We talked about Jordan and Kobe the other week, but Tiger is really the only guy in the world at Jordan's level. And he is as businessman as well as a dominant "athlete." But Jordan was always a class act on the court, unless Reggie Miller was coming after him. Sure Jordan was the biggest trash talker ever, but he did in way that didn't require bad words and you never really noticed anyway.

It's Tiger Woods' world, and we live in it. And I'll have to accept that. But this guy doesn't respect the game of golf. He doesn't play it like a gentleman. Tiger may be the most successful player in the world who does more for his sport than anyone has probably ever done for their's in history. But he doesn't do it respecting the game or doing it the way it was meant to be played.

If Tiger Woods was just a business man worth the hundreds of millions that he is, the best clubs in America wouldn't allow a guy who acts the way he does on a golf course to be their member. They require class and respect, something that Tiger surely didn't show at Torrey Pines last week. I mean, I know it was a public course Tiger, but seriously.

Split Screen

Today, there are two great things to talk about, so for the first time in history, No Owens is going to be an equal opportunity slammer of folks.

As you know, we love Major Championships in golf here at No Owens. For all the "boring" comments golf gets from folks watching on TV, if you really enjoy golf, there are few better sports to watch, and root for on TV.

It's not secret that I root for the course. It's also no secret that I root against Phil Mickelson and his "you know what eating" grin. This year, Torry Pines is the obstacle in front of the players and it's Phil's "Home Course." Must be nice to grow up in La Jolla, eh?

What most people don't understand is that Torrey Pines is a different track than it was when Phil was killing Laguna Nigel High in high school. Earlier this century, Torrey Pines got a face lift so that it could compete with the other big guns to get a US Open. Since then, Phil hasn't played well on the new track, while Tiger seems to win it every time he touches it. So when you sit there and listen to the commentators talk about "Phil's home course" and the expectations around it, just know that it would be like Robin Ventura and "Old Comiskey" and "New Comiskey," two different things.

Also, I'm really not into the Tiger/Phil?Adam Scott lineup thing. It really effects the tournament in my opinion. I think the guys playing around that group are going to have to deal with serious issues with ridiculous fans running around them trying to post in preparation for seeing the big group come through. In my opinion, Tiger and Phil should only play together when the score calls for it. Spread it out, cause for a nice time, but no need for a sideshow.

Finally about the US Open, not to be confused with "The Open" because that's in Great Britain, I'm taking the field. So outside of Tiger, everyone is so good now. Technology is so good now that really on any given day, any of these professionals can shoot 67. That's' how after the first day a rookie and a Nationwide guy can be at the top of the leaderboard. Is golf a mental game? Yeah, but as equipment continues to get better, shot-making is going to get easier and easier no matter what Johnny Miller has to say. I'd like to see an event once a year when players are forced to use wooden drivers and old school Sam Snead Wilson irons. See what happens then.



Sitting there last night, I turned on the basketball game and the Lakers were up 20-7 or something like that. Lamar Odom was just killing everything. The Celtics were getting good looks and shots weren't falling. I just say there and knew that this was going to even itself out.

Baskeball is a game of percentages. You always go with the percentages. And Finals games don't end in blowouts unless it involves Jordan, or the Jazz shooting 65% when Jeff Hornacek is taking 15 shots and making 19 of them. It was only a matter of time before things cooled off and started to come back to the middle.

And they did, in a hurry. So we are going to hear for a few days about the comeback and how it's one of the greatest in NBA Finals history. Yeah, I guess it is, but what happened at the end of the night is the better team won, and both teams came back to Earth, from both sides of the spectrum. Sure there was great drama outside of the combined Oscars of those in the floor seats. Wasn't it funny that ESPN could have cared less about Jada? That was amazing.

So sure it was exciting, but in a game like basketball where percentages are so crucial, are you at all surprised? If you buy into the Kobe thing, maybe. Again, in a game the Lakers should have put away, the NBA's MVP was what, 6-19 for 17 points? The best closer in the game sure got the door slammed on him by the Celtic defense.

Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will get the majority of credit for last night's win. Garnett because he's Garnett and made big shots down the stretch like Pierce, while Pierce led the Celtics in points. The bench play was crucial from Posey and House. But my God, Ray Allen played the game of his life last night. Allen was going up strong for rebounds, coming down with them late in the game after not sitting for the entire 48 minutes. We all know Allen is probably the knockdown shooter in the NBA, but his ability to get to the basket last night gave House and Posey the shots they needed to change the game. And with the game on the line, Allen going to the hole for two of the games biggest shots told everyone watching that no matter who the biggest of the big three is, that night, Allen was putting the Celtics on his back, stepping up and playing the leader. The funny thing, he's been quietly doing it all series.

The Celtics are simply the better team. Better players, better coaches. That's how you win. That's what the Celtics are doing, and it's by no surprise.

Trying To Be Fair

Yesterday was a pretty sad day in the No Owens world. It officially marked the first time in history, barring lockout, that I had officially watched 100% of the NBA Finals and 0% of the Stanley Cup Finals.

However, last night was a pretty strong basketball game and I'm not embarrassed whatsoever to say I watched it and in fact enjoyed it. The game was fairly intense between two strong teams. Paul Pierce played the hero role but really, the best part was Kevin Garnett trash talking with Kobe. In a couple of sequences, Garnett put back that rebound for the slam, said something straight to Kobe, Kobe got fouled, Garnett was talking to Kobe the whole time he was on the line and even gave a slight facial expression acknowledging he heard Garnett, and then after Garnett put down the jumper that pretty much ended the game, Garnett running back down the court saying something about "Him not being able to guard me." I would write what he really said, but that wouldn't be appropriate.

What I didn't enjoy was when Mark Jackson said that "Kobe Bryant is at the same level as Michael Jordan." This debate has been going on in a few circles now, and it's time to get in on it.

As you know, I grew up a Bulls fan, a Jordan fan, and saw him play many times in person. So though it may something from you to get passed my emotions, I'll stick to the facts.

First of all, Scottie Pippen is not in the same league as Shaq. Shaq was a dominant player, still can be, and is one of the greatest centers ever to play this game. Pippen was a great defender, a perfect slasher and could hit a 20 footer when he needed to. He was a great fit for the triangle offense. Pippen was not dominant. This is why Pippen could not carry the Bulls, or any other team, like Shaq did in Orlando and Miami without Kobe. So, when comparing the greatness of Kobe and Michael, remember that Kobe was the second best player on his team for much of his career and failed to make the playoffs his first season without Shaq.

Along those lines, I will give Kobe a lot of credit for emerging this year as a leader. He really has...because he's had to. Why? The Lakers wanted Kevin Garnett but couldn't get a deal done. If Garnett was a Laker, would this be Kobe's team? I would say no. Is this a moot point? Maybe, but was there ever a question as to who's team the Bulls was? Ask Phil Jackson who ran that team...the Bulls I mean.

The NBA was a different league when Jordan played. It was hard. It was tough. Watch these videos:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=mlolzcidq0o
http://youtube.com/watch?v=h_z_68NdbqM&feature=related

There's a reason that Jordan got away with some of the things he did. Not only because he earned the right to get calls, but because he was getting hand checked and pressed all the time. The game was different. When it struggled (because Jordan left) it had to become an offensive minded where fouls could be called for really anything, and are. Points are driven up and players don't play defense like the used to.

But if you watch that second clip, you really see what set Jordan apart from pretty much anyone, on the court. His threat to shoot and score got people open. And he had the vision to find them. There are a few unreal passes he gets in both of these clips, but the second is really what it was all about. On the road, playing a tough, physical team, and doing all of the little things, while scoring 29. Just watching that, he could have gone for 40. But didn't. Facilitated, felt the flow of the game, and took what they gave him.

People really get enamored with Kobe's athleticism. As they should. But remember this, Kobe is listed at 6'6. So was Jordan...and at that time Rodman was 6'8 and Barkley was 6'6. Jordan was maybe 6'5, which still isn't short, but in a game of inches and length, that's a lot. Kobe's bigger, he plays in an open game unlike Michael did which allows for more aerobic type moves. Not like Michael wasn't the most athletic player, ever, or anything.

Kobe came straight from high school. Jordan, won a national championship and effected the game the second he stepped on the court. Kobe, didn't. It took Kobe a while to get into a starting lineup. Aside from the mere fact that Kobe hasn't effected the NBA like Jordan effected...the world...this is the all telling factor.

Watch Kobe play. Watch him shoot. Watch him backpedal. Watch him run. Watch him handle the ball. Watch him talk (yes I said watch). Watch him place wear towels when he's on the bench. Listen to the way he talks. Everything Kobe does is an attempt to replicate Jordan. From all of those things I just listed. He does them EXACTLY like Jordan did. Jordan was the first. He was the revolutionary and until someone can change the game like Jordan did, players, like Kobe, are going to try to be him. It'd be different if Kobe was being himself, transforming the game and how it's played and showing us something new. What he's doing is being un-original.

Look, I'm not saying that copying MJ is necessarily a bad thing. He had a pretty good thing going. But Kobe Bryant could play Michael Jordan in a movie because he does everything EXACTLY like MJ did. Be yourself. Change the game. Open people's eyes. At TheBron plays a different game. TheBron is closer to Magic than he is to Michael, in my opinion. But TheBron, though wearing 23 and doing some ridiculous thing with the powder pre-game, mad famous by Jordan, is at least trying to play it in a new way. Kobe, is a very expensive knock-off of Jordan.

Jordan was a revolutionary. He made basketball a global sport. And all of the hoop-la that went with Jordan came because of one thing: he was the best and greatest ever to play. And everyone knew it and everyone watched it. Until Kobe forges his own path, he'll still be a second/third tier player in the history of the game. And even then will he be Jordan? Time will tell, but right now, he's doing everything he can to be Jordan, not to be greater than Jordan. Best of luck with that buddy.

Also, if you actually listen to these people who talk about how Kobe is on Jordan's level on TV, I don't know what to tell you. You would think Mark Jackson would understand after never beating Jordan in a playoff series during a season in which Jordan played the whole year. Thanks for being bitter, Mark, and Reggie for that matter. Glad to know all of us have the same winning percentage against Michael in the playoffs.

Accountability

Tuesday night I had a doubleheader in flag football. Yeah, that's a scary thought.
Coming home from the absolute scariest place in Nashville I think, I was listening to Rome legend JT the Brick on the radio when they started giving a sort of play by play of the Lakers/Spurs game.
Granted, as you know, I don't really care about the NBA other than the Bulls. But as I was coming home, it was getting more and more interesting. So when I pulled in I ran upstairs to catch the last shot by the Spurs. Or whatever that was.
In case you missed it, Brent Barry had the game of his life and had the shot to win it. Unfortunately for him, and the Spurs, and anyone who likes legit sports, Derek Fisher clearly fouled Barry, but no foul was called. Barry threw up a prayer which Kobe said made him nervous...not sure why...and that was that. No big protest by Barry, or coach Popovich. The Spurs took in like the professionals they are, didn't complain and basically said they had a lot more chances to win that game than on one shot at the end.
Again, unfortunately, the one shot at the end is the only one that counts. Ask MJ. Or the Pacers, Jazz, Cavs, Pistons, Knicks, Lakers, Sonics...you get the point.
Joey Crawford is without question, a wild card. And probably shouldn't be officiating in the NBA. Why you ask? In 1998, Crawford was one of 8 NBA referees charged with filing false income tax returns. An Internal Revenue Service investigation was the result of cash being pocketed by referees when airline tickets provided by the league were downgraded. At the conclusion of a four year investigation, Crawford pleaded guilty on July 1, 1998 for falsely stating income of $82,500 from 1991 to 1993 and resigned from the NBA effective immediately. He would be reinstated by NBA commissioner David Stern in 1999 and did not miss a game due to a players' lockout to start the 1998-99 NBA season. In some circles, we call that stealing from your employer.
So Crawford, made the no call. I mean, it clearly was a foul. Again, I'm no basketball expert but this wasn't rocket science.
Here's what irritates me. After the game, TNT goes to their panel of experts, AKA, guys who couldn't beat Jordan, and the likes of Reggie Miller start discussing how it was a foul, but a good no call because Barry didn't "Sell the Foul." So because, it was a foul, but Barry didn't sell it well enough, he didn't get the call.
Ok. So basically, a pre-requisite now for the NBA needs to be an MBA in Marketing from a reputable school. Because apparently, you have to sell the referees to get calls that are obvious to the commoner. Sure, great players get calls here and there because they've earned them. But just listen to the reasoning to that foul not being called. It's absolutely ridiculous. The NBA also issued a statement that it was a foul and should have been in fact been called, yesterday. That's doing the Spurs a lot of good.
I hate it when the NBA does that. Or any league for that matter. What does that prove? I mean, I didn't need the NBA to admit they were wrong, did you? I mean, I have eyes. It just makes it even that much worse that they admit to having officials who blow calls. "Hey, we're sorry, this guy who stole cash from us just stole the game from you. We didn't see this coming."
This thing has been going on a lot recently. That blown home run call that cost me much needed fantasy points and now this.
Who is holding these people accountable? Often times you hear the argument along the lines of, "Refs/Umps/Back Judges don't want to determine the outcome of the game." Um, if I'm not mistaken, it's the players job to determine the outcome of the game, within the rules set forth. And if a player breaks them, they are to be called for breaking them. Should Jordan have been called for the shove on Bryon Russell? I mean, maybe, but I think more of Russell's falling down had to do with Jordan's crossover than anything. The defense of these officials is just ridiculous. You know what happens in the real world when you screw up that bad? You get fired.
So again, who's going to take the heat? Because someone has to. Is it Stern? Probably not. He doesn't care. He's done great things. He's done some terrible things. His handling, and every commissioner's handling of poor officiating is awful.
Sure they probably make most of the right calls. But just like athletes, officials are going to be judged by what they do at crunch time. Joey Crawford didn't get it done and has quite the record anyway. Oh wait, I forgot, the NBA's rigged anyway so...

New York State Of...

Disaster. That's what's going on in New York. At least in the baseball world.
The Yankees won last night, which is nice. Especially with someone coming up with a big hit. That moved them up to a game out of 4th in the AL East.
The Mets just got swept by the Braves. The Mets are actually in 4th in their division

The Yankees are in a world of hurt. You know what I think about their lineup so I won't go there. But their pitching experiment failed. Miserably. They aren't going to beat people without good pitching. I know they can get hot, and I know they are the Yankees. But this has been going on for too long, for even a team with that payroll. I just don't see them getting out of this hole.

Here's the thing about the Mets though. I think the Mets can turn it around. They just simply aren't performing offensively. They have the pitching that has been alright and probably will get better. They have a better lineup, in my opinion, than the Yankees top to bottom. Well, they should.

The problem with the Mets, in my opinion, is that their manager isn't doing what he needs to in order to get it done. Yeah, he's saying stuff in the media, whatever that means. But he's not doing anything with his lineup. Willie Randolph needs to take care of business on the field first.

Here's my issue. Carlos Beltan is not a cleanup hitter. He just isn't. Beltran's best years came in the 2-3 spots in the lineup. Why in the world would you move this guy around? I don't get it. Beltran is a guy who is one in a million. You don't mess with guys like that. Bobby Abreu is the same way. The guy hits third. It's what he does. So when the Yankees get him, he hits third. Maybe I'm wrong, but my point is that Randolph isn't doing anything to test the waters with the middle of his order, other than moving Carlos Delgado down as he continues to not produce.

But...the Mets have hope. They still have the tools, they just need to get their manager to figure things out as they go. Look at the Tigers. They are killing it right now. But a lot of it is because Jim Leyland is looking to find what works by testing it on the field. That's part of being a good manager. But the Mets are capable, and they are in a division with teams that aren't quite there.

The Yankees, are in trouble. There is nothing they can do from here. Are they going to go out and get pitching? From where? There are teams out there right now that need pitching a lot more than the Yankees do. Why? Because they are in it! The Red Sox are the class of the league. So The Yankees only real shot is at the Wild Card. But to do that, they have to get second in their division, and the Rays (!) are playing too well right now. Sure, they could die off, but say the Yankees go on some ridiculous run and get second in the East. Second in that division isn't going to get the Wild Card, if it's the Yankees being that there will be two 90+ win teams from the Central when it's all said and done.

The question is, when are the Yankees going to accept that this year is not their year? Are they going to trade some of their top prospects for what they need for this year? This year is going to really mean nothing very soon. So when does ego set in for the First Family of the Bronx?

They are in trouble, real trouble. The Mets, well, they aren't looking good, but at least they have a shot at turning it around. Either way, New York is not a great place to be a baseball fan right now.

Weighing In On The New Juice

How come no one until now has gotten in on OJ Mayo being the basketball version of the juice? I guess because no one wants to be associated with murderers? I mean, I don't blame them.

For those of you who haven't heard, OJ Mayo, freshman swingman for USC and formerly (pending on your source) the top high school basketball player in the country is under some serious heat. Allegedly, Mayo had been taking money from a middle man, Rodney Guillory, to the tune of about $200,000 and then a "luxury automobile." Guillory is shadily involved with Bill Duffy Associates Sports Management, which is said to be the backbone behind the money gifts headed Mayo's way. Basically, Guillory is an independent contractor, probably submits a 1099, and leaves no sure evidence that BDA was really behind it. Basically, he's set up to get burned if it goes down. If not, he gets a nice chunk out of Mayo's shoe deal.

You know what's interesting? Look at the top players the past couple of years. I'm thinking about three in particular, Mayo, Michael Beasley and the one armed man from "The Fugitive." All three were considered in some circles the best players in their classes, right? Then what business do these guys have going to USC, K-State, and Ohio State, respectively. If I'm the #1 player in the country, I'm going to UNC or UCLA (I'll get to the Bruins in a moment), no questions asked.

I heard an interesting argument the other day, and I might be changing my view. If you've been reading, you know that I've gone on time and time again about my lack of favor for the senior in high school declaring for the NBA Draft. Personally, there are things I'm learning about myself everyday at 23 and I don't have near the pressure on me that those kids do before they even set foot on a court. I've been to college and learned a lot. I just have a hard time putting those kids in the situation to make a lot of mistakes without the proper guidance.

A guy on the radio the other day made this point. These kids who go to school know they are only going to be there for a year, and that they are only there because David Stern says so. They don't care about college. They don't go to class. And they don't care about the NCAA. So why force these kids to go to school if they don't have to? I mean, you can drop out of high school at 16, right?

OJ Mayo, Reggie Bush, and probably Joe McKnight don't care what happens to USC. They know they're going to the bigs and they're only counting the time until they get paid. So, why not take the cash when they can? If they get caught, who cares? What is really going to happen to them? USC has to do what it can to save the face of the program, and Disney will help that out as best as possible (see the article at the end of this post; think it's a coincidence it came from SI?) and worst case, say Mayo has to give his stuff back. The way our legal system works, he'll have plenty by then.

Where's the problem here? It's USC. They have to know what's going on but they turn their backs. Like everywhere else. I mean, do you think it's just a coincidence that Georgia has been a national power ever since the offensive coordinator from Florida State showed up? Do you think the only thing he taught them was how to run an effective offense?

But now we're dealing with USC. And what is really interesting about USC is the following question: why would you go to USC? Why would you go to USC over UCLA? There is one drawback about the Bruins and that is that they play football off campus. So let's talk football for a second and talk about Reggie Bush, the last big name, from any program, to have this kind of heat.

UCLA had a strong program in the mid-90's with Cade McNown. They lost that game to USC which allowed there to be a FSU/UT Title game. Since then, it's been pretty average there. Why? I think that's about the time that USC kicked it into high gear. Eventually they got their hands on Pete Carrol and in '03 they had their first big recruiting splash with nine top 100 players, including #'s 2,3 (#2 being Bush).

Have you ever been to USC? I've been outside the gates driving passed...during the day thank God. NWA, Dr. Dre, and Snoop have supremely described the area known as Compton should you want to listen to their songs. And USC is smack in the middle of Compton. UCLA, is across the street from Belle Air (give or take). You kidding me? Seriously. UCLA is like three miles from the Beverly Hills Hotel. Maybe more. But it's a straight shot. If I'm Kevin Love, I'm hitting the Polo Lounge post-game like it's my job. I bet Tobey Bailey was.

I know I'm picking on USC. I enjoy it. But frankly, if you think this kind of stuff doesn't happen everywhere, well, I don't know what to tell you. Especially in basketball where guys are one and done. I really just want to believe that Scotty Hopson is coming to the Vols next year to be part of a great team. But...

Sure, this stuff is against the NCAA rules, but as long as there are millions to be made, the millionaires will find a way around the rules. And when they can't beat them, they'll find a new way. It's the way it works take it or leave it. But in order for there to be a real change, the NCAA has to hold the universities accountable, regardless of what they say they know or don't know. Because it's happening on their campus' and, whether the athletes at hand what to believe it or not, to their students. As long as they're on that campus, technically, their first job is to go to school, in the eyes of the institution. And that's where accountability needs to be held, especially since university Presidents have so much say in athletics these days. They need to be accountable, because they have to know. Because apparently SI did, so read the article below from '06.

I can understand that Mayo would want be known more as Mayonnaise than the juice. The Mayo and the other really have a lot in common. They break the rules, and in the end, they'll get away with it.

http://www.sportsline.com/columns/story/9735022

My Mom Was Right...The NBA Is Fixed

Remember the 90's in the NBA? Remember how great it was?

Granted, you know I grew up in Chicago and Bulls games were a way of life. But most everyone will remember the great series that went on between the Bulls and other great teams. The Pacers-Bulls match ups were always tough. The Knicks-Bulls as well and we all know what happened with the Jazz.

Let's face it...the Bulls were better than everyone, by a lot. True, the teams at question were great teams, but is there a coincidence that the Bulls, in most cases, blew everyone out at home and lost close games on the road?

The officiating in those games were pretty terrible. Yeah, Jordan got his calls here and there, but being the best and most important athlete ever will do that.

My mom always said, "These games are fixed." I now believe it. Especially now, the NBA is a flat out joke. There are great players in the league don't get me wrong. But seriously, how many people out there actually sit down and say, "God, I can't wait to watch the NBA Playoffs tonight!"

The NBA needs to have it's games on for publicity, because the average TV watcher is flipping to the game on the commercial of whatever else they are watching. This is probably why they have those crazy schedules this year to get as many games in the spotlight as possible. The NBA needs to have it's games on, so they need more games. What happens? They make it happen.

Back to the 90's. How did that Sonics team going like 6 games or whatever it was with the 72 win Bulls? Sure, critics are going to say, "How many times did the Bulls go to a seven game series?" Frankly, Michael Jordan is better than bad officiating.

Where is this going? The Boston Celtics of this year were the most dominant team in the NBA. Experts don't give credit to anyone in the East, but the Celtics went to the West and had some ridiculous record against the superior conference. The Celtics were the best team. Period.

So what were they doing going seven games with the Atlanta Hawks? The Hawks had no business whatsoever winning a single game in that series. The first couple of games the Celtics blow it out and then it becomes a series? I mean, did the Hawks have a sort of renaissance in the locker room? There is no way, without NBA regulation, that they series should go seven. No way whatsoever. Oh, and in game seven? Didn't the Celtics win by almost 30?

So where does this get to? The Hornets came out and just killed the defending champion Spurs in the first two games of their series. By kill I mean mentally and physically beat down. The Hornets were too fast, too quick, and frankly, too young for the aging Spurs. So what happens last night? Yeah, the Spurs shave about 40 years off their collective ages, come out and rip it up. What do you want to bet that the Lakers lose their next game?

Watch, well, no ones going to watch these games. But I guess check the scores in the paper or online or however you check scores. See if the Lakers win their first road game in their series. See how many series' go 4-5. They won't. The NBA can't have it happen. I mean, the NHL struggles, but at least their games come to legit endings from guys playing hard.

Program Alert!

Lady and Gentleman:
Unfortunately, the real world has caught up to the No Owens staff. As all four of you have probably noticed, the posts are fewer and much further between. As much as I wish this wasn't the case, time is becoming an issue. So my new commitment is to do one post, on Friday, every week. This gives an entire week to digest what's happening and throw it out there and go big on one day. If something should happen post worthy mid-week you may get a treat, but from here on out, plan on Fridays from No Owens.

There are a number of things to plan on as well since college football is a lot closer than you think. I mean, when it's time to pay up for season tickets, you know it's coming at you fast. Speaking of fast, the big question is going to be centered around who comes out of the SEC East. Georgia is the safe pick right now for sure, and rightfully so. At the end of last year, one could argue they were playing better than anyone else. Too bad the Vols put up 28 in the first half on them.

Georgia has a big issue and that's their schedule. Sure, they go to Arizona State early, but let's face it; they have no business losing that game. But that starts quite the run of games (after they play Georgia Southern and Central Michigan) : at South Carolina, at ASU, home against Alabama, Tennessee and Vandy, then at LSU and Florida in the Jax. I mean, seriously. That's pretty bad. Not to mention after that stretch they get Kentucky, then Auburn and GT. Two tough rivalry games to end the year is brutal. Georgia can be as good as they want to be, but that schedule is pretty awful. If they make it through with just one loss, I mean, they need to be playing for the title. I think they are good enough, but that's just too much for anyone to overcome. I think.

So where does that put Florida? The Gators very quietly have a top-heavy interesting schedule. They open with Hawaii and Miami at home before going to Tennessee. They have a nice couple of easy games between UT and LSU, and then between LSU and Georgia. Their schedule is very nicely set up for a shot at it. The question becomes, just how good are they? Sure we know about Tebow and Harvin, and we know their defense is young, untested, and very talented. I just don't see them stopping many good teams early in the season. I mean, Miami is going to be better and as athletic as the Gators. This is a bold statement even for me to make, but Tennessee's secondary is as athletic if not more than Florida's skill position players. Florida has owned Tennessee recently, but this year at home I think the Vols get their first win against Urban Meyer.

I think the East is going to end up like it did last year with three teams tied at the top. I see Tennessee, Georgia and Florida all going 11ish-2. So where does that leave everyone else?

Well, USC and Ohio State play early in the year at the Colosseum. What does that mean? Well Ohio State has no business losing to anyone besides Southern Cal. Aside from USC, they play a soft Big Ten schedule and Michigan is completely a wild card this year. So what does that mean? Ohio State is going to play for another national title this year, and neither you nor I can do anything about it. It's just the nature of the beast. I mean, let's face it, the Big Ten right now is no more competitive than the Big East. How much better is Ohio State than West Virginia? And then after those schools, what is there? Rutgers is about as good as your Michigan States. I'll take South Florida right now over just about anyone outside of Columbus. Again, I'm a Pitt fan and I think their going to surprise some people this year. I mean, the second best team in the Big Ten got run out of the stadium by the best Pac Ten team. They should have been able to compete. USC dominated Illinois like Georgia dominated Hawaii. Luckily, Ohio State has "tradition" on their side.

Then we get to USC. They don't play anyone either. Don't tell that to ESPN though. You know cause ESPN always seems to think that USC has the toughest schedule in America...go back and find my post about the USC/ESPN conspiracy theory if you want more. But they always lose to someone they shouldn't like UCLA or Stanford or Oregon State. So accept that for what it is. So say you've got a 12-1 Ohio State, an 11-2 USC and a bunch of SEC teams with two losses. Where are we?

Hello Missouri. Hello OU. Texas isn't going to be as good and honestly, don't expect the same KU to show up. But there should be a one loss Big 12 team staring down Ohio State when it comes down to it. Unless even they knock themselves off. But I mean, Missouri is going to be tough. Really tough. I don't want anything to do with those guys this year at all. Neither should you. They would do things to Ohio State that are not safe. Not to mention, OU is going to be back strong with Justine Henin at quarterback. I mean Sam Bradford. Yeah, they look exactly alike.

What conclusions have we come to today? None really. But there's a lot to ponder. But it's more fun to think about college football than it is to talk subjectively about the Yankees issues, Roger Clemens, and what exactly is happening in the small markets in baseball. Well, that might be fun, and maybe next week, but we all need a college football kick every once in a while. And oh yeah, like I said, there will never be a playoff in college football, nor should there be.

But it is coming and it's coming fast. Just like Eric Berry. This year's season is going to be full of more stories and controversies than even last year. You just wait for it.

Like Them Or Hate Them, It Is What It Is

Just the other day I was copied on a series of e-mails. These e-mails were about who’s the better baseball player: Manny Ramirez or A-Rod. Those of you who read here often know my take on this situation, at least from my opinion of A-Rod.

Aside from the fact that Manny is just flat out clutch, I went on to talk about Manny and his ability to be a professional hitter. What Manny brings to the table is so much more than the home runs and the RBI’s. His presence makes that lineup what it is. My key comparison between Manny and A-Rod was the following:
Say the hitter in front of each of the players at question leads off the inning with a double. What is the approach at the plate for each player?

This is what differentiates the two hitters. Manny’s thought process is to look to the right side and try to get the runner over at all costs. Sure if he gets a pitch he can crush, he’ll turn on it but his focus is the runner. A-Rod however, is looking to pull a ball down the line to that short porch. That’s even a low percentage play for him. Manny’s game is taking balls the other way and if he gets a pitch he can handle, going deep. A-Rod doesn’t think like that.

Not to mention, Big Papi gets a lot of the credit for clutch hits. Rightfully so. But what you also have to remember is that the best right handed hitter in baseball is sitting in that on deck circle. I’d rather face Papi any day. Manny’s presence has made Ortiz such a big name in the game.

So now, we’re talking about two guys on the Red Sox. We’re now talking about a lineup that is being affected by perfect placement of players. And this is what I’m getting at. It’s really hard to argue that there is a better franchise in sports right now than the Boston Red Sox.

Sure, they have a large payroll, but you know they’re going to sell the tickets. You know they’re going to make the money back in merchandising that they pay their players. So we could talk business all day, but they get that aspect and you know that. But what differentiates them from the Yankees?

After all, that is their competition. Their job is to beat the Yankees. Coincidentally, beating the Yankees does wonders for your chances of winning titles. But it’s no different than Army’s job or North Carolina’s job. So if we are talking about the two most powerful franchises in America, what makes the Red Sox so superior?

It’s this simple. They know the business of baseball. They understand structure….not only in the board room, but in their lineup. The Yankees, aside from what business cards say, are run by the ownership group. The Red Sox let the titles from their business cards mean something, and that creates expertise opposed to egoism.

That expertise does what? Well, the Yankees have the highest payroll. We know that. But I’ve been saying forever that they don’t have the right players. They think in most cases, the most expensive players, the ones with the best stats, are the ones to have. I see the point. But look at their recent pitchers….guys like Kevin Brown, Unit, Mussina, the recent Andy Petite. They paid a lot of money for these guys who couldn’t stay healthy at the back ends of their careers. The Red Sox pick their spots. Sure Schilling isn’t getting younger, but he doesn’t have the complicated motion of Kevin Brown, nor does he put stress on his elbow like Unit.

So then you look at their lineup. And this is what I love about the Red Sox. The Yankees say, we need someone to play this position, who’s the best I can get? So they end up with guys who hit 3-4-5 in lineups but hit 7-8 for the Yankees. I mean, A-Rod was hitting in the 7 spot in his first post season. Seriously. The Yankees say, who’s the best player, let’s throw him in there. Damon was a liability. End of his career. Beat up. There’s a reason the Red Sox didn’t try too hard to keep him.

When they knew they couldn’t afford him, or really want to, what’d they do. They said, “We need a CF to play in our ball park. We have a huge centerfield…we need a guy with reckless abandon. We have our future in this Ellsbury guy, but who can we go and get.” Coco Crisp was that guy and though he didn’t do what was expected of him offensively, he provided the defense that oh…won a championship. Plus, he was a good guy to have at the bottom of the order to do the little things.

Take a look at the lineup. It is absolutely perfect. Today, you have a rugged blue collar centerfielder at the top who’s going to be the face of that franchise for years. A second baseman who goes the other way and makes great contact. Then Papi and Ramirez…a first baseman who hits in the gaps, and has an OBP up around .400 ever year. Lowell to drive in runs, Varitek who can do whatever you need him to, throw in a nice left-handed JD Drew in there somewhere and a shortstop and you have a balanced lineup of guys who can do all the right things for you. Not a bunch of guys who are going to hit 50 jacks, but guys who have the ability to do what you need to win games in the post season.

Put all of those things together for the Red Sox and you have a tough team to beat. The see what the value is for their players. That’s why they didn’t keep Damon or Derek Lowe around. DICE-K has been worth every penny they paid. And you look at the big money they paid to Varitek. The leadership that he provides, supposedly since I’m not in the clubhouse, is incredibly important, especially from your rock behind the plate.

The Red Sox just get it. They get it in all accounts. They see the angles and they see how the business angles affect the game of baseball. Front office guys like to talk about the “Product they put on the Field.” That product is so well put together, it’s ridiculous. They have a team of ball players, role players, and they all fit together in the right way. You may not like them, but you have to watch them at least once a week because they seem to always be on. But even though you may be sick of it, they do it right on the field. And they have the wins and the rings to prove it.

Surprise? I Think Not

When you pull up your Internet browser this morning, aside from the obvious political attacks on your homepage, there's bound to be something about the Masters. Along with that, is something using the word "surprise" concerning Trevor Immelman's new wardrobe addition.

Alright, who really thought Immelman would win this thing going in? Probably not you and definitely not me. So maybe we should be a little surprised that he won...if we didn't watch any of the tournament.

Trevor Immelman played so well last week it was ridiculous. He drove the ball better than anyone in the field and subsequently hit more greens than anyone else (those things do go hand in hand whether the putter companies want to tell you it or not). He didn't play 18 from the 9th fairway (Goose) or the 10th (Tiger). In fact, he didn't really do anything spectacular at all other than knock a few approaches to about 5 feet on Sunday and make that long par putt from off the green on...11 was it?

Immelman was a mechanic all week. I got my breaks fixed on Saturday. For all I know Trevor Immelman could have been replacing my rotors. They sound great.

The other thing is he didn't have to play with Tiger on the last day. Which is nice. But playing with Brandt Snedeker can't be too easy. Snedeker constantly looks like a guy who's out with Luke and me playing Gettysvue CC in Knoxville for free and being trashy enough to sneak in our own beers once we lost that little connection. Snedeker is so laid back that for a guy with the demeanor of Immelman on the course, it had to be hard to be with such a free spirit. Not that there's anything wrong with the Nashville native, but how many guys do you see go out there and actually look like they enjoy playing golf? Whenever Tiger steps on the course, he looks like the majority of his portfolio was invested in Bear Stearns. It would have to be tough to play with someone who genuinely was having a good time, don't you think?

Speaking of Tiger. The announcers talked about how poorly he played and still managed to finish second. Well, Tiger played pretty well. Immelman played better. And Tiger didn't make enough putts to win. Sure Tiger made some big shots, but he's going to do that as we all know. But what did he play 13/15 at all week? I mean, he couldn't have been more than -1 on the back's par 5's. Why? He was hitting the ball from the pine needles seemingly every time the camera was on him. And...what's he doing hitting a punch 7 iron at the pin on 12? We all know how hard it is to get at that pin on Sunday, and we've never played there. So he hits a punch 7? He's not going to have the trajectory on the ball to get it to stop...hence why he as off the back. Tiger played well. The course ate him up and he didn't make enough shots. You take the score that he had and you cannot possibly say that anyone with that number played poorly at Augusta...I don't care who it is.

Oh. I finally want to say that obviously there has been someone in the Mickelson camp reading No Owens. Why? Did you see how much weight Phil's lost? I mean, he still can't really wear that cut of golf shirt, but still. Good for him. I guess he played better when he was fat though. Either way, thanks for blowing up on Saturday Phil. I had a GREAT TIME watching it.

475 Yards, Looks Like He's Got about a 2 Iron I think...

Anyone who doesn't love the Masters can pretty much be termed un-American. And as you know, we are very American here at NO. Like, we don't even deal with prefixes before names. Strong.

The Masters is the most unique sporting event in all of sports. Why? Because it's the only event in a sport that changes it's Majors every year to stay the same. Golfers are challenged every year by rotating tourneys, I mean, is the US Open going to be at Congressional, Winged Foot (East or West) or is it going to be at Oakland Hills? The same goes for the PGA and all of those crazy courses in the UK. But the Masters is constant.

Because it can be. Unless Tiger decides otherwise. Look at the previous scores of the winners. Seldom is the winner about -10. And that's at a course that everyone plays and is completely predictable. I mean, we all pretty much know where every pin placement is going to be on Sunday, and pretty much Saturday. We know where to hit every shot. You don't go for the pin on 12 on Sunday. You just don't. But what Augusta does more than anything is mess with the players' head.

The aura and the mystique get to even the patrons. I've never been, will some day, but from what my parents say, you walk in the gate and it's just silent. The respect that the patron has is astounding. There isn't "Get in the hole" guy there. There aren't people crushing beers and yelling in Tiger's backswing. If I was there, I might yell in Phil's, but it's ok because I am the most adamant anit-Mickelson person in the world. They also said it was amazing when Chris Weinke walked in the door of the house they were staying at. Jeff Sluman referred to Weinke as Weink-Dog. I think they're the same age.

The tournament is just amazing. You can even feel the mystique on TV. Even Jim Nantz brings it to another level on Sunday at Augusta. Who do I like to win? Well, as I've said before. I picked Mike Weir to win in 2003. He did. I don't pick the Masters anymore. But if I did, I'd go with anyone that wears a Mizuno hat. Mizuno makes the hardest to hit clubs ever. And Luke Chill has an amazing Mizuno driver. All this being said, watch out for Mizuno guys to take it. They know how to hit the toughest shots in the game.

On another note, congratulations to the KU fans that read. Bill Self coached his way into that win...while Derrick Rose and CDR basically blew it and handed the game to you, but still, a title is a title and Mario Chalmers isn't really caring that he could make more foul shots blind folded than anyone in Memphis.

Shot at the Title

When I was driving in this morning, Mike and Mike brought up an interesting comment before the break. They were talking about what tonight's game means to the coaches. Both guys with accomplished careers, but no titles to show for it. Does tonight put them over the top?

Coach Calapari has had a great career in college basketball. He's won a LOT of games. So too has Coach Self. But who really cares about either of them if they don't have a title?

Greenie then posed the question, who right now are the top five coaches in college hoops, and while they were at break i was thinking about who I'd have in there. After about two minutes, it was really pretty easy: K, Roy Williams, Jim Calhoun, Billy Donovan and Pitino. After that I had a couple of 1A's, not myself, Pace and Pat Kelley in Bob Daman's eyes, but Izzo and Jim Boehim, then the hot coaches like Ben Howland, Thad Matta and probably Calapari and Self. What do the first seven guys have? Right.

So what does the regular season mean? I mean, Jim Boeheim has how many wins? A million? I guarantee you he would trade every one of those wins for another ring. I don't even think there's an argument. Great regular seasons solidify keeping your job for a while in most places minus UCLA basketball, Notre Dame football, and the New York Yankees. But when it comes down to it, in every other sport other than the three listed, what does the regular season really mean?

In college basketball, you can make the tourney if you're a big program every year. Look at Arizona this year. Even UConn had a terrible start but had the athletes to scavenge for a four spot. In the NBA, you make the playoffs with a losing record in the East. In hockey, the bottom three teams in each conference that make it are usually pretty bad unless they get a hot goalie at the last second.

Even in college basketball, the only thing that really matters is what your perceived ranking is at the end of the year. Example. RPI means nothing. Who had the #1 RPI? Tennessee. What are we doing now? Hoping Memphis wins tonight so we can tell everyone that we were the -1 in their record. RPI only means something if you are in the 50-60's and your fighting for an at large big, that means nothing because you'll be lucky to get out of the first round anyway. And if you do, have fun playing UNC in the second.

If the regular season really meant anything to anyone, people would still be talking about the 16-0 New England Patriots. A great accomplishment. Didn't win the big one. No one cares. Years later when we're talking about Super Bowl champions, we'll probably say, "2008 New York Giants. Oh yeah, that was the year the Pats were undefeated going in and blew it." They're an afterthought and now always will be. Dusty Baker is always referred to as one of the best managers in baseball. I mean, he's good at...having Barry Bonds almost win him a Series against a team that was better and had a superior coach. But again, an afterthought.

So what's really the point of a great regular season? Regular seasons are only very important in a number of sports: baseball, NFL, college football. The first two because of how difficult it is to get into the post season given the few spots and college football because you can go 9-3, win a conference title, but still end up at best 5th in the country. But with the title comes immortality. You're a legend. A coach that wins a title is one of how many in D1 history? That's a strong fraternity. There are a lot of good coaches out there. But to be great, and be a legend, you have to have a title. Period. And with that, you have great regular seasons. You get the wins. You win as many games as the great ones do, you're going to get your big one. Tonight, two guys have a shot at legendary status. I like Cal.

Welcome to April

And also, welcome to baseball. Everything is just better now. I mean, we had how much time between the end of college football and baseball? Too much is the answer. We have eluded a little bit for things to watch for, but before we get to that, let me address college basketball briefly before we get to baseball.

This is probably the most boring NCAA Basketball tournament of all time. The one's just ripped through everyone, other than Kansas, but no offense to the Jayhawk readers, it's about time for their annual choke/running out of gas. Memphis looks like an NBA team. I was doing something on Friday before I got home just before half time to the site of Memphis leading by 30. I mean, it was almost boring. I hope that these teams really are the real deal, because I can't stand to see another blow out.

Anyhow. The big stories yesterday as we kicked off the season, because the games in Japan don't count as the teams actually go back to Spring Training upon arrival in the states, really centered around the big acquisitions. We'll start with my first round fantasy pick Miguel Cabrera who hit the first home run of opening day. Cabrera who got a just absurd contract showed everyone that he is all business and ready to take on the task of being the man in Detroit. The only thing is, their lineup is so stacked that he's hitting fifth. Fantasy owners such as myself are loving that right about now.

Kosuke Fukudome certainly made his presence felt at his Wrigley opener going 3-3 with a big homer and 3 RBI. Now, certainly his 3 run jack kept the game alive, but his base running error really was the difference in the game. Welcome to America where we have arms in our outfield.

Johan Santana showed up for the Mets. He lit it up and looked like the Santana that we know and pretty much love unless he's pitching against us. Though Jake Peavy was the most impressive opening day pitcher, it's pretty nice to see Santana get it right and show up in a big way on the biggest stage. Now, I don't even know so I'm going to look it up right now. But who is starting for the Mets today? Oh, it's Pedro Martinez. Probably the two most dominant pitchers of the past 15 years are pitching on back to back days for the same team. If you recall, we are big Pedro fans here with his ability to adjust. Hopefully he can stay healthy for our sake. You want to see Pedro chucking against the Yankees.

Finally. I really expect this to be the year of the injury. Look at recent years and the big names that go down. Pretty much everyone big has spent time on the DL in the past 3 years. Everyone except A-Rod. I'm not wishing injury on anyone, but all of these guys go down and often times see major time on the DL. Look at the percentages...it's A-Rod's time. Pujols is flirting with disaster with the elbow and that thing could very well blow up in his face. The old pitchers are starting to really get into trouble. And what happens when the young guns get back into it? CC Sabathia has seemingly forgotten how to beat people. Usually a sign of major injury. I'm telling you, don't be surprised if some big timers go down for significant time this year. It's coming.

Just Bad

I haven't been this angry the day after a loss in a long time. In fact, I don't know if ever. I really don't have anything nice to say today. Well, not like I ever really have anything nice to say on here, but you want none of this today. Trust me. Only thing is, don't be surprised if Bruce Pearl is the head coach and Indiana next year. I don't know where his head is, but I'm telling you it wasn't in this tournament.

How Terrible is A-Rod?

If you read No Owens, you understand that is an underlying lack of taste for a few prominent sports figures. Phil Mickelson, Derek Jeter, Michelle's Kwan and Wie, Brady Quinn are the biggest. Along with A-Rod. And now, he just goes and does it again.

Earlier this week, for whatever reason, A-Rod felt the need to tell the Post or the Times, I forget which one, that he wished he'd never signed with Texas and gone to the Mets. He would have been something great, on a great team, and he did admit that he took the money in Texas. I mean, he denied it for how long? It's not like everyone who follows baseball knows he followed the cash. And it's really ok. Most guys do. At least own it though.

How can we leave this out. He said he should have gone to the Mets. I'm sure that's exactly what all of the Yankee fans who are irritated that they haven't won a Series since the Paul O'Neil era want hear. He might as well talk about how he was almost a member of the Red Sox. You all know how I feel...Manny is the best right handed hitter in baseball, period.

But A-Rod, apparently, tries really hard to do everything right. Which on the field, other than coming up with big hits when it does actually count, he does. He gives monster cash to the U which is where he was going to play his college ball before he went number one overall. I mean, the stadium has his name on it. He tries to deal with the press. Not well. He always dresses well and has one smokin' hot wife, but the guy, for lack of a better word, is an idiot when it comes to deal with his personal image. He can't win, and it's his fault.

We talk about the lack of maturity that the high school kids in the NBA have. But how many careers in baseball have been like A-Rod's? The guy was drafted in 1993 as one of the best prospects ever. He saw 17 games in the bigs at the age of 18. 48 games at 19. At the age of 20, he hit .358 and won his only batting title. I mean, look at his stat line for that year: http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/rodrial01.shtml
It's unreal. At 20, he had probably his best season ever, even when you take into consideration that he was hitting second in the lineup, in front of Junior, Edgar and that Jay Buhner. By 25, he'd signed the biggest contract in the history of professional sports.

Again, we've talked about the basketball players. This guy has had more come to him at a faster pace than just about anyone. With no time to mature. I get it. This guy expects the world because it's been given to him. He tries to give back and that's nice. But the fact of the matter is that he still has no maturity. He still can't handle himself. He wasn't born with it and it's a skill he hasn't yet grasped. Jeter was a prospect much like A-Rod, but at least Jeter has the ability to be savvy. A-Rod just doesn't have it, just like you and I can't hit 50 jacks a year. So do I feel bad for the amount of pressure this guy has had to deal with? No. At 250 million dollar signs to play baseball, something we would kill to do for 50 thousand, no. He doesn't deserve it. He needs to learn to be an adult. And he still can't. Maybe he doesn't deserve the cash anyway.

Jose Canseco's new book allegedly states that Canseco introduced A-Rod to a steroid dealer at a party. A-Rod later tried to go plumbing with the guy's wife. Did anything happen? Well, A-Rod has nothing to say whatsoever about it to the press. The thing is...as trashy as Canseco is, he seems to be correct just about 100% of the time. Look what happened to Clemens when he decided to ignore the allegations. We are talking about the next 700 home run hitter here. I mean, if you could ignore how much bigger A-Rod has gotten since Seattle, you'd be one thing. A liar. I put those pics up that time. Go find them if you'd like. Moral of the story is that if Canseco calls you out, you're in trouble.

I don't feel bad for A-Rod. Not one bit. No one should. The guy is a plague. He's a terrible clubhouse guy who is as close to Barry Bonds in about every category as it gets. A-Rod likes Armani a whole lot more, other than that, there isn't much. So don't ignore this A-Rod stuff, but think about it like the basketball kids who have never grown up. Or like Deion Sanders. Oh, A-Rod and Bonds have another thing in common. No ring.

Production Meetings

Remember last week what the world was talking about? No Owens didn't get into it because of how absurd it was. But it is now necessary to recap.

Sometime after the brackets were unveiled, Bob Knight, excuse me, ESPN Analyst Bob Knight (do you think he has a business card?) came out and said how they should do away with the automatic bids for the tourney and double the field and play it out. All of a sudden, about half of the ESPN "crew" agreed with Coach Knight.

I didn't get into it because this is the most absurd thing I've ever heard of. Why would you do that? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. This year we have only two #2 seeds in the Sweet 16 (No Owens has both WV and Davidson by the way) not to mention there was a 12-13 game resulting in Western Kentucky hitting the Sweet 16 after winning a game in the most dramatic fashion. Games have been great this year. Why do we need to change anything?

So this week what have we got. We have Dicky V coming out on Monday saying that players shouldn't be able to foul out of games. Um. Thanks Dick. The reasoning being that officials have too much control over a game and after one player gets in trouble, say it's a key player, a team is completely effected.

Apparently V had Georgetown doing something in the tourney. They ogre Hibbert was in foul trouble all day in the second round and allowed that crazy little sophomore from Davidson to get in the lane and shoot runners...when he wasn't crushing threes. Davidson was going to win that game regardless. Georgetown doesn't play a tourney like game these days. Davidson has the hot player. Ask Wally's World about what one person can do.

Regardless. V said that maybe after the fifth foul, you get two shots and the ball. Ok. What's going to stop that ogre from just hacking people all over the place? I mean, go big or go home, right? Knight and V are so out of line, I just find it hard that they would actually come up with some ridiculous scheme like that.

Is it a coincidence that all this is happening? I mean, I listen to some ESPN Radio, only because I can't stand amateur mornings on the radio in Nashville. And I like the legit guests they bring on. But seriously...what do the ESPN executives talk about in their production meetings? I mean, they have to say something like, "Look, let's come up with something ridiculous. Then we'll have someone reputable back it and have the whole country talk about it for a week, until we have to come up with something else ridiculous."

I mean, these concepts are out there. And how can you take anyone who comes up with/agrees with this seriously? I miss old school ESPN. Before it became a beauty contest. Give me info. I don't really care what you think. That's why you read No Owens.