Final Four
[Most Recent Entries]
[Calendar View]
[Friends]
Below are the 11 most recent journal entries recorded in
bobcatsbasketba's LiveJournal:
| Tuesday, January 30th, 2007 | | 2:26 am |
Day 10: Banana Splits
Well, Maria Sharapova and Kim Clijsters won't see their QF matches from Day 10 anywhere near their career highlight package... but they did what they had to do to set up their long-awaited semifinal clash in Melbourne.  For all the surprise and inexperience in residence in the bottom half of the draw's final four, the top half's included four players who've combined for eight slam crowns... yet they all played like newcomers to the big stage on this day. Sharapova's 7-6(5)/7-5 win over fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze was "highlighted" by a parade of blown opportunties by both players. In the 1st set, the two 19-year olds traded off throwing in double-faults on break point. In the resulting tie-break, eleven of the twelve points were won by the player RECEIVING serve... and it wasn't because they were rocketing back blistering returns, either. The 2nd set was little improvement, as Sharapova crossed the finish line first, but didn't exactly feel compelled to believe she's fully prepared for her SF meeting with Clijsters after such a lackluster performance. But at least she's not Chakvetadze, who has to be kicking herself today after leaving a golden opportunity for a slam SF on the court. Where Shahar Peer tried (but ultimately failed) to take away HER QF match from Serena Williams, Chakvetadze never followed the same path against Sharapova. When she had the shots, she didn't take them. When she needed to be aggressive, she was passive. When her mind needed to focus, it seemed to go into "pause mode." She'll likely get another QF shot in a slam, but she might never get a better shot to push Sharapova off her pedestal than this one. Clijsters, after looking great in earlier rounds, was no great shakes against Martina Hingis, either. She won 3-6/6-4/6-3 with a late surge in the 3rd that erased the hardly-stellar Hingis' 2-0 lead. But her 62 unforced errors were more akin to the "old" Kim than "my gal" Kim. As she said herself, only that she "fought and tried" can be taken as a positive from this performance. But when the court seems to be littered with banana peels, and your game seems to manage to slip on all of them... yet you STILL win, you just take a deep breath and move on. Both Maria and Kim will have forgotten about Day 10 by Day 11... if they know what's good for them.   Love-Love   ... Junior notes: #in the 3rd Round, 11 Urszula Radwanska, 16, upset #5 Tamira Paszek (who qualified for the main draw and won a match last week) in the only three-set ter of the eight Girls matches. In a somewhat surprising occurrence, the Girls' final eight includes as many Americans as Russians (which includes defending Girls '06 champ Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova). **GIRLS' QUARTERFINALS** #1 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova(RUS) vs. #12 Nikola Hofmanova(CZE) #6 Alize Cornet(FRA) vs. Chelsey Gullickson(USA) #11 Urszula Radwanska(POL) vs. #3 Ksenia Milevskaya(BLR) #8 Evgeniya Rodina(RUS) vs. #16 Madison Brengle(USA) Meanwhile, three Aussies are in the Boys' final eight, with Brydan Klein's 6-2/6-7/6-1 upset of #1-seed Martin Klizan highlighting Day 10 action. **BOYS' QUARTERFINALS** Brydan Klein(AUS) vs. #5 Greg Jones(AUS) #3 Roman Jebavy(CZE) vs. #10 Ricardas Berankis(LTU) #8 Thomas Fabbiano(ITA) vs. John-Patrick Smith(AUS) #12 Yan Bai(CHN) vs. #2 Jonathan Eysseric(FRA) **AUSTRALIAN OPEN JUNIORS - by nation** [Girls/Boys combined] 3...Australia (0/3) 2...Russia (2/0) 2...USA (0/2) 2...Czech Republic (1/1) 2...France (1/1) 1...Belarus (1/0) 1...China (0/1) 1...Italy (0/1) 1...Lithuania (0/1) 1...Poland (1/0) ============================= Love-15... **AUSTRALIAN OPEN GIRLS FINALS** 2000 Jelena Jankovic d. Sofia Arvidsson 2001 Aniko Kapros d. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 2002 Barbora Strycova d. Maria Sharapova 2003 Barbora Strycova d. Victoriya Kutuzova 2004 Shahar Peer d. Nicole Vaidisova 2005 Victoria Azarenka d. Agnes Szavay 2006 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova d. Caroline Wozniacki ============================= Love-30... the top four seeds have all advanced to the Men's Doubles SF, along with three of the top four Women's seeds (they're joined by the unseeded Taiwanese team of Yung-Jan Chan and Chia-Jung Chuang, who handed Ashley Harkleroad another Oz indignity with a 6-0/6-0 QF win over the American and Galina Voskoboeva). On Day 10, top-seeded Lisa Raymond & Samantha Stosur were bounced by #3-seeded Cara Black & Liezel Huber. **MEN'S DOUBLES SF** #1 Bryan/Bryan vs. #3 Knowles/Nestor #4 Hanley/Ullyett vs. #2 Bjorkman/Mirnyi **WOMEN'S DOUBLES SF** #3 Black/Huber def. #1 Raymond/Stosur #2 Yan/Zheng vs. Y-J.Chan/C-J.Chuang **MIXED DOUBLES QF** #1 B.Bryan/Raymond vs. Mirnyi/Azarenka #4 Bjorkman/Schiavone vs. Knowle/T.Sun Nestor/Likhovtseva vs. #3 Paes/Stosur #7 Ullyett/Huber vs. Healey/Stewart ============================= 15-30... **MID-ROUND AWARDS** [3rd Rd. to QF] TOP PLAYER: Serena Williams (RU: Nicole Vaidisova)) RISER: Shahar Peer (RU: Anna Chakvetadze) SURPRISE: Lucie Safarova (RU: Yung-Jan Chan & Chia-Jung Chuang) VETERAN: Cara Black & Liezel Huber (RU: Martina Hingis)) FRESH FACE: Nicole Vaidisova (RU: Urszula Radwanska) DOWN: Amelie Mauresmo (RU: Lisa Raymond & Samantha Stosur) TOP MATCH: QF - S.Williams def. Peer... 3-6/6-2/8-6. The match that marked the official return of one champion, and possibly the arrival of a future one. ============================= 15-40... the men's singles SF were set, and either #12 Tommy Haas or #10 Fernando Gonzalez will be making a breakthrough with their first slam final against the winner of Federer/Roddick. ============================= 30-40... **SEMIFINAL PICKS** [WOMEN] #1 Sharapova d. #4 Clijsters in 2 sets... not that the QF gave any indication one way or the other how this'll go. Clijsters has a 4-2 career record vs. Sharapova, but Sharapova was 2-0 against "my gal" Kim last season (both on hard court, both tight straight set victories). S.Williams def. #10 Vaidisova in 3 sets... Vaidisova's serve gives her a chance, but Serena's been getting better with every round. [MEN] #1 Federer def. #6 Roddick in 3 sets... sure, he's improved and beat the Prince of All He Surveys in Kooyang, but Federer is 12-1 vs. the American when it counts. #10 Gonzalez def. #12 Haas in 5 sets... Gonzo has been routinely mowing through players in this tournament, including Nadal on Day 10 right after Rafa's five-set win over Andy Murray. Haas, though, has shown little awe of the Swiss Mister and had more success against Federer in the past than the Chilean. Hmmm, wonder if that's a coincidence? ============================= MATCH, "Tag, Shahar. You're it!"... Peer was branded as the Oz "It Girl" with Chakvetadze's off performance against Sharapova in the QF. The 2007 Australian Open designations: IT GIRL: Shahar Peer MISS OPPORTUNITY: Serena Williams or Nicole Vaidisova UPSET QUEENS: Czechs REVELATION LADIES: Belarussians FIRST SEED OUT: #25 Anabel Medina-Garrigues LAST QUALIFIER STANDING: (5 advanced to 2nd Round) COMEBACK PLAYER: Serena Williams =============================  All for Day 10. | | Wednesday, December 27th, 2006 | | 1:20 am |
From the 19th Floor to the basement
I'm working at the LGBT Life Office right now, which is comfortably housed in the basement level of the student center. One of my duties at the LGBT Life Office is to represent the Office and to chair the public relations activities for the AIDS  Memorial Quilt Project at Emory for World AIDS Day. I've been networking with other university-level PR people, as well as the media. So, on December 1st, Emory will host the largest-- if not only-- display of the AIDS Quilt on World AIDS Day. [photo: AIDS Memorial Quilt on the National Mall.] This year marks the 25th anniversary since the first case of AIDS was confirmed in the U.S., and the 20th anniversary since HIV (as we now know it) was publicly established as the cause of AIDS. As Emory is one of the leading institutions in AIDS research, it is fitting that it is hosting such an event... I hope that the students will awaken from their apathy for a day and show their support. I am aiming to have it publicized through various media, so don't be surprised if you see me on the Atlanta-based, one and only CNN. I'll be the Asian with the base-of-neck-length bob. Oh, too vague for you? This might help:  Oh wait, that's not me. I am serious about getting this event covered (or at least touched upon) on CNN, though. If it's on CNN, the rest will follow. Maybe I can get Veronica De La Cruz (pictured above-- holla to the Pinays makin' it happen) to support the cause. I will lure her in with offers of homecooked longsilog. Who could resist such charm and hospitality? Seriously, come one, come all. Introduce yourselves if you do show up. Don't be creepy stalkers. The camera will be avoided at all costs, though. In spite of my track record of occasionally finding a way to the stage, I am terrified of situations that call for me to speak publicly (again, the shyness) -- these include (but are not limited to) class presentations (with which I'm completely indundated this semester *!@&#^#*%$), interviews of any kind, anything that requires extemporaneous speaking in front of an unfamiliar audience (or a familiar audience, for that matter), announcements, emceeing, spelling bees, etc. I think it's different with musical or theatrical performance because I feel like I have more control over the exchange when I'm performing. The objective on stage is different, as is the power dynamic between the spectators and myself. The only tangible interaction during a musical or theatrical performance is the applause (and laughter, if it's a musical or comedic play... that would be horrible if there were laughter during a music gig). In the performance space, I am not required to justify my actions-- in fact, I can do whatever the hell I want. I can assume another persona. I can be Queen Aggravain. I can be Rizzo. I can be a wannabe diva. I can be the distant, private artist who closes her eyes when she sings because she's in her own creative world, then disappears off the stage with that shroud of mystery, never to be seen again until her next gig. Or I can just be the dork that I am. Ok, back to work. Thought I'd check into the blogosphere for a minute before I could hear my brother's objurgations. | | Thursday, November 2nd, 2006 | | 12:51 pm |
Bachelor 9 Episode 5 Romance Jumps the Shark (tv review)
 (It must be said that she did look really lovely in that wedding dress) First, apparently itâs not true that three bachelorettes tried to leave the show after the news broke that Ryan Phillipe and Reese Witherspoon have separated. There is also no truth to the rumor that the ladies said anything about Ryan being a real celebrity and not just some guy from the home shopping network. btw Ryan Phillipe as the Bachelor would be huge. Can you imagine an episode where Reese comes by to choose his one on one dates? They could even use the house from Cruel Intentions. Second, John Kerry apparently has cancelled his appearance on the finale after his diplomacy lessons with Erica encountered some sort of snafu. Come to think of it, Erica is college educated and has had a good life, why are people with her âbreedingâ and talent volunteering for overseas duty that includes fantasy suites but not for the war in Iraq? Itâs good that hard working, college educated, young people like my friends Jenna and Barbara have volunteered in Iraq. Otherwise people might get the wrong impression of wealthy young Americans. Youâre a student of the Bachelor and youâve made the final four which means you get a hometown visit. Your best friend just happens to appear at the door mid-date with a wedding dress for you to try. A real student of the Bachelor would refuse to try on any gown that wasnât pink. Iâm sure everyone is talking about the wedding dress, the bridal magazines, and the repeated revelation of Lisaâs timetable as the kiss of death for her ambitions on the show. I do agree that Lorenzo is more likely to âcut and runâ with Lisa than he is to âstay the courseâ. For one thing, Lisaâs plan doesnât seem to figure in anything about actually having feelings for Lorenzo himself. Men are funny that way sometimes. Many are okay having sex with strangers even if itâs on a floatie in the middle of the lake, but most would rather not marry one, a stranger that is.Iâll tell you the real kiss of death for Lisa Borgheseâs plan. She brought a dog along on the hometown date and Lorenzo, the dog lover, appeared to be completely uninterested.In fact, he was so uninterested that he passed up his chance to include Lisaâs dog in momâs pilates session. Theyâd also have a hard time convincing me that the producers didnât put Jenniferâs dad up to the whole gun thing. Youâre going to be on national television and you naturally want America to think you meet your only daughterâs date with a cocked shotgun? I mean the guyâs never going to get to be the coach on next seasonâs installment of Two a Days. By the way, Jenniferâs family has a dog, or a rat with hair dressed like a dog, and Prince Lo, dog spa magnate, basically ignores this one too. This guyâs a bit on the cold side. It would have been great tv for Dad to have taken a shot or two at the dog. Iâm not saying hit the critter, just make the animal think twice about licking Jenniferâs toes in front of the tv camera.By the way, I donât blame Dad. He asks the guy, âWhat do you like about my daughter?âPrince Loâs basic answer is âWell, she looks really hot and well, uh, umâ¦.I canât find anything wrong with her personality.â I wouldnât get out the shotgun, but that answer was down there with âHe totally rocks my world.â Again, I donât think the preview-hyped second amendment lesson had much to do with Lorenzoâs supposed âhesitationâ at the end of the date. This was, after all, a woman who was perfectly comfortable kissing a shark then throwing the creature back in the water. Can we say âPlenty of fish in the sea, your highness.âTalk about your metaphors! If this were a book, weâd call it the âThe Young Bachelorette and the Sea.â Do you think if he were alive today that Hemingway would be watching reality tv? Hemingway asside, had Jennifer not gotten her rose, this would have been the ultimate "jump the shark" moment or at least "kiss the shark". I could see the guy maybe getting into something like The Amazing Race or Fear Factor.They talk about the bachelorettes getting a bad edit, but I have to say that the whole Agnese Venice home date really hurt Lorenzo. The date itself went well enough. Lorenzo went on with the language barrier business and then this lovely gentle foreign movie scene played out. Lorenzo and familia Agnese were dancing around the living room in carnival masks. Lorenzo tasted various northern Italian delicacies. Most of all he grabs Agnese in the gondola and makes like that whole thing from A Little Romance and Il Ponte Sospiro. Agnese even channels Lisa briefly and shows Lorenzo the church she wants to marry in (Producers must have been salivating for that wedding) with Lorenzo voicing over that very moment with âAgnese is the perfect tour guide.â The only problem with this whole exercise in feelings and romance somehow being beyond words or language itself is that Lorenzo dumped the woman with whom he appeared to have the most palpable romantic chemistry. She even gets the most eloquent line in this entire installment on her ride in the limo of shame and its live video camera, âToo much head and not enough heart.âLorenzo is sensible enough and appears to be a nice guy, but that summed up the problem with Bachelor Rome. Itâs not supposed to be about accountants. They were trying to sell us on romance with a prince. This was the guy who said, âIâm more concerned that a woman have a good heart,â and whom they put through the whole Pretty Woman parody.Dude, you want to be practical. Let me give you a bit of advice. âIf youâre going to let your tongues intermingle like that, theyâre already speaking enough of the same language." If this wasnât viciously edited, you led her on and the whole âI want to communicate more easilyâ thing was a cop out. Youâre more like a prince who uses your royal name to open a casino or sell toilet paper than any prince from a fairy tale- more Prince Charmin than Prince Charming.Iâm convinced that the main point of the Sadie visit was to have the family say grace at the table shot by the camera crew from Wife Swap. Thereâs also this great moment when Sadie tells her mother that Lorenzo reminds her of âDad.â Not only is this Electrafying confession a bit disturbing, itâs also pretty obvious that Sadieâs Dad and Lorenzo have like nothing in common. We next see Lorenzo and Sadie by one of the fire pits after dark at Moonlight Beach. Iâve hung around the very same fire pit with my wife and her family. One of the last times, there was a group of guys by the fire pit next to us who had gotten either so drunk or so stoned that one of them stopped breathing while one of his friends babbled at us incoherently and attacked us for not doing more to help out. We called 911 and they took the fellow to the hospital while the police questioned his friend. Somehow, our own cook out wasnât quite the same after that. Anyway, I kept waiting for a whole Baywatch rescue scene to unfold around Lorenzo and Sadie instead of âI want you to choose me and kiss me again Prince.â Iâm down with the whole you can be intimate and affectionate while still ummmmm âguarding your heartâ vigilantly, but Sadie is surprisingly physically aggressive. The previews do promise a test of her resolve in two weeks when Lorenzo plays his fantasy suite card. Nahâ¦..even Mike Fleiss wouldnât try to make money off of a scene of someone giving up her virginity on television. While were at it, am I the only one who thinks that Sadie might be trying to do Reese Witherspoon's character from Cruel Intentions? Finally, after five âWeâll hear more from Ericaâ lead ins to the commercial break, Ericaâs actual contribution to this episode was to talk incoherently about milkshakes? I say have her volunteer for duty in Iraq instead of putting her on future installments. Not to turn too somber, but you want to talk about people worth our attention, etc. Between adventures of Lorenzo and his harem, try reading this. Sirlinksalot bachelor stories other Chancelucky reviews chancelucky | | Friday, September 29th, 2006 | | 7:25 am |
Day 25: Only the strongest remain?
(sorry about the delay in posting this - it was a late night)
 This is how things look as we enter round 3. Today, it's youth vs. the machine. Does anyone think that Smid can out-hot MacT? Anyone?   LADISLAV SMID vs. MACT FOR A TICKET TO THE SEMI-FINALS. VOTE NOW. VOTING OVER! SEXY PLAYER-COACH CRAIG MACTAVISH MOVES ON TO THE FINAL FOUR! (SUCK IT, SMID) | | Tuesday, August 29th, 2006 | | 6:17 pm |
Just Made It
As you can tell from our season predictions, weâre a pretty bullish bunch heading into the 2006 season. Of course, at this time last year, our 2005 predictions seemed pretty optimistic to those who had not been following the program as closely. At the time, Jay (and Mister Señor Love Daddy) tried to temper our enthusiasm by recounting the upcoming seasonâs potential landmines. With national championship fervor gripping Notre Dame Nation, it seemed appropriate to once again catalog some of the reasons Notre Dame might fall short of our predictions. This will also give Notre Dame haters plausible reasons to downgrade Notre Dameâs chances this year, rather than resorting to arguments that make their author look foolish, such as that Notre Dame canât win because âTyrone Willingham had a better first year in South Bend than Charlie Weis didâ or "Brady Quinn isn't good."  Can We Kick It? Unfortunately, Iâm still a long way from asserting, âYes, we can!â Last year, the departed D.J. Fitzpatrick handled almost all the kicking duties â placekicking, punting, and kicking off â despite Weisâs statements that he preferred to divide these duties among several guys. That Fitzpatrick carried this load says something about Weisâs confidence level in the other kickers on the roster. Freshman placekicker Ryan Burkhart arrived in August and punter Geoff Price has reportedly made considerable strides this offseason after consulting with Hunter Smith. Nonetheless, neither is game-tested, and at this point Carl Gioia and Bobby Renkes appear to have won the placekicking and kickoff duties, respectively. I know many believe that Notre Dameâs explosive offense will diminish the importance of the kicking game this year. Iâm not so sure. Although I am usually loathe to accord much weight to unquantifiable factors, I am a big believer in momentum in college football. Missed and blocked kicks are often the triggers for decisive momentum shifts. Just last season, we witnessed how an ineffective kicking game can transform what could have been a walkover into a last-minute victory. In the second to last game of the regular season, Fitzpatrick was injured while punting on a late hit that drew a roughing flag. Although Fitzpatrick was clearly still showing the effects of the injury the following week against Stanford, Weis apparently believed Fitzpatrick remained his best option. The ensuing kicking problems kept the game in doubt until the final minute despite the fact that Notre Dame outgained Stanford 663 yards to 336 yards. (In other words, Notre Dame outgained Stanford by 58 more yards than OSU outgained Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.) In the second half, Fitzpatrick missed an extra point and two field goals. On a fourth-quarter kickoff, Gioia managed only 52 yards, a contributing factor in T.J. Rushingâs kickoff-return touchdown. Notre Dameâs weaknesses in the kicking game contributed to a 14-point swing in Stanfordâs favor and reveal why Notre Dame could not pull away from Stanford during a fourth quarter that saw Quinn throw just one incomplete pass. If Fitzpatrickâs successors cannot approach Fitzpatrickâs 2005 performance, there could be a game or two where the special teams create a deficit that even Notre Dameâs potent offense cannot erase. Beneath The Surface. While Notre Dame can trot out a starting lineup full of former high-school All Americans and blue-chip recruits, questions abound regarding the backups. That nine freshman already find their names on the two-deep says as much about Notre Dameâs pressing depth concerns as it does about the talent of Weisâs first full class. A dearth of depth can cause problems a couple of different ways. Hurt. The most obvious way depth issues can derail Notre Dameâs season is injuries. At several positions, losing a starter leaves the Irish with extremely limited options. Last year, Notre Dame was relatively injury-free, though there were certainly times when the absences of injured starters Rhema McKnight and Chris Frome were felt. Iâd like to think the teamâs health is attributable to Strength & Conditioning Coach Ruben Mendoza and Weisâs practice regime. Iâve been told of how certain changes the two have instituted have helped in this regard, but I must confess that I lack the expertise to evaluate these claims. If Notre Dame is to make a run at the national championship, there are several positions where the Irish simply cannot afford significant injuries. Over Your Shoulder. Another area in which depth helps is motivation. During Southern Calâs recent 34-game winning streak, the Trojans played most of the games with huge targets on their backs. With but a few exceptions, their opponents were undoubtedly more excited about playing Southern Cal than the Trojans were about facing their opponent. This disparity gave Southern Calâs opponents a motivational edge. However, Southern Cal players had their own source of motivation. Pete Carrollâs recruiting successes left Southern Cal with plentiful depth. Some of Southern Calâs backups would probably have started for several other top-25 teams. This depth meant that the Trojans were constantly fighting for playing time. Though at times they may have taken their opponents lightly, Southern Cal players had to know that if they didnât make the most of their time on the field, they would be replaced. This pressure mitigated opponentsâ motivational edge. While Notre Dame is not in the middle of a 34-game winning streak, the Irishâs lofty ranking and the caterwauling about Notre Dameâs media presence mean that Notre Dame will be playing with a bigger-than-usual target on its back this season. Looking at the schedule, several teams will be a good deal more excited about playing Notre Dame than Notre Dame will be about playing them. Unfortunately, at this point I donât believe that the Irish are so talented that internal competition will provide them with their own source of motivation. A Time To Be So Small. While many in the media have pointed to the secondary as the defenseâs weak link, I am more concerned about the linebackers. Of the starting linebackers, only Maurice Crum, Jr. has seen significant playing time as a linebacker. However, that experience did not come at MLB, where Crum will be playing this year. At 220 lbs., Crum is smaller than the prototypical MLB. Newly minted linebacker Travis Thomas clearly exhibited a âdefensive mentalityâ on special teams, but has not seen the field on defense in college. He also checks in at 215 lbs. At this point, Mitchell Thomas and Anthony Vernaglia are set to split time at strongside linebacker. Thomas and Vernaglia bring more size at 232 and 230 lbs., respectively. However, I canât help but recall Lou Holtz's saying that when you donât have a clear starter you really have two backups. I am concerned how Notre Dameâs undersized linebackers will fare against power rushing attacks. Weis specifically addressed the size of the linebackers in a recent press conference, appearing unconcerned:"Size is a factor in a 3-4 defense," Weis said. "In a four-man front, size is not a factor. It lets (linebackers) run to the ball."Additionally, this yearâs schedule does not feature many teams likely to try to cram the ball down the defenseâs throat. Michigan would be the most likely candidate, particularly with a quality between-the-tackles running back like Mike Hart. However, Michiganâs offensive line does not appear very frightening on paper and recent history suggests Michigan needs several games to figure out what they want to do with their offensive line. While the Irish may dodge the kind of power running attack that could exploit the linebackersâ size during the regular season, this could be an issue in the bowl game. During the regular season, the bigger concern will probably be wear and tear on the linebackers. Rushed and Rushed and Attacked. Itâs hard â if not impossible â to be a successful defense without an effective pass rush. While Jappy Oliver expects Victor Abiamiri to make plays this year even when double teamed, Notre Dame simply needs more production from the weakside defensive end position. Chris Frome is technically sound but coming off an injury. Ronald Talley made plays at times filling in for the injured Frome, but at other times his inexperience showed. Has Frome fully recovered? Will a more experienced Talley improve significantly on his 2005 performance? If the Irish canât get more production at WDE, the lack of pass rush could cancel out any improvements in the secondary. All We Have Is Now. This year will be the last campaign for many key players. Quinn, Harris, Morton, Santucci, Samardzija, McKnight, Freeman, Abiamiri, Landri, Frome, Richardson, and Ndukwe are all in their final year of eligibility. Zbikowski is almost certain to forego a fifth-year of eligibility, and Sullivan and Laws are also candidates to enter the NFL after this year. Following this massive outflow of talent, 2006 will be the year Notre Dame really suffers for the sins of Tyrone Willinghamâs recruiting seasons past. As previously detailed, next yearâs senior class will have just nine members. (Since that post, Junior Jabbie has returned to the team as a backup running back, but medical issues ended Abdel Bandaâs playing career.) Notre Dame will have fewer seniors than it will have departing starters. Note that there is not a single offensive lineman in that class. Thus Notre Dame will be breaking in an inexperienced quarterback behind an offensive line that is not only inexperienced but also quite young. There will be considerable pressure to win now. Should the Irish drop a September game, will the team be able to maintain focus and work their way back in to the national title hunt? | | Friday, August 18th, 2006 | | 11:24 am |
George Mason's Final Four payoff
How valuable was George Mason's run into the final four earlier this year? A Sports Illustrated article (seems to be subscription only) values a theoretical PR cost of $50 million for the publicity the school received. And what did they get in return?
The publicity has already shown returns. Student inquiries and tour sizes have tripled, and merchandise sales have skyrocketed. In March the campus bookstore sold more than $800,000 worth of George Mason clothing, compared with $625,000 worth in all of 2004-05.
The surge in Mason pride is expected to boost alumni donations as well. During the tournament more than 1,000 alums registered on the school's website, increasing the size of the database by 10%. Judith Jobbitt, the school's vice president for alumni affairs, says George Mason hopes to increase fund-raising for the coming year by 25%, to $25 million.
The admissions office was particularly aggressive in capitalizing on Mason mania. It sent a torrent of e-mails to students who had applied to the school, using the basketball news as an entree to tout the university's academic virtues. The school projects a 2% increase in the number of applicants who say yes to an acceptance letter. Flagel also expects to see an uptick of 10 points in the students' average SAT score.
A pretty substantial payoff, to be sure. | | Friday, August 11th, 2006 | | 10:38 am |
Plus-One-Plus: An Easy BCS Fix Okay, I resist no longer. Just read ...  Plus-One-Plus: An Easy BCS Fix Okay, I resist no longer. Just read Phil Steele's rant about why the "Plus-One" playoff solution is ideal. He argues that it's the only way to preserve the playoff impact of the regular season. I agree that the value of the regular season should be upheld, but disagree that "Plus-One" is the only way to bring this about. (As an aside, I was a Steele virgin until a few hours ago. If you've never done Phil and read one (or more) of his competitors, then run -- don't walk -- run to your local bookstore and throw the other rags out along the way. That good. Nothing else matters.) Here's the easy way out: create Invitational Championship games during the conference championship weekend. Half the BCS conferences and two of the better non-BCS do not play championship games of their own, and there are a number of really silly lower-tier bowl games that just should not be played. Why not entice three of those lower tier bowl games into moving to championship saturday and hosting the best six teams not already committed to play a conference championship? (Those six can be selected by whatever criteria -- even the BCS formula works fine when it isn't a death penalty with no justice). Last season, on the same weekend that Texas was wrapping up its Big 12 title, USC could have been playing Penn State, Ohio State, West Virginia, or maybe even a rematch with Notre Dame or Oregon. Any combination of those six teams in three additional games would have been in the mix. In addition to some really exciting games, there may have been a few big surprises. A lot of us in Big Ten country were wondering what a Penn State-USC matchup would have become, and we know how Ohio State-Notre Dame turned out. Meanwhile, BCS #13 Georgia was upsetting #4 LSU in the SEC title game, and unranked Florida State was upending #5 Virginia Tech in the ACC game. Texas had to risk failure against a supposedly inferior foe to end the year, why leave USC out? After these games are played, the "Plus-One" or Final Four system begins for the rest of the "post season." The best four winning teams from Championship Weekend play each other, with the winners playing in the National Championship Game. Problems could still happen, of course, but picking FOUR justifiable contestants after a first round of elimination games has a much higher likelihood of success than taking TWO without the benefit of an extra game against a highly ranked opponent. Plus, as noted below, there could be a priority placed on forcing unbeatens to play each other, thus ending the controversy around multiple unbeatens when the season is over. While it may seem that the teams from championship conferences have an advantage, playing as they often do a weaker foe from the other division, this is not always the case. And even when it is, surprises do happen. Since the BCS began in 1998, basically just the SEC and Big 12 have hosted CCG's. Yet three times in those eight years, a team well on its way to the National Championship Game was (or should have been) derailed due to a loss to a supposedly inferior opponent in the conference title game. And when those upsets happen, such as Kansas State dumping #1 Oklahoma in 2003, neither team would be advanced to the Final Four. In real BCS fantasyland, of course, Oklahoma still got to the BCS title game after losing the conference title game. In the 'Plus-One-Plus,' all of the contenders must play on championship weekend, and losing is an automatic DQ from the Final Four. Teams that win on championship weekend, but for whatever reason couldn't completely close the deal during the regular season (such as Florida State this year), would still survive to play in a nice bowl game for their role as spoilers or late bloomers (or whatever you want to call them). The playoff value of the regular season is preserved. That's basically the guts of it. This even gets the mid-majors to the table with three rules: 1. ANY team that survives championship weekend undefeated is advanced to the Final Four. A priority will be placed on matching undefeated teams against each other in championship invitational games during any season when more than four teams end the regular season unbeaten. (Thus, in 2004, Boise State, USC and Utah would have been smashed into each other during championship weekend, leaving just two of them standing to face Auburn and Oklahoma in the Final Four). 2. Any mid-major team that is undefeated and not in a conference with a CG will be automatically advanced to one of the three invitational games (see above: Boise State, etc...). If the mid-major team wins that game, they will be advanced to the Final Four (except in the VERY rare circumstance when FOUR BCS teams survive championship weekend unbeaten) 3. Any mid major team in a conference with a CG that survives the CG unbeaten will also be advanced automatically to the Final Four (excepting for the rare circumstance when there are four unbeaten BCS conference teams in line ahead of them). So, there it is. Just four TOTAL games added to the season, three of them on a weekend when a lot of other teams are already forced to play conference championship games. Not one conference must re-align or add a championship game. The bowl games are preserved basically in-tact. The regular season still means a WHOLE LOT. Notre Dame gets to stay independent. Mid-majors, despite weaker schedules, can still win it all by just -- winning them all. That's the way it should be. | | Thursday, August 3rd, 2006 | | 5:47 pm |
NCAA 2006 Men's Basketball Final Four - Apologies To Three Teams ...  And The World Turned Upside Down â this is allegedly the song the Brits played when they gave up Yorktown and lost the Colonies to Loopy King Georgie. In fact, the Brits were so upset about the defeat of its gentleman army to farmers, Lord Cornholio Wallis could not face the surrender and sent his subordinate to relinquish his sword. And so to must CBS play the same song - really loud! The World Has Turned Upside Down, Mr William Packer, CBS, CNN, ESPN, and all other Big East and ACC (Almost Completely Competitive Conference) media concerns. For the first time since 1981, there is not a #1 seed in the Final Four. And to the selfish delight of myself, there is no ACC or Big East team. Thank God. For those that read this blog, you know of my disdain for anything trendy in the hero worship dept. like recently when all the darlings of the media for the Olympics were sent packing â Kwan, Apollo, that downhill fella, etc. So the sound of silence is deafening from all the blathering band-wagon, Dukie, and BC ninnies⦠Long Live The Underdogs. Geaux Tigers, Go Gators, Go Patriots! And the World Turned Upside Down! | | Monday, July 31st, 2006 | | 9:42 pm |
Nomination #8
This Is Big Blogger. Now we are down to the final four, it is time for the voting to go live. The Cyberhousemate who gets the least number of votes, will be out of the Cyberhouse. Enjoy your voting. This Has Been Big Blogger | | Saturday, July 29th, 2006 | | 4:38 pm |
Plus-One-Plus: An Easy BCS Fix Okay, I resist no longer. Just read ... Plus-One-Plus: An Easy BCS Fix Okay, I resist no longer. Just read Phil Steele's rant about why the "Plus-One" playoff solution is ideal. He argues that it's the only way to preserve the playoff impact of the regular season. I agree that the value of the regular season should be upheld, but disagree that "Plus-One" is the only way to bring this about. (As an aside, I was a Steele virgin until a few hours ago. If you've never done Phil and read one (or more) of his competitors, then run -- don't walk -- run to your local bookstore and throw the other rags out along the way. That good. Nothing else matters.) Here's the easy way out: create Invitational Championship games during the conference championship weekend. Half the BCS conferences and two of the better non-BCS do not play championship games of their own, and there are a number of really silly lower-tier bowl games that just should not be played. Why not entice three of those lower tier bowl games into moving to championship saturday and hosting the best six teams not already committed to play a conference championship? (Those six can be selected by whatever criteria -- even the BCS formula works fine when it isn't a death penalty with no justice). Last season, on the same weekend that Texas was wrapping up its Big 12 title, USC could have been playing Penn State, Ohio State, West Virginia, or maybe even a rematch with Notre Dame or Oregon. Any combination of those six teams in three additional games would have been in the mix. In addition to some really exciting games, there may have been a few big surprises. A lot of us in Big Ten country were wondering what a Penn State-USC matchup would have become, and we know how Ohio State-Notre Dame turned out. Meanwhile, BCS #13 Georgia was upsetting #4 LSU in the SEC title game, and unranked Florida State was upending #5 Virginia Tech in the ACC game. Texas had to risk failure against a supposedly inferior foe to end the year, why leave USC out? After these games are played, the "Plus-One" or Final Four system begins for the rest of the "post season." The best four winning teams from Championship Weekend play each other, with the winners playing in the National Championship Game. Problems could still happen, of course, but picking FOUR justifiable contestants after a first round of elimination games has a much higher likelihood of success than taking TWO without the benefit of an extra game against a highly ranked opponent. Plus, as noted below, there could be a priority placed on forcing unbeatens to play each other, thus ending the controversy around multiple unbeatens when the season is over. While it may seem that the teams from championship conferences have an advantage, playing as they often do a weaker foe from the other division, this is not always the case. And even when it is, surprises do happen. Since the BCS began in 1998, basically just the SEC and Big 12 have hosted CCG's. Yet three times in those eight years, a team well on its way to the National Championship Game was (or should have been) derailed due to a loss to a supposedly inferior opponent in the conference title game. And when those upsets happen, such as Kansas State dumping #1 Oklahoma in 2003, neither team would be advanced to the Final Four. In real BCS fantasyland, of course, Oklahoma still got to the BCS title game after losing the conference title game. In the 'Plus-One-Plus,' all of the contenders must play on championship weekend, and losing is an automatic DQ from the Final Four. Teams that win on championship weekend, but for whatever reason couldn't completely close the deal during the regular season (such as Florida State this year), would still survive to play in a nice bowl game for their role as spoilers or late bloomers (or whatever you want to call them). The playoff value of the regular season is preserved. That's basically the guts of it. This even gets the mid-majors to the table with three rules: 1. ANY team that survives championship weekend undefeated is advanced to the Final Four. A priority will be placed on matching undefeated teams against each other in championship invitational games during any season when more than four teams end the regular season unbeaten. (Thus, in 2004, Boise State, USC and Utah would have been smashed into each other during championship weekend, leaving just two of them standing to face Auburn and Oklahoma in the Final Four). 2. Any mid-major team that is undefeated and not in a conference with a CG will be automatically advanced to one of the three invitational games (see above: Boise State, etc...). If the mid-major team wins that game, they will be advanced to the Final Four (except in the VERY rare circumstance when FOUR BCS teams survive championship weekend unbeaten) 3. Any mid major team in a conference with a CG that survives the CG unbeaten will also be advanced automatically to the Final Four (excepting for the rare circumstance when there are four unbeaten BCS conference teams in line ahead of them). So, there it is. Just four TOTAL games added to the season, three of them on a weekend when a lot of other teams are already forced to play conference championship games. Not one conference must re-align or add a championship game. The bowl games are preserved basically in-tact. The regular season still means a WHOLE LOT. Notre Dame gets to stay independent. Mid-majors, despite weaker schedules, can still win it all by just -- winning them all. That's the way it should be. | | Thursday, July 27th, 2006 | | 10:27 am |
May-Hem: NBA Final Four Well after all that drama in the first couple rounds, 3 out of 4 chalks made it to the NBA's conference finals after all. At least George Mason didn't make an appearance. LeBron and the Cavs nearly rattled off four straight wins to knock out the Pistons but fell just short. Elton Brand and the Clips proved to be a formidable playoff team. And B2B league MVP Steve Nash is still playing while fan-faves LeBron and Kobe will be watching from their sofas at home. Despite their 'underdog' label, the Mavs are now the team to beat after dethroning the champs in another epic battle last night. Final Four Picks (revisited): MIAMI over Detroit (7 games): Healthy Shaq + healthy Wade = Finals.  VS.  DALLAS over Phoenix (6 games): Dirk & Co. are 4 real. 
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
bobcatsbasketba's journal