Yale, Harvard et. al Basketball teams discover they can't get to the Big Dance with a handshake and a smile

The "apocalypse" as Seth Davis would put it is upon us. The Ivy League is seriously considering holding a postseason conference tournament to decide its bid for the Big Dance.

Now, I didn'a go ta one a'dem reel smurt skools out east, but I really can't see how this would be anything more than a sideways move for the Ivy League, who currently is the only D-1 league to award it's automatic NCAA bid to it's regular season champion after a true round-robin home and home schedule (wistful sigh).

1.) Most sports fans don't give a shit about the Ivy League, Ivy Leaguers give even fewer shits. ie) Name the last NBA prospect to come out of Cornell or Dartmouth.

2.) As Davis points out, hosting first round games at higher-seeded campus sites would drive up ticket revenue, but would lose the charm of a conference tournament bringing all the schools together. Not sure even that would do much better than the 826 people who recently watched Dartmouth and Brown, or even the 6,129 that watched perennial Ivy powers Princeton and Penn square off.

3.) Does the Ivy League really need to drive up ticket revenues anyway? Or can they just fill the gaps from their bottomless endowments?

There must be a reason for hosting a conference tournament. Oh wait, could it be that forcing Penn or Princeton (who have won 38 of the last 40 Ivy League titles) to play 3 more games in 3 days to make it to the dance could open the door to NCAA tournament riches for schools like Columbia and Harvard?

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If only Robbie Gould had hit Rex Grossman with a golf club

It was widely reported last week that Liverpool's Wales international Craig "The Dennis Rodman of Welsh Football" Bellamy had drawn the wrath of team officials after a night of boozing in Portugal where LFC was training for their Champions League first leg match against defending champions FC Barcelona.

Allegedly, after Bellamy's teammate John Arne Riise repeatedly refused to enter a karaoke competition at Bellamy's request, Bellamy attacked Riise with a golf club in their hotel for humiliating him at the karaoke bar in front of the team.

In the Champions League knockout stages, it's a two-game total goals series, with away goals being the first tiebreaker, so scoring on the road even once is potentially a huge advantage should the series end in a tie. Liverpool won the game at Barcelona by a 2-1 scoreline, and the goalscorers were...Craig Bellamy (43') and John Arne Riise (74').

Cosmic.

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All roads lead to Wayne Fontes

(Click to enlarge. Yeah, you're gonna need to.)

If you've had trouble tracking the NFL coaching carousel over the last few decades, you're not alone. That's why we at YCS have put together a simple diagram to track the career paths of your favorite retread head coaches and coordinators.

It's as they say--one man's treasure is another man's garbage, as well as another man's treasure, as well as another man's garbage... and one other guy's treasure and finally, one more guy's garbage.

And of course, this post wouldn't be complete without John Madden's favorite picture in the whole wide world:

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Brilliant

Searching through my digital channel guide, I'm looking to see if Versus (that would be the former OLN) was airing tonight's big Air Force-UNLV game. Being a college basketball nut and certified bracketologist, I'm anxious to see if these teams are as good as their lofty RPI rankings. Of course, no dice. Back in the day, Mountain West games aired every Monday as the nightcap of Big Monday, with the occasional Saturday night showdown mixed in. However, feeling emboldened to air more Mountain West games at a "more suitable" time, Craig Thompson, the Mountain West commissioner, decided to leave ESPN for the fledgling CSTV. While most sports fans get fed up with ESPN's increasingly cartoony coverage of sports, trying to pull a power play on them is a great way to render yourself and your conference into obscurity. Instead of the regular Monday 11 p.m. central, 10 p.m. mountain showcases, fans outside of the mountain time zone have been left to the occasional game picked by Versus and hoping your cable system actually carries CSTV. Thanks to this, I have seen the three serious NCAA Tournament contenders from the conference, Air Force, BYU, UNLV, play a combined half of basketball. That half featured UNLV without their two best players and San Diego missing their two best interior players. Diehard college basketball fans would like to thank Thompson for the dumbest business decision this side of New Coke.

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Oh, I've caught the fever, baby. I've caught it REAL bad.

Say what you will about the NBA (e.g. “It’s booooring!” “No one plays defense!” “The players are so promiscuous! Someday they’ll all be dunking...in the fiery depths of hell!”), but they sure know how to market well.

If this weekend’s All-Star weekend proved anything to me, it’s that the NBA has absolutely smoked the other two (come on; let’s face it) pro sports leagues in promoting its product in recent years. Maybe it’s just the luck of an exceptionally charismatic wave of talent, but somehow the NBA has turned into the fun-time feel-good league that few would have fathomed eight years ago.

Overblown? Yes. But All-Star Weekend was fun to watch. The creativity in this year’s dunk contest was fun to watch. The Barkley-Bavetta race was very fun to watch. Even the Shooting Stars competition, which is stupid, somehow proved entertaining.

I know I’m a year or two late with this whole NBA rebirth theme (sorry, the blog hasn’t been around that long), but it’s still apt, as the vibe seems only to build further. It almost seems counterintuitive that the NBA, what with David Stern’s wacky codes of conduct, has found momentum in the self-expression of its players. But whether it was Gerald Green and Nate Robinson’s cardboard cut-out antics, Shaq’s point-guard play (a repeat gag, but great nonetheless), or Gilbert Arenas just being the generally ridiculous character he is, that’s what happened this weekend.

Would any other league let one of its Hall of Famers and one of its officials stage a footrace? Or for that matter, have the other pro leagues ever enjoyed such a lightheartedness that could produce a stunt like that? On the whole, NFL and MLB Hall of Famers are a pack of icy stiffs too hung up on (respectively) their macho pride and self-importance to look silly dicking around with the young guys.

The current NBA links to its past by having George Gervin launch half-court shots and showing campy-yet-cool Red Auerbach “Roundball” videos on its website. Right now, the MLB’s strongest links to its past are Jose Canseco and Pete Rose book tours and a surly Hank Aaron bemoaning the accomplishments of today’s steroid users. And when these connections aren’t strained or downright negative, they’re so up-their-own-ass with the sacredness of baseball tradition that they alienate the 99.999% of the fan base that never made the big leagues.

Maybe it’s rooted in the fact that most NBA stars never completed college—if they went at all—but their playfulness comes off so much more genuine than their NFL and MLB counterparts. Never propped up by baseball dads or corrupted by college education, many are literally living part of their unfinished childhood in the NBA. And it’s great to watch, even when it plays out as petulance more than playfulness.

When Gilbert Arenas talks about banding together with regular season opponents for a shot at 35-grand, it’s charming and refreshing in a way that Sammy Sosa’s “I’m just trying to put on a good show for the fans” in the 2000 Home Run Derby tried to be, only to ring phony. Even the NBA’s charity pin-ups and “guys from all different backgrounds coming together because we all love to ball” angles come off way more authentic than they do in other sports. And I think, in part, that’s because they are.

Whether the NBA is that great at marketing their product or just very lucky right now, gone is the image of the league where shady, criminal-minded characters like Latrell Sprewell and Shawn Kemp were free to choke coaches, start fights, scare children, make illegitimate babies, and run isolation sets. Now when players start fights and spawn illegitimate children, they earn it by cracking zone defenses. And it’s in a more fun, diverse, charitable way.

And that’s what this weekend taught me. That, and a 44 year-old fat dude can beat a 67 year-old runner in a short footrace.

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"Well Duh." Moment of the Weekend

"Kansas is better than us in so many ways. From the coach on down, probably." Nebraska head coach Doc Sadler on his team's 92-39 loss to Kansas.

The Jayhawks outscored Big Red 56-17 in the second half.

Kansas beat Nebraska 76-56 earlier this season, making the total score on the year so far Kansas 168, Nebraska 95. Average margin of victory: 36.5.

Coach Sadler shouldn't find too many people to disagree with him on that one.

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Reality Check Version Two

Once again, cliff jumping has commenced in Milwaukee. The good guys have lost 3 straight, the last coming on Jerry Smith's last second contested 30 footer at the buzzer. Combined with a close loss at a solid DePaul team and suddenly Marquette is a bubble team(not even close) who may not even make the NCAA Tournament. Like after our 0-2 start, I'm here to tell everyone things will be better.

Marquette clearly has some significant flaws that this three game losing streak has helped accentuate.

1. Lack of consistent perimeter shooting. The closest thing Marquette has to a marksman is Dan Fitzgerald, and his elongated shot release requires him to be wide open in order to consistently hit his shot. I think Lazar Hayward will be a sharpshooter during his junior and senior seasons. However, he needs more development on his other perimeter skills in order to play the majority of his minutes at a wing position. The Three Amigos are all very good at driving to the basket, but none of them have developed a reliable outside shot. David Cubillan has hit the freshman wall, plus his height(I'm guessing he's actually 5'10) also requires him to have a clear opening.

2. No true power forward-Hayward and Fitzgerald struggle against the athletic 6'8-6'9 power forwards that the Big East has in bunches. Guys like Wilson Chandler, Jeff Green, Terrence Roberts and Jeff Adrien are bigtime mis-matches against our guys who realisitically should be wing forwards. Dwight Burke has the body and athleticism to compete here, but his total lack of offensive skills make him a liability to be out on the floor more than 5-10 minutes.

3. Guard depth: Our four guards can compete with just about any unit in the country. However, at this time of the season, the grind of having to play 35 minutes a night seems to be affecting the Three Amigos. Even if James goes pro after the season, the presence of Maurice Acker and Scott Christopheron will allow Matthews and McNeal to get more breathers and be fresher for the latter part of the season.

4. Poor Free Throw Shooting: The last two games, this has kicked Marquette squarely in the ass. Despite being a guard-oriented team, Marquette cannot consistently hit their free throws. All Three Amigos have the potential be 75-80% free throw shooters, but for whatever reason they struggle. I do think that fatigue may come into play, but you still need to hit at least 70% of your free throws. I would not be surprised if free throw shooting greatly improves next season, especially if the issue is a main offseason focus. Other than Dwight Burke, this team has the potential to collectively shoot 72-75%.

Still, this team has some serious strengths that have led to 21 wins. Marquette has one of the nation's best five backcourts. Ousmane Barro has become a tough match-up for slower big men because of his consistent effort running the court. Despite being a smaller team, Marquette is a very good offensive rebounding squad. Also, the defensive effort has been outstanding this season. If teams become sloppy with the ball, Marquette can run them straight out of the gym.

Basically, looking at all the positives and negatives, Marquette should be a 7-6 or 8-5 team in the Big East. They may have taken an unconvential route to get to their 8-5 mark, but that is still an impressive conference record for a team with notable shortcomings that many top 25 teams do not have.

Breaking down the rest of our conference match-ups, I think Marquette has an excellent chance to get to 10-6 or 11-5. I think Villanova will struggle to match-up with our perimeter quickness and athleticism. Curtis Sumpter will be a tough match-up, but he no longer possesses the athleticism of guys like Jeff Green and Wilson Chandler. Even after all of his knee problems, he is still a crafty scorer who can hit the three and post-up on smaller defenders. However, he won't overwhelm Hayward, Fitzgerald and Wesley Matthews like the aforementioned Green and Chandler.

After having a needed five days off, I think Marquette will be ready to give Notre Dame their first home blemish. I don't think Notre Dame can handle Marquette's quickness and athleticism. The one match-up problem will be 6'8 bull Luke Harangody, but he cannot single-handedly win the game for the Irish. All conference road games are difficult, but Marquette has proven they can win in hostile environments.

The final game of the year, a re-match with Pitt, comes after a week off for Marquette. In the first match-up, Marquette was able to tire out Pitt's horse, Aaron Gray. Look for Ousmane Barro to run Gray all around the court and tire him out again. Also, Pitt has really struggled against quick, perimeter based teams. In a must-win game for Marquette, I look for them to finally come away triumphant in a big home game.

As far as the postseason goes, Marquette will be wildly unpredictable. Depending on the match-ups, I can see us making long runs in the Big East and NCAA Tournaments. You absolutely need strong guard play to win in March, and we definitely have that. However, an early exit is also a possibility if we are matched up against a team with solid guard and athletic bigs.

Whenever you have a flawed team, inconsistent results should not be surprising. That being said, we have already had two winning streaks of six games or longer, which you need to advance deep in March. We will be one of the most difficult teams to predict in March Madness, but I assure you we will be there with a respectable seed and the opportunity to do serious damage.

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Woooo! We suck! Yeah!

There are few things in sports that amuse me more than fans who unknowingly put down their own team. Or in this case, fans who knowingly acknowledge their team's suckiness but are too excited to care.

If you missed it, Arizona St., who had been 0-14 in Pac10 play entering last night's game against the Troyanites of USC, avoided the first ever winless season in the history of Pac10 play.

Of course, an occasion of this nature is bound to produce some ironic celebration. The ASU students did not disappoint, storming the court and holding out their index fingers--as in, "win #1," not "we're #1"--when the final buzzer sounded.

Adding insult to insult, the ASU fans had also been chanting "overrated" throughout the last minute of the game, a ritual that is illogical regardless of circumstance and even more degrading given ASU's record.

Speaking of which, I'd like to jump on the soapbox for a second. And I know I speak for all of YCS on this one. If you ever, ever, chant "overrated," you are a fool and deserve to be punched. Just think for a second about what you're saying. It diminishes your own team's accomplishment for crying out loud! People sometimes...I tell ya.

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Back, bay-beeeee?

Scottie Pippen must really be hard up for child support money.

Having said that, I'm not one to tell Scottie whether or not he can still play. Oh wait--yes I am. I watched him in his second stint with the Bulls. And he looked washed-up.

Ok fine--I'm still not one to cast judgment because I'm not an NBA scout. I would suggest watching the video of Sir Charles in that link instead. (Sam Smith, however, disagrees.)

Pippen has been working out in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., during the winter, and he thinks the time is right to add his experience and defensive prowess to a contending club, perhaps in Miami or San Antonio.

Fort Lauderdale? No wonder he thinks he's good. He's been playing against old Jewish guys. But could you imagine him in Miami? Dwyane Wade can:

"I'm already playing with [Gary] Payton and Shaq, two guys I used to play with on video games," Wade said. "To add Scottie Pippen to the mix, that would be crazy."

Crazy. Yes. That's exactly what it would be. The Heat would be the San Francisco Giants of the NBA... even more so. Personally, I hope he goes back to Houston and plays along side Dikembe Mutombo.

In other, totally unrelated retirement news...

I guess we can't make anymore "queer as Foulke" puns. Well, we still could, but they wouldn't be nearly as effective.

Personally, I'm a little bummed to see Keith Foulke go. Not only is it unfortunate when injuries force a good player out too early, but I was always a huge Foulke fan. There's few sweeter sights in baseball than watching a guy mow down hitters with nothing but a fastball and a change.

I was always a huge defender of Foulke's awesomeness, especially when White Sox fans wanted to run his ass outta town for a few memorable blown saves in 2002. He never got enough credit here because, well, he didn't throw hard enough. And in one of Kenny Williams's few senseless trades with the Sox, Foulke was traded for Billy Koch. (Oops.)

And while I still think closers are overrated--and still loathe the "closer" concept in general--Foulke was one of the best, if not the best, for a few years. It's unfortunate that injuries are forcing him to retire because his pitching style could have made him effective well into his forties.

Anyway, no one gives a crap what I think about Keith Foulke. But hey, it's a slow news night. Right now the espn.com front page story is the rookies-sophomores All-Star Weekend game. Yeah.

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The Case Against the Sun-Times' Case Against the Tribune Co.

The Chicago Sun-Times has put "Tribune Co. on trial" for "ruining the Cubs." While this is a popular belief in Chicago, and who knows, it might even be true, this is the evidence the Sun-Times actually offered, taken apart here in classic YCS bold/not bold format.

Even though I haven't passed the bar yet, I have watched every episode of Boston Legal this season, thereby making me qualified to represent and defend the Tribune Company in this case before...ahem...the court.

It's the trial of the century in the Court of Public Opinion. Case No. 1908, the People of Chicago vs. Tribune Co. The charge: gross negligence and neglect in its ownership of the Chicago Cubs.

It's a slow news day! We need something to sell papers! That's the only reason this made it to page one! Or perhaps it's a hit job on our crosstown rivals in the publishing industry! Let's kick them while they're down! Yea!

The Sun-Times, representing Cubs fans everywhere, is filing a class-action suit and offers as evidence 98 consecutive years without a World Series victory, the last 26 under Tribune stewardship.

Yea! Those motherfuckers in Tribune Tower were not only responsible for the last 26 years the Cubs haven't won a title, but also the 72 years that preceded their purchase of the team in 1981! Fuck you!

The Sun-Times wants the team sold -- immediately. Tribune Co. has been derelict in its duty as custodian of one of the most cherished teams in American sports. Fans are suffering from emotional abuse and mental anguish. Four meager playoff appearances in more than a quarter-century of Tribune ownership are offered as proof. The Cubs have the longest World Series drought in baseball.

No shit I'll bet they want them sold. They're more or less the only part of Tribune company making a profit these days. And four meager playoff appearances in 26 years? Why that's just as many as the Cubs made in the previous 52 (1932, 1935, 1938,1945). So the Tribune has actually doubled the frequency of playoff appearances since taking control.

Some blame the Curse of the Billy Goat. Don't believe it.
Anyone with a brain? Anyone without a closet full of voodoo dolls?

Owning a baseball team, especially one as beloved as the Cubs, is a public trust. Current ownership has broken that trust. The only goat in this scenario, our complaint alleges, is Tribune Co.

Owning a baseball team apparently IS NOT a difficult business. Ignore that 12 other teams; some just as storied as the Cubs, have failed to win a World Series since Tribune took over (Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Texas, Seattle, Montreal/Washington, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Houston, Milwaukee, San Francisco, Colorado, San Diego) Of the 30 teams in Major League Baseball, only 7 teams have won multiple titles since Tribune purchased the Cubs.

Cubs fans are among the most loyal fans in any sport. They deserve better than a team synonymous with losing.
Objection! Speculation. While possibly true, there's no way to confirm that.

The Red Sox hadn't won a World Series since 1918 when they broke through in 2004. Long-suffering White Sox fans celebrated in 2005.

The Sox have made the playoffs just as many times ('83, '93, '00, '05) in the last 26 years as the Cubs ('84, '89, '98, '03). I'd like to cite precedence in the case of No one v. Jerry Reinsdorf (2007). Reinsdorf bought the White Sox in 1981, the same year as my client bought the Cubs. I don't see the Sun-Times arguing that Reinsdorf should sell the White Sox. Do 5 postseason victories really make the difference here? Or is being your cross-town rival in the newspaper business what really matters here?

The stars seemingly had aligned for the Cubs in 2006. It was their turn, and how did they respond? With a National League-worst 66 victories.

At this time, I'd like to enter defendant's Exhibit A-2006. A page from the Chicago Sun-Times 2006 Baseball Preview "The Cubs have no chance of winning that division. Injury-prone players don't suddenly become stable, and without Wood or Prior, that staff is below average. The division belongs to St. Louis, and Houston again will be strong." For once the Sun-Times is right.

The Cubs must be rescued from their own tortured history. Being a Cubs fan means bitter memories of the 1969 collapse, when the team was in first place for 155 days before falling apart down the stretch. At that time, the Cubs were owned by the Wrigley family.

Objection! Relevance. If the Cubs "Tortured History" happened under the Wrigley family, it's irrelevant to the current proceedings against Tribune Co.

Fans thought corporate ownership might be the answer after the franchise and ballpark had deteriorated the Wrigleys' rule. But it was evident after witnessing the horrors of the 1984 NL Championship Series that nothing had changed. The Cubs blew a 2-0 series lead, losing the final game when an easy ground ball inexplicably went through first baseman Leon Durham's legs.

It's the Tribune Company's fault that Leon Durham didn't field the ball?

That stunning series loss to the San Diego Padres set the tone for Tribune Co. ownership.

That and the renovation of the bleachers, increased capacity at Wrigley, the addition of lights and skyboxes, a revitalized North Side (largely due to people actually WANTING to go to Cubs games again), increased revenue streams and a level of popularity for the Cubs unseen in their history.

The biggest heartbreak of all came in 2003. The Cubs were five outs away from their first World Series appearance since 1945 when Steve Bartman reached to catch a foul ball in Game 6 of the NLCS and deflected it away from left fielder Moises Alou. The Cubs went on to lose their best chance to bring a title home to Wrigleyville.

It's Tribune Company's fault that Steve Bartman has long arms?

If that's not cruel and unusual punishment, what is?

Having to read this column? Oh wait...this isn't a column...THIS RAN ON THE FRONT PAGE!!!!!

The people have suffered enough. That's why this case will be tried in these pages over the coming days and weeks. We will present the case for the prosecution and the case for the defense, and then the Court of Public Opinion will render a verdict. Court is adjourned for a brief recess.

Indeed. They have. Recess? Good. Never come back, or at least never write again.

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