The King Is Dead

Like there could be any other headline for the triumphant return of NRTTS.  

For those still living in denial, The Next Great Hope for Cleveland fans was eliminated from the Eastern Conference Finals in Orlando, victims of a 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Magic.  

I'm not here to gloat.  Okay, maybe just a little bit.  But my gloating isn't so much directed at DeJuan Wagner/Trajan Langon/Terrell Brandon Cavalier Fan.  Instead, my gloating is aimed at the Lebron James Cavalier Fan who jumped on the bandwagon in hopes of riding King James to a sure thing NBA Title.  Those plans were severely derailed as the Magic exploited every weakness in the Cavalier defense, forcing James to be superhuman to win two games.  Lebron just didn't have it in him in Game Six, and the Magic executed their game plan to perfection.

As I was watching Game Six, the series in a nutshell was defined by two simple plays that the Magic ran.  After a few passes to get some motion, the Magic poured it down to 6'10" Hedo Turkoglu down on the block matched up against 6'3" Delonte "You Better Get My Dough-Nuts" West.  Turkoglu beat the help defense and scored easily over the much smaller West.  The second play happened a bit later.  When the Magic ran through their offense, the ball ended up with Turkoglu at the top of the circle matched up one on one with Anderson Varejao.  Hedo took his time and beat the bigger Varejao off the dribble, scoring easily in the lane for another Magic bucket.

Turkoglu was the matchup nightmare for the Cavaliers.  When the Cavs tried the vaunted small lineup of Williams, Gibson, West, James, and Varejao, the Magic ate them alive by creating matchups for their bigger, more skilled players in Rashard Lewis, Michael Pietrus, and Hedo Turkoglu.  

The word that comes to mind when I think of this Eastern Conference Finals is exposed.  So many people on this Cavs roster were exposed by a hungrier Magic team.  Mo Williams was exposed by Skip To My Damn Lou of all people.  Illgauskas was exposed as being the slowest human being on Earth by Dwight Howard.  Ben Wallace was exposed as a has-been defender by Dwight Howard.  Anderson Varejao was exposed as a limited role player by the Magic front line.  Finally, the city of Cleveland was exposed as a city of pretenders.  If this is the straw that breaks Lebron's back (sending him out of Cleveland), the Q will be back to being a half empty basketball arena next to a half empty baseball stadium.  

While I am on the subject of Cleveland Fan, has there been a more annoying fan than Cleveland Fan in the last three years? (This excluded the eternally annoying Ohio State Fan, who for the sake of this argument is left out.  Rest assured, they are an all-time #1)  First, we had the Tribe's run to the ALCS, with their hopes being crushed by the Red Sox in seven.  You had everyone and their brother claiming to be a huge Indians fan, sporting the new Franchise hat at the bar while cheering on the next big thing Fausto Carmona (a big ooooooooops on that one).   The next year, expectations were high and the Tribe got off to a terrible start.  Those same fans that were at the bar cheering have not been heard from since, gone onto their next bandwagon.  Lebron joined the Cavs after the 2003 NBA Draft, and that is when it really started.  It didn't get bad until that terrible "Witness" billboard popped up in Cleveland.  Suddenly, every person that saw the billboard (or even had heard the name Lebron James) was a "Witness" to the Cavaliers rise.  These types of fans make me sick.  You couldn't get on Facebook without having your front page bombarded with a dozen new "witnesses" who probably think a "pick and pop" is some type of ending to a porn movie.  I really have nothing against Lebron James and the Cavs other than the fact that they were a bit over hyped in a weak Eastern Conference and their fans are obnoxious bandwagon jumpers.  I hope this loss sends some of the "Witnesses" back into their holes so that the real fans can take their team back.  

(Sidebar: While researching Delonte "You Better Get My Dough-Nuts" West for his portion in this post, I went to his Wikipedia page, where the first sentence reads ..

Delonte Maurice West (born July 26, 1983, in Washington, D.C.) is a white American professional basketball player in the guard positions for theCleveland Cavaliers of the NBA.

the keyword in that sentence would be white.  Nothing about West screams "white guy" other than his unusually pale skin.  If, in fact, Delonte West is white, than the Reggie Cleveland All-Stars of White Athletes That Sound Like They Are Black Guys has to be renamed to the Delonte West All-Stars, right?  Not only does Delonte West sound like a black guy name, he looks like a black guy.  Someone needs to find out the truth immediately.

That's all for the comeback edition of NRTTS.  I will leave you with this Ron Artest quote from after he was ejected against the Lakers in the playoffs. (Just pay attention to his story in the beginning)

Uh....a table leg?! Remind me not to play at that playground....

NRTTS

Coach Deuce

Checking In

Okay, here is the deal.

I had been struck with a mean case of writer's block for about a week or so.  I'm getting the itch to write again, but I have to know if the audience is still checking in.

So basically, if you are in favor of the restart of NRTTS, than chime in and I will start spewing out some updates.

Coach Deuce

If It's in the Game, It's in the Game and a Weekend Update

With the help of PS3 and EA Sports we made it through a Saturday with no sports besides baseball and the Preakness. And we've got sports and sports news coming out every orifice of our bodies. There's a lot to get to in these last remaining hours before the puck drops and the ball goes into the air so lets get the triangle setup and the vorcheck in position.

Former Sun Devil Cornhusker Sam Keller has filed a class action lawsuit against Electronic Arts. Keller alleges that both EA and the NCAA are raking in the cash from video game sales based upon the relation between the video game characters and the real life counterparts. As amateur athletes the likeness of Sam and his teammates are not allowed to be used for profit. Now EA Sports and their college basketball and football series are something I'm very familiar with. Coach and I didn't win the tag titles behind the leadership of Brooks Bollinger, PK Sam, and others, we led QB #5 and WR #4 to glories their counterparts could never reach. Of course we know they're supposed to represent real players Sam, that's why we play the game. College football is a business, and the NCAA is making mucho banko. But we don't here these complaints from Booty, Manning, or Bush. The only guys talking about it are the guys using their degree to make money not there arms. Sorry Sam, you got paid; take look at that degree from Nebraska, Arizona State, or wherever the hell you graduated from. Now if you could get EA to just make the game better for the first time since 2003 I'd get behind you.

Move over Aaron Boone there's a new most hated man in New England. After game six of the great Bruins/Canes series, the blood would start to simmer at the mention of Scott Walker. The "fight" took place in the closing minutes of the game, when Walker landed a cheap shot on Aaron Ward knocking Ward to the ground quicker than Shamrock/Ortiz II. The difference being Shamrock knew it was coming. While the punch was a good start the real kick between the legs came Thursday night's game 7. After dominating much of the OT the Bruins D got caught out of position allowing Walker to streak into the slot and punch the winner by Tim Thomas. Now I hate Boston fan as much as the next Yankee fan, but you still had to feel for these guys. Watching Cam Neely walk out of his box after the goal you could see these guys wanted it real bad. The Bruins haven't been relevant since Neely was streaking down the ice at The Garden. After a great series we get a Penguins v. Canes matchup for the conference title.

Those conference finals get started today as the Red Wings get set to take on Original Six rival Chicago Blackhawks. I'm torn on this one, the old school in me says 'Hawks, but I still think I'm pulling for the winged wheels. The Blackhawks have finally returned to relevancy for the first time since Eddie Belfour left for Dallas. The veteran team that Detroit skates should take care of the youth of Chicago much quicker than they dealt with the Ducks. On the other side of the bracket I expect Sid the Kid to send Cam Ward and company back to Carolina without any hardware.

The NBA has two game 7s today. Kobe vs. Houston should be a pretty good game, everyone worth his salt knows that Kobe is going to try and take this game over, its just what he does. The Rockets are playing well as a TEAM going into these playoffs the loss of McGrady seemed like it would just be on of those times when the Rockets would finally advance through the first round, now with the loss of Yao they should be gone, but they're not, they're still standing and here's hoping they continue their run into the conference finals. In the battle for who does LeBron destroy I gotta think the Celts are going to bring all they've got as team to try and stop the youth of the Magic. Games 7s in the NBA are much different than any other sport because the stars have the ability to take the game and usually do. So while I'm hoping for the opposite in each game, I gotta believe the stars come out and beat the Rockets and the Celtics.

In other star related news A-Rod is back. Rodgriguez got his first hit at New Yankee yesterday. A shot over the left field wall earned the troubled star. I can't say anything because deep down I know I'm that guy out in the bleachers talking shit about the guy all day and then as that ball leaves the field I'm pumping my fists for the W. Not really because its still May, show me in October, but everyone knows that the best way to get back into the good graces of a fan is the one thing Al Davis ever said that just makes sense "Just Win Baby".

The Preakness happened yesterday. I flipped it on just in time to see the last leg of the race, perfect timing. As Mine that Bird made a late run just a few strides too late Rachel Alexandra became the first Philly to win the Preakness in 85 years. That's all I know/care about horse racing so I'll let Deuce give more info if he feels warranted.

That's all for today, enjoy one of the last remaining weekends of sports until August for all its worth and stay tuned for news on Mike Vick's release from prison and eventual trade to the Oakland Raiders.

Let the Gate Swing Freely

Mad Ups, Yo'

The dunk has long been the ultimate sports highlight.  Despite solid competition from the leaping TD catch, the bone crushing hit, the diving catch in center field, or the slick wrister past the goalie, the dunk has maintained it's status as the king of the highlights.  

America's obsession with the dunk is rooted in a very simple origin.  If a poll was taken of sports fans around the country, I would say that 99% of the people participating would report that they could not dunk a basketball.  The feeling of soaring through the air and throwing it down, spending a little extra time to hang on the rim and do a "Shaq Pull Up" is something that most people never feel.

This all being said, the emergence of one player has really brought the dunk into the forefront of my mind.

Big Baby Davis has emerged this postseason, much to the chagrin of Cleveland fans, as a solid if unspectacular low post player that can provide some good minutes in the NBA.  After taking one look at him, he also brings up visions of a 6'9" guy that cannot dunk a basketball.  Of course, this isn't true.  Big Baby can throw it down, albeit not very convincingly.  After all, he is an NBA power forward.  If he could not dunk a basketball, he would not be in the league.  This raises a bigger question, though. 

Is there anyone in the NBA that actually cannot dunk?  Think about it.  These are the elite 200 or so basketball players in all of the world.  The slob in the NBA would dominate any rec league or YMCA in the United States.  These guys only seem bad because they are playing against guys that are that good.  So is it possible that out of all the players in the NBA, that even one could not rise that ten feet and throw down a dunk?

I'm not sure of the answer.  I am leaning towards no.  However, this would not be a blog if we could not discuss it.  So, here are my top five guys that I think are the least likely to be able to dunk a basketball.  

Honorable Mention: Chris Webber (during the Pistons/Sixers years).  Rick Majerus would have given CWebb's vert a run for its money.

5. Kirk Heinrich - G - Chicago Bulls - The only way Kirk Heinrich can dunk is if he takes a running start and those he flaps those dumbo ears of his.  Heinrich can stroke the J, but I think Kirk would have to have the adrenaline flowing to be able to consistently throw down a dunk.  

4. Wally Szczerbiak - F - Cleveland Cavaliers - Wally had his day where he could definitely throw it down.  This is not his day.  Wally makes Doug Oates look athletic.  If he couldn't shoot the basketball, he would have been out of the league two years ago.  I'm not even sure Wally can still board slap.  It's as if all the hair product he is wearing is weighing him down so much that he cannot get any lift.

3. Brevin Knight - G - Utah Jazz - Knight, all 5'10" of him, has bounced around the league as much as Chris Gatling used to.  One thing if for certain, Brevin can dish the rock.  However, he cannot shoot (well), and he may not be able to dunk.  The guy has been around since the ABA merger (1997 actually).  He was around when the Cavs had Terrell Brandon.  If the challenge was spontaneous, I am positive that Knight could not dunk a basketball.  

2. Eric Snow - G - Cleveland Cavaliers - While Snow technically does play in the NBA still, his presence on this list is more of an all-time "guys who can't dunk."  Snow is technically retired, but has found a home on the Cavs bench as an "assistant coach" which he technically was for his last two years anyway.  When Snow played offense, you might as well have been playing four on five.  I don't think Eric Snow has ever made a jump shot, let alone got close enough to the rim to dunk a basketball.  With his knees, he may have to have one of those SlamBall trampolines to throw it down.

1. JJ Barea - G - Dallas Mavericks - Barea is listed at 6'0".  Right, and Shawn Kemp only has 8 kids.  Watching Barea on the court reminds one of when Earl Boykins used to run around and cause havoc for opposing teams.  The only difference between Boykins and Barea is that Boykins looks like he could actually have some decent athletic ability.  If there ever was a guy that could not dunk a basketball in the NBA, Barea is it.  

So there is the list.  Like I said, I don't think there is one player in the NBA that really cannot dunk.  But I'm thinking that these guys on this list need some time to warm up before they can put it down with two hands.  

Discuss away.

NRTTS

Coach Deuce

Between the Glass

I'm sitting here, half asleep watching Chris Osgood continue to make goaltending the worlds toughest job, again. This guy drives me absolutely crazy. Why on earth is it that one of the best teams in the league continues to let themselves be pulled down by an idiot between the post. Granted all these goals are not just Osgood, and if Pavel Datsyuk and co. would score some goals this would be a moot point. Yet, this is a continuing stigma with the Red Wings; grab an old relic and put him back there and hope you can outgun them. Hasek, CUJO, Mike Vernon, and Osgood. Granted there are plenty of Cups in Hockey town but, how good would the Wings be if they had a Steve Mason, Roberto Luongo, or Nikolai Khabibulin in their prime.

But this Wings/Ducks series isn't the only great one going on. We're going to have 3 game 7s...and then start the conference finals over the weekend.  Meanwhile in the NBA, we're gonna have to wait til NFL mini camp before we see the Cavs again. The NHL couldn't ask for any more out of the Ovechkin/Crosby series. The nostalic fan in me also gets a bit of a chubber thinking about the possibilities of Wings v. Hawks and Pens v. Bruins...Old school hockey towns and none of these damn 10 o'clock starts.

Thats the one problem that the NBA and NHL have in common; the west coast. There is no reason I should be up until 1 AM watching a hockey game before work at 630. I understand its only 7 PST, start the shit at 530 EST. I write this as a 5 hour energy commercial runs...."You need this product so you can function after a long night watching playoff hockey."

I can't figure out how I feel about "Between the Glass" segments both on VERSUS and NBC. I mean you could barely get Lloyd Carr to talk about his tactics at halftime, let alone with 3:53 left in the 1st Quarter. These interviews, while the blonde working for VS does rival Erin Andrews, serve very little purpose and just give these games a gimmicky feel.

12:33 AM - Franzen scores for Wings, 1-2 and if this goes to OT I'm compelled by my journalistic responsibility to finish it. There are no "In progress at printing time" here at NRTTS.

12:40 Game over cheap shots from the Ducks and all hell breaks lose, I hate the Anaheim Ducks more than Chis Osgood or the Colorado Avalanche. I know there's no cheering in the pressbox, but I really was cheering for someone to break Ryan Getzlaf's leg.

Let the Gate Swing Freely, but not as open as Osgoods 5-hole

Random Thoughts

Not again.

Please, not again!  For the love of Trey Wingo, would you please just go away, Brett?  Yet again, we are forced to listen to constant blubber on the four letter network on how Brett Favre is feeling about retirement.  The latest sees him again flirting with the Vikings, long time opponent with a gaping hole at quarterback.  

Hey, Brad Childress.  Save yourself some time and stick with Sage Rosenfels.  Brett Favre is officially over the hill.  He single handedly derailed the Jets playoff hopes last season, sending off a series of events that has landed Eric Mangini in Cleveland and Favre back looking for work.  

If Favre indeed does come back, which we will no doubt have to wait a good month or two to find out, I hope we will not have to sit through the fluff of another city falling in love with Brett.  Minneapolis HATED Favre while he was with the Packers, and they will hate him even more when he throws three picks against the Bears in December.  Is Brad Childress going to name his child after Brett like Mangini did?  How bad do you think Mangini regrets that decision?  That kid will never know the real reason his middle name is Brett.  Ten years from now, Rock of Love Bus could be the reason that Mangini named his kid Brett.  

So as I sit watching Rachel Nichols tell me that Brett wanted to take road trips with his daughters in the fall, I give Brett Favre one big middle finger for making me listen to his boring retirement talk.  Here is some free advice, Brett.  Get out while you still have some credibility and aren't quite the Ric Flair of the NFL.

Those eyes look familiar?  

They can be seen every fifth game, staring down opposing hitters from the pitcher's mound at the new Yankee Stadium.  

Now we know where Joba Chamberlain got his intimidation skills.  Let's hope the similarities with his mom stop there.  Joba's mom was stopped earlier this week in Nebraska, where she was jailed on suspicion of selling meth.  That's right, the mother of a famous (and rich) baseball player is selling meth!  I'm putting some money down that Joba and his mother didn't have a very good relationship if she had to resort to selling meth.  

At least she didn't end up on Dog the Bounty Hunter, where he would smash her ice pipe on cable TV.  Instead, we just get this legendary picture of which to remember the beautiful Mama Joba.  I'm sure hecklers around the league will be carrying blown up pictures of that broad to the ballpark.  Sorry Joba, next time maybe you should just spot your mom a couple grand so she won't be selling meth.

Some random thoughts around sports:

• Thank you, NHL referee for ruining my Streak For The Cash yet again.  I had the Red Wings to win in Game 3, only to turn on the game with them down one with 5 minutes to go.  The Wings stormed the Ducks zone time after time, until finally with :45 seconds to go they broke through and poked a goal in that skated through the Ducks goalie's legs and was sitting in the crease.  The only problem was that the rear ref thought the goalie had the puck in control for a face off situation.  He blew his whistle inadvertently while the Wings scored their goal, effectively robbing the Wings of their chance to win Game 3.  Replays showed that the whistle may have come just after the goal was scored, but according the the NHL rules it does not matter.  Once a ref blows the play dead, inadvertent or not, then no action can happen.  Way to go, ref.  My Streak will probably never recover.
• Did anybody else watch the Lakers/Rockets game two last night?  During the third quarter, the game turned into a free-for-all after Lois Scola and Lamar Odom got into it, resulting in double technicals.  On one of the ensuing possessions, Derek Fisher (who took exception to Scola) decided to take matters into his own hands. (<-- video)  After Fisher was ejected, Phil Jackson and Fisher acted as if nothing happened and they were surprised that he was ejected.  Later, Scumbag Kobe elbowed Ron Artest, only for Artest to come after him and threaten some serious bodily harm.  Of course, Kobe was not seen and Artest was the villain, so Ron Ron was ejected and Kobe got to stay in the game.  When Craig Sager interviewed Kobe, he said that he "didn't see the Fisher play" and that "he is just trying to play his game."  Sorry, Kobe.  You are not fooling anyone anymore.  You raped that girl in Colorado, you wrecked the dynasty with Shaq, and you are the biggest scumbag in the NBA.  (Which is saying something in a league that features Stephen Jackson)
• Breaking news:  Manny has been suspended for 50 games for using a banned substance.  First the really bad news, I have Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp on my fantasy team.  They were benefiting greatly from Manny's presence in the lineup and I'm not sure how they will react to this.  Second, who is the last slugger from the 90's not to have some steroid cloud over their head.  Manny was the last great hope, but that pretty much evaporates with this latest news.  Chipper Jones will go down as the best hitter from the 90's-00's that has never used steroids.  
• Lastly, something that really bothers me about one of my favorite movies of all time.  I was watching Tommy Boy on TBS at 3 in the morning the other night, when a huge flaw with the movie hit me in the face.  After Beverly and Rob Lowe are exposed as being married, Lowe attempts to escape.  He is hilariously hung up on a "crash test dummy car" where he lands in a chair and is hit with a heavy bag in the nads.  Then, Zalinski makes a comment to Beverly about how pretty she looks, and Beverly looks at Rob Lowe and takes Zalinski's arm and walks away.  The scene cuts away to Tommy Boy and Richard and they give a "ooooh, what a cute relationship" look that suggests that Beverly was allowed to walk away with Zalinski.  Go back and watch that part of the movie right now!  Why is she allowed to walk away?!  She is just as guilty, if not more, since she was the actual person who was married illegally.  This movie might be ruined to me if I don't find out if she was actually arrested or if she walked away with Zalinski the Auto Parts King.  

That's all for today, comment away!

NRTTS

Coach Deuce

Bulls/Celts, Derby, and The Boys

Epic.  

That was the only word I could use to describe the first six games of the Bulls/Celtics first round series that culminated last night.  

The games featured everything that made an NBA playoff matchup interesting.  An aging champion, injured and battered that mixed some HOF-type veterans (Allen, Pierce) with some underlooked young talent (Rondo, Davis, Perkins).  An up-and-coming team that featured some unproven star type veterans (Gordon, Salmons, Heinrich, Miller) mixed with some exciting and elite young talent (Rose, Noah).  It had the instigators for each side (Noah, KG), along with the the old, useless backup point guards (Hunter, Marbury).  

Rarely, if ever, does a first round NBA matchup garner this type of attention.  Back when the West featured the 8 best teams in the league, you would get these type of matchups.  Now, the playing field is a little more even.  So with the players present to create an interesting matchup, they just had to bring it on the court.

Fourty two overtimes later, and the consensus was that they definitely brought it.  It had great finishes, controversy (the Rondo no-call could be the biggest call of the entire playoffs), and two historically elite teams that brought great enthusiasm to each game.  Who needs Jordan and MJ when Gordon and Allen are playing like this?  Okay, maybe The Swinging Gate does, but he is just nostalgic.  

So even with an anti-climactic Game 7, this rates as one of the most interesting first round series in any year that I can remember.  I never thought I would see the day when I saw Big Baby Davis turn into a legitimate NBA post player.  Derrick Rose took his game to the next level.  Rajon Rondo is turning into Jason Kidd Part Two.  Ray Allen could be the most underrated player in our generation.  And Vinny Del Negro still has no clue how to coach.  How do you continuously run out of timeouts and then have it bite you when you need them with 2.4 seconds left at the end of every game?  How good could this Bulls team have been if Mike D'Antoni was the coach?  That is scary to think about.  Ben Gordon would have averaged 29/1/1 this year with a definite All-Star appearance.  

And if Kevin Garnett is mean-mugging this much for a first round series, I can't wait until the Celts plays Cleveland in the Conference Finals.  He will give a whole new definition to mean-mugging, along with dropping some 12-letter bombs on anyone that tries to intimidate the Celtics bench.

The Kentucky Derby was yesterday, and in my opinion it is one of the most exciting two minutes in all of sports.  The field this year was very elite, even with pre-race favorite I Want Revenge being scratched.  I had my money on Dunkirk, and was disappointed when he stumbled out of the gates.  The best part of this story is 51-1 shot Mine That Bird storming away from the pack when they came down the stretch to put some great distance between himself and the field.  

The other great story was that the deceased Eduard Delacroix from The Green Mile came back to ride Mine That Bird to the victory.  Real name Calvin Borel, Delacroix apparently has come back from Mouse City with Mr. Jangles and has been reincarnated as a tiny jockey.  Congrats, Eddie.

The roof is already caving in on the 2009 NFL season for the Dallas Cowboys, literally.  The news that their practice facility roof collapsed on them was met with some "eh" reaction.  That is until I saw the video.  This is straight out of Twister or something, the only thing missing is Helen Hunt pulling up in one of those trucks with the huge bed on the back with a Doppler radar attached.  The best part about it is the scrub lineman that are featured in that footage getting all psyched up after everyone survived.  "Thatta baby" is hardly appropriate when a guy falls 40 feet from a balcony while filming the practice.  

Here is a Calvin Borel for all of you interested and too lazy to look it up on YouTube. (note: this video is incorrectly describing Borel as Bobby Boucher.  Delacroix is the clear choice here.)

Never Run The Toss Sweep

Coach Deuce

Too Funny not to Post

Fast forward to about 53 seconds.

The Big1T2en???

Joe Paterno is now the voice of change in the BigTen...While our representatives sit around Congress waisting out money talking about the BCS some of the guys who roam the sidelines are trying to do something about it. While presidents like Gordon Gee and Mary Sue Coleman vow to avoid a championship game and giving all BigTen fans what they want, more football, Joe's trying to get it right.

"I've tried to talk to the Big Ten people about, '

Let's get a 12th team -- Syracuse, Rutgers,

Pitt -- we could have a little bit of a playoff.'"

While most would agree Joe's choices are pretty poor fits for the BigTen, we don't need another Indiana, Iowa, and MSU respectively, but why hasn't this been done or even a shot taken at making something happen? Joe's been around since leather helmets, he's led Penn State from an agricultural powerhouse to Linebacker U. Yet, as most fans do these days the heads in the BigTen just laugh at him..."Oh Joe, such cute and angry old crumudgen." The BigTen Conference used to be THE conference, Jim Delany is still known as one of the most powerful guys in the NCAA, but all we get is mediocre play on the field lately and bunch of traditional bastards who think we can still run the toss sweep all day. You should NEVER run the toss sweep!!

So there's something to this notion of adding a 12th team; who do we want? Notre Dame is always the first choice, Big Ten type of tradition, outstanding academics, and usually a top notch program. It'll never happen so lets just leave it at that. So other names are Missouri, Iowa State, Louisville, and other midwestern schools. Stealing a team from the Big12 seems pretty outrageous considering the state of the two leagues currently but you never know. ISU is has a pre-existing rivalry with Iowa, and a Minnesota would make a formidable secondary rival.

The only problem I see with the proposition is alignment. How do you keep all natural rivalries and keep the divisions balanced?? Every year, Michigan needs to play Minnesota, OSU, and MSU. Ohio State needs UM, MSU, and the Illini. Add PSU to that division and you have wrecking ball of an East vs. a West squad of Indiana, Northwestern, Iowa, Purdue, and Wisconsin...not a geographically correct representation, but the point is this would be like putting Tyson against your children's testicles.

So we'll sit through another year of possibilities, another season of high expectations of a return to prominance, and another bowl season we get screwed out of, and then proceed to get drilled in. No, I'm not just setting low expectation for my Wolverines, we're talking about this entire conference. This conference needs some changes up top, while the rest of the country is thinking about playoff we're still trying to figure out how to get our players home for Thanksgiving. The game never passed JoePa by, he traded a few seasons to transition to match the rest of the country. There's no reason the BigTen should truely be left behind.

On a side note, I think Joe Paterno is a relic that no one appreciates nearly enough. We're talking about a guy who's won more than anyone and literally built a program. He's quirky and fun, yet cares more about the game and his players than 90% of the guys to ever stand on the sidelines. I often wonder what could have been if Don Canham had closed the deal before Bo, how big is the Big House if JoePa brings UM into the modern age? What track would we be on today. I wouldn't say I'd take Joe over Bo, but who knows what could have been.

If the damn video game post gets more comments than this we need to seriously reconsider the direction of this blog. Our readers obviously think Coach and I are the smartest men alive when it comes to sports content (we are, but regardless lets get some comments.)

Let The Gate Swing Freely