Shade of Blue

Duke with Coach Krzyzewski and North Carolina with Dean Smith are anything but peas and carrots.

But at this moment in time they are standing together on the same plateau of victories, 879 apiece. They have more wins than Hey Jude has na-na-nas…. looped several times. Smith and K are tied for 2^nd on that long list of prestigious coaches, only trailing Bobby Knight.

Their styles lack the similarities that basketball purists envy; the 2 styles could be said as bluntly as ‘Night and Day’.

Smith had Michael Jordan, K had Christian Laettner. Smith had James Worthy, K had Bobby Hurley. K had Grant Hill, Smith had Vince Carter. K had JJ Redick, Smith had Raymond Felton. And the list goes on and on. Yet they are practically identical in the statistical categories… 11 Final Fours, ACC Titles (Smith 13, K 12) and 1 Olympic Medal each.

Both transformed the game and there is a large disagreement over who the better coach is. And undoubtedly this debate will go on forever. I guess it’s just a depends on which shade of blue you prefer.

[With the probable win tonight against UNC-Greensboro Coach K will only be ‘23’ wins from being the all-time winningest coach in college basketball history… Interesting.]

UNC Hires Collins

There are few things that swirl around Greeley like the rumors of the next Bear head football coach.

After the not-so-radical firing of coach Scott Downing (9-47 while in Greeley) the Bears have been in pursuit of the next head man. The coach that will hopefully bring back the winning formula and the programs luster that occurred in the late 1990’s.

The names initially on the list included Earnest Collins (head coach at Alcorn State), Bill O’Boyle (Chadron State), Dave Logan (Mullen) and Mike Breske (defensive coordinator Montana). But the time taken by the search committee and ‘secretive’ interviews has led to some disapproval from pundits and candidates alike.

The UNC job could be a perfect platform for the coaches. There are fantastic facilities, thanks in part to the Denver Broncos who hosted training camp there for many years, and the new coach has the ability to completely rebuild a program from the ground up.

And the new coach is…..

EARNEST COLLINS.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

Amid controversy, the NCAA steps in like a mean babysitter. They lay down the law, but are also just saving its own head.

[Written in 1989, and it's still an issue.]

This comes after Terrelle Pryor and 4 other Buckeyes will be forced to sit out the first 5 games of next year, (Including the one against the Buffs) but not the Mary Poppins/All State Sugar Bowl. Makes no sense right? Why not put your foot down and really make a statement to college athletics as a whole?

And here’s why, “The NCAA is so mad at Kentucky right now that they put Cleveland State on probation another three years,” appropriately said by former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian.

But the real problems are the athletes themselves. And the majors they choose. (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2003-11-18-atheletes-majors_x.htm ) How many of these kids fit the prerequisite standards that all the other students abide by? How many would be at this school if it wasn’t for an athletic scholarship and a huge booster seat for classes? And sadly, the answer is very few.

[There are many exceptions to this rule, and it doesn’t get talked about enough. There are some smart people that are also exceptional athletes. But the majority, or super-majority, of student-athletes that get in trouble do not fall in this group of exceptions.]

So how in the world do we expect a group of 20-something kids, that if it wasn’t for their athletic ability would not be in these schools, that get paddy-caked through COLLEGE level courses to remain eligible, that most will not play the sport forever, to be “smart” enough to make decisions that have huge future-threatening ramifications?

It’s absurd.

College Bowl Pick'em ROUND 2

A year ago TODAY I predicted the outcomes of all 34 college bowl games. And how did it turn out you may ask… um…. eh…. not so well in fact.

I was 15-19, very un-‘Swami’-like.

But I feel I have learned from my mistakes and have vowed to do better. In the 10 games I was most unsure about I went 2-8; I gotta do better in the close games to be successful. And venue has no barring, last year I focused on that too much; this year I will look at it as if every game is being played on the moon.

So here we go… ALL 35 GAMES… 35 being the most confident and 1 the most unsure.

35. I put Fresno State in this spot last year, but this year they don’t fail me.

34. Hawai’i wins the Hawai’I Bowl. They are unreal offensively, and have only lost to USC, Boise State and Colorado. Makes sense to me.

33. Southern Miss has scored 30+ points every game this year except 2. But Louisville has potential, they are 6-6 by winning their last game of the year. Could be a trap game.

32. Nevada has no problem with Boston College. BC started the season 2-5 before winning 5 straight over 5 weeks to end the season HOT. The layoff hurts them and hopefully the Wolfpack doesn’t get complacent thinking they could be the in Title game if they had only beaten Hawai’i.

31. Navy controls the clock and takes down San Diego St. It has been a Cinderella year for the Aztecs, but the Mids won’t mind ringing their bell, both literally and figuratively.

30. Toledo blasts Florida International. It’s FIU’s first ever bowl game, and the big stage slows them down.

29. Boise State beats Utah. Kellen Moore and the rest of the Broncos once again come out fired up think they deserve respect… may hang close to 50 on the Utes.

28. Nebraska has no problem with Washington. The Huskers already beat the Huskies this year… oh the score was 56-21.

27. UTEP beats BYU. I don’t know why people are favoring the Cougars so much. Their last 4 wins have come against CSU, WYO, UNLV and UNM. Some may its risky, but I have a soft spot for the Miners from West Texas.

26. West Virginia rolls past NC St. Both are good teams with near misses several times. WV is just too tough when they play Mountaineer football like Bill Stewart has them playing.

25. Fear the Turtle. Maryland over ECU

24. The Golden Domers could be real good the next couple of years with Tommy Rees and Dayne Crist, and this bowl game could spring them back into form.

23. Pitt past Kentucky. Dave Wannstedt is out, but the Panthers rally to find a way to win.

22. Oklahoma almost stumbles on UCONN. Everyone thinks this one won’t be a contest, I think it will. Oklahoma will obviously win, but not as wide a margin as everyone is thinking.

21. Baylor beats Illinois. Robert Griffin III will use his dual threat to torch the Red Raiders in a shootout in Texas.

20. Northwestern break the 72 year drought by beating Texas Tech. They’re due.

19. SMU is back and beats Army. June Jones has awakened a beast in the Mustang program, and he leads the team to a 2^nd bowl victory in 2 years.

18. You don’t give Denard Robinson 3 weeks off and live to tell about it. Mississippi State is good but remember the first 5 weeks of season, we’ll see Robinson as that player once again.

17. South Carolina easily thumps Jimbo Fisher and the Seminoles. The Gamecocks were in the SEC title game and are yet to get respect. Alshon Jeffery is a hidden star, and Marcus Lattimore will run wide.

16. Miami (OH) has no trouble with MTU. Middle Tennessee always finds a way to jump up and bight me, not this year though.

15. Clemson is inept on offense but the Bulls will give up a few big plays that cost them the game.

14. Missouri too good for Iowa. This will be Ricky Stanzi’s last game as a Hawkeye, but the emotions and Tigers will be too much to overcome one last time. Although it will be close, the only way Stanzi know how to play college football.

13. Air Force will have its hands full with Georgia Tech, but many bruises later comes out victorious.

12. Stanford only lost to Oregon in Eugene.

11. Oklahoma State beats Arizona. Mike Gundy and Mike Stoops will be in constant death glare across the field. But Stoops will blink first as the Cowboys prevail.

10. Ohio State whoops Arkansas. Last year’s Rose Bowl may have secretly jumpstarted a long trend of bowl wins for the Buckeyes. But Ryan Mallett has to play well to keep the NFL scouts hungry.

9. Alabama is just good enough to get past Michigan State. People say the Tide are the most talented team in the nation, and have yet to prove it. Once again they squeak by with a win.

8. North Carolina beats Tennessee. The Tar Heels are no longer just a basketball school.

7. Kansas State bashes Syracuse. Syracuse has had one of their best years since the McNabb era. But KSU is a little better.

6. Troy is victorious against Ohio. I don’t know why but this just feels right.

5. Auburn and Cam Newton beat Oregon. Chip Kelly just has too many youngsters and the lights will be just a little bright. Like Texas in 2005-06, Auburn just seems to be the destined team carried by a superstar.

4. Georgia is better than their record and beats UCF. Mark Richt and the Bulldogs have had an awful year. But 6 wins later and a new UGA the Dawgs will still get it done.

3. Florida wins in Urban Meyers last game, this year. The Gators will come out ready to play, this could be a tough couple weeks of practice in Gainesville.

2. Wisconsin beats TCU. The Horned Frogs looked star struck a year ago, I don’t think Andy Dalton will make the same mistakes. But the Badgers score more on the gridiron than on the hardwood and won’t be slowed down now.

1. LSU slides by Texas A&M. Jerrod Johnson who?

SCAM NEWTON

“I’m very confident, you know, I’m a person that has did nothing wrong,” said Cam Newton, 2010 Heisman/Davey O’Brien/Maxwell Awards Winner. “And you know whoever wants to ask me that question I’m gonna tell them I’ve stayed firm and told the truth.” http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5903485

In my professional opinion, I just can’t believe him. And this may end up tarnishing the game of college football FOR… EV… ER.

Okay, maybe that was a little drastic and overblown. But I do believe this isn’t the last we’ve heard of the Cam Newton scandal. Like pop’s Thanksgiving stew (it’s going to be frozen in the outside freezer until March) this isn’t the last we’ve seen of it.

The NCAA will find out and they will get theirs. Adolph Rupp and the Kentucky Wildcats had to forfeit the entire 1952 season, just 2 years after they won the National Title. Reggie Bush gave back his Heisman, and USC is still suffering. They don’t care if you the baddest dude in the all the land, they will nab you if you broke the rules.

The interview with Chris Fowler was misleading. Newton didn’t ever give a straight answer about his father, other than his ‘unconditional love’ for him. And Fowler looked like he held back, like Newton’s publicist gave him a stern talking to about not going into to much depth about the allegations. It wasn’t scripted, but Newton knew what not to say. (And the blandness of the conversation is probably the reason you have yet to see it.) Also the Letterman Top-10 (where I get all my hard-hitting bits, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWztPwFOxiY) had no reference to the money. You would think that the writers would have a hay-day on this. But they, once again, were held back by something. Not good.

Like a big Ruby Tuesday dinner on your 21^st birthday… this isn’t the last you’re gonna see of it. So watch out CAM!

MLB (Major Lessons about Baseball)

I never thought I’d say this… Tropicana is going to look empty in 2011.

Carl Crawford; gone. Carlos Pena; gone. And once again, the Rays may be in the cellar of the AL East. Joe Madden is just a crazy old man who can’t do math and Dick Vitale is just the old guy in the front of you trying to make your section do the wave in the 3^rd.

And nobody has learned yet…

The San Francisco Giants are World Series Champions and have 4 of the strongest rotations, some of the weakest lineups in the MLB and are nonexistent among the teams looking to wheel-and-deal.

So the names you hear most about during the winter months are: Jayson Werth, Adam Dunn, Mark Reynolds, Crawford and Pena?

….or maybe I haven’t learned a thing.

[IRONY: I wrote this at the library. Back to studying I go.]

McDaniels SHOULDN'T Have Been Fired

Something like 80% of people think that firing Josh McDaniels was a good idea.

I’m not one of them.

He went 8-8 in his first year as the 6^th youngest head coach ever. He goes 3-9 in his second year, after losing the #1 WR (Brandon Marshall) AND the #1 DE (Elvis Dumervil) from a year ago. And you give the man less than 2 years to state his case as a head man in the league?

Okay, we can’t change anything now… let’s look where it all went wrong.

The Jay Cutler fiasco ultimately got every die-hard orange-blooded Broncos fan on his bad side. I think Cutler was on his way out already; just as much as Shanahan was blindsided by his firing, I don’t think it would have been much longer before Cutler joined him outside the organization.

The 2009 season started with Pat Bowlen giving Brian Xanders the GM position. He and McDaniels have been heavily criticized for some of these moves.

In the 2009 offseason… GAINED; Kyle Orton, Brandon Lloyd, Brian Dawkins, Jabbar Gaffney, Renaldo Hill and Andre Goodman. DRAFTED; Knowshon Moreno, Robert Ayers, Alphonso Smith and Darcel McBath. LOST; Jay Cutler, Jamie Winborn and Dre Bly. Solid moves.

An 8-8 season that was extremely weird. But were still a game from going to the playoffs.

In the 2010 offseason… GAINED; Jamal Williams and Justin Bannan. DRAFTED; Demaryius Thomas, Tim Tebow, Zane Beadles, JD Walton, Eric Decker and Perrish Cox. LOST; Peyton Hillis and Brandon Marshall. Again, solid.

These were all good moves that improved the team as a whole. McDaniels was putting his mark on the team by enforcing rules, picking and playing good-character guys and changing the entire mentality of the team.

And then the 2010 year started out with a buzz, but that soon faded. And it was to be expected. ESPN and Sports Illustrated both projected them to be in the cellar of an odd and somewhat weak division. And they underachieved some.

Are the Broncos gonna be any better next year, without something drastic happening? No.

So is the solution to fire Josh McDaniels? NO!

Sub-Plot City

Hello, and welcome to Sub-Plot City.

This is the life of an NBA beat writer. You blow a minuscule quote, happening, thought way out of proportion to get people to pay attention. Happens all the times. (And I would probably do it too after having to watch NBA basketball all the time.)

Like the other night I tweeted, and I quote, “A 11-8 team is playing a 7-10 team tonight... who cares...” Over-hyped, over-amped, over-blown, over-whatever game that really meant nothing except that Lebron was returning to Cleveland to play the new look Cavs.

Or the Melo-theory. In a summer where 2 of the most-popular athletes of our day are under fire about their personal decisions we feel it necessary to lump Carmelo in with them. Has he ever specifically said he wants out? That playing for the Knicks has always been a lifelong dream? That the best chance he has to win, and win now is in NYC? I think not!

The NBA is a story driven league. If there were not these ‘storylines’ for people to follow, what would we able be talk about…. Basketball? HA

Who's It Gonna Be?

I know you all have been waiting patiently for me to tell you who I think is going to change the face of Colorado football forever and become the new head coach.

And my answer is….

I do not know. And neither does Mike Bohn and he’s making the decision.

Bohn HAD to fire Hawkins after the Memorial Meltdown (trademarked Dr.Pure) at Kansas. But I don’t think he ever seriously considered prior to the Jayhawks recovering the onside kick and putting 35 points on the board in the 4^th quarter to win that game.

So what are the Golden Buffaloes to do? There have been a few names floating around out in there that could be possibilities.

Bill McCartney is not too old. KSU’s Bill Snyder looked frail and weak, Bill McC, looked none of those things. He is getting older and probably could only go a few more years, but I think he’d be up for it if he gets the spot. And he has enough football knowledge to get it done. How much coaching do you seriously think the head coach of a Division-1 football team does? He supervises, regulates and remains a strong face and foundation that can recruit and coach under him. And the legacy factor; you can’t dispute it. It will put people in the stands. So he’s probably the frontrunner.

Brian Cabral might seem like a good fit, almost too well. I think we have the ‘Bill Stewart Effect’ to deal with. He played here in the 1970’s, and he’s practically coached here after his 6 year stint in the NFL. He has way too much invested in this program to see it fall apart right in front of his face. For 34 of the last 40 years of his life have revolved around CU football, take that away from the guy and he’ll be an absolute wreck. You can’t let that happen.

Eric Bieniemy could fit, I guess. He played here and he now coaches in the NFL, with the Vikings, so he knows about the drama and painstaking hours that it takes to be a coach. But the right fit, I don’t believe so. It would be an awkward reuniting.

Would all of these guys make good coaches, sure? Would I be happy with any of the above choices, sure? But I think we should go outside and find someone new, someone that will give us a fresh start.

So who will it be? No clue.

BUNCO!!!!!

Bunco is the poor man’s BINGO. And what better tradition than to play it on Thanksgiving-eve, and stuff your face with as many taquitos as humanly possible.

The night starts off as usual; mutual friends together for an evening of good times and laughs. But when the die start rolling there are no ‘friends’. It’s all about strategy and ruthless play that will get you to the head table and ultimately the pride-boost for winning a prize at the end.

The minutes turn to hours, and the hours turns to what seems like days. “The last three games are where you make your money”, said Jud, a respectable player in his own right. The mental grind is sometimes too tough for players at this phase of the game.

There is no better feeling than when the last bell is rung, the key wins (and losses) tallied. Cause you survived and that’s all there really is to it. (Other than winning)

100th

Now I know what Wilt Chamberlain must have felt like. I’m 100 blogs in, already!

It felt like just yesterday I started this little writing exercise and my writing fell on deaf ears. And now DR.PURE is a household name.

Over the past 100 blogs there have been some good times [Winter Wonderland] and some not so good times. Some great predictions [Buffs Are Back], and some not some great predictions [College Bowl Pick’em]. Some great turnouts, and some dry spells. (More of the latter) Some misspellings, and some not so funny lines. But all and all 100 articles, and 17 faithful followers later here I stand….

Here’s to another 100 just like them… only better.

Boyle PKG

I interviewed new CU men's basketball coach Tad Boyle. Here is the package...

Gold Gloves

An MVP or League leader isn’t decided on Opening Day, but somethings are...Gold Gloves.

The highly anticipated announcement of the recipients of these pieces of hardware gives baseball one more day in the sun before the winter months. And while people argue or rejoice over the winners and losers of the awards I do the same.

How did 3 out of 4 Yankee infielders win Gold Gloves and yet not win their own division?

People finally are noticing the great young defensive talent in Denver!!! (Beware guys like Brian Cashman, and Theo Epstein already have them on their evil radars.)

Ichiro would be the BEST player in the world… if he played anywhere other than Seattle.

But my favorite Golden Glover, the one that flashed the leather with grace and power, that makes it look so effortless is… Mark Buehrle. It seems like ages since he made the play that won him the award. Where, on Opening Day, he kicked the ball, picked it up with is glove, did a somersault for dramatic effect, toss it between his legs to Paul Konerko, who snatched it out of the air for the out.

http://danonthestreet.com/news/2010/04/06/mark-buehrle-play-of-the-year-on-opening-day/

He may have had an unblemished fielding percentage the rest of the year, but that one play on the First Day of the season won Mark the award.

Hawkins Presser

As I took down my SportsMag camera from my little triangle of space in the press room I couldn’t help but think about the blog I was about to write tonight. And here they are…

I’m glad Dan Hawkins is gone. The entirety of his speech he showed zero emotion and didn’t really tell us anything, classic Dan Hawkins. He looked like he didn’t care, that leaving the 100 student-athletes was no biggie. It’s like he didn’t realize he did something wrong, like he thought he was doing a good job and had no idea he was 20 games under .500. He walked away, and wished the Buffs luck with a Mark Twain quote. Classic.

And the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Cody was cheery. He showed no remorse for his dad after he lost his job, and in standard ‘media jargon’ that doesn’t get anybody anywhere. He joked about his dad coming to ‘Senior Day’ and could barely wipe the smirk off the kids face.

And Brian Cabral will be good for the next 3 games, but that’s it. He is the one interview that showed something, and that I truly appreciate the truth and emotion he showed. He does ‘Bleed Black and Gold’. But that doesn’t mean he should be the Full time coach. I see too much Bill Stewart and West Virginia in him. He has almost too much school pride to lead the team and be successful doing it.

And finally Mike Bohn. It seemed like before Monday he never even thought of relieve Hawkins of his duties. The inkling never crossed his mind. He used ‘is’ several times when he was talking about multiple things. You ARE the athletic director, but I don’t think it will last very long. As I heard the man talk I began to realize it wasn’t all Hawkins’ fault. Puppet cut, puppetmaster needs to go?

In an hour and a half I learned more about the CU football program, and yet I don’t really think I learned anything about. But I guess that’s Colorado football for you.

In what state is it now sir?

I don’t think I’ve ever been that upset over a game in my life. And I swore to myself that I would never talk about it again, but here I am.

Much like everyone else around this town I think Hawkins has to go now. Not because he is a bad coach (he’s probably not a good coach), but because it’s just time. People need to see a new face wandering the sidelines. He’s on borrowed time now, he’s just a dead man walking. Do us all a favor and remove the fog that is surrounding this program.

It’s all just a waiting game…

And there are 2 things that I’d like to bring to attention.

While Buff fans couldn’t watch, only listen to the epic fail that was happening in Lawerence over the weekend nobody else noticed. Scoring 42 points in the 4^th quarter hasn’t been done in nearly a century, and did you see it on Sportcenter or ESPN? Nope. It didn’t even make headlines, of ESPN College Football. So while the ’90 square miles surrounded by reality’ are up in arms over the coach, nobody outside the box seems to care, or even notice.

That brings me to my next point. As brought up to me earlier today by my good friend Brett Weibel, in the first press conference Dan Hawkins ever had here at the University of Colorado he said, “This program was burned to the ground”. In what state is it now sir?

Damn San Fran

The Giants are on the verge of winning their first World Series since their move to the Bay Area. And I’m totally and completely torn. To root for the Giants? Or not to root for them?

Cody Ross is literally my arch-nemisis. Every single time I turn a game on he is there making a big play. Whether is be for the Florida Marlins or SF Giants; he is an average player who always finds a way to beat the team I am rooting for. And I mean A-L-W-A-Y-S.

Aaron Rowand is the toughest SOB in the majors. (Please start taking notes Justin Morneau.) As much as this is a cliché, he plays the game the way its supposed to be played. Freddy Sanchez just itches to win. Literally, itches. Watch and you’ll see; he so fidgety he can barely keep his cap on straight.

Barry Zito just reminds me of, me. Tim Lincecum has already been voted on the All-Ugly Team 4 years running. Matt Cain has not given up a run in the postseason. Respect. (Watch out Andy Pettitte, you may have company in the record books.)

And as much as I hate to say it, and boy do I hate to say it, the San Francisco Giants deserve to win the World Series. They have experience, they have youth, they have pitching, they made all the right moves in the offseason, and they got hot when they needed to.

And the #1 overall pick is..... KEVIN DURANT

With the #1 Pick in the NBA draft…. they choose….. Kevin Durant.

Well at least that is what happened in my basketball draft a couple days ago. And was the right choice.

But that got me to thinking about some arguments with the pops about the same topic. The 2007 NBA Draft; when Greg Oden went first overall to Portland and Kevin Durant was picked by the, then Seattle Supersonics at #2.

And this is why it was the right way to go although it hasn’t turned out that way, just yet.

There is no doubting that Oden was an absolute beast in college. He only averaged a little more than 15 points, and 12 boards a game but he had the ‘Shaq’ effect going for him. And still does. He can block shots, rebound and get people talking about his freethrow shooting. Not to mention he’s one of the truly funny people there is. (case in point: the ESPYs) He led his Ohio State team to the finals and only fell to Florida in the end.

Kevin Durant was the Naismith Player of the Year, which is a feat for anybody but a big time accomplishment for a freshman. He averaged 25 ppg and 11 rebounds on a very young Longhorn team. He was on in primetime many more times which showcased his talents. But they lost in the 2^nd round of the tournament. And the next year, Michael Beasley came in the Big XII and eclipsed all his stats and we see what has he done in the league?

And what Portland needed wasn’t as important as what they didn’t need that year. Brandon Roy was one of the up-and-coming superstars of the league. He’s one of the youngest second tier scorers in the league. And he didn’t some kid coming in and taking all of his touches. Not to mention Outlaw and Alridge (who is still one of the most underrated players in the league) are young and fit the same mold as Durant.

Who was to know Durant was going to turn out like he did? Nobody. But I hope he averaged 35 PPG, 10 RPG and 8 APG and I take home the glory of ‘Fantasy League Champion’.

Dr. Lou Got Me Thinking

So let me start off by saying I just read John Feinstein’s article about the Nave-Notre Dame game. I did not realize that the Mids mopped the field with the Golden Domers, with a final score at 38-17. And the way Navy, and well also Army and Air Force, play is the way college football is supposed to be play.

But let me get to the thing that really got me thinking. The Lou Holtz comment.

Lou may have a worse lisp than Sylvester the Cat but he knows his football. He is the only coach to EVER lead 5 teams to bowl games. He is the only reason Notre Dame returned to the promise land long after Knute Rockne retired. And he is the only reason they continually bring in big time names, to this day.

And okay, he’s biased. Yes, I completely understand that and he may be to a fault on how biased he actually is. But you know who he’s rooting for every Saturday when the teams take the field in South Bend. And that I can appreciate.

Unlike Joel Klatt…. He is a bad announcer, he does color for FSN and takes over the broadcast with his not so insightful insight and anti-comical timing. But the thing that really rubs me the wrong way is that he’s unbiased or even against CU most of the time. Come on guy, the only reason you are doing this broadcast is because you are a CU alum. You were a Buffalo. Some us still remember you leading us to a Big XII title and then Fiesta Bowl lambasting at the hands of Joey Harrington. Joey Harrington of all people, but we forgave you. The execs at FSN would not, in their right mind, put you on any game that doesn’t involve CU. You’re just too bad. So root for CU just a little, come one Joel.

Did I mention I like the Dr. Lou part of College Football Tonight on ESPN and when Holtz gives speeches like they were his team. He is one of greatest college football coaches of all time... that should get some comments.

And The Beat Goes On

‘Big Hitters’ once referred to Slammin’ Sammy Sosa …and Luis Gonzalez. And there we were, Matt and I, arguing over whether that ball went over the gutter or not.

But now the term refers to head hunters turned football players. The ones that stalk the middle of field looking for the little youngster that doesn’t know any better. Those that make their living by getting fined $5,000 at a time. The ones that in 10 or 15 years down the road no one will remember who they were, but neither will they.

And with the new-er rule in place… nothing will change. James Harrison was debating retirement after several big hits on Sunday. The two little receivers getting hit are a little rattled but it probably won’t stop them going over the middle. He was fined 75K. And everyone moves on.

That’s what happens in this league. Unlike other sports these players, especially the ones on the defensive side of the ball, are just robots in helmets. They are interchangeable. They are Madden players that you and I have created.

If James Harrison had retired people would have felt the ripple, but only a small one. Another Steeler would have filled in for the former Defensive Player of the Year and the team wouldn’t have suffered that much.

Just like Domonique Foxworth and Shawn Merriman. A former Bronco, Foxworth, was a sub-par player on a sub-par team before moving to the Baltimore Ravens. Then at the beginning of this year he tore his ACL, and people were talking about this being a huge hit to the Ravens D. Are we talking about the same Domonique Foxworth that couldn’t cover a cold bowl of spaghetti? And Shawn Merriman was once the most ‘feared’ defensive player in the league. He can’t play and the Chargers chances of stopping anyone goes down exponentially, right? Wrong, they lead, LEAD, the league in total defense.

So although the rule may be good for the game, it won’t change a thing. People will continue to throw their bodies around and players will continue to get hurt.

AND THE BEAT GOES ON…. Da-da-dum da-dum da-dah.

Weekend in Review 10/16

At least 2 people have already come up to me asking, “Where is the WEEKEND IN REVIEW, its already Tuesday Dr. Pure?” So without further ado here is the much acclaimed Weekend In Review…

- CU only dropped 3 spots in the polls; from 63 to 66. This is not because the Buffs are playing well, by no means is that true. But the teams we’ve already- some we’ve beat- are getting better. Our SOS, Strength of Schedule (that’s for you mom) is going through the roof.

o Hawaii beat the #19 Nevada.

o Georgia has won 2 games in a row. They are slowly playing their way into the mix in a week SEC East division race. And their only losses this year, other than the one they dropped against CU, have come against South Carolina, Arkansas and Miss St. All of the those teams are ranked.

o Mizzou looks unbeatable. This past week they went into College Station, possibly the toughest play to play in the Big XII and dominated. They jumped 10 spots in the polls, from 21 all the way to #11 in the Nation.

- I got a lot of response from the ‘Buffs Are Back’ blog. But I’m sticking to my guns on this one. Baylor was probably a game CU shoulda have taken care of business but they didn’t. I’m not going to make excuses, other than saying that Josh Hartigan and Jimmy Smith didn’t play substantial minutes in the second half due to injuries. Just another setback for a good Buffalo defense. Young players are going to have to step up if the Buffs want to go to a bowl game, and more importantly, make me not sound like a total idiot at the end of the year.

- Tebow scored. Yay!

- I don’t even care about the Broncos anymore. Nay, I don’t really care about the NFL.

- I had a great talk with Russell Cunningham about many different things. I thought they were so good that I should share them on the blog.

o One, was the possibly changing of the guard with CU and Buffalo football. If we end up relieving Hawkins of his duties this year I think the program will be up in the air more than ever. Mike Bohn, the AD here at CU, is also in his last year of his contract and has been orally nominated as a candidate for the Athletic Director role at Kansas. KU is his alma mater; I don’t think he can or will pass that up. So the bigger question is who replaces the AD? And the top candidate or the only name being thrown around is Bill McCartney. I don’t think he would fit as coach, too much has changed in his 16 year absence from the game. But put him at AD and that would work. So what he only knows football, he’ll be just a face of the school and have people surrounding him to help with decision. A direct quote from our conversation is, “Don’t you think someone wants to be a Coach for the Duke football team because they get to be around Coach K? I think so.”And if we pass him up, and have another awful AD, the time that elapses will be too much for CU to go back and hire McCartney. And just remember this is a man who left football in his prime to go do something with the church. Bringing back this type of character is a good thing.

o Next, conference realignment. This had to do with the BCS, in which everyone knows I love, but I won’t get into that. With the travel patterns of all college sports demographic don’t really matter anymore. It’s a matter of being in a conference that is a good fit academically and athletically. TCU doesn’t have a hill let alone a mountain being in the MWC. Where is South Florida Location? Tampa, Florida. I’m no expert but Tampa isn’t even close to southern Florida. So the Buffs going to the Pac 12, isn’t a bad thing. ‘But as stupid as it sounds, I’m going to miss going to Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska.’ I’m going to miss the hardnosed football that exists in the Big XII. But the move had to be made.

That is the weekend in review. I am out.

BIG Week in CUSportsMag

Last week I went crazy with CUSportsMag. I did 2 packages and 2 highlights.

Here they are, WHATCA THINK???

Here's a golf package I did that focuses on Emily Talley...


The highlight of the Heather Farr Invitational...


The club field hockey package...


And finally the soccer game vs Iowa State...

A Matchup For the Ages

Not far down the road the 2010 MLB Season will be recognized as the ‘Year of the Pitcher’. And no more do we see that fact then now, with only 4 teams left. On the 4 teams there are a combined 6 Cy Young Awards. The #1’s on the AL side have a combined 36 wins, the NL 37. Six starters in the ALCS have more than 10 wins, 7 on the NL side have double figures.

But as my second-go-to team the Phillies are going to make it out of the NL. Just too much offense, although the Giants rotation looks devastating there are some chincks in their metaphorical armor. And on the other side I just can’t find myself rooting for the Yankees. I can see it now, the Rangers move on to the World Series and FOX will zoom in on Nolan Ryan crying tears of joy.

And what a perfect way to end the year than a Game 7 in Philadelphia matching up Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay. I’m giddy just thinking about it. Roy Halladay has one postseason start and one postseason no-hitter. Cliff Lee shut down a dynamic Tampa team, only giving up 2 runs in 16 innings and 21 strikeouts. Not to mention the fact t the Cliff Lee was a member of the team a year ago that came up just short of winning a World Series.

Thursday, November 4^th. For the World Series Title. Cliff Lee and the Texas Rangers vs Roy Halladay and the Philadelphia Phillies. I know I’ll be watching. Will you?