The Big East Conference is widely acclaimed to be the best NCAA Basketball Conference in the land.  The mighty BEAST placed eight teams in the NCAA Tournament and was expected to run roughshod over a weak at-large field this March.  So what happened on the opening day of March Madness which saw the Conference go 1 and 3 on Thursday and saw Georgetown, Marquette and Notre Dame as spun out of the tournament???  In fact, if not for some questionable calls late in its game against Robert Morris, Scotty Reynolds and Villanova would have shared the fate of the other three, instead of prevailing in overtime.  And that was a 2 versus 15 matchup we are talking about; what is going on?!?

     It appears there is too much inbreeding going on the the Big East.  All the teams try to play big, go for lots of rebounds and be super tough.  Unfortunately, the rest of the field appears to be going small, quick and shooting the lights out of three pointers.  Georgetown had a respectable 38 first half points yesterday, except that opponent Ohio lit them up for 51 in return and cruised to an easy win over the heavily favored Hoyas.  The Golden Eagles of Marquette (who get props for very cool home uniforms!) were shut down and held without a basket over the last four minutes against Washington and Old Dominion shocked the Fighting Irish the day after Saint Patricks Day. 

     The BEAST let us down this year and many brackets (including mine) went bust!  Even President Obama who went 12-4 on opening day got bitten as three of his four losses were the Big East flameouts described above.  The Big Ten learned the hard way in football that speed kills; looks like the Big East is getting the same lesson in College Basketball.

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The swirling trade rumor of the weekend was a blockbuster!  Ryan Howard, first baseman of the National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies for Albert Pujols, last years National League MVP and first baseman for the St Louis Cardinals.  Wow!  Okay, so it’s not going to happen, but MLB must be thrilled to have rumors floating around about their superstars just before the 2010 season starts up.

     Why won’t it happen you ask?  Well, it would be a interesting deal for Philadelphia because even though I really like Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball.  In addition to that Howard is actually older than Pujols despite less MLB service and makes more money per year through 2011 and most likely beyond as Pujols signed his blockbuster deal and Howard still has his on the horizon.  It is a fantasy baseball players dream trade but not in this day and age of baseball.

     Wonder why Tony Larussa jumped so hard on the trade rumor to squelch it?  He didn’t need his slugger thinking what if and sulking over the possibilities.  Ever since Pujols publically campaigned against Howard winning the MVP award two years ago (Pujols narrowly beat Howard in 2008), one wonders if Fat Albert doesn’t have one eye on the rear view mirror and is watching the up and coming Howard rapidly gaining on him???

     Take heart Phillies fans;  Howard is definitely closing the gap on Pujols.  He has arrived at Spring Training early for the last two years to work on his Achilles heel, fielding, with Phillies coach Sam Perlazzo and has made major steps forward.  In addition, he’s lost weight, gained strength and there’s no reason to think he couldn’t hit for a 280 average with 40+ home runs and 130+ RBIs this season.  The Phillies are the favorite in the NL this year and cornerstone Ryan Howard is a big reason why.

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As we move into Spring Training and beyond, one of the baseball questions that keeps haunting me as a Phillies fan is Should the Phillies have kept Cliff Lee?  Yes, Roy Halladay is the best pitcher in baseball and is well worth the contract he signed with the Phillies.  Yes, Cole Hamels looks motivated to prove everyone that last year was an aberration.  Yes, the Phillies rotation looks good in Spring Training thus far. (Though the classic line from “Major League” rolls through my head: yeah, against guys who are going to be bagging groceries in a couple of weeks!) But couldn’t the Phillies have kept Lee, somehow, some way???

     The twosome of Halladay and Hamels should be great.  But that puts the Phillies on par with some other great duos like Lincecum and Cain, Carpenter and Wainwright, Sabathia and Burnett, Hernadez and Lee and Lester and Beckett.  However a threesome of Halladay-Lee and Hamels could not be matched by any other team. (No Red Sox fans, not even by Lester-Beckett and Lackey)  The goal is to win the World Series and though I’m ecstatic that the Phillies finally got Roy Halladay, I did not want to exchange Cliff Lee for him.  I’m a little torn because I like the moves to keep the Phillies relevant into the future.  I’ve lived through the dry times and got razzed on the day of the 10000th loss, so a move to keep the Phillies good for future years is heartening.  But couldn’t we have gone for it this year and then seen what happened?  The future is not guaranteed, you have to go for the NOW!

     I guess we’ll see what happens this season.  I expect the Phillies to win the East, take out St Louis for the Penant and face the Yankees again in October.  Hopefully this time the Offense, Hamels and Lidge all have their A games ready so Philadelphia can hoist another banner!

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So as I look over the Sports landscape these days, we are basically in a lull as we are not fully into Baseball yet, Hockey and Basketball are not yet to their playoffs which let in too many teams and March Madness is yet on the horizon.  However I was looking at a few of the Sports stories these days full of either innuendo or bravado, posturing or pleading and just shake my head. 

     So Steve Williams, caddy for the great Tiger Woods has a little time on his hands.  And as a folk hero in his native New Zealand, he has taken his show back home and proceeded to claim his ignorance of any of Wood’s hijinks, that he is mad at Tiger for what he’s done, sorry for Elin and “will tell Woods off” when the time is right.  Really?  So golfers on the tour knew what Woods was up to, nudge, nudge, wink, wink but Williams did not???  C’mon Steve, cut us a break.  And save the speeches unless you really expect us to believe you are going to tell off the man whose made you over a milli0n dollars (Williams gets at least 10% of Tiger’s winnings if not up to 20%) for carrying a golf bag for him.  Nice work if you can get it.

     And good ole Pete Carroll has moved back into the NFL, this time as head coach for the Seattle Seahawks.  Interesting timing if you consider he had one of the best QBs in college in Matt Barkley with three years of eligibility left.  Of course, the investigation into USC and Reggie Bush has heated up and one can anticipate that head hunting for those who knew something is coming up fast.  Guess it was time for Mr Carroll to get out of Dodge.

     Our final and biggest bonehead award goes to he of the questionable character, Ben Roethlisberger, two time Superbowl winning Quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Roethlisberger started everyone questioning his judgement years ago when he took a header off his motorcycle while not wearing a helmet.  Now the QB, hot on the singles scene, has been rung up not once, but TWICE for potential sexual misconduct.  Maybe Big Ben needs to stay out of the bars and hope to meet Ms. Right at the library.  At least that’s what the Steelers are hoping, now that their long term investment in Mr. Roethlisberger is looking sketchy at best.

     Please someone get me into a real set of Sports (the Olympics weren’t bad, but too much jumping around by NBC) stories versus all these shady dealings!

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How about that performance turned in yesterday by the young U.S. hockey team? What a tremendous game between the more talented Canadians and the upstart boys in red, white and blue. The U.S. goalie Miller was so BIG during the entire tournament; he was voted the tournament MVP in a silver medal effort. Now, I do not watch much hockey but was I the only person just a little miffed at the OT rules. I mean, this was similar to college football where the rules in OT differ from those of regulation. How do you play a team sport for 60 minutes to a 2-2 drawl and then decide the outcome with a speed skating contest? The Olympic rink is already larger than the typical NHL rink, so reducing the number of players per team by 1 completely changes the dynamics of the game and the sport. You go from hockey to a hybrid of speed and figure skating. I thought Team U.S.A. did well and I was sure proud of their performance in spite of the lame brain OT rules.

The U.S.A.-1, 4-man bobsled team won gold Saturday to break a 6 decade Olympic drought in that sport. I was so jacked up watching that event as Team U.S.A. delivered their final flawless run to top the German and Canadian teams. The “Night Train” Sleigh streaked past the field with a little help from NASCAR and 4 burley American dudes that looked like a D-1 college football O-line. Way to go fellas.

Kudos also go out to Apollo Ohno, Bode Miller, Shaun White, Lindsey Vonn and the rest of Team U.S.A. for delivering a terrific 2 weeks on Canadian soil.

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Did you hear the latest?!?  Tiger Woods cheated on his wife!  No seriously, I heard him admit it last Friday…  Okay sports and golf fans, yes, Tiger admitted to making a mistake, that he cheated and that he is sorry.  All better now???

     I am shocked and apalled at how many people thought Tiger Woods owed them an apology.  What a waste of time the press has spent since Thanksgiving trying to get a scoop.  Did Tiger give any juicy details or innuendo that the tabloid hawks wanted?  No, of course not.  He apologized (hopefully sincerely, it seemed to be so, but we’ll see…) to his wife and his sponsors for letting her down and losing them sales.  That’s it; it’s over, it’s done.  Finally, I hope. 

     How many times was the thirteen minute apology played and replayed this weekend? And all the talking heads analyzing whether he was robotic, or sincere or complaining a camera malfunctioned.  Man, cut the guy a break!  His marriage is on the rocks, he is separated from his kids and people want to nitpick his presentation skills.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t condone what he did.  He’s paying a steep price and deserves it, but that’s between him and his family.

The only person Tiger has to answer to is Elin and unfortunately for him, she wasn’t there.  A telling point, don’t you think?  Did you really expect her to be?  You’ll have a hard time convincing me (and definitely her) that Tiger actually loves and respects his wife after having over a dozen flings some lasting over three years.  So Tiger, you blew it!  You got caught and now pay the price like every other human being.  So man up, move on and forget about her.  Time to pick up the sticks and get ready for the Masters.  As you, of course, found out on your yacht, there are other fish in the sea…  Hope you do better the next round…

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In professional sports, the margin between winning and losing is razor thin.  Often, it is the team that plays to win versus not to lose, that ends up on top.  And it is this characteristic that makes the Superbowl win of the New Orleans Saints so impressive. 

     Head Coach Sean Payton (shown here) and Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams earned my admiration and respect with the go for it attitude they showed.  Payton’s on side kick call to open the 2nd half was the call of the season!  And don’t give me any of that lucky bounce nonsense.  Luck is the combination of preparation and opportunity arriving at the same time.  I may buy into a little bit of karmic intervention as well, but it’s interesting that unprepared and/or bad teams never seem to get the breaks.  Payton’s Saints practiced that onsides kick for two weeks before succeeding and Williams’ blitzing defense resulted in the winning pick six only after weeks of watching tendencies in film study.  The Saints were supposed to get worn down by Colt perfection, instead they outscored Indy 31-7 in quarters 2, 3 and 4 and are partying on Bourbon Street!

     On the flip side, the other Peyton is getting destroyed.  What is it with people these days?!?  Don’t get me wrong, I took some pleasure in watching the four time MVP, golden boy quarterback throw the interception that sealed the game for the Saints, but don’t blame it all on Manning.  Peyton Manning is a GREAT quarterback, will go down as one of the best ever and every team in the NFL (except maybe New England) whether they’re led by Brees, McNabb, Romo or Rivers would trade their QB straight up for Manning.  The Colts were undone by being conservative and playing not to lose.  They’ll spend the offseason kicking themselves and wondering what might have been.

     Play to win folks; there’s a reason they say, “to the aggressor go the spoils!”

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For those of you who looked at the 13 and 0 Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints and 11 and 1 Minnesota Vikings and claimed NFL parody was dead, not so fast my friends!  The NFL playoff picture is a wild ride as we go into Week 17 with only one seed set in the NFC race and with multiple 8 win teams battling for the two AFC wild card slots.  In addition, three games this week, the Eagles-Cowboys, Cardinals-Packers and Jets-Bengals could be preludes to first round playoff match-ups.

     Adding to the mess, the only team that had their division sewn up weeks ago, the mighty Indianapolis Colts (who pundits are ranking as only the second best team in the AFC despite their 14-1 record), did the unspeakable and took out their players in the 3rd quarter of an eventual 29-15 loss to the New York Jets.  Fans in Denver, Pittsburgh and Houston are screaming foul as the Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell pulled his starters while sporting a 15-10 lead and let the Jets waltz to a win, an 8 and 7 record and the inside track to one of the AFC Wild Card slots.  Are they right? 

     In other sports, it’s a time honored tradition to try to play spoiler and send teams spinning out of the playoffs.  Only in football, where injuries are so prevalent, is it acceptable (to some…) to lay down and protect your starters for your own playoff run.  My thought is hey, protect your own, even if it means someone else will suffer for it.  Football teams only get 16 games and if you want a playoff spot, earn it.  I was a little unhappy with Caldwell’s call as the Colts were going for History as well, but I agree, the most important thing is to win the Superbowl.  Or do you think the Patriots were really satisfied with their 18 and 1 record two years ago???

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In between taking swipes at Tiger Woods and his nine, I mean eleven, man is it up to an even dozen women?!?, pundits are expounding on the annual December swoon that descends upon the Dallas Cowboys.  Swoon, shwoon; I’m not buying it at all!  Last season the Cowboys went 1-3 in December, horrible right?  Of course all four of the teams they played were playoff teams and three made their respective Conference Championships.  This year the Boys are oh and 2 losing to the New York Giants in the Meadowlands and the San Diego Chargers yesterday.  Both teams were expected to contend this year and the Chargers are riding an eight game winning streak.  On the horizon for the Cowboys are the 13 and oh New Orleans Saints in the Superdome which doesn’t look real good for the Cowboys either.  Long story short, I look at the schedule the Cowboys are playing and don’t buy into the swoon theory.

     Where I place the blame is on the coaching staff and Head Coach Wade Phillips.  In four of the five Cowboy losses, the team lost by seven points or less; true that is indicative of most NFL games but what is says to me is that the Cowboys can not  close out quality opponents in close games.  The field goal kicker is four of ten from over 40 yards which is pathetic.  Why does Wade put up with that???  Bill Parcells canned Mike Vanderjagt when he missed a few kicks and he was the most accurate kicker of all time!  Wade Phillips can’t pull the trigger on the hard decisions and it is time to cut him loose.  With coaching candidates like Mike Holmgren, Mike Shanahan and Bill Cowher on the radar screen, Wade Phillips is a liability to say the least!  And oh by the way, send Jason Garrett packing with him…

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With the October Classic upon us, its time for SCL’s Fresh Take, ala Baseball!  It’s fitting that the New York Yankees with their 26 Championships and the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies square off in the World Series; on the flip side, how bad is it to be a Cleveland Indians fan?  Past Indian pitchers CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee square off in Game One of the Series, while Indians fans get to wonder what if.  Not to mention, if you add in the Championship rounds with Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez and Charlie Manuel, it looked like a Cleveland reunion out there!

     The Yankees and Phillies led their respective leagues in runs and home runs and with the right field jet stream in new Yankee Stadium and the short flower beds in Citizens Bank Park, will anyone be surprised if we set an new record for home runs in a World Series this year?  The Phillies have 4 guys who hit over thirty home runs while the Yankees counter with 5 who hit more than twenty.  Get ready for the shooting gallery!

     Is there a cold weather team bias to the World Series now?  Everyone talks about the “dog days of summer” and how lousy it is to play in Arlington, TX or Miami, FL in July and August with 100 degree days, but have you noticed that seven of the last ten World Series have been won by cold weather teams?  And this year the trend has to continue after Philly and New York spun out the boys from California.  As we extend the baseball year later and later, its seems less and less likely to see a team from the South or the West representing their leagues or at least winning the whole thing…

     So time for the prediction!  It looks like the studs from each team, Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriguez are ready to rumble, but it’s still pitching that wins in the playoffs.  Both teams have Aces and Jokers in their rotations, offenses in high gear and this will be a great series to watch.  I’m tired about hearing how suspect the Phillies bullpen is, especially after they knocked out the LA Dodgers in five games.  I think the Phillies October magic will continue and I’ll take Philadelphia in Six!

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