Final four weekend in Indianapolis has officially arrived with last night's Slam Dunk and 3 Point Contests. It was nice to see a bunch of standout seniors agree to participate, but there was not too much excitement. Steve Novak of Marquette won the men's 3 point shootout, looking very impressive in his final round against Chris Quinn of Notre Dame. At 6'10'' with such a sweet outside stroke he should be a decent NBA player. The dunk contest is the main event, but outside of a few spectacular dunks it was not too impressive. Rodney Carney, Memphis' freakishly athletic small forward who will definitely be a lottery pick in the upcoming draft, disappointed by failing to make the finals. David Noel of UNC ended up winning, but his only noteworthy dunk came from an impressive gymnastic display prior to a rather routine dunk. James White of Cincinnati stole the show by finishing a couple of tough dunks taking off at the free throw line.
The game's start tomorrow at 6:07 with 11th seeded George Mason taking on Florida. The late game features UCLA and LSU. While it's been exciting that no number one seeds made the final four, it may be shaping up to be a bit of a disappointment. Tomorrow I will give a preview of each game and attempt to make some predictions. Florida is playing the hottest basketball right now and I see them cutting down the nets, but this tournament has been very tough to predict. On a brighter note, Florida stars Al Horford, Corey Brewer, and Joakim Noah are reportedly returning to school. I could see this changing if they go on to win it all.
Free Agency continues to be in a low spot right now with rumors being reported by many Giants fans bloggers concerning the whereabouts of Lavar Arrington. The Giants are also reportedly interested in Packers Offensive Lineman Corey Ruegamer and Panthers WR Rickey Proehl. In a recent interview with Ernie Accorsi published in a Giants fan newsletter, he discussed his keys to building a team. Accorsi said the order of importance is quarterback, pass rushers, and corners. This was made apparent in his strong move to make Eli Manning his franchise quarterback, and as I've discussed previously, in his dealings with DE Osi Umenyiora. This offseason he has splurged on defensive backs, hoping to upgrade last year's biggest shortcoming. With that in mind, and some rumors have floated, that the Giants are considering Raiders CB Charles Woodson. Especially if they are making a serious run at Lavar Arrington, I would find this very doubtful. However, he is still young and potentially a big time playmaker. He will probably carry an astronomical price tag and he's had plenty of issues in his NFL career.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Thursday, March 30, 2006
McDonalds Game
Last night was the McDonald's High School All-American game in San Diego. The game is always worth tuning in to, but tough to sit through. As with any All-Star game it is only an exhibition, so defense is rare. Both teams showed tremendous selflessness that had been lost when many pro scouts would be in attendance. With players not having to worry about impressing scouts and improving draft status players actually looked to pass the ball. Although I only watched bits and pieces, a few things really stood out.
First, Ohio State is going to be a tough team to deal with next year. The regular season Big 10 champs are being improved with 5 terrific incoming freshman, which include three from last night. The most highly touted, and National Player of the Year, is 7'2'' Center Greg Oden. He was slowed by a wrist injury, but he can really change a game on defense. In the opening minutes of last games he had a few blocked shots, and altered many throughout the game. Another Ohio State bound player who looked good was Daequan Cook who ended up in double digits (guessing around 14, not sure though). Another team who will really benefit is Georgia Tech. After having a down year look for them to rebound with the additions of Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittenden. Crittenden really impressed me in the first half with his range and ability to see the court. As usual, the Duke and UNC recruits looked good. The announcers were touting Duke-bound Guard Jon Scheyer as the next JJ Redick and he did demonstrate a nice scoring touch. His teammate for next year, Gerald Henderson, won the Dunk contest and played very well for the East last night leading them with a team-high 16 points. Finally, the co-MVPs for the West were extremely impressive. Texas-bound Kevin Durant had a game high 25 points and demonstrated excellent athleticism. His co-MVP Chase Budinger is headed to Arizona where Lute Olson already is speaking high praises. Earlier in the week he was the runner-up in the Dunk Contest (although his final round dunk looked more impressive than champion Henderson). Budinger reminds me of last year's McDonalds MVP Josh McRoberts (who just finished his freshman year at Duke). He could afford to put on a little muscle, but he's extremely athletic, has good range, and sees the court very well. His 11 points came from all over the court and he dished out 4 assists.
The other big news in sports is Bud Selig appointing former Senate majority leader George Mitchell to probe past steroid use in baseball. At this point I'm so sick of this issue, I don't know what to think. While I do not dispute that steroids certainly give a competitive edge, there's no way of truly determining their effect on performance. It definitely helps put on muscle, but they don't tell a player when to look for a curve or select a pitch to hit. Don't get me wrong, steroids have given baseball a black eye. I'm just not convinced on what actual affects it has on baseball performance. Since baseball does not have the authority to grant immunity, none of these players will admit their use for fear of legal ramifications. This probe is Selig's way of attempting to make up for screwing up the first time, but it's too late. As Tim Kurkjian reported on ESPN, this era has already been tainted, the bigger focus should be on preventing further use. The only nice thing is it's timing. While Barry Bonds had a great career prior to alleged steroid use, I've never liked how he's handled his fans and the media. He's a spoiled player with a bad attitude who does not deserve to be in the same company as Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. Even if he had not been included in the allegations (and I for one find it impossible that he didn't use for many reasons), I still would not be a Barry Bonds fan.
First, Ohio State is going to be a tough team to deal with next year. The regular season Big 10 champs are being improved with 5 terrific incoming freshman, which include three from last night. The most highly touted, and National Player of the Year, is 7'2'' Center Greg Oden. He was slowed by a wrist injury, but he can really change a game on defense. In the opening minutes of last games he had a few blocked shots, and altered many throughout the game. Another Ohio State bound player who looked good was Daequan Cook who ended up in double digits (guessing around 14, not sure though). Another team who will really benefit is Georgia Tech. After having a down year look for them to rebound with the additions of Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittenden. Crittenden really impressed me in the first half with his range and ability to see the court. As usual, the Duke and UNC recruits looked good. The announcers were touting Duke-bound Guard Jon Scheyer as the next JJ Redick and he did demonstrate a nice scoring touch. His teammate for next year, Gerald Henderson, won the Dunk contest and played very well for the East last night leading them with a team-high 16 points. Finally, the co-MVPs for the West were extremely impressive. Texas-bound Kevin Durant had a game high 25 points and demonstrated excellent athleticism. His co-MVP Chase Budinger is headed to Arizona where Lute Olson already is speaking high praises. Earlier in the week he was the runner-up in the Dunk Contest (although his final round dunk looked more impressive than champion Henderson). Budinger reminds me of last year's McDonalds MVP Josh McRoberts (who just finished his freshman year at Duke). He could afford to put on a little muscle, but he's extremely athletic, has good range, and sees the court very well. His 11 points came from all over the court and he dished out 4 assists.
The other big news in sports is Bud Selig appointing former Senate majority leader George Mitchell to probe past steroid use in baseball. At this point I'm so sick of this issue, I don't know what to think. While I do not dispute that steroids certainly give a competitive edge, there's no way of truly determining their effect on performance. It definitely helps put on muscle, but they don't tell a player when to look for a curve or select a pitch to hit. Don't get me wrong, steroids have given baseball a black eye. I'm just not convinced on what actual affects it has on baseball performance. Since baseball does not have the authority to grant immunity, none of these players will admit their use for fear of legal ramifications. This probe is Selig's way of attempting to make up for screwing up the first time, but it's too late. As Tim Kurkjian reported on ESPN, this era has already been tainted, the bigger focus should be on preventing further use. The only nice thing is it's timing. While Barry Bonds had a great career prior to alleged steroid use, I've never liked how he's handled his fans and the media. He's a spoiled player with a bad attitude who does not deserve to be in the same company as Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. Even if he had not been included in the allegations (and I for one find it impossible that he didn't use for many reasons), I still would not be a Barry Bonds fan.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Rule Changes
Today at the NFL Owners Meetings several changes were voted on and approved by the league owners. The most disturbing is the enactment of further rules to limit end zone celebrations. While the league still allows for spiking, spinning, and leaping in to the stands, it prohibits most of what the fans would consider creative dances. As one ESPN analyst put it in an inteview with Chad Johnson, basically a rule prohibiting everything he likes to do. I consider this disturbing because it again demonstrates the NFL as being the No Fun League. While Mr. Johnson often says things that do not much make sense, he did raise one solid point. There are people out there who will turn in to a Cinicinnati game just to see what he will do when he gets in the end zone. While this rule shouldn't adversely affect viewership to a large extent, it will certainly alienate a small fan base. For those who break the rule, it will result in a fine (an undisclosed amount at this time) and a 15 yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff. The part of the rule that bugs me is the fifteen yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff. If this was just a matter of fines, these guys would certainly write a check for the opportunity to entertain. However, coaches will certainly rein in their stars when they could lose important field position in a game.
While I certainly disagree with the virtual elimination of end zone celebrations, the owners did pass some helpful rules. One in particular that stands out is allowing teams to review "down by contact" plays. The league's supervisor of officials, Mike Perreira, claims 12 plays in 2005 could have been overturned if this rule had been enacted earlier. While 12 plays over the course of an entire season seems very insignificant, any chance for officials to make the proper call on a turnover is extremely beneficial. Another rule change that I agree with is the expansion of the "horse collar rule". It became a rule last year after Terrell Owens suffered his catastrophic injury due to Roy Williams pulling him down from the neck. However, it was only called twice last year and seemed to occur far more frequently than that. They have expanded the "horse collar" from the back of the shoulder pads to also include tackles grabbing the back of the jersey.
The initial rush of NFL Free Agency has died down but many stars remain without a new team. Lavar Arrington, Ty Law, Charles Woodson, and several other standouts are still looking for new homes. Of the most interest to Giants fans is the pursuit of Lavar Arrington. With Barrett Green out the door and Nick Griesen soon to follow, the Giants need more LB depth. There are some concerns that he wouldn't fit well in to the Giants schemes, but he does bring an important element in his ability to rush the passer. Ernie Accorsi consistently defends the importance of the pass rush, which is the big reason he held on to Osi Umenyiora when San Diego asked for him (and look how smart that was). Can you imagine the headaches offensive coordinators would face having to come up with protection schemes against Strahan, Umenyiora, and Arrington? I'd also like to see them keep Antonio Pierce happy with this signing. He had a tremendous year before it was cut short by injury, and he's lobbied the front office hard for this signing. With those two and Carlos Emmons, thats a very solid LB corps. Another name that has popped up for the Giants is former Packers DT Grady Jackson. He's a space eater inside and could fill a similar role to what Kendrick Clancy did last year. However, he might not be a priority. According to Giants.com, Umenyiora feels that despite losing Clancy "we have capable players in Fred (Robbins), Willie Joe (William Joseph), (Damane) Duckett, and Kenderick Allen. I think we should be okay."
This has been a real exciting offseason in the NFL and should continue through the draft in late April. I'll be attempting a few mock drafts prior to that, should be interesting. In about half hour the McDonalds All-American game is coming on. It is always fun to see next year's top recruits, although most of them are always committed to Duke and UNC. Syracuse's top recruit, Guard Paul Harris, is not in tonight's game despite being a top 20 player. He was not invited due to past "character" issues but will participate in other high school all-star games. With the new NBA draft rules sending the elite HS players to college, the game will be of greater value. Should be an enjoyable one. That's it for now, will probably have more tomorrow.
While I certainly disagree with the virtual elimination of end zone celebrations, the owners did pass some helpful rules. One in particular that stands out is allowing teams to review "down by contact" plays. The league's supervisor of officials, Mike Perreira, claims 12 plays in 2005 could have been overturned if this rule had been enacted earlier. While 12 plays over the course of an entire season seems very insignificant, any chance for officials to make the proper call on a turnover is extremely beneficial. Another rule change that I agree with is the expansion of the "horse collar rule". It became a rule last year after Terrell Owens suffered his catastrophic injury due to Roy Williams pulling him down from the neck. However, it was only called twice last year and seemed to occur far more frequently than that. They have expanded the "horse collar" from the back of the shoulder pads to also include tackles grabbing the back of the jersey.
The initial rush of NFL Free Agency has died down but many stars remain without a new team. Lavar Arrington, Ty Law, Charles Woodson, and several other standouts are still looking for new homes. Of the most interest to Giants fans is the pursuit of Lavar Arrington. With Barrett Green out the door and Nick Griesen soon to follow, the Giants need more LB depth. There are some concerns that he wouldn't fit well in to the Giants schemes, but he does bring an important element in his ability to rush the passer. Ernie Accorsi consistently defends the importance of the pass rush, which is the big reason he held on to Osi Umenyiora when San Diego asked for him (and look how smart that was). Can you imagine the headaches offensive coordinators would face having to come up with protection schemes against Strahan, Umenyiora, and Arrington? I'd also like to see them keep Antonio Pierce happy with this signing. He had a tremendous year before it was cut short by injury, and he's lobbied the front office hard for this signing. With those two and Carlos Emmons, thats a very solid LB corps. Another name that has popped up for the Giants is former Packers DT Grady Jackson. He's a space eater inside and could fill a similar role to what Kendrick Clancy did last year. However, he might not be a priority. According to Giants.com, Umenyiora feels that despite losing Clancy "we have capable players in Fred (Robbins), Willie Joe (William Joseph), (Damane) Duckett, and Kenderick Allen. I think we should be okay."
This has been a real exciting offseason in the NFL and should continue through the draft in late April. I'll be attempting a few mock drafts prior to that, should be interesting. In about half hour the McDonalds All-American game is coming on. It is always fun to see next year's top recruits, although most of them are always committed to Duke and UNC. Syracuse's top recruit, Guard Paul Harris, is not in tonight's game despite being a top 20 player. He was not invited due to past "character" issues but will participate in other high school all-star games. With the new NBA draft rules sending the elite HS players to college, the game will be of greater value. Should be an enjoyable one. That's it for now, will probably have more tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
First entry
This is my first official entry in the blog world, but don't have much to say at this point. For people who don't know me, my name is Jon Gleason and I am currently a senior at Syracuse University. I'm from Westchester County, NY, but hopefully will move in to NYC after graduation.
I've decided I need something else to do in my free time, so taking a page from Rudy's book I've jumped on the blog bandwagon. It'll be predominantly used to talk about the sports world, especially focused on my favorite teams. The teams I will spend the most time on are the New York Giants, Yankees, and Syracuse(particularly basketball). Being from New York, I also like the Knicks and Rangers, but do not pay as close attention to them as I used to. For the immediate future I'll concetrate on NFL Free Agency, the NFL draft, and the opening of baseball season. The Final Four does not look like it'll generate much interest, but the games have been exciting so there's no way to tell at this point. I'll probably offer predictions on the games later this week. Not much else to say at this point, but I'll be updating this pretty frequently.
I've decided I need something else to do in my free time, so taking a page from Rudy's book I've jumped on the blog bandwagon. It'll be predominantly used to talk about the sports world, especially focused on my favorite teams. The teams I will spend the most time on are the New York Giants, Yankees, and Syracuse(particularly basketball). Being from New York, I also like the Knicks and Rangers, but do not pay as close attention to them as I used to. For the immediate future I'll concetrate on NFL Free Agency, the NFL draft, and the opening of baseball season. The Final Four does not look like it'll generate much interest, but the games have been exciting so there's no way to tell at this point. I'll probably offer predictions on the games later this week. Not much else to say at this point, but I'll be updating this pretty frequently.
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