MLB: Fallout from immigration law tars Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks are like one of those fans in the lower deck at Chase Field who gets struck by a foul ball during a game. They didn’t see it coming.

Today at Chicago’s Wrigley Field and in just about every city the team visits, there is expected to be a protest outside the stadium against Arizona’s new immigration-enforcement law, Senate Bill 1070.

One of the people organizing and encouraging such protests is Tony Herrera, the Arizona representative for a national movement (it has a Facebook page) called “Boycott Arizona 2010.”

“This team is an ambassador for Arizona,” Herrera told me. “And the owner, Mr. (Ken) Kendrick, is a big supporter of Republican politics. This new law was a Republican bill. Until the law is changed, there should be protests.”

The Diamondbacks appear to have been caught off guard by such comments, even though it is well known that Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick and his family are major contributors to the Republican Party.

The team’s vice president for communications, Shaun Rachau, told me that the organization doesn’t believe that targeting the team is fair. He forwarded me the following statement:

“Although D-backs’ Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick has donated to Republican political candidates in the past, the organization has communicated to Boycott Arizona 2010 leader Tony Herrera that Kendrick personally opposes (Senate) Bill 1070. The team also explained that Kendrick is one of nearly 75 owners of the D-backs and none of his, nor do the other owners’, personal contributions reflect organizational preferences. The D-backs have never supported (Senate) Bill 1070, nor has the team ever taken a political stance or position on any legislation.”

To which you might ask, why not?

As one Internet blogger noted, “If the owners of the Diamondbacks want to underwrite an ugly edge of bigotry, we should raise our collective sporting fists against them. A boycott is also an expression of solidarity with Diamondback players such as Juan Gutierrez, Gerardo Parra, and Rodrigo Lopez. They shouldn’t be put in a position where they’re cheered on the playing field and then asked for their papers when the uniform comes off.”

Latino players make up a significant part of just about every major-league roster. Likewise, there are many, many Latino baseball fans.

Exactly how WOULD the team, the fans and the players react if a baseball star happened to be singled out and asked to produce his “papers” while in Arizona?

“There’s a protest we’re expecting outside of Wrigley,” the D-Backs’ Rachau said. “We’re unique in that we’re an Arizona company that travels around the country and plays baseball games. So any time we come to a large market the people in that city can put their focus on us. I understand that they’re not pointing at the team but saying that you represent Arizona.”

For Herrera, it’s a little more than that.

“The fact that Kendrick has supported the Republican agenda is significant to us,” he said. “We’re getting a lot of response from across the country. We’re asking for a meeting (with the team) on May 7 with people who are flying in from across the country. We want to talk to the team, but, you know, they do represent Arizona.”

We all feel bad for the fan who gets beaned by a foul ball. Like that fan, the Diamondbacks didn’t think they were in the game.

But they were spectators in the stadium, like every other business in Arizona. At Chase Field, there are dozens of signs warning fans to look out for “flying objects” from the field.

If the team had been paying attention, it would have seen this ball coming.

The outrage over Arizona’s new immigration law has led to demonstrations and boycotts throughout the country, and today those opposed to the law will gather at Wrigley Field.

As of Thursday morning, 790 people said they planned to attend a protest outside of Wrigley Field as the Chicago Cubs take on the Arizona Diamondbacks Thursday afternoon, according to a Facebook event page for the protest.

“We are going to give the Arizona Diamondbacks a message to send back home,” the event’s organizers wrote on the page.

The demonstrators plan on bringing posters and marching, as well as handing out fliers to baseball fans that detail their opposition to the new law, according to the page. The group also asks anyone attending the game to wave posters condemning the law.

NCAAB; Report: NCAA Found Violations at UConn

The Wall Street Journal released a lengthy story Wednesday that indicates the following:

**A source told the paper that NCAA investigators have found violations at the school

**An NCAA report will be issued “in the near future”

**Head coach Jim Calhoun has yet to sign his contract extension

A year ago, Yahoo! Sports chronicled NCAA violations which occurred during UConn’s pursuit of recruit Nate Miles.

The Tampa Tribune later reported that Josh Nochimson, a former UConn student manager who became a sports agent, paid several thousand dollars for Miles to have surgery in December 2007.

“Could I have made a mistake? Sure.” Calhoun told Yahoo! Sports during the 2009 NCAA tournament. “The [rules] manual is 508 pages. Someone could’ve made a mistake.”

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the NCAA has told UConn that an investigation into the men’s basketball program uncovered rules violations and a report will soon be released.

The paper also said coach Jim Calhoun’s contract extension has not been signed and quoted a lawyer who suggested UConn would be wise to wait until the NCAA report before announcing the new deal. If the school announced the signing, the lawyer said, it might appear that UConn has decided how it thinks the case is going to turn out.

Calhoun told the Journal that the sides are “signatures away” from completing a four-year contract after an issue involving his role at the school upon retirement was recently resolved.

A UConn source also said Calhoun’s new contract will be signed soon and that the sides are still discussing some fine points, including Calhoun’s retirement package. The sides are also discussing Calhoun’s role in choosing his successor, although the source told The Courant that issue won’t be a sticking point.

Calhoun, who will turn 68 in May, is in the final year of a $9.1 million, six-year contract that expires June 30. Throughout this past season, Calhoun said the extension was close to completion and he did not plan to retire.

Last month, Calhoun issued a statement reiterating his intention to coach. A few days later, Calhoun told Courant columnist Jeff Jacobs that recruits were being misled about his future so he repeated that he was returning.

The Journal quotes the mother of Baltimore guard Josh Selby as saying there was concern about Calhoun’s future. Selby, a top-rated point guard, chose Kansas.

“In Josh’s mind, that was a concern — just how long [Calhoun is] going to be there,” Maishon Witherspoon said.

But Calhoun said in the story that Selby never asked about the coach’s future during his recruitment. A school source said Selby’s mother seemed to have more interest in UConn than Selby showed during the recruiting process.

• Last Stand For UConn’s Jim Calhoun? [Wall Street Journal]

Calhoun has said other recruits inquired about his future, although players have told The Courant that the coach’s status had no bearing on their decision-making. Forward Roscoe Smith of Oak Hill Academy in Virginia told The Courant that he discussed Calhoun’s future with the coach before signing with UConn.

“When I talked to Coach Calhoun, he [already] had given me his word he wasn’t retiring,” Smith said. “Not just me, but any top national recruit will always worry about the coach because you’re putting your career and future in the hands of the coach. I had my doubts, but I just stayed positive with the whole situation and I trusted Coach Calhoun.”

NCAAB; Recruiting: CJ Leslie to NC State

Power forward Raleigh, North Carolina Word Of God Christian Academy AAU: Carolina Cobras South Ht:6'7" Wt:205 lbs Class:2010 (High School)

“I’m going to N.C. State,” Leslie, the No. 4 power forward in the Class of 2010, told NewsObserver.com. “It is a great school and we can be good there. And obviously, Coach [Sidney] Lowe is a great coach.”

Leslie visited UConn this past weekend and also considered Kentucky, where close friend Brandon Knight has committed.

“It was really up for grabs,” he told NewsObserver.com. “It was really close with the other two schools.”

Lisa Leslie, C.J.’s mother, previously aid her son has great respect for Lowe.

“He’s looking at N.C. State because he’s known Sidney Lowe for four or five years,” Lisa said previously. “He has a good relationship with him. I would say they are pretty high on the list.”

Review: Run Ricky Run

After something of a 30 for 30 hangover — taking a week off and skipping Silly Little Game after watching No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson — I was excited to jump back into the series with Run Ricky Run. Unlike a lot of these films, I’m able to really remember a lot of this news. So many of the events in the 30 for 30 predates my cognitive sports phase of life. While I’d had the screener DVD for a while, I didn’t actually watch it until it ran live on Tuesday night, but many of my media cohorts had already viewed the film and the reviews were pretty glowing. People were fawning over how it would completely shatter the way you looked at Williams. Was that the case when you actually watched it?

For me, the answer is no, with one major exception. It’s impossible to ignore the previously unreported (by the media) sexual abuse Williams endured at a young age. The story goes that when Williams was a 6-year-old boy, his father had him taking inappropriate pictures of him with a Polaroid camera. That incident shattered his home life and certainly changed the type of person Williams would grow up to be.

In a way, it’s tough to view the things Williams has done and not view them with that in mind — that Ricky was once a 6-year-old boy who went through something that would really mess someone up or leave them searching for some deeper answers in life.

So with that point allowed, did anything outside of that really blow up your previous perceptions about Williams? If they did, I’d be curious to hear what you thought of him before. I suppose if you thought Williams dropped his helmet and immediately went into a multi-year pot smoking free-for-all (looking at you, collected Around The Horn panelists), then yes, this probably changed your perception. But to anyone actually following his story over the last few years, it’s clear there’s always been a lot more than just that. Whether it was mental health or the search for enlightenment, it was never just about pot.

I don’t say any of that to say the film was bad or uninteresting, but perhaps the collective praise I heard coming into the thing skewed my expectations. The most revelatory thing to me is that the people closest to Williams barely understand him, so how could we ever really expect to know him based on the little sliver of public persona we consume? I imagine that’s true of a lot of athletes and not just Williams.

NCAAF: What’s Your Deal? For Stanford, a Wry, USC-Poking Ticket Promotion

Last fall, Stanford whipped USC, 55-21, a result shocking enough before you remember that Stanford maybe ran up the score a bit, and maybe made Pete Carroll a little mad. His “What’s your deal?” exchange with Jim Harbaugh made the rounds after that game, and amused those in the college football flock who found Carroll having to ask other coaches about running up the score rather beautifully ironic.

This spring, Stanford’s turning the exchange into a promotion.

It’s genius, really: Stanford’s selling tickets to a group of games that includes the Cardinal’s home date against USC by marketing that phrase. That’s all. It’s a pun on deal and a nyah-nyah-we-won-last-year gesture, an atypical bit of gloating from a program that hasn’t been able to do a ton in recent years. But with Harbaugh at the helm, Stanford has been good enough to do a little bragging, and has an outside chance at a Pac-10 title this year, should Andrew Luck become the superb quarterback many suspect he can be.

The only reason to be at all miffed by this is because deference to Carroll apparently would have derailed the plan.

I’m told that Harbaugh thought about the “What’s your deal?” idea for several days and, along with a few department staffers, decided that it wasn’t in poor taste because Carroll has moved on to the Seahawks.Were Carroll still at USC, there’s no way Stanford would be doing this.

Stanford being scared about irritating an opposing coach is a tip-off that the Cardinal are new at this. For what it’s worth, our resident Stanford fan, The Baseline’s Eric Freeman, thinks it would have been funnier if Carroll were still in Los Angeles, and I agree.

But getting the wry joke in at USC’s expense is still fun. And lest we forget, USC’s now coached by Lane Kiffin; I’m sure if Stanford wins again, there will be a biting joke to be made in the aftermath of this year’s matchup.

NCAAF: NCAA’s New President A Playoff Sort Of Guy; Will It Matter?

So the NCAA’s new president isn’t Michael Adams, which is displeasing to Georgia fans but should get a thumbs up from everyone else. The new guy is Washington president Mark Emmert, and he’s going to get right on something or another right away:

“We want to continue the reforms that Myles and his colleagues got started,” Emmert said. “I do not have specific academic reform I’ll be championing in the next 30 days. … I don’t foresee revolutionary change in academic … it’s an evolution (from) where we are now.”

(Questionable ellipses in original. Academic what? Don’t know.) All right, then. Nothing on the docket.

With nothing about to explode, the inevitable first question: what about a college football playoff? Before he was selected, Emmert gave a quote that’s been cited allover the Internet today:

“I happen to be one,” insists University of Washington president Mark Emmert, “that thinks it’s inevitable we’ll have a playoff.”

Excitement! Cynical gremlin on your shoulder reminding you that opinions can change rapidly in these situations!

Point Gremlin. Emmert yesterday:

“We’ll join in those conversations [about a playoff],” he said. “I do not expect the NCAA to lead in that charge.”

Same as it ever was. Just like the barely (and possibly temporarily) averted move to 96 teams in the basketball tournament, the NCAA follows the lead of the people with the sponsorship dollars. When the possibility of delirious amounts of money overwhelms the entrenched interests currently offering up millions, then we’ll see a playoff broached and, eventually, implemented. It just takes one network making a preposterous offer.

There is one thing in the Emmert file that should encourage, though. In that same article cited above he dismisses “illusory arguments” like missed class time against a playoff. No more “think of the children” from the NCAA when the hockey schedule stretches from October to April and dozens of sports with zero pro potential have schedules far more demanding than the moneymaker. Heck, I-AA schools play up to 16 games.

Anyone who could cite class time as a reason not to have a college football playoff is an empty suit more concerned with maintaining the status quo than anything else. Emmert’s not that. Once that red herring is disposed of, a discussion of the relative merits of a playoff can be had. So at least there’s that.

Random Links

A while ago I had a  link to a video of Detroit Lions linebacker Zack Follett buying some, um, unusual products for his opponents (while wearing his football helmet in the drugstore). It turns out Follett has posted some other unique videos in the past. Here is his hilarious version of Cribs. A couple of notes: The video is 13-plus minutes so if yout time is limited, I suggest forwarding to about the seven minute mark. Things to look out for: Follet’s attractive girlfriend, his “drawing” of Adriana Lima and his reasoning for buying a 42-inch TV instead of a 65-inch TV.

Uh Oh

Apparently, there is a fake John Calipari on Facebook. Apparently, point guard Marquis Teague, who just announced he was going to Kentucky, didn’t know the Calipari page was a fake. That makes this exchange all the more interesting.

Paging Tom Donaghy

My apologies for being a day late with this, but the worst foul call in the history of the NBA took place during Monday’s Blazers-Suns game.

Ben Bashing

Ben Roethlisberger is now an Eminem song lyric.

Warning: These are G Rated

Here’s a breakdown of the 20 most popular fantasy baseball team names and what they mean.

He Stayed Cool

Chris Cooley was about to do a radio interview yesterday when he got pulled over a by a cop.

Faker

From today’s Inter Milan-Barcelona match, check out the video of Barca’s Sergio Busquets going down after getting a light tap to the neck as if he was shot. Then check out this great gif of Busquets trying to see if the referee caught his acting job.

Shakira & Soccer

Shakira does the honors for this year’s official World Cup theme song. You can see the video and an awesome headline here.

He’s Popular

Tim Tebow has just set the NFL record for the fastest-selling rookie jersey of all-time. If you can’t get an official Tebow jersey, you might want to explore this one

Coffee Crazy

Holy Taco nails it with this look at the nine most annoying people at Starbucks.

Videos

Via Clubhouse Cancer comes this video of Bears running back Chester Taylor butchering Take Me Out To The Ballgame at last night’s Cubs game.

Check out the celebration dance by the Canucks’ Ryan Kesler after Vancouver’s win against Los Angeles on Monday.

NCAAB: Recruiting: Kadeem Jack to Prep School

Power forward New York, New York Rice AAU: New York Gauchos Ht:6'8" Wt:210 lbs Class:2010 (High School)

Kadeem Jack was set to announce his college choice Wednesday on SNY.tv, but instead appears headed to prep school, possibly South Kent (Conn).

“Kadeem said that he is not making any commitments to college. He is considering prep school,” Rice High School coach Maurice Hicks wrote in a text.

The 6-foot-9 Jack is considering UConn, Arizona, Arkansas, St. John’s and Miami. Instead, it appears he will spend a year prepping in order to mature physically and basketball-wise.

“I’ve reached out to the family and obviously I would love to have Kadeem at South Kent if that’s something he feels he would like to do,” South Kent coach Kelvin Jefferson said by phone.

South Kent has become a second home to many New York-area players, including Kevin Parrom (Arizona), Omari Lawrence (St. John’s), Louisville commit Russell Smith and Pittsburgh commit J.J. Moore.

Jack put up 21 points and 8 rebounds for the City Team in a 137-133 loss to the Suburban Team in the Jordan Brand Regional Game April 17 at MSG.

Jefferson said Paterson Catholic junior forward Derrick Randall was also headed to South Kent. The 6-8 junior is too old to play high school ball in New Jersey next season and Paterson Catholic recently announced it is closing in June.

Your Bob Costas Awards, Er, Sports Emmy Recap: HBO, PTI Headline Night

HBO raked in the honors and Pardon the Interruption took down a TNT giant at the 31st Annual Just Name The Darn Thing After Bob Costas And Be Done With It Awards in New York City Monday night.

Note: I believe they use the more widely-recognized name of Sports Emmys, but with Costas winning his, what, 31st in a row for Outstanding Studio Host, they should just name the award after him so someone else has a chance to win. Despite stiff competition this year in that category – James Brown, Bryant Gumbel, Chris Fowler and Ernie Johnson all showed up in tuxes but left in bridesmaids dresses yet again – Costas took home another trophy to add to his collection. And honestly, in an Olympic year, was there any doubt?

HBO took home nine awards, which was the most for any one network by more than double. The ESPN family of networks raked in seven awards while NBC and NBCOlympics.com combined for five. CBS and CBS/Showtime also combined for five and in its first year as a network, MLB Network raked in four. Now, to be fair, three of those were technical awards – well deserved, by the way – for MLB Tonight and the fourth was the award given to Costas. Of course, it’s uncertain if Costas really won the award more for his work at NBC or his very solid work at MLB Network, including the Mark McGwire interview and his hosting duties with Studio 42. That said, it’s Costas. He could be sitting on a street corner with a cardboard box for a desk and an empty roll of paper towels for a camera and he’s probably still win the Emmy for Outstanding Studio Host.

Have I mentioned Bob Costas won an Emmy yet?

Of the nine awards for HBO, five were for different boxing shows, with four of those coming in different categories for the 24/7 series, including the Dick Schaap Writing Award for 24/7 Pacquiao-Hatton.

The big winner of the night, however, had to be Pardon the Interruptionwhich won a long-overdue Emmy in the category of Outstanding Studio Show – Daily, finally beating out Inside the NBA on TNT. In fact, if you saw how disinterested Charles Barkley looked at halftime of the Suns-Blazers game Monday night, it may have just been disappointment over losing to the PTIguys. Of course, he may have realized that he was sharing a desk with Matt Winer and Chris Webber who were filling in for Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith as they presented at the Emmys, making him even more depressed for getting left behind. Then again, he did lose in the Outstanding Studio Analyst category to Kirk Herbstreit, so it wasn’t a great night for Chuck.

Here are a few of the other highlights. For a full list of the award winners, visit the official Emmy site.

• John Madden was given the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Dick Ebersol and Jerry Jones. It’s a wonder how both those men managed to share the spotlight, to honor someone else, no less.

• College Gameday won for Oustanding Studio Show – Weekly, over FOX NFL Sunday, Inside the NBA on TNT, Inside the NFL and Studio 42 with Bob Costas..

• In what had to be a major disappointment for ESPN, The Outstanding Sports Documentary award went to HBO’s Assault in the Ring while the Outstanding Edited Sports Series/Anthology Award went to Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Cincinnati Bengals, ostensibly leaving ESPN’s fantastic 30 for 30 series out in the cold.

• While Jeremy Schaap didn’t win the writing award named after his late father, he did pick up, along with those at E:60, the award for Outstanding Sports Journalism for his feature Wanted: Fugitive.

• Herbstreit beat out a solid cast of nominees, including Barkley, Tony Dungy, Al Leiter and Howie Long. Cris Collinsworth took home the Outstanding Sports Event Analyst statue over the likes of Jon Gruden, Jim Kaat, Tim McCarver, Phil Simms and Jeff Van Gundy.

• If you went with the odds that someone with the name “Michael” would take home the award for best Sports Personality, Play-by-Play – a 66% chance of that happening in this category – you went home a loser. Jim Nantz won the award over Mike Breen, Joe Buck, Mike Emrick, Al Michaels and Mike Tirico.

• I didn’t forget Bob Costas, did I?

Milwaukee Bucks’ Bango Continues to Laugh in the Face of Danger, Injury

After last year’s embarrassing incident during the NBA All-Star Game, where the Bucks’ mascot tore an ACL when he caught his leg falling through the rim, one might excuse Bango for dialing down some of the more dangerous antics used to please the crowd. Of course, we don’t even know if it’s the same guy in the costume, so perhaps those concerns don’t even enter into the equation.

Either way, same guy or not, the feats of mascot daredevilry have continued. During Game 4 of the Bucks-Hawks series Monday night, Bango pulled a reverse flip from the top step of a 16-foot-ladder into a dunk. And while there’s quite a bit of padding for him to land on, he also could have planted himself on the basket again, which would be most painful, even to someone inside a mascot costume. Thanks for the show Bango, but you take care out there. If you hurt yourself, who will go around Milwaukee randomly assaulting people in Al Horford jerseys?

Random Links

For those of you not on Twitter, or for those on Twitter but not following Chad Ochocinco, let me tell you something; he tweets A LOT. And because of that, a lot of gems get lost in the shuffle, so I’m here to give you the highlights from the past couple of days. He’s revealed what he needs from a woman; he’s invited all his followers to breakfast and offered to treat whoever showed up; he’s partially given out his phone number; told a story about how the cleaning lady at his hotel walked in on him while he was naked, and expressed his amazement at Ciara‘s dancing in this video. And that’s just in two days!

Speaking of Outspoken Football Players

Detroit Lions linebacker Zack Follett doesn’t have the track record of Chad Ochocinco, but based on this video, in which he buys a feminine hygiene product and Band-Aids for his opponents (while wearing his Lions helmet in the drugstore), he seems to be just as much of a character.

Soccer Shockers

What’s worse: this collision or this missed goal?

Let the Major League Comparison Begin

Via this story from Tauntr.com comes word that Brewers catcher Gregg Zaun could not throw the ball back to the pitcher last night.

Videos

You have to read this story first. Then watch the video below

It’s one thing if President Obama and Baba Booey have bad first pitches. But you’d expect a little more from a professional hockey player. That wasn’t the case for the Sharks’ Dany Heatleyat last night’s Giants game

NCAAB; Recruiting: Carson’s College Plan Coming Together

Point guard Mesa, Arizona Mesa AAU: Compton Magic Ht:5'10" Wt:170 lbs GPA:2.9 Class:2011 (High School)

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Jahii Carson de-committed from Oregon State earlier this month in part because he wanted to see which other schools would get involved and in only a few weeks things have taken off for the Mesa, Ariz., point guard.

It’s going just as Carson planned.

California, UNLV, Arizona, Oklahoma and Butler are some of the new programs involved with Carson, who finished with 16 points and at least eight assists in Compton Magic’s win against Organized Chaos Saturday at the Pangos Sweet 16.

Corona (Calif.) Centennial guard Mike Caffey had 18 points and Gabe York, a 2012 standout from Orange (Calif.) Lutheran, added 12 points. Memphis, Marquette, Arizona State and Washington have reached out to Carson as well.

“After de-committing, I was hoping Pac-10 and Big East schools would start to come, up-tempo schools, and what I thought was going to happen is happening,” said Carson, who plans to visit Arizona in early May.

“I started getting contact from schools that I wanted and the schools I was looking at but I still like Oregon State so I’m still trying to keep all the schools in the loop. I just want to keep my options open going into the spring and summer. I want to keep all my options open. I don’t want to give any school an edge over any other school.”

Despite backing away from his Oregon State pledge, Carson said the Beavers are still being considered especially since he has such a strong relationship with assistant coach David Grace.

“They’re still really in it,” Carson said. “They come see me whenever they can. Coach Grace still calls (Compton Magic coach) Etop (Udo-Ema) and I talk to him pretty much every day. I love him. He’s kind of like an uncle. He wants me for more than just basketball. He wants to help me become a young man.”

NCAAB: A Contrast in Coaching Searches: Oregon vs. Creighton

Oregon can’t claim the most protracted college hoops coaching search this offseason — that honor goes to UNC-Wilmington, which took nearly three months to hire Buzz Peterson. No, the Oregon search was just over one month, but the way it unfolded, it felt like the job had been open for years. Oregon has reportedly landed its next coach – Creighton’s Dana Altman – after being rejected by numerous other big names.

Altman is a fine college coach and had a great run with the Bluejays, going 327-176 in 16 seasons. He might not be “splash” that the Swoosh hoped for, but they could’ve done worse. So while Altman hasn’t even been introducedyet at Oregon, there are already reports that the Bluejays are on to their next coach: Iowa State’s Greg McDermott. Details via KCCI:

According to Action 3 News in Omaha, Greg McDermott has accepted the head coaching job at Creighton. The deal is reportedly worth $10 million over 9 years.

The transition from Northern Iowa, where McDermott went 90-63 with three NCAA Tournament appearances, to Iowa State has been less than smooth. McDermott hasn’t posted more than 15 wins in any season and the Cyclones have been near the bottom of the Big 12 the whole time. Perhaps even worse is the fact that he wasn’t able to make it work with Wesley Johnson, who went on to star at Syracuse, and Craig Brackins, who is also considered an NBA talent. Still, McDermott has ties to the region and a track record of success in the Valley. It’s a hire that makes sense if it indeed goes through.

The point being this: Creighton appears to have done everything Oregon failed to do. It identified a logical, attainable candidate and then went out and hired him. The Ducks spent their 41-day hunt like a hungry person who’d wandered into a grocery store with a lot of money and no list of what they wanted or needed. If Creighton goes on to seal the deal — and it could happen as soon as Tuesday, according to this report — they did an admirable job in creating a smooth coaching transition.

WTF: Mike Bacsik

Hidden Racist?

For those that don’t know who Mike Bacsik is, he’s a former Major League Baseball pitcher and the son of Michael James Bacsik, who was also a pitcher in the majors. He’s most famous though for giving up Barry Bonds 756th career home run, which broke the all-time record formerly held by Hank Aaron.

Bacsik currently is the producer on The Ticket 1310 in Dallas for Norm Hitzges and performs other fill-in duties however he allowed his hidden racism spill out onto Twitter after the Dallas Mavericks loss to the San Antonio Spurs in game 4, with his above tweet. Shortly thereafter he deleted his comment, hoping it would forever cease to exist and followed it up with a back handed apology.

Mike Bacsik’s tweet is probably a very accurate representation of how he really feels about certain races when he out of public’s eye, if not where does these feelings come from then?

Random Links

Among the many, many things said over the weekend about the NFL draft, this quote from Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz stands above the rest. “Some people watch adult videos on their computer. I go to YouTube and watch Jahvid Best highlight clips. That’s what gets me aroused.” There’s so much to analyze about Schwartz’s statement but I don’t think I can do it on SI.com without getting in trouble. I’ll just make one statement that hopefully someone can relay to Coach Schwartz. There’s no need to get stuck on extremes. It doesn’t have to be adult videos or Jahvid Best highlight clips. There are things like new Kristin Cavallari pics out there, as well.

No Need For a Dentist

Washington Capitals forward Eric Belanger had a tooth knocked loose after taking a high stick last Friday. So he did the natural thing and ripped the chopper out himself

Not Nice, LeBron

LeBron James tore up Chicago for a triple-double yesterday (37 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists). But he wasn’t satisfied with just embarrassing the Bulls players. He also did this to one of the towel/equipment guys.

Of Course He Did Something Stupid

Matt Millen found himself in hot water over the weekend when he called Ron Jaworski a “polack” during ESPN’s draft coverage Saturday. He then made an absurd on-air apology, which has resulted in this great video by Tirico Suave.

Draft 2010 of the NFL; NFL Draft in Prime Time: Ratings up 30 Percent

The call has come and smile can not hide. Sam Bradford is officially the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Bradford gets the opportunity to earn a title immediately after his release Rams Marc Bulger few weeks ago.

Edition 75 of the Draft has started and the cameras are focused on Sam Bradford, who won the Heisman in 2009, an Oklahoma quarterback who is projected by many to go with the first selection.

Bradford became the first quarterback taken by St. Louis in a first round pick.

The shift is from Detroit.

Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska defensive tackle is the choice number two in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Suh won the award as the best defense in college, as well as the athlete of the year trophy in the United States.

With this choice, Detroit now has an excellent defensive lineman to line up with Kyle Vanden Bosch, his recent signing in free agency.

In addition, Suh and Vanden Bosch will automatically improve considerably one of the weakest points of a team in constant reconstruction.

Time is now for Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Bucs also were inclined to reinforce the defensive, taking in taking Gerald McCoy, a defensive tackle who has a lot of versatility, both defending the run, as penetrating the backfield to create chaos.

McCoy is visibly moved and tears did not wait, then that is destined to win the title inmedaita nearly so.

Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, takes a huge hug from McCoy.

Time the Washington Redskins.

The call came and Trent Williams, who has raised the horn, left tackle from Oklahoma, who will be responsible for taking care of the Donovan McNabb’s blind side.

Rounding out the great day for the Sooners, Oklahoma has given its third listing in the first four selections.

Williams is a tremendous player with the versatility to play any line position that perfectly matches the zone blocking scheme that Mike Shanahan is expected to prevail in Washington.

Time is for Kansas City.

The first of the surprises, it was expected that the Heads Select to Russell Okung, offensive tackle, is Eric Berry, Tennessee Quie deep smiles in the room prospects.

Berry, excellent to make plays on the ball, maintaining the recent tradition of Kansas City defensive players taken in the first round.

Berry is an athletic player who automatically becomes the leader of a young defensive secondary. Berry is compared in their game with Ed Reed.

Seattle Time and his new coach, Pete Carroll.

Faced with the possible withdrawal of Walter Jones, Russell Okung, Oklahoma State left tackle is the selection of the Seattle Seahawks.

Okung will anchor an offensive line full of veterans and has struggled with injuries in recent seasons.

Cleveland, with the sixth pick, and without many needs that have been filled in free agency took Joe Haden, Florida cornerback.

Haden, who was not projected to be taken among the top 15 selections, surprised, after having a mediocre Combine.

With this selection, Mike Holmgren, president of Cleveland, show that is willing to risk his first draft in front of the Browns.

Raiders is to make your selection.

Oakland has made a wise decision to take Rolando McClain, an inside linebacker from Alabama.

After having a linebacking corps in decline and lack of speed, McClain heralds a new era with McClain.

Buffalo soon make his choice and took CJ Spiller, the best runner of his generation. Spiller reaches a crowded backfield with the presence of Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch.

The Jacksonville Jaguars defense held the trend shown by the draft so far, taking defensive tackle Tyson Alualu, California.

Jacksonville, known for his physical play has taken a huge player in the middle of the line that could bring them back into the limelight, after battling to contain the race the last two seasons.

San Francisco changed positions with Denver, and also sent his third-round pick.

The 49ers are on the clock and have decided to anchor their offensive line with Anthony Davis, the second time in three years that San Francisco making a tackle in the first round, joining Joe Staley.

Davis is scheduled to play on the right side of the line and could be instrumental in the running game in San Francisco.

Another change.

San Diego climbed 16 positions to change over Miami in the first round.

San Diego Chargers had an urgency to fill out LaDainian Tomlinson’s and have done with Ryan Mathews, Fresno State running back.

Obviously, San Diego had the need to secure a corridor and showed the change to anticipate so much for the second runner in the draft.

The Denver Broncos have re-engage in a change, to exchange positions with the Philadelphia Eagles.

With just as stellar lineman Trent Cole, the Eagles had the need to get a player who can pressure the quarterback and they got their man in Brandon Graham, Michigan defensive end.

Graham was a coveted player, leading Philadelphia to buy poara change.

The Seattle Seahawks are with their second pick of the first round.

The coach Pete Carroll has taken the 14th overall selection to Earl Thomas, Texas defensive secondary.

Thomas is a versatile player that will surely be used as a cornerback in the NFL because of his size.

It is an athletic player, aggressive and with great ability to follow the ball, a defensive anchor in Seattle.

New York Giants are about to announce his selection.

Jason Pierre-Paul, defensive end from the University of South Florida is the newest member of the New York Giants.

Compared with Jevon Kearse, Paul comes to a talented defensive line copada with Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyora. A guy can get coverage and pressuring the quarterback, is a defensive end will bring a lot in Tom Coughlin’s defense.

It’s Time for the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans are looking to supply the output of Kyle Vanden Bosch with Derrick Morgan, a player who slipped on the board, after having been projected to go in the first 10 of this draft.

Morgan specializes in going after the quarterback and will be of much help in a defense that struggled in that area in 2009.

San Francisco took the best guard available in the current draft Mike Iupati taking.

With the selection of Iupati, the focus of coach Mike Singletary is to harness the depth of the current generation on the offensive line, being the second choice in that position in the draft.

Time for Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Steelers took a player who had observed consistently in central Florida, Maurkice Pouncey.

Pouncey, barely 20, is a physical player who fits perfectly into the style of play of the Steelers and is expected to address some of the problems he had Pittsburgh in that department.

Atlanta did not take long in deciding on Sean Weatherspoon, a linebacker from Missouri.

The Falcons battled their linebacking corps, perhaps the weakest position of all and the selection of Weatherspoon, automatically improved considerably.

The Houston Texans are now seeking their piece of his first trip to the playoffs.

Houston has taken Kareem Jackson, cornerback national champions, Alabama.

Jackson is a player with excellent technique, physical and knows how to tackle. It is a cornerback who covers well, but doubtful about the situation of tackle. Its strengths are deep and not playing near the line.

Good day for the Oklahoma Sooners, after Cincinnati took the best tight end available in Jermaine Gresham.

Gresham joins automatically an attack has become more explosive and vertical arrival. It represents a huge target for Carson Palmer.

Time for Denver, which changed positions with the New England Patriots.

The Broncos used their first-round pick to cover the departure of Brandon Marshall. But Marshall is not unlike another controversial host, which ruled to Dez Bryant.

Denver, instead of Bryant took Demaryius Thomas, Georgia Tech, a skilled receiver, agile and can enter the equation for the starting immediately.

Thomas is one of the most explosive players in the draft, however, a history of injuries caused to fly off the radar for a long time.

Green Bay is in charge.

The Packers got a bargain Brian Bulaga, a huge offensive tackle who will improve what was the worst offensive line catches in the NFL passer.

Bulaga start on the right side and protecting the passer as good as opening holes for running game suffered at times last season.

The Patriots are on duty. NO. Change from Dallas.

The Cowboys took Dez Bryant, the controversial and vocal Oklahoma State receiver, who now join the arsenal of Wade Phillips.

Bryant, a physical type, with large hands, but with many problems off the field, will be an important weapon in the Dallas passing game that already has Roy Williams, Miles Austin and Jason Witten.

Baltimore changed with the Denver Broncos, who continue to surprise in the draft.

And so far have been the biggest surprise, to take Tim Tebow, Florida’s famous pin.

Denver gave teams second, third and fourth rounds, to gain access to Tebow, who had an eye.

Tebow, controversial not because of his actions off the field, but by the mechanics of launching and coming collegiate program, the second pin is selected, against all odds.

Arizona has reinforced its defensive instead of giving depth to the quarterback position.

Dan Williams, a huge defensive tackle, perhaps the best nose tackle of his generation, will dumbbell Darnell Dockett to anchor a defensive line that needs improvement.

Much was expected from the selection of Arizona to take a quarterback with the departure of Kurt Warner and the question that Matt Leinart has been over his career.

Time for the Patriots, who maintained the defensive tendency to take one of the most volatile corners of his generation in the product of Rutgers, Devin McCourty.

McCourty is fast, agile and also one of the best players on special teams, could have an impact on that area of the game also.

It’s Time for Miami Dolphins, who originally had the position 12.

The Dolphins, with serious problems in their front seven, particularly after the departure of Jason Taylor, have reinforced this area.

Jared Odrick is the solution, or at least in the eyes of Bill Parcells, who has been selected in the first round.

Odrick, who could play defensive end in a 3-4 scheme, is able to dominate when covered man to man, but struggle in double coverage.

Tony Sparano has plenty of raw material and it is hoped will serve juice to a talented player, but still unpolished.

Time for the Jets, to the delight of the Radio City Music Hall.

Mark Sanchez’s team waited until the last minute waiting for some exchange offer that never came.

The hosts added to Rex Ryan Kyle Willson, a Boise State defensive secondary.

Willson is a true weapon on special teams as well as being very versatile with their coverage, is expected to be of much help in a defense full of talent and that was the best in the NFL last year.

Time for Minnesota, which changed its selection with Detroit to be chosen for the second time today.

Detroit Lions made some noise with the selection of Yahweh Best, a corridor waiting solve, or at least give depth to a position that has suffered much since Barry Sanders left long ago.

Best is an explosive runner, capable of making the big play, a pure sprinter certainly adds a new dimension to the Lions’ anemic attack.

The champions of the AFC, Indianapolis Colts, Jerry Hughes made the penultimate pick of the first round.

Hughes is an explosive type which is capable of pressuring the passer from the outside.

Hughes, as possessed of talent as anyone, he flew under the radar due to their short stature, which in the scheme of the Colts is not a problem, as exemplified by Dwight Freeney.

Drew Brees, pin champions New Orleans Saints announced the final selection of the first round.

Brees end of the first day of selections with the election of Patrick Robinson, a Florida State defensive secondary.

Robinson is a natural athlete, but is inconsistent, so it is a gamble for NFL champions, who were to strengthen its defensive secondary, especially draft for the second consecutive corners in the first round.

NFL Draft in Prime Time: Ratings up 30 Percent

The overnight ratings for the first NFL draft in prime time were up 30 percent from last year.

The overnight rating for the first-round of the draft held Thursday night at Radio City Music Hall was a combined 6.42. Coverage of last year’s draft started at 4 p.m. on a Saturday.

ESPN had a 5.47 rating, while the NFL Network posted 0.95. The overnight rating was 55 percent higher than the 2008 NFL draft.

The ratings, which measured 56 markets, represent the percentage of all households with televisions tuned into a program.

Louisville Announces Itself As Capital of Excess Thanks to the KFC Yum! Center

The city of Louisville is roughly 195 days from opening a new, previously unnamed, downtown arena that will seat 22,000 for Cardinals basketball. That name part has been taken care of as it will be known as the KFC Yum! Center. As if the name wasn’t silly enough, take a look at the artist’s rendering of how the arena will look.

Click this link for larger image

Yes, you are seeing that correctly. There will be multiple logos for Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut on this thing that looks vaguely like a PlayStation 3. Yum! Brands forked over $13.5 million for the 10 year rights deal. Why is it my mind keeps drifting to this website?

Perhaps Louisville hoops will be able to use this as a tool in recruiting. After all, that KFC Double Down sandwich has quite a bit of buzz on the web. Had they really wanted to capitalize on the hype surrounding the new KFC sandwich, they would’ve gone with this original artist’s rendering, exclusively obtained by TSB.

NCAAF; NCAAB: This Big Ten Expansion Thing Might Actually Happen, And Soon

It’s like a fire bell in the night: The Big Ten might really become the Big 14 or Big 16, and it might happen before you think.

High-ranking Big Ten representatives will meet Sunday in Washington to discuss expansion. The timing and location of the session make sense considering the Association of American Universities has its semi-annual meetings there through Tuesday and all 11 Big Ten schools are AAU members.…

If the conference can emerge from the meetings with a mandate to expand, Commissioner Jim Delany could take a substantial step next week at the annual Bowl Championship Series meetings outside Phoenix.

As laid out in the Big Ten’s Dec. 15 statement, Delany would “notify” the commissioners of the affected conferences before “engaging in formal expansion discussions with other institutions.”

…

That would allow the Big Ten more than a month to negotiate with schools before conference presidents and chancellors meet in Chicago during the first weekend in June.

That timetable also makes sense from a financial standpoint. The fiscal years of universities end on the last day of June, “so if you go past July 1, you have to wait an extra year,” one source said.

In five short months, we’ve gone from humorous scenarios and inexplicabletargets to talks that seem to be accelerating because the Big Ten wants to do something now.

Matt Hinton reads the tea leaves to mean that expansion is more or less a foregone conclusion, and that era of the superconferences is about to dawn. I’m not sure what other conclusions there are to draw, except that many rough beasts may be about to be born.

NFL: NFL needs more time to determine Roethlisberger punishment

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell joined the show to talk about the state of the NFL on draft week and where he stands on Ben Roethlisberger.

Goodell was asked if reports that he would announce his suspension today or tomorrow were true. “There may be plenty of reports. I make the decision when I”m prepared to do so,” Goodell said.

Goodell was asked if there has been a violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

“Yes, there has been a violation of that,” Goodell said. “The issue here is respect to a pattern of behavior … bad judgments.”

Goodell said he needed time to review all the facts. “Obviously there is a depute about the facts that occurred that night,” Goodell said.

Here are some of Goodell’s other takes:

– Goodell still wants to add two regular-season games. “We’re thinking of flipping two preseason games and making them regular-season games,” Goodell said. “It’s in response to our fans and better for the game. We would still be staying within our 20 games.”

– Goodell said he still wants a franchise in Los Angeles, but the NFL has to settle the CBA first.

– Goodell said Tim Tebow hasn’t let him know yet if he’ll be coming to the draft. Goodell said that Jimmy Clausen called him and he’s not coming so he can spend time with his family.

NFL: Sam Bradford said he hasn’t heard from St. Louis Rams

Quarterback Sam Bradford joined the show to talk about Thursday’s draft.

Bradford said he hasn’t started negotiating with the Rams. And he wanted to clear up any notion that he doesn’t want to go to the St. Louis Rams. He said the team hasn’t called him or his agent. And reports he didn’t want to negotiate with them aren’t true.

“People out there think right now that I’ve said no or my agent has said not,” Bradford said. “That’s not the case at all.”

Bradford said that he just wants to play in the NFL and didn’t specify any teams.

Bradford, who grew up a Steelers fan, also said that his agent and family did talk to him about the Ben Roethlisberger case. And he realizes he always has to be aware people around him have camera phones.

Random Links (4/16)

You may remember a few weeks ago Esquire.com ran a “Sexiest Woman Alive” bracket, which caused quite a buzz because Lane Kiffin (that’s right, Lane Kiffin, not his attractive wife, Layla) beat Natalie Gulbis in the first round. Well, voting for Round 2 is under way, and Kiffin has a lead against Danica Patrick in the “sports” region. I can get down with giving Kiffin a vote over Patrick, but if anyone but the Stacy Keibler comes out of the that region, it will be a travesty. In other newsworthy matchups, Minka Kelly has a lead on Heidi Klum (and let’s keep it that way). In a heated WAG battle, Adriana Lima is breezing by Gisele Bündchen. And Olivia Munn.

Pathetic Phillies Fan, Pathetic Human Being

I shouldn’t even refer to this animal, who is accused of INTENTIONALLY THROWING UP on an 11-year-old girl at Wednesday’s Nationals-Phillies game, as a human being.

Not All Phillies Fans Are Bad, Though

As proven by this guy.

Yankee-Red Sox Feud Intensifies

Jay-Z is suing David Ortiz. Hova claims that Big Papi stole the name of his night club, The 40/40 Club, for an establishment Ortiz opened in the Dominican Republic.

For The Facebookers

Here are five bizarre Facebook groups – if you are a fan of trivial NBA history — should join just for the hell of it. And, speaking of Facebook, we now live in a time when we find out a player has been traded via the social networking site.

Quiz Time

Anyone who has collected baseball cards knows about the infamous Billy Ripken “F— Face” card. But do you know who wrote that graphic phrase on Ripken’s bat? That’s just one question in this baseball card quiz.

Videos

This Capitals fan does NOT want the camera near him.

Determined To Remain on Top

Kim Kardashian, who clearly does not want disappear from this page, is now being linked to Real Madrid soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. Meanwhile, BestWeekEver.tv wonders if we’ll soon see Kim in Sports Illustrated for Kids.

Stroke Of Genius?

Someone at Canadian sports Web site TSN.ca got overly excited about last night’s Devils-Flyers game.

For The Lost Fans

With just five episodes in the series remaining, I need to remind you to check out The Mandel Initiative, a podcast hosted by SI.com’s college football guru, Stewart Mandel. You should also check out Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson hanging out with the Lost braintrust, Carlton Cuse andDamon Lindelof.

Photo Of The Day

What’s bigger than super size?

The Party Continues

Stories about major league baseball players using Miley Cyrus‘ Party in the U.S.A when they come up to bat got a lot of attention this week. Well, according to reader James Irwin, the Miley madness is going strong. He says, “OK, so I had the joy of watching my Twins beat up the Red Sox on a beautiful sunny day OUTSIDE at the greatest ballpark, Target Field. Everything was great, except for one thing: At the beginning of the game they asked the fans what song they wanted to hear later in the game, and there it was as choice No. 3, Miley Cyrus, Party in the U.S.A. Sure enough, it won with over 75 percent of the vote. Is this the new Rick Roll?”

More Videos

NCAAB: What Would A CBS/Turner NCAA Tournament Presentation Look Like? Please Let It Be This

SportsBusiness Journal has a piece today breaking the news that ESPN will not increase its bid for the NCAA Tournament, which paves the way for a joint bid by CBS and Turner. Yes, it would likely be a 96-team tournament.

CBS and Turner have a 14-year deal on the table that is worth more than the $710 million annual fee that CBS would have to pay over the last three years of the existing deal, source said. No deal has been formalized, though, and the NCAA still hopes to reengage ESPN in some way.

Here is the interesting part of a CBS/Turner joint venture:

The most likely scenario would have CBS and Turner telecasting each game nationally across at least four networks: CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. Under this scenario, Turner and CBS would carry the Final Four in alternate years.

A few things: 1. We’d get an Olympic-style telecast setup where games would be spread out over a family of networks. 2. The national title game would actually be on Turner at some point. While the second point will be shocking to some, I’d like to focus on the first and what it means to your current viewing experience.

As it stands, your options are CBS, the DirecTV NCAA Mega March Madness package and March Madness On Demand on your computer. While the On Demand service on your computer would probably still exist, its reach would be somewhat hindered by all games being broadcast across those networks. You’d still pull all of the 9-to-5ers stuck at work, but what about Saturday and Sunday. No more worrying about watching on a small computer screen if you’re without DirecTV. Just flip over to one of the other networks. (If you’re balking at truTV, and I’m guessing a few of you are, SBJ‘s John Ourand points out the network is in 92 million homes and has a widely available HD channel.)

This would almost certainly mean the death of the Mega March Madness package, an idea that DirecTV must be none-to-thrilled about facing. As it stands, there’s no mention of DTV in the SBJ story. The only remaining feature not replicated over cable or broadcast would be the mix channel with four screens at once. Could that make its way to cable as well or would that be the lone value-added product on the DirecTV side of things? Presumably, the NCAA would make up that lost DirecTV revenue in whatever sort of increase they get from CBS/Turner. Still, DirecTV has really made a name for itself by differentiating itself from the competition by being the sports fan’s haven. This would be a blow to that sales pitch.

While I’d be incredibly disappointed that the field would expand to 96 teams, it gives me at least some consolation that networks would be footing the bill for Mega March Madness across the country rather than the consumers themselves. (No, I guess that doesn’t really lessen the sting of a 96-team tourney as much as I’d hoped it would.) You know what would make up for all of that? Create the greatest two man booth ever — Gus Johnson and Conan O’Brien — pictured at the top of the post.

NCAAB; Recruiting: Selby to Kansas? That’s the sign

Point guard Baltimore, Maryland Lake Clifton AAU: Baltimore Elite Ht:6'2" Wt:183 lbs Class:2010 (High School)

Fortunately, Selby is one of a host of players planning to announce his decision Saturday at the Jordan Brand Classic. Which way is he leaning? It was difficult to believe Selby would want to attend Kentucky now that he’d be stuck alongside Knight, but then again, Calipari not only got Eric Bledsoe and John Wall to work, he landed both of them in the NBA draft. Anything was possible. But, thanks to a column on John Calipari’s recruitment by SI’s always-excellent Luke Winn, we now have a pretty good idea of where Selby isn’t going: Kentucky.

When I asked Selby for his reaction on Knight, he said, “I didn’t know that it happened. I don’t have a reaction, because it doesn’t have any effect on where I’m going.”

What he meant by it not having any effect on him is that he feels he’s good enough to earn time in any backcourt, whether it be alongside Knight or the Jayhawks’ Tyshawn Taylor. But one could sense that Selby, who’s going to announce his college choice at halftime of Saturday’s Jordan game, wasn’t too interested in Kentucky. He mentioned that while he’d spoken with Kansas coach Bill Self a few days earlier, he hadn’t spoken with Calipari in a couple of months.

I asked if I should take that as a sign. Selby said, “Yeah, that’s a sign.”

Winn’s column has a lot more to do with Calipari than Selby; the theory here is that we’re focusing a bit too much of Kentucky’s spring recruiting haul and ignoring the host of very good players — Duke recruit Kyrie Irving, for one — that will have a much larger effect on the 2010 game than will either Knight or Kentucky’s other bigtime recruit, Enes Kanter. This is true.

Here’s another question worth asking: Is John Calipari perhaps relying too much on landing really good, really high-profile, really temporary recruits? Winn quotes Cal lamenting what would have happened if he could have kept this year’s team for three years. Bummer, right? There’s not much you can do except recruit the best players and hope they stay for more than eight months. But part of building a program is in finding those Robert Dozier anchor types — guys that are really good and can start for your elite team but that aren’t going to leave for the NBA after one year. Calipari has build those teams before. He hasn’t had enough time at Kentucky, but no doubt he’s working on it.

Anyway, rambling thoughts aside, Josh Selby appears headed to Kansas. At the very least, he won’t be forming Bledsoe-Wall 2.0 in Kentucky’s backcourt anytime soon. And so the dominoes continue to fall.

Selby said his mother, Maeshon Witherspoon, already has a strong opinion on the matter.

“I think my mom knows where she wants me to go, so she knows. But I just want to sit down by myself and think about it,” he said.

Point guard Brandon Knight of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Pine Crest announced Wednesday that he will attend Kentucky, but Selby said that decision would not necessarily impact his.

“I didn’t wait for him to commit,” Selby said. “I was going to commit here. I wasn’t waiting for Brandon to commit, Cory [Joseph] to commit because it don’t have [any] effect on which school I want to go to.”

more about “Josh Selby“, posted with vodpod

NCAAB; Recruiting: DORON LAMB HEADED TO KENTUCKY

Shooting guard Mouth of Wilson, Virginia Oak Hill Academy AAU: New York Gauchos Ht:6'4" Wt:175 lbs Class:2010 (High School)

If you missed it on National Signing Day, John Calipari is rebuilding another monster at Kentucky. Right after five of his underclassmen went pro, he immediately landed Brandon Knight, the top senior PG in the country, and Michael Gilchrist, maybe the top player period in the 2011 junior class. In addition to them, Calipari has two blue chip commits in swingman Stacey Poole and Turkish big man Enes Kanter. It’s time to add one more. While All-American senior shooting guard Doron Lamb is formally announcing his decision tomorrow at the Jordan Brand Classic, we already know what it’s going to be. Doron Lamb is headed to Kentucky.

Choosing Kentucky over finalists Kansas, UConn, Arizona and West Virginia, we have confirmation from multiple sources that Lamb’s decision came down to the Wildcats and the Jayhawks, with him ultimately choosing to play next season in Lexington.

“I have a top five of Arizona, UConn, Kansas, Kentucky and West Virginia,” Lamb said.

But Doron said St. John’s came in “too late” to be considered.

After the former Bishop Loughlin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) standout spent the last two seasons at Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.), the New York native is making the right decision to head to Kentucky. Calipari, along with assistants Rod Strickland and Orlando Antigua, are new York guys, and Strickland is also an Oak Hill alumnus. The three of them paid a visit to Lamb at school last week and also met with his parents in New York.

At 6-4, 185 pounds, Lamb will fit in perfectly alongside Knight in the backcourt – akin to Eric Bledsoe playing alongside John Wall. And depending on where the chips fall, he could also be playing with explosive guard Josh Selby, who will also be announcing his decision tomorrow at the Jordan Brand Classic.

“I don’t even know, man. I think it’s too late,” he said. “They tried to reach out to me at Oak Hill. They talked to my parents, but I don’t know what happened with them. I think it’s too late.”

A Queens, N.Y. native, Lamb won MVP honors last August at the Boost Mobile Elite 24 game at the Gauchos Gym and hopes to have a similar performance on Saturday.

“Every time I play in New York City in an All-Star Game I always have a good game so I hope I have a good game this Saturday coming up,” he said. “I just want to play in front of my family and friends for the last time in a high school game.”

more about “Doron Lamb“, posted with vodpod

NCAAF: NCAA bans wedge blocks, eye black with messages

On Thursday, the NCAA’s Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the three rules changes.

One year after the NFL banned wedge blocking on kickoffs because of safety concerns, the NCAA followed the lead. The new rule says that when the team receiving a kickoff has more than two players standing within two yards of one another, shoulder to shoulder, it will be assessed a 15-yard penalty — even if there is no contact between the teams.

The reason: NCAA studies have shown that 20 percent of all injuries occurring on kickoffs result in concussions.

“Everybody is looking to make sure we have a safe environment for the players,” said Grant Teaff, executive director of the American Football Coaches Association. “On kickoffs, you have a lot of steam on both sides and you usually have what is called a ‘wedge buster.’ This will eliminate some of that.”

The hope is it will reduce concussions, an issue that has received greater attention over the past year.

The NCAA deemed it so important that it made a rare rules change in an off-year of the normal 2-year process.

But it’s the taunting rule that will create the biggest buzz.

Currently, players who are penalized for taunting on their way to the end zone draw a 15-yard penalty on the extra point attempt, 2-point conversion attempt or the ensuing kickoff.

Beginning in 2011, live-ball penalties will be assessed from the spot of the foul and eliminate the score. Examples include players finishing touchdown runs by high-stepping into the end zone or pointing the ball toward an opponent.

Celebration penalties following a score will continue to be assessed on conversion attempts or the ensuing kickoff.

“I think one of the reasons it’s been looked at is that when a penalty occurs on the field, it’s normally taken from the spot,” Teaff said. “This was the only occurrence that it wasn’t taken from the spot, so they wanted to change that.”

Taunting has caused an annual debate among college football players, coaches and fans, and last season’s big controversy stemmed from Georgia receiver A.J. Green receiving a 15-year personal foul penalty after he caught a go-ahead touchdown pass late in a game against LSU.

The yardage from the penalty was assessed on the kickoff and helped LSU get into position to drive for the winning score. Southeastern Conference officials said later that there was no video evidence to support the flag on Green.

A third change bans the use of eye black containing symbols or messages, a trend that grew in popularity because of the use by Heisman Trophy winners Reggie Bush and Tim Tebow.

The rules committee also approved a change for new soccer fields. Those fields can be 70 to 75 yards wide and 115 to 120 yards long. All fields in current use have been approved and will not be required to change.

INDIANAPOLIS — Eye black with messages and wedge blocks will be banned from college football this fall, and taunting in the field of play will start costing teams points in 2011.

NCAAB: The 96-Team Bracket Will Kill The Tournament’s Opening Days

I wish the headline was a bit of personal hyperbole, but I don’t know how else I can really react to seeing this atrocity to the right. (Click here to see Joe Lunardi’s first pass at a full 96-team bracket.)

I don’t want to overreact and say the NCAA Tournament as a whole will be ruined by such a bracket, but I can say this: the first days will be destroyed. Check out some of these outstanding matchups in one region alone. Alabama-Iowa State, ODU-Morgan State, Gonzaga-Ohio, Arizona State-Saint Louis, New Mexico-Pacific, Murray State-Virginia, Virginia Tech-Coastal Carolina, Michigan-Texas Tech. These are the kind of middling games most fans skip if there’s good scripted TV on in the middle of February, not the kind of games you skip two days of work for.

In this scenario, the first round has been reduced to NIT scraps and low-major conference winners. I remember our own Dan Shanoff lamenting that the only thing stopping people from caring about NIT games was the fact that they weren’t called NCAA games. After looking at these games, I could not disagree more. My Give-A-Damn meter isn’t even making the faintest blip for any game in the first round that doesn’t involve my alma mater. After an entire season of trying to watch the best teams rise to the top, I don’t want to sit through another two days of games featuring teams that never quite got it together.

Don’t get me wrong; there are good game starting in the second round, you know, that traditional round of 64. It will be sad when they likely announce 96-team tournament expansion on April 29 and I’m forced to not really care about the first two days of the NCAA Tournament.

Dallas Suburbs to Become Collection of Massive Stadiums

The suburban fringe of Dallas is already home to the most expensive stadium in the NFL, so why not add another outsize structure to serve on the high school level of the game? A proposal discussed for years to build a nearly $60 million stadium in the fast-growing suburb of Allen, who’s high school team is a powerhouse in the high-school-football-crazed state of Texas and ranks among the best in the nation, passed not long ago, with construction ready to begin soon.

Their current stadium holds 7,000, hardly enough to accommodate the teeming crowds. Last year, the team played at game at the new Cowboys Stadium before an attendance of 50,000. It was clear that the team could use an update of the venue they had been using since the ’70s, one built long before the surrounding area experienced a rapid population growth.

Next month in the booming north Dallas suburb, ground will be broken on a state-of-the-art, 18,000-seat facility that will feature two decks, a video scoreboard, four concession stands and 12 restrooms. It is scheduled to open in the fall of 2012.

To assuage those who will decry the misplaced priorities that awards that much money to the construction of a football stadium, planners point out that the stadium was part of a much larger bond package that will also lead to the creation of a new performing arts auditorium, new elementary schools, more school buses and various other educational improvement. Not to mention that the high school is one of the largest in the state and the only one in that particular district. So perhaps some of that excess was actually needed.

NCAAM: Is Reebok Hitching Its Future on John Wall?

Yahoo! has a story today that likely No. 1 pick John Wall could be joining LeBron James’ marketing firm. Now the my angle: deep in the story, there’s a mention about a potential shoe deal that is likely to send a few shockwaves. First, the details:

In the short term, they’ll be negotiating a sneaker deal that promises to invigorate a stagnant market for young players. Reebok is banking that Wall can be its product’s face with the demise of Allen Iverson, and multiple sources say the company’s prepared an offer that could be worth $3 million-$4 million annually. Here’s the test for LRMR: Does it have the chops to get Wall more than the traditional shoe deal?“Wall isn’t going to be LeBron, but he’s the most-hyped player to come since him,” a rival sneaker industry official said. “And, sometimes, hype is just as important as talent.”

Shock No. 1: They’re still giving out shoe deals worth this much? The last few years made it seem like shoe deals had really dried up. Shelling out that much for John Wall would be a big change of course. Judging from Darren Rovell’s tweet, it would be risky.

Shock No. 2: LeBron is going to let Wall be a part of Reebok? Wall has been a Nike guy for a bit now. He wore Hyperdunks at Word of God in high school. He switched between Hyperdunks, Hyperizes and LeBron VIIs at Kentucky this season. Now, ultimately there’s probably some division of labor. LeBron, the person, would probably love to have Wall rocking his kicks in the NBA, but LeBron, the business man who runs a marketing firm, has a responsibility to get Wall the best deal possible.

I can’t imagine Nike would pay marquee dollars to Wall. It’s not like they’re at a loss for big hoops endorsers. But Reebok? They could use Wall. Still, it’d be strange to see a Wall sneaker deal brokered by LeBron’s marketing firm with anyone other than Nike. Oh, and let’s not forget that Reebok reportedly offered LeBron more money than any other company coming out of high school, but he spurned them.

All I’m saying is this: If Reebok does spend big bucks on Wall, the first order of business should be getting him in some sort of viral video where he jumps over the EasyTone girl and dunks. I’ll wait for my check, Reebok.

NCAAM: Recruiting: McCallum, B. Knight, Zeigler to announce Wed. (4/14)

Ray McCallum, Trey Zeigler, & Brandon Knight to Announce their Commitment on ESPNU Signing Day Special

Trey Zeigler

Shooting guard Mount Pleasant, Michigan Mount Pleasant Ht:6'4" Wt:185 lbs Class:2010 (High School)

Mt. Pleasant High School senior basketball star Trey Zeigler announced via Twitter on Tuesday that he will announce his college basketball plans on Wednesday live on ESPNU.

The time of his announcement is expected to be around 4:45 p.m. and will coincide with the network’s coverage of National Signing Day for college basketball.

Along with his television announcement, Zeigler will hold a press conference on Thursday at 9 a.m. from Mt. Pleasant High School to sign his Letter of Intent and make things official.

Zeigler has left five schools as possible destinations. Those schools are Central Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan, UCLA, and Arizona State.

Rivals.com ranks Zeigler as the 26th best prospect in the country for this year’s recruiting class and he is ranked the fourth best shooting guar in the country for this class.

Mt. Pleasant guard Trey Zeigler, one of the nation’s top uncommitted basketball players, will play his college basketball at Central Michigan, the Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun and thewolverine.com reported today, citing unnamed sources.

Ray McCallum

Point guard Detroit, Michigan Country Day AAU: Team Detroit Ht:6'1" Wt:175 lbs Class:2010 (High School

Detroit Country Day School point guard Ray McCallum Jr., recruited by Arizona, Detoit Mercy, UCLA and Florida, will announce his decision Wednesday at 1 p.m., Tucson time, on ESPNU.

Most believe he will choose between Arizona and Detroit. Ray McCallum Sr. is the coach at Detroit and there is a high possibility that he’ll sign on to play with his father.

Brandon Knight

One of the best-kept secrets in high school basketball will be revealed Wednesday.

Pine Crest senior Brandon Knight will finally sign a college letter-of-intent live on ESPNU’s Signing Day Special Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Pine Crest Auditorium.

It’s expected Knight will sign with either Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky or Syracuse.

Point guard Ft Lauderdale, Florida Pine Crest AAU: Team STAT & Southeast Elite Ht:6'3" Wt:185 lbs Class:2010 (High School)

He finished his career as Broward County’s leading scorer with 3,515 career points — second in Florida history behind Cape Coral Mariner’s Teddy Dupay’s 3,744.

Knight, who averaged a career-best 31.9 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists this past season, is a finalist for Gatorade’s Male High School Athlete of the Year award, which will be presented in July prior to the ESPY Awards.

NCAAM: Recruiting: St. John’s Reaches out to Doron Lamb

ZAGSBLOG first reported during the Final Fourthat St. John’s coach Steve Lavin would reach out to Oak Hill Academy guard Doron Lamb and now it has come to pass.

Calvin Lamb, Doron’s father, said Lavin called him shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday to express interest in Lamb, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard ranked among the top five nationally in the Class of 2010.

“I just got off the phone with Coach Lavin like five minutes ago,” Calvin said

He just talked about the style of play that Doron could come in and start and be a floor general and be a good fit with the nine seniors that they have. He could be the one player that could get them over the hump to the NCAA tournament.”

Calvin said no meeting with Lavin had been set and that he had to huddle with Doron before making any future plans.

“I gotta talk to my son,” he said.

Lamb, a Queens, N.Y. native, originally said he would announce his college choice Saturday at the Jordan Brand Classic in New York and would choose from among Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona, UConn and West Virginia.

“This morning Ron and his father asked for their official release from St. John’s,” St. Peter’s Prep coach Mike Kelly said. “That was subsequent to a meeting [Monday] night with the coaching staff at St Peter’s Prep and his family. We were concerned that St. John’s coaching staff had no familiarity with Ron and it was in our best interest to move on.”

NBA: Review – No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson

Since the day the 30 for 30 series was announced, this was the film I’d been waiting for. How could it not be great? Steve James — most famous for Hoop Dreams — returns to his Virginia roots to look at the trial of Allen Iverson. (The trailer for the film is embedded below).

I suspect many basketball fans in their 20s — like me — only knew the fuzzy edges of the Iverson story. Something happened in a bowling alley, he went away for a while, but wound up playing at Georgetown, went on to be the No. 1 pick and it was all kind of history. To know those fuzzy edges is only to grasp a very small part of the story.

The Iverson story is really one about an entire community divided along racial lines. In many ways, it has less to do with Iverson than the people surrounding him on all sides. That’s why, to some degree, it’s appropriate that Allen Iverson didn’t even agree to be interviewed for the film. This thing clocks in at roughly 90 minutes as is, so how would a long sit-down interview with Iverson influence the length, the cuts and the content as a whole? (James went on Bill Simmons’ 30 for 30 podcast and, among other things, discussed that topic. He also spent a great deal of time on the back end of the podcast talking about Hoop Dreams. It’s a good listen and you can check it out on iTunes through this link.)

Listening to the interviews about the incident, the arrest and everything else in the film, sometimes you’re left to wonder whether the people in the film are even talking about the same events. While much of the white community — most often associated with Hampton High — wanted a strict letter-of-the-law ruling — the Bethel crowd — mostly black — wanted to be assured Iverson would get a fair trial. Whether that happened doesn’t even really appear up for debate. Why, as a 17-year-old, was Iverson charged as an adult in this incident? There was certainly a perception about Iverson, that he could get away with things like missing school or running with a certain crowd, but he didn’t have a criminal record. So why was he not only charged as an adult, but also denied bail? Sure, eventually the conviction was overturned, by if you go through that kind of thing as a 17-year-old, you’ve been changed. Conspiracy theories abound about why this happened, but I don’t want to spell those all out in this space, because they range from absurd to believable, so I’d rather not color your judgment with my own.

Eric Freeman is spending some time today on The Baseline talking about Hampton and the community, so I don’t want to steal too much of his thunder on that front. But this really isn’t a film about basketball or Iverson’s athletic exploits, so don’t go in expecting that. That isn’t to say there isn’t some great vintage Iverson footage. In addition to some of the football footage you’ve seen on YouTube, you also get some footage of Iverson on the basketball court at Bethel. The best footage in the film of a young Iverson isn’t in football or basketball, but rather him receiving his degree in a small, private ceremony among family and friends. I’m not sure that’s an Iverson a lot of people know or have ever seen.

The other component to the film is Steve James’ relationship with the Hampton community, where he played high school ball. (He notes he came up just a weebit short of Iverson’s high school accolades.) Even James, someone with a line into the community, had a hard time getting people to speak with him. You could understand Iverson’s reluctance to be involved, particularly given what he’s reportedly been going through off the court, but blacks on Iverson’s side and his white accusers almost unanimously turned down opportunities to throw in their two cents. Even though it’s been 17 years, perhaps there was a concern that putting all of it back out there on the table again would ignite racial fires that took years to douse when they first started.

No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson airs tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. Also, head over to The Baseline and read Eric Freeman’s thoughts on the film

Random Links

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Congratulations to the Charlotte Bobcats cheerleaders — the Lady Cats. They just won NBA.com’s 2010 dance team bracket.

How Do His Teammates Allow This?

Florida Marlins outfielder Cameron Maybin is the early season leader for the “Worst At-Bat Song” award.

Let’s Play The Feud

A Guaranteed Laugh

TheHoopDoctors.com look at the top 10 funny/profound basketball quotes.

They’ve Come A Long Way

A few months ago, the guys from Jersey Shore were just hitting the gym, tanning and doing laundry in complete anonymity . Now, they’re doing this photoshoot with Bar Refaeli.

Videos:

more about “Shaquille O’Neal + Puppets + Jessie’s…“, posted with vodpod