30 for 30 Reflections

In case you've been under a rock over the past 9+ months, ESPN's 30 for 30 has been a staple of mandatory viewing - save for the unnecessary break from late December to mid-March - for any sports fan or wannabe sports' historian.

If anything, 30 for 30 serves as a visual encyclopedia - through an albeit biased lens at times - to some of the sporting worlds' greatest stories of the past 30 years.
Credit: ESPN.com

As Wikipedia might tell you...
30 for 30 is a documentary series chronicling 30 stories from the ESPN era, each of which detail the issues and events that transformed the sports landscape since the sports network was founded in 1979.

Learning about the U in the 80s and Uncle Luke? Priceless.
Credit: Deadspin.com

Some of the topics have included: Muhammad Ali, the USFL, Wayne Gretzky, Allen Iverson, Jimmy the Greek, Len Bias, and Reggie Miller.

The words "own goal" only conjured up one name for me: Andres Escobar.
The 30 for 30 surrounding him may be the eeriest of them all.
Credit: JimmytheMan.com

Some future topics will include: Marion Jones, Michael Jordan, Matt Hoffman, George Steinbrenner, Mike Tyson, and Marcus Dupree.

While I haven't had the opportunity to watch all of them (and won't comment on all those I have seen), I wanted to offer a few thoughts, highlights, and see if I could trigger a reaction or two.

For more thorough analysis, one need go no further than the AV Club.

Before I begin, I better "date" myself.
I am a rabid sports fan. We all know that.
What you may not know is I was born in 1983.
This dates me for the majority of these stories, honestly.

Nevertheless, I used to wake up at 6am to watch an hour-long Sportscenter before getting ready for school (starting in the 2nd grade), collected cards (baseball, football, and primarily basketball) with any spare change I could squeeze out of my mom or grandparents, and have New York affiliations (Jets, Yanks, Knicks *sigh*, and Syracuse) to my heart.

Why is it when I search on Google Images for "Craig Kilborn + Sportscenter" I am subjected to countless pictures of this untalented, unfunny moron???
Credit: AllDigitalNews.com

In addition, here are my first true sporting memories...
College Basketball - My uncle nearly sobbing after Rumeal Robinson hit 2 free throws - after being fouled with 3 seconds and Michigan trailing Seton Hall by 1 in the 1989 title game - thus ending the Pirates chance at a national championship.
Baseball - Cincinnati annihilated the A's - and then-favorite player Rickey Hendrson - in the 1990 World Series.
Basketball - The layup still shown round-the-world by MJ against the Lakers in LA. (I'm a rabid-MJ hater, by the way.)
Football - Roger Craig's fumble always come to my mind first, way back in the 1990 NFC title game. First actual memories? Timmy Smith seeming faster than the camera during Super Bowl XXII.
College Football - George Teague and Bama (p)owning Gino Torretta. It still makes me chuckle a little.

As for the 30 for 30 specials, a few thoughts and observations...

Episode #1: King's Random
[Wayne Gretzky's trade from the Edmonton Oilers to the Los Angeles Kings.]
-The year in focus is 1988 and it's a trade that will likely remain in the top 5 (if not the top spot) in every conceivable "Most Infamous Trades" list ever compiled. Perhaps only the Babe Ruth deal has involved a star and a celebrity the likes of the Great One. Key word: perhaps. I found Peter Berg's direction to be steady, although I admittedly didn't feel moved as much as I expected to by the story. Perhaps it's me being American or my ambivalence towards hockey. Ironically, an episode of a now defunct ESPN show (The 5 Reason's You Can't Blame...) which may have done a better job of capturing my interest in this story.

Episode #3: Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL
[Rise and fall of the United States Football League.]
I suppose I wanted to learn more about the USFL, the talent it snatched up from underneath the NFL (Walker, Young, Kelly, White etc.), and less about the business side of it. Unfortunately, that wasn't the story being told. Nevertheless, the links to Donald Trump - who is not a 100% success story in business, I hope you know - and the ever-growing behemoth that is the NFL was riveting enough to maintain my interest throughout.

Episode #5: Without Bias
[The life of Len Bias.]
In a word gut-wrenching. My favorite episode of the series thus far, it was more than tough to watch at times. I was far too young to know anything about Bias while it happened, but the story was told as if it just happened. Jim Vance (DC newsman) and Michael Wilbon were poignant, primary sources who were brilliantly used. I'm not sure if I'll watch this again, but not due to the quality. It was almost too emotionally taxing, to say the very least.

Episode #6: The Legend of Jimmy the Greek
[The life of Jimmy the Greek.]
Finally able to watch it this weekend (which spurned this column), I was fascinated about the dynamics of the NFL Today on CBS. I find similar shows today to be glorified advertisements for the hosts (Michael Strahan promoting "Brothers") and filled with the hosts putting forth their personal agendas (I heart Brett Favre by Chris Berman) over any NFL analysis the most average fan could give you. You mean to tell me that Brett Favre plays well in cold weather? Nevertheless, the story of Jimmy the Greek brought forth a character that was larger than life and a staple of football and all of sports - gambling - that is bigger than even the biggest Vegas Sportsbooks believe it is today. It immediately made me want to seek out someone who was old enough to remember the Greek during his heyday.

Episode #8: Winning Time - Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks
[Reggie Miller's impact on the New York Knicks in the 1990s.]
As a Knick fan, it brought back waaaaaay too many memories that I have tried to forget. Even after beating Miller, which happened as often as we lost to him, the Knicks still never could bring home that title for Ewing and the all-too-passionate fans of his era. When you find yourself angry over a game that happened 15+ years ago, the filmmakers more than succeeded. Although, truth be told, an upcoming 30 for 30 on June 17th, 1994 (ala OJ in the Bronco vs. Houston/New York Finals game) has me salivating even more.

Episode #10: No Crossover - The Trial of Allen Iverson
[Iverson's high school race trial]
Being a citizen of Virginia for quite some time, this story had a personal touch. I've only visited Hampton (and not all of it), but you felt the tension in this story existed to this day with many of its citizens. Two important things were expertly analyzed:
1) The racial tensions which still have divided the city of Hampton.
2) The absolute avoidance of the topic by 99% of the people involved (including Iverson) 16 years later.
The conspiracy theories were an absolute riot, as well. I also should mention its direction, Steve James, directed the best documentary I've ever seen (and maybe you as well), Hoop Dreams.

Episode #11: Silly Little Game
[The development of Rotisserie (Fantasy) Baseball.]
I didn't enjoy the style in which it was presented, but I loved hearing about the birth of fantasy sports as we know it today. Anyone who believes themselves to be a "fantasy junkie" should watch this. I only wish the spouses of the founding members had been given more of a forum to express their opinions on how this "silly little game" impacted their lives. If it were better directed, the content alone may have put this in my 2nd - or even top - spot.

If I had a request a few topics for future 30 for 30s, I think I'd go with these 5:
1) The day (and potentially build-up) of Magic Johnson's press conference revealing he had contracted the HIV virus
2) Michael Jordan and his gambling addiction (including the 2-year suspension "conspiracy theory")
3) The story of the "Jewish Jordan" Tamir Goodman
4) The tragic death of New Jersey Net Drazen Petrovic
5) The paternity cases of Shawn Kemp (seriously)

Your requests???

NCAA Tournament Running Commentary: Sunday Afternoon Edition

It's no surprise that CBS selected Syracuse and Gonzaga for the nationally-televised 12:10pm start. Syracuse is a popular team in more than just upstate New York, Gonzaga is a name even the most novice college basketball recognizes instantly, and the injury to Arinze Onuaku is a story that's easy to sell.

Johnson's ability to attack the hoop, as well as shoot the 3-ball, was unmatched today by the 'Zags.
Credit: ESPN.go.com

Not to mention, Syracuse is a 1-seed and was buried at 9:55 pm on Friday night.

Unfortunately for Gus Johnson fans, today's game was over with rather quickly. A competitive early 10 minutes had a few Orange fans (like me) worried ; however, it was the 3rd foul on Rick Jackson - the only legit foul the big man committed in the 1st half - that changed the game for the Cuse...for the better.

Gonzaga's offensive game plan completely stalled, their guards were unable to hit perimeter shots, the 2-3 zone set in (especially up at the top), DeShonte Riley didn't bring upon the apocalypse, and Wesley Johnson reminded viewers why he was a LEGIT selection as a 1st-team All America (the school's first since Hakim Warrick in 2005) and the Big East Player of the Year. An award voted on by Big East coaches, not sportswriters.

The Orange built a halftime lead of 15 and extended it to almost 30 before the under-12 timeout in the 2nd half. The start of each of the second-halves in Buffalo have been shooting exhibitions for Andy Rautins. Len Elmore said it best: "He has in-the-gym range." I'm sure Len was thinking of Troy Bell at some point today, though.

Whereas Brandon Triche (who used the matchup against Vermont to get his shot going) hit BIG outside shots in the 1st half, the aforementioned senior Rautins drained three early 3s in the second. Rick Jackson was a steadying influence in the paint, Kris Joseph dominated the defensive glass, and Wesley Johnson (31 points and 14 rebounds on 11-16 shooting, 4-6 from 3s) was completely unguardable. Simply put, Syracuse didn't simply rely on the outside shot after their lead was built.

The health of Onuaku next week - Cuse will play Butler on Thursday evening/night - is pivotal.
However, Syracuse isn't lost without their talented 6'9 senior. Not yet, at least.
Credit: Yahoo! Sports

Johnson didn't force outside shots, but he drained most of the one's he took. Maybe the silver lining of an injury to Onuaku is the impetus on Johnson to step up and shine. Johnson seems completely healed from a tough, underreported hand-injury - suffered in a brutal fall against Providence back in February - and perhaps remains as the top overall athlete left in the tournament field.

Boeheim used his new 7-man rotation quite well. DeShonte Riley struggled - as a freshman with limited experience should - but also added a few assists, a couple of nice box outs, and helped spell Jackson during foul trouble with size and length. Things could've gone far, far worse for the 7-foot freshman from Chicago.

As for the Sweet Sixteen matchup in the top-half of the Midwest bracket, Butler will offer a much more difficult matchup for the Orange; especially on the defensive side of the ball. Butler will take 3s, open or not, and has the ability to hit them. Question remains for Syracuse: how well can you rebound the ball and limit second chance opportunities? Gonzaga had very few, which only further hurt their outside shooting. Butler wants this game in the 50s or 60s; whereas Cuse wants to run and gun, with Johnson at the center.

Obviously, after hearing head coach Jim Boeheim talk about his star center's quad injury, Arinze Onuaku seems further away from returning than some of us had expected (hoped). Nevertheless, the lethal outside shooting of Rautins, superstar ability of Johnson, interrior presence of Jackson, versatility of Joseph (who is able to log a TON of minutes), and steadiness from the point guard position duo of Triche and Jardine (Scoop!) leave the Orange as a legit national title contender. Butler should be an improvement upon Gonzaga (of course), but Syracuse is playing great basketball right now (save a brief 5-minute stretch to close out the half against Vermont, although they were up 25 at the time).

In Salt Lake City, if Triche continues to shoot and penetrate with the steadiness and confidence he displayed in Buffalo, that position becomes a completely different one for the Orange. Particularly considering the immense talent Jardine brings as the backup point guard. There may not be a more talented backup at the position in the country.

As a Cuse fan, I couldn't be more pleased right now. But after seeing what St. Mary's and Northern Iowa have done to perceived juggernauts and Butler's final 2 minutes against upstart Murray State, cautiously optimistic is the best I can do.

STONES: Ali Farokhmanesh Edition

Brackets BUSTED: Rock, Chalked Edition

Courtesy: CBS

Courtesy: CBS
[Kudos to the folks at CBS for posting this via YouTube quickly and efficiently.]


So...how much did your bracket suffer after one of the NCAA Tournament's most memorable shots???

5 Bracket Scenarios: Which is Most Intriguing???

Plenty of scenarios have come up lately from major media outlets this week in relation to brackets and the overall madness we have in March, including:

-2 Big East matchups BEFORE the regional finals (CBS)
-Sticking it to sound reasoning and filling our your bracket in 64 seconds (CNNSI)
-A truly wide-open tournament in which even Kansas, Syracuse, Duke, and Kentucky are far from locks to advance deep into the bracket (Yahoo!)
-BYU, who hasn't won a two tournament games in one postseason since 1981, is potentially Elite Eight bound. (ESPN)

Chalk city, right? No? Tell us YOUR sleeper. And please, no 2 or 3-seed sleepers.
Credit: None needed. It's a picture of chalk.

Nevertheless, I have 5 scenarios of my own I'd like to throw out there...

1) Is it completely unrealistic to believe that the Big East can put in two, three, or (gasp!) even four teams into the Final Four. Take that 1985! Syracuse is the 1-seed in the West (Onuaku's health a MAJOR factor), Georgetown is a lethal 3-seed in the Midwest (although Kansas and Evan Turner lay in the weeds), Villanova is the #2 (which they shouldn't be) in a weak South region headlined by the Dookies, and West Virginia (the nation's "should've been a #1-seed") is the top nemesis in the East for the young pups (does that work with a team mascot of a Wildcat) of Kentucky.

2) If this isn't a chalk bracket, could anything possibly top 2000?
-Two 1-seeds out in the first weekend (Arizona & Stanford)
-Three 2-seeds out in the first weekend (St. John's, Cincinnati, & Temple)
-Two 8-seeds in the Final Four (North Carolina & Wisconsin)
-Elite Eight with matchups of a 3 vs. 5, 7 vs. 8 (with Tulsa included), 8 vs. 6, and a solitary 1 vs. 2
Although I can't go without saying that #1-seed Michigan State did end up cutting down the nets when all was said and done. Nevertheless, could such chaos be replicated again?

3) Are the 12-seeds getting a little too much respect? Is Cornell really prepared to take down such a highly underrated (in terms of the brackets) Temple? Is Butler being too easily dismissed against UTEP? Are people bold enough to go against Tom Izzo in March with New Mexico State as their opening round flyer!?!?

4) Statistics have been flying around that you can't win it all without at least 3 NBA players on your team. They don't all need to be All-Stars or even perennial starters, but you better have at least three. Want an exception? It's not so easy, unless you're me (and that's not due to my intellect, believe me). Syracuse in 2003. Carmelo Anthony, Hakim Warrick, and ??? Keep wondering, because there wasn't another. Not even sitting on the end of the bench, waiting to play.

5) Might the tie-breaker (typically total points) in the championship game not be enough? A ton of chalk is behind Kansas (for good reason). Syracuse and Kansas State dominate the West's bracket favorites. Duke and Villanova (don't call them a sleeper, please) for the South. West Virginia still hasn't passed Kentucky in the East, either. While there are other selections out there, outside of these eight, - i.e. Baylor, Ohio State, Georgetown, and even Texas A&M - you might be 1 of MANY in your office, work, or social networking pools that has Kansas v. Kentucky in the final. That means you better correctly identify the winners of those pesky 8/9 and 7/10 games (forget the major upsets) and target your 2-seed that falls the earliest. Otherwise, total points it may be...

...unless bracket managers get crafty and come up with a SITUATIONAL set of 5 questions. Let's say it is chalk-city and it's Kansas vs. Kentucky. Here are my 5 (you?):

Pay and I can't be alone when noticing this guy's bullishness, right?
Credit: CommercialAppeal.com

1) How many actual fouls will DeMarcus Cousins commit?
2) How many NBA scouts will be in attendance?
3) How many times will we hear Sherron Collins described as "gutsy"?
4) How long until they void this Final Four for Coach Cal (he's already lost two)?
5) How many hours in the hotel room before tip-off will Jim Nantz practice his not-so-famous final lines (i.e. "Simon Says Championship")?

Four Identities

Interesting take right HERE on the perceptions of whom CBS is rooting for. Any conspiracy theorists will find this all-too-juicy. All this is juicer.

While there may be different names, jersey numbers, or unsung heroes who rise to acclaim, here are the four names the media is immediately prepared to sell Super Bowl week.

Indianapolis: Peyton Manning (QB)
NY Jets: Rex Ryan (Head Coach)
New Orleans: Drew Brees (QB)
Minnesota: Adrian...oh who am I kidding? Brett Favre (QB)

However, here are the four names you might want to be singing instead. For their difference-making abilities are criminally unsung.

Indianapolis Colts

Jeff Saturday, despite the juxtaposition of this picture, is an all-too-forgotten staple in the decade-long run of the Colts. Calling out formations and MIKES, even before King Peyton at times, is just a part of the reason why he anchors this underrated offensive line to continued success. With a guy named Pouha lining up in front of him, Saturday won't make the mistake of breathing easy that Kris Jenkins isn't lining up this weekend. Jets fans (ahem) know that smacking around Peyton will only happen if his veteran center fails to keep things in order on the offensive line.

New York Jets

Alan Faneca was one of the biggest free agent fishes in the 2008 summer class. While 30-year old Pittsburgh Steelers who play the offensive line don't get much acclaim, he's perhaps the best guard the game has seen this decade. He's surrounded by Pro Bowlers and All Pros named Ferguson and Mangold, who owe a lot to Faneca for their continued steady play and recent "offensive line" stardom. Sometimes landing the best free agent, not just the biggest name, is the coup a GM needs to build and reputation and, of course, a winning football team.

New Orleans Saints

You want to beat quarterbacks like Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, and even (gasp) Mark Sanchez...put constant pressure on them. Hit them in the mouth - with or without the football - and make them think twice about standing tall in the pocket. Take their trusted offensive lineman and turn him into a giant question mark that annoys the quarterback like no other that Sunday afternoon. While the name Will Smith immediately conjures up anything but a 13-sack defensive end; nevertheless, this man will need to have a personal meeting (or 3) with Favre on Sunday, in order to let the aggressive Saint secondary make enough plays to allow their own QB enough possessions to put up the points necessary to secure the franchise's first ever Super Bowl appearance. What a run-on sentence that was!

Minnesota Vikings

We'll try to ignore that Favre-guy. (Trust me, it won't be too hard.) I'll stay away from Sidney Rice's emergence, Percy Harvin's migraines, and McKinnie memories triggering the Love Boat theme song. The Vikings, long before the 40-year old Golden Boy (dang!) and A.D. (or should it be A.P.) racked up double-digit touchdowns with relative ease, had a suffocating run defense and two interior lineman NOBODY wanted to see. They're All Pro-talent standing right next to each other. Scary, huh? Good thing the Saints rush to the outside quite a bit. Or is it? Eventually, you gotta test these guys. Unfortunately for you, Kevin and Pat Williams don't like losing the battle in the middle of the interior line.

A few more names are sure to pop up. I didn't even mention Revis Island...until now.

What names do you think will be mentioned more often than most might expect???

InClement Weather: Video Daily Double

A few highlights you might've missed from the weekend that was (no, none involve tennis or Kanye West) in the NFL.

Apparently John Abraham isolated Jake Long's major weakness...




Apparently Kris Jenkins is one bad mother (shut your mouth)...hey, I'm just talking about Kris Jenkins.

Scrutinizing the Scrutinizers

This week, CBS has come under necessary scrutiny for what some have called "blown coverage" of their NCAA Tournament telecasts. Sadly, the scrutiny isn't for the right reasons. Here's why.

As I said, there's been scrutiny, especially from local radio personalities on both sports talk stations in the Washington DC area (which was mentioned nationally on "Mike & Mike" this morning), my home base. The specific issue came when CBS decided to air the last couple minutes of regulation and the overtime of the Ohio State-Xavier thriller in lieu of the Maryland-Butler game. The criticism presupposes that most people in the DC area are Maryland fans. News flash: They're not. Many are, but the Terps are very polarizing in the DC area dating back to the post-Duke debacle riots in 2001. Arguably, they're the fourth-most successful program in the metropolitan area since 2004. The fans consist mostly of Maryland and Georgetown supporters, and then George Mason and George Washington to a lesser extent.

Switching Games?
There's nothing wrong with switching games. This isn't the first year in which CBS has switched games. Some of you must've been in hibernation. It's difficult for fans who are supporters of a single local team. They want to watch their team play from start to finish. If it bothers you so much, here's my solution to the Maryland fans who haven't seen anything but the NIT since 2004: Buy a ticket.

In reality, such fans comprise a small portion of the fans watching during the Round of 32. It's the not-so-tough decision and responsibility of CBS to show close games reaching finality, because that's what March Madness is all about. There's a frenetic pace attached to the spectacle that may be difficult for single-team fans to fathom. When I wasn't able to watch North Carolina spar with Michigan State for the first few minutes, did I want to moan to CBS for not being able to watch my beloved Tar Heels? No, because I was watching a double overtime game between Vanderbilt and Washington State followed by a near-impossible comeback by VCU against Pittsburgh. These finishes are what the madness is all about.

In my humble opinion, there is some room for improvement. The live look-ins take longer than they used to because Greg Gumbel's lead-ins are longer than they used to be, waiting for both Clark Kellogg and Seth Davis to interject on the games' activity. It's a drag. This is my main bone of contention and it can be corrected next year. All in all, CBS has it right in most cases, although their continued blackout of the Notre Dame-Winthrop (became available with 12 minutes left in the first half) game to show the final 2 minutes of the Memphis-North Texas was unnecessary.

Looking ahead to next year, here are three feasible recommendations to consider:
- Do not make the Memphis-North Texas mistake ever again. It was a double-digit game and the winner was known to everyone before the switch.
- For DirecTV package subscribers only, establish a clear, interrupted feed for those whose local teams are playing. This is subject to technological limitations and potential price hikes.
- Reduce the length of live look-ins that take place in the middle of a game.