Illinois, with 38 victories, owns the dubious distinction of winning the most NCAA tournament games without ever capturing a national title.
“And now that Chief Illiniwek has been relegated to the ‘happy hunting ground of mascots,’ ” reader Tom Scarpelli noted in an e-mail to ChicagoSports.com, “the University of Illinois athletic teams can unveil their rightful new name, ‘The Fighting Schottenheimers.’ ”
Category: Sports
Commentary and news about sports and sports teams — and media coverage of them.
So You Picked the Final Four?
[T]his will be the first Final Four since 1993 with no team seeded lower than No. 2.
. . . Last year at this time, of the 3.1 million entries in ESPN.com’s bracket pool, only four chose the correct Final Four teams. This year, 161,869 of 3.3 million entries have the Gators, the Buckeyes, the Bruins and the Hoyas still alive.
That’s still just one in twenty who got all four, so congratulations Jill. You did good.
See also here for some Final Four team summaries. And the NCAA has its Official 2007 Men’s Final Four Records Book available as a pdf file.
Final Four
UCLA is in its 17th NCAA Final Four. It’s Ohio State’s 10th trip, Georgetown’s 5th and Florida’s 4th. There have been 69 final fours counting this year (276 teams).
Others with a lot of appearances but not going this year:
North Carolina 16
Duke 14
Kentucky 13
Kansas 12
Indiana, Louisville 8
Arkansas, Cincinnati, Michigan, Michigan State, Oklahoma State 6
UCLA was in the Final Four for 10 consecutive years, 1967-1976.
UCLA has won the championship 11 times, Kentucky 7, Indiana 5, North Carolina 4 and Duke 3. Eight other schools have won twice.
UCLA (1980) and Michigan (1992 and 1993) have had Final Four appearances that were later forfeited (but counted above).
Stupidest line of the day, so far
“There were cries that Green had not reestablished his pivot foot, and therefore traveled. But basketball minds much wiser than us surmised you can’t make a call like that to end a taut thriller.” Mike Wise
So why have refs at all in the last minute?
When you’re hot, you’re hot
Kobe with three of his 65.
Dungy: ‘I embrace’ same-sex marriage ban
CARMEL, Ind. — Colts coach Tony Dungy said he knows some people would prefer him to steer clear of the gay marriage debate, but he used a speech Tuesday night to clearly stake out his position.
Dungy told more than 700 people at the Indiana Family Institute’s banquet that he agrees with that organization’s position supporting a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between one man and one woman.
“I appreciate the stance they’re taking, and I embrace that stance,” Dungy said.
Shut up Coach.
The curse of Billy Packer
Bill Simmons doesn’t like Billy Packer:
“Like always with Packer, it wasn’t the opinion as much as the way he expressed it: He was condescending, stern, inflexible. In Packer’s world, he’s always right, and everyone else is always wrong. Unless they agree with him.”
There’s much more.
Give ’em food stamps to help ’em out
What’s next, a cardboard sign with “Will Dunk For Food” scrawled on it?
Denver Nuggets center Jamal Sampson — who gets the NBA’s $106 daily road per diem in addition to making $798,112 this season — figures he pockets half his meal money, and he isn’t alone. “I’m the Subway king,” Sampson told the Rocky Mountain News. “I don’t do room service. I’d rather walk. … Subway, Quiznos, I’ll go to whatever sandwich shop.”
But Sampson says guard Yakhouba Diawara, who makes the rookie minimum of $412,718, is the Nuggets’ top penny-pincher.
“There’s nothing over a $10 meal for Kouba,” Sampson said. “Kouba will walk three miles. He’ll walk around the whole city just to save some money.”
Best conferences
The Pac 10 is sending six of its ten teams to the NCAA Tournament, 60%. The ACC is sending seven teams, but that’s just 58% (seven of twelve). The Big 10 is sending six of its eleven teams, 55%.
No other conference has half or more of its teams among the select this year.
104 teams won 20 or more games.
Bracketology
1. No No. 16 seed has ever beaten a No. 1, so just forget about those games altogether and advance the No. 1s on to the second round.
2. Don’t go putting all your No. 1 seeds in the Final Four. They might be the best teams on paper, but since 1979, it has never happened. The closest it ever came was in 1993, when three No. 1s and a No. 2 made it. Plus, do you really want to be the person in your office that picked all the top seeds? We here at CBS SportsLine.com always make fun of that person.
3. Pick your upsets carefully. It’s inevitable that a No. 12, 13 or 14 seed will win in the first two days, but trying to pick which one is almost impossible. Look for a team that has a veteran starting five. . . .
4. There is no such thing as “Team X is due.” Just because Washington State has never won the NCAA Tournament, it doesn’t mean they are going to run through the bracket and win it all.
5. Watch out for injuries. If a team’s star has a serious injury, it would be wise to keep that team out of the Final Four. . . .
6. OK, we know you are a big Texas A&M-Corpus Christi fan. You love your Islanders and are excited they are in the NCAA Tournament. That’s great. Now, don’t be a homer and have the Islanders facing UCLA in the final. Be objective.
7. Don’t underestimate the familiarity factor. If two teams already played this year, take a look at what happened between those two teams in the regular season and whether or not they faced off in their conference tournament. It’s rare that a team can beat another three times in the same season.
8. Have fun. This is the NCAA Tournament! The greatest sporting event in the history of sports!
NewMexiKen adds that nine seeds often beat eight seeds, though not in the Midwest bracket this year.
Different strokes for different sports folks
Something wrong with this picture?
“In Utah,” noted Dan Daly of the Washington Times, “erstwhile Olympic wrestling champ Rulon Gardner survived a watery plane crash, a swim to shore in 44-degree water and a shivering night on the banks. “In Florida, meanwhile, John Daly hurt himself stopping his swing when a camera clicked and withdrew from the Honda Classic.”
February 17th is the birthday
… of Jim Brown, 71 today. Brown was listed as the 4th greatest athlete of the 20th century by ESPN. (Which makes him the second greatest athlete born on this date.)
“For mercurial speed, airy nimbleness, and explosive violence in one package of undistilled evil, there is no other like Mr. Brown,” wrote Pulitzer Prize winning sports columnist Red Smith.
Read the entire ESPN essay on Jim Brown: Brown was hard to bring down.
… of Michael Jordan, 44 today.
Jordan was the ranked the top athlete of the 20th century by ESPN. Here’s what they had to say: Michael Jordan transcends hoops.
“What has made Michael Jordan the First Celebrity of the World is not merely his athletic talent,” Sports Illustrated wrote, “but also a unique confluence of artistry, dignity and history.”
… of Hal Holbrook, 82.
… of Rene Russo, 53.
… of Lou Diamond Phillips, 45.
… of Paris Hilton, 26 today. Age and IQ, at last a match.
Best baseball site of the day, so far
Best line of a cold day, so far
“I believe in the Church of Baseball. I’ve tried all the major religions, and most of the minor ones. I’ve worshipped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees, mushrooms, and Isadora Duncan. I know things. For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I heard that, I gave Jesus a chance. . . .”
Annie Savoy
Pitchers and catchers begin reporting in two weeks.
Woods, Federer share pursuit of history
“He’ll text me and say he won over there,” Woods told ESPN on Sunday night after winning his seventh consecutive PGA Tour event, hours after Federer finished ripping through the field without losing a set to win the Australian Open, his 10th major championship. “Now, I’ve got to text him and say we’re all even.”
Seemingly locked in step as they stake their claims as the greatest to play their sports, neither a flamboyant personality but each a stylish competitor, Woods and Federer are chasing records that once seemed unattainable.
Woods’ seven-tournament PGA Tour winning streak is the longest in 62 years, since Byron Nelson won 11 in a row in 1945.
With four more Grand Slam titles, Federer would tie the record owned by Pete Sampras, who told ESPN last week that Federer surely will supplant him.
The original Hall of Famers
The first players were named to the Baseball Hall of Fame on this date in 1936. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America selected:
Ty Cobb
Babe Ruth
Honus Wagner
Christy Mathewson
and Walter Johnson
Emotional game
Jill, official older daughter of NewMexiKen, reports on yesterday’s Colts-Patriots game. I should add that six-year-old Mack has been sick (temp of 104° Saturday):
Thanks to all who offered support and cheers for Mack’s Colts yesterday. He did watch the whole game, despite the fact that it almost killed him. I do not think I have ever seen a human being so wracked by so many emotions in so short a time. It was actually frightening.
When the Patriots scored in the third quarter to go ahead 28-21, it was like Mack simply could not take it anymore. He melted into a pool of despair and tears, exclaiming that it was all over. I kept saying, “Mack, there is so much time left!” He’d sob, “No! (gasp) In the FIRST (sob) quarter there is a lot of (gasp) time left. Now it is (sob sob) too laaaaate!”
When the game ended he didn’t really cheer. He was truly overcome. It was kind of hilarious and kind of scary. Then he immediately started weeping, saying “The Bears are better. They are going to lose in the Super Bowl to the Bearrrrrrrrrrrrs!” Ah, genetics is a strange and powerful force.
Self-confidence is such an important part of being a world-class athlete that I truly believe Peyton Manning would never have recovered if New England had gone on to win once they lead 21-3. It’s a fine testimony to Manning’s leadership that the Colts came from behind three four times to win the game.
Besides, Sunday night was about Manning over everyone else. A lightning rod over the years for sports radio hosts, football experts, talking heads and snarky columnists like myself, Manning seemed profoundly snakebitten after last year’s Steelers loss and utterly incapable of carrying his team when it mattered. He had become the A-Rod or C-Webb of his sport, a mortal lock to melt down in every big game. Hell, any football fan has probably attempted an off-the-cuff imitation of the Manning Face at some point. Even last week against the Ravens, Manning was throwing the ball up for grabs and dancing in the pocket like a contestant on “You’re the One That I Want.” His body language never seemed right, not even during the first half last night, after the Pats scored on a fumble recovery by their left guard and CBS showed a great replay of Manning reacting like a little kid who just had his Big Wheel taken away. Nothing about the guy inspired real confidence. He needed a borderline miracle to turn things around.
. . .Unlike the famous QBs from the ’80s and ’90s (Marino, Elway, Montana, Favre) or even Brady right now, Manning never gives you that feeling that he stepped right off the set of a sports movie to save the day. He’s exceedingly human, dorky and endearing, the kind of guy who might have a giant pimple pulsating on his forehead during a big game. Even as Brady was trying to save the game in the last minute, Manning remained sitting on his own bench, his head bowed, staring at the ground and terrified to look up. Almost like he was sitting in a hospital waiting room awaiting the results of a blood test. He certainly didn’t seem like your typical football hero.
Back Bear Again in Indiana
Two of NewMexiKen’s best and longest-term blogging buddies — FunctionalAmbivalent and Three Bed Two Bath — are Bears fans in Indiana. Both Tom and Hugh are also provocateurs it seems.
Early arrival only way this rookie got any cheers
Talk about showing up early for the big game.
Mark Patrick Pavelka arrived in Chicago three days ahead of schedule Friday night — at 8 pounds, 9 ounces — after his mother’s labor was induced to ensure that his Bears-fan dad could attend the NFC Championship Game on Sunday. “Nothing’s going to ruin this weekend — that’s for sure,” father Mark Pavelka told the Chicago Sun-Times. “If he wasn’t born by Sunday and the Bears won, I would have named him Rex.”
Best football story since Diner when the prospective bride failed the Colts trivia exam.
[By “best” I do mean “worst.”]
Streakers
A double dose of digits, courtesy of Gaylon Krizak of the San Antonio Express-News:
• “41: NFL coaches with at least one playoff victory since [Marty] Schottenheimer’s most recent, which came in 1993.
• “91: Division I-A teams (out of a possible 118) that have won at least one bowl game more recently than Notre Dame.”
A League of Her Own
Madonna did not play a character based on the youthful Ms. Trezza in “A League of Their Own,” although some have mistakenly suggested she did. But Ms. Trezza certainly stood out in her time. She brought to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, created in the 1940s to keep baseball alive during World War II, memorable base-running speed and a rifle arm. She also had a popular, peppy personality honed in stickball games on the streets of Brooklyn.
Her lifetime batting average was only .173, but it was her bat that produced her most illustrious moment. It happened in 1946 in Racine, Wis., in the sixth game of the championship series between the Racine Belles and the Peaches of Rockford, Ill.
Obituary of Betty Trezza, New York Times
Follow the link to read more and see Betty Trezza’s baseball card.
All the news that fits
Not to shill for The New York Times, but . . .
First, a best line from David Carr writing about Monday night’s Golden Globes:
“The Queen” might not have taken home gold for best picture, but its star, Helen Mirren, had enough hardware at the end of the night that she looked as if she’d spent time at Home Depot.
An article on some beautiful pencil and paper drawings by Monet.
David Leonhardt on the cost of a mistake:
For starters, $1.2 trillion would pay for an unprecedented public health campaign — a doubling of cancer research funding, treatment for every American whose diabetes or heart disease is now going unmanaged and a global immunization campaign to save millions of children’s lives.
Combined, the cost of running those programs for a decade wouldn’t use up even half our money pot. So we could then turn to poverty and education, starting with universal preschool for every 3- and 4-year-old child across the country. The city of New Orleans could also receive a huge increase in reconstruction funds.
The final big chunk of the money could go to national security. The recommendations of the 9/11 Commission that have not been put in place — better baggage and cargo screening, stronger measures against nuclear proliferation — could be enacted. Financing for the war in Afghanistan could be increased to beat back the Taliban’s recent gains, and a peacekeeping force could put a stop to the genocide in Darfur.
All that would be one way to spend $1.2 trillion. Here would be another:
The war in Iraq.
And Selena Roberts has an interesting assessment of Michelle Wie, though this one is behind the Times Select wall.
Best line of the day, so far
NBC’s Jay Leno, on [David] Beckham’s magnitude: “To give you an idea of how popular he is, today an L.A. jury awarded him a not-guilty sentence for any future murders.”
Best line of the day, so far
How resounding was Florida’s 41-14 triumph in the BCS Championship Game on Monday?
The Buckeyes already have been downgraded to merely An Ohio State University.
Tuesday Morning Quarterback
Gregg Easterbrook writes a lot of ridiculous stuff on other subjects, but he does know his football.
Now here’s a gambling tip. As TMQ notes, my compromise with my Baptist upbringing is to be pro-topless but anti-gambling. Wagering only brings regret and sorrow. But if you’re making the harmless $5 workplace wager on the NFL playoffs, bet the home teams this weekend. Home teams in the NFL divisional round are the surest thing in sports. Since the current playoff format was adopted in 1990, home teams in the divisional round are 51-13, a .796 winning figure. Usually the reason the home teams are home in the first place is that they are better than the wild-card teams. Equally important, in the divisional round the home teams have spent a bye week relaxing in hot tubs while their opponents were out in the cold being pounded. Home teams dominate the NFL divisional round, so check-mark them in your office pool. You don’t even need to know which team is playing!
A week later in the championship round, the home advantage dissipates. Since 1990, home teams in conference championship games are 18-14, a .562 winning figure.
He’s got more, especially on the inflation of football coach value (real and perceived).
Interesting, very interesting: “From the point Tony Romo was named to the Pro Bowl, Dallas lost all remaining games.”
And even more interesting, he just takes Nick Saban apart.
Remember: “Home teams in the NFL divisional round are the surest thing in sports.”