Roethlisberger Guilty of Stupidity

  Ben Roethlisberger is in trouble again.
  The Steeler quarterback is under investigation for alleged sexual assault in Georgia.  This is on the heels of a 2009 civil lawsuit in which he was accused of sexual assault in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.  The case in Nevada never resulted in a criminal charge and Roethlisberger has denied the accusation.  He has countersued in that particular case.
  The recent allegation of this past weekend suggests Roethlisberger partied at no less than five different establishments before a 20-year-old female student claimed a sexual assault  happened in a bar. 
  In this country, you're innocent until proven guilty.  Unfortunately, Roethlisberger is already guilty...of being stupid.  When you're a two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback, nothing good can come from partying until the wee morning hours with strangers.
  If Roethlisberger wants to be mentioned in the same breath as Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, Kurt Warner, et al...he needs the same reputation they had off the field.

NCAA Conference Tournaments a Joke

Question for you: What team won the Big 10 conference post-season basketball tournament last year? 

I don't know either.  Nor do I care.  Nor should anyone care if you exclude the mediocre teams that somehow seem to pull off upsets in the conference tournaments and get automatic bids to the real tournament.

The conference post season tournaments automatically clutter an already controversial system trying to include the best 64 teams.  Here's an example: Let's suppose we all agree that Northern Iowa, (Missouri Valley Conference) with a very respectable 25-4 record and national ranking during the year deserves a shot in the real tournament.  The Panthers beat Boston College and Iowa handily this year.  In the conference tournament, what if they lose to Wichita State, Bradley or lowly Evansville as they did in the regular season? Does winning the conference lead  by a full three games get trumped by losing in the conference post-season tournament?  If not, suppose Evansville (9-20) wins that conference tournament.  This is not inconceviable since the Purple Aces beat both top teams in the MVC, Northern Iowa and Wichita State (23-8).  If Northern Iowa doesn't get dropped, Evansville is in as well and a team like Wake Forest (18-9) is suddenly out or at best, on the bubble.  Evansville would be run off the court by Wake Forest.

The RPI system, while flawed, isn't bad.  The post season conference tournaments with automatic bids is not rewarding the teams for playing a season well.  This is nothing more than a revenue initiative to suck more money out of fans and line the pockets of the NCAA and the basketball programs.

Enough already. 

March Madness

The word for March Madness this year is "parity."

There is no clear favorite to win the big dance this year and I think any of the top ten teams could win the NCAA basketball tournament .  Those I see to be the real contenders: Syracuse and Kansas.  I believe Syracuse is loaded with talent and Kansas is, well...Kansas.  Kentucky and Duke might tear down the nets, but both have struggled through some poor nights when they were beaten by inferior teams, i.e., South Carolina and Oklahoma St.  I wouldn't be surprised if top ten teams like Kansas St., Ohio St., and Purdue make early exits.  The two most overrated teams are certainly Villanova which is burning out at the wrong time and New Mexico which plays a soft schedule.  Most underrated team that could pull off the upset or at least serve as Cinderella?  West Virginia.  The Mountaineers are well balanced but young with three sophomores and one senior leading their team.

Michigan State?  Forget it.  The Spartans may end up in the sweet sixteen because Izzo is good enough to get them there.  Butler, Vanderbilt, BYU and Wisconsin are high on fundamentals and short on real athletes.  Bruce Pearl and Tennessee will go as far as Wayne Chism can lead them; look for an early exit or deep run.

In the end, it's all about brackets.  Right now, I would suggest Syracuse, Kansas and West Virginia to be the teams to beat.

Questions, Comments, Thoughts and Theories

• Is it my opinion or did the "celebration" of the Canadian women's hockey team look moronic?  Cigar smoking, beer swilling women aren't exactly what the IOC ordered. 
• If the Detroit Lions can trade down and get a few early round draft picks, that's the way to go.  History tells us this with New England, Dallas, etc.
• Does anyone know the REAL story on what happened with Tom Wilson and Palace Sports and Entertainment?  How long before the dealmaker starts stealing human assets from his old employer?
• Has anyone ever been injured "curling?"  Why do I have a feeling I would trip and bust my backside?
• The Detroit Pistons appear uninspired on the court.  Why did Joe Dumars make the moves for Gordon and Villanueva?  Would it not have been more beneficial to save salary cap room and get a good draft pick before starting over? 
• What's the over/under on Johnny Damon homeruns as a Tiger?  If it's 25...take the under.
• Hear anymore backlash about Mark McGwire's admission to steroid use?  You gotta love America.  Apologize and move on.  Tiger, are you listening?
• UFC is very popular these days.  Wait until the first fighter gets killed in the cage in front of a pay-per-view audience.  Congressmen calling for the abolishment of the sport will come out like cockroaches in the night.

Tom Wilson Departs and Questions Arise

It was a little strange that Tom Wilson departed the Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports and Entertainment after leading the organization for the last 22 years.  Stranger yet was the way he left the organization.  It was abrupt.  Never mind the glowing departure statements and equally respectful comments of his successor.

Wilson accepted the role of President and CEO of an Ilitch sports and entertainment company which operates the Detroit Tigers, Red Wings and Comerica Park. 

This is a shocker.  For years these organizations battled for entertainment dollars in the market.  Now the braintrust who led Palace Sports and Entertainment to award winning years has opened an office across town reporting directly to Christopher Ilitch, President and CEO of Ilitch Holdings.

When a 32 year employee (22 years at the helm) with an amazing track record of success resigns from an organization abruptly and joins another in the same geographical vicinity, it assumes there was no severance, non-compete clause and non-solicitation agreement.

It appears Tom Wilson wanted to go...and that's good news for Ilitch Holdings.

These questions have answers.

Tiger Woods Apology

In a serious and very well prepared statement, Tiger Woods apologized for his marital affairs and boorish behavior, vowed he would return to therapy tomorrow and explained a return to Buddhism.  He apologized repeatedly to family, friends, fans, children, employees, colleagues and about everyone who made him the most recognized athlete on the planet. 

For the first time in many years Woods was actually, well, human.  He wasn't Tiger.  He was a remorseful man who admitted to many faults and appears to want his life back.  By not committing to a return date to golf, he appears to be putting his priorities in place. 

It was reported that Tiger actually wrote the statement.  I hope so.  America is a forgiving society and aside from whispers lasting to eternity, this entire fiasco will be forgotten.  I hope a beautiful wife who was the definition of grace under pressure and two children will forgive him.

Pistons Question

I watched the Pistons blow out a hapless Minnesota Timberwolves team last night, 108-85.  With the win, Detroit improved to 19-33. 

In watching the game I openly asked: What is wrong with this team?  There are several pieces in place that should make it better than a lousy team only one game out of last place in the Central division.  Oh, sure, there are plenty of loopholes.  I'm confused about why the team must count on Ben Wallace (why was he ever traded to begin with?) to contest every shot and averge nine boards per game?  Why is Rip Hamilton's field goal percentage down from .447 to .387 this year?  Rodney Stuckey has a 2-1 assist to turnover ratio and shoots a whopping .149 behind the three point line.  The lone surprise on this team is Jonas Jerebko who ignites the team with hustle and above average talent.

This team looks apathetic at times and good at others.  When Tayshaun Prince is healthy, he is still a presence.  Ben Gordon has talent and appears to be under utilized.  Charlie Villanueva?  Why this team wants a 6'11" forward shooting three pointers I'll never understand.  Kwame Brown, Jason Maxiell and Chris Wilcox appear to be experiments that didn't work out.

At worst, this team needs an overhaul.  At best, someone needs to answer a simple question: What is wrong with this team?