The Draft

I'll be on a Mexican vacation with my wonderful wife and her amazing family, so the Wimby and the World Cup and the start of the NBA free agency bonanza we can only hope lives up to the hype will have come and gone. I won't be thinking much about it on the beach, but I digress...a few comments:

NBA Draft

This year's NBA Draft was like any other--a whole lot of talk about outcomes of which we can never be certain. There were two players most think will make a splash, but as with most rookies going to mediocre teams, they might as well be a tulip planted in a desert, left alone to wither until more help arrives.

Don't get me wrong, I'm excited to see John Wall out here in DC, but I don't have high hopes for 2010-11 season. He'll make some plays, but who's he going to create for? Andray Blatche? (Ok, they have a few more pieces than that, but they mostly have a lot of B- players that used to be B+ or A- players)

What they ought to do with the draft (as I said on the air 6 weeks ago at 980AM...very impressive), is give the top pick to the team that just missed the playoffs, and picks 2-4 to the worst three teams. Why reward a team for tanking with 20 games to go so they get the #1 pick? Give the pick to a team that's a star away from being legitimate. Sure it might undeservedly reward an underachieving team, but wouldn't it make things interesting if Toronto, Houston, or Indiana had the chance to get a star to round out their rosters than teams like the Nets who have nothing but holes? Something to think about, Mr. Stern. Will you think about it?

Wimbledon

More on the state of tennis to come, but the only thing anyone can or should talk about thus far is John Isner and Nicolas Mahut, and the fifth set that made history. The thing I find most intriguing about the match is the second day, not because it went 7 hours without anyone breaking serve, or that it went so long, but the fact that round two of suspended matches rarely last long, and this one did...very long. It seems to me like whatever happens on day 1 of a suspended match, whatever rhythm or momentum each player has, is wiped clean for day two. The second day is up for whichever player can get in a rhythm first. I'm not saying it's no longer an equal playing field, but it may not be the outcome had lights been on.

With Isner and Mahut, they maintained that determination to win, for 7 hours, acing each other at record paces. One of the best matches ever.

That's all...have a great 4th of July!

Dude, U - gly

Well, so much for a new conference. Common sense prevailed and Nebraska isn't as important as ensuring that football will be able to fund Texas sports for years to come. Instead, conference realignment has hit a little closer to home...

My parents, siblings and every one of my siblings-in-law went to BYU. I made my best friends at BYU schools (with the exception of my wonderful wife...love you babe). Many of my mentorish figures growing up were BYU-grads. I attended BYU, went to football games, was employed by BYU. I wouldn't have my current job without BYU.

I made it through all of that without detesting the University of Utah. They are the Duke to BYU's Carolina, the Ohio St to BYU's inner Michigan. Yet I've maintained a healthy respect. I don't get carried away. My grandparents graduated Utes, so did my father-in-law. But I have to honest; at this point, I hope the Utes never win another sporting event--ever.

The Mountain West Conference has always battled to get in with the big boys, but has always been "Bo-diddly Tech" to the Bryant Gumbles of the world (jerk).

TCU has made the MWC more relevant in recent years, and together with BYU and Utah, have made some noise for the BCS to consider. Boise St and Utah have proved themselves in their BCS bids in recent years. Miraculously, Boise St joined the MWC this month, making it a 4-relevant-team conference, which is nearly as good as the Pac-10 and Big Ten lately, and surely comparable to the Big East.

How does Utah respond?

Like Elton Brand to Baron Davis. Rather than staying, and enjoying the boost to the MWC, they pack up for the Pac-friggin-10 and leave the Mountain West essentially where it was before Boise St arrived. I understand the Pac-10 will give you a nice share of whatever TV deal it has, but didn't you want to see what would have happened?! Yes you would have had to play on blue turf every year, but wouldn't making the MWC a serious conference been good for college football?

I guess not, Benedict Arnold! Hope you go 1-10!

If I were NCAA Dictator...

I'll admit, I'm kind of excited to see a little jumbling of conferences in the NCAA. I realize there are some old rivalries that may never be the same, or even exist anymore, but I think it will be interesting to see how it all ends up, kind of like this NBA off-season (can July 1 come sooner please?).

As of right now, Colorado to the Pac-10, Nebraska to the Big Ten, making it the Pac-11(?), and leaving the Big XII with 10 teams and Big Ten with 12. Anyway... It looks like Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, OK and OK St may end up in the Pac...16? I still can't figure out why on earth Nebraska leaving makes the Big XII crumble, but it is what it is.

So, what next for ?

Obviously, the conference will be up to the schools, and we'll see how important basketball and football are to them. But...if I were an NCAA Dictator (and more interested in basketball than football), I would poachify the following teams to create a new conference:

The Big East has a ridiculous amount of teams for basketball, many of whose sole claim on "east" is that of being this side of the Mississippi. Therefore, I would send DePaul, Notre Dame and Marquette to join the Big XII leftovers in a new...Heartland? conference. In addition to those, I would steal Memphis (the lone star in Conf USA). THAT would be an awesome basketball conference, and a fair football.

In a perfect world, I might go a step further and throw in Louisville and Cincinnati too. That might take away the Big East's BCS spot, but do they really deserve it anyway? Maybe they could beg BC and Miami to join them.

So there you have it; introducing the Heartland Conference. Take that Big XII!

The re-Tool

Ok, it has almost been two years since I posted anything. Apparently the last post (below) contained about two years worth of posting in itself. People complained. I was offended...I'm ready to forgive...

I've found two things since July 2008 (well, more than that, but for the sake of BREVITY, I shall limit myself to two things). Exactly 15 days after my last post, I took out my future wife on our first date. We went peach picking; we got married. I love her to death. She's kept a very good record of our lives (The Famblog). Annnnd...

I've found sports radio, which I guess means I am an actual commuter. Any potential for productive thought on my 1hr+ ride home has given way to the latest 3 stories ESPN has allowed to be spoken of that day. It's not all bad. I like the show I listen to--The Sports Reporters (AM 980; ESPN Radio in DC)-- and it helps me unwind.

At this point, however, I'm regaining a sports vigor I haven't had since high school. Perhaps that means I'm immaturing as my hair thins and joints stiffen, but for now I need an outlet! Sometimes the media skips over my great ideas and interesting comments and it's not fair to everyone. So...at least until this phase passes and I find something better to do with my commute, I'm going to use this to stop myself from talking back to the radio on my way home...