Wednesday, March 21, 2012
The Hunger Games
No no, I am not talking about the Suzanne Collins book series that hits the big screen this Friday, but I hear that's gonna be a good one. I am talking about Alex Smith and his hunger for an NFL superbowl ring. A lot has been published on the internet about Alex meeting in Miami with the Dolphins, his ego has been bruised because SF pursued living legend Peyton Manning and now it appears as though Alex Smith is playing hard to get. Alex has every right to be butt hurt. He had a very good season in 2011, played a very important role in a successful season and two weeks ago it appeared as though Alex would return and it would be business as usual. As a fan, I am more butt hurt at Alex than he can ever possibly be at this great, proud franchise. The guy had 6 seasons of crappy football and the team gave him more money than he or his family could ever spend. At the end of that deal, they gave him an opportunity to continue his football career, handed him more money and asked him to put up or shut up. Why am I speaking so much about money? Because this is a business after all and to quote the great Gordon Gecko "don't get emotional about business Buddy boy, it clouds your judgement."
Alex Smith has an opportunity to return to a franchise that has the greatest stable of stud QB's in the modern era of professional football and to bring Superbowl #6 to this great town. If he signs the current deal that's on the table today, (it's been reported that San Francisco has offered him 3 years $24 million with $10 guaranteed) he can attempt to bring the coveted Lombardi trophy back where it belongs. Also, he will be the first San Francisco 49er QB to start a season in a new stadium, assuming the stadium in Santa Clara opens on time to start the 2014 season. If you want to prove a point, prove it on the football field. You will not win in Miami and the current Niners roster is set up perfectly for you to succeed. Get your ass back to SF, sign the deal they have waiting for you and prove to the fans that you are better than we think you are. Complete some more 3rd downs, get us back to the playoffs with a much tougher schedule and a target on the teams back, win ring #6 that we have been chasing since Gary Plummer ripped the monkey off Steve Young's back and all will be good with the world. Stink up the joint as you have for 6 of your 7 years as a pro and we will run your ass out of this town. That being said, good luck with it Alex.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Conference tournaments suck, don't they?
That's what ESPN and the talking heads are saying today but that's only because Kentucky and North Carolina lost the title games and were beaten by teams that were fighting for their lives. Let's dissect this with an open mind though.
If you are St. Mary's and coach Randy Benett, building a program from scratch in a small town (Moraga to be precise), in a conference that is known by most as the conference Gonzaga plays in and you win a conference tournament, does that suck? Does it suck that you were on national TV (quite possibly an international affair) for all the world to see? Does it suck that the players on that team are able to relive that moment for decades to come, knowing that for their seniors it could be the last time the play organized hoops at a very high level prior to entering the workforce? It doesn't suck. In fact, taken a step further, it's truly an incredible experience for a team that has been building itself from the ground up, has made the NCAA March Madness tourney 6 of the last 8 years and coaches of that program get an opportunity to tell prospective recruits all about this when they settle down for cake and coffee in the living room of their family. West coast biased you say? Read on friend.
Let's talk about Vanderbilt (also known to the bracketologists as Vandy) for a second. Vandy knocked off the #1 overall seed Kentucky on Sunday and punched their ticket to the dance with a glorious and exciting victory. Would they have gone dancing had they lost that game to top ranked Kentucky? Sure, they had a great season and were likely a sure thing, but that's not how it looked in this video. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=320710096
See, conference tournaments are not simply an opportunity for the likes of Duke, Carolina and other top rated teams to take a few days off to recharge their batteries before one of them goes on a 6 game winning streak to cut the nets down in New Orleans the first Monday in April. It's about bringing excitement to a fan base, punching a ticket to the most exciting playoff (take note here BCS chumps) scenario that is easily the most amazing tournament known to mankind.
Let's go further East and talk about what UCONN shall we. UCONN is a powerhouse program that doesn't need to put themselves on the map. They know first hand what happens when a team gets hot. This time last year, they won the Big East tournament and went on a ridiculous run to win the 2011 National Championship title. Yes, they won 12, yes 12 consecutive games and that was as impressive as anything I have seen in recent years. In fact, it also improved the draft position of their biggest stud, Kemba Walker.
I strongly disagree with so many of the "experts" today who claim that conference tournaments are meaningless. They might be meaningless for the big programs and in all honesty, who really cares about Kentucky, Carolina, Duke and Syracuse anyway? I don't. I care more about Cinderella ensuring that her dress fits just right and the conference tournaments do just that and they also provide an opportunity for us to see if her slipper fits just so. Conference tournaments are a grand opportunity for college basketball to rev their respective engines before the DJ starts jamming tunes at the big dance.
If you are St. Mary's and coach Randy Benett, building a program from scratch in a small town (Moraga to be precise), in a conference that is known by most as the conference Gonzaga plays in and you win a conference tournament, does that suck? Does it suck that you were on national TV (quite possibly an international affair) for all the world to see? Does it suck that the players on that team are able to relive that moment for decades to come, knowing that for their seniors it could be the last time the play organized hoops at a very high level prior to entering the workforce? It doesn't suck. In fact, taken a step further, it's truly an incredible experience for a team that has been building itself from the ground up, has made the NCAA March Madness tourney 6 of the last 8 years and coaches of that program get an opportunity to tell prospective recruits all about this when they settle down for cake and coffee in the living room of their family. West coast biased you say? Read on friend.
Let's talk about Vanderbilt (also known to the bracketologists as Vandy) for a second. Vandy knocked off the #1 overall seed Kentucky on Sunday and punched their ticket to the dance with a glorious and exciting victory. Would they have gone dancing had they lost that game to top ranked Kentucky? Sure, they had a great season and were likely a sure thing, but that's not how it looked in this video. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=320710096
See, conference tournaments are not simply an opportunity for the likes of Duke, Carolina and other top rated teams to take a few days off to recharge their batteries before one of them goes on a 6 game winning streak to cut the nets down in New Orleans the first Monday in April. It's about bringing excitement to a fan base, punching a ticket to the most exciting playoff (take note here BCS chumps) scenario that is easily the most amazing tournament known to mankind.
Let's go further East and talk about what UCONN shall we. UCONN is a powerhouse program that doesn't need to put themselves on the map. They know first hand what happens when a team gets hot. This time last year, they won the Big East tournament and went on a ridiculous run to win the 2011 National Championship title. Yes, they won 12, yes 12 consecutive games and that was as impressive as anything I have seen in recent years. In fact, it also improved the draft position of their biggest stud, Kemba Walker.
I strongly disagree with so many of the "experts" today who claim that conference tournaments are meaningless. They might be meaningless for the big programs and in all honesty, who really cares about Kentucky, Carolina, Duke and Syracuse anyway? I don't. I care more about Cinderella ensuring that her dress fits just right and the conference tournaments do just that and they also provide an opportunity for us to see if her slipper fits just so. Conference tournaments are a grand opportunity for college basketball to rev their respective engines before the DJ starts jamming tunes at the big dance.
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