Suit courting

Now, I don't want to get off on a blant, here....

I think it is sick and wrong for the Rutgers basketball player to file a suit against Don Imus claiming defamation of character filed oh so coincidentally on the same day Imus settles his suit with CBS radio for millions of dollars. If anything, she has proven the stereotype and really justified the comments Imus made that fateful morning. The timing is very questionable. How convenient that this poor slandered player from a small New Jersey school whose reputation is now somehow "injured" feels defamed by this radio show host that settled his firing with his deep pocketed corporation. That's right, girl, money will get you back your good name. That and the fact that this story is buried in the back of the sports page.

Remember, this team lost the championship game. No one would know who they are, the successful season they did have if Imus hadn't made his ill-conceived joke that morning. The team appeared on Oprah for crying out loud and they were they ones who lost the game!

The Rutgers women's basketball team had a great season in 2007 falling in the championship game to powerhouse Tennessee. There is no shame in that. Additionally, there is no shame in being a member of the team that Don Imus mocked on his radio show. Up until now, the members of the team have handled the situation properly. They are victims of an out of touch, elitist, old white male who thought he was being cool and hip, throwing around words that he had no business using and no idea how to use correctly. By filing this lawsuit, they lose the higher ground.

That's all for now, perhaps I will be able post again soon.

laters
cvz
Rebels by 10

...and I'm going through changes...

Thanks, Ozzy.

The following paragraph is completely from a fat, white male’s point of view. No female was consulted or hurt in the writing of this paragraph.
Speaking of changes, the changes in your wife’s body can be somewhat disconcerting. I respect what she is going through and what lies ahead, but it still is just disarming when your wife’s gut sticks out further than mine. You can tell her breasts are converting, slow Transformers style, into a food delivery vehicle for the unborn child. This means they are not mine, anymore. Apparently, I must share them with the child. This is mildly disturbing to me. I guess I need to get used to the idea that I have to share these with my child, and that my child needs them to eat and grow (and most importantly, stop crying). This whole thing is just incredible. Thankfully, her appetite has been largely controllable and she has not been too emotional. In fact, I could make the argument that she is maybe 20% more emotional than normally is. (Why she isn’t crying each night when I come home, I still do not understand. Although, sometimes she is sleeping, which is a pregnant thing too.) Her nesting instinct is beginning to crop up more often, which means that my under-utility as a handy person the house is highlighted more and more, almost on a daily basis. But now, since her butt has a magnet that directs her to the couch without passing GO, I am expected to do all things inside the house. This includes, but is not limited to, vacuuming, playing with the dogs, getting her a glass of water every 20 minutes (I know it’s not actually that frequent, but she should drink more water), cleaning, moving things out of the baby’s room into the second bedroom, painting, picking up the poop in the backyard, cleaning the kitchen, doing the laundry, pay the bills and much other household drudgery that I cannot stand. Now, I will be the first to admit that I do not do a 50% share of the housework. Probably, on a good week, it is more like 75-25. So I am aware of my role increasing in the house. Somehow the expectation to go from 25 to 125% of the house work is a bit of a culture shock for me and severely cuts into my TiVo time. I need to find out what happens to Grissom this week on CSI. I am still adjusting to my new role in the house, but I know larger adjustments are in store.

UPDATE: Now that the date is much, much closer (less than 28 days until due date) and the creeping awareness that the baby will probably come early, I have slowly come to realize that I am looking forward to this change. This calamitous event that screws up my TiVo time is something I actually am anticipating. We see the light at the end of the tunnel for her pregnancy, but we're not sure what kind and how big the train is behind the light we see. Still, I can't wait to meet my son!

laters
cvz
Rebels by 10

A Change Should Do Me Good?

“No one soul searches like Edward J. Stevens.” -Ed


Mike Greenberg is a sports radio talk show host and also anchors the early edition of SportsCenter on ESPN. He wrote a book “Why My Wife Thinks I’m an Idiot” that I picked up at Borders one day and just started reading. I happened to find the chapter on the day he and his wife found out they were having a baby. This was before my wife and I were trying, so I gave it a mindless read, without dissecting it or thinking that this was me. I know Greeny can be a little narcissistic, but his take as a guy on expecting a child is right on. After providing the sperm, the contribution from the father is purely optional. Getting ready for the baby has been a different experience. The behind of my wife is firmly embedded on the part of the sofa that she has inhabited since the diagnosis. This is not to say that my wife does nothing besides sit on the couch (that’s my normal position) and do nothing as soon as she is home. She routinely barks the orders and orders me around the room to do her bidding. Now part of me understands that the priorities in life are going to change. How they are going to change is what I’m just not sure about. This makes me think. Is a person really actually ready for bringing a person into this world? It is difficult to compare this to other really big milestone changes in life. I think I’ll try it anyway:

First day of high school? Forget it, my fate was sealed the day I wore a pair of gray Dockers and a button up shirt to school in the middle of August with all the other kids wearing t-shirts and shorts. (Yeah, also, I had marching band rehearsal in the morning before school that day. Nerd alert!)

First day with a driver's license? This worked out well for me, as my friends were forced to hang out with me so they could get a ride home. My first car was an Oldsmobile diesel powered Cutlass Calais. It was cool because I could shift into low gear while driving and emit a black plume of smoke behind me if someone was following too close.

First day of college? Actually, I enjoyed my first week on my own away from my parents. I had braces at the time and could not find an orthodontist in town that didn’t want to charge us for thousands of dollars more than we had already paid, so I had the benefit of coming home every few weeks to get my teeth done during my freshman year. Because of this (or perhaps in spite of it), my adjustment went pretty well. Not well enough, however because as soon as I graduated from college, I found myself back home with the parents for awhile.

First day of marriage? Apparently, I survived this as well, for the mother of my unborn child is still around (although I’m still not sure how I pulled that one off) and now four years later, we are expecting our first child together (which of itself is amazing!).

I will revisit this a few months after the birth of my son (which still feels weird to say) and see how I have adapted to this latest change. My prediction? I will fight it, as I fight all change at first, then gradually accept it as change slowly washes over me and I come to the realization that life will never again be the same and yearn for the good ol’ days when I had no responsibility. (Remember when you graduated high school and thought you knew everything?) As the day gets closer, I'm sure I will feel the need to ruminate again on my lot in life and the poor, poor boy I am bringing into it.

laters
cvz
Rebels by 10

Could it be any more boring?

San Antonio will finish off the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight in Game 4. Does anyone actually care? Everyone knows the NBA title was decided when Dallas lost in the first round, leaving the winner of the Spurs-Suns series in the conference semifinals as the championship round. This is not David Stern's fault. The playoffs do not need to be re-wired as a result of what happened this year. The NBA got its wish by getting LeBron in their showcase earlier than projected. However, the combination of a relentless Spurs team on defense and poor showings from the supporting cast that has shrunk from the largest stage has left the NBA finals with the lowest ratings ever.

Tim Duncan is the worst superstar ever. The guy is an amazing basketball talent. He lacks charisma, has the personality of a rock and as a result, never get his true due as a player in the league. The Spurs team is too international to appeal to the rest of America. Even Desperate Housewives fans are sick of seeing Eva Longoria pant for her boy each time he does something on the court. Tony Parker is a French guy who looks like he puts up drywall on his days off. Fabricio Uberto is from Argentina. Who knew there were tall people in South America! He needs to spend at least as much time at the hair salon as on the basketball court. Get a haircut! I remember when the Spurs drafted a guy named Emmanuel Ginobili. Everyone was wondering what they were doing. He learns how to make a scoop shot and all of a sudden he's Manu Ginobili! He's too good for his full name, we need to shorten it, much like Predrag Stojakovic became Peja Stojakovic after he learned to make a three point shot. Gimme a break!!
Who in America would like these guys? Nobody, the Finals are drawing the lowest ratings ever.
Just like how nobody actually reads this....

laters
cvz
Rebels by 10

Duke of Hazzard

I think what has happened to the Duke lacrosse players has been largely ignored in the national media and swept under the rug. If the colors involved in this situation were switched, black athletes accused of raping a white stripper, and the DA handled himself as DA Mike Nifong did, it would have been ten times as large as the Don Imus thing. Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and all the race card players would have come out of the woodworks and whine about the state of race relations in this country. If the charges ended up being as fraudulent as these were, race baiters would have been on every news outlet, championing their cause. It definitely would have spawned several “very special episodes” on Oprah.

Duke University threw these players under the bus based on a bunch of assumptions and cultural stereotypes and without any actual evidence. These were rich, white spoiled athletes that were mild BMOCs who took advantage of their stature, didn’t think they would get caught and exercised their manhood against a poor, drunk, black girl. It is clear their jumping to conclusion cost the coach his job, the un-involved rest of the lacrosse team the remainder of their season and caused the local community a crisis of confidence in race relations. I’m a left side of the country guy, growing up and living in the southwest, so I’m not going to pretend I know what racial tensions exist in the South, but I’ve got to imagine that in this college town, your typical elite white athlete probably carries a large sense of entitlement around with him wherever he goes. The podunk, hick district attorney, up for re-election knew he would lose if this case didn’t see the light of day in a courtroom. His constituency is mostly black and he would not get a single vote if he didn’t do everything he could to prosecute this case to the fullest. The only problem is, he made up his mind to do this without waiting for evidence and assuming the victim was actually victimized.

I can’t really blame him for doing what he thought he had to do in order to get re-elected. I just think he put all his eggs in one basket, talked a good game in the press and hoped the goods were there. But when more and more evidence came out, there was less and less a reason to move forward with the case. Of course, now that he was too far in, it was way past the point of no return. Probably something happened that night. Whether or not it was criminal may never be known. What was criminal however, is how the DA handled this case and tried it in the media. These rich, elitist white kids had the resources to fight this until their innocence finally came to light, almost a year later. I hate to think what would have happened if they were poor and unable to fight a protracted legal battle. I hope they sue Nifong for everything he owns. That would be justice being served.

laters
cvz
Rebels by 10

Big Heads, Big Heads, Drug Assisted Big Heads

I still don’t know why Barry Bonds is getting pitches to hit over the fence. Between this and the Tori Hunter episode, it shows that the unwritten rules in baseball are far more important than the written ones. Barry Bonds should never, ever get another pitch to hit in a game. If baseball is so sure that he is as dirty as people say he is, every pitcher should have it in their unwritten baseball code, that he should not get a pitch anywhere near his strike zone. Better yet, save your pitch count and just hit him. If the game isn’t important or close, hit ‘em. Putting him on base is better than letting him break the record. He can barely run as it is, a double play is a good probability to happen. Just plunk the big headed bastard. Don’t let him get the most honored record in sports. I remember watching the footage from Hank Aaron blasting his record breaking shot with the fans running on the field with him around the bases. This is a classic image that will only be tarnished by Barry beating the record. I hope that A-Rod can continue homering at an amazing place and destroys Barry’s record a few years later.

That would be sweet!

laters
cvz
Rebels by 10

Some things...

In the interest of trying to get something done at work today, I thought I would put some thoughts down to move past it and get back to my office.

There is one show that needs, absoultely needs, to be released on DVD. It's Ed, the show about a lawyer who moves back to his small town and buys a bowling alley and practices law out of his bowling alley. He reconnects with his best friend and starts to try to woo the girl he had a crush on in high school. Tom Cavanagh and Julie Bowen are terrific in this show! It was part of a great block of television. Ed was followed by The West Wing on Wednesday nights. Thursday had Friends and CSI.

Ed was on for four years and didn't get the the magical 100 episodes needed to live on in rerun infamy. It was on TBS for a limited stint, but has not been on US TV for awhile. I found some segments posted on YouTube and consequently, I have wasted almost an entire day at work. I miss Ed and Carol...

Now, maybe I will be able to get back to work....

laters
cvz
Rebels by 10

Sounds Like a Case of the Fridays....

While trying to ride Alex Rodriguez to win my Fantasy League....

And I still don't know how points are earned in the stinkin' thing.
NBA Playoffs start this weekend and I think the first round is the most un-interesting as it has ever been. Since 2003, when the league went to a seven game first round series, there has been one "upset" in terms of a lower seed winning. This has made for a more predictable first round ever since. Even last year's Lakers-Suns series, you knew Phoenix wasn't going to lose even though they were down 3 games to one. I don't think there are any reasons at all to watch the first round of the West playoffs. The 3 best teams far and away are Dallas, Phoenix and San Antonio. Everyone else is flawed and inferior, by leaps and bounds. Kobe may score 50 points a game while losing by 10 each night, but there is no reason to watch the first round of the West playoffs. When you get to the second round, it is a different story, however. Dallas will play either Houston or Utah, which they should dismiss in five games or less. But the real intriguing series is Phoenix vs. San Antonio. The Spurs have quietly excelled this year, not grabbing any of the attention that Dallas' flirtation with 70 and the flashy style the Suns play received, but they are still the best defensive team in the league and will slow the Suns down. If they can execute in the half court, they have a chance, but I think the Spurs will grind them down and set themselves up for a rematch with the Mavericks to go to the NBA Finals.

(L)eastern Conference is not very interesting either. Chicago and Miami is the most interesting series and I think Miami is too good to lose four games to the offensively challenged Bulls. Wade can get any shot he wants, and the Bulls have no go to guy. The bottom half of the bracket is a race to see who loses in the conference finals, because none of those teams can beat the Heat or the Pistons. I do hope LeBron does well, I think he could make the East interesting again, especially if Cleveland can add a couple of pieces for next year to try to keep him around. If not, can you imagine where he could land as a free agent?

Time for the Lakers to get serious about getting better. Mitch's tenure will forever be marred by the Shaq debacle and he will never recover this team to it's former glory. Jerry West is wandering back into retirement and Mitch needs some help. If they are smart they will lock Mitch, Phil, Kobe and Jerry into a room this summer and find a way to put together a roster that is worthy of a $10 million coach. If not, Phil needs to take over the Cavaliers, teach LeBron and Larry to be the real next Michael and Scottie, then ride them to his 10th title. As much as I love the underdog role that Smush plays, it is time to let him go and bring in the big guard to initiate the offense that Phil loves. Sacramento is moving into rebuilding mode and maybe they can unload Mike Bibby. Perhaps New Jersey lets Jason Kidd go. I think the Lamar and Kobe show is not working. Injuries has had something to do with it, but after two years, Lamar is shows no consistency, and there is no other help on this roster. The only untouchables should be Andrew Bynum, Jordan Farmar, and maybe Luke Walton. Ship everyone else off and do what it takes to get the players around Kobe. Easier said than done, but Kobe is in his prime and wasting it trying to elevate players who have low ceilings. Michael had players around him who knew their role. There are no roles on this team. Bring back Jerry and watch him gamble and succeed, bringing the Lakers back.

Bye, bye Sanjaya. I hope Howard Stern keeps playing that song though, it's pretty funny. Get ready for my Barry Bonds rant next.

laters
cvz
Rebels by 10

Spring Forward!

Welcome back to the Itch, folks! After surviving March Madness and throwing my shoe at the Lakers after watching them lose six of their last eight, I figured it was time to delve back into the itch.

My MWC tourney picks turned out pretty good, if I don't say so myself. (Of course, if I had any real money wagered, they would have gone down the tubes...) So my friend talked me into a fantasy baseball league. My competitive side wants to monitor the statistics of every major league game going on right now. However, I cannot afford to donate that much time to such a hopeless cause. I'm mildly happy with my automatic draft picks, but I know it just means half the roster will get hurt. Or will have a break out season as soon as I release him (in order to pick up Hiram Bocachica, nonetheless!) I also am, for now, not talking any smack in this league, because I know any time I do, it always bites me in the end.

Moving on, American Idol is wallowing in lameness this season. I am very disappointed in this year's crop of Idols and think it will result in the worst record selling Idol ever. I miss Elliott Yamin.

Don Imus got into a little trouble with the Rutgers basketball team. I'm not one to pontificate on large, social issues, but he probably just got caught talking about something he knows nothing about and a media watchdog site called him out for it. Would anybody have really noticed? His audience is elite, rich, white men who live in Greenwich and are too busy polishing their man of the year awards from their country club to look up when Don throws around terms like "ho" and "nappy." (Anybody look at this guy's hair? It's worse than the Donald's! If anyone is qualified to speak about nappy hair, it's Don Imus.) How long has it been since he has been culturally relevant? Howard Stern, Mancow and Bubba all rode his coattails to win many battles against the FCC, but Don has not brought the "shock" to shock jock in a long time. Just my two cents.

Enjoy Dancing with the Stars tonight, kids...I'm voting Clyde off, just because they beat the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals in 1990.

MWC Picks

Despite the fact I misspelled conference yesterday and don't want to change it yet I'll still post my men's bracket picks just as I'm out the door to go to the first session.

BYU vs. TCU- TCU will give them a run for their money, but I expect the Cougars to put away the Frogs easily by the end of the day. I'll be happy to be wrong on this pick, though!

Air Force vs. Wyoming-Can't go against history here. Air Force has come into the tournament in past years playing a lot better than they have lately and lost to teams they really shouldn't have. Almost a week and a half off after their last game won't help either. I'm not a fan of the Cowboys but I think they'll get it done here against the Falcons.

UNLV vs. Utah-Possible upset alert here as well. Both UNLV and Utah have made the semis in each MWC tournament they have played in. While I think it will not be as exciting as the double OT game in Vegas earlier this year, I pick the Rebels to barely get by a game Utes team.

San Diego State vs. Colorado State-I would love to pick against the Aztecs here, but I just can't do it. The Rams have the two tallest players in the league and nobody that can get them the ball. Aztecs did look lethargic against TCU in their last home game, but I think they'll be motivated to play hard to make a run at the NCAAs, after all they don't have any other way to get in (probably).

Semis: If I'm right then I need to pick BYU vs. Wyoming: Even if I'm wrong, I think BYU can put away either Air Force or Wyoming. I think Wyoming will give them a little trouble with Jones and Ewing, but if the Cougars can keep shooting well and giving the ball to Young they should be able to win this game, probably easily.

UNLV vs. SDSU: Man, this will be a game. San Diego struggled in Vegas and Vegas got punked in San Diego. I gotta pick UNLV due to the home court, but if this were on a neutral court, I would probably go with San Diego. I just don't think anyone will beat UNLV at home this week, at least until...

Finals:
BYU vs. UNLV: Lots of bad blood from the last game in Provo, where little used reserve Mike Rose went out of his mind and hit everything he threw up at the basket to rush the Rebels into early submission. The Rebels however, were able to beat BYU at home without their two best players. If this game is close, and I think it will be, I look for KK to take over and win the game for the Rebels with either an assist, a huge 3 pt shot or a block to put the game and the championship away.

Oh, and by the way I hope the CSTV announcers aren't HORRIBLE!

laters
cvz
Rebels by 10

Mountain West Confernence Picks

Not that anybody cares, but I thought I would for prosperity's sake, post my picks for the Mountain West basketball tournament. This way when I say "I told you so" I can actually say, "I told you so."


Women's Bracket

Wyoming vs. San Diego State-Cowgirls are a mild suprise this year and could make their way into the NCAAs this year. San Diego State is usually athletic but I'll take the 2nd seeded Cowgirls in this one.

New Mexico vs. UNLV-Lady Lobos had a rough start to the conference season, picked up the pieces and rattled off a bunch of wins, including a Utah/BYU road sweep, then have let down a bit towards the end of the year. UNLV is truly an enigma, and injuries may play a role as they have lost their center to a bad knee. My pick is UNM-but I wouldn't be surprised if the late season surge carries the Rebels into the second round.

BYU vs. Air Force- BYU is the top seed for a reason. Air Force won a thrilling play in game over CSU with a last second tip in. I didn't see enough from them to pull off the upset. BYU in a romp.

TCU vs. Utah-This should be the best game of the day. TCU is athletic and had a great start to the conference season. Utah is always in the conversation but struggled a bit this year. I'll take TCU in a close game.

Semifinals:

Wyoming vs. UNM-This also should be a pretty good game but not having seen much of Wyoming this year, I'll take the Lobos.

BYU vs. TCU-This is a possible upset, however there is yet to be played the championship game without BYU or Utah in it-So I'll take BYU.

Final: BYU vs. UNM
I'll have to take BYU, just because they finished as the 1 seed and UNM is inconsistent enough not to play well.

Mens' Bracket tomorrow....

Wednesday's Edition of Random Thoughts

Rulon Gardner is truly Superman. You can't freeze him to death, you can't run him over and you can't crash him into a lake. This guy has escaped death more than I've eaten at a buffet.

"Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" debuted last night. This is the best name they could come up with for a game show? I guess it gives Jeff Foxworthy fodder for a second career as a game show host/comedian.

Speaking of game shows, what's up with all the "guest stars" on Deal or No Deal. Do greedy idiot contestants really need help from a celebrity there to push their next movie?

There was a story on camera phones in USAToday that got me thinking...I wonder how long it will be before there is a lawsuit filed for an employment decision based on Google-ing someone.

My take on the NBA All-Star Game: The thuggish crowd that came to town is different than what Las Vegas is used to. This is the same crowd that used to be here for the big-time heavyweight fights and since the demise of the heavyweight division, it has not been to Vegas for ten, fifteen years. The crowd that came is a result of the natural evolution of the posse, the hangers on and the entourage that the big time hip hop ethnically diverse people who have not had a "business" reason to come to Vegas. Don't fret, general population, if the NBA ever did come to town, it will have a hard enough time filling a 20,000 seat arena.

Gotta go, watch something besides American Idol tonight, eh?

later
cvz
Rebels by 10

My Own Version of the Oscars (Mountain West Conference Edition)

With the Academy Awards show on Sunday and conference play wrapping up this weekend, I figure now would be a good time to give out my awards for the best in the Mountain West this season. I may even make a prediction or two.

MWC Player of the Year: There are probably five to six players who have a legitimate shot at this award this year. Keena Young (BYU) has played a role in the Cougars rise to first place. The two guards from Wyoming, Brad Jones and Brandon Ewing, are the toughest players to defend and if both of them get hot in Vegas, watch out. Luke Nevill and Jason Smith are big men that have been consistent but unable to lift their games and their teams from the middle of the pack. Air Force and UNLV both are better than the sum of their parts, as the Academy had all five starters averaging ten points or more for the better part of the year, and UNLV has three players averaging 13 points or more a game. Due to their true team spirit, however neither team has a candidate for player of the year. My choice goes to Brandon Heath (SDSU). He is a prolific scorer and able to get a shot against anyone in the conference. I don't know if the NBA is in his future, but he has made his mark in the Mountain West and deserves this accolade.

MWC Defensive Player of the Year: While Air Force far and away plays the best team defense in the league, they probably don't have a stand-alone candidate for defensive player of the year. UNLV's Joel Anthony has made a large charge for the honor and if he puts up some big numbers against UNM and C-State in his final two games, he may have a chance. Stuart Creason (CSU) and Alvardo Parker (TCU) both have the numbers to be considered as well. This race is pretty wide open, but I'll bet Joel can finish strong to pull away late.

Freshman of the Year: This award usually oscillates between freshman of the year or newcomer of the year, depending on how strong the field is any given year. There is no obvious choice for a new player that made a big impact like Trent Plaisted made last year for BYU. The top freshmen that deserve notice are Jerome Habel (SDSU) Steven Weigh (Utah) and Jonathan Tavernari (BYU). The preseason favorite for newcomer was J.R. Giddens (UNM) and his injury marred season would not merit consideration. Statistically the most prolific would be Kevin Kruger (UNLV) the senior transfer from Arizona State. My choice for freshman is Tavernari; if they decide to do a newcomer award, my pick is Kruger.

MWC Coach of the Year: Like Best Picture, this field is the strongest and most up for grabs. If UNLV finishes out its year with two wins, Lon Kruger is definitely a solid choice. Air Force's late season fade softens Jeff Bzdelik's chances, besides he did more with less last year and didn't win. San Diego State's Steve Fisher has quietly lead the school to its best start ever, but was probably expected to not struggle as much as they did in the middle portion of the season. In my opinion, BYU's Dave Rose makes it a two horse race between him and Kruger. BYU has a talented roster and is built to win in March. While they lack a marquee non-conference win, Rose has turned this team into the one that nobody wants to play in the tournament. My pick: Lon Kruger, UNLV.

First team all conference:

Keena Young, BYU, Jason Smith, CSU, Brandon Heath, SDSU, Wendell White, UNLV, Brandon Ewing, Wyoming.

Second team all conference:

Nick Welch, Air Force, Dan Nwaelele, Air Force, Mohammed Abukar, SDSU, Kevin Kruger, UNLV, Brad Jones, Wyoming

Third team all conference:

Matt McCraw Air Force, Trent Plaisted, BYU, Jo'Van Adams, UNLV, J.R. Giddens, UNM, Luke Nevill, Utah

Jason Smith on the first team I don't feel great about. He and Luke Nevill are good centers on bad, or unlucky teams. How Colorado State can't win more games with Smith and Creason inside boggles my mind. Utah, similarly can not play consistently enough to win with a big man in the middle. Keena Young (BYU) has worked his way through conference season as the most dangerous player on their roster. Brandon Heath (SDSU) is the most dominant offensive player since Andrew Bogut left town. He probably will be succeeded by Brandon Ewing (Wyoming) next year as (this is scary) he is finishing his sophomore year. Wendell White (UNLV) is the go to player on a team that sometimes can be streaky offensively. He gets them big buckets when they need them.

No huge award upsets that I predict this year. I think this has been the most competitve the conference has been since its first year when UNLV and Utah tied for first and UNLV won the conference tournament. Since then, the league has had its strong teams and great players and it is always tough to win on the road in this conference. Top to bottom, however this is the best the league has been and hopefully it can get three, maybe four teams in the NCAA Tournament this year and make some noise!

Stay tuned for my Conference Tournament preview and predictions next week!

Also, please don't watch "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" on Fox tonight...America does not need Jeff Foxworthy to have a second career as Regis Philbin.

laters
cvz
Rebels by 10

Welcome back to the Sports Itch

I’m back and in some ways better than ever. Of course, looking at my post last summer regarding the Mavericks, that may not be much of a statement. The way Dallas dominated the first two games of that series, I was not the only one who though they could run away with the series in a sweep.

What actually happened was, Dallas just ran away.

I have revamped my blog again, trying to make it more interesting to me to keep this updated. I have lots to write about, but little time.

Let’s get started.

UNLV Runnin’ Rebels Update:
I will not put the “Dallas” curse on this basketball team, but this is probably the best the team has played since Tark left. This includes some pretty talented teams that Bill Bayno had, however, Billy couldn’t bring his groups together as well as Lon Kruger has this year. This year’s team is truly larger than the sum of its parts and each win is dotted with some role player stepping up huge in large spots. The Rebels should be a lock for the dance if they keep playing the way they have. If they get better, they could make some serious noise this year. That is all I will say at this point. Looking at the rest of their schedule you have a tough, tough game at San Diego State and if they shoot well to begin with they have a shot. Then another road game at Utah that they have a good chance of winning, regardless of the double OT game at the Mack earlier this year. Another showdown at home against Air Force will be huge, because they have eight days before their next game at New Mexico. Who knows which Lobo team will show up, but I think they have a good chance to win there as well. Season finale vs. C-State should wrap up what (hopefully) will be an undefeated home conference season. Go Rebels!!!