Rick Reilly, Have a Clue about Boise

Rick Reilly is a columnist for ESPN.com, and he makes periodic appearances on ESPN.  He thrives upon composing humorous and entertainment based sports stories that don’t always hit the main issues themselves.  I have been a strong critic of Reilly’s style for a very long time.  He is a national pundit in every sense of the word; he focuses far too much on general stereotypes and often says things without processing them and the consequences of his statements.

For example, in one ESPN feature, Reilly inadvertently disrespected every US soccer player by speculating about how good the national team would be if players such as LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Ryan Miller, and other star athletes played soccer instead of their own sports.  He sent the message that our current players weren’t the best the country could produce, and I took major offense to that belief and subsequent statement on national television.

In another feature, Reilly degraded the entire Philadelphia fanbase by arguing that Donovan McNabb was mistreated in Philly.  He stated that the fans should be apologizing to McNabb, and that nothing makes them happy. Of course, as with most pundits, one of his major points was that the fans threw snowballs at Santa Claus.  Hey Rick, that happened in the 1960s, get over it.  The fact that he simply stated that Philadelphia fans are not classy was unfounded and unprofessional.

So what must he have done this time to perturb me enough to write a blog entry?  This entry is a response to Rick Reilly’s article on ESPN.com, “Broncos Can’t Buck this Trend” (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=5725597).  I recommend reading it, but if you would rather not, here is a general summary.  Reilly believes that Boise State should be ranked above Auburn and Oregon, and should claim the top spot in the BCS rankings.  He feels that the Broncos are consistently disrespected, and argues that the resume of the Broncos trumps that of any other college football team.  If he wants to make that argument, that is fine, but my problem is with the lack of logic and intelligence with which he did so.

First, Reilly argues that Boise should be ranked above Auburn, and gives the stat that Auburn has 13 less wins in the last 5 seasons than Boise.  I have 3 problems with this statement.  First, and most obvious, the rankings are not based upon past years, the rankings are solely based upon what has happened this year.  Second, Auburn plays in the SEC, and doesn’t play Louisiana Tech and Idaho on a yearly basis.  Instead, the Tigers play LSU, Alabama, Florida, and Arkansas on a yearly basis.  Just a hunch, but I feel that playing Idaho and Louisiana Tech each year might lend itself to a few more wins per season than a team playing in the SEC.  So explain the thought process behind that stat, Rick.  Finally, the personnel is completely different at Auburn from even 2 years ago.  Head coach Gene Chizik was hired in 2009 after Tommy Tuberville was fired, and Heisman contender Cam Newton is a first year starter at Auburn.  But clearly, Rick Reilly thought all that through when he decided that the basis for his Boise State over Auburn argument was a difference of 13 wins in the last 5 years.

Second, Reilly defends the Broncos by arguing that they beat Oregon 19-8 last season at home, and that the Ducks undeservingly sit ahead of Boise.  Hey Rick, who was the starting quarterback for Oregon last year?  That’s right, it was Jeremiah Masoli, now the quarterback of Ole Miss.  Rick, meet Darren Thomas, the 2010 starter for the Ducks, who is tearing up the Pac 10 and everyone else right now.  When you make an argument about a head to head matchup, and the starting quarterback isn’t the same for the losing team in a previous season, that is stupid and inane, and has no bearing on anything whatsoever.

Third, Rick Reilly argues that Boise State plays and beats whoever is throw at them.  He states that Boise State beat San Jose State 48-0, and Wisconsin, who beat Ohio State and Iowa, only beat San Jose State by 13.  Compelling argument Rick, but I have a question, where are Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Iowa ranked in the BCS?  10, 11, and 18, respectively.  How about Boise? Number 3.  What exactly are you arguing, Rick?  That Boise should be ranked higher than Wisconsin? Done.  Higher than Ohio State? They already are.  Higher than Iowa?  They have been all year.  How your stat makes an argument that Boise State should be ranked above Auburn and Oregon is beyond me.

Fourth, Reilly argues that since Boise crushed Wyoming 51-6, who almost beat Air Force, who almost beat Oklahoma, Boise could absolutely beat Oklahoma.  Again, my question to Rick is, where is Oklahoma ranked?  That’s right, 9th, 6 spots behind Boise.  Is it me, Rick, or are your arguments becoming less and less relevant as your article continues?

If you didn’t think it could get worse, it did.  He then stated, with regards to Boise State beating Oklahoma, “Oh wait, it already did [happen].”  Rick, that was January 1st, 2007.  Jared Zabransky and Ian Johnson are not playing for the Broncos anymore, and Paul Thompson and Adrian Peterson are not playing for the Sooners anymore.  A comparison to a game 4 years ago is completely ridiculous, and is embarrassing to you as a journalist, Rick.

Finally, Reilly argues that Boise would “carve up” the ACC because the Broncos “whipped” Virginia Tech on the road (I have a hard time calling a 33-30 game a “whipping,” and it technically was not a home game for Tech, either).  But Rick, tell me, what team in the ACC is ranked higher than Boise State, thus in your mind disrespecting the Broncos?  None.  Get your facts and logic straight, and then come back to me.

Pardon the point-by-point analysis, but I found nearly everything included in this article to be completely ridiculous and unprofessional in nature.  There was no logic involved, it was simply a biased opinion based upon readily available and popular facts that were thrown together in a way that made no sense whatsoever and negated every one of the points he tried to make.

The fact is that Boise is lucky to be ranked #3.  Missouri is undefeated with more quality wins than Boise State, and Alabama I have ranked ahead of Boise because of 3 quality wins that trump Boise’s top win over Virginia Tech.  So please, Rick Reilly, and all other national pundits who want to make an argument about Boise State, you can make the argument, but before doing so, please, have a clue.

College Football Top 25

Check out my updated college football top 25.  The BCS standings were released on Sunday night on ESPN, and the Bob Long College Football Top 25 was shaken up as a result.

See the College Football Top 25 tab above, or: http://bobsportsblog.wordpress.com/college-football-top-25/

Donovan McNabb (Part 2)

This is part 2 of the 3 part Donovan McNabb fall 2010 series.  In part 1, I explained why Donovan McNabb was not mistreated by the fans or the organization during his time in Philadelphia.  In part 2, I will analyze McNabb’s reception in his return to Philadelphia this Sunday.

Donovan McNabb returned to Lincoln Financial Field yesterday for the first time since he was traded to the Redskins last offseason.  National pundits far and wide debated whether or not McNabb would be booed or cheered upon entrance.  Most pundits gave the answer of a resounding boo.  Jamele Hill specifically wrote about how the fans will boo McNabb because that is exactly what they did to him when he was in Philadelphia, and wrote that McNabb deserves to crush the Eagles on Sunday.  Very few pundits were intelligent enough to realize that McNabb would without question receive a standing ovation, and I am one of the only people I know who went on record saying that McNabb would receive such an ovation.

The problem with these national pundits is, quite simply, that they have no idea what they are talking about.  The fact is that most of these national pundits have never been to the city of Philadelphia, or have never been to a game with Philadelphia fans.  Instead, they play upon the general consensus (based on little fact) that Philadelphia fans conduct themselves will significantly less class than other cities.  Specifically, other Northeastern cities.  They have heard the stories about Santa Claus being booed and pelted with snowballs (which occurred 50 years ago mind you), and they have heard stories about Veterans Stadium fans in the 700 level.  There is a stereotype that has been built for some reason for the past few decades about Philadelphia fans, and the national pundits buy in and use it as a punch line consistently.  Just listen to Sportscenter or NFL Live next time they are talking about Philadelphia, you will see exactly what I mean if you do not already.

For example, just this past week, ESPN NFL Live analyst Mark Schlereth made multiple tongue-in-cheek comments in which he belittled the Philadelphia fans for having no class because they 1) boo opposing players and 2) threw snowballs at Santa Claus.  However, in the same segment, he addressed the issue with Green Bay LB Nick Simmons and the Bears fan who directed a racial slur at Simmons.  He made no comment about Bears fans as a whole, and simply stated that it is the player’s responsibility to not respond to fans, and moved on without any more discussion.  Are You Kidding Me?  How can these paid professionals in the broadcasting industry be so shortsighted and be unable to think for themselves in any capacity.  The list goes on, however.  David Lloyd, Chris McKendry, and Kevin Negandhi are only a few examples of Sportscenter anchors who made unnecessary, ridiculous, and completely insensitive comments about Philadelphia fans 1) without any basis and 2) clearly not knowing what they were talking about.

Therefore, no wonder many people, broadcasters and fans alike, believed that McNabb would be booed.  They bought into the stereotype of Philly fans without any knowledge or thought on their part, and as a result simply assumed that Philly fans do not respect their athletes and would boo McNabb.  However, Philadelphia fans do respect their athletes, including and especially Donovan McNabb (see “Why Donovan McNabb was NOT Mistreated in Philadelphia”).  There was no question in my mind that the fans Sunday would cheer McNabb and give him a standing ovation, and the Philadelphia fans responded just as I knew they would have and just as they should have.  Shame on the national pundits who consistently use Philadelphia fans as a punch line and made the ridiculous and poorly thought out assumption that McNabb would be booed in Philadlelphia this Sunday.

Why Donovan McNabb was NOT Mistreated in Philadelphia

Last night, I found myself watching Rick Reilly’s show “Homecoming.”  In this particular episode, Donovan McNabb was featured.  I fully expected Reilly to reference the fact that McNabb was “mistreated” during his time in Philadelphia, as he has multiple times in his columns and on ESPN.  True to form, he brought up the fact that Donovan was booed when he was drafted, and Donovan played right along as he always does, saying, “I still to this day have no idea why they did that.”  To Rick Reilly, Donovan McNabb, and every other national pundit, here is why Donovan McNabb was NOT mistreated in Philadelphia:

Lets start with draft day, 1999.  The Eagles had the 2nd pick in the draft, and after the Browns selected future bust Tim Couch, the Eagles were expected to pick Ricky Williams, the top collegiate running back in the draft.  The Eagles needed to fill a void at running back, and Ricky seemed to be a sure thing.  Therefore, when Donovan McNabb was drafted, the fans started to boo.  And so the legend began.  Donovan and the media began portraying the Philadelphia fans as “mistreating” Donovan McNabb, and this label stuck for the entirety of McNabb’s career in Philadelphia, and remains today.  However, the fans weren’t booing Donovan McNabb, they were booing the Eagles organization.  They weren’t angry at McNabb, they were mad at the Eagles organization.  Some of the fans probably didn’t even know who McNabb was at the time, all they wanted was Ricky.  But everyone overreacted and presented the situation as if the Philadelphia fans didn’t appreciate Donovan McNabb.

Then, over the course of his career, pundits accused Eagles fans of mistreating and not appreciating McNabb by citing his multiple NFC Championship appearances and his one Super Bowl appearance.  The pundits are correct in that the fans have, over the course of McNabb’s career, questioned his consistent passing ability, his leadership, and his inability to win the big game.  When the Eagles were favorites in 4 of 5 NFC Championship games, and only advanced to the Super Bowl once (in a very soft NFC), maybe the fans had a case against McNabb.  And when McNabb consistently performed poorly in big games, throwing interceptions, throwing balls into the ground, and throwing behind receivers on easy plays, then maybe the fans have a case.  When McNabb throws his wide receivers and younger players under the bus in the postgame press conference, when the “youth” wasn’t exactly throwing balls into the ground, or throwing balls to the other team, maybe the fans have a case against McNabb.

Finally, McNabb has been paid a combined $100+ million during his time in Philadelphia, and the fan base paid through taxes a large portion of the amount needed to take McNabb off the knee-killing and concussion-forcing Veterans Stadium turf.  The fans paid to put up a state-of-the-art Lincoln Financial Field for the quarterback’s remaining 5 years as an Eagle.

It isn’t that the Eagles fans don’t care, it is that the Eagles fans like players with whom they can connect.  They can’t connect with a player that doesn’t have accountability, and holds grudges.  The fact that McNabb blamed problems on his teammates and others, and the fact that he brought up his treatment by the fans at every opportunity doesn’t exactly endear him to the fan base.  At that point, many fans decided to pile on McNabb.  If McNabb had acted like an adult, and realized that the Eagles fans were booing the organization on draft day, McNabb would have been considerably happier and better treated during his time in Philadelphia.  However, while his performance was for the most part very good while in Philadelphia, his poor performance in nearly every big game, his lack of accountability, and his inability to let small things go led to his treatment in Philadelphia.  However, it is completely unfair to Eagles fans and the city of Philadelphia to say that McNabb was mistreated.

Wade and Bosh Together in South Beach

BREAKING NEWS:  Today, it was reported that Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade have agreed to play together for the Miami Heat next season.  Wade made it clear at the beginning of free agency that he wanted to stay in Miami, but needed another big time player to assist him.  The Heat front office satisfied Wade’s demands by signing Bosh, who is one of the bona fide big men in the game today.

In other news, we now know when and where LeBron will announce his decision on free agency.  On Thursday night at 9PM on ESPN, there will be an hour long special during which LeBron will declare his new home for next season.  Frontrunners for his services are Chicago, Miami, and his hometown Cleveland.  A dark horse in the LeBron sweepstakes is the New York Knicks, who have already signed Amar’e Stoudemire through free agency.  Stay tuned for any more big NBA free agency stories.

Big Sports Day Roundup

Today was a big day in a lot of sports.  From soccer, to tennis, to hockey, to baseball, these sports had many notable and rare occurrences on this day.

Early this morning, the United States World Cup soccer team played against Algeria with a chance to advance to the round of 16.  In order to advance, the US either needed to win (which guaranteed qualification) or tie (with either an English loss to Slovenia or a tie by England in which the team scored less than 2 goals above that which the US scored today).  However, with an England win, the US team would need to win to assure its spot in the next round.

The English won, 1-0, and the US was tied after 90 minutes with Algeria.  The game remained tied shortly into stoppage time.  At that point, Algeria had a good opportunity to put the game away with a scoring chance of their own, but US goalkeeper Tim Howard stopped the threat and quickly started a counter attack by feeding the ball to Landon Donovan.  Donovan carried the ball down the field, passed to Jozy Altidore, who crossed to Clint Dempsey in front with the Algerian goaltender charging.  The ball went off Dempsey’s foot and off the goaltender, rebounding to about 8 yards from the goal line.  Donovan charged from the 18 to lace the ball on the ground into the back left corner of the net, and proceeded to slide headfirst into the left corner flag, at which point his teammates piled upon him.  After a few more stops in extra time, the final whistle sounded, and the United States had assured itself a spot in the round of 16.

For a nation that had such high hopes for its team, and a nation that hasn’t had much success in the World Cup in recent years, the 2nd half of the game could not have caused more anxiety from its fans.  The team had many chances that could not be converted, and the team saw its World Cup lives flash before its eyes.  However, in a moment, Landon Donovan became a legend, the United States moved on, and soccer became the primary focus in American sports for the month of June.  All because of a goal in stoppage time; that is the beauty of soccer.  USA will play Ghana in the next round of the World Cup.

In tennis, the match of the day at Wimbledon was John Isner vs. Nicolas Mahut.  The match went 10 hours, and here is the kicker: It isn’t over.  The match went 5 sets and is still tied at 59-59.  The match was called as a result of darkness, and will be resumed tomorrow morning on ESPN.

Finally, New York Mets knuckleball starter R.A. Dickey pitched 8 scoreless innings en route to his 6th consecutive win.  He is now 6-0 this season, and is the first pitcher in Mets history (which included names such as Gooden and Seaver, among others) to record a win in each of his first 6 decisions.   In another NL East story, Jimmy Rollins hit a walk-off 2 run home run for the Phillies in only his second game back from the Disabled List.

In hockey, Henrik Sedin won the Hart Trophy (hockey’s MVP), Ryan Miller won the Vezina Trophy (best goaltender), Tyler Myers won the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year), Duncan Keith won the Norris Trophy (best defensemen), Pavel Datsyuk won the Frank J. Selke Trophy (best defensive forward), and Martin St. Louis won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (best behaved player).

Big Ten Expansion…and More?

The most pressing issue cascading through the  college football landscape is that of conference expansion.  Leading the charge for expansion is the Big 10 Conference, whose last expansion occurred in 1989 when Penn State accepted an invitation to join the conference.  The Nittany Lions gave up their then independent status in football, and left the Atlantic 10 Conference in the other sports to join the Big Ten.

In 2010, the potential expansion again revolves around an indepedent football school.  Notre Dame, under new head coach Brian Kelly, has reportedly been invited to join the conference and give up its indepedent status in football and its Big East affiliation in basketball and other sports.  Coach Kelly has asserted that he would like the school to remain independent because of the ability to be a “national” program, and the ability to play any team it wants without restrictions.  It may be financially beneficial to remain independent as well, as the school has an automatic berth to a BCS bowl game in the waiting if the team finishes in the top 8 in the Final BCS Standings.  In addition, the Fighting Irish have a lucrative network TV contract with NBC, which provides a lot of revenue for the school and most likely could not be matched by that of a conference team. 

However, if there were a conference that could provide revenue that rivals what Notre Dame makes now, it would be the Big Ten.  The Big Ten has lucrative contracts with both the ESPN Family of Networks and its own network, the Big Ten Network.  But the equal distribution of revenue, which potentially attracts teams such as Missouri from the Big XII to the Big Ten, may dissuade teams such as Notre Dame.  If the revenue needs to be shared equally with as many as 15 other teams, Notre Dame may be unable to acquire as much revenue within the Big Ten that it does now.  Certainly there are many pro’s and con’s for Notre Dame to consider as the conference expansion train appears to be rolling by very quickly.

Speaking of the Missouri Tigers, that program is also considering moving from the Big XII to the Big Ten.  In addition, the Big Ten has reportedly invited Nebraska to join.  Rumors have circulated that the Big Ten is a potential suitor for Texas, as well as Oklahoma, but Nebraska and Missouri make the most sense geographically and have generated the most talk of expansion.  Both member programs of the Red River Rivalry have remained silent on the issue to this point.  As stated, Missouri’s main interest in the Big Ten stems from the fact that the Big XII does not share revenue equally, and as a result the program does not receive as much TV revenue as Texas or Oklahoma.  Nebraska is a logical choice geographically for the Big Ten, which is the likely reason for that invitation.

The Big East did not escape unscathed from the long reach of the Big Ten.  Invitations have been reportedly extended to Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Rutgers.  These schools would give the Big Ten an increased East Coast presence, as at this point only Penn State gives the conference such diversability. 

With the extension of so many invitations to the conference, the Big Ten could include up to 16 teams within a few years.  If one is doing the math, this expansion could spell the doom of the Big East and Big XII conferences.  The Big East could lose 4 schools to the Big Ten, including Pitt, Syracuse, Rutgers, and Notre Dame (in every sport but football).  At this point the Big East Conference would only include football schools Connecticut, West Virginia, Louisville, Cincinnati, and South Florida.  That is it.  With schools such as Villanova and Georgetown competing at the FCS level, and schools such as St. Johns and Marquette which don’t have football programs at all, the conference could collapse upon itself because of the lack of strength and number from the football programs.  This could lead to a collapse of the entire conference as a whole, and the demise of the overall best college basketball conference since the most recent expansion before the 2005-2006 season.

The Big XII could face a similar fate.  With rumors of Colorado moving to the Pac-10, and the possibility of Texas and Oklahoma moving to either the Pac-10 or the SEC, the Big XII could lose up to 6 of its premier programs, leaving only the likes of Kansas, Iowa State, and Baylor, among others.  The Big XII could potentially wither as the Big East could due to the domino effect started by the Big Ten.

So what does this all mean? Could a situation really occur in which the Big Ten could include as many as 16 teams, Notre Dame could no longer be independent, and there could only be 4 major “super-conferences,” with the destruction of the Big XII and the Big East?  Will the history of rivalries such as Pittsburgh and West Virginia (the Backyard Brawl), Texas and Oklahoma (the Red River Rivalry), and Texas and Texas A&M, and Oklahoma and Oklahoma State (Bedlam), become traditions of the past?  These potential realities could all be realized with the right collapse of the dominoes in the conference expansion carousel. 

Is it good for football?  I tend to think no, as the beauty and excitement of rivalries will be compromised.  Sure, we will have 4 superconferences, but where will the excitement come from?  How will the Big Ten be so exciting when teams don’t even play half the teams in their conference?  How can a true conference champion be crowned with the possibility of 3 undefeated teams in a conference?  The only positive of this change to 4 superconferences would be the potential inclusion of teams such as Boise State and TCU in a conference like the Pac-10.  With this improvement, the 4 year debate about how to appropriately reward teams like Boise State, TCU, and Utah with their weak regular season schedules will end.  All these teams will be included in power conferences, and finally will need to prove themselves week in and week out.

With all these possibilities for conference expansion, it is apparant that there will be a major shift of some kind in the college football landscape.  Bob Long’s Sports Blog will follow the development every step of the way and keep you readers updates with every phase of the massive transition as the details emerge.

The 116th Penn Relays Carnival

The Penn Relays, which began in 1895 and have been run annually at University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field, were held this past week.  It is a 5 day carnival that ranges from gradeschool runners to runners at the Olympic level.  In fact, this year, track phenom and fastest man in the world Usain Bolt graced the Philadelphia crowd with his presence in the 4×100 meter relay.

In the ESPN featured USA vs. The World competition, the United States athletes face athletes of many different countries, including Kenya, Trinidad and Tobago, and most notably, Jamaica.  These countries participate in relays such as the Sprint Medley, Distance Medley, 4×400, and 4×100.  In one of the popular USA vs. The World Races, the Women’s Sprint Medley Relay, Jamaica ran an impressive 3:35.37, less than a second off its 2009 World Record of 3:34.56.  800 meter leg anchor Kenia Sinclair led the way with a 1:57.48 split.  In the Womens 4×100, the USA Blue team, led by Allyson Felix, defeated Jamaica with a time of 42.74. 

The Men’s 4×100 meter relays was what attracted the largest Saturday crowd ever at the Penn Relays (54,310).  Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world, was the anchor leg for Jamaica, and was appearing in his first Penn Relays since 2002 and his first Penn Relays since he put himself in the national and global spotlight with his 2008 Summer Olympics record setting Gold Medal performance in the 100 meter dash.  Saturday’s race was very close through the first 3 legs of the race, as USA’s 2008 Bronze Medal winner in the 100 meters Walter Dix started the team off well in the opening leg.  Mike Rodgers and Shawn Crawford kept the Jamaicans close, but Ivory Williams had no chance in the final leg.  Usain Bolt took the baton and ran as impressively as ever, putting significant distance between himself and Williams and sealing what was expected from the Jamaican 4×100 team.  This win for the Jamaicans was very important for the Jamaican fans.  The 4×100 meter dash is the most important event for a majority of Jamaica fans.  They come from Jamaica to Philadelphia to watch a race that lasts under 40 seconds.  After last year’s disappointment by the Jamaican team, led by talented but sometimes much maligned Asafa Powell, the fans were hungry for a victory in 2010.  As a fan who saw that race live last year, it was extremely exciting for those of us who are USA Track and Field fans to see the team beat Jamaica, but it was even more disappointing for Jamaicans.  Therefore, Saturday’s race caused a feeling of redemption for Jamaica and its fans, as the team showcased the best sprinter on Earth and and set a new Penn Relays record (37.90).  The performance by Usain Bolt was the highlight of the day for most fans.

The closest race of the day in the USA vs. The World competition was the Men’s Distance Medley Relay (DMR).  Kenya led for most of the race, and was able to hold off two American relay teams to win.  There were 4 teams (Kenya, USA Blue, USA White, and Morocco), that were separated by .41 seconds, and in the final stretch 3 teams had legitimate chances to win.  The final 2 USA vs. The World races were the Men’s and Women’s 4×400 meter relay.  In both races, the USA Blue team won, with times of 3:00.60 for the men and 3:26.12 for the women. 

It was an impressive day for the USA Track team.  As was the case last year, the United States had more victories than the Jamaicans (3 to 2), and have continued to show in recent years that it can compete with the best sprinters and mid-distance runners in the world.

Some highlights from the college races:

The big story of the weekend at the college level was the presence of Oregon, who rarely attends the event.  The Men’s team was hoping to capture the “distance three-peat,” which is victories in the 4xMile relay, 4×800 meter relay, and the Distance Medley Relay.  In the 4xMile, there was no other team that could realistically compete with the likes of Mac Fleet (true Freshman), Michael Maag, A.J. Acosta, and Matthew Centrowitz.  The Ducks finished more than 5 seconds ahead of 2nd place and cruised to a victory with a time of 16:15.14.  In the DMR, ran on Friday, Oregon again easily emerged victorious with a 3 second cushion on the rest of the field and a time of 9:30.69.  Villanova charged at the end of the race and captured 2nd, followed by rival Georgetown in 3rd.  All that remained for Oregon to place its stamp firmly on the Penn Relays was a victory in the 4×800.  Main competitors were Penn State, as all 4 runners have been under 1:50, and Virginia, who was anchored by freshman and NCAA Indoor 800 Meter Champion Robby Andrews, who last year at the Penn Relays almost pulled off one of the greatest comebacks ever in the High School DMR Championship of America.  He split 4:06 and made up an unbelievable amount of ground on the leaders.  Therefore, his success on the NCAA stage and the Penn Relays stage gave UVA an advantage.  It appeared to be a 3 team race among these teams into the 3rd and 4th legs.  In the final lap of the race, Penn State’s anchor and the current Australian record holder in the 800 meters Ryan Foster moved ahead of Robby Andrews and Oregon anchor Andrew Wheating into 1st.  By the end of the backstretch, Wheating had pulled even with Foster, and Andrews looked to fall off the pace slightly.  However, Robby Andrews gave another kick like the one he did to beat Wheating in the NCAA Indoor 800 meter championship.  He defeated Wheating in the final meters to give UVA the victory and prevent Oregon from completing the 3 peat.  Penn State finished 3rd.  It was an unbelievably exciting race, and an tremendous performance by true freshman Robby Andrews.

In the Men’s Sprint Medley Championship of America, LSU won with a time of 3:17.65.  Mississippi State was the most dominant school in the sprint relays, as the Bulldogs won both the 4×200 meter relay and the 4×400 meter relay.  Both the Texas A&M men and women won the always exciting 4×100 meter relay, and the Texas A&M women won the 4×200.  The Tennessee women dominated the distance events, as the women won the DMR, the 4×1500 meter relay and the 4x 800 meter relay.  In both these races, Villanova and Oregon were the 2nd and 3rd place teams, as Nova (2009 Cross Country National Champions) finished 2nd in the 4×1500 and 3rd in the 4×800, and vice versa for the Oregon women.

Some highlights from the high school level:

In the 4×800 meter relay, Warwick Valley (NY) won the Championship of America with a very balanced relay.  The team ran a time of 7:41.77, and the splits only ranged from 1:55.1 to1:55.8.  My alma mater, local La Salle College High School, finished 6th overall and 5th in the United States.  Andrew Stone, Chris Muggler, Nick Molloy, and Tom O’Kane all ran very impressively to propel this local Philly team to 6th place overall and 1st place in the state.  O’Kane led the way with a 1:54.6 split, and each of the other 3 runners were in the 1:57′s.  

In the 4×400 meter relay, Local Philadelphia high school Cheltenham had the lead well into the race and ran a 3:17.25 for 5th place overall, 2nd in the United States, and 1st place on the East Coast.   Wolmer’s Boys, from Jamaica, won the race with a 3:14.59.  Wolmer’s Boys also won the 4×100 with a Penn Relays record setting performance of 39.78.  In the DMR, Good Council won with a 10:09.07, the only team to go under 10:10 this year.  

Congratulations to all the winners and participants in the Penn Relays, as there were many new records set, including an attendence record of 117,346 for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday combined.

Masters Round 1 Recap

Today, the Masters Tournament officially began with the ceremonious first tee shots of 3 time Masters winner Arnold Palmer and 6 time Green Jacket winner Jack Nicklaus.  The first round included the old-timers showing the younger players a few things on the course, the impressive play of international players, and the pesky issue of Tiger Woods’ return to golf.

The big story of the day was the play of older players such as Tom Watson and Fred Couples.  Couples (1992 Masters Champion) tops the leaderboard after 1 round with a 6 under 66.  Cool and calm as always, Couples thrived upon his intermediate game and his putting in his round.  Always a tremendous ballstriker, which is a necessity at Augusta, Couples was able to put the ball on the green consistently with his irons.  Couples played a very clean and efficient round, with 0 bogeys and 6 birdies.  66 was Fred’s lowest round in his Masters career.  Couples is a legitimate contender because of his ballstriking and putting ability, and has proven that Augusta is not too long for him yet.

Tom Watson had the best round of the early tee times.  Watson shot a 5 under 67, and just as Couples did, had 0 bogeys.  Efficiency was the name of the game today, and as Watson did last year at Turnberry in the Open Championship, played within himself and relied upon his approach and putting ability to put himself in the mix after 1 round.  If Watson hopes to compete for the Green Jacket on Sunday, Watson will need to putt very well in order to make up for strokes that he consistently loses on distance to the other players.

The other surprise was the play of international players Y.E. Yang and K.J. Choi.  Yang is looking to win consecutive majors, as he came back in the final round of the PGA Championship last year to defeat Tiger Woods (It was the first time Tiger had ever relinquished a lead in a major championship when leading after 54 holes).  Yang shot -5 and has shown early in the Masters that his PGA Championship victory last year was not a fluke. 

K.J. Choi is an international golfer who at one point was ranked 3rd in the world.  Choi then began to lose his confidence and did not play up to that 3rd ranking.  However, in the past year he has begun to play more effectively and efficiently, showcased by his -5 first round today, which is tied for 2nd in the tournament.  Choi seemed not to let the pressure of the pairing with Tiger Woods affect him, but instead played a very crisp round and putted very well.  A key for Choi will be whether he can put together 4 consecutive days of quality golf.  If he can do so, he will be a legitimate contender on Sunday.  Choi has shown that he has plenty of talent and ability, but consistency has been his problem in the past.

Finally, Tiger Woods returned to golf today after a leave of absence that began in December of last year.  Tiger showed no signs of rust in his first round, as he shot a 4 under 68, his best ever opening round at the Masters.  Tiger heard mostly cheers today, and was ”blown away” by the applause he received from the crowd.  Tiger was noticeably less on edge on the course than in the past.  He regularly talked and joked with K.J. Choi, only become visibly angry twice or three times, and seemed generally relaxed.  Tiger remains 2 strokes back of Fred Couples, and has put himself in perfect position to be a contender on Sunday.

If there is a player to look out for come Sunday, it is Lee Westwood.  Westwood was my pre-Masters pick to win the tournament, and I thought Lee would win because he has been in these pressure-filled situations consistently over the past few years.  He seems to always be in contention late into majors, and has always been one of the best ballstrikers in golf.  Westwood rarely makes the big mistake, and plays very efficient golf because of his ability to hit greens with so much consistency.  Westwood remains my favorite to win the Masters.

Stay tuned to the second round of the Masters, which starts Thursday morning.  Morning and early afternoon coverage can be found on Masters.com, and ESPN’s coverage begins at 4PM.

NCAA Coaching Update

It has been a busy day and past week in the college basketball coaching realm.

First, Al Skinner was fired from Boston College today, after interviewing for the St. John’s coaching vacancy.  However, Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo asserted that the interview with St. John’s was not the reason for the firing, as it was for former Boston College head football coach Jeff Jagodzinski prior to last year’s season.

Regarding the St. John’s head coaching vacancy, ESPN analyst and former UCLA head coach Steve Lavin will become the next Red Storm head coach.

Oregon has gone after 2 Big 10 coaches in Tom Izzo of Michigan State and Tubby Smith of Minnesota.  Neither coach has commented on the possibility of coaching at Oregon, but Izzo has denied communication with Oregon.

UTEP hired former USC head coach Tim Floyd to fill the program’s coaching vacancy.  Tim Floyd incurred several NCAA regulations violations for USC before his resignation, which was likely due to the punishments facing him as well as the USC program.

Last week, Iowa has hired former Siena head coach Fran McCaffrey (graduate of La Salle College High School) to be the next Hawkeye head coach, and he will replace former Iowa head coach Todd Lickliter, who was the Butler head coach before leaving for Iowa.