The Morning After: January 14, 2009
Wow! We’re already two weeks into 2009. And what an honor that I get to host the TMA on the two week anniversary of the New Year. Not much happened yesterday in the world of sports, the schedule was light and the news was a bit lacking, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have stuff to talk about.
If you are a Kansas City Chiefs fan, congratulations. You just got one of the best talent evaluators in football. Scott Pioli was instrumental in helping build, plug, and rebuild a lot of the New England Patriot teams that have without a doubt been the most dominant teams of the 1990s.
If you are a New England Patriots fan, there isn’t too much to worry about. You still have a guy named Belichick, and according to the Boston Herald he was instrumental in the Randy Moss trade amongst other personnel decisions. Now I’ve always been a little weary of head coaches controlling everything. It didn’t work for Mike Holmgren, who was unemployed at the end of the day.
In other NFL news, Troy Polamalu isn’t 100%. He says he’s pacing himself for the AFC Championship. I have no doubt that he will be a factor Sunday, regardless…Still has nothing on Antonio Cromartie, who played an entire season with a broken hip.
Suit Up! Mike Nolan is your defensive coordinator in Denver.
Michael Crabtree declared for the NFL draft. Throw them claws!
After foolishly firing Jeff Jagodzinski Boston College hired long time defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani.
Shaq’s making free throws? Apparently…Your NBA scores…Oh and the Magic, they set the NBA’s all time 3 point mark, at 23.
After the Blazers cried about it, the NBA has said they won’t fine them for threatening the Memphis Grizzlies (or any other team) that signed Darius Miles. If Miles plays a one more game the Blazers will hit the luxury tax, and have to pay millions
ATTENTION MIZ…Just skip down.
Derek Lowe has signed with the Braves who also shored up their rotation with Japanese all-star pitcher Kenshin Kawakami. Still no dominant pitcher in Atlanta, but these two put with Jair Jurrjens should give Atlanta a pretty solid rotation to hold them over until Hudson returns midseason…while former Brave John Smoltz was introduced in Beantown. T-Minus 10 weeks until he’s injured…
YOU’RE GOOD NOW MIZ…
Maybe not actually…Your college basketball scores…Which included Tennessee’s loss to Kentucky. The majority of the college basketball world will be eyeing Syracuse and Georgetown tonight.
GITC Note: Jodie Meeks scored 54 points for Kentucky to push them to that 90-72 win. Needless to say…
Stud of the Night: Jodie Meeks – 15/22 FG, 10/15 3PT, 14/14 FT, 8 REB, 4 AST, 54 PTS[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1964684&w=425&h=350&fv=]
Florida has a lot of wierd quirks. But every time I read something like this and this and this and this it makes me proud to be a Floridian…
Only a few more days before the NFL’s version of the final four, about a month untill pitchers and catchers report, and 3 weeks until National Signing Day. For now, discuss.
Popularity: 1% [?]
go vols? that meeks character for ‘Tucky is a baller.
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He couldn’t miss last night, I only saw the second half. But wow.
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Sorry about that, Miz.
If it makes you feel better he’s done the same to Virginia Military Institute (39), Kansas State (37), Appalachian State (46).
Not to the same degree obviously… but, you’re close to App State. That’s good right?
/this comment was an apology?
//sorry about that
///that was an apology
////gitc’d
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Trey -
The whole game is on replayable on ESPN360.com right now.
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it was pretty ugly last night. I can’t seem to figure out what’s wrong with Tennessee right now. they have very talented players and are 9 or 10 deep but only two of them are consistently making their presence known in games, Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism, and teams know if they can go after Chism and get him in foul trouble, his head will explode and he’s done for the game.
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Scotty Hopson is their actual best player if he could control his own body.
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Miz,
What I see is a team without a leader on the court. Someone has to step up for the Vols.
Knowing Bruce Pearl, they will.
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sec hoops defence = big 12 football defence.
/canada’d
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Robin Sparkles was awesome.
/canada’d
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SEC > Big 11
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+1 GITC.
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I’m not even sure what that means. Basketball? Football? Both?
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not in hoops, trey. not in hoops.
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Clearly not in hoops.
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Conference Power Rankings have SEC 6th behind the other BCS conferences and RPI has them 7th behind the Mountain West as well.
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SEC hoops is sturuuuuggalin’.
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Jodie Meeks > Paul Pierce
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Arkansas!
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You normally don’t want to be behind the Mountain West in basketball. They are having a really good year. Normally they fall into the high-mid-major category in my tier system for college basketball.
High- ACC, Big 10, Big XII, SEC, Pac-10, Big East, Missouri Valley
High Mid- A-10, CUSA, WAC, Mountain West, WCC, SoCon, Horizon, CAA
Low Mid- MAC, Patriot, Ivy, Mid-Con, Southland, Big South, Big West, A-East
Low- SWAC, Northeast, MEAC, Sunbelt, A-Sun, Big Sky, MAAC, OVC
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Note that the Mid-Con (Mid Continent Conference) is now the Summit League.
I quoted that from something old.
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Michael Curry needs to make his first real decision and sen AI to the bench. Or Joe D needs to trade Rip.
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Conferences that are deviating highly from where they normally belong this year…
SoCon- Davidson might be awesome, and Charleston is good, but the rest of league is in an off year.
MAAC- Very high to the point of high mid major status. Attributed to Siena being really good and other teams like Niagara, Fairfield, and Rider being good.
Ivy- Down by virtue of not having a single good team. Where has Penn gone?
Summit – Oral Roberts, IUPUI, Oakland are all kind of down, UMKC is way down. On the flip side, North Dakota State is kind of good. I can’t believe I typed that.
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or the Pistons need to move back to Fort Wayne
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Amir Johnson needs to start, they have been a better team all year when he has been in the lineup.
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Michigan St at Penn St tonight. At Penn St is one of thsoe sneaky tough games that you should win but sometimes don’t. They lost at Penn St. last year.
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Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson did the Top 10 list on Letterman last night and it was pretty funny, if you haven’t seen it. Watch or read it here.
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Guhhh, time to go shovel in 4 degrees and wind.
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John, Arod agrees with 2 and 3.
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kwsn- no comfy about tonight’s game.
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DeChellis > Izzo
/!?!?’d
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hopefully the Vols won’t look so Meek in their next home game.
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Also declaring for the draft yesterday future top 10 pick Aaron Maybin
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Johnny- i think he is first round, but not top 10.
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Eli the highest paid player in the NFL?!?!
Giant payday coming to Eli Manning after laying Eagle egg
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Maybin gone? My friend swore he was staying.
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he announced yesterday that he was going pro, trey.
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Eli won the Super Bowl last year, and just had his best regular season. Yeah, he had a shit game this past sunday. not saying he is the best QB in the league, but rarely is the best player getting paid the most. He is worth the big raise.
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He’ll be picked early, but not sure he’s the right size yet.
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that is why he won’t be top 10. maybin = suggs?
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Oh he’s definately not exactly big enough to be an end but I think he’d be perfect as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense
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He was actually the one player I got to shake hands with after the Rose Bowl. Really bummed that he’s leaving
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trey, really enjoyed those floridian links. nice work
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Does this make you proud to be a Floridian too, trey?
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No mention of the Memphis Tulsa game. Tulsa made a basket to go up by 1 pt with about 4.5 seconds left. Then Memphis drives the floor, everyone is scared to foul and a running layup goings in just as time expires. Memphis won and Tulsa was denied being the first conference opponent to beat Memphis since something like 1978 (ok a bit of an exaggeration).
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Monkeys are awesome…especially when they’re angry and throwing poop.
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RE: Eli getting paid
He won a Super Bowl and can be really good when he’s on…he should get a big payday….hell, make him a $200M man.
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Tough part of the Big East schedule starts tonight for Syracuse. 16-1 and 4-0 in conference but 9 of next 10 are ranked teams! That is one brutal conference schedule this year. They’ll lose a few of those game for sure. Even if they go 5-5, they should still be top 20 in my opinion.
They are a fun team to watch this year since they are very well balanced. My only criticism which I always have of Jim Boeheim is that he only plays a 7 man rotation. His top players are shot by the end of the year typically. It is not like he doesn’t have a reasonably deep bench either. Just his thing.
He keeps his best players on the floor for more time so you can argue he is putting his best team out there but players are not machines. They get tired. He also alienates and pisses off the guys he doesn’t play. Most guys don’t bitch if they play 30 minutes instead of 40 minutes but players transfer when they play 0 minutes instead of 10.
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