‘88 Kansas Team Still The Biggest of Miracles

Often the discussion comes up about which NCAA team was the biggest surprise. Here is the bracket for the 1988 tournament.

We’ve Moved!!!!!!!

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11 hours of driving, 40:00 of basketball – Merry Christmas

It’s about 6:15 a.m. Saturday and my co-pilot, my brother-in-law, Roger, and I are about fifteen minutes south of Syracuse on Rte. 81. The Liacouras Center, home of the Temple Owls and our destination, looms four hours away.

We have watched the temperature gauge on the dashboard drop from a, what seems now, balmy 21 degrees to 5. We continue on through the snow belt of Central New York, our surroundings go from a foot accumulation of snow to ice covering every tree branch along the roadside.

While the snow to ice transition should indicate a positive trend, I am uneasy what we might encounter.

The seeds for today’s journey were sown a month ago when Rey responded to one of my pre-season NCAA hoops articles. The Temple grad mentioned an interest in attending the Owls match-up with the Tennessee Volunteers.

I couldn’t resist.

The thought of catching an A-10 / SEC game and adding a gym to my collection of arenas-attended was too much for me.

Of course a month ago the average temperature was in the 40s, and the thought of the daughter playing a game the night before did not play a part in my decision. I also couldn’t have known that the daughter’s game would get started late and when it was all said and done, I wouldn’t fall asleep until after midnight.

4 a.m. came way too soon.

All of that doesn’t matter. It also doesn’t matter that any vehicle problems will force me into single digit temperature.

I am questioning my sanity – driving five and a half hours to watch 40 minutes of hoops – only to turn around and make the trek home.

I am doing everything to keep those thoughts as just that – thoughts. Verbalizing these ideas can only work as a negative.

Soon after daybreak the phone rings. It’s Rey. We check our coordinates and make tentative plans for meeting in Philly.

After our conversation ends it occurs to me – that talk accomplished nothing. We shed no new light on the day’s plans. Rey was only calling to make sure I would follow through with my intentions. Yeah – he too is questioning the sanity of all this.

Couple hours later we are in northern Pennsylvania; Roger and I stop for gas.

It’s 15 degrees outside. As I am opening the door, I’m expecting the air to cut through to my bones.

Much to my surprise it doesn’t feel that bad. I know this sounds crazy, but 15 degrees can actually feel warmer than say 28-34 degrees. Usually when it’s below 20 the air is at least dry. The nasty precip that comes with 28-34 makes the situation twice as bad. Just a theory.

As we continue south on Rte. 476 the ice and snow slowly disappear. Cars and trucks of hunters dot the roadside, and I am thinking of the final scene from Deer Hunter. Robert DeNiro, after a failed attempt to retrieve his buddy from Vietnam, is back in the familiar haunts of Pennsylvania. He is tracking a deer through the woods of Pa. He has his prey in his sites when the deer turns and looks at him. “Okay, Okay…OKAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!”

10:45 We meet up with Rey and Michael in northern Philly. After a brief exchange of introductions and pleasantries I can’t help but comment about Michael’s UNC hooded sweat shirt.

“Hey Rey, I didn’t realize it was ugly sweat shirt day.”

We load into Rey’s vehicle and head for 1776 N. Broad Street (great address isn’t it?)

Rey: (at first speaking to Michael) “Didn’t I tell you he would say something. That took you about :30 to make a comment about his NC shirt.”

It occurred to me at this point that my crass comment has actually broken some ice. Rey and Michael have obviously discussed my Duke allegiance. If I had not said anything, they would have been uncomfortable the whole time wondering what was up.

The topic of the Big Five is one of our first conversations.

How is it that Drexel is not a part?

I am realizing the importance of Philly in the hoops landscape, and that I have been irresponsible in waiting this long to attend a game in the ‘City of Brotherly Love’.

I mention to Rey that I have the game notes for today’s game if he needs.

Rey: “I don’t need to know anything else about my team. We have a seven footer who can’t do anything and no guards.”

Conversation proceeds into how Temple’s back court is going to get exposed by the Volunteer press.

After a rather serpentine trip through the streets of Philadelphia, Rey gives up searching for a parking spot and opts for the on-campus parking garage – more on this later. Forty minutes ‘til tip off – I am not gonna complain.

As we are walking, Rey points across the way to a school and notes that Rasheed Wallace attended there.

I take the bait and go into a rant about how Wallace and his former Tar Heel teammate, Jerry Stackhouse, are punks and in Stackhouse’s case – overrated.

Rey gets me to admit that I have respect for Roy and the Tar Heels.

Inside Liacouras and Rey is waiting at Will Call for tix. Michael with as big a grin on his face as you can imagine: “He says you are pretty good at punting a basketball.”

Amazing. I coach a guy for how long, and the only story he can relate is how I blew a gasket one day and decided to play punt the ball into the ceiling.

We find our seats – about nineteen rows behind the Temple bench on the foul line.

We have spotted Bill Raftery with his court side seat. Nervous discussion ensues considering the possibility of Raftery using ‘with authority’ while referring to Wayne Chism and Brian Williams.

Rey: “After driving this far I just hope we don’t embarrass ourselves.”

Yeah it’s safe to admit it now that we are in our seats, and both of discuss how little sense it makes for us to have made this trip especially if Temple gets blasted.

One way to encourage student participation at games – keep the fight song simple.

“‘T’ for ‘Temple U’ U-ni-versity! Fight, fight, fight! For the Cherry and the White, For the Cherry and the White, We’ll fight, fight, fight!” Throw in some choreographed hand motions and you have spirit.

Works for me.

Interesting color contrast – the cherry red of Temple mixed with the Tennessee cream-sicle orange – a little lacking in aesthetics.

Tip off – Temple gets possession.

Scotty Hopson and Wayne Chism are not in the starting lineup for the Vols. Word is they missed team breakfast. What are the chances of a college student missing a meal?

Lavoy Allen gets the rebound and put back. Temple up 2-0.

Tennessee misses the first of 26 three-point attempts. Important to note – the Volunteers only took 25 shots inside the arc.

Ryan Brooks gets the ‘bound – gives it up – gets it back and scores at the other end. Temple 4-0.

Another Volunteer possession and another attempt from behind the arc – Brooks again with the rebound.

At the other end Sergio Olmos (the ‘seven footer who can’t do anything’) finishes. Temple 6-0. Bruce Pearl calls a time out. We stand up and cheer. I can’t help but think we are doing this because it may be our last opportunity for the day.

Three more Volunteer possessions – two more three-ball attempts and still nothing.

Olmos finishes another layup. Rey is at a loss for words. 8-0 Temple.

“One way to beat the Tennessee press is to not let them score, so they can’t set it.”

With that in mind I’m thinking one Volunteer bucket could lead to two more.

We need a pulse-finder for Semaj Inge. The Temple guard appears completely detached from the events on the floor. Rey is calling for his removal.

Guess the penalty has been served. Hopson comes off the bench and scores.

Dionte Christmas responds with a three. Rey sends his first of many text messages that read: “Merry Christmas.” The Vol fan on the receiving end has to figure he’ll get the last laugh.

Despite a few field goals Tennessee surprisingly doesn’t press.

11:00 mark – Renaldo Woolridge knocks down two free throws and the feeling is it just a matter of time before the Vols break this one open. They have been showing some token pressure, but not getting any turnovers yet.

With Olmos swatting everything that comes his way the Owls score the next seven.

Tennessee responds with a pair of field goals.

Unintentional comedy moment of the game – shot clock running down, ball ends up in the hands of Olmos who launches from behind the arc…nothing but back board.

TV time out: Temple by three.

At the break Rey and I discuss the logic behind the Temple dance team – Co-eds scantily clad using the most provocative of dance moves while Def Leppard’s ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me’ plays in the background. I’ve gotta guess (and it would only be a guess) that if you surveyed 100 strip joints across America and asked what songs are the most popular in their clubs – Leppard’s little ditty would rank in the top five.

Rey: “Why don’t they just send them out there with brass poles and complete the scene. I can’t imagine any of their fathers are here. If they are, they’ll be leaving at half – time.”

7:00 Christmas joins Allen on the bench with two fouls.

Two minutes later Christmas returns. Unified breath-holding permeates Temple nation.

For the next three possessions the Volunteers go well into the shot clock, but not by design. The perimeter continues passing the ball around while the interior runs a lifeless flex cut. Tennessee players can be seen looking over to the bench during a possession as if to say – what are supposed to be doing?

One minute later Christmas gets tangled on the baseline and rolls his ankle. Not looking good.

Olmos scores five in the last four minutes of the half. Bobby Maze launches another Volunteer three-point attempt. The long rebound kicks to Inje who leads Luis Guzman and Temple takes a nine-point lead at half.

Not that I needed any evidence to the fact that Philly sports are harsh. But at half time a fan is pulled from the crowd for a three-point shooting contest. The challenge is to make as many in a minute as possible, but the contestant has to rebound his own shot. The guy behind us is giving the contestant a hard time for not hustling after his rebounds – only in Philly.

Rey: “Pearl has just been feeling them out. They wanted to see how Temple would break the press.”

Tennessee scores on the first possession of the second half and slaps on the press.

Temple guards make three quick passes and cross half court. Nice response

Christmas’s ankle looks fine. He knocks down the next nine for Temple including a sweet dunk – Owls by 12.

Allen is on the bench with four fouls as well as Michael Eric. Fran Dunphy has to go small. The 6’4” Inge is covering 6’10” Brian Williams. Suddenly the kid who played the first half devoid of a pulse is stepping up.

Williams stops during a possession at one point, tries to get his teammates attention by pointing at Inge while doing his fairest Keysahwn Johnson and calls for the ball.

With all five fouls to give Inge makes the transformation into a man.

Pearl has taken off his coat and reveals cream-sicle colored suspenders.

One minute later he gets a technical.

Not sure if it was something he said or the suspenders.

Christmas knocks down three consecutive 3s – Temple by 15.

Timeout Tennessee.

At this point I am realizing my dream match-up would be Temple and Davidson. Dionte Christmas and Stephen Curry on the same court – WOW! (In case you’re keeping count that is eight consecutive basketball articles that I have mentioned Curry).

The Temple band starts jamming and stops.

Student section:”Oh oh we’re halfway there. Oh oh we’reliving on a prayer.”

I have a momentary lapse of reason and confuse the Bon Jovi song with a Neil Diamond song. Rey brings me back to my senses. The excitement is getting to me. EVERY time Christmas touches the ball the excitement is palpable. People start buzzing even when he takes the ball out of bounds.

After another Christmas trifecta the Owls have a great possession and work the ball inside to Allen who has Williams pinned on his hip. Allen turns and finds Olmos at the foul line.

As the ball is in mid-air from Allen to Olmos, Rey is yelling: “No, don’t settle for that!”

Olmos releases – nothing but net.

Everything is falling for the Owls.

Inside a minute remaining the student section readies itself to rush the court. Rey declares that anyone over 25 cannot rush the court.

The final horn sounds. Temple 88 Tennessee 72.

Rey: “I officially approve of the Dunphy hiring.”

There are at least two fans on the court that are drawing from the Social Security fund that I am contributing to but will probably receive none of in return.

We stroll from Liacouras with steak in mind. Lines are too long and we decide against victuals. Off to the car.

Remember the parking garage decision?

After waiting in our spot for 20 minutes and still not moving – Rey: “Why did I settle for this spot instead of searching the streets?”

Another theory – when you have a five+ hour ride after a game, you might not want to park on the third floor of a five-floor garage.

Luckily the experience doesn’t pass without some drama.

A sports car cuts off an SUV and accelerates before slamming the brakes about 100 feet later. Guy in the SUV takes exception and decides to take matters into his own hands – gets out of his car and approaches the other vehicle. Fortunately there was a sudden movement in traffic, and the altercation was avoided.

Roger: “City of brotherly love, huh?”

It all works out though. Roger and I get on the road and are home by nine. Just in time to meet the better half and younger daughter at Paddy’s on the corner of Latta and Long Pond for the second half of Xavier at Cincinnati.

Cooking with Chas: What to Do When the Hot Stove Cools Off

Just a month removed from the Philadelphia Phillies’ World Series celebration, the pilot light on the hot stove appears to have flickered out. All of the post-season awards have been announced, the Jake Peavy trade rumors have died down, and none of the major free agents seem to be in a hurry to find new homes. So, unless you’re interested in more talk about the Mitchell report, or its spin-off, the Roger Clemens/Brian McNamee saga (note that I didn’t mention that word), then you need to look elsewhere for your winter baseball pick-me-up.

So, at least partly inspired by this week’s Tuesdays with Smitty, I bring you my recommendations for your off-season baseball-related reading. I’m going to break these down into a few categories, and hopefully my selections are far enough out of left field, so to speak, that they’ll include a few that you might not have thought about reading otherwise.

Baseball Folk Tales

The Iowa Baseball Confederacy, by W.P. Kinsella
Often imitated but never duplicated, you really can’t go wrong with W.P. Kinsella. I’m sure most everyone has heard of Kinsella’s first novel and most famous work, Shoeless Joe, the book that inspired the movie Field of Dreams. But, in my opinion, his best work is his second novel. The Iowa Baseball Confederacy tells the story of Gideon Clarke, a man on a quest to prove, as his father had tried unsuccessfully before him, that the Chicago Cubs traveled to Onamata (formerly Big Inning), Iowa in 1908 for an exhibition game against the amateur all-stars from The Iowa Baseball Confederacy. Gideon is determined to set the record straight about a game that no one believes ever happened, one that was expected to be congenial and one-sided, but turned into a titanic struggle of over 2000 innings, played mostly in pouring rain over more than a month’s time. Kinsella’s knack for weaving fantastical tales that celebrate the spirituality of baseball, as well as life in the American midwest, is on full display here. As far as I’m concerned, there is no story that better captures the concept of baseball as a virtual fountain of youth, and celebrates its timeless nature that has the ability to make time stand still.

The Curious Case of Sidd Finch, by George Plimpton
The product of an April Fools’ Day hoax perpetrated by Plimpton and Sports Illustrated, Sidd Finch was a fictional baseball player “discovered” by the New York Mets in the spring of 1985. An eccentric English-born buddhist monk, Finch has the ability to throw a baseball at the astounding rate of 168 mph, and is deciding whether to pursue a career as a major league pitcher or as a french horn player. The story is a humorous and pleasantly rambling narrative that is as wonderful as a baseball fairy tale can be.

Human Interest Autobiographies

Fear Strikes Out: The Jim Piersall Story, by Jim Piersall & Al Hirshberg
Jimmy Piersall was a promising outfielder for the Boston Red Sox in the 1950s, who is best known for his battles with bipolar disorder that resulted in a nervous breakdown during the 1952 season. Following completion of a seven-week program at Westboro State Hospital in Massachusetts, which caused him to miss most of that season, he returned in 1953 to finish 9th in American League MVP voting. This is a dramatic and heart-warming story of his courage and of the unconditional support he received from his manager, teammates, coaches, fans, and most importantly, his wife. The remainder of his career, which stretched from 1950 to 1967, and included stints with the Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, New York Mets and Los Angeles/California Angels, was not without incident, but his autobiography provides an in-depth account of his experiences that raised public awareness of the realities of mental illness.

Behind the Mask: My Double Life in Baseball, by Dave Pallone with Alan Steinberg
To my knowledge, Dave Pallone is the only confirmed homosexual in major league baseball history. The twist to his story is that he was an umpire. Not just any umpire, though, but an umpire who landed his job in the majors when the union was on strike. He was also at the center of one of the most famous on-field conflicts in modern history, the incident that resulted in Pete Rose’s 50-game suspension for shoving him. Coincidentally, Rose and Pallone were both dismissed from the game by A. Bartlett Giamatti. Pallone claims that his firing was the result of his being “outed”. His autobiography is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at his closeted life in the homophobic sports world. One caveat to potential readers is that some of his accounts may be a bit more up close and personal than necessary, but they can easily be skipped over, and otherwise, this is well worth the read.

The Business of Baseball

Fair Ball: A Fan’s Case for Baseball, by Bob Costas
Following the 1999 season, Bob Costas wrote this well-organized, easy to read, but very thorough “plan” for major league baseball as it moved into the 21st century. Subjects covered include logical arguments for a revenue sharing plan, a payroll ceiling and a payroll floor, simple realignment, a revised playoff structure, the elimination of the DH and the use of instant replay. It’s almost ten years since it was written, and much has changed in the game since, particularly the fact that eight teams have won the subsequent nine World Series, but concerns about competitive balance are still a sleeping giant. Much of what Costas advocated for still makes sense, although may be in need of a slight revision to be practical. More importantly, though, at less than 200 pages, with typeset that resembles a children’s book, it doesn’t require much of a time investment, and it remains a very interesting read.

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis
Billy Beane certainly wasn’t the first baseball executive to incorporate statistical analysis into personnel decisions, but his philosophies regarding under-valued skills are still considered somewhat revolutionary. This is easily the most mainstream of my recommendations here, but all I have to say is if you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for?

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving, and that you were able to spend it with those you love. I also hope that some of you act upon one or more of my recommendations, and that this helps fill the off-season void that sometimes even the hot stove is unable to.

Tuesdays with Smitty: The Thanksgiving Edition

Well it is that time of year again. The leaves are gone…or on the ground, snow has made a brief appearance and is close to staying for a couple of months. Football is in full swing as we bear down down on the NFL playoffs and a spot in the BCS.  This week brings us together with a favorite combination – turkey and football. Thanksgiving brings us loads of turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. While most TVs will be turned to football Thursday, some may not be allowed. Or for that matter, no one is going to want to watch the 0-11 Detroit Lions. So what will be on instead? Movies. Well if you can’t have on the game, what can be better then curling up next to a fire…. well in the case of the Edgemere mansion – about 20 feet on the other side of the room – and watching a great sports movie. So what are the great sports movies? Some are classics, some are favorites. I thought I would list my Top 5 and let you submit your favorites. Here we go.

1. Bull Durham – Kevin Costner, Timothy Robbins and Susan Sarandon. Is it just me, or has Kevin Costner made his career on baseball movies and wolves? This classic has a ton of lines that anyone can quote at anytime and any self-respecting baseball fan will know right where it came from. If you haven’t watch it, do yourself a favor, go to Best Buy on Black Friday (your penance for not seeing this) and spend the 5 bucks for the DVD.

2. Raging Bull – Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro. One of the best movies made by Scorsese. DeNiro was incredible as the great Jake LaMotta. Shot in black and white; the images are incredible. Worth seeing multiple times.

3. Hoosiers – Gene Hackman brings a winner to the sleepy town of Hickory. This has to be the favorite amongst “Underdog” sports movies. Right when Jimmy Chitwood says, ” Coach stays, I play. Coach goes, I go” – you know things are turning around. Or how about Shooter(Dennis Hopper) getting the book right after Coach Norman Dale is ejected. Talk about being up a creek without the obligatory paddle.

4. Caddyshack – I am sorry – this has to be in here. Possibly the best sports comedy, it has memorable performances from Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase and Bill Murray – “The Cinderella story..”

5. The Natural - I am not sure how many times I have watched this movie. Still the music still gives me goosebumps. How about striking out the Whammer on 3 straight pitches that are as “dry as your Grand Daddy’s scalp”. How about shattering the lights on a game winning home run – and don’t tell me you haven’tenvisioned yourself doing something like that. Or how about Kim Bassinger in a fur coat. I still remember my Dad taking me to the theater to see this flick… Mom wanted to go because it was Robert Redford before he turned into a leather coat.

Well those are my top 5 – and don’t get me wrong – there are others. But let’s hear what your favorite sports movies are. In the meantime – have a healthy and Happy Thanksgiving. Eat lots of turkey, unbuckle the pants, curl up on the couch and enjoy..

Performance of the Week (POTW) 11/17-11/23

Get accustomed to this guy getting my POTW a while. Stephen Curry’s second half against Oklahoma was nothing to sneeze at. In the season’s first match up of ranked opponents Curry dropped 27 and handed out two assists…in the second half. The junior finished with 44 and three dishes. All that in 33 minutes of play as Curry sat out the end of the first half with foul trouble.

Who gets your POTW?

ND Is Toast … Wildcats Boast

To say that Notre Dame fans across the country are disgusted, embarrassed, disappointed, angry, ticked off, agitated and/or sickened would cover approximately 80% of the emotional spectrum.   For the other 20%, insert some expletives in front of those adjectives and we’ll have everyone covered.   On the morning after ND’s 24-23 defeat to the lowly Syracuse Orange, one thing I cannot say is that I’m surprised.   We’ve seen this same script time after time this season and last season.   The Irish struggle to mount a double digit lead in the 4th quarter to an opponent with a mere fraction of their talent base … and then they just quit playing hard … or with inspiration … or with character … or with intensity … or whatever essential ingredient this team most certainly lacks.   I’m not surprised … I knew they would eventually cough up this game as they ALWAYS do.   And again, we’re left wondering how this team … how this coaching staff … can be so incompetent … so uninspired … when all other teams under the same circumstances would be busting their butts to win the last home game, to clinch a winning season, to clinch a decent bowl game, to keep some positive momentum going.   Nope, these types of things one might expect from a college football team playing under the Golden Dome do not exist in any detectable quantities in South Bend.    Other than admitting that ND’s come-from-ahead defeat, again at home, to a sinking Syracuse team everyone thought should be beaten by at least 3 touchdowns is about the most humiliating event a ND fan could imagine, I really just don’t know what else to say.   I guess it’s pretty obvious that something very drastic must change under the Dome.   Why can’t Weis and his staff inspire these kids to play hard and smart for 60 minutes?!?!?   This staff has simply lost the players.   And I’m too disgusted to be very prescriptive about it … would just prefer not to even think about ND football right now.   Let’s just leave it up to the new AD, Mr. Swarbrick, to figure out what’s wrong and fix it … that’s his job.  Now, if they want to hire ol’ Wally as a consultant, I think I can make myself available … for a slight fee … just enough to offset money wasted on ND tickets these last few seasons      

Now, on a positive note, how about the nice season by the Northwestern Wildcats?   (I used to call them the Northworsten Mildcats … but no more!)   The ‘Cats just beat their “close-to-home” rival Fighting Illini to finish 4th in the Big 10 with an overall record of 9-3.   Pretty damned good for one of those “premier academic institutions”.   Maybe ND should try to recruit NU head coach Pat Fitzgerald away from Evanston, just like they did with Ara Parseghian back in the early ’60s.  

Boise State remained undefeated with a hard fought road win at Nevada and they are now 10-0.  However, still undefeated Utah beat BYU convincingly and is better perched in the BCS standings to claim a spot in one of the “big games”. 

Nice to see Michigan get crushed again to worsen their worst season ever.    Speaking of getting crushed, how did Texas Tech give up 42 points in the first half to Oklahoma and just not show up for their day in the sun?   What a disappointment that was, as I’m sure college football fans everywhere were hoping to see a true showdown in the primetime game of the day. 

Looks like Oregon State may just as well nudge USC away from the Rose Bowl.   The Beavers just need to beat the Ducks next week in Corvaillis. 

Well, the BCS rankings will be released in a few hours.  I expect we’ll see it set up so that the SEC champ (Bama or Florida) will end up playing the Big 12 champ (as long as it’s Oklahoma or Texas) in the title game.   Can’t complain about this type of match-up, but I would like to see both Utah and Boise State get invites to one of the 5 big games. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all!   Oh … there’s only one NFL game on Turkey day cuz the Detroit Lions are playing in the other one.  

Breaking down the AP’s top 25: Five to keep in mind

Over the last couple of weeks we have spent some time reviewing the AP’s Pre-Season poll. First we looked at 1-5, then 6-10, moved on to 11-15, looked at 16-20, and finished with 21-25.

Any time a poll like this is published, skepticism has to be expected. I scratched my head at a few of these picks. Then I considered last year’s pre-season poll – many thanks to crossword pete who dug up this one for me. I hit a researching road block the other night and turned to pete for a detour. As always pete delivered.

2007-08 NCAA Division I Men’s Pre-Season Poll
1. North Carolina
2. UCLA
3. Memphis
4. Kansas
5. Georgetown
6. Louisville
7. Tennessee
8. Michigan State
9. Indiana
10. Washington St.
11. Marquette
12. Oregon
13. Duke
14. Gonzaga
15. Texas
16. Texas A & M
17. Arizona
18. USC
19. Arkansas
20. Kentucky
21. NC State
22. Pittsburgh
23. Stanford
24. So. Illinois
25. Kansas St.

Not a bad job by the pollsters. They actually picked the Final Four – just got the order tangled. They even had Louisville in the Elite Eight, and they weren’t far off with Texas. After that the rest of the picks run a muck.

For a final look at the pre-season poll (especially considering we are past the pre-season) here are five teams to keep in mind as they may surprise a few people.

Have I mentioned my daughter goes to school 504 miles away? Go ahead question my objectivity. Call it nepotism, or whatever you want. The Musketeers will get it done again. First of all they play in the Atlantic 10 – the most underrated conference in the country. Xavier will not come away from their conference schedule soft.

Drew Lavender and Josh Duncan have graduated, but Coach Sean Miller and his Musketeers have reloaded.

The Musketeers led the A-10 in rebounding margin last year, and junior Derrick Brown, who led the X-Men with 6.5 boards per game, returns to the front court. He’ll be joined by 6’9” Jason Love. The junior grabbed bounds at a rate of 5.5 per game.

Senior BJ Raymond will present match up problems. At 6’6”and 212 pounds, Raymond is tough to stop off the dribble. Last year he hit from behind the arc at a rate of 42%. Combine that with 80% free throw shooting and Brown will carry the load for Xavier.

Senior CJ Anderson will join the starting five. He scored 10 points and grabbed 5 boards per game.
True freshman, Terrell Hollaway will run the point.

The Musketeers have already knocked off Va Tech. They have match ups with Auburn, Duke, and Butler before they enter conference play. As every year, the Musketeers have their Cross-Town Shootout with Cincinnati.

Remember how the Saints whacked Vanderbilt in the first round of last year’s NCAA? Four starters return from that squad.

Fran McCaffery will start two seniors and three juniors.

6’6” Edwin Ubiles led the Saints with 17 ppg. He’ll be joined in the front court by Josh Duell and Alex Franklin. The trio combined for 15 boards per game a year ago.

Ronald Moore had 5 assists per game, and he’ll run the point.

Pre-season MAAC Conference Player-of-the Year, Kenny Hasbrouck rounds out the starting five. Last year the senior nailed 16 points per game.

Rochester connections, Cory Magee and Kyle Downey will see minutes off the bench as will sophomores, Clarence Jackson and Ryan Rossiter.

So sure of his Saints is McCaffery that the fourth-year coach has loaded his non-conference schedule with challenges – Tennessee, St. Joe’s, Pittsburgh, and Kansas.

Since Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver have exited the Cougars look vulnerable. Taylor Rochestie will need to shoulder the load in the back court.

I can’t count out a team coached by Tony Bennett. His teams always play a hard-nosed style of defense that keeps them in every game.

Seniors Daven Harmeling and Aron Baynes will play in the front court.

Nikola Koprivica and Abe Lodwick will finish the back court.

Klay Thompson, Fabian Boeke, and Caleb Forrest will come off the bench.

Michigan’s victory over UCLA was no fluke. Rather it was another stop in John Beilein’s basketball odyssey.

The Wolverines already showed a deft ability to play Beilein’s 1-3-1 half-court zone. They also have showed the ability to seamlessly switch to man-to-man with little drop off. This combination of defenses will make the Wolverines tough to beat.

Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims look right at home in Beilein’s offensive system. The two have combined for 38 points per game thus far.

Zack Gibson, Stu Douglass, and Anthony Wright complete the starting five.

Temple’s run to last year’s Atlantic 10 championship and the subsequent automatic bid was no mistake. Fran Dunphy has the Cherry and White moving in the right direction.

Leading scorer Dionte Christmas has returned and is ready to lead the Owls in Dunphy’s third season. The senior from Philly has led the A-10 in scoring the last two years.

Christmas is one of four returning starters.

7’0” Sergio Olmos will be a presence in the paint. The senior had 49 blocked shots and led the squad with a shooting percentage of 56.3.

Sophomore Lavoy Allen was an A-10 All-Rookie player last year. The 6’9” forward averaged eight points and five rebounds per game while leading the team with 52 blocks.

Junior Luis Guzman will run the point. He dished out 54 assists last year.

Junior Ryan Brooks completes the starting five. Brooks play his best when the pressure is on. As a sophomore Brooks knocked down 15 in the A10 championship victory. For an encore Brooks drilled 14 in the NCAA opening round loss to MSU.

Ramon Moore and Semaj Inge will see plenty of time from the bench.

Who am I?

Too bad endorsement deals were not as rampant during my playing days as they are now. With one of my nicknames I could have easily represented Chips Ahoy pretty well. I was another one of those first guys to make the jump from high school to the NBA. All but four games of my 14-year career were played for three Eastern Conference teams. Five times I played for a team that advanced to the finals. Three of those teams loss to the Lakers. It wasn’t until my final season that I earned a ring. Too bad I was nothing more than a bench-warmer for that squad. I rank in the top ten for all-time field goal percentage. I also set a record for most fouls in a season.

Who am I?

Cooking with Chas: A Weekly Look at What’s on the MLB Hot Stove

Since it’s not easy for even the most dedicated fan of the game to keep track of everything that happens during the off-season, I’m going to try to make it a point to provide a brief update each week of the significant transactions that occurred over the last 7 days. Some of these, of course, you’ll certainly have heard about already, while I suspect others will have flown under your radar.

Yesterday saw several interesting, varied and, in some cases, surprising developments in Major League Baseball:

• Mike Mussina announced his retirement after 18 seasons in the majors, just 30 wins shy of 300. This, of course, will set off much discussion and debate regarding his Hall of Fame worthiness. Expect more on that subject from this writer at a later date.
• The World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies (a rarely uttered phrase) announced that second baseman Chase Utley will need off-season hip surgery, which could potentially cause him to miss the first two months, or more, of 2009.
• 39-year old Hal Steinbrenner, and not his older brother Hank, was officially named managing general partner of the New York Yankees, succeeding his father in that role, and taking over the club at an even younger age than George did. Hal then announced that the Yankees will establish a deadline for CC Sabathia to accept their contract offer.
• The commissioner’s office announced that they will make it an official rule that all post-season games will be played to completion, and cannot be shortened due to weather. I can’t imagine that anyone could possibly consider this a bad idea.

A few more significant items from this past week:

• On Wednesday, the Boston Red Sox traded outfielder Coco Crisp to the Kansas City Royals for relief pitcher Ramon Ramirez, in what Keith Law describes as a move that may end up hurting both teams. Red Sox Nation, though, has already anointed Ramirez as the man who will allow Justin Masterson to team with Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka and the soon-to-be-acquired A.J. Burnett as the 5-man rotation equivalent of the ‘71 Orioles.
• Also on Wednesday, the Seattle Mariners hired Don Wakamatsu as the 14th manager in their history. More importantly, Wakamatsu, who was the Oakland Athletics’ bench coach last year, becomes the first Asian-American manager in major league baseball history.
• On Tuesday, The Chicago Cubs re-signed starting pitcher Ryan Dempster, with the two sides agreeing on a 4-year, $52 million deal. Dempster, of course, will remain in last year’s role as one of the top three hurlers in the Cubs’ rotation.
• On Monday, relief pitcher Jeremy Affeldt became the first free agent of this off-season to sign, coming to terms with the San Francisco Giants on a 2-year, $8 million deal. The left-handed Affeldt pitched for the Cincinnati Reds last year, and will most likely fill a setup role in front of closer Brian Wilson.

And, just in case you missed anything that happened prior to my last hot stove report:

• On November 13, the Yankees traded utility infielder Wilson Betemit, and pitching prospects Jeff Marquez and Jhonny Nunez to the Chicago White Sox for first baseman/outfielder Nick Swisher and minor league pitcher Kanekoa Texeira.
• Also on the 13th, the Cubs acquired relief pitcher Kevin Gregg from the Florida Marlins for minor league pitcher Jose Ceda.
• On November 12, the Athletics acquired outfielder Matt Holiday from the Colorado Rockies for relief pitcher Huston Street, Greg Smith and Carlos Gonzalez.
• Also on the 12th, the Yankees re-signed relief pitcher Damaso Marte to a three-year deal for $12 million, with a club option for a fourth, in what has to be a record deal for a relief pitcher who is neither a closer nor a primary setup man.
• On November 11, the Washington Nationals traded second baseman Emil Bonifacio to the Marlins for starting pitcher Scott Olsen and outfielder Josh Willingham.
• On October 30, the Marlins began this year’s fire sale by sending first baseman Mike Jacobs to the Royals for relief pitcher Leo Nunez.

I don’t have a lot of analysis this week, but hopefully some of the stories mentioned here will generate some discussion. Meanwhile, I’ll end this with a few predictions as to the domino effect that will decide where a few of the biggest free agents will land:

• CC Sabathia will spurn the Yankees’ offer, and disappoint the players union, but will end up making more per year than Johan Santana did last year as he accepts an offer to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• The Dodgers aren’t going to sign both Sabathia and Manny Ramirez, so Manny will move just southeast to Orange County and sign with the Angels.
• The writing seems to be on the wall that the Angels aren’t going to work that hard to bring Francisco Rodriguez back anyway, but the Manny signing will make this reality even clearer. The only big market team that is shopping for a closer will make K-Rod the late inning King of Queens.
• With the Yankees losing out on Sabathia, and not really being that serious about Manny, their relative quiet on the Mark Teixeira front will pass, as they and the Red Sox compete much harder for his services than they did for Santana’s last year. I haven’t yet decided how this one will turn out.

I’d love to hear the opinions or predictions that any of you may have. Let the discussion begin.