Monday Grab Bag: Special First Post of the Year Edition

Hey, I'm back!  After being damn near screwed with my pants on by Frontier Airlines, I've found my way back to dear old Colorado, and I couldn't be happier.  Time to get back to the old grindstone and comment on the always confusing world of sports.  This is a special edition of the grab bag; special in that it's coming to you on a Tuesday.  Either way, Happy New Year to all!

Jump below for the first post of 2011...

Buffs Basketball – It's sounds like Thorburn tops my holiday travel disaster; the Buffs, however, enjoyed a successful Holiday schedule.  After a unsurprising loss to New Mexico in the first round of the Las Vegas Classic, the Buffs stunned the mostly pro-Indiana crowd by soundly beating the Hoosiers 78-69.  Sure, this isn't the Bobby Knight era Hoosier program, but you always like to beat a blue-blood basketball team like Indiana, no matter when (or where) you face them.  After the Las Vegas trip the Buffs held serve against weaker opponents, beating the likes of Maryland Eastern Shore and Cal State Bakersfield handily.  While the Bakersfield win was the first non-conference road win since 2006, the UCSB Roadrunners are a weak opponent, and fit well with the general paucity of a challenge this year.

(Relphorde and the boys grabbed the season's signature win over Indiana in Vegas. From: CrimsonQuarry.com)

Weak schedule aside, the Buffs are headed into the daunting conference portion of the schedule with a potential (assuming a win over lowly Western New Mexico on Wednesday) 11-4 record.  Just one game off of my baseline prediction pre-season.  That clusterfuck loss to USF back in November is the only thing keeping the Buffs from respectability.  Oh Well; as it stands now, the team is back in the top 75 of kenpom.com's overall rankings, and with a sucker punch win over Missouri (I can dream, can't I?) in Saturday's Big XII opener, they could begin to pave the way to a resurrected chance at the Tourney.  I doubt it, but I'll keep my hopes up.

(Possibly the only image of the win over UCSB.  If no one is there to watch a game, does it really happen?  From: The BDC) 

To be completely honest I haven't watched a full Buffs game since the Longwood victory on Dec 19th.  Various things have kept me from my beloved Buffaloes, and I'm greatly looking forward to the demolishing of Western New Mexico tomorrow night.

One other basketball related item of note: the continuing obsession with Ben Mills.  Garbage time production against the bottom rungs of basketball society isn't much of a barometer of success.  Does anyone really expect much out of the kid come conference play?  No knock on Ben, since big guys take years to season properly, but he's just not ready; sky-hooks be damned.

Recruiting starts – Today is first day since start of bowl season that coaches can visit recruits.  This means that for the next month, or so, the sporting world will be inundated with the "will they won't they" trope of teenagers trying to make a life-defining decision.  Ugh, just tell me when it's signing day.  If you do care enough to follow teenagers thought processes, look for the Buffs to focus on the western third of the US and on getting a QB (possibly even one already committed somewhere else).

Kansas State Bowl game – There was a lot of bullshit in the pre-January bowl games (see especially the Tennessee game), but this one topped my list.  Wildcat WR Adrian Wilburn scored a touchdown to bring the cats to within a converted 2-pt conversion of tying the game.  Celebrating his achievement, he saluted the crowd and quickly returned to his awaiting teamates.  Having been drilled to allow no fun what-so-ever, the Big 10 officials running (ruining?) the game gave him a 15-yard penalty for his salute, essentially costing the 'cats a reasonable shot at tying the game.  In an era of over-sensitive officiating, this one takes the cake.  The officials over-reacted to an honestly tame celebration (one that incidentally was repeated in many bowl games for relatively minor accomplishments like gaining a first down without drawing a flag) They have no defense; it was bullshit.  They inserted themselves into the game, cynically mind you, and essentially ruined what could've been a wonderful moment for the young Wilburn.  Whats more, they've made me feel sorry for a Bill Snyder-led team; for shame Big 10 officials! Glad I won't have to deal with them any time soon.




(Here's the video, judge for yourself.  I still think it was puritanical horse-shit)

TCU – I’m leaning toward agreeing with the segment who laugh off this victory as being “for the little guys.”  I don’t see the Northern Illinois' or the Tulsa’s of the world achieving what Boise State and TCU have accomplished.  Boise St is a pipe dream fantasy for all those “little” schools out there and TCU is, remember, rather recently a power school (from its SWC days); TCU is just a football factory in mid-major clothing.  Anyway, look what happens to those “little” schools when they get too big for their little ponds; Utah and TCU are headed for BCS conferences over the next 2 years; Boise should follow once the Big XII gets off its ass.  The BCS wins, and will always win; sorry everybody else.

(Good for you, TCU, but what does this really change?  From: ESPN)

I still rooted for the Frogs, and am generally glad to see them win, but, were I a fan of a smaller school, I wouldn't think myself any closer to true respectability in this post-TCU-over-Wisconsin world.

Car Go Contract - $80 mil over 7-years is the word.  Don’t look now but the Rox are making a serious move to jump up the upper echelon of the National League.  How does that Matt Holiday trade look now?  Sure, you get a DOA pitching prospect, but you also get a Major League tested closer and a cornerstone triple-crown type outfielder who will now form the middle of the order with Tulo for years to come.  The years of bashing Dan O’Dowd, and maybe even the Monforts, are passed; welcome to the new Rockies franchise, Colorado!

Bears get #2 NFC Seed - I swear the Bears aren’t this good.  Maybe this just speaks to the overall parity level in the NFL.  The point is that the Bears are in this position mostly because of their 5-1 record in division.  Were the NFC North not as pathetic this season, I imagine the Bears wouldn’t be on the bye this week.  As it is, I still think they are good locks to lose to either the Eagles or Saints (I’m assuming that the Seahawks have no chance).

 

(Lovie should be smiling; he somehow gets to keep his job.  Someone hire him from us, please!  From: the Trib)

Sox Twitter Flap – As the world turns so go the random tweets of Oney Guillen.  Once again Ozzie’s progeny is running his mouth about clubhouse matters.  This time it’s the Bobby Jenks saga, and, for once, it’s even got the attention of the rest of the ball club.  All-Star reliever Matt Thornton was, what I can only assume, speaking for a large part of the team when he took public offense to Oney Guillen spilling clubhouse affairs.  Speaking on a Chicago talk show Thornton said:

 “What happened here with Oney tweeting what he did, that's crossing a pretty big line in my personal opinion. That's something that's gotta be addressed quickly and taken care of and snuffed out real fast. Anytime you bring clubhouse stuff out in the open, I don't care what it is, it's that person's personal business and also the clubhouse's personal business. That's the first time all this stuff has really irritated me. It doesn't matter what's true and what's not true, I don't care about that. The fact that anything was said at all is ridiculous. It's definitely gotta be addressed and taken care of real quick around here." -link

I generally ignore the prattering of the Family Guillen when it occurs outside the realm of what happens between the lines, but when the players take notice, and mark a resounding disapproval, well I begin to not only take notice but care as well.  Oney, while no longer carrying any official capacity in the organization, continues to be a thorn in the ballclub’s side.  Kenny Williams or Jerry Reinsdorf could effort to put an end to Oney’s daliances, but I feel papa Guillen needs to step in.  This shit is becoming a real problem, and is no longer gossip page slop.   

Happy New Year!