All this week I'll be talking hoops with a Roundtable of basketball experts over at AllBuffs. We're going to hit on a variety of topics, and we'll be at it each day this week. If you're jacked for the basketball season, and if you read this blog you should be, then I strongly urge you to check it out.
I'm joined by AllBuffs mods Goose and Buffnik, Zach Bell from the Ralphie Report, and uber fan Tyler Ziskin. You can check out the action from Day 1 at this link.
Big thanks to Goose for putting this together, and be sure to check out Allbuffs each day this week!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Monday Grab Bag: Basketball is back
I'd like to thank USC for bringing the Song Girls to Boulder. I haven't seen quality fake breasts like that in a long time; SoCal does that shit right ... and that was all I took away from Friday night. Not really, but that's all I'm choosing to remember.
Today in the bag I'll be wrapping up the big weekend in football, touching on whether I think Alabama should still be in the top-5, linking to a disturbing Ringo article, and reminding you that it's opening week for college basketball.
Click below for the bag...
Today in the bag I'll be wrapping up the big weekend in football, touching on whether I think Alabama should still be in the top-5, linking to a disturbing Ringo article, and reminding you that it's opening week for college basketball.
Click below for the bag...
Friday, November 4, 2011
Friday Beer Post: 2011 Gameday Beer-o-the-week - USC Edition
Each week throughout the football season I'm going to suggest a good beer for the ubiquitous pre-game tailgate. Let's be honest, with tailgates it's not always top quality that you're looking for. To steal a phrase from the heinous beer terrorists at Budweiser, you want "drinkability." (or what a real beer connoisseur calls "a session beer") So, be warned, these may not be "the best" beers around. But, in the words of Dave Chappelle as Samuel L. Jackson "IT'LL GET YOU DRUNK!"
Tomorrow should be a great evening to watch football... wait, the game's tonight? Shit, I better get drinking!
Getting straight to the point, yesterday was, apparently, International Stout Day, so I'll honor that. I'm naming Boulder County's own Lefthand Milk Stout Nitro as my tailgate beer-o-the-week.
I've been trying to get this in a beer post for a month now. Black as night, (see where I'm going with this...) the Milk Stout is unique in that it's brewed with lactose to give it a milky/creamy/sweet taste. Serving it with nitrogen, instead of carbon dioxide, makes the taste even smoother. The result is a sweet, dark concoction that has put many under its spell over the years.
Lefthand's nitro-infused version, a long-time favorite at their tap-room, was recently released for the first time in bottles. "What's so special about that," you might ask, "Guinness has been doing that for years!" Indeed they have, but they've been using a proprietary widget to infuse the beer with nitrogen upon opening. Not only is Lefthand the first domestic brewery to ship nitro beer, but they use no widget.
The nitrogen, a tricky gas to store in beer, simply appears when poured, as if conjured with black magic, giving the beer that traditional draft flavor that many have come to know and love. Lefthand, in fact, spent nearly three years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to find a way to gas the beer with nitrogen to create the draft style you can enjoy at home.
While they aren't saying how they do it, appreciating the beer takes a bit of a trick. Contrary to what you've been taught your whole life, to get the proper "draft" pour of Milk Stout Nitro you have to "hard pour" the beer into the glass. Take a look:
So grab a glass, pour hard, and enjoy some fine Milk Stout. You'll need the resulting "beer-blanket" to protect you from the night temperatures.
Happy Friday! Go Buffs, Beat USC!
Tomorrow should be a great evening to watch football... wait, the game's tonight? Shit, I better get drinking!
Getting straight to the point, yesterday was, apparently, International Stout Day, so I'll honor that. I'm naming Boulder County's own Lefthand Milk Stout Nitro as my tailgate beer-o-the-week.
I've been trying to get this in a beer post for a month now. Black as night, (see where I'm going with this...) the Milk Stout is unique in that it's brewed with lactose to give it a milky/creamy/sweet taste. Serving it with nitrogen, instead of carbon dioxide, makes the taste even smoother. The result is a sweet, dark concoction that has put many under its spell over the years.
Lefthand's nitro-infused version, a long-time favorite at their tap-room, was recently released for the first time in bottles. "What's so special about that," you might ask, "Guinness has been doing that for years!" Indeed they have, but they've been using a proprietary widget to infuse the beer with nitrogen upon opening. Not only is Lefthand the first domestic brewery to ship nitro beer, but they use no widget.
The nitrogen, a tricky gas to store in beer, simply appears when poured, as if conjured with black magic, giving the beer that traditional draft flavor that many have come to know and love. Lefthand, in fact, spent nearly three years and hundreds of thousands of dollars to find a way to gas the beer with nitrogen to create the draft style you can enjoy at home.
While they aren't saying how they do it, appreciating the beer takes a bit of a trick. Contrary to what you've been taught your whole life, to get the proper "draft" pour of Milk Stout Nitro you have to "hard pour" the beer into the glass. Take a look:
So grab a glass, pour hard, and enjoy some fine Milk Stout. You'll need the resulting "beer-blanket" to protect you from the night temperatures.
Happy Friday! Go Buffs, Beat USC!
Quick Post: Cory selected in first round of NBDL draft
CU great Cory Higgins may have slipped through the NBA's talent nets, but he was grabbed up by the NBDL's Erie BayHawks in the first round of yesterday's NBDL draft. Selected with the 8th (7th, I cant count) overall pick, the all-time CU leader in points and games played will start his professional career in the Knicks affiliate.
I still think Cory has the talent to play a consistent back-bench role on an NBA team, but the road from the Developmental League is long and mostly anonymous. He does have one advantage over former running mate, and future Utah Jazz star, Alec Burks - the NBDL will actually be playing games this fall.
Congrats to Cory, and good luck chasing you NBA dreams!
--
Some other interesting names you might recognize from the DL's draft: former NBA role-player Jamaal Tinsley (went with the first overall pick), Gary Johnson from UT, Brady Morningstar from KU, Jake Anderson from ISU, Eric Devendorf from Syracuse, Byron Eaton from Oklahoma St, Fucking Bobby Howard from Montana St (single-handedly beat CU a few years back), and CU's very own James "Mookie" Wright, who was taken in the 6th round by the Idaho Stampede.
Bringing up Mookie allows me to re-post this video:
I still think Cory has the talent to play a consistent back-bench role on an NBA team, but the road from the Developmental League is long and mostly anonymous. He does have one advantage over former running mate, and future Utah Jazz star, Alec Burks - the NBDL will actually be playing games this fall.
Congrats to Cory, and good luck chasing you NBA dreams!
--
Some other interesting names you might recognize from the DL's draft: former NBA role-player Jamaal Tinsley (went with the first overall pick), Gary Johnson from UT, Brady Morningstar from KU, Jake Anderson from ISU, Eric Devendorf from Syracuse, Byron Eaton from Oklahoma St, Fucking Bobby Howard from Montana St (single-handedly beat CU a few years back), and CU's very own James "Mookie" Wright, who was taken in the 6th round by the Idaho Stampede.
Bringing up Mookie allows me to re-post this video:
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Quick Post: Damiene Cain may still be in the picture
About the only piece of bad news to come out of Buffs camp this fall was the announcement by PF recruit Damiene Cain that he wouldn't be playing basketball at CU afterall. Cain was expected to help bolster the forward corps, while potentially clearing the way to allow for a redshirt year from Ben Mills. For him not to play, as a highly touted recruit, was a big blow to the program.
... or maybe not...
Rumors started swirling yesterday evening that Cain may still end up playing hoops for CU. Today Coach Boyle acknowledged the possibility, saying "The jury's still out," but that "We've had some conversations."
Cain originally left the program saying that he wanted to focus on academics. With no solid evidence to the contrary, I'll accept that story at face value. While I would hope that he continues to realize what's truly important about the collegiate experience (the whole going to class thing), should he really want to come back, and be totally dedicated to the team he once turned away from, I think it would be in CU's best interests to take him back. He's a good talent, and you should be allowed to struggle with big decisions as an 18 year old.
If he's not 100%, and I mean 100%, then the program should encourage his academic career while continuing to move forward without his services.
USC Preview: Always remember to use protection
.... I really like the senior leadership on this team. Nate Tomlinson and Austin Dufault have been around for four years now, and... Wait, football, got it. Sorry, I'm still decompressing from my massive basketball preview.
To the matter at hand: the annual blackout game is upon us. We may not have created that tradition, but the CU fanbase has done a pretty good job making it our own. Ever since the '07 night game against Florida State, one night game per year has been designated the "Blackout Game," allowing the University to get some value out of those lights it installed in Folsom, while affording the fans a unique and intense venue to watch football. I love the tradition, and hope that it continues long into the future.
Despite stumbling in that first blackout evening affair with FSU, the Buffs have played good football under the lights, winning in '08 over West Virginia and last season over Georgia. I don't know why there wasn't one in '09 (I blame Dan Hawkins), but CU carries a 2-game win streak when the crowd gets their Johnny Cash on.
Folsom, by itself, is an awesome stadium, but under the lights, with everyone decked in black, it's intimidating and spectacular. There's a sense of grandeur that surpasses what would be normally be expected, and I'm thrilled that us fans can do our part to set the stage for great football.
All the better, CU will apparently once again don the all-black uniform combination for tomorrows game. I love the all-black combo with a burning passion that knows no end; this was the color scheme that dropped the Huskers 62-36, afterall. Still, I happen to know AD director Mike Bohn hates the combination, so I'm surprised, and pleased, to see the all-blacks back in play. *cues AC/DC's back in black*
Anyways, as always for the blackout... FUCK 'EM UP, FUCK 'EM UP, WEAR BLACK!
--
Tell the boss you're leaving work early, cause there's some serious tailgaiting to do as the sun slips behind the Flatirons. Kickoff is set for 7pm on Friday night. It's supposed to be damn cold so wear some thermals under all that black you throw on. If you can't make it up to Folsom, you can turn to, of all things, ESPN 3D to check out the action. If you haven't yet bought into that bullshit 3D fad, then you can check out the game on ESPN, regular flavor.
Click below for my preview...
To the matter at hand: the annual blackout game is upon us. We may not have created that tradition, but the CU fanbase has done a pretty good job making it our own. Ever since the '07 night game against Florida State, one night game per year has been designated the "Blackout Game," allowing the University to get some value out of those lights it installed in Folsom, while affording the fans a unique and intense venue to watch football. I love the tradition, and hope that it continues long into the future.
Despite stumbling in that first blackout evening affair with FSU, the Buffs have played good football under the lights, winning in '08 over West Virginia and last season over Georgia. I don't know why there wasn't one in '09 (I blame Dan Hawkins), but CU carries a 2-game win streak when the crowd gets their Johnny Cash on.
Folsom, by itself, is an awesome stadium, but under the lights, with everyone decked in black, it's intimidating and spectacular. There's a sense of grandeur that surpasses what would be normally be expected, and I'm thrilled that us fans can do our part to set the stage for great football.
All the better, CU will apparently once again don the all-black uniform combination for tomorrows game. I love the all-black combo with a burning passion that knows no end; this was the color scheme that dropped the Huskers 62-36, afterall. Still, I happen to know AD director Mike Bohn hates the combination, so I'm surprised, and pleased, to see the all-blacks back in play. *cues AC/DC's back in black*
Anyways, as always for the blackout... FUCK 'EM UP, FUCK 'EM UP, WEAR BLACK!
--
Tell the boss you're leaving work early, cause there's some serious tailgaiting to do as the sun slips behind the Flatirons. Kickoff is set for 7pm on Friday night. It's supposed to be damn cold so wear some thermals under all that black you throw on. If you can't make it up to Folsom, you can turn to, of all things, ESPN 3D to check out the action. If you haven't yet bought into that bullshit 3D fad, then you can check out the game on ESPN, regular flavor.
Click below for my preview...
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
My Massive Basketball preview 2011-12
I am sorry. I am so very sorry.
I tried, I really did, to keep this to a reasonable length, but to no avail. I am just too pumped up for basketball season to start. This will be long and rambling, consider yourself forewarned.
Again, I'm sorry.
--
2010-11 was a magical year for CU basketball. Despite not reaching the Tournament, the team set records for wins, and the program experienced unprecedented fan participation and attention in the form of repeated sell-outs down the conference stretch. While there have been far more successful years in CU basketball history (NIT championships, trips to the Dance, a Final Four appearance, and a string of conference titles in the 50s and 60s), last season certainly belongs as a brief aside to the discussion of best Buffs basketball season ever.
Now, all that's left is building on the momentum created last spring.
The conventional wisdom in basketball circles is that CU will struggle this season. Losing 60% of minutes and 75% of points will do that to your prospectus. But what the conventional wisdom is missing is the tireless preparation the coaching staff put in to life after Higgins and Burks; what I'm saying is that the team jumped off a cliff, only to be saved by a golden parachute built out of transfers and seniors who have been playing the last 3 years.
I'll say right at the top that this team will not make the NCAA tournament, but another run in the NIT is within reach. This future shouldn't bum you out; from where this program was at the end of the Ricardo Patton era, to realistically expect back-to-back successful post-season campaigns is like manna from Heaven. Add to it the prospect of a top-20 recruiting class, and Buff hoops junkies are living in a Golden Age.
In this preview, I'll take a close look at year two of Tad Boyle's Fantastic Boulder Voyage, breaking down every aspect of the program as it begins its first tour of duty in the Pac-12.
With that out of the way, if you're as ready to get this party started as I am, then grab a beer and click below...
I tried, I really did, to keep this to a reasonable length, but to no avail. I am just too pumped up for basketball season to start. This will be long and rambling, consider yourself forewarned.
Again, I'm sorry.
--
Before I get started, I'd like to take a quick look back at what was one of the best years in CU basketball history, courtesy of the fine folks at CUBuffs.com:
2010-11 was a magical year for CU basketball. Despite not reaching the Tournament, the team set records for wins, and the program experienced unprecedented fan participation and attention in the form of repeated sell-outs down the conference stretch. While there have been far more successful years in CU basketball history (NIT championships, trips to the Dance, a Final Four appearance, and a string of conference titles in the 50s and 60s), last season certainly belongs as a brief aside to the discussion of best Buffs basketball season ever.
Now, all that's left is building on the momentum created last spring.
The conventional wisdom in basketball circles is that CU will struggle this season. Losing 60% of minutes and 75% of points will do that to your prospectus. But what the conventional wisdom is missing is the tireless preparation the coaching staff put in to life after Higgins and Burks; what I'm saying is that the team jumped off a cliff, only to be saved by a golden parachute built out of transfers and seniors who have been playing the last 3 years.
I'll say right at the top that this team will not make the NCAA tournament, but another run in the NIT is within reach. This future shouldn't bum you out; from where this program was at the end of the Ricardo Patton era, to realistically expect back-to-back successful post-season campaigns is like manna from Heaven. Add to it the prospect of a top-20 recruiting class, and Buff hoops junkies are living in a Golden Age.
In this preview, I'll take a close look at year two of Tad Boyle's Fantastic Boulder Voyage, breaking down every aspect of the program as it begins its first tour of duty in the Pac-12.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)