The Dark Side

Brian Kelly has been named the new coach at Notre Dame, and now, with the Sugar Bowl approaching, UC Fans are left wondering what will happen next?

I can’t say I’m shock by his decision. Kelly said, years ago, that he would walk to South Bend for that job. Well as someone who’s not only made the trip to South Bend, but also walked the streets of the city doing door to door sales for AT&T, he’s not missing much by driving.

Details of the contract aren’t out yet, but you can bet Notre Dame is giving him quite a raise.

So put yourself in Kelly’s shoes. His dream job opens up with a big payday. He’s had a great thing going at Cincinnati for the past three years, but now has the opportunity to be the savior of the Irish. I don’t think you can blame the guy for taking the job.

However, this is probably the darkest and most unfair element in college football. In the professional sports, teams cannot steal coaches away while they are still under contract. But in college (basketball too), it’s almost common place. There is no respect what-so-ever for the sanctity and commitment from one contract to the next.

This doesn’t make any sense. I can understand that coaches don’t want to wait or miss out on bigger and better opportunities, but deserting the team is just wrong.

And during Bowl Season? C’mon NCAA, this is bullshit. At least in professional sports, coaches and assistants cannot finalize contracts until their current teams’ seasons are over. This allows teams to go through the playoffs, not focusing on what coaches will and will not be back and gives fans a peace of mind.

So why can’t the NCAA at least adopt that? With Kelly now coaching the Irish, the Bearcats are left to their assistants to put together a game plan against the defending national champion, Florida Gators.

And this isn’t the first time this has happened. The last school to win the Big East was West Virginia, whose coach, Rich Rodriguez, was hired by Michigan right before the Fiesta Bowl. While assistant Bill Stewart was able to win the game, and eventually the job, it was Rodriguez that got them there, and it should have been Rodriguez to coach them.

A big question people have been asking has been “Why couldn’t he have waited until after the Sugar Bowl?” Well, the answer is that big programs, like Notre Dame, have a history of getting who they want, when they want. If Kelly had even asked to wait until after the Sugar Bowl, you can bet the Irish response would have been “Thanks, but no thanks.” Kelly would have lost millions and probably the job.

Notre Dame, Brian Kelly, or even the UC Administration are not to blame for this. It’s just a broken system.

Stop It!

OK, Brett Favre, if you say you want to stay retired, then stay retired.

I am so sick of hearing a new Brett Favre report everyday on ESPN. And the worst part about that damn network is that all of their radio personalities, like Scott Van Pelt and Collin Cowherd, all say that they’re sick of it too. Here’s the problem; they say it everyday which means they’re just as bad as the station they work for!

I don’t blame them though. If it bleeds it leads, right? Well Brett Favre is bleeding all of the fun and excitement out of football news. Hell, out of all sports news.

Manny Ramirez’s positive drug test couldn’t even silence Favre. I actually have a theory that because Manny stole the spotlight for a day when Favre said he “wanted to stay retired,” that suddenly the attention whore began to change his mind again. “Oh no, they’ll forget about me!” Cry me a river.

So here’s what you should do Baby Brett, you fuck-head. Just unretired and join the Minnesota Vikings. We all know you want to. The more you deny it the dumber you look. And believe me, you look pretty dumb already.

No, this will not affect Favre’s admission into the Hall of Fame. No, when people think about Brett Favre 10 years from now they will still think of the three time MVP and Super Bowl winner, not the old grumpy guy who can’t make a decision. But did you ever hear the word “saga” after the names Marino, Elway, or Montana? I doubt we’ll hear it post Manning or Brady.

However, I know that it’s hard to imagine an NFL with no Brett Favre at all. But Favre doesn’t have to play to be involved with the sport.

Why not look at broadcasting? A lot of great football players have gone on to become analysts and commentators. John Madden retired (and unlike Favre, he will probably stay retired), so why not look into taking his job? ESPN would probably jizz their pants if you offered to work for them. Look at the quarterbacks that work for them! Trent Dilfer, Tim Hasselbeck, Sean Salisbury (did he get fired or something?), Favre is more qualified than all three of them!

How about coaching? C’mon Baby, you know football. Become a quarterbacks coach. Hell, I bet even the Packers might give you a shot at that. And if you’re as close with Aaron Rodgers as you claim, I’m sure he would love to have you mentor him.

Maybe Favre sits on these decisions because teams want him to participate in off-season workouts and training camps. We all know Favre hates these. He hasn’t participated in them in years. Ironically, those are the years where he has struggled most. And the scary part is that each year he has broken down more and more towards the end of the season. I don’t think Baby’s body can handle a full season with all the off-season programs, and I think he knows it too.

But guess what? The Vikings will still take him even if he decides after all of the programs. Why? Because they think that Baby is still an upgrade over what they have.

And because of that, it’s going to be August before we can see a Favre-free Sportscenter.

The Curse of Brooks

Note to all college basketball players and coaches: pray that I don’t put you in my Final Four.

Every damn year I suck at this. I make my bracket and, in confidence, I believe that by some miracle I just may be right and win my group challenge. Once again, I am reminded how much I suck at this.

I did do a little better this year. While Wake Forest, my upset pick, got knocked out in the first round by Cleveland State, my other three made it farther than usual. Duke made it to the Sweet 16, Oklahoma to the Elite Eight, and UConn is in the Final Four (I had Oklahoma over UConn in the championship).

People called me crazy for picking Oklahoma. I only had (and still have) two words… Blake Griffin. Dude’s a beast. Regardless of the fact that North Carolina spanked the Sooners, Griffin was still the best player in the NCAA this year. I’d take him over Tyler Hansbrough any day.

Wake Forest was iffy. After they lost the top spot in the hoops poll they limped on the rest of the season. Still, I thought that the Deacons could pull some upsets. After all, history tells us that any team in the dance has a shot.

As for Duke, I thought their division was weak. While Pitt was strong, they choked a lot. And they did again in the tournament to Big East Rival Villanova. I just thought the Blue Devils could pull through. I had them beating Pitt in the Elite Eight.

And of all of this what pisses me off the most is Michigan State. I am a life-long Spartan fan, thanks to my Dad being an alumnus. Ever since I was a kid I have loved all MSU sports. So why am I angry that they are in the Final Four? Because every year I DO pick them to get there they choke. The years that I haven’t (2005 and this year), they do. I’ll be wearing my green and white for the remainder of the tournament, I just wish that I could have picked them too.

So, in conclusion, I am just ranting. Next year I’ll have less confidence in my picks. For fuck’s sake, I suck at this.

Confliction on the Court

They lost to DePaul. How the hell did that happen?

Last week, UC lost to DePaul in the first round of the Big East Tournament. In case you didn’t know, the Blue Demons went 0-18 in conference play. Yet somehow, the Bearcats broke down.

UC head coach Mick Cronin has yet to get past the first round of the conference tourney. He has gone 0-10 in March, during his three year tenure. And the program has yet to get a bid to the NCAA Tournament, after getting there almost every year under Bob Huggins.

The fact is that UC had a winning basketball tradition. It was one of the premier programs in the country. While I do agree that Huggins deserved the axe for off-court issues, Cronin has done a horrible job filling his shoes.

Yes, taking the place of a local legend is not easy, but the name University of Cincinnati, alone, used to be able to get some of the country’s top recruits. Now, it struggles. Kids look at it and say “No.”

Maybe if the Bearcats were still in Conference USA it would be different, but the Big East is a whole other animal. It is the best and toughest conference in the country. And under Cronin, they can’t even break into the middle of the pack.

Here’s the big problem quickly arising with UC basketball: UC football. With a limited amount of money it’s kind of hazy how much money the school will be able to allocate to the two programs. While the school is traditionally known as a basketball school, their recent failures may have hampered the program for a while. On the other hand, the football program is on the rise and starting to bring new money to the school that it didn’t have before.

Can we blame Cronin for this? No. But the students and fans are quickly turning against him. Calling out cross-town rival Xavier (who he has yet to beat) doesn’t help you out, buddy. And when Huggins was here, he was the most beloved coach at the school. With the success on the gridiron, the fans won’t hesitate to turn on Cronin as they’ve fallen in love with Brian Kelly.

Basically, my opinion is that UC should give Cronin one more year, but they have the keep close tabs on him. No more stupid sound bites. Maybe one win in March. The guy needs a lot of help if he wants to keep coaching after 2010.

Give the Dawg a Bone

In just a few months, ex-Falcons’ quarterback and dog whisperer extraordinaire Michael Vick will be back in the free world.

The fact that Vick could potentially be back in the NFL leads to some issues. And you have to break it down into two questions: Should he be allowed back into the NFL and would any team want him?

From what I gather, most people don’t want him back in the NFL. I don’t blame them either. The dog fighting circus that Vick funded and served as ring-master not only shamed his own name but that of his team and the league.

However, players have done worse things and still been allowed to stay in the league. Ray Lewis was accused of murder, Pacman Jones of hiring someone to shoot someone, Jamal Lewis was involved in a drug bust, and Chris Henry is just a burden to society. All of these players have been punished by both the law and the league. All of these players are still in the league.

And when Vick gets out of prison, he will have served his full 23-month sentence. He hasn’t gotten into trouble while in the slammer and has been relatively quiet since. They say that prison is supposed to punish people so that they don’t make the same mistakes again. Let’s hope it has.

I know this isn’t the easiest thing to believe, but Vick should be allowed back in the league. The fact is that he not only has been behind bars and will have served the sentence that he was given as a result of his crime, but he also has been suspended indefinitely since. By all means, Vick deserves to be back in the league.

If Roger Goodell decides to suspend him for another year, that is up to his own discretion. But banning him for life? I know I want to see that, but it shouldn’t happen.

Now, who would want Vick? That’s a whole other animal.

Vick wasn’t that good of a quarterback to begin with. He has never thrown more than 55% of his passes accurately in a year. No other “run first” quarterback since him has had any success. If Vick wants to come back into the league, he can’t be a quarterback. On the other hand, there will be a team out there that might give him a chance to be under center.

Right now NFL general managers have the luxury of sitting back and saying that they have no interest in pursuing Vick. He is still serving his sentence for a few more months, free agency has just begun, the draft is coming up, and Goodell hasn’t even made his decision on him. Plus, the Falcons want a trade for Vick, and other teams know that when he comes back there will be no place on their roster for him, making a cut imminent. Every GM can wait on that call.

And who doesn’t love a great story of redemption? Before he went to prison, Vick apologized for his crimes. Many, including myself, were skeptic. I mean, had he not gotten caught would he have apologized? But now he’s lost all of his money, his houses, his friends, his team, and his job. If anything, he has definitely paid the price for his crime.

I say let him back into the NFL. The unemployment rate in this country is high enough as is and someone as athletically talented as Vick doesn’t need to be on that list. Let him play, but keep him on a short leash (pun intended).

Numb to the Needle

So Alex Rodriguez admitted to using steroids… why am I not surprised?

No, it’s not because Jose Canseco wrote about it in his second book. But seriously, how great does he look now?

I think I have become numb to baseball players using steroids. At this point, it’s almost a surprise to find out that someone didn’t juice.

My feelings are kind of unique though. I understand why these guys used performance enhancing drugs. Look at it this way, there were no rules against steroids in baseball until 2005. They didn’t even test until 2003. Now put yourself in their shoes. There’s something that will make you better and there are no penalties for doing it. I’ll admit it, I would have done it too. It’s the same thing as the teacher giving you the answers for an exam; yes it’s cheating, but there’s no chance you’ll get in trouble at the moment.

From what people have told me though, the feelings are mixed. Some people say that any and all records of roiders should be erased. Some say that should ban you from Cooperstown. Some even told me they want a lifetime ban.

The problem with that, once again, is that it wasn’t illegal in baseball at the time. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “Don’t hate the player, hate the game.”

That’s right. Don’t punish the players for using steroids. For their entire lives, athletes are taught to be the best and do anything to reach that. How are steroids any different? MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and MLBPA President Donald Fehr are the two that should be punished.

While Selig has no real power over Fehr, an entire drug ring happened under his watch. And Fehr was no different than a drug lord. He let it all happen and even fought for a player’s right to use drugs. Both of these men should be in jail.

Whenever I say this to people the typical response I get is “But Brooks, players were doing illegal things!” Well peons, it’s not illegal until you get caught. And of those of you who responded to my questions, how many of you can honestly say that you’ve never done something illegal and gotten away with it before? Underage drinking? Smoking weed? Urinating in public? Hell, even speeding on the road! ALL OF THEM ARE ILLEGAL, TOO!

Now, I do think it was at least a little admirable that A-Rod admitted he used steroids. He could have gone down the same road Roger Clemens, Mark McGuire and Barry Bonds have and denied it repeatedly, even after they have been proved wrong. And yes, he did lie about it before, but at the same time he did at least admit it and while he is still playing.

And he probably will get into the Hall of Fame. Look at Pete Rose, for example. When he got caught betting on baseball there was an outcry for him to be banned and never let into the Hall. But now, decades later, people want the all-time hits leader enshrined as a player.

Just remember, Rodriguez probably has five to 10 years left in his career. That’s enough time to play “clean” and put juicing behind him. Hopefully by then, we will be moving out of the steroid era and start the forgive and forget process.

Not Too Shabby

Okay, so I really hate to sound like a local guy (because I'm really not), but the Cincinnati Reds could make a run this year at the NL Central.

Ask anyone that knows me; I'm a diehard Indians' fan, but I'm sitting at my internship right now, looking up news stories and I see a post that Homer Bailey is fighting for the fifth spot in the Reds' roation. While Bailey has gone from promising prospect to bud of many jokes among vendors, the rest of the rotation looks pretty strong.

Edinson Volquez was a 17 game winner last year and the starter for the NL in the All-Star Game. Johnny Cueto may have finished the season with 14 losses and an ERA over 4.80 but early in the season she showed a lot of promise. If he can stay consistent he can be dangerous at the back end.

Then there's the older guys, starting with Bronson Arroyo. His hair makes him look like the goofiest dude in the world (thank god he still doesn't have the cornrows like in 04). But Arroyo has been a solid starter before. I remember going to games at the beginning of the season and yelling to remind him that no sponsor likes a loser. I mean he looked absolutely horrible. Maybe Time-Warner Cable called and threatened to cancel his contract, but he finished the season with 15 wins and 200 innings pitched.

The real question is can Aaron Harang bounce back? In 06' and 07' he had well over 200 strikeouts and 16 wins. I have no idea what the hell was wrong with him last year but if he can put that nightmare of a 6-17 record behind him, the ace could keep this team in contention.

Of course, all of this is based on some big "ifs." IF Cueto can play to his potential. IF Arroyo can be consistent. IF Harang has a short memory. IF Volquez isn't a one year wonder. And don't forget... IF the young hitters can give the team enough offense.

Then again, these are the Reds. If/then is usually the same story every year.