Watching Greatness

Tiger Woods has now won four tournaments in a row, including two majors. It is hard, as a sports fan, to not watch. There is an aura that surrounds him, one that capivates you and makes you sit and think, "I am watching greatness." You turn on the television just knowing you might see something amazing. How many current athletes can make you feel that way? Off the top of my head, here is the top "aura" player in the sports in which I feel I can make a judgment. At some point later, I will do a more comprehensive list of players who would, or should, make you put down the remote.

Baseball - Pedro Martinez
Roger Clemens is still the greatest active pitcher based on his career, but no pitcher has Hall of Fame credential and the ability to not only overpower but baffle hitters like Pedro. Johan Santana may pass him at some point, or it could be someone like Francisco Liriano, but they have not yet.

Basketball - Kobe Bryant
I am not a big fan of Kobe, and I doubt I ever will be. He is, however, the closest thing to Michael Jordan we will ever see. LeBron James is a better player, but Kobe does the impossible sometimes. 60 points in three quarters to outscore the opposing team in one game, 81 points in another. No more needs to be said.

Football - Brett Favre
There may be better quarterbacks, but I would never want to be in the way of a Brett Favre pass on a potential game-winning drive. It might go right through me. Peyton Manning may be a close second. It would be hard for a running back to hold the top spot. I can only think of Barry Sanders as a back that would make me stop and watch.

Do any of these three come close to Tiger right now, as far as the "aura" factor goes? It is hard to say. Tiger's advantage: He plays an individual sport, rather than a team sport, so the focus when he is playing is solely on him. He controls his game, and no one in any sport is better at that.

College Basketball Pre-Season Top 25

#1 - Florida Gators (SEC) - Billy Donovan must have felt like he was dreaming when the star trio of Corey Brewer, Al Horford and Joakim Noah all decided to return to Gainesville. The Gators do face a fairly strong SEC this year though, with LSU, Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas and Kentucky all looking like potential tournament teams.

#2 - Kansas Jayhawks (Big XII) - After getting upset in the first round last year, I expect Bill Self and his young Jayhawks to come out flying this season. They bring back a loaded lineup led by Brandon Rush, Julian Wright, Sasha Kaun, Mario Chalmers and C.J Giles, along with a super recruiting class made up of Darrell Arthur and Sherron Collins. I expect to hear “Rock Chalk Jayhawks” chants all the way to Atlanta.

#3 - North Carolina Tar Heels (ACC) - The Tar Heels were a major surprise last season and now, after adding a top recruiting class, Roy Williams will have North Carolina back on top of the ACC. Tyler Hansbrough looks to continue his dominant play after a tremendous freshman season. The Tar Heels run to the top of the ACC with the help of an incredible recruiting class of Brandan Wright, Wayne Ellington and Tywon Lawson. If these young guns mesh with the returning roster, then we could see Carolina back in the Final Four.

#4 - Georgetown Hoyas (Big East) - The Hoyas are finally back in the upper tier of college basketball. With studs Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green leading the way, I expect coach John Thompson III to bring dominating basketball back to the D.C. area . He landed one of their biggest recruiting hits in years with super smooth athlete DaJuan Summers and big man Vernon Macklin. You can expect a long run in March for the Hoyas.

#5 - Wisconsin Badgers (Big Ten) - Wisconsin might be the most overlooked contender in the country. Bo Ryan has brought the Badgers to the top of the Big Ten on a yearly basis and this year looks no different. Wisconsin brings back Alando Tucker who is the leading contender for Conference Player of the Year. Between Tucker and big men Brian Butch and Kammron Taylor, along with the unique offensive system, Ryan has in place Wisconsin fans can expect at least an Elite Eight experience.

#6 - Pittsburgh Panthers (Big East) - The Panthers got a pleasant surprise when big man Aaron Gray decided to return for his senior year. Pittsburgh was expected to be strong without Gray, but now a Final Four berth looks like a possibility. Coach Dixon, who is coming off the tragic loss of his sister, has his Panthers locked and loaded for a huge run. Word around the Big East is that Sam Young and Levon Kendall are on the verge of becoming stars this season. The one major obstacle will be the loss of their captain Carl Krauser.

#7 - UCLA Bruins (Pac-10) - The Bruins are loaded this year. After a surprising run to the championship game last year, this team looks poised for a repeat performance. Point guard Jordan Farmar left early for the pros but Arron Affalo made the correct decision in coming back. He could be the leading scorer in the Pac-10 this year. Josh Shipp returns after missing 35 games last season to a hip injury, and Coach Ben Howland expects huge contributions from him. The combination of Affalo and Shipp along with Pac-10 Freshman of the Year Luc Richard Mbah a Moute means another long year for Pac-10 opponents.

#8 - Louisiana State Tigers (SEC) - Glen “Big Baby” Davis has slimmed down in order to improve his NBA stock, but the payoff could mean an even more dominant performance by the Tigers. The only starter not returning to the bayou is Tyrus Thomas, and the Tigers expect Magnum Rolle to replace his shot blocking contributions. I expect the Tigers to challenge Florida for the SEC crown.

#9 - Texas A&M Aggies (Big XII) - Who would have ever expected Texas A&M to be ranked ahead of their interstate rival Texas Longhorns? The Aggies bring back two dominant scorers in Acie Law and Joseph Jones, with Jones expected to compete for Big 12 Player of the Year. The Aggies also bring in a highly regarded recruiting class led by Bryan Davis and sharp shooter Donald Sloan.

#10 - Ohio State Buckeyes (Big Ten) - No team has benefited from the NBA age restrictions more than the Ohio State Buckeyes. Coach Thad Matta has brought in arguably the top recruiting class in the history of Ohio State basketball. Greg Oden, who is considered the best center prospect since Tim Duncan, leads a stellar class of shooting stud Daequan Cook and a top point guard prospect in Mike Conley. Combine these prospects with the returning upperclassmen and the U looks like they could be in for a huge season. This early ranking will probably fall with Oden out until the Big Ten regular season starts, but March is all that really matters anyways.

#11 - Marquette Golden Eagles (Big East) - After a surprising season last year, Marquette will not be sneaking up on anyone in the Big East this season. Coach Tom Crean wants to model his offense after the helter skelter style of Villanova from last season. The plan is to run a three guard offense lead by a superstar-in-the-making, point guard Dominic James, and his running mates Wesley Mathews and Jerel McNeal. As long as the Golden Eagles can adjust to life without dead-eye shooter and team leader Steve Novak, you should expect Marquette to be among the upper tier of the Big East.

#12 - Arizona Wildcats (Pac-10) - Arizona got great news when star wingman Marcus Williams decided to forgo the NBA for another year of college ball. Williams is considered the best returning NBA prospect throughout the Pac-10. When you combine Williams’ overall game with the veteran leadership of point guard Mustafa Shakur, the Cats have plenty of returning firepower. However, the big star in Arizona might be freshman stud forward Chase Budinger, who,according to coaches throughout the Pac-10, maybe the ConferenceFreshman of the Year. If Budinger is as good as advertised then Coach Lute Olsen may have the top team in the conference once again.

#13 - Duke Blue Devils (ACC) - Duke lost a lot of firepower when seniors J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams graduated and moved on to the NBA. However, they don’t rebuild in Cameron, they reload. With multi-talented sophomore forward Josh McRoberts and sophomore point guard Greg Paulus leading the way, Coach K should have the Devils up near the top of the ACC by the season’s end. As always, Duke hauled in a top notch recruiting class lead by Gerald Henderson, Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek.

#14 - Villanova Wildcats (Big East) – The Wildcats may have to change their style of play this year in order to adapt it to the players on this roster. However, there is still a load of talent in Villanova. Potential Big East Player of the Year Curtis Sumpter is back after sitting out last season with a knee injury. Combining his talents with slasher Mike Nardi and freshman point guard Scottie Reynolds I expect the Cats to stay near the top of the always competitive Big East.

#15 - Boston College Eagles (ACC) - Al Skinner has the Eagles ready to contend in the ACC again this year. Losing Craig Smith will hamper the inside play of B.C., but there is still tons of talent to go around. Sean Williams may be the best defensive big man in college basketball this year. The Eagles also have the deadly outside touch of Tyrese Rice to go with star forward Jared Dudley. This threesome should cause plenty of problems for the rest of the ACC.

#16 - Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC) - The Tide are poised to have a monster season this year. According to sources throughout college basketball, Alabama could compete with Florida and LSU for the SEC crown. They bring back the best point guard in the nation in Ronald Steele and two other potential NBA first rounders in forwards Jermareo Davidson and Richard Hendrix. If the young ‘Bama bench can contribute at all this season, I would expect Mark Gottfried to have a dominant squad on his hands this season.

#17 - Oklahoma State Cowboys (Big XII) - The Cowboys should be back among the elite programs of the Big XII this season. Last year brought a lot of issues to this team, and the majority of the problems were associated with legendary coach Eddie Sutton. However, it looks like dad has left his son Sean with a great gift, a roster returning with loads of upperclassmen. The star of the Cowboys should be JamesOn Curry who should fill the basket on a regular basis this season. Other returning upperclassmen who should take a big step up are guards Byron Eaton and Terrel Harris and small forward Marcus Dove. The man distributing the ball to Curry and company is powerful yet explosive freshman guard Obi Muonelo who could be the difference between a solid season in Stillwater and a possible run at the Elite Eight.

#18 - Memphis Tigers (CUSA) - Coach John Calipari thinks that his roster this season maybe stronger than last year’s number one seed. That has to be the reason he would pass on the full court press that NC State placed on him following Herb Sendek’s departure for Arizona State. Calipari thinks these Baby Tigers will dominate the league even though they lost Darius Washington, Rodney Carney and Shawne Williams to the NBA Draft. Now while I may not believe the Tigers will start out as strong as last season, I do believe they will once again dominate Conference USA. Coach Cal continues to load up the roster with big time athletes such as potential star Willie Kemp and returning veterans Chris Douglas-Roberts, Robert Dozier and Joey Dorsey. This roster would not be among the best in some of the top conferences, but CUSA is still struggling after the defections of Louisville, Cincy and Marquette.

#19 - Texas Longhorns (Big XII) -Texas has the chance to be like the Jayhawks or Tar Heels from 2005-2006. They lost a ton of talent to the NBA; but Coach Rick Barnes landed arguably the second best talent in the country behind Mr. Oden. Kevin Durant has a chance to be the best freshman player in the country (for a full season) since Carmelo Anthony lead the Syracuse Orangemen to the National Championship. He is joined by D. J. Augustin and Damion James in what is considered a phenomenal recruiting class. The Longhorns great run through the NCAA Tournament gave valuable experience to returning players such as point guard A. J. Abrams and forward Dion Dowell. By the season’s end you could see the Horns firmly placed in the top ten.

#20 - Washington Huskies (Pac-10) - The Huskies lost their leader for the second straight season as Brandon Roy departed for the NBA. However, Coach Lorenzo Romar has Washington in position to challenge UCLA and Arizona for the top spot in the Pac-10 once again. They bring back junior sharp shooter Ryan Appleby and sophomores Justin Dentmon and Jon Brockman. The key to another big season for Washington will be potential superstar big man Spencer Hawes. Hawes is going to dominate the paint like no big man in Huskies history, unless you count the immortal Todd MacCulloch.

#21 - Creighton Bluejays (MVC) - For those of you thinking the Missouri Valley Conference is full of just one year wonders, I have a big surprise for you. The Valley is coming back stronger then ever and leading the way is going to be Creighton. Stud guard Nate Funk is back to lead the Bluejays after playing in only six games last year due to injury. Funk is the leading candidate for Valley Player of the Year and he is not alone. He is joined by fellow injury returnee Josh Dotzler. When you combine these two guards with the rest of the returning squad, you can expect a great season at Creighton.

#22 - Gonzaga Bulldogs (WCC) - Anyone really think the Zags were going to disappear with the loss of Adam Morrison? If you did then you were greatly mistaken. Gonzaga is a powerhouse school which is at the point where it reloads instead of rebuilds. Coach Mark Few has his speedy point guard Derek Raivio back to lead the charge along with sharpshooters Jeremy Pargo and Pierre Marie Altidor-Cespedes. While the big men might not have the athletic ability of the monsters in the ACC, SEC and Big East, they know how to play and will get the job done.

#23 - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (ACC) - The young Yellow Jackets took their lumps last year and now they are looking for revenge on the rest of the ACC. The upperclassmen are lead by Anthony Morrow and Ra’Sean Dickey, who both averaged more then 13 points per game last year. The Jackets bring back the majority of their roster from last season. However, these are not the reasons why Georgia Tech could make a run towards an Elite Eight appearance. Coach Paul Hewitt brought in two of the top freshmen in the country in Chris Bosh clone Thaddeus Young and the next stud point guard to join the long line of greats at the Tech in Javaris Crittenton. Crittenton has the potential to dominate the game like former Tech alumni Mark Price, Kenny Anderson and Stephon Marbury.

#24 - Wichita State Shockers (MVC) - The Shockers are back for revenge after losing in the Sweet Sixteen last season. They are lead by P.J. Couisnard, Sean Ogirri and Kyle Wilson, and it will be the job of these three to replace the leadership of senior Paul Miller. Losing Miller will hurt but apparently not enough to convince Coach Mark Turgeon to run for the big conferences. Instead of riding his credentials, he brought in potential newcomer of the year Gal Mekel who is expected to add a European style flavor to the Shockers.

#25 - Louisville Cardinals (Big East) - The Big East better beware of the Cardinals this season. You know Coach Pitino will be seeking revenge on all of the opponents who pummeled his boys last season. Captain Taquan Dean is gone but the Cards bring back plenty of talent in David Padgett and Juan Palacios. Padgett had a lot of injuries last year but has looked great this summer. The keys for Louisville could be big men Earl Clark and Derrick Caracter, freshmen who bring skills that most small forwards wish they could possess.


Just missing the Top 25 in no particular order:
Connecticut, Illinois, Southern Illinois, Tennessee, Stanford, California, Texas Tech

Boston Massacre, Part Three

Wow. As a Red Sox fan, that is pretty much the first thing that comes to my mind after this weekend, a weekend that was about as painful as a regular season series could get. It would be one thing if the games were all close and we just made a few mistakes. That I could possibly handle. I am not saying that I would feel great about it, but it beats watching a team you can’t stand just pound your ball club as if they were the Kansas City Royals. Actually, I should scratch that. The Royals swept us a few weeks back. So where does that leave the Sox?

When you have a five game series in your home ballpark you expect no worse than losing the series three games to two. I truly expected a 3 to 2 Sox win in this series. Instead, I got to watch every pitcher the Sox put on the mound get hammered by every guy the Yankees brought to the plate. I mean, the Sox were torched by guys like Melky Cabrera, a decrepit Bernie Williams, Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada? It would be one thing if Sheffield and Matsui were playing or if A-Rod hit three homers, but it was pretty much anyone in the Yankees lineup. New York had just lost two out of three at home to the Orioles, the same Orioles that the Red Sox have beaten about four thousand times in a row. The only members of the Red Sox that should hold their heads up high are David Wells, Manny Ramirez and Mark Lorreta. Everyone else from John Henry to Alex Cora should be disgusted with their performance this weekend.

Where do the Red Sox go from here and, more importantly, where do I go as a fan? For the Sox, I think you let the young guys get more playing time, trade some of the veteran players who have cleared waivers and give up on this season. The Red Sox are not making the post season this year, never mind competing for a World Series. Where do I go for my sports fix? Well, we still have the best football team in the world. I think that will satisfy me. And if that is not good enough, at least the chance to root against the Yankees for another two months will be fun.

Brilliant or Boneheaded?

In a somewhat surprising move, the Denver Broncos have named undrafted rookie Mike Bell as their starting running back. For the other thirty-one teams in the NFL, this announcement would come as a shock. However, given his history of success with lower drafted tailbacks, coach Mike Shanahan is given a lot more leeway in his decisions at the halfback position.

Last year, Bell was the leading rusher from the University of Arizona Wildcats. Nevertheless, this did not earn him much recognition as a great NFL prospect. However, in the last few days I have heard numerous reports coming out of Broncos camp that he could be the closest running back to Terrell Davis that the Broncos have had. Since TD retired in 2001, the Broncos have turned no-name backs such as Mike Anderson, Olandis Gary, and Reuben Droughns into 1,000 yard runners. The only big time RB prospect for the Broncos was former Miami Hurricane Clinton Portis, and he was traded to the Washington Redskins for Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey after only two years with the Broncos. How many teams would really trade a 1,500 yard back for a cornerback? I say just one.

Could Bell be another in the long line of thousand-yard running backs for the boys from Denver or is this just Mike Shanahan’s ego getting the best of him? As soon as freight train linebacker knocks Mr. Bell on his back, then we will know if he is ready to star in the NFL or not.

The Chase is still on

In the eighth inning of the Phillies' game last night, Chase Utley, with no hits in four at-bats in the game, hit a bouncer to the pitcher, Randy Flores. Flores fielded the ball, quickly looked Shane Victorino back to third base, then threw to first. As the throw arrived, Albert Pujols pulled his foot off the base, but Utley had beaten the throw anyway. Does this sound like a fielder's choice to you? It does to me. However, this situation was different from most. This batted ball had the potential to extend one of the longest hitting streaks of the ESPN era to 34 games. The official scorer initially ruled it a hit, then reviewed the play further, and again called it a single.

Which is the right call? My opinion is obvious. Was it a bad call? Maybe the rule book can be interpreted in such a way that the scoring is legitimate. I don't know the rules well enough to say. Nevertheless, I am sure Major League Baseball is cringing behind the scenes. At a time when so many baseball records are under scrutiny, controversy over a hitting streak was the last thing baseball needed. A bright spot for MLB, though, is that the Phillies rallied to get Utley another at-bat in the ninth inning. Utley responded with a clean hit, so the integrity of the streak is intact and the official scorer is off the hook to some degree. The scoring of the eighth inning "hit" will still be analyzed to death over the next two days, but hopefully the subject will fade away soon for the sake of the game.

Winners or Losers?

The Major League Baseball trade deadline passed yesterday afternoon with a flurry of minor trades. Everything I have read today says that the New York Yankees, the Texas Rangers and the Cincinnati Reds were the big winners while the Boston Red Sox and the New York Mets were the big losers.

While I agree that the New York Mets should have traded Lastings Milledge for Barry Zito if the Oakland ace was really available, I have my doubts that he was out there. I find it hard to believe that the A’s were going to deal Zito with first place looking easily attainable in a pretty mediocre American League West. Other than Zito, I really did not see pitchers such as Jon Lieber, Kyle Lohse, and these other journeymen pitchers being worth anything more than a fringe prospect. As for the ridiculous New York Yankees and their free spending ways, I don’t even want to comment on their latest purchases. And yes, you read that right, purchases, not trades.

Now for the real cause of my anger...the way that every so called baseball expert has just killed the Red Sox for their inactivity. All I have read is that the Sox have to keep up with New York, how they can’t let the mighty Yankees out maneuver them. Supposedly, general manager Theo Epstein has gone from boy wonder to mediocre in one day. Just reading through various newspapers and blogs today I have seen Tony Massarotti, Buster Olney, Woody Paige and Skip Bayless rip the Sox. The only possible deal that I heard rumored that I would have even considered is the three way trade that would have sent Craig Hansen, Jon Lester and Coco Crisp to the Atlanta Braves, Andrew Jones to the Houston Astros and finally bringing Roy Oswalt to Fenway. Everyone keeps saying, "How do you know these kid pitchers are going to amount to any more than the next Wes Gardner, Shawn Chacon, Joe Mays or any other of the mediocre pitchers that have been overhyped by their ball club?"

Honestly, the answer to my previous question is that you just don’t know, but I would rather take my chances over the next decade with the prospects that Theo has brought into our franchise then the junk these other clubs are offering. Lest anyone forget the Sox did win the World Series two years ago, tied for the division crown with the Yankees last year and are in first place this year. That sounds like a pretty strong resume and one of a man in whose opinions I trust the future of my favorite ball club.