The Curious Case Of CJ Watson

I was occasionally able to sneak glances of the Bulls game in Denver while out Friday night. Denver's lead gradually shrunk every time I looked and eventually evaporated as the Bulls took the lead late in the game. I witnessed CJ Watson, who was starting in place of the injured Derrick Rose, score on a number of drives to the basket, including a drive with 30 seconds remaining to give the Bulls a three point lead.
Then it dawned on me. "I bet Watson went off this game." The type of scoring explosion I've been expecting from him all season off the bench was bound to happen in the game I only saw bits and pieces of.
When I got home, the first thing I did was check the box score. Sure enough, Watson scored 33 points on 11-22 shooting. By far his best game, in what has otherwise been an awful start to his 2010-11 campaign.
With Rose out, Watson was the only viable option at point guard for the Bulls. In fact, they signed John Lucas III before the game to provide depth at the position, and we all know how that worked out. Consequently, Watson played 44 minutes.
If there was one thing that defined Watson's time in Golden State, it was his inconsistent playing time. He'd routinely play 40 plus minutes for a 5-game stretch, and then then drop below 20 minutes for the next few games. Therein lies the problem with Watson's game, or at least the way he's been used since entering the league.
I spent a little more time than I should have calculating some of Watson's split stats, but first, here were his numbers for last season: 10.3 ppg, 27.5 mpg, 46 percent shooting, and 8 FG attempts per game, all career highs.
Prior to the Denver game, Watson's numbers this year: 4.8 ppg, 13 mpg, 37 percent shooting, 5 FG attempts per game.
Looking through Watson's game log (and providing a few of my own calculations), there's a large disparity in his performance based on the amount of minutes he plays and shots he takes. I used 30 minutes and 10 shots a game as a way to measure Watson's effectiveness. I figured that 30 minutes per game could be fairly labelled "starters minutes," and 10 shots a game was a good indicator of an offensive player who is looking to score.
Watson shot an impressive 49 percent from the field when playing over 30 minutes, and just 41 percent when playing less than 30 minutes. That's an incredible dip in shooting percentage that could really only be explained one way: Watson wasn't shooting well, so he didn't play as much. Makes sense, but this wasn't the case. Looking at his numbers, Watson was just as likely to be left on the floor when shooting poorly as he was to be taken off while shooting effectively.
Watson also shot 49 percent from the field when taking ten or more shots. He shot 43 percent when taking less than 10 shots.
If 30 minutes and 10 shots are the magic numbers to Watson's success, then it's no wonder he's been so terrible this year. Prior to the Denver game he hadn't played more than 19 minutes, or taken more than 9 shots in any contest.
Watson can score. I know most Bulls fans don't believe it, or didn't until Friday. This is the same guy who dropped 40 on Sacramento last year. Remember, that Rose's career high is 39. Check out Watson's 40 point game in the video below. I love this video for 3 reasons:
1) The contrast between Watson's stoicism to start the video and his Golden State teammates after he hit his 40-point clinching layup. I get the feeling that Watson, along with Gonzaga, the French nation, and the Knicks fan base all are embarrassed by Ronny Turiaf after watching this.
2) Golden State's throwback "San Francisco" uniforms. I know I'm not the only one that paused and said, "Wait, this is an NBA game, right? Don't tell me this happened in the D-League." There's no D-League team in San Francisco, by the way. San Francisco has a population of about 815 thousand, the average D-League city houses about 284 thousand people.
3) The "Quiet Storm" instrumental playing in the background ("Quiet Storm is Watson's nickname). I think I could upload a video of myself mowing the lawn and make it look like I was undertaking a monumental task by syncing it to this beat.



If you watch the video, you can see that only six of Watson's sixteen baskets were jump shots. He earned most of his points by driving, finishing, and drawing fouls. He's mostly settled for jump shots this year, trying to play within the offense.
Either Watson needs to let loose and take control of the offense like he did during his spot start in Denver, or start working on his outside shot.
Until then, we're left to ponder which Watson we'll see. And what part of the roller coaster ride that has been his career we're on.

Next Thanksgiving, Big Ten Fans Will Be More Thankful

For those of us who have recovered from yesterday's Thanksgiving day feast, Friday's college football slate feels a lot like the dessert. Three games, (2) Aurburn- (11) Alabama, (21)Arizona- (1)Oregon, and (4)Boise State- (19) Nevada have all the makings of a drama-filled weekend prior to Conference Championship Week. National Championship implications, rivalries, and potential upsets are as essential as turkey, gravy, and mashed potatoes were yesterday.
That's great for the SEC (Conference Championship next week) and Pac 10 (who doesn't have a 3-team tie atop the conference), but Big Ten fans are once again, both literally and figuratively, left out in the cold. The lack of a Championship Game is nothing new in the Big Ten, but seems particularly important at the moment.
Consider tomorrow's marquee Big Ten games: Michigan - (8) Ohio State, (10) Michigan State - Penn State, Northwestern - (7) Wisconsin. Wisconsin lost to Michigan State and beat Ohio State, and Ohio State beat Michigan State. All three teams are currently 10-1, 6-1 within the division. Since neither team defeated the other two, the BCS ranking will be used to determine the Big Ten Champion (assuming each teams wins tomorrow).
The BCS, the vindictive system that it is, has screwed all of our teams over at one point. That's why we don't like it. Yet, Big Ten fans will likely be at its mercy this weekend.
As a Wisconsin fan, not only do I have to root for my own team, but either an Ohio State victory, or Michigan State defeat. If Ohio State loses, Wisconsin loses, even if they win. Make sense? Of course it doesn't, it's the BCS all over again. Michigan State owns the tie-breaker with Wisconsin, some if it comes down to a draw between them, Michigan State goes to the Rose Bowl.
Realistically, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Michigan State should win tomorrow. If they do, Wisconsin will win the Big Ten. So what am I complaining about? The lack of competition. Allowing computers to decide which team is best. Not giving the two best teams in conference a chance to battle it out. I don't like doing things in a round-about way. If a championship is to be crowned, the champion should be decided by a game between the first and second best team.
Here's what I'm thankful for this holiday season: there will be a Big Ten Championship game -- next year. With the inclusion of Nebraska into the Big Ten and subsequent realignment into two six-team divisions, a Big Ten football champion will be crowned the right way next year.
Some people don't like like it. They want rivalries preserved. They want Big Ten schools to be more centrally located on the map.
Minnesota and Wisconsin have been playing each other for 120 years, and their recent rivalry with Iowa has developed into one of the more competitive ones in the Big Ten.
Paul Bunyan's Axe and the Heartland Trophy are filled with tradition but they're not the most important prize. That distinction belongs to the National Championship trophy. As a Wisconsin fan, I'm more concerned with having a fair shot at the National Championship than defeating Minnesota 41-23 in the sixth game of the season.
Today, I give thanks for the BCS system that happens to favor my team right now. Next year, the eleven other Big Ten teams can be thankful too.

Spurs vs. Werder Bremen - Champions League Game 5

In the first leg against Werder, Spurs jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead. Towards the end of the first half, they surrendered a goal, then another goal in the opening minutes of the second half, and had to settle for a tie. There would be no such letdown in the second leg.
Spurs came out firing early and were rewarded with a 6th minute goal from Younes Kaboul. The unmarked Kaboul scored easily after a perfect cross from Aaron Lennon. Lennon and Bale both had fantastic games.
A goal lead has been nothing to get excited about this year. Spurs came into the game not having kept a clean sheet in 17 games. They had only shut out their opponent in three games this season, two of those coming in the Champions League. Tottenham has only kept one clean sheet in the Premier League, the very first game, a 0-0 draw against Manchester City.
Thirty seconds into stoppage time, Luka Modric did well to control a Crouch header and stick it into the back of the net to give Spurs a two goal lead. The second goal clinched the game for Spurs as Werder was clearly overmatched and was unlikely to muster more than a goal.
It was important to keep a clean sheet, especially from a psychological standpoint. Tottenham players need to feel confident that they can win scoring only one goal. Too often this season, they've had the game well in hand and conceded a cheap goal, forcing a draw.  They need games like this to prove, mainly to themselves, that they're capable of shutting a team out.
Spurs scored their third goal in the 81st minute, when Lennon collected Bale's rebound and fed Peter Crouch. Bale continued his fantastic play that has made him one of the tournament's most exciting players. In this game, he hit the post twice, once on the aforementioned cross, and earlier on a free kick. He also missed a penalty kick that Werder goalie Tim Wiese guessed right on.
Bale's game has become so beautifully predictable. He receives the ball, kicks the ball past the defender to start his run, and delivers a perfect cross almost every time. Defenses know what he's going to do, they just can't stop him. He's the soccer equivalent of Mariano Rivera. Rivera throws his cutter about 80 percent of the time, and occasionally mixes in a straight fastball. Hitters know what's coming, they just can't hit it.
With the win, Tottenham secured a place in the knockout stages. They currently sit atop Group A, tied with Inter at 10 points, but ahead in goal differential. For a team that many didn't expect to advance, Spurs have looked awfully impressive through out their Champions League campaign. Their last game in group play will be against Twente on the road. They have a chance to top a group that includes the defending European champions, Inter Milan.

Forecasting The NFC Playoffs

It's about that time again. With 62.5 percent of the NFL season complete, things are starting to fall into place. Minnesota and Dallas will both miss the playoffs and have fired their head coaches, Mike Vick not only is the Eagles' starting quarterback, but is putting together an MVP season, and Detroit is still Detroit, but at least they're not Carolina. Just like we drew it up from the beginning.
There's seven teams that deserve six playoff spots. Only five of those teams will actually make the playoffs. Damn you, NFC West. Here's the NFC playoff picture, as it currently stands.

LOCKS:

Atlanta Falcons (8-2), Projected Finish (13-3, NFC South Champs, #1 Seed)

Green Bay Packers (7-3), Projected Finish (11-5, NFC North Champs, #2 Seed)

New Orleans Saints (7-3), Projected Finish (10-6, NFC Wild Card, #5 Seed)

Whoever wins the NFC West, #4 Seed

Atlanta, Green Bay, and New Orleans are the only three teams I'm prepared to call locks for the playoffs. And of course, someone has to win the NFC West. Will that team be above .500? Probably not. Will a more deserving team, with a better record miss the playoffs because of the way the playoff system is designed? Yes. Does the playoff system need to be changed? Absolutely.
Atlanta is the cream of the NFC crop right now. Not only do they have the best record, but the easiest remaining schedule of the eight potential playoff teams. Next week's home game against Green Bay will be a great measuring stick for both teams, and Atlanta's Week 16 match up with New Orleans will be a golden opportunity for the Saints to cement their playoff spot. The tendency to embrace what is new has everyone falling in love with the Vick-McCoy-Jackson-Celek tandem, but I'm not so sure the more experienced Ryan-Turner-White-Gonzalez tandem isn't more primed for a playoff push.
The Packers could very easily have 8, 9, or even 10 wins at this point. They've lost all three of their games by a field goal, two of those losses coming in overtime. He won't win it, but for my money, Aaron Rodgers is the MVP of the league right now. His top target, tight end Jermichael Finley, and running back Ryan Grant were lost for the year, the offensive line has been shuffled around, and after hiccups against Washington and Miami, it appears the Packers have hit their stride. They'll be tested late in the year, next week at Atlanta, at New England in Week 15, and home games to close out the year against the Giants and Bears. The Packers have found their comfort zone and are settling in at just the right time.
There won't be a Super Bowl let down from the 2010 New Orleans Saints. They still have Drew Brees, meaning they won't have trouble scoring points. Their defense will be key to making the playoffs. New Orleans is currently 2nd in the NFL, allowing only 186 passing yards a game. They're giving up just over 100 yards on the ground per game. Drew Brees and the passing game will always be the focus, but the Saints will go as far as their defense takes them.

THE NFC EAST:

Philadelphia Eagles (7-3), Projected Finish (11-5, NFC East Champs, #3 Seed)

New York Giants (6-4), Projected Finish (9-7, 2nd in NFC East, Miss Playoffs)

I'm officially on the Eagles' bandwagon. Their offense is terrifying. They can beat you in so many ways, some of which we probably haven't even seen yet. Vick's health will be the key. He needs to do a better job of avoiding hits, or he'll be back on the sidelines, watching Kevin Kolb destroy the empire he was building. Next week at Chicago will be their biggest test of the season. Chicago can stop the run, but can they stop the run when Vick is the runner? Save for their rematch against the Giants, the Eagles will have plenty of defenses they can easily exploit in their remaining games.
The Giants are the biggest wild card in the NFC picture. Just three weeks ago they were the team to beat in all of the NFC, now they aren't even the favorite to win their division. The good news for Giants fans is that they have the ability, more so than any other team, of controlling their playoff fate. They've already beaten (dismantled might be a better word) the Bears, a major player in the Wild Card race. They have a home game against Philadelphia, and both games against the Redskins to gain leverage within their division. They also have a game left with Green Bay, which barring a Packer collapse, could also be Wild Card competition.

WHAT ARE THEY DOING HERE?:

Chicago Bears (7-3), Projected Finish (10-6, NFC Wild Card, #6 Seed)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3), Projected Finish (9-7, 3rd in NFC South, Miss Playoffs)

The black sheep of the NFC Playoff picture are clearly the Bears and Bucs. Both teams were expected to be closer to 3-7 at this point in the season, not the other way around. Neither team has looked pretty winning games, but they are winning. The Bears have the better defense, which is why I think they'll be able to stay in the playoff hunt. The key for the Bears is to avoid turnovers. They've had success in the past because they won the turnover battle. Cutler will have to take care of the ball better, especially against the Philadelphia's, Green Bay's, and New York's of the world if they're going to challenge for the last playoff spot.
Not only does Tampa Bay squeak out wins, but they also play in the same division as the Falcons and Saints, ensuring that they will always be overlooked. They have tough match ups remaining against both teams, at New Orleans and the Saints at home. They also have to go to Baltimore this upcoming weekend. All three of those games will be tough. Tampa Bay's Week 14-16 string of Washington on the road, Detroit, and Seattle will be huge. The Bucs have done a great job of stopping the pass this year, and those three teams rank 22nd, 31st, and 30th in rushing, respectively. It's not out of the question that Tampa Bay could finish 10-6 and grab a playoff spot, although I'm still not sold on quarterback Josh Freeman. I think he's still another year away.

SOMEONE'S GOTTA GRAB IT (NFC WEST):

Seattle Seahawks (5-5), Projected Finish (7-9, NFC West Champs, #4 Seed)

St. Louis Rams (4-6), Projected Finish (6-10, 2nd in NFC West, Miss Playoffs)

Yes, I think Seattle will be under .500 to finish the year. They will have a higher seed than two 10 win teams. I don't know what to say about these two teams other than it's wrong that they need to be in the playoff discussion. Here's what I'm hoping happens. The Rams win two of their next five, and the Seahawks win one of their next five. They meet each other in Week 17 of the season, both 6-9. The winner advances to the playoffs. They go scoreless in regulation and a first overtime before Roger Goodell says "Fuck It," let's toss up a coin, neither of you are beating the Saints anyway.  Seattle wins the coin toss and proceeds to lose by 35 at home to New Orleans.

A Win Is A Win...And The Bears Have Seven Of Them

The Chicago Bears are the worst 7-3 football team in the history of the NFL. Last week, they were the worst 6-3 football team in the history of the NFL. If they beat the Eagles next week they will be the worst 8-3 football team in the history of the NFL. If this is all starting to sound a little silly, it should.
ESPN.com writer Gene Wojciechowski (I triple checked that, it's spelled correctly) was kind enough to offer me an alley-oop. I was planning on addressing all of the excuses that have been made as to why the Bears have been successful this season, and Wojciechowski provided a nice, quick reason/excuse for each Chicago victory this year (minus the Packers, for whatever reason). I believe that his views match up almost perfectly with what I've heard about the Bears all season, so I decided to use his article as a reference point.

On the Lions win: "[The Bears] beat the Detroit Lions in the season opener, but needed a Matthew Stafford injury and a bizarre, last-second nullified touchdown to do it."

When healthy, Stafford is a much better quarterback than back up Shaun Hill, no one is disputing that. However, let's not pretend that Hill hasn't stepped in and played well. In his six starts this season, Hill has thrown for 1544 yards, 10 TDs to 7 INTs, and completed 62 percent of his passes. Not bad numbers at all, especially for a back up quarterback. The Lions were 1-5 in those games, not because of Hill, but because they gave up an average of 28 points per game in those five losses and couldn't run the ball. Hill played the entire second half of the Bears game and the Bears defense held him to his worst half of football this season.
Johnson's nullified touchdown is a tough call. There is a portions of the NFL rulebook that could have interpreted that as a catch, and another part, the part the referee's used, interpreted it as a drop. I'm convinced that Johnson could have came down with the ball in both hands, he chose to swing it to his right hand and payed for it. It's really no different than a receiver making a spectacular catch and coming down with his toe out of bounds.

On the Cowboys win: "[The Bears] beat the spectacularly underachieving Dallas Cowboys on the road for their second win."

I hate this argument. This was the second game of the NFL season. The Cowboys were 0-1, had they underachieved then, after one game? To suggest that the underachieving 1-8 Cowboys are the same team that took the field in the second game of the season is ludicrous. The football season does not remain static, some teams get better as the season goes on, and some get worse.
In Week 2 of the NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys were a Super Bowl favorite playing their first home game of the season. Dallas' D-Line came close to killing Cutler the entire first half, Romo threw for almost 400 yards, and Miles Austin caught 10 passes for 142 yards. The Bears won because they were plus three in the turnover battle, not because the Cowboys were an underachieving team one week into the season, they actually played very good that game.

On the Panthers win: "On the week [the Bears] lost Cutler to a concussion, the schedule gods gave them the Carolina Panthers -- and a win. Carolina is 1-8 this season."

I don't care what the opposing team's record is, if your quarterback (Todd Collins, the worst quarterback to start a NFL game this season) goes 6-16 for 32 yards and 4 INTs, you have no business winning that game. The Bears did because they created three turnovers of their own and held the dynamic Williams-Stewart combo to a combined 81 yards rushing.
The Bears also made a commitment to the run against the Panthers' pitiful rushing defense. Matt Forte scored two touchdowns and ran for 166 yards. When teams like the Patriots exploit other team's weaknesses, they're called smart. When the Bears do, they're lucky to be playing a weak team. It's all part of the double standard.

On the Bills win: "[The Bears'] fifth win came against the then-winless Buffalo Bills. And they didn't even have to play the Bills in Buffalo. Instead, they faced them in Toronto."

Sure, let's just ignore that after their Week 6 bye, the Bills weren't playing great football. They took the Ravens and Chiefs (both 4-2 when the Bills faced them) to overtime in back to back weeks. Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 605 yards and 5 touchdowns in both games. The Bills lost to the Bears and then went on to beat the Lions on the road. They're playing much much much better in the last four weeks than they were in the previous five.   
I'm not sure what Wojciechowski was getting at about playing in Toronto. He is aware that Buffalo and Toronto practically border each other, right? If he's suggesting that this was a home game that didn't have the feel of a home game it's because the Bears fans travel well, not because Bills fans couldn't make it to the game.

On the Vikings win: "[The Bears] got win number six against a Minnesota Vikings team that can't stand its coach and is without its best wide receiver."

Am I missing something? Haven't the Vikings hated Chilly for years? Weren't they going to win despite him? And not going to lay down like the Dallas Cowboys? Hasn't Sidney Rice been injured all season? These excuses could have been but weren't used when the Saints, Jets, Packers, and Patriots defeated the Vikings. Double standard, anyone?
Adrian Peterson and Brett Favre have made careers out of beating up on the Bears defense. In this game, they held Peterson to 51 yards, and Favre to 170 passing yards and 3 interceptions the week after his career high 446 yard passing effort against Arizona. If that's not impressive, especially for a team that has struggled historically against both players, I don't know what is.

On the Dolphins win: "And then [the Bears] threw a shutout against the Dolphins, who converted just one third down, had the ball nearly 16 fewer minutes than the Bears and saw Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams rush for a combined 11 yards."

I'm confused, these all seem like compliments to me. So the Dolphins a) couldn't convert on third down, b) lost the time of possession battle, c) had a reshuffled offensive line and couldn't run the ball, and d) started a back up quarterback. And that's why it was OK for Miami to lose? By my calculations, the Bears could have circled A, B, C, D, or E (All of the Above) for every game this season, yet they're 7-3, and being criticized for winning games that the Dolphins are getting a pass for.

The Bears are a flawed team, just like any other in the NFC. I believe they will make the playoffs, and after that, who knows what will happen. The last six games, especially next week at home against Philadelphia, and the three division games on the road will be hugely instrumental in shaping their playoff chances. Luck doesn't last for ten games and it sure doesn't last for sixteen. If the Bears make the playoffs it won't be because they were lucky, but because they deserved it.
For the record, Wojciechowski's summarized argument was, "I don't think the Bears are very good, but they've been so lucky this year, that I wouldn't be surprised if they made it to the Super Bowl." That seems to be everyone's view of the Bears in a nutshell. They're no good but they keep on winning, so I'm not going to be the one to wrongfully pick against them.
Just remember that there's more than one way to win a football game. The 2010 Bears are anything but conventional, but they're getting it done.

Even When Bosh Wins, He Loses

Wednesday night's game was supposed to be Chris Bosh's coming out party. Everything was set up perfectly. Bosh has been criticized all season for his pedestrian-like 14 points and 6 rebounds a game. He found himself matched up with the likes of Channing Frye, Hakim Warrick, and Earl Clark - three soft defenders, and a Heat team that was willing to defer to him, fully aware that Bosh needed a big game, and this was a match up he could exploit.
Bosh delivered with a 35 point performance. While most of his points were jumpers and drives to the basket, he still put together his first dominant offensive performance of the year. The six rebounds thing? I think it's just time to accept Bosh isn't a double-double guy anymore, at least not on this team. Wade and LeBron take away a lot of rebounds and Bosh doesn't look too interested in grabbing them.
While the nationally televised audience's attention should have been focused on Bosh's game, and it was to an extent, Bosh's post-game comments stole the show and took on a life of their own.
In the interview Bosh said, "[Heat coach Erik Spoelstra] knows he has to meet us halfway. He wants to work, we wanna chill, but we're going to have to work to get everything down, to get our timing down, and to get our chemistry down."



All I heard was, "He wants to work, we wanna chill..." Apparently I wasn't alone, Jeff Van Gundy and Stuart Scott both made a big deal about the comment later on in the broadcast.
I'm not one of those people that think athletes should be in the gym 20 hours day. They're human beings, they deserve down time just like anyone else. The fans just don't want to hear about the down time, especially when contrasted so bluntly with hard work. Athletes get paid a lot, and when a player making the max level 14.5 million dollars this year expresses his willingness to chill, it won't go over too well.
Bosh deserves the benefit of the doubt here. I'm sure his thoughts on team chemistry and how he was fitting in to the offense came out wrong. With that being said, his comments were harmful for two reasons:
1) They weren't taken out of context, that was the full quote. Context is an athlete's "Get Out of Jail Free Card." Whenever they say something misguided, they blame the journalist: it was taken out of context. LeBron James used that very same excuse recently when he said his, "I'm playing too many minutes, 44 minutes is too much," quote was taken out of context. Bosh doesn't have that luxury. The interview was on national TV, it wasn't taken out of context. It might have come out wrong, but he still said what he said.
2) When he said we want to chill, he put words, and not so flattering words, into his teammate's mouths. They should be able to speak for themselves. Now one man's perceived laziness has the potential to become the aura surrounding the team's culture.
The Heat asked for these Presidential levels of scrutiny. I think they underestimated how bad it would get, but now have to deal with it, Bosh especially. He's like the youngest of the three brothers. What is anyone going to say to LeBron or Wade? They take over games. They've led previous teams to playoff success. We pick on the little brother because it's easy. He can't fight back so he has to call on his older brothers to come and beat us up. That's when we'll run and hide.
A halftime and a post-game interview was probably a dream come true for Bosh. He's made no secret about the fact he wants to be seen. He spent the entire offseason looking for attention. His performance, or lack thereof, on the court will get enough attention. He needs to be more careful about what he says because right now, he's only adding fuel to the fire. Apparently small market Toronto didn't prepare him for this.

The Mystery Surrounding The Chicago Bears Cheerleaders

There's a few things synonymous with Chicago Bears football. Great defense, cold winter afternoons, tailgating, and beer, lots of beer. Take a trip to Soldier Field and you'll find crowds upon crowds of already rowdy fans, some who have been there for an upwards of five hours, waiting for the gates to open.
Inside the stadium you'll find the usual. Overpriced hot dogs, beer, a kind of jumbo JumboTron, more beer, and a few shirtless guys oblivious to the fact it's negative ten degrees outside.
Something is missing. It's not that big of a deal. In fact, if you're focused solely on the football, as you should be, you won't even notice that anything is out of the ordinary. Just imagine, it's the middle of the second quarter and the Bears have just completed their fourth straight three and out. It would be nice to have something to look at, particularly scantily clad women, right? At least until the defense gets back on the field.
That's where the cheerleading squad comes in. Well, at least for 26 of the NFL teams. The Bears are one of only six football teams that don't have a cheerleading squad. The others: the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers (although the Packers do have cheerleaders from local colleges cheer at some games), New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Possible links between those teams? Passionate, blue collar fan bases that support their teams through thick and thin. I get the feeling that any of these six teams could play in a run down high school field in the middle of nowhere and still draw large crowds that could care less about the extracurricular activities surrounding the game.
These are also some very cold cities. And with the exception of the Lions, who moved into indoor Ford Field in 2002, they all play outside. Cold weather and cheerleaders don't mix.
The Bears actually did have cheerleaders, called "The Honey Bears," from 1976-1985. After the 1985 Super Bowl year, their contract was not renewed.
Being the forward thinker he was, then owner George Halas decided in 1976 that he wanted professional cheerleaders, or as he called them, "dancing girls." You gotta love the 70s, dancing girls has a whole different connotation nowadays.
Halas put General Manager Greg Finks in charge of assembling a squad. Through church connections, Finks found and hired Honey Bears' choreographer Cathy Core, whose only cheerleading experience at the time consisted of teaching Junior High girls.
Core eventually narrowed her first squad down to 20 girls after receiving hundreds of applications. This was not a full time career as many cheerleading jobs are now. Each cheerleader received 15 dollars a game, which was said to pay for gas, parking, and uniform cleaning.
Halas passed away in 1983 and the idea of the Honey Bears died with him. Despite their immense popularity amongst Bears fans, the Honey Bears were not renewed after the 1985 season.
While no official explanation was ever given, it's believed that the new Bears management wanted to distance themselves from anything that took away from the franchise's strong and intimidating image. This may sound ridiculous, put perhaps this strategy has some validity. Take the Cowboys organization for instance, who take a great amount of pride in their cheerleaders. The Cowboys are one of the softest teams in the NFL, mentally and physically.
While the Super Bowl Shuffle isn't exactly dripping with masculinity, the product on the field sure did.




For now, the Honey Bears will have to be content dwelling somewhere in our collective Bears memory. Nuzzled alongside #33 Calvin Thomas' saxophone solo.
For the full story on the Honey Bears, pick up Roy Taylor's book entitled Chicago Bears History. Thanks also to Football Babble.

Wisconsin Runs Up The Field...And The Score?

A win can't just be a win anymore. In today's hypersensitive sports world where something, anything has to be criticized, Bret Bielema's Wisconsin Badgers were accused by a number of media personalities and fans of running up the score. Putting up an 83 spot, whether good or bad, will draw a response from pretty much everyone. Here's mine...
First, I tried to compile all the instances I could think of that be interpreted as running up the score:
1) Refusing to take out the starters after the game is well out of hand.
2) Running trick plays with a big lead, i.e. fake punts or field goals, double reverses, etc.
3) Throwing on first down, or throwing the ball long in general.
4) Calling timeouts with a big lead to kick a field goal or get the "right" play call.
5) Blitzing with a big lead.
I'm sure there are more but that's all I could think of off the top of my head.
"There's not one style point on that board," Bielema said after the game. "All those guys did was play football and competed."
If you watched the game (most people who have a problem with the score probably didn't), you'd know that the Badgers didn't break any of those five rules. The starters got a few reps into the third quarter before being taken out. They called a steady diet of run and pass plays despite having the game in hand. To be fair, most of the plays were "situational," meaning plays they could practice should they need to use them in certain situations of a close game.
Back up quarterback Jon Budmayr connected on a 76 yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter to put the Badgers up 76-13. That was really the only play that could possibly be considered running up the score. Budmayr scrambled out of the pocket and threw the ball up to avoid the sack. What was he supposed to do? Take the sack? Taking sacks on purpose would be more of a disgrace to the game than throwing bombs with a 50 point lead.

The Badgers did nothing that suggested they were trying to score 80 points. Indiana's defense just couldn't stop them. Wisconsin scored on all 12 of their possessions. It wasn't Wisconsin's fault that Indiana couldn't stop them. Again, what were they supposed to do? But the back ups in and have them take a knee?
Conventional thinkers would say run the ball. That's the solution to blowout games. Run the ball. It takes time off the clock and allows the defense to get easy stops. Except nothing came easy for Indiana's defense.
John Clay sat out nursing a knee injury. Montee Ball and James White (the backups) have filled in admirably all season and would start for the majority of Division 1-A football programs. They combined for 311 yards rushing and 5 touchdowns. Wisconsin had more success running the ball than passing the ball, like they normally do. They continued to run the ball with the lead, Indiana couldn't stop them, they score, and are accused of running up the score. If they had thrown the ball in the same situation they would have also been accused of running up the score. Save for taking a knee for a quarter and a half, anything the Badgers offense did would have been considered running up the score. That's what they get for going up against an inept defense.
I've also noticed the "running up the score" argument seems to be biased towards college football. Consider yesterday's college basketball scores. The six Top 25 ranked teams won by a total of 199 points in their games yesterday, or by an average of 33 points a game. Those six teams faced off against lower tier mid major teams and blew them out. Not a word was said about running up the score. Wisconsin beat a fellow Big Ten team, if anything, they were more evenly matched than any of those college basketball games. Could it be because those mid major teams were expected to lose, and lose big? So the "running up the score" argument only applies to a team that isn't expected to get blown out, but does? It seems like it should be the other way around.
Let's do away with all this talk about running up the score. It's old and its tired. These aren't a bunch of eight year-olds playing touch football. They're big boys, I think they can handle a tough loss. Blame Indiana's defense for the 83 points. Not Bret Bielema, Montee Ball, James White, or backup quarterback Jon Budmayr.

Chilly On The Hot Seat

NFL players aren't stupid. They're fully aware of the never-ending carousal that is the NFL coach's "hot seat." Wade Phillips sat atop the throne until he was fired last week. It's now Brad Childress' turn to try and fend off his angry subjects.
Sensing the seat got a little bit hotter, six anonymous Vikings players decided to strike. They questioned among other things, Childress' leadership, people skills, and loyalty. "We know that Childress doesn't have our backs, so why should we have his?" one player said. "We're playing for us, and we're winning despite him."
Not exactly a vote of confidence. The good folks at FIRE CHILLY, who have been at it since 2008, may finally get their wish.
While remaining relatively low key, Vikings players and coaches have reportedly been unhappy with Childress for years. Winning, and fielding the best team in the NFC last year, temporarily quelled those feelings.
The built up Childress hate finally boiled over after a 1-6 start and Childress' decision to cut Randy Moss without owner Zygi Wilf's permission. The next week Childress publicly criticized Brett Favre and Percy Harvin, two players who have battled through injuries and haven't missed a game all season.
The most puzzling detail of this entire saga is Childress' reasoning for letting Moss go. Moss was reportedly waived because he voiced his displeasure about the catering of a post-practice meal. "We want good people who are good football players," Childress said. "And this just doesn't fit."
Childress had already lost his team by this point, but how about trying to give an honest answer? Moss was cut because he dogged it on the field. Plain and simple. Childress was a fool for trying to turn this into a bad character crusade. Had Moss performed on the field and the Vikings were winning, outbursts like this would have been tolerated. They always are.
How are players supposed to respect a head coach that is using character as an excuse to waive players? But the knife cuts both ways.
Making anonymous comments to the press wasn't smart. What about the 47 teammates who didn't make anonymous comments? They may not respect Childress either, but they shouldn't have to worry about if the guy next to them has already given up on the season. Injuries happen that way. If these players really had "pride" and "weren't going to lay down like the Dallas Cowboys" then why even make the comments? Because the iron was hot, Childress is next up, and by going to the press, one more loss could cost Childress his job, and the six anonymous players know it.
Both parties have shown poor judgement in handling this situation. Zygi Wilf has the final say and will likely side with his players. The question is, will he cave into player demands and fire him next week, or wait until the end of the season?
Rather than bickering with each other through the media, Childress and the Vikings should be worried about the Bears, an underwhelming 5-3 team that could move to 3-0 within the division with a win. The hot seat just got a little chillier.

Gerald Green - The NBA's Forgotten Top Prospect

Last night I watched the excellent ESPN 30 For 30 entitled Marcus Dupree: The Best That Never Was. I'm admittedly a sucker for the "What might have been" documentaries. Dupree was possibly the greatest high school running back ever. A mixture of immaturity, injuries, and bad advice, kept him from becoming the NFL star he was supposed to be.
In the middle of pondering my own failed athletic exploits and trying not to cry over Dupree's return to his old high school stomping grounds, I thought about a modern day NBA equivalent. The only real comparison would be LeBron James, had James flamed out and been out of the league a few years ago.
For the fun of it, I decided to look back at Rivals.com's top prospects between the years of 2002-07 and see how they panned out. Rivals was established in 2001, but didn't start ranking high school basketball recruits across positions until 2003.
Here's the list of the top high school basketball recruit according to Rivals.com:
2007 - Michael Beasley
2006 - Greg Oden
2005 - Gerald Green
2004 - Dwight Howard
2003 - LeBron James
This list produces a strange symmetrical effect. The first two players - James and Howard - have blossomed into stars and are well on their way to becoming Hall of Famers. The last two players - Beasley and Oden - have yet to take off. Oden has battled injuries during every year of his short career. Beasley finally has the opportunity to play more consistent minutes in Minnesota.
Sandwiched in the middle is Gerald Green. You may ask, who is Gerald Green? If you're not an avid follower of the NBA Slam Dunk Competition, you've probably never heard of him.

Green Winning the 2007 Dunk Contest



Green's Memorable "Birthday Cake" Dunk in the 2008 Contest




Green was the top high school prospect in the 2005 class and originally committed to Oklahoma State. He later decommited and decided to enter the NBA Draft. 2005 would mark the last year players were allowed to enter the draft straight out of high school. While Kwame Brown remains the poster child for players that should have honed their game in college, Green isn't far behind.
Fully expecting to be one of the top players taken in the 2005 Draft, Green fell all the way to the Boston Celtics' 18th overall pick. An incredibly raw talent, Green struggled to find playing time with the Celtics. While his 48 inch vertical leap left many in awe, it was his shoddy ball handling, broken jumper, and questionable practice habits that garnered the most attention.
Green's 2007 Dunk Contest victory proved to be both a gift and a curse. While his performance gained him a brief stint in the national spotlight, he became known solely as a high-flyer who couldn't do much else. That summer he was part of the mega deal that brought Kevin Garnett to Boston.
Green went on to play half of the next season with the Timberwolves before he was traded to the Houston Rockets, and then released shortly thereafter. Green played one more year for the Dallas Mavericks in 2008, his last in the NBA.
He played for a total of four NBA teams in his short four year career. Green's career numbers are less than stellar: 7.2 points and 2 rebounds per game on 42 percent shooting.
Green played in Russia in 2009 and has since been trying to find a place on an NBA roster. He was a member of the Lakers' NBA Summer League Roster but did not make the team.
If there's a silver lining in Green's story it's that he's only 24 years old and still healthy. He's at the age when most players are approaching their prime so there's still some hope. For now, we're left to think about the type of player Green could have became had he taken a few years to improve his game in college. He was supposed to be the next Tracy McGrady.   

The Cowboys Aren't Who We Thought They Were

Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips was fired yesterday. Finally. His termination was like the last couple weeks of a woman's pregnancy. You know it's coming, and soon, you just don't know when. (By the way, sorry for using termination and pregnancy in the same sentence).
Phillips' firing comes as a surprise to only those who believed Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who said two days before that Phillips was safe for at least the remainder of the season. Owners like Jones speak of accountability, which apparently doesn't apply to a person's word only two days before.
I'm not here to defend Phillips or question his firing. When a team, regardless of their stature, is in disarray, something needs to be done. The head coach is the captain that goes down with the ship. All is right with the post-1995 world, the Cowboys are no good.
Unfortunately for him, Phillips is the fall guy for an undisciplined and underachieving team that is composed of talented individuals, but has no idea how to coexist as a team.
This year's Cowboys remind me of England's 2010 World Cup campaign. England was supremely talented in every position, boasting most of the EPL's best players. Individually they were great, as a team, they were terrible.
After England's 0-0 draw with Algeria, former American national and current ESPN analyst Alexi Lalas proclaimed what everyone was thinking. When asked what was wrong with England, he replied, "How about this: they're just not very good."
The weight had been lifted off of his shoulders and the smoke screen disappeared. Lalas and the rest of the non-English analysts could finally express their opinions frankly about the overrated English team. Phillips' firing is the icing on the cake for the removal of the "Cowboys are really good" veil.
Many fans including myself felt that maybe the Cowboys just had trouble closing out games. With Romo as the starter, they lost all five of their games by seven points or less. I also desperately wanted to believe that beating the Cowboys in Dallas was a big win. The Cowboys are and have been officially Bills status. That win means nothing now.
If Jerry Jones wants to talk about accountability he has to first look at the players on the field. Romo, not exactly thought of as a clutch player, couldn't lead his team to victory in the aforementioned close games.
Number one wide receiver Miles Austin has been wildly inconsistent. In his four good games: 36 catches for 571 yards and two touchdowns. In his four bad games, 9 catches for 86 yards and no touchdowns. Austin either shows up big or doesn't show up at all.
The running game and offensive line have been nonexistent. The Jones-Barber-Choice "three-headed monster" has combined for 543 yards and two touchdowns. DeMarcus Ware is supposed to be the leader on defense and appears to have a difficult time keeping his focus for an entire game. The Cowboys' secondary can't keep their hands off the opposing receivers.
Wade Phillips has been on a roller coaster ride for the past three and half years. From the highs of a 13-3 regular season his first year and the Cowboys' first playoff win since 1996 two year later, to the lows of a 1-2 playoff record and 45-7 trumping in Green Bay, Phillips can finally get off the ride. He'll walk through the Exit Gate with a 35-24 overall record as Cowboys head coach.
It's no wonder Phillips always had a confused, "What am I looking at?" face. He never had any idea which team was going to show up on the field. Unfortunately for him, this year it was always the bad one.
As the anti-Denny Green might say, "The Cowboys aren't who we thought they were."

Carmelo Heads To Chicago...As A Nugget

Tonight Carmelo Anthony will make his one and only appearance at the United Center. Not exactly the words many of us wanted to hear after digesting the offseason "Melo to Chicago" rumors. These rumors have gained even more ground recently as Anthony has reportedly limited his preferred destinations to New York and Chicago.
The Nuggets offered Anthony a three-year 65 million extension this summer. He wants the money, he just doesn't want to play in Denver. The new CBA, which is expected to reduce the amount of money paid to players, remains the biggest obstacle in the ongoing Carmelo saga.
Anthony can either sign the extension, thereby making more money that he would terminating his contract, or choose to become a free agent under the uncertain terms of the new CBA. He wants the best of both worlds, to make more money playing for the team he wants to.
The Nuggets organization finds themselves in a tough spot. Do they let Anthony walk for nothing, or cave into his demands? The problem is that Denver still has to look out for the best interest of the franchise, which doesn't coincide with Anthony's demands. New York doesn't have the pieces Denver covets and Chicago is unwilling to part with theirs.

In exchange for Anthony, Denver wants a young big in return. The Knicks don't have one, and the Bulls have Noah. The Bulls just signed Noah to a five year extension and, especially as well as he's played in the early season, aren't looking to trade him. No other team would work out a deal with Denver unless Anthony signed the extension first, and he likely won't sign unless he's dealt to one of his preferred destinations.
Chicago would much rather package Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and their own first rounder and the first rounder they acquired from Charlotte in the Tyrus Thomas deal. Denver doesn't want Deng. If they're willing to unload Anthony, the last thing they would want to do is add payroll in the process. It wouldn't make sense for the Bulls to deal one of the best young centers in the league, and pay a combined 28 million to their starting and back-up small forward. So the deal is at a stand still and will probably never get done.
Anthony has gotten off to a fast start, averaging 24.7 points a game on 51 percent shooting. There's no disputing that he's a great player, but I'm still not sure he's a great fit for the Bulls. Anthony is the type of player that needs twenty shots a game to succeed. Boozer is going to need shots down low. Anthony's hypothetical arrival would come at the expense of Derrick Rose's offense.
There's an old fashioned way of thinking that says for a team to be successful, its point guard can't be the primary scorer. Why? Rose isn't meant to be the traditional pass first point guard. He creates offense for others when he is able to penetrate and allow the defense to key on him. The ball should be in Rose's hands. Deferring to a wing player wouldn't be the best thing for the Bulls at this point.
Anthony and the Bulls will face off tonight, in the battle of what could have been. In due time, both parties will realize they're not right for each other.

Thoughts On Bulls-Knicks Three Point Shooting Contest

The Lakers and Celtics have undoubtedly the best rivalry in the NBA. Both franchises possess all the things that make a rivalry work: championships (32 combined), 10 NBA Finals match ups, and two diametrically opposed cities in terms of - well, pretty much everything.
The New York-Chicago rivalry operates under the recognition of sameness. Two large urban areas competing for big city basketball supremacy. The Knicks won two NBA titles in the early 1970s, while the Bulls as a team remained irrelevant until the late 1980s. It's no coincidence that both franchises were able to rise to power in the 1990s, when the Celtics and Lakers where in rebuilding mode. New York City and Chicago have always been recognized as epicenters of US culture and history. In the 1990s, the Bulls and Knicks fought for the same distinction in basketball.
That being said, all rivalries aren't created equal. The Bulls have won 128 of their 143 meetings, including 24 of their 36 playoff games. Yesterday's game was essentially meaningless in the grand scheme of the 2010-11 season, neither team is contending for a championship, but there's still remnants of the old rivalry sprinkled amongst both fan bases. This game was a big deal to a lot of people.
It's easy to blame this loss on the out-of-this world three point shooting, especially from unusual suspects Raymond Felton and Toney Douglas. The Knicks as a team shot 16-24 from behind the arc. While this is certainly an aberration, most of those were wide open looks. The majority of PG-SG-SFs in the NBA can knock down an open three. Blame the Bulls' half court defense and willingness to engage in an uptempo pace for this loss. We played right into what New York was trying to do, and turned the ball over 20 times to show for it.
Derrick Rose is currently second in the NBA in points per game with 26.8. Joakim Noah leads the NBA in rebounding, averaging 14.8 per game. It's nice to see them gain some recognition and sit atop some early statistical categories, but this picnic won't last forever. When Carlos Boozer returns, both Rose's points and Noah's rebounds will be cut down. Enjoy it while it lasts.

What's up with CJ Watson? I thought he was going to be one of the most underrated signings this offseason.  To quote myself, from a July 21st post:
While this move [Watson's acquisition] will surely go under the radar for sports fans outside of Chicago, it could end up to be one of the biggest moves the Bulls make this offseason. Before signing Watson, the Bulls lacked a guy who was capable of providing a huge spark off the bench. They now have that guy, as well as a player who can play major minutes at the point if Derrick Rose misses extended time like he did last season.
Embarrassing. Watson's jump shot looks awful, he's been sloppy with his passes, and has turned the ball over way more than a back up point guard should. He just doesn't look confident out there. It appears like he may have been a product of Golden State's offensive system. I hope not.
Amar'e Stoudemire had a very underwhelming stat line. 14 points on 5-21 shooting, 8 rebounds, and 8 turnovers. On the year, Stoudemire is averaging 19.5 points a game, shooting 39 percent from the field, 7.8 rebounds, and 6 turnovers a game. While the shooting percentage and turnovers are much worse than his career averages, Stoudemire doesn't look like he deserves the max contract he signed this summer.

In my opinion, a max contract guy should be the best player on your team AND a guy that you can win a championship with as the best player. That's why guys like Bosh, Joe Johnson, and Stoudemire are overpaid. If one of these three is the best player on a team, that team isn't contending for anything.
The only players that I think deserve max contracts (taking into account age, if I was giving out a long term max contract this offseason): LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, and Dwight Howard. I couldn't be convinced of anyone outside of these eight players.
I think I've found a player to compare to James Johnson's ceiling: Wilson Chandler. Both athletic small forwards who like to shoot the three. Neither play defense. Both are black holes once the balls is passed to them, opting to drive the lane rather than make the extra pass. Consequently, they both have poor shooting percentages. And that hair. Until JJ decided to change his hair style for the Knicks game, they had an identical "I'm not sure if I'm going to grow this fro out" look.

Rondo's Record Setting Pace

I'm not one to overreact this early into a season, unless of course its football season, but the way Rajon Rondo has been playing is incredible. We've all seen the stat. He has the most assists, 67, in NBA history after four NBA games, eclipsing Magic and Stockton's previously shared record of 65. That's a made up stat, but here's a few that aren't.
John Stockton currently holds the NBA record for most assists in a season, 1,164 in 1990-91. In order to tie this record, Rondo needs to average 14.1 assists a game for the remaining 78 games. Rondo is currently averaging 16.8 assists a game.
Odds if not common sense would certainly suggest Stockton's record is untouchable. Stockton himself, in the 1994-95 season, was the last player to record over 1,000 assists in a single season. Since Stockton, Mark Jackson in 1996-97 and Chris Paul in 2007-08 are the only two players to record over 900 assists in a year.
In a game that is increasingly trending toward one-on-one play, or so the stereotype goes, assists in the NBA are down from where they were in the 1990s. Since the 1999-00 season, the league leading average for assists in a year is 822, compared to 964 in the 1990s. Or only about 19 fifteen plus assist games away from the record.
Rondo certainly will eclipse the 822 average and most likely will break 900.
The tricky thing about assists is a player like Rondo can only do so much. Assists are of course dependent upon your teammates making their shots. Boston currently posts a .486 FG percentage, third in the NBA.

Assuming he can stay healthy for a full 82 games, Rondo is in the perfect situation to at least challenge the assist record. He's operating within a system he's familiar with and the same teammates he's played with almost his entire career. He has proven outside shooters in Pierce and Allen, as well as a rejuvenated KG that can score inside and out. The Celtic bench looks increasingly comfortable with their roles and defenses are giving Rondo all the space in the world to work with.
Rondo's jumper, or lack thereof, is perhaps a blessing in disguise. Teams are backing off of Rondo, almost daring him to shoot. This strategy is nothing new, but Rondo is utilizing the extra space on the floor this year, wiggling into different spots and letting the offense run its course. A more offensive minded point guard like Nash or Paul may look to force a shot, where Rondo will wait out an assist opportunity.
While many have commented about how miraculous it is that Rondo can average so many assists without the threat of an offensive game, I think it's just the opposite. Looking to shoot would only hinder Rondo's patience and court vision - the two most important aspects of his game, and quickness too, I guess.
And to think, Rondo only needs 15 assists tonight to hold the NBA record for most assists after five games. Let's see if he can make, for the lack of a better term, "made-up history."

Spurs vs. Inter Milan - Champions League Game 4

Every so often an athlete comes around that you can't help but marvel at. Let my preface my point by stating there will be very little analysis of the game in this piece. This will be closer to a Gareth Bale love fest. The type of "he can do no wrong" love fest I normally reserve for Derrick Rose. Bear with me.
Like I was saying, every so often an athlete comes around that you can't help but marvel at. Gareth Bale is one of those athletes.
Bale is the type of athlete that demands your attention. Some people watch sports casually. They turn on the TV and do something else. The game is merely background noise. That is, unless one of the aforementioned "special" athletes is playing. Look away and you might miss something.
Michael Jordan, Barry Sanders, and Ken Griffey Jr. all had this effect. Every possession, rush, or at bat seemed important, because, in reality, they were. History was being made, and we were well aware of it.
The 21 year old Bale belongs amongst the ranks of these great individual talents. Every time he touched the ball, it was like time stopped. When the ball was passed to Bale, the crowd cheered, followed by a split second of silence, and then an "ooh" or "ahh" reaction after he made a play. This confirmed what I already believed: fans dropped whatever thought, conversation, or text message they were enamored in and watched Bale's every move. They didn't want to miss something special. While watching the World Cup, Lionel Messi is the only player I can remember that had a similar "time-stopping" effect as Bale did tonight.
The reactions on Twitter to Tottenham's 3-1 win were often comical. The attention was focused almost solely on Inter's Maicon, who was widely regarded as the best right back in the world until Bale torched him in two straight games. Maicon was a trending topic, not Bale. Most tweets were jokes directed at Maicon, and I'm proud to say, I got a few in myself.
The amount of attention focused on Maicon tells me that Bale's dominance this year has been accepted as a common occurrence. It's not even interesting anymore to discuss how great Bale has been. It's more fun to rip on one of his many victims.

Tonight, Maicon played Craig Ehlo to Bale's Michael Jordan. In the deciding Game 5 of the first round of the 1989 playoffs, Jordan hit what would be his first career playoff game winner in a Hall of Fame career filled with clutch moments. Most people aren't even aware that Jordan scored 44 points in that game, or that "The Shot" clinched the series for that matter.
Jordan's dominance was accepted. The lasting image from that shot was Craig Ehlo, a great defender, playing picture perfect defense and then crumbling to the ground because he did everything he could, but still got beat by a superior player.
We talk about Ehlo because he didn't get beat like that. Just like Maicon doesn't get beat like he did today. They're the unfortunate fall-guys. The talking points to reaffirm the greatness of others when ironically, Ehlo and Maicon were/are great in their own right.
Bulls color commentator Stacey King likes to say of Rose, "He's too big, too fast, too strong, too good." Sometimes simplicity works best. Bale was all of those things today.
In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy Bale's development as a world class player. I'm not sure how long he'll be in a Spurs uniform. I imagine this is how Royals fans felt watching Zack Greinke's 2009 Cy Young season.

NFL Should Change Overtime Rules (Again)

Sunday night, before all of this Randy Moss business, the most fascinating story in the NFL consisted of the Chiefs, Bills, and a "neither of us are quite accustomed to winning, why don't you take this?" overtime period.
How could these two teams provide such drama? It surely had nothing to do with the players on the field. With the exception of the most underrated player in football, Jamaal Charles (Chiefs running back, 238 total yards, 0 touchdowns), this game featured a bunch of names mostly anonymous among NFL fans, a Harvard grad playing quarterback for the Bills among those names, and a whole lot of wind.
This game was fascinating because it almost didn't render a result - or as I like to call it, the reason why games are played in the first place. Three punts and two missed field goals later, Kansas City kicker Ryan Succop hit a game winning 35 yard field goal with two seconds remaining in overtime.
We were this close to seeing the first tie game of this decade, and what would have been only the fifth tie in the last twenty years. Thankfully, we didn't.
In March, NFL owners voted almost unanimously to change the playoff overtime format. Instead of the "sudden death" format that the regular season currently operates under, this year's playoff edition will get an extra jolt of fairness. Under the new rules, if the first team to score kicks a field goal, the opposing team has a chance to counter. However, if the team that strikes first scores a touchdown, the game is over.
This seems reasonable, other than the fact that it only applies to the playoffs. I get it. The playoffs can't end in a tie. But as far as I'm concerned, regular season games can't either.
Ties are good for sports like soccer and hockey. Standings and playoff positioning are determined by a point system that rewards more points for better results. There's no such point system in the NFL. Winning percentage is too black and white for teams that have played the same amount of games. Wins and losses should be the only determining factor.
Consider what happened back in 2008, when the Eagles and Bengals played to a 13-13 tie in Week 10. The tie had no bearing on the Bengals who went on to a 4-11-1 record, but proved to be a tremendously important result for the 9-6-1 Eagles.
The Giants, Panthers, Vikings, and Cardinals won their divisions, and the 10-6 Falcons earned the fifth playoff spot. The Eagles earned the sixth spot because they had a higher winning percentage than the Bears, Cowboys, and Bucs, who all finished 9-7.
If the Eagles had beaten the Bengals then they would have won ten games and deserved to be in the playoffs. Had they lost, they would have been 9-7 and mixed up in a four-way tie for the last playoff spot.
To break the tie between the four teams, the team with the best record within the division would have advanced. That would have been the 4-2 Bears. In fact, the Eagles had the worst division record of the four teams, at 2-4. They also lost to the Bears and split with the Cowboys in the regular season. They didn't play the Bucs.
Simply put - the Eagles did not deserve to be in the playoffs that year. They didn't outplay the three 9-7 teams that rendered a result in all sixteen games. In this case, the lack of a sufficient overtime system shook up the playoff picture dramatically.
The failure of the overtime rules was glossed over because the Eagles were successful in the playoffs. They won their first two games before dropping to the Cardinals in the NFC Championship game. Most people assumed they deserved to be in the playoffs because they played well. The regular season is supposed to matter too, but in this case it didn't.
Since the NFL instituted the "sudden death" overtime period in 1974, there have been 17 ties. Thirteen of those occurred before 1990.
This isn't a pressing issue because it doesn't come up too often. Neither do tsunamis - but that doesn't mean we shouldn't have a plan in place.