Paper Chase (ACC, Pac-16, Big East...)

Looks like everyone is trying to get out of the Big East - Syracuse and Pittsburgh both parted ways over the weekend in favor of the ACC.  It really came as a total shock to me, probably because I don't have any insider information.

It's looking like there are shaping up to be four mega-conferences.

The Pac-16 would shape up something like this:

PAC-16

Pod One - Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech

Pod Two - Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Utah

Pod Three - Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State

Pod Four - USC, UCLA, California, Stanford

Are you kidding me?

UConn, as recent as an hour ago, has reportedly been throwing around the idea of joining the ACC, Big Ten, or a merger with the Big 12.  Rutgers is also in talks with joining the ACC.  If these two joined as well, here's what the ACC might look like:

ACC

Northern Division:  UConn, Rutgers, Syracuse, Boston College, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech

Southern Division:  Miami, Florida State, Duke, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, NC State, Clemson, Wake Forest

Is it me of weren't five of those eight once members of the same conference?  The Big East!

Coach K says the addition of Pitt and Syracuse is "pretty exciting" - probably in part because the entire preseason NCAA Basketball Top 10 could be ACC schools.

It's all seemingly coming down to one thing - the almighty dollar (or many millions and millions of them).

It's a sad thing losing some of these rivalries but after all is said and done, it's one giant paper chase.

It seems like when it shakes down, the teams that defected from other conferences will once again be pitted in a "Division" with the same teams they shared their previous conference with, which is ridiculous.

I remain confused over all the talk and what the hell is going on.

Greed killed the cat.



Daddy Duty

Lindsay is out at the church rehearsal and then the dinner and I am hanging with the little dude, who just fell asleep (hopefully for an hour or so). Criminal Minds is on, over and over, so that'll help me pass the time until Lindsay gets back.

Nolan and I went over to the Carousel Center this afternoon while Lindsay was getting her nails done with the rest of the bridal party.

It's been a pretty good bonding day - besides the 4+ hour drive this morning - but he's been very good. I took him to Build-A-Bear and he built his own bear, who's been dubbed "Cam" because of his fur color. Nolan is smitten with the bear, as is evidence by this picture:


I'm going to lock in on this CM marathon - and also some college baseball. Florida is in the championship series, so that's some sort of reassurance hat the ass-kicking they gave us wasn't all that bad. They're one of the two best teams in the entire country. My guess is they'll be the best when all is said and done.

Wedding is tomorrow from 5pm to 12am - not sure if that's doable for this guy. Julia is taking the train up to help out with Nolan - Jesse was supposed to but that all got fucked up somewhere along the line.

We miss Nathan too.

OK...signing off from the Cuse.

Location:Crown Plaza

Duke #1; Syracuse Survives; My CR-V is En Route

Duke is #1 in the polls again, although people claim they aren't the best team in the nation.  Default #1.  Well, they're default-ly the #1 team in the land.  Sleep on it.

Syracuse pulled out a huge win in Philly against Villanova tonight.  We listened to it in the car on the way to the Bronx and the announcers were such homers it almost made it impossible to listen to.  They said one kid on Cuse was "4-6 from the field but really was 4-8 because he had two come back" - what the crap does that even mean?  Big win for the Orange.

My car is paid for for the first month but is still on a truck coming from Ohio.  Don't even get me started.  Pictures will post when it's in our possession.

Sleep tight evil-doers.

WVU and Cuse; News Desk; Birthday Time

 WVU and Cuse
 Syracuse is locked up in a tight one with Bob "I Don't Do Suits" Huggins' Mountaineers at the Carrier Dome tonight.  West Virginia took a four point lead into the half, but a 17-5 run to start the second half has pushed the Orange back in front, 43-35 with 14:46 to play.

West Virginia seems to have brought their three game with them, connecting on seven of fourteen in the first half.

Syracuse looks like they got a little talking to in the locker room - their zone seems a lot better - oops, there's a three ball by WVU.  Spoke too soon.  Still up five.

Not much else on the slate tonight, besides newly anointed #1 Kansas' trip to Manhattan to take on the Wildcats of Kansas State.  KU is laying 6.5 on the road in a game that should have been played during Rivalry Week.

News Desk
Air Nakedness - On Saturday, during a flight from Chicago to New York, an emotionally disturbed woman stripped naked while cruising the friendly skies and created quite a ruckus.  She was taken to a Queens hospital but will not face criminal charges.  I guess she was a little too late on opting for the strip search.

Vick on Oprah - Michael Vick is going to Chicago - for an interview with Oprah - on February 24th.  They'll discuss his dog-fighting past and how he's trying to make amends.  Oprah had a bet with Piers Morgan that she'd land a one-on-one with Vick before "The Owl" Larry King.  I hope he pays her the 200 pounds and not pellets.

Tiger Spits on Green - I think a little too much is being made about Tiger Woods spitting on the green during the Dubai Desert Classic.  A breach of the tour code of conduct?  I guess maybe it's an unwritten rule, and since golf is such a proper sport (see: John Daly), how could he do such a thing.  Who gives a shit if he spit or not - a bigger deal should be made over the final round 75.

Birthday Time
Happy birthday to Super Bowl XXXVI Champion Drew Bledsoe, who turns 39 today.  The first pick of the 1993 NFL Draft out of Washington State, a once proud football program, put together quite a career.  He played for the Bills and Cowboys after his hey-day with the Patriots.  This is a guy who threw for 44,611 yards and 251 touchdowns.  The guy was a monster at 6'5" and 238 pounds.  After he retired, he founded a winery with Seattle Mariners IF Chone Figgins, called Doubleback Winery.  Happy birthday Drew!

Syracuse Blew It; Duke Goes for #100

This was a great game for 38 minutes and then a defensive lapse by Scoop Jardine resulted in a quick 12-0 by Georgetown to close out the game and they're running out the clock.  Game over.  It's their first win at the Carrier Dome since 2002.  64-56.

Jardine put his head down and lost his man down the court and ultimately cost his team a chance at a big win at home.  Bad loss for the Orange.  Great win for the Hoyas.

On to UNC at Duke.  Duke is going for their 100th win in this historic series.  UNC leads 130-99.  Duke is going for their 3rd straight win in this series.  I'm juiced up for this one, they better come out ready to play. 

I have to put the TV on pause and go take Nathan out before I settle in for this one.  It's a battle for first place in the ACC heading into the second half of the conference season.

A young North Carolina has won 10 of their last 11.  Duke has great senior leadership with Singler and Smith.

Let's Go Duke!  Go To Hell Carolina, Go To Hell!!  It's AWESOME baby!!!

Big Time Wednesday

I am going to give a brief run down of the day that was.

Worked out early this morning so I slept in until 7:00 - what a relief.  We had off from practice because of the ice problem here in the area - it made the roads tough to travel on - and the head coach lives 45 minutes north.

Lindsay had a doctor's appointment to check on Baby D's status.  Before the visit, we headed for a Restaurant Week lunch at Colicchio & Sons - Tap Room down in the Meatpacking District.  Probably the best  lunch we've had in quite some time, and all for $24.07 a person.  I had roasted bone marrow with truffle oil and drunk onions, the TC Burger with drunk onions, and an apple tatin for dessert.  Lindsay opted for the cauliflower soup as an appetizer, the tomato, mozzarella, and basil pizza, and the zeppole dessert with butterscotch sauce.

Oh yeah, and we each got $20.11 gift certificate's towards our next trip to C&S.  Nice gesture.

Oh, and we saw @Tom_Colicchio.  I wanted to say hello, but after I gathered up the courage, he headed to the bathroom - or so I thought.  I headed in too, because I had to go, but he wasn't there.  I actually hung out in there a little longer than I needed to, hoping he was going to head in there.  No luck.

We then walked a few blocks to the subway to head across town (to the East Side) to get to the doctor.  Took the L train to Union Square and hopped on the 6 train uptown.

Doctor visit lasted all of 5 minutes - baby was moving around a lot but looked OK.  It's heart was beating and it was swallowing pretty well.  Go baby, go!
We then walked across a snow-covered Central Park to get to the West Side, where we hopped on the 1 train at 72nd Street.  Saw a neat photo op of a wooden bridge with some snow on it.  Click!

Man oh man, did we hear some weird shit on that train ride home - specifically from two twenty-year-olds.

Here's a sampling of their conversation:
Male: Yeah, my mom doesn't like you too much, she's afraid if we hang out I'll start doing drugs
Female: Well , I do research on the drugs I do.
Male: That's cool.  I want to do cocaine as my last drug as I'm dying, because I figure it would kill me anyway.
Female: Yeah, I only do drugs that aren't bad for you.  I have never done cocaine but mushrooms are good.
Male: I saw Henry's friend at GameStop on 86th, he got a job because his girlfriend broke up with him or some shit
Female: Yeah, Damian right?  He wanted me to get this piercing (on her right cheek), so I did it.

Oh their poor, pathetic souls.  I truly feel for their parents - I think.

We got home, I took Nathan out, and we just flipped on the Syracuse/UConn game.  18-12 UConn leads.  Seems like an ugly game so far, but I'm hardly watching - blog takes precedent.  And Lindsay is in and out of sleep on the couch.

Duke is on the road at Maryland at 9:00.  They need a bounce back win after the embarrassing loss to St. John's.

The Middle (8:00) and Modern Family (9:00) are also on.  Yikes!

Looks like big decisions need to be made here in the Darcy apartment.  It really feels like it's midnight, and I have to be up at 4:45 am for practice tomorrow.

Good night.  Go Duke!  And my feet hurt.

Syracuse Slump; UConn Crumbles; Duke is Doody

Two Big East powers suffered losses yesterday.  One mediocre Big East team is going to town on the behind of #3 Duke today.

Syracuse has hit some tough times of late, dropping their fourth straight game, at Marquette, 76-70.  Marquette broke the 2-3 zone and shot 6 of 13 from beyond the arc.  The difference was their inside game and ability to draw contact in the lane.  Syracuse shot 8-14 at the free throw line - Marquette was 24-33 from the stripe.  They really should have blown out the Orange but missed 9 free throws.  Still, a 6-point win over a Top 10 team (not for much longer).  My guess is that Syracuse will drop into the 20's in the rankings.  Most teams that suffer four game skids fall out of the Top 25, but their schedule will keep them there, namely their wins over Michigan St., Notre Dame, Cincinnati and St. John's.

UConn had a chance but I sounded off on that yesterday after a freshman thought he was the leader of that team.  Wrong.  Tough loss for the Huskies.  2 OT's.  I remember when me and Lindsay went to the Garden to see the Syracuse-UConn 7 overtime game a few years back - that was the best college basketball game I've ever seen.  UConn is still 17-3 and will probably fall to 10th or so.  Like Syracuse, their wins over Michigan St., Kentucky, Texas, Villanova, Tennessee and Marquette will help them maintain Top 10 status.

We'll see who's hungrier on Wednesday as UConn hosts Syracuse at 7:00pm at the XL Center in Hartford, CT.  It'll be a game worth watching, I can guarantee that.  I am guessing it'll be on ESPN.  I hope, for everyone else's sake, they put it on national TV.

And finally, before I pass out for a few hours, I get to the last story I want to touch on - St. John's kicking the snot out of #3 Duke.  I've come to grips with the reality that Duke is a pretender without Kyrie Irving.  They've been mediocre at best since he's gone down and have only held on to their Top 5 ranking because others have stumbled along the way.  They are not a Top 5 team.  No way.  Down 22 points at Madison Square Garden to a St. John's team that itself is a pretender.  11-8 overall.  4-5 and in 11th place in the Big East standings.  I guess this is why Duke is the only team from the mighty ACC in the Top 25.  One thing I'll say about the Johnnies is they're battle tested - this is the final game in an 8-game stretch against Top 25 teams.  They've lost five of them with their wins coming against Georgetown (overrated) and Cincinnati (pretender).  Their third will be against Duke (pretender).  It's a sad state of affairs and it's tough to watch.

All three teams we root for here in our Bronx apartment are struggling.  We're not the type to rest on the past either - sure Duke won the National Championship last season, but they've done nothing this year.  Sure Syracuse was a high pre-season Big East picks, but they've underachieved thus far - especially of late.  UConn is overachieving - they were not picked to make any noise in the Big East.  It'll all get sorted out once March Madness comes around.  One thing's almost for certain - all three teams will be in the Field of 68 (or whatever the number is).

Practice was good today - our defense looked a little better and the pitchers who were live today threw strikes.  Velocity was down once again, like the first day, but they located, which is a good sign.  It's still early and I know the velocity will come around.  I also know that it's easy to pitch well against the guys you are comfortable being around.  The true test comes on February 25th at 4:00 pm down in Cullowhee, NC against Western Carolina.  For now, I'll continue to keep you updated as to our progress leading up to the first game.

OK, I'm done (just like Duke).

Watch This Video; UConn Ballhog Problem; Syracuse Looks to Right the Ship

Here's a story from ESPN on Kevin Laue, a one-handed basketball player here at Manhattan.  Even though they're going through an awful season (3-17), it's still good to see a kid like Kevin get a chance at to play at the highest level of amateur basketball - Division I.  Seeing him almost every day and speaking to him from time to time, I can tell he's a great kid with his head on straight who knows that attitude is everything. 


UConn has a ballhog problem.  And his name is not Kemba Walker.  It's Shabazz Napier.  #23 Louisville escaped the northeast with a 79-78 win over #5 UConn.  Kemba Walker got the final shot - from 35' away.  Napier was hoisting up three-pointers like they were going out of style - 5 for 13 on the game.  Sure he had 23 points, Jeremy Lamb had 21 (1-9 on threes) and Kemba had 20 (on 7-28 shooting).

The game was lost because of their transition defense (or lack thereof) and the fact that the big shots was taken by Napier, a freshman, and not by Walker, the leader of this team.  Regardless of who's hot and who's not, the (arguably) best player in the country should have the shot to win the game from closer that 35'.  A tough loss in the Big East will only help the Huskies, but still, heartbreak is heartbreak.  They need to regroup when they host #9 Syracuse at home next Wednesday.

Syracuse has a tough road test today with Marquette at 3:00 pm - they're trying to avoid a four game losing streak.  They started the season 18-0 before losing to Pittsburgh, Villanova, and Seton Hall.  A loss today could drop them to ninth or tenth in the Big East standings.  Seeing how the Big East has seven teams in the Top-25, they still aren't out of it, but they could have made their road to March a little easier by simply beating a mediocre-at-best Seton Hall team at the Carrier Dome.

Exciting day of college hoops today.  My nap has been cancelled due to the fact that I can't keep my eyes closed with all these good games on.  Chocolate milk time.  Oh yeaaaaahhhhhhhhh.

3 In a Row for Orange; New Weekly Feature Coming Soon!!

Syracuse, you are NOT as good as you think you are.  You just lost to Seton Hall, at home, by 22 points.  Three losses in a row.  One on the road to #5 Pitt and the next at home to #7 Villanova.  But Seton Hall?  At home?  I am totally mystified how teams refuse to show up because they think it's an easy W.  There are no easy W's in college athletics.  I can tell you that first hand.

As a college baseball coach, every game counts - conference games even more so.  If you need music or a pep-talk to get you geeked up for a game, you need to take a look in the mirror and remind yourself why you play the sport - to WIN.

Seton Hall was 8-12.  They did play Syracuse tough in the Carrier Dome a few weeks back (SYR 61 - SH 56).  So you'd think the Orange woulda came to play.  The best team Seton Hall has beaten this year was UMass.  Absolutely pathetic.  If I were Boeheim, I'd be livid.  And the problem is, sometimes the coach wants it more than the players.  There is no reason Syracuse should ever lose to Seton Hall by 22 points.

In lighter news, I have finally decided on a new weekly feature, which I hope you all find awesome.  I have been racking my brain for weeks trying to think of the perfect idea for a cool new installment.  Having finally decided on one that I think everyone will enjoy, I am extremely pleased with my perseverence.  As much as I'd like to keep this new feature as the lone post of that given day, I think we all know this is highly unlikely.

I am really feeling like shit right now, so I am going to sign off and head to bed.  Hope I feel up to a good workout in the morning.

Sleep well world.

Orange Crushed; Orange Crush-er; UConn hosts Orange Coat; Duke at Wake;

Syracuse's awful first half doomed them.  Down eleven at the half, at home, to #7 Villanova, the #3 Orange never were able to dig out of the early hole they dug themselves.  The presence of Kris Joseph in their lineup again (he suffered a head injury against Cincinnati and sat out at #5 Pitt) wasn't enough, even though he did pour in 23 points.  He managed only one rebound and shot 8-16 from the floor.  Rick Jackson, aka Double-Double Machine, added 16 points and 13 boards but the rest of the team (besides Brandon Triche, 14 points) struggled mightily.  The Orange shot 39% for the game while Nova shot 46% (including a +14 advantage from the stripe).  Villanova bounced back nicely after their last-second loss to #10 UKem...UConn in Storrs to improve to 16-2, 5-1 in the Big East.  The Orange dropped their second game in a row and fell to 19-2, 5-2 in the Big East.  Villanova travels to Providence Wednesday.  Syracuse host Seton Hall on Tuesday.

#1 Ohio State survived another tough test within the Big Ten, escaping the always hostile Alumni Hall with a 73-68 win over #23 Illinois.  After trailing at the half by a point, the Buckeyes did just enough in the 2nd half to hang on.  They're 7-0 in the Big Ten with their average  margin of victory a measly 7.8 points (they beat Iowa by 22 and Indiana by 18).  Their next one is a prime time match up versus thormoo's #14 Boilermakers on Wednesday at 9pm.  The Illini head to Hoosier Country on Thursday.

Ohio St. is good, but this 7-man rotation they have is going to come back to get them come tournament time.  A key factor in this one was the charity stripe - Ohio St. was 24-27 and the Illini were 8-10.  Tough to win when you get outscored by 16 at the stripe - ask Syracuse.  Jared Sullinger (27 points, 16 boards) is a beast though.  Had Kyrie Irving stayed healthy, it'd be a battle for best freshman in the country. 

#8 UConn hosts Bruce Pearl and his orange coat'ed Vols today.  Pearl is coaching this non-conference game because his suspension is only for SEC games.  Kemba Walker's knuckle-ball tear-drop gave them the win versus #7 Villanova the other night.  Tennessee has some group of athletes, but they don't always come to play.  So far, they're leading the Huskies 21-15 following the third media timeout.  UConn shooting 37% and Kemba has a goose egg.  U U U aaaah U, That's Who!  Let's go UConn, the Big East needs this one.

#4 Duke heads to Wake Forest as a 23 point favorite at 4:00pm.  I will be stuck here laying down floor decals for tomorrows men's game on MSG.  Wake has fallen on some tough times this season with some of their losses coming to Stetson, VCU, Winthrop, UNC-Wilmington, and Presbyterian.  I didn't even know Presbyterian was a Division I program.  I think Duke will struggle early, but pull away late, as they did the other night against Virginia.  They need to come out of the gate hard and put the game away by the first media timeout.  Wake, 0-4 in the ACC, only faces Duke this one time, so this may be their lone chance at a court storming.  Personally, it better not happen, but crazier things have happened. (see Presbyterian Blue Hose; yes, that is their nickname).  Let's Go Duke!

This women's game is almost at the half, therefore I have to sacrifice my office to the officials for 15 minutes.  38-21 Marist at the half.  Yikes!

Snow, Ice, and Rain

That's the precipitation spectrum we got going on here in the Bronx. It was fine last night when I went to bed.

I woke up and took Nathan out and there was a layer of ice coating the snow that had preceded it. The roads were covered in ice. And to top it all off, now it's raining. RAIN! The worst part is that it's freezing on impact so the ground remains a skating rink.

I haven't seen the sun in a while either - I assume this is what it feels like to be live in Seattle.

We worked out this morning - albeit a little later than our usual 8:00 am workouts - and I wore my sneakers in. Bad idea seeing how the tops are mesh-like. Now my feet are a little cold and a little damn.

Headed to lunch. Not sure what's on the menu but we'll have to improvise.

The one certainty today is that this weather sucks!

Syracuse/Pitt Bloodbath; UConn tops Nova; Jersey Shore

Following up on my earlier post about the Syracuse/Pitt game...

...Pitt opened up the game with a ridiculous 19-0 run.  Syracuse answered with a 17-0 run to make it a bit of a game, but I think the Orange spent too much energy coming back from the early hole they dig themselves.  It was a black and blue (using my dude thormoo's terminology here) game - #3 at #4.  What else would you expect from the Big East?  A 74-66 loss without their top scorer Kris Joseph (14.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG) isn't all bad and neither is their 18-1 record.  Losing to Pitt at Pitt, not terrible - they have won 51 of the past 52 at home.

#8 UConn - with a little help from their guy Kemba Walker - left the Gampel with a 61-59 win over #7 Villanova.  He hit a runner in the lane with 2.5 seconds left to seal the deal for the Huskies.  After a sluggish offensive first half for both sides (22-21 Villanova at the half), the offenses got in gear over the last twenty minutes.  And the difference was the best player in the country hitting a big shot.  How's it go, "Big players make big plays"?  And he sure did.

(You didn't read it wrong, I just spoke on four Big East teams who are ranked #3, #4, #7, and #8 in the country)

As much as I hate the troll party members on the Jersey Shore, I do find comedy in most of what @VINNYGUADAGNINO says.  I am not even sure it's what he says as much as it is how he says it.  Oh, and Snooki is getting arrested right now, telling cops to "get the f*** off!" - claiming she's a "good person".  Calling her a person is the loosest interpretation of the word.

JWow has the worst skin on the show.  Blotches abound on that whore'ish face.

A day off turned into a full day at the gym watching a basketball game that was torturous for all in attendance.  51-49 Manhattan over Niagara.

After the game, I headed to grab a bite with Phil Martelli Jr., a friend of mine from when he coached here at Manhattan for a season.  He's since moved on to the Great White North that is Lewiston, NY and is on the Niagara staff. 

Headed to get some Zzz's.  Later y'all.  (cue the New Yorker's southern drawl)

Duke's Slow Start; BEast-ly Big East

Watching this game on ESPN3.com (instead of the Manhattan game that's in my own gym) and am scratching my head as to how a team as good as #1 (for now) Duke can struggle so mightily.

They've mustered only 11 points in the first 12 minutes to start this game against a Virginia team that has played eight straight at home - I expected the always hostile Cameron Indoor to have some effect, which it clearly hasn't. 

Duke's big men (Plumlee and Kelly) have been no-shows so far this season.  Sure, Mason Plumlee has 8 rebounds already (and averages eight a game on the year) but he hasn't scored yet, but Kelly's five points per game and 3 rebounds per game are atrocious numbers for a guy like him.

Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler have been steady all season.  Singler's shooting percentages are slightly better than last year as are Smith's.  The injury to freshman phenom Kyrie Irving has hurt them big time.  He was putting up 17 a game, dishing out 5 assists, and really made them go.  He was, essentially, the WD-40 of this Duke team.  With him still in there, they beat Florida State.

Right now, I'd rather watch paint dry.  Down 15-11, their offense is inept, they're playing sloppy, and they're getting out hustled.  Halftime can't come soon enough - Coach K needs to get into them a little bit.  Losing two ACC games in a row is a no-no in Durham.

This game here is 22-19 Manhattan in case anyone was wondering.

#4 Syracuse had a tough match up (on paper) today as they hosted #25 Cincinnati at the Carrier Dome.  The Bearcats came in with a gaudy 16-1 record and got manhandled by the Orange (18-0), 67-52.  Cincinnati has played a joke of a schedule with their only two tests coming in Big East play - they lost by 11 at #7 Villanova and now by 15 at #4 Syracuse.  Next up for them - at #9 Notre Dame.  It's not getting easier for Cuse either as they head to #5 Pittsburgh next. 

The Big East is the best conference in college basketball and you can't even make an argument against that.  Five teams in the Top 10 and three others ranked in the AP Top 25.  Marquette, West Virginia, and St. John's are all contenders too this year.  Half the teams in this 16-team beast of a conference are in the AP Top 25.  Are you kidding me?

33-22 Canisius has stormed back.  See what I'm missing because of this blog?  Hahaha.

Tuning out here.  Halftime is almost here.  Duke is down 2.  Referee's use my office as their halftime quarters.  Later!!