Golf is an uptight, self-righteous sport in so many ways. Most sports are played in shorts or pants and a shirt designed to maximize performance. Golf is played in khakis and a polo. Anybody can pick up a basketball and find a hoop. Anybody can get a football or baseball and have a catch with their buddy. Golf is expensive as hell. It's literally a country club sport.
This self-righteous culture is often actually good for the game. I promise I'm trying my best not to be cynical. A young person playing the game can learn valuable lessons about honor and integrity. Self-policing is part of golf and you could very easily sub my "self-righteous" for "responsible." This weekend we've seen both the worst this responsible/self-righteous culture can show in a penalty on a teenager and at the same time that the game is progressing in the ruling with Tiger Woods.
For those that don't know - Tiger's approach shot on the 15th hole Friday hit the flag stick and careened into the water. He then took a drop just behind his original shot. The rules are dense but what you need to know is that for the drop option Tiger chose, you're supposed to drop as close to the original spot as possible. Tiger admitted in his post-round interview that he dropped about two yards back for a better distance. This isn't directly why Tiger wound up almost getting DQ'd and did receive a two stoke penalty.
Because he took an illegal drop, Woods should have assessed himself a penalty. Because he didn't, he then had an incorrect scorecard and signing an incorrect scorecard is grounds for disqualification. In 2012, there was a new rule added that if someone calls in a rules violation they see on television that a player was unaware of that caused an incorrect scorecard, the player is assessed a two stroke penalty and not DQ'd. This was applied to Tiger and this is where things get messy.
First and foremost, the fact that some buffoon at home can call in a rules violation is a joke. Could you imagine in other sports if this was the case? You think those calls in the Syracuse/Michigan game would've stood up? Hell no! My tail would've been on the phone screaming bloody murder about the block/charge call and how the officials screwed it up. But this is golf! The sport so obsessed with the rules that a gentleman's agreement to enforce them to the best of his knowledge just isn't good enough. You need Harry at home with his rulebook and likely his rotary phone.
When you get down to it though, the decision is controversial and I fully understand that. The rule was put in place because HD has made it possible to see violations that we didn't know previously existed such as blades of grass moving. Again, the fact that this constitutes some violation is absurd, but roll with me. The spirit of the TV rule that permits a temporarily incorrect scorecard wasn't put in place for a player who was ignorant of the rules like Woods apparently was here. So how does the Masters justify it? Perfectly.
The rules officials got a call from some schmuck and looked at Tiger's drop while he was still on the course. They ruled the drop was good enough and that no penalty should have been assessed. It wasn't until Tiger's post-round interview where he said he dropped it purposely two yards back that they re-visited the drop and determined that something was amiss. So, in other words: it took television for them to realize there had been a violation. It wasn't a replay like the rule had been designed for, but an interview that doesn't happen if not for TV.
Is it a stretch? Maybe. But it feels right to me. The rules of golf are horribly confusing and if an official on the course and officials in the clubhouse didn't determine that he had broken a rule until he admitted it after the round than can you blame Woods for being a little confused? And for those screaming that Woods should withdraw: get over yourselves. "It's the right thing to do!" Nick Faldo went as far as to say it's the "manly" thing to do.
1) Have you seen the pants some of these dudes wear? "Manly" isn't exactly the adjective that first jumps to mind when I think about golf. Good work Faldo.
2) Do you really think one of the fiercest competitors in the history of earth who also has an incredible respect for the game and it's history would blatantly admit to and brag about violating the rules and getting away with it?! Hell. To. The. No.
Is ignorance an excuse? In this case yes. The rules of golf are comparable to the rules of the NCAA. They're way too dense for any human to memorize and while this seems pretty simple, remember Woods had three choices of what to do on a drop. He mixed up two of them. Big deal. What's the penalty? Strokes? Yes. Disqualification? No. That would have been for signing the incorrect scorecard. So in the end you wind up just tacking on the penalty and Woods plays on. Sounds like a logical conclusion to me and good on the USGA for doing just that.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Friday, April 5, 2013
Final Four Primer
This week has been one of the craziest of my life. In the past 36 hours alone I've driven from Kansas to Texas with a pitstop for Spurs/Thunder in OKC, met my new PD, seen my new station, spent an entire day looking for apartments and slept for maybe 3.5 hours. For those that know my sleep schedule, I don't do 3.5 hours of sleep! I'm happy to finally have a minute to write though and with not much time left to do this before the games tomorrow night, here's your Final Four primer.
How'd they get here?
Syracuse
Keys to the games
Louisville vs Wichita St
This game is all about pace. If the Cardinals can speed Wichita State up, the Shockers don't stand a chance. WSU needs to make this a lower numbered possessions game and hope that Louisville's guard throw away one too many. Peyton Siva and Russ Smith have been almost unbelievably good this tournament, yet their larger body of work provides a blueprint to beat them: turn them over. Both guys can be turnover prone at times and Smith takes some horrific shots that might as well be turnovers.
The key for Wichita State is to make both Smith and Siva into jump shooters and hope each has a bad night. Louisville just needs to play it's game and the Cardinals play Monday night. Turn up the press, get to the rim and create organized chaos that's not so organized for the opponent.
Syracuse vs Michigan
This game is about discipline for Syracuse and managing the moment for Michigan. If SU can continue to challenge everything from the perimeter like they have been through the tournament season, Nik Stauskas won't go 6-6 from three like he did against Florida. Michigan has shooters all over the place so it's important that SU's rotations are on point.
Michigan's offense has been largely predicated on the pick-and-roll with Trey Burke and Mitch McGary over the past 4 games and the result has been huge numbers for both and 4 wins. You can't run a pick-and-roll against a zone though so it'll be interesting to see how John Beilein attacks the 2-3. He certainly has experience doing it from his years at West Virginia. He's 0-9 against Boeheim but never had a player at WVU as good as Burke. If Burke penetrates, everything else breaks down. SU has to hope Burke's lack of size causes him problems against the extreme length of Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Triche.
The last part to Cuse's plan is finishing possessions. McGary's a very good and relentless offensive rebounder and Tim Hardaway Jr. and Glen Robinson III are super athletic wings who will crash the glass. The Orange has to rebound as extra possessions for Michigan is a death wish.
The other end of the floor is pretty simple. Triche needs to stay aggressive. Carter-Williams has to be careful against Burke not to get picked and I'd expect a lot of Brandon Triche bringing the ball up the floor. Get into the offense. Attack the rim. Kick out to Southerland and Fair and SU's offense is just fine.
If Michigan, with it's four freshmen starters, can do the things I listed above they'll have a great shot to win. If the moments too big and they force threes, John Beilein will be 0-10 against Jim Boeheim.
Prediction:
My heart says Cuse wins it all, completing the revenge tour Monday night against Lousiville. This would mean in the tournament season, SU beat Georgetown, Marquette and the Cardinals all whom beat SU in the regular season and in Louisville's case for the Big East Championship. My eyes tell me the Cardinals win it all.
If you've seen my bracket, that means Michigan will win. If Wichita State wins I give up forever.
How'd they get here?
Syracuse
- The Orange got embarrassed and bruised egos propelled Cuse all the way to Atlanta. SU was horrible down the stretch culminating with a blowout loss at Georgetown. This team doesn't have fantastic leadership but it has top flight talent and top flight talent comes with egos. A bruised ego is a hell of a motivating factor and the Cuse turned around their offensive slump thanks to hot shooting from James Southerland, attacking aggression from Brandon Triche and good decision making from Michael Carter-Williams. The defense never really left despite the losses but it's gotten even better in the tournament. The Orange have forced more turnovers than field goals allowed. That's my favorite stat of 2013 and it's not even close.
Michigan
- Point guard Trey Burke has been sensational all year and now he's getting help from freshman Mitch McGary inside making the Wolverines almost impossible to guard. Michigan has run a ton of pick-and-roll in this tournament though and you can't really do that against a zone. That Burke/McGary pick-and-roll has opened up the shooters and with all five starts capable of scoring, Michigan's the most potent offensive team in the tournament.
Wichita State
- Timing is everything and Wichita State picked it's game with #1 Gonzaga in the round of 32 to have it's best shooting stretch of the year from deep. They basically didn't miss from 3 in the second half including some prayers late in the shot clock and there's nothing the Zags could do. They play their game which is in the half-court with nasty defense and it's worked like a charm.
Louisville
- Louisville has gotten here by obliterating people. The only "close" game was the regional final against Duke. The Blue Devils played it close for a half before the Ville did exactly what they did to Syracuse in the Big East Tournament final and turned up the heat. They've gotten exceptional guard play and Gorgui Dieng has held down the fort inside. We've said all year there is no dominant team, but for the last month Louisville has been just that.
Keys to the games
Louisville vs Wichita St
This game is all about pace. If the Cardinals can speed Wichita State up, the Shockers don't stand a chance. WSU needs to make this a lower numbered possessions game and hope that Louisville's guard throw away one too many. Peyton Siva and Russ Smith have been almost unbelievably good this tournament, yet their larger body of work provides a blueprint to beat them: turn them over. Both guys can be turnover prone at times and Smith takes some horrific shots that might as well be turnovers.
The key for Wichita State is to make both Smith and Siva into jump shooters and hope each has a bad night. Louisville just needs to play it's game and the Cardinals play Monday night. Turn up the press, get to the rim and create organized chaos that's not so organized for the opponent.
Syracuse vs Michigan
This game is about discipline for Syracuse and managing the moment for Michigan. If SU can continue to challenge everything from the perimeter like they have been through the tournament season, Nik Stauskas won't go 6-6 from three like he did against Florida. Michigan has shooters all over the place so it's important that SU's rotations are on point.
Michigan's offense has been largely predicated on the pick-and-roll with Trey Burke and Mitch McGary over the past 4 games and the result has been huge numbers for both and 4 wins. You can't run a pick-and-roll against a zone though so it'll be interesting to see how John Beilein attacks the 2-3. He certainly has experience doing it from his years at West Virginia. He's 0-9 against Boeheim but never had a player at WVU as good as Burke. If Burke penetrates, everything else breaks down. SU has to hope Burke's lack of size causes him problems against the extreme length of Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Triche.
The last part to Cuse's plan is finishing possessions. McGary's a very good and relentless offensive rebounder and Tim Hardaway Jr. and Glen Robinson III are super athletic wings who will crash the glass. The Orange has to rebound as extra possessions for Michigan is a death wish.
The other end of the floor is pretty simple. Triche needs to stay aggressive. Carter-Williams has to be careful against Burke not to get picked and I'd expect a lot of Brandon Triche bringing the ball up the floor. Get into the offense. Attack the rim. Kick out to Southerland and Fair and SU's offense is just fine.
If Michigan, with it's four freshmen starters, can do the things I listed above they'll have a great shot to win. If the moments too big and they force threes, John Beilein will be 0-10 against Jim Boeheim.
Prediction:
My heart says Cuse wins it all, completing the revenge tour Monday night against Lousiville. This would mean in the tournament season, SU beat Georgetown, Marquette and the Cardinals all whom beat SU in the regular season and in Louisville's case for the Big East Championship. My eyes tell me the Cardinals win it all.
If you've seen my bracket, that means Michigan will win. If Wichita State wins I give up forever.
Random Rumblings - 4/5/13
I can't remember a Final Four week quite like this. Normally we spend the entire week breaking down the games and learning the stories of the players, or if you follow the sport hearing the same stories you've heard all year be told all over again. This week the talk about the games had been at a minimum thanks to two bombshell stories in college hoops.
Mike Rice out at Rutgers
The video of now former Rutgers coach Mike Rice throwing basketballs at his players and verbally abusing them is horrifying on many levels. Let's strip away the context for a moment. What on earth possesses you to think that's an acceptable way to treat another human being? Sports are emotional and when the testosterone gets flowing, there's no limit to stupidity however that's no excuse for how he acted. Add back in the context that a college coach should be a leader of young men and a positive influence and it becomes more disgusting.
A name that's not being brought up in this situation is Tyler Clementi. "Who?" you ask. Clementi was the gay Rutgers student who committed suicide after being bullied. This was a chance for Rutgers to prove they're serious about anti-bullying and anti-homophobic words and actions and they screwed the pooch royally by not firing Rice immediately the first time around. The fact that it took for the video becoming public for Rice to lose his job more than justifies everyone involved in that initial decision being shown the door with him.
For more reaction on the Rice situation here's CitrusTV's Kevin Barry and Chris Lewis from Atlanta:
Pac-12 Officiating
The other controversy is over Pac-12 supervisor of officials Ed Rush making comments that potentially changed Arizona's season. Rush told officials that if they T'd up Wildcats coach Sean Miller, they'd be rewarded. He said he was joking. Many in the room said they didn't think he was. What Rush doesn't seem to understand is that perception is reality and there's no doubt his words effected the officials on the court who must stay in his good graces to get the best games. By many accounts Rush is a bully. Also worth noting:
The Injury
Everyone now knows who Kevin Ware is, the Louisville guard suffered a gruesome broken leg against Duke. A few things.
1) The replay shouldn't be shown on television ever. There's zero reason to show it. I'm one of those people who gets queazy and squeamish with injuries like that and I saw it live. I was petrified of going on the internet all week for fear someone would post it. There's no reason to show it at all. If someone wants to see it for whatever reason they can find it online. Simply saying "his leg snapped" is enough for the story.
2) For as bad as this injury looked, it's actually "not that bad" when you look at the long term prognosis. Easy for me to say. Doctors say Ware's injury (a compound fracture) should heal completely somewhere between 6 months and a year. Since it was a clean break (actually breaks), they stick a rod in his leg and reset the bone. It heals back and he rehabs and he goes. There's no lingering effects unlike when you're talking about ligaments and such in the joints.
3) Louisville is making shirts for this weekend at the players request to honor Ware. They are selling them. This is making a lot of people mad. I'm not one of them. The university waived all royalties which I actually think was too much. Louisville is paying Ware's medical bills so if they make a little coin off the injury then fine. Adidas is making the shirts so they deserve to get their cut just like any other shirt. In fact this isn't unprecedented territory as similar campaigns have been done for Adidas pro athletes Derrick Rose and Robert Griffin III. The only B.S. part of this to me is that Ware won't make anything and can't thanks to the NCAA. If I was a Cardinal fan, I'd want to buy this shirt so I have zero problem with its existence. It's just a shame that Ware won't see a cut of it directly.
4) By Louisville waiving the royalty, they are acknowledging the shirt is in honor of Ware. This likely will show up in the O'Bannon vs NCAA lawsuit about the NCAA benefitting of using player likenesses to make money. It should. Amateurism is a sham. The system is dying. Hopefully it kicks the bucket soon.
5) For more on how Louisville has handled the Ware injury, here's Kevin Barry in Atlanta:
Can we just play ball?
Based on all of what's above, you'd think this would be about all the superflous crap that's happened this week and has distracted and detracted from the games. It's not. It's about my experience at the Thunder/Spurs game Thursday night.
From the opening tap to the final buzzer, with the exception of free throws, there was noise in that arena. I'm not talking about the tremendous fans who love their team with a fierce loyalty like few fanbases in the NBA. No, I'm talking about the constant sound effects, manufactured cheers and music that were literally non-stop during the game. It was almost unbearable. You know what makes the "de-fense" chant cool? When it happens organically. When the home team needs a big stop and the crowd unites as one to root on their team. You know when it's not cool? Every single possession.
I don't know who decided in the course of NBA history that a giving a soundboard to someone and saying "if this isn't playing sound, you're fired" was a good idea, but that person isn't my favorite. You know what sounds I want to hear at a basketball game? The ball. Sneakers. Players. Coaches. Fans. That's about it. Notice how referees are not included.
Sunday night is ladies night
I've told you all year how great the UConn vs Notre Dame rivalry is and they play again for a fourth time in the Final Four Sunday night. This is your final reminder to watch it. 8:30 est on ESPN.
Mike Rice out at Rutgers
The video of now former Rutgers coach Mike Rice throwing basketballs at his players and verbally abusing them is horrifying on many levels. Let's strip away the context for a moment. What on earth possesses you to think that's an acceptable way to treat another human being? Sports are emotional and when the testosterone gets flowing, there's no limit to stupidity however that's no excuse for how he acted. Add back in the context that a college coach should be a leader of young men and a positive influence and it becomes more disgusting.
A name that's not being brought up in this situation is Tyler Clementi. "Who?" you ask. Clementi was the gay Rutgers student who committed suicide after being bullied. This was a chance for Rutgers to prove they're serious about anti-bullying and anti-homophobic words and actions and they screwed the pooch royally by not firing Rice immediately the first time around. The fact that it took for the video becoming public for Rice to lose his job more than justifies everyone involved in that initial decision being shown the door with him.
For more reaction on the Rice situation here's CitrusTV's Kevin Barry and Chris Lewis from Atlanta:
Pac-12 Officiating
The other controversy is over Pac-12 supervisor of officials Ed Rush making comments that potentially changed Arizona's season. Rush told officials that if they T'd up Wildcats coach Sean Miller, they'd be rewarded. He said he was joking. Many in the room said they didn't think he was. What Rush doesn't seem to understand is that perception is reality and there's no doubt his words effected the officials on the court who must stay in his good graces to get the best games. By many accounts Rush is a bully. Also worth noting:
Ed Rush ran NBA officiating during some of the most dubiously reffed NBA playoff games ever (1998-2003). And now... cbsprt.co/YrsvaeRush resigned but I don't think this story is over yet.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) April 1, 2013
The Injury
Everyone now knows who Kevin Ware is, the Louisville guard suffered a gruesome broken leg against Duke. A few things.
1) The replay shouldn't be shown on television ever. There's zero reason to show it. I'm one of those people who gets queazy and squeamish with injuries like that and I saw it live. I was petrified of going on the internet all week for fear someone would post it. There's no reason to show it at all. If someone wants to see it for whatever reason they can find it online. Simply saying "his leg snapped" is enough for the story.
2) For as bad as this injury looked, it's actually "not that bad" when you look at the long term prognosis. Easy for me to say. Doctors say Ware's injury (a compound fracture) should heal completely somewhere between 6 months and a year. Since it was a clean break (actually breaks), they stick a rod in his leg and reset the bone. It heals back and he rehabs and he goes. There's no lingering effects unlike when you're talking about ligaments and such in the joints.
3) Louisville is making shirts for this weekend at the players request to honor Ware. They are selling them. This is making a lot of people mad. I'm not one of them. The university waived all royalties which I actually think was too much. Louisville is paying Ware's medical bills so if they make a little coin off the injury then fine. Adidas is making the shirts so they deserve to get their cut just like any other shirt. In fact this isn't unprecedented territory as similar campaigns have been done for Adidas pro athletes Derrick Rose and Robert Griffin III. The only B.S. part of this to me is that Ware won't make anything and can't thanks to the NCAA. If I was a Cardinal fan, I'd want to buy this shirt so I have zero problem with its existence. It's just a shame that Ware won't see a cut of it directly.
4) By Louisville waiving the royalty, they are acknowledging the shirt is in honor of Ware. This likely will show up in the O'Bannon vs NCAA lawsuit about the NCAA benefitting of using player likenesses to make money. It should. Amateurism is a sham. The system is dying. Hopefully it kicks the bucket soon.
5) For more on how Louisville has handled the Ware injury, here's Kevin Barry in Atlanta:
Can we just play ball?
Based on all of what's above, you'd think this would be about all the superflous crap that's happened this week and has distracted and detracted from the games. It's not. It's about my experience at the Thunder/Spurs game Thursday night.
From the opening tap to the final buzzer, with the exception of free throws, there was noise in that arena. I'm not talking about the tremendous fans who love their team with a fierce loyalty like few fanbases in the NBA. No, I'm talking about the constant sound effects, manufactured cheers and music that were literally non-stop during the game. It was almost unbearable. You know what makes the "de-fense" chant cool? When it happens organically. When the home team needs a big stop and the crowd unites as one to root on their team. You know when it's not cool? Every single possession.
I don't know who decided in the course of NBA history that a giving a soundboard to someone and saying "if this isn't playing sound, you're fired" was a good idea, but that person isn't my favorite. You know what sounds I want to hear at a basketball game? The ball. Sneakers. Players. Coaches. Fans. That's about it. Notice how referees are not included.
Sunday night is ladies night
I've told you all year how great the UConn vs Notre Dame rivalry is and they play again for a fourth time in the Final Four Sunday night. This is your final reminder to watch it. 8:30 est on ESPN.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Michael Roth on Rice, Rutgers
My buddy Michael Roth joins me to talk about the culture of communication in athletics. Michael is a professional pitcher in the Los Angeles Angels organization and a 2-time College World Series Champion at the University of South Carolina. I uh...have a job.
My recording equipment pooped the bed so we went Google hangout style. Enjoy.
My recording equipment pooped the bed so we went Google hangout style. Enjoy.
The End of Funemployment
All good things must come to an end, especially when it's your unemployment status. As stupid as that may sound, the last 3 months were a tremendous learning experience and allowed me to do some things that I'll likely never be able to do again in my life. I'll touch on more of those in a second, but in the interest of not burying the lead, the good news:
I've accepted a part-time with ESPN 103.3 FM in Dallas. I will be doing everything from hosting on nights and weekends to local Sportscenter updates during our local and network programming to original podcasts for ESPNDallas.com to some off-air work. It's an absolutely amazing opportunity with my dream company. Everybody knows the affinity I have for ESPN as a company thanks to the number of people who have helped me over the years and my experience there as an intern. This is one of the four owned and operated affiliates meaning I'm actually working for ESPN. Seriously, Mickey Mouse is on my paycheck.
When I went back to Newhouse in February, I talked to a number of classes about networking. This job is a direct result of the networking excursion I took in January. While in Bristol I met with a man named Rob Savinelli from the talent office who suggested I meet with Tim McCarthy in New York. Tim suggested I reach out to Tom Lee, the program director in Dallas. Tom and I talked and while he had nothing at the time, he certainly helped me look elsewhere and gave me feedback. He then had something open up. We talked. He's now my boss.
What you're probably wondering is "wait...you did all that without a Syracuse connection?! I didn't think that was possible because a) it's you and b) you went through 3+ people in the media industry and that's not mathematically possible." The person who introduced me to Rob? His boss. Laurie Orlando, SU alumnus. Go Orange.
To my younger friends who may be reading this: network and do it when they don't need you and when you don't need them. It didn't matter if I was happily employed, Tom is someone I would've wanted to talk to. I did need him and even though he didn't have anything, he was willing to talk. A few weeks later, circumstances changed and here we are. I couldn't be more excited to work for Tom because I know he wants to see me get better. He and his team are going to coach me which is something I've wanted at this level on a day-to-day basis since I graduated. This excites me far more than being on the air in a top 5 market.
This 3 month period taught me a lot and allowed me to do a lot. I learned a lot about financial responsibility and planning. When "do I have enough for rent?" is a real question, you don't have much of a choice. Luckily the answer was always yes. I got to travel and spend time with people in a fashion that I never would be able to if I was in school or employed. I got 3 weeks in New York. I got 2 weeks in Syracuse. Those trips were amazing and I'm so glad I got to take them.
I got to work on stories and write in a way that I wanted to. There are no editors (except that time Professor Nicholson called me and reminded me I can't spell) and there are no rules. It's how I want to express my opinions and my take. It's seeing a story like who the hell is this Marshall Henderson dude and going with it because I can. It's a journalistic innocence that can't be found anywhere else. I wasn't being graded. I wasn't being dictated to or constrained. It was just fun.
What I'll remember most about this period in my life though is not something I learned or somewhere I got to go. It's something I was reminded of and that's just how good people are. It's not hard to find the worst of society. Go to any website and scroll through the comments section. Go on Twitter. Go to a Rutgers basketball practice.
Throughout the past three months though, I've seen the best in people. It started immediately with so many members of my actual family, my JPZ/AER/SU family and other people I've met along the way reaching out with support. It was Matt Llewelyn reaching out and saying if I needed anything from a meal to a job, he was here for me. I told him I'd meet him for lunch and I've spent the past 3 months working for him which is how the answer to "do I have enough for rent?" was always yes. I also have a totally new appreciation for the the restaurant industry, something every human being who's ever eaten in one should have.
It was my friends in Syracuse who put me up during my stay or perhaps more accurately in some cases (hi Corey, who's office was my suitcase storage facility) put up with me. Oh and yes Fitz, you can have special recognition because you stepped up big time and lord knows you love the attention.
Saving the best for last I cannot thank my family enough. My parents who were there for me on the worst days, never lost faith and always gave me what I needed, whether that be support or a reality check (i.e. I'm going apartment hunting this weekend and not to the Final Four...thanks Mom...kinda). My grandparents who put me up in New York for nearly a month and would have let me stay longer if my parents didn't make me come home. My aunts, uncle and cousins who would check in and see how things were doing and if I needed anything. You guys are awesome. I don't know how you go about classifying "the best family in the world" but I know I wouldn't trade you for anyone else.
Last but not least, I want to thank you. I have no idea who "you" are but you've found your way here. I launched this site to initially announce my unemployment which was on December 7th. It's now April 4th and nearly 7500 people have read and listened to what I've had to say. I remember the first post I did and seeing the hit count start to climb and going "woah, I have an audience." In my industry, having that audience is everything. It was that tiny bit of affirmation that despite my employment status, I was doing something right.
This site will obviously be scaled back now that I'll have real work to do. There will be at least one more podcast that I'm hoping to do tonight. There will be blogs this weekend on the Final Four and thanks to Heather Prusak they'll be supplemented with the great work by CitrusTV, who is in Atlanta. Past that, this will be an outlet for me to talk about things outside of Dallas and maybe a few in. So until next time, thanks for reading, thanks for supporting me and I can't wait to get started on what's next.
Craig
I've accepted a part-time with ESPN 103.3 FM in Dallas. I will be doing everything from hosting on nights and weekends to local Sportscenter updates during our local and network programming to original podcasts for ESPNDallas.com to some off-air work. It's an absolutely amazing opportunity with my dream company. Everybody knows the affinity I have for ESPN as a company thanks to the number of people who have helped me over the years and my experience there as an intern. This is one of the four owned and operated affiliates meaning I'm actually working for ESPN. Seriously, Mickey Mouse is on my paycheck.
When I went back to Newhouse in February, I talked to a number of classes about networking. This job is a direct result of the networking excursion I took in January. While in Bristol I met with a man named Rob Savinelli from the talent office who suggested I meet with Tim McCarthy in New York. Tim suggested I reach out to Tom Lee, the program director in Dallas. Tom and I talked and while he had nothing at the time, he certainly helped me look elsewhere and gave me feedback. He then had something open up. We talked. He's now my boss.
What you're probably wondering is "wait...you did all that without a Syracuse connection?! I didn't think that was possible because a) it's you and b) you went through 3+ people in the media industry and that's not mathematically possible." The person who introduced me to Rob? His boss. Laurie Orlando, SU alumnus. Go Orange.
To my younger friends who may be reading this: network and do it when they don't need you and when you don't need them. It didn't matter if I was happily employed, Tom is someone I would've wanted to talk to. I did need him and even though he didn't have anything, he was willing to talk. A few weeks later, circumstances changed and here we are. I couldn't be more excited to work for Tom because I know he wants to see me get better. He and his team are going to coach me which is something I've wanted at this level on a day-to-day basis since I graduated. This excites me far more than being on the air in a top 5 market.
This 3 month period taught me a lot and allowed me to do a lot. I learned a lot about financial responsibility and planning. When "do I have enough for rent?" is a real question, you don't have much of a choice. Luckily the answer was always yes. I got to travel and spend time with people in a fashion that I never would be able to if I was in school or employed. I got 3 weeks in New York. I got 2 weeks in Syracuse. Those trips were amazing and I'm so glad I got to take them.
I got to work on stories and write in a way that I wanted to. There are no editors (except that time Professor Nicholson called me and reminded me I can't spell) and there are no rules. It's how I want to express my opinions and my take. It's seeing a story like who the hell is this Marshall Henderson dude and going with it because I can. It's a journalistic innocence that can't be found anywhere else. I wasn't being graded. I wasn't being dictated to or constrained. It was just fun.
What I'll remember most about this period in my life though is not something I learned or somewhere I got to go. It's something I was reminded of and that's just how good people are. It's not hard to find the worst of society. Go to any website and scroll through the comments section. Go on Twitter. Go to a Rutgers basketball practice.
Throughout the past three months though, I've seen the best in people. It started immediately with so many members of my actual family, my JPZ/AER/SU family and other people I've met along the way reaching out with support. It was Matt Llewelyn reaching out and saying if I needed anything from a meal to a job, he was here for me. I told him I'd meet him for lunch and I've spent the past 3 months working for him which is how the answer to "do I have enough for rent?" was always yes. I also have a totally new appreciation for the the restaurant industry, something every human being who's ever eaten in one should have.
It was my friends in Syracuse who put me up during my stay or perhaps more accurately in some cases (hi Corey, who's office was my suitcase storage facility) put up with me. Oh and yes Fitz, you can have special recognition because you stepped up big time and lord knows you love the attention.
Saving the best for last I cannot thank my family enough. My parents who were there for me on the worst days, never lost faith and always gave me what I needed, whether that be support or a reality check (i.e. I'm going apartment hunting this weekend and not to the Final Four...thanks Mom...kinda). My grandparents who put me up in New York for nearly a month and would have let me stay longer if my parents didn't make me come home. My aunts, uncle and cousins who would check in and see how things were doing and if I needed anything. You guys are awesome. I don't know how you go about classifying "the best family in the world" but I know I wouldn't trade you for anyone else.
Last but not least, I want to thank you. I have no idea who "you" are but you've found your way here. I launched this site to initially announce my unemployment which was on December 7th. It's now April 4th and nearly 7500 people have read and listened to what I've had to say. I remember the first post I did and seeing the hit count start to climb and going "woah, I have an audience." In my industry, having that audience is everything. It was that tiny bit of affirmation that despite my employment status, I was doing something right.
This site will obviously be scaled back now that I'll have real work to do. There will be at least one more podcast that I'm hoping to do tonight. There will be blogs this weekend on the Final Four and thanks to Heather Prusak they'll be supplemented with the great work by CitrusTV, who is in Atlanta. Past that, this will be an outlet for me to talk about things outside of Dallas and maybe a few in. So until next time, thanks for reading, thanks for supporting me and I can't wait to get started on what's next.
Craig
Monday, April 1, 2013
Random Rumblings: 4/1/13
With this much basketball you knew I couldn't stay quiet for long. No delay, let's talk hoop.
Cuse to the Final Four
I've written a few stories in the last week about SU over at Orange Fizz but one thing I didn't write on is how to a certain extent the Orange making it to Atlanta isn't a surprise. Both Jay Williams and Stephen Bardo told me in the middle of Syracuse's slide that SU was still a Final Four caliber team and I was right there with them. It sounds crazy, but the talent has always been there.
What is surprising is that the Orange put it together. I still don't think this team has particularly great leadership, but sometimes you don't need it. Instead of a leader rallying them, Syracuse's super talented players had their egos hurt and embarrassment is a powerful motivating factor. It happened at the perfect time culminating with Georgetown beating the $#&% out of them to close the regular season. They re-grouped and went into the Big East Tournament where momentum picks up quickly thanks to playing a game every day. James Southerland got hot. Brandon Triche found himself. Michael Carter-Williams stopped losing the basketball. Baye Moussa-Keita started being impactful. These four things haven't stopped and here we are with the Orange in the Final Four.
You could make a really good argument that if not for a freak injury to Arinze Onuaku and a bizarre suspension to Fab Melo, this would be Syracuse's third Final Four in four years. I think there are two pretty distinctive reasons why and you can read more at Orange Fizz.
Kansas is home
Logistics say I'll have a few Kansas fans click on this link so I might as well dissect why Kansas is not preparing to play SU on Saturday. Before the season, Bill Self said Elijah Johnson's attitude and approach would determine the outcome of his team's season. Weeks later Johnson was suspended for the start of the team's first pre-season game for being late to a class.
Elijah Johnson is a very good basketball player and I enjoyed covering him. I always found him thoughtful and there's no questioning his commitment to his team. However if he's your senior leader who's also playing out of position as your point guard, you're living on the edge of being a Final Four team. That's what Kansas was this season.
Coming down the stretch Kansas ran "the play" multiple times to no success. For those not familiar, "the play" is the one Mario Chalmers hit a three on to send the 2008 national championship game to overtime where Kansas eventually won. Michigan shut down the handoff and denied Ben McLemore on the flare screen. This left Bill Self needing another option and he decided to run a high pick and roll with Johnson and Jeff Withey.
Elijah took a bad angle off the screen. He was way too wide and that's why he wound up under the basket, throwing a cross court pass to Nadir Tharpe who needed a miracle 3 to go down to win it. It's almost as if Johnson forgot the score because he looked to have a layup for the tie. There's no doubt he had a floater, albeit at an awkward angle thanks to the bad angle off the screen, and he also could have forced the issue and created contact. With Jeff Withey rolling hard to the rim in good rebounding position, either would have been a good option. Why didn't he? There's no telling what was going through his head after some key mistakes down the stretch.
As a senior leader point guard Elijah dribbled into a trap and turned it over. He then inexcusably didn't get the ball across halfcourt on a 10 second violation. Then with 12.6 seconds to go he missed the front end of a one-in-one allowing Trey Burke's long distance three to go down. After that many mistakes, anyone's going to have a messed up head. It all lead to another bad play, the end of Kansas's season and the end of Elijah's career.
What's next?
Kansas loses a lot but will be loaded next year. Ben McLemore should declare for the NBA now. Ideally he'd stay and become more consistent with his shot and more importantly develop an off the dribble game. The reality is he needs to get his money now. His mom needs a house where the heat works ASAP and his entire family shouldn't go through another winter with him capable of making millions now. His stock is as high as it could get thanks to his uber potential and a weak draft even though another year of college would make him a better player. Any Kansas fan who thinks he should stay is selfish.
On top of McLemore, Kansas loses Johnson, Withey, Kevin Young and Travis Releford aka their entire starting lineup. They also might lose Rio Adams to a transfer. However back comes Nadir Tharpe who was exceptional in the second half of the year. He'll be joined in the backcourt by freshmen Wayne Seldon and Bill Self's got 3 other 4 star recruits coming in. The Jayhawks are also still alive for #1 player in the country Andrew Wiggins who's flat out nasty. Also back is Perry Ellis who developed into an offensive machine in the back half of the year. I think he could be an All-American next year.
Love for the ladies
Louisville's upset of #1 seed Baylor was monumental. It was bigger than the only time a #16 has beat a #1 when Harvard beat Stanford in 1998. That Stanford team had a number of key players injured late and thus shouldn't have been a 1-seed while the Harvard team was underseeded and shouldn't have been a 16. This Baylor team had everyone back from a national title team last year including arguably the most dominant player in the history of women's college basketball in Britney Griner. They were 75-1 favorites in this game. What that leaves us with is a weird setup for the Final Four.
On one side of the bracket is what's left after Baylor and the other 1-seed Stanford went down. This was also a huge upset but not nearly as big of an upset as Baylor. Cal punched their ticket tonight and the other regional final puts Tennessee against Louisville. The other side of the bracket has UConn, in it's 6th straight Final Four, against the winner of Notre Dame and Duke also known as Notre Dame.
I've written about the three classic battles ND and UConn have had this year and it's a shame that the 4th meeting won't be for a title. I want to be made about them being on the same side of the bracket but Baylor earned the #1 overall seed in the regular season and thus avoiding teams number 2 and 3 until the national final. Those two teams are the Irish and Huskies and this is what we're left with. With Baylor out of the picture, whoever survives that game will be the definitive favorite Tuesday night to win the title. Perhaps their biggest fight will be against fatigue as they'll be exhausted after battle royale #4. Either way I'll be glued to a TV Sunday night ready to see these two duke it out again...assuming Duke doesn't mess it up.
Life Update
Big announcement coming later this week. Don't wanna say more yet. But I will soon. I'm not exactly the patient type. Stay tuned.
Cuse to the Final Four
I've written a few stories in the last week about SU over at Orange Fizz but one thing I didn't write on is how to a certain extent the Orange making it to Atlanta isn't a surprise. Both Jay Williams and Stephen Bardo told me in the middle of Syracuse's slide that SU was still a Final Four caliber team and I was right there with them. It sounds crazy, but the talent has always been there.
What is surprising is that the Orange put it together. I still don't think this team has particularly great leadership, but sometimes you don't need it. Instead of a leader rallying them, Syracuse's super talented players had their egos hurt and embarrassment is a powerful motivating factor. It happened at the perfect time culminating with Georgetown beating the $#&% out of them to close the regular season. They re-grouped and went into the Big East Tournament where momentum picks up quickly thanks to playing a game every day. James Southerland got hot. Brandon Triche found himself. Michael Carter-Williams stopped losing the basketball. Baye Moussa-Keita started being impactful. These four things haven't stopped and here we are with the Orange in the Final Four.
You could make a really good argument that if not for a freak injury to Arinze Onuaku and a bizarre suspension to Fab Melo, this would be Syracuse's third Final Four in four years. I think there are two pretty distinctive reasons why and you can read more at Orange Fizz.
Kansas is home
Logistics say I'll have a few Kansas fans click on this link so I might as well dissect why Kansas is not preparing to play SU on Saturday. Before the season, Bill Self said Elijah Johnson's attitude and approach would determine the outcome of his team's season. Weeks later Johnson was suspended for the start of the team's first pre-season game for being late to a class.
Elijah Johnson is a very good basketball player and I enjoyed covering him. I always found him thoughtful and there's no questioning his commitment to his team. However if he's your senior leader who's also playing out of position as your point guard, you're living on the edge of being a Final Four team. That's what Kansas was this season.
Coming down the stretch Kansas ran "the play" multiple times to no success. For those not familiar, "the play" is the one Mario Chalmers hit a three on to send the 2008 national championship game to overtime where Kansas eventually won. Michigan shut down the handoff and denied Ben McLemore on the flare screen. This left Bill Self needing another option and he decided to run a high pick and roll with Johnson and Jeff Withey.
Elijah took a bad angle off the screen. He was way too wide and that's why he wound up under the basket, throwing a cross court pass to Nadir Tharpe who needed a miracle 3 to go down to win it. It's almost as if Johnson forgot the score because he looked to have a layup for the tie. There's no doubt he had a floater, albeit at an awkward angle thanks to the bad angle off the screen, and he also could have forced the issue and created contact. With Jeff Withey rolling hard to the rim in good rebounding position, either would have been a good option. Why didn't he? There's no telling what was going through his head after some key mistakes down the stretch.
As a senior leader point guard Elijah dribbled into a trap and turned it over. He then inexcusably didn't get the ball across halfcourt on a 10 second violation. Then with 12.6 seconds to go he missed the front end of a one-in-one allowing Trey Burke's long distance three to go down. After that many mistakes, anyone's going to have a messed up head. It all lead to another bad play, the end of Kansas's season and the end of Elijah's career.
What's next?
Kansas loses a lot but will be loaded next year. Ben McLemore should declare for the NBA now. Ideally he'd stay and become more consistent with his shot and more importantly develop an off the dribble game. The reality is he needs to get his money now. His mom needs a house where the heat works ASAP and his entire family shouldn't go through another winter with him capable of making millions now. His stock is as high as it could get thanks to his uber potential and a weak draft even though another year of college would make him a better player. Any Kansas fan who thinks he should stay is selfish.
On top of McLemore, Kansas loses Johnson, Withey, Kevin Young and Travis Releford aka their entire starting lineup. They also might lose Rio Adams to a transfer. However back comes Nadir Tharpe who was exceptional in the second half of the year. He'll be joined in the backcourt by freshmen Wayne Seldon and Bill Self's got 3 other 4 star recruits coming in. The Jayhawks are also still alive for #1 player in the country Andrew Wiggins who's flat out nasty. Also back is Perry Ellis who developed into an offensive machine in the back half of the year. I think he could be an All-American next year.
Love for the ladies
Louisville's upset of #1 seed Baylor was monumental. It was bigger than the only time a #16 has beat a #1 when Harvard beat Stanford in 1998. That Stanford team had a number of key players injured late and thus shouldn't have been a 1-seed while the Harvard team was underseeded and shouldn't have been a 16. This Baylor team had everyone back from a national title team last year including arguably the most dominant player in the history of women's college basketball in Britney Griner. They were 75-1 favorites in this game. What that leaves us with is a weird setup for the Final Four.
On one side of the bracket is what's left after Baylor and the other 1-seed Stanford went down. This was also a huge upset but not nearly as big of an upset as Baylor. Cal punched their ticket tonight and the other regional final puts Tennessee against Louisville. The other side of the bracket has UConn, in it's 6th straight Final Four, against the winner of Notre Dame and Duke also known as Notre Dame.
I've written about the three classic battles ND and UConn have had this year and it's a shame that the 4th meeting won't be for a title. I want to be made about them being on the same side of the bracket but Baylor earned the #1 overall seed in the regular season and thus avoiding teams number 2 and 3 until the national final. Those two teams are the Irish and Huskies and this is what we're left with. With Baylor out of the picture, whoever survives that game will be the definitive favorite Tuesday night to win the title. Perhaps their biggest fight will be against fatigue as they'll be exhausted after battle royale #4. Either way I'll be glued to a TV Sunday night ready to see these two duke it out again...assuming Duke doesn't mess it up.
Life Update
Big announcement coming later this week. Don't wanna say more yet. But I will soon. I'm not exactly the patient type. Stay tuned.
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