tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3668344140114037162024-02-07T22:57:52.729-06:00Sports IntelligentsiaTHE HOME OF INTELLIGENT SPORTS TALKSportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-82132093894035790442013-05-06T17:35:00.002-05:002013-05-06T19:40:27.102-05:00AM in the Evening: 5.6.13 Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's about that time, time for the famous "6-pack debate" to make it's triumphant return to the Sports Intelligentsia lineup. Your hots Andy and Mike (AM.... get it?) bring you the hottest topics and best sports debate with INTELLIGENT commentary.<br />
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Join us every Monday <a href="http://youtube.com/TheSIntelligentsia" target="_blank">LIVE via YouTube</a> and right here at Sports Intelligentsia. Subscribe to the YouTube page so you won't miss a single episode of this or any of our other shows!! Check back here tonight at 7pmCT as we go LIVE with the re-debut of the show that hit the sports world by storm last summer:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kK4HpoVJgkE" width="560"></iframe>SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-34768607461313221102013-04-14T10:45:00.001-05:002013-04-14T10:49:49.726-05:00Can Tiger Make Comeback?Despite all of the drama from Friday leading into Saturday which resulted in a 2 stroke penalty, Tiger Woods has played himself into a position where he is in contention for the Green Jacket at Augusta. But to do so, Woods will have to do something he has never done in a Major, come from behind after 54 holes to take the title. He is 0 for 46 in comebacks in Majors and enters Sunday 4 strokes behind leaders Brandt Snedeker and Angel Cabrera who sit at 7 under par. <br />
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<strong>Snedeker looking for first Major</strong><br />
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Woods has been extremely solid in 3 rounds this year, despite the 2 stroke penalty on Friday. He was able to stay in the tournament with some key par saves late in the round on Saturday. <br />
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Another obstacle for Woods to capture another Green Jacket is the field that sits ahead of him. A handful of players who have been right there with chances of grabbing a Majors Title sit between Woods and the lead including Adam Scott who looked to have the Masters Title recently only to have it taken away by Charl Schwartzel in 2011. Co-Leader Brandt Snedeker was in the final group in 2008 only to fall short of the title, leaving him in tears. Angel Cabrera seems to fly under the radar until it comes to Majors where he is always a factor.<br />
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Matt Kuchar who sits at 4 under has 5 titles on the PGA tour and it only seems a matter of time before he breaks through in a Major. Australian Jason Day, finished 2nd in the 2011 Masters and US Opens and appears to be back to his 2011 form. He enters Sunday at -5. <br />
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For Woods to make up the 4 shot deficit and make history with a Masters Sunday comeback, he will likely have to shoot the best round of his career in a Major. A round of 66 or 67 puts him in the conversation but he will need help from a really solid group of players ahead of him. <br />
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Whether Woods can add another Majors drama on Sunday remains to be seen, but with the names sitting atop the leader board, we are headed for an eventful Masters run to the Green Jacket. Fasten your seat belt.SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-28615634694809180262013-04-13T10:10:00.001-05:002013-04-13T10:10:14.645-05:00Storylines Galore at the Masters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Two days into the Masters and there is already plenty of drama including a 14 year old making the cut, Tiger Woods looming large one minute and facing potential disqualification the next and a 53 years old near the top of the leaderboard with a legitimate chance to contend for the title.<br />
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One of the biggest stories of the tournament thus far is the play of 14 year old amateur, Tianlang Guan of China. Guan has made the weekend despite a 1 stroke penalty on Friday for slow play. Guan has handled the pressure of the tournament seamlessly and took the PGA ruling in stride afterwards saying that he respects the decision.<br />
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Speaking of penalties, Tiger Woods received a 2 stroke penalty for a drop on the 15th hole on Friday. Woods violated a rule which states that the ball should be dropped as nearly as possible to the spot where it was last played. Woods chose to replay the shot in the vicinity of his original spot. There was talk of disqualification but a 2 stroke penalty was given instead. The penalty drops Woods to -1 going into Saturday. Tiger has played exceptional golf, to the point he hit the flagstick on the 15th where the ball bounced into the water, almost a too precise shot. <br />
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Meanwhile, 53 year old Fred Couples has put together two solid rounds of golf and finds himself one shot behind leader Jason Day. Couples has the game to be a solid threat at Augusta and is one to watch this weekend.<br />
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Defending Champion Bubba Watson played himself from out of the cut back in late Friday with a strong finish after floundering a good portion of the round. <br />
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Lee Westwood, still in pursuit of his first Major after finishing so close, is -3. Many feel Westwood is right there due to break through. Two other big names are in contention in Sergio Garcia who led for a while and Rory McIlroy who has struggled lately but finished second at Houston last week. Garcia is -3 while McIlroy is -2. Phil Mickelson made the cut but has not play his best golf going into the weekend at 3 over.<br />
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Former majors Champions Webb Simpson and Graeme McDowell missed the cut.SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-71727918364979760082013-04-13T10:10:00.000-05:002013-04-13T10:10:02.585-05:00Kobe Tears Achillies, ESPN Pushes False Narrative<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Friday night ended for me with the images of Kobe Bryant walking off the court injured and as I woke up to the news of the injury being a season ending Achilles tear a sense of simple shock came over me. Not because of the injury per-say, but more because of what was taking place at the four letter network in reaction to the injury.<br />
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Of course, one could argue that that was my first mistake of the day (and probably not my last), as turning on the four letter network for anything but PTI or live sporting events is a risky proposition to begin with, but I digress.<br />
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So, as I listened to the extent of the injury and what Kobe himself had to say about the injury we got the blowhard of all blowhards, Stephen A. Smith, coming on the screen to push an idiotic narrative that it appears ESPN is set to run with and it's this - Kobe Bryant's injury is because he was playing so many minutes.<br />
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Yep, that's it... a freak injury that could happen to anyone, at any time, for any reason is all about the fact that a 34 year old man was playing the 2nd most minutes in the league this season behind only the Bulls' Loul Deng.<br />
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Either that or it's because the injury was just what it always has been - a freak injury. Had it been a knee injury or a torn hamstring or a shoulder injury or anything else perhaps there could be a sliver of truth in the narrative that ESPN is pushing, but instead of doing basic logical thinking the fine folks at the four letter network have to find a way to sensationalize and scandalize everything.<br />
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Should we be surprised that a blowhard like Stephen A. Smith would stoop to trying to find a sensational twist on a truly sad situation? Probably not, after all Stephen A. is all about the drama and he's more often way off base than on point.<br />
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Yet, don't you think you'd do basic research and oh, say talk to some doctors and people involved in sports medicine? Call me crazy, but I may actually take the opinion of a doctor or athletic trainer over some 40 year old blowhard who's got ZERO clue about what could cause this injury.<br />
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If it was all about wear and tear and "insane minutes" someone was playing then I'd love for someone to explain how a guy like Jay DeMerit of the Vancouver Whitecaps suffers the same injury just one game into the regular season? Or how Ryan Howard tears it after swinging a bat and running towards first base?<br />
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Those are just two of the most recent examples of torn Achilles tendons and yes, both players were older, but neither had a damn thing to do with "logging too many minutes" or anything else other than pushing off on their leg and having the Achilles tendon pop.<br />
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How about that being the focal point of it, after all we aren't even 24 hours removed from the injury happening. Hell, the false narrative that the four letter network was putting forth began happening mere single digit hours after the injury.<br />
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Should we be surprised by this? No, but that's what we get when we're spoon fed 24 hour news cycles that have to react to everything and find a narrative to run with ASAP. What ever happened to taking your time and figuring out the truth of the situation before running with a narrative that is insulting on it's face to the viewers?SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-38747174032470645462013-04-12T13:52:00.002-05:002013-04-12T13:54:11.138-05:00Masters Day Two: Amen Corner Tells Interesting TaleAmen Corner - it's beauty is undeniable - so to is the fact that it could be the most brutal stretch of holes in all of professional golf. On Friday morning we got two examples of how to handle the brutal life at holes 11, 12, and 13 as two of Thursdays most exciting stories went in vastly different directions in Amen Corner.<br />
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<a href="http://www.golfdigest.com/images/magazine/2008-04/maar01_herbwind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://www.golfdigest.com/images/magazine/2008-04/maar01_herbwind.jpg" style="-webkit-user-select: none;" width="320" /></a>Of course we are talking about Tianlang Guang, the 14 year old amateur that had played himself into position to make the cut should he have a steady round of golf on Friday, and the venerable Sergio Garcia who found himself tied atop the leaderboard of the Masters for the 1st time ever following a completed day of competition.<br />
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Guang, easily the biggest hyped storyline of the tournament on Thursday (and rightfully so), came in to Amen Corner at +2 for the day, bogeying holes 4 and 7, and could've easily packed it in mentally. Instead, following a bad 2nd shot on No. 11 Guang buckled down and focused mentally, hitting a perfect chip to within a few feet of the hole. He made par and proceeded to not let one bad shot ruin his pretty good round of golf on the day, repeating pars on 12 and 13 and surviving Amen Corner like a true veteran would do.<br />
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Then... Well, we have what happend to the guy who can never seem to get out of his own way in a major.<br />
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Sergio, a veteran of 58 majors in his lifetime, wasn't playing his best round of golf heading into Amen Corner, after all he was already +2 on the day, but was at least still within easy reach of the lead. However, a shot into the water on 11 saw Garcia make bogey and drop to +3. He wasn't done though as he survived the par 3 12th - but looking rattled. That rattled and frustrated mentality cost him as he went off the rails again on 13, bogeying the hole and running Amen Corner at a disappointing +2.<br />
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Guan and Sergio may be heading in opposite directions this weekend as Guan sits on the cut line (at time of this writing) and Garcia remains in contention as Dustin Johnson and others couldn't pull away at the top of the leader board. But, if you saw Amen Corner happen to the two most talked about players from Thursday you'd think Garcia was the 14 year old kid buckling under the pressure and Guan was playing in his 58th major all-time and that, for me at least, is the most remarkable story of this tournament so far.SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-18496516064737100062013-04-10T15:15:00.001-05:002013-04-10T15:22:45.600-05:00NCAA Basketball Walk-On Policy Evil?<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSd1OWGWgmiXLXTXvHeOYEuDmUC9UV7tPI2FeqnhKcEeORI-hbU" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="VmUn3WQi1pfCDM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSd1OWGWgmiXLXTXvHeOYEuDmUC9UV7tPI2FeqnhKcEeORI-hbU" style="margin-top: 0px;" /></a>As our motto and creed states, we try to be your "home for INTELLIGENT sports talk," and generally speaking we try and give fresh angles and perspectives to news, however the other part of that equation is also pointing out unintelligent pieces of work and that's what brings us to you today.<br />
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What's the unintelligent piece of work we bring you today?<br />
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<a href="http://www.rantsports.com/ncaa-basketball/2013/04/10/wisconsin-badgers-adding-walk-on-aaron-moesch-highlights-a-glaring-problem/" target="_blank">It's an article that accuses</a> everyone's favorite whipping boy, the NCAA, of allowing nefarious coaches to take advantage of the system of walk-on's to boost grade point averages and generally keep good players from playing basketball on a night in and night out basis... or something of that tone.<br />
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How do they chose to prove their point? Why, they use the Wisconsin Badgers announcement that Aaron Moesch, a little recruited forward out of Green Bay, WI will walk-on to the basketball team at the UW as the example of what's wrong with college basketball and the evils of the NCAA.<br />
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Yep, those evil Badgers are at it again - I mean they are everyone's example of how not to do things in college basketball right? They don't graduate their players, consistently make the NCAA tournament or treat their walk-on's as anything less than sub-human or anything... Either that or the exact opposite - as in having one of the highest graduation rates in history, making the NCAA tournament for 15 straight seasons (every one under Bo Ryan's 12 years at the helm), and have one of the best walk-on programs in the country.<br />
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Great example you chose to try and make your point there, huh?<br />
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In my research over 350 basketball players transfer from D1 institutions every year and that number keeps growing.... The vast majority to other D1 institutions and that's just the scholarship athletes. Walk-on numbers are harder to categorize since their participation is VOLUNTARY.<br />
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And that's where this guy simply goes off the rails in his argument against the evil NCAA and it's system to keep people from, well... I'm not really sure what exactly his point is on that matter.<br />
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No one is forcing these walk-on's to commit to a school on the basis of promised playing time or an athletic scholarship. It's their choice. For many kids playing at their favorite school and getting an education at a top notch institution are reason enough to make the jump and walk-on, whether they are recruited to do so or not.<br />
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I have personal knowledge of this type of situation as a high school friend earned a walk-on spot at Michigan State and after one season of riding the pine decided that playing at the D2 level was what was best for him.<br />
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What's wrong with a kid or even an adult giving his/her dream a shot? NOTHING. Especially when we all do things for different reasons. If the walk-on is a way to continue to play the sport they love and earn a great degree who are we to stop them?<br />
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Hell, at Wisconsin, the subject of this guys ire, a walk-on turned scholarship player like one Zak Showalter disproves the guys point on it's face. He was going to walk-on until someone else transfered out and he got the scholarship and thanks to injuries he saw decent minutes as a freshman (a feat not that easy to accomplish for anyone on a Ryan coached team).<br />
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Was he a marginal talent that shouldn't have come to the UW because he was just going to be foder for propping up what is one of the better academic teams in the country to begin with?<br />
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Look, have your opinion - debating topics is what makes being a sports fan great - but is too much to ask to have your opinion be an educated one? One that can't be easily debunked or laughed off? It's much harder for someone to dismiss what you are saying when you bring in actual facts and such...<br />
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Over at Rant Sports, they are quickly gaining the reputation of putting anything out for mass-consumption and SEO hits, rather than actually taking time to think and you know.... do some actual research into their points of contention.<br />
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Normally, we go by the philosophy of "pay them no mind and they'll go away" and generally speaking that philosophy works - you know, since capitalism is driven by people actually paying attention and buying what you're selling.<br />
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However, there comes a point in time when you need to shine a spotlight on stupidity and let people know what's being put out for their consumption isn't exactly what we'd call stellar journalism or blogging - it's just simply lazy garbage put together to fill some sort of quota system.<br />
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Congrats on filling your quota there Rant Sports "writer," now in the words of Rabbit from 8 Mile: "Go home, write some s&@t, make it suspenseful. And don't come back until somethin' dope hits you."SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-72048564647821889732013-04-05T18:34:00.002-05:002013-04-05T18:35:08.079-05:00AM in the Evening - Video Debut<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Part of what makes us unique here at Sports Intelligentsia is that we were founded on being a multi-platform conglomerate from the very inception of the idea - we were meant to give you radio, blogging, and reporting from the very jump.<br />
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Well, we've upped the ante once again as we debut our latest platform of INTELLIGENT sports talk - our live YouTube talk shows!! We started it off with the first ever LIVE AM in the Evening Google + Hangout and as we grow this format we will be phasing out some of the radio formats we've been using.<br />
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Google + Hangouts will allow for the best of both worlds and to allow for you the fan to interact more quickly with the shows as they go on air. Here is our first sampling from AM (Andy and Mike) in the Evening. They talk all things college basketball on this one, so enjoy:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9AV3PaucNfE" width="560"></iframe>SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-3585038038808901542013-04-05T13:43:00.000-05:002013-04-05T13:43:15.411-05:00Rutgers President Passes Buck as Pernetti Resigns<br />
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTbfRt5fcRezDpEH-KQtigQFDXyj6nJuWbHdQ3tR0M-tFlBDG3cLw" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="vwxUbctWhQOkNM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTbfRt5fcRezDpEH-KQtigQFDXyj6nJuWbHdQ3tR0M-tFlBDG3cLw" style="height: 188px; margin-top: 0px; width: 241px;" /></a>The Rutgers scandal hasn't been something we've covered a lot here over the past few days as we chose other outlets, ones with interesting angles and more to say. Let's be honest, what could we have said here that wouldn't have been said anywhere else? But, on Friday the news came down that Tim Pernetti was stepping down as AD at Rutgers and in his resignation from the Scarlet Knights he was able to shine a bright light on what really happened in the Mike Rice scandal.<br />
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Pernetti made it about as clear as you could that his instinct was to fire Rice upon seeing the nearly 40 minutes of tape. Instead university lawyers, HR professionals, and outside legal council advised against doing that and that is what he brought to Dr. Barchi as the recommendation. </div>
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If true, and why lie on your way out the door in shame, I congratulate Pernetti on his instinct. However, how in the blue hell do you not say "screw you" to that legal bull and march right into the office of the President and tell him exactly what you're going to do or strap him into a chair and make the guy watch the tape as proof until he sees the moral and ethical case to fire Rice's ass.<br />
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Too bad his university President decided it best to take another course of action at the time and again on Friday afternoon in one of the lamest press confrences of all time. </div>
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However, knowing the state of "higher education" these days should that surprise us?</div>
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At the press conference to announce Pernetti's resignation Rutgers President Robert L. Barchi revealed that he never actually reviewed the tapes that were viewed by Pernetti, yet laid the blame squarely on his AD's shoulders.</div>
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Can you say "lack of leadership" boys and girls? I know I can and no Dr. Barchi, this wasn't a failure of process, as you so bluntly put it, this was a failure of freaking common sense as a human being. </div>
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If you were worried about a lawsuit back in November, like you insinuated, and made clear that this firing wasn't for "cause" but just a straight up firing, why the hell couldn't you have empowered Pernetti with that exact thing back then? </div>
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Instead you and your holier than thou academia types stuck your head in the sand, hoping to let this thing blow over and only once the bright light of the media spotlight was shone on this situation did you do the right thing. </div>
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You know what that's called? That's called cowardice and it sure as hell isn't leadership - which you're supposed to be providing.</div>
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Watching the press conference of Dr. Barchi was like watching a train wreck and not being able to look away. As the viewing public and media what we witnessed was a condescending and flat out arrogant university President throwing Pernetti on a sword that the lifelong "Rutgers Man" had already thrown himself upon. </div>
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So, what to make of this train wreck? Well, one can only reasonably conclude that one of or all three of the following are true: </div>
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- Tim Pernetti is lying about his first instinct being to fire Rice </div>
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- Robert L. Barchi is using Pernetti as a human shield to protect his own backside</div>
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- Rutgers University needs new lawyers, because the ones that gave Pernetti the recommendation are idiots. </div>
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Even if only one of these are true, the conclusion should be that Rutgers University needs a new President at least and more likely needs to clean house of it's Board of Governors. </div>
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Don't hold your breath either as the representative of the Board of Governors made it clear that Barchi had the full support of the board and it wasn't going anywhere. Anyone else see a problem there?</div>
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All that sticks in my mind is that this group of "leaders" decided it best to allow one man to fall on the sword, rather than to make a definitive statement that the buck stops with them all in all matters of Rutgers University. If that's not a clear case of a lack of real leadership or judgement this writer has either lost his mind or the world of "academia" has gone completely off the rails and last time I checked I'm of sound mind, so you be the judge.</div>
SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-30280953786917043512013-04-04T21:39:00.001-05:002013-04-04T21:39:24.086-05:00Anderson elevates NCAA Dunk ContestThe NBA Slam Dunk Contest may be as played out as the frames, but no lenses look but perhaps it could take a lesson or two from the NCAA Dunk Contest - you know, like actually putting the best dunkers out for the fans to see.<br />
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Seriously, tell me you wouldn't be entertained by something like this?<br />
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Hell, when was the last time you even saw something like this in an NBA Dunk Contest? Perhaps 2007 from Gerald Green maybe.... at most.... Either way the NCAA Dunk Contest not surprisingly upstages it's professional counterpart by a mile. Remind you of any other comparison much?SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-7344804828208185772013-04-03T21:13:00.000-05:002013-04-03T21:13:10.174-05:00Will UCLA Haste Come back to Bite?The fact that Steve Alford has been named Head Coach at UCLA is old news now but it is interesting how the school handled Gregg Marshall in the whole hiring process.<br />
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UCLA tried to reach out to Marshall while his Wichita State team was in Los Angeles in the regional. But Marshall did the right thing and declined citing that he had this little thing such as coaching his team to a possible Final Four at hand. Whether that insulted the folks in Westwood or their impatience or panic grew, the Bruins moved on to Steve Alford without speaking with Marshall.<br />
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<strong>Gregg Marshall</strong><br />
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This simply does not sound like one of the 6 or 7 best programs in College Basketball. And this on the heels of being turned down by Shaka Smart and apparently Brad Stevens as well. What is going on in the house that the Wizard used to roam?<br />
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Gregg Marshall can flat out get it done. Just ask those at Winthrop where he took that school to several NCAA Tournament appearances before leaving to build something very solid in Wichita. Now the Shockers are in the Final Four and UCLA has a coach who has struggled to get his teams out of the early rounds of the tournament. No disrespect is meant towards Alford who is a winner and may do a fine job at UCLA, but his hiring smells of settling, something a program of their calibre shouldn't have to do. History will show us if it was the right move.SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-88509310292118676312013-04-02T15:38:00.001-05:002013-04-02T15:40:46.218-05:00Mike Rice: A Lesson in What not to Do in Coaching or Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Outside the Lines is about as flagship a program on ESPN as SportsCenter is and on Tuesday <a href="http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/9125796/practice-video-shows-rutgers-basketball-coach-mike-rice-berated-pushed-used-slurs-players" target="_blank">they sure made a lot of headlines</a> with their story on Mike Rice, the head basketball coach (for now) at Rutgers University. In the story they show video of Rice verbally and physically abusing players - an allegation brought about by former director of player development - Eric Murdock.<br />
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The video is disturbing to say the very least and the how and why of how ESPN got the film isn't nearly as important as the facts that the tapes lay bare. Look, we've probably all been yelled at and probably sworn at by a head coach in our times playing sports - it's about as common as breathing.<br />
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For me, that's not the issue, the issue for me is the rest of his language, calling his players homophobic slurs and emasculating his players - that's simply unacceptable. Even worse are the actions of physical abuse that are clear for everyone to see in the video linked above.<br />
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I have some personal experience with a controversial head coach to say the least. I grew up learning basketball from one of the most hard nosed coaches one will ever meet in the state of Wisconsin - he was a winner and he did it at two of the biggest high schools in my area.<br />
He was also one tough S.O.B. and demanded a lot out of his players. Did he intimidate some people? Sure. Did he scare the crap out of some? Yes. Was he doing a verbal high-wire act at times? You bet. However, as controversial as he could be with how he treated some players, he also taught them how to be winners. He also never physically abused his players.<br />
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Rice was already suspended for his actions earlier in the 2012-13 season and fined $50,000 dollars - however no one really knew the exact why behind it. Now it's pretty clear what that why could've been.<br />
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Does Rice deserve a chance to explain himself? Not at all, the evidence is as cut and dry as it comes in the raw and unedited nature of the footage.<br />
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Yes, Murdock has an agenda in releasing these tapes to ESPN and to speaking out about it, hard not to when you are suing the school you used to work at for wrongful termination. But the beauty of these tapes is that they speak for themselves. There's no "agenda" to speak of but the truth as to who Mike Rice is as a coach.<br />
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Heck, all you have to do is YouTube <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMgAcj-emjY" target="_blank">Mike Rice video</a> and you'll see smaller examples of his "coaching style" on display.<br />
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It's pretty safe to say this dude is a straight up jerk - and I'm keeping it PG, unlike coach Rice. Oh, and you get a clear example of this guy teaching high school kids how to cheat... Nice touch there.<br />
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If he is a coach for one more day, let alone one more week it's a travesty of the highest order in life, not just in the world of sports either. Coaches are supposed to be mentors, not abusers and anytime that is happening it needs to be dealt with swiftly and without hesitation. If Tim Pernetti, the AD at Rutgers, isn't willing to do it then it's time for the board of Rutgers to step in and remove them both.<br />
<br />SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-91742029937514612672013-03-31T21:47:00.003-05:002013-03-31T21:47:40.394-05:002013 NCAA Tournament: We Have Yet to be Entertained<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Congrats Louisville, Michigan, Syracuse, and Wichita State - you've made the 2013 Final Four. Too bad I'm less than excited to see this play out. Probably more so than I have been for any Final Four in recent memory. Don't worry you four, it's nothing you've done - heck you've been amazing and have given us some of the top memories that aren't FGCU related in this tournament. </div>
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However, the other 64 of you in this 2013 tournament left a hell of a lot to be desired and dare I say you've ruined this tournament for me. No, seriously, this could very well be the least anxious I've been to see a Final Four play out since I can remember the Final Four (which was the 1988 tournament in case you were wondering). </div>
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Just take the second weekend of the tournament this year. Outside of the Kansas vs. Michigan Sweet 16 game there wasn't a single memorable moment to speak of... at least in a positive manner. Outside of that moment, name more than one game that you'll actually remember five weeks from now, let alone five years from now.<br />
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There were plenty of moments to forget to say the least. From Marquette's incredibly embarrassing three-point shooting in the East regional final to Florida doing the ass-kicking and getting an ass-kicking the story of this tournament for the neutral fans of March Madness has been the lack of entertainment from what really matters - the on the court action.<br />
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Don't get me wrong, it's not as if every single game has to be memorable or even close - that's never happened before and it won't ever happen in the future. But over the course of twelve games in a weekend it's not too much to ask for more than one game that was actually watchable, right? And heck that game would've been unwatchable if it weren't for a sudden barrage of three-pointers from Michigan to get the game to overtime and on to the Elite 8.<br />
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It's never good when your tournament could be best remembered for a fifteen seed making a run to the Sweet 16. Sure, it should be and will be a part of the story, but unless by some miracle something amazing happens in the Final Four that's likely all this tournament is going to be remembered for and that's not good for the game.SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-17624871167195735612013-03-30T19:07:00.002-05:002013-03-30T19:09:17.399-05:00D Leads Syracuse to Final Four<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It wasn't exactly pretty and Syracuse didn't set the world on fire offensively, but the Orange used their 2-3 zone defense to perfection in blowing out Marquette, 55-39, to earn yet another Final Four appearance.<br />
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A trio of double digit scorers - James Southerland (16pts), C.J. Fair (13pts), and Michael Carter-Williams (12pts) - were the stars of the East regional final for Syracuse. All three also got it done on the defensive end of the court as well.<br />
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The Orange are going back to the Final Four for the first time in ten years, coincidentally also the last time they won the national championship. As for this game on Saturday afternoon in Washington, D.C. on rival Georgetown's home court there's really only one question that matters.<br />
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Was it poor shooting by Marquette or was it good defense from the Orange that won it? That will be the big debate that will be all over sports talk radio come Monday morning, just you watch. However, after watching this team all tournament long it's hard not to say it was all about the Syracuse defense.<br />
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They've frustrated every one of their opponents from the outside, none more that Marquette who couldn't hit contested or wide open looks from deep on their way to shooting 3-24 from beyond the arc.<br />
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Yes, if you are doing your math that's just 12.5% shooting from deep. The numbers don't get much better for the Golden Eagles overall as they managed to shoot just 22.6% from the field. About the only thing that went right for them offensively was their free throw shooting, going 12-16 from the line, but that wasn't nearly enough to outdo what Syracuse was doing to them with their famed zone defense.<br />
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The Orange suffocated every Marquette attempt to probe the lane, contested nearly every screen and roll and simply made the Golden Eagles a stationary passing team on the perimeter. That's exactly what the zone is designed to do to teams and the game plan worked to perfection on Saturday.<br />
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Taken alone the numbers for Marquette could surely be attributed to a bad shooting day, but thankfully we have the ability to look at what the Orange's opponents have done all tournament long and it shows a picture of just how good they've been defensively.<br />
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For the tournament opponents are shooting just 29% from the field and an even worse 15% from three-point range. Those numbers paint a picture of a team not getting lucky against a cold-shooting opponent, but rather one who's defense is hitting on all cylinders.<br />
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On the flip side of how awesome their defense was, Syracuse really struggled to score on their own Saturday and it had a lot to do with Marquette giving the Orange a taste of their own medicine. 'Cuse shot just 38% from the field and 29.4% from deep (5-17) in the win.<br />
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Syracuse will be heading to their fifth Final Four in program history next weekend in Atlanta and will take on the winner of Ohio State vs. Wichita State from the West regional.<br />
<br />SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-63307284501814720472013-03-30T13:02:00.003-05:002013-03-30T16:02:20.914-05:00Blue Devils EliteThe Duke Blue Devils got a monster game from Seth Curry and played some of their best defense of the season and advanced past Michigan State and into the Elite 8 with a 71-61 victory on Friday night. The win sets up a match up between the Blue Devils and the overall number one seed in the tournament, Louisville. <br />
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Louisville is the only 1 seed remaining in the tournament. The game will be a rematch of an early season battle between the two teams that Duke won.<br />
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The game will also feature a match up of two Hall of Fame coaches in Mike Krzyzewski and Rick Pitino. <br />
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Thanks to the NCAA, here are highlights of Duke's win on Friday night:<br />
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GkybavRQIOo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-45492624546272580972013-03-30T04:03:00.002-05:002013-03-30T04:03:44.506-05:00UCLA's Overblown Ego Hurting Coaching SearchWhen you think of college basketball there are but a few schools that stand at the top the mountain, a.k.a the "Blue Bloods." You may know them as UCLA, Kentucky, Indiana, North Carolina, Kansas and Duke. So, when Ben Howland was let go following an opening round loss to Minnesota in this year's NCAA tournament, you could sort of understand, right?<div>
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I mean, after all this is John Wooden's program - you know, the one of 10 national championships in 12 years and all. The expectations at a "Blue Blood" program should be higher than what Howland produced this year or over even over the past few. Put aside the three Final Fours and the four conference championships in 10 years at Westwood - or so we've been told by Dan Guerrero, the Athletics Director at UCLA - that's not good enough anymore. </div>
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Sure, the pressure cooker is hotter than the sun in SoCal and more choking than the smog in the City of Angels, but who wouldn't want the job in Westwood, right? The title of head coach at the University of California - Los Angeles carries so much prestige, you'd be out of your mind to turn it down.</div>
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Never mind the fact that before the good Dr. Wooden came on campus the Bruins had never been to the NCAA tournament, let alone won a national championship (a fact most people probably don't realize) and never mind the fact that since John Wooden's departure the Bruins have managed a whole ONE national championship. <a name='more'></a></div>
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So, here we sit almost exactly a week out from the firing of Howland and the Bruins have yet to find themselves a new head coach. Instead they find themselves on the verge of striking out and it's all their own doing too. </div>
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The first strike? How about chasing after everyone's favorite name with every "major" job out there - Shaka Smart. Reports were that Smart was the man UCLA wanted all along, yet he stood by his VCU Rams and received about a $300,000 a year raise in the process. </div>
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The second strike? How about chasing after Brad Stevens of Butler. Now if you believe the "reports" out there Stevens was their No. 1 choice all along (never mind the Smart stuff was reported and closed first), yet he chose to say "Thanks but No Thanks" as well. </div>
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Strike Three? How about an overinflated ego of who you think you are? </div>
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Conventional wisdom would tell you that it doesn't matter where you are at - if a "Blue Blood" program comes calling you answer and ask "how high." Just look at Bill Self from Illinois to Kansas, etc. You don't ask questions when those names come callin.... You just go. Yet that hasn't been the case for the Bruins at all. How come?</div>
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It doesn't take a genius to figure out it's twofold. First is the fact that Smart and Stevens are a rare breed of coach - following in the footsteps of Mark Few if you will. They realize they have a basketball machine going for them where they are and that means being king of the castle too. </div>
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Hell, Stevens and the Butler Bulldogs are about to become Big East members after being the top dog in the respectable (but not exactly set the world on fire awesome) Horizon League just two seasons ago. </div>
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Tell me again whey he'd leave for UCLA with those kind of Midwest roots and a boatload of cash about to come his school's way.... As for Smart it's a similar situation, he's financially sound himself and he's got everything any other program in the country could possibly ever offer in basketball terms. Why leave if you are truly happy, right?</div>
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Oh and that second reason? INSANE EXPECTATIONS. Seriously, who does UCLA think they are? </div>
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Yes, we get it, you had this amazing run through the better part or the 1960's and 1970's and you should be applauded for holding the most championships in NCAA history. However, when are you as a program going to realize who you are now and what your true history is. You've managed to win one title since Wooden left... and Howland has given you the most consistent results since that golden era, yet he's gone and never coming back thanks to your inflated sense of self worth. </div>
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Congrats UCLA - you're now the Axl Rose of college basketball - once awesome and now a washed up version of yourself hoping for a makeover to make you relevant once again.</div>
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In Guerrero's rush to put UCLA back at the top of the throne of college basketball it appears he forgot one of life's biggest lessons - things aren't always greener on the other side of the pasture. Striking out on the only two names that will satisfy your insane boosters and make sense in terms of X's and O's should be all the proof we need that ego and reality don't always mesh and it may end up putting the Bruins back far more than what Ben Howland was perceived to have done. </div>
SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-41398873437089626092013-03-29T19:29:00.002-05:002013-03-29T19:29:36.656-05:009 Seed in Elite 8Wichita State ended LaSalle's run in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday guaranteeing that a 9 seed will be part of the Elite 8. Gregg Marshall's Shockers will face Ohio State on Saturday. Here is post game reaction.<br />
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SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-39192022733864036582013-03-29T19:15:00.001-05:002013-03-29T19:16:24.661-05:00Elijah Johnson vs. Mitch McGary's Johnson Getting hit in the nuts - it's a staple of just about every "funniest videos" show out there. However, there's funny and then there's intentionally punching someone with malice in the daddy button. Insert this from Elijah Johnson:<br />
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(h/t to friends at <a href="http://runthefloor.com/" target="_blank">RunTheFloor</a> for video)<br />
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In the NCAA a punch to the opponents nuts gets you a flagrant one foul. Feel free to judge on this one, but my two cents say this was about as blatantly obvious and "intentional" as they come - you know, the definition of a flagrant two - which is an automatic ejection from the game.<br />
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Moral of this story? Cheap shots to the nuts won't cost you all that much, so feel free to whack away boys...SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-81714434805247884102013-03-28T22:05:00.002-05:002013-03-28T22:21:36.698-05:00Cyclones lock up "The Mayor"<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQQpMLVK4mZacLuTV4kS2tXrOURZ_bPH1IhSrALvxijS6Dk-g_kFw" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="y7uFClbm8BjpTM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQQpMLVK4mZacLuTV4kS2tXrOURZ_bPH1IhSrALvxijS6Dk-g_kFw" style="margin-top: 0px;" /></a>Iowa State fans have a love affair with their head coaches these days and rightfully so, but the love affair with their Men's basketball coach is unlike anything seen in the country as "The Mayor," Fred Hoiberg has come back to the rescue of a program he once led to unheard of heights as a player. However, there's a downside to that - it usually means they are winning a lot more than they are losing and that means being on the radar of open jobs all over the place.<br />
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On Thursday rumors (likely sent out from Hoiberg's agent) began circulating that Minnesota was sending out feelers and had a sincere interest in ISU's beloved Hoiberg. Well, credit Jamie Pollard, the AD at Iowa State, as he didn't hesitate to flash the cash for a man that means so much to the program and community.<br />
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It was announced later on Thursday night that ISU has inked Hoiberg to a 10 year, $20 million contract extension. Apparently it wasn't just Minnesota with interest as Pollard indicated that there was interest from several college and NBA teams about his services.<br />
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"I am very excited that we were able to put together a financial package that allows Fred (Hoiberg) to remain an intergal part of the Cyclone family," Pollard said. "Nobody is better suited to be our head men's basketball coach and we wanted to show he and his family, along with all Cyclone fans, that we are committed to keeping him in Ames for the long term."<br />
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Hoiberg clearly sees unfinished business at hand in Ames and that was a big part of him sticking around a place he can truly call home.<br />
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"When I returned to the university three seasons ago, it was a dream come true," said Hoiberg in the release. "The progress that we have made so far has been very rewarding, but there is more work ahead. I sincerely appreciate the support that President Leath and Jamie (Pollard) have given me. Ames is my home and Hilton Coliseum has given me countless memories as both a player and coach. I look forward to continue leading a program that Cyclone fans can be proud of."<br />
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Sure there are goals to achieve, but in the bigger picture this deal shows just how far Iowa State has come on and off the field under the leadership of Jamie Pollard. Just 5 or 6 years ago this kind of a deal wouldn't have even been a possibility at the school.<br />
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So credit Hoiberg for the on the court turnaround, but give equal credit to Pollard for being one of the shrewdest masterminds in college athletics administration. He's gotten the product up to high standards and the money has followed - not an easy feat in Ames, Iowa.SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-50971664835355185132013-03-28T21:29:00.002-05:002013-03-28T21:50:51.034-05:00Ross' Cold Blooded Three wins game for BuckeyesWinning basketball games with crazy late game three pointers or buzzer beaters are becoming old hat for this 2012-13 Ohio State Buckeyes team. After Aaron Craft went ONIONS and hit a game winning trey to beat Iowa State in the 3rd round it couldn't be done again, right?<br />
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WRONG, instead it was the unlikeliest of teammates in LaQuinton Ross who nailed a triple with just two seconds on the clock to win it and produce another classic call during March Madness: <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MNnYft_LEQM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-3507257909058005512013-03-28T20:25:00.001-05:002013-03-28T20:25:25.962-05:00Cold Shooting, Does Canes InA theme emerged in the first half of the Miami-Marquette Sweet 16 meeting, there was a lid on the basket for the Miami Hurricanes. Unfortunately for the ACC Champions, that theme continued throughout.<br />
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Not to take away from Marquette who played solid defense and made all the plays, but a team who shot the ball so well all season long missed layups, mid range shots, put backs and three pointers throughout the ball game. The finished the game shooting 35 percent from the floor with most of that coming after the game had been decided. They and went 8 for 27 from behind the arc, again with most of that in the final few minutes.<br />
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<strong>Vander Blue</strong><br />
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The combination of Miami's poor shooting and Marquette's solid play led to a 71-61victory for the Golden Eagles and a spot in the Eastern Regional Finals. <br />
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Three Marquette players finished in double figures led by Jamir Wilson, Vander Blue and Davante Gardner. <br />
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Miami Senior Durand Scott, went 3 for 13 and Shane Larkin, one of the best point guards in the Country was only able to get 8 shots off in the game. It was too much for the Canes to overcome. <br />
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Marquette awaits the winner of the Indiana-Syracuse game.SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-48938359913070021282013-03-27T00:46:00.000-05:002013-03-27T00:48:25.795-05:00USA gets Heroic, Historical point in Mexico<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Herculez Gomez splits Chicarito</td></tr>
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There are moments in sporting history that you simply don't forget. Whether it's your favorite team winning a championship, or an improbable comeback, or that magical undefeated season. Whatever it is you know it right away, it's a moment that you'll be able to replay for the rest of your life like you were there for the first time.<br />
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On Tuesday night one of those moments happened in a game that ended without a victor. Yes, it was a 0-0 tie in soccer, however this wasn't your ordinary soccer game either. This was USA versus Mexico, the two Goliath's of North American soccer going at it and if you're a fan of the United States Men's National Team you are likely to never forget this game.<br />
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If you missed the game, then you missed a clinic in heroic defense on a soccer pitch, as the United States withstood a barrage of corner kicks (14 in all) and constant pressure (17 shots on goal for Mexico to just 1 for the USA). Yet, they never failed to come up big when they needed to - especially the thrown together central defensive pairing of Omar Gonzalez and Matt Besler (making just his 2nd appearance for the national team).<br />
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For United States soccer fans the moments of pure joy and unbridled success are few and far between, especially at Estadio Azteca against the rivals to the south - Mexico. It's a moment for United States soccer fans to celebrate for two reasons, the first of which was the point they earned on the road in the final round of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying, a point that put them tied atop the standings in the region. The second? It's just the 2nd ever point in 15 tries against El Tri in Mexico. Clearly no easy task at all and perhaps a sign of the change in the mentality of playing south of the border.<br />
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This isn't just a game between these two teams, although it used to be seen that way for nearly 50 years, that is until "little brother" a.k.a the United States started beating the crap out of "big brother" a.k.a. Mexico on United States soil once again. Winning against America suddenly wasn't a given and in most cases if a win was to be had it now must be worked for with effort.<br />
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Some have already said this is the best rivalry in international soccer, topping the likes of anything you'll see from Brazil-Argentina, England-Germany, Germany-Netherlands, or Spain-Portugal and after tonight it's hard to argue that it's not the best in the world anymore.<br />
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Why say that? While the United States didn't come out and win the match, this result coupled with the first EVER win of any kind on Mexican soil in the 71 years these two teams have played in Mexico last time out at Azteca has taken some of the luster off the stigma of playing El Tri at home in the "vaunted" cauldron one and a half miles into the air.<br />
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Tonight, what we all witnessed reminds me of a similar result back in the mid-90's at home in Los Angeles where the United States did what they weren't supposed to do, win against Mexico period. That moment back in the day served as the shot across the bow to say "hey, we're here and we ain't going anywhere," and after what's transpired the last two times in Mexico City, we could look back at this simple 0-0 draw for what it was - heroic and historic.SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-56046477799434253192013-03-25T20:08:00.000-05:002013-03-25T20:08:06.637-05:00A "Sweet" Week AheadAnd just like that we are down to 16 teams left standing to compete for a National Championship in what has been a topsy turvy tournament. Raise your hand if you had Florida Gulf Coast University in the sweet 16 in your brackets! But that's the kind of tournament it has been thus far capsulizing a college basketball season where there has not been one dominate team. <br />
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Having covered the Atlantic Sun conference tournament, I had an idea that FGCU was a really nice team and against just about anybody but Georgetown, I might have picked them in a first round upset. But the 15 seed has only defeated a 2 seed a handful of times since the tournament has expanded, two of them in last years tournament. But not only did the 15 seed completely handle the Hoyas, they took down 7th seeded San Diego State by 10 in the 3rd round. Now a date with the Florida Gators looms for a team playing with a lot of confidence and a team who defeated Miami early in the season, who is also still alive in the tournament. At one point that looked like a bad loss for the Hurricanes, not so much now. FGCU and their 15 seeding are the lowest to make it to the Sweet 16.<br />
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<strong>A Real Cinderella is into the Sweet 16</strong><br />
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And then there is LaSalle. While some are likely more familiar with the Explorers than FGCU, they have managed to get by Kansas State and Ole Miss as a 13 seed. They now face Wichita State, who is a 9th seed, guaranteeing that there will be at least a 9 seed or lower in the Elite 8. The Shockers eliminated the first one seed in Gonzaga. However, Wichita State is no joke and should not be a surprise to basketball purists. They are capable of making a VCU/Butler type run this season. Coached by Gregg Marshall who put his imprint on Winthrop several years ago, guiding them to success and regular visits to the Big Dance.<br />
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Another surprise is Oregon. The 12 seed has been extremely impressive and while most feel they are a lower seed than they should be, they have run through Oklahoma State and St. Louis and now have a date with the overall number one seed, Louisville.<br />
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But for you old school group, don't fret. There are plenty of blue bloods represented in the Sweet 16 as well. Duke, Indiana, Kansas, Syracuse, Louisville, Michigan State and Arizona are alive and well in the final 16. Which have created some extremely interesting match ups in the Regionals starting on Thursday. How does Duke vs. Michigan State or Syracuse vs. Indiana work for you? Or maybe Miami vs. Marquette or Kansas vs. Michigan fits better for you. But one thing is certain, it is a crap shoot from this point forward. <br />
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Louisville looks very strong but if we have learned one thing from this tournament, it's don't look back at what you accomplished, look ahead. <br />
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As for the make up of what is left of the field, you have 4 Big Ten teams, 3 Big East teams, 2 Pac 12 teams, 2 ACC teams, 1 Big East and 1 SEC team left in the field from the power conferences. The Missouri Valley, Atlantic Sun and Atlantic 10 each have one representative left. <br />
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But if the first week of the tournament is any indication, buckle up your seat belt because it could be a bumpy ride for any team left.SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-22066585240969752132013-03-25T17:18:00.001-05:002013-03-25T17:18:09.089-05:00Howland, Smith Firings a Sign of Warped World of College Athletics <br />
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I never thought I'd be that guy. You know, that guy that says "back in my day," but I guess it comes for us all. That day came on Monday, March 25th, 2013 for your humble correspondant. Call it my "day that will live in infamy" if you will. Only it's not a happy moment of remembering an awesome ride through the world of sports. Instead it's the day that college sports changed for me, and not for the better.<br />
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It's the day that Tubby Smith was fired as the head coach of Men's basketball at the University of Minnesota. No, don't worry I'm not some Gopher loving sycophant, in fact I'm probably the furthest thing from it in all honesty. Growing up as a Badger fan will do that to you. It's also just 24 hours removed from the firing of Ben Howland at the University of California-Los Angeles, or as we all know it UCLA.<br />
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So, why so sad over the loss of coaches from teams I don't support or have any affinity for? Well, for me these past 24 hours or so have shown me just how much the game and the people involved in college basketball have jumped the shark.<br />
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Here's my "back in my day" moment: When did we stop measuring coaches by championships won, NCAA tournaments made, and runs made in said NCAA tournament appearances?<br />
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Apparently, it's no longer good enough to you know.... be successful at what you do for a living and do it for a long period of time too. Now to be sure success at UCLA and at Minnesota are vastly different measurements, but it's not as if Howland or Smith weren't successful by any measurement at their schools.<br />
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For Howland, his firing comes on the heels of winning the Pac-12 championship for the fourth time and making the NCAA Tournament for the 7th time in his ten years at the helm of a Bruins program that was in ruins when he came to the rescue from Pitt.<br />
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For Smith, his firing comes on the heels of a 20 plus win season for the fifth time in his six years at the helm and winning the school's first NCAA Tournament game since 1994 (since the 1997 season was vacated by academic scandal).<br />
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Anybody else see anything wrong with those records and the firing of each coach? <br />
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Sure, Tubby Smith didn't get to the NCAA tournament <i>EVERY</i> year in his six seasons in Minneapolis, but name a coach that has ever done that there? Not even the "great" Clem Haskins could do it and he was cheating to keep his players eligible.<br />
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Sure, Ben Howland didn't win a national championship in his time at UCLA, but Howland got to three Final Fours and was a national runner up once, not to mention winning more Pac-12 (or Pac-10) titles than anyone since John Wooden.<br />
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To be sure things weren't perfect in either circumstances, but what situation is? I submit that even the great John Wooden, who made an incredible habit out of winning consistently couldn't even survive in this instant gratification world, especially with the way he let his players be off the court.<br />
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There is no doubt that winning isn't everything these days in college sports, that's something that can't be denied. However, since when did being successful at what you do not outpace the opinions of a bunch of self-entitled, blue blooded, sycophants that you know... never coached a game of basketball or went on a recruiting trip in their lives? Because that's exactly what these firings smack of - AD's succumbing to the pressure of the few over the overwhelming show of success where it should matter most - on the court.<br />
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So, what's the moral of the story here? There are actually two. The first is that you better be a kiss-ass to the folks in the expensive seats and do as they want and how they want it done or you run the risk of being run out of town.<br />
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The second? Well.... If you're going to be the next head coach of the Gophers you better win a damn Big Ten championship (something that hasn't happened since 1982 mind you), get to the NCAA tournament every freaking year, and win games in the NCAA tournament or your ass will be fired.<br />
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If you're going to be the next Bruins head coach... win a national championship or three or four. Hell, you better be the next John Wooden or your gone.<br />
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At least that's the message that Norwood Teague (AD of Minnesota) and Dan Guerrero (AD of UCLA) are sending. No longer is it good enough to be really good at what you do, you've got to be everything to everyone and be the best at it all the time. Good luck finding better coaches at winning basketball games on a consistant basis and as the saying goes: Be careful what you wish for.SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-64305154896400491632013-03-24T15:06:00.002-05:002013-03-24T15:06:36.486-05:00The General Weighs InWhat would the NCAA Tournament be without Bob Knight weighing in with his two cents. You can be assured that you will not be short an opinion when "The General" speaks. Before the NCAA Tournament, Knight sat at a round table and made some interesting points on what he would change about the tournament and other tidbits.<br />
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SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-366834414011403716.post-25692004171014541892013-03-24T14:23:00.000-05:002013-03-24T14:23:54.543-05:00OSU vs. ISU: March Madness personified<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Every year there seems to be a game to remember for the ages in the NCAA tournament. Some years it's the crazy, insane bracket-busting wins by an underdog, but in some years it's the game where two great basketball teams go toe to toe and we just simply get a great basketball game. On Sunday afternoon we almost got both as 2nd seeded Ohio State took on 10th seeded Iowa State.<br />
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This game was a back and forth battle from start to halftime, with OSU heading into the locker room with a narrow 38-36 lead.<br />
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ISU came out of the intermission and did what it does best - hit three pointers - as Korie Lucious gave the Cyclones a 39-38 lead. However, that woke up the Buckeyes offense a bit as well and Iowa State wouldn't see a lead again for quite some time despite keeping the game close for most of the first 10 minutes of the 2nd half.<br />
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Then OSU turned things up a notch or two, going up by 13 points. Should've been the end of the game, right? Nah, Iowa State and their sharp shooters would have none of that. After a Shannon Scott made layup with 6:09 left to go in the game the Cyclones swept back into power in Dayton.<br />
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Of course the comeback would be started with a triple, as Melvin Ejim hit one from deep quickly after going down by 13. That triple and a much better effort on the defensive end sparked a 16-2 run that saw ISU go up 72-71 with 3:23 left.<br />
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That's how dangerous this Cyclones team was on Sunday afternoon. In less than three minutes of game time they erased what should've been an insurmountable lead. But, that was just the beginning of the fun in this one.<br />
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There were missed calls on both ends and a questionable call that went Ohio State and Aaron Craft's way that lead to a four point swing - one that had the call been blocking could've put ISU up by four with 1:15 left to play.<br />
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Instead it was Aaron Craft getting to head to the line on a charging call and knocking down a free throws and tying the ball game up at 75-75.<br />
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But that's when the fun began as OSU created a Melvin Ejim turnover with 58 seconds left, took the shot clock down to next to nothing and with 30 seconds to go they missed a shot. One that should've been grabbed by Iowa State, but instead slipped through the fingers of two Cyclone defenders.<br />
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So, with the shot clock off and the game tied up it was down to whatever OSU drew up for a last second play. Of course they'd go to one Aaron Craft, and this is how it played out:<br />
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That was Craft's lone made three and it turned out to be the only one of the 21 made treys between the two that mattered when it was all said and done.<br />
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Saying this game is the best so far in the tournament isn't a stretch at all, it had it all.. Two teams playing great basketball all night long, crazy runs and comebacks, questionable calls by officials. You simply couldn't take your eyes off of this one from start to finish.<br />
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What's even better is this is the finish everyone will be talking about in a West regional bracket that features only Ohio State as a top seeded team to advance to the Sweet 16. That's how crazy good this game was.SportsIntelligentsiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05574897474981210762noreply@blogger.com0