This and That
Each week I'll give my thoughts on the world of sports:
• It was shock city as North Carolina lost to Boston College on Sunday night. A lot of people thought the Tar Heels had the potential to run the table like Indiana in 1976 did under the General, Robert Montgomery Knight. Tyler Hansbrough and company staged a late run, rallying from a 15-point deficit but it was not enough. Al Skinner deserves a major salute as the Eagles came in with a 12-2 mark and left the Dean Dome making noise with the surprise of the season. Tyrese Rice, Rakim Sanders and Reggie Jackson put up big numbers as Boston College prevailed in a game that will provide a lot of confidence in the future. It is just one regular-season loss and I feel North Carolina will bounce back and put together a solid run.
• Just when it looked like Brian Westbrook was held in check, he came through with a big play to help the Eagles get past the Vikings. Big-time players can step up their game by making a clutch run or reception. It was just part of wild card weekend and the match-ups for next weekend should be interesting. Baltimore's defense dominated against Miami, but now it is a tough challenge against the AFC's top seed, Tennessee. San Diego goes to Pittsburgh in a rematch of a game that ended 11-10 earlier in the season. The Eagles beat the Giants the last time these NFC East rivals hooked up. Arizona and Carolina round out the card.
• Congratulations to Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning on winning his third MVP award. Think about what he went through prior to the season; there were questions if he would be ready to play and he led the Colts to nine straight victories to finish the regular season. His season came to an end on a disappointing note as the Chargers rallied to beat the Colts in overtime as Darren Sproles had a big-time performance with LaDainian Tomlinson hurting (groin).
• How about a salute to the Pac-10. There were some who questioned the conference's football success this season, saying USC had little competition. Well my friends, the Pac-10 went 5-0 in bowl games. The Trojans beat Penn State in the Rose Bowl; Oregon State shutout Pittsburgh; Oregon defeated Oklahoma State; Arizona knocked off BYU and California beat Miami. USC's Mark Sanchez was brilliant in the Rose Bowl, throwing for over 400 yards.
• Utah football fans will always wonder what would have happened if there was a playoff in place? The Utes finished the season as the only unbeaten team in the FBS (13-0) after an upset win over Alabama. Remember, the Tide was No. 1 for several months. My friends, you can make a case that this program deserved a shot at the national championship. This squad beat six teams that competed in bowl games (Air Force, Colorado State, BYU, TCU, Oregon State and Alabama). Quarterback Brian Johnson was brilliant and coach Kyle Whittingham has the right to say his club is the best. It proves college basketball is way ahead of college football in determining a national champion.
• Down at Miami, Hurricanes football coach Randy Shannon made a poor PR move in his handling of quarterback Robert Marve's transfer. First Shannon put a number of restrictions in place, making the young man's transfer more difficult. You have to simply allow the player to go elsewhere and cut your losses. Then Shannon changed the restrictions, but the negative publicity was out there already. Shannon is in a tough spot because recruiting down in the Sunshine State is so competitive.
• If there were any naysayers looking at the Pittsburgh basketball program, the performance at Georgetown should have answered any questions. This may be the best Panthers team Jamie Dixon has coached. It is a fundamentally sound club that flat out plays defense. DeJuan Blair is a workhorse up front at 6-7; he pulled down 17 boards against the Hoyas. Levance Fields is Mr. Consistency, with 28 assists and just three turnovers in his last five contests. Sam Young has the makings of a future star and I love his ability to step out and hit jumpers. This is going to be a dangerous team come tournament time.
• Wake Forest sent a message loud and clear to the college basketball world with its win at BYU, snapping the Cougars' 53-game home win streak (the longest in the nation at the time). Dino Gaudio's team is a legit contender in the ACC ... did you hear that in Chapel Hill and Durham. This is a young and very talented squad; Jeff Teague put up 30 big points in the victory at Provo. I can't wait to see the Demon Deacons take on the top guns of the confererence.
• Congratulations to coach Don Meyer of Division II Northern State, who tied Bob Knight's record of 902 career wins after a victory over the weekend. Meyer survived a car accident and has battled cancer, so this milestone is just one thing to be thankful for.
• I am waiting for more breaking news on baseball signings. Will this be the week we hear about Manny Ramirez? There are a lot of other big names still waiting to ink new deals. This should also be an interesting week in terms of the NFL coaching carousel. Will we see a few new hires?
