This and That
Each week I'll give my thoughts on the world of sports:
• I am so excited to be going back to Detroit. The Final Four should be special and the people of the Motor City are so passionate. They are blue collar people who have a great love for sports. I feel they will respond in big numbers and the media will give it great coverage. There is such an appetite for sports there; I lived in the area for over 15 years, having coached the University of Detroit and the Pistons. I can tell you, people really love competition. It should be a great area for the Final Four.
• I think North Carolina and Connecticut are the teams to beat at the Final Four. Tom Izzo will have the crowd behind his Spartans, and I don't want to sell short Jay Wright's Villanova Wildcats. The Tar Heels and Huskies were 1-2 in the preseason polls and they are the most talented teams out there. Look at their starting fives. They are impressive. It should be excitement galore at Ford Field, and I expect a Goliath matchup between the ACC and Big East in the final.
• When you look at the NFL, one of the real problems is the exhibition season. I don't feel you need four preseason games, and the fact they charge regular-season dollars for those contests is unfair to the ticket holder. You basically pay to see guys who will eventually be cut. As for expanding the regular season, I don't think that is going to happen. There are so many injuries in pro football already, you are asking for more trouble if you add more meaningful games. They have a good situation with 16 games, they should keep it that way.
• The situation with the University of Connecticut and an investigation over the recruitment of Nate Miles is interesting. The reporters at Yahoo! Sports, Dan Wenzel and Adrian Wojnarowski, were very thorough in their handling of the story. They have been very good reporters for many years now. The Connecticut program will have to come up with some answers and you wonder because there are so many specifics here, including records of phone calls. This could become a very serious situation for the program, That said, we have to let things play out before rushing to judgment. Give Connecticut the opportunity to respond. The timing of this is something you wonder about, coming out prior to the Sweet 16. It didn't affect the Huskies in the win over Purdue and kids are resilient. I don't feel that is a factor in this year's NCAA tournament.
• Tiger Woods showed why he is the greatest golfer of our generation. He came through with a magnificent putt on the 18th hole to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. It was such a dramatic finish in a comeback victory. It is such a pleasure to watch him perform in the clutch.
• The buzz in the NBA is about the Cavaliers and Celtics in the East, and the Lakers in the West. Some say San Antonio can make a run too. It is fair to be talking about those teams. My friends, keep an eye on the Orlando Magic. Stan Van Gundy has done a fantastic job since being named coach after Billy Donovan decided to go back to Florida. Donovan seemed like the perfect hire but it wasn't meant to be. Dwight Howard should be talked about as one of the great young players in the league. I know LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant are the top candidates for MVP honors, but Howard should be in the conversation too. Howard is a dominant force inside, a scorer, shot-blocker, rebounder. Some people felt the loss of Jameer Nelson to injury would be devastating, but the Magic made a great move acquiring another point guard in Rafer Alston. He can distribute the rock and score his share of points.
• I cannot wait for the baseball regular season to start. I am looking forward to seeing the Yankees rotation and everyone is raving about it; rightfully so when you consider the dollars they spent. C. C. Sabathia and AJ Burnett are big-time additions. New York gets Chien-Ming Wang bounces back from his injury woes. Also in the AL East, I am looking forward to see the impact of Pat Burrell with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Red Sox will eventually get a boost from John Smoltz, who is coming off of shoulder surgery. He could be a factor later on in the season. There will also be newcomers making some noise.
• How about a salute to Tyler Evans? I know, I know, you are asking who is Tyler Evans? I am not talking about Tyreke Evans of Memphis. Tyler Evans of Findlay College of Ohio. The Oilers became Division II national champions on Evans' lone basket of the championship game, beating Cal Poly-Pomona, 56-53 in overtime. Evans nailed the game-winning trifecta at the buzzer to give Ron Niekamp's squad a perfect 36-0 record. That is incredible to go 36-0! Let's give the Findlay Oilers a cheer on a great, great season.
