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Kansas F Nick Collison:
Collected 24 points and 23 boards (23!) in college hoops' game of the month, leading struggling Kansas past Texas, the latest team to wilt under pressure of
a high ranking.
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The Lead Item
Two Words For You:
RESULTS. NOW.
Was ex-Lions coach Marty Mornhinweg done in by
the team's lack of progress? The 0-16 road record?
Taking the wind and not the ball in overtime in a loss
to the Bears? Seems like his job wasn't really
in jeopardy until Steve Mariucci, Son of Michigan,
became available when the 49ers let him go.
Buried in all the instant analysis of how Mooch would
be a "great fit" in "Win ... Now (really ... I
mean it ... stop laughing ...)" Detroit is the question
of whether or not minority candidates -- among any
other candidates -- have a sincere shot at this job.
Oh, there might be interviews, but unless Mariucci
turns the job down, how can the league affect the
unstoppable force of presumption?
Artest vs. Riley
Volatile Ron Artest has become one of the
must-see characters in the NBA. Last night, he mixed
it up twice with Heat coach Pat Riley, the second time
earning an inappropriate shove from Riles after
flexing his bicep at chatty Heat assistant Keith
Askins. Artest punctuated a subsequent made foul shot
by giving the finger to the Miami crowd, which he
admits was "bad." Let's give him the nickname "Bad
Boy," because he's a resuscitation of
the late '80s Pistons. Like that team, the passion he
plays with far outweighs its sometimes negative
consequences.
NBA All-Stars
The whole "Is MJ an All-Star?" debate would be
moot if the fans had voted him to start in the first
place. Appropriately, they tabbed T-Mac and AI, but
Jordan's inclusion would make the weekend much more
memorable. Is it fair to dink a more worthy reserve?
No, but it would be fair to save Vince Carter's
mileage for games that count and let MJ start.
Reserves vote:
If the Quickie had a
say, the reserves in the East would be: MJ, Kidd, Pierce,
Mashburn, Ricky Davis, Rip Hamilton and Artest (uh,
designated "center"); Shaq, C-Webb, Dirk, Glove, Nash, Marbury and Amare in the West.
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"IMITATION IS FLATTER" EDITION |
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| CONVERSATION TOPICS THAT ARE IN PLAY: |
1. Increase speed in the defensive front four
2. Spend whatever it takes to get the best coach
3. Make a lot of TV-friendly faces on sidelines |
| CONVERSATION TOPICS THAT ARE SO OVER: |
1. Load up on aging vets with successful histories
2. Who needs to run the ball?
3. Putting on ridiculous costumes to cheer at games |
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MVP Scandal?
Larry Brown Memorial Super Bowl MVP Dexter
Jackson can thank the fans for making the difference
between his new Escalade and continued obscurity.
As the MVP ballots were counted, Simeon Rice led the
count among the 15 voting media with 6 1/2. Jackson had
4 votes, Michael Pittman had 4 and Greg Spires had a half-vote.
But
online voting was worth four votes, with the leader getting all four votes. Jackson led the fan
poll with 20 percent of the 200,000 votes cast, and
those four votes catapulted him past Rice to MVP.
Was the policy fair? If it's good enough for the
Electoral College, it's good enough for the Super
Bowl.
State of Sports
In honor of tonight's State of the Union
Address, here's an abbreviated "State of the Sports
Union":
"Things are going well: New teams are ascending,
player creativity is up and 'winning' is being revived
as an owner priority.
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"And yet, things could be better: minorities need more
management opportunities, leagues must have smarter
financial controls and franchises can improve
ever-friendlier fan-marketing techniques.
"A ticket in every pocket and a retro jersey in every
closet!"
Super Bowl Wrap
Is there a bandwagon in recent sports history
that has come to a bigger screeching halt than the
Raiders'? That cracking sound you hear is ankles
breaking, as everyone jumps off. Less than 48 hours
ago, they were Super Bowl favorites; now, they have
the runner-up honor (which, along with two bucks, will
get them a cup of Bay Area coffee) and a
skip-to-the-front-of-the-line pass for Salary-Cap
Hell.
Did you miss yesterday's Quickie Super Bowl recap --
featuring the spectacle's real winners and
losers? Click
here, or check out the Archive.
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Barret Robbins haters:
As details emerge that the Raiders center's presumed desertion was more likely an effect of massive depression, Barret-blasting becomes a case study in
conclusion-jumping.
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Who should the Lions hire?
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Vote at SportsNation
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Today on ESPN.com
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| P2: TMQ SB wrap-up |
| IN: NFL rumors |
| NBA: All-Star reserves |
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The Bucs D really needs a nickname. Email your
suggestions below ... Does "The Swashbucklers" have the
appropriate ring? ...
Will Monte Kiffin jump to coach 49ers? Says here he'll
stay with Bucs ...
Postgame sour grapes from Jerry Porter: "If Ronde
Barber had to cover man-to-man all day, he'd be living
with his brother" ...
More from Porter: "I'm not going to sit here and say
they're great." What game was he watching? ...
The WNBA's new franchise in Connecticut -- The Mohegan
Suns -- will lead the league in attendance next year ...
Sensing that LeBron isn't available just yet,
the Cavs decided to go out and win their first game
under Keith Smart last night ...
Belfour, Leetch and Koivu's injury-related absence
from the NHL All-Star Game is too bad, but Lalime,
Jokinen and Poti are worthy replacements ...
Who else was shocked that Joe Millionaire dumped
MoJo?...
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