I haven't played organized athletics in quite a while. Don't get me wrong, I'll still get together with friends to play basketball, football, or baseball once in a while, but the last team I belonged to was in high school. I remember playing football back then, and every Friday before a game we would basically have a walk-through of Saturday's game-plan.
At the end of every Friday practice, before the team would "break it down" our coach would give us a little speech about that week's game. When he came to the end of this weekly speech, he would always tell us the same thing.
It's been a long time coming, and after reporting that a deal was nearly complete earlier this week, it was announced on Thursday that Comcast and the Big Ten Network have finally reached a deal. That means starting August 15th of this year, I'll be able to watch all the women's lacrosse I ever dreamed of!
The BTN and the Philadelphia-based cable carrier announced a multiyear agreement Thursday for programming that starts Aug. 15 on expanded basic cable in states with Big Ten schools: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Comcast doesn't have any subscribers in Iowa, the eighth Big Ten state.
Outside these states, Comcast has the option to move the channel on its Sports Entertainment Package and other tiers. After the 2008-09 basketball season ends, Comcast has the option to shift the network to its digital service in Big Ten states. Outside of the region, Comcast has the option to not offer the channel at all after the upcoming basketball season or to put it on its sports and entertainment package or other tiers of service.
Blah blah blah, I finally get to watch what I want. The deal seems pretty simple to me, basically people that live in Big Ten country get the channel as a basic channel, and those outside of the Big Ten can pay for it if they want it.
It took them two years to figure that out? The Great Compromise this was not. Though I heard that Comcast was trying to put in a clause that said African-Americans would only count as 3/5 of a viewer in the Nielsen ratings. The racist bastards.
There have been quite a few times over the last two years that we've all been told that the Big Ten Network and Comcast cable are close to making a deal that will allow Comcast subscribers (like yours truly) to watch the BTN from the comfort of home.
Then, that deal never comes. This did not please me, because I missed damn near an entire season of Big Ten basketball (though that may have actually been a blessing this season) and quite a few Illini games during the football season.
Well, I think I'm going to be able to see every game this fall as Comcast and the BTN have come to an agreement, and I think they mean it this time.
Comcast and the BTN are prepared to put nearly two years of bitter negotiations aside to announce a long-term partnership, the Tribune has learned.
"For all intents and purposes, it's done," one source close to the negotiations said Sunday.
Technically, it's not done. But sources expect the deal will be completed and unveiled this week.
Cross your fingers, people.
The BTN actually seems to be getting what it wants out of this deal, because as it's currently structured, the network is going to be added to the expanded basic cable instead of being added to a sports package like Comcast wanted. Still, there's a possibility it could be moved to one after a few years.
Of course, I don't really care where the channel is, just as long as I have it.
Wow, O.J. Mayo got some cash from an agent. What a shock. In a million years, I would never have guessed this could happen. (Next thing you're gonna tell me, Amy Winehouse has been busted for possession of crack.)
So begins what will be an endless stream of anonymous accusations, denials, and the obligatory NCAA "investigation" that will conclude around the time Mayo qualifies for Social Security.
To me, it's not whether Mayo did or didn't take money from an agent. The real issue: why the hell can't he?
Such payment is not allowed because it would be compensation based upon athletic skill and preferential benefit not available to the general student population.
C'mon, let's get real.
The college I attended had students who came from some of the wealthiest families in the nation. These kids drove shiny new Porsche's, had off-campus apartments that could have been featured in Architectural Digest, jetted off to St. Johns for long weekends on Daddy's Gulfstream, and had tutors helping them with assignments (ie., writing their papers).
Meanwhile, I was stuck in a four-person Ikea-furnished dorm room, riding to my two part-time jobs on a Schwinn cruiser, hitching home to Chicago for spring break and spending night after night in the library (named after the grandfather of one of my fellow students), forced to plagiarize without help from anyone.
It served as a constant reminder that some students were more equal than others.
USC is similarly packed with the progeny of Southern California's business and political elite. These Muffys and Juniors receive preferential treatment, perks not available to the general student population, based solely on heredity.
Yet a college athlete from modest means is disallowed those same privileges when he has an actual marketable skill? What's wrong with this picture?
And speaking of the general student population, they're free to take jobs, market and sell their skills to the highest bidder, be courted by prospective employers. Some in the entertainment industry even have agents.
But that's not true for the student-athlete basketball player. He's caught in a Catch-22. He can't play in the NBA, so he has to go college. Then, when he gets there, the college owns his ass. Not only is he prevented from getting gifts or spending money, he's often not allowed to work a part time job. Hell, he can't even get free tickets to see a basketball game.
In exchange for his scholarship, the student-athlete becomes an indentured servant to his school and the NCAA program that's raking in millions and millions of dollars off his talent.
All of which means it's okay for the university and the NCAA to receive compensation based on a student's athletic skills (skills "not available to the general student population"), just don't let that student-athlete near any of that green cuz it "wouldn't be fair" to other students. Oh yeah, and it would besmirch the integrity of these esteemed institutions of higher learning!
What utter hypocrisy.
Everyone at USC and the NCAA knew OJ Mayo was a "one and done": he made that crystal clear to coach Tim Floyd in their very first conversation. He was punching the collegiate clock. So, how exactly does it harm USC or the NCAA for Mayo to be in discussions with anyone he chooses about his future? How does it harm the college or the NCAA for him to accept gifts or receive favors? Why shouldn't he be allowed to hire an agent? This is his career, his future, we're talking about.
Besides, we've seen enough to know it's futile to try to stop it. If there is a talented pro-bound athlete in college, you know he or she is talking to a prospective agent right now, discussing deals, getting favors, a little "walking around" money. What the hell was USC supposed to do, hire the Pinkerton Agency to track Mayo's every trip to the men's room?
The real answer lurks Jungian-deep in a comment NCAA president Brand made about the alleged violations:
"This is not acceptable behavior and on occasion, it's illegal. You get thrown in jail if you rob a bank, but people keep robbing banks."
And therein lies the truth: These agents tried to cut to the front of the line ahead of USC and the NCAA at the First National Bank of O.J. Mayo. And for that, sirs, there will be blood.
In my view, these kids owe their schools and the NCAA one thing only in exchange for their scholarship: a promise to play their best during the time they are matriculating. Nothing more, nothing less.
The NCAA should pull itself off the star student-athlete teat long enough to admit that truth and write rules that give these young adults the economic freedom and respect they deserve.
Anything else is unfair, discriminatory and just plain un-American.
Remember last week when I told you about Penn State basketball player Stanley Pringle and his mastubatory habits? Of course you do. How could you forget? Well, Stanley is fighting back and proclaiming his innocence.
In his words, Stanley wasn't masturbating in that library, he was just relaxin, man.
Responding to recent charges leveled against him, Nittany Lion basketball player Stanley Pringle told police he was touching his penis but was not masturbating in the Pattee Library stacks last Thursday.
Pringle told police he has "a bad habit of putting his hand down his pants," and demonstrated for the officer by placing his hand down the front of his sweatpants, according to the complaint.
"Why would I need to masturbate?" he told police. "This is how I chill, ma'am."
Of course, Stanley's version of the story differs quite a bit from the victim's who says that Pringle asked her if she wanted to buy some hand lotion to support the basketball team, and then a few minutes later she heard a "smacking sound, like Pringle's hand was smacking against the skin of his body."
She also says she never turned around to see if Pringle was actually masturbating because she was afraid too. As though seeing a guy with a hand down his pants is the leading cause of death in America. She also says she heard Pringle moaning, and that she could see a shadow of his hand moving back and forth.
I got to tell you, the more I hear about this story, the less I think Pringle was actually masturbating. To me it's looking more and more like Pringle was only messing around with the girl, because why would he ask her if she wanted to buy some lotion to support the team first? That had to be a joke, and then if Pringle was really masturbating I don't think he'd be moaning to garner attention.
Still, I guess we'll never really know until somebody checks out the book Pringle was reading at the time and finds that pages 88-103 are all stuck together.
Well, with the conclusion of the NCAA tournament last night, the Kansas Jayhawks weren't the only people celebrating a championship last night. Oh no, there was other, more important hardware to hand out as well. Like the Foul Balls March Madness Pool Championship.
Foul Balls' very own reader/commenter/medicine man Dr. C was catapulted to the top of the Foul Balls March Madness pool with the Kansas victory, and he immediately stripped off his shirt and climbed the highest mountain he could find.
Congratulations, Dr. C, and as were the rules stated for the contest, you're now entitled to a post here on Foul Balls. I'm sure this is truly the greatest honor you've ever received in your lifetime.
Since I don't have your email, just send me one at tomfornelli@yahoo.com and include something along the lines of "I WON A FREE POST, BITCH" in the subject so I don't miss it. We'll then figure out what you want to do, and when you want to do it.
As for the final standings in the contest, here are the top five finishers.
Dr. C's Bracket - 97 points
Pleasedon'tlaugh - 96 points
Quinn&Paige - 86 points
and ONE - 84 points
Theodore Donald Kerabatsos - 78 points
If you're wondering, I finished in 12th with 70 points, though I won the bracket name challenge with "Kelvin Sampson's Fave 5." Panger finished in 14th with 67 points.
All season we'd heard the same thing about Memphis. Great team, but their free throw shooting is going to kill them at some point in the tournament. I know it was the reason I didn't have them getting to the Final Four, and all season Memphis coach John Calipari said his team would make them when they mattered.
Nobody believed him.
Then the tournament started, and what do you know, the Tigers started making their free throws. Of course, they were doing so at the end of games which they had in hand. On Monday night in San Antonio, the Tigers faced real pressure from the free throw line for the first time in the tournament, and they folded under the pressure.
Chris Douglas-Roberts, the team's best free throw shooter at 71% missed four free throw attempts in the final 75 seconds, and Derrick Rose missed one during the same span, and one of those misses was incredibly important.
Mario Chalmers' miracle shot at the end of regulation sent the game to overtime, and from that point on it was all Kansas. Without Joey Dorsey, who fouled out late in the second half, the Tigers were without their defensive presence in the middle, and the Jayhawks took advantage, and ultimately it led to their first national championship in 20 years (to the day).
This one kind of hurt for me, because watching Bill Self and the Jayhawks celebrate their championship did nothing but bring up bad memories for me of Self leaving Champaign for Kansas, and then watching Illinois lose to North Carolina in 2005. I'm not saying that Illinois would have won with Self on the bench or anything, I'm just saying I couldn't help but think of it, and now I'm depressed.
Still, at least the game was entertaining. I didn't get to watch the games much on Saturday because I was at a wedding, but going from what I did see, I really wasn't missing much anyway.
This game, on the other hand, lived up to the hype. Now if only we could have one of these tournaments every month. I guess I'll just have to rely on good ole baseball to keep me occupied for now.
Since I only care about Penn State football and not the basketball team, it would take a pretty insane story to get me to write a post here about Penn State basketball, or one of the team's players.
I'm not talking "Penn State basketball player scores 55 points" crazy, or "Joe Paterno retires to take over school's basketball program." I'm talking "masturbating in the school library" insane. (Okay, I'd cover the Paterno story.) Which is why I'm grateful for point guard Stanley Pringle and his need to shoottake a load off.
Penn State Police confirmed today that they have filed charges against Nittany Lions basketball player Stanley Pringle in an incident involving public masturbation that occurred last Thursday in Pattee Library.
Police said Pringle, the team's point guard, sat behind the victim in the stacks section of the library, attempted to start a conversation with the woman and began masturbating. Police have filed charges of public lewdness and disorderly conduct against him in connection to the incident, but Centre County District Judge Jonathan Grine, who is out of the office, was unable to sign the criminal complaint as of 2 p.m. today. Without the signed complaint, Pringle cannot be formally arrested.
Wait a second...that's a crime? That's how I met my last three girlfriends!
At least we know why Stanley's last name is Pringle now, because once it popped, he couldn't stop.
Well, the scouting reports were right, he does have excellent ball handling skills.
I can do this all day, people.
Seriously though, this just goes to show how bad Penn State's basketball team is. The damn point guard on the team has so much trouble picking up girls at the school, he has to resort to jerking off behind them in a library.
West Region #3 Xavier Musketeers 79 #7 West Virginia Mountaineers 75 OT
The way this game started, it looked like the Musketeers were going to have an easy time getting to the Elite 8. West Virginia couldn't buy a bucket early, and Xavier jumped out to an 28-10 lead midway through the first half. Then the Mountaineers battled back thanks to Joe Alexander, who led WVU with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Alexander also hit the game tying shot with 14.2 seconds left, but missed the accompanying free throw that could have won the game. He then fouled out early in the overtime, and Xavier's B.J. Raymond took over. He hit two three-pointers in the extra frame, which was one more than West Virginia hit all night. We shouldn't ignore Josh Duncan's contributions either, as he rebounded from early foul trouble to score a career high 26 points. As for who Xavier will be moving on to play... #1 UCLA Bruins 88 #12 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 78
Kevin Love and the Bruins dominated this game through most of the night, though the Hilltoppers did get pretty close to the top of whatever hill they're perpetually climbing in the second half. Tyrone Brazelton scored 25 of his 31 points in the second half, and when Darren Collison fouled out with five and a half minutes left, it looked like WKU might actually have a chance. Unfortunately for the Toppers, reality quickly set in afterwards. Kevin Love finished with a career high 29 points, and James Keefe had a big game with 18 points and 12 boards for the Bruins as well. East Region #1 North Carolina Tar Heels 68 #4 Washington State Cougars 47
The score is pretty indicative of how entertaining a game this was. The Cougars held around for a few minutes, and were able to hold North Carolina to only 68 points, but they were just outclassed on Thursday night in Charlotte. Tyler Hansbrough was held to only 2 points in the first half, but he managed to drop in 16 in the second half to make sure Washington State never made a run. Danny Green had 15, Wayne Ellington had 13, and Ty Lawson had 12 to help pace the Tar Heels. #3 Louisville Cardinals 79 #2 Tennessee Volunteers 60
This game was the big disappointment of the night for me. I thought it would be an up and down, fast paced, close battle between two very athletic teams, but all I got was the same Rick Pitino dominance over Tennessee. The Vols fell way behind early, battled back, but then just ran out of gas in the second half thanks to foul trouble. Earl Clark had 17 points for Louisville, and four of the Cardinals five starters finished the game in double-digits. Chris Lofton scored 15 points for the Vols, but they aren't going to win many games when he shoots 3-of-15 from the field. NBA Scores
When I woke up this morning, I had a smile on my face. Today is the day I've been waiting for since early February when the Giants were shocking the world by beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
The dead time that is sports in February and March is over, and not even the crappy weather outside can bring me down. Do you realize what's taking place over the next five days?
Tonight, after three long days, the NCAA tournament picks back up in the Sweet 16, and over the next four nights we'll all learn who the Final Four is going to be. Then, on Monday we get a full day of baseball. And not that crappy kind of spring training baseball where #65 gets #82 to ground into an inning ending double play. The real kind. The kind played in Major League parks where the stats are official, and beers are $7.
As far as I'm concerned, this is the best time of the year.
Along with the tournament and baseball, I also take comfort in knowing that I'm only going to have to deal with the Bulls for a few more weeks. After being a good soldier and sitting through this Bulls season, I deserve a vacation from this team. I think we all do.
It's been a very tough year for Chicago sports fans like us. Ever since the Bears lost in the Super Bowl last February, the entire city has gone down the toilet.
Illinois got eliminated in the first round of last year's NCAA tournament, and then crapped the bed this season.
The White Sox followed up two consecutive 90 win seasons with their first losing season since the last century.
The Cubs won the division and made the playoffs, but were then quickly disposed of by the Diamondbacks, rounding out a century's worth of heartbreak.
The Bears followed up their Super Bowl run with one of the most disappointing seasons, for me anyway, by a team in this city that I can remember. We then had the added insult of seeing Eli Manning win a Super Bowl knowing that, until the playoffs started, he was just Rex Grossman East.
The Illini football team had a great season, the best of any of our local teams, but even that ended on a sour note as they were trampled by the Trojans in the Rose Bowl, and then Rashard Mendenhall left for the NFL.
The Blackhawks are actually having a winning season, and are gaining traction in this city once again, but even so, they aren't going to make the playoffs this year. At least there's hope, though.
Then there's the Bulls, who have somehow managed to be the most embarrassing team in the city this year, and they've had a lot of competition so you know they earned it.
But starting this morning, none of that matters.
Whether you're a White Sox fan or a Cubs fan, this is the weekend where you get to wash the dirty feeling of the last year off your skin. Start the cleansing with a weekend of college basketball, and then on Monday, call in sick to work and stay home to bathe in baseball.
I woke up yesterday, and I was excited. It was the first day of spring, it was sunny and warm outside (how sad is it that I consider 47 degrees to be warm right now?), and I was only minutes away from the beginning of the NCAA tournament. If there were better days to be alive, I hadn't lived them yet.
Then the games started, and things were, well, kind of boring. Not only were there no major upsets, but there were hardly any games that came down to the last few minutes. Everywhere you looked, somebody was blowing somebody out.
Of the sixteen games played yesterday, only three were decided by ten points or less. Even two of those three games were decided by 10 (WVU over Arizona) and 8 points (Marquette over Kentucky.) Duke's 71-70 escape against Belmont was the only game on the day that had real drama in the final minute.
Not exactly the kind of madness we've all come to expect.
The only two lower seeds to win were Kansas State (not exactly a huge upset over USC) and Texas A&M who won their 8 vs. 9 matchup.
I'm guessing, okay, hoping, today will be a bit different. It has to be. If yesterday's disappointment wasn't enough, now there are six depressing inches of snow about to be delivered to the Chicago area. Baseball is still a few weeks away, so this tournament is the only thing I've left to cling on to in hopes that spring will finally arrive.
If you're going to bury us in snow this weekend, at least give us something exciting to watch while we're stuck home all weekend. Is that really so much to ask?
Here are the games today that have the best chance of being entertaining. (All times Central.)
Gonzaga vs. Davidson (11:25AM)
Miami vs. St. Mary's (11:30AM)
Butler vs. South Alabama (1:45PM)
Oklahoma vs. St. Josephs (6:10PM)
Mississippi St. vs. Oregon (6:25PM)
Indiana vs. Arkansas (8:40PM)
Clemson vs. Villanova (8:50PM)
Come on, college basketball gods, just give me one buzzer beater today.
Since I took the day off yesterday to recover from my weekend, I didn't get to say anything about the Illini's run in the Big Ten tournament, or anything else about the NCAA tournament. Of course, since this blog is focused on Chicago sports, I guess I don't really have a reason to anyway.
After all, not a single team from the state of Illinois made the field of 65.
No Illinois.
No Southern Illinois.
No Illinois State.
No Bradley.
Nobody.
It's just the latest blow in what's been a horrible year to be a sports fan in the city of Chicago and Illinois in general. The Bulls wouldn't even have made it.
Luckily for me, I still have Notre Dame to fall back on, but I'd be lying if I said I was a huge Irish basketball supporter. Though, to be honest, thanks to the Big Ten Network and Comcast, I was actually able to see more Notre Dame games this season than Illini games, which is probably a good thing when you consider how bad Illinois was this year.
Speaking of the Illini, while their run to the championship game of the Big Ten was a nice way to end the season, I never let the thought that they might actually win the thing enter my head. I am a lot more encouraged about next season because of it though.
As for my other thoughts on this year's tournament....
Indiana's #8 Seed - I've heard a lot of complaints from Indiana fans over the team's #8 seed, but people need to shut up. The Hoosiers don't deserve much more than what they've gotten. Just look at the way they finished their season. First they lost their coach, and then they finished up their schedule with a blowout loss to Michigan State, a loss against Penn State, and an early exit from the Big Ten tournament at the hands of Minnesota. Combine that with the fact that the Big Ten just sucks this year, and Indiana should just shut up and be happy with where they are.
Notre Dame - While I'll be rooting for Notre Dame in the tournament, I'll only get to do so for one weekend. Even if they win their first round game against George Mason and beat Washington State in the 2nd round, that will only get them a date with the Tar Heels in the Sweet 16.
Butler's #7 Seed - If you need further proof that the tournament committee just hates mid-major schools, look no further than Butler. The Bulldogs finished the season with a 29-3 record, are ranked #11 in the AP poll and #10 in the coaches poll, yet they get a #7 seed? I'm no genius, but the math just doesn't work out there.
The Big Ten's Only Hope - The Big Ten only got four teams into the tournament, and by my estimation, they'll be lucky to get even one team into the Sweet 16. The best bet to do it is Wisconsin, but a likely date with USC in the second round won't be an easy test for the Badgers.
Best 1st Round Matchup - This one's pretty easy, it's USC/Kansas State in the Midwest region. Two fabulous freshman in O.J. Mayo and possible player of the year Michael Beasley facing off should make for a very exciting game to watch. One that I see the Trojans winning.
My Final Four - As a rule, I never have more than two #1 seeds in my Final Four, but this year I can't see any other scenario. I see no Cinderella's or major upsets, and my Final Four consists of: North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA, and Texas. The final game will be North Carolina and UCLA.
After barely escaping a depleted Penn State squad yesterday, the Illini moved on to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament where they'll be facing the #2 seed Purdue Boilermakers this evening (5:30PM Central on Big Ten Network. Hey! I can't watch it! Awesome.) at Conseco Fieldhouse.
So the question now becomes: Can the Illini pull off the upset and move onto the semifinals? There are two possible answers to the question, but they both lead to the same place. It's unlikely that Illinois is going to beat Purdue, whom they've lost to twice already this season. Still, they'd lost to Penn State twice this year and still managed to beat them on Thursday.
Of course, the problem is, even if they do beat Purdue it's not going to mean anything. They still won't win the tournament, and they still won't be getting a bid to the NIT, let alone the Big Dance.
But that doesn't matter to me, I'd still like to see the Illini pull it off and screw their competition. You have to figure that right now Purdue is set up for a #4 or #5 seed in the tournament, and a loss to the Illini would surely drop them to a #6. If Illinois is going to pull this one off though, they're going to have to play better than they did yesterday.
They're going to have to avoid the extremely long scoring droughts that have plagued them all season, and there's a reason to believe they can do it against Purdue. The Boilermakers are a small team, with JaJuan Johnson being the only player on their roster listed at 6'10. That means if the Illini can get the ball into Shaun Pruitt consistently, and he can actually finish, the Illini might be able to pull this one off.
Well, they tried to lose. The Illini blew a 10-point lead with 4 minutes left, and actually trailed Penn State with under a minute to go, but thankfully Penn State forgot to guard the inbound man and Chester Frazier didn't miss his wide open layup.
Of course, the fact that the Illini had this much trouble against a Penn State team that was without its two leading scorers and lost their third option at halftime, doesn't bode well for tomorrow's matchup with Purdue.
As I mentioned yesterday when announcing the Foul Balls March Madness pool (which you should totally join if you haven't yet) this week is the week where I go from loving college basketball to living college basketball. It's conference tourney time, and while I'm currently watching Georgetown and Villanova in the Big East (which will be the best tourney because the league is so deep), I'm really getting ready to watch the Big Ten tournament which starts at 1:30PM today.
Of course, if you live in Chicago, you better watch the tournament today because it's likely the only chance you'll get to see the local teams. Illinois and Northwestern both play today for the right to get knocked out in the next round.
I'm not even going to spend that much time talking about Northwestern. They went 1-17 in the conference this season, have never been to the Big Dance, and they're not going to beat Minnesota this afternoon. Then for some reason, Bill Carmody will come back as coach for a 10th season next year, and the Wildcats will do it all over again.
The Illini, however, do have a shot at getting to the 2nd round of the tournament. They're facing a Penn State team they've already lost twice to this season, but it's a young Nittany Lions team none the less. Obviously, even if the Illini can manage to pull off a win in Indianapolis this afternoon, they're going to end up getting their asses kicked by Purdue on Friday.
But I don't care. You see, this season has sucked if you're an Illini fan. Sure, some of us were lucky enough to have Comcast and therefore be spared the vast majority of Illinois' games, but it didn't make it any easier to follow the team.
Now the regular season is over, so that 5-13 conference record and 13-18 overall record are out the door. They mean nothing now.
Today is a new season!
Okay, so the new season is probably going to go a lot like the old season did, but damn it, this will probably be my last chance to see the Illini play until next fall, so I'm going to "enjoy" it while I can.
(And after they lose I'll go into "What do you mean? I've always been a fan of Notre Dame basketball too!" mode. The Irish play tonight as well, against Marquette at 8:30 on ESPN.) Thursday Predictions
I know that a lot of the smaller conferences have already had their championship games this week, but for me, the college postseason doesn't really start until the major conferences start their tournaments. That day happens to be today, with Syracuse already having it's annual bubble burst with a loss to Villanova in the first game of the Big East tournament.
So I can't think of any better time to invite you, my wonderful readers, to join Foul Balls March Madness pool over at Yahoo.
Winner gets a new car!*
Just go here to join, the group ID is 37619 and the password is foulballs. *Only valid if Panger agrees to pay for it. If not, you'll just get a post on the site.
I've always been a huge college basketball fan, but this year has felt a lot different. I haven't really been into the college hardwood this season, but not because I've grown tired of the sport, but because I haven't been able to watch the games that interest me most.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the ACC, the Big East, and the Pac-10 as much as anybody, but my true love is and always has been the Big Ten. Well, while not having the Big Ten Network didn't really affect my Big Ten football season since ABC and ESPN generally aired all the major games, it killed my basketball season.
All year I've had access to about three Big Ten games a week on my television. Now for those of you who have been able to watch the Big Ten all season, you may say that the network was doing me a favor, but still, I'd have rather found that out for myself.
So why am I rambling on about this right now? Well, because it looks like maybe, just maybe, the Big Ten Network and Comcast cable have finally come to terms and I may have the Big Ten Network by this fall.
After a flurry of backroom deals, the Big Ten Network appears poised to land its most significant carriage deal to date, as top executives from Comcast and Fox have agreed on the framework of an agreement, according to sources from both sides.
A signed deal could still be weeks, or even months, away, as lawyers from both sides hammer out the specifics. Snags still could develop, but sources are optimistic that a deal will get done.
Given the history of interaction between these two sides over the last year, I suggest you pay special attention to the "snags could still develop" part of that quote. No matter what these two say, I prefer to believe it when I see it.
As for what kind of compromise was reached to finally settle the impasse between the network and cable giant, here's the plan.
Comcast agreed to launch the conference network on expanded basic through most of the Big Ten Conference’s eight-state region, as much as 94 percent of it, according to one source. Previously, Comcast was adamant against launching on expanded basic to a such a wide area.
Meanwhile, Big Ten Network relaxed its demand to launch the channel on expanded basic everywhere in the eight-state market. The channel will allow Comcast the flexibility to place it on digital basic in various markets within the footprint, including Philadelphia.
Which makes so much sense it's no wonder why it took them a year and a half to figure it out.
I know it's impossible to say that things are getting back to normal in DeKalb, as classes started back up again on Monday, and tonight the men's basketball team will play Western Michigan in their first game since the tragic shooting on Valentine's Day.
Obviously, it's going to take a lot of time before anybody at Northern Illinois ever feels normal again, but it's little things like tonight's game that will help the campus move on from the shooting, and get back to being college students again.
In case you couldn't tell by the video above, Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl and I have something in common: We both like Erin Andrews.
I'm pretty sure Bruce slipped his phone number in her back pocket as he grabbed her.
Where the two of us differ, though, is I'm a bit more reserved in the art of seduction. Bruce likes to get grabby and freak them out, while I wait a little longer and pick my spots. Only then do I whip it out and start rubbing it on her thigh.
While most of the sports world is focused on Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee right now, there's another scandal that broke late on Tuesday that I've turned all my attention to. I wrote about it at FanHouse last night, but I'm enjoying the story so much that I want to write about it again here.
Sure, the Illini are having their worst basketball season that I can remember in a long time, but with every dark cloud comes a silver lining, and I've seen the lining.
Indiana basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and his staff violated telephone recruiting restrictions imposed because of his previous violations at Oklahoma, then lied about it to the school and NCAA investigators, the NCAA said Wednesday.
The NCAA has listed five major violations against Sampson, saying he gave "false or misleading information" to investigators. The university released the NCAA's report on Wednesday morning.
Major violations of NCAA rules can carry punishments including postseason ineligibility. Indiana already had self-reported violations under Sampson in October, but the new discovery could put the Hoosiers' season, and Sampson's career, under a cloud of uncertainty.
Awesome.
I heard he also had Brian McNamee inject him with HGH.
As for what Sampson and his assistant coach Jeff Meyer are in trouble for, here's a quick list of allegations included in the NCAA's letter to Indiana.
-That Sampson, assistant coach Jeff Meyer and former assistant Rob Senderoff failed to comply with sanctions imposed on Sampson for impermissible recruiting calls he made while he was the head coach at Oklahoma. Sampson was under such sanctions when he was hired to coach the Hoosiers in May 2006.
Sampson and Senderoff are alleged to have jointly participated in telephone calls at a time when Sampson was prohibited from being present or taking part when staff members made recruiting calls. Senderoff and Meyer are alleged to have made about 100 calls that exceeded the sanction limits.
Senderoff resigned his position Oct. 30.
-That Senderoff and Meyer placed "at least 25 telephone calls" to nine potential recruits that exceeded NCAA limits even if no sanctions had been in place.
-That Sampson "acted contrary to the NCAA principles of ethical conduct when he knowingly violated recruiting restrictions imposed by the NCAA Committee on Infractions."
-That Sampson and Meyer engaged in an impermissible recruiting contact during a two-day sports camp held at Assembly Hall last June 30 and July 1, and that Meyer provided the potential recruit with an impermissible benefit -- at least one T-shirt and drawstring backpack.
Admittedly, I don't know all that much about recruiting and the rules that govern it, all I know is which players are being brought in. I also know that you can't buy the recruit a car, or buy his momma a house, or get his daddy a tractor (Thank you, Blue Chips).
What I do know about recruiting violations is that they're awesome when they're committed by a coach and a school you hate, and they get busted for it.
Now the school has 90 days to respond to the violations before the NCAA decides to bring down it's iron fist. (No doubt that fist is full of cash. Cash and justice.) So it's unlikely that the Hoosiers (who are currently 20-3) will be punished this season.
There's still a chance the school may ban itself from postseason play this year in hopes that the NCAA will be more lenient in their decision, but I'm not sure how "major" these violations are, so I don't know if Indiana would go that far.
All I know is that odds are the school is going to lose some scholarships, and may face postseason bans in the next few years.
And I can't wipe this smile off of my face. Foul Balls Mark Buehrle's Truck Is Quite Large - Rich over at Home Run Derby sent this to me yesterday, but it was too late for me to include it in my post, and I didn't want to just link to it in High Five so I saved it for today.
This titan is ten feet tall and weighs more than six tons. You need something akin to a commercial drivers license to thunder this monster on a road.
The Southpaw added four-wheel drive and some hydraulics that lower the bed to the ground. He didn’t say how much it exactly cost him, only divulging that it was in the six-
When he first saw it, he was stunned by it too …
“Oh shit, that thing’s a lot bigger than I expected.”
Of course, as a self respecting Simpsons fan, you all know what this post calls for.
Blackhawks To Play Outdoors - As I was getting ready to leave for work yesterday, I heard something on the radio that excited me greatly. I was listening to ESPN 1000's Mac, Jurko, and Harry when one of the hosts, Harry Teinowitz, dropped a bombshell.
According to what Harry was being told, it seems that within the next year or two the Blackhawks may be playing an outdoor game against the Detroit Red Wings at Soldier Field.
A Chicago Park District panel recommends that a new contract to manage Soldier Field go to SMG, which made a pitch of hosting an outdoor Blackhawks hockey game at the lakefront stadium....
"I don't want to get into where we're at in negotiations in terms of time frame, but there will be a game at Soldier Field. It's just a matter of when,'' said SMG senior vice president Michael Evans.
But Blackhawks president John McDonough said discussions about Soldier Field have "been informal on a what-if basis,'' adding, "I have friends at all of the venues: Wrigley, U.S. Cellular. I think they'd all like to take a run at it."
The final decision on whether to stage an outdoor game in Chicago is up to the NHL, said McDonough. Earlier this year, some 71,000 hockey fans watched the Buffalo Sabres play in an outdoor football stadium in Buffalo.
Let me just say that this needs to happen. When the Buffalo Sabres played the Pittsburgh Penguins outdoors at Ralph Wilson Stadium in the snow, it was one of the coolest things I'd ever seen. I would love to go to Soldier Field, or wherever, to watch the Blackhawks and the Red Wings play an outdoor game.
I haven't played organized athletics in quite a while. Don't get me wrong, I'll still get together with friends to play basketball, football, or baseball once in a while, but the last team I belonged to was in high school. I remember playing football back then, and every Friday before a game we would basically have a walk-through of Saturday's game-plan.
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