[New (Old) Game!] Around the Arena - New Game signups under way!

you know, i'm going to take a different approach to this one as well. this build up of the big east reminds me of every other buildup of a conference that i've seen or heard of in the past decade or so. way back when, everyone wanted to say that the PAC-10 was the big bad in college football, despite the fact that they were pretty much just USC in a national sense and the SEC, ACC and Big Ten had more schools in the top 25. Lo and behold, everyone else knew that it was a tossup between the SEC and ACC as to which was better, but the media tried to make up something that wasn't really there. how many times have we seen this happen? how many seasons of sports have there been. finally the media has realized what everyone else has, the SEC is overall the best conference in college football, and has been for most of the past decade. does that mean they have the most championships? no, but they do have the most teams that other conferences don't want to play.

so we come to the big east in college basketball. are the teams good? yes, but they aren't world-beater good like we used to see every once in a while, because, as has been said already, the talent pool has become so thin. so it really does come down more to the teams are getting built up, or conference as the case may be, and then when it comes time to face all of the other top teams... they fall on their faces because they just aren't as good as everyone thought. coaching plays a part in this, yes, but what it comes down to me more than anything else is that the talent level is now on a vastly more even playing field than it has been in the past, and is likely to stay that way. there will be no more teams with three future HOFers in the NBA. there will be no more teams that are coached by adolph rupp and are the gold standard for decades because of how consistently they were good. the coaches will help matters, but you can only go so far with a more limited talent pool that is being spread over a bigger cracker.

also, it seems like it's the resting thing coming into play again. that keeps getting mentioned so much in the NFL, but i think it's much bigger when it comes to basketball, particularly college. you don't have as many games to round back into shape in the NCAA, and if you don't get to keep your momentum going in competitive play it seems that they just come out rusty more often, especially over the past decade when the talent pool has dropped off. is that coaches fault? to some degree, but even with a really good coach it can happen, and then you end up with a team that may be more talented with the better coach coming up against a truly hot team that is over-achieving every game and thinks they can beat anyone, and then they do. so overall it seems to be a combination of a thinner talent pool and then coming in having had to take a break, and you have the recipe for what we saw with three of the top four seeded teams falling in their first game. it's almost like there's a little thing called parity coming into play now, and it really will rely more on the coaches going forward than it has been, but i don't think that the situation has quite balanced out enough for it to be as purely on the coaches as others have said.

 

Alright, columnists. Thanks for your input! Let's see how everyone did this round...

Darth Dark Helmet: I like the info about the great coaches in the Big East (+ 1) There are quite a few good ones in this league, that's for sure. Buzz Williams has done well in his second year with Marquette (+ 1), and is looking like a really good hire to replace Tom Crean. My question would be what do you do about John Calipari and other coaches who go for the one-and-done approach with regard to players? That's another topic for another time, I suppose.

Jedi_Johnson: Good point about Syracuse and Pitt playing well above what national expectations were for each team (+ 1) Huggins certainly has adopted his system to his personal, to a degree. I'm with you on the scrapping building confidence thing. Lower seeds can get momentum and rack up a couple wins against teams that are, as you say, cold (+ 1).

RX_Sith: Some Big East schools are being looked at by the Big 10 (+ 1), and the Rutgers/NYC connection is very interesting (+ 1). NYC is a pro town, though, and I asked about the basketball tourney (- 1).

Trimaj: Interesting comparison to the SEC in football. I'm not sure if I buy it, but I like the thought (+ 1). The latent pool is certainly becoming more thinly spread, and rest is important. So, you're saying that the top teams aren't as good as we thought and the "lesser" teams aren't as bad? (+ 1) I'll take that. Coaches can only do so much.

Alright, here are this round's scores.

Darth Darth Helmet: 2
Jedi_Johnson: 2
RX_Sith: 1
Trimaj: 2

Total scores...

Darth Dark Helmet: 6
Jedi_Johnson: 5
Trimaj: 1
RX_Sith: 0

Next topic will be up shortly.

 

It's time for a little Buy or Sell. Today's topic, you ask? The one and only Alexander Ovechkin.

[image=http://www.bravesonthewarpathdc.com/ovechkin2.jpg]

Ovechkin was suspended two games by the NHL for his hit on Brian Campbell during Sunday's game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Is this suspension overkill?

Let's go Around the Arena and see what our experts think.

 

[image=http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/2466/toastera.jpg]

I had to think about this one before answering. Hockey by its very nature is a very physical game involving lots of collisions and checks. So far Ovechkin has been delivering some devastating hits leading to some good hockey and a lot of fun for the fans. If Ovechkin was suspended for a tough hard hit that was legit I would be POed about this suspension.

However, this hit was cheap so I have to buy the suspension. Ovechkin pushes the guy in the back into the boards and there's no reason for that. Hitting a player just because you can will only lead to players getting hurt. Hockey players are tough, but a cheap shot like this drastically increases the chance of injury. If you want to hit someone be a man and do it face to face or at least not in the back. To paraphrase a line from Bill Plaschke "Shame on you Alexander Ovechkin." Ovechkin is lucky he got off so light, I'd have given him 4 games and made an example out of him. That example would be play the game right or we won't let you.

EDIT: Spelling and clarification.

 

i have to sell this. from everything i've seen about ovechkin, he is a reckless player who should have been hit with penalties long before this. all you have to do is watch this video and you'll see how this should have happened long before now. in some ways it seems as though the NHL could use a roger goodell to come in and at least make the penalties on an even playing field, if not try and clean things up a bit. i don't care what sport your in, there is no place for dirty hits like that. period. if he keeps it up he should lose a season, even if it would hurt the sport. the safety of the players is bigger than the sport, and it is definitely bigger than one man. ovechkin is basically a thug that needs to be taught a lesson at this point, and this is barely even a slap on the wrist and is tacit approval, whether the NHL wants to admit it or not, for the way he's been playing. that this is only the second time he's been called on like this despite his reputation is a travesty.

what makes everything worse? according to quotes from both ovechkin and the owner of the capitals, leonsis, they see nothing wrong with his playing in such a way that puts other players at risk (as found in jim kelley's article on SI.com). this only cements the status of thug for him in my eyes, especially with his threats to potentially become more aggressive and increase his intensity, and it makes the league culpable for not doing something to put a stop to his reckless play sooner. that he has operated with impunity so far is sickening.

did he deserve the suspension? unquestionably. was it overkill? not by a long shot. it wasn't enough.


EDITS: clarifying/spelling

 

Our first two panelists are doing an awful lot of clarifying and checking their spelling.

 

sorry 'bout that. i have keyboard issues. key's are literally missing, and in the process of breaking. at the moment i have no "o" key, and i have no backspace key either. makes things a bit difficult at times.

 

I would have to sell this one as being overkill. If anything, it's underkill. Ovechkin should have been given a 10 game suspension without question. The problem is that the NHL will not suspend one of its star players for that long of a time because there rulings have been ambiguous at best. This is the fault of the NHL and its head disciplinarian.

Colin Campbell, the head NHL disciplinarian, has a very spotty and ambiguous record when it comes to suspending (or even not suspending players). He plainly and simply ignored Steve Downie, because that's what Campbell did in failing to suspend Downie after the Tampa Bay forward looked to deliberately bring down Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby from behind on Sunday with a potentially devastating knee twist. And then he doesn't even suspend Matt Cooke for his hit on Marc Savard.

The world of what is right and wrong in the NHL as it relates to on-ice behavior is in such a ragged state of affairs, whatever emerges is what we expected to emerge because there is no rhyme or reason to any of it. This is the main reason why no one should be surprised by the two game suspension that Campbell gave Ovechkin. At this stage, the NHL has zero credibility when it comes to handing out discipline. Which is why the Ovechkin suspension will mean nothing on almost every level.

So, the sad story is that the NHL gets its star player back after a measley two game suspension, and all will be forgotten by the time that the playoffs start (more than likely by the end of this month). So, then the next time, we will see if the NHL actually gets tougher or decides once again to hold its perverbial whistle.

 

Well if we were writing responses out in C# or Java I could probably get my spelling right on the first try. haha.

 

I think I'm going to have buy this one. The NHL has long fostered an environment of physical play and fighting, and it has a large fan base that tunes in specifically for the possibility of violence in the sport. When you allow that aspect to go on long enough, there will always be people who will push the boundaries as far as possible, and finally go over the line. And when you've fostered this environment so long, it can be difficult to step back from it, difficult to show the players and fans that actions like this are not acceptable. Baby steps might be the best way to go. Add in that the NHL is desperate for ratings right now, desperate to hold on to any popularity they gained through the Olympics. They need those stars that played in the Olympics on the ice. Suspending one of those Olympic stars for an extended amount of time is counter-productive.

I like this as a start, they've shown that they are willing to suspend a star, even if only for two games, and if something happens again, they have a starting off point for the next suspension. Normally I would support a hard line for cheap shots like this, but with a sport in as precarious a situation as the NHL, baby steps might be the best way to go.

 

Time to score these arguments.

Jedi_Johnson: Good point about hockey being a physical game and calling it a cheap shot (+ 1). I'd agree with you that 2 games probably isn't enough. (+ 1)

Trimaj: Replacing Gary Bettman? I like that (+ 1). Ovie has had some dirty/semi-dirty hits before (the knee to knee with Gonchar immediately comes to mind), and the comments from Kelly's article are interesting. I'd agree that it wasn't enough (+ 1).

RX_Sith: If you hadn't guessed by now, I generally agree with that idea. I think ten is overkill, but I like your sentiment. (+ 1) Mentioning Colin Campbell and his spotty record on discipline? (+ 1) Bringing up the hit on Crosby and the lack of a suspension is good (+ 1). Interesting, but Cooke's hit on Savard is legal, probably dirty, but still allowed. (- 1). This will all be probably be quickly forgotten, though. (+ 1).

Darth Dark Helmet: NHL has nearly always had physical play and fighting (+ 1). Not sure if it has viewers that watch just because of the violence. I'd rather watch Crosby or Malkin have a great night offensively than watch Talbot fight (especially against the Flyers), as fun as that is. A lot of times fights can shift momentum and get the crowd into the game (- 1). They do need the Olympic starts on the ice (+ 1), and Ovie is already a repeat offender.

Scores from this round...

Jedi_Johnson: 2
Trimaj: 2
RX_Smith: 3
Darth Dark Helmet: 2

Total Scores so far...
Darth Dark Helmet: 8
Jedi_Johnson: 7
Trimaj: 3
RX_Sith: 3

Next Buy or Sell will be up shortly.

 

It's time to go across the Atlantic and talk some UEFA Championship League football.

[image=http://soccernet-assets.espn.go.com/design05/images/JonMC/January2010/Eto%27o-350.jpg]

Jose Mourinho, Samuel Eto'o and Inter defeated Chelesa earlier today to advance to the final eight. Buy or Sell that Mourinho being let go by Chelsea boss Roman Abramovich was a poor choice, with two years of hindsight.

 

Yes, I will buy that Roman Abramovich regrets letting Mourinho go given the circumstances that his team lost to Inter. Mourinho stated that, ?I celebrated a lot in the dressing room because it was a big victory for my team. I love Chelsea, I love this stadium and I love these people. But I?m a professional and who knows I could coach another English team and come here again.?

A very good and humble response from Mourinho. Inter opted against trying to sit back and defend their first-leg lead and produced an energetic display in a first half that featured more appealing, complaining and theatrical over-reacting - from both sides - than constructive football.

Mourinho?s tactic to start with three strikers - Eto?o, Diego Milito and Goran Pandev - seemed to catch Chelsea out and it took the Londoners a long time to get a hold on the game. However, solid Inter defending, with centre backs Lucio and Walter Samuel in dominant form, and a sharp block by Cesar to keep out a Nicolas Anelka flick ensured a goalless first half.

Inter began to pile on the pressure midway through the second half and a clever backheel by Sneijder sent Pandev through but was thwarted by a terrific covering tackle by Yuri Zhirkov.

Four minutes later Milito sprung the offside trap but shot wide with just stand-in keeper Ross Turnbull to beat while Thiago Motta headed over the bar from a free kick.

Chelsea were showing nothing at the other end and it was no real surprise when the impressive Sneijder looped a ball over the home defence and Eto?o, who had not scored in eight games since returning from the African Nations Cup, advanced on Turnbull and drove the ball confidently past him.

Turnbull did well to deny Eto?o again in injury time but by then it was all over for Chelsea, who had been reduced to 10 men by a late red card for Didier Drogba after a clash with Motta. So, congratulations to Mourinho for defeating Chelsea and sticking it to Roman Abramovich.

 

[image=http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/3623/shenaniganss.jpg]

I?m going to sell this one. They let Mourinho go to move the club in a different direction. A loss to the old coach will sting by it doesn?t automatically invalidate the choice in the short term. And lets face it 2 years is the short term when it comes to coaching changes.

Let?s make a comparison for a moment with a sport I am much more familiar with. I?ll use the New York Yankees to setup this analogy. The Yankees were widely criticized for letting legendary manager Joe Torre go to the Dodgers and hired Joe Girardi to be the new manager. And at the time baseball fans and specifically Yankee fans were upset with the choice. Fast forward a little bit and Torre has made the Dodgers a playoff contender and Girardi has guided the Yankees to a World Series title. Both teams won and I?m sure the Yankee management looks a lot better. There?s no reason to think this situation can?t happen for both ?football? teams.

In all honesty, this isn?t always what happens but you?ve got to give it some time before you declare a management moves a bust. Sports are all about redemption and in the end things will even out.

 

I'm also going to sell it. Now, I'll admit, that soccer is maybe the one sport that I know next to nothing about, but in my research on this topic, it seems that a big reason for the split between these two was a power struggle in the front office. A struggle that started to get very contentious. Situations like that don't work. when you have two people running a team, both with large egos, both think they're decisions are always the right one. If those people can't be on the same page, if they can't work together, eventually it will hurt the team. Eventually its going to cause enough friction and bad blood that that it will effect the players, you'll have people on different sides, some supporting one, some the other. If these two men couldn't work together, I think its always a good thing to split before it causes to many problems.

 

Well, thank you for your input, panelists. Let's get to scoring the arguments.

RX_Sith: I like the Mourinho quote (+ 1), and the explanation of how his new team defeated his old team (+ 1).

Jedi_Johnson: I like the comparison to the Torre/Girardi situation (+ 1). I agree, redemption can play a big part in sports (+ 1).
Darth Dark Helmet: Front office egos certainly cause problems (+ 1). Just look at AJ Smith and Marty Schottenheimer out in San Diego. I like the idea of cutting your losses and going in a new direction (+ 1).
Trimaj, regrettably, was muted.

Personally, I'd agree with RX_Sith on this issue, but I appreciate your thoughts.

Scores this round...
RX_Sith: 2
Jedi_Johnson: 2
DDH: 2
Trimaj: -1

Total Scores...
Darth Dark Helmet: 10
Jedi_Johnson: 9
RX_Sith: 5
Trimaj: 2

Last Buy Or Sell will be up shortly.

 

Welcome to our Final Round of Buy or Sell!

Today's topic? None other than Tiger Woods.

[image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/pgatour/2010/r/03/19/woods_pairings/woodsfuryk_storyimage.jpg]

Woods has recently announced his return to golf at the Masters next month. Buy or sell Tiger as a legitimate contender to start his return on the tour with a victory.

Let's see what our panelists think.

Just remember, after this round, someone will be cut. Let's hear your best arguments!

 

Every part of my mind says that this is a sell. He's had a four month lay off from professional golf, and isn't going to play a single competitive round before the Masters. Yeah, he'll work on his game with Hank Haney, yeah he'll probably play a couple practice rounds at Augusta before hand, but none of that compares to playing live, competitive golf. There's bound to be some rust on his game.

That said, my heart says buy. This is a guy who won the US Open just months after the death of his father, a guy who won the US Open with a torn ACL. A guy who in his first Major championship as a pro destroyed the field at Augusta, a guy who can at times do unbelievable things with a golf club, make shots that no one else on tour can make. Who shows up big time every time people start to doubt him.

So, in the end, I'm buying it. Everything about the set up says that he shouldn't even be in contention, but I think he'll thrive, he'll go out and show everyone that no matter what is going on with his personal life, he is the best, most talented, most driven golfer in the world.

 

[image=http://www.thegiantnapkin.com/images/woody%20paige%20225.jpg]

I have to sell here. Since the Thanksgiving Day incident Tiger has been living in a completely different world. Now instead of dodging interviews with sports outlets Woods has to avoid the paparazzi like TMZ trying to photograph everything he or his wife do. Plus, there's the fact that this scandal just will not die. Every time things start to quiet down the media restarts this scandal with topics like 'Oh no, Elin isn't wearing her wedding ring' or 'come see Tiger's sexts he sent to a porn star.' The media won't let this die so there's no way Tiger will able to put it all out of his head. This is a completely different type of media exposure than he has faced in his career. Woods has journalists and paparazzi hounding him 24/7 now and that stress will have to affect his game regardless of how strong he has been mentally in past stressful situations such as the death of his father.

And this is just the mental part of the game we?ve talked about. The fact of the matter is that Tiger hasn?t played competitive golf in months! There?s a difference between practice and being in the thick of things during a tournament. Even a great golfer like Tiger can get rusty. In the PGA you can?t win on talent alone, you have to be on the top of your game even if your name is Tiger Woods. Between his personal issues and his lack of practice Tiger simply won?t be at the top of his game. Combine that with the fact the press will be hounding him at his first tournament back and that?s a lot of pressure. Pressure that Tiger Woods probably has never had to face before. After he?s gotten some practice and tournament time back in I?m sure the rust will be gone, but his personal issues could continue to haunt him and damage his game for a quite a while longer.

 

Surely you should get muted for just copy-pasting the Yahoo Sports story.

 

Even if he would get muted, he'd still have a very good chance at getting into the next round. I'm going to have to turn into a teacher now, and use the internet to make sure that we don't have any cheaters.

 

I do think also that Tiger will be a contender in the Masters. It will not matter much that he hasn't been playing golf for a while. Like everyone else has stated, he's done it before from a long break and I do think that he will again set the golf world ablaze (and the ratings as well) when he plays at the Masters.

 

Alright time to grade our expert commentary on Tiger's chances at the Masters!

Darth Dark Helmet: Working on your stroke definitely isn't the same as playing a PGA event (+ 1). Tiger has played through rough personal and physical situations before, with much success (+ 1). I think that he'll be a contender, but will fade on Sunday. I suppose we'll wait and see.

Jedi_Johnson: Tiger is certainly under a lot more scrutiny that he has been before at PGA events (+ 1). Woods hasn't had this kind of pressure on the grounds before (+ 1). His personal issues are certainly causing him problems and will continue to do so during the Masters (+ 1).

RX_Sith: Tiger has had success after layoffs before and will definitely get the fans excited (+ 1).

Trimaj missed the deadline and was muted for his tardiness.

So, scores for this round are as follows.

DDK: 2
J_J: 3
RZ: 1
Trimaj: -1


Total scores...

DDK: 12
J_J: 12
RZ: 6
Trimaj: 1


Sorry, Trimaj, you've been booted. Thanks for playing!


Next topic will be up tomorrow.

 

I think I should have 12 points. I had 3 this last round about Tiger.

 

Yep, you're right. Sorry about that.