I think we all have...It's why wine betters with age. People are the same if they carry a growth mindset. When you are green (humble) you grow...when you are ripe (full of hubris) you rot.
Well, I like your thinking! It was a perplexing season, a “down year” by Gonzaga standards. They returned almost all of their impact players, and then added some to boot, and then had an up/down season. My heart is with them, but my brain says…Georgia and then Houston? That is a high hill to climb.
The SEC thumb on scale now extends ruining March Madness, which once was the purest tournament in college sports.
Fourteen teams from the SEC, five with losing records in the conference made the tournament, including Texas at 6-12. Six and twelve!
That should be an air horn in a library for the media. Six and twelve. But instead of crying foul, we get
fawning over the SEC.
Ten years ago the tourney had 34 mid majors (or teams that aren’t in Power 4 in football). This year, 29. Guess who got the other five berths? SEC teams underwater in their own conference.
The experts will say the "metrics" support it regardless of abysmal conference performance. I call BS. Actually BCS. Remember what "metrics" got us in the BCS era?
The vaunted metrics in football and now basketball both now seem to tilt things in favor of the SEC.
Maybe sportswriters should quit accepting this claptrap and investigate how this once wonderful tournament has been perverted.
Just like in football their SOS gets them in because they are ranked high to begin the season then they only play each other or weak weak weak teams. They already proved in their conference play that they are not near the best. The rules should be changed to state you must have a record over .500 in your conference otherwise you have already proven you are nowhere near the best. When Oregon State made its Elite8 run they got in by winning the conference tournament. That is the only valid method if you are not over .500.
You are dead right about the access argument. Sadly, in this era of lies and propaganda, access has become a real issue across journalism. A half century ago the White House didn’t dare shut out media it didn’t like. Elected officials knew stories would be favorable and some not. Today, it’s all fealty to the leaders and leaders have thin skins. Any bad press costs your news org dearly in access.
That said, the national sports media should be looking at degradation of the tournament. The NCAA and the SEC really can’t get by without CBS and ESPN.
John, regarding your upcoming visit to GU: The campus/city will be either extremely bummed out and mourning either the end of the nine-year Sweet 16 streak and/or the fifteen-year streak of winning at least one game in the tourney, or on cloud nine for the Zags improbably taking down both Georgia and then Houston in a win for the ages. Either way, the feeling/mood will be quite palpable.
For a breakfast spot, I recommend Ultimate Bagel. They have over a quarter-century's worth of newspaper clippings on the wall from the Few era.
For lunch or dinner (or a cold one), Jack and Dan's is an absolute must. It was named one of the the top 25 sports bars in the US in 2005 by Sports Illustrated. Unlike so many new-age microbreweries, entering Jack and Dan's feels like stepping back in time. The building is old-school and gritty, like Spokane itself. The bar has a "Cheers"-like feel to it. I've never been to any other bar or tavern quite like it.
Ditto RE: Jack and Dan's - and DO NOT miss the Original Calzone at Pete's Pizza - about a football field's length from J&D's on East Sharpe Ave. It might be the best thing I have ever eaten. https://www.petesspokane.com/menu
Since we'er ridin' coaches...Coach Quick.. HS baseball coach..really just a big guy in charge of keeping our state champ footballers in shape during the off season. Me a runt 5'5 105 desperate to make the team. Finally just because I pestered him for 3 years did I get the nod. Little league never prepared me for the clean up, bench duties and just runt kicking I received during that last season. Until one day Coach out of pity ask me to throw BP. Unbeknownst to him I had perfected a 35mph curve ball that started just south of 3rd base. He watched in horror as one after the other gridiron jocks bailed from a hopelessly slow banana. End of story, he begrudgingly called me to his office and presented a block G. The beauty is, we laughed about it at my 50th reunion!
It wasn't mentioned, but you have to connect the dots between Ritchie McKay's evolution and spending time as an assistant to Tony Bennett at Virginia. Tony was/is one of the most grounded, thoughtful and introspective coaches in D1 hoops.
Also, to say that the OSU women "ripped" through the WCC tournament with two buzzer beater winners is a bit of a stretch.
The Blazer management probably doesn't want to pay a #1 draft choice. Let's remember the person tasked with overseeing the team earns her income based on the value of the team. A #1 draft choice commitment is seen as a liability compared to another, later round, draft choice. It's not ticket sales which drive profits, it's media contracts.
Now that the Celtics have been sold hopefully there will be more pressure on Jody to sell the team to someone who cares.
She has no incentive to sell the team. The NBA will have to force her to do it by taking her to court arguing that she is not abiding by the will's intent.
"We discussed whether there are too many postseason basketball tournaments."
Yes. Yes there are. As a friend of mine in college once told me, "NIT stands for 'Not In Tournament.'" Now there's, what, three tournaments besides the NCAA Tournament -- the only one most college basketball fans really care about?
Maybe I'm not thinking in terms of the money that can be made -- though I doubt those other tournaments draw well or have great TV ratings -- but I hate seeing mediocrity rewarded. That includes the NCAA Tournament, where a team that went 18-12 and finished seventh in its conference (assuming it's a Power 4 conference) can conceivably make it over a team that went 28-2 and placed second in its conference tournament. If it were up to me, only regular-season champs, conference tournament champs, and 20-game winners would qualify for the NCAA Tournament. A 19-win team or two might squeak in if the field needs filling out, assuming that team had a decent resume. Beyond that, if your team's not in, it's out. There's no consolation tournament to go to -- you stay home and get better for next year.
John Platz is a fine analyst, but if he thinks Cooper Flagg is better than Larry Bird--one of the 10 best players in the history of the NBA--he needs his head examined.
Sorry, John, I hope your comment about "why the Traiblazers didn't do a better job of tanking this year" was tongue-in-cheek. Frankly, I've found their play since the All-Star break to be entertaining, exciting, and encouraging. They've given some of the best teams in the league genuine trouble, the kids play hard, and their future looks bright. If I went to a game and felt the players and coaches weren't trying hard to win, I'd feel cheated and robbed. No player or coach should ever put forth less than their best effort, even if the talent doesn't match up to the league's best. Any front office that deliberately orders it's team to lose should be kicked out of the league for cheating the fans and a lack of personal integrity. I don't care if the Blazers miss out on the No. 1 prospect if they are doing their on the court every night; it's more fun that way.
Come on, John. The tanking comment about trying to get Flagg by the Blazers is inappropriate! I am very proud of what Chauncy has done with his youngsters this year. He has taught them to play hard every second and never give up. This is tanking. Give up and hope something will come along to make us better. Chauncy wouldn't even try to teach this to his youngsters. He is a winner and doesn't know about tanking.
Guess it’s a chicken/egg thing … broadly speaking, teams from the West underperform; I’ve always surmised that their seeds and brackets reflect latent skepticism from committee members. (Of course, they vehemently insist that every team is evaluated on its “merits.” 🤷🏼♂️ I dunno.
My dark horse for a deep run is Utah St. Tough, experienced, shoot it well, good guard play. I like them to knock out UCLA.
“I was a little young, and had too much ego,” - been there, Coach
Aint it the truth.
I think we all have...It's why wine betters with age. People are the same if they carry a growth mindset. When you are green (humble) you grow...when you are ripe (full of hubris) you rot.
"I was a little too young, I did a little too much, a little too soon and a little too fast" - been there, a Player
Yep. I think most of us have.
Go Zags!
I think Gonzaga has the talent and the coach to make a run to the Elite Eight.
Well, I like your thinking! It was a perplexing season, a “down year” by Gonzaga standards. They returned almost all of their impact players, and then added some to boot, and then had an up/down season. My heart is with them, but my brain says…Georgia and then Houston? That is a high hill to climb.
The SEC thumb on scale now extends ruining March Madness, which once was the purest tournament in college sports.
Fourteen teams from the SEC, five with losing records in the conference made the tournament, including Texas at 6-12. Six and twelve!
That should be an air horn in a library for the media. Six and twelve. But instead of crying foul, we get
fawning over the SEC.
Ten years ago the tourney had 34 mid majors (or teams that aren’t in Power 4 in football). This year, 29. Guess who got the other five berths? SEC teams underwater in their own conference.
The experts will say the "metrics" support it regardless of abysmal conference performance. I call BS. Actually BCS. Remember what "metrics" got us in the BCS era?
The vaunted metrics in football and now basketball both now seem to tilt things in favor of the SEC.
Maybe sportswriters should quit accepting this claptrap and investigate how this once wonderful tournament has been perverted.
confederate mind set...smacks of oligarchism.
Just like in football their SOS gets them in because they are ranked high to begin the season then they only play each other or weak weak weak teams. They already proved in their conference play that they are not near the best. The rules should be changed to state you must have a record over .500 in your conference otherwise you have already proven you are nowhere near the best. When Oregon State made its Elite8 run they got in by winning the conference tournament. That is the only valid method if you are not over .500.
Real journalism is dead. I read a column yesterday about the fawning reporting to maintain "access" is the norm. Uugghhh!
There are some folks out there trading access for their integrity. You can easily spot it.
You are dead right about the access argument. Sadly, in this era of lies and propaganda, access has become a real issue across journalism. A half century ago the White House didn’t dare shut out media it didn’t like. Elected officials knew stories would be favorable and some not. Today, it’s all fealty to the leaders and leaders have thin skins. Any bad press costs your news org dearly in access.
That said, the national sports media should be looking at degradation of the tournament. The NCAA and the SEC really can’t get by without CBS and ESPN.
John, regarding your upcoming visit to GU: The campus/city will be either extremely bummed out and mourning either the end of the nine-year Sweet 16 streak and/or the fifteen-year streak of winning at least one game in the tourney, or on cloud nine for the Zags improbably taking down both Georgia and then Houston in a win for the ages. Either way, the feeling/mood will be quite palpable.
For a breakfast spot, I recommend Ultimate Bagel. They have over a quarter-century's worth of newspaper clippings on the wall from the Few era.
For lunch or dinner (or a cold one), Jack and Dan's is an absolute must. It was named one of the the top 25 sports bars in the US in 2005 by Sports Illustrated. Unlike so many new-age microbreweries, entering Jack and Dan's feels like stepping back in time. The building is old-school and gritty, like Spokane itself. The bar has a "Cheers"-like feel to it. I've never been to any other bar or tavern quite like it.
Have a great trip!
Ditto RE: Jack and Dan's - and DO NOT miss the Original Calzone at Pete's Pizza - about a football field's length from J&D's on East Sharpe Ave. It might be the best thing I have ever eaten. https://www.petesspokane.com/menu
Don't miss the statue of Bing Crosby on the North porch of the Performance Arts Center. My memory is pipe and all. Charlie
Thanks. I missed your post and asked about a Crosby statue.
If memory serves, said pipe was removed permanently because people kept stealing it. But that was a long time ago...
Since we'er ridin' coaches...Coach Quick.. HS baseball coach..really just a big guy in charge of keeping our state champ footballers in shape during the off season. Me a runt 5'5 105 desperate to make the team. Finally just because I pestered him for 3 years did I get the nod. Little league never prepared me for the clean up, bench duties and just runt kicking I received during that last season. Until one day Coach out of pity ask me to throw BP. Unbeknownst to him I had perfected a 35mph curve ball that started just south of 3rd base. He watched in horror as one after the other gridiron jocks bailed from a hopelessly slow banana. End of story, he begrudgingly called me to his office and presented a block G. The beauty is, we laughed about it at my 50th reunion!
Thanks!
Oh man, this is my kind of baseball story!
It wasn't mentioned, but you have to connect the dots between Ritchie McKay's evolution and spending time as an assistant to Tony Bennett at Virginia. Tony was/is one of the most grounded, thoughtful and introspective coaches in D1 hoops.
Also, to say that the OSU women "ripped" through the WCC tournament with two buzzer beater winners is a bit of a stretch.
Definitely.
The Blazer management probably doesn't want to pay a #1 draft choice. Let's remember the person tasked with overseeing the team earns her income based on the value of the team. A #1 draft choice commitment is seen as a liability compared to another, later round, draft choice. It's not ticket sales which drive profits, it's media contracts.
Now that the Celtics have been sold hopefully there will be more pressure on Jody to sell the team to someone who cares.
She has no incentive to sell the team. The NBA will have to force her to do it by taking her to court arguing that she is not abiding by the will's intent.
Now that the Celtics have been sold, maybe (pretty please) Jody will get off her arse and entertain offers for the Trailblazers.
John, when you are at Gonzaga would you check to see if they have a statue of Bing Crosby on campus.
Many thanks.
Never mind, John, just learned there is one. Thanks, anyways.
The Beavers are 20 point underdogs to North Carolina isn't that "easy money" by taking Oregon State and getting the points?
"We discussed whether there are too many postseason basketball tournaments."
Yes. Yes there are. As a friend of mine in college once told me, "NIT stands for 'Not In Tournament.'" Now there's, what, three tournaments besides the NCAA Tournament -- the only one most college basketball fans really care about?
Maybe I'm not thinking in terms of the money that can be made -- though I doubt those other tournaments draw well or have great TV ratings -- but I hate seeing mediocrity rewarded. That includes the NCAA Tournament, where a team that went 18-12 and finished seventh in its conference (assuming it's a Power 4 conference) can conceivably make it over a team that went 28-2 and placed second in its conference tournament. If it were up to me, only regular-season champs, conference tournament champs, and 20-game winners would qualify for the NCAA Tournament. A 19-win team or two might squeak in if the field needs filling out, assuming that team had a decent resume. Beyond that, if your team's not in, it's out. There's no consolation tournament to go to -- you stay home and get better for next year.
John Platz is a fine analyst, but if he thinks Cooper Flagg is better than Larry Bird--one of the 10 best players in the history of the NBA--he needs his head examined.
"Shea Ralph, Vandy’s coach, said: “They’ve had a good year, their coach is great, and they’ve got talented players.”"
Translation: I couldn't find Oregon on a map if you spotted me Washington, Idaho, and California.
Sorry, John, I hope your comment about "why the Traiblazers didn't do a better job of tanking this year" was tongue-in-cheek. Frankly, I've found their play since the All-Star break to be entertaining, exciting, and encouraging. They've given some of the best teams in the league genuine trouble, the kids play hard, and their future looks bright. If I went to a game and felt the players and coaches weren't trying hard to win, I'd feel cheated and robbed. No player or coach should ever put forth less than their best effort, even if the talent doesn't match up to the league's best. Any front office that deliberately orders it's team to lose should be kicked out of the league for cheating the fans and a lack of personal integrity. I don't care if the Blazers miss out on the No. 1 prospect if they are doing their on the court every night; it's more fun that way.
Come on, John. The tanking comment about trying to get Flagg by the Blazers is inappropriate! I am very proud of what Chauncy has done with his youngsters this year. He has taught them to play hard every second and never give up. This is tanking. Give up and hope something will come along to make us better. Chauncy wouldn't even try to teach this to his youngsters. He is a winner and doesn't know about tanking.
This tourney is about matchups.
Guess it’s a chicken/egg thing … broadly speaking, teams from the West underperform; I’ve always surmised that their seeds and brackets reflect latent skepticism from committee members. (Of course, they vehemently insist that every team is evaluated on its “merits.” 🤷🏼♂️ I dunno.
My dark horse for a deep run is Utah St. Tough, experienced, shoot it well, good guard play. I like them to knock out UCLA.
This did not age well. 😂
Well, my bracket is toast already. Thanks for nothing, Louisville. Ah well, now I can focus on the teams I care about: Oregon and Gonzaga. Let's go!