The 2013 baseball amateur draft finished this weekend. 1,216 young men were drafted, and 1,215 of them dream of playing for a Major League Baseball team someday. They dream of running out onto a perfectly manicured green field, shagging fly balls out of the clear blue sky, swinging for the fences, and tipping their hat to the crowd. Most of them will never make a big league roster, and still they dream.
One however, has no such aspirations. The 34th round pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks was one of the top high school prospects in 2010. He was drafted then by the San Diego Padres, but chose instead to attend college and play baseball for Arizona State University. Cory Hahn played only three games for the Sun Devils. In his third game he slid head first into second base. During the play he collided with the second baseman, who was lunging for an errant throw. Hahn’s head struck the second baseman in the knee, breaking Hahn’s C5 vertebrae. The injury left Hahn paralyzed from the chest down.
Major League Baseball rules stipulate that players drafted out of high school have to wait three years to be drafted again. When the Arizona Diamondbacks selected Hahn in the 34th round of the draft (Hahn wore number 34 at ASU), they were not drafting a five-tool player that would hit soaring home runs or make diving plays in the field.
Yet the draft was about more than a heart-warming publicity stunt. Hahn has spent the last three years as a student coach at Arizona State. In that time he has inspired many with his courage and tenacity. The Diamondbacks plan to put him to work.
Diamonbacks President Derek Hall told the Associated Press, ”It’s not about us. It’s really about Cory and his family,” Hall added. “I was able to spend time with them right after the injury in his hospital room and he’s a wonderful kid. We want to make this permanent. We don’t want this to just be about the selection and him being a draft pick, but about him working in full-time employment with the Diamondbacks and hopefully we’ll make that come to fruition for he and his family here soon.”
I know a lot of people will be cheering for Hahn to make an impact for the Diamondbacks, even if it is never with a bat or glove.
Welcome to the Fifth Annual Mascot Bracket. This has become one of my favorite posts of the year. It has also become one of my most popular. If you don’t know what the Mascot Bracket is, then you’ve been missing out on the greatest formula for picking the winner of the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament. Instead of picking the winner of each game based on silly things like the talent of the players, experience of the coaches, or the complexities of match-ups the Mascot Bracket picks the winners based on this: Which mascot would win in a fight?
There are some important rules to follow. The rules seem cut-and-dry, but like the Levitical code, the interpretation of these rules can get messy.
When determining the winner, origins of the nickname are of primary importance (see Blue Devils and Jayhawks). Current official mascots are used to find out needed details, such as whether or not the mascot is armed, and for disambiguation, such as which type of Aggie?
Inanimate objects, e.g. colors and plants, always lose to animate objects.
Predators beat non-predators and unarmed humans.
Humans beat non-predators.
Humans with weapons beat predators.
Humans with weapons beat humans without weapons.
Humans with superior technology/weapons/training win.
Supernatural beings and killer weather systems defeat human warriors.
Many animals, especially birds and fish, can survive devastating storms.
If the schools have the same mascot, then the higher seed wins.
Prepositions lose to everything. (See explanation of What’s a Hoya)
16 North Carolina A&T Aggies def. 16 Liberty Flames. Right off the bat, there is a tough one. Aggies are always one of the hardest mascots to pin down. On the most basic level, an Aggie is simply someone involved in agriculture. The problem is the “Aggie” is one of the most inconsistent mascots there is. There are seven schools that are Aggies. Delaware Valley College uses a ram. New Mexico State uses a guy with a lasso or gun, depending on which logo you use. Oklahoma Panhandle State uses a slick-looking guy riding a horse. Texas A&M uses Lassie. UC Davis uses a horse. Utah State has a anthropomorphised bull. North Carolina A&T’s Aggie is a bulldog. So, do I use a farmer, or a bulldog? Liberty doesn’t make it any eaiser. A flame is pretty non-descript. A flame could be a raging fire or a match stick. Their mascot though, is an Eagle (a flaming Eagle?). In Bulldog vs Eagle, I pick the bulldog. This might be disputable, but bulldogs are tough SOBs. They were bred to fight wild boars and bears. BEARS.
11 St. Mary’s Gaels def. 11 Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. If you watch this little video, you learn that at one time the mascot for the MTSU was some guy dressed up as Nathan Bedford Forrest. This is the same man who is largely identified as the founding father of the Ku Klux Klan. The video says this practice stopped in the 1960s, and that the blue winged horse named “Lightning” was adopted in the 1990s to update the school’s brand. According to wikipedia, Lightning was the name of Forrest’s horse, but several other sites identify his horse as “King Phillip.”
The St. Mary’s Gael on the other hand, is a tough one. In its purest sense, a Gael is simply someone from Ireland or Scotland. The Gael is not inherently armed, nor particularly fierce. In some sense, I am a Gael, and I would stand no chance in fighting against a pegasus without (or probably with) a weapon. St. Mary’s though, uses an armored, mounted, knight as their mascot. This means we are dealing with a fight between an unmanned pegasus and a mounted knight with lance. This is a clear, if somewhat fantastic, example of rule #5.
Second round
16 North Carolina A&T Aggies def. 1 Louisville Cardinals. If the bulldog could take out an eagle, a cardinal wouldn’t have a chance. A 16 has never beaten a 1. Earlier in the year, I predicted this is the year that it would happen.
9 Missouri Tigers def 8 Colorado State Rams. A ram is pretty tough, but the tiger is one of the most fearsome predators on the planet.
Did someone say Movember Madness?
5 Oklahoma State Cowboys def 12 Oregon Ducks. The ducks are going to need more than supplemental health insurance after squaring off against a gun-toting Cowboy. Plus, the Ok State Cowboy features one of the great mascot mustaches of all-time. This is one of the biggest blowouts of the first round.
13 New Mexico State Aggies def. 4 Saint Louis Billikens. I swear, the Aggies need their own rule. As I said before, New Mexico State features a farmer with either two six-shooters or a lasso. The Aggies’ mustache could create quite a second-round match up, if they can get by the Billikens. Which, of course, brings us to one of the most mysterious mascots in all of college sports. The story behind the billiken involves a sports writer, a Drug store owner, a student artist, a popular lucky charm from the early 20th century and a basketball coach look alike. While at first glance, the Billiken looks like it might have some magical powers, beyond luck, it seems defenseless. So Billiken, you’ve got to ask yourself one question. Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?
The Fighting Scooby Doos are up against the perennial power Blue Devils
2 Duke Blue Devils def. 15 Albany Great Danes. Albany has a unique mascot. According to Slackcat.com, they are the only Great Danes in college sports. Going into the tournament, I was pulling for the Fighting Scoobies. Unfortunately, they don’t have much of a chance against the Blue Devils. Fans of the Mascot Bracket should know by now that the Blue Devils are named for an elite World War I unit that were renowned for their courage. Before Duke was named after the Blue Devils, they were known by some as “The Methodists,” whose biggest rivals were the Wake Forest “Baptists.” So, sorry Scooby, that Blue Devil is not Old Man Withers from the haunted amusement park. He’s a well-trained soldier.
10 Cincinatti Bearcats def. 7 Creighton Blue Jays. While a blue jay is considered a pretty mean bird, it would not stand a chance against the binturong.
Ken Burns’ “The Spartans”
3 Michigan State Spartans vs 14 Valparaiso Crusaders. This is another tough match-up. Sparta was a city-state devoted to building soldiers. Everything in the society contributed to one goal: creating shining, almost chromatic abs (as seen in Ken Burns’ documentary 300*). The Crusaders are knights in shining armor. So here we have the question: Abs of Steel or actual steel? It is really hard to bet against a Spartan against any human without gunpowder.
11 St. Mary’s Gaels def. 6 Memphis Tigers. While this would be an interesting match, I have to invoke rule 5 again.
Third Round
8 Missouri Tigers def 16 NC A&T Aggies. I’m still in awe of the bear-fighting bulldogs, but Tigers are pretty intense. I mean, clearly Tigers are no match for an Indian kid on a boat with a stick, but still. I’m going with the Tigers.
13 New Mexico State Aggies def. 5 Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Aggies and the Cowboys are virtually identical. This looks like a Rule 10 match. The only discernible difference lies in the quality of their mustache. While the Oklahoma State Cowboy is unkempt and bushy, the NMSU Aggie could be played by Ron Swanson.
This might be the greatest picture I’ve ever created.
2 Duke Blue Devils def. 10 Cincinatti Bearcats. Rule #5
3 Michigan State Spartans def. 11 St. Mary’s Gaels. For almost the exact same reasons as Michigan State’s second round win.
Regional Semifinals
13 The Fighting Ron Swansons def. 8 Missouri Tigers. Afterwards, Ron has tiger meat for dinner.
2 Duke Blue Devils def. 3 Michigan State Spartans. The abs are glorious, but they cannot stop bullets.
Regional Final: Duke Blue Devils def. New Mexico State Fighting Ron Swansons. “Capitalism is what makes America great, England ok, and France terrible” (Ron Swanson, in Parks and Rec). The Blue Devils were a French unit in World War I, and while the French now have a terrible military reputation, for centuries the French were the most respected army in the world. This is a tough call to make, but I have mad respect for the French army in World War I.
South Region
Second Round
The result is the Western Kentucky Hilltopper
1 Kansas Jayhawks def. 16 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. The Western Kentucky Hilltopper looks like the love child of the Red M&M and Ronald McDonald’s best friend. If I had to guess the origin of the WKU Hilltoppers, I would have thought it had something to do with a Civil War battle or group of soldiers. Nope. According to this article, the Hilltoppers got their name from moving the campus, yes, up a hill. This means that a Hilltopper is simply a college student carrying a box. This does not paint the picture of a fierce fighter, but neither does a Jayhawk, which bears a striking resemblance to Foghorn Leghorn.
I say. I say, I say, what is a Jayhawk, boy?
The story behind the Jayhawk though, reveals that it is much tougher than that. The term Jayhawk comes from one of the most tumultuous eras in our nation’s history. As Kansas approached statehood, there was a great debate over whether it would be a slave or free state. It was decided that it would be decided by a vote of its citizens. This resulted in a whole slew of shenanigans from both free-state and slave-state supporters. Those engaging in the shenanigans became known as Jayhawkers. No one is quite sure where that term came from. Eventually though, it became identified with the free-staters. All of this means that a Jayhawk is someone willing to steal a horse, burn down a house, damage crops, or possibly turn violent. A Hilltopper is suck-up student carrying some books.
8 North Carolina Tar Heels def. 9 Villanova Wildcats. There are two stories about where the term Tar Heel came from. The cooler one is that Robert E. Lee used it to describe a group of North Carolinan soldiers who were so unlikely to retreat that the only explanation was that their heels were stuck to the ground with tar. This means a Tar Heel is a Civil War soldier, which can shoot a wildcat.
5 Virginia Commonwealth Rams def. 12 Akron Zips. While the Zips use a Kangaroo as their mascot, the origin of the name Zips is actually a shoe. Zip is short for Zipper, which was the name of a popular shoe from the early 1900s that was made of rubber. Akron is the rubber capital of the world. You see the logic? A kangaroo versus a ram would have been a very interesting fight. A ram against a shoe?
4 Michigan Wolverines vs 13 South Dakota State Jackrabbits. This is one of the few battles in his bracket that could actually happen in nature. It would not turn out well for the Jackrabbits.
2 Georgetown Hoyas vs. 15 Florida Gulf Coast Eagles. What’s a hoya? The very question could be translated as “What’s a what?” Let’s just say Georgetown’s only hope for advancing in this bracket is to play Ohio State, Harvard, or Syracuse.
10 Oklahoma Sooners def. 7 San Diego State Aztecs. This one really puts the rules to the test. Neither the Aztec nor the Sooner is inherently armed. Neither mascot is depicted with a weapon. If they could get their hands on some arms, an Aztec would be caught holding a spear while looking down the barrel of a rifle.
14 Northwestern State Demons def. 3 Florida Gators. An early favorite emerges as the Demon is going to be tough to beat. There is no origin or explanation to the demon beyond the supernatural.
6 UCLA Bruins vs 11 Minnesota Golden Gophers. If the gopher is solid gold, it is an inanimate object. If it just a golden-colored gopher, it gets eaten by the bruin.
Third Round
1 Kansas Jayhawks def. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels. The Jayhawks eventually became the name of a regiment of Union soldiers in the Civil War. Not sure if the Union Jayhawks or the Confederate Tar Heels would win? I think history tells us this answer.
4 Michigan Wolverines def 5 VCU Rams. This, to me, feels like a fight between a trained fencer and a MMA brawler. The ram is incredibly powerful with what he does, but if faced with an angry wolverine, I don’t see it having much of a chance.
10 Oklahoma Sooners def. Florida GC Eagles. I might be stretching the rules here, but I think a sooner has a weapon.
14 Northwestern State Demons def. UCLA Bruins. I’m not even sure how this works. Perhaps the Demon actually possesses the Bruin, takes over its body, and becomes some sort of super-evil-Bear.
Regional Semifinals
1 Kansas Jayhawks def. 4 Michigan Wolverine. That is assuming that the Jayhawk makes the first shot count. If he needs two, things could get interesting.
14 Northwestern State Demons def. Oklahoma Sooners. Even the Sooner’s rifle can’t stop the possessed bear.
Regional Final: Northwestern State Demons defeat Kansas Jayhawks. This is an unlikely pick, but I have to go with Northwestern STate to make the Final Four. I’m not sure how a Demon is going to get beaten.
East Region
First Round
Duke of Crowborough. Not sure if he’s a fighter.
16 James Madison Dukes def. 16 LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds. I don’t know much about Dukes (maybe I need to watch more Downton Abbey), but I’m thinking this guy could handle a blackbird.
1 Indiana Hoosiers def. 16 James Madison Dukes. The origin of the Hoosiers is clouded in mystery. There are many theories, but it seems like a Hoosier is simply someone from Indiana. A Duke, no matter their crown-wearing bulldog mascot, is a level of British royalty. Neither a Hoosier nor a Duke is inherently armed. I don’t know any Dukes. I do know a couple of Hoosiers. They are good guys, so I’m betting on them, with a touch of rule #10.
8 North Carolina State Wolfpack def. 9 Temple Owls. The Wolf Pack has a number advantage. A pack of wolves is an intimidating force. A lone owl would not stand a chance
5 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels def. 12 California Golden Bears. Despite Rule 17, I’m going with the Rebels. That is a mighty big shotgun he’s toting. And it is an even mightier mustache.
13 Montana Grizzlies def. 4 Syracuse Orange. Syracuse is an early-round exit every year. Montana is a perennial Cinderella pick.
2 Miami Hurricanes def. 15 Pacific Tigers. A Tiger is tough, but I don’t think it can stand up to the winds of a hurricane.
7 Illinois Fighting Illini def. 10 Colorado Buffaloes. This matchup has some historic roots. The Native American versus the Tatonka. The Illini win this battle, but they do so with the utmost respect. They are good stewards of the gifts the buffalo provides, and they do not put the species at risk by wasteful over-hunting.
Do you want to mess with this guy?
3 Marquette Golden Eagles def. 14 Davidson Wildcats. A wildcat is not a very big animal. An Eagle would have to take more than one swipe, but I think it would wear out the wildcat.
6 Butler Bulldogs def. 11 Bucknell Bison. A Bison is 2000 pound animal with huge horns on its head. But it is usually pretty docile. A Bulldog was bred, as I said before, to hunt wild boars and bears. In the wild, a Bison doesn’t have many predators, though in my reading I found that a wolf pack could prey on one, and a single wolf has been known to take down a bison. Bison vs bulldog is a fascinating match. This cute video of bulldog puppies doesn’t paint a fierce picture of the breed, but I’m still leaning toward the bulldog.
Third Round
Even Harry Hoosier would lose to a wolf pack
8 North Carolina State Wolfpack def. 1 Indiana Hoosiers. Really, the hoosier doesn’t have a lot of hope in the Mascot Bracket. One student is trying to change that. This Facebook group is lobbying to change Indiana’s mascot to a Buffalo-looking creature called Howie Hoosier. It is an uphill battle. They have 19 members. Even if Indiana was this strange boxing buffalo, we have already learned that a wolf pack is a natural predator of the Buffalo.
5 UNLV Runnin Rebels def. 13 Montana Grizzlies. This Rebel better be a good shot. He took out the Cal Bear in his first game. He would have to take out the Grizzly to advance to the Sweet 16.
2 Miami Hurricanes def. 7 Illinois Fighting Illini. Severe weather systems are tough to beat. The Illini could wait it out, but it is a pretty formidable foe.
6 Butler Bulldogs def. 3 Marquette Golden Eagles. If Marquette were still the Warriors (as the CBS announcer incorrectly called them during the Selection Show), they would stand a chance, but Bulldog vs. Eagle was already decided in the Midwest Region.
Regional Semifinals
8 North Carolina State Wolfpack def. 5 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels. The Rebel isn’t going to be able to reload fast enough to take down a whole pack.
2 Miami Hurricanes def. 6 Butler Bulldogs. Again, it is hard to stand up to a hurricane.
Regional Final: Miami Hurricanes def. North Carolina State Wolfpack. In the last five years, 187 people in the US have been killed by hurricanes. 20 people have been killed by wolf attacks in the world since 2000. The Hurricane is clearly more dangerous to humans. While it is possible to imagine that a couple of wolves could somehow survive a hurricane, thus allowing the pack to survive, I think it’s a long shot.
West Region
First Round
Somebody brought a knife to a gun fight.
13 Boise State Broncos def. 13 La Salle Explorers. The Explorer would be able to see the bronco coming from a distance, so it would not be a surprise attack. Being prepared probably wouldn’t help him much as the Bronco trampled his jaunty hat.
Second Round
16 Southern Jaguars def. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs. According to Bleacher Report, the bulldog is the most frequently used mascot in division one sports. By now, my admiration for the toughness if a bulldog is clear, but a jaguar can weigh up to 300 pounds. I just don’t see the bulldog standing much of a chance. My biggest wish though, is that the amazing Human Juke Box would play at halftime and form the score of the game. That would be sweet.
8 Pittsburgh Panthers def. 9 Wichita State Shockers. The Shocker mascot is a bundle of wheat that looks like the merry-go-round operator in Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. A panther is a huge predatory cat that is looking ahead to an epci battle with the jaguar.
5 Wisconsin Badgers def. 12 Ole Miss Rebels. At first I thought this was a clear case of Rule 5. Then a closer look reveals that the Ole Miss Rebels is really, um, Old. He’s an old guy with a cane, not a soldier toting a rifle. The badger is a nasty little animal that clearly don’t give a care. I don’t think the cane is going to help.
13 Boise State Broncos def. 4 Kansas State Wildcats. A wild cat is really not an impressive animal. If it was a wildcat versus my garbage can lid, I’d pick the cat. I’m going with the bronco on this one.
15 Iona Gaels def. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes. I hate The Ohio State University.
10 Iowa State Cyclones def. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The end result of this match might be the origin story for how the munchkins came to live in Oz.
11 Belmont Bruins def. 6 Arizona Wildcats. Not even a close fight.
Third Round
8 Pittsburgh Panthers def. 16 Southern Jaguars. Jaguars and panthers are pretty much the same animal. The difference lies in location, habitat, and color. Ties go to the higher seed.
13 Boise State Broncos def. 5 Wisconsin Badgers. I just don’t see how a little badger could take down a huge horse. I think eventually the little crazy honey badger would get trampled.
10 Iowa State Cyclones def 15 Iona Gaels. The cyclones are sticking with the Celts in the first two rounds. The Gael won’t do any better than the Fighting Irish.
Probably a photo shop image, but still intriguing.
11 Belmont Bruin def. New Mexico Lobos. This National Geographic video depicts a stand off between a wolf and a bear in the wild. The narrator says, the bear “can break a wolf’s back with a single swipe of her paw.” In the end, the wolves are chased off by the bear.
Regional Semifinals
8 Pittsburgh Panthers def. 13 Boise State Broncos. I just don’t see the horse having enough offense to combat the ferocity of a 300 pound panther.
10 Iowa State Cyclones def. 11 Belmont Bruins. In meteorological terms, a cyclone is simple a low-pressure weather pattern of swirling clouds. In common usage though, it is used synonymously with tornado. A tornado can reach wind speeds of 300 mph, and could toss a brown bear miles in the air.
Regional Final: Iowa State Cyclone def. Pittsburgh Panthers. While survival is possible, I just don’t give the panther a real good shot of making it.
Final Four
Iowa State Cyclones defeat Duke Blue Devils. Again, survival is possible if there is adequate shelter, but in the Mascot Bracket Arena, I don’t see it happening.
Miami Hurricanes defeat Northwestern State Devils. I honestly have no idea how to argue this. A weather system versus the supernatural entity is the hardest type of Mascot fight to pick. I think Rule #10 applies here as much as anything.
Miami Hurricanes defeat Iowa State Cyclones. I’m going with total destructive path on this one. A cyclone packs a higher top speed, but inflicts damage in a more precise manner. Hurricanes bring not only wind, but flood waters and affect regions with a much broader stroke. If we’re looking at the actual mascot, the angry Pelican or the strange whirling Cardinal are not going to win any intimidation contests, but that’s not what I’m looking at. I guess you could argue that this isn’t really a Mascot bracket so much as it is a nickname contest. Feel free to comment below. Just remember, in 2010 the Mascot Bracket won my yahoo group – beating picking all the favorites, Joe Lunardi, my actual picks, and President Obama. Happy March!
John Harbaugh is the coach of the Baltimore Ravens. His younger brother Jim is the coach of the San Francisco 49ers
Jim Harbaugh is the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. This Sunday Jim is leading his team into the Superbowl, and on the opposing sidelines will be his oldest rival, his big brother John. Jim and John Harbaugh have justifiably received a lot of attention these last two weeks. The Harbaugh brothers have reached the pinnacle of the football world. On Sunday they will share the biggest stage in the world. Not too long ago, they shared a bedroom.
Jim and John Harbaugh were born 15 months apart. They were fierce competitors growing up. Gifted with more natural talent, Jim went farther as an athlete. He was one game away from playing in the Superbowl as the quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts. Yet here they are, meeting as head coaches at the top of their career.
There are other famous pairs of siblings in the sports world. Peyton and Eli Manning, and Serena and Venus Williams are two pairs that have made some headlines. In most of these matchups, I tend to root for the younger sibling. I root for the little brother because I know how that feels.
This not my brother and me, but anyone that thinks wresting is fake has never been trapped in a figure four leg lock. This happens to be Ric Flair on the right, playing my brother, and I believe Steve Austin on the left, playing me.
My brother and I were born almost six years apart, so we weren’t exactly rivals. My younger years were spent in perpetual servitude and resentment. Yet at the same time, my older brother was always there. He was someone for me to look up to and emulate. He showed me how to swing a bat and a golf club. He taught me how to put together a hot wheels racing tournament with my cars. He taught me how to build lego cars, card houses, and do card tricks. He was even willing to demonstrate on me how to do a D.D.T, a Figure-four Leg Lock (pictured), and a Camel Clutch. In time, he became my best friend, and we stood next to each other at each of our weddings. There was no thought to asking anyone else to be there for me in that moment.
My big brother was always there. Sometimes he made me angry enough to cry or scream or attack with a ferocity I didn’t know I had. One time he tickled me until I puked. Most of the time he was teaching me something. And he taught me so much, the important stuff and trivial stuff. He taught me about girls and sarcasm and sports, and life. He taught me to like chocolate and peanut butter ice cream, and the Macho Man, and Seinfeld. My big brother is the smartest person I know, and there are few people with whom I laugh more. He still teaches me stuff. I still look up to him, even though he stopped being my “big brother” by the time I was about 15 years old.
That’s why I usually cheer for Eli and Serena, and why I’ll probably be cheering for Jim (although he is kind of a lunatic, and I think I’d rather play for John). I know a little of what Jim will feel when he looks across the field and sees John: pure love, admiration, and respect; and a desire to beat him that is pure and burns white-hot.
I didn’t beat my brother much growing up. He was bigger than me, stronger than me, faster than me, and smarter than me. It wasn’t until I was about 15 or 16 when some of those things started to change. My brother and I had some epic basketball games over the years. Some were Nerf games, where he had to play on his knees and there were no holds barred. Some were on our back patio, where the flowers were out of bounds, the crack was the three-point line, and you had to take the ball back to the grill.
The summer after I graduated high school was our last summer together. That fall, he started his second year of medical school, and I went off to college. We played a lot of basketball games that summer. One-on-one, to 30, winner’s outs, win by two. There were a series of intense games. I discovered I had a distinct advantage inside. He was still quicker than me and a better all-around athlete. All were close, but he won them all. He had a winning streak that dated back to the early 1980s. It was the kind of streak that the Harlem Globetrotters could envy. Finally, The Streak ended. It was an intense game. We were well into the 30s, going back and forth.
Michael Jordan’s last shot with the Bulls is one of those plays that is ingrained into the collective memory of thousands of basketball fans. I can still see it as vividly today as I did when he hit it to beat the Jazz for his sixth World Championship. Jordan’s shot, and that memory, have the distinct advantage of having been shown over and over for years.
The Shot was not recorded. The only spectator was my Mom watching from the kitchen window. Yet it was ingrained into my mind as clearly as any of my sports memories. I have watched my teams win World Championships. I jumped out of my skin as the Illini came back against Arizona. I wept openly when the Paul Konerko clutched the last out of the 2005 World Series, and I still get goosebumps when I recall the Phillies beating the Devil Rays.
None of these moments are as important to me as the time I drove to my left toward the baseline, backed in a little, then pivoted to face the hoop, and took a little jumper leaning away from the basket from about five feet, just in front of the rock garden in the corner, and I beat my big brother. It was, at the time, the greatest moment of my life.
Covered in sweat, drained, and tired, I simply pumped my fist. We went inside. Mom asked us, “Who won?” I don’t think either of us answered with words. We didn’t have to.
For all those that are angered, sickened, saddened, devastated, or outraged by Freeh Report, I want to say this: Good. Feel that. Feel anger. Feel sick. Feel sad, and outraged. Feel it all. Shed a tear. Punch your desk. Do whatever you need to do to feel what you need to feel. Then, once the emotion can settle, do something. Do something for children. Do something for victims. Speak about abuse. Talk to your children about their self-worth, and teach them to not allow anyone to violate them. Write letters to lawmakers. Donate to local shelters. Take all that energy that you are feeling right now and use it.
Jerry Sandusky is in jail, but there are thousands of others like him in the world. Don’t believe the lies that predators want you to believe. Don’t believe that it can’t happen to you. Don’t believe that it can’t happen to your kid. Don’t believe that no one would cover up something like that. The Freeh Report needs to shock us into reality. It needs to shock us out of hiding and into the light. Sexual abuse and domestic violence cannot be a secret anymore. So go ahead and get mad. Call talk shows, talk to your friends, tweet, and update your status, but do not let it end there. Educate yourself and others. Advocate for those with no voice. Serve in places that need caring and loving people.
We need to learn some lessons from Penn State, Joe Paterno, Graham Spanier, Gary Schultz, and Tim Curley. The Penn State Four covered up for a grown man that was raping children. When those children needed someone to stand up and shout, “Stop!” silence was their answer.
If you are outraged, listen to that outrage. Do not let silence be your answer.
P.S. I wrote this blog, entitled Paterno’s Legacy (not his eternity) in January. At that time, a few people made comments saying that I wasn’t being fair. I wonder what they’re thinking now.
Busch Stadium in St. Louis, one of my favorite places on earth.
I start to get excited as soon as I can see the lights of the stadium. It doesn’t matter which stadium – Wrigley, Comiskey (no, it is not “The Cell”), Busch. I start to get excited as soon as I can see the lights. Approaching the stadium, the excitement builds. People are coming in off the El or crossing the street in hoards. I always buy my peanuts from a guy outside the stadium because its usually a buck cheaper.
I love the colors of baseball. Blue, gold, and green. These are the colors of baseball for me. Blue sky. Green grass. Golden infield with crisp white lines. I always pause at the first site of the field. Everything is perfect. Nobodies has kicked up the batter’s box. Nobody has groomed their own place in the field. The rubber and the bases look like they’re shining. The scoreboard is big and bright and full of information, but right now there are only zeroes on it.
I love the smell of baseball. Cinnamon is the smell of the Comiskey. The churro stand must be nearby. Onions are caramelizing on the grill. Hot dogs are red. The beer is cold. I breathe it in. I don’t bring my glove to games (because I’m a grown man), but I can still smell the leather. I’ve buried my face in my glove enough times to recall the smell – especially at a ballgame. I find my seat, fill out the lineup card and let the sun pour over me. I look at the names on my scorecard and wonder, “Who’s going to hit a home run? Who will get the first hit?”
I love the sounds of baseball. The vendors are hawking their $9 beers. The crowd is a low murmur, ready to explode in an instant. The organ plays tunes that were not meant to be played by pipe organs, but somehow they fit. And then the game starts, and I wait for the greatest sound of them all. Bat on ball. The crowd comes alive. The players move in perfect synchronicity to the place they need to be – covering every possible angle that the ball may travel.
I’ve never been to a game on Opening Day, but I can only imagine the sense of excitement. For those in St. Louis that celebrated just a few months ago, or those in Chicago that have been waiting generations, the excitement of Opening Day is connected directly to hope. Hope springs eternal on Opening Day. The team hasn’t lost a game yet. Everyone’s in first place. Every team has a chance. Every fan knows that on Opening Day, anything can happen.
For those of us that love the game, baseball is the soundtrack of the summer. It will be on the radio and TV. We will check scores from phones, and open up the agate page in the sports. Phrases like “rubber match, games back, get-away day,” will reenter our vocabulary. Every fan hopes that what begins with a cool day in April will end with a cool celebration in October.
The season will be filled with ups and downs. There will be winning streaks and hitting streaks; losing streaks and slumps. There will be lazy fly balls and screaming line drives. There will be thrilling comebacks and heartbreaking losses. Our team will win. Our team will lose, and the summer will move on. Eventually, the season will be over, and we all want it to end with a parade through our city.
Isn’t that what life is all about? When I die, I don’t expect that there will be a parade, but I have assurance to know that there will be a great celebration. Jesus gave us some simple instructions for life, “Follow me,” he said. Follow him in service, compassion, grace, and love. He told us to love ourselves, love our neighbors, and love our God. He told us to break bread with each other, forgive and be forgiven, and be willing to sacrifice for the sake of others.
We go through this season of life and surely there are going to be slumps, bad outings, and losing streaks. Everyone faces the dog-days of summer and the nagging insecurities of a fallen world and a sinful nature. Today though, we have hope. Today can be Opening Day. There are a lot of questions we have to answer. There is potential that we can still unlock. There are stories to be told, and lives that we can touch. There swings to be swung, pitches to be pitched, and games to be won. Today is Opening Day.
Are you looking for a team to cheer for in March Madness this weekend? It’s still early, so most people’s brackets are still in tact. Maybe you don’t need extra incentive to cheer for anyone in the Big Dance, but let me suggest to you a team from the “Little Dance.” The Division III NCAA Final Four is being held this weekend.
The women are playing in Holland, Michigan while the men are playing in Salem, Virginia. While the big schools of Illinois went ‘ofer’ the tourney, sorry Wildcats, Illini, Salukies, Blue Demons and the like, two teams from Illinois have kept their championship dreams alive.
The Titans of Illinois Wesleyan have a team in both Final Fours (and I should add that the Titans would mop up either Final Four in a mascot bracket). Division III athletics might not have the flash or the talent of their DI counterparts, but they mostly don’t have the agents, egos, shoe deals or point-shaving scandals either. They also still live up the moniker student-athlete.
The Illinois Wesleyan Women have had an especially tumultuous season. In today’s Chicago Tribune is a fabulous piece by David Haugh. Titan head coach Mia Smith has coached the majority of this basketball season while undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
According to Haugh, she started chemotherapy in December. On December 10, the Titans record was an uncharacteristic 3-4. In 2011, the Titans fourth loss came in late January on their way to the school’s first-ever trip to the Final Four. In 2010, the Titans lost only two games all year. It is hard to say why they had the difficult start, but the four teams they lost to all finished in the top 20 according to d3hoops.com. According to some figures, the Titans faced the second toughest schedule in the nation. When you factor in breast cancer into their list of opponents, I think it’s safe to say it was tougher than that.
Mia Smith is the all-time winningest coach at Illinois Wesleyan. In her 14th season, Smith is at the helm of one of the dominant programs in the country (since the 06-07 season her Titans are 159-23) . Her teams play a frenetic full-court press that she likes to call “Run and Jump.” They shoot well, run fast, dive for loose balls, and scrap for every rebound. They are a fun team to watch and have developed a strong fan base that well surely support them well in Holland this weekend.
Smith has had a lot of support this season. Chemotherapy is one of the worst things a person can endure. I don’t know all the details, but it is basically poison that kills everything it can. To say that it leaves people with less energy is like saying a marathon is a light stroll. Coaching basketball is a high-energy profession. Clearly the Titans have fed off of her strength, but according to her she has fed off of her player’s strength as well.
She told David Haugh ”People have thanked me for being a good role model for these young ladies as I endured hardship, but I’m telling you, it’s the other way around. All I had to do was think of how hard those girls work at practice, and that was all the inspiration I needed to get up.”
So tonight as you’re following the madness on four different national cable networks plus highlights on the ESPN family, can I suggest one more team to support? They aren’t on any of the brackets you filled out, but they’re worth a moment or two. Drop by this site to watch the games. There won’t be any agents or NBA scouts. There will be eight teams playing their hearts out and a few thousand loyal fans hoping to witness their own one shining moment.
There will be one coach that has stared down cancer, and a team that has carried her through it. I’ve said it before, but tonight with my computer on my lap as a I agonize over every basket while switching between games, it will never be more true. I’m proud to be a Titan.
Filling out the bracket is one of my favorite annual events. I’ve been filling out brackets for over 25 years. In all my years of filling out brackets, I’ve only won a group once. I stopped doing pay-for-play brackets many years ago, but I did finish in the money once when I was a kid. The only time I’ve ever won a group was in 2010, when my Mascot Bracket beat about 30 other submissions in my free yahoo group. Among the submissions were President Obama’s and Joe Lunardi, the man who coined the term “bracketology.”
What is the Mascot Bracket? It is simple: pick the winners of the entire NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament based solely on which mascot would win in a fight. To accomplish this task, I have come up with some rules. The 2012 bracket has the first major rule change. In the past, I used a simple food-chain style set of rules which placed weather systems at the top. I’ve decided to make a change, so that the rules form more of a rocks-paper-scissors format.
Inanimate objects, e.g. colors and plants, always lose to animate objects.
Predators beat non-predators and unarmed humans.
Humans beat non-predators.
Humans with weapons beat predators.
Humans with weapons beat humans without weapons.
Humans with superior weapons/training win.
Supernatural beings and killer weather systems defeat human warriors.
Many animals, especially birds and fish, can survive devastating storms.
Ties go to the high seed.
Prepositions lose to everything. (See explanation of What’s a Hoya)
17. Don’t turn your back on bears.
South Region (Atlanta)
First Round
Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils def. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. We start right off the bat with two unique mascots. The Hilltopper’s Big Red is perhaps the most mysterious mascot of them all. He looks like the love-child of the Red M&M and Ronald McDonald’s best friend. At first, I thought a hilltopper was going to be some sort of military guy – someone like Teddy Roosevelt reaching the top of San Juan Hill. I was wrong. The only explanation I can come up with for the name “Hilltopper” is that the school, in Bowling Green, is a beautiful hilltop campus. A Delta Devil is some sort of demonic creature that I presume comes from the Mississippi Valley. The school’s website doesn’t give a lot of help. Western Kentucky’s Big Red really defies all the rules. I suppose the only category it can fall into is the non-predatory animal. The Delta Devil looks like it will be pretty tough to beat, even in that fancy green cape.
Second Round
(16) Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils def. (1) Kentucky Wildcats. A game like this just makes me shake my head and consider instituting a No. 1 seed exemption. Seriously, No. 16 seeds are 0-108 in the history of the tournament, and I already know I’m picking at least two to win this year. This Delta Devil is going to be tough to beat.
(8) Iowa State Cyclones def. (9) Connecticut Huskies. This is kind of sad to think about, but I just don’t see how a Huskie stands up to a Cyclone.
These two look like cousins to me.
(12) Virginia Commonwealth Rams def. (5) Wichita State Shockers. A Shocker is basically a walking shock of wheat that has a Lady Elaine-like profile. When you get down to it, a Shocker is just a pile of grass. Even if you go back to the mascot’s roots, which paid homage to the fact that many Wichita State students shocked wheat as a summer job, I don’t think their heads would be hard enough to take out a ram.
(12) New Mexico State Aggies def. (5) Indiana Hoosiers. A few years ago New Mexico State really hurt its own chances in the mascot bracket by giving the guy in their logo a lasso instead of a six-shooter. Fortunately for the Aggies, a Hoosier is just a person from Indiana. While I found this pretty interesting explanation for the etymology of the word Hoosier, it really doesn’t help their cause.
(2) Duke Blue Devils def. (15) Lehigh Mountain Hawks. The Blue Devils are a perennial power in the Mascot Bracket (see 2010). At first glance, they seem to be a supernatural entity, bound for an epic clash against the Delta Devil in later rounds. After doing some research a couple of years ago though, I found that the Blue Devils are named for a squadron of French military made famous in World War I. A soldier shoots any kind of hawk, even a mountain one.
(10) Xavier Musketeers def. (7) Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This is actually a fight that I could imagine happening. Couldn’t you just imagine a hard-nosed Irishmen’s reaction if this guy walked into a pub. He would certainly pick a fight. Unfortunately for Patty though, the Musketeer would have a musket (or he would be known as something else). Unless the Fighting Irish start the fight with a sucker punch (which isn’t beyond the realm of imagination), the Musketeer wins.
(3) Baylor Bears def. (14) South Dakota State Jackrabbits. This one wouldn’t really be a fight. It would just be a snack.
(6) UNLV Runnin’ Rebels def. (11) Colorado Buffaloes. A man out west with a gun versus a buffalo. I think history has taught us how this one ends up.
Third Round
Iowa State Cyclones def. Mississippi Valley Delta Devils. This is an epic match-up. A super-natural entity against a killer weather system. I’m going with the Cyclone because it is a real thing and they are the higher seed.
New Mexico State Aggies def. VCU Rams. A look at the Aggies official site reveals that farmer is still packin’ steal. That means Ram stew.
Duke Blue Devils def. Xavier Musketeers. Rule 6 – Superior weapons.
UNLV Runnin’ Rebels def. Baylor Bears. Rule 5 – Human with weapon.
Regional Semis and Finals
Iowa State Cyclones def. New Mexico State Aggies. Duke Blue Devils def. Runnin’ Rebels. Iowa State punches their ticket to New Orleans by blowing past the Blue Devils.
West Region (Phoenix)
First Round
The Iona Gaels have a mascot that is “spunky” and “is consistent with the school motto ‘fight the good fight’” (from the official website)
Iona Gaels def. BYU Cougars. In my real bracket, I’m picking Iona to be this year’s VCU. That probably means they’ll get beat by the Jimmerless Cougars. In the mascot bracket, that little club is enough to fight off the cougar (okay, maybe its a little Scotch-Irish bias, but I’m a McCoy!).
Second Round
(1)Michigan State Spartans def. (16) LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds. This time the No. 1 seed cruises.
This statue sits on the campus of Saint Louis University. Reminds me of that old SNL skit, “You put your… in there”
(8) Memphis Tigers def. (9) Saint Louis Billikens. A Billiken is basically a chochtky (sp?). It’s a made-up good luck charm that some lady dreamed of 100 years ago. Weird, right? Picture a tiger – a huge, ferocious tiger – fighting the old troll key chain you had in high school. Not much of a fight, is it?
(12) Long Beach State 49ers def. (5) New Mexico Lobos. First of all, I love the fact that Long Beach State’s uniforms read simply “The Beach” across their chest. That doesn’t help them much in this fight against a wolf. What does help them is the giant pick ax this dude is carrying.
(13) Davidson Wildcats def. (4) Louisville Cardinals. I’m not really sure how this fight would go down, but I don’t see a Cardinal being able to mount much of an offense. Does Steph Curry have any eligibility left?
(15) Norfolk State Spartans def. (2) Missouri Tigers. I would really like to make the case for the Tigers here, but if this Mascot Bracket is going to have any integrity, I have to go with the armed and well-trained Spartan (plus, Michigan State vs. Memphis is coming in the next round of this region, and I assume your memory is long enough to notice if I am inconsistent here).
(10) Virginia Cavaliers def. (7) Florida Gators. I’m not sure if a sword is enough to take on a Gator, but if Swamp People has taught me anything, it has taught me that Gators can be manhandled by anybody (BTW, Swamp People hasn’t taught me anything).
(14) Iona Gaels def. (3) Marquette Golden Eagles. Rule 4 – human with a weapon.
(6) Murray State Racers def. (11) Colorado State Rams. This is a genuinely difficult one to judge, but the Murray State Racer is a thoroughbred horse. I could probably be swayed, but I think a horse is just too powerful.
Third Round
Michigan State Spartans def. Memphis Tigers. See the previous round – Norfolk State over Missouri.
Long Beach State 49ers def. Davidson Wildcats. Again, the man with the pick axe takes out the overgrown cat.
Norfolk State Spartans def. Virginia Cavaliers.
Murray State Racers def. Iona Gaels. This is an exception to rule 4. I just don’t see that shillelagh being enough against the thousand pound horse.
Regional Semis and Finals
Michigan State Spartans def. Long Beach State 49ers. The Spartans were some of the greatest warriors in history. The 49ers were some guys hoping to score a gold nugget. It would be a massacre. The Norfolk State Spartans def. the Murray State Racers. Again, Spartans are bad-asses. Finally, Michigan State Spartans def. the Norfolk State Spartans because ties go to the higher seed.
East Region (Boston)
Second Round
(16) UNC Asheville Bulldogs def. (1) Syracuse Orange. At least when Syracuse was the Orange Men, they had a fighting chance. Now that they’re just a color, they kill my mascot bracket every year.
(9) Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles def. (8) Kansas State Wildcats. Air-ground battles are the hardest to decide. It’s hard to imagine how this fight would even work, but I’m not sure how the wildcat would be able to mount an offense. Eagles are pretty powerful birds, and wildcats are not very big. A couple of good strikes at 80 mph would probably do it.
(5) Vanderbilt Commodores def. (12) Harvard Crimson. People love picking the Ivy League upset, but I don’t see it happening. This has already been established. Colors lose to everything.
(13) Montana Grizzlies def. (4) Wisconsin Badgers. Badgers are mean, but one would not stand a chance against an 800 pound grizzly bear.
(15) Loyola (MD) Greyhounds def. (2) Ohio State Buckeye. Remember when I said that colors lose to everything? So do plants. This region is killing me.
(10) West Virginia Mountaineers def. (7) Gonzaga Bulldogs. Mountaineers usually go pretty far in this bracket, largely due to the large beard, I mean shotgun, this guy is sporting.
(3) Florida State Seminoles def. (13) St. Bonaventure Bonnies. The Bonnies have gone through several different mascots over the years. They have settled on the Bona-Wolf. A Seminole could kill a wolf.
(11) Texas Longhorn def. (6) Cincinnati Bearcats. Bearcats are also known as Binturongs, which I think is a much cooler mascot name. They are tough little creatures, and a match against a Badger would be interesting. A match against a Longhorn would just be cruel.
Third Round
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles def. UNC Asheville Bulldogs. If an eagle can beat a wildcat, it could beat a poor bulldog too.
Vanderbilt Commodores def. Montana Grizzlies. While a matchup between a Grizzly and The Commodores would be brutal, but I don’t think that is the kind of Commodore we’re talking about.
West Virginia Mountaineers def. Loyola (MD)Greyhounds. Rule 4 – human with weapon.
Florida State Seminoles def. Texas Longhorns. Again, rule 4.
Regional Semis and Finals
Vanderbilt Commodores def. Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. Florida State Seminoles def. West Virginia Mountaineers. I feel like I might be getting into hostile and abusive territory here, so I’ll forgo more explanation, and just put Vanderbilt into the Final Four.
Midwest Region (Saint Louis)
First Round
Vermont Catamounts def. Lamar Cardinals. In case you were wondering, a cardinal is a little red bird that is quite popular in the midwest. I’m pretty sure the big wild cat would eat it.
California Golden Bears def. South Florida Bulls. This would be a devastatingly violent affair. This is all about rule 17.
Second Round
(1) North Carolina Tar Heels def. (16) Vermont Catamounts. The Tar Heel name is the stuff of legend, but according to the UNC website, it started during the Civil War and refers either to the North Carolina soldiers’ stubborn ability to stand and fight, as if they had tar on their heels; or was a slur used to make fun of the poor and dirty soldiers that made tar. For the purposes of the Mascot Bracket, I’m going with civil war soldier.
(9) Alabama Crimson Tide def. (8) Creighton Blue Jays. The Crimson Tide pose an interesting problem. Are they a weather-like mascot – like the tide rolling in? Are they just a color? Or are they elephants? If they are the tide rolling in, a blue jay could wait that out easily. If they are a color, then the animate bird wins. I’m going with elephant. Roll Tide.
(12) California Golden Bears def. (5) Temple Owls. Do I really need to explain this?
(15) Detroit Titans def. (2) Kansas Jayhawks. The Titans ruled the world before the Greek gods defeated them. They are also guys that look a lot like Spartans when turned into mascots. Jayhawks, besides looking a lot like a Foghorn Leg-horn, actually have a pretty interesting history. According to the school website, the Jayhawk refered to pioneers in Kansas that bugged other pioneers, notably from Nebraska. As Kansas moved toward statehood, there was quite a public debate over whether Kansas would be a free or a slave state. Ruffians on both sides of this battle were dubbed “Jayhawkers” and were known to rob, vandalize, sack, set fire to, and steal horses from the other side. In time, the Jayhawks referred mainly to the free-staters. So, that is a very long-winded way to determine that the true meaning of Jayhawk is not a stupid little bird, but a 1850s thug that was against slavery. Pretty cool, yes. Able to defeat a Greek god? I don’t think so.
This Gael is significantly different and more formidable than the Iona Gael.
(7) St. Mary’s Gaels def. (10) Purdue Boilermakers. The Boilermaker has a big hammer, but this version of the Gael is in full armor.
(14) Belmont Bruin def. (3) Georgetown Hoyas. And now, my annual explanation of Rule 10. You might be asking yourself, “What’s a Hoya?” Well, that is a question that Georgetown opponents have been chanting for decades. Wikipedia gives us the answer – it appears to have come from a chant, “Roxa Hoya,” which is loosely translated from Latin to “such rocks.” Hoya is basically Latin for “Such as.” So, if you’re using that – I think we finally found the only mascot that would lose to the Orange or the Buckeyes – a preposition. Yet, their mascot is a bulldog. A bulldog could be tough, but not against a Bruin (Rule 17).
(11) North Carolina State Wolfpack def. (6) San Diego State Aztecs. I am so tempted to insert a clip from The Hangover here, but it is kind of vulgar, so I won’t. Just google “one man wolfpack” for a laugh. The truth is, if NC State were a one-man wolfpack, the Aztecs could win. I’m assuming its an actual pack, and this statue confirms this.
Third Round
North Carolina Tar Heels def. Alabama Crimson Tide. This is a tough call, but I’m invoking rule 4.
California Golden Bears def. Michigan Wolverines. Sorry Red Dawn, Rule 17 strikes again.
St. Mary’s Gaels def. Detroit Titans. This is the mascot the Titans use. Have you seen Full Metal Jousting? That stuff is insane. I’m going with the guy in full armor.
NC State Wolfpack def. Belmont Bruins. Bears are tough, but a whole pack of wolves would never have to turn its back.
Regional Semis and Finals
North Carolina Tar Heels def. California Golden Bears. Rule 4. St Mary’s Gaels def. NC State Wolfpack. Rule 4, plus the armor would go a long way in fighting off wolf bites. North Carolina Tar Heels def. St. Mary’s Gaels. I don’t think the armor would stop the bullet.
Final Four (New Orleans)
Iowa State Cyclones def. Michigan State Spartans.
North Carolina Tar Heels def. Vanderbilt Commodores. This is a tough one. The Commodore outranks the Tar Heel, but that doesn’t mean he’s tougher. I’ll take the hardened Civil War vet in a fight.
Iowa State Cyclones def. North Carolina Tar Heel. The Tar Heel might stick in the mud, but it wouldn’t be enough to stand against a cyclone.
The Bruce Weber era at the University of Illinois is over. He finished his career at Illinois with a 210-101 record and a Big Ten record of 89-65. His career includes a national runner-up and two Big Ten titles. This does not look like the record of a former coach, but a closer look reveals the problem. Dee Brown and James Augustine graduated in 2006 with the most wins of any starters in Illinois basketball. Since then, the Illini have been 50-56 in the Big Ten and 1-3 in the NCAA tournament (they will presumably not make the tournament this year).
Weber seemed to be a decent guy. All accounts show that he ran a clean program in terms of NCAA rules. With a few notable exceptions, e.g. Jamar Smith and Jereme Richmond, his players have seemed to be decent guys too. Weber always seemed like an honest, hard-working, straight-shooter. He went to Wisconsin-Milwaukee and coached at Purdue and Southern Illinois. He is a Midwestern guy with a Midwestern ethic. He brought no glitz or glamour. His voice was always horse and his smile and orange blazer were always endearing.
The consensus opinion of Weber was that he was a good coach and a bad recruiter. The problem was that he was a decent recruiter, and only a decent coach. Close watchers of Illini basketball were frustrated by their lack of improvement. Guys like Demetri McCamey and Brian Randle had loads of talent, but seemed to make the same mistakes as seniors as they did as sophomores. The team seemed to constantly struggle against zone defenses. The easy basket on an in-bounds play or well drawn-up quick shot were rare. Basketball “experts” seemed to talk about Weber’s great motion offense. To me, his motion offense seemed too often to entail passing the ball around the perimeter for 30 seconds and then chucking up a three. When it was Head, Williams, and Brown doing the chucking, it worked brilliantly.
Illinois remains the best program in college basketball to never win a title. Over the last couple of seasons, it grew more obvious to me that Weber was not the man that would end that streak. That said, I take no joy from the firing of Bruce Weber. I also don’t worry much about him. He has been compensated very well at Illinois, and he will surely be on a coaching staff somewhere very soon. In the end, I will remember Weber as a decent guy and a decent coach that ran a decent program for awhile.
Is it too much to ask for more? In the current climate of NCAA sports, I’m not sure it is possible to be clean and win championships. A recent sports radio program asked Illinois fans, “Do you want a coach that is willing to cheat to win a championship?” In other words, do you want a temporary banner?
My answer is a resounding “no.” Am I being naive in thinking it’s still possible to win at Illinois without cheating? I really don’t think I am. I guess I just want to believe that it is possible to win and be (relatively) clean. Part of the problem is that the NCAA’s rule book is ridiculously long, and sometimes illogical. I’m sure that there are small-scale rules violations all the time. The real systemic problem seems to be the AAU coaches and the pseudo-agents that HS kids get when they are in 9th grade or earlier. When coaches get enmeshed with these shady characters, that is when the real muck gets stirred.
I would not want a guy like John Caliparri to be the coach at the U of I. I just couldn’t cheer for the guy because all of the banners he wins are temporary. I believe that it is still possible to put together a solid basketball program without getting all of the 5-star recruits and getting involved in all that comes with them. Teach good, fundamental basketball to hard-working athletes and I believe you can have a consistent sweet 16 program, and break through every once in awhile.
(BTW, if you do a Bruce Weber image search on google, it would be a good idea to include something like “coach” or “basketball,” or you will be quite surprised.)
I believe in a God whose love is more powerful than the worst of human nature, so I stay out of the guessing game as to who is going to be rewarded in heaven and who is going to face eternal damnation. I don’t have the theological arrogance to try and guess at that sort of thing.
Joe Paterno died yesterday, and the commentaries, columns, blogs, status updates, and tweets started to pour out. Some of it has been vitriolic. Some of it has been too flowery to stomach. Joe Paterno was a man. He was a sinner like all of us. He had some great victories, and some terrible failures. I would not want to be judged by my worst moments, but I’m not judging him as a man. I do not venture into that realm. I am commenting on his legacy – the way in which he is remembered. His legacy and his eternity are two very different things.
Here are few things I have to start with:
God’s grace is offered to all. I believe in a God of forgiveness, and I do not claim to know the will of God. I know absolutely nothing about Joe Paterno’s relationship with God – or Jerry Sandusky’s or Mike Mcqueary’s or any of the Penn State board members or any of the former football players that have come to Paterno’s defense.
God’s healing is possible for all. I believe in a God of healing, and I pray that there is healing for all those that are involved. I pray for the victims, for Sandusky, and for all that have been hurt. I know that there are a lot of broken hearts, and I hurt for all of them. I imagine that Joe Paterno has gone through a lot of turmoil these past few weeks, and I take no pleasure in that. I pray that he may indeed rest in peace, because I believe in the peace of Jesus Christ that surpasses all understanding.
Joe Paterno did not molest, rape or harm any child. Jerry Sandusky is accused of doing those things. He will get his day in court and face his accusers. I’ve read some of the testimony, and it looks pretty convincing. There is little doubt the prime “bad guy” in all of this is Sandusky.
We can take a lot of lessons from this tragedy, and one is this: you never know. Paterno trusted Sandusky. That trust was obviously mispaced. I do not blame him for trusting the wrong person. Any of us can do that. I blame him for the inaction after he was told the truth. And to that end, there seems to be plenty of blame to go around. As I read the timeline of this story, I just wish that one person – ONE – had the courage to address the problems that began to surface in 1994.
Another lesson is this: maybe we should stop building up coaches – or anyone for that matter – with so much adoration. This is something I wrote about in a post called Congratulations Coach.
My argument here is about Joe Paterno’s legacy. Not his eternal salvation, not Sandusky’s innocence, not the the board, or McQueary, or anyone else. I read the headline of a column that read “Paterno’s legacy outweighs the scandal.” I disagree, and here’s why:
Joe Paterno built a strong legacy, and it was on the strength of that legacy that Sandusky preyed (I’m going to allow you to insert the word “allegedly” here because it will get tiresome to type it every time.) on children. Paterno’s legacy gave Sandusky legitimacy. It gave him access.
Joe Paterno did a lot of amazing things. I’m sure that I don’t have a full understanding of all of the positive that he did, but that doesn’t matter. All of the positives, achievements, and good-will that he created gave him credibility and the moral high-ground in almost every matter. Most people consider him to be the most powerful man at the university – perhaps the most powerful man in the state. And it was power that he earned. It was a power that was based on the values he preached.
Joe Paterno wanted to create a football program that was about more than winning. His “grand experiment” was about melding football, academics and character. He wanted to mold boys into men and develop leaders. He preached about things like respect, honor, accountability, and faith. He wanted to create something that was good, almost holy. On the surface, that is exactly what he did. He created a program that was treated as if it was holy – untouchable. He had the moral high ground. This article in 2008 talked about how the program seemed bigger than the institution. And Joe Paterno WAS the program.
Joe Paterno had the moral authority to stop Jerry Sandusky when he was informed about it. Instead, he abdicated that authority when he was relatively silent when faced with the biggest challenge of his life. All of his achievements do little more than make his inaction more inexcusable. Did Jerry Sandusky fail? obviously. Did Mike McQueary fail? Certainly. Should he have gone to the police? Of course. But he was also deeply enmeshed in a culture of cover-up, and he went as high as he could possibly go – to Joe Paterno. Did the Athletic Direct, President and the Board fail? Yes. They were a part of the institutional mess that lacked the courage to do anything detrimental to the football program. It seems like even the current governor of Pennsylvania failed. Why? Because no one wanted to cross Joe Pa.
It was only Joe Paterno that could have stopped Jerry Sandusky. And he failed to do so. If we believe that Paterno was told about Sandusky in 2002, then there are many questions to ask. Why was he still hosting football camps on other Penn State campuses? Why was Paterno still involved with Sandusky’s Second Mile Foundation? Jerry Sandusky used the legacy of Joe Paterno to prey on children. He gained access, trust, and funds because of his relationship with Joe Paterno, and Paterno let it happen.
I do not believe that I am rushing to tarnish his legacy unfairly. I am judging it only by his own standard. He once said, “Losing a game is heartbreaking. Losing your sense of excellence or worth is a tragedy.” It seems to me that Joe Paterno lost his sense of excellence. That is (by far) not the greatest tragedy of this story, but it is nonetheless the tragedy of Joe Paterno’s legacy.
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