Selection Committee’s decisions still can’t be validated

The Twitter takes got hotter and hotter. As the Syracuse Orange won game after game in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, discussions started about the validation of the at-large bid the Orange received. On Selection Sunday, many thought Syracuse was on the wrong side of the bubble and smaller programs like Valparaiso, Monmouth and St. Bonaventure had a better chance of making the field of 68. The committee went with the big program in a power conference and now that team is headed to Houston for the Final Four.

When you look at the path in the Midwest region that Syracuse was fortunate to even be given the opportunity to travel down, other than yesterday’s 68-62 win in the regional final against Virginia, there aren’t many impressive victories. Beating a Dayton team in the first round that was coming into the tournament playing relatively inconsistent basketball and then beating two double-digit seeds in the next two rounds doesn’t sound all that difficult.

But that’s not even relevant really. The principle remains that what bubble teams do once they get into the tournament should have no effect on if they earned a bid. There is no more adding to resumes once the field is picked. Syracuse’s resume was not good enough to warrant an at-large bid and that still has not changed. Wins out of conference against Texas A&M and Connecticut are nice, but losses to Georgetown, Clemson and Florida State are not so nice.

Valparaiso has rolled through its three games so far in the NIT, winning each by double digits and is in the NIT Final Four, which tips off tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden. If there aren’t going to be discussions now about the legitimacy of an at-large selection for Valparaiso, then there shouldn’t be discussions about the validation of Syracuse’s. Ultimately, there are always going to be unhappy teams, but there was a clear bias from the selection committee to choose bigger bubble programs like Vanderbilt, Syracuse and Michigan over smaller schools like Valparaiso, Monmouth and St. Bonaventure. Did we forget so quickly about that run to the Final Four from Virginia Commonwealth in 2011? A small school that won the hearts of the country that many thought did not deserve an at-large bid.

                                                   Dennis Wierzbicki/USA Today
Jim Boeheim cuts down the net in Chicago at the United Center
after clinching a trip to his fifth Final Four.

Syracuse feels nothing like a traditional underdog in this tournament, and now, the NCAA gets what it wants. Syracuse and North Carolina in primetime on Saturday night in the second game of the National Semifinal doubleheader and two of the most historic coaches in college basketball, Roy Williams and Jim Boeheim, facing off for the right to play in the National Championship game. It may feel right, but it’s not.

On a much smaller note, the committee is probably taking solace over the fact that it got the final number one seed right. Oregon made it to the West Regional Final, while Michigan State was the victim of arguably the greatest upset in the history of the tournament in the first round losing to Middle Tennessee State.  In my opinion, this is more of a debate than if Syracuse belonged in the tournament, but this was still the wrong call too.  If history of the program is a criterion for a bid, which apparently it is if Syracuse gets in, then I’d say Michigan State has a lot of going for itself there instead of Oregon. But what do I know?

The best time of year in sports

What’s your favorite sport? For someone like me, that may seem like a pretty easy question to answer. But from now until the middle of June, it’s also easy to see why that’s such a hard question to answer. Not much happens in February. The weather is cold, football is over and sports fans are left looking forward to the spring.  But once the second week of March arrives, things start happening again.

It’s championship week in college basketball with conference tournaments being played across the nation this week with the field of 68 released Sunday evening.  The big dance is the best postseason tournament in all of sports if you ask me. But with some of the games we’ve seen this week in the conference tournaments, it’s safe to say the madness has already begun. As I watched the four-overtime thriller between Cincinnati and Connecticut, and saw Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield drain a half court short at the end of regulation against West Virginia, only for the shot to be waved off, the same three words kept running through my head. Only in March.

With conference tournaments still to be decided this weekend, and then the big dance starting on Tuesday, there should be many more photo finishes and instant classics. Of course everyone fills out a bracket, but one of the best parts about championship week is that it allows you to just watch game after game come right down to the wire and just enjoy it and that’s always fun.

But after it’s all over, there’s more fun for sports fans. The NHL and NBA regular seasons both have about one month left. This year, the Golden State Warriors are chasing the record for most wins in an NBA season. The playoffs, particularly in the NHL, bring plenty of parity and excitement. This all leads to champions being crowned in both leagues by the middle of June.

The free agent frenzy kicked off this week in the NFL as the new league year started Wednesday. Teams begin to shape rosters for the following season and scouting efforts ramp up with the NFL Draft looming on the horizon. The hypothetical scenarios fans dream about what their team should do to ensure a bright future are endless.

Golf’s first two majors will be played during the next three months. There is truly nothing like the tradition that comes with The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in early April.  The second tennis major of the year comes at the end of May in Paris at the French Open.

Now if I had to answer the question and tell you what my favorite sport is, I would probably say baseball. It was the first sport I started playing and watching as a kid. The season is about three weeks away and opening day is certainly one of my favorite days in sports.

But these next three months are just why answering that simple question can be so hard for me. So while February can be very boring for sports fans, March, April, May and the first couple weeks of June are just the opposite. It all starts now and it’s not slowing down. So buckle up and enjoy the ride sports fans.

Ranking the Best Picture nominees

February is the worst month of the year on the sports calendar. After the Super Bowl, there is next to nothing happening. So there was no better time to watch all eight of this year’s Best Picture nominees. Here is how I rank them.

Tom McCarthy's  "Spotlight" deserves the Oscar for Best Picture.

1.     Spotlight: This was such a well-told story. Viewers get an inside look into the Boston Globe’s investigation of the child molestation scandal involving the local Catholic Archdiocese. The cast is very good, the plot is loaded with intrigue and most importantly, there’s an authentic feel to the entire film. Mark Ruffalo plays the role of the bulldog reporter that’s traveling, making phone calls, and conducting interviews to get to the bottom of the scandal. Liev Schreiber is the editor that conducts the editorial discussions. Sometimes it’s easy to see through certain scenes in movies that are based on true stories and notice Hollywood throwing a few dramatic quirks into the film.  This film gives off a very genuine depiction of how things went down. Hats off to everyone involved. 

2.     The Big Short: This one may not win best picture, but looks like a lock for Best Adapted Screenplay. Based on the 2010 non-fiction book by Michael Lewis, this film encapsulates the life of four different businessmen who all predict the collapse of the housing market. I’m certainly not an expert when it comes to Wall Street, but this film did a good job of making the world of high finance interesting to a novice. Christian Bale turns in a good performance and proves to be worthy of his nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

3.     The Revenant: Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is going for a Best Picture repeat after “Birdman” won last year. “The Revenant” looks like the favorite heading into Sunday night. While I prefer “Spotlight” and “The Big Short”, it’s hard to argue with this one. There were times when there wasn’t much happening and it felt like a slow plot, but that’s to be expected in a survival story about a man left for dead. Ultimately, this only enhanced the suspenseful moments. At the very least, it’s Leonardo DiCaprio’s turn to win for Best Actor.

4.     Room: There’s certainly a drop off after the top three. But, in some ways, “Room” felt like this year’s “Boyhood”. This movie has some of the emotional family hooks that “Boyhood” thrived on last year.  Brie Larson is a heavy favorite for Best Actress. My one complaint would be William H Macy’s character isn’t really developed at all. Macy plays Larson’s father and cannot accept her son and leaves without an explanation. But in all, I was curious to see where the movie would go after reading a synopsis and ended up thoroughly enjoying it.

5.     Bridge of Spies: It’s the fourth film Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks have collaborated on as director and actor. I didn’t have a ton of prior knowledge about the actual events before watching the movie. But an American lawyer defending a soviet spy during the Cold War made for a story I wanted to see unfold. Tom Hanks always does a good job, but Mark Rylance was outstanding as the soviet spy and would be my pick for Best Supporting Actor.

6.     The Martian: Matt Damon’s films are almost always worth watching. But this one just didn’t seem as captivating. Damon is an astronaut left stranded on Mars and is presumed dead. Satellite photos prove that he is still alive and the rest of the movie entails NASA’s plan to bring him home. As the plan drags on, it becomes increasingly obvious that Damon’s character is going to be saved. It certainly isn’t a bad movie, but “The Martian” wouldn’t be my pick.

7.     Mad Max: Fury Road: This film should do well with a lot of the technical awards, but in general I’m not drawn to the action movies with countless scenes of violence.  So others would probably rank this one higher. The film’s 150 million dollar budget made for some cool visual effects, but I don’t usually fall for the genre.

8.     Brooklyn: Nothing really stood out about this one. It’s a love story about a girl who has to choose between two different lives in two different countries.  There wasn’t really another of an attention-grabbing subplot and therefore it didn’t do much for me.

10 sporting events worth watching over and over again

In honor of Groundhog Day, I decided to blog a list of the 10 sporting events I could watch over and over again. It was hard enough to cut the list to 10 and ranking them would have been even harder. So in chronological order, with no specific rank, here they are.

2006 Rose Bowl- Texas vs. USC: This game had it all. Reggie Bush was the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and Vince Young was the runner-up. Matt Leinart won the Heisman the year before. The Trojans were a perennial powerhouse in college football having entered on a 34-game winning streak. USC held a 38-26 with less than seven minutes remaining in the game. Texas climbed all the way back on the heels of two rushing touchdowns from Young and a stop from its defense on a critical fourth down for the USC. The final score was 41-38. Young finished with 467 total yards and the Longhorns were national champions. The Trojans’ reign at the top was over.

                                                       Steve Grayson/WireImage
Johnson crosses the goal line on the winning two-point conversion.
Johnson's girlfriend was a cheerleader at Boise State. He proposed
to her on the field following the game.

2007 Fiesta Bowl- Boise State vs. Oklahoma: There’s no doubt Texas defeating Southern California was one of college football’s greatest upsets. But this was truly David vs. Goliath. The same lines were uttered over and over again about Boise State. They had an undefeated season, but this was where the road would end. They couldn’t compete with the big boys of the major power conferences.  But Boise State played with the lead for almost the entire game. The finish was nothing short of chaotic. Oklahoma tied the score at 28 with 1:26 remaining, and on the next play from scrimmage the Sooners took the lead for the first time on an interception returned for a touchdown by Marcus Walker. Facing a fourth and 18 with 18 seconds remaining, Boise State first-year head coach Chris Petersen called for a hook and lateral that went for a touchdown and sent the game to overtime.  The first play in overtime was a 25-yard rushing touchdown by Adrian Peterson that put Oklahoma back in front 42-35. Boise State had some more trickery in store for its possession in overtime. The game came down to a fourth and two on the Oklahoma five. Wide receiver Vinny Perretta took a direct snap and tossed a touchdown pass to tight end Derek Schouman. Petersen opted for a two-point conversion for the win. Sure enough, it was another trick play. Running back Ian Johnson took the handoff on the infamous statue of liberty play and the conversion was successful. Boise State won 43-42. Does it get any crazier?

2008 US Open Final Round- Tiger Woods’ putt: It’s the last time Tiger Woods won a major. To do so he needed to make a birdie putt on the 18^th green to force a playoff with Rocco Mediate. Woods drained it and the crowd at Torrey Pines erupted. Dan Hicks put it best on NBC when he simply said, “Expect anything different?” The US Open is the one major that requires a full round playoff.  Woods came back the next day and shot an even par round of 74, defeating Mediate by one stroke to win the US Open championship. There are many vintage Tiger Woods moments that stand out, and this was certainly one of them.

2008 Wimbledon Final- Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal: Some say this is the greatest tennis match of all time. It was the third year in a row that Federer and Nadal met in the Wimbledon Final. Nadal was looking to break through and win for the first time on the lawns of the All England Club while Federer was going for his sixth consecutive Wimbledon title. Nadal outplayed Federer for the better part of the first two sets, winning each set 6-4 and moving within a set of the title. It appeared as if a changing of the guard was taking place. After Nadal embarrassed Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 in the French Open Final one month earlier, the Spaniard was transferring his dominance to the grass. But then came the first rain delay of the match with Federer leading 5-4 in the third set. This was the final year without a roof on Centre Court. The delay seemed to help Federer, who won the third set in a tiebreak. The fourth set also went to a tiebreak where Nadal tightened up and lost two championship points as Federer stole the set to level the match and force a final set. With the score tied at two games a piece in the fifth, the rains came again. There wasn’t much daylight left in London and there is no final set tiebreak at Wimbledon. But the players were able to return to the court and finish the match. Nadal managed not to crack after blowing the fourth set tiebreak and won the set 9-7 to win the title. He did not lose his serve the entire match.

Game 5 2008 World Series- Tampa Bay Rays vs. Philadelphia Phillies: I had to include a Philadelphia sports moment on here and it had to be this one. Rain added to the drama of this sporting event too. The Phillies held a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth and Tampa Bay had no one on base with two outs. It looked like a pretty routine inning for Cole Hamels. The rain was intensifying and with five innings in the books, the game was technically considered official. But a single by B.J. Upton kept the inning alive. Upton then stole second base and came around to score on a single by Carlos Pena. The top of the sixth would end with the score tied 2-2. The game was immediately stopped and did not resume until two nights later. There were some unsung heroes for the Phillies once it did. Geoff Jenkins led off with a pinch-hit double in the bottom of the sixth and was later knocked in on a Jayson Werth single. Rocco Baldeli would even things up in the top of the seventh with a solo home run. Later in the inning Chase Utley made a huge play in the field to gun down Jason Bartlett at home trying to score the go-ahead run. Pat Burrell then picked a perfect time for his only hit of the World Series with a double to open the bottom of the seventh. Eric Bruntlett came in to run for Burrell and Pedro Feliz came up with the big single to put the Phillies back ahead 4-3. This one-run lead would hold up as Brad Lidge completed his perfect season striking out Eric Hinske to give Philadelphia its first major sports championship in 25 years. To this day, I still wonder what would have happened if Hamels got out of that sixth inning in the pouring rain and the Phillies held the lead.

Super Bowl XLIII- Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals: There were so many exciting plays in this Super Bowl. James Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown as the first half concluded was an incredible individual effort. Just when it looked like Pittsburgh was going to win its sixth super bowl with ease, Arizona stormed back with 16 unanswered points. The Cardinals would take the lead thanks to a 64-yard catch and run by Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald finished the game with seven catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown set up for a memorable final drive by the Steelers. Santonio Holmes had four of his nine catches on the drive including the game-winning catch in the right corner of the end zone where he managed to keep both feet in bounds. The Steelers won the game 27-23. I’m still not sure I’ve seen a better catch given the circumstances.

2009 Big East Tournament Quarterfinal- Syracuse vs. UConn 6OT game: It was more than just another late night at Madison Square Garden at the Big East Tournament. It looked like Eric Devendorf had it won at the end of regulation. He certainly thought he won it, jumping up on the scorer’s table after his three pointer dropped. Who knew when that shot was being reviewed that the game was going to go on for another two hours? Of course replay showed Devendorf just barely did not get the shot off. As the overtimes began to pile up, players began to foul out and the benches for both teams were getting thin. Andy Rautins kept firing away from beyond the arc. UConn had many chances at the end of several of the overtimes to win it. Jonny Flynn played 67 out of a possible 70 minutes. Syracuse did not lead in any of the first five overtimes. But the Orange pulled away in the sixth overtime to win 127-117. Everyone knew both these teams were going to make the NCAA Tournament. But that didn’t stop the two teams from laying it all on the line. The Big East Tournament was the perfect precursor to the big dance. This game embodied everything the old Big East was all about. It’s not the same anymore.

                                                Jeff Roberson/Associated Press
Freese rounds first as the Cardinals pour out of
the dugout following his walk-off home run.

Game 6 2011 World Series- Texas Rangers vs. St. Louis Cardinals: You never know who’s going to make the big play, get the big hit, drain the big shot, or score the big goal. That’s why we love sports. In this game, David Freese was that guy. Leading 7-5 in the bottom of the ninth, the Rangers were one strike away from their first World Series championship. Facing Neftali Feliz, Freese came up with a two-run triple over the head of right fielder Nelson Cruz to even the score at seven and send the game into extra innings. In the top of the 10^th, Josh Hamilton put Texas back in front with a two-run home run. The Cardinals were able to cut the lead to 9-8 but again the Rangers were within a strike. Lance Berkman lined a single into center field off Scott Feldman and the game continued. Freese led off the bottom of the 11^th with a walk-off home run and St. Louis won 10-9 to force a game seven it would go on to win. This was the first time in World Series history a team rallied from

two different two-run deficits in the ninth inning or later.

Game 6 2013 NBA Finals- San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat: San Antonio held a five-point lead with 28 seconds left and had a 3-2 series lead. The Larry O’Brien Trophy was about to be hoisted in Miami by a visiting team for the second time in three years. But, a three from LeBron James cut the deficit to two. Kawhi Leonard was fouled instantly. After making the first free throw the lead was 95-92. But Leonard left the door open when he missed the second foul shot. James had a good look at another three to tie the game but could not connect. Gregg Popovich had a small lineup on the floor to defend the perimeter and Tim Duncan was on the bench. This made it easier for Chris Bosh to get the rebound after the miss from James. Bosh found Ray Allen in the corner, who backtracked enough to catch the pass while standing behind the three-point line and tie the game with five seconds remaining. Miami rode the momentum to a 103-100 overtime victory and went on to repeat as NBA champions.

Super Bowl XLIX- Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots: Say what you want about the two teams, this was one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time facing a dominant defense. In the end, the quarterback won. Seattle led 24-14 entering the fourth quarter. No team in Super Bowl history had ever overcome a fourth-quarter deficit of more than seven points. New England got a touchdown catch from Danny Amendola early in the fourth to get within three. The Patriots would get the ball back with 6:52 left. Brady found a way yet again. He marched the troops down the field against the Seattle defense and hit Julian Edelman for a three-yard touchdown with two minutes remaining to give New England a 28-24 lead. But then, after David Tyree and Mario Manningham had memorable catches against the Patriots in previous Super Bowls, it looked like Jermaine Kearse was next. Kearse caught a tipped ball while lying on his back and Seattle was in business deep in New England territory. That was until, the Seahawks decided to throw the ball when they were just one yard away from repeating as Super Bowl champions. Malcolm Butler made a perfect read on the slant from Russell Wilson to Ricardo Lockette and stepped in front for the interception to seal the deal.

Now go watch the Bill Murray movie.

Photos: https://www.football.com/en-us/top-5-bcs-bowl-games/1-2007-fiesta-bowl-boise-state-43-oklahoma-42-ot/

http://newsconference.blogspot.com/2011/10/walk-off-homers-in-world-series.html

Eagles’ dysfunction confirmed through coaching search

It’s hard to say this was surprising. But it was certainly disappointing. Last night, Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News reported that the Philadelphia Eagles were going to name Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson as their new head coach.  On the same day former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly was hired by the San Francisco 49ers, the Eagles’ coaching search concluded.

Where do we start? Well it’s obvious owner Jeffrey Lurie was just so fed up with Kelly that he wasn’t going to allow him to coach the final game against the New York Giants and wanted him gone as soon as possible. Lurie’s reason for firing Kelly before the last game of the season was to get a jumpstart on finding the next coach.  There were seven head coaching job openings this year and the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants and Miami Dolphins all hired coaches before the Eagles.

Not only is it clear Lurie didn’t really want to get a jumpstart on finding the next coach, but Lurie and Howie Roseman didn’t seem to have much of a plan following Kelly’s firing. They opted not to interview hot names like Hue Jackson, Sean McDermott and Josh McDaniels. Right before the Browns announced Jackson as their next head coach, the Eagles reportedly called him in a last-ditch effort to speak about their opening but it was too late. While it’s easy to argue the best players on the Eagles roster are on defense, not one defensive-minded candidate was interviewed. Adam Gase and Ben McAdoo decided to take other jobs and Tom Coughlin withdrew his name from the search. Just like that, a poorly organized search came down to Pat Shurmur and Pederson, and Pederson was the pick.

                           Orlin Wagner/Associated Press
Kansas City's offenses certainly haven't lit
the world on fire in Pederson's three years
as offensive coordinator. 

The Tennessee Titans are the only team with a vacancy remaining. Pederson’s name was not linked to any of the other five teams that have already hired coaches. When you look at his resume, there isn’t much of a reason to be confident in his ability as a head coach. Before joining the Eagles in 2009 as an offensive quality control coordinator, Pederson was a high school football coach. In 2011, Pederson was elevated to quarterbacks coach, a title he held for two seasons. In the first of those two seasons, Eagles’ quarterbacks threw the most interceptions in the NFL. In the second season, the team was 25^th in the league in passing touchdowns. Then in 2013, Pederson followed Andy Reid to Kansas City as Reid’s offensive coordinator, where Reid did most of the play calling.  It certainly doesn’t help Pederson that in his tenure in Kansas City, the Chiefs went 18 consecutive games without having a wide receiver catch a touchdown pass. While the Chiefs threw just seven interceptions in 2015, an NFL season low, there aren’t many reasons to think Pederson is ready to be an NFL head coach.

What made him so attractive to the Eagles is certainly a question I’m sure Lurie will address at the introductory press conference after Kansas City is eliminated from the playoffs. But after Kelly, it’s certainly easy to make a conjecture or two about why the Eagles settled on Pederson. Lurie stressed the importance of a coach being able to relate with players. Many current and former players have spoken highly of Pederson as a person once the news broke. There is also a history between Pederson and the Eagles. As previously mentioned, Pederson was a part of the coaching staff at the end of the Andy Reid era. He also started nine games at quarterback for the Eagles in 1999 before handing the reins to Donovan McNabb. So when you consider his history with the Eagles and relative inexperience when it comes to holding positions of power on NFL coaching staffs, Pederson is just what Lurie and Roseman were looking for. He is an NFL coaching neophyte that will not challenge their decisions.

With this being the end result of the coaching search, some have even gone as far as suggesting Kelly was fired too early. It was clear Kelly had gone downhill since winning the NFC East in his first season. Defenses seemed to catch up to his unconventional offensive philosophy.  His personnel decisions blew up in his face. His dismissal was certainly warranted. But, Kelly was only part of the problem.

                                                  Robert Deutsch/USA Today
Lurie is not the kind of owner whose
decisions deserve to go unquestioned.

The first seven years of the Reid era were some of the most successful years the organization has ever had as the Eagles went to four straight NFC championship games and appeared in one super bowl. In bringing Pederson back to the organization and having Roseman running the personnel department, it looks like Lurie is trying to re-create an old era of Eagles football, rather than start a new one. Now in his 22^nd year as owner of the Eagles, Lurie has repeatedly failed to surround himself with the appropriate football minds necessary to win a championship. Many people have been in and out of the Eagles’ front office, but Roseman remains Lurie’s confidant having been employed by the Eagles

since 2000.

Some have pointed to the fact that no one really knew what to expect from Reid when the former Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach was hired in 1999. Can Pederson be the next Reid? That’s what Lurie and Roseman are hoping for. But Reid had two very important constants as Eagles coach that we aren’t sure if Pederson will have or not. Reid had a very sound and reliable coaching staff with defensive coordinator Jim Johnson’s units always keeping the Eagles in games and current Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh in charge of special teams. Reid also had a franchise quarterback in Donovan McNabb. Will Pederson have the right coordinators that a head coach with his limited experience needs?  What will the Eagles do at the quarterback position this offseason? These are two very important questions to which the answers may determine the future of the Eagles.

Some rumors swirled last night that Brad Childress might come from Kansas City to be Pederson’s offensive coordinator. Childress spent seven seasons on Reid’s staff in Philadelphia. As much as the Eagles may want to go back to the Andy Reid era, it’s going to be hard to find another Jim Johnson and potentially even harder to find the next franchise quarterback. Sam Bradford is slated to become a free agent, which gives the Eagles a huge decision to make at the most important position.

After the Eagles fired Kelly, I argued that Lurie shouldhave cleaned house entirely. Instead it looks like the organization is trying to rekindle the magic of the early 2000s.  It’s a questionable plan at best and one that didn’t appear to be well thought out following the firing of Kelly.

Photos: http://bigstory.ap.org/photo/doug-pederson

http://www.phillymag.com/birds247/2015/03/24/lurie-mortgaging-the-future-can-make-sense/