The 134th Kentucky Derby—Can Big Brown Deliver?

By Steve Brady

The first Saturday in May is upon us, and once again I attempt to untangle the mysteries of the Kentucky Derby, once and always a chaotic race. There are a couple of stories to keep an eye on in this year’s Run for the Roses.

The story off the track is the same one taking place in every other aspect of modern life—the availability of free information provided on the web. Horseplayers no longer have to buy solely into the opinions and perceptions of racing analysts and clockers. For any of the significant races leading up to the Derby, there is easily accessible video evidence you can peruse with your own eyes. Seeing is truly believing.

Didn’t catch Big Brown (left) demolishing the field in the Florida Derby on March 29? No problem. Go to YouTube and watch it to your heart’s content. You were busy taking a box of old flannel shirts to Goodwill on April 12, and didn’t see Gayego hang on to win the Arkansas Derby? No sweat. A couple of quick clicks, and it’s right there on your laptop. Having a hard time believing that Bob Black Jack really set a world record on January 26 in the Sunshine Millions Dash at Santa Anita (6 furlongs in 1:06.53)? Well, what are you waiting for? Click fer chissakes!!!

In fact, between YouTube, Calracing.com, and Kentuckyderby.com, you can watch videos of almost any race you want—and it’s all completely free. The Derby site (see link, below) has videos of all the major prep races. It’s absolutely invaluable. They even have video footage of all the contenders going through their morning workouts at Churchill Downs, so you can see how they handle the new surface.

On the track, the big story is the post positions of the major players. The Derby has an extremely large field, with a two-tiered method for determining starting positions. They first draw a number for order of selection, then choose a post position from the available slots. Colonel John (pictured above, the 4-1 second favorite) had an early selection, and got a nice, comfortable spot at post 10. Big Brown (the 3-1 morning line favorite) was one of the last to pick and—given his limited options—chose the far outside post (#20).

The outside is where all the speed is. In posts 17-20, you’ve got Cowboy Cal, Recapturetheglory, Gayego and Big Brown. A little closer in (at 11 and 13) are two more speedsters, Z Humor and Bob Black Jack.

I am wondering if that is why Dick Dutrow, Big Brown’s trainer, chose the outside post. Jockey Kent Desormeaux does not like going to the lead, and he may want Big Brown to sit off the pace until after the speed battle has been determined. If he can do that, he’s got a good chance to win, but if he gets caught up in a pace battle, or if he is forced into a wide trip outside of the other speedsters, it might open the door for one of the closers.

Inside of Z Humor, there is no blazing speed, so the break should be very interesting on Derby Day. While all the horses on the outside are bolting toward the front, look for horses on the inside—Pyro, Colonel John, Court Vision (pictured, left)—to try to settle into a nice position and wait for their stretch run.

Interestingly, there is no real “cold closer” in this race. The closest we have is Court Vision, which is why I’m giving him a chance at long odds (20-1) to finish in the money.

[Quick trivia: There are only seven active jockeys who have won a Kentucky Derby, and four of them are in this race. Desormeaux is one. The other three are Mike Smith (on Gayego, 15-1), Calvin (“Bo-rail”) Borel (Denis of Cork, 20-1), and Edgar Prado (Adriano, 30-1).]

The Picks (with odds and post position)

1. Big Brown (3-1, #20) is the morning line favorite and difficult to ignore. BB’s had only three races, but he demolished the competition every time (by 11-1/4, 12-3/4, and 5 lengths), and his times at a mile and 1/16th and a mile and 1/8th are the fastest in this field.

2. Colonel John (4-1, #10) After his recent blistering workout at Churchill, he may eclipse BB as the favorite. But is he the best horse in the field? I’m not convinced, but he does seem to be the most dependable in-the-money finisher.

3. Court Vision (20-1, #4) is a pure pace play. If BB and Gayego get hooked up with Bob Black Jack and Recapturetheglory, he could take advantage of the situation.

4. Pyro (6-1, #9) was second in the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile, and the favorite earlier in the season until a disappointing finish on April 12 at Keeneland in the Bluegrass Stakes on Polytrack. Can you throw that race out now that he’s back on dirt?

5. Gayego (15-1, #19) is coming up as the wiseguy choice. He might be for real. Still, he didn’t look completely comfortable working out on the Churchill dirt.

The Plays

• A show bet on Colonel John
  
• A three-horse boxed exacta using Big Brown, Colonel John, and Court Vision
  
• If you want to get fancy, you can play a $1 trifecta bet:
  4, 10, 20/ with 4, 9, 10, 20/ with 4, 9, 10, 19, 20 = $27
  
• If you want to get even fancier, you can try a $1 superfecta bet:
  4, 10, 20/ with 4, 9, 10, 20/ with 4, 9, 10, 19, 20/ with 4, 9, 10, 19, 20 = $54 (If this one comes in, you can buy me dinner—in Monaco!)
  

For a rundown of the complete Derby field, plus related video features on the horses, visit kentuckyderby.com.

Steve Brady is Sports Media America’s Los Angeles-based handicapper.

Four Years to Grade a Draft, Says Fisher—So Here's the Grade on 2004

“Seems like every year you have to remind people, 'Why don't you grade this draft four years from now?' That is how you grade drafts." That was Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher after this past weekend’s NFL Draft. “If anybody wants to grade us, so be it.''

Well, a lot of people did, Jeff. No one gave you an A. More often it was, like, C-. Or D. But we want to be fair and play it your way. So, instead of grading the 2008 Draft, let’s take a look at the 2004 Draft, now that we have four years of perspective.

Here they are, a hefty crop of 13 guys. They weren’t losers, exactly. Well, not all of them, anyway. Some had serious contributing moments. On the other hand, not a one made it to the Pro Bowl. Take a stroll down memory lane. Players drafted by round:

2 Ben Troupe TE/FLORIDA
2 Travis LaBoy DE/HAWAII
2 Antwan Odom DE/ALABAMA
3 Randy Starks DT/MARYLAND
3 Rich Gardner DB/PENN STATE
4 Bo Schobel DE/TCU
4 Michael Waddell DB/NORTH CAROLINA
5 Jacob Bell OG/MIAMI (OHIO)
5 Robert Reynolds LB/OHIO STATE
6 Troy Fleming RB/TENNESSEE
7 Jared Clauss DT/IOWA
7 Eugene Amano C/SE MISSOURI ST
7 Sean McHugh RB/PENN STATE

The Player Evaluation

Troupe—Showed signs of breaking out during the ’05 season, but regressed in ’06, fell off the radar in ’07, and left recently in free agency to Tampa Bay.

LaBoy—He sorta earned a starting job, but wasn’t much of an impact player. Left for Arizona through off-season free agency.

Odom—Sorta a starter and sorta a backup, but in ’07 he started to come on, recording 8 sacks. Then he left for Cincinnati in the off-season.

Starks—10.5 sacks in four seasons, with a big fat zero sacks in ’07. Nothing but yearly regression. Recently signed with the Dolphins. (Does Bill Parcells know?)

Gardner—Currently playing cornerback for Team Michigan of the All American Football League. Played for Titans in ‘04 and ‘05, latched on briefly with Seahawks in ‘06, cut by them in ‘07.

Schobel—Will reunite with LaBoy in Arizona. Two years with Titans, one year with Colts, last year with Cards, always and strictly as a fill-in.

Waddell—Scrappy guy, everyone rooted for him. Made a few good plays in ‘04, less so in ‘05, then nothing. Trying to make the Raiders’ 53-man roster is his current challenge.

Bell—Developed into a starting guard. Got so good that St. Louis lured him away recently in free agency.

Reynolds—Fill-in and special teams guy for three years. No action in ‘07. Trying to latch on somewhere.

Fleming—Had a few interesting moments for the Titans in ’04-’05. Since then it’s been practice squad stuff with Broncos and Panthers.

Clauss—He’s joined Gardner with Team Michigan of the All American Football League. Got a little playing time with Titans in ’04-’05. Tried to hang on since with Redskins and Raiders, to no avail.

Amano—Actually started five games in ’07. Versatile lineman who’s managed a decent career, but has never earned a full-time starting job.

McHugh—Picked up by Packers prior to ’04 season, then latched on with Lions in ’05 and has been with them since as a back-up.

The Grade

Exactly what should go into a grade that’s four years down the line? Probably a lot more than a snapshot grade only hours after a brand-new draft. Did the draft produce a star? Did it produce a starter? Did it produce a steady contributor? Did it produce anyone with even a temporary monster year that really helped the team? Did it produce anyone who got overlooked by the Titans and then went elsewhere to become a regular? (We’re not grading on development; we’re grading on the recognition of raw talent.)

In fact, the Titans’ 2004 draft reaped one full-time starter—Jacob Bell. It also gave us Troupe, LaBoy, Odom and Starks, who all had starts and serious playing time, with none becoming an all-down/every-down starter. All the other draftees were, or have been, essentially fill-ins, with Amano actually establishing himself with a team and having a steady career. For all practical purposes, 6 of the original 13 are out of NFL football. Of the 7 remaining, probably only Bell will continue to start, with the others needing to step up in a big way to solidify their career position.

So, how would you grade this draft?

It’s not impressive in my book. It produced some pros, but, like, isn’t that what a draft is supposed to do?

Bottom line: Four years in, and not one of these guys will be a starting player for the 2008 Tennessee Titans. That says a lot.

Grade: C-/D+

Titans '08 Draft Reflections, Plus a Look at the ECU Pedigree

New Tennessee Titans #1 draft choice Chris Johnson hails from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. With his 4.24 speed in the 40-yard dash, Johnson is definitely gifted, and if things work out, he’ll add an exciting dimension to the Titans’ needful offense. (Vince Young clearly not being exciting enough. Unless you think Chinese fire drills are exciting.) Johnson also is a demon kick-off returner, and it’s actually possible that he could score more touchdowns in that role in ’08 than Young will throw as the QB. (VY had all of 9 TD passes last season. Not exactly on the fast track.)

For the sake of history, here’s a look at all the players ever drafted out of East Carolina. I guess we shouldn’t use this list as an indicator of Johnson’s potential pro success, ‘cause based on hits and misses, ECU’s track record looks mediocre. Three names jump off the list: current Jaguars QB David Garrard; former journeyman QB Jeff Blake; and former running back Earnest Byner, who had an excellent 14-year NFL career, won a Super Bowl ring with the ‘91 Redskins, and who just happens to be the Titans’ running backs coach. There are a few other ex-NFL names on this list (Tony Collins, Jerris McPhail, etc.), but ECU historically is not a hotbed of NFL All-Pros. (Sorry. It had to be said.)

But, hey, see if you can spot some of your favorite players from the past. (If it's Carlester Crumpler, you score twice: both father and son were ECU draft choices.)


ALL-TIME EAST CAROLINA FOOTBALL DRAFT HISTORY
(year, round, pick, overall pick, name, team, pos)

2008, 1, 24, 24, Chris Johnson, Titans, RB
2007, 5, 9, 146, Aundrae Allison, Vikings, WR
2006, 4, 32, 129, Guy Whimper, Giants, OT
2004, 7, 45, 246, Brian Rimpf, Ravens, OT
2002, 4, 10, 108, David Garrard, Jaguars, QB
2002, 7, 30, 241, Leonard Henry, Dolphins, RB
1999, 5, 20, 153, Roderick Coleman, Raiders, DE
1999, 6, 32, 201, Troy Smith, Eagles, WR
1998, 3, 21, 82, Larry Shannon, Dolphins, WR
1997, 5, 1, 131, Lamont Burns, Jets, OG
1996, 4, 16, 111, Emmanuel McDaniel, Panthers, DB
1996, 5, 2, 134, Jerris McPhail, Dolphins, RB
1994, 6, 4, 165, Bernard Carter, Buccaneers, LB
1994, 7, 8, 202, Carlester Crumpler, Jr., Seahawks, TE
1993, 6, 8, 148, Tom Scott, Bengals, OT
1992, 1, 24, 24, Robert Jones, Cowboys, LB
1992, 6, 26, 166, Jeff Blake, Jets, QB
1992, 8, 14, 210, Luke Fisher, Vikings, TE
1992, 9, 26, 250, Chris Hall, Cowboys, DB
1992, 10, 22, 274, Dion Johnson, Oilers, WR
1991, 9, 3, 226, Ernie Logan, Falcons, DE
1990, 3, 14, 67, Walter Wilson, Chargers, WR
1990, 5, 1, 110, Junior Robinson, Patriots, DB
1990, 7, 14, 179, James Singletary, Colts, LB
1990, 10, 27, 275, Anthony Thompson, Broncos, LB
1988, 8, 5, 198, Anthony Simpson, Buccaneers, RB
1988, 10, 4, 253, Ellis Dillahunt, Bengals, DB
1986, 6, 27, 165, Kevin Walker, Buccaneers, DB
1986, 10, 3, 252, Tony Baker, Falcons, RB
1985, 3, 24, 80, Stefon Adams, Raiders, DB
1985, 8, 4, 200, Ricky Nichols, Colts, WR
1984, 2, 27, 55, Steve Hamilton, Redskins, DE
1984, 4, 27, 111, Terry Long, Steelers, OG
1984, 5, 3, 115, Clint Harris, Giants, DB
1984, 5, 13, 125, Jeff Pegues, Redskins, LB
1984, 5, 21, 133, Hal Stephens, Rams, DE
1984, 10, 1, 253, Norwood Vann, Rams, TE
1984, 10, 28, 280, Earnest Byner, Browns, RB
1984, 11, 4, 284, John Robertson, Eagles, OT
1983, 2, 18, 46, Jody Schulz, Eagles, LB
1982, 4, 2, 85, George Crump, Patriots, DE
1982, 4, 7, 90, Tootie Robbins, Cardinals, OT
1981, 2, 19, 47, Tony Collins, Patriots, RB
1980, 11, 11, 288, Sam Harrell, Vikings, RB
1980, 12, 9, 314, Mike Brewington, Chiefs, LB
1979, 2, 28, 56, Zack Valentine, Steelers, LB
1979, 6, 21, 158, Eddie Hicks, Giants, RB
1978, 6, 28, 166, Harold Randolph, Cowboys, LB
1977, 6, 27, 166, Reggie Pinkney, Lions, DB
1974, 4, 2, 80, Carl Summerell, Giants, QB
1974, 4, 17, 95, Carlester Crumpler, Bills, RB
1973, 16, 1, 391, Tim Dameron, Oilers, WR
1973, 17, 22, 438, Leslie Strayhorn, Cowboys, RB
1969, 17, 1, 417, Wayne Lineberry, Bills, LB
1964, 14, 5, 187, Tom Michel, Vikings, RB
1961, 5, 8, 64, Glenn Bass, Cardinals, TE
1951, 28, 12, 339, Roger Thrift, Browns, QB

Titans Draft Lowdown

Uncritical Titans fans were filled with hope by the team’s weekend draft choices. Count me out. Reinfeldt 2.0 is a gambler’s delight, a roll of the dice on just about every pick, with only vague attention to need. For example, who’s replacing Jacob Bell, the offensive guard lost to free agency? Who’s playing defensive tackle next to Albert Haynesworth? Who’s backing up #2 QB Kerry Collins, who’s getting old but will probably see some action in ’08 since VY runs around a lot in those Chinese fire drills and could get injured? Not a good sign when a draft evokes more questions than it answers. Here are the newbies, by round:

1. RB Chris Johnson, ECU—Fantastic speed. Once he’s loose, he’s gone. I say build the offense around him. (Sorry, Vince. Just concentrate on throwing those screen passes to the new kid. You’ll be fine.)

2. DE Jason Jones, Eastern Michigan—What the...? Dude “amassed” 3.5 sacks in ’07... in the Mid-American Conference. You know, the MAC? Famous for its manhandling perennial All-Pro defensive linemen? Uh...no.

3. TE Craig Stevens, Cal—Welcome to Nashville, Craig. Take a seat. That one right there. No, a little further down. Past high-priced free agent Alge Crumpler and down beyond veteran Bo Scaife. We’ll let ya know when we need ya. From NFL.com: “His style is similar to Anthony Becht. He is a decent underneath receiver but not suited to go deep.” Holy crap! We got an Anthony Becht clone! Now that’s good work.

4. DE William Hayes, Winston-Salem St.—Can you say “bastard step-child of Refrigerator Perry”? Maybe they can give him the ball on goal-line situations. A project. From NFL.com: “Hayes is a bit of a surprise at this point in the draft.” Agreed.

4. WR LaVelle Hawkins, Cal—LaVelle Hawkins? Oh, I thought you said DeSean Jackson, the other Cal receiver. (Damn!) Oh, well, in order to get him we’d’ve had to have passed on Jason Jones in Round 2. NFL.com: “Even though his physical numbers are not real strong, he's an example of a player who plays much faster than he works out.” Well, I’ll be—it’s the second coming of Paul Williams, ‘07’s fly-by-night West Coast receiver.

4. LB Stanford Keglar, Purdue—Possible sleeper. NFL.com: “His toughness is one possible question mark.” Well, that’s not good.

7. CB Cary Williams, Washburn—Fascinating fact: This guy played first string at...are you ready...? FORDHAM...before transferring to...still ready...? WASHBURN. The odds of Mr. Williams making a pro roster are slim and none. But he’s the fitting capper to a really weird Titans draft.

Titans' Early Draft Picks Add More Puzzlement to Off-Season Maneuvering

ESPN’s John Clayton categorizes the Titans as one of the NFL Draft’s “first-round losers.” I’m inclined to agree.

Like everyone else in Nashville, I sure hope first-rounder Chris Johnson (#24 overall) turns out to be a winner. The guy’s lightning fast. His footage is impressive as hell. (Go plug his name into YouTube.) What’s weird is that he wasn’t showing up on any common lists of elite running backs prior to the draft.

Surely the Titans weren’t surprised when RB Felix Jones of Arkansas was taken by the Cowboys at #22. So they had to be interested in the still-available Rashard Mendenhall of Illinois. Only the Steelers at #23 stood between the Titans and Mendenhall, and why would Pittsburgh take a running back when they’ve got Willie Parker? Surprise! The Steelers did.

I’m not sure if Titans fans saw the import of this moment, mainly because most of ’em probably figured the team would grab one of the many wide receivers available, to procure some weaponry for Vince Young. Devin Thomas, DeSean Jackson, Limas Sweed, Malcolm Kelly—all four of these highly regarded WRs were still on the board. Matter of fact, not a single wide receiver was drafted in the first round, so the Titans had the pick of the litter. It wasn’t to be.

Now the Titans will head into rounds 3-7 knowing that all four of the highest-profile WRs are gone, snapped up quickly by others in Round 2.

So here’s the message the Titans sent to VY on Draft Day: “We’re so skittish about your abilities as a quarterback, that we’re not going to waste an early draft choice on an elite receiver, and have to spend another year watching you figure out how that works. Instead, we’re going to get a running back with what we hope is major upside—unlike last year’s pig-in-a-poke Chris Henry—and pair him with LenDale White and do the thunder-and-lightning thing on the ground and hope you can hit newcomer Johnson out of the backfield with short passes and let his 4.24 speed do the rest. If we happen to pick up a decent wide receiver somewhere along the line in the later rounds, then that’s gravy. Otherwise, you can stay familiar with Justin Gage and Roydell Williams, and get newly familiar with free-agent tight end Alge Crumpler, and, if we’re lucky, we’ll actually have an offense of some kind.”

So then, with their second-round pick (#54 overall), the Titans go weirdo again, selecting Eastern Michigan defensive end Jason Jones. Now, the Titans certainly need help on the D-line, especially after waving bye-bye to Antwan Odom, Randy Starks and Travis LaBoy in free agency, and gutting some essential working parts that helped make All-Pros Kyle VanDen Bosch and Albert Haynesworth so effective.

Yet who is Jason Jones? You won’t find a single highlight reel or workout film of him on YouTube. Jones was a productive performer—in the MAC—though his 3.5 sacks this past season don’t exactly appear exceptional. Of course, there’s always the chance he’ll be better than Jevon Kearse, acquired by the Titans as a free-agent this off-season, and surely a high-risk venture if ever there were one. Kearse, after ACL surgery, has yet to regain his All-Pro form, which seems long ago indeed. His most recent four seasons with Philadelphia never measured up to his first five with Tennessee. On September 3, Kearse turns 32. He’s trying to make a comeback on a reconstructed knee. How many serious observers realistically think that Kearse will excel in ’08? And if he doesn’t, is Jason Jones the man?

Day 2 of the draft may yet bring some needed help. And maybe Johnson, from East Carolina, will indeed be the second coming of Tony Dorsett. Alas, as impressive as his highlights are, his performances came against Conference USA competition, and that’s why a lot of observers are saying the Titans reached for this pick—because you just never know, and guys from bigger and better conferences seem more battle-tested for the pro game.

So let’s tote up the past few months in Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt’s reign:

1. Losing DLs Odom, Starks and Laboy, up-and-coming guard Jacob Bell, and tight end Ben Troupe to free-agency.

2. Signing Crumpler from Atlanta. He’s 30 and hasn’t been at peak health the past two years.

3. Signing Kearse on a wing and a prayer.

4. Drafting an unknown running back after the big ones got away, and following up with a DE draft choice who wasn’t even a world-beater in his mid-major college conference. (And they’ll have to pay the guy second-round money.)

These should all be interesting experiments... but that doesn’t mean the results will be good.

Moyer Proves Resilient, Keeps Winning with Junk

I’m not that big a fan of Tim McCarver as a baseball announcer. He’s pretty obvious and cliche-ridden. He’s more like an ombudsman for baseball, rather than an original voice. His rap is also riddled with a lot of what I call “manly jock crap.”

However, I am a big fan of McCarver’s syndicated Sunday night interview program (broadcast locally on Nashville’s ABC affiliate, Channel 2). McCarver trots out old-timers and discusses their careers, and his subjects are not always the most obvious guys, which inevitably ends up being totally cool.

The other night he had on Jamie Moyer, who is an old-timer only by virtue of his chronological age. On November 18, 2008, Moyer will turn 46 years old, yet he is still pitching for the Philadelphia Phillies. The Moyer career story is both baffling and triumphant and bears rehashing.

I was living in Chicago in 1986, when 23-year-old Moyer came up from the minors to pitch for the Cubs. He was a promising new face, and even though he tended to give up well over a hit per inning, and his ERA that year was less than stellar (5.05), the guy was 7-4 and threw a shutout in 16 games. Moyer went 12-15 in ’87, again with a high ERA (5.10), but he made 33 starts and pitched 201 innings. Then he went 9-15 in ’88, and while he continued to give up too many hits, he pitched 212 innings and his ERA dipped to 3.48.

Then came an offseason trade. Moyer was shipped with a young Rafael Palmeiro to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Mitch (“Wild Thing”) Williams, a reliever who helped the Cubs to the playoffs in 1989.

Then Moyer hit the skids. From 1989 to 1991, with Texas and then the St. Louis Cardinals, the lefthander compiled a record of 6-20, including a 1991 ERA of 5.74. He was getting hit way too much and his control was only so-so. Things were so bad that Moyer got released by the Cards, then was re-signed by the Cubs, only to be cut prior to the 1992 season. He signed again with Detroit in May of that year, but never put in an appearance in a major league uniform that season. At the age of 29, Moyer looked washed up.

Then the Baltiore Orioles took a chance on Moyer prior to the 1993 season. He rewarded them with a 12-9 season, with a 3.43 ERA. Moyer slogged through the next few seasons with more general mediocrity, but he was allowing slightly fewer hits, and his control improved. In a 1996 season split between the Orioles and the Seattle Mariners, Moyer was 13-3, with an ERA just under 4.00.

Finally, at age 34, Moyer’s career took off. From 1997 to 2005, he was 133-73 for the Mariners. He kept his ERA mostly in the mid to lower 3.00s during those seasons, and his control was decent, and even though he kept giving up a lot of hits, Moyer somehow proved himself a tough, gritty competitor, but most of all, a winner.

What makes the Moyer story even more improbable is that he has managed to pitch into his mid-forties without the benefit of a trick pitch, like the knuckleball. He throws unadulterated junk. His fastball barely breaks 80 MPH. He throws change-ups and curves in the 70 MPH range. With limited physical skills, and a modest 6-foot, 170-lb. frame, Moyer has re-defined the notion of “crafty lefthander,” and he has now managed to tote up a career mark of 231-178, with a lifetime ERA of 4.22.

Yet in a 22-year career, covering 607 games, Moyer has completed only 31 games and thrown but nine shutouts. He’s the quintessential “Give me five or six good innings” kind of guy, and it’s astounding how he’s managed to parlay moxie and an apparent canny understanding of the hitters into such a long major league stint. It’s paid off big-time, too. Moyer has earned nearly $70 million in salary through the years. Not a bad haul.

Moyer’s got a bunch of kids, seven in all, including an adopted child from Guatemala. And he’s still married to Karen Phelps, daughter of former Notre Dame basketball coach and now ESPN analyst Digger Phelps.

Now that Julio Franco appears to be gone for good from baseball, Moyer is the oldest current player in the major leagues.

The message is: Never give up.

Democratic Political Follies: "Just Folks" Hillary and Obama's Holy Man

Sometimes it’s hard to resist getting into the political fray.

I had to laugh heartily the other day when I learned of Hillary Rodham Clinton telling stories about her youthful visits to her family’s summer home in Scranton, Pa. Hillary wants to win Pennsylvania (in the worst way), and she proves this by trying to link her past to Scranton, a Middle American town with blue-collar leanings. I also heard that Hillary said that she used to shoot guns with her father. This is hilarious stuff. Anything to win the hearts and minds and votes of a political bloc—the hard-workin’, gun totin’ crowd in the Keystone State.

A few facts. Hillary Clinton was born in Chicago. When her father started to make his upwardly mobile way in the world, he moved his family to Park Ridge, Illinois, a bedroom community on the city’s northwest edge, very near O’Hare airport.

Here’s where Hillary and myself intersect. Somewhere around 1993-94, I was playing piano for Chicago’s Second City comedy theater. Our troupe embarked on a fairly lengthy tour of New England, and one of our gigs was at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. The Clintons were in the White House, and because of that everyone knew that Hillary attended Wellesley as an undergrad. It’s an elite private school with a lovely campus, and being there was certainly an occasion to get reminded that we were gigging at the First Lady’s alma mater.

A couple of years later, I was out of work as a musician and needed a job. After two weeks on unemployment—and having gotten really depressed just walking that one time into the unemployment office—I looked around for something/anything to pay the bills. I ended up very shortly thereafter taking a job driving a cab—in Park Ridge, Illinois.

Park Ridge Taxi Co. was one crazy gig. My four years in that job are worthy of a book in and of itself. But here I was, driving the good upper-crust folks of Park Ridge around the suburbs and also taking a good many of them to and from their many business and vacation flights at O’Hare. Somewhere about the middle of town, on North Prospect St., was the former home of the Rodhams, a characteristically lovely and large suburban house amid where the wealthiest folks lived.

So here’s the 4-1-1 on Park Ridge and its ilk. After driving these folks around for four years, I can tell you that it is, by and large, one of the most financially conservative enclaves you’ll ever see. Nobody is poor in Park Ridge, and a lot of people are filthy, stinking rich. The residents come across as the most obviously Republican-type folks you’ll ever see.

To know Park Ridge is to make it very easy to scoff at the notion that Hillary Clinton is a friend of the working class. Her background is decidedly NOT working class. It is closer to silver spoon. She grew up in comfortable upper-middle-class splendor in an idyllic conservative suburb and later went on to Wellesley. Later, Hillary attended Yale Law School, further cementing her link to upward cultural and financial mobility and classic Eastern establishment elitism.

In other words, Hillary hasn’t worked a day in her life. At least not how most of us define “working.” She is a well-connected conservative elitist parading around Pennsylvania in liberal blue-collar sheep’s clothing. She is doing this because she will do anything to procure the Democratic nomination for the presidency.

I wonder if the folks in Scranton were scratching their heads. “Summer home? What’s that?”

On the Obama front, his reverend, Chicago’s Jeremiah Wright, keeps opening his big mouth. He was at it again on Saturday, when he spoke at a memorial service for the late former Chicago appellate judge R. Eugene Pincham, like Obama a member of Wright's Trinity United Church of Christ.

[Sidebar: I hadn’t heard Pincham’s name for years. When I lived in Chicago, he was an obnoxious, impolitic fellow who presided controversially over court cases, and also had a penchant for saying ugly and/or inadvisable racial things that judges shouldn’t say.]

So, on this solemn occasion, among other things—and on the heels of his prior awful public remarks that have embarrassed Obama—Wright took after the Founding Fathers, claiming they “planted slavery and white supremacy in the DNA of this republic.” He also took after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, described Thomas Jefferson as having engaged in “pedophilia,” and attacked FOX newsmen Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity.

Not too cool for Obama, who has yet to distance himself from this guy.

Will someone please take Rev. Wright out to see the musical 1776? Beside being excellent theater, the show also provides a wonderfully clear history lesson on the Founding Fathers’ struggles to get our nation started. Yes, it’s true that the issue of slavery was not dealt with by the original framers. That is, they were unable to deal with it the way they would have wanted.

In fact, Adams, Jefferson et al. wanted to speed up the abolition of slavery through the wording in the Declaration of Independence. Alas, there were delegates from the South on hand who feared such verbiage and would not ratify the vote for independence as long as the original wording—”freedom for ALL men”—was in place. The reality of the situation caused Adams tremendous consternation. He wanted to assure the end of slavery, but his more immediate problem—declaring independence from England—had to be solved first.

And so Adams, like any good politician, did a bit of horse-trading (or what we more nobly refer to as compromise). The language in the document regarding slavery was struck out in exchange for the Southern votes to separate the colonies from the king. This is surely an unfortunate asterisk in the early history of the U.S., but the exigencies of the moment forced Adams to act practically. It wasn’t what he and others wanted, but first things came first.

It took 86 more years until Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. As a white guy, all I can say is that, yes, Americans might’ve acted more swiftly on the issues of slavery and racial equality. Slavery is a stain on our past. The good news is all the progress that has been made since the Civil War, admittedly never occurring as fast as we’d all have liked. But there are better days ahead, and, well, there’s even a half-African American running for president, and he just might make it.

So don’t be a hater, Jeremiah. Better yet, be a reverend. Talk about God and faith instead. Isn't that what reverends are supposed to do?

NCAA Showdown: Memphis Blows It; Kansas Claims Victory "Lite"

Well, Memphis blew it. They were the better team, they had a legit lead, they could’ve iced it easily with free throws, then didn’t, then should’ve fouled the Kansas guy who brought in the inbounds pass before he dumped it off to Chalmers, the kid who hit the trey to send it into overtime.

Yeah, Kansas is a very good team, and I won’t say they didn’t deserve to win, but it looked like CBS-TV’s Jim Nantz and Billy Packer were having a hard time finding an “insta-story” on the court while surrounded by the Jayhawks, who looked as shellshocked as triumphant. They won, all right, but they were not superior. If Chalmers’ shot clanks off the rim, only Memphis gets remembered this night. As it is, Memphis will probably be longer remembered: as the supertalented team that choked. Too bad.

As for Nantz and Packer, their replacement on this telecast is long overdue.

Nantz, who dreams of golf at night, just does not have the necessary edge to broadcast an NCAA championship game. He’s soft. And he’s always trying to find warm and fuzzy stories about the kids. (Gack!) At times he’s overly, and incorrectly, dramatic, and while he has one of those “announcer" voices, it’s just too prissy. It’s fine for whispering on the 18th green as Tiger’s about to drop a critical birdie putt, but for basketball? No thanks.

Packer, who has been skewered in these pages before, remains a hot-air balloon full of spurious observation. The man’s incapable of developing a broad theme coherently. He nitpicks at every play, trying to find rationales for every action and reaction. If a kid hits a shot, he’ll say, “See, that’s a good shot for him to take.” If a kid misses a shot, he’ll say, “That’s not a shot he should be taking.” It’s obnoxiously lame stuff, and he’s been getting away with it for decades.

And here’s something I never thought I’d say: Dick Vitale knows what he’s talking about.

I have found Vitale’s style totally goofy and rather queer for years. All that “Diaper Dandy” stuff always sounded a little, uh, well, offputtingly “intimate.” (Don’t be talking about young, virile athletes and diapers in the same sentence, Dick. Not cool.) But anyway, despite his clearly obnoxious persona, I started listening to the guy more closely during the NCAAs. What can I say? His analysis was almost always spot-on, and his projections were rooted in sound assessments of the teams. The guy actually could put the on-court stuff into context, thus clarifying what we’d seen or were about to see. So hats off to Dickie V, who was recently announced as a new member of the Naismith Memorial National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Memo to Packer: There is no room for you there. Don’t even think about it.)

More b-ball media fodder: I don’t think Digger Phelps liked having Bobby Knight on the ESPN set during this Big Dance. They bumped Digger over to the right and stuck Knight right smack dab in the middle, and allowed him the run of the roost. Knight was okay. It was fun to hear what he had to say. Sometimes he was repetitive, but he was always happy to defer to his partners, and he seemed reasonably comfortable on the dais. Which may be why Phelps looked slightly less than comfortable. As the resident college b-ball guru (with ESPN since 1994), his thunder got stolen a lot, not only by Knight but also by Vitale. Plus, Digger couldn’t trot out championship stories. His best effort in 20 years as head coach at Notre Dame (1971-1991) was a Final Four appearance in 1978. Not to put down Digger. He had an excellent coaching career, and he took Notre Dame to places in basketball that they had not seen before, nor have seen since. Including his one-year stint as head coach at Fordham, Digger’s career record is 419-200. Nothing to sneeze at.

Digger’s given name is Richard. I don’t think I ever knew that before. Did you?

Metro Nashville's Board of Zoning Appeals: Esteemed Citizenry as Sport

I love watching sports on TV. Football, baseball, basketball usually. But there are sports of another kind on Nashville’s local Metro 3 cable channel, which broadcasts the various official board meetings of municipal government.

Sometimes these meetings are as contentious as any sporting event—and hence sometimes just as dramatic, entertaining and fraught with intrigue. But unlike a sporting event, there really isn’t an objective determination of winners and losers. Board members may vote yea or nay, but their decisions are too often subjectively formed, apparently even when there are objective rules to be followed.

Take the Metro Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA). These folks—usually a contingent of five or six “esteemed citizens” (as it was explained to me at a Christmas party by a local lawyer; whatever esteemed means)—convene generally every two weeks and preside over a docket filled with Nashvillians who are seeking variances to Metro building codes in order to upgrade, or create new construction on, their property, whether it be residential or commercial or nonprofit. Appellants might also be seeking special exceptions to in-place zoning requirements.

It’s supposed to be a process that applies fairness to each and every case, but clearly if you know someone on the board, or they know you, or they’re predisposed to whoever you might be, you could get a break in the decisionmaking that otherwise wouldn’t come your way. At the same time, if board members take a dislike to you personally, or you present your case in what they might determine to be an untoward manner, you’re more than likely to have your appeal turned down. What is supposed to be a rules-guided process is very often amazingly arbitrary.

In these hearings, there’s a great deal of jabber about property setbacks and height allowances and signage and proximity to adjoining buildings and exits and egresses and collector streets and neighborhood impact, etc., etc. Aesthetics seems to also play a role here, though, again, what is more subjective than aesthetics?

In theory, it is the board’s job to factor in the city building codes to each case on appeal, and then determine whether the appellant has made a legitimate case for positive action, DESPITE THE CODE. Probably the most important factor in the board’s determinations is the fact of hardship—whether the case can be made that due to hardships in the physical particulars, the appellant, even possibly in the face of opposition from neighbors, should be granted the right to proceed with the new construction.

Let’s take a case from the meeting of April 3, 2008. Believe it or not, former U. S. senator and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist sent a couple of his minions to the board to request permission to build fancy partial sections of wall outside his fenced-in Bowling Ave. home. Apparently Mr. Frist, since he hosted President Bush once upon a time, wants to go against code in order to construct some walls near the driveway entrance to his home. His appellants at the BZA hearing cited a need for security, and hence asked for heights in excess of code. Three local neighbors were present in opposition to this plan, citing the impact the new construction would have on safety for pedestrians on Bowling—well traveled on foot by locals—and the lack of aesthetic consistency in the neighborhood. Furthermore, Frist’s representatives, upon direct questioning, stated clearly that there was no hardship at issue here. The former senator just wanted to do this thing on the street-side of his house to provide additional security and parking for his numerous guests.

By rule—such as BZA follows rules—the request should have been denied. THERE WAS NO HARDSHIP. Mr. Frist, if he had been just another citizen, would have had to find another way around the code.

Suddenly, board member David Ewing took up the Frist cause. He cited a case from the March 20, 2008, BZA meeting where the board granted an exception to a West Nashville couple (1113 Nichol Lane) who wanted to build a new attached garage at their residence, even though, yet again, the appellants could not cite an actual technical hardship, and in fact would have simply have had to build their garage another way to be in compliance.

It is notable that Ewing fought hard for Frist. But why exactly did he? Especially since BZA “queen bee” Elizabeth Surface, who usually plays the role of the heavy and chief defender of the board’s rules—and, most of all, its mission—re-stated in no uncertain terms that the Frist case had no hardships attached to it. Another board member, Rebecca Lyford, who often gums up these meetings with dizzy questions and extraneous considerations, seemed clearly to side with Surface. With five board members present, the necessary majority needed to approve the request was in danger.

Presiding board member Dale Randels, Jr.—subbing for absent chair Jane Cleveland, who, with her brown ponytail bobbing, is usually very reliably aware of procedure and strict about the rules—hemmed and hawed and seemed to be trying to help Ewing find the necessary rationale to convince the others to approve Frist’s request.

Then Lyford, in a moment of rare prescience, asked brand-new board member, Fabian Bedne, present at his first-ever hearing, what he thought about matters. Bedne, with refreshing candor, explained that, as he understood his job—as instructed by zoning examination chief Joey Hargis—the lack of a hardship made the case moot. Not approvable.

More hemming and hawing ensued, with Ewing adamantly insisting that the board did make exceptions and that this one was reasonable. It was not clear why he took such special interest in the Frist case, but one can make unfortunate projections about that. It was especially odd for Ewing to fight for the case in the face of Surface’s obvious dim view of the merits.

Lyford hemmed and hawed. Board members stared at each other uncomfortably for a while. Ewing made a motion to approve. No one spoke up. More discussion took place. Randels, almostly tacitly, then gave his approval. Lyford finally buckled. Clearly there were now three votes for approval, but four were needed.

In a moment great with disappointment, the normally hard-ass Surface buckled as well. When Randels re-called the motion, Frist had his four votes. Bedne—trying to hold on to his integrity in what was obviously new territory for him—abstained.

This is “objective” city government at work. Don’t be fooled.

* * *

One of the BZA’s early 2008 cases involved a gentleman named Chris Mule, who had purchased an old one-story duplex at 1403 Tremont St., near Music Row, for the purposes of rehabbing and re-selling. Mule wanted to build a second floor on the duplex and re-sell the two units as modern townhomes. The structure was pretty run-down, and his somewhat alternative construction plans, though a tad edgy and differing from the typical neighbor homes, were nonetheless fairly consistent with other newer construction in Edgehill, which clearly seems to be battling between older black residents versus predominantly white Yuppie types who want to invest in existing property.

Mule averred that what he was doing would improve the look of the neigborhood, and also would infuse the property with new cash and new buyers with a vested interest in living there. These were indisuptable points. The issue at stake: His house on the east was too close to his neighbor, who showed up at the BZA meeting protesting. Point in fact, Mule’s architect had accounted for water run-off on the new proposed roof, and, in fact, the new second floor wouldn’t change the existing distance between homes though it would cast a longer shadow on the neighbor’s west windows. Mule’s soon-to-be new neighbor claimed that the proposed construction would prohibit him from putting a ladder to his house to effect repairs, but, as Mule correctly pointed out, the neighbor has had a scaffolding attached to that side of his house for apparently years, and that it was “an eyesore.” (I visited this site. Indeed, the scaffolding IS an eyesore, and there has apparently been no use for it for a good long time.)

Ewing, who happens to be African American, instead of balancing the technical merits of the case, seemed to take special exception to the fact that Mr. Mule did not consult his neighbors on either side when launching his design plan. Ewing took it upon himself to lecture Mule about common sense and good neighborliness. Even after Mr. Mule contritely apologized for the supposed lack of grace—while still asserting his rights and what seemed like a reasonable and fairly costly design and rehabilitation plan—his appeal was ultimately rejected by the board. Their reasons were a combination of technical gray area and something in the way of a slap on the wrist for Mr. Mule’s poor conduct as a human being. Very weird stuff. And not objective.

By and by, Mule also received a lecture on aesthetics from then-board member Lelia Gilchrist, telling him to re-think the design of his front porch. (I guess to conform to her notion of “good ol’ fashioned Southern hospitality.”)

Mr. Ewing fights for an exception for the Frists’ upscale home, but he gets self-righteous when a new owner wants to upgrade and improve the property in a sketchy area. Clearly, “hardships” are a matter of interpretation with the BZA.

* * *

Another recent BZA case involved one Richard Demonbreun, a lawyer and owner of a historic home in the Woodland-in-Waverly section of town. Demonbreun’s case apparently goes back several years, and the circumstances surrounding it are somewhat of a soap opera, including his temporary inability to practice law, his bankruptcy proceedings, his divorce, and neighbor complaints about how he runs his property/bed-and-breakfast as an events venue for parties, business meetings, weddings, etc.

A couple of neighbors showed up to this hearing to put the kibosh on Demonbreun’s plan to continue his business with BZA approval. The fly in that ointment is that Demonbreun has appealed the board’s rulings in the past to a higher authority, thus holding his business status in legal abeyance and allowing him to conduct business as usual until final determination of his case.

Demonbreun was very articulate—and possibly sincere—about his intentions to run a respectful business without annoyance to neighbors, but he also is burdened by the fact that his previous experience with the board has not been fruitful or pleasant, and he’s gone over their heads and into court to fight their determinations.

This case was noteworthy for the appearance of Henry Walker, local lawyer and journalist, who testified to the current state of the Demonbreun situation, though Walker was not present officially either to support or decry the appellant’s case, but only to state that there had not been recent neighbor complaints against Demonbreun and that Walker also wanted to know if he could go ahead with his plans to hold a scheduled event at Demonbreun’s establishment. Walker, being a lawyer, and an articulate and witty guy, naturally impressed the likes of Lyford and Surface, who seem to enjoy “lawyer talk” and like to make joshing jokes with and about lawyers. (For whatever their cozy little reasons.)

Demonbreun’s track record with BZA is not good, and that made it virtually impossible for him to make convincing arguments about the good-faith running of his business. Plus the soap-opera aspects of the case were extraneous verbiage that he apparently was using to evoke sympathy.

The upshot? The case was deferred for 30 days, because there was no clear majority yea or nay.

Clearly, objectivity, or even the appearance of it, never had a chance here.

* * *

The BZA exists, apparently, to respond logically and responsibly and consistently to people and their needs as citizens, residents and business owners. The irony of it all is that they are themselves in the business of making determinations that support exceptions to the city codes. There is, however, no consistency in their rationale. Hence, all you can see are the exceptions to the exceptions and the arbitrariness of their work.

The Frist case was an obvious example of their response to power: To turn down the Frist request would have been socially risky, and so they weenied out. Meanwhile, poor Mr. Mule is stuck with his Tremont building, forced to find a less progressive way to salvage his investment. In 30 days, Mr. Demonbreun learns his fate.

It’s almost as involving as March Madness.





 

Early Season Baseball Notes

Capitol Start—The Washington Nationals have a beautiful new baseball stadium, and are off to a 3-0 start. Gifted third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has hit two home runs, and both have been game-winners. Questions remain about the pitching here, especially with closer Chad Cordero still injured, plus the starters—Odalis Perez? Matt Chico? Tim Redding?—have to prove they’re for real. There’s hope in D.C. for now, anyway.

Bad Start—Three strong postseason contenders—Tigers, Cubs and Phillies—are 0-2. It’s early, but all three have lost at home, and if you check the history books, fast starts usually mean something at season’s end.

Geezer Yankees—Take a cursory look at the Yankees’ active roster. This team is old. Check out these ages, by mid-season: Mike Mussina (39), Mariano Rivera (38), Jason Giambi (37), Jorge Posada (37), LaTroy Hawkins (35), Johnny Damon (34), Bobby Abreu (34), Hideki Matsui (34), Derek Jeter (34), Alex Rodriguez (33), Morgan Ensberg (33), Kyle Farsnworth (32). Plus the starting pitching is a complete mystery at this juncture, with only Chien-Ming Wang a proven (but still young enough at 28) commodity.

Whither Juan?—Juan Pierre has a career batting average of .301. He’s had four 200-hit seasons since entering the league in 2000, and in 7 of his first 8 seasons he’s never accumulated fewer than 170 hits. He’s batted over .300 four times. He’s scored 100 runs or more three times. He’s also stolen 389 career bases. So what is up in Los Angeles, where new Dodgers manager Joe Torre has only started Pierre once in the first three games, and then pinch-hit for him later in that one game? Pierre earned a world championship ring with the 2003 Marlins. The guy’s on his way to greatness—only 30, and already with 1,440 career hits—and Torre’s playing youngsters Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp, presumably looking for long-ball pop. (Pierre has only 12 career dingers.) Maybe trade the guy if you’re not gonna play him, since he won’t give you power off the bench. So far, Torre has Rafael Furcal leading off and catcher Russell Martin batting second. Seems like Furcal and Pierre at the top of the order would set the table nicely for Jeff Kent and Andruw Jones and the younger power bats. Pierre should be playing regularly somewhere.

Remarkable Rudy—The Phillies yesterday added 39-year-old Rudy Seanez to their roster. This guy’s a baseball phenomenon, or oddity, depending on how you look at it. Seanez has pitched in 16 major league seasons. He has never won more than 7 games in a season, never lost more than 4 (36-26 overall). He has appeared in 502 games, and not once has he ever been a starter. So you’d think he’d have some saves under his belt, right? He has exactly 12 saves in his entire career. He’s never pitched more than 60 innings in any one season. His career ERA is 4.15. But Remarkable Rudy also has struck out more than one batter per inning (523 IP, 544 K). He’s the quintessential one-batter reliever, and if he hadn’t missed the 1992, ’96 and ’97 seasons with injuries, he’d’ve logged 19 major league seasons. According to best estimates, Seanez has earned upwards of $10 million in his career. His high was 2006, when the Red Sox paid him $1.9 million. He’ll earn $500K this season, after earning $700K in ’07 with the Dodgers. Not bad for mediocrity.

Asian Influence—The latest Asian player to make his presence known is Chicago Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, who blasted a three-run homer in the Cubs’ opener (a 4-3 loss to the Brewers). This guy looks for real. He’s built like Hideki Matsui and has a similarly sweet swing. Fukudome will turn 31 later this month, and like most Asians playing in the States, he’s already had a serious star career in Japan. He should be good for at least five years of MLB productivity.

Brewer Brawn—Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun has been moved from third base to left field this year. The 2007 NL Rookie of the Year was deemed a liability at the Hot Corner (26 errors in 112 games), so the Brewers brass figured he could cause less harm in the outfield and concentrate even more on his remarkable hitting. What’s weird is that veteran Bill Hall has now taken over at third, after spending all of 2007 in the outfield. Prior to last year, though, Hall spent most of his career shifting around from second to shortstop to third. If he’s successful in the field, the Brewers solve a problem and keep his solid bat in the lineup. And look out for Braun. He’s already one of the best natural hitters in the game, and last year’s power numbers (34 HR, 97 RBI) should improve.

Dusty Roads—In case you missed it, Dusty Baker is managing the Cincinnati Reds. It’s his first managing job since his ignominious departure from the Cubs after their 66-96 record in 2006. Old managers never die. They just end up in Cincinnati.

Be-Deviled—The Tampa Bay Devil Rays have only won as many as 70 games once, in 2004, under Lou Piniella. They actually did better in their second season (1999) than they did last year. Hope springs eternal.

Padre P. U.—After tanking critical games late in the 2007 season for the Padres, stopper Trevor Hoffman was at it again last night, blowing a 6-5 lead in the ninth, allowing four runs and watching the Astros claim a 9-6 victory. Hoffman will be 41 in October. He might be done. He has 525 career saves.

The Rookie: Still Inspiring Belief in Baseball, Even When We Know the Awful Truth

I saw The Rookie last night for the second time. I liked it a ton the first time, and it still holds up. It still moves the viewer. John Lee Hancock directed this 2002 biopic starring Dennis Quaid as Jimmy Morris, who made his major league baseball debut at the age of 35.

Drafted out of high school in 1983 by the Milwaukee Brewers, Morris bounced around the minors for six years, then chucked it all in 1989. He then became a high school teacher and coach in Texas. In June 1999, he gained an unlikely pro tryout, impressed scouts with his live fastball, and, before the season was over, was called up to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (a team with woeful pitching), with whom he finished the season.

Morris made the Rays roster in spring of 2000, though he only lasted about five weeks into that season, returning to oblivion, but not before he struck a blow for dreamers everywhere. In two very partial seasons, Morris compiled modest numbers: no wins or losses, 15 IP, 4.80 ERA, 13 Ks.

Morris’ story is inspiring, even without all the Hollywood melodrama, of which there is a fair amount in Hancock’s film. Yet despite the hokum—which, on balance, is probably handled as well as any director could—Hancock also does wonderful things with the camera, which bring to life the dusty Texas setting and exhibit particular strength in the critical relationship scenes between Quaid and Rachel Griffiths, who, as Morris’ wife, exudes an earthy sexuality and a subtle appeal. Hers is a fine performance, but so is Quaid’s, and watching him one wonders why he isn’t (or wasn’t) a bigger star. He handles all the baseball stuff like a champ, with convincing athleticism and a sense of determination that reads as credible without once getting mawkish. He also manages understatement in the scenes in which he coaches the high school baseball team to a surprise successful season. Scenes played with Brian Cox, as his dark-spirited father, are also very affecting.

If only director Hancock hadn’t indulged a tendency to over-focus his lens on kid actor Angus T. Jones, known now as the obnoxious tween-child on the TV series Two and a Half Men. Jones plays Quaid’s son, and this bit of thematic schmaltz (fathers and sons) becomes tiresome, even though it does have some logic in context. It doesn’t help that Jones isn’t charming. Luckily, it doesn’t kill the film.

The movie’s musical score, with the exception of some overly sentimental recorder motifs, is terrific, a fun blend of rockabilly and Americana and country that keeps us mindful of the rural surroundings.

But maybe what The Rookie achieves beyond excellent filmmaking is the evocation of a sincere regard for baseball at any level. I watched the flick remembering how much I loved the sport as a kid, even though my own achievements never extended beyond grammar school leagues or softball fields. Hancock’s careful direction successfully reminds us what a great game baseball is.

The irony is thick, then, when Quaid as Morris, finally inside a major league locker room, strolls past the hanging jersey of Jose Canseco, who, in actual fact, was then having the last quality year of his steroid-checkered career (.279, 34 HRs, 95 RBIs). At that point, the movie just as easily reminds us what an awful business the pro game has become at its highest rung. Dopers and liars among players, weak-sister executives, perversely bloated salaries, ticket prices affordable only to the well-to-do, an overextended season that becomes mind-numbing and loses its meaning, plus a playoff season that drags nearly into November, when, at some games, teams dress in winter underwear and fans freeze their nuts off. Meanwhile, television (and, by extension, the New York Yankees) calls all the shots.

The Rookie has the power to re-instill devotion to baseball. It’s well-crafted sports story-telling that never overstates its case and often induces chills in those who still have a fondness for baseball’s mythical properties. Too bad money and greed have ruined it all.

Nevertheless, baseball is right around the corner. Joe Torre is managing the Dodgers, the fabulous Ryan Howard of the Phillies gets a fresh start on the season, and the Washington Nationals open a brand-new ballpark, Nationals Park, on March 30, against the Atlanta Braves.

Somewhere, Jimmy Morris will be watching. The rest of us will have blinders on.

Chalk Talk: When NCAA Brackets Bleed Davidson Red

If you’re anything like me, you have an NCAA bracket stained with blood. Mine, I’m afraid, is probably redder than most. I play a limited chalk (higher-seed) game. In the opening round, I mostly pick favorites, but I leave some leeway for teams that I think will surprise.

The bracketeer who went strictly chalk in the first round this year would’ve ended up 25-7 in the first 32 games. I was 23-9, which basically sucks but isn’t that far from the norm. You could say I was “done in” by Connecticut, Gonzaga, Southern Cal, Clemson and Indiana, higher seeds who went down. But I also picked Siena to defeat Vanderbilt, and Western Kentucky to take Drake, two lower seeds that came through in fine fashion.

But it was the other teams I took a flyer on that really hurt me. Faced with a tough Kent State (9)-UNLV (8) matchup, I picked the Golden Flashes, mainly because MAC teams have surprised in the tourney before, and because UNLV’s resume just didn’t tell me enough. Bad guess.

In the Arizona (10)-West Virginia (7) matchup, I went with the Wildcats. I never figured them to get any further, but I thought they were good for one win, based on their PAC-10 pedigree. I definitely underestimated West Virginia, partly because their coach, Bob Huggins, is not really regarded as a strategist. He’s proved himself to be a great recruiter, but in his first season with the Mountaineers, these aren’t really his players. They look very strong, though, just as their resume portended. Another bad guess.

I went with Oregon (9) versus Mississippi State (8) and took a bath there, too. To me, that game was a toss-up on paper, and I was hoping the fickleness of the tourney would play in my favor. Wrong. (Never count on the fickleness of the tourney.)

But where I really got hurt was with St. Joseph’s. With the small but scrappy Philly school playing well at season’s end—with a good-sized front line and good shooting stats—I selected them as the surprise team that would catch fire. I got it into my stupid head that this was the miracle team of the tourney. I penciled the Hawks in for three wins, taking down Oklahoma, Louisville and Tennessee along their way to the Elite 8. Well, if the tourney’s not for fun, then why do we do it? Needless to say, my fantasy jollies are now out of my system.

I had three other teams moving on to the Sweet 16—Gonzaga, Clemson, Connecticut—who, like St. Joe’s, never even made it out of the first round. Add other picks Duke and Marquette, who fell in the second round, and that means I enter the Sweet 16 with 10 viable teams, a .625 percentage. Not the worst, but if I were in an office pool with a lot of other bracketeers, I’d probably be long out of the running.

Here’s the good news where following along the tourney is concerned. I have 10 out of my Sweet 16 still playing. I have 7 out of my Elite 8 still playing. Plus, I have all my Final Four teams still looking strong—North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA and Texas.

You can’t take this bracket stuff too seriously, or you’ll go crazy. It’s nice to have some fun with it. Of course, it’s nice to win a few too.

CONFERENCE REPORT

ACC (4)—Except for North Carolina, they’re done, with Clemson exiting early, and Miami and Duke falling in their second game.

Big East (8)—Louisville, Villanova, and West Virginia remain, but I daresay they’re probably not the three most bracketeers counted on. Notre Dame, Georgetown, Marquette and Pittsburgh are done, but with decent showings. Connecticut took an early powder.

Big 12 (6)—Only Kansas and Texas remain. Oklahoma, Kansas State, Texas A&M each won first-round games, Baylor exited early.

Big 10 (4)—Wisconsin and Michigan State remain, and that’s a better percentage so far than most of the other major conferences. Especially interesting since the Big 10 was considered in a down cycle this year. Purdue won one game; Indiana exited early.

PAC 10 (6)—They have three remaining entries, Washington State, Stanford and UCLA, all of whom have played well to get to the Sweet 16. Southern Cal, Arizona and Oregon all lost first-round games, and didn’t look very good doing so.

SEC (6)—Not a good showing here for the home of the reigning champs, Florida, who didn’t even qualify this season. One team remains in the Sweet 16, Tennessee. They’re looking good, but they face a Louisville team that has completed two laughers against Boise State and Oklahoma. As for the other five SECs: Vanderbilt (as predicted here), Georgia and Kentucky were one and done; Arkansas and Mississippi State each won a first-round game and had respectable showings.

Atlantic 10 (3)—Xavier remains; they’ve looked very good. St. Joe’s and Temple exited early.

The remainder of the Sweet 16 comprises single schools from so-called mid-major conferences: Memphis (Conference USA), Davidson (Southern Conference) and Western Kentucky (Sun Belt Conference). While Memphis is still a favorite to advance (albeit with a tough game versus Michigan State), Davidson has a longer haul against taller, stronger Wisconsin, and Western Kentucky takes on UCLA, an improbable task.

Man of the Moment: Stephen Curry of Davidson has poured in 70 points in his first two NCAA games, and the #10-seeded Wildcats have taken down #7-seeded Gonzaga and #2-seeded Georgetown. Fifty-five of Curry’s points have come in the second half. His team has now won 24 games in a row including the regular season.

See you next week.

March Mudness: Clarifying the Murky NCAA Field for Stalwart Bracketeers

Yes, I’m going to fill out an NCAA bracket. No, I’m not going to share it with the world. It’ll be tough enough to deal with my failed projected upsets in private, much less have the international blogosphere be privy to ‘em.

Instead, I’m going to share my wisdom about this year’s teams. I’ve crunched a lot of data in the past few days, and I think I have some worthy observations that might help everyone else feel a little more informed about the field.

Here goes nuthin’:

EAST REGIONAL

1. North Carolina (32-2)—A tourney favorite. They have depth and talent. And Tyler Hansbrough. Their path to the Final Four looks almost too easy.

2. Tennessee (29-4)—I’ve watched these guys. They’re great. More talent on a college b-ball court you won’t find. They play a pressing D, and their transition game is breathtaking. They can score in bunches, but they give up tons of points, too. They might go far, but someone with a more controlled style might shut ‘em down.

3. Louisville (24-8)—Rick Pitino coaches good basketball teams. This is one of ‘em. They tied for second in the Big East. But their out-of-conference performance, while decent, was not noteworthy.

4. Washington State (24-8)—My initial reaction to these guys was lukewarm. But check out their rcord. Their overall performance was surprisingly consistent, they beat everyone they should logically beat, and they performed well enough in the tough Pac-10. Who they didn’t beat was UCLA. Could surprise.

5. Notre Dame (24-7)—Strong Big East resume and a balanced lineup. They score, hit their treys at a 41% clip, are strong on free throws, and they have a big man, 6’8” Luke Harangody, who averages a double-double and hits 51.7% from the floor. So why aren’t they a higher seed?

6. Oklahoma (22-11)—Big front line, and presumably battle-tested after playing Big 12 teams like Kansas, Texas, Texas A&M, and Kansas State. They are below average both from the foul line and the three-point stripe. A bit of an unknown quantity.

7. Butler (29-3)—Reputed to be under-seeded. They’re ranked 10th in the nation, so why aren’t they seeded higher? They have some good wins on the resume, but nothing earthshaking. And playing in the Horizon League, you almost wonder how they could lose at all to the likes of Wright State and Cleveland State. They had a late-season loss at home to Drake, 71-64. But maybe the tournament committee had the same suspicions I do. They hit their free throws, though.

8. Indiana (25-7)—They’ve underperformed since coach Kelvin Sampson was told to take a hike. They’re talented but appear vulnerable. Best free-throw-shooting team in the tourney.

9. Arkansas (22-11)—They’ve got some size and general ability. They have some decent wins to their credit, including a victory over Tennessee in the SEC tourney (for what that’s worth). They’re mediocre from the foul line and the 3-point line. First-round matchup versus Indiana should be competitive. After that, who knows?

10. South Alabama (26-6)—They don’t really have any top-quality wins, and they lost twice to Middle Tennessee State, a scrappy but generally mediocre outfit. They’re an at-large team from the Sun Belt Conference, with decent shooting numbers but against suspect competition. Their presence here probably makes Arizona State fans grumble. Yet they get a first-round game against Butler in nearby Birmingham, so maybe the gods are smiling on ’em.

11. St. Joseph’s (21-12)—Atlantic 10 at-large choice getting props from the pundits. They’ve got a serious front line (no man under 6’8”), and their shooting numbers in all phases are impressive. Have yet to prove they can beat a great team.

12. George Mason (23-10)—The darlings of the ‘06 tourney. Half of this squad was on that Final Four team. So maybe look out. Statistical numbers are so-so. They’re not very tall, but neither was the ‘06 outfit. Odds of lightning striking twice are pretty slim.

13. Winthrop (22-11)—They’re relatively short, and their stats against generally mediocre competition are unimpressive. Supposedly they play good D. They did beat Miami, however, who beat Duke, Mississippi State and Clemson. Hmmm....

14. Boise State (25-8)—A couple of decent wins (BYU, San Diego), and they shoot treys well. Also strong shooting from the floor. Weak schedule. Survival odds slim to none.

15. American (21-11)—Best three-point shooters in the tourney, statistically speaking. Hit their free throws, too. Hardly any size, though, and they didn’t play anybody of note. They beat Maryland in College Park, which probably says more about the Terps than it does about the Eagles.

16. Coppin State (16-20)/Mt. St. Mary’s (18-14)—Pick your poison. Play-in game combatants have lousy records and played almost nobody that matters. Maybe they should re-think the system.


MIDWEST REGIONAL

1. Kansas (31-3)—Strong in every phase of the offensive game, has size, and definitely a contender to take it all. They couldn’t beat Texas, though. They also have a recent history of underachieving in the NCAAs.

2. Georgetown (27-5)—Big East power does most things well. Proved they could beat the top contenders in their league. Play strong D, and have a serious big man, 7’2” Roy Hibbert. Pundits like ‘em to go far.

3. Wisconsin (29-4)—Well-coached squad that has risen above its penchant for lackluster offense. They beat Texas and Michigan State, which is saying a lot. They’ve got some size, and simply seem to play fundamentally sound b-ball, despite averaging only 68 points a game.

4. Vanderbilt (26-7)—Started the season 16-0, which means they’re 10-7 down the stretch. Not impressive. Only 7-7 on the road, too. On paper, they look great: they have size, hit their treys (fourth best among tourney teams), hit their free throws, and have a wonderful all-around star in 6’6” forward Shan Foster. So why do they look vulnerable?

5. Clemson (24-9)—Solid ACC entry, with wins over Duke, Miami and Mississippi State. They hit their treys at a decent clip, but for some reason aren’t so good from the free-throw line. Average-sized squad. Bit of an unknown quantity in the grand scheme of things.

6. Southern California (21-11)—They beat UCLA, Stanford and Arizona. Pretty good team, with decent size and solid numbers from the floor. Plus they have frosh sensation O. J. Mayo (20.9 ppg). They have an interesting first-round matchup with Kansas State and their frosh sensation, 6’ 10" Michael Beasley (26.5 ppg). Pac-10 resume might bode well.

7. Gonzaga (25-7)—West Coast Conference overachievers whose tough out-of-conference schedule includes victories over Connecticut, Western Kentucky, Georgia and road wins at St. Joseph’s and Virginia Tech. They also lost close games to Washington State, Tennessee and Oklahoma. No other so-called mid-major has better prepared itself to play in this tourney. They get a tough first-round matchup against another pundit favorite, Davidson.

8. UNLV (26-7)—Average height, mediocre shooting numbers and little in the way of quality wins. The Rebels mostly stuck to opponents in the west. When they played Louisville, they got trounced. First-round matchup versus Kent State might be a very good game.

9. Kent State (28-6)—Undisputed champs of the MAC. A couple of decent wins on the schedule, but really good teams (North Carolina, Xavier) beat ‘em soundly. Stats are very average.

10. Davidson (26-6)—On a 22-game win streak. Pundits are raving, “Look out for the Wildcats.” But who did they play? Well, UCLA, North Carolina and Duke. And lost ’em all. The rest of their schedule comprises Southern Conference foes and other non-entities. Spanking Elon, Wofford and Georgia Southern tells us little. They can shoot a little, and they’ve got two 6’8” forwards, neither of whose numbers are startling. Caveat emptor.

11. Kansas State (20-11)—Hotshot freshman Michael Beasley is the story here. They beat Kansas also. Their numbers from the field do not impress, but they manage nearly 80 points per game, with Beasley rebounding and scoring at significant rates. Interesting #11.

12. Villanova (20-12)—Some solid Big East victories on the resume. Not so good from the floor; better from the foul line. Generally strong front line, and well-coached. But they could disappear quickly as easily as they could surprise.

13. Siena (22-10)—Not a bad-shooting team. Average size. Metro Atlantic competition not very good. They tended to lose whenever they played someone from a serious conference. Yet somehow, they beat Stanford. Went 14-4 in the stretch and are on a 6-game winning streak. Mystery team.

14. Cal State-Fullerton (24-8)—Small, good-shooting team that played almost nobody, and when they played someone good (Arizona, for example), they got whipped. They have a marquee player, Josh Akognon. Surprise seems unlikely.

15. Md.-Baltimore County (24-8)—Behold the Retrievers of UMBC, defeaters of American U. They have almost no size, compiled acceptable shooting stats against other nobodies, and have won playing it close to the vest with few turnovers. I suspect Georgetown’s bench could take ‘em handily.

16. Portland State (23-9)—The Big Sky champs actually have a 6’11" center, Scott Morrison, with good numbers, plus a 5’6” guard named Jeremiah Dominguez who can shoot. When they played serious opponents (UCLA, Washington), they got hammered. One late-season win against Cal State-Fullerton is the biggest notch on the belt.

SOUTH REGIONAL

1. Memphis (33-1)—Here’s a stat: Since 1974, no team has come into the NCAAs with only one loss and gone on to win it all. In Vegas terms, that makes the Tigers practically a lock to lose somewhere along the line. They’re talented African gods with good size and athleticism, but they are also one of the worst free-throw-shooting and 3-point-shooting teams in this tourney. If someone can neutralize their up-tempo pace, they can be had.

2. Texas (28-6)—Look out, below! The Longhorns have the strongest resume in the tourney. Check out these victories: Tennessee, UCLA, Kansas, Texas A&M, Baylor, Oral Roberts, Oklahoma. They’ve got size, balance, a great guard in D. J. Augustin, and they’ve won 12 of their last 14 games. Their free-throw shooting could be a little better, but they’re also playing strong D these days.

3. Stanford (26-7)—Two 7-footers should help the Cardinal advance for a while here. A 13-5 record in the Pac-10’s gotta count for something, but they could never beat UCLA. They also have a strange loss to Siena blemishing the overall record. Their shooting stats are mediocre, so if they don’t get it done inside, they might be in trouble.

4. Pittsburgh (26-9)—Another darling of the punditry. They proved they can beat Duke and their big Big East competitors. They do it with toughness and physicality. The Panthers aren’t really that tall, and their shooting numbers (especially from the 3-point line, ranked 57th in the tourney) are not noteworthy. In other words, they beat you up and play aggressive defense. It seems to be working.

5. Michigan State (25-8)—Among all the high-profile programs, the Spartans can get lost in the shuffle. They’re always hanging around, though, and with good reason. They have a super coach in Tom Izzo, and they play a solid out-of-conference schedule that gets ‘em battle-tested, even if the Big Ten is in a down cycle. They have some good size, they shoot well from the floor and the free-throw line, and they have veteran guard Drew Neitzel calling the shots. And this is huge: They beat Texas. They face a scrappy Temple team in the first round, but my money’s on Izzo and the Spartans.

6. Marquette (24-9)—Solid Big East resume and an out-of-conference victory on the road over tough Wisconsin. Still, Marquette’s other out-of-conference opponents were fairly unimposing, and their shooting stats are only just okay. They do seem to play serious D, though.

7. Miami (22-10)—For once, it’s the Miami from Florida that’s made the tourney. Seems like it’s been a while for the Hurricanes, and it’s their first NCAA since joining the ACC. They beat Duke, Clemson and Mississippi State, and that’s impressive. They’ve got two big men down low, three scrappy guards, they hit their treys and they can shoot free throws with the best of ‘em. The out-of-conference schedule had some weak sisters, but I wouldn’t bet against these guys in a close game.

8. Mississippi State (22-10)—Rather an unknown SEC quantity. They’ve got some decent players, including Tyler Hansbrough’s little brother Ben, and two guys down low, Charles Rhodes and Jarvis Varnado, who bang it up and rebound. But they didn’t really beat anybody, even in their own conference, and they’re weak from both the foul line and the 3-point stripe. If I was one of those bubble teams, I’d wonder what these Bulldogs are doing here.

9. Oregon (18-13)—Oregon is sorta the Mississippi State of the Pac-10. They have some better wins than the Bulldogs (Arizona, Stanford, Kansas State), but still, their resume looks thin in out-of-conference play. I guess losing to UCLA, USC and Washington State means more than winning against lesser or equal teams. The Ducks shoot from the floor very well (both deuces and treys). At least their first-round matchup (against Mississippi State, of course) looks logical.

10. St. Mary’s (25-6)—Not sure St. Mary’s wins over Drake and Oregon mean so much, but their victory over Gonzaga does. Otherwise, they’re a classic bubble team that may or may not belong here. Their out-of-conference schedule was mediocre, and their competition in the West Coast Conference (except for Gonzaga) just doesn’t impress. Statistically, they are a bit below average. If they advance, it’s a surprise.

11. Kentucky (18-12)—They probably shouldn’t even be here. There were other bubble teams more deserving. They can prove me wrong with a win against Marquette, and maybe that old Wildcat magic and tradition will prevail for awhile. They shoot free throws well, and they can apparently play good defense, and possibly that’ll sustain ’em. The out-of-conference schedule was decent, but they could never beat anybody that mattered. They had home victories versus Tennessee and Vanderbilt, and doubtless the 12-4 SEC record bulwarked the NCAA selection. We shall see.

12. Temple (21-12)—Not sure about these guys. They shoot well, they’ve got some size, and they’re on a 7-game winning streak. They beat Atlantic 10 foes Xavier and St. Joseph’s, though that might simply be a function of intra-league law of averages. The out-of-conference slate was mediocre, and they didn’t beat anyone who counted. They draw Michigan State in the first round, so their little bubble might burst quickly.

13. Oral Roberts (24-8)—They’ve got some size—6’6,” 6’10,” 6’8,” 6’9”—in the starting lineup, but building a resume as Summit League champs might be like being the best golfer in Alaska. They played a few out-of-conference games worth mentioning—Texas, Texas A&M, Arkansas—and lost ’em all. First-round opponent is a small Pitt squad that likes to bang bodies. Might be interesting for a while.

14. Cornell (22-5)—One thing about Ivy League teams—they don’t play nearly as many games as the others in the tourney. That said, Ivy League entries have a history of providing stiff early-round competition (think of Princeton or Penn in years past). The Big Red can offer us this: the best 3-point average in the tourney, and the second-best free-throw average in the tourney. So if they play Ivy League smart, hit their treys, and keep it close enough where foul shots matter, who knows? They beat Siena this year. Siena beat Stanford this year. Cornell’s first-round opponent? Stanford. Go figure.

15. Austin Peay (24-10)—Average height, mediocre conference (Ohio Valley), and when they played anybody good out of conference they were routed. They can shoot a little, but first-round opponent Texas should not be afraid.

16. Texas-Arlington (21-11)—The only thing these guys do well statistically is shoot from the floor (deuces only). They’ve got a 6’9” center named Jermaine Griffin who has decent numbers. The resume is thin, including a 99-66 victory over Schreiner (whoever the heck they are). One and done.

WEST REGIONAL

1. UCLA (31-3)—Okay, they’re great. The class of the Pac-10. But freshman center Kevin Love’s back has been sore, and if someone roughs him up, what then? Well, there’re plenty of other talented players, and they should hang in there regardless. The Bruins are not the best 3-point shooters in the world, but that appears to be their only weakness. If healthy, they could go all the way.

2. Duke (27-5)—Strong all over as usual, though not dominating and a little weak in the rebounding department. Someone might outmuscle ’em down the line, but the Blue Devils should be in for the longer haul.

3. Xavier (27-6)—Statistically, one of the best-shooting teams in the nation, in all phases. They play solid D also. A few quality wins out of conference, but a few losses too. They can strike a serious blow for Atlantic 10 respect with a good tourney showing.

4. Connecticut (24-8)—Big East perennial power that does it all well. The front court goes 6’7,” 6’9,” and 7’3,” the latter being one Hasheem Thabeet (sort of the new Emeka Okafor). Thabeet blocks shots and averages 10.5 ppg/8.0 rpg. Could be tough in the later rounds.

5. Drake (28-4)—Another team the pundits like to talk about. But their best wins were in-conference only. They simply didn’t play anybody out of conference, and when they did (St. Mary’s), they got beat. They shoot free throws and play defense (in the Missouri Valley Conference, anyway). But they’re not tall, and they look ripe for the plucking, even being overseeded as they are.

6. Purdue (24-8)—Interesting team. Their stats don’t jump out at you, but they did beat Wisconsin and Michigan State, plus out-of-conference Louisville. They play D, and wear ya down, and sometimes that’s a good strategy in the tourney.

7. West Virginia (24-10)—They’ve got size, even at the guard slot, and the Mountaineers have balance throughout the lineup in scoring and rebounding. Sometimes they look absolutely great. But their shooting stats are not impressive as far as it goes. Their out-of-conference schedule was a mixed-bag of obvious success plus close losses to teams like Tennessee and Oklahoma. They’re a serious Big East team with something to prove, and their first-round matchup versus Arizona should be a dilly.

8. Brigham Young (27-7)—An average-shooting team which is worse from the free-throw line. They’ve got a big center, 6’11’ Trent Plaisted, with solid numbers. They beat Louisville and lost to North Carolina and Michigan State, then mostly trampled on their Mountain West brethren. Their seed is about right, but how good they really are is as yet unknown.

9. Texas A&M (24-10)—They beat Texas, and that seems to be the great qualifier tourney-wide. If you can hang with the Longhorns, you gotta be pretty good. The Aggies have size all over, but their shooting is only so-so. The out-of-conference performance is good but not great. Other victories included Oral Roberts, Baylor and Oklahoma plus the non-tourney Ohio State. Keep an eye on these guys.

10. Arizona (19-14)—So here they are, with 14 losses and a fill-in coach, Kevin O’Neill. Being a Pac-10 team helped the Wildcats get into the Dance, for sure, but also, their shooting numbers are quite good (top 15 in the tourney in all phases). Plus, they’ve got their usual good size and a star guard in Jerryd Bayless. O’Neill stresses defense, and improvement is nigh. Despite their struggles—they’ve lost 8 of their last 12—they’re capable of a very good game.

11. Baylor (21-10)—Another good Big 12 team. They shoot pretty well, rebound less so. Played a decent out-of-conference schedule and defeated Notre Dame and Winthrop. First-round matchup versus Purdue will be a challenge, though.

12. Western Kentucky (27-6)—For a team from a little-regarded conference (Sun Belt), the Hilltoppers have done pretty well historically in the NCAAs (15-20). They didn’t really beat anybody this year, not even the toughest in-conference foe, South Alabama. But they shoot treys well, play defense, and have a star in 6’5” guard Courtney Lee. They line up against Drake in the first round. A tempting 5/12 upset could be in the offing.

13. San Diego (21-13)—They got in because they won the West Coast Conference tourney. But also, they’ve got wins over Gonzaga, St. Mary’s and Kentucky. Their shooting numbers are lackluster, and the Toreros tend to get into really close games, which might not be a good idea when facing off in the first round versus a physical group like Connecticut. Need a miracle to survive.

14. Georgia (17-16)—These guys aren’t even a bubble team. They were never in the running for selection at all, then went ahead and won the SEC tournament. It’s a nice story and all, but it looks like a total fluke to me. Pretty rare air as a #14-seed for an SEC team, though. If I’m first-round opponent Xavier, I wouldn’t give ’em an inch—play ’em tough and vanquish ’em fast.

15. Belmont (25-8)—A Nashville team only blocks from my condo-crib, but sentiment can’t impede the truth: They’re not even one of the top 30 teams in the tourney shooting treys, and that’s their strength! Somehow these slow white boys from the Atlantic Sun Conference have managed 13 in a row to close the season, and are making their third consecutive NCAA appearance. It’s all very nice and I wish ’em luck, but Duke is lying in wait.

16. Mississippi Valley State (17-15)—Statistically, these guys don’t do anything well. They even got outscored by their opponents on a per-game average. They did play some serious out-of-conference competition but got smoked by ’em all, including a 71-26 drubbing at the hands of Washington State. MVSU does better at producing wide receivers, like Jerry Rice. One and way done.

Titans Get Crumpler While Key Linemen Leave En Masse

After the opening weekend of NFL free agency, some Tennessee Titans fans are scratching their heads. I’m with ‘em. I don’t know when I’ve ever seen three veteran defensive linemen up and leave a team so quickly, all at the same time.

In the blink of an eye, defensive end Antwan Odom, defensive tackle Randy Starks and defensive end Travis Laboy all signed new contracts with other teams. They were four-year men, and as unrestricted free agents they were free to bail. Guess the big question is, Why?

While Titans brass were celebrating the free-agent signing of former Falcons All-Pro tight end Alge Crumpler, Odom, Starks and Laboy got away, as did offensive guard Jacob Bell. Tight ends Ben Troupe and Bo Scaife are also on the free-agent block, and don’t blink or they might be gone too.

Crumpler could be a good addition. He’s been one of the best TEs in the league for years, and a personal favorite of mine. But he’s 30 years old, and his playing time was limited last season due to a knee problem. Let’s hope he’s healthy—and still young enough.

Meanwhile, watching a load of young veterans get away, all solid role players in the Titans’ 10-6 season in ’07, is mystifying. Laboy and Odom were both drafted in Round 2 of the ‘04 draft. Starks was grabbed in the third round the same year. Bell, a virtual unknown, out of Miami (Ohio), was snagged later in the fifth round. (Troupe was also from that draft, during the Floyd Reese era. Pretty smart drafting for a team that had no #1 choice that year.) All of the aforementioned have made steady improvement. The DLs were key supporting players assisting Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch on the Titans’ much-improved defense last season. Bell became a solid pro on a rebuilding OL unit and was presumed to be a regular starter for the next 5-10 years.

Now they’re all gone. Maybe there’s method to general manager Mike Reinfeldt’s madness. Or maybe the second-year GM is asleep at the switch. He’s not impressive in interviews, and even though head coach Jeff Fisher was grinning today about the Crumpler signing, it’s hard to know the plan.

It takes time to develop good linemen. If Reinfeldt’s getting replacements from the draft, it’s naive to think they’ll be immediately as good as the departed. And if Reinfeldt has scouted the free agent list, then he knows that most every name player at the trench positions is an older guy—and not necessarily a long-term solution. So why not sign the younger vets before they get away? He’s gonna have to sign somebody to fill their slots, isn’t he?

The Troupe/Scaife situation is also a little weird. With Crumpler’s arrival—and with third-stringer Ben Hartsock already departed via free agency to Atlanta—their status is up in the air should they stay. Scaife, a third-year man and hence a restricted free agent—which means the Titans get some compensation if he goes—had become the starting TE and one of Vince Young’s favorite targets in ’07. But Scaife is also a blocker, a valuable big man for a team that wants to run the ball. Troupe, on the other hand, has become invisible. Strange. After posting solid numbers in ’05—55 catches, 530 yards, 4 TDs—Troupe seemed ready to fulfill his promise as a star offensive TE. But he slipped off the radar in ’06 because of a foot injury, and never was in the mix in ’07, with only 5 catches for 47 yards.

It looks at the moment like Scaife will be retained, as the team moves to also keep in the fold other RFAs like kicker Rob Bironas and tackle David Stewart. Troupe might be deemed expendable, and the saga of how his star fell so far so fast remains filled with questions.

For all the hype about Vince Young, fact is the Titans returned to the playoffs in '07 due to the efforts of their defense and their offensive line. Young was an inconsistent, sometimes disappointing performer. Ditto running back LenDale White. Both still have promise, but in the meantime it was the trench guys that got things done. If the Titans were trying to save money on the recently departed, it might yet be seen as a penny-wise-and-pound-foolish mindset at work.

Reinfeldt's moves definitely bear watching. He could be a dummy—yet another ex-jock who looks good in a suit, and talks the talk, but is shortsighted. I miss frumpy old balding Reese. Pretty sharp cat.