Bleacher Report - Articles by David Nethers

Lebron James 'Shooting Stars' Talks Life, Loyalty and "The Chosen One"

David Nethers — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:41:14 -0400

In his new book 'Shooting Stars', LeBron James reveals he learned a lot in high school. But they were lessons he didn't find in any text book.

Now an NBA Superstar and an international celebrity, he was just a junior at St. Vincent St. Mary's High School in Akron, Ohio when Sports Illustrated put him on the magazine's cover anointing him "The Chosen One", comparing the teenager to Michael Jordan.

In his book, LeBron says some of the 'celebrety' status was flattering. But it also took its toll.

"They compared me to Magic Johnson, as ridiculous at the time as comparing me to Michael Jordan" he writes in his book. He singled out Danny Ainge, the former coach of the Phoenix Suns, for saying he would make "King James" not simply a lottery pick, but the number one pick of the NBA draft.

"Ridiculous again, given my age and true stature," James writes.

He is also critical now of a schedule that had him and his closest friends and teammates travelling to play the toughest opponents they could find in their senior year.

"Was it insane for a high school basketball team to jet around the country?" He writes: "At the time I thought it was exciting, going to places I never ever thought I would get to see in my life when I was a scared lonely young boy. Now I believe it was excessive."

Lebron's High School Coach, Dru Joyce II may be the most prominently mentioned person throughout the book.

I sat down with Joyce II on the day of its release to talk about the revelations.

"It was something that you don't know how to prepare for" Joyce told me.

"We were on the cutting edge of this kind of celebrity for a high school player in the internet, ESPN generation so there was no-one to ask how do you handle this, how do you deal with it all so you just trust that you were making the right decisions, and we did do a lot of things to protect him"

Joyce admits he was the one who put together the cross-country road schedule LeBron now regrets.

"I did it for one reason and one reason only, we wanted to play the best teams," Joyce said. "We thought we were the best team in the country and if you believe you are the best you have to beat the best and the only way to do that is to put them on the schedule and play them."

"The other thing I took into consideration" Joyce told me, "is that LeBron was going to see all of those places that we played, but there were guys of 13, 14, 15 on the bench that were never going to get to Pauly Pavilion or the Palestra in Philadelphia and some of those decisions that were made were because of them.

"It wasn't about the money or anything from my standpoint it was about giving these kids the opportunity to see the United States outside of Akron, that some of them were never going to see and to this day some of them have never seen."

The book also reveals that LeBron and some of his friends experimented with marijuana.
Joyce says there were discussions about whether or not that should have been in the book, "but we wanted to be honest."

"We wanted the kids to see that he's a real person," Joyce said. "And he had real decisions to make just like the other guys. One of them (Dru Joyce III, a teammate of LeBron) happened to be my son, so those were opportunities to teach life lessons."

The book also reveals how disruptive the celebrity status became to Lebron's teammates and to his school.

St. Vincent St. Mary Headmaster David Rathz tells me he had never seen anything like it and probably never will again. His job in LeBron's junior and senior years became chasing people away from the school who were just trying to find LeBron.

"It was not unlike teenagers following around rock stars, in this case it was adults going gaga over high school basketball players."

In the book, LeBron admits he got swept away by all of the attention.
"Did it go to my head? Of course it went to my head. I was a teenager," he writes.

Although 'Shooting Stars' is about five very close friends and teammates coming of age in a most unusual arena, LeBron calls Coach Joyce "maybe the most special man I have ever met."

Of that accolade, Joyce says he is humbled. "Those are kind words that make you feel good. LeBron is a special young man and to have been involved and for him to feel that way about me feels good."

He says LeBron was the kind of player who took it very personally if the team lost or if all of the attention on him seemed to get in the way.

"He has always been one to shoulder those kind of things he has never been one to point a finger and say it was you he's always done the opposite and say what more could i have done.

And you have to respect that that's what you want anyone in life to be able to do, not just basketball players, but you and I. To be able to go through a situation and not point a finger but to reflect on what we could have done better."

USC Is Undeniably No. 1, But Who Deserves to be No. 2?

David Nethers — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:19:40 -0400

It was either a blowout of a bad Ohio State Buckeyes team, or a stunning display of dominance by a USC team that really is that good.

In a matchup that had been hyped for months Ohio State was so dominated by USC that ABC's audience could not have helped but decline throughout the game.

The Buckeyes were dramatically outplayed.

Could Ohio State really be that bad? Most of the starters from a team that made it to the BCS championship game last year are back, including at least three bonafide NFL players.

For as overrated as many believe they are, Ohio State was easy to put in the top five before the USC game. It would be hard to put them back there after a struggle against the Ohio Bobcats and Saturday's blowout by USC.

USC, on the other hand, may just be that good. Mark Sanchez completed 17 of 28 passes for 172 yards and four touchdowns. Joe McKnight rushed for 105 yards on 12 carries.

Damien Williams caught two touchdown passes and on defense, Middle Linebacker Rey Maualuga, lived up to his star billing with a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown.

All of that against a defense that has a star linebacker of its own as part of a unit that Pete Carroll earlier in the week called, "an incredible team".

Unless there is an upset, similar to the Stanford game last year, USC is almost certainly destined for the BCS championship game this year. So the question is, at this point in the season, who is capable of challenging them?

Lets take a look.

Georgia

The Bulldogs started the season No. 1 in some polls, but quickly dropped to No. 2 in the AP and USA Today Poll.

The Dawgs have a tough schedule with Alabama, LSU and Florida still ahead. Getting through the season undefeated looks less likely after barely getting past South Carolina, an unranked conference rival not expected to do better than fourth place in the SEC East.

If the Bulldogs can't do better against the likes of South Carolina their chances of getting back to the title game for the first time in 28 years is fading. And any chance of beating USC, should they get there, looks dismal.

If this is the best the SEC has to offer the conference isn't getting back to the title game this year. Or, in what could be a sad fate, for the second straight year the Bulldogs could be leap-frogged by another team from the SEC (Florida).

Oklahoma

Bobby Stoops made a statement with his Sooners on saturday in a thrashing of the unranked Washington Huskies 55-14. That is exactly what it should have been... a blowout.

Washington is now 0-3 for the season, having lost to three ranked teams, Oregon, Bringham Young and now Oklahoma, giving up an AVERAGE of 42 points per game. Oklahoma racked up almost 600 yards against Washington, scoring on the last four possessions of the first half and the first three posessions of the second half.

Oklahoma is no stranger to surprises during the season, and with Texas on their schedule, the Sooners might find themselves in second place after this weekend—but for how long?

Florida

The Gators aren't the highest ranked of the SEC teams, but should they be?

Tim Tebow and company have outscored their first two opponents 86-13. And while Hawaii, as we now know, shouldn't have been much of a contest, one would have expected an extra effort from cross-state rival, Miami.

The Gators had week three off and then return to play an underachieving Tennessee team. They still have to face LSU, South Carolina, Florida State, and, the world's largest cocktail party in Jacksonville when they face Georgia on November 1.

It is possible they could have at least one loss by then. The Gators have as good of a chance as any other team to be one of the top 2 at the end of the season.

Missouri

Missouri dismantled an unranked Nevada on Saturday. Their Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback threw for a new school record 405 yards.

Missouri is now 3-0 having scored no less than 52 points in each game. BUT, they also let their week one opponent, Illinois, score 42 points.

Texas and Kansas are the only ranked teams left on their schedule. The Tigers might just get into the top five if they play their cards right, but even if they get to the No. 2 spot, can they take on the Trojans?

LSU

LSU may have lost some great players from last year, but they kept some too. The Tigers beat their week three opponent 41-3 in what has started to become as familiar as the last lyrics of a scratched record. (lp, vinyl, ask your parents)

The Tigers have Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Alabama on the schedule, so they will have to earn everything they get.

Their running game is great, but their passing game may keep them closer to seventh place than to first or second.

That doesnt exclude them from any conversation about the BCS championship. They were in 7th place with just one week left in the regular season last year and, with the help of two key losses, jumped to number two after the final week..the rest is history.

With the teams that are currently in front of them this year, its possible that could happen again. They will need it! Of course then they would have to face USC and there's no question which would be the favorite in that matchup.

Texas

Now here's a team that shows up in a lot of places against a lot of ranked opponents—Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas Tech and Kansas.

Dealing with the after effects of Ike, these players and their families need our support and prayers, not our droning about their chances for glory.

Oklahoma and Missouri might not be as sympathetic when they meet on the gridiron. Texas might just make the battle for No. 2 interesting.

Auburn

Auburn wont be there. I feel certain we can say that even now.

The team is on its way toward earning respectability, but where was their offense on Saturday? Beating an unranked Mississippi state 3-2 (that’s really the score, not a typo) isn’t exactly like USC beating Ohio State.

Auburn also has LSU, Georgia, and Alabama on its schedule. Even with a tough defense you need some offense to win and even if Auburn were to get to a title game with USC, it wouldn’t be pretty.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin hasn’t played a major school yet, and in just squeaking past Fresno State, 13 – 10, Saturday evening, lost their quarterback with a leg injury.

That’s not a formula for winning it all, or even getting there.

I also love BYU this year, but everyone ahead of them might have to lose two or more games before they can move up.

It happened to Ohio State last year, a team that started the season ranked 11th, and after everyone started losing in front of them, they finished the regular season No. 1.

So who do you think is capable of competing with USC? College football's race for the crystal trophy just got a lot more interesting.

Derek Anderson On His Return from Injury, Antwan Peek and More from Berea

David Nethers — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:33:21 -0400

From Browns Headquarters in Berea -

Browns Quarterback Derek Anderson is thrilled to be off the injured reserve list in time or the teams season opener. Anderson returned to the practice field after a concussion suffered in the teams exhibition game against the defending NFL Champion New York Giants, who they will face again on Monday Night Football October 13th.

"Obviously it has been a while, I kind of missed being at practice and being around the guys. Getting out there for individuals last week was fin, but it was kind of no fun at the same point." Anderson said on his return.

"We have still been working out maintaining the things we had and just trying to put it all together getting everyone out there this week."

Anderson's return heading into game one of the regular season was dampened by the loss of a Linebacker Antwan Peek, officially on the Injured Reserve but gone for the season with a tear of the patellar tendon in his right knee. That is a setback for the browns who will need help to cover Terrell Owens, Marion Barber and a healthy Dallas Cowboys offense.

The team has re-signed Shantee Orr, who was waived last week. He is expected to be in the rotation at linebacker and play special teams on Sunday.

Others on the teams official injury report as of Thursday September 4th:

Those who did not participate in practice include: Linebacker Kris Griffin (elbow) Guard Rex Hadnot (Knee), Safety B Brodney Pool (concussion) and Tight End Martin Rucker (knee).

Limited Partication in practice: Linebacker Beau Bell (knee), Wide Receiver Jushua Cribbs (ankle), Running Back Jamal Lewis (hamstring), Guard Ryan Tucker (hip)

Full Participation in practice: Safety Sean Jones (knee)

On his injury Wide Receiver Braylon Edwards says "I knew it was going to take a little time to heal up. It wasn't a big deal. I knew that everything was going to be okay. Nothing negative when the injury happened it was just a gash - a laceration. Once I was sutured up i knew I would be alright,"

Joshua Cribbs is still healing. Of his injury Cribbs says "It doesn't matter what I think at this point, I feel I am making a lot of progress, I am doing everything I need to do to get back out there on the field to be able to play for this game, but that's not up to me. They are going to do what's best for me and the program and we will go from there."

Cribbs says he wants to play "I want to be out there with my team. It was so hard in pre-season sitting down and watching my team play. Where they come from is we have 15 other games after this if you are not ready you are not ready, if you are you are. That's why they are going to make an assessment as the week progresses."

On how he has changed since he last faced Dallas during his rookie season, Kellen Winslow Jr. says "I'd say i am a smarter player. I know more about the game, back then I was probably running around wild. I didnt have training camp to go through when I was a rookie. I am just a better player."

Of his expectations for the Browns offense, Winslow says "We have got high expectations for this team, not just the offense. The chemistry is going to come, it doesn't really come in the first game. It is going to take a while. We are very explosive, we have got a lot of weapons. We just need to execute"

On the defensive side of the ball Kamerion Wimbley says "I think we have to bring our 'A' game. We are studying them, doing the things we need to do to be prepared when we play them, give a lot of effort. We know this is going to be a tough game. They have got some good matchups all the way along the line so we will see how it works out on Sunday."

Wimbly says inside the locker room the team has high expectations for the season. "They never change, we still have higher expectations. I feel that we are confident in our players that are lining up next to us and we are confident in our coaches so we have to take that into the game and bring our effort and execute and we will be fine."

Romeo Crennel's 2008 squad features 39 players from last years team and 14 new players to round out the 53 man roster.

Only kicker Phil Dawson remains from the Browns original 1999 roster.

For the game on Sunday the Ohio State marching band will perform the National Anthem and will also entertain fans during halftime.

The Browns will have many special guests coming to the home opener as nearly 65 alumni will enjoy the game and 12 Browns Backers Groups, including visits from six different states. The Browns welcome the Blue Ridge (Roanoke, Va.), Central Illinois (Bloomington, Ill.), Charleston Dunbar (Charleston W.V.), Erie (Erie, Pa.), Southeast Michigan (Plymouth Mich.) and Pensacola Florida Browns Backers to name a few.

The Browns and Cowboys ahve played 25 times in the regular season and the Browns lead the series 15-10, Including a 9-3 record at home. Cleveland's longest winning streak in the series was 7 games from 1963 - 1966.

College Controversy "Brewing" over Drinking Age; Booze on Campus and Tailgating

David Nethers — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:46:36 -0400

The Youtube video leaves little to the imagination.

Entitled simply "Tailgating Video" the post is said to have been taped "at Towson University (Towson Maryland) 10/13/2007 (as) students and fans showed up to...cheer on their team."

Its tags include "Towson University, Drinking, Partying, Tailgating and Football"

As the video plays the student activities appear to include beer pong, chugging contests, and funneling something other than gatorade.

NCAA REGULATIONS:

For its member schools the NCAA Executive committee promotes "legal and responsible use of alcohol by fans outside the stadium or arena (e.g., tailgating). Prohibits the sale of alcoholic beverages during all preseason, regular season, conference and postseason intercollegiate athletic events.

It also prohibits on-site alcohol advertising during events, and prohibits media advertising of alcohol beverages that exceed six percent alcohol by volume.

COACHES WANT CHANGE:

Last Month More than 100 college coaches sought a tougher stance on alcohol advertising during athletic events asking NCAA President Myles Brand to eliminate ALL alcohol advertising in telecasts of college sports. “We strongly urge you to take actions against all alcohol advertising—including beer advertising—on NCAA sports telecasts,”

The effort had the support of 59 college presidents and 239 athletic directors.

But the NCAA Executive committee declined to make any changes in its advertising policy.

THE "CURRENT REALITIES":

Alcohol seems a component of tailgating as a custom.

Like many other schools across the country trustees at Michigan State University in 2005 adopted a policy banning open containers on campus.

The exception: on home football game days, open alcohol containers will be allowed for those of legal drinking age in tailgate lots.

Ohio State University's Official Policy is "Underage drinking and excessive consumption are not acceptable or legal and will not be condoned or tolerated"

Since 1984 legal drinking age across the country has been 21 years old. That doesn't stop alcohol from flowing on college campuses.

In its "Alcohol Alert" The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism concludes: Research consistently shows that people tend to drink the heaviest in their late teens and early to mid-twenties. This high level of alcohol use comes at an age when people are moving away from parental restrictions but before they take on the full responsibilities of adult life.

At this moment 129 college and university presidents and chancellors are petitioning lawmakers to "re-think" the legal drinking age saying 21 is not working...

Their movement called 'The Amethyst Initiative' argues 21 actually makes young people more likely to abuse alcohol. "A culture of dangerous, clandestine “binge-drinking”—often conducted off-campus—has developed"

Among the signees is President E. Gordon Gee of Ohio State University.

The movement is said not to be about lowering the drinking age, but to force "a serious debate among our elected representatives about whether current public policies are in line with current realities.

If you are not familiar with those "realities", i invite you once again to view the youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOSzwAncnjY

How to Survive College Football Season in a Marriage Torn Between Contenders

David Nethers — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:57:44 -0400

It is most every man’s dream: a woman who not only accepts your passion for sports, but shares it. A wonderful, beautiful, loving and caring partner who can look at NFL rosters and tell you what college the players went to.

Someone who wakes up on Saturday morning during football season and hands you a cup of coffee, and then tells you what time and network all of the games are on that day.

Be careful what you wish for.

Cindy is a loving wife and an LSU fan. She lives in Ohio where her husband (me) is a fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Cindy drives (by coincidence?) a scarlet and gray SUV with Ohio plates, a Buckeyes license frame, and an LSU Tigers sticker on her rear window (I tell her it just makes her look like she lost a bet).

Her brother, also an LSU fan, is married to a Kentucky woman, which only made things interesting there after her team beat his in last year's regular season. You cannot survive those defeats without a heavy dose of humility.

When Ohio State and LSU played for a national championship, it was a matchup we "hoped" for all season, but for good reason prayed wouldn't happen.

No matter who wins, in a house divided, the title matchup isn't just another game.

It is a bragging right that forever finds its way into conversations—a bruise that will not heal.

I already knew what was coming. I have experienced it every year since 1995, when her Atlanta Braves beat my Cleveland Indians in the World Series.

So from experience, here are some helpful tips to survive college football season in a house divided.

1. Buy a really, really, really, big, cozy, comfortable couch. She may not kick you out of the bedroom, BUT after your team loses to hers, you might just voluntarily choose to sleep where there's less sarcasm.

2. Raise your kids to be fans of YOUR team. It helps a lot to have more of you in the house.

3. Remember, YOU are the master of the remote (after you pry it from her tender, loving hands).

4. Use baseball season to do chores around the house. Wash the dishes, fold laundry, send flowers, buy jewelry, walk the dog...because after football season starts IT IS ON. Accumulate all the brownie points that you can before September.

5. Believe in your heart that she respects you (even if it isn’t true) for being as big a fan of your team as she is of hers. It will give you more courage to do something like decorate the side of YOUR garage that she parks on with Sports Illustrated covers from your team (for example). There’s nothing wrong with living the fantasy.

6. Have more than one TV in the house and make sure they are on different floors...just in case.

7. Use YOUR money to buy her something small with her team logo on it to show how much you love her in spite of your differences.

8. Use what’s left of YOUR money to buy something really big with your team's logo on it...and tell her it's for the kids.

9. Stay up on timely topics, so that if necessary, you can change the subject.

10. Become fans of an NFL team you can both support on Sunday, which mercifully follows Saturday.

MLB at the Advent of Instant Replay

David Nethers — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 11:39:57 -0400

Baseball is a game steeped in history and ritual. A right of passage for every generation to share with the ones that follow.

Every boy, even in this electronic age, when baseball is played on video screens, knows the names of the great ones: Aaron, Koufax, Mantle, Doby, Boggs, and Berra.

Where a breathtaking play will stay vividly burned into one’s memory for a lifetime. Where the cards of future Cooperstown enshrinees, Greg Maddux, Manny Ramirez, and Chipper Jones are coveted in schoolyards.

It is a game resistant to change. The purists hang on to the hope that interleague play is still only temporary, and the suicide squeeze is still good for an adrenaline rush.

Where generations will argue whether A.J. Pierzynski was out or safely reached base in Game Two of the 1995 ALCS, helping the White Sox beat the Angels. They will dispute the 1996 ALCS Game One, where Derek Jeter's home run appeared to have been snatched from Orioles outfielder Tony Tarasco by 12-year old Jeffrey Maier.

It is such a pivotal call that Major League Baseball hopes will be settled once and for all after the league initiates the use of instant replay, starting Aug. 28. Initially, it will be only for disputed home-run calls.

Players and managers are already weighing in on the decision. The Tigers’ Kenny Rogers is on record, calling it a slap in the face to umpires. Indians Manager Eric Wedge has told reporters he is more a proponent of the human element of the game.

For me, among baseball’s most memorable moments, however, are the demonstrative tantrums of managers arguing close calls.

I can still see then-Seattle manager Lou Piniella stirring up a dust storm in Cleveland after slamming his hat to the ground then kicking it over and over and over and over and over again around the bases, and ultimately into the stands along the third-base line, arguing a call.

Under the new replay rules, leaving the dugout to argue a call following a replay will result in an automatic ejection.

I will miss those moments, as part of what major-league sports has come to call the “gameday experience.”

Now with the Chicago Cubs, Lou Piniella told Associated Press writer Ronald Blum “I’d love to be able to throw a red hankie or a green hankie. Imagine being able to throw something on the field and not be ejected."

How far baseball goes with instant replay remains to be seen. For now, simply having it gives fans of the game something else to dispute, probably for generations to come.

For a Coach, a Victory Off the Field Is Just as Important as a Win On it

David Nethers — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 13:14:21 -0400

Some years ago I had the privilege of coaching youth soccer in suburban Cleveland. The recreation league roster was a mix of kids with various degrees of talent.

One of the young boys was smaller than the others. I was told he was adopted from an orphanage in Russia. He was timid and actually somewhat afraid to be with the others. At the first practice he hid behind his adopted mother on the sidelines. Because I do not speak Russian, communication was difficult.

But the child was on my team and was as important to me as each of his other teammates. I took him by the hand and ran with him up and down the field. We couldn't understand each other's languages, so I showed him what to do. Words weren't important.

As the season passed, he gradually let go of my hand and joined the others. He slowly understood more and more English and by the end of the season was in among the other children playing soccer.

I don't remember how many games we won. I barely remember some of the others on that team. The greatest victory for me as a coach was not how many games we won that season—it was helping that shy little boy grow and develop to the point where he let go of my hand.

Mark Saksa coaches outside linebackers at John Carroll University. What is most obvious about him is that he cares about his players. It is Mark who helped me understand that there is a difference between wins and victories.

Mark talks about his players as individuals, as young men who he loves to teach the game of football, but also as people for whom what happens off the field may be more important than wins or losses.

For Coach Saksa, the most important thing any coach can give a player is time. Caring about them as people and watching them develop is a great victory for Mark. He believes that you "concentrate on those victories, and the wins will come."

The Ohio State Buckeyes had just finished a closed scrimmage at Ohio Stadium preparing for the upcoming season. Ten-year-old Matthew was visiting campus and wanted more than anything to get the autograph of a football player if he saw one.

It was just Matthew's luck that the very moment he walked up to the stadium not one player, but the entire team was leaving. Matthew had not one but ALL of the Ohio State players no more than 50 feet in front of him. He froze.

The team boarded their buses to head back to their training facility, and Matthew missed the opportunity he most wanted leaving him nearly in tears.

Still inside the stadium was head coach Jim Tressel, a man whose responsibilities and commitments have to be overwhelming. Wandering into the stadium, Matthew's father asked a man at the gate for just the opportunity to get a photograph in the horseshoe and they were welcomed inside.

Having missed the entire team, here was one last opportunity for a 10-year-old boy to meet the head coach.

If practice went well or not, regardless of what other commitments Tressel may have had, when he was introduced to Matthew the coach gave him his complete attention. It was as if at that moment the only person in the world that mattered was the 10-year-old boy who now describes that day as "the best day of his life."

The autographed jersey now hangs in Matthew's buckeye-adorned bedroom below photographs of Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, and Jim Tressel.

From Coach Saksa's perspective, Jim Tressel "gets it."

At that moment the most important thing he could give anyone was his time, and he did so generously. For Matthew that was a victory, and I suspect if you talk with any of Tressel's recruits they will tell you that he is among the reasons they chose to play at Ohio State.

Winning is important. But in life it is the victories that matter most.

Some of the Best College Football Programs in the Country Are Not in Division IA

David Nethers — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 17:08:42 -0400

The subject was raised in a conversation eight years ago. A diehard Florida State Seminoles fan was trying to convince me that the "Team of the Decade" for the 1990s was his beloved FSU. My almost immediate response took him by surprise.

Taking nothing away from the great run of the 'Noles in the 1990s, the "team of the decade," I argued, was not FSU but YSU—Youngstown State.

The Penguins!?

LOOKING BEYOND DIVISION I-A

It is easy to focus on the national title race and the Division I-A schools as contenders for the best of the best in collegiate football—and there are some very fine contestants.

Florida State's Bobby Bowden has won an impressive 382 career games, one win behind Joe Paterno at Penn State, the all-time winningest Division I-A coach. Oklahoma, Alabama, Miami, Southern Cal, and Ohio State all can enter the discussion with ease.

But for the sake of argument, you have to look beyond Division I-A to find the teams that are accomplishing something truly amazing outside of center stage in college football.

My argument about Youngstown State was simple. From 1991 through 1997, Youngstown State won four national titles. Through 2000, the Penguins made 10 appearances in the playoffs under now-Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel, whose 103-27-2 record at Youngstown State gave him more wins than any other Division I-AA team and fourth most of both Division I-A and I-AA COMBINED.

Pitted against Tressel's Ohio State Buckeyes in the first game of last season the Penguins were obvious underdogs. But within its conference, everything being equal, YSU has had to compete on a level playing field, and it is hard to argue against their success.

GO SOUTH, YOUNG MAN

During that time, one of the teams Youngstown State had to compete with to earn those titles was not the Georgia Bulldogs, but a team out of Statesboro, Ga., called Georgia Southern, a school that didn't even have a football program before 1982.

After restarting their football program, the Eagles won six NCAA Division I-AA national championships in 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1999, and 2000. The Eagles held Division I's longest home win streak at 37 games, becoming the only 15-0 college team of the 20th century.

The team's success is largely attributed to the man who was hired to restart the program, coach Erk Russell, under whom the Eagles won three of those titles.

MEANWHILE, BACK IN OHIO...

While all of that is impressive, it does not match the more recent accomplishments of the amazing program at Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio. Under head coach Larry Kehres, the "Purple Raiders" have amassed one of the nation's best records, 260-21-3, over 22 seasons.

Along the way, Mount Union collected a record nine Division III national championships between 1993 and 2006. They also hold the all-division record for consecutive victories at 55.

The Purple Raiders won 110 consecutive regular season games between 1994 and 2005, posted 14 undefeated regular seasons, and had the best overall record in the 1990s (120-7-1).

While Mount Union was tallying up all of those records, the coach from a college team in Collegeville, Minn., was helping his school achieve records that might never be broken.

GO JOHNNIES!

Saint John's University has earned the distinction of becoming the winningest football program all-time in NCAA Division III history with a 537-219-24 record in 96 seasons.

The Johnnies have been nationally ranked 40 times, and in 1993, SJU averaged 61.5 points per game, a record that might never be broken.

With nine consecutive victories in the 1997 season, SJU completed its 40th consecutive season without a losing record. The team has earned 12 NCAA playoff appearances in the last 15 years.

The season also solidified coach John Gagliardi's place as college football's all time winningest coach, 453-122-11 (.782) in 59 seasons overall.

You will find similar success stories at schools like Grambling and Pacific Lutheran University (with four national titles between 1980 and 1999, and 32 consecutive winning seasons under former coach Frosty Westering).

So where are college football's best programs? Not in the SEC or the Big Ten, the ACC or the Pac-10.

Dig deeper and you will find some of the best college football isn't on TV on Saturday. It just may be at the small school next door.

Your Team Is 0-2 in the Preseason, Is It Time To Panic?

David Nethers — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:36:26 -0400

If you are a fan of the Redskins or the Saints, you have to be feeling good right now. Even the Detroit Lions are undefeated after two weeks of preseason football.

But for fans of the Browns, Patriots, Bears, Falcons, Cowboys, and Packers, all with a 0-2 record, when does it officially become time to push the panic button and stop writing this off as "just preseason?"

Is it true that "preseason really doesn't mean anything?" For the answer, let's take a look at the past five football seasons and see how the four teams that ended up playing in the conference championship games and beyond in each of those seasons fared in preseason play.

Teams that went 4-0

Of the 20 teams that have played for the AFC and NFC championship since 2002, only three have gone undefeated in preseason.

The last to do it was Denver in 2005, but they did NOT make it to the Super Bowl. Denver lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, who had a 3-1 preseason record. Still not bad.

Both the Patriots and the Panthers were 4-0 in preseason in 2003 and both made it to the Super Bowl.

Teams that went 3-1

Only four of the 20 teams have finished preseason with a 3-1 record. Pittsburgh (as mentioned) had a 3-1 record in 2005 and won the Super Bowl, as did Tampa Bay in 2002.

The San Diego Chargers last year, and the Indianapolis colts in 2003, had only one blemish on their preseason records and lost their conference title game.

Teams with a preseason 2-2 record

The greatest number of teams advancing to either the Super Bowl or their conference championship game had an even 2-2 preseason record. Nine teams in the last five years.

They include the Patriots last year, who, remarkably, had an undefeated regular and postseason but lost the Super Bowl.

The team that beat them, the New York Giants, had a 1-3 record in preseason.

Likewise, the Chicago bears, in 2006, finished preseason 2-2 and made it to the Super Bowl, where they lost to the Colts, who had, you guessed it, a dismal 1-3 record in preseason play.

Other teams with a 2-2 record to make it to their conference title game or beyond include New England in 2006, Seattle in 2005, Carolina in 2005, Atlanta in 2004, Pittsburg in 2004, Oakland in 2002 and Tennessee in 2002.

So what about the teams with losing preseason records?

Eight teams have gone 1-3 in the preseason over the past five years, including the reigning Super Bowl champs in 2007, Super Bowl champs Indianapolis in 2006, and Super Bowl champs New England in 2004

Most of the teams that won it all in the past five years started regulation play with a disappointing 1-3 preseason record.

Both of the teams in the 2004 Super Bowl, New England and the Philadelphia Eagles, had horrible 1-3 preseason records.

Green Bay in 2007, New Orleans in 2006, and Philadelphia in 2003 and 2002 made it to the conference championship game in spite of a 1-3 record in the preseason

Oh and Four

The big question then, is how often does a team that's oh-fer in the preseason make up for it in regulation play. And the answer is: not often.

There were no 0-4 teams in preseason to make it to the conference championships or the Super Bowl in the past five years. BUT, if your team finds itself in that corner, you need not lose heart.

In 2000, the New York Giants went 0-4 (CHI 20 @ NYG 8, NYG 13 @ JAC 16, NYG 24 @ NYJ 27, BAL 24 @ NYG 17) in preseason, losing their fourth preseason game on Friday, Aug. 25 to the Baltimore Ravens.

They would meet the Ravens again on Jan. 28 in the Super Bowl as the NFC Champions, but they would lose again to them, 34-7.

What does all of this mean? It simply means that you can take your hands off the panic button and don't worry, it's just preseason.

Statistics source: NFL.com
http://www.nfl.com/schedules?seasonType=PRE&season=2007#Week

Michael Phelps through the Eyes of a Future Olympian

David Nethers — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 15:31:18 -0400

Adam Pinson is paying his dues.

The Sacramento California teenager has been swimming competitively since the age of four. His team STAS (Spare Time Aquatics Sacramento) competes against some of the best developing future U.S. contenders across the country.

His coach, a former national Brazilian breaststroke champion, was brutally beaten years ago. The severe injuries prevented him from a probable place on his nation's Olympic team and he is driven, almost obsessed, to groom an Olympian.

Adam is not far from the age at which Phelps emerged on the global scene at the Sydney games.

Watching world records fall is one thing. Every patriotic American's chest should swell watching history being made by an exceptional athlete. This is what it means to a young man working to one day also represent his country against the best the world has to offer.

"His determination and how much he will do anything to win" inspires Pinson, who also notes that Phelps is helped by unique physical attributes. Not the least of these are his massive six-foot plus wingspan and unusually rare ability to recover rapidly from intense exercise.

What then would you need to do to compete against Phelps if you were in the same pool with him? "Get out and run," Pinson says—not so tongue in cheek.

"He (Phelps) defeated all odds, worked harder than anyone can imagine, and achieved his dream regardless of what obstacles there may have been."

Adam knows about the work part. "To compete on that level takes years, perhaps six to eight hours a day, no breaks even on Sundays with a very focused goal in sight."

During the summer, when many kids are sleeping in, swim practice for Adam begins at 7:00 AM. On school days he is at the pool at 5:15 AM, and so he must get up at 4:30.

Evening practice in the summer is an hour of "dry land," ab work, core body work, stationary bikes, and sometimes running. That is followed by two more hours of swimming. In the summer the afternoon pool work is followed by another hour of "dry land" workouts.

It consumes a lot of the time which the average teenager might use quite differently. Adam says some of his friends at school tell him, "You don't have a life," but he also knows how it might one day pay off.

His coach is a perfectionist. However, that's not the best word Adam would use to describe him. "Intense is a good one. If you don't want to swim for him you won't last...at all. If you don't have the determination and aren't willing to do the incredible workouts then you don't belong there."

Watching Michael Phelps gives Adam even more drive to work harder. "It gives you added incentive to do the work, beyond your limits to reach that level of achievement."

Adam and his sister Claire are both already on a path to try to eventually compete in that global spotlight.

Adam says that to collect those medals after all the work "must be a sense of accomplishment beyond anything I have ever felt. I haven't exactly been there yet, but I have had a little taste of it and...(we are still talking swimming)...I want to be like Mike."

Ray Chapman and the Anniversary of a Death That Changed Baseball Forever

David Nethers — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:48:10 -0400

In a quiet corner of Cleveland's Lakeview Cemetery his headstone pales in comparison to the monuments nearby—those built to mark where President James Garfield, John D. Rockefeller, and Elliot Ness are interred.

I might not have even been able to find the final resting place of Raymond Johnson Chapman were it not for the worn out baseball gloves, the bats, balls, and occasionally difficult to explain mementos still left there by baseball fans 88 years after his death

Playing for the Cleveland Indians, Chapman led the league in sacrifice hits, stole 52 bases in one season, and in 1918 led the American League in runs scored. But he is not best remembered for how he played the game, rather for how he died.

Precisely 88 years ago, on Aug. 16, 1920 at the Polo Grounds in New York, Chapman was hit in the head by a pitch from Yankees right hander Carl Mays, a notorious spitball hurler.

He died the next day at a New York hospital. Lakeview Cemetery lists him as the only major league baseball player ever to die due to an injury suffered during a game.

Motivated in part by his death, the Indians rallied to win their first national championship. But the tragedy also helped urge the league to ban the spitball and to require umpires to replace dirty balls.

Every time a child puts on a batting helmet he pays respect to the memory of Ray Chapman (even though batting helmets were not introduced until several decades later).

So on the anniversary of his death, while some are obsessed with Manny's dreadlocks, deciding between Ruth or Mays, or arguing whether or not baseball should have instant replay, honor the memory of Ray Chapman—a real unsung hero of the game.

Will The Big Ten Ever Have a True Champion Without a Title Game?

David Nethers — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:45:38 -0400

Critics of the Big Ten, and there are many, argue that the conference cannot really ever have a champion because, unlike the SEC, there is no conference title game.

But as the oldest Division I conference in the nation it's as if, at least before the BCS, the conference actually reached for something greater.

The conference does have a championship tournament for baseball. In basketball, the league has crowned its champion after a playoff tournament since 1998. The Big Ten has tournaments to decide who wins the conference title in wrestling, field hockey and 16 other sports.

Of course in Football, the overall conference record decides the champion. There is no Big Ten title game.

How can you have a champion without a playoff? Easy, the NFL does it every year. In each division in the NFL there is a champion.

The Pittsburgh Steelers last year claimed the AFC North title, even though they had the same overall record as the Cleveland Browns (10-6). There was no playoff to determine the division championship, it was decided on wins and losses.

The Steelers beat the Browns both times they played, so they claimed the championship. It's not a mythical championship. You can buy the T-shirt. But they didn't have to play a "title game" to earn it.

But in the NFL, the ultimate prize is the Super Bowl.

The top prize for the Big Ten has not been a conference title. Its Super Bowl is the game that has become known as the "granddaddy of them all," the Rose Bowl.

Since 1947, the Rose Bowl has had an exclusive agreement to host a representative (the champion) of the Big Ten and a representative (champion) of the PAC 10. The PAC Ten champion is decided in the same way as is the Big Ten.

It's an age-old match up of two conferences to determine a "Rose Bowl Champion." But with the BCS, things have changed.

Last year, Ohio State claimed the Big Ten Title and by rights should have represented the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl. PAC Ten Champion USC ended up playing Illinois instead, so that the Buckeyes could go to the BCS Title game in New Orleans.

The Rose Bowl has now hosted a BCS game in 2002 between Miami and Nebraska, in 2006 between Texas and USC and will host a BCS game again in 2010 that may have nothing whatsoever to do with the Big Ten or PAC Ten.

In 1992, the SEC got permission from the NCAA to have its first championship game, having re-aligned itself into eastern and western divisions.

But with 11 teams (since the addition of Penn State in 1990) the Big Ten could not divide itself into two divisions. Another team would have to be added and the conference that was the first ever created in the country would have to completely realign.

Until that happens, No. 1 would have to play No. 2, and in most years that happens in the last week of the regular season anyway, when Ohio State and Michigan play.

I believe that for now there's nothing wrong with settling the Big Ten and PAC Ten conference champions the way it has been done for generations. The time to make changes will be when the NCAA actually has college football playoffs, as it does in basketball.

But that's a subject for a different column.

Why Hate the Buckeyes? There Are Some Very Good Alternatives

David Nethers — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:13:00 -0400

You have got to love college football season.

Carson Palmer slammed Buckeye fans as if he is surprised that people are passionate about Ohio State in Ohio.

"I cannot stand the Buckeyes" The Cincinnati Bengals Quarterback told listeners of KLAC in Los angeles by telephone.

"It’s amazing to hear what those guys think about that university and what they think about that football program and Tressel and all the crap I got to put up with being back there. I just can’t wait for two years from now when ‘SC comes to the ‘Shoe ....I’m really getting sick of it. I just can’t wait for this game to get here so they can come to the Coliseum and experience L.A. and get an old fashioned, Pac 10 butt-whooping."

You can expect that to happen when you make it to the title game as often as Ohio State has in the past six years. For some fans its actually a complement. No-one would care what the fans think if your team isnt in contention.

In fact, that is the very reason Buckeyes fans are so enthusiastic. There has been a lot to get excited about in Columbus, unless you are a fan of USC (LSU or the Florida Gators)

If you base your displeasure on embarrassing losses by number one teams (Buckeyes have finished the last two regular seasons ranked No. 1), then may I offer some equally deserving alternatives.

Ohio State is 1-2 in title games over the last six years. But to match the accomplishments of the FSU Seminoles, the Buckeyes would have to appear in the next two consecutive championship games and win only one of them.

In the past 35 years Florida State has been the preseason favorite more often than any other team—six times (1999, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1991, 1988). They have played in five national title games between 1993 and 2001 and won only two of them.

But Ohio State looks great compared with their much-vaunted week three opponent USC.

Southern Cal has been the number one-ranked team in preseason five times since 1973 and has won only once in those years. (They have won two national championships but were ranked 11th in preseason for one of those).

College fans are a passionate bunch, but don't lump all of your jealous rage into just one scarlet and gray basket—the Buckeyes are probably going to be in the hunt for a good long while