Bleacher Report - Articles by Leroy Watson

Memphis Tigers Basketball: Roburt Sallie Working Through Shooting Slump

Leroy Watson — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:55:53 -0500

It’s a couple of days after Thanksgiving and the University of Memphis men’s basketball team is…

Having two-a-day practices.

Despite a string of early season blowout wins, and the critically-acclaimed loss to No. 1 Kansas (57-55 during the Hall of Fame Showcase) that actually raised the team’s profile across the country, the rag-tag band of Tigers still have a lot to work on.

Giving up a trip home for Thanksgiving is the price to be paid for playing basketball at the highest levels of Division I.

“I wanted to kind of sneak home, but I live in California,” said junior gunner Roburt Sallie. “It takes half a day to get home, anyway, so I’m just gonna crash at somebody’s house, eat some good food and watch some football games.

“I did it last year, I’ll do it again. It’s a part of being at this level.”

Right now, Sallie is just happy to have the crushing weight of a shooting slump removed from his shoulders.

By now, Sallie’s story is fairly well known. If you are one of the few who is not familiar with the travails of Sallie, 23, originally from Sacramento, CA, here’s the Cliff’s Notes:

Sallie originally signed with the University of Washington out of Sacramento (Calif.) Valley High School. However, he did not meet UW eligibility standards, and opted to go to prep school in order to bolster his academic dossier.

After a season at the Patterson School and then a 40-0 year at Laurinburg Prep with (among others) Antonio Anderson and Robert Dozier, Sallie matriculated to Nebraska. However, NU somehow managed to mishandle the filing of his paperwork and by the time he enrolled at NU, he was technically ineligible.

After attending class for a few days, an obscure Big 12 rule led to his being ruled ineligible to enroll at not only NU, but at any other conference school, as well.

Sallie sat out a season before eventually enrolling at City College of San Francisco. He became California Junior College Player of the year, averaging 17 PPG and displaying his remarkable all-around game.

Division I schools were drooling over him again by the end of the 2007-08 junior college season and Sallie ended up signing with John Calipari and Memphis during the summer of 2008.

Roburt, who was classified as a sophomore, endured a hellish first season as a Tiger, landing in Calipari’s doghouse shortly after fall practice began.

“That’s always the hardest thing for a player coming in is to understand the intensity and the sacrifice and the work ethic,” Calipari said in a November 2008 article in The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal.

“Just the consistency of effort both in the classroom and the basketball court. It’s all intertwined. When I see a guy that leaves early from class, or comes and goes as he pleases, that’s exactly how he practices—last one in, first one to leave practice.

“You also see they’re at the end of every line, versus step up and be the first man. See if he can take days off. Whatever correlates in the classroom, in all my years of coaching, correlates on the court. In all areas, he’s got to be more consistent.”

As a direct result, Sallie struggled to carve out a niche in the ultra-competitive guard rotation for the talent-rich Tigers. He went into the 2009 NCAA Tournament averaging about 4.5 points per game.

He promptly set an NCAA-record with 10 three-pointers in the first round contest with Cal State-Northridge, torching the Matadors for 35 points in an 81-70 triumph.

The scintillating display immediately pegged Sallie as one of the key members of the Memphis rotation during the 2009-10 season.

Fast-forward to October 2009—no need to re-hash the myriad upheavals in Memphis basketball over the spring and summer for the umpteenth time—and Roburt Sallie was struggling with his outside shooting.

Sallie had shot an impressive 47.0 percent from beyond the three-point arc during the 2008-’09 season. When he struggled to a 1-for-14 start, his career three-point shooting percentage (.427) was still the best in school history.

But Sallie—and seemingly the entire city of Memphis—knew that the junior from California was pressing.

“Struggling, that’s how I would describe myself right now,” he said candidly in the locker room following a 92-59 victory over Tennessee Tech. “I’m in a little slump.”

Though Sallie was contributing to the cause in other ways—averaging a staggering four steals per game, contributing 12 rebounds in three contests from his guard position, and only coughing up three turnovers during that period—he was recruited to score.

If he wasn’t scoring, he was not only depriving the team of a badly needed scoring threat—only Elliot Williams (21 points per game) and Will Coleman (11 ppg) were in double figures per contest through three games—he was failing to do what he was known for doing best: filling up the basket.

“I’m a shooter, that’s what I do,” Sallie said. “I think this team this year is really leaning on me to make some shots, and I just haven’t been able to hit any jumpers. It’s frustrating to me.

“But we find other ways. If I’ve gotta play defense and lock my man down, I’ll do that.”

Then came Sallie’s breakout game against Central Arkansas.

After the entire team started out at a painfully slow pace—scoring a mere seven points in the first nine minutes—five points by sophomore sensation Williams opened the floodgates.

When Sallie splashed in a trey with 8:42 left in the first half, the same Tiger squad that had scored seven points in nine minutes had erupted for nine points in just over two.

Sallie ended the night with a season-high 17 points, including 3-of-5 shooting from downtown, as the sluggish-starting Memphis team pulled away for an 81-49 triumph over the Bears.

If anything was exposed in the 57-55 loss to Kansas, it was the Tigers’ lack of offensive firepower. Sallie only managed five total points on 2-10 shooting, and he misfired on all six of his attempts from beyond the arc.

Sallie chipped in with four rebounds and four steals against the Jayhawks, but it was clear that the Tigers needed his prowess as a shooter.

Through it all, Roburt has maintained a shooter’s mentality, and he is confident that his shooting woes will not continue indefinitely.

“My shooting has not been where I want it to be right now,” he observed, “but it’s so early in the season to try to dictate how I’m gonna shoot the rest of the season. I’ll just keep taking shots and continue to get open looks.”

If the Tigers are going to get back to the big dance, he’s going to have to.

Memphis Tigers Basketball: Josh Pastner's Team Learning To Scrap for Success

Leroy Watson — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:01:32 -0500

The fall portion of the 2009-‘10 college basketball season has been even more topsy-turvy than normal.

Out West, Oregon State, picked by many to be a serious contender in the PAC-10, lost to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas Tech in a three-day period. Idaho surprised Utah, then lost to Texas Southern a few days later. UCLA lost to Cal State Fullerton.

But the most shocking upheavals of the young season are the series of stunning losses by a SEC teams, which most certainly have gotten the attention of Memphis and any other solid program in the South.

The SEC, coming off a down season, was supposed to rebound this fall. The flagship program in the conference revival—Kentucky—has started in less than impressive fashion, however.

First was the 16-point opening night victory over lowly Morehead State. This was followed by a two-point defeat of Miami (Ohio) on a last-second jumper by freshman point guard John Wall, and a 102-92 defeat of mighty Sam Houston State.

All of these games were played at home.

But at least the Wildcats are still undefeated. That’s better than Georgia (defeated by Wofford), Alabama (upset by Ivy League’s Cornell), Auburn (done in by Missouri State) and the big shocker, Mississippi State bowing to Rider.

All of this serves to underscore the point that it’s never a good idea to overlook an opponent, no matter the team’s reputation or where the game is being contested.

“On paper, it’s probably clear as day,” junior post phenomenon Will Coleman comments. “But at the same time, we gotta go into every game like we’re playing the No. 1 team, because if we sleep on a team that’s less talented (than we are), according to statistics or whatever the case may be, we can get upset.”

Head Coach Josh Pastner eschews the idea of games that his team is “supposed” to win.

“I don’t think you can predict that your next game (is one) you’re ‘supposed’ to win,” he says earnestly. “Let me tell you something, we have to scrap to win the game. Everything we will have to do, we will have to earn.

“I told our team, ‘You better stay humble, you better stay grounded, you better keep your ego in check, deflate that ego. Do not be reading your own press clippings. The second you (get a big ego), that’s when you’re taken out.”

The Tigers’ first year front man doesn’t even watch many basketball games on TV anymore, setting aside that time to study film so he can better prepare his own team.

“I’m a basketball fan, but I’ll be honest with you, I really don’t watch that much,” he admits. “I’m a big film-watcher, in terms of our own team. I watch every day’s practice. I watch the tape at night. Obviously, the opponents we’re playing, I watch all their games for preparation.

“Once you’re in season, you really don’t have much time to watch other games, you’re so focused on your own.”

Sophomore reserve guard Preston Laird referred to his team's willingness to scrap during an interview in the locker room after a 92-59 demolition of Tennessee Tech.

“This team right now is gonna have to gain an identity,” Laird said. “The identity we’re going to have is that we’re grinders, we’re scrappy. We’re gonna play hard and get the job done.

“We don’t have the numbers on our front line, so there will be times when we have to go small. But we’re gonna scrap and play hard and get the job done.”

All Pastner really wants is for his own team to improve day-by-day. For an example of a player who has done just that, he points to Will Coleman.

“I think I’ve been very honest from the beginning about Will (Coleman), he’s a super athlete,” Pastner observes. “He’s going to have to keep improving his skillset every time he steps on the floor, and that’s including practice.

“The biggest thing he’s gotta get used to is the speed of the game. And he’s getting better and better every time out. Will Coleman is a blessing to be around, an unbelievable young man. We’re very fortunate to have a student-athlete like that in our program.”

Even with the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays back-to-back, Pastner refuses to focus on anything more than one game, one day at a time.

“I can’t even think that far ahead,” he says honestly. “We’ll see how we play, how we’re doing, where we stand, and I think our schedule will be based on how guys are playing, how they’re feeling and where we are at that time period.”

Given the glaring deficiencies in two critical areas in the 81-49 victory versus Central Arkansas—not winning the battle of the boards (25 apiece) and too many turnovers, many unforced (14)—combined with the fact that there will be two-a-day practices this weekend, it is safe to say that Josh Pastner feels his team still has a lot of work to do.

Memphis Tigers Basketball: Angel Garcia Continues Rehab; Return Imminent?

Leroy Watson — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:46:43 -0500

Breaking News: Angel Garcia eyeing a January 2010 return date

Angel Garcia, the 6’11”, 250-pound forward for the Memphis Tigers with length and superior skills, has taken a most circuitous route to the college hardwood.

He was born in Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, on July 11, 1988 to Luis and Ada Garcia.

As he grew—and grew, and grew, and grew some more—his size and athleticism allowed him to make a name for himself playing basketball. And of course, the only way to play the game at the highest level is to compete right here in the United States.

Garcia played ball at East Chicago High School in Indiana.

During the 2006-’07 season, Garcia and his teammates secured the Indiana 4A State championship, the school’s first since 1971. One of the players on the team that East Chicago defeated (Indianapolis North Central) was Eric Gordon, now in the NBA.

Angel then played for the Puerto Rican FIBA World Championship team, and averaged 13.8 points and 7.8 boards per contest, astounding figures for a 19-year old playing against grown men and professionals.

The following year, he led East Chicago to Sectional and Regional titles, though they could not ring home the State crown.

He was a very highly-regarded recruit, being the No. 47 player overall according to Rivals , No. 36 by Scout , No. 62 on RiseMag.com, and No. 72 at ESPN.com. John Calipari and Memphis came calling, and he signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) with the team in the fall of 2007.

The following fall is when the bottom fell out of Angel’s basketball world.

First, there were delays in his passing muster with the NCAA Clearinghouse. Then, after being given a limited exemption by the NCAA, which allowed him to practice with the team until the matter was cleared up, Garcia tore the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee.

The Clearinghouse never ruled him eligible, and Garcia lost out on an entire season.

Unbowed, he rehabilitated steadfastly, continued to take classes, and even occasionally showed up at Tiger home games. (By NCAA rule, he was not allowed to travel to away games with the Memphis team.)

When John Calipari fled Memphis for the bluegrass pastures of Kentucky, Garcia was one of the first Tiger players to pledge that he would stay at Memphis.

However, life was not through dealing Angel Garcia a lousy hand. As he eagerly prepared for the 2009-’10 season, which would be (according to classification) his freshman campaign, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee while participating in a non-contact drill.

In fact, he was running in a straight line during the first week of fall workouts when the knee simply collapsed under him.

Initial estimates were that rehabilitation would take six-to-eight months after his late-September surgery—meaning, he would not be ready until March 2010 at the earliest.

However, through all of this adversity, Garcia has kept a positive attitude. Anytime we have spotted him, he has always had a smile, and he seems to genuinely enjoy hanging out with his teammates.

He has worked out like a madman—his upper body is sculpted as if he were a statue—and he just might step foot on the court with his Tiger teammates as early as January 2010.

Tiger fans should pay heed to the caution that Jack Murphy uttered: “It’s not up to Angel when he comes back. It’s up to his body and the doctors.”

But Murphy—who was sitting down to dinner with Josh Pastner at the time—confirmed for TigerSportsReport.com that Angel Garcia wants to return to the court soon, and that the coaching staff would love to have him in uniform when he is healthy.

What follows is a transcript of the brief interview that I had with Angel in the locker room after Memphis defeated Tennessee Tech, 92-59, on Friday, Nov. 20, 2009.

Leroy Watson, Jr., TigerSportsReport.com Managing Editor: Angel, you had a bad break this year. Your tore the ACL in your right knee. But you’re looking good, and your upper body is ripped. How is the knee rehabilitation coming along?

Angel Garcia, University of Memphis student-athlete: “The knee is coming great. There’s nothing bad I can say about my knee. It doesn’t hurt. It only swells sometimes when I sleep; that’s about it.”

LWJ: We report to Memphis fans about your shooting exploits at practice, how your jumper is so pure that you don’t even draw rim, it’s all nylon. Memphis fans are drooling to see you in action. Are you as excited about playing again as the fans are to see you?

AG: “Yeah, I really feel like I’m ready to get back, but right now I can’t jump, all I can do is shoot, shoot, shoot. I can’t jump or dunk the basketball, so that’s what I’ve been working on, my jump shot. I guess it’s getting better. (Grins)”

LWJ: How proud of you over your team’s effort tonight, when they could have had a let-down after a tough, tough loss to Kansas? They came out and took care of business.

AG: “It made me feel great, the way we’re doing things right now, the way we work together. The team just stays together, and do whatever it is we’ve gotta do, whatever it takes. We’re gonna do (well).”

LWJ: If your rehabilitation goes well, do you see yourself in Tiger blue and grey next year?

AG: “This season! This season for sure, I’m not thinking about next season. Maybe January.”

LWJ: This year?

AG: “Yes, this year. I’ve got about two months (of rehab left), and after two months, in about two-and-a-half weeks, I’ll be back on court.”

If it seems ambitious, that’s because it is. Returning from ACL surgery in five months is not the norm.

However, if anyone has earned the right to dream a little, it’s Angel Garcia. And the Memphis team, coaching staff, and fans will be dreaming right along with him.

Leroy Watson, Jr. is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist for the University of Memphis men’s basketball program

Memphis-Kansas: The Long-Awaited Rematch Has a Much Different Feel

Leroy Watson — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:29:00 -0500

Photo credit: Mark Weber

University of Memphis basketball fans call it “The Miracle Shot” or just “The Shot.”

Memphis basketball players—especially those who saw it live—are sick and tired of hearing about it.

Pierre Henderson-Niles, whose gargantuan frame has been splashed across print magazines and Web sites, head hung and streamers draped from his massive shoulders, tries to put it all out of his mind.

“I’m sure (the shot) is gonna be re-played again (Tuesday) night when we play (Kansas), but I really try not to look at it,” he says candidly. “Every time I look at it, I get mad from seeing it. I try not to look at it, I try not to even think about it, because it was a pretty big failure for us.”

“The Shot,” if you live in Memphis or root for U of M basketball, refers to the Mario Chalmers three-pointer over the outstretched arms of phenom Derrick Rose to tie the 2008 National Championship Game at 63, forcing the tilt into overtime, where the Jayhawks ultimately prevailed, 75-68.

KU fans would agree with that assessment, I expect.

Now, depending on where you live or who you root for, you might think of a different moment in time when you hear the expression “The Shot.”

Depending on what part of Indiana in which you reside, the term might refer to March 18, 1998, when Bryce Drew threw a dagger into the hearts of Ole Miss Rebel fans with a three-pointer that led to Valparaiso’s first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, 70-69.

Yet, if you are a bit older and root for the Indiana Hoosiers, “The Shot” was drained by Keith Smart on April 6, 1987, and it was a baseline jumper, just inside the three-point line, to topple Syracuse, 74-73, and gave Bobby Knight his third (and final) title as a Hoosier.

If you live in Durham, North Carolina, surely “The Shot” was Christian Laettner against Kentucky, March 28, 1992; the full court pass, the catch, the hip-move, the turnaround jumper on the way to the scintillating 104-103 overtime victory.

But Chicago Bull fans (and Wikipedia) say that Michael Jordan’s jumper over Craig Ehlo on May 7, 1989, trumps them all and stakes rightful claim to the title, “The Shot.”

Regardless of whether or not you espouse Chalmers' dramatics as “The Shot,” if you follow college basketball and have a pulse, you probably know that Memphis and Kansas will finally meet on the court again, some 17 months after the fact, but under very different circumstances.

The two rosters were dripping with soon-to-be pros that fateful night of April 7, 2008. Three Memphis starters—Joey Dorsey, Chris Douglas-Roberts, and Derrick Rose—dot NBA rosters (Houston Rockets, New Jersey Nets, and Chicago Bulls respectively). Another starter, Antonio Anderson, was drafted to the NBDL by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

The final starter, Robert Dozier, is now overseas in Greece, playing for Colossus Rhodes, and the first big man off the bench, Shawn Taggart, performs for Ironi Nahariya of the Israeli Premier League.

The winning Kansas team was just as decorated.

Darrell Arthur performs in the NBA for (ironically enough) the Memphis Grizzlies. Chalmers is the starting point guard for the Miami Heat. Darnell Jackson is a Cleveland Cavalier.

Sasha Kaun returned home to Russia, where he cashes checks to play basketball. Russell Robinson is on the NBDL roster of the Reno Bighorns. And Brandon Rush landed with the Indiana Pacers.

No wonder new Memphis head coach Josh Pastner feels a bit disconnected by it all.

“For our team, the focus isn’t on 2008. Let me tell you this,” he starts, "the whole point of the game was made for one versus two in the country. Memphis probably would have been No. 1 and Kansas No. 2, or vice versa.

“Either way, it would have been one and two had Coach Calipari stayed here, and we had that high-rated recruiting class coming in.

“So obviously, when Coach Cal left, and other people left, it kind of lost some of your feel. It’s no longer a rematch of the national championship game. Now Memphis against Kansas is different coaches, different players, and it’s not one and two.”

Henderson-Niles echoed those sentiments.

“You really can’t look at that (game), it’s two different teams now. We’ve got a different team, they’ve got a different team.”

Only Henderson-Niles, Willie Kemp, and Doneal Mack from Memphis remember the pain of watching their historic 38-win season come screeching to a bitter end, with the Jayhawks celebrating on court.

Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins are the only Jayhawks still around who were there to experience the exhilaration of erasing a nine-point deficit over the final 2:12 of regulation.

“Obviously, for Kansas to win, every moon, star, everything had to be aligned perfectly, and it did in those final two minutes,” Pastner points out.

As things ended up, Kansas now is the consensus No. 1 in the country, with “a future Hall-of-Fame coach” (in Pastner’s words) in Bill Self, all five starters returning, and a recruiting class that is the envy of anyone not named Kentucky.

Xavier Henry (regarded by many as the top incoming freshman in the country), Elijah Johnson, Thomas Robinson, and Jeff Withey (a transfer from Arizona who will not be eligible until January) all add lethal depth to an already accomplished team.

In yet another ironic twist, Josh Pastner had signed Henry to Memphis, only to lose him when John Calipari fled to Kentucky, and inked Withey for Arizona two years ago. Memphis was also one of the finalists for Robinson last fall.

Josh Pastner is only concerned about his own current team, however, not who is gone and not who is signed to come in next fall.

“We’re looking at this team (Kansas) as another game on the schedule,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who we play; we have to give the maximum effort that we can give, because winning is a by-product of effort.

“We have to play hard, we have to compete, we have to leave every ounce of energy that we have out on the floor. It doesn’t matter who our opponent is; if we do that, we will have an opportunity to win.”

As for Kansas specifically, Pastner is under no illusions that the Jayhawks are a pushover by any stretch of the imagination.

“Kansas is big, they’re good, they’ve got pros,” Pastner observed. “Their two best things that they do offensively (are) offensive rebounding and offensive transition. We’re gonna have to be really good defensive transition-wise and on the glass.

"Given our lack of size, we have to make sure that we’re getting five guys on the defensive glass. That means 10 Memphis feet in the paint, and not just there in the paint, they’ve gotta jump and go get the basketball.”

Kansas is an early 13.5 point favorite in the contest, which might actually be kind to Memphis.

The ‘Hawks are coming off a scintillating 101-65 rout of Hofstra on Friday night. Henry led the way with a Kansas freshman-debut record 27 points. It was the 42nd-consecutive home win for KU.

Henry added five rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block with zero turnovers in 24 minutes of action.

Preseason All-Americans Cole Aldrich (11 points, eight rebounds, four blocks) and Sherron Collins (23 points, four rebounds, three assists) also made their presence felt.

Coach Self was generally pleased but still saw some flaws in his team’s performance.

“We played pretty well offensively. Xavier (Henry) got us off to a great start, he had eight points right out of the shoot. I thought the ball moved pretty well early and in the second half, I don’t think it moved well.

“All-in-all, I thought we played pretty well. We didn’t block out worth a flip and they beat us on some hustle plays. Defensively, we were fortunate because they missed some looks that most nights they wouldn’t miss. When the game got away, we got pretty careless defensively.”

So the stage is finally set for Memphis and Kansas to reprise their 2008 title tilt. The atmosphere at the Hall of Fame Showcase in St. Louis, Missouri, will be markedly different, and the stakes won’t be nearly as high. It’s just a couple of potentially dangerous teams measuring themselves against elite competition in just their second game of the season.

But forgive Memphis fans if they see the jersey with the name “Kansas” on the front and have flashbacks of what might have been that April day, seemingly a lifetime ago.

Who

Arkansas, Louisville, Kansas, Memphis

What

Memphis vs. Kansas, 2009 Hall of Fame Showcase

When

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Where

Scottrade Center (Home of the St. Louis Blues hockey team), St. Louis, MO

Why

Proceeds donated to the non-profit Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA

Television

Memphis-Kansas to be televised on ESPN and ESPN360, 9 p.m. CT

Probable Starting Lineups

Kansas Memphis

Markieff Morris, F, 6 ppg, 7 rpg Pierre Henderson-Niles, F, 5 ppg, 5 rpg

Cole Aldrich, C, 11 ppg, 8 rpg, 4 bpg Wesley Witherspoon, F, 13 ppg, 4 rpg

Xavier Henry, G, 27 ppg, 5 rpg Roburt Sallie, G, 7 ppg, 7 rpg, 4 apg, 4 spg

Sherron Collins, G, 23 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg Willie Kemp, G, 4 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg

Tyshawn Taylor, G, 8ppg, 4 rpg, 6 apg Elliot Williams, G, 19 ppg, 3 rpg, 3 apg

Key Reserves

Marcus Morris, F, 9 ppg, 4 rpg Will Coleman, F, 16 ppg, 10 rpg, 5 bpg

Elijah Johnson, G, 8 ppg, 4 rpg Doneal Mack, G, 8 ppg, 1 rpg, 2 apg

Thomas Robinson, F, 5 ppg, 5 rpg Drew Barham, F/G, 7 ppg, 2 rpg

Tyrel Reed, G, 3 rpg, 3 apg D.J. Stephens, F/G, 1 ppg, 2 rpg

Keys to Victory

Kansas wants to 1) control the boards, 2) get Memphis’ only true big men (Henderson-Niles, Coleman) into foul trouble, 3) exploit their ridiculously deep bench, and 4) jump on Memphis early and break the will of an inexperienced team.

Memphis must 1) rebound with reckless abandon, 2) hammer the ball into the post on offense to make the Jayhawk big men work and perhaps foul, 3) improve their transition defense, and 4) stay close at all costs.

The Skinny

My heart picks the plucky, ever-resilient Tigers from Memphis, but my head screams “Kansas.” I’m following my head this time; my heart will have to wait until another day. Kansas will not cover the spread, however, which currently stands at -13.5.

Kansas 83, Memphis 72

Brad Keselowski Hangs on to Win a Wild Kroger on Track for the Cure 250

Leroy Watson — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:03:51 -0400

Capping a wild, unpredictable day of racing, Brad Keselowski was dominant on two late race re-starts to power his way to victory at the Kroger on Track for the Cure 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park in a photo finish over Kyle Busch.

The race was marred by 14 cautions for a total of 72 laps. This is the sixth consecutive year that the Memphis race was ended under a green/white/checkered one-lap restart.

Keselowski, in the Delphi Chevrolet, quietly stayed in the top 10 for most of the day, as his more celebrated foes, such as Mike Bliss, Busch, and Carl Edwards, took turns running out front.

Keselowski, though, was the one to take advantage of the upheavals over the last 25 laps, taking the lead with a daring pass against Bliss on lap 240 to take over third, reeling in the flagging leaders on spent tires, and holding on for dear life as Busch pushed the eventual race winner to his absolute limits.

First was the daring move on Bliss:

“I felt like I could make a move on (the leaders),” he explained, “it was just a question of what move to make after I got the run on them.

“(Bliss) made a move and then gave me the spot. I thought it was pretty cool. We could have all gone down in the corner and wrecked, but once I got underneath him, he let me have it.”

Taking over first was a foregone conclusion.

“The two cars ahead of (Mike) didn’t have any tires, so it wasn’t real hard to get ahead of them.”

The late wrecks not only gave him the opportunity to keep fresh tires, it also gave the team an unexpected jump on the competition.

“I don’t know what it was about our deal,” he admitted, “but man, that thing would re-start!”

Coming out of turn four into the final backstretch, Keselowski was turned slightly sideways after a tap by Busch.

“I thought I was gonna wreck, to be honest,” he said in the post-race press conference. “I just caught it at the last minute and knew I was gonna have to run hard to the line. I couldn’t have beat him by more than two or three feet.”

Keselowski knew even before the final re-start who he was going to have to go through to salt away the victory: Kyle Busch.

“There’s only so much you can do to prevent (a loss),” he confided afterwards. “Kyle had a really good car. I watched it when I was behind him. I knew he was gonna be a force to be reckoned with; he’s a good driver, he’s got a great car, and he got to me. He did all he could do without wrecking me and ran me hard.

“It came down to making the right moves in traffic. I made some good moves, I made some bad moves, and at the end of the day it worked out.”

Crew chief Tony Eury told the assembled media that it was a struggle for his team all day.

“Our car wasn’t as good as it needed to be at the start of the race,” he began. “Then, we had our fender and hood smashed in and it got even worse after that. We didn’t give up. We kept on fighting, we kept on adjusting the car, trying to get the car to turn in the center.

“Then we went on that long green run there and some of the other guys stopped to put on tires, and I thought we (were) in trouble there for a minute. But the crashing wasn’t done; we ended up getting a caution and getting some tires on there, and I think that was the whole deal. Brad knew what he was doing and made the right moves.”

Keselowski took risks throughout, getting into the back of rookie Justin Allgaier, Bliss, and Edwards (which he later admitted to regretting).

“Today, I was very aggressive and put myself in a lot of those situations that led to contact,” Keselowski said. “Two of them led to spins. I didn’t do myself any favors by that. It’s not like I came out on top with that. I tore my car up and slowed it down. It wasn’t like that was what won me the race.”

He revealed the reason for his wild ride to the finish line:

“Got the Elvis trophy. I really wanted that trophy bad, just as bad as I wanted the ($75,000) Dash 4 Cash.”

The mold to the Elvis trophy will be broken, meaning that Keselowski won the last one that will ever be struck.

BK, as many on tour call him, also swept the inaugural Dash 4 Cash kitty, winning the maximum $150,000 being offered by Nationwide in an effort to stimulate interest in stand-alone races at Nashville, Kentucky, Iowa and Memphis.

Only racers who maintain a full schedule are eligible to win the Dash. Keselowski won $75,000 when he won the US Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway in August, and took home another $75,000 for the victory in Memphis.

BK crept to within 257 points of the points race leader (Kyle Busch) and earned his fourth victory and 26th Top 10 finish on the year.

Busch, driving the FedEx Toyota, finished second. Jason Leffler in the Great Clips Toyota was third, Mike Bliss (Ridemakerz Toyota) was fourth and rookie Brendan Gaughan drove the USfidelis Chevy to fifth.

By finishing ahead of Edwards (in the Save a Lot Ford), Busch stretched his points lead to a commanding 215 points with just three races (Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Phoenix, and Homestead) remaining.

The pole-sitter, Allgaier, finished 19th.

Carl Edwards Making a Charge at Treacherous Kroger on Track for the Cure 250

Leroy Watson — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:33:42 -0400

Carl Edwards, who has engaged in a love affair with Memphis Motorsports Park, has sliced through the field like a hot knife through butter at the Kroger on Track for the Cure 250.

In a race marred by nine caution flags, Edwards has charged from deep on the grid (35th) up to the lead on lap No. 67.

However, while most of his rivals stopped for gas and tires under the fourth caution, Carl and his team decided to stay out and assume the lead, with Mike Bliss nipping hard at his heels.

The strategy came back to bite him, as Brad Keselowski took advantage of fresh rubber to wrest the top spot away from Edwards.

Over the next hundred laps or so, Edwards surged back into the lead.

With the extremely cool weather earlier in the day—upper 40s as qualifying began—the track has been slick. Even though the ambient temperature is now in the mid 60s, the 10-year old asphalt track has not yet warmed enough for tires to grab optimally.

In addition, the proliferation of cautions only exacerbates the situation.

When the race cars are driving slowly around the track, the amount of heat they create is virtually negligible. Within two or three laps of full-speed racing, though, the surface can heat up dramatically.

Pole-sitter Justin Allgaier was perhaps the most unfortunate victim of the slick racing conditions. After leading the first 34 laps of the race, he was tapped on the rear quarter panel and spun out.

Relegated to the back end of the lead lap, Allgaier has slowly worked his way back up to creep back into the top 10, running 10th through 160 laps.

Kyle Busch, with a series-high seven victories already, is currently in a dogfight with Mike Bliss for second place behind Edwards. A victory here would leave a formidable challenge for Edwards—or anyone else, for that matter—to come back and take the 2009 Nationwide Series Championship from Busch.

But for now, as Eric McClure brings out the ninth caution flag by slamming into the wall out of turn four on lap 165 (bringing out the red flag as fluid is being cleared), the 21 drivers still on the lead lap are only concerned with winning today’s race and taking home the last trophy that will be a replica of the King, Elvis Presley.

After today’s race, the trophy mold bearing Presley’s familiar pelvic thrust will be destroyed.

Rookie Justin Allgaier Wins Pole at Kroger on Track for the Cure 250

Leroy Watson — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:12:53 -0400

It’s a sunny Saturday here in Memphis, Tenn., and you couldn’t possibly ask for better weather for the Kroger on Track for the Cure 250 from Memphis Motorsports Park.

Qualifying is long over, and we’re moments away from the start of the race.

Looking over the starting grid, none of the “huge” names who often cross over from the Sprint Cup Series—Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, and David Reutimann, for instance—were present for qualifying, sending replacement drivers instead.

It was a rookie, Justin Allgaier in the No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge, who captured the pole. He had the good fortune to make his run late in the session when temperatures on the track had elevated and several of the better laps were run.

Allgaier clocked a top speed of 118.100 miles per hour and completed his brisk, pole-winning lap in 22.862 seconds.

Allgaier, representing Team Penske, is leading the Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year Chase, 226-208, over Brendan Gaughan of Rick Ware Racing. Gaughan finished 15th last week and starts today’s race in the 13 spot, inside row seven.

NASCAR veteran Scott Wimmer sits on the outside of row one after qualifying second with a time of 22.932 seconds and a speed of 117.739.

Casey Atwood subbed for Kyle Busch and managed to put the FedEx Toyota in 11th place; Reutimann’s sub, Trevor Bayne, qualified 17th; Rickey Stenhouse, Jr. put Matt Kenseth’s No. 16 in 18th place on the grid; and Carl Edwards has to start in 35th after Auggie Vidovich could only get the Save A Lot Ford up to 114.591 mph.

There is drama aplenty at this year’s Memphis Nationwide race.

Busch returns after a five-year absence to a track that Carl Edwards has dominated recently. Busch has a 195-point lead over Edwards, and hopes to keep his nemesis in the rear-view mirror both on the track and in the points race.

Edwards won on the .75 mile oval last year, and another win today could see him slicing into the huge deficit he’s facing with only three races remaining on the schedule after today.

Busch enters the race with the momentum borne from winning last week’s Dollar General 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, N.C.

Busch and Edwards both have 26 Top-10 finishes on the year; Busch has 22 Top-5s while Edwards has notched 21.

Two cars are sporting a pink color scheme, a nod to Breast Cancer Awareness month: Wimmer’s No. 40 and the No. 60 of Edwards.

The stands were awash with women (and even a few men) wearing pink, or at least a pink ribbon, in honor of the monumental cause that NASCAR has so enthusiastically supported.

Check back periodically for further race updates from Memphis.

Former Memphis Tiger Shawn Taggart Signs with Israeli Premier League

Leroy Watson — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:34:39 -0400

Shawn Taggart, 24, the former University of Memphis standout who decided to forego his final year of college eligibility to pursue his dream of playing professional basketball, has been signed to a contract to play for Ironi Nahariya of the Israeli Premier League.

Shawn Larell Taggart, son of Charleine Taggart, was poised to be become a fifth-year senior at the U of M in 2009-’10. He is a highly skilled big man with shooting touch out to three-point range and a burgeoning post game.

Taggart averaged 20.2 points per game, 10.3 rebounds per game and 4.0 blocks a contest as a senior at Mt. Zion Christian Academy in Durham, NC, leading the team to a prep school national title.

He followed that performance up by being named to the All-Big 12 Freshman team in 2005-’06 before transferring to Memphis.

During preseason drills over the summer of 2006, he tore the ACL in his right knee and was forced to spend his transfer year rehabilitating the injury, setting back his progress.

He was a reserve on the 2007-’08 Tiger team that went 38-2 and fell in the National Title tilt to Kansas, 75-68. Taggart was the first big man off the bench for that team and even started 9-of-39 games, averaging 17 minutes per contest while scoring 5.8 ppg and snaring 3.9 rbp.

He also chipped in with 37 blocks on the year, shot 50 percent from the floor and converted 64.6 percent of his free throws. He scored 12 points against Texas in the Elite Eight and came back with seven points and seven rebounds against UCLA in the Final Four. He closed the year out with two points and three rebounds versus Kansas.

He became a starter upon the graduation of Tiger post man Joey Dorsey. He pitched strongly forward to average 10.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, and 1.4 blocks per game in 25 minutes for a team that played it’s way to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Taggart stands 6’10” and filled out to 238 pounds by the time he left the U of M. He graduated with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies in May of 2009.

At his relatively advanced age, Taggart had little to gain from returning to Memphis and entered his name for consideration in the NBA draft in April 2009. He signed with an agent in June, thereby officially ending his college basketball career.

He is joining a Nahariya squad that plays in the highest league in Israel’s professional basketball ranks. The 12-team Premier League, known as Ligat HaAl, includes one of the most renowned non-American franchises in the world, Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Maccabi, founded in 1932, has won 48 Israeli Premier League titles, the Israeli States Cup 36 times, the European Cup five times, and the Triple Crown (Israeli Premier, Israeli Cup and European Cup all in the same season) a record five times.

Nahariya was relegated to the second league in 1994, and the third league in 1996 before climbing back up to second season in 1999 and regaining premier status in 2001, where they have remained since.

Ligat HaAl teams play once a week from late October till late April, when postseason play begins for teams which qualify.

From their home city in Northern Israel, head coach Yakov Gino and his Nahariya charges went 10-12 in the regular season in 2008-’09, advancing to the Ligat HaAl Winner’s Cup, where they fell to Hapoel Jerusalem, 3-0, in the best-of-five series.

Nahariya scored 81.3 ppg (and surrendered 79.1) last season. The team subsequently re-tooled their roster for 2009-’10.

Leading scorer Ron Lewis (18.5 ppg) fled to the Euroleague, and the only other player who participated in all 25 games for the team, Yogev Ohayon, jumped ship for rival Hapoel Jerusalem.

Taggart will be competing for time with 1997-’98 C-USA Player of the Year DeMarco Johnson, who played for North Carolina-Charlotte at the time.

Johnson, 6’9”, 245 pounds, scored 21.1 ppg and nabbed 9.0 rpg during his senior year as a 49’er. He had a cup of coffee in the NBA with the New York Knicks in 1999-’00, playing just 37 minutes in five games. He has traveled the world playing ball since.

He played in Italy (with various clubs) from 1998 through 2005; in Spain with Etosa Alicante in 2006; and briefly in Greece with the prestigious Olympiacos, also in 2006.

In January 2006, Johnson played in Slovenia before settling in Ligat HaAl in the spring of 2007. He played with Ironyi Ashkelon for the balance of the season and into 2008. He moved over to Maccabi Rishon LeZion in January 2009, and now has landed with league rival Nahariya.

Other Americans on the squad include recently signed former American collegians Tasheed Carr (St. Joseph’s), Marc Egerson (Delaware), Kyle McAlarney (Notre Dame), and UAB’s Paul Delaney. Delaney will be a familiar face for Taggart. Delaney’s Blazers met Taggart’s Tigers four times in Shawn’s two years of participation.

Nahariya sports purple and white uniforms, and play their home games in the 3,000 seat Ein Sara Sport Hall. Their 2009-‘10 season begins on Sunday, October 25 versus Elitzur Maccabi Netanya.

Check back for periodic updates on Taggart’s progress, as well as reports on Robert Dozier with Kolossos Rhodes in Greece.

2009-'10 Conference USA Preview Issue: Southern Mississippi

Leroy Watson — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:39:10 -0400

Southern Miss had what I like to call “Conference USA disease” last year.

The malady is associated with a proclivity for teams in the conference to start four-guard lineups, due to a lack of quality big men. USM started guards Courtney Beasley, Craig Craft, R.L. Horton, and Jeremy Wise 152 out of a possible 160 times.

Seven other starts went to guard/forward Sai’Quon Stone (pictured right) before he broke his foot, and the last start went to rail-thin but skilled big man Gustavo Lino from Brazil. If Lino adds some bulk to his frame (listed at 7’1”, 230 right now) he could become a star in C-USA.

Until Coach Larry Eustachy can count on the big man to produce, he will continue to provide size off the bench.

It’s difficult to figure out why the Eagles didn’t produce better than their 15-17 record last year. The four-headed monster at guard combined to ring-up 55.4 ppg, the team held their opponents to a .433 shooting percentage, and USM out-rebounded their foes, 34.0-32.6 per night.

Now, three of the four heads of the offensive beast (Beasley, Craft, and Wise) are gone and Eustachy is searching for consistent producers.

The sixth-year coach of the Eagles has a 75-80 record at the school and is just 15 victories shy of his 350th career win. He has yet to replicate the success he achieved at Iowa State (101-59, back-to-back Big 12 titles in 2000 and 2001, 2000 National Coach of the Year with a 32-5 mark and an Elite Eight showing) in Hattiesburg.

Eustachy signed two highly-regarded junior college big men available in the late signing period: Gary Flowers and Torye Pelham from JUCO power Chipola (FL) Junior College.

Pelham, a 6’6”, 225-pound three-star prospect according to Rivals, was All-Panhandle Conference, scoring 9.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and 1.4 bpg while helping Chipola to a 32-2 mark and third-place finish in the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament.

Flowers, an absolute specimen at 6’8”, 214, with a 7’3” wingspan, has been highly sought after since 2004. He’s a combo forward who’s always played well on the AAU circuit.

He’s also had a litany of problems: driving without a license, marijuana possession, and suspension from the Oklahoma State program in September 2006. He subsequently transferred to Chipola in January 2007.

He’s a Lamar Odom-type, but will he prove to be a distraction to the program? Only time will tell, but pencil him in to start, as he has the raw tools to play in the NBA someday.

Another big body JUCO transfer, 6’9”, 235-pound Josimar “Joe” Ayarza, will be in contention for a starting berth on the front line. The native Panamanian was a two-time all-conference choice, averaging more than 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks per night.

Also in the mix will be returning starter Andre Stephens, a steady 6’8”, 235-pound senior from Heidelberg, MS, who leads returning big men in points and rebounds (6.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg). He just doesn’t have the ability that some of the newer post players are showing.

As if that weren’t enough front court talent, the Golden Eagle staff is also very high on JUCO transfer Maurice Bolden, 6’10”, 210 from Jackson, MS. He first committed to C-USA rival UAB but changed his mind. Utah was also said to be pursuing him. He may actually be the most skilled of the Golden Eagle big men.

The guard rotation will be the key to the team after experiencing the loss of Jeremy Wise to the NBA draft. Wise was a three-year starter who put up 1,691 points (sixth in USM and 11th in C-USA history) and led the team in points and assists (16.7, 4.7) last year.

R.L. Horton, the back court mate of Wise’s for two years, now has his chance to shine. As a junior, he should provide a veteran’s influence and is a proven scorer (12.7 ppg). Mix his scoring ability with 3.0 rpg, 2.2 apg and what should be an improved jump shot (.390 overall and an anemic .253 from downtown), and look for Horton to be a threat for all-conference honors.

Stone is rugged, with a pro’s body at 6’6”, 225, but he’s not as fluent and skilled at two-guard, and he’s also not going to start on the front line. It looks as if he will come off the bench as a change-of-pace for the smaller, speedier Horton.

A sleeper for time at the two is an underrated sophomore, LaVanne Pennington, 6’4”, 190 and classic instant offense. Look for him to force his way onto the floor.

Point guard is wide open. With the riches everywhere else on the floor, it would be an absolute shame not to have anyone to get them the basketball. Cue the arrival of redshirt sophomore transfer Angelo Johnson (6’, 180) from USC.

Johnson, a three-star prospect who originally chose Southern California over Cincinnati, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington, played in 33 games as a freshman, starting 11. He drained 27 threes and averaged 4.5 ppg and 2.1 apg. He sat out last season under NCAA transfer rules.

Jerome Clyburn (6’2”, 170) is among the competitors at the lead guard position. Last year, he suffered a broken bone in each foot, participating in just three games before redshirting. True freshman Kenneth Ortiz (5’11”, 180), who helped lead Science Park (NJ) to consecutive state titles his junior and senior seasons, has his hat in the ring, too.

Larry Eustachy is touting this as the most talented team in his six years at USM. If he can get the proper production from the point guard position, it is very unlikely this team will implode down the stretch (1-10) like they did last year. This is a very dangerous basketball team.

2009-'10 Conference USA Preview Issue: Alabama-Birmingham

Leroy Watson — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:24:44 -0400

We’ll start this off by acknowledging that Mike Davis is a good coach. He played under C. M. Newton and Wimp Sanderson at Alabama and coached under Bob Knight at Indiana—three living legends of college basketball.

Davis authored the biggest single-season improvement in victories in UAB history (from 15 his first year to 23 his second). He is a proven recruiter who’s bringing in a class of four freshmen, a JUCO transfer, and a D-I transfer who is eligible after sitting out last year.

But I’m here to tell you that in 2009-’10, there are no rabbits to pull out of his hat. The Blazers are going to struggle.

Gone are more than 90 percent of the Blazers’ points and rebounds from a season ago.

Paul Delaney III, Lawrence Kinnard, and Robert Vaden—who were 2008 All-Conference USA selections—have moved on. Delaney & Vaden were second team All-CUSA, and Kinnard was tabbed for the third team.

Delaney blossomed into a star, responsible for 16.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg, and 3.5 apg. When Kinnard departed, he took 14 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest (and 13 double-doubles) with him. Swingman Vaden’s 17.6 ppg, 4.9 rbg and 2.1 apg will be missed.

Not to be overlooked, however, were the contributions from Channing Toney, the other starting guard who was the consummate “glue guy” that all good teams have. He tied with Delaney for third on the team in three-pointers made at 22, behind only Vaden (112) and Kinnard (45) on the team.

After all of the dissension and injuries that befell UAB, leaving the team with just nine players total over the last 24 games (and a mere five scholarship holders), Mike Davis somehow piloted the Blazers to a 22-12 season, with a first round loss to Notre Dame in the NIT. It marked the team’s sixth postseason appearance in seven years.

Don’t expect anything close to that this year, due to the heavy losses in personnel that were suffered. It might take Davis another year or two of recruiting to get the cupboard filled once more.

One of the team leaders is probably going to be 6’8”, 230-pound senior forward Howard Crawford, a native Alabamian who has been overshadowed by the stars he was recruited to support. After scoring 7.9 ppg and contributing 3.5 rpg, he provides leadership and perhaps the only proven quantity on this edition of the Blazers—for better or for worse.

Elijah Millsap, a muscular (6’6”, 211) guard who sat out last year after transferring to UAB from Louisiana-Lafayette, showed great promise two years ago by averaging 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per outing while starting 22-of-30 contests as a sophomore. He was Sun Belt Freshman of the Year in 2007-‘08.

Joining them in the lineup will be the only other starter returning from last year: point guard Aaron Johnson (pictured), a jitterbug who’s short in stature (5’8”, 175) but incredibly quick, rugged and adept at penetrating the lane. His 3.6 ppg & apg must each rise dramatically.

Where’s the beef? Crawford wasn’t much of a banger last year, yet no one who is coming in looks to provide interior size and toughness. The last returning letter winner, sophomore forward Cameron Moore, is thin at 6’9”, 205 but looks to be in line to start. He led the team in field goal percentage (.574) in limited action.

Moore will be challenged for minutes by Anthony Criswell, who is pretty much the same player, only thinner and a freshman. Criswell averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds a game and was named All-State in Oklahoma; he will need to add weight and strength if he wants to be a factor.

Scouts who got out to Hampton Roads, VA came away saying great things about Ovie Soko from London, England, who came to this country via a foreign exchange program. The 6’8”, 215-pound live body was a power forward originally but is going to play small forward on the next level. He averaged 14.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 4 apg, and 1 block per game.

Only having two years of American basketball competition under his belt hurts his cause.

The most promising signees for Mike Davis were in the backcourt: Dexter Fields, Jamarr Sanders, and Robert Williams.

Fields is a smallish (6’2”, 190) combo guard out of Orlando, FL. An accomplished scorer and a good rebounder for his size (17.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg), he’s not a true point but is talented enough to earn minutes for himself in the rotation. UAB beat out Alabama, Central Florida, Florida International, and LSU (among others) for his services.

Sanders, born in nearby Montgomery, AL, spent two years refining his craft at Northwest Florida State College, averaging 18.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 4.7 apg. He’s got good size (6’4”, 200), great shooting ability (53 percent overall, and 44 percent from deep), is physical, and is expected to see minutes at both guard positions and perhaps even at small forward.

Williams is an intriguing two-guard from Greeneville, MS. He is a very physical guard with good size, (6’4”, 200) who dominated other players from his area (20.1 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per contest) but is relatively untested and unknown on a national level.

All-in-all, it makes for an enticing influx of ballers...but not necessarily a winning one. Anything close to a winning season will be an accomplishment. Next year, they could be formidable.

2009-'10 Conference USA Preview Issue: Southern Methodist

Leroy Watson — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:08:26 -0400

It’s been tough sledding in Conference USA competition for SMU’s Matt Doherty.

Doherty, the North Carolina Tar Heels legend who earned a Championship ring alongside Michael Jordan (and others) while at Chapel Hill, was often touted as the cerebral type of player who would make a great coach some day.

After assistant coaching gigs at Davidson and Kansas, he piloted Notre Dame to the finals of the NIT after the 1999-2000 season. The 22-15 campaign, along with the forced retirement of Bill Guthridge, catapulted Doherty to the captain’s chair of one of the iconic institutions in NCAA basketball history, his alma mater, UNC.

His tenure there was disappointing (including an embarrassing 8-20 second season), and, citing an “irreparable rift” with his players (which some feel was exaggerated by UNC administration) he was given the option to resign or be fired. Doherty chose the former.

Exiled from college coaching for two seasons, he parlayed a 15-13 mark at Florida Atlantic into the starting gig at Southern Methodist University. One must wonder how long his regime will last if he continues to produce diminishing results.

SMU has gone 14-17 (11th place in C-USA), 10-20 (11th), and 9-21 (12th) the past three years, winning 10 conference games over that stretch against 38 losses.

Could this be the year he turns it around? From a talent perspective, the answer could be a resounding “yes.”

The Mustangs lost just one senior starter—Bamba Fall (center, 7’1” and 225)—and return two seniors, five juniors, and four sophomores. In addition, the roster is filled out with two freshmen and two junior college transfers (one junior, one sophomore).

This will make for greater competition all over the floor, as well as providing a talent upgrade at several spots in the rotation.

Fall will be missed on the defensive end and the boards, though his offensive ability (8.9 ppg as a senior, 8.8 for his career) was subpar. The Senegal native did not have the strength necessary to impose his will offensively. He did, however, block a career-high 67 shots (2.2 bpg) and grab a career-best 7.3 rpg last season.

His 248 career blocks ranks second all-time at SMU behind only Jon Koncak’s 278.

Each of the three power forwards who played alongside Fall—Papa Dia (6’9”, 235, likely a starter this year as a junior), Robert Nyakundi (6’8”, 220) and the slightly undersized Frank Otis (6’6”, 230)—return. Nyakundi, at 6.2 ppg last season, is the closest thing to a scorer in the bunch, while Dia is an adequate rebounder (4.2 rpg) and decent defender.

Nyakundi is actually an accomplished shooter, leading the team in threes made (40), attempted (102), and three point percentage (.392). He’s a tough match-up with his size.

The likely new center is JUCO transfer Myles Luttman, originally born in Birmingham, England. Last season, he helped lead San Diego City College to the best record (28-5) in school history.

His play got stronger as the season wore on and he got more experience in America’s signature game. He completed the campaign with modest averages of 5.3 ppg and 4.4 rpg, blocked 21 shots, shot almost 60 percent from the field, and copped Player of the Week honors for the week of February 22-28.

Small forward Mouhammad Faye (pictured) returns to reprise his role beside the bangers. He’s long (at 6’9”, 215), has moderate offensive skills (9.6 ppg), and is a decent enough rebounder for his position (5.2 rpg), though a few additional boards would be nice, given his size.

The frontcourt had height but lacked scoring punch; the backcourt was dynamic and had scoring punch but was smallish.

Unfortunately for Doherty, not much has changed: the big men look to be defenders and rebounders but might not have a go-to scorer among them; the guard positions, though receiving an infusion of talent, still lack superior height and length.

The returnees at the starting guard positions—Paul McCoy and Derek Williams—are undersized but talented.

McCoy was voted preseason all-conference for the 2009-’10 season. Last season as a sophomore, the 5’11” gunner led the team in minutes played (34.5 per game), points (13.4 ppg), and steals, while finishing second on the team in treys made (34). Despite his diminutive size, he actually snared four rebounds per contest.

Williams, a former JUCO transfer in his second and last year in the program, had a strong debut campaign for the Ponies last season. He led the team in assists (3.5 per game) and free throws made (79-of-109, .725).

He stands just 6’1”, though. SMU struggles with teams that have larger guards, which nowadays is just about everyone.

Incoming recruits Rodney Clinkscales (6’1”, 190) and Austin Horn (6’3”, 170) have a bit more size and length than the incumbent starters, but not by much. Of course, they also have zero experience at the D-1 level.

Last year, the Mustangs lacked scoring punch (64.6 ppg) and were adequate defensively (68.2 ppg). This reflects the fact that their wing players lack the size and strength to create effectively for themselves and others on the bounce. This led to a low assist total: 334, or just 11.1 per contest.

If Coach Doherty can find a way to exploit his team’s quickness and some of the matchup problems they present in the frontcourt, SMU could surprise. They have some very talented individuals (Faye, Nyakundi, McCoy, Williams) who could be nightmares for opponents.

2009-'10 Conference USA Preview Issue: Rice

Leroy Watson — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:02:55 -0400

Where do you go from 3-27?

If you’re Rice University, you (perhaps unfairly) fire the head coach in charge of the train wreck, Willis Wilson, and replace him with a coach (Ben Braun) with over three decades on the bench and a reputation as a man who turns around moribund programs.

First was Siena Heights, an NAIA school that he took to an 8-21 record in his first (1977-’78) season, and 24-6 his second.

Next up was Eastern Michigan. He took the low D-1 program to a 5-10 record after being elevated to head coach during midseason. His first full season was an improvement to 14-15, while his second full campaign netted a 22-8 mark and an NCAA Tournament appearance.

His run at California was an unqualified success, as he garnered five trips to the NCAAs (and a Sweet Sixteen), three to the NIT, and an NIT Title in 1998-’99.

That would tend to indicate that he is due for a strong season at Rice in 2009-’10.

The Owls just might have the talent in place for another remarkable turnaround.

The Owls boast four returning starters from the last campaign: guards Connor Frizzelle and Lawrence Ghoram, forward Lucas Kuipers, and center Trey Stanton.

The Owls, as well as most of C-USA, ran a guard heavy offense, and a key component—leading scorer Rodney Foster—has graduated, taking his team-leading 12 ppg and 70 three-pointers with him.

He also led all of C-USA in three-point shooting (.440) and was second in free throw percentage (.846).

Also gone is a part-time starter at forward, Aleks Perka, who was scrappy but a bit undersized (6’7”, 205) to bang in the paint. He inherited the starting job following a broken wrist suffered by Kuipers, who averaged 8.8 ppg and 3.8 rpg in just 16 games.

Kuipers (6’8”, 220) returns for his sophomore year and looks to be in line to start on the frontline with junior Stanton (6’10”, 230, 8.3 ppg and a team-high 5.0 rpg in 2008-’09).

The race to be the three starters in the backcourt, however, looks to be a wide-open competition.

Based on experience and production, it would appear that Frizzelle and Cory Fleiger would be the frontrunners for the starting point guard duties. Fleiger (8.2 ppg), a senior, was instant offense off the bench, and it appears that he would be a worthy successor to Foster, as he was second on the team in treys connected (54) and assists (69).

Frizzelle, a sophomore, could give him a run for his money after starting for much of the season and leading C-USA in FT shooting (.866) while scoring 8.7 ppg.

Gorham, the senior from Zachary, LA, seems to be a sure thing to start at the third guard/swingman position, with his good size (6’5”, 205), steady performances (8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 25 steals), and string of 62 consecutive starts over the past two years.

This is where an extremely intriguing recruiting class comes into play. Braun hauled in five talented freshmen in the class of 2009, two of whom could dent the regular playing rotation with strong showings in fall camp.

Power forward Egheosa Edomwonyi (6’7”, 225) is very athletic, raw, and strong. His offensive game needs much work, but he runs the floor well, is a good rebounder and looks to be a good shot-blocker, as well. He looks to be a project off the bench.

Small forward Chris Eversley is a swingman (6’5”, 205) from Chicago who is physical for a wing but has limited skills off the bounce. He is a decent spot-up shooter who can score off screens and rebounds like a bigger man. He, too, looks to be a bench player.

Depth at the point guard position came in the last signee, A.J. Holland from Alabama. It was a surprising get, considering Holland’s dad (James) is an assistant at ‘Bama. Holland has excellent speed and quickness with the ball in his hands, pushes hard in transition, breaks down his man on the drive, yet can still hit the open three (41 as a senior).

The two most intriguing possibilities are combo forward Arsalan Kazemi (a native of Iran) and combo guard Tamir Jackson, who prepped at legendary St. Benedict’s in New Jersey.

Kazemi (pictured) had offers from schools such as Arkansas, Cincinnati, and Maryland, and also had feelers from Kansas, Memphis, Syracuse, and many others. Hailing from the Patterson School, he has great size (6’8”, 195, though he could stand to fill out), and tremendous athleticism. He could be starting soon.

He plays with a non-stop motor, is savage on the boards, and has off-the-charts skills. He is still learning the game (though he has great instincts) and needs to be more disciplined to stay away from foul trouble and injury.

Jackson is a bit of a tweener at 6’2” and weighing 180, but he is deceptively strong and has great length. He has only two modes on offense: attack, and attack harder. When he sets his mind on driving, he gets into the teeth of the defense with ease.

He needs to improve his perimeter game, and he may also need to improve his lateral movement as well as vision and make the transition to the point in order to be successful in C-USA. He’s good at pestering opposing ballhandlers.

The talent is assembling at Rice; but the question is, will the victories soon follow?

2009-'10 Conference USA Preview Issue: Marshall

Leroy Watson — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:49:19 -0400

Player turnover is to be expected in college athletics. Players graduate, and are replaced by incoming recruits.

Conference USA probably will have more new faces than any other conference in America in 2009.

Of course, most observers—whether casual or hardcore—would point to the flagship C-USA program at Memphis as the poster child of change. With a brand new coaching staff, just six scholarship returnees, three scholarship signees, one transfer, and five walk-ons, the Tigers certainly had more upheaval than anyone else in the country.

However, the Marshall Thundering Herd actually count eight —as in the number higher than seven and lower than nine—newcomers being introduced to the program.

I dare you to find any other basketball team in all of America (beside fellow C-USA member UAB, with nine) that has more brand new ballers than Marshall. I double dare you.

Coming off a 15-17 campaign in 2008-’09, the Herd are hungering for more. In a watered down C-USA, Coach Donnie Jones can improve on that mark, with a few good breaks.

Everything starts with physical frontliner Tyler Wilkerson (pictured), a fine physical specimen (6’8”, 240) and aggressive post presence (team-high 16 blocked shots) who is healthy once more, having recovered from a broken jaw on February 4 that ended his season.

Wilkerson led the Thundering Herd in rebounds per game (6.2), was second on the team in field goal percentage (.529), and finished third in scoring (10.4 ppg).

He was prone to foul trouble, with 61 fouls in 22 contests. He needs to stay on court to help this team. His production needs to spike forward in order to make up for the loss of three-time Third Team All C-USA performer Markel Humphrey.

Humphrey led Marshall in scoring (12.5 ppg) and shooting percentage (.544), while grabbing a healthy 5.3 rpg. He is the only letterwinner whose production will be missed. In fact, junior Adam Williams, upon seeing the huge incoming class, decided to forego his final year of eligibility in order to join Coach Jones’ coaching staff.

There is a lot of unproven talent for that coaching staff to mix-and-match with a solid nucleus of returnees.

Redshirt senior Chris Lutz returns for his final campaign, poised to lead the charge. He was second on the team in scoring (10.7 ppg), and was one of the top sharpshooters in all of C-USA. He should reprise his role as gunner this season for Marshall, joined in the backcourt by All Freshman team member Damier Pitts.

Lutz led the Herd in three-pointers made (65) and three-point percentage (.374), while ranking fourth in the league in the latter category and seventh in C-USA in threes made per contest (2.32). With the continued emergence of Wilkerson, he could be an even larger threat from outside.

Pitts turned into a fine starting point guard, placing fourth in scoring (9.7 ppg), draining 40 treys, and leading the team in assists (103) and free throw percentage (.841).

Sophomore Shaquille Johnson should join Lutz and Pitts in the backcourt rotation. He settled in and started 27 games as a freshman, scoring 9.6 ppg and chipping in 3.1 rpg, fourth on the team.

As if the returnees didn’t provide enough firepower in the backcourt, incoming freshmen Noah Fischer and DeAndre Kane should see the court this season as Marshall continues to implement a more up-tempo offense.

Fischer scored 23.3 ppg as a senior, draining 94 three-pointers and being named First Team All-State in West Virginia. He was nominated for the 2008-’09 McDonald’s All-America contest.

Kane had offers from a long list of elite programs, and even fielded inquiries from Kentucky before signing with Marshall. He is quite likely the highest profile recruit to don the hunter green of the Thundering Herd in the Donnie Jones era.

DeAndre led Pittsburgh’s Schenley High School to a State Championship as a junior. He scored 35.1 ppg and snagged 11 rpg that season. He then helped lead The Patterson School to a 34-2 record and prep school national title, averaging 15.6 ppg.

Kane teamed with current Marshall teammate Hassan Whiteside at Patterson. Whiteside, 6’11” and 235, will factor heavily into the frontcourt rotation for Marshall after averaging 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 5.5 blocks per contest in 2007-’08 for East Side High in Newark, NJ.

However, he will find stiff competition for minutes from Nigel Spikes.

Spikes, 6’11” tall and 220 pounds, sat out last year as a Proposition 48 casualty. He has three years of eligibility remaining. He averaged 10 ppg, 9 rpg, and 3 bpg as a senior at Dillard High in Florida. He was a starter on the Florida Class 5-A state champions that season, and has had a year to work in the Marshall system.

Combo forward Antonio Haymon, 6’6” and weighing 220, bulled his way to a first-team NJCAA Division II All-American last year. He scored 20 ppg and pulled down 9 rpg, and promises to provide depth and scoring punch for the Herd.

Donnie Jones is a proven winner. In his 11 years as an assistant at Florida, the Gators were 261-103 (.717) and were only the second repeat national titlists in the post-Wooden era. He played a key role in recruitment and player development for Billy Donovan’s program. Now, he's building his own team. He has enough talent to put together a very solid 2009-'10 campaign.

2009-'10 Conference USA Preview Issue: East Carolina

Leroy Watson — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:34:06 -0400

Even in Conference USA, it is difficult to make it into the first division without top-notch talent. Just ask East Carolina’s Mack McCarthy.

The longtime head basketball coach, who won a combined 309 games at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga (243-122) and Virginia Commonwealth (66-55) has found the going tough at ECU, going 24-36 (10-22 in C-USA) the past two seasons.

Though the Pirates advanced from 10th place in the conference to ninth last year, and won two extra basketball games (13), the team simply didn’t have the size or athleticism to make their mark in a moderately strong C-USA last year.

McCarthy’s most talented player, Sam Hinnant, has exhausted his eligibility, taking along with him 15 ppg and 3.8 rpg. Hinnant led the team in points, field goals made and attempted (138 of 358), threes made and attempted (85 of 235), and was second on the teams in total assists (58).

Fellow starter James Legan was also a senior last year, and his 11.8 ppg were second on the team, while he was second in total steals, field goals, and treys. He and Hinnant will be missed, both for their production and for their leadership.

The Pirates’ biggest and best post threat, senior Chad Wynn, returns to the roster, for better or for worse. He has nice size, at 6’10”, 255 pounds, but he is not much of a threat to score (7.0 points per game in 2008-’09) though he led C-USA in field goal percentage (.592) and isn’t athletic enough to rebound very well (4.0 rebounds per game).

The four-guard set that Carolina ran for long stretches last year will likely be scrapped, with the continued maturation of sophomore Darrius Morrow (6’8”, 250).

Morrow, who started 11 games a season ago, ended the campaign averaging 9.7 ppg (fifth on the team), was the squad’s leading rebounder at 6.7 rpg, and finished second in the conference in offensive rebounds per night (3.1). He was named to the C-USA All Freshman team as a result.

The only problem with having he and Wynn start together is the fact that Wynn will take up space that Morrow could use to operate. Look for Morrow to pitch forward and Wynn to fade into the background as the season progresses, provided Morrow thrives.

Dynamic point guard Brock Young (pictured) returns to lead the attack. He led C-USA in assists per contest (7.6) as a sophomore, while also scoring 10.6 ppg, third on the team. He’ll step into the leadership vacuum left upon the graduation of Hinnant and Legan.

Expect him to be ably supported by junior Jamar Abrams, who was fourth on the team in scoring a season ago at 10 ppg, and who led the team in three-point field goal percentage (.426). He will be expected to shoulder more of the scoring burden this year.

The Pirates signed an intriguing four-man recruiting class which could step in and make contributions right away on a team that could use an infusion of size, length, and athleticism.

Coryonn Gaines, 6'4", younger brother of former Louisville All-American and first-round NBA pick Reece Gaines, joins the program from Worcester (Mass.) Academy prep. Gaines put his all-around game on display at Worcester, averaging 12 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals per contest.

ECU also picked up Erin Straughn, rated the No. 13 prospect in Florida’s Class of 2009 by HoopScoop , who has good size (6’6”, 200) and scored almost 17 ppg as a senior, as well as Wakefield Ellison, an explosive scorer (22.1 ppg) from North Carolina who also has good size (6’5”, 190) for a wing player.

Perhaps their prize recruit, however, is a Jarvis Varnado-like post player, Darius Morales from Timber Creek High in Orlando, Fla.

Morales, born in Puerto Rico, isn’t the biggest player (6’9”, 210) in the world, but he’s wiry and has a knack for the blocked shot (4.3 per game as a senior). Unfortunately for ECU, he’s also raw offensively (11.4 ppg), but he gets after it on the boards (9.8 rpg).

The schedule is a bit unkind. The Pirates drew a formidable Tennessee team in the opening round of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, with NCAA Tournament team Northern Iowa looming further in the draw.

There are home games with Clemson, George Washington, VCU, and Wake Forest, as well as a road contest against North Carolina-Charlotte, which renews an old rivalry this year. Their league games against UAB, UTEP, and Memphis are all on the road, while they draw single tilts with Houston and Tulsa at home at cozy Minges Coliseum, a notoriously difficult place to play.

The Pirates could be in for a regression in record this year. Despite a jackrabbit 8-1 start last season, and a 13-11 mark late in the year, six losses in a row to end the campaign doomed the club to a 13-17 overall ledger.

With the Paradise Jam this year almost certain to inflict at least two losses, not to mention other early tests that ECU will likely fail, tying last year’s mark seems overly ambitious.

In the final analysis, the Pirates will struggle to break into the upper echelon of C-USA. They don’t have the talent of Memphis, the depth of UTEP, or the experience of Tulsa. But Coach McCarthy’s charges do have a lot of upside. Anyone who takes them lightly will be in for a rude awakening.

Dodgers-Phillies: Joe Torre Compounds Blunders by Ignoring Matchups

Leroy Watson — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:24:00 -0400

Joe Torre is a Hall of Fame manager.

Take that to the bank. Play the Lottery with it. Bet the mortgage. Use your wife and kids as collateral, if you like. It’s as sure a thing as the Earth being a spheroid (a trifle flat at the poles), our Sun being ridiculously hot, divorce rates being on the rise, and our President’s approval ratings being on the decrease.

Just reporting the facts here, people.

Now, I didn’t say whether or not Joe Torre deserves to be a HoFer based on his managerial career. That’s an article for another day. His 2,246 wins, four World Series titles in five years, as well as six AL pennants in eight years are pretty hard to argue with.

But let him keep making such fundamentally poor decisions as he did last night in an 8-6 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies and yours truly promises to write that article on a day in the not-too-distant future, as a companion piece to the one calling for the Dodgers’ manager’s head on a platter.

The problem that I have with Torre is this: he picks odd times to eschew the idea of “playing by the numbers,” all in the name of managing by (choose whichever of these banal expressions you prefer) “feel,” “gut,” or “instinct/intuition.”

Last night, he just seemed to manage senile.

Typically, as Dodger Featured Columinsts, PJ Ross and I try to touch on entirely different aspects about the Dodgers. However, even though Peej wrote about Torre’s decision-making in last night’s game with this brilliant article, we both agreed that it would be appropriate to amplify just how monumentally bad some of the moves were.

In the fifth inning, Clayton Kershaw allowed a Raul Ibanez single to left, and wild-pitched him to second. He then walked Pedro Feliz and allowed a three-run jack to Carlos Ruiz to the Mannywood seats in the left-field corner.

I wanted to pull him then. The “feel/gut/instinctive/intuitive” manager certainly would have done just that. However, I do agree with the “buttress his confidence” angle by allowing the lad to pitch to the pitcher’s spot in the order.

Kershaw, though, the 21-year old fireballer with a 12-to-6 curve and a proclivity for wildness, then walked the opposing pitcher on four offerings to turn the lineup over for the Philadelphia Phillies.

I was screaming for a reliever by then.

Keep in mind, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are switch-hitters (and good ones), so it really didn’t matter (from a platoon standpoint) who was on the mound when they appeared at the plate. The decision on whom to face them was largely irrelevant, except from the standpoint of “does the pitcher on the mound need to be there?”

My contention is that Kershaw did not need to be toeing the rubber.

So really, at this point, Joe Torre should have been managing two batters ahead instead of just living in the moment. He should have been preparing for the Chase Utley-Ryan Howard duo who were likely to come to the plate, unless a double play ensued.

Now, I admit, it would have been enticing to try to get Kershaw to coax his way out of the inning and have the lefty-lefty platoon advantage on Utley and Howard.

Kershaw, after all, was scheduled to be the second batter up in the bottom of the frame.

However, after walking the opposing number with four pitches, I think Kershaw needed to be gone. I would have made a “feel/gut/instinctive/intuitive” decision and pulled Kershaw and gone with Hong-Chih Kuo (not Scott Elbert, who was up in the ‘pen.)

Sometimes, in this age of advanced sabermetrics, there is such a proliferation of numbers to digest that it’s easy to overlook or ignore some of the most important ones.

Because surely, Joe Torre had the following information available to him (and I’m certain it would have been easier for him to find it than it was for me, and it took me all of five minutes):

Hong-Chih Kuo has remarkable success against the top four in the Phillies’ order. True, the sample size is very small, but Rollins, Victorino, Utley, and Howard have a total of one hit —an innocuous single, at that—versus the lights-out Dodger lefty with the twice-rebuilt elbow:

Jimmy Rollins is 0-for-4 against Kuo with two strikeouts, a fly out and a groundout.

Shane Victorino: 0-for-1 with a K and a hit by pitch versus Kuo.

Chase Utley has the lone hit (single) against Kuo (back in 2006 ) and is 1-for-4 against the hurler with a K, a fly out, and a pop out in the infield.

Ryan Howard has gone hitless in three ABs versus Kuo, with two Ks and a groundout.

That’s 1-for-12 with a single, no runs, no RBI, a batting average of .083, an on-base percentage of .154, slugging percentage of .083 and an OPS of .237.

Where do I sign? I like the odds against those four guys with Hong-Chih Kuo on the hill.

Assuming that Kuo would have gotten out of the jam with no further damage, the Dodgers would have come to bat in the bottom of the fifth with a deficit of only 3-1.

Some have argued that it would have been foolish to burn through Kuo so early in the game. That's ridiculous. The situation was tailor made for him; I don't care if it was the first inning, the fifth, or the seventy-fifth.

Anybody can come in with the bases empty to start the seventh and minimize damage. Kuo was most needed to pitch to some formidable guys whom he has owned in order to keep the deficit manageable in the fifth.

Making another assumption—that the Dodgers would have begun to rake against Cole Hamels in the bottom of the fifth—is dicey. After all, Hamels likely stiffened up during the extended top of the frame, which might have contributed to his struggles when the Dodgers came up.

Let's rather assume that Hamels would have come back out sharp, making it time to manage for a tight game by both managers.

With Ramon Troncoso in reserve, I would have still used Ronald Belisario in the top of the sixth. After the fireballer looked so sharp in the frame—he retired the Phils on a mere eight pitches—I would have sent him back out to the hill for the seventh.

This would have left Elbert and Sherrill (lefties), Troncoso (righty), and closer Broxton (righty) available for the top of the eighth, allowing the luxury of the quick hook had anyone put two runners on base—as Sherrill eventually did.

Having already burned through Troncoso, Belisario, and Kuo, Torre did not have the luxury of practicing impatience with his set-up man. He ties his own hands by burning Troncoso on just one batter after Howard had doubled in two runs off Kershaw.

Of course, with Chad Billingsley on the roster for this round, he would have been available for any extra frames, had they become necessary. I would not have hesitated to go to Broxton in the top of the eighth inning, if Sherrill ran into problems.

In the end, the Dodgers fought hard, down to the very last out. They were done in by questionable—hell, downright ridiculous —decisions by Joe Torre. The team now has an unenviable mountain to climb against the defending World Series champions.

Leroy Watson, Jr. is a Los Angeles Dodgers Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

Los Angeles-St. Louis: Dodgers Eschew Formula, Sweep Two from Cards at Home

Leroy Watson — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:24:29 -0400

Two down, one to go.

My fellow Dodgers Featured Columnist, P.J. Ross, and I have been saying the same thing for the past few days:

Not only was it imperative for the Boys in Blue to ding up Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright during the first two games at home, but they would indeed do just that and head to St. Louis with a 2-0 lead in their National League Division Series playoff matchup.

Maybe the Dodgers didn’t follow our blueprint to the last detail, but they got the job done, roughing up NL Cy Young candidate Chris Carpenter to the tune of four earned runs in five innings on the way to a 5-3 Game-One triumph.

Wainwright then silenced the Dodgers for eight innings, giving up only a fourth-inning solo homer to Andre Ethier. The Boys in Blue scratched out two unearned runs in the bottom of the ninth off Cardinals' closer Ryan Franklin to escape Game Two with a 3-2 win.

The Dodgers followed no blueprint at all in the second outing, except for “hold on until the Cardinal bullpen appears in the game.”

Here’s the basic formula that PJ and I agreed the Dodgers needed to follow:

1) Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw needed to pitch deep into the games

2) Carpenter and Wainwright had to be made to leave early, with a deficit

3) The superior Dodger ‘pen had to hold the lead

4) The Dodgers needed to keep Albert Pujols in check

To paraphrase Meatloaf, “Two-and-a-half-outta-four ain’t bad.”

In Game One, Wolf hit the showers early; but then again, so did Carpenter. The Dodgers won the battle of the bullpens and Albert Pujols was 0-for-3 with two intentional passes in five plate appearances.

Each team had ample opportunities to score more runs—stranding 30 base runners, a major league postseason record, including 16 by the Dodgers—but clutch pitching with runners in scoring position depressed scoring in the 3-hour, 52-minute tilt, the longest in division series history.

L.A.’s bullpen—widely lauded as the best in the majors—saved the day.

With Wolf clearly not at his best, giving up six hits and two earned runs in just 3.2 innings (while laboring to throw 82 pitches), the ‘pen hurled 5.1 solid innings to keep the Dodgers in the game.

Jeff Weaver came in with the bases juiced and got the home team out of the fourth with just a single run across and allowed a single hit in an inning and a third.

He was followed by Ronald Belisario (perfect inning); Hong-Chih Kuo, who labored a bit (two hits) but struck out two in his shut-out seventh; George Sherrill, who retired both batters he faced; and Jonathon Broxton.

Broxton got the Machine, Albert Pujols, to ground out meekly to end the eighth, and then went on his all-too-familiar high wire act in the ninth, giving up two hits and the ‘pen’s only run before finally shutting the door and picking up the save.

Game Two was nerve-wracking for Dodger fans, but it underscored that this team refuses to go down without a determined effort.

Kershaw, meanwhile, pulled a Carpenter, clearly laboring and not putting in his sharpest performance.

The difference, though, was the 21-year-old lefty managed to keep the Cards contained, and though he left with his team trailing, 2-1, it could have been far worse.

The young fireballer toiled through 6.2 innings, scattering nine hits and giving up single runs in the second and seventh innings. The Cards exhibited the same patience against Chinstrap (the affectionate nickname for Kershaw, coined by Bleacher Report’s own J. C. Ayvazi) that the Dodgers had shown against Carpenter; Clayton tossed 106 pitches.

Down 2-1, Joe Torre pulled out all the stops in his effort to give the team a chance to pull the game out.

He brought on Belisario to get the last out in the seventh, after Kershaw was chased by a Cardinal rally that scratched across a run.

Next up was the Dodger closer, Broxton, to pitch the top of the eighth inning. With the right-handed Pujols leading off the inning, Torre went with the righty Broxton to deal with the Machine. The burly closer once again got the best of Pujols, and pitched a clean, efficient inning, handling all three batters that he faced.

The Dodgers failed to complete a rally against Wainwright in the bottom of the eighth. The flagging hurler loaded the bases with two outs, and the dangerous Matt Kemp at the plate.

Wainwright blasted out of the jam by shattering Kemp’s bat on a fastball that tailed in on Matt’s hands, leading to a meek grounder that was converted into the third out.

Sherrill, who is normally the eighth-inning set-up man, came on to pitch the top of the ninth, his team trailing by a tally. He got knicked for a hit but kept the deficit at one.

Wainwright was done, and had carried out his duties to near-perfection, having totally dominated the Dodger hitters. Lefty Trever Miller took the hill for the bottom of the ninth.

Miller’s job was simple: retire the dangerous Ethier—who hit six walk-off home runs to win Dodger contests in 2009—who had batted a mere .194 against southpaws during the regular season. Miller accomplished his goal.

One out in the bottom of the ninth.

Cardinals’ closer Ryan Franklin, who converted 38-of-43 chances this season, came on to face down the ever-menacing Manny Ramirez.

Though Manny had his best at-bat of the day, battling and fouling off numerous pitches with two strikes on him, Franklin got him in the end.

There were now two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

Franklin got the left-handed James Loney to line a soft chance to Matt Holliday in left. Game over, right?

Not so fast.

Holliday let the drive hit him in the rib cage, as he whiffed at the ball and never even made contact with his glove. He blamed the setting sun at Chavez Ravine in postgame interviews.

“I had it,” he said candidly. “I was coming in to get it, then all of a sudden it hits the lights. You can’t see. Obviously, I can catch a ball hit right at me. It wasn’t a lack of effort. I just couldn’t see it.”

With new life, Casey Blake coaxed a walk (after fouling off two 3-2 pitches) to advance pinch-runner Juan Pierre to second base and set the stage for Ronnie Belliard.

Belliard, who had struck out twice in three trips against Wainwright, promptly bounced a single up the middle on the first pitch to tie the score at two apiece.

A passed ball put the winning run (Blake) on third, Belliard on second.

Catcher Russell Martin, batting .200 for the series, drew the second walk in the inning off Franklin, loading the bases and bringing up the pitchers’ spot in the order.

Torre sent in veteran Mark Loretta to pinch hit, even though he was 0-14 against Franklin in his career. He cashed in this time with a single to left center, just beyond the drawn-in infield, but not deep enough to be caught by the shallow outfielders.

The Dodgers celebrated in a heap on the infield, giddy to have won such a tense battle.

The home team won despite being out-hit, 10 to five.

“Absolutely, we stole one,” said Ethier afterward. “I thought it was over. Show me one person out there who didn’t think it was over. We needed a little magic.”

They might not have followed the “formula,” but the Dodgers found a way to pull out an improbable victory. The reward is a 2-0 stranglehold on the division series, with Joel Pineiro charged with saving the Cardinals’ season as he faces off with Vicente Padilla this Saturday at Busch Stadium.

All quotes courtesy of nytimes.com; you may read their take here

Leroy Watson, Jr. is a Los Angeles Dodgers Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

Underestimate Josh Pastner and Memphis at Your Own Risk in 2009-10

Leroy Watson — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:32:55 -0400

A lot of people are sleeping on Memphis basketball.

Just to review: yes, we’re aware that John Calipari is no longer the head coach here in the Bluff City.

Yes, we know that Josh Pastner, who mere days ago turned 32 years of age, is now sitting in the captain’s chair for Tiger hoops.

Yes, the country’s consensus No. 1 recruiting class was subsequently wrecked. The bulk of it (DeMarcus Cousins, Darnell Dodson and John Wall) headed to Kentucky with Calipari; Nolan Dennis landed in Baylor, and only Will Coleman stuck with Memphis.

Yes, we realize that Martin Ngaloro, an intriguing prospect from France, tore up a knee and might never step foot on campus. Angel Garcia’s knee injury did not escape our notice, either.

Yes, there are only eight scholarship players available to Coach Pastner: Will Coleman, Pierre Henderson-Niles, Willie Kemp, Doneal Mack, Roburt Sallie, D.J. Stephens, Elliot Williams, and Wesley Witherspoon.

Yes, yes, that’s just three seniors (PH-N, Kemp, and Mack), one 23-year old junior (Sallie), one junior college transfer (Coleman), a sophomore who transferred from Duke (Williams), a sophomore returnee (Witherspoon), and a true freshman (Stephens).

Yes, even with walk-ons, there’s no way the Tigers will come close to having a full complement of 15 basketball players this fall. Likely, there will be only 12 young men on the roster.

Nor have we forgotten the stench associated with Derrick Rose and his SAT scores. First, the school was in the news non-stop for losing a head coach; then, the media hounds were publicizing the twists and turns in the Rose saga.

All of that aside—and yes, it’s a considerable amount, admittedly—things are not nearly as bleak as some people are making it out to be.

Before you pronounce me insane (you might be right, I’m just not willing to use this particular issue as proof positive!), hear me out on this one. . .

The first thing to remember is this: the 2009 edition of the Tigers is an extremely talented basketball team. The top seven in the rotation is comparable to any except the ultra-elite in the country.

Williams was a five-star recruit coming out of Memphis, and was fully expected to have a break-out campaign as a sophomore at Duke. Henderson-Niles and Kemp were both four-star, top 75 players as preps. Mack was top 50 and scored 31.1 points per game as a senior at Statesville Christian in North Carolina.

Coleman was a junior college All-American and one of the top 5 JUCO prospects this spring. Sallie was California JUCO Player of the Year two seasons ago. Witherspoon shot up recruiting boards like a rocket after his junior season in high school, and was a consensus top 50, four-star prospect.

Now, it’s true that just about everyone on that list has been overshadowed by other players on the Memphis team over the last two or three years.

But when Willie Kemp had to compete with Derrick Rose (No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick and reigning NBA Rookie of the Year) and Tyreke Evans, selected No. 4 overall in this summer’s draft, is there really any shame in being the back-up point guard?

Henderson-Niles played behind Joey Dorsey, who is expected to soak up minutes with the Houston Rockets this season, and Shawn Taggart, who is cashing checks in Europe right about now.

Witherspoon teethed as a true freshman behind just about all the upperclassmen on the team, as he played every position on the floor at some point (albeit, he was at the “one-in” power forward/center position for only a few possessions in a single game last year).

Mack was a starter, but deferred a larger role in the offense to NBA draftees Antonio Anderson, Robert Dozier (getting paid to play in Greece), and Evans.

Sallie spent a considerable portion of the season in Calipari’s doghouse, backing up Mack and being a designated zone-buster, limiting his ability to show off his all-around game.

The point is: yes, a lot of talent is gone; but an impressive amount is still on campus. And anyone who thinks these kids don’t have talent and ambitions of playing professional ball is simply fooling himself.

These kids have seen guys like Anderson (Charlotte Bobcats), Rodney Carney (Minnesota Timberwolves), Dorsey (Houston Rockets), Chris Douglas-Roberts (New Jersey Nets), Dozier, Evans (Sacramento Kings), Jeremy Hunt (formerly NBADL, now looking for a contract), and Rose (Chicago Bulls) go on to greater or lesser paydays.

They played with these guys every day in practice! They saw the dedication, hard work, and talent that go into making it to “the next level.”

You don’t think they want to cash in, too?

And they have a coach—Pastner—who was quite literally born to run his own program.

When Josh reached the tender age of 16, his father, Texas coaching legend Hal Pastner, turned over the AAU operation, the Houston Hoops, to his teen-aged son.

Josh recruited players, set up the schedule, arranged transportation to games, booked hotels, promoted the team, sold tickets, got his players publicity—the works.

In 1999, Josh Pastner took the Houston Hoops to the 1999 Nike National Summer Championship in San Diego.

Pick up on that.

At the age of 22, Josh Pastner coached his all-star team to an AAU national title.

Just a fluke? I think not. In the summer of 2000, Pastner and the Hoops copped the AAU Global World Championship.

Pastner has done a remarkable job in every phase of his capacity as Memphis head coach.

First he appointed Willis Wilson and Glynn Cyprien as his assistant coaches. Wilson is an experienced teacher and one of the most respected men in college basketball, having developed many pros while at Rice. Cyprien is one of the best recruiters in the college basketball ranks, delivering Daniel Orton to Kentucky, for instance.

And speaking of recruiting, don’t look now, but Pastner—who will have up to 10 scholarships available for 2010-’11—has already begun signing a monster of a recruiting class.

He has snared five-star swingman Will Barton, five-star combo guard Joe Jackson, four-star shooting guard Chris Crawford, and Will Barton’s three-star brother, Antonio, a point guard.

He is squarely in the running for five-star forward Jelan Kendrick, four-star post player Tarik Black, and darkhorse big man Freddy Asprilla, who left Florida International after averaging 14 points and 9.3 rebounds per outing as a freshman.

Asprilla was not granted his release by FIU, so he is sitting out the 2009-’10 season and will have two years of eligibility left...if he does not jump straight to the NBA (GMs are already asking him to consider tossing his name in the hat at the 2010 Draft).

This isn’t a season preview; I want to see the team practice in person a few times before I write that.

It’s just my fair way of putting people on notice: the cupboard isn’t quite bare at Memphis. Some of you might think so, some of you might hope so, but you’re wrong.

It says here that the Conference USA title still goes through Memphis.

Prayer for a Los Angeles Dodgers Fan

Leroy Watson — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 00:17:37 -0400

Dear God,

I don’t know what to call you, but most faiths find it appropriate to refer to you as just “God” with a capital “G,” so I hope you can deal with that. I find that as I have grown older, I continue to acknowledge your existence, but I kinda think just about every form of worship known to man is just that—a way for people to feel better about themselves, regardless of what You might think.

So I’m just gonna keep it real with you here. I’m not gonna cuss or anything like that, though; I’m pretty sure you would find that disrespectful.

I was always taught as a child that You don’t listen to trivial matters, but I read somewhere in one of the books that claims to be divine, the Bible, that I should throw all my burdens upon you, and you will support me, won’t let me fall.

Well God, I’ve got a whopper for you. And I speak for a lot of people who have the exact same problem: we’re Los Angeles Dodger fans, trying to keep it together for the stretch run of the baseball season.

You know what I’m talking about, right? Oh yeah, of course you do. You’re God. You know everything. Sorry to doubt you for a second.

But look, the Dodgers have a great team, right? There’s no ace in the rotation like Lincecum or Cain or Halladay or Santana. But we’ve got six quality major league starters and one of the deepest bullpens in the game.

When they’re not breaking down, that is.

So obviously, God, I’m praying for just one win over the weekend. I don’t even care whether or not we sweep the Rox, and I’m not greedy enough to even ask you for that. I just want to clinch the division. Home field advantage?

If the team is good enough, it really won’t matter enough for me to pray for it.

I will pray, though, for Hong-Chih Kuo to have enough pitches left in his creaky left arm to make it through the World Series. Enough for 19 games, Lord—five in the Division Series and seven each in the League Championship Series and the World Series.

Somebody told me to always be specific!

And God, I know Joe Torre likes to take an 11-man pitching staff into the postseason. Right now, it looks like Hiroki Kuroda will not be among that number.

So whomever else Joe picks from among the starters (Wolf, Kershaw, Billingsley, Garland, and Padilla), and whichever of the relievers he takes, PLEASE let him make the right decisions. We really need some strong pitching to win a World Series.

I don’t know which ones to pick, Lord; all I know for sure is that I’m lobbying for Wolf, Sherrill and Broxton. Beyond that, I’m leaving it all in your hands.

I pray to you that Kershaw’s shoulder is 100% and that Billingsley pitches more like he did in May and June than he has since the All-Star break.

So that’s four starters and seven relievers, God, with some lefty-righty balance, and all 11 of them need to be on top of their games. Is that doable?

Lord, would it be too much to ask for Jim Thome’s foot to be okay, too? Just through these next 19 games at the most. It can fall off his ankle after that for all we really care, but that bat could loom large at some point this postseason.

And I’m praying for Ronnie Belliard’s groin to be healthy and for him to keep hitting like he has since he became a Dodger. He can return to hitting .275 with a homer every 50 or so at bats next year; we need the guy who is hitting .342 with a tater every 16 times up.

Please, dear Almighty, let Rafael Furcal’s balky back hold up long enough for him to do some real damage this postseason. If he can get on and then steal a few bases, he will be the table-setter that the Dodgers need.

And God, I’m really, really concerned about Casey Blake’s tender hamstring, and his timing at the plate. Please grant him a remarkable recovery, because the offense has been out of sorts lately and he’s been a key contributor—when healthy.

Would it be too much to ask, oh great Deity, for Manny Ramirez to hit the way he did BEFORE his early-season suspension? Or perhaps the way he did last year after his trade to La-La Land? That would solve some of the offensive woes, too.

As for young studs Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, and James Loney, God, please help them rake this postseason! We don’t need them to dink-and-dunk; we need them powering balls all over the field, over the walls, and driving in runs.

Juan Pierre, Lord; we will need him at some point. Please let him be aggressive, in high spirits, and able to contribute with his bat and his legs. For some reason, I think we will need him to swipe a bag or two and score a couple of runs. Can you see to that for me?

God, both of the catchers, Russell Martin and Brad Ausmus, are among the league’s elite defenders behind the dish. But this season, they haven’t hit a lick. Can we get a couple of clutch hits out of them? Maybe some big RBI? Not asking for much there, just a little.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot! Joe Torre sometimes makes crazy calls at inopportune times. He pulls a hot pitcher too soon but then rides a slipping pitcher too long. He will sometimes ignore platoon advantages. So please let him have a solid postseason with his bench decisions. Rick Honeycutt, too.

To sum it up, God, I’m not even asking for a World Series title. I don’t want you to put the fix in, that would be unethical, unfair. I mean, I know you pulled a little something out for Jordan in 1998, so the refs wouldn't call him for that push off.

So it wouldn't be a big deal to pray for a title by any means necessary, would it? It’s tempting to ask you for that, since we haven’t been blessed with a World Title since 1988, but I’m not going there.

I just want the Dodgers to play as well as possible this postseason. They’re just banged up right now. If you grant me the requests I have made in this prayer, I’m willing to accept whatever happens, because I really like the look of this team when they’re playing to their potential.

Sincerely yours,

Leroy Watson, Jr.

Los Angeles Dodgers Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

Jerry "the King" Lawler Has Had More Impact than Any Other Wrestler

Leroy Watson — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 23:59:51 -0400

According to paleontologists, something monumental and unprecedented in Terran history occurred some 65 million years ago. The dinosaurs still ruled the earth, but subtle changes had been taking place that set the stage for a catastrophic event that would literally change the world.

Studies indicate that a massive asteroid crashed into earth, setting off an intricate chain of events that subsequently led to the extinction of the dinosaurs, dominance of mammals, and ultimately the rise of the bipedal primates known as homo sapiens, or “man.”

One celestial body—a mere six-to-12 miles in diameter—set in motion the events that forever changed the history of earth.

That, my friends, is impact.

We here in the professional wrestling community have spent this week attempting to identify the single wrestler who has had more impact on pro wrestling than anyone else.

Now, to me, that is a profound question. Not “the best;” not “the most decorated;” not “the most famous;” not even “the most popular.”

But “the most impact.”

I submit to you that there is only one wrestler who can stake a legitimate claim to such a far-reaching designation. That wrestler is none other than Jerry “the King” Lawler.

Many of you know that Lawler was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2007. Legendary film and television actor William Shatner gave the induction speech, in a sign of the high esteem in which Lawler is held.

Born Jerry O’Neil Lawler on November 29, 1949 in a now rapidly-deteriorating area deep in the heart of Memphis, TN, the King is probably best known as the broadcast partner to Jim Ross. Together, they call the action on WWE’s Monday Night RAW, and have done so for the better part of 20 years, having been first paired together in 1992.

Lawler has a deep allegiance to Cleveland, OH, because he lived there for a time as a child. However, he is outspoken in his deep-seated love of Memphis, where his family returned to in his teenage years.

Before he became the King in the home of the “original” King, Elvis Presley, Lawler grew up a fan of two things: art and wrestling.

In high school, Lawler, by his own admission, “just hated to study. I remember one of the teachers said of me to my mother one time, “Jerry does just enough to get by.” I guess it was the perfect description of me and it was really the attitude I had at school: as long as I got by.”

But drawing in class led to two things: a teacher discovering his passion (and talent) for art got him a full ride at then-Memphis State on a commercial art scholarship (the teacher filled out all the paperwork without his knowledge), and he presented some of his artwork to legendary wrestling announcer Lance Russell, who got him exposure at Channel Thirteen, where Saturday morning wrestling shows were held.

In due time, “Fabulous” Jackie Fargo—one of the finest wrestlers to come out of the South—noticed Lawler and hired him to do artwork, signs and paintings for Bond-Fargo Signs.

Fargo knew for some time that Jerry wanted to wrestle; he wanted the young man to speak up for himself before introducing him to the business. Jerry and a childhood buddy, Mike Mashburn, would practice moves in the backyard, taking bumps on the ground worse than any they could ever take in the ring.

“What I thought was that one day, I’d get the nerve up to tell Jackie Fargo what I was doing,” Lawler wrote in his autobiography It’s Good to Be the King..Sometimes. "I’d ask him for a chance, or I’d ask him how I’d go about getting a chance.

“Jackie says now that he knew I was bursting to ask him about wrestling and he was waiting for me to make the first move.”

In the summer of 1970, his first break in wrestling did not come from Fargo, though.

Lawler thought for a time that he wanted to become a radio broadcaster, and he was a night disc jockey for KWAM-990 in Memphis. He traded air-time on the station for a shot at his first match for renegade promoter Aubrey Griffith, who ran an “outlaw” promotion across the Mississippi River in West Memphis, Arkansas.

Lawler and Jerry Vickers, who sold the future king his first set of boots and tights for $75, were booked to wrestle in the tag team main event, which they lost.

For his six dollar payday, Lawler ended up on the arena floor unconscious, as he eagerly jumped out of the ring on a move and landed awkwardly. The fans loved his enthusiasm.

But Fargo, who had heard the free on-air wrestling promo that Lawler had cut, decided it was time to take the ambitious Memphian under his wing.

“Tell you what, kid,” Fargo said. “If I get you a match with a Memphis promoter, if I get you booked with Nick Gulas, will you quit talking about that crap on the radio?”

Lawler quickly said yes.

“Okay, kid. Next Saturday night, you’re going to be wrestling in Jonesboro. You can ride out there with me.”

Lawler was a jobber as he learned the ropes. However, he quickly rose up the ranks and was a top star before long.

Promoters Gulas and Roy Welch ran the Arkansas-Kentucky-Tennessee territory of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), known as the NWA Mid-America territory, and later the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA). (It became Championship Wrestling Association in later years, still CWA.)

Lawler was also allowed to wrestle for small, local promotions. It was for such a local outfit, the Tri-State (Alabama) Wrestling Association, that Jerry won his first ever singles title in a battle royal.

He won the first of his more than 200 recognized, “major” titles in 1973: the NWA Mid-America Southern tag team belts, with partner Jim White.

He literally won his nickname as “the King.” His idol and trainer, Fargo, was the American Wrestling Association (AWA) Southern Heavyweight Champion. (The AWA and NWA Mid-America shared titles and sometimes talent through a formal agreement.)

Fargo was known in the territory as “the King of Wrestling.” But all that changed on July 24, 1974, when Lawler won the Heavyweight Championship belt, and the fans in the Mid-South Coliseum embraced Lawler "the new King".

He has used the gimmick, complete with a stunning collection of robes and crowns, for 35 years now.

So how has Lawler impacted wrestling during his nearly 40 years in the business?

Yes, there are the over 200 recognized titles, including the AWA World Heavyweight title, the World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) Heavyweight title, and the Unified Heavyweight title, when he defeated the WCCW’s Kerry Von Erich to unify that belt with the AWA’s in December of 1988.

The United States Wrestling Association (USWA) used the Unified title as their top belt from their inception in 1989, and Lawler won it a record 27 times.

But titles are honorary. Having more than anyone else is a feather in Lawler’s cap, but it does not begin to tell the story of his impact.

Lawler dominated one of the most important wrestling territories in the country (Memphis) at a critical time in the evolution of professional wrestling.

Lawler’s popularity and ability to perform as a heel convinced Vince McMahon of the WWF (now WWE), not only to sign the King to the Northeast territory, but also to ink a talent exchange agreement between WWF and the USWA, of which Lawler was part-owner.

The USWA remained the last full-time wrestling territory in the country after the national expansion of McMahon’s WWF. The promotion finally folded in 1996.

He also quickly became one of the premier color commentators in the WWF.

His skill in telling a story on the mat led Memphis wrestling fans (including a young Leroy Watson, Jr.) to truly care about his character.

When Lawler lost his hair in a vicious steel cage match at the Mid-South Coliseum—often known as “The House That Lawler Built”—and was brutalized by Austin Idol and Tommy Rich (whom the King had broken into the business years before) afterwards, the police had to be called to quell the ensuing riot.

Lawler entered into the most famous feud (even though, admittedly, it was far from the best) in wrestling history, with comedian Andy Kaufman in 1982. This was famously intensified by a slot on the Late Night with David Letterman show, helping pro wrestling to crossover into the mainstream of American consciousness.

Lawler introduced or discovered some of the best known talent pro wrestling has ever seen.

He drew school chum Jimmy Ray Hart, better known as WWE Hall of Famer Jimmy “Mouth of the South” Hart, into the business.

James Ware was a skinny kid from rural West Tennessee, who was discovered by Lawler and also became the WWE HoFer, Koko B. Ware.

Lawler put together Steve Keirn and Stan Lane, the original Fabulous Ones, surely the most popular tag team in the history of the Memphis territory.

Wayne Ferris, better known as Elvis knock-off the Honky Tonk Man? Lawler’s cousin, introduced to the business by the King.

Brian Christopher, aka “Too Sexy” and “Grandmaster Sexay”, one-half of the wildly popular WWF tag team Too Cool? Lawler’s son, Brian Christopher Lawler.

April 1, 1989, he put over Master of Pain as USWA Unified champion. Master of Pain was portrayed by Mark Calloway. You might know him now as the Phenom, Undertaker.

Lawler brought a big guy named Glenn Jacobs to the attention of the WWE while he was wrestling in Smoky Mountain Wrestling in late 1994. When the Undertaker verified that Unabomb, as he was then known, was an amazing wrestler, Jacobs was sent to Memphis and re-packaged as a man wearing all red and a mask, Doomsday.

You better know him now as Kane.

Actor Dwayne Johnson debuted as Flex Kavana in the USWA in 1995. After cutting his teeth there, he was unleashed on the WWF as Rocky Maivia at the November 1996 Survivor Series.

Most of you know how the story ends: he became known as the Rock, surely one of the 10 most recognizable wrestlers of all-time.

Anthony Norris, using the name Ahmed Johnson, body slammed Lawler repeatedly on his way to becoming USWA Unified champ in November of 1995. He became the only Black man to ever be the WWE/F Intercontinental champion.

Lawler, along with Randy Hales, was co-owner of Power Pro Wrestling in 1998. That year, they broke in Olympian Kurt Angle.

They later re-packaged Solofa Fatu, Jr. during a period of extreme weight gain. When he was pushed again by WWF, it was as the hugely popular Rikishi.

Lawler has feuded with (both beating or putting over) Fargo, “Superstar” Billy Graham, “The International Heartthrob” Austin Idol, Bill “Superstar” Dundee, Hulk Hogan, Ken Patera, Ric Flair, Curt Hennig, Kerry Von Erich, Tommy Rich, Nick Bockwinkel, Ware, Jeff Jarrett, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Lord Humongous (Sid Eudy, aka Sid Vicious, whom Lawler discovered), Steve Austin, Brian Pillman, Maivia, Bret Hart, and too many other superstars of various renown to ever recount.

In addition to all of that, Lawler helped his promotions, during the 1970s and ‘80s, stay ahead of the curve. With his background in the music industry, he helped to popularize entrance music and promotional videos before anyone else in the business realized their potential impact.

Lawler has been entering rings to the majestic strains of the bombastic “Gates of Kiev” since the 1970s. The practice of having ring music was so prevalent in the Memphis territory by the 1980s that it stunned me to watch wrestling from other areas which did not use the practice.

Lawler once had his own TV show, has written his autobiography, starred in a movie (Man on the Moon, 1998), and twice run for Mayor of Memphis, finishing third in 1999 with 11.7 percent of the popular vote.

For all of his contributions to the industry, Jerry “the King” Lawler has had more impact on pro wrestling than any other talent. He forever changed the landscape of professional wrestling, and continues to have an impact today.

Quotes courtesy of the Lawler autobiography, It’s Good to Be the King. . . Sometimes

Creature vs. Creature: Delpo Has a Slim Chance of Toppling Federer

Leroy Watson — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 07:47:54 -0400

For J. A. Allen's take on why/how Roger Federer will win, click here

This year’s U.S. Open final has an unexpected matchup.

That Roger Federer is in the contest is no surprise. His opponent, Juan Martin del Potro, caught most of the tennis world somewhat off guard.

Make no mistake, Delpo, ranked No. 6 in the world, went into the USO as one of the few men to really be expected to have a legitimate chance at holding the champion’s trophy at the end of the fortnight.

The betting world seems to be very sold on Juan; he began the tournament as 11/1 shot at winning and now it has reduced to 6/1.

Federer, meanwhile, has gone from a betting choice (6/5) to the prohibitive the favorite, at 8/13.

If del Potro were to win, he would become only the second South American champion at the USO in tournament history. Guillermo Vilas won the title in 1977, when the championships were still held on clay.

Will Win If. . .

It is important to remember that the gulf between del Potro and Federer is greater than the betting odds could ever portray. Federer has won 15 Grand Slam titles, and Delpo has not won any. Federer, 28, is the oldest member of the top 10, Juan Matin (20) is the youngest.

This is a significant gulf to fjord, especially given the clutch ability of Fed.

The only chance the Argentine has is if his punishing attack keeps Federer off balance, while Delpo is able to continue landing his quick-strike attack from the baseline (33 winners in the semis versus Rafael Nadal). He simply must win easy points on serve.

On those occasions that Juan Martin comes to net, where he typically does well, he must win points quickly and efficiently, one tall order against Roger, who loves playing target practice with net rushers.

In short, del Potro needs to continue playing above his head if he wants to have a chance.

“I played a great match,” Delpo said after the 2-2-2 dismantling of Nadal. “I was so focused with my serve, with every break point, playing serve, trying to put the ball into the court and trying to be aggressive.

“I saw Rafa on the baseline, but too far away on the baseline. That’s important for me to come to the net and to do a short point. I served very well in important moments. I was confident with my forehand, and that’s two parts of my game that are very important to be in good shape. Today I played unbelievable, and that was the key.”

If JMdP is waiting for Fed to camp out deep behind the baseline, he might as well forfeit the match right now...

It will help the long South American greatly if Federer gives him a lot of second serves to work with; del Potro’s ability to punish a slower serve is highly underrated.

Will Lose If. . .

Just about anything else happens.

Roger Federer at his best is better than anyone else in the world right now; even when he is off his game, he is better than anyone else not named Nadal. His is a prominent name in the GOAT discussion for good reason.

Anything Delpo can do, Federer can do better. Fed’s serve is one of the most remarkable weapons in the history of men’s tennis, even though del Potro generates better velocity. Fed is likely the best active player at net (Tsonga being his only peer). No one can win at the baseline from either wing quite as well as Roger (though Delpo is second).

In other words, there is nothing the massive Argentine can do that will rattle the current world No. 1; rather, JM must hope that Roger is off his game for some reason, any reason, while maintaining an extremely high level of his own.

If that sounds like I am pessimistic about del Potro’s chances, it’s because I am. Just because this is a Creature vs. Creature doesn’t mean that I have to be blind or foolish.

Intangibles

Juan Martin will have absolutely zero pressure on him tomorrow, which will accentuate his opportunity to hit freely and take chances. If he shows a propensity to keep his ground strokes deep and come into net aggressively, he might spring the upset.

Do not expect Federer to feel anxious at any time for the rest of his career. He already has 15 Slam titles; does anybody really expect him to ever feel pressure again, except in Davis Cup, perhaps?

“I’ve won already two slams this year,” he said before the Open. “That takes away pressure from maybe having to do well here, like the feeling I had last year, not having won a slam last year, trying to get the first one.

“Last year I felt like I had to win. It would have been disappointing not to have won a slam last year, not having defended my title from the year before. This year is different. I feel like I'm playing great. That gives me obviously a lot of confidence and relaxes my mind.”

Shot to Look For

Federer’s ground strokes. He is 6-0 against Delpo for a reason; the Argentine’s stature (6’6” tall) obviously makes him vulnerable to balls that dip low and bite. He is perfect for Nadal’s topspin balls, which sit up in his wheelhouse; logically, that would leave him more vulnerable to low shots.

Meanwhile, Juan Martin needs for his serve to dictate points. He needs a high percentage of first-serves to land in, and he does not need to take much pace off his second serve. And he needs to come in behind his serve more often, in order to keep pressure on the Federer ground strokes.

I know, I know, that leaves him ripe for Fed’s passes at net; I’m just telling you what needs to happen, not that it will be easy or automatically productive.

My prediction

Fed in four. If del Potro is able to pull it off, it pretty much has to be 7-5 in the fifth. I cannot see Juan Martin beating Roger in a winner-takes-all fifth set ‘breaker.

U.S. Open's Appeal Reaches New Heights in 2009

Leroy Watson — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:15:54 -0400

At Rob York’s behest, Ray Tannock, Ryan Michael and I loosely collaborated on this, a variation of a Creature vs. Creature; to read Ray’s article, click here; to read Ryan’s, click here

I love just about every form of athletic endeavor known to man.

That means that I typically have very difficult decisions to make on the weekends, when sporting events are most frequently contested. This time of year, as so capably pointed out by my good friend Hotnuke, is much more difficult. See for yourself.

Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Hockey League, and college football are all competing for our sporting attention right now. Track and field is still in full swing. Golf and auto racing are going strong.

But one of the most festive events of the entire year is being contested right now, and it’s got my full attention for the first time in years.

That’s the U.S. Open tennis championships.

And I’m shocked to admit that the U.S. Open men’s final, had it been contested on Sunday as it was originally scheduled, would have. . .

I can barely type my thoughts. But this year’s USO would have made me tape, or perhaps even outright miss, some (if not all) of Sunday’s NFL opening day action.

Surely, this is sacrilege? Blasphemy?

I know, I know—to some who know me (or think they do, anyway), it would seem that this is an impossibility.

“Where did this come from? Didn’t know you loved tennis that much, but this is the N-F-freakin’-L we’re talking about!”

And honestly, there was an internal struggle (from wellsprings that I did not know existed) as I considered the ramifications of watching the USO this Sunday on the telly.

Some of the rationalizations are obvious.

NFL football will be played for 17 weeks, then the playoffs, and finally the Super Bowl.

The U.S. Open is akin to the Super Bowl of tennis, with all the pomp-and-circumstance, the fact that it is the last major of the year, the build-up and hype associated with it.

It only comes once a year, and this year in particular there is something very special about it.

Roger Federer is still the king of the mountain, and he is playing very well at this juncture. In some camps, he is the overwhelming favorite to win his sixth consecutive USO, as well as his 16th major title, both records for the men’s tour.

Lurking in the shadows, however, is an in-form Rafael Nadal. And he’s got plenty of incentive to steal the king’s crown.

Nadal was on the shelf for a couple of months with knee injuries. He didn’t get the chance to defend his hallowed Wimbledon singles championship this summer. And a win on the fast Deco surface at Flushing Meadows would give him a career Grand Slam.

That is, of course, if Federer and Nadal even make it to the finals. Federer has the formidable challenge of facing Novak Djokovic, while Nadal has to topple the massive Juan Martin del Potro.

Now, as much as I love my Sunday afternoon football routine—and as much as my wife hates but tolerates it—missing a couple of season-opening games is not as distasteful to me as passing up history in the making.

Don’t get me wrong; there is not another sport around that compares to American football. It’s violence, it’s mayhem, it’s warfare, it’s controlled chaos.

It requires the deep thinking and strategem of chess, with equal doses of courage and disregard for your own physical well-being.

Though both technology and techniques have made the sport downright space-aged, at the end of the day, this relatively primitive principle, highlighted in the words of Vince Lombardi, ultimately rules the gridiron:

“Some people try to find things in this game that don't exist but football is only two things: blocking and tackling.”

This year, though, the intrigue of the USO has won me over. Can anyone stop Federer? Is Nadal the kryptonite to Federer’s Superman? Can the Djoker prove to everyone that he is a threat to both of the men ahead of him? Can del Potro win his first major title?

Will Federer’s elegant, graceful game, augmented by healthy doses of power, carry him through? Or will it be Nadal’s endless ball retrieval and indomitable will to win that produces a title?

Perhaps del Potro, he of the big forehand and even bigger serve, will finally break through? Then again, could the clever Serb, Djokovic, figure a way to win his second slam on outdoor hard courts?

Which magician with the wand will exert his will and establish his dominance over Flushing Meadows in 2009? Who will soak in the roars of the rabid New York crowd?

I want to see the final strokes for myself.

There will be some 20 other opportunities to watch NFL football for me. And when the Super Bowl comes, I’m throwing a party again in my home for some of my football-loving friends. I will always love NFL action.

But I was prepared to watch opening week action after I had recorded them, if it came to that.

Thank goodness the New York weather interceded; the men’s final is now scheduled for Monday. This is called “having my cake and eating it too.”

Unless my wife insists on watching the Food Network, which is a debate for another day.

In the Zone with Serena Williams

Leroy Watson — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:04:43 -0400

For the previous installment in the series, Rob York's In the Zone with Martina Hingis, please click here

Bigger. Stronger. Faster. Better.

What do you do when you are in competition, and your opponent has the advantage over you in all three respects?

I might suggest that you give it everything you’ve got and place the rest in the hands of whatever deity you prefer.

If you are the bigger, stronger, faster, better athlete, I suggest you learn how to master the art of the post-victory press conference.

And this brings us to Serena Williams. . .

The younger Williams sister is quite a magnificent, unique physical specimen. She is far from the “tallest” woman on the women’s tennis circuit—even her very sister, Venus, is almost 6’1”, while Serena is 5’10”—but she is still “bigger” than other women on tour.

Notice her broad, intimidating shoulders, and her insanely muscular thighs. Forget her listed weight of 150-pounds (as compared to her sister’s probably accurate 160); Serena Williams would probably tip the scales somewhere around 165, maybe even 170.

Muscle does, indeed, weigh more than fat, which is in short supply on the fit Serena.

With the raw power concentrated in her core, Serena can bulldoze just about anyone on the WTA Tour. She’s sometimes content to play power baseliner, and she can pull it off.

It’s just that sometimes, her ground strokes betray her. When she’s not in form, her forehand sprays wildly, and when she misses, she misses badly.

However, she also has her days when she is “In the Zone”. . .

Serena Williams has every tool an elite tennis player needs: a big serve (she can crank one in excess of 125 miles per hour), a huge forehand that she can flatten out for power or spin for kick, a two-hand backhand that has actually become her most reliable stroke, and wonderful net instincts and hands.

It’s almost unfair.

At the 2001 U.S. Open, the dogged Swiss Miss, Martina Hingis, had the misfortune of running into Serena when she was on top of her burgeoning game.

Williams faced off with Hingis in the semifinals of the U.S. Open that year. Martina came into the tournament as the longtime world No. 1. Serena was seeded a modest tenth, with whispers emerging that she might become a one slam (1999 USO) wonder.

The match began evenly enough. Hingis was always a determined ball retriever, and there were days that the strategy would frustrate the bigger hitters of the era, such as the Williams sisters, Lindsay Davenport, Amelie Mauresmo, Jen Capriati or Monica Seles.

On this day, Serena was using her all-court game to edge in front of the Ice Princess. She found herself serving for the first set, leading 5-3, at the four minute mark of this clip.

This is when her serve nudged her out of a normal competitive state and into The Zone.

It began with a booming ace down the “T.” 15-love.

Next came a service winner, wide to the Hingis backhand. 30-love.

Another ace, this one wide to the forehand wing, made it 40-0.

Finally, with Martina leaning on her right foot toward the “T,” Serena pounded a perfectly placed serve in the corner of the service box, kicking wide on the Hingis backhand side, which the Swiss could only stare at blankly.

That made it game and first set to Serena Williams, 6-3.

The critical juncture of the match came with Hingis breezing on her own serve, with the second set knotted at 1-all. Hingis was up 40-0.

Proving that her serve was not the only thing going for her, Serena went to work. It’s almost as if she needed to see love-40 on the scoreboard to awaken the ruthless beast inside of her.

A smash on a high, defensive lob bought her to 15-40.

Then, at 30-40, she left her feet and hit the most gorgeous, inside-out, two-handed backhand you will ever see in your life, a heat-seeking missile that landed deep near the line that Hingis had no chance of catching up to.

The score now knotted at deuce, the Ice Princess lost her cool and slammed her racket on the baseline, wondering how she could possibly find herself in such a struggle to hold.

Serena created a second deuce with a brutally difficult and well-executed smash, torquing her body in mid-air to adjust and send it down the line and force Hingis to expend even more energy in the quest to hold serve.

Williams would ultimately break, and return to breezing through her own service games, landing well-placed first serves and keeping Hingis thoroughly off-balance.

Serving to stay in the match at 2-4, Hingis charged the net on a short offering from Serena at 0-15.

Williams smoked a blistering, dipping pass that Hingis was barely able to get her racket on for a nimble backhand volley. There was nothing on the volley, though, and as it hung in the air, Serena had all the time in the world to set her feet for the next pass attempt.

Hingis, seeing a fawning gap to her forehand side, rushed to close down the court. On a full gallop, she could only watch helplessly as her crafty opponent powered a crosscourt backhand to the area she had just abandoned.

Yet another brilliantly disguised two-hand backhand, this one down the line when Hingis was anticipating crosscourt, broke the Swiss Miss for a comfortable 5-2 lead in the second and final set.

For all her brilliant work on groundies from either wing, this day was truly about Serena Williams being in the zone with her serve, saving valuable energy that she was able to throw into breaking Martina’s.

Serving for the match, she spun a bedeviling offering to the Hingis forehand, which was shanked high and wide for 15-0.

It was the last time Hingis would touch a Williams serve on the day.

Serena went down the “T” for 30-0, with Hingis frozen like a statue, unable to decipher where the serve was going.

Another ace wide to the Hingis forehand left the Ice Princess caught like a deer in the headlights. 40-0 and triple championship point.

Serena’s uncorked a final offering that twisted down the “T,” with Hingis flailing in vain to return it. It capped a dominating performance that was far more lopsided than the final result, 6-3, 6-2, might convey.

The statistics have no such problem.

Williams deposited 40 winners (including serves) on the day; Hingis landed only five.

Serena hit 10 aces with no double faults, won seven games at love and did not miss a single first serve in the second set.

That’s 17-of-17 first serves for anyone scoring at home—at the semifinals of the U.S. Open, no less, against the number one seed.

Afterward, Serena said simply, “I can’t serve any better than that. Oh my gosh!”

Hingis admitted to being overwhelmed by the Williams serve.

“I couldn’t read her serve,” she admitted. “She was hitting the lines in the corners. It was difficult to reach and even if I got there, there was not much I could do with it.”

In other words, Serena Williams was “In the Zone.”

Quotes and stats from Sports Illustrated article dated 9-07-01, which can be read here

Los Angeles-San Francisco: Kuroda Wins Biggest Game of the Year So Far

Leroy Watson — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 02:26:42 -0400

Hiroki Kuroda gave up two runs on just three hits in eight strong innings, and the Dodgers touched-up Merkin Valdez and Bob Howry in a five-run seventh inning in a 10-3 Dodger rout to open a three-game set at AT&T Park in San Francisco, in front of 39,212.

Kuroda continues to duck flying objects with the nerve of a fighter pilot. After being brutally beaned by a batted ball in Arizona less than a month ago, this time he had to avoid a splintered bat that appeared to be headed his way.

This after both a line drive and a broken bat menaced the Japanese righty during a rehab start at Class-A Inland Empire of San Bernardino.

Joe Torre was typically stoic about it all.

“You just sort of shake your head,” sad the Dodgers manager. “You think, ‘They’re shooting at this guy.’”

Kuroda, for his part, is proving himself to be a true warrior on the mound, unfazed by much of anything.

“I didn't know if it was the ball or the bat coming,” Kuroda relayed through an interpreter. “I realized it was the bat and since I had the ball hit at my head in Arizona and I didn’t think the bat was going to come that fast.

“If I get hit by a bat I think I’m going to retire.”

Dodger fans should pray that this does not happen; Kuroda is well-established as the most clutch pitcher in the starting rotation. Torre is happy to have him back.

“That’s the guy we knew him to be,” Torre said afterward, “and just the second game back after that beaning he took in Arizona, that’s pretty impressive.”

Casey Blake hit his fifth homer in 16 games (17 bombs overall) during the sixth inning in his first game back from a tender hamstring.

Before the outburst, Blake had been mired in one of his worst slumps since the Dodgers acquired him last year. The pulled left hamstring, suffered on Sept. 4 in San Diego, allowed the third-sacker to get a rest for a few days.

Blake batted an anemic .221 (21-for-95) during the month of August and was 4-for-28 in the eight games before the injury.

The 4-5-6 spots in the Dodger line-up supported Kuroda with a 6-of-11 performance with seven runs batted in, and Russell Martin backed his teammates with two hits, two runs batted in and one base on balls while raising his batting average to .258.

The key moment in the game occurred with the Dodgers leading the home team by a slim 2-1 count in the top of the sixth.

After getting two quick outs, Giants’ starter Matt Cain gave up a seemingly innocuous two-out single to the suddenly hot James Loney.

After working Cain for a hitter-favorable 2-0 count, Blake turned on a fastball in his wheelhouse and skied it deep into the leftfield bleacher for a 4-1 advantage.

The Dodgers, who have been power-deprived for the majority of the year, shifted the momentum entirely their way with the long ball.

“It (the home run) certainly changed the game,” Torre said. “To go up 4-1 is a huge difference.”

With the Colorado Rockies winning their eighth game in a row with a four-run, two-out, two-strike rally in the ninth to defeat the San Diego Padres, 4-1, the Dodgers were pulling out a dominant win to preserve their lead in the National League West.

The Rox' win kept them a mere two games back of the division leading Dodgers.

Cain let the homestanding Giants down tonight, giving up seven hits, four runs, three walks and just five strikeouts for San Francisco. Kuroda moved to 6-6 and the Giants' Cain fell to 13-5.

Los Angeles Dodger Fans: Stop Worrying, That's Joe Torre's Job

Leroy Watson — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:37:45 -0400

If you’ve followed the National League West this season, complete this sentence:

Things are getting very ________ (fill in the blank, depending upon your allegiance).

a) interesting (if you’re a Dodgers’ fan confident in ultimate success for the Bums);

b) nerve-wracking (for Dodgers’ fans who are worried about a choke)

c) tight (could be a Dodgers’, Rockies’, or Giants’ fan)

d) favorable (a Rockies’ fan who think the pressure will crack the Dodgers)

e) close (for Giants’ fans who are feeling a renewed sense of hope)

f) exhilarating (that’s a baseball purist who just wants a tight divisional race)

I’m mostly “a,” but “f” is a prominent second sentiment. And I’ve got to admit that “b” creeps into my mind from time to time...but not often.

I’m going to admit something else, though: I’m not losing one bit of sleep during this year’s race to the finish in the NL West. Either the Dodgers will win it, or they won’t. There’s no reason to get unnecessarily stressed out about it one way or another.

This all takes me back to my days in elementary school (bet you didn’t see that one coming), and brings up a story that I think is (oddly) appropriate to share.

And even if it’s somehow inappropriate, I’m sharing it anyway, because I needed an article and this is all I’ve got!

Back in my school days, I often found myself bored during class, and would get involved in non-sanctioned activities that sometimes ran me afoul of my teachers.

Actually, that’s a bit of obfuscation. If I were to come right to the point, I would say that I ran my mouth and got into mischief; the previous paragraph just sounded better.

As a result of said “non-sanctioned activities,” on report card day, my mother (a disciplinarian of the highest order) fell into the habit of bypassing my classroom grades, turning my card over, and heading straight for the heart of the matter: my conduct marks.

This led to a plethora of one-way conversations between my mother’s belt/switch/other chosen method of discipline of the day and my soon-to-be raw backside.

It almost became hilarious, these once-every-six-weeks liaisons.

There was no point in pretending that I didn’t have my report card (my sister always attended the same schools) and there was no need of “forgetting” it in my locker, as Mom was a bus driver and need only stop by the teacher’s classroom for a chat (I definitely didn’t want to start that trend) the following morning.

This led me to adopt a pattern similar to that of boxers (I followed the sport avidly at the time) during a championship fight: during the last few days before report cards were released, analogous to the last minute of a round, I would be as quiet as a church mouse during classes.

That left me four or five weeks during the semester to relax.

The problem was that this left me with considerable anxiety as to whether or not my gambit had succeeded in all my classes. I thus fell into the further habit of “polling” my teachers to see if I could get them to intimate what sort of conduct grades to expect.

This worked far more often than you might think.

Well, one semester when I was 11, I knew for an absolute fact what all of my conduct marks were, and I was sick about it. Three teachers deemed me an “N” (needs improvement), whereas one had put the ultimate whammy on me, a “U” for “unsatisfactory.”

I had never gotten a “U” before.

I had gotten into a loud argument with another kid one day during that particular class, and my best recollection is that the other fellow had goaded me into the dust-up. No blows were thrown, but we had disrupted class tremendously; I had earned that “U.”

And I was literally sick the day before report cards were sent home. I just knew my Mom was going to kill me. I went over every possible plan for avoiding my impending doom that I could conceive; I rejected them all as impractical.

Finally, on “D-day” (which is what I actually called that particular day in my mind), I quietly handed my mother my report card and exited to my bedroom. I kept listening for her to bellow out my name and demand an explanation.

She never did.

We later had a quiet, brief discussion about me knowing I could do better. I was simply stunned that I didn’t have to talk to the belt.

To this day, I’ve never had the guts to ask my Mom (who is as perceptive as she is disciplined) if she went easy on me because she knew I had already punished myself.

For the last 29 years of my life, never again have I worried myself about things that I cannot control.

So that’s my admonition to Dodger fans today: don’t worry about the stretch run of the 2009 season.

Yes, Hiroki Kuroda leads off the series against the hated Giants Friday night because both Clayton Kershaw (bruised shoulder) and Randy Wolf (elbow stiffness) are hurting and unavailable.

And yes, Kuroda, who opposes young hotshot Matt Cain, walked three and gave up four runs in five innings of his first start since his frightening line drive off the skull almost a month ago.

Admittedly, Brad Penny will be in the mood to stick the Dodger bats up their behinds when he faces the team on Sunday.

Okay, a bases-loaded walk to force in the winning run in a 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks still smarts, no matter how you try to spin it.

But Joe Torre still has more than enough good options in the starting rotation, and the bullpen is healthy and at full capacity, too.

The bats are coming to life.

And top-to-bottom, the Dodgers remain the class of the NL West. I know the lead is only two games; that’s still better than trailing.

So don’t worry about this team, Dodger fans. They’re going to be okay. Or perhaps not.

But worrying about it sure isn’t going to help the matter any. Joe Torre is well-compensated to be the problem-solver/tinkerer/worrier.

So as fans and observers, let’s all enjoy the ride.

Creature Vs. Creature: Hand of Stone Pummels Ali in a Thriller

Leroy Watson — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:23:41 -0400

For Rajat Jain’s counterpoint, arguing Tsonga’s chance to win, please click here

It has been mentioned ad infinitum that Jo Wilfried-Tsonga bears a striking resemblance to boxing legend Muhammad Ali, known to billions by his self-chosen nickname, “The Greatest.”

Chilean Fernando Gonzalez, Tsonga’s next opponent in the 2009 U.S. Open, is one of the hardest hitters in this era of power baseliners. He has acquired the nickname, “Mano de Piedra,” which literally means “hand of stone.”

Interestingly, we do not have to go back very far in history to find a similar nickname, and remarkably enough, Panamanian pugilist Roberto Duran was known as “Manos de piedra,” meaning “hands of stone.”

Duran was the classic “face fighter,” a man who believed that his best defense was a devastating offense. Few men in his weight classifications ever punched as hard as Duran did. He put extreme pressure on his opponents, even if it caused him to absorb punches.

That pretty well describes Gonzalez to a “T.”

Ali was the most versatile heavyweight fighter of his (or any other) era. He was blindingly quick, could fight from long-distance or up close, and had one-punch knockout ability when he needed it. He was a thinking man’s fighter, more artist than brawler.

Doesn’t that sound like Tsonga?

Could the sweet science of boxing teach us anything about this potentially scintillating tennis matchup? I think it can.

Tale of the Tape

Tsonga and Gonzalez are two rising stars on the ATP Tour. Tsonga sits currently at No. 7 in the world; Gonzalez is No. 11, threatening to climb back into the top 10 with good enough results at the USO. Advantage: Tsonga

Ali (Tsonga) is 36-14 on the year, a .720 winning percentage; Gonzo has won 29-of-39, for a .744 clip. Advantage: Hand of stone

LeMome (“The Kid”), as Tsonga is often called in his homeland, has won two tour events this year (Marseille, a Tour 250 event, upsetting Novak Djokovic in the semis; and Johannesburg, also a Tour 250 event, without dropping a set.) He has amassed $863,359 in earnings thus far on the season.

Gonzo has only won a single tournament (the first clay court event of the year, the Tour 250 event at Viña del Mar, in his native Chile) but has won $1,006,516 in fewer events. Advantage: Gonzalez (very slight)

Gonzalez Will Win If. . .

He can dictate the pace of play against the athletic Tsonga.

This is a difficult match-up for Gonzo. Ali does just about everything that Mano de Piedra does, he just does it better.

However, Gonzalez, to make up for his average (at best) court coverage, plays an ultra-aggressive, attacking game. He goes for big shots, and if that fails him, goes for a bigger shot the next chance he gets.

No one consistently hits shots with such depth and pace more often than Gonzo does; the problem is, it’s all or nothing with him.

When his game is on and his big booming forehands are winning points, he’ll make even the best players feel uncomfortable and play on their heels. Tsonga in particular needs to dictate points with his aggression; should he cede this edge to Gonzo, he is in trouble.

Additionally, absolutely no one in the men’s game—not even Roger Federer himself—is capable of applying the type of pressure to his opponent’s serve that Stone Hand does. Just like on his ground strokes, Gonzo goes all out, all the time...until he decides to go for more.

Gonzalez must impose his will on the points, and out-hit Ali. Though both have powerful groundies, if Gonzo gets in the zone, it will be a long afternoon for The Kid.

Gonzalez Will Lose If. . .

He just tries to trade ground strokes with Tsonga, and lets Ali dance.

Gonzo wants to engage in rallies, but short ones. He wants to position Tsonga for the kill and punch him out quickly with a huge forehand.

If Tsonga lulls Gonzalez into longer rallies, the Chilean’s audacious nature could get the better of him, and leave him flailing away from unfavorable court position into tiny spaces.

Tsonga will want to get to net, as well. With the depth on Gonzo’s shot, that might be difficult for The Kid. If he makes it work, the pay-off could be quite handsome.

Most of all, Ali simply must keep the pressure on Stone Hand, because his game is more complete than the Chilean’s. He’s got to display his all-court game and frustrate Gonzo’s attempts to impose his will on the proceedings.

Intangibles

As an all-or-nothing type, Gonzalez simply must get comfortable right off the bat. He cannot stand a long “feeling out period,” allowing Tsonga to warm up his all-court game.

Like a slower boxer pinning his opponent against the ropes, Stone Hand must pin the Frenchman on the baseline from the word go, and find openings from which he can end a point quickly with his huge forehand.

Gonzalez must draw on his years of experience to find a way to rattle the younger Ali.

Shots to Look For

Tsonga’s splendid volleying and Gonzo’s inside-out forehand. Tsonga can win any point on a well-placed serve or approach followed by his athletic volleys. Gonzo can win points by running around a backhand and pummeling his devastating inside-out forehand.

Prediction

Fernando Gonzalez triumphs in a fifth-set tiebreaker, the best match of the USO so far.

Pierre Henderson-Niles Facing Last Chance to Be Memphis' Big Man on Campus

Leroy Watson — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:07:35 -0400

Talent. Dedication. Hard work.

These are some of the key ingredients in the soup of life; it only makes sense that the attributes would be crucial to the success of a young basketball star signing a scholarship at a Division I basketball powerhouse.

Jartavious Pierre Henderson-Niles was three-for-three coming out of high school. As an athletic big man—6’8” tall, 265 chiseled pounds, with soft hands, nimble footwork, and a jumper out to 18 feet—he certainly had the talent.

As a junior at Ridgeway High School in Memphis, TN, he was the AAA state tournament MVP as his 34-5 Roadrunners took home all the marbles. Pierre averaged 18 points and nine rebounds per contest on the year and went for 16 and 12 in the victorious title tilt.

He then helped The Patterson School to a 34-3 mark and a No. 3 national ranking from Scout.com during his senior campaign.

He was ranked as high as the 37th best recruit in the country (by YouthPrepStars.com) as a senior.

His years of dedication and hard work showed in his unusually polished all-around game. Here’s what Jerry Meyer of Rivals had to say about Henderson-Niles in his May 2, 2005 scouting report:

“Niles has a body for both the NBA and the NFL. A rock down low, Niles loves to spin to his right shoulder when his back is to the basket. Also shoots a nice turnaround jumper to that shoulder. Also handles the ball well and can step out and hit the three. Teases as a small forward, but is best suited as a skilled power forward. Would have trouble defending a small forward on the perimeter.”

In an October 2006 interview, then-Memphis head coach John Calipari gushed over his prized freshman big man.

“I think Pierre Niles could be the 'X' Factor for us because he brings something unique,” Coach Cal said at the time. "He’s huge and he can make nine straight free throws. He’s got great hands and feet.”

Henderson-Niles started running into problems when he injured a knee that summer and was forced to take time off recuperating from surgery.

He rediscovered a long-lost love: eating.

“It’s hard not eating certain foods. I’m so used to fast food and my grandma’s cooking,” Pierre admitted. “It’s hard to diet every day, but I’m trying.”

His weight ballooned to upwards of 300 pounds. He knocked some of that weight off, but with little frontline depth, when junior Joey Dorsey ran into foul troubles, Henderson-Niles was thrust into games and expected to perform.

It was not a pretty combination.

Pierre looked sluggish and lost when he was on the floor. Tiger fans got to the point where they couldn’t stand seeing him at the scorer’s table.

He ended his freshman campaign with averages of 7.4 minutes, 1.6 points, and 2.2 rebounds per contest, while shooting a dismal .421 from the field and .438 from the line in 25 games (out of 37).

He was instructed to go home and get into better shape. The ultimate goal was for him to play weighing in at 270.

Big Daddy P, as a group of Tiger fans began calling him affectionately, skied up to 330 pounds over the summer, finally reporting in September at “only” 306.

Calipari could not hide his feelings.

“Obviously, at our pace, he’s not gonna be able to stay in the game a long time,” said a clearly disappointed Calipari. “At some point, Pierre has got to want to get his body right.”

BDP appeared in just 26 of 40 games that season, and his minutes per night plummeted to 3.8. His point (0.7) and rebound (0.8) averages were abysmal; he was barely contributing to the team.

However, his willingness to mix it up in the paint never waned. When the senior Dorsey was in the midst of a long string of lackluster performances, Calipari had this to say about his reserve power forward:

“How about Pierre Niles? He’s just got to get his body right and I’ll play him. But he’s got to get his body right. He went in and looked at me and said, ‘If (Joey Dorsey) doesn’t want to get balls, coach, I’ll go in and get balls.’”

Calipari took the precaution of making Pierre sign an incentive-laden contract for playing time over the following summer. If the big junior-to-be couldn’t get down to 280, he would not play basketball.

Rumors placed Big Daddy in the 345-350 range over the summer.

When he reported at about 292, Calipari relented and allowed Pierre to play, anyway. Henderson-Niles saw action in 36 of 37 games, and his playing time pitched dramatically forward to a respectable 12.6 minutes per game. He ended up averaging 2.4 PPG and 3.6 RPG with a .480 field goal percentage.

Calipari’s move to Kentucky might have been the best thing to ever happen to Pierre Henderson-Niles. The relationship between the two was strained, at best, largely due to Pierre’s weight issues; otherwise, Cal loved him dearly.

“This kid’s a great kid. I’m gonna give him three, four, five chances because he’s a great kid,” Cal said in a 2008 interview. “He’s a nice kid—he’s not a (knucklehead)—so he’s getting more chances than the normal guy.”

It once appeared that he was out of chances to contribute to the Tiger program, though. An insane recruiting class was coming in, and with Calipari’s fast-moving, free-flowing DDM offensive system, the probability was that BDP was going to average fewer than five minutes per contest again as a senior.

Calipari-to-Kentucky meant new life for Pierre.

His weight has been pretty much under control, and he is currently 280 pounds. He’s still losing weight, and he could challenge the 270-pound mark by the time this season starts.

He was at 327 in April.

It’s right on time for new head coach Josh Pastner too, because two big men that the team was going to rely on—6’10” veteran Shawn Taggart and 6’8” five-star recruit Latavious Williams—both opted to play professional ball overseas, Taggart in Europe and Williams in China.

So that leaves BDP, incoming Joey Dorsey-clone Will Coleman (6’9”, 270), and Angel Garcia, a 6’11”, 250-pound freshman who sat out last year with injury and eligibility issues, manning the post for Memphis.

As a senior, Henderson-Niles will be looked upon to provide leadership, steady play, and toughness to a Tiger team that is thin, literally and figuratively.

Pierre is once again the “X-Factor” for the University of Memphis basketball program. In some ways, he has come full circle. It’s a fresh start for a young man in need of one.

At one point last season, when Niles was weighing in the 300-305 range, Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets watched Tiger practices and ran hurriedly up to Coach Cal to find out the name of No. 4.

Calipari told him it was Pierre Henderson-Niles, a player who was a great kid but too heavy to play much. He lamented that if only the big guy could lose some weight, the team might be able to do something with him.

CP3 replied that he would gladly have Pierre on the Hornets running pick-and-rolls as is.

So the talent and footwork are still there.

He has shown his dedication by completing an often maddening journey to get himself into tip-top shape.

He states that he’s worked hard on his game, and even though he’s stronger now, his quickness and hops are back.

He looks like shredded steel, thanks to the hard work with strength and conditioning coach Richard Hogans.

“I never even felt this good when I was in high school,” Pierre said in a recent on-air interview. “This is the best shape I’ve ever been in.”

So in addition to being talented, dedicated, and hard-working, it’s good for a prospect to be in the right place at the right time. PHN has fit that description twice in his Division I career.

It’s all up to him to take full advantage of this last chance to shine.

Los Angeles Dodgers Update: The Return of Hiroki Kuroda, and Other Facts

Leroy Watson — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:36:01 -0400

The Return of Hiroki Kuroda

As if the National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers (80-55) didn’t have enough options in the starting rotation already, Joe Torre has announced that Hiroki Kuroda would start for the team on Sunday, at home against the San Diego Padres.

Kuroda suffered a frightening, gruesome looking injury on August 15 in Arizona, being beaned in the head by a line drive off the bat of the Diamondbacks’ Rusty Ryal.

Initially, anyone watching—or even reading about it the next day—immediately feared the Japanese righty was done for the season. There were also hidden fears about his career being in the balance.

After all, Ray Chapman was killed by a baseball traveling at what was surely a similar speed.

Miraculously, Kuroda never lost consciousness. A subsequent CT scan was negative, and uncovered no bleeding or fractures. Though he had a concussion, Kuroda surely experienced the best-case scenario for such a scary incident.

Hiroki was extremely impressive in a rehabilitation stint at High-A Inland Empire, hurling five innings and allowing a single run.

He tossed 62 pitches, gave up five hits and one run, struck out five, and allowed the only run on a passed ball in the third.

In a bullpen session on Thursday night, the first ball was scorched to straightaway centerfield, and Kuroda didn’t flinch.

“That pitch, a lot of people make a big deal out of it, but it was a line drive to the center fielder,” Kuroda downplayed later. “It wasn’t really close to me. It was probably above my head. It came toward me, but it was above my head, so it wasn’t a big deal.”

This left Manager Joe Torre with plenty of choices in his starting rotation.

No fewer than six major league starters stand at the ready: Chad Billingsley, Clayton Kershaw, Randy Wolf (the presumed top three should the Dodgers make the postseason), Vicente Padilla (signed after Kuroda went down), newly acquired Jon Garland (who just beat his erstwhile team, Arizona, 4-2), and now the returning Kuroda.

Padilla will be pushed back one day. . . for now.

“If (Padilla) pitches Monday then everybody gets pushed back,” Torre said.

The additional hurler gives the Dodgers the luxury of buying extra rest for the young lefty, Kershaw.

The veterans, Billingsley and Wolf, will likely stay on strict five-day cycles. Everyone else will get in where they fit in.

Knuckleballer Charlie Haeger will apparently be relegated to long relief and mop-up duty for the indefinite future.

Kuroda has pitched very well of late, having a 2-0 record after the All-Star break, with a 3.15 ERA in six starts. Both of the decisions came in August, when he crafted a 2.60 ERA.

He also pitches very well against the Padres. He has won both of his starts against the Pads this season, accruing a 3.27 ERA in 11 innings while allowing just eight hits.

He’s 5-5 on the year with a respectable 4.08 ERA, allowing 85 hits in 88.1 innings, with 63 strikeouts and a mere 17 walks in 16 appearances (15 starts).

Garland Takes Down the Diamondbacks

Jon Garland admitted that it would be “awkward” to face the Arizona Diamondbacks in his first start as a Los Angeles Dodger.

He never said it would be particularly difficult.

Garland, a native of Garland Hills, CA, a mere 25 miles from Chavez Ravine, went seven innings in a 4-2 Dodger triumph.

He gave up only five hits and two earned runs, throwing 97 pitches, 62 for strikes in advancing to 9-11 for the season.

George Sherrill got his eighth hold with a one-hit effort in the eighth, and Jonathan Broxton got his 31st save of the year while striking out two in the ninth.

“Growing up and coming to games here, a chance to pitch for them is definitely a dream come true,” Garland said afterward. “I always envisioned pitching for the Dodgers. It was just an awkward way for it to happen, being with them the first game of the series and coming over after that game.”

He will face his old team once again during a midweek road trip to Arizona, likely on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

“The first couple innings, I had extra adrenaline, and I don’t know if it was because I was pitching for the Dodgers or that I wanted to do well with them (the D-backs) on the other side,” Garland continued. “But I calmed down and got my feet under me and got more ground balls.

“Me and Russ (catcher Russell Martin) got on a good page and we rattled off a good little roll. The first few innings, everything was coming up. I had a little extra on the ball.”

What About the Acquisition of Jim Thome?

Dodgers acquire: Jim Thome, 1B/DH, Chicago White Sox

Dodgers give up: Justin Fuller, Infielder, High A Inland Empire 66ers

This was robbery, plain and simple. Truly felonious in nature!

For a likely MLB Hall of Famer, the Dodgers gave up a prospect with a slick glove and a weak bat. Think a modern-day Mark Belanger.

For younger readers, think of Omar Vizquel before and after he could hit; the only difference is that Fuller has never hit at the professional level.

Fuller hit .230 and .232 at the Rookie League level; .239 and .277 at Low-A Great Lakes; and .240 and .254 at High-A Inland Empire. He never appeared in more than 56 games in any single campaign (this year for the 66ers) and never had more than 179 at bats (2008).

The Dodgers selected the young man in the 11th Round (323rd overall) of the 2006 Amateur Draft. The Juneau, AK native was selected to the 2006 All-NAIA Team and was named by Baseball America as the best defensive player in the Dodgers’ 2006 draft class.

The fact still remains that he was nothing more than organizational filler for the Dodgers, strictly a utility infielder who couldn’t even break in as a regular with Inland Empire.

But what value, conversely, does Thome bring to the Dodgers?

He is the active leader in career walks (1,619) and third among active players in HR (564). However, he has only logged 28 innings at first base over the last three years.

That means he can spell James Loney at first in an emergency, but Thome was acquired as a big bat off the bench, and as a calming influence on the youngsters in the Dodger lineup.

However. . .

We will monitor the situation closely. Loney is, by far, the weakest core member of the young Dodger attack. While Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp have taken their respective games to another level this year, Loney has regressed badly.

If Thome starts practicing with a first baseman’s mitt, then Joe Torre might be seriously contemplating a move.

If Thome could start and give the team six good innings and a couple of good at bats, Torre could turn it over to Loney, a remarkable glove man, to finish games out.

If Torre hasn’t at least given the idea a thought, given the struggles of his young first baseman, he’s simply not human.

Keep in mind that Torre has always had an affinity for veterans throughout his entire managerial career, showing a proclivity to start a vet over a youngster. If Loney doesn’t start holding up his end of the bargain and rake, he might find this out firsthand.

Leroy Watson, Jr. is a Bleacher Report Los Angeles Dodgers Featured Columnist

In the Zone with Stefan Edberg

Leroy Watson — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:48:44 -0400

To check out the previous installment of the series, "In the Zone with Rafael Nadal," by Clarabella Bevis, please click here.

Stefan Bengt Edberg is, by almost any measure, a true tennis legend.

The Swede won all four Junior major titles in 1983, the first player to win the Junior Grand Slam.

He added six Slams in singles and three more in doubles after turning pro in late 1983.

His career arc had some remarkable spikes.

As one of the very last true serve-and-volley specialists in the history of modern tennis, Edberg took to the grass like no one since a young Boris Becker, with whom the Swede had a scintillating rivalry on the hallowed lawns of London.

By degrees, Edberg eclipsed his fellow Swede and periodic doubles partner, Anders Järryd, as the linear successor to Borg as the standard-bearer of Nordic tennis greats, only to be eclipsed himself by the phenomenon of Mats Wilander, who won Slams in 1983-’84 and then had a season for the ages in 1988.

Edberg won his first major in 1985 at the Australian Open (felling the back-sliding Wilander). He defended the Oz title in 1987 (the tournament was not held in ’86), in the final AO played on grass.

Stefan engaged in one of the most riveting trifecta of Wimbledon finals, meeting Becker every year from 1988 to 1990, winning the first and then the rubber match in ‘90.

Oddly enough, he never won a major on grass again.

At a crossroads in the late ‘80s, Edberg was nothing more than a poor candidate for the Hall of Fame. He had never been able to surpass the indomitable Ivan the Terrible (Lendl) for the world No. 1 ranking, and appeared obsolete before the onslaught of the tenacious Wilander.

All of that changed on August 13, 1990, when Edberg, at the somewhat advanced age (by tennis standards) of 24, ascended to the rank of world No. 1, supplanting Lendl.

He continued to go into grass court tournaments as a prohibitive favorite, yet his late career renaissance was fueled by increasingly good results on hard courts.

It was on the asphalt of Flushing Meadows, New York in 1991, however, that Edberg had his brush with immortality that causes us to feature him today.

Edberg had been surpassed in the rankings by Becker, and Boom Boom came into the USO as the No. 1 seed; followed by Edberg, Michael Stich, Jim Courier, Lendl, and Pete Sampras, the defending men’s champion.

That’s five Hall of Famer’s plus Stich, who was never a slouch and was particularly dangerous on a fast track.

Stefan built momentum as he advanced through his quarter of the draw. By the time he humbled Lendl in the semis, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, little did anyone know what the Swedish wunderkind had in store next.

Opposing him was Jim Courier, one of the best retrievers of his era. Courier was one of the transition figures from the multi-faceted tennis of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s to the staid, power-baseline generation of today.

After each man held his serve, Courier fell behind love-40 in the third game. He fought back determinedly to deuce, the first of seven in the game. Courier squandered four ad-points and fended off two breaks points before finally succumbing to the break.

In the next service game, the Swede’s movement and anticipation were uncanny, and he held at love, taking a 3-1 lead in the first set. Three holds later, Edberg broke once again to race to a commanding 5-2 lead. He then held at love to take the first set, 6-2.

Stefan was in total control of the proceedings. He was taking a bit of speed off his first serve, but increasing the spin. Early in the set, he was probing Courier’s backhand almost exclusively, but the American adjusted and started whipping two-handed vipers.

So Edberg took to mixing it up more thoroughly, and often caught Courier leaning the wrong way on serves and approaches, leaving Jim to block balls back weakly. This left Courier vulnerable to the Swede’s precision volleys, which were landing unerringly wherever the fourth-seed was not.

So “in the zone” was Edberg that he just lost five points on his own serve in set No. 1.

To begin the second set, Courier began mumbling to himself as his opponent turned up the heat a few more notches. Jim was confronted by aggressive chip-and-charge approach on his own serve, with well-placed volleys that constantly left him on the defensive.

In the third game of the set, the Scandinavian master toyed with his rival’s game plan, mixing in a chip-and-charge strategy, while sometimes content to engage Courier in rallies.

This befuddled Courier, who responded to the constantly changing tactics by flailing away, and played into Edberg's strategy by making errors.

At 15-30, the American double-faulted. At 15-40, Edberg once again feigned a net rush, then delayed coming forward until after a deep approach forced Courier to open up the court. Edberg’s forehand volley pushed Courier wide to Jim’s forehand side, and the weak return led to a crisp backhand volley that Edberg whipped crosscourt for the break.

Courier tried everything. He clubbed dipping pass attempts at Edberg’s shins; the Swede feathered volleys with insane degrees of difficulty and into very small areas for points.

Courier’s heavy, flat forehand was easy prey for the Edberg volley; his two-handed backhand was actually quite sturdy on the day, but simply not good enough.

The fourth-seeded American lifted several gorgeous lobs, some offensive, some defensive; time and again, Stefan craned his body at seemingly impossible angles, rocketing hooks and slams for points.

One sequence late in the second set illustrated just how zoned in Edberg was this day.

All afternoon, Edberg held serve at love an astonishing number of times; leading 5-4, he was actually down 15-30. As Courier ripped a blistering two-handed backhand return right at the Swede’s shins, it appeared that we were moments from seeing 15-40.

The on-rushing Edberg, who had barely made it inside the service line, calmly dropped his racket and wrenched a wicked crosscourt backhand volley that skidded just in.

This left the American no recourse but to shake his head as he prepared to receive serve.

Courier commented on this ultra-critical point after the match.

“It was like, ‘Wow, what are you going to do?'", he intoned. “It was, you know, one of those shots that you see on the tapes that Laver made 20 years ago. Not too many players are going to make that shot against me.”

At 30-30, Edberg’s volley attempt was wide, and he faced his first break point of the day.

No problem.

Up came another twisting serve, which Courier gave a mighty blast. With the ball at knee level, Edberg sent a nasty volley right back at his foe. Jim countered with a beautiful offensive lob, which Stefan calmly leapt and deposited far out of Courier’s reach.

Deuce.

Jim Courier was caught on camera trudging back to return the next offering, and he clearly mouthed the word “Bullsh*t” in disgust. He surely should have broken the Swede on that sequence; Edberg was just on fire.

Shortly thereafter, Courier hit a brilliant, twisting backhand defensive lob. The net-rushing Edberg had to slam on his brakes and reverse direction, neck craned and eyes tracking the trajectory of the ball.

Given the angle of attack, Courier astutely headed toward his forehand court; there was no way the Swede was going to be able to attack Courier’s backhand this time.

Sure enough, Stefan elevated and rocketed a sky-hook that by any rights should have dumped into the net.

But Stefan Edberg was in the zone.

The slam lasered just inside the court, only a step or so in front of a motoring Courier. Advantage, Edberg.

He then slammed only his third ace of the day, right down the “T,” just inches below the flailing racquet of Courier, to win the second set, 6-4.

Jim Courier’s shoulders slumped in clear dismay as he muttered and cursed, pondering how he could possibly play so well and be down two sets to none.

The third set was more of the same...only worse for Courier, who turned to a serve-and-volley attack out of sheer desperation.

Edberg had broken his spirit, and broke his serve at love to begin the third. He then held at love to go up, 2-0.

A break and a hold ensued, both at 30, and just like that, the Swede held a daunting 4-0 lead in the final set.

Courier led 40-30 on his own serve, but his fourth double-fault led to deuce, and an error along with two missed volleys gave Edberg a 5-love advantage.

The Swede rushed to 40-15, and on match point, the Courier return of serve caught the tape, throwing of Stefan’s rhythm as he had to wait for the ball to bounce.

He gathered himself, and scooped a backhand, swinging half-volley—which has a very high degree of difficulty, though he made it look incredibly easy—and the American couldn’t catch up with it.

The third set was over in just over 30 minutes.

This completed his 1991 U.S. Open finals victory, 6-2, 6-4, 6-0, one of the most dominating performances in Flushing Meadows history.

The numbers tell the tale. The Swede never lost his serve, faced only two break points—both of which he promptly saved—won 51-of-66 points on his serve on the day, and broke Courier six times.

He further smacked 36 wins against just 18 unforced errors, and ventured to net 94 times, winning 68 points there.

“It was the best match I ever played,” Edberg said afterward. “It was like a dream out there. I (felt) like I could do almost anything. It’s fantastic you can actually play such a good match in a Grand Slam final without losing your concentration once.”

Courier was laconic in defeat.

“I've been pummeled before, but. . .”

When pressed, his simple reply was, “Nothing you could do.”

Edberg’s victory was made all the sweeter by his first round dismissal at the USO just one year before, at the hands of Alexander Volkov. Only Mal Anderson, way back in 1957, made such a dramatic turnaround.

“It is really hard to believe,” he said in both disbelief and glee. “I mean, it really is something to win it here, you know, after what happened last year and the last couple of years where New York hasn’t been the greatest place for my tennis.”

The late Arthur Ashe explained in simple terms how Edberg had accomplished such an astonishing dismantling of a great baseliner.

“Edberg's full-court pressure was relentless, precise and effective,” he began. “The new Open champion has the best volley, best overhead smash and best backhand in the game.

“His strategy on all surfaces is centered on getting to the net as soon as possible. Thus he takes advantage of any opening to approach the front court.

“During normal baseline exchanges, Courier can expect his opponents to trade ground strokes with him until a shot lands short in the service court. But for 2 hours 2 minutes Sunday, Courier had to try more passing shots than ground strokes.”

“Edberg had been in the so-called "zone" (when an athlete can do no wrong) since the fourth round, when he dispatched Michael Chang in straight sets. In this mind-set, he believed he could do anything at any time. He tried shots that usually qualify as risky, and they worked.” (Parentheses Ashe’s.)

This did not, in Ashe’s mind, take away from Courier’s prowess.

“Still, Courier has had a phenomenal year,” he summed up. “He is reigning French Open champion and is one of two U.S. men who can presently win major championships on any surface. Andre Agassi is the other one who can, but hasn't as yet. (He did, of course.)

“Although Agassi has garnered more headlines, Courier may well be the anchor in the Davis Cup semifinal against Germany in Kansas City later this month.”

Edberg stayed in the world number one conversation for more than a year after this historic victory. He retired in 1996 with $20,630,941 (eighth all-time in career earnings), a career mark of 806–270 (74.9%) and 42 tournament titles.

He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.

All Courier and Edberg quotes can be found here: Courier Gets Bested by Edberg U.S. Open, by Thomas Bonk, L. A. Times, September 9, 1991

Arthur Ashe quotes can be found here: EDBERG'S FINAL DOMINANCE DOESN'T DIMINISH COURIER, by Arthur Ashe, September 10, 1991

The majority of play in this match can be seen on YouTube in five parts: here, here, here, here, and here

If Roger Federer Were an Animal, Which Would He Be?

Leroy Watson — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 23:19:19 -0400

Roger Federer is the greatest tennis player of his generation. There are no real questions about that. But don't you get bored with the tedious comparisons of Fed to other players? I know I do. So I decided to look at the 2009 U. S. Open tennis championships from a slightly different point of view. The Men’s Draw has been completed for the 2009 U.S. Open, and by now, the potential path to the title has been analyzed as infinitum by experts who follow the game much more closely than I do. So even though I will give some overviews of the who-might-meet-whom, I decided to give this slide show a very special twist. . . but more on that later. Going into this year’s USO, Roger Federer has a fairly comfortable point lead (12,040 to 9,610) over still-pretty-new No. 2 Andy Murray, whose lead over the returning Rafa Nadal (585 points) is far more tenuous. The two men at the top have the most points to defend, having made last year’s final, so Murray in particular needs a strong showing if he wishes to consolidate the gains he has made this summer. Nadal leads Novak Djokovic by almost 1,400 points, and has little to worry about, short of a first round exit. . . which is quite possible. The redoubtable Spaniard made the semis in Cincinnati, but the draw at the USO did him no favors. He has the unenviable task of facing off with the ever-danger Richard Gasquet in the first round. No sane fan of men’s tennis would skewer me if I picked Gasquet in an upset (though I’m not going quite that far.) He would then likely face Germany’s Nicolas Kiefer in the second round; and if seedings held would be challenged by countryman Almagro, a pair of Frenchmen in Monfils and Tsonga, and the Scotsman Murray in the semis. That’s a meat grinder that even an in-form Nadal would find vexing; look for Tsonga to take out Rafa in the Quarterfinals. Was the draw truly random this year? Nadal drew two Frenchmen, and the Scot, Murray, drew a pair of Croats (if the seedings hold) in consecutive rounds in Ivo Karlovic and Marin Čilić in the third and fourth rounds. Assuming Murray passes those tests (and he should), he will face down the hard-hitting Argentine Juan Martin del Potro in the quarters. I’m riding with Murray. Novak Djokovic has a fairly easy quarter. If everyone does their part, he should meet Andy Roddick, however, in the round of eight (the quarters). That’s where his tournament will end. Roddick, in turn, would face Roger Federer in the semis, should he fell the Djoker. It’s a grand stroke of fortune that Roddick won the 2002 USO, otherwise he would bear the dubious title of BMNTWAM—Best Man to Never Win a Major (currently held by Djokovic). Will Andy win the USO again this year? Though Federer has the easiest draw of all, he does face potential daunting tasks in the third (Lleyton Hewitt) and fourth rounds (Tommy Robredo). Should he (likely) pass those tests, he is seeded to face the steady Russian, Nikolay Davydenko, in the quarters. Should both of them make it that far, the Djoker would face Fed in the semis. I don’t think I need to tell you who I favor; in case I do need to make it implicit, I’m putting my money on the man with the 8-4 career advantage. Then again, Nole would have to defeat the mystifying Andy Roddick, who sizzled during Wimbledon but has curiously fizzled during the early portion of the hard court season. I’m not going to give away who I’m predicting on that one. . . I will now preview some of the key men’s players at the 2009 U.S. Open by comparing the gentlemen that I selected to wild beasts whose characteristics and skills show a remarkable resemblance to their human counterparts. I did not use the top 10 (top 7, though). Enjoy this unique trip through the men's draw, complete with my comparisons and predictions.

Begin Slideshow

Los Angeles Dodgers Special Report: What's the Deal with Manny Ramirez? Pt. 2

Leroy Watson — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 22:29:02 -0400

This is the continuation of an article, inspired by fellow Featured Columnist PJ Ross, dealing with the recent hitting struggles of Los Angeles Dodgers star Manny Ramirez.

It is being divided into two parts until an editor will help me consolidate all the tables. So enjoy the rest of the Statistical Case Against Manny Ramirez.

The Statistical Case Against ManRam

Let’s look at some numbers. All statistics courtesy of baseball-reference.com.

Here are Manny’s key career statistics, broken down into first- and second-half numbers:

BAbip = BATTING AVERAGE ON BALLS PUT IN PLAY

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	BA	OBA	SLG	OPS	BAbip
1171	4279	790	1331	275	15	288	972	692	938	.311	.408	.584	.993	.336
1007	3591	698	1141	252	4	252	799	570	786	.318	.415	.601	1.016	.349

Here are the same statistics, for the year 2009 alone:

G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	BA	OBA	SLG	OPS	BAbip
36	121	30	43	11	0	9	29	31	21	.355	.487	.669	1.156	.370
39	139	14	37	9	1	4	17	19	36	.266	.370	.432	.802	.333

Before drawing conclusions, I must list three caveats:

1. The 2009 season splits are based on an extremely small sample size.

2. Manny was injured for a portion of the second half of the 2009 season.

3. Manny Ramirez is currently 37 years old.

With that said, here are my impressions on Manny’s second-half production:

First, ManRam has traditionally played better in the second half of the season than during the first half. Though the increase is not remarkable, it is there.

There is no arguing that the exact opposite is the case in 2009. In fact the drop-off from first half to the second half is fairly dramatic. This from a guy who normally improves slightly after the All-Star break.

Then, we have a further observation from Ross: “(Manny is hitting) not necessarily balls that die at the track, but just high fly balls that sort of hang in the sky. As opposed to pounding the ball so it carries, (he is) hitting a lot of balls that just don't have legs because (he’s) so far under the ball—perhaps an indication that with (his) former strength, (he) could blast those out of the park.”

Is there any statistical evidence of this? Yes, there is.

Here are Manny’s career stats that track his performance according to ball trajectory: