Morning Cup of Coffee: A Daily Take On the Sports World

The Nov. 17, 2009 Edition

A pretty slow night of sports events, but not much of a shortage of sports news. Guess that is why I love this business so much.

I did keep the remote busy, as I was flicking between the Monday Night Football game, Atlanta Hawks vs Portland Trailblazers, and Kentucky Wildcats vs Miami (OH).

Unless you are a Baltimore Ravens fan I had no idea how you could had watched much of that game. That might have been the worst MNF game I have ever witnessed. No score in the first half and the Browns were totally inept offensively. It's as if either no one cares or has a clue in the Browns organization from top to bottom. I feel bad for their fans.

A side note on Monday Night Football ; Jon Gruden has signed a long term commitment to work for ABC/ESPN to continue his analyst work at the networks, covering both college bowl games and the NFL. From reading his quotes on his new career, it does not appear he will be leaving it anytime soon.

I think he is trying to position himself as the next John Madden. Sure worked for John didn't it?

Larry Johnson appears to be on the verge of signing with the Cincinnati Bengals. Good signing? I don't know. Hopefully it won't impact the mojo Marvin Lewis and company seem to have found this year.

I personally was hoping my hometown Atlanta Falcons would had given Johnson a look. With Michael Turner out and no real backup in place he would had been a good fit in Atlanta.

Allen Iverson and got his wish; a free man from a bad situation in Memphis with the Grizzlies. Now he is on the market again on the search for a new home. Some speculation I've seen so far says New York Knicks. Probably the best spot for him if his concern is maintaining his career scoring average. Outside of that, he would be another piece just about anywhere else, similar to his role in Memphis.

Two of the hottest teams in the NBA went at it here in Phillips, as the Portland Trailblazers visited the ATL. Don't let anyone say otherwise; Portland is a very good team. They were firmly in control of that game most of the night but when a good team has been on a roll like the Hawks sometimes it doesn't matter if you are playing at your best from game to game. You still get the W. That is the normal sign of a championship-caliber team.

John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats were expected to cakewalk in their games until their Dec. 5 tilt against North Carolina. Last night's game at home vs Miami (OH) just confirms how great college basketball can be. Miami (OH) controlled most of the game despite the hostile crowd and a Wildcat team laced with raw talent.

At times the Red Hawks appeared to crumble a bit in the moment but managed to hold it together until freshman John Wall nailed a mid-range jump-shot with half a second remaining on the clock to gave Kentucky the lead. Coach Cal and his group escape but definitely a lessons learned.

At Calipari's previous school Memphis, it's business as usual. Many felt that Calipari was Memphis and the program would go to the abyss once he left. First time head coach Josh Pastner is doing everything he can to keep that from happening.

After only being on the job about six months, Pastner has secured the No. 1 recruiting class in the country for 2010. Yesterday he collected his seventh prospect, highly ranked power forward Tarik Black. Watch out for Memphis in the 2010-11 season. They will be a team to be reckoned with when it comes to the national championship.

I flipped over and watched a few minutes of Monday Night Raw . Pro wrestling at Madison Square Garden; nothing like it. It definitely brought back memories of Hulk Hogan and Bob Backlund in their heydays.

I don't watch wrestling nearly as much as I did growing up.  While it still has its moments of entertainment it is no where near as good as it was in the '70s and '80s.  Got to lay that blame at the feet of Vince McMahon. His "vision" to take wrestling national destroyed the territorial concept that pro wrestling thrived on.

While it made McMahon and those who affiliated with him rich it took away memories and enjoyment from many more.

Finally, Dick Tomey is calling it a career. Currently coaching at San Jose State, Tomey could be considered the grandfather of Arizona Wildcat football. His cry of "Bear Down" became a symbol of the program that was legendary for their defensive squads, especially in the early 1990s. He produced similar results at Hawaii before heading to Tucson.

Thank you, coach Tomey, for providing memories for college football fans everywhere.

Finishing my final sip of coffee

Take the Los Angeles Clippers (+1.5) at the New Orleans Hornets. After watching the  Hornets play over the weekend against the Atlanta Hawks, without Chris Paul, I don't think they have any idea what they are doing right now. It's a good time to take advantage of that.

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Until tomorrow morning, live sports!