Tuesday, December 29, 2009

"The U"

I've been very much enjoying ESPN's "30 For 30" series so far, in which 30 different directors take a shot at documenting a major sports story over the 30 years of ESPN's existence. There was Kirk Fraser's take on the death of Len Bias, which transported me back to 11 years old and having one of my childhood heroes throw his life away. There was Mike Tollin's documentary on the life and death of the USFL, casting an evil eye on Donald Trump. Barry Levinson took a story that I knew quite a bit about and shed a new light on it as he chronicled the Baltimore Colt marching band and the departure of the Colts from Baltimore. Throw in shows on the Wayne Gretzky trade, the Ali/Holmes fight and the life and times of Jimmy the Greek and these are some compelling documentaries on sports.

Which brings me to the most recent film, "The U" by Billy Corben about the University of Miami's football program. Now, without a doubt, this is a great topic for this series: a team rising from irrelevance to become the best college football program in the nation during the 80s and beyond, but not without its share of controversy. Unfortunately, Corben's thesis for this film appeared to be something along the lines of "Miami was a very good football team, so that gives them a complete pass everywhere else." Part of the reason that "The U" was such a great topic for a documentary was the fact that there were two very distinct sides to this story: the amazing success the 'Canes had on the football field and the abysmal way in which they acted while gaining such success. But, while Corben certainly went so far as to admit that there was some controversy surrounding the 'Canes, he went out of his way to avoid voicing some of those concerns in a coherent way, instead focusing on the 'Canes players and coaches and apologists making excuses.

It wasn't the Miami players fault that there was a long litany of legal problems in the program, but it was certainly Sports Illustrated's fault for publishing a sidebar about it. Racists!

It wasn't Jimmy Johnson's fault that they ran up the score on overmatched opponents, it was the fault of the opposing team for failing to stop them. And 'Canes players dancing over fallen opponents? That's just kids having fun.

The Miami-cheap-shot-fueled onfield brawls? Certainly not the 'Canes fault. But the university president being concerned that this painted the university in a bad light? What a stooge that guy was. Didn't he know how much money the football team was generating? Money forgives all sins, right?

According to Steve Walsh, Miami dominated Penn State in every facet of the game in the '87 Fiesta Bowl. (Wait for it, wait for it.) Except for turnovers. Hey, I got one more for you Steve. Um, the score. (Somewhere around this point I briefly considered the idea that Corben was a genius in the field of satire, spending a couple hours making fun of Miami while pretending to fawn over them. I threw that idea away a couple seconds later.)

Who cares that Miami players were being paid in violation of NCAA regulations? Those rules were dumb anyway. Besides, Bennie Blades had a kid at the time! And if they hadn't been getting paid, they would have been forced to go out and steal car stereos and sell drugs in order to survive. Oh. Wait. They did that too.

And, as Randal Hill took pains to point out (albeit with tongue firmly in cheek), it wasn't his fault that he ran up the Cotton Bowl tunnel after scoring a TD and came back with imaginary guns ablazing. It was everybody else's fault but his. (Note that for some reason, the Miami AD called this something like the most egregious offense one of his players ever committed, a truly disgusting act. Maybe it's just me, but I saw like 15 things over the course of the two hours that were far, far worse than this.)

Don't get me wrong, if the entire documentary had been anti-Miami, focusing on all the controversy while just glossing over the successes, it would have been just as bad, but this film could have been so much more. Credit Corben for at least mentioning the dark side, but it would have nice to hear a perspective on the story from someone other than Miami players, coaches, writers and supporters.

One last complaint, perhaps minor compared to the above. At some point in the film, (and it might have been on a bumper coming back in from a commercial break) Corben says something like "Beano Cook once called Miami football the greatest dynasty since Julius Caesar." Which, if you know Beano is just a great line and admittedly overstatement. No problem with that. But then Corben follows it up by saying: "And he was right." Well, no. No, he wasn't right. Miami was the best college football team from the early 80s to the early 90s. In no way do their accomplishments compare with those of Caesar (which is such an obvious thing that I'm not even going to follow that comparison and bring in other world leaders into the conversation), let alone the Lakers or Celtics or Canadiens or Bruins or Yankees or... The Hurricanes were dominant, won four national championships in nine years and were clearly the most successful program in college football for a decade or so. Leave it at that. There is no need to take a great line like Beano's and take it seriously.

All in all, I still enjoyed the film and would still recommend it, but compared to earlier episodes in this series, this was clearly subpar.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

2009 College Football All-American Team

With the season all but over, it is time for the annual meaningless game of putting together All-American teams. I know, we’ve got the Army/Navy game still to go to wrap up the regular season – and I’m certainly interested in the game (go Middies! Get the Bruins in a bowl game!) – but frankly, none of the players in the game are on my radar as far as All-Americans go (nothing against Ricky Dobbs, who is fun to watch), so here goes nothing.

I actually put a lot of time into coming up with this list, and I’m fairly happy with it, with the possible exception of my choices for center (I really wasn’t in love with any of the candidates) and the disturbing realization that I put three Bruins on the squad (well, two and a half - kickers don’t really count) and only one Trojan. Also, I think C.J. Spiller probably deserves one of the RB slots on the second team, but given that I had already put him on the first team as a kick returner, and given that I really wanted to put Ryan Matthews and Dion Lewis on the team, I felt okay leaving him off despite the fact that he is on my (imaginary) Heisman ballot.

Speaking of the Heisman, I gotta say this: if either Tim Tebow or Colt McCoy wins the Heisman this year, that award is dead to me. Both have been great college quarterbacks and have had great careers, but there just ain’t a chance that either has been the most outstanding college football player this year. My picks: 1) Toby Gerhart, 2) Ndamakong Suh, 3) C.J. Spiller. I had a hard time deciding between Gerhart and Suh for the first spot, but I’ll admit I let the Heisman’s overall bias towards players who touch the ball get to me and gave Gerhart the nod. I also had a hard time with picking Spiller over Mark Ingram for the third slot, but gave it to Spiller as a result of Ingram’s weak game against Auburn and Spiller’s monster of a game in the ACC Championship. Nevermind the fact that I ignored Spiller’s much weaker game the same weekend against South Carolina or the fact that Ingram pummeled that same South Carolina defense to the tune of 246 yards; the imaginary ballot has been imaginarily submitted.

On to the All-American’s listed below, some highlights:

Alabama leads the list with four players on the first team (okay, three and a half, kickers don’t count), plus another three on the second team (okay, two, since Javier Arenas makes it as both a corner and a kick returner). And, while I’m mentioning Arenas, I’ll also mention that perhaps the hardest pick I made was choosing Perrish Cox over Arenas for the second corner spot on the first team.

Texas is a deserving opponent in the BCS Championship game, but I could only find room for two Longhorns on my team.

Florida is right there with three on the first team and another one on the second team, and I’ve got four Iowa Hawkeyes on my second team defense to go along with first-teamer Brian Bulaga.

And, again, on the UCLA front: two and a half Bruins on my second team? That can’t be right. Although I try to avoid being biased here, I’m a Bruin fan at heart, so I’ll throw out an honorable mention to, say, Marvin Austin of North Carolina as a guy who might have made it in place of Brian Price, and Chad Jones of LSU as a possible replacement for Rahim Moore. Although I stand by the fact that Price and Moore are deserving of their spots. As to Kai Forbath? Who really cares? He’s just a kicker.

Anyway, without further ado, here’s my 2009 College Football All-American Team:

First Team

QB Kellen Moore, So, Boise State
RB Mark Ingram, So, Alabama
RB Toby Gerhart, Sr, Stanford
WR Mardy Gilyard, Sr, Cincinnati
WR Golden Tate, Jr, Notre Dame
TE Aaron Hernandez, Sr, Florida
C Chris Hall, Sr, Texas
G Mike Johnson, Sr, Alabama
G Sergio Render, Sr, Virginia Tech
T Brian Bulaga, Jr, Iowa
T Russell Okung, Sr, Oklahoma State

DT Ndamakong Suh, Sr, Nebraska
DT Gerald McCoy, Jr, Oklahoma
DE Jerry Hughes, Sr, TCU
DE Greg Romeus, Jr, Pitt
LB Bruce Carter, Jr, North Carolina
LB Rolando McClain, Sr, Alabama
LB Brandon Spikes, Sr, Florida
CB Joe Haden, Jr, Florida
CB Perrish Cox, Sr, Oklahoma State
SS Erik Berry, Jr, Tennessee
FS Earl Thomas, So, Texas

K Leigh Tiffin, Sr, Alabama
P Zoltan Mesko, Sr, Michigan
KR C.J. Spiller, Sr, Clemson

Second Team

QB Case Keenum, Jr, Houston
RB Ryan Matthews, Jr, Fresno State
RB Dion Lewis, Fr, Pitt
WR A.J. Green, So, Georgia
WR Titus Young, Jr, Boise State
TE Anthony McCoy, Sr, USC
C Maurkice Pouncey, Jr, Florida
G Brandon Carter, Sr, Texas Tech
G Cord Howard, Sr, Georgia Tech
T Anthony Davis, Jr, Rutgers
T Ciron Black, Sr, LSU

DT Terrance Cody, Sr, Alabama
DT Brian Price, Jr, UCLA
DE Brandon Graham, Sr, Michigan
DE Adrian Clayborn, Jr Iowa
LB Sean Weatherspoon, Sr, Missouri
LB Pat Angerer, Sr, Iowa
LB Keaton Kristick, Sr, Oregon State
CB Amari Spievey, Jr, Iowa
CB Javier Arenas, Sr, Alabama
SS Tyler Sash, So, Iowa
FS Rahim Moore, So, UCLA

K Kai Forbath, Jr, UCLA
P Drew Butler, So, Georgia
KR Javier Arenas, Sr, Alabama

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

2009 76 Classic Roundup

Year three of the 76 Classic featured the strongest field in the brief history of the tournament, and arguably the strongest field of any of the early season tournaments this season, boasting four ranked teams plus a couple of mid-majors who figure to be right in the thick of things in their conference. The tournament, which was played in front of a somewhat sparse crowd at the Anaheim Convention Center, was captured by West Virginia, who dominated upset-minded Portland in the final Sunday night. While the season has only just begun, and there is a lot to shake out between now and Selection Sunday, we did get to find out a little about what to expect from these teams over the coming months.

Before I get into a breakdown of each team’s weekend, here is my all-tournament team:

Da’Sean Butler, Sr, West Virginia
T.J. Campbell, Sr, Portland
B.J. Holmes, Jr, Texas A&M
Shelvin Mack, Soph, Butler
T.J. Robinson, Soph, Long Beach State

1. West Virginia wrapped blowout wins over Long Beach State and Portland around a tough battle with Texas A&M to capture the 76 Classic title. Behind strong performances by senior Da’Sean Butler, who averaged almost 19 points per game over the tournament, including a spectacular 26 in the final, and sophomore Kevin Jones (13 ppg over the tournament), the Mountaineers looked long, athletic and deep. Sophomore Devin Ebanks made his season debut for Coach Bob Huggins in the second game of the tournament, after sitting out the first three games of the season due to “personal reasons.” Ebanks looked especially strong in the A&M game, tallying 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds to help the Mountaineers advance. If there is a concern for West Virginia at this point, it may be on the glass, as they were outrebounded by Texas A&M, the opponent that was similar in terms of athleticism and size. However, the Mountaineers have to be pretty pleased with their play over the weekend, routinely going ten men deep on their bench and getting good production out of everyone. West Virginia certainly looks to have the makings of a strong contender for the Big East title.

2. Portland was the surprise of the tournament, advancing to the final upon the strength of an opening round demolition of UCLA and a semifinal that they almost let slip away against Minnesota. Senior point guard T.J. Campbell was huge in the semi for the Pilots, scoring 23 (including four three-pointers) en route to the upset. While Portland ran into a buzzsaw in the finals, this weekend has to be considered a huge success for the Pilots, with the win over Minnesota giving them a signature win upon which to hang their hat. They’ll have a chance to add another key win this week when they visit Washington. While Portland didn’t have the athletes to hang with West Virginia in the final, they are a well-coached team who can cause problems for quality opponents with their ability to knock down open threes (Campbell and junior guard Jared Stohl each had nine threes over the tournament) and to get opposing offenses out of sync with their 2-3 zone, which was instrumental in their two victories this weekend. While they may not have the athletes that Gonzaga has, they could cause the Zags problems with their style of play.

3. Texas A&M came into this tournament as a bit of an afterthought. Most of the pre-tourney talk centered around the ranked teams (Butler, Minnesota, West Virginia and Clemson) or struggling UCLA, or even the two upset-minded teams (Long Beach State and Portland. But the Aggies came out of this weekend with wins over two of the ranked teams (despite their best efforts to give Minnesota third place – missing their last nine free throws and 12 of their last 15) and a strong showing against the eventual champion. Senior guards Derrick Roland and Ronald Sloan impressed with their athleticism and all-around games, and senior forward Bryan Davis was impressive defending the post and hitting the glass, but it was diminutive junior B.J. Holmes who was the spark for the Aggies, knocking down threes, playing tough man defense and taking several charges throughout the tournament. While A&M probably doesn’t have the depth or size to challenge Texas or Kansas for Big 12 supremacy, they look to be a solid tournament team and an upper-division finisher in the Big 12.

4. Minnesota got their tournament off to a good start with a win over Butler in a game played at a very high level. The Golden Gophers got strong play from senior forward Damian Johnson (18 points, four assists, four steals, three rebounds, a block and a three, all on seven-of-eight shooting), sophomore center Colton Iverson (13 points, 11 rebounds, two blocks) and sophomore point guard Devoe Joseph (14 points, three rebounds, three assists, two threes) and significant contributions from a deep bench. However, the rest of the tournament had to be disappointing for Tubby Smith’s squad as they dropped two tough games to close the tournament. Against Portland, they never really figured out the Pilot zone, shooting only 33% from the field for the game, and in the third place game, fell behind in the first half (during which neither senior guard Lawrence Westbrook nor junior guard Al Nolen played due to disciplinary reasons), and were never able to get all the way back, despite Texas A&M’s best efforts to let them back in. Nevertheless, the Gophers look to have a deep and talented team that should be improved over last season. Iverson and fellow sophomore center Ralph Sampson III seem to have a better grasp of what is expected of them and Johnson has stepped forward as a team leader. Throw in a tough backcourt trio of Nolen, Westbrook and Joseph and the Gophers look to be a well-rounded squad, even with the future of currently suspended recruits Trevor Mbakwe and Royce White still in doubt.

5. Clemson walks away from Anaheim with a 2-1 record for the weekend, and they have to be feeling better about themselves than they did after a first-round struggle against Texas A&M and perhaps more of a battle than they expected from Long Beach State. Clemson struggled at times over the tournament with their half-court offense and got uneven performances from several players up and down their roster. Head coach Oliver Purnell even left junior forward Jerai Grant (a starter in Clemson’s first-round game) on the bench for the entirety of their second game. But, in the end, the Tigers showed great determination in battling back against Butler and pulling out a tight win in a game where they were down double figures in the second half. While Clemson still lacks a traditional low-post threat (despite senior forward Trevor Booker’s impressive abilities), and is prone to bog down in the half-court offense, their speed and athleticism can still give opponents trouble and they look to be a solid middle-of-the-pack ACC team with legitimate NCAA tournament hopes.

6. Butler has to be licking their wounds a little after a disappointing one-point loss in the Consolation Final, leaving Anaheim with only a tight victory over a bad UCLA team. The Bulldogs relinquished a double-digit second half lead against Clemson, despite strong performances from sophomore guard Shelvin Mack (15 points, eight rebounds, four assists) and sophomore forward Gordon Hayward (20 points and 12 rebounds). And really, it was Butler’s perimeter defense (usually a strength) that let them down, allowing Clemson’s Demontez Stitt and Andre Young to combine for 31 points, 23 of which came in the second half. Junior forward Matt Howard seemed to be in foul trouble the entire tournament, yet still managed to scrape together 13 points per game over the tournament. It was Mack, however, who shone most brightly for the Bulldogs, averaging 19 ppg over the tournament on a combination of perimeter shots and penetration. While Butler will most certainly be the team to beat in the Horizon, Coach Brad Stevens has to be somewhat concerned that his team left a good-looking win over Clemson on the table. However, Butler will have more chances to score quality non-conference wins (games against Georgetown, Ohio State and Xavier remain) before Horizon play begins.

7. Long Beach State winds up leaving the tournament with a 1-2 record, and yet they still have to be feeling pretty good about themselves. Despite getting blown off the court by eventual champion West Virginia on Thanksgiving, the 49ers rebounded to give Clemson all it could handle in their second game, before handling the dominant Southern California program, UCLA, pretty easily on Sunday. The 49ers had some problems with West Virginia’s length (much like everyone in the tournament did), but they have enough size and athleticism to more than matchup to the Big West standards. They’ll need it before they ever reach conference play though, with trips to Texas, Kentucky and Duke all looming. Sophomore forward T.J. Robinson was the big man for the Niners in Anaheim with games of 25 points and 15 rebounds against Clemson and 25 points and 13 rebounds against UCLA, but sophomore point guard Casper Ware, junior guard Greg Plater and senior guard Stephan Gilling also made strong contributions.

8. UCLA came into this tournament having bounced back somewhat from their opening game loss to Cal State Fullerton with wins over Cal State Bakersfield and Pepperdine. But while the Bruins gave a strong effort in their second round loss to Butler, the whole weekend was a shocking disappointment. While it is no secret that UCLA is way down this year, the extent to which they are down was made stunningly apparent with huge and unimpressive losses to Portland and Long Beach State sandwiched around a solid performance against Butler (a game in which they made it interesting in the second half, despite being down as much as 14 early in the game). There is a lack of talent in Westwood, especially in the backcourt, and while Ben Howland will eventually get things going in the right direction, the rest of this season could devolve into a mere exploration of the younger players on this team, to see if guys like freshmen Reeves Nelson, Brendan Lane, Mike Moser and sophomore J’mison Morgan are going to be capable of contributing to future teams. And, again, it cannot be understated just how bad the Bruins looked: lack of coherent offensive structure, no talent able to improvise outside of the offense, and perhaps most disturbing, limited effort defensively. The whole program, from head coach on down to the last player off the bench, had to be embarrassed by their performance.