Not the UCLA Way, Also, Not a Story

BY: CHUCK HILSTON

It seems lately that the ideal sports story of ESPN, SI and news media everywhere doesn’t even have to do with sports. Now, I could completely live with this if it meant they were going to talk about something else related that is insightful. For example, they could talk about how geography/weather could affect the game, or the passion of the fans, or even just do a story on how hard an athlete has worked to come back. I thoroughly enjoy reading any of these, and they are an enjoyable change of pace. Now, I’m not saying these publications don’t do these things, but it appears the time spent on an issue is amplified times 100 if there is some sort of negative controversy involved. Just look at the stories relating to steroids, cheating, or anything else that can be considered morally repugnant.

 It looks as if they’ve gotten their exact wishes again now with the most recent “scandal” coming at the hands of the UCLA program. Here is the thought process I believe people had in coming up with this story: Obviously, it makes perfect sense to tie everything in Westwood to one John Wooden, as he only stopped coaching there around 40 years ago. Then, were going to come up with how tight knit and bonded a UCLA team (2006-08) was that had major success, and we’re not going to talk about talent (Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook) at all. These guys worked in the gym 130 hours a week, had 4.0 GPAs, and were in bed before 9, never to go out (sure). Now, with UCLA, a power program throughout the history of mankind struggling, news media figures, here’s a story; let’s sell it. Prepare yourselves, sports fans: are you ready for nonstop discussion of how big of prima donna brats they have in Los Angeles and how Ben Howland is a horrible person for not making sure they are adhering to rules? Yeah, me neither. Let’s just think for a second what this story is: a coach isn’t disciplining star athletes enough for going out and partying and acting like punks on the court? That sounds a little bit like that one team I know. Oh yeah, that’s right, pretty much every other school in the country. Here, in a piece from SI last year, is a list of current players on College Football rosters that had been arrested. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/the_bonus/02/27/cfb.crime/index.html

As you can see, many of the power programs throughout the country (not just UCLA) have had off court discipline issues. The way they talked about the players going out and partying on New Year’s and other times (not that I condone it) is like this is literally the first time this has happened in sports. Of course, SI is taking a unique perspective to it, looking at how it has made them fall apart as a team. However, any of us that has ever played, watched, or been around a sports team knows you are always going to have those kinds of people. Now many newspapers and sports stations around the country are going to be focused around ridiculous claims of how UCLA is the worst group of players in the country, and how abhorrent Ben Howland is for allowing this to occur. I just hope that the hype for this issue isn’t as big as I believe it will be, and that were able to focus on what this month should be about. Basketball.

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What to Watch : Duke/UNC and Wade vs. Kobe

Superbowl, buzzer beaters, all-star games you name it. February provided us sports fans with an insane amount of enjoyment. Starting off the month with one of the most anticipated Superbowl's of the decade. It doesn't get much better than Tom Brady vs Eli Manning in a revenge game. Throw in a little Duke/UNC rivalry that came to down an Austin Rivers game winning three as time expired. Just when you thought you had enough, the NBA All-Star game rolled in and scored a combined 301 points to make it the second most watched All-Star game ever. Even for the NASCAR fans, Daytona 500 didn't disappoint. Yes, there were explosions and it didn't end till 1 in the morning, but the ending didn't disappoint!

Don't worry sports fans. This weekend we also have a lot to look forward to. It's getting close to that time of year: March Madness! Super Saturday kickoffs with multiple colleges fighting for their respected conferences. Duke and UNC will go head to head for the ACC Championship while Texas and Kansas square off for the Big 12 title.

If you didn't watch the NBA All-Star game, you wouldn't know about the hard foul Dwayne Wade gave to Kobe Bryant towards the end of the game. In my opinion, its all part of the game but of course the media made it out to be a malicious act on Dwayne's behalf. Kobe suffered a broken nose and some reports of a concussion. This Sunday at the Staples Center, you can find a rematch: Kobe vs Wade and Lebron. Most people would classify this as potential NBA Finals preview, but I consider it to be just another game. 

For those of us that watch hockey, NHL playoff races have tightened up. With less than 20 games remaining, NBC will be broadcasting two great matchups. Boston Bruins will be making their way to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Rangers at 4pm EST. That will be followed by Philadelphia Flyers headed to Washington to take on the Capitals.

Each Friday, I will be posting a "What to Watch" for the fans. Sports are important in all our lives so check back to stay updated!

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It’s (Big Ten Conference) Tourney Time!

BY: CHUCK HILSTON

With all the people that are going about filling out brackets and such, the fact that an entire season has already been played almost gets lost. For many fans, college basketball season starts and ends with the several week 68 team marathon that goes on at the start of every spring. However, for those that are truly into the game of basketball, they know there is more beyond that. Frankly, as much as I love the big dance and all that comes with it, my favorite week of the tournament is when it isn’t even officially underway. This may be hard to believe for many fans in college basketball, but a 68 team tournament is definitely not too big, especially when you have 300 plus teams fighting to get there. During this week, regardless of how awful a year many of them have had, there is a chance for redemption. In many schools, winning that conference tournament is on par with winning a national championship at some of the blue blood schools like Kansas and Duke. Therefore, it made sense to me that a perfect conference to do a profile on would be the Big Ten, with blue collar play, massive amounts of hardcore fans, and a season’s worth of hoopla/drama could be reached in several days (or hours). Here are some of their biggest storylines.

The Northwestern Wildcats, long having been everyone’s second favorite conference team have now captured the attention and admiration of bubble watchers and underdog supporters everywhere. I truly felt a little bad for them when they came up just a bit short against Ohio State last night, losing a big opportunity to improve their resume. The fact that they are the only power conference team to have never made it to the big dance adds to that attention. I think everyone should root for this team to get their first big moment in the spotlight next week.

Indiana is, has been, and always will be the most passionate basketball crowd in the nation (no offense to Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, etc.). TomCrean has really revamped their program, as they were ranked 20^th in the nation even before knocking off Michigan State on Tuesday. Obviously, everyone knows that they will have a huge home field advantage, and with a good tournament run, the 18,345 seat Bankers Life Fieldhouse will literally sway off its foundation. If they are able to do reasonably well, the Hoosier Nation should have frequent flyer miles ready, as they could make a lengthy NCAA run.

TomIzzo seems to be able to pull a rabbit out of that year after year. People always question them on everything (they don’t have enough talent or depth, why do they play such a ridiculous out of conference schedule?, etc. etc.) but all they do is win. They really may not be the team you prototypically think of as national championship caliber but with a tough defense, moxie, and DraymondGreen displaying Mateen Cleaves-esque leadership, the team in green has reason to dream.

There are so many other stories that may come along as this tournament develops, including the possible new addition of a rule that a foul on Jared Sullinger will only be official if he needs stitches or can’t return to the game, however many of these will develop over the unbelievable amount of coverage that will be dedicated to this and other tournaments coming next weekend. Hey, who ever said old school basketball wasn’t fun?

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To Change or Not To Change : WildCard Additions

Today could possibly be an infamous day in the history of Major League Baseball. The MLB Players Association is working towards expanding the playoffs by adding two additional wild card teams. This would create a one-game-first round playoff in each league.

While most baseball fans think this may be great for the league, I have mixed feelings. Yes, it will help your team have a better chance of making the post-season, but at the same time October might not be as exciting. Baseball fans, think back to last October at AT & T Park. Remember how tight the playoff race was between the San Francisco Giants and the San Diego Padres? The Giants won and sent the Pads home early. If Bud Selig and the union make that announcement today, then you can forget about having another exciting finish to the season. On the other hand, the two wild card teams will meet in a one game elimination game which could force some of the excitement back.

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What if Lebron James Didn't Make "The Decision"?

Lebron James. Lebron James. Lebron James. That's all I hear in South Florida. Is he a villain? Is he afraid? Why isn't he clutch? The media loves to make him out to be the bad guy when the cold hard truth is that he's currently the best player in the NBA ( Sorry Durantula.) He doesn't have any rings, but guess what? Neither did Dan Marino, Karl Malone and even Ted Williams and their careers turned out just fine. But this brings me to my next question. What if Lebron never held the world (,let alone the city of Cleveland) hostage. What if he never made "The Decision"? Things would be different.

The decision to come to South Beach and join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh has put his name in a bigger spotlight then he ever imagined. Teaming up to be named " The Big Three" has put the city of Miami on the radar once again. The Miami Heat had a welcome to the team celebration where they invited fans to the American Airlines Arena to help celebrate. "Bron Bron" was obviously excited but I can't imagine he completely thought things out. He went on to tell the world that the Heat wouldn't win one ring but five, six or even seven. Well, we all know what happened next.

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What If NHL Realignment Was In Place

BY: NEIL BRASLOW

Pretend for a moment that the year is 2013. The NHLPA did not reject the proposed NHL realignment. Four “Conferences” are now in place, with each “Conference” sending their top four teams to the playoffs. The top four teams in each “Conference” would make the playoffs, with the first two rounds consisting of solely intraconference matchups. Here is how it would look.

Conference "A" - Anaheim Calgary Colorado Edmonton Los Angeles Phoenix San Jose Vancouver

Clearly the top two teams would be Vancouver and San Jose. San Jose has struggled through a large part of the season however, and the Canucks actually hold a 15 point advantage over them. So instead of Vancouver battling it out with Detroit for home ice advantage down the stretch, they would already be cruising to the finish line in late February. Not exactly exciting for Canucks fans. Meanwhile, the rest of the division would be average at best. Phoenix would technically be tied for second place with San Jose. Calgary, Colorado, and Los Angeles would all be tied for fourth. In the current NHL landscape, all are on the outside looking in. Even Anaheim would still have life instead of probably being sellers at the trade deadline. So instead of Vancouver battling Detroit, we would have Phoenix and San Jose fighting for second, and a bunch of mediocre if not bad teams trying to grab the fourth spot.

Verdict: DOWNGRADE

Conference "B" Chicago Columbus Dallas Detroit Minnesota Nashville St. Louis Winnipeg

Detroit, St. Louis, Nashville, and Chicago currently battle in a stacked Central Division. That order would remain the same in the new conference. Dallas which is currently in the eighth spot would find itself five points back of Chicago for the fourth and final playoff spot. Perhaps the most intriguing team is Winnipeg, which sits atop of the pathetic Southeast Division and is currently seeded #3 in the Eastern Conference. The Jets would be in sixth place and six points out of a playoff spot! To say that would be a drastic difference is an understatement. Minnesota and Columbus would both continue to be out of it. Detroit and Chicago would be set up for a first round match up, as would two of the most intriguing teams of the year, Nasvhille and St. Louis. The playoffs in this "Conference" would be a battle and extremely exciting. In addition, the fact that Winnipeg might get in as a division winner in the East and finds itself in sixth under this format is a major upgrade. They are not a playoff team. Dallas fans would not be happy since they would be struggling to hang in the playoff race under this format instead of sitting comfortably in eighth place and in playoff position.

Verdict: UPGRADE

Conference "C" Boston Buffalo Florida Montreal Ottawa Tampa Bay Toronto

Boston currently finds itself seven points back of the Rangers and is the only team with a chance of catching them for home ice advantage. Instead the Bruins would sit in first place, three points in front of second place Ottawa, who currently sits in seventh place. While Boston being chased by the Senators is the same under the current format, Florida would be in third, and Toronto would be in fourth. The Panthers are currently in eighth and Toronto is in tenth. Montreal, sitting in dead last in the Eastern Conference, would only be seven points out of a playoff spot. This “Conference” would be extremely weak. No one would have a shot against Boston in the playoffs, and two undeserving teams would make the playoffs. Canadian fans might enjoy watching two of their teams fighting for a playoff spot, but the teams would not be deserving. This “Conference” would be potentially embarrassing to the league.

Verdict: DOWNGRADE

Conference "D" Carolina New Jersey New York Islanders New York Rangers Philadelphia Pittsburgh Washington

Year in and year out, this “Conference” would be one of the best. The Rangers would sit eight points in front of the Devils, as they currently do. The Flyers and Penguins would be a point back of the Devils and round out the top four. Carolina and the Islanders would be way out of it as they currently are, and the Capitals would be eight points back and perhaps have to think about selling at the trade deadline. Instead, under the current format, the Capitals are a point out of the playoffs and hope is still very much alive in D.C. The playoffs would be extraordinary in this “Conference.” However, other than fighting for positioning, the race for playoff spots would basically be finished. While the potential playoff match ups that this “Conference” would create each season would be exciting for the NHL, the lack of excitement down the stretch of the regular season would be a huge negative.

Verdict: DOWNGRADE

My gut feeling is that ultimately, the NHL will choose to go with this format. I do not like it for several reasons. While I just analyzed how it would look this year, there are going to be years where the divisions containing eight teams instead of seven are stacked. So instead of having a 57% chance of making the playoffs, those teams would have a 50% chance. That is a huge competitive disadvantage.

If it was up to me, I would swap Winnipeg with Detroit and keep everything the way it was, with the addition of each team visiting every arena during the season. While I believe that this proposed realignment would have some positives, the negatives outweigh them and prevent this from being a successful realignment plan.

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