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Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Check out this link to a video of an amazing basektball game by a high school senior in New York. It was no ordinary game, you see, because Jason McElwain is autistic.

Normally the basketball team's manager, his coach suited him up and put him in during the team's final home game of the season. His first shot was an airball, but what happened after that is unbelievable.

J-Mac, as he is called, went on to hit a school-record six three point shots! His quote: "I was on fire. I was hotter than a pistol."

Good stuff...

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Lee Ann over at Duct Tape, Dixie, and Me claims she has a new pet, too, and wants to have a Coolest Pet Competition.

I'm not sure Biggio can compete with a colt, but he can sit, shake, and lay down on command. Can your colt do that, Lee Ann? Hmmm? He also eats anything that is on the floor, rendering the need for a vacuum useless. Now all I gotta do is teach him to mop.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

The NBA All-Star game was held Sunday night in Houston. The East, led by Lebron James, came from behind to win by two points. It sounded like an exciting finish, but I didn't get to catch the end of the game (I recorded the game, but it cut off after the third quarter).

I found the first half unusually sloppy with everyone trying to show off and throwing alley-oops just about every other pass. And defense was non-existant, of course. The fourth quarter is usually when it gets exciting as everyone steps up their play. The players want to win, even if it is just an All-Star game.

What's up with the dunk contest these days? I would think since all the players love to show off their dunks in the games, they would relish the chance to do it on a solo stage. What happened to the days of MJ and Dominique or even more recently, Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady?

Now the biggest names we have are Andre Iguodala and Nate Robinson. Not to take anything away from those guys, because they had some amazing dunks (Iguodala dunking from behind the backboard??), but it would be more exciting to have some of the best players in the game, like in the old days. Anyway, the 5'9 Robinson won the contest (undeservedly so, in my opinion).

Check out these all-time best dunks from nba.com.

Posted by: David Bunch

Duke is back in the No 1 spot in the college hoops polls today, following a 4 week period during which they were ranked No 2. Villanova is now No 2 in the country after beating then No 1 UConn.

Sean Dockery said of his team's move up in the polls:

"It means you're having a great regular season, but it won't mean anything once the regular season ends," he said. "What we're trying to do is get better as a team every day."

Additionally, J.J. Redick became Duke's all time career scoring leader in a win against Miami yesterday.

It was just the latest in a growing list of milestones for Redick.Redick set the NCAA record for career 3-pointers in Tuesday's win against Wake Forest, and followed that with his school-record 13th 30-point game of the season.

I think we are witnessing something very special here. Players like this do not come along all the time.

Redick scored 22 points on 7-for-9 shooting to help the Blue Devils to a 59-43 lead at the break. Things slowed down for him in the second half, with Miami's
zone defense paying him special attention.

"As you can see, it didn't help because he still got 30 points," Miami coach Frank Haith said. "He finds ways. He is smart. It is like anything you do, it will work for a short period of time."

He's a senior this year, and he's going out in style. I'm anxious to see what he does in The Tournament.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Growing up in the era of the Air Jordans, I'm a big fan of basketball shoes. However, I'm not a big fan of paying $200 for basketball shoes. In fact, I've had the same pair of $80 shoes for about three years now (but they still haven't gotten me to the NBA, so maybe I'll splurge soon and see if that helps).

With the NBA All-Star game this weekend, espn.com has a feature of some of the shoes that will be worn/debuted during the game. Some of them look pretty sweet, but I still don't think they compete with the old school Jordans. Check out the complete lineup here. Somewhere around the XIIs, Nike decided to make the Jordans ugly. A marketing decision that I still don't understand.



My all-time favorite: the Air Jordan VI. Hard to believe these bad boys debuted in 1990. They still have a modern, sleek look. And the suede! Gotta love the black suede!

Posted by: David Bunch

Mike Davis made his resignation official today, stating that he would step down at the end of the season.

Davis has won 109 games and was the first Indiana coach -- Knight included -- to start with three straight seasons of at least 20 victories. He took the Hoosiers to the NCAA finals in 2002, losing to Maryland in the championship game, but did it with many of the Knight holdovers.

I really like Mike Davis and wish he could have stayed on, but when you have a program like Indiana's with a reputation like they had under Bob Knight, it's tough.

"Coach Davis assumed one of most difficult challenges any coach can accept -- following a legendary predecessor," Herbert said. "He has responded to these challenges with character, graciousness, with concern for the welfare of his players and with a determination to raise our program into the ranks of the very best in the nation."

"It was almost a no-win situation for him -- unless he won three straight national titles," Backer said.

Posted by: David Bunch

There's much ado in Hoosier land today, after espn.com reported last night that there will be a press conference today in which Coach Mike Davis will announce his resignation effective at the end of the season.

This coming on the heels of yet another Indiana loss last night, this time to Penn State. The Hoosiers have lost 6 out of the last 7 and are no longer in the Top 25.

Davis, in his sixth season since replacing Bob Knight, took Indiana to the NCAA championship game in 2002. But his team has slipped badly since starting this season 10-2 and peaking at No. 9 in the AP poll on Jan. 9.

The game Wednesday night was his first back on the bench after missing one game with
flulike symptoms amid rampant speculation about his job security.

Davis then tried to quiet speculation Tuesday by saying he had no plans to quit this season. He also said that his job status had become too big a distraction as the Hoosiers prepare for the final weeks of the regular season.

It doesn't get easier for Indiana, which is at No. 10 Illinois on Sunday.

"These guys are going to be fine," he said. "They are hurting in the locker room because we lost the game. But I'm glad to see them hurt. I'm glad to see them show some emotion. ... I see a lot of positives out of it."

Posted by: David Bunch

Believe it or not, I do not own an iPod. I do, however, listen to mp3s on my handheld device (note to self: continue to beg my wife for a new handheld device as mine is now 3 years old, has no bluetooth capability...I digress).

The recent trend of talking about iPods on this blog stems from my fascination with this cultural phenomenon. I've even got another poem in the works (note to reader: see prior blog on iPod haiku).

Though I was too young to remember the Sony Walkman craze, I can't help but think that the current iPod rage is something similar, though in my estimation larger by far.

So I found it interesting when I came across this blog that said that Gold Medalist Hanah Teter was listening to her iPod during her gold medal winning snow board run.

Nice!

(Note to self: ask my wife for a snowboarding vacation so that I can try out my now rusty by 15 years skateboarding skills in the snow. Scratch request for updated handheld device and ask for iPod).

Posted by: David Bunch

This is the stuff dreams are made of.

As often happens in the world of sports, an inspirational story of grit and determination and the will to win will surface and bring inspiration to us all.

Such was the case yesterday when Chinese Figure Skater Zhang Dan was thrown into the air by her partner, only to miss the landing and hit the ice in a painful split.

"It was so painful that I could hardly stand up," Zhang Dan was quoted as
saying. "It challenges the power of a human being."

What followed was one of the most extraordinary moments so far in the 20th Winter Olympic Games.

The 20-year-old from China appeared too hurt to go on, but she consulted with her partner, Zhang Hao, and the pair decided to continue the program. The crowd applauded as she skated a few practice revolutions.

Her courage helped the pair win a silver medal and the appreciation of figure- skating fans here who had suffered disappointing news over the weekend when Michelle Kwan withdrew.

"We didn't say any words of giving up," Zhang Dan said. "It's because we are at the Olympics."

Wow! There is so much to be learned from the kind of attitude that refuses to give up even in the face of incredible odds.

And lest you be tempted to think that it really wasn't all that bad of an injury:

Her determination may have come at a price. ABC News saw Zhang being wheeled out of Centro Traumatologico Ortopedico, a hospital in Turin, Italy.

Her condition is not known.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Currently, the US is tied with Germany and stands only behind Russia in the total medal count with seven. Five of those seven have been gold, though, which is the highest number of top finishers from any country.

If it wasn't for "X-Gamers", the US medal count would drop by four. Our country took first and second in the men's and women's halfpipe snowboard event. To whomever had the task of getting X-Games events in the Olympics: Good job!

The other golds have come from Ted Ligety in Alpine Skiing (after bad boy Bode Miller was DQ'd because of a technicality) and Joey Cheek in speed skating (who, amazingly, only took up the sport two years ago).

Get all the Team USA news here.

Posted by: David Bunch

Turning our attentions again to NCAA Men's Hoops, the #1 ranked UConn Huskies lost by 5 to Villanova.

They may be down, but probably not out?

"We'll bounce back," coach Jim Calhoun said Tuesday. He's seen it happen this season.

The Huskies were 11-0 before losing Jan. 3 at Marquette in their Big East opener. They won 11 straight again before the Villanova loss.

Elsewhere, J.J. Reddick became the NCAA's career 3 point leader as the Blue Devils trounced Wake Forest last night.

Reddick is simply an amazing player to watch, and I look for big things from him in the future.

Posted by: David Bunch

There's an op-ed piece in the USA Today called Love (or not) in an iPod World. The author draws a parallel between the unprecedented number of singles in our society (i.e. people marrying at a later age) and this same social group's addiction to iPods.

The writer quotes from Jillian Straus' Unooked Generation: The Truth About Why We're Still Single, and asserts that the same reasons apply to why they are hooked on iPods.

Her book documents why we're clueless. As I was reading, I realized she could have been talking about the reasons I love my iPod.

First, we live in a culture of infinite choice. With my Internet connection, I can have any song imaginable - early 1990s Indigo Girls to Renaissance motets - in my iPod in five minutes. Likewise, with 40 million singles using online dating sites, you could date someone new every night for the rest of your life.

Second, we believe it's all about us. On my iPod, I can arrange my playlists any way I want them. The fact that no one else on the planet enjoys both early '90s Indigo Girls songs and Renaissance motets is of no matter to me.

Likewise, Straus discovered that modern young people have long checklists of what they want in a mate. One man rattled off 25 "must-have" qualities, from being "ambitious" to "patient," from being a "team player" to having "the ability to be herself." Oh, and she needed to be sexy and like sports. After all, we can customize our playlists. Why not a spouse?

However:

"Marriage, like the car radio, is not as predictable, may not always have things in it that are to your tastes, but occasionally provides an experience that is deeper, more moving, and more exciting than anything you expected," says Haltzman.

There's great joy in listening to what the DJ chooses for you.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Now, be honest, how many of you knew today was the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics in Turin (or Torino, as the Italians say)?

I'm not very familiar with the names in the Olympics, as evidenced by my 30% score in this ESPN Olympic Quiz, but once the games start, it'll be easy to find some American pride and cheer on the competitors. I just find it hard to get excited about events like figure skating, curling and skiing. (Hey, Bunch...weren't you on the luge team in the '98 Olympics?)

Maybe if I lived in a part of the country that had an actual winter, it would be easier to get excited about the Winter Olympics. But since I've seen snow a grand total of about 5 times in my life, it's hard to relate to skiing and snowboarding. I'll take the Summer Olympics anyday.

I'll still try to keep everyone updated, or at the least, post a medal count from time to time.

If you want to know more about the Olympics or Torino in particular, stay tuned to Brian Church's articles for espn.com.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

There appears to be quite an uproar over the officiating in the Super Bowl. Seattle fans blame the loss on the men in striped jerseys and point to three plays in general. I think it's much ado about...well, something.

I'll agree that some calls were questionable and it did seem to favor Pittsburgh, but I don't think the games outcome can be blamed on the officials. If Seattle would've held on to all the dropped passes, those bad calls would've been forgotten.

One of the "questionable" calls brought back a touchdown by the Seahawks. The call was offensive pass intereference on Darrell Jackson. The official thought he pushed off to get open right before he caught a touchdown. After seeing the replay, Jackson did extend his arm and make contact with the defender. Whether or not this action brought Jackson an advantage is arguable, but he did do something that was illegal.

Another "questionable" call gave Pittsburgh a touchdown. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger tried to sneak the ball into the endzone and was stopped right at the goal line. The official on the field hesitated before calling it a touchdown. The play was reviewed and the call upheld. It looked to me like Big Ben may have just eased the tip of the ball across the goal line. Either way, there wasn't enough evidence to overturn the call that was made on the field. I think the officials got this one right.

Bottom line...quit yer' whinin', Seattle! :)

(And I was cheerin' for them...)

Posted by: David Bunch

Check out the Fresh Links portion of our flagship webzine, 90&9. This week Paula North links us to the ever so popular Sudoku puzzle.

As much as I try to convince myself that I'm an early adopter, I find that usually I'm on the bubble when it comes to cultural phenomenons. But I am getting better.

I had just learned about Sudoku over the weekend in a news magazine and thought it sounded interesting, so when Paula linked to a free Sudoku puzzle online I could hardly contain my glee knowing that I am actually on the cutting edge of something.

Or am I?

According to Wikipedia, the first puzzle was published in the US in 1979, gained popularity in Japan in 1986, and (oh here we go) found international cult status in 2005! Yes...so I'm only a few months behind.

From Wikipedia:

Sudoku is a logic-based placement puzzle, also known as Number Place in the United States. The aim of the canonical puzzle is to enter a numerical digit from 1 through 9 in each cell of a 9×9 grid made up of 3×3 subgrids (called "regions"), starting with various digits given in some cells (the "givens"). Each row, column, and region must contain only one instance of each numeral.Completing the puzzle requires patience and logical ability.

Posted by: David Bunch

It's that time of year when the eyes of the sports world turn to college basketball. The Super Bowl is in the rearview, college baseball is beginning and no one yet cares , and it's getting closer to March. All of this means that the madness is beginning.

UConn is number one for the third week in a row, with Duke in tow. The interesting thing about Duke is that the once invincible Blue Devils are now needing overtime to win games-and then barely squeaking out. I don't believe this signals a lack of intensity or skill on their part, but it does indicate that the level of competition has increased, with a lot good teams finding their sweet spot and setting their sites on the big tournament.

Which is what makes it all so exciting. This is the point in the season when teams come out of nowhere and make a run.

This leaves me to my Indiana Hoosiers. They've fallen to No 24 in the polls after losing their second game against a No 1 ranked opponent. Coach Mike Davis says he has a plan to take back their conference, but I'm kind of scratching my head.

With five of his team's final eight regular season games away from Assembly Hall, the Hoosier head coach says he believes Indiana must win three road contests and then win its three remaining home games to have a chance at its first league title since 2002.

Why wouldn't he want to win all eight? I mean, if I'm the coach, I want to say things that motivate my team to win. I don't want to come out and give them permission to lose 2 games.

This also sounds like "coach-speak" to me. You know, "in order to win the title, we have to win games."

No....I'm so glad you pointed that out because that truth had alluded me.

That said, I do think Indiana has what it takes to make a tournament run, but they're going to have to take it to the next level. There are a lot of good teams out there that want to do the same thing.

Posted by: Bradley McDonald

Posted by: David Bunch

The New York Times has this interesting piece about the NFL's use of Roman Numerals to count Super Bowls.

This year being Super Bowl 40, the numerals are XL which also stand for "extra large".

So the NFL and marketers are having a jumbo time using this for their purposes.

It has been 20 years — make that XX years — since only two letters — er,numerals — were needed to make counting Super Bowls this simple. Only two years ago, for Super Bowl XXXVIII, it took seven Roman numerals.

This one may be the ultimate designation, succinctly supersized in a language everyone can understand: XL.

"It works the best," Barry Janoff, executive editor of Brandweek, a marketing trade magazine, said by phone from New York. "You're thinking extra large, you're thinking excel. You can really play with it."

Finally freed of the cumbersome numerals of the past — last year's XXXIX became the structure for a bridge on Jacksonville's
Super Bowl logo — the league can sell this game with something simple and bold, prerequisites to memorable logos. A dominating red X and a blue L are swiped across the middle by a small banner that reads Super Bowl in small block letters, meant to evoke a car's odometer and provide a tie to Detroit's auto industry.

Not matter the outcome this Super Bowl is sure to stand out, especially in 10 years when we'll have, merely, Super Bowl L.