The Kevin Durant Problem

Hold on, let me get my calculator...

Hip-hop and basketball are inextricably linked. It's hard to pinpoint exactly when this marriage of culture and sport occurred, but it's a known fact that basketball's Golden Era of the 1980s-early '90s intersected with the birth of hip-hop as a musical genre.

When young Bird and Magic began their long war of the hardwood in the 1979 NCAA Championship Game, DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambataa and Kool DJ Kurt (aka Kurtis Blow) were already spinning records in the boogie down Bronx. But it was at the height of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry/Michael Jordan's rise that hip-hop began to take off. Now, the two cannot be separated, which is why it's hard to hear Rakim's "Don't Sweat the Technique" without picturing an NBA highlight tape going with it.

Wait, what, they actually did that? I had NO idea.

All the anthropology aside, both forms have given to each other over their histories. Basketball players dress like the rappers they listen to, while hip-hoppers wear throwback jerseys of the players they love. The oddest trait shared by basketball and hip-hop, however, lies in it's slang; specifically, the slang for what is considered "good".

In layman's terms, if something's bad, it's good. A nasty dunk, a sick pass, an ill crossover. Shots are deadly or cold-blooded. Countless times, I've said that Derrick Rose is disgusting. LeBron James' beard is disrespectful. (Sorry, that last one is true.)

The faces ballplayers and fans alike will make after a crazy dunk or shot are legendary: expressions of horror, disgust, or as Bill Simmons put it in his Book of Basketball: "A dunk that makes every African-American fan in the building stand up and make the face like they just smelled an extremely bad fart."

Yes, Joakim, that's the face I mean.

So it should not get lost in translation when I tell you the number one fact of the 2012 NBA season:

KEVIN DURANT IS A PROBLEM.

Making it rain among the Thunder

At some point last year, a question was asked in passing on ESPN: would you rather have Kobe Bryant or Kevin Durant?

The runaway answer, of course, was Kobe. KD was in his third season and while he was the leader of a good young Thunder team, he hadn't proven himself.

This year, however, Durant is proving himself, each and every game.

The numbers:

-Per game: 27.9 points, 8.4 rebounds (career high), 3.4 assists (career high), 1.2 blocks (career high), 51.3 FG% (career high)

-51 points in an overtime win against Denver

-36 points in West's 152-149 All-Star Game win

-Averaging 1.5 points per game more on the road

The greatest difficulty for MVP voters? All these numbers are either identical or comparable to the other front-runner, LeBron James.

A "heated" argument

While the animosity of "The Decision" and the Heat's coalescence has lessened immensely, people still don't like LeBron. He had big buckets late in the ASG, but cost his team with two late turnovers. Derrick Rose indirectly disapproved of LBJ's pre-game dance routine at the All-Star game. And people are still wondering what's up with his beard.

LeBron will always draw ire for leaving Cleveland for Miami. It was a move condemned by media, fans and players alike. But he's always scrutinized for being so incredibly good as well. His skill set has only been possessed by a handful of players ever, and hardly any of them have LeBron's size and speed. The only consistent knock has been his three-point shooting, and this year he's averaging a ridiculous 47 percent from beyond the arc. While Dwyane Wade's been injured, James has carried the Heat through stretches, albeit with some help from glue man Chris Bosh. Kevin Durant can't say the same, as he's had Russell Westbrook all season to play Robin to his Batman.

The main thing hurting LeBron's MVP campaign is that he's won before. The prevailing opinion is that writers will go with a first-timer to create a new story. This was one of the ideas presented for Derrick Rose's win last season when other players had considerably better numbers. The simmering hatred for LeBron is another possible reason he would lose out.

None of those should matter this year, though. LeBron is the frontman in this year's race. For how long remains to be seen.

The best in the business

Oklahoma City and Miami have been jockeying for the best record in the league all year. The Bulls are footsteps behind, but Derrick Rose has missed games and the Bulls are 9-3 without him in the lineup. Good odds say he won't be considered. This leaves James, Durant, Kobe Bryant, Tony Parker, Chris Paul, and Jeremy Lin.

All right, you've stopped chuckling, now back to reality. Tony Parker and Chris Paul are long shots, due to Rose's win last year and the writers' hesitancy to reward another point guard. Kobe's having another great season along with a beautiful ad campaign, but the Lakers are stuck with a bad bench and an underachieving third man. Plus, "Black Mamba" is a really stupid nickname.

This leaves James and Durant, and that's a numbers/crunch-time race. The award goes to whoever's team finishes with a better record and whoever measures up against conference opponents (Lakers, Grizzlies, Spurs, Clippers for Durant; Bulls, Magic, Celtics, Pacers, Knicks for James), barring injury. But the fact that it's a race in itself has thrown a monkey wrench into the plans of the basketball writers.

This was supposed to be LeBron's year. He was hungry to erase the memories of last season's defeat to the surprising Mavericks and outright flatten anyone who stood in his way. It was supposed to be a non-contest.

Kevin Durant has just been too much of a problem to ignore.

A nasty problem.

See you in the cheap seats.

JS

What's Good: the Case for Linsanity

The Toronto Raptors had to be seeing double, and not in a good way, like when you see a pair of extremely fine identical twins.

After all, it was Tuesday night and Rasual Butler had just airballed a desperation three at the horn, meaning the Raptors had just lost their second consecutive game.

Oops, excuse me: they had just lost their second consecutive game within five seconds of the final buzzer. Sunday night, it was to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, a fate many teams have shared throughout Mr. Bean's career.

Tuesday night had to hurt much more though, for as the straight-on three rippled the opposing basket with half a second left, the crowd roared...for the visiting New York Knicks.

The Raptors had become the latest victims of Linsanity.

In the Knick of time


Before Jeremy Lin was pulled from the end of the bench, the Knicks were in a familiar downward spiral. They were 8-15, near the bottom of the Atlantic Division, and without a clue as to who would start at the point. Toney Douglas was the backup, Mike Bibby wasn't ready, Baron Davis was still injured, and Iman Shumpert was a rookie. So Mike D'Antoni pulled Lin in against the Nets, and the sensation took off from there.

Lin set NBA records for points in his first three, four, and five starts, has averaged almost nine assists in his six starts (including tonight against the Kings, where he has nine assists at halftime), and dropped 38 points in NY's win against the Lakers. The same Lakers that lead the league in rebounds and are fourth in points allowed.

There is no doubt that Jeremy Lin has been the catalyst for New York's sudden resurgence, and he added to his burgeoning legend with an ice-cold step-up three over Jose Calderon Tuesday that gave the Knicks their sixth straight win. That, along with the scintillating spin move around D-Fish Friday, proved to me that the kid has that intangible quality every NBA player needs: a legitimate swagger. Bird and Magic had it. George Gervin and Pistol Pete had it. Michael, Scottie, Hakeem and Shaq had it. Kobe, LeBron, Wade, Carmelo, Rose, Dwight—all these guys have that innate arrogance in their games; they know they're better. Jeremy Lin has that same look in his eyes, and you saw it before the shot over Calderon when he waved off any possible screens from his teammates. But that begs the question: is he really better?

As Rick James would say, coold-bloooded.

An examination of the statistics

Up to this point, the NBA book on Lin is slim: 

• Graduated from Harvard in '10, went undrafted
• Got an invite to the Golden State Warriors' summer league team. Stayed on Warriors' roster for the season, 11th man on bench (behind Steph Curry and Monta Ellis)
• Waived by Warriors during lockout, got on with Rockets in preseason, subsequently waived. Picked up by Knicks in December, sent down to D-League during season, recalled by Knicks in late January

That's what the casual NBA fan knows about Jeremy Lin. Here's a deeper look at Lin's basketball career:

1. Northern California Division II high school player of the year in 2006, won DII state title, named player of the year by San Francisco and San Jose major newspapers.
2. First player in Ivy League history to finish career with at least 1,450 points, 450 rebounds, 400 assists and 200 steals. Put up 30 points and nine rebounds in a road game against #12 Connecticut his senior year. Said Jim Calhoun: "He's one of the better kids, including Big East guards, who have come in here in quite some time."
3. In a summer league against highly-touted John Wall, Lin scored 13 points on 6-12 shooting in 28 minutes. Wall put up 21 points, shooting 4-19 in 33 minutes.
4. In six starts for the Knicks, Lin has shot 54 percent from the field, averaged 9.5 assists and almost four rebounds.

It's only been six games, but the game tonight against the Kings is the most telling. The Knicks led 77-55 going into the fourth quarter, and Lin had only taken six shots. Put that against 13 assists, and you have the prototypical NBA point guard. Lin can pass well, penetrate the lane and shoots when necessary.

Jeremy Lin is good.

Tebow? Really?

Lin has drawn many comparisons to Tim Tebow, due to their similar rise and chronological proximity. This, along with the natural polarization of such an unlikely success story, has created an uproar across the social media network. Many people are fans of "Linsanity", while others are dismissing him as a flash in the pan, or as Floyd Mayweather put it, a feel-good story hyped because of his race.

Stop yourself right now. Jeremy Lin is none of those things.

In a roundtable discussion on ESPN, their sports experts were asked to compare Lin to Tebow. Mark Schlereth hit the nail on the head when he said that Lin has a much better skill set for his position than Tim Tebow. Lin is a good point guard; Tim Tebow is not a good quarterback. Point proven.

Aside from Floyd Mayweather only getting press for ducking Manny Pacquiao lately, he's not new to being a loudmouth. This time, Money needs to shut up. If Jeremy Lin does suddenly stop producing for the Knicks, it will not be due to his race, it will be because he was not who we thought he was. The enthusiasm of the Asian community is great for him, for them and for the NBA, who has been left with a void since Yao Ming's retirement. Still, Lin should not be looked at solely as an Asian-American ballplayer. In conclusion: Floyd, shut up until the day you can say "I'm ready to fight Manny for the title."

So what's really good?

The verdict: Jeremy Lin is what's good. The kid has the pedigree, he's putting up the numbers and the Knicks are winning games. With tonight's serving of Sacramento, the Knickerbockers are over .500 for the first time this year. When Carmelo Anthony comes back, expect J-Lin to morph into a Jason Kidd-type player: moving the ball, racking up assists, driving the lane and making big shots. He's already show the innate ability to draw contact and finish, and the shortened season will only help.

Keep the Linsanity going, cheap seaters. Just wait 'til Spike buys his #17 jersey.

That's what's good.

JS

Cheap Seats' Spring Training: Sizing Up the White Sox Outfield

Spring training is but a few sunrises away for us...if by "few", I mean "thousand" and by "sunrises", I mean "miles". Still, the great harbinger of warmer weather comes next week when pitchers and catchers report to the southlands of Arizona and Florida. It's also the moment when thousands of fantasy baseball players crawl from their hibernation spaces, rub their eyes and start scanning last season's stats for that one sleeper pick that'll make their season. Just in case that guy's on the White Sox, Jon Peterlin (@JPeterlin) breaks down the Chicago White Sox outfield.

You won’t gain anything more but insight as to who the Sox have available and how they fit. It's close to spring training I think you’ll find this knowledge helpful when evaluating how these players play getting ready for the season. I think you’ll find there’s a lot of question marks in the Sox outfield, but a decent amount to be excited about as well.

So Long, Farewell

Carlos Quentin

Quentin was traded in early January to the San Diego Padres for two prospects, one of whom (Simon Castro) we’ll see pitching up with the Sox sometime this year if things go as planned. What we’ll miss out of Quentin is his homerun power in a hitter’s ballpark.. Moving to Petco should downgrade his power, but it was a smart move for Padres for the price. Outside of his power, Quentin didn’t bring much to the table. His mediocre batting average, paired with less than mediocre fielding skills, and atrocious base running makes him a player the Sox thought he would be. The Sox got one really good year out of Quentin. Outside of that, he has been regressing back to the player he was early in his career with Arizona.

Juan PierreNo surprise here: Juan Pierre is off to try to bid an opening spot in the Phillies organization, not with the White Sox. What you see is what you get in Juan Pierre though. He’ll slap singles all day and be a threat on the bases. His lack of power and poor defensive rate for 2011 ultimately became too costly for the Sox to avoid. .279 is a decent average, though...for someone that’ll net you 20 plus homeruns and play adequate defense. Pierre can’t do either. Although he’s projected to steal 20 – 25 for 2012, there’s simply not enough good to outweigh the bad.

The Gang (that's) All Here

Now we move onto where the Sox currently stand. With three spots on the field and four reasonable candidates, the Sox have a good spring training battle for players to solidify their starting spot. The projected starting lineup consists of Alex Rios in center field, Alejandro De Aza in left, Dayan Viciedo in right, and Brent Lillibridge fighting to find an opening. We’ll start with the fan favorite and man with the most to prove, Brent Lillibridge.

Brent Lillibridge

Lillibridge is coming off his best year by far in the majors. In 97 games, the Lilli-Hurt hit 13 homeruns and posted a .505 slugging percentage. Before you get too excited and start salivating at the idea of Lillibridge continuing that pace in a full year, there’s a few things I need to remind you of.

There’s one stat that stayed consistent last year: strikeouts. Lillibridge posted a 28.7 strikeout percentage. This is right on line with his career 28.6 strikeout percentage. To put that in perspective, the league average for strikeout percentage is around 20 percent. The lower 10 percent for strikeout percentage is more where Lillibridge falls in at around 27.5.If the strikeout numbers are the same, why did Lillibridge have a better batting average?

A look at his batted ball percentage only confuses things more. Usually a spike to this degree in stats comes from more line drives. Not the case with Lillibridge. His line drive rate dropped from 25.4% to 17.4% from 2010 to 2011. So where do the higher stats come in, then? Fly balls. Lillibridge posted a 50 percent fly ball rate, up 11 percent from 2010. This explains the homerun factor.

Expect to see Lillibridge take a Carlos Quentin-type regression from 2008. His true numbers should come out this year, and we’ll see the player he really is. If he was 24, I’d say he could be coming into his own as a ballplayer and might be figuring things out. At 28, he’s hit that mark already. Injury and the dings of the season will give Lillibridge a good amount of at bats at some point. He is a utility player, so he’ll find his time; for Sox fans, hope it’s in the outfield where he’s better defensively. He’ll also be a good use for late-innings pinch-hit opportunities against lefties, due to his power and high platoon split showing he knows how to hit lefties better.

Dayan Viciedo

There’s a lot of upside I find in Viciedo, but there's also a lot of unknowns. I didn’t know where to begin to project Viciedo and his talents for 2012 so I looked to the experts. Bill James' projected stat line for 2012 is .274/.324/.455 with 21 homers. ZiPS' projection is .274/.328/.431 21 HR, so both projections are very similar.

With limited time in the majors (38 games in 2010 and 29 games in 2011), Viciedo has too small of a sample size to accurately stamp numbers on him. That’s what I think is most exciting about him. He’s also young, and at 22 years old, he’ll only get better. One big positive is his approach at the plate since coming to the majors. In the little time he was here, from 2010 to 2011, he has started taking more pitches at the plate leading to a rise of six percent in his walk percentage. Six percent is a huge jump, but unfortunately he was so far down to begin with that it only brought him up to eight percent, which is right around league average. He’s got the power and he's playing in the right park for that power, so if he really shines this year, don’t be too shocked.

Alex Rios

Not much new can be said about Alex Rios that we don’t already knowingly shake our head. Most people look at his hitting downside as the biggest reason for disappointment out of Rios. I combine that with his defense which, like many things for Rios last year, hit a career low. Rios had a -7 defense rating (meaning he cost the White Sox seven defensive runs). I personally think he’s on a steady decline that won’t get any better anytime soon. That being said, he should hit .250 and get you 15-20 homeruns. It sounds rough, but the Sox just have to wait until 2015 when they can give him $1 million and buy out his contract.

Don't expect this guy to save the season.

Alejandro De Aza

Let’s bring Sox fans down to reality first and foremost: Alejandro De Aza will not be the Alejandro De Aza we saw last year in 54 games. That being said, there’s a lot to be excited about with De Aza. He should hit double digits in homeruns if he gets everyday playing time, and there’s nothing but love to be shown for his speed. He posted a 2.8 wins above replacement in 2011, so the Sox couldn’t ask for much more out of him.

We will see his batting average drop from .329 to somewhere a little below .300. If you want to give me a left fielder that hits close to .300, has decent power, and can steal 20 bases while keeping his walk percentage ( 9.9% last year) up, I’ll take that all day. The only downside to De Aza is his age. He’ll be 28 by mid-April, so his offensive numbers shouldn’t spike that much higher, but if he shows us anything similar to what he did in 54 games last year, then I’m excited.

Down on the farm? Not much to harvest

There’s not a lot of hope for outfielders in the Sox farm system to make a splash in the majors. Here’s a brief look at the Sox’s two best outfield prospects. Don’t get too excited—neither should be in the majors for another couple of years. It’s still something to keep an eye out for as they’ll both be at spring training this year and if they progress fast enough, who knows?

Trayce Thompson

The word on Thompson is the same everywhere: he won’t be playing centerfield in the majors. He’ll be a corner outfielder with a lot of power, but strikes out a ton. He should spend the season in high A ball, and the Sox don’t expect him up to the majors until 2014.

Keenyn Walker

The biggest knock on Walker is the same as Thompson: too many strikeouts. He’s got a lot of speed and is an above-average defender, but lacks pop with the bat. It’ll be interesting to see how he does in spring training. as most scouts don’t have him in the majors until 2015. I could see that being pushed up if he bulks up and cuts down on strikeouts.

There shouldn’t be much hope for trades. The only thing I could potentially see is if they sign Cuban ballplayer Yoenis Cespedes. Right now the Marlins are in the lead, but there’s so many teams involved in that race for anyone to truly know who has the advantage.

Those people who know me know I’m a Cubs fan, so don’t think I did this as a knock on the Sox outfield. I gave great compliments all throughout this post, but the reality is the Sox are in a tough position with their current outfield. I’ll be analyzing the Cubs outfield soon enough, as they’re just as intriguing (just as bad, if not worse) with just as many question marks.

Follow Jon in his many bowling conquests and future posts on Twitter (@JPeterlin).

Bravehearts: The Only Thing We Have to Fear...

It cannot get worse for Bradley basketball.

Ok, that's not true. We could lose to ISWho twice this year. If (when) we do lose to a team that has managed to move up a few spots in the conference this year, I won't feel terrible.

What I do feel terrible about is losing by at least 30 points three different times this season to three different team.

What I feel terrible about is knowing that we have become the laughingstock of the Valley.

What I feel terrible about is knowing that this season is doomed to repeat itself next year.

Uptempo, on and off the court

Geno Ford might be one of the funniest and loosest coaches I've ever had a conversation with. He's funny, genuine, and shoots straight. I wish his team could latch on to that kind of charisma and turn it into points on the board. Geno's positivity on the side lines almost makes me wonder if he's blindly ignorant to his situation—or maybe he's just blind.  He's clapping his guys up and down the floor, never yells during timeouts, and never looks totally disparaged, as far as I can tell.

Why? Because he knows that this is only year one.

The proof is in the pudding

If you want proof that Geno Ford is the guy to fix Bradley,  look at this year's Kent State Team.  The team he assembled is 16-6, including a season-opening win at West Virginia. These guys play under Ford's former assistant, and they also run the same system Ford runs. Did I mention the guy won back-to-back MAC championships? Yes, it's the MAC, a weaker conference, but to win back-to-back means that you can find talent, and then you can mold it. Besides, Norris Cole came out of the MAC and look what he's doing in Miami.

It took him a few years, but Geno Ford can get it done.

"I've failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed." 

The Braves will rise again. They will. Their combined failures will give way to a bold phoenix, ready to spread its wings and whip away the dust and debris of this abysmal season.

But not with this crop of players.

Don't be surprised if five or six guys don't come back next season. At all. We're talking off the team, people. Personally, I'm excited to see Nate Wells and Will Egolf in the post, Walt continue working on his jump shot, and what DSE can do so ball will be in his hands more next season. 

I think we're all excited, really. They can only improve.

Until then, go check out the women's games, and Katie Yohn's passes. Trust me. 

There's always next year, 

K-Mac

Ed. Note: "A bold phoenix"? K-Mac must have been reading the fifth Harry Potter again.

Rob Gronkowski's Game of Inches

Sports has always been called a game of inches. A basketball that lands on the front iron instead of in the net, a hockey puck hitting the crossbar, the baseball striking the wrong side of the foul line.

"Right size, wrong shape" says Ken Harrelson, when a White Sox player hits a foul ball with home-run distance. When a Sox hitter knocked a fly ball just short of the fence, John Rooney used to say, "Another strip of bacon on his breakfast plate and that one's outta here." "Juuuuuuuust a bit outside," for Bob Uecker. "Threeeeeeeeee--nope" for Neil Funk.

A game of inches, they've said. For the New England Patriots, the game came down to six inches last night. It was not the six inches of indoor grass between the ball and Rob Gronkowski's fingertips, however.

No, six inches separated the Pats from their fourth Super Bowl victory. The six inches of white tape on Rob Gronkowski's left ankle.

A wounded giant...excuse me, Patriot


Allow me to channel Alfred Hitchcock for a moment.

Imagine, if you will, a healthy Rob Gronkowski. A beast of a man, quick, speedy, agile and able to catch about anything he can reach. A devastating tandem along with fellow tight end Aaron Hernandez, Rob Gronkowski frustrated linebackers and defensive backs all season...until he suffered a serious ankle injury in the AFC Championship game.

Suddenly, Gronk was slowed, chained, restrained. The high-ankle sprain limited his astounding mobility, turned him into a lumbering player. Gronkowski and the Patriots said all week that he would play in the Super Bowl, and when the time came, he came onto the field. But it was clear he wasn't the same. Gronkowski caught only two passes, and missed a chance to haul in the greatest of his career.

So close...


As Tom Brady looked to duplicate Eli Manning's desperation fling from four years earlier, the Patriot receivers hustled to the end zone. Aaron Hernandez arrived first and was the only man in the area who had a chance.

Rob Gronkowski, a hobbled Rob Gronkowski, was still about three yards away from the spot.

Hernandez and the Giants D-backs tip the ball in the air. Gronkowski runs and dives, but ends up short. About six inches short.

Football nation watched this year as Gronkowski made play after play this season, with his hands and his legs. He set records as a tight end for receiving yards and touchdowns. He was a leader in that vaunted Madden stat of "yards after catch".

Yet there he was, in the last moment of the first Super Bowl of his young career, coming up short.

Six inches of grass. Six inches of tape.

Does a healthy Rob Gronkowski, running full speed with maximum force on that ankle make that play?

Maybe he doesn't. Maybe he overruns the ball and is out of position. Maybe gets blocked out. Maybe he just misses it.

Or maybe he doesn't. Maybe a healthy Rob Gronkowski has more than two catches in the game. Maybe a healthy Rob Gronkowski makes Tom Brady even better and the Giants have to do more than score an easy touchdown with one minute to go.

Maybe a healthy Rob Gronkowski cradles that ball in his hands, and Tom Terrific doesn't turn into Tom Thumb on the bus ride back to the hotel.

Four years ago, the inches of David Tyree's fingertips gave the Giants all they needed. This time, the Giants got the break again.

A game of inches, indeed.

See you in the cheap seats.

JS

Another Super Bowling Sunday

All right, I'm just going to say it...

It's really hard to get up for this Super Bowl.

It shouldn't be, I get that. It's the epic rematch of the Super Bowl four years prior, where the little blue engine that couldn't, wouldn't, shouldn't...did.

David defeated Goliath, and in doing so, beat his older and better brother to the mountaintop.

Evil finally succumbed to its own gigantic id (remember Belichick going for it on fourth-and-five from the Giants 32, instead of kicking a field goal?), and paid the price.

For once, the majority of America cheered for New York, for they had taken down the cheaters of the league.

This year, the quarterbacks are the same. The coaches are the same. The stakes are the same.

Eli vs. Tom! Tom vs. Bill! New England vs. New York for a place in history! The most famous trophy in America!

Yawn.

Last time was different

There's a reason the pundits always take the Patriots in the big-game situations now, except for the year Matt Cassel was guiding the team. A few reasons, actually.

It was 2007, and the Patriots were a few years removed from their dynastic run of NFL championships. Tedy Bruschi had retired. So had Mike Vrabel and Willie McGinest. Adam Vinatieri, Pats hero of Super Bowls past, had just won a ring with the hated Colts (I say "hated" since they did beat my beloved Bears the year before).

New England was fairly mortal. They had won their first game against the New York Jets, but the season was wide open for just about anyone in the NFL.

Suddenly, the accusations came flying: the Patriots were cheaters!

The Pats had been accused of sending a member of the staff to tape the Jets' practice prior to their Week 1 matchup. The fallout was monumental. The topic was debated on every single sports show, in bars, at water coolers—if someone knew about football, they were talking about the Patriots' supposed wrongdoing.

The Patriots were incensed. Bill Belichick denied it. Tom Brady denied it. Everyone in the Northeast was angry that any such accusations would be leveled at them. So the Pats decided to make a statement.

By beating everyone else on their schedule.

New England went 16-0 in the regular season. They lost by less than a touchdown only four times, never lost by less than three, and they ended the year by beating the Giants 38-35 at the Meadowlands.

The Patriots were untouchable, a juggernaut, a lock to win the Super Bowl. Worst of all, everyone "knew" they had cheated. Their NFC counterpart, the Giants, had only made it to the playoffs via the Wild Card, and had taken a 22-10 loss against the hapless Washington Redskins. The same Redskins the Patriots embarrassed 52-7 early in the year.

There was no chance for the Giants. It was Patriots and the points at every bookie in the country.

Needless to say, there were a lot of stunned bettors that night in 2008, as Plaxico Burress and little Eli Manning celebrated the most improbable postseason victory in NFL history. Oh, and David Tyree made some kind of catch as well.

Thanks, Joe Buck, for all your enthusiasm. Just imagine if Gus Johnson had this call.

But this year...

The Patriots are a good football team. They're the favorites on the line once again, but that's debatable this time around. They had a close shave against a determined Ravens team and only got away when Billy Cundiff pulled (shanked?) a Steve Norwood-level kick at the final gun.

Meanwhile, the Giants aren't the underdogs they were four years ago. Eli has the experience, has the ring, has the big-time receivers in Hakeem Nicks and the young, exciting, salsa-dancing Victor Cruz. He also has a great defense to put pressure on Tom Brady, but New York had that four years ago as well.

Honestly, it will be a great game. It will. It just won't have that same magical quality as it did in 2008.

All the little guys got the chance to beat on their chest back then, as the Evil Empire finally fell on its face.

This time, someone just gets a ring. But at the very least, it won't be this guy.

Enjoy the Super Bowl, cheap seaters.

JS

The Winter of My Discontent

It's customary for Chicagoans to gripe about winter weather. We know it's coming, we're used to it, but we still get annoyed by the snow and the sleet and the slush.

Then, winter's like this one come along, and you don't know how to react. Temperatures in the 50s (the 60s, even!). A dearth of snow. No cold North wind. And it's February, which means the first signs of spring are only two weeks away: pitchers and catchers will report to spring training.

Spring training. I've always said with a child's naivete that spring training is the first true harbinger of summer, that first sound of baseballs hitting gloves. This year, however, spring training is the first reminder of the coldest, hardest fact of winter.

The White Sox are going to be bad.

The Sox have a new, untested manager. Their bullpen is going to be an experiment. Their most dependable pitcher and only championship manager of the last 90 years have both departed for Miami, and the teams in their division are only getting stronger.

Don't let the weather fool you. It's been a cold season for other reasons.

The White Sox: rebuilding, in three acts


It was a guarantee that Ozzie Guillen would be gone at the end of the season. The Sox had disappointed expectations once again, failing to even gain the division lead during the year, let alone make the postseason. But the departure of the Wiz was messy, even by South Side standards: Ozzie left with two games to go, and usual replacement manager Joey Cora took his leave following a message from Ken Williams that pitching coach Don Cooper would manage the remainder of the season.

Possible replacements were floated for Guillen: Terry Francona, Tony LaRussa, Joe McEwing. All men with some kind of major- or minor-league experience. So in true Sox fashion, management decided to swerve on folks and hired Robin Ventura. A well-known White Sox name, but a man who's only coaching experience was with his son's high school baseball team.

Then more news surfaced: free agent pitcher Mark Buerhle had signed a deal with the Miami Marlins. The Marlins, aside from signing everyone in the free world, had also announced Ozzie as their new manager. It was unthinkable: the fiery manager and outspoken top pitcher heading south for another title run.

If that weren't enough, the Detroit Tigers, the most hated team in the universe this side of the Monstars, signed Prince Fielder away from the Brewers. If that doesn't strike fear into your heart, let's look at the prospective starting lineup for Detroit:

Austin Jackson, CF
Brennan Boesch, LF
Prince Fielder, DH/1B
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
Victor Martinez, DH/C/1B
Magglio Ordonez, RF
Ryan Raburn/Ramon Santiago, 2B
Alex Avila, C
Brandon Inge, 3B

Sorry, I just about fainted. Meanwhile, Carlos Quentin is gone and the Sox have questions in the outfield and pitching staff. Will it be repeat of 2007? As the magic 8-ball says, "signs point to yes."

Bulls on the run


It might be hard to remember, but the Bulls didn't start all that well last year. They lost to Oklahoma City on Opening Night and started the season 9-8. Recall that this was the time when everyone was anxiously awaiting the return of Carlos Boozer from his hand injury. Try not to laugh angrily when you do.

This year was different. The Bulls stole a crazy game from the Lakers to start the year, avoided the circus trip due to the shortened season, and began the year 15-3. Even amid injuries to C.J. Watson, newly acquired Rip Hamilton, Joakim Noah, and Derrick Rose, the Bulls kept winning.

Then Luol Deng hurt his wrist against the Bobcats. Since Deng's injury, the Bulls are 3-3 and haven't beaten a team with a premier small forward (Indiana, Miami, Philadelphia). Many players have called Deng "the glue" for the Bulls. He's the man who can fill the holes they need on offense, and he's a solid defender. He also covers for Carlos Boozer on D, which the Bulls sorely need. A game against the Knicks and Carmelo Anthony should be another demonstration on how badly the Bulls need Luol Deng. Fortunately, his injury is on his non-shooting wrist and he should be back as soon as possible.

The BADley Braves


After an injury-plagued campaign last year and the firing of Jim Les, it was felt that Bradley men's basketball was on the rise. There was a new coach, a new system, new recruits and that optimistic feeling that comes with a new season of college basketball. I figured Bradley might have a dip in their record this year and start to trend up in 2012-13.

No one expected this.

Bradley took an absolute beating last night, losing 92-62. This is a bad game, no doubt, but it's made worse by three facts:

-The final score would have been worse had Jalen Crawford not sunk a halfcourt shot as time expired;
-This was the second-worst home loss in school history, the record being set earlier this year against Wichita State
-Bradley lost to Evansville, which had been the conference whipping boy for many years prior.

These 20- and 30-point losses are becoming all too commonplace for the Braves. I haven't read a Kirk Wessler column in a month for fear of either chopping the newspaper into bits or breaking into tears at work. I've also conveniently been "too busy", "too tired", or "too broke" to attend a Braves game since Christmas. This troubles me, as I was one of the greatest supporters of Bradley last year as they slogged through their bad year. "Through thick and thin," I shouted many times as fans left the arena with more than six minutes to play. "Where are you going? The game's not over!"

Excuses are the first sign of fan alienation, and it's a very short road to becoming that worst of supporters: a fair-weather fan. The Braves must get better, but it's important that fans like you and I continue to support them through these rough times. Keep wearing that Bradley red this year and keep heading to Carver Arena.

The February 25 game against ISWho might be the highlight of the season—if the Braves can win. If Bradley takes another tough loss to those lousy Redbirds, it might be the last straw of the year.

Let it go, let it go, let it go


The Bulls will recover. The Sox will tough it out. Bradley always has next year. Even though the sports inside may be frightful, spring is always around the corner for our heroes. Don't worry that times are bad now, they'll get better later. There's a brighter tomorrow...all right, I had to stop, I realized I was just trying to convince myself. Just listen to the song, and I'll see you in the cheap seats.

JS

I wonder if Carlos Boozer plays this after he has a bad game.