Filling Out The Dance Card For The Locals
Filed under: NCAA Tournament, college basketball, following the locals, sports
Excuses, excuses. I have my share, and probably shouldn’t make any when it comes to this here blog. That said, it’s a wonder I have gotten anything up here at all given how busy I have been both at home and at work (along with my duties at the Baltimore Sports Report). A tradition here at Mind Pinball (if you want to call something a tradition that actually has only been around for a year) is to take a look at the colleges competing at the Division I level to see how they are faring to get into the NCAA Tournament. Many of the schools are smaller and play in conferences that usually only get the automatic bid winner in the tournament, which makes their conference tournaments that much more meaningful than say the ACC or Big East conferences. Because I have been a little late with this post, some of the schools I’ll mention have already seen their NCAA dreams fall short, as the conference tournaments began this past Tuesday. So we will go around and about and see how things have gone thus far:
- Maryland: The Terps have an NCAA berth locked up. ACC conference tournament play begins on Thursday, where the Terps will only be playing for seeding. Such is life in the bigger conferences.
- UMBC: After winning the conference tournament two years ago (getting the school’s first NCAA Tournament bid) and getting to the final of the conference tournament last year, the Retrievers fell with a thud this season. Their season ended yesterday with a 76-59 loss to Vermont in the America East conference tournament quarterfinals. UMBC finishes the 2009-2010 season with a 4-26 record (3-13) in conference. Coach Randy Monroe’s team will look to improve next season as he loses just two seniors.
- Georgetown: Hey, I know they are in DC, but I consider them “local”. Georgetown has a berth in the tournament locked up as well. The free-for-all that is the Big East tournament begins on Tuesday. Georgetown will be looking to get a bit more consistent; the talent is there to do big things in March.
- Towson: Coach Pat Kennedy and the Tigers saw their season come to an end yesterday with a loss to top-seeded Old Dominion in the Colonial Athletic Conference tournament. The 86-56 loss dropped their record to 10-21 on the season (6-12 in conference). The Tigers beat North Carolina-Wilmington in the opening round before bowing out.
- Loyola (Md.): Former Terp assistant coach Jimmy Patsos is working to get Loyola into the upper reaches of the conference in terms of hoops and not his actions. The journey continues for Loyola but the action will have to wait for next season, as the Greyhounds fell to Manhattan in the opening round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament on Friday. The 94-79 defeat (to a team the ‘Hounds beat just five days prior) closes the book on their season with a 13-17 record (6-12 in conference).
- Coppin State: The Eagles are getting ready for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament. The Eagles would need to win the tournament to have any shot at a berth in the NCAA tourney. Not that they haven’t done it before: Two years ago, they came from nowhere to get the MEAC automatic bid, beating crosstown rival Morgan State to get there. Ron “Fang” Mitchell has to be hoping for more of the same type of magic this year as well. The journey begins with a game against the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks in the opening round.
- Maryland-Eastern Shore: The Hawks will once again attempt to make their first ever NCAA tournament. The journey begins with a game against Coppin State in the MEAC tournament. As a resident of the Eastern Shore of Maryland, it would do my heart proud to see the Hawks get in. However, they are seeded sixth, and if they should run though the MEAC and get the automatic bid, they will no doubt be headed to Dayton for the dreaded “play-in” game.
- Morgan State: The Bears are also getting ready for the MEAC tournament. They will be the top seed and the favorite for the third year in a row. Coach Todd Bozeman will be looking to make a return trip to the dance with leading scorer Reggie Holmes leading the way. The Bears have a bye into the quarterfinals, where they will meet the winner of the Howard-North Carolina A&T game. A berth in the N.I.T. awaits should the team fall short.
- Mount St. Mary’s: The Mountaineers are looking for their second NCAA berth in three seasons, as they take part in the Northeast Conference Tournament. Coach Milan Brown is riding the hottest team in the conference, having won 11 straight games which includes their quarterfinal win on Thursday against St. Francis (Pa.). The Mount has a date with second-seeded Robert Morris for a spot in the NEC championship game on Wednesday night. Certainly the Mountaineers should be full of confidence, as they have beaten both of the top two seeds in the tournament this season.
- Navy: The Midshipmen’s season ended back on Wednesday with a loss to another “local” squad the American Eagles in the Patriot League tournament. The 62-60 quarterfinal loss to the two-time defending Patriot League champions dropped Navy to a 13-17 record (7-7 in conference). Coach Billy Lange will try to get the Middies to bounce back next season, as it has been quite a while since the Academy has gone dancing.
- American: Jeff Jones and his squad have some work to do to get back to the tournament for the third straight season. They face a tall order tonight, taking on top-seeded Lehigh for a spot in Friday’s championship game. If the Eagles want to host the championship game at Bender Arena, they will need seventh-seeded Holy Cross to take out third-seeded Lafayette this afternoon.
A few notes: George Washington is preparing for the A-10 tournament, as the tenth-seeded Colonials face seventh-seed Dayton in an opening round game on Tuesday. George Mason, the darlings of the nation four years ago when they made it to the final four, may be headed for the N.I.T. as the Patriots lost to Virginia Commonwealth yesterday in the CAA quarterfinals. Delaware’s season ended on Friday with a loss to VCU in the CAA opening round. Delaware State is looking forward to the MEAC tournament, where they are seeded second and have a bye to the quarterfinals. The Hornets will play the winner of the Bethune Cookman-Florida A&M game.
No matter what team or teams you may follow, enjoy the basketball. I know I will.
Breaking Up The Old Gang
Filed under: NBA, basketball, following the locals, sports
I realize that it had to happen. Had to go down this way.
I realize that Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison and Brendan Haywood had to go. There was no way to keep playing out the charade of the Wizards being a viable playoff contender. Yet it doesn’t make it any easier to take. But the organization had to get what they could for them while their value was high. In what was becoming yet another lost season, the Wizards had to lick their wounds and come back to fight another day, even if that day is further in the distance than anyone thought.
I realize that only a cock-eyed optimist could see what was left of the Wizards after Gilbert Arenas’s departure and think that a playoff team was in residence. Even with Gilbert it was a stretch to believe it, given the way the team was playing. But as a fan, I had hoped for better. I hoped someone, somewhere would teach them how to defend. How to distribute the ball and get good, makeable shots. But it wasn’t to be.
And in a season that has seen the so-called “star” of the team suspended for what amounts to about 70% of the season for of all things, bringing his arsenal of weaponry into the locker room at Verizon Center-in what is not only a violation of Washington D.C. law, but the NBA’s own collective bargaining agreement-something drastic was going to happen. You knew it would, it was just a question of when.
The dominoes began to fall on Saturday of All-Star weekend, when general manager Ernie Grunfeld dealt Butler, Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson to Dallas for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden and a couple of other bodies, but no draft picks. Gooden never even set foot on the court for the Wizards, having been traded four days later to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of a three-team deal that sent Antawn Jamison to Cleveland to play with LeBron James. I can’t say how happy Butler and Jamison may be; both stated on several occasions that they wanted to win in Washington, but given the current state of the franchise they have to be happy that they have left basketball purgatory and now have a chance to play for a championship, something both of them have wanted to do. Haywood leaving doesn’t leave me feeling hot or cold; yes he was becoming a competent center, but I’ve never liked him all that much. Stevenson was never as good as he thought he was, in my opinion-so no real loss there. Grunfeld’s trade deadline dealing has freed up cap room for the Wizards to hopefully sign some decent free agents to begin the rebuilding process-if he is even around to do the rebuilding. No matter who the architect is that will attempt to rebuild this franchise yet again-who do they think they can bring in that would even want to play for the Wizards?
If you want to get an idea of what jazzes fans of the Wizards, the fact that there is talk of changing the team name back to the Bullets actually got people excited. They could be called Lez Boulet, it wouldn’t make them play any better. It’s the players IN the jerseys, not the name on the front that will make the team better. As for me, more losing is in store, for certain, but will I care? How much longer will I wait until the Wizards/Bullets/whatchamacallits finally climb back to respectability? If you know me, you know how I roll. I’ll stick with them no matter what. But this kind of rebuilding is hard to take. Especially since the brain trust would’ve had you believe that with Gilbert, Caron and Antawn the team was a few pieces away from contending for a championship. After Eddie Jordan took the fall last season despite not even having Arenas around because Grunfeld thought the team should have won more games-is Flip Saunders looking to get out or will he be pushed because the team should be better? No one could believe this team is better now than it was before Saturday-unless they are a cock-eyed optimist. Maybe if/when Ted Leonsis is given control of the Wizards a rebuilding we can believe in may take place. Or it just might be like I always say-the franchise is cursed.
A Guide To Orioles Spring Training
Filed under: MLB, baseball, following the locals, sports
If you are like me, a person whose love affair with baseball has gone a little stale since the hometown team has declined, the words “pitchers and catchers report” can set off fleeting moments of hope. This year, I am keeping the faith that the MacPhail Plan begins to bear more fruit and that fans like me can see future pennants and championships in the distance (not up close; they aren’t quite ready for that yet). That said, it’s spring training! Time to breathe deep and drink the orange and black kool-aid! Ok, if you’re not quite at that state yet, here’s a guide to spring training, O’s style.
This year the Orioles will set up camp in Sarasota, which is a marked improvement over the Fort Lauderdale site. While Ed Smith Stadium isn’t brand new, it will be new to the Orioles. The former home of the Chicago White Sox and Cincinnati Reds will now serve as the spring home base for the Orioles, and with renovations and improvements due to be made and completed by next spring training, the Orioles will finally look the part of a first-class organization down in Florida. You can learn all about the new home by visiting this page on the Orioles’ website (in addition to purchasing some tickets for spring training games and travel packages to get you there).
Today marks the first day of the 2010 Baltimore Oriole season, as the likes of Brian Matusz, Jeremy Guthrie, Chris Tillman, new acquisition Kevin Millwood and Matt Wieters will be heading down to Sarasota to build (or in some cases improve) on their 2009 seasons. The rest of the squad (assuming there are no issues with things like visa problems and other minor quibbles) is scheduled to be present by February 23rd. The pitchers and catchers are scheduled to have their first workout on Thursday; the first workout for the full squad will be on the 23rd. If you are heading down, you can watch the practices free of charge, at least until the spring games begin. Once the games begin you can only watch practice if you have a ticket. The Orioles will begin their spring schedule with a home game against the Tampa Bay Rays. You can find the complete spring schedule here. The O’s won’t play the Nationals this year in spring training either at Camden Yards or Nationals Park, but will see old familiar foes Boston and the New York Yankees several times.
So, as I sit with my tall glass of Oriole kool-aid, I am looking forward to improvements by the Orioles. Is it too much to ask for a possible .500 season? I’m old enough to remember Cal Ripken squeezing the last out of the 1983 World Series; will I live long enough to see the Orioles return to respectability? Another chapter in the long-running saga begins in Sarasota in a few hours. Go O’s!
How Things Have Changed
Filed under: ACC, NCAA, college basketball, following the locals, sports
Last year at this time, Gary Williams was feeling the heat from the media and fans alike regarding the state of the Maryland Terrapins basketball team. The team had gone through a terrible stretch where they had lost five of seven games, including a loss to Morgan State at home. The Washington Post had written a series that focused on the Terrapins failure to land recruits from within the state (Part 1/Part 2/Part 3). To top things off, there was a war of words between the assistant athletic director and Williams about how one recruit ended up not going to Maryland. While some fans stuck by the coach, others mused out loud that it was time for Williams to go; that he had done all he could and since he wasn’t getting the top recruits anymore, Maryland basketball would never ascend the heights it had back in 2001-2002, when the Terps made the Final Four in consecutive years, winning the title in 2002.
Fast forward to one year later, and you can find hardly any dissent about the job Williams is doing as coach of the Terrapins. His team currently resides in second place in the conference with a 6-2 record at the halfway point of the conference season. The team is not mired in a funk; in fact in the last game the Terrapins routed North Carolina by 21 points. This week sets up to be a big one for the Terrapins with three games in five days. Saturday they take on the first-place Duke Blue Devils in Durham, then Monday play the make-up game with Virginia at home (which was postponed by the blizzard) and two days later face a trip to Raleigh to play North Carolina State’s Wolfpack. While no game is a gimme in the ACC, given how the Terrapins have played so far each of these games are winnable, though the game at Duke certainly will be tough. With the Blue Devils undefeated at home, it will take a team effort for the Terrapins to get a victory there. If they don’t win that game, there wouldn’t be any shame in losing to the conference’s first-place team on its home floor; but it makes the next two games more important.
All in all, the Terps are looking pretty good for a team picked to finish fifth in the conference. It’s nice to see that the status of Gary Williams is not topic A in any discussion of his basketball team. In fact, I can’t say that I have heard any dissent with Williams, the team’s performance or his recruiting ability. What a difference a year makes. But I wonder if this team somehow falters down the stretch, or the season ends in a fashion that fans find unacceptable, will the barking and sniping return.
Maryland Terrapins: Time To Pay Attention
Filed under: ACC, NCAA, basketball, college basketball, following the locals, sports
With football about to go on hiatus (the games, not the business), the time has come for me to begin paying attention to college and pro hoops. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been kinda keeping an eye on both of them (the NBA due to the Arenas mess and the fantasy basketball league I’m in), but this post will be about ACC hoops in general and the Maryland Terrapins in particular.
Almost every year without fail, the ACC is generally acknowledged as one of, if not the best, college hoops conference. Football in the ACC is a secondary thought-the joke is that the ACC is a basketball conference that dabbles in football. That perception is primarily borne on the success of the two unquestioned powerhouses in conference-Duke and North Carolina. Year after year, these two programs are the marquee features in the league, with successful season after successful season. Their success is often a given in the league-almost every year one or the other is expected to win the league and claim its automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. This year was expected to be no different. However, this year the conference race is wide open. Duke, while still good, is still beatable with the same flaws that have shown up in recent years. North Carolina is suffering a hangover no one really expected, as their young players haven’t quite gotten up to speed with life in the ACC. Everyone else is up and down depending on the opponent.
As it stands right now, Duke is in front, with a one game lead over a surprising Maryland Terrapins squad that is tied with Duke in the loss column. If the Terps can beat North Carolina today, they will finish the first half of their conference schedule with a 6-2 record, which actually wouldn’t be too shabby. The two conference games the Terps lost could hardly be considered shocking: a 2-point overtime loss to an athletic Wake Forest team and a loss to Clemson, both on the road. The Clemson loss may represent the worst game the Terps have played in conference so far. The second half of their conference schedule features two games with Duke and Virginia, the conference’s other surprise team, as well as dates with Clemson, Virginia Tech, NC State and Georgia Tech. A 5-4 finish would get the Terps to 20 wins with 10 losses, and a 10-6 conference record. Granted, as a fan of the Terps you would want them to do better than that down the stretch, but that finish coupled with one win in the ACC tournament should be enough to get the Terps into the NCAA tournament for a second consecutive season. This time last year, Gary Williams was coming under fire for losing games and clashing with the administration, and yet this year, I’ve heard nothing about coaching, or problems.
So from this point forward, I’ll be giving college hoops greater attention between now and the NCAA championship game.
At BSR: Positional Review – D’Backs
Filed under: NFL, blogs, following the locals, sports
This week’s post at the Baltimore Sports Report focuses on a season ending review of the Baltimore Ravens cornerbacks and safeties. This post is part of another series at the site regarding the Ravens. This new series will review the team at each position. So far, posts have been published that review the receiving corps and the running backs.
Fans of the Ravens, Orioles, Maryland’s Terrapins or sports in general should stop by the Baltimore Sports Report. Check out the site, which is now being staffed by a group of writers who are fans just like you. If you see something interesting, leave some comments.
At BSR: The Playoffs
Filed under: AFC, NFL, following the locals, football, sports
Once again, I have contributed another post at the Baltimore Sports Report’s Ravens Year In Review series. This time, I take a look at the team’s performance in the playoffs. You can find that post here. Two other posts have been written about the season since my last piece ran: one on the rollercoaster the Ravens went through at midseason, and the push to the playoffs. Please check them all out.
High Scorers: Ravens Post Mortem
Filed under: blogs, following the locals, football, high scorers, sports
Yes, the Baltimore Ravens 2009 season is over. It didn’t quite go the way we’d hoped, but overall it was a success…another playoff appearance, some growth in several areas, a found star in Ray Rice. However, when the season falls short of the ultimate goal, it’s up to bloggers to pick up the pieces and figure out what went wrong, and what moves to make in the future to do better next season. To that end, High Scorers will focus on blogs and bloggers who are looking at last season, and looking ahead to next season.
The Baltimore Sports Report has several posts taking a look back at the past season; look for mine on games 4-6 of the season (see next post as well).
The Ebony Bird gives his take on the cornerbacks the Ravens should consider acquiring to improve the depth at the position.
Bird Brains On The Half Shell takes a look at what might happen with the current wide receivers on the roster.
Big Steve at The City That Reeds takes stock of both wide receivers and defensive backs, with who should stay and who should go.
Matt at Ravens Gab makes a plea for the Ravens brain trust-upgrade the offense! Quick, fast and in a hurry!
And while many Ravens fans are hoping the Ravens acquire a big name wide receiver, Bruce at Baltimore Beatdown opines that getting one might not make that much of a difference.
If you’re a fan of the Ravens, take a look at these and make your own opinions. Enjoy!
Ravens Review: The End
Filed under: AFC, Loser's Lounge, NFL, following the locals, football, ravens review, sports
A basic assumption of most sporting events is that you have to score to win. Basketball, baseball, hockey, soccer…just about any game you can name, you have to put points on the board. In sports, we keep score. So given that assumption, you would have to figure that the Baltimore Ravens offense would need to score points, particularly when the opposition has Peyton Manning at quarterback. In 60 minutes of football last night at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Ravens could only come up with three points. Three points means that the defense would need to play lights out and pitch a shutout of the Colts to win the game. While the defense did what it could, it couldn’t shut down the Colt offense nearly enough; and so the Ravens’ season comes to a close on the heels of a 20-3 defeat to Baltimore’s old team. This defeat marks the eighth straight time the Colts have beaten the Ravens. And with that defeat, comes the realization that my ticket has been punched to head for the Loser’s Lounge for this NFL season.
In a season where expectations were high for a Ravens team coming off a AFC Championship game appearance, this may ultimately be seen as a step back. The Ravens’ season ended one week shorter than it did the season before with a worse won-loss record. Yet in some ways, there was growth. Ray Rice in particular, had a great season that even his late fumble in this game didn’t diminish. Joe Flacco, while not exactly great in the latter stages of the season, did improve across the board in his second season; if the brain trust can find him some additional playmakers, particularly at wide receiver, those numbers figure to improve. The offensive line did a good job for most of the season. While the defense started the season shaky, they improved as the season wore on. Last night’s performance wasn’t bad by any stretch. The Ravens couldn’t generate much pass rush on Manning, but coverage was tight all game long and didn’t allow much in the way of a running game. The Colts scored twenty points, but they dinked and dunked their way down the field as the Ravens didn’t give up the big play. And still the Colts won the game easily, as 20 points were more than enough on this night.
Ravens fans could really tell it wasn’t going to be their team’s night during one series in the third quarter. After Manning lofted a pass that was intercepted by Ed Reed, Reed fumbled the ball on the interception return after being hit by Pierre Garcon. The ball bounced perfectly on one hop to the Colts’ Dallas Clark. As if that wasn’t enough, five plays later Manning was again intercepted by Reed, but the 54-yard return was called back on a pass interference call by Corey Ivy. That pretty much ended the competitive portion of the game, particularly with the Ravens’ offense not offering any kind of a response. Also, as it had in times all season, untimely penalties helped to doom the Ravens. Ivy’s pass interefence call was one, as was the personal foul call on Ray Lewis. Mistakes and penalties have haunted the Ravens in many a game this season and have been their downfall time after time.
When all is said and done, this season will be looked at as a success overall, but there are some issues that will have to be solved if the Ravens figure to go further in a conference as competitive as the AFC. Ozzie Newsome will have some decisions to make. He’s got to find some more depth on the defense, but even more importantly he cannot let another offseason go by without getting a #1 wide receiver. It was a need last offseason and was not addressed. This offseason he has got to find a receiver who can make plays and stretch the field. What good is having a quarterback who can throw the deep ball if none of his recievers can get open downfield? Derrick Mason isn’t that guy, Mark Clayton isn’t that guy and it appears by the way the coaching staff has played him, Demetrius Williams isn’t that guy. And with the defense aging and Ed Reed thinking about retirement, there have got to be some concerns about positions on defense, particularly in the secondary. Even though the play on the back end improved towards the end of the season, there was concern at cornerback all season long. The aforementioned mistakes and penalties will have to be corrected and cleaned up if this franchise expects to make a run at a Super Bowl.
Thank you, Baltimore Ravens for another good year. I’m hoping that the front office continues on the path to make the organization consistent contenders and keep climbing towards yet another championship for the city, the team and its fans.
PS-R.I.P. Gaines Adams. Prayers go out to his family and friends.
Good Greivis, Bad Greivis
Filed under: ACC, NCAA, basketball, college basketball, following the locals, sports
At his best, he is his team’s most versatile player. He is able to score, rebound and pass with skill and make the players around him better.
At his worst, he is a ball hog and an erratic shooter. A turnover-prone player who can come up small in the biggest moments.
Terrapins fans know that this is what you get with Greivis Vasquez. At times throughout his career at Maryland he has been capable of greatness (for example, the upset of #1 North Carolina last season). At times, he has been guilty of wretchedness (too many examples to name). When the Terps play on the road, it is Vasquez who is the focus of ire from the stands. Admittedly, he plays to the crowd and he loves to shut up opposing fanbases with good play. Yet when he messes up, he draws the scorn of those same fans, who love nothing more than to see him flop.
Even Terp fans are split on Greivis’s appeal. Some realize that he is willing to step up in the game’s biggest moments and have seen him make plays when it mattered. Others hate his style, say he tries to do too much and often plays out of control. He has also been one of Gary Williams’ biggest backers. When Coach Williams was getting repeatedly peppered with questions about his coaching and whether or not the team would make the NCAA tournament last season, it was Vasquez who was in the coach’s corner and rallied the team to the NCAA tournament, getting as far as the second round in a loss to Memphis.
This season has been the typical Vasquez rollercoaster. Early in the season, he was shooting poorly though he contributed with assists and rebounds. Now that he is scoring a bit better his confidence is high, even if his shooting percentage isn’t. A case in point is the Wake Forest game last Tuesday. Vasquez led the team in scoring with 30 points (on 9-27 shooting from the field) as the Terps fought from behind in the second half to get to overtime. But when Maryland needed a quality shot to try to extend or win the game, there was Vasquez with a crazy shot from the corner that hit the side of the backboard and a contested 3-pointer that was not close. There certainly was time in both instances to find a better shot.
On the other hand, yesterday’s win over Boston College showed how good Vasquez can be if he plays under control. While he scored only 17 points, those points were scored on better than 50% shooting (7 makes out of 13 attempts). He also added 9 assists, 5 rebounds and two steals, with only two turnovers for the game.
This Dr. Jeckyll-Mr. Hyde act is about to come to a close, with this being Vasquez’s senior season. So what are your feelings about Vasquez? Potentially great player if he knows his role and plays under control? Or a player with erratic skills who thinks he is a better player than he really is?
Twitter: @mindpinball
- @SidelinePass good morning co-music librarian...thanks for the #FF.
- @ninerchick05 shoot. I read that article and STILL picked Texas. I watched Wake all season. Thought TX could put it together for one night.
- You get...the finger! RT @ninerchick05: Them FTs...Texas played to lose today :middle finger to Rick Barnes and Texas:
- @niclake13 Dino gets off the schneid...as a reward, he gets Kentucky.
- @niclake13 the Texas talent doesn't always play together very well though.
- @niclake13 TX may be garbage, but there's a load of talent on that squad. Wake has talent too, but it doesn't always show up.
- @ninerchick05 here ya go: http://tinyurl.com/ybcktyj
- @niclake13 what reason was that? Dino Gaudio is 0 for postseason. At least Rick Barnes has won a postseason game.
- @ninerchick05 LOL...he's preparing his boys for the League. Winning the tournament isn't his primary goal.
- Texas done woke up. Rick Barnes and his NBA squad just might win this thing after all.
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