Brian Kelly-A Bully on the Sidelines?

“No One Likes a Bully, Brian”

By Cody Phillips

For years I’ve watched Brian Kelly’s coaching star continue to rise.  In his final three seasons at Grand Valley State he had a 41-2 record, winning Division II National Championships in 2002 & 2003.  He then moved onto Central Michigan where in this third season, he coached the Chippewas to a 9-4 record, a MAC Championship, & a Motor City Bowl Invite.  Following the 2006 season, Kelly moved onto Cincinnati where I was able to see him battle West Virginia each year while in the Big East Conference.  He took Cincy to unprecedented heights, reeling off 12 straight victories in the 2009 regular season.  He finished his tenure at Cincinnati with a 34-6 record while leading them to the Orange Bowl & Sugar Bowl in consecutive seasons.  Without question, this man can coach.  When it comes to X’s and O’s few are his equal.  My blog today isn’t questioning his ability to coach, but rather pointing out his poor, if not preposterous, sideline behavior throughout his career.

Let me begin by saying, I realize football is a passionate game.  With the appalling money universities are paying Division I head & assistant coaches, it only raises the stakes and therefore the expectations from fans & alumni.  Football is not for the faint of heart...it is indeed a man’s game.  Violence comes with the territory.  I’m not against a coach grabbing a player by the face mask & giving him a stern talking to.  At times, many coaches view this method as the only way to get through to a player.  I would agree.  I also realize different coaches use different techniques to reach their players & each has been used throughout time to great success. Current New England Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick is viewed as a players coach & is arguably the greatest coach of the last 10 years in the NFL.  Bill Parcells, an NFL mainstay for multiple franchises, would never be accused of being a player’s coach.  He is as hard nosed as they come, often getting in heated confrontations on the sidelines with his players, yet he is a Hall of Fame coach in his own right.  Their are many contrasting yet successful approaches to coaching.  “Different strokes for Different folks.”  HOWEVER, the manner in which I’ve seen Brian Kelly dress down not only his players but his assistant coaches throughout the years comes across at the very least as extremely unprofessional...if not abusive.  

As I watched Kelly’s teams over the last 8 years, I always felt this was a disturbing pattern of behavior.  I remember watching him almost bring an assistant coach to tears on the sideline of a Cincinnati/WVU matchup on ESPN.  It was embarrassing.  

It all seemed to boil over during Notre Dame’s brutal 23-21 loss to USF in South Bend on Saturday.  Throughout the contest Kelly could be seen openly berating & screaming at his assistants & players.  I know this had to be a tough game for a Head Coach to swallow...so much expectation had been placed on the preseason #16 ranked Fighting Irish.  I can’t imagine how excruciatingly hard it must be to stand helplessly....watching all of your off-season hopes slowly fade with each mistake your Irish offense would make.  When you outgain an opponent 508-254 as the Irish did, you expect to win the football game.  Notre Dame’s downfall (as is so often true with any football game- no matter the level of competition) could be directly attributed to turnovers.  Notre Dame had 5 to USF’s 0.  To make matters worse, it appeared that the turnovers would occur at the most inopportune times, having fumbled or thrown away points on numerous red-zone opportunities.  

The most deplorable volcanic eruption from Kelly could be seen in his verbal assault on wide receiver, TJ Jones.  With the Irish going in for a sure score at the 5 yard line, QB Tommy Rees threw a crossing pattern to Jones.  The pass intended for Jones hit the receiver in the helmet and deflected in the air, resulting in an interception by South Florida's Michael Lanaris.  The play was unfortunate & Jones should have been looking back for the football as I’m sure he was taught, but the rage & tongue lashing that erupted from Kelly has no place in collegiate athletics.  I happen to be a great lip reader & the word’s “Are you F*$%ING kidding me?” were the first word’s that greeted Jones on the sideline.  After a 15 second barrage from Kelly, the young receiver tried to pull away only to have Kelly chase him down to continue the onslaught.  

Could you imagine the level of A$$ Chewing his wife must get when she burns the meatloaf...hahahaha  

I’m not naive to the fact this kind of interaction happens throughout college football on a weekly basis.  Bo Pelini, Nebraska’s current head coach, was fined & reprimanded by the university for a similar offense last year.  However, if you look around the collegiate landscape & think back to the outbursts you’ve witnessed...I can promise you none can compete with Kelly’s history of profanity laced tirades.  Notre Dame finally has won a BCS title for hiring the BullyingCoachingStandout as their Head Ball Coach.

College head coaches are in an extreme position of power, not only with the university as a whole but in each child’s life that they come in contact with.  For many, these men are seen as father figures.  I’m sure Brian Kelly does an enormous amount for each young man he’s coached.  I’m sure he’s instilled values in them that will last a lifetime, but on the sidelines during the heat of battle, he comes across as the little kid always whining in school when he doesn’t get his way.  His face was filled with such a level of hatred on Saturday that I feared he may have a heart attack...

If you don’t believe me, see it for yourself.  Your eyes won’t lie to you.  It will be easy to find Coach Brian Kelly, he’s on NBC every single weekend.  I figure he may tone it down for a week or two, but he is what he is & his actions will return.  You see it’s called a pattern of behavior for a reason.  You are a bully Brian Kelly...NO ONE LIKES A BULLY BRIAN!

An Excerpt From Today’s Chicago Sun Times Blog: 

http://blogs.suntimes.com/notredame/2011/09/kelly_vows_to_better_control_h.html

Kelly vows to better control his emotions

By Neil Hayeson September 7, 2011 7:30 AM |

Controversy swirling around Brian Kelly doesn't relate to his team's 23-20 loss to South Florida on Saturday as much as his demeanor on the sideline.

The Notre Dame coach is being taken to task for expletive-laden sideline rants captured by NBC cameras during Saturday's twice storm-suspended game. The National Catholic Register asked whether Kelly should be fired while other Internet articles demanded as much after Kelly's face turned as purple as the skies above Notre Dame Stadium when quarterback Tommy Rees' pass to TJ Jones bounced off Jones' helmet and was intercepted at the South Florida 4-yard line in the third quarter of the season-opening loss.

Kelly berated Jones after he came to the sideline with words that didn't require a lip reader to interpret.  

Kelly said Tuesday that the loss was the most frustrating of his 28-year coaching career. When first asked about his sideline deportment by a Sun-Times reporter, Kelly seemed defensive: "Did I hit somebody? Did I strike somebody? Is that what you're referring to? I'm asking specifically what you're referring to," he said.

After the question was clarified, the second-year Notre Dame coach acknowledged that he needs to remain more composed.

"I was extremely frustrated with the game," Kelly said. "What I have to recognize is that I'm on TV all the time. [I need to] do a better job of understanding when that camera is on me. It seems like it's on more than I'm used to. So I'll have to do a better job of controlling my emotions."

BEST SPORTS VIDEO GAMES FROM OUR CHILDHOOD

“Stop Looking at My Controller!”

By Cody Phillips

When first considering this topic, I felt I was going to struggle in determining my two favorite sports video games growing up.  It literally took me all of two minutes.  Without a shadow of a doubt, it was Tecmo Bowl and R.B.I. Baseball for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

The original Tecmo Bowl was released on the Nintendo in 1989 and shortly thereafter become a love of mine.  It was really the first video game to feature real NFL teams and players.  Tecmo Bowl contained twelve teams, each equipped with four offensive plays. Most teams have two running plays and two passing plays. The exceptions were San Francisco and Miami, who have three passing plays and one running play.  

Tecmo Bowl had its quirks. For instance, almost any pass thrown to a covered receiver resulted in an interception, and it was unrealistically easy for some teams to block field goals and extra points. Lawrence Taylor of New York and Dexter Manley of Washington could block any field goal or extra point simply by selecting them and running down the line and through the long snapper.  On offense Walter Payton, Marcus Allen, Neal Anderson, and Bo Jackson were nearly unstoppable running the football.  Montana, Elway, and Marino deadly through the air.  On defense, the aforementioned L.T., Mike Singletary, Ronnie Lott, and Howie Long were menacing.  

Playing against a friend could be extremely frustrating seeming how the gamer controlling the defense had a 1 (Ozzie Smith) in 4 (Bobby Orr) chance of guessing the offensive play, which resulted in almost assuredly a loss on the play.  Also, it seemed extremely easy to sneak a peek at your friends controller and see which play they were choosing! (Of course, I never did such a thing)  The phrase, “stop looking at my controller” was screamed thousands of times at a bloody murder pitch from an upstairs bedroom at the Phillips abode. 

The second coming of the franchise, Tecmo Super Bowl, was almost my top choice because it was the first game to have every NFL team, expanded rosters, expanded playbooks, and statistics tracking over the entire season (my favorite facet of the game.)  I also loved that you could edit playbooks and substitute offensive players.  This really ignited my passion for “x’s and o’s” in the game of football.  Both Tecmo Bowl and Tecmo Super Bowl were fantastic, but the original garnered my top nod. 

R.B.I. Baseball comes in a very close second when thinking back to my most fond video game memories as a youngster.  It contained 8 teams listed only by city name.  Boston, California, Detroit, Houston, Minnesota, and San Francisco.

The real fun came when you controlled either the American League or the National League All Star teams.  These squads had the real studs.  The two teams featured established veterans such as George Brett, Dale Murphy, and Andre “The Hawk” Dawson —none of whom appeared on the other eight teams—as well as up-and-coming stars like Mark McGwire, Andres Galarraga, and Jose Canseco.  I wish I could make this screen talk, because the sounds in this game are particularly cemented into my brain.  I can still hear the specific sound associated with a homerun that flew OUT OF THE STADIUM, a missed swing, an error made in the field, a pitch with a lot of movement, a batter being hit by a pitch, and many other gameplay features.  I also remember every player on the field being “shaped” exactly the same...looking very much like Penguins.  Crazy what you remember from your childhood.  

This game resulted in many head-to-head heated battles with friends as well.  Less likely than Tecmo to sneak a peak and cheat on this game...much more likely to set a “fastball’s only” designation prior to starting and get super pi**ed when your friend decides in the most crucial part of the game that he’s gonna either A.) disregard the rule that was agreed on prior to the start regarding "fastballs only" or B.) have an erroneous hand slip that results in your hitter swinging 10 seconds before the pitch gets to the plate.  Talk about “fighting mad”...that’ll get me fighting mad!  

I absolutely love both of these games and will forever cherish that time in my life.  We all like to reminisce about our childhood and both Tecmo Bowl and R.B.I. Baseball stick out as bright spots in a childhood filled with many stars.  

*A Special Thanks to my Uncle Terry & Aunt Shari for buying me that Nintendo as a Christmas Gift all those years ago...*

Real Players Have Muddy Uniforms

By Eric Brookes 

I would like to open by saying that this topic has me a little flustered. It has been a tough, arduous decision trying to determine which two sports games to choose as my favorites from my childhood. Probably the toughest decision of my day to this point. (Take that last statement however you choose.) 

After thinking about it for a short time, my first selection actually came quite simple and didn't require much thinking.  It is the one and only John Madden Football. I remember being at my friend Michael Jebbia’s house for a birthday party when he received the original John Madden game. It was the most realistic football game I had ever seen to this point and I remember thinking I had to have it. The first major problem I had was the fact that I didn't have a Sega at the time.  The console which the original John Madden Football was played on.  I was still stuck with the original  Nintendo.  After a lot of begging and agitation, I received my Sega and Madden game for my next birthday.  

To this day, much of what sticks with me from that game were the subtleties that appeared overwhelming for that day and age.  One that I remember is that when it rained, the field and the players uniforms got muddy. Although the rain drops appeared to be less than authentic, the fact the field and uniform conditions changed throughout the game was a big deal!  Weather conditions, time of quarters, fatigue, were all adjustable by the gamer. This was by far the most realistic football game that I’d ever seen.  

Twenty years later, the Madden Football series of video games is still going strong and has become one of the highest selling video games of all time (worth $4 Billion dollars). It is scary to see how far this game has come since its original version first hit the Sega Genesis and my heart. Free Agency, salary caps, even the ability to import draft classes from the EA Franchise of College football games are all now a part of the John Madden Football 2012. 

Looking into my fuzzy 31 (Reggie Miller) year old memory, I don't think you could even play an entire season in the inaugural version of this game and it only had 17(Dave Krieg) of the NFL Teams, but the thought of seeing those muddy, grass stained uniforms during those rainy games takes me back to some great childhood memories.

I was close to choosing several other games for my second pick, but after much thought, the one and only Baseball Stars is my selection.  This game had eight teams that came created on the game with six slots where you could create your own team.  It was one of the first sports games to have data memory, therefore gamers could create a team, configure a league and play a season, and the game's memory chip stored cumulative statistics. Baseball Stars was also the first sports game for the NES to have a create a player feature; giving gamers the power to name their players, as well as their teams.  

For all of you Nintendo gamers throughout the world...I know you remember the “blow” technique we ALL used to clean the dust out of our games in an attempt to get them to work properly.  (This was followed swiftly by a hard/open hand slap to the side, front, rear, and top of the console if it was not cooperating)  Anyway, Baseball Stars was the one game that was the quintessential “blow in” adversary...literally every time I played it, it had to be beaten into submission before it would work.  Like they say, “The harder you have to work, the more rewarding the result is...” Maybe that’s another reason why I loved this game.

The one feature I will never forget from this game was as a defender you had the ability to climb the outfield wall in an attempt to rob the hitter of a Homerun.  I’m almost positive this was the first game that you could do that on.

Both games are near and dear to my heart and looking back spark some great memories of being a kid.   

Left On The Cutting Room Floor:      

There were so many great games to choose from when we put our head’s together for this blog topic.  Our final list consisted of Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, Double Dribble, Blades of Steel, NHL Hockey, Lakers vs. Celtics, NBA Jam, and the one and only Bases Loaded.  I know we’re forgetting some... 

...Let us know what some of your favorites were and hopefully we can spark some cool memories of your youth.  

NFL Draft 2011-From a Fan's Perspective

Cowboys Earn a B- From Their #1 FAN

By Eric Brookes (with Cody Phillips)

Tyron Smith-Cowboy's 1st Rd. Pick

As a Cowboys fan, the NFL draft can be confusing, surprising, and sometimes downright scary. The main reason for my trepidation every April can be directly attributed to a man by the name of Jerry Jones. Since becoming owner of the Cowboys,  Jerry has rarely done anything in a conventional manner and that includes the NFL draft. The best example of Jerry’s unconventional methods could be witnessed in the blockbuster trade involving then Cowboy’s running back Hershel Walker in 1989.  The Cowboys received five players and six assorted draft picks from the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for Walker, who at the time was one of the better runners in the league. The conditional picks from Minnesota became a 1st and 2nd round pick in 1990, a 1st and 2nd round pick in 1991, and 1st and 3rd round picks in 1992. Wow!!!! Are you kidding me? And to think I was getting ready to start bashing Jerry Jones. Who in their right mind would not make that trade? Or put it this way, is there any current player in the NFL that you wouldn't give up for all of that? I doubt it.  For that trade, Jerry has always earned a “pass” from me, but after looking closely at his draft resume, the free pass has officially worn out its welcome!

             Jerry has always moved around in the draft.  I find it fascinating how he will consistently trade in and out of rounds, moving up and down the draft order, looking for any edge to make his team better. I sometimes think he does it to make sure people haven't forgotten who runs Americas Team. The Hershel Walker deal was the first step in the Cowboys becoming the team of the 90's and winning 3 (Dale Murphy) Super Bowls in four years.  In making that great trade, I think it instilled in Jerry's mind that he was smarter than the system...a draft genius perhaps.  

In subsequent drafts he has negatively effected the Cowboys roster by continually trying to hit a grand slam when all the Cowboy’s needed was a single up the middle. Since that trade, it is my contention that the draft hasn't been Mr. Jones' strong suit. I’m not here to critique every pick from every draft because I openly acknowledge he has had some good picks, like moving up in last years 1st round to get Dez Bryant who appears to be the real deal (although he also appears to be an extreme knucklehead off the field).  And I will never forget or lose sight of the fact that he drafted Hall of Famer's, Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith in back to back years in 1989 and 1990. The pick used to  select Smith was courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings, a direct result of the aforementioned Hershel Walker trade. But if you take away the years when Bill Parcells was “buying the groceries” and the first two drafts Jerry ran (where they had so many picks that they were bound to land a couple stars), his drafts have been somewhat pedestrian...I’ll say average at best!

The late nineties drafts led the Cowboys to three straight 5-11 (George Brett & Mark Messier) seasons from 2000-2002. I wasn't going to do it, but I simply can’t write this piece without mentioning the horrendous Quincy Carter pick.  Enamored with finding the Next Troy Aikman, Jones clearly reached for Carter in the 2nd round of the 2001 draft even though most draft gurus had Carter as a 4th round pick at best. After a few years in the league and a couple of arrests, Carter recently retired from the Arena Football League. I could go on and on with missed picks over the past 15 (Bart Starr) years, but here is the ultimate point I am trying to make. In fact, it's a very encouraging point for Cowboy’s fans.

Bruce Carter-Cowboy's 2nd Rd. Pick

           This 2011 draft was the first in Jerry's 23 (Ryne Sandberg) years as Owner of the Dallas Cowboys that he did not complete a draft day trade. What does this tell me?  It tells me he has a remarkable trust in Head Coach, Jason Garrett. In the months leading up to this year’s draft, Garrett consistently stated he wanted to stick to their plan.  It appears from the outside looking in, that that is exactly what they did.  They drafted the best player available on their board and not necessarily by need. That’s not Jerry's style at all.  No big splashes.  Just solid, straight to the point, uneventful selections.  To drive the point home, he drafted an Offensive Lineman in the 1st round for the first time as owner of the Cowboys. Did you see HBO’s critically acclaimed reality series, Hard Knocks in 2008, when camera’s showed Jerry and the Head Coach, Wade Phillips sitting by the phone, getting ready to make their decision on who to select with their 1st round pick.  Jerry looked over to then second year offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and asked, “Jason who do you think?”  Garrett responded by saying he liked Felix Jones, a running back out of Arkansas.  Jerry promptly replied, "Let’s go with Felix!"  I don’t think I fully realized it at the time, but it showed a glimpse of Jerry’s strong belief in Garett’s opinion as a football evaluator.  That belief and trust between the two obviously hasn’t wavered here in 2011.  

           As always, they made some picks in this draft that made me scratch my head, but I am ok with that.  I don’t claim to be Mel Kiper Jr.'s Jr.  The draft by no means is an exact science.  If you’re 50% right in any given draft, you’ve done a helluva job.  We must also remember Free Agency has yet to begin, (thanks to the lovely work stoppage) so some of these choices may make a little more sense three or four months from now. The Cowboys got the the guy they wanted with their 1st round pick in Tyron Smith, the big Left Tackle out of USC.  He’s a kid with great feet and loves (not likes) the game of football.  I have a firm belief that whoever you draft in the 1st round must LOVE the game, because it’s awful easy to be paid $25,000,000 in Guaranteed Cash and lose the desire it takes to be great!  As for the rest of the draft...I’m not sure they drafted anyone who will make a major impact, but that is the beauty of the draft, you simply never know. 

Two of the Cowboys biggest stars, quarterback, Tony Romo, & wide receiver, Miles Austin, were signed as Undrafted Free Agents. If it weren't for Quincy Carter carrying a little Marijuana around with him and Bill Parcells strong belief in the little known QB’s abilities, Tony Romo probably would have been released in 2004. Instead Carter got released and Romo stayed on as the 3rd string QB. Funny how the world works. 

To an outsider the Cowboys draft probably came across as somewhat uneventful, but as a huge fan I am looking at that as a plus. I have grown tired over the years watching Jerry Jones flop around from pick to pick and in the end feeling like these players never live up to their potential or expectations. I’ve grown weary of watching him draft a player simply because he is a big name. Let me also clarify this piece by saying, I think it’s absolutely ridiculous to give a team a grade on their draft when we’re yet to see any of the picks play a single down in The League!  In my opinion, a team’s draft shouldn’t be graded until 3 (Dale Earnhardt) years down the road.  Based purely on speculation and the love of a fan, I give the 2011 Cowboys draft a B-.  Here’s to hoping I’m right and that my crystal ball can accurately predict how these players will perform at an entirely different level than they’ve ever played on!  

Ultimately, the 2011 NFL Draft provided me with a sense of happiness and ease as a fan.  To see Jerry settling down, trusting others within the organization, and keeping the Cowboys hovering in the background for the moment was encouraging to witness.  Now we'll see once the ball is kicked in the air if any of these boys can play?

"The Walk Up 18's" 2011 NFL Mock Draft

With the NFL Draft set to kick off on Thursday night, we wanted to get our Mock Draft out to you all to check out!  Let us know in the comments section what you think “your team” is going to do with their selection and what you think their needs are going into 2011 season.  

After the Draft wraps on Sunday night, we’ll post our “Winners & Losers” and hope you all will give us your feedback!  We know trade's will occur on draft night, but if the selection order stayed "as/is" we believe these would be the selections in Thursday night's First Round...

Carolina You're On the Clock... (CLICK ON DRAFT TO ENLARGE)

2011 NBA PLAYOFFS..."Who You Got?"

courtesy of www.nba.com

Can These Bulls Bring Back the Glory of My Youth?

By Cody Phillips

Derrick Rose

When I was growing up in Morgantown, WV, my favorite love was basketball.  Yes, I played baseball, football, soccer, and really any other sport I could possibly attempt; but without a doubt my first love was basketball.  Much of that can be attributed directly to the greatest present I was ever given as a child...a basketball hoop.  This wasn’t any basketball hoop nor was it located in an area which basketball hoops are normally found.  The original backboard was made out of plywood and 2x4’s from the local hardware store.  The rim was an orange “breakaway” which later changed to a camouflaged look when I found some old spray paint and wanted to show my creative side.  It had to be changed several times over the years due to the wear and tear that my thunderous jams caused!  The hoop was located in the unfinished basement of my parent’s house.  Just cement slab, studs, plumbing pipes, drains, and me and my hoop.  I’d play for hours upon hours downstairs.  The pounding of the ball resounded throughout the upstairs of my house, surely driving my parents and sisters crazy!  I guess the trade off was knowing that their lil boy was safe and sound and not out terrorizing the neighborhood or getting into trouble!  

  As you can imagine, my hoop was a major hit with friends.  With it being inside, we could play year round.  Rain, snow, sleet, hail...nothing could stop me from hundreds of shots a day!  My father originally set the height at about 5 (Johnny Bench) feet and over the years it gradually moved up to about 7 (Mickey Mantle) feet before I could no longer shoot because the ceiling was simply too close to the rim.  As I sit here writing this now, I’d give anything to be 10 (Walt Frazier) years old again backing a ghost defender into the post then quickly drop stepping and finishing with a powerful reverse flush, ala Shawn Kemp.  If the bolts drilled into the rafters would hold me, I’d give it a shot.  

  Who did I dream of being while I was schooling ghost defenders downstairs?  Everyone you could imagine.  From local high school kids, to college standouts, to Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Dominique Wilkins, and literally thousands of others.  (I can name them all and tell you their jersey number)  But I, as millions of others around the world, wanted to BE LIKE MIKE!

  Michael Jordan was superhuman to me.  When other kids were busy following Batman, Superman, Captain America...I was watching Michael Jordan.  As a child, what MJ did on a basketball court was every bit as amazing to me as what Batman did in Gotham City.  I had as many pairs of “Air Jordan’s” as my parents budget would allow.  I had every VHS that had his name on it (“Come Fly With Me” was my favorite).  I watched every single piece of footage I could find on him.  I wanted to be Michael Jordan and I was damn close in that basement!  Turns out, I was pretty good on a 10 foot rim through my high school years, but 5’11” white boys seem to commonly fade away after graduation.  (John Stockton & Steve Nash are two great exceptions to that last comment)

  Fast forward to 2011 and we have a new set of Chicago Bulls that have caught my eye.  Led by 3rd year superstar point guard, Derrick Rose, the upstart Bulls are my pick for this years NBA Title.  It’s a long shot given the road will most likely go through the veteran laden Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs, or Los Angeles Lakers, but I like what I see.  They appear to be a tough, hard-nosed defensive ball club that plays as a TEAM!  It appears everyone on the roster knows their role and that is a very important key to having success in the playoffs.  On Jordan’s best teams, role players such as John Paxson, Steve Kerr, Craig Hodges, Will Perdue, Bill Cartwright, and Cliff Livingston, all played vital roles during their playoff runs.    

  I have to admit, I’m not an NBA fan anymore.  Not really sure why, but over the years I’ve grown more and more distant from the game I once loved.  I still watch the highlights on Sportscenter and enjoy watching Kobe, Lebron, D-Wade, ‘Melo, as well as countless others, but when Jordan finally retired, a piece of me left with him.  For the first time in a decade, Derrick Rose has peeked my interest once again in the NBA.  He’ll never be Jordan, nor will anyone else, but if I were a betting man, I’d say he’ll do a helluva job leading this Bulls team through the 2011 Playoffs as MJ once did.  Can these Bulls bring back the glory of my youth?  I say...YES!

The Thunder Rolls

By Eric Brookes

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook

  Ever hear of the word MOMENTUM? Also referred to a lot as Uncle Mo in the sports world. Or maybe Dick Vitale is the only individual that refers to it as Uncle Mo? I digress...I like the Oklahoma City Thunder to win the 2011 NBA Championship because of this very thing.  Momentum is key in any sport and never more important than when heading into the playoffs. (Just look at this years Super Bowl Champion, Green Bay Packers as a prime example)  The Thunder have been an impressive team to watch for the first two games of the playoffs. They also finished the year in a very strong fashion, going 10-3 over that stretch. Many analysts and critics are saying they are still too young to get through the grueling NBA Playoffs and my answer to them is to flatly admit, "Yes they are young, but when did that become such a negative?" Three of their starters are under the age of 23 (Kirk Gibson) and one is 26 (Rod Woodson)...point made.  I just don’t think it matters.  

The dynamic duo of Kevin Durant (FUTURE HALL OF FAMER) and Russell Westbrook is second to none in the NBA.  Not only are they extremely talented and filled with youthful exuberance and swagger, but they play the game well beyond their years.  Durant is a 6’9” Pterodactyl that in his first three seasons has won the NBA Rookie of the Year and became the youngest player ever to win the NBA scoring title.  In my opinion he is the best scorer in the league.  Westbrook, a 2011 All Star, is a 6’3” Gazelle with the ball in his hands...he’s a great penetrator as well as being a strong on ball defender.  Together, these two pose serious matchup problems for any team they’ll go up against in these playoffs.  Also, let's not forget that this team gained invaluable playoff experience last year.  So now let’s say, "Young but Experienced."  Flash back to 2010...It took the eventual champion Lakers six tough games to finish off the Thunder in last year’s first round. 

My point is that although this team is young, they are uber gifted. I've always felt that a great formula for winning playoff basketball is to play solid defense and have the ability to shoot the ball well from the free throw line.  This Thunder team plays super aggressive and tough on the defensive side of the ball while shooting nearly 83% (Ted Hendricks) from the charity stripe.  The road to the NBA Finals is a long one and being young might not be a bad thing. Fresh legs in late May might just be enough to allow this team to capture their first NBA Title…And The Thunder Rolls! 

THE MASTERS 2011-The Roars Fade for Rory McIlroy on Sunday in Augusta

 Alone at the Top 
By Cody Phillips

Andrew Redington/Getty Images

As I listened to Rory McIlroy calmly answer questions during his post round press conference following the third round of the 2011 Masters Tournament, I felt myself slowly turning into a believer.  I knew all to well what Sunday at The Masters holds for its overnight leader, yet I was inching my way towards believing that young McIlroy could close this tournament out. In my defense, all the 21 year old phenom from Northern Ireland had done up to that point was fire a dazzling first round 65 (Elvin Bethea), an ultra efficient second round 69 (Tim Krumrie), and a solid third round 70 (Sam Huff) to hold a 4 shot lead heading into the final round Sunday.  For three straight days, drive after drive, iron after iron, and putt after putt were struck as purely and true as a player can.  This curly haired lad was as calm and cool as any 54 hole leader I'd seen in my twenty years of watching the event.  He had all the right answers, both on the course and off.  He repeated over and over to anyone that would listen, "How he just felt really comfortable.  Comfortable with his game, his preparation coming in, with leading the golf tournament, etc."  Not even the Golf Gods swirling atop the tall pine's of this sacred Alister Mackenzie design could muster any defense against McIlroy. For three rounds, he had successfully eluded nearly all the hatred that Augusta National had to offer, squandering only three shots on an otherwise clean scorecard.  He'd made a lone bogey on the always difficult #12 (Tom Brady) on Friday and bogey's on #5 (Joe DiMaggio) and #10 (Pele) during his round on Saturday.  For McIlroy to have only 3 bogey's in 54 holes of a Major Championship was utterly mind blowing to me.  Simply put, he was playing solid, championship golf.  The kids got game...that is unquestioned.  

      Then came Sunday at Augusta, where a golfer is turned into "hero" or "goat" quicker than anywhere else in the golfing world.  McIlroy started with a booming drive that split the center of the #1 (Warren Moon) fairway.  I've always felt you can tell an immense amount about one's nerve's on the first tee box and he'd answered that question with a 300 yard rocket center cut.  The kid looked at ease. With a relative short approach shot left to an inviting hole location, Rory inexplicably flew the green with a 7 iron into a terrible spot back left of the green.  He couldn't get up and down to save his par and Augusta had exacted its first bite out of the 54 hole leader.  Another bogey on #5 and the Golf Gods were smelling blood.  Still clinging to a one shot lead, the wheels officially flew off the wagon at #10.  He pulled his drive left and after an unfortunate ricochet off the trees, ended up some 75 yards left of the fairway in between two cottages.  The rest of the hole was a nightmare, ultimately finishing with a triple bogey 7 (John Elway).  He was never the same after that hole, making 2 more bogey's and a double en route to a back nine 43 and a total round of 80 (Jerry Rice).

      It was truly hard to watch.  Like a car wreck happening right in front of your eyes.  I know many in America love to watch people fail, but I am not one of them.  I turned to my wife and said, "I honestly think I would be crying on the course if I were him."  Golf is a fickle and lonely game.  Unlike team sports, Rory had nowhere to hide.  He had no teammates to take the pressure off for him, no substitute to come off the bench or sidelines and give him a much needed breather...on golfs grandest stage, he simply had to gut it out in front of the Augusta National patrons and the millions of us watching on television.  I felt for him.  I still do.  In the wake of the tournament, in the light of major disappointment, McIlroy stood tall, gritted his teeth, and spoke with an unwavering consistency in his post round remarks.  He truly showed why golf is a gentlemen's  game.  Mere seconds after walking off of the 18th green, he said, "...Hopefully the next time I'm in this position I'll be able to handle it better.  I didn't handle it particularly well obviously, but it was a character-building day, put it that way. I'll come out stronger for it." I just couldn't help but wonder if I'd have spoken with the same grace in that situation?  

      Although McIlroy walked away from Augusta National Golf Club without the Green Jacket, he walked away a winner in my eyes.  Unlike many others, I felt proud of McIlroy.  Proud that he'd lead the tournament for so long as a 21 year old kid, proud that he'd worn his emotions on his sleeve during that final round, proud that he fought until the end, and most of all proud that he acted and spoke so eloquently following heart wrenching defeat.  A lesson can be learned sitting alone at the top.  

Didn't He Choke? 

By Eric Brookes                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

      As the 2011 Masters began, I was not much of a Rory McIlroy fan. However, I felt like crying for him as I watched him walk off of the 18th green in Augusta. The look on his face when Angel Cabrera and the two caddies were consoling him was heartbreaking. I will say that he handled it like a professional and I see why he has had so much success at the age of 21 (Bobby Clemente). In saying all of that...Would someone please come out and just say it, "HE CHOKED!"  Maybe I have missed it or haven't been paying enough attention, but has he been given a free pass from the media? I have been hearing people on TV say that it wasn't his day, or that he simply had a couple of bad breaks. No, what he had was the 2nd worst final round in Augusta history. Yes, I said in the history of the Masters. Had this been Tiger or Phil, it would go down as the biggest choke in golf history. I guess the media is leaving him alone because he is such an excellent young man, and I am not arguing that at all. But think of Phil Mickelson at Wingfoot in 2006 or Greg Norman in Augusta in 1996. We still to this day have to hear about those infamous disasters every time any Major Tournament is played. Look, I know Rory was on the biggest stage in golf at 21 years of age, who can blame him for falling apart. Not many 21 year olds can handle that type of pressure.

      My point is...if Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson had melted down in that fashion, it would be on the cover of every magazine, every website, and would still be the top story on SportsCenter, CNN, Fox News, Oprah, etc.  Rory is a great player and will win his share of Green Jackets and I truly hope he does. After watching how he carried himself as he crumbled on the final day, I have become a fan.           

      I guess I am just looking for the reason that the media has let this slide...let Mr. McIlroy get off with a free pass?  Is it because he is only 21, because he's so likable, because he's not from America? I don't know the answer.  But the overall reaction or should I say coddling has surprised me!     

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