Archive for March, 2008

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– Go Figure …

I intentionally waited a few days before airing this complaint, mainly because I didn’t want my vitriol to be mistaken as nothing more than “sour grapes” over the BasketVols loss to the Louisville Cardinals.

Trust me, this has nothing to do with Tennessee, Louisville, or any other specific team…

For the past … well, it seems like quite a long time, now … CBS has been the exclusive home of the NCAA Tournament. I vaguely remember ESPN covering first and second-round games during the 1990s, but CBS is all we have had for a while. Either way, CBS has held a stranglehold on the Final Four since Billy Packer conned James Naismith himself into signing over the rights some time during the 1920s — back when Billy Packer was in his 50s.

First of all, I do want to applaud CBS Sportsline — CBS Sports’ internet division — for their ambitious decision to broadcast every tournament game for free on the web. Similarly, the CBS “Game Center” on the internet for each game — displaying myriad stats and information in real time — is amazing. It is as artful as it is impressive. Any fan can get up-to-the-second information on every facet of the game — including points, fouls, assists, shooting trends, whether a player is taking bribes to throw the game, which boosters the cute little cheerleader next to the basket is sleeping with, and so much more — via one of the best interfaces I’ve ever seen for statistical information of that kind.

Despite the minor fact that the bandwidth draw for the “March Madness on Demand” service has been so obscenely high that it has — at times — nearly crashed massive trunk lines on the web, I salute these efforts of CBS’s internet division. For reasons which will become clear in a second, in the future I may choose this as the only way I’ll watch the tournament — even if it is in a 5″ x 5″ low resolution streaming window.

All my praise for CBS stops at the web. While the geek squad over at CBS Sportsline has managed to push the delivery of live sports content to the next level of innovation, the senior production staff at CBS Sports television division have opted to take gigantic steps backward. The CBS Sportsline staff deserve a substantial raise, the television production staff should be drug out into the street by their hair, tied to a post, tarred and feathered, and then put on display outside the Alamodome for tournament-goers to poke and prod.

I generally like the CBS stable of announcers and personalities. I mean, how could you not just want to pinch Verne Lundquist’s cheeks every time you see him. Furthermore, between Bill Raftery and Gus Johnson there have been a bevy of quotable lines which are absolutely hilarious, even if they are ridiculous. What infuriates me to no end, however, is CBS’s apparent belief that the average viewer is a vapid, mouth-breathing fool who lacks the sense or the ability to decide which game they actually want to watch during the tournament.

Now, where I live, our CBS affiliate has been one of CBS’s primary testing grounds for new ideas. Our affiliate is always trying to do new things to make the viewers’ experience better. Thus, when tournament time rolls around, they make arrangements with all of the cable providers in the area to have numerous additional channels so that all the games are being broadcast at all times. Thus, despite the fact I live in the bowels of the ACC, I can still see the SEC games. I appreciate that.

What I absolutely hate is the fact that the powers that be at CBS Sports in New York feel that they are much wiser than I — and the millions of other fans — when it comes to deciding what is worth watching. Thus, they constantly insist on cutting away from the games to show other games due to the fact that they are more “exciting“.

If I see Greg Gumbel’s face pop-up on my screen one more time to tell me that “we are now going to Souix City where the No Teeth State Water Buffaloes have comeback against the Alaskan State School of Veterinary Medicine and Applied Mechanical Engineering, and the score is currently tied at 6 with 1:00 to go…” I will be forced to take up voo-doo and put a hex on him and his family.

CBS, it is a simple concept: if I have already spent 2 hours watching a game, and there are only 2:00 minutes to go in it, I want to see the end of it.

I don’t give a damn how one-sided the game I’m watching is, or how boring it has become to the CBS front office. I want to watch the game I have on. If I wanted to watch the UCLA game, I’d have turned it on. If I really cared how close the Western Kentucky vs. San Diego game was, I’d have flipped over to it. If I gave two shits about what game you thought was more interesting, I’d have asked for your opinion.

So leave the damn game on so I can watch the end of it!

It is obvious that CBS has never heard of the 1968 game between the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders, generally known as the “Heidi Game,” but perhaps they should check it out. They might learn that, as a result of that debacle by NBC, that network learned that it is not a good idea to cut in on a game and switch to something else — people get really pissed-off when you do. This is especially maddening considering that they are already displaying all the scores in their ticker. Furthermore, if anyone at CBS had ever looked at what any of the other networks are doing, they would realize that in the modern era, if there is something of interest going on elsewhere, they can use a split screen or something of that nature — all of the other networks seem to have figured that out. I guess that would be asking too much of CBS…

The most galling thing about all of this, is — as I mentioned above — my local CBS affiliate has gone to great lengths in my area to ensure that all of the games are televised on the local cable systems. Thus, during the early rounds of the tournament, there were as many as 6 different channels showing games in my area at the same time. When the morons in New York decided that they had a better idea of what we really should be watching, however, they would cut away to “the hot game“. Thus, instead of being able to switch over if I wanted to see that “hot game” CBS cut in on the one I was watching … and on the ones that others were watching.

Thus, I had the amazing — and enviable — ability to watch the same game on 6 different channels!!!!!

The level of rank incompetence by the senior production staff at CBS during this tournament is bordering on legendary. Even though we are now into the final rounds of the tournament, I’m sure that CBS will find a way to keep it up: I imagine that during the Final Four, they will cut in to show the great deals available on home electronics over at QVC, and during the championship game, we will go live to the scene of Survivor to see the results of the latest tribal challenge.

This is ridiculous, and CBS ought to fire who ever made the decision to keep making these constant cut-aways. This sort of heavy-handed approach has ensured that, in the future — if given a choice between CBS and any other broadcaster — I will never watch anything on CBS unless absolutely necessary.

CBS has completely dropped the ball, and I hope their advertisers — the only thing that really matters to them — realize this.

Thus, I encourage all of you to get your “March Madness on Demand” passes early next year, because that is the only place you can avoid the constant cut-outs. Of course given the idiots driving the ship at present, I imagine next year CBS will make sure and do the same on the internet …

… because after all, what do the fans actually know?

• If you’d like to send your thoughts to CBS, you can do so through their website, at the following link: CBS Corporation: Contact Us.

– Go Figure …

Images Courtesy of: CBS • Radiers.com

I somehow managed to miss these yesterday in the run-up to the game against Louisville, but the boys over at Awful Announcing have discovered a site with pictures of Bruce Pearl from his high school yearbook, with a Superfly afro.

All I can say to that hairdo is … “Baaauun-Chicka-Baaun-Chow“

Man, I find more reasons to like Bruce Pearl everyday…

– Go Figure …

Images Courtesy of: The Dirty

Well, I’m not going to pretend that I am happy with the result of the BasketVols‘ game against the Louisville Cardinals, no one likes losing … but I am so happy with this season that I can hardly contain myself.

I would have loved to see the BasketVols advance to the Elite 8 and set one more team record, by advancing farther in the NCAA Tournament than any other Tennessee team. I would have loved to have seen the Vols have a shot at making the Final Four, but it just wasn’t in the the cards. Still, I am so amazingly proud of this team and what they accomplished this year.

As odd as it sounds, I am so happy that, finally, Tennessee fans have earned the right to be disappointed that basketball season is over …

In years past, when the Mens basketball season ended, there was little to be disappointed with. If (and that is a huge “if”) Tennessee had made the NCAA Tournament, the Tennessee faithful had no reason to be disappointed — in years past, just getting there was all that was ever expected. You can only be disappointed if you expect more. You don’t get disappointed, unless you care. Now, for the first time in my entire lifetime, all of Orange Nation cares.

This year was very special for the Tennessee Basketball program, it was a coming out party of sorts. For the first time since Coach Mears walked the sidelines in Stokely Athletic Center, Tennessee fans had a lot of reasons to get excited, and for the first time Tennessee “belonged” at the forefront of the world of college basketball. As long as Bruce Pearl is coaching the Vols, I think they will continue to “belong.“

In the end, tonight’s game against Louisville was far from the best game that the Vols have played this year. Early fouls for Wayne Chism, inconsistent play at point guard, the inability to beat the press, and a lack of offensive rhythm, and a long list of other things really killed the Vols down the stretch. None of that really matters now. The only thing that matters now is what did the season represent?

Progress…

This year the BasketVols end the season at 31-5, better than any other team in the history of the University of Tennessee. After more than 40 years, the outright SEC Championship belongs to the Vols. Tennessee both beat the No. 1 team in the country, and earned the right to be the No. 1 team in the country. For the first time since the 1970’s, Tennessee filled its arena for every game. The list goes on.

A few years back, none of this was possible…

Tonight was an end of sorts. Three fabulous young men: Jordan Howell, Chris Lofton, and JaJuan Smith young men I am proud to say represented my alma mater, played their final games for Tennessee. To each of them, we owe our thanks. Good luck gentlemen, and Godspeed …

Tonight also represented the final sentence in this 2007-08 chapter of the basketball program. With that, the most remarkable season in Tennessee Mens Basketball history comes to a close.

Ultimately, however, the loss to Louisville does not represent an end, but rather a beginning. Three years ago, Tennessee was mired in the throes of perpetual mediocrity. Now, the future looks bright. In just three short years, Tennessee has come so far under Coach Pearl’s leadership. Tennessee is now — legitimately — a basketball school. Tennessee took huge strides this year, and next year they will take some more. No matter what happens in the future, I know I will always look back and say that it all truly started here, in 2007-08.

In the end, a win against Louisville in Charlotte would have helped the BasketVols take one more step forward, but the loss isn’t a step backward. Coach Pearl summed it up best when he recounted to Bob Kesling what he told the players after the game: “Tonight could have added to this season, but in no way did it detract from it.“

Now there has been a great deal of discussion swirling about whether Indiana or some other suitor will come calling to try and pry Bruce Pearl away from Tennessee. I have refrained from writing on that until now, because there were more important things at hand. I plan on covering it a bit more in the future, but for now all I can say is that I hope Bruce Pearl remains in Knoxville for a very, very, long time to come. I personally have never believed in a coach in any sport more than I believe in Bruce Pearl — and if I feel that way, I can’t imagine how much the BasketVols believe in him.

To the BasketVols I send my sincerest thanks — you all were great this year, and I hope it was as rewarding for you as it was for all of the members of the Orange Nation. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you, for all your effort and work.

This team made basketball fun again….

As for Louisville, they will go on to play the Tarheads in the Elite Eight. They played tenaciously tonight, and I wish them all the best as they advance in the tournament. Though I’m disappointed that the Cardinals beat the Vols, Rick Pitino and his Louisville squad can make up to me by beating the Tarheads by 80 — no, let’s make it 90 — on Saturday.

In closing, all I can say is that despite the fact I started this blog as a “football” blog, this season has changed that. Thus, while I haven’t quite figured out what I’m going to do yet, no longer will this blog be about “Life, the Universe, and College Football” with only the add-on of “Plus Basketball” it’s time that my little corner of the Tennessee and SEC sports world recognize that the Tennessee Volunteers aren’t just about football, and give credit to Coach Pearl’s program. For now, I’ve adopted the new byline of “Life, the Universe, and the Bounce of the Ball“…

I welcome any suggestions or thoughts from the blogosphere for a “revised” byline.

There is no question that I hate to lose as much as the next alum or fan, and I am disappointed, so very disappointed to see it all end. Yet, after what I have seen from Coach Pearl and this team — all the promise for the future, all the fun of this season, all the excitement of actually being a contender in the NCAA Tournament — I can honestly say, when it comes to sports …

… this is the happiest I’ve ever been to be disappointed.

– Go Figure …

Update: 28 March

Here are a few other thoughts on the game worth reading:

• Standing O for the Tennessee Volunteers – Rocky Top Talk
  
• Louisville 79, Tennessee 60 – The Bruce Ball Blog
• Crapola — Fulmer’s Belly
• A Look Back at Last Night – Third Saturday in Blogtober
• Louisville Ends Volunteers Season — World According to MoonDog
• A Picture Tells the Whole Story — Pigskin Pathos
  

With a win tonight in the Sweet 16, the BasketVols will take the next step in cementing their place as the greatest Tennessee Mens Basektball team of all time. They will be tested, that is for sure, but everything tells me that tonight Bruce and the Barbarians will be ready, and will not disappoint.

Though I rarely make prognostications, I predict Tennessee will defeat Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals tonight somewhere on the order of 76 – 70. Hopefully I’m not completely crazy, but I believe in this team.

For a more in depth breakdown, see the Bruce Ball Blog and Rocky Top Talk — any statistical analysis I would write would pale in comparison. For a lighter, and really ponderous take on the match-up, slide on over to Fulmer’s Belly.  Tipoff is tonight at 9:57 on CBS.

In the meantime … (note spy movie music in the background…)

It’s time for a battle … it’s time for a reckoning … and it’s time for Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals to pay for their actions, and Bruce Pearl is the ready hold them accountable!

Go Vols! Beat the Cardinals!

– Go Figure …

In case you haven’t noticed, with their win over the Butler Bulldogs, the Tennessee Volunteers recorded their 31^st victory, further distancing themselves from the prior record of 26. This is a feat which, only a few years ago, would have seemed as laughable and unlikely as learning that Bear Bryant was secretly a transvestite with a love child by Johnny Majors. Now, the BasketVols have accomplished what seemed impossible: an SEC Championship and back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances …

… but it’s obvious that’s not the ultimate goal.

GoVolsXtra“>After the win over Butler (I’m still on round-the-clock EKG monitoring to ensure there wasn’t any permanent coronary damage), Coach Pearl discussed his maverick decision to change up his point guard — giving J.P. Prince the starting nod — for the first time during the NCAA Tournament with the media. Among other things, Pearl said:

The deal is this: I just thought that the point guard play we were getting wasn’t going to win a national championship. So, if we make the decision and it doesn’t pay off and I’m sitting here in front of you and explaining why I made that choice and we lost the game, I could go to bed going, it’s okay. I don’t think this is going to help us advance. Watching tonight gives us a better chance to win Thursday.

It’s not a panacea, but we got five guys out there with J.P. in that position. I was able to do some different things offensively. I was able to do some things that Butler hadn’t seen. And that was fun. Actually, it was fun.

Excuse me? Did I read that correctly? Did Bruce Pearl use the phrase “National Championship” in reference to the Tennessee Vols Men’s Basketball program?

I, as much as anyone else who has followed the BasketVols … well … ever, appreciate that this team is in uncharted waters in terms of success. This season, the Vols have completely rewritten almost every record for Tennessee basketball. It’s obvious, however, that this team — and more importantly this coach — are not satisfied with simply raising the bar a few notches over the Tennessee teams of the past (ala Jerry Green and his “What do you people want? We made the tournament!” mentality). Bruce Pearl wants to rip the bar completely off the wall.

Even I have been guilty of the “We’re better” mentality of judging the BasketVols’ successes in relative terms against how they compared to the performance of teams of the past. Bruce Pearl, however, — without fanfare — has completely changed and elevated the benchmark at the University of Tennessee to one where the BasketVols are now assessing themselves in “absolute” terms. No longer is the question “Are the Vols better than the teams of Wade Houston, Kevin O’Neill, Jerry Green, Buzz Peterson, Don DeVoe, and Ray Mears?” Now, the question is simple:

Are the Vols better than EVERYONE?

That is the mark of a true winner.

Along with this change on the part of the team and the coaching staff, the Orange Nation is changing its perspective as well. Gone are the days of hoping — just hoping — that the BasketVols will be competitive, and maybe win a big game every now and then. Heck, I remember in the 1994-95 season — as Kevin O’Neill tried to pick up the pieces of the train wreck that was Wade Houston’s tenure — just hoping we would win more than 5 games. Now, Tennessee fans expect to win every game.

All of this comes from Pearl and his in-your-face style of leadership. From the very first day he came on campus Pearl knew he had a big task ahead of him. All he asked of the Tennessee faithful (and to suffer through some of the seasons between 1988 and 2005 you had to be really faithful) was to give the BasketVols a chance, come to a game and let us try and win you over. To date, no one has been disappointed. Pearl now is dead-set to push the Vols to the next level of success.

This speaks volumes on Bruce Pearl’s drive, dedication, and character.

I would welcome anyone in Orange Nation to name a single coach which has been more openly and enthusiastically embraced by the Tennessee fanbase than Bruce Pearl. The fact is, there isn’t one. I have never seen the notoriously fickle orange-clad fans so overwhelmingly support and fall in love with a coach like they have with Bruce Pearl. He is approaching the level of Peyton Manning in the minds of many people.

So let’s be honest, with that kind of support, Bruce could play his cards close to the vest — publicly talk about how good the Vols are and his desire to win that mythical “next game” and nothing more. That would be easy — keep the standard right where it is in the eyes of the fans, and win a whole lot, with the understanding that you won’t win them all. What that does is make it easy for a coach to meet the expectations of the backers, and be successful, but not raise the level of those expectations and invite the uncomfortable feeling that accompanies falling a bit short. I am willing to bet that, if Bruce Pearl could only win an average of 20 games a season and go to the tournament 6 or 7 years out of 10, he could stay at Tennessee until he is older than Joe Pa. That would be very easy, and that would be “safe” for Pearl.

Bruce Pearl is not known for playing it safe …

Rather than ride the wave and keep the expectations reasonable, Bruce Pearl is not only accepting an increase in expectations, he’s actively encouraging it. Forget just wanting to win the “next game” — Pearl has drawn the line in the sand: he wants the whole shooting match. Bruce Pearl has acknowledged what all of the Tennessee faithful have been too afraid to say:

We want the Championship!

Now, I know, that statistically speaking, the Vols probably have about a 50% chance of winning an NCAA Championship, maybe less than that. In all likelihood — purely looking at probabilities — the BasketVols will not win the title. Bruce Pearl, however, has acknowledged that it is out there, and Tennessee wants it. The only way you slay that dragon, is to know it. The only way you reach that pinnacle, is by claiming it as your own. You may fall short. You may not reach that goal. You may not make it all the way…

… but, then again, you might.

I, for one, firmly believe that if it is ever in the cards for Tennessee to claim that prize, Bruce Pearl is the one to take the team, the university and the fans there. Either way, Bruce Pearl has made it “absolutely” clear …

… Come Hell or High Water, that’s where Tennessee is heading.

– Go Figure …

Uh Oh, I Think Pitino is trying to call Bruce Almighty Out …

Since we have a few days until the next game on the schedule, and I am in a continued lazy spell, here are a few links worth looking at from across the internet as we await the Sweet 16 matchups later this week…

• A wonderful collection of ridiculous quotes taken completely out of context from Round 2 of the NCAA Tournament, my personal favorites: “– Awful Announcing
  • My Personal Favorites Include:
    • “Winner of this game (Purdue-Xavier) takes on the Duke Blue…oops, Duke wishes it was taking on the winner of the game.” – Greg Gumbel
    • “Maybe Barro’s taking the same kind of cold medicine I am. I could lift my car, I’ve got so much stuff in me.“- Dick Enberg
    • “Howard is one of those guys that just likes to bang you on the inside.“- Bill Raftery
    • “When you lay off the cheeseburgers, good things happen.“- Bill Raftery

• RBK is getting things started … Breaking Down Louisville, Part 1 (I’d do it, but I never learned long division…) – Bruce Ball Blog
• Why Can’t All of the SEC Brethren Just Get Along and Pull for One Another? – Fulmer’s Belly
• Meanwhile, the Lady Vols are kicking Oral Roberts’ Ass (well not his ass, but his teams asses … or would that be “assi”?) – World According to Moon Dog
• GhostOfNeyland Confirms it … Bruce Pearl Has Brass Ones – Third Saturday in Blogtober

More Excitement to Come as the BasketVols get ready to face Louisville … I see more farked photos in the near future…

– Go Figure …