Heat vs. Knicks brings out the stars.

The Oscars wasn’t the only place filled with stars Sunday night. The New York Knicks vs. the Miami Heat made for a star-studded night in South Beach as well. The Heat with Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh always attract stars when ever they play. New York’s trade for Carmelo Anthony and combining him with Amar’e Stoudemire has made the Knicks one of the marquee franchises in the league once again. Before Carmelo and Stoudemire arrived, the only guaranteed celebrity that would in be the house was Knicks superfan Spike Lee (who of course was in attendance). The list of stars for this game include: Lil Wayne, Birdman, Fat Joe, Floyd Mayweather with his fiancé, Chad Ohcocinco with Evelyn of real basketball wives, Timberland, Michael Clarke Duncan, Venus Williams, Fat Joe and son,DJ Khaled, and even Omarosa showed up. They say Miami is a front-runner city and from the look of this game the reports may be right.

The game itself was a thriller as the Knicks came back from a 16 point deficit to stun Miami. Amare’e Stoudemire’s block in the final seconds sealed the win for the Knicks. Carmelo Anthony led New York with 29 points. Amar’e Stoudemire added 16 points and 10 rebounds. The big three of Miami was only the big two for this game as Lebron scored 27, Chris Bosh had 20 points and 12 rebounds but Dwayne Wade was limited to just 12 points. The Knicks forced 20 turnovers from the Heat in this possible playoff match-up.



College Baskbetball Weekend Finale

Before you know it, it will be March and time is winding down for bubble teams. The NCAA tournament begins March 17 and that leaves just four weeks for teams to get their resumes up to par. A few teams helped their cause helped their cause out and none more than Virginia Tech as they defeated number 1 ranked Duke in Blacksburg. The Hokies came out from the start with the passion and intensity usually reserved by the Blue Devils. Its good to see Seth Greenberg’s bunch finally get on the right side of the bubble for change as in recent they seem always to come up just short. Michigan State just can’t right that ship for their disastrous season. They were easily defeated by Purdue and at 16-12 they need to win all of their remaining games to have a shot entering the tournament as an at-large. Last years final four run for Coach Izzo’s group seems so long ago. The Jimmer was on the loose again as he scored 25 for BYU as they downed a solid San Diego State team for the second time this year




Now let’s take a look at the weekend’s best games.

Virginia Tech 64 vs. Duke 60 -  The Dukies took the initial shot from Va. Tech but it couldn’t take the final wave as Tech was able to wear down the Blue Devils. The Hokies played an inspired first few minutes highlighted by some beautiful plays from guard Eric Green. The Blue Devils were able to shut down the Hokies leading scorer Malcolm Delaney for the first few minutes of the game as Coach K’s signature defense was on display. Tech would grab the early lead only to see Duke retake it back in the second half and go up by six points, 53-47. However the Hokies didn’t back down after relinquishing their lead as Terrell Bell scored five straight to give Tech the lead for the remainder of the game. Bell knocked down a clutch 3-pointer in the corner with 4:40 left and two free-throws seconds later. Malcolm Delaney finally was able to get loose from Duke’s suffocating defense to hit his only 3-pointer of the night. The Dukie with the most miserable night had to be Seth Curry as chants of “Who’s your daddy rang loud and clear. Curry’s dad Dell, of course was in attendance to see his son but that doesn’t mean the Virginia Tech legend and his son were getting off easy in Blacksburg. This was Duke’s 18th lost as the number one ranked team in the nation, giving the Blue Devils this ominous record for most losses as a number 1 ranked team.

BYU 80 vs. SDSU 67 – San Diego State just had no answer for the shooting display by the Cougars. Jimmer Fredette done his usual putting up 25 points but it was his teammates as well that put the game away. The team as a whole was 10-16 from 3-point range. Charles Abouo was 4-5, Noah Hartsock was 3-4, and Jackson Emery was 2-6. They just shot the lights out. San Diego State was led by Kawhi Leonard’s 17 points and 13 rebounds but they could never control the pace of the game. Fredette shooting percentage wasn’t pretty (8-23) but he effectively found a way to get his teammates involved. He is clearly the front-runner now for player of the year and BYU has a chance to stalk a claim as a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

St.John’s 81 vs. Villanova 68 – I don’t know what Steve Lavin is telling his players these days but whatever it is he should keep it up. The Red Storm continue their unbelievable hot play of late as they beat their sixth straight top 25 team in Villanova. The star again for the Johnnies’s was Dwight hardy as he demolished the Wildcats defense for 34 points. Hardy is as versatile as they come as he was able to make a dazzling display of different shot’s including tear-drop lay-ups, runners in the lane and 3-pointers. The Wildcats usually play tough in your face defense with their great guards in Corey Fisher and Malik Wayns but Hardy was able to find space. Speaking of Fisher, he was only 1 of 10 from the field and the team as whole was just 4 of 14 from 3-point land and when you combine that with 12 turnovers, you have a recipe for defeat. The Wildcats started the year off hot but not have lost two straight and four of six. The score was 18-4 in the first few minutes of the game. Dwight Hardy has now firmly entrenched himself in the race for Big East player of the year.



Other news and notes:

Can the Big East get 11 bids? As of today you have at least 11 to 12 possible teams coming from the big bad Big East. Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Louisville, St. John’s, Villanova, Connecticut, Syracuse, Georgetown, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Marquette all seem to have a creditable resume for the tournament. But with so many teams from one league getting in, it will definitely lead to some scrutiny for the teams who don’t get in. I’m sure Digger Phelps doesn’t like so many teams getting in from a BCS conference especially when it is taking away a few mid major bids in the process. Maybe everyone can get what they want this year since the tournament has expanded from 64 to 68 teams.

Pauley Pavillion gets proper send-off – What better way for Pauley to close its doors for renovation then to have the late great John Wooden’s great-grandson score the last basket. Tyler Trapani, the rarely used walk-on junior was able to make a lay-up on a putback after an airball from teammate Jack Haley Jr. The shot from Trapani bought his head coach Ben Howland to tears. I was thinking about Coach,” he said of the man who led the Bruins to 10 national championships. “It was so fitting Tyler hit the shot. It fell right in his hands. There’s something going on there, I really believe it.” John must have been smiling down from the heavens.

Louisville cheerleader is a little too enthusiastic – From the department of male cheerleaders gone wild, a Cardinals cheerleader got a little too excited about the Louisville impending win over number 4 Pittsburgh. The play happened after Kyle Kuric’s dunk looked to seal the game for the Cardinals in the last few seconds of overtime. The cheerleader (Still no name associatied with him) ran onto the court and chucked the ball into the air. All seems normal until it was noticed that there was still five-tenths of a second left on the clock (D’oh!). The chuck by the cheerleader led to a technical foul being called on Louisville and gave Pittsburgh two-free throws in a five point game. Luckily for this guy Ashton Gibbs missed on a half-court shot and Louisville prevailed 62-59. Who knows what would have happened to this kid had Pittsburgh found a way to pull off the victory even though it was highly unlikely. The guy wouldn’t’ have mad it out the arena alive in basketball crazed Louisville. "The male cheerleader is coming to an end," Louisville coach Rick Pitino joked to start his postgame press conference. "It was good while it lasted. It was fun. Now we'll try another sport for him."

Universtiy of Tennesse charged by NCAA for Violations

The University of Tennessee finally was served by the NCAA for various rule violations in their men’s basketball, football and baseball teams. This comes as no surprise as most have known for months the day of reckoning was coming as the school has been investigated the last 22 months. Tennessee was citied for 12 various violations in both programs under the watch of former football coach Lane Kiffin (Insert your own bad word here UT fans) and current head basketball coach Bruce Pearl. The baseball team, although investigated was not charged with any wrongdoing.

The penalties on the football side were about as good as it could it be in this situation for the Vols. Most of the penalties levied against the program are going west to follow Lane Kiffin. Kiffin and his assistants were accused of making improper phone call to recruits after UT officials admonished Kiffin and his staff about making those types of calls. The dates of the allegations are Jan 03-09, 2010 and of course those dates came just before Kiffin resigned at UT and jetted his way to USC. The NCAA stated that Kiffin “Failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance of NCAA rules within their programs.” The happiest man in Tennessee right now should be current head football coach Derek Dooley. He can recruit now knowing with a peace of mind. The program can now begin to move on from this scandal that was brought onto from Kiffin. The light is visible at the end of tunnel for the football team.

However, as for the aforementioned Bruce Pearl and the men’s basketball team, not so much. Pearl faces a gauntlet of allegations that could possibly cause him his job. Pearl and his staff have been charged with unethical conduct after he lied to NCAA investigators in a June interview about hosting high school players at a cookout at his home in September of 2008. He also called John Craft, the father of Aaron Craft, to sway some influence onto the younger Craft’s statement to NCAA agents. Not to be forgotten in this is that UT has already docked Pearl’s salary by $1.5 million dollars as well as banning him from off-campus recruitment for a year. SEC commish Mike Slive also stepped in as he suspended Pearl for the first eight games of the conference season. It wasn’t just Pearl who was charged as his assistants Tony Jones, Steve Forbes and Jason Shay were accused of “violating the NCAA principles of honesty” for making up to 96 impermissible calls to 12 recruits.



This is a bad situation for all involved. Not only could Pearl lose his job but he also makes a huge distraction for his team. After playing their best game of the season against Vandy, they get hit with news like this. AD Mike Hamilton now has three programs including football, basketball and baseball all under investigation under his watch and has to take some heat for hiring Kiffin and Pearl. Hamilton could also possibly lose his job but from what I hear, he is safe. The scandal has marred all of UT’s athletics as it has given the entire department a bad name. Pearl still has his support and seems to be on solid footing with Hamilton. Most fans still support Pearl as he has developed Tennessee men’s basketball team into a top 10 or 15 programs nationally. The rub with me on this issue is if Pearl stays on as the coach, what kind of message does it send about UT athletics? Is it a win at all cost mentality? It must be because I know if Buzz Peterson were the coach during all these accusations, he would have been shown the door a long time ago. In the cut-throat world of the SEC, winning is the only thing that matters at most schools but sometime you can’t just go with the status quo. I am a big Pearl supporter as he is a personable guy and a damn good basketball coach but he made his mistakes and must pay for them like everyone else. The ball is in UT’s court. The decision that they make on Pearl will let us know what UT athletics is all about.

Melo Shines in Madison Square Garden Debut

Melo madness reached its tipping last night as he finally made his debut in Madison Square Garden. After starting slow in the first half, Anthony got it going in the second half. When his new partner in crime Amar’e Stoudemire fouled out, it was Anthony who would make two clutch baskets down the stretch to give the Knicks the win. Melo was only 10 for 25 accounting for 27 points and also had 10 boards but it was more about the shots that did fall compared to the ones that didn’t. This was a night to remember in the garden as it was a culmination from all the chaos that has surrounded Anthony for the last seven months. The crowd was described as electric as they cheered for Anthony and his sidekick in the deal, Chancey Billups. The fans in attendance to see Melo’s return home included Chris Rock, Lala Valsquez (Anthony’s wife) Matthew Modine, Woody Allen and of course Spike Lee. And that couldn’t ask for a better start to the renaissance that is New York Knicks basketball.

After all of the “Melo-drama” it was good to see Carmelo actually do what he does on the court. I still question how he and Amar’e will gel over the next 27 games but for at least one night all was well in New York. For everything that was negative about the power play Anthony pulled on the Denver Nuggets was forgiven last night by most fans (Well at least in New York). Billups, who was traded from his hometown and was none to happy about it, put on his happy face and delivered 21 points and 8 assists for his new team. This was only the first night of the saga that has become the new face New York Knicks. Where the destination ends for this team, no one knows but at least for one night, all was well in the garden.

Change you can believe in for Titans

When Mike Munchak was hired as the new head coach of Tennessee Titans most from the outside looking in thought it was just a lateral move for the franchise. Munchak was seen from the public perception as a inside man who wouldn’t stray to far from what Jeff Fisher had put together over the last decade and a half. I for one thought Munch would keep things rather mundane as well. However in Munchak’s press conference introduction as head coach Munchak was quoted as saying “I feel like we're starting fresh. It's not same old, same old. We come in, sit down and figure out what's best for the Titans going forward with what we have. ... Anything's possible," Munchak said. That could go on to be the understatement of the year here in Tennessee.




The entire coaching staff of the Titans has gone under construction with Munchak at the helm. Gone are the familiar faces of Mike Hemindinger, Chuck Cecil and Jim Washburn and in are new coaches including new offensive coordinator Chris Palmer and new defensive coordinator Jerry Gray. This is a team that needed a shake-up, a change in the atmosphere and the status quo. Munchak is proving that he won’t settle for the same results from the Titans as in years past under Fisher.

Moreover the defensive identity will change under new coordinator Jerry Gray. Gray is familiar with the team as he was the Titans defensive back coach from 1999 to 2000. He will install a multiple defensive capable of switching to a 3-4 and 4-3 accordingly. Gray credits former Titans DC Gregg Williams as one of the many influences to him as a coordinator He also stated that he wanted players to be more disciplined as the Titans were one of the most penalized teams in the league last year. Said Gray "I was kind of brought up the old-fashioned way as a player," he said. "If you're not disciplined, it's hard to win. You can't win because you're going to make a mistake and next thing you know, you're going to screw it up."

The last and maybe the most important thing that has to be addressed by the new coaching staff is the QB position. Vince Young obviously won’t be back next year so the Titans will have to start fresh. The good news on that front is that new offensive coordinator has a nice track record with developing QBs, as he has worked with Mark Brunell during his most successful seasons in Jacksonville, Drew Bledsoe when he led the Pats to the Super Bowl and most recently Eli Manning as the Giants quarterback coach when they won their last Super Bowl. Munchak and Palmer know the importance of the QB position as both were separately quoted saying as much. Munchak stated "I really wanted to have someone strong in that (quarterback development) area because that's been a problem here a little bit," Munchak said. "I knew it might come down to really developing a young quarterback. I felt he's been around a lot of quarterbacks in this league, and when he's been there with them, they've played very well." As for Palmer, he stated "It's our job as coaches to identify what talent is available and to give them the chance to perform"

The Titans have many options in their QB search as they could grab one in the draft with the eight overall pick they own. They could also find a veteran on the free agent market or via trade with the likes of Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb, or Kyle Orton looking to be available. It will definitely be interesting to see what direction they go for the most important position on the field. Of course all of this will be subject to matters of the current labor strife being negotiated by the owners and players union and as of today they are moving at a snail’s pace.

In summarizing, this is a team in transition. Changes have been installed from top to bottom and not only in personnel and coaching but also in mentality. Change can definitely be good in terms of a football team. The organization seemed to grow stagnant under Fisher. These types of things happen when the same system has been in place for so long. I have to credit Munchak for rolling the dice and bringing a change of culture and influences to the Titans. Only time will tell if these changes will result in changes in the win column. We all know that will be the only thing that matters come next season.

Oh no! Tiger Woods Caught Spitting on the Greens

With so much attention that is always focused on Tiger Woods, you would think he would have knew that the cameras would catch him in the act of spitting on the course. This is a big etiquette no-no in the world of golf. Woods was participating in the Omega Dubai Desert Classic over the weekend when the incident occurred. On the 12th green, Tiger can be seen apparently with a substance coming out of his mouth. Upon further inspection it was confirmed by tournament officials and also Woods that he indeed was spitting.


Officials at the tournament were so upset that they fined Woods an undisclosed amount and Woods agreed with them by saying on his twitter page “The Euro Tour is right – it was inconsiderate to spit like that and I know better. Just wasn’t thinking and want to say I’m sorry.” That is just the latest in a series of bad publicity for Woods, as we all know of the of his infidelity issues he had with wife Elin Nordegren, that eventually led to their divorce and his fall from grace in the media. His golf game has never recovered either.

Woods is still searching for his first victory since the scandal broke (The Australian Masters in November of 2009 was his last) and was in the running to win the tournament until he bombed out on the last day shooting a round of 75 in the final round.

Michael Vick to appear on Oprah Winfrey Show

The controversial Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick is set make an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show on February 24th. Being the polarizing figure that Vick is, Oprah has been called into question about why she would interview Vick. As for Vick himself, he is still trying to recuperate his image since his dog-fighting ring incident that landed the Pro Bowl QB in prison. Vick had his best season as a pro throwing for over 3,000 yards and posting career highs in touchdown passes (21) and passer rating (100.2). He garnered the most votes and was named to his fourth Pro Bowl as the starter for the NFC in the NFL Pro Bowl. The show should draw huge ratings because of the disparity that Vick causes along with the insightful questions of his life that only Oprah can ask. I’m sure Oprah knows this is a calculated risk but this is an interview she couldn’t pass up. She and Piers Morgan openly placed a bet on who would land the interview first and looks as if Oprah has won.




The internet has been set ablaze of the news of Vick’s appearance on the show. Vick of course has those who say he doesn’t even deserve to be out of prison for the awful things he did to those animals and those who say he served his debt to society for his crimes and should be vindicated. What do you guys think? Is this a good move for Oprah to interview such a controversial athlete?