I was wrong V4

Um, yeah.

That loss makes this a little embarrassing.

For the record, PC totally outplayed them in the first half.

It’s Time To Play…

…What the fuck does that metaphor mean?

From Plaschke’s most recent “article“

The fairy tale is that, if he wins Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals quarterback has promised to buy his family a puppy.
The reality show is that the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to whip the dog out of him.

“Whip the dog out of him” most likely means?

A) Nothing. Plaschke was trying to connect the two sentences, forgetting that theyre supposed to make sense

B) The Cards are the underdog, so the Steelers are going to “whip the dog”

C) Kurt Warner has a special lucky dog he calls “rusty.” Kurt rubs this dogs head before every game. Rusty ran away prior to Super Bowl 36, only to return this year. Troy Polimalu is going to sneak into Warner’s house and kill Rusty.

D) “Dog” means “balls”

Read on for the answer!!

Uh oh

Where are you firejoe? This article is painful. It’s a list of the “best” announcers. On to the List!!

When being good is bad

I’ve experienced few things in my life. I pretty much sit here under this bridge and hustle well intentioned BU students into giving me drug money. One thing I do have experience with, however, is playing in basketball routs.

I’ve actually been on both sides. I played on one undefeated team (remember these are all, like, lower level prep/cyo/aau or even lower). Playing for that team was great, especially when we F’n killed teams. It’s just fun.

I’ve also been on the other side of things. Lose by 40 points? Check. Lose by 30+ when the other team only scores like 35? Check. Score 20% of my teams points when I only have 4 points in the game? Check.

So anyway, I boringly discuss my basketball endeavors because this is all over the news.  Covenant girls team beat Dallas Academy girls team by 100 points.

My response initially is *yawn*

Teams blow out teams all the time. It builds toughness. It encourages hard work. It makes you want to fight people (which is good I think). I mean, 100-0 is a lot of points, and I’ve never lost that badly, but I think its a bigger story simple due to the aestheticism of the numbers. 100-0 sounds way worse than, say, 89-8. It’s a little worse, but not much.

Apparently now, the team that won has fired their coach. And the team that lost is going around doing media interviews.

This is horrible.

I have garnered a few trophies in my sports playing career (most crappy). You know the one I hate the most? My “congrats for simply signing up and playing in this league” trophy that everyone got. I keep it solely to remind myself to never suck that badly again.

Congratulating people who are bad at things doesnt help anyone. Why is this a feel good story? If I lost a basketball game by 100 points I would do one of two things:

1. Go to the gym for about 75 hours the next week

2. Hide my face in shame and never touch a basketball again.

This is not to say I hate Dallas Academy. After watching the Diane Sawyer piece I actually really like them. It seems like they are playing for the love of the game, which is great. But, if you are terrible at basketball, you have to understand that it is within the other team’s right to absolutely destroy you. And you know what? It’s not that bad. Blowouts can be fun. So, I guess I’m saying, I support the Dallas Academy team, because its good when people enjoy doing things, even if they are bad. But they really shouldn’t be taking advantage of the situation by going on tv. And that coach definitely should not have been fired.

So, here’s to you Covenant. You girls are good at basketball.

And FU Covnenant school board, or whoever is responsible for that coach’s firing. You said here:

“Covenant school officials… wish to extend their highest praise to each member of the Dallas Academy Varsity Girls Basketball team for their strength, composure and fortitude in a game in which they clearly emerged the winner.“

Nope. They clearly lost. And it’s not that bad. And it’s not that big a deal. And basketball is still fun, just ask them. The sun still rises. Let’s move on.

Thank god for the Arizona Cardinals

Never thought I’d hear that line, but it’s been coming up a lot lately in talking to my cousin in Phoenix who’s a die-hard Suns fan. As Chris Webber so eloquently put it, “any time a 36-year old, 7-foot 400-pound man is your best player, that’s sad.”

Thanks for the insight C-Webb. Here’s to hoping you stay on Inside the NBA through the playoffs.

Anyways, back to the matter at hand.

I’m sick and tired of boring cold weather teams winning the Super Bowl, which is why it’s really refreshing to see a team like the Cards in the title game. Eagles may disagree with me on this, but Zona really is a lot of fun to watch with Fitzy catching ANYTHING thrown his way, Kurt Warner playing like he did in 2001 (can’t go against god and puppies) and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie putting his San Diego cousin to shame.

So I’m going to call this before anyone else does. Cards 28-17.

Let the ranting commence.

YEAH ANDY!

UPDATE: Roddick loses as Federer cruises 6-2, 7-5, 7-5. So much for turning a new leaf. At least the world can revel in another Federer-Nadal final. (as long as Verdasco doesn’t pull the upset, which shouldn’t happen because Rafa is rolling.)

MY BOY Andy Roddick pulled off a great upset yesterday, defeating his rival Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the Australian open. Djokovic is definitely a rising star and was the winner of last year’s Australian open. I think most people would consider him as the player closest to breaking the Nadal-Federer lock, although there’s still probably a huge gap between those two players and everyone else. Some would consider Djokovic to be one of the more abrasive players on tour..especially after his pleasant encounter with the crowd at last year’s US Open

Also, this isn’t really his fault, but check out what some of his fans did. SH&% gets thrown son.

Granted, Roddick’s upset was aided by the extreme heat during the match. Temperatures reached 130 degrees and Djokovic appeared to tire. Djokovic retired trailing 2 sets to 1, and down 2-1 in the 4th set. Meh. Having Djokovic retire takes a little bit out of Roddick’s win, but still a great effort. As big of a Roddick fan as I am, I’m not sure how he’ll do against Federer. Federer appears to be rolling following an earlier 5 set scare, winning 6-3, 6-0, and 6-0 in quarterfinal. Here’s hoping that Andy can continue his great run and work back to the top.

Made Me Laugh

Check out this shirt for Lakers fans. BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

Hat Tip: Redsarmy

Aight, back to work everybody…

Had to Post This

Hate to knock off our amazing guest post but…

This is how you trash talk people. All the other “crazies” shown in that segment were dumb. This kid knows what’s up.

Who’s ready for Duke-Wake? As one of our posters here shouldve asked herself before… Who is Jeff Teague?

Ten Reasons Virginia Could Win the National Championship, and Five Reasons Why They Probably Won’t

Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Swiznit, a sports columnist by day and We Talkin’ Bout Practice reader by night. He also runs Listosaurus Rex, a website about lists.  Don’t worry, even though this blog has mad connections, we will never, I repeat, NEVER become legit.  Or stop swearing.  Also, to give credit where credit is due, Swiznit himself wrote the first half of this editors note.

Virginia’s women’s basketball team is looking better than it has in decades.  The team has floated around 15th in national polls and has a shot at dethroning The Big Three in the ACC (UNC, Maryland, Duke) if it continues to play as well as it has most games.

I cover the U.Va. women’s basketball team, know the players and coaches pretty well, interact with them on a regular basis, and watch them practice and play. They are very, very good and can give any team a run for their money.  Here is a list of reasons why they’re so good they could even win the National Championship this year, along with five notable flaws that will probably prevent them from making it that far.

Reasons they could win it all:

1. Monica Wright

She’s not Candace Parker, but almost (Editor’s note: no, she is most definitely not Candace Parker). The best player to grace Charlottesville since Dawn Staley (who is one of the greatest ACC basketball players ever, male or female), Monica Wright is playing at an All-American level. She leads the conference in scoring and rebounds better than some forwards and centers. She also knows how to run an offense.

2. Lyndra Littles

She sat out the first half of the season due to academic reasons, but has been an unstoppable force since. She averages over 20 points a game, second in the conference only to Monica Wright. She’s tougher than a well-done steak. On Wednesday against Virginia Tech, she rolled her ankle in the second half. A few minutes later, she limped back out on the court and won the game for the Cavaliers.

3. Aisha Mohammed

When she’s healthy, no ACC player is nearly as strong and dominant in the lane as Aisha. She racks up double-doubles like Adam Jones racks up suspensions. Returning to her home in Nigeria over the summer cleared her head so now her mind’s on basketball.

4. Reasons one, two, and three combined

Ther might be a few defenders in college basketball that can match up against Wright, Littles, and Mohammed, but few if any teams have two of the players, let alone three.  One or two of the players will always have some space to go wild. In the aforementioned game against Tech, Mohammed was the target. Littles and Wright scored 28 and 23 respectively.

5. The freshmen learn fast and score big

Three freshmen — Ariana Moorer, Whitny Edwards, and Chelsea Shine — have proved from beginning that they have the talent to keep up with the stars on their team. As the months pass and the players adjust, they’ll become bigger and bigger threats.

6. Experience

Three key players are seniors, all of whom have seen regular playing time for a lot of their career. Littles and Mohammed are stars, while Britnee Millner has become a leader and formidable offense-runner. Wright has the poise of a senior and a half. Even sophomore Kelly Hartig is starting to reap the rewards of playing time this past year and a half.

7. Toughing up against ACC opponents

It’s unlikely the Cavaliers will come out of conference play with the best record. But it’s not the regular season record that wins you a championship. Playing top-tier teams all season long will prepare U.Va. for big games.

8. Debbie Ryan

Longtime Cavalier coach Debbie Ryan is adored by her players. They’ll do anything and everything to win her a game. Debbie is one of the best coaches in women’s basketball to not win a championship. Littles and Mohammed want to take advantage their last chance to fix that.

9. Great attitude and discipline

I dare you to find a selfish, arrogant quote that came from Debbie Ryan or any Cavalier. They’re not emotional or rash. They focus on being strong people, and it takes a strong person to be a truly strong player.

10. Experience against hostile crowds

The Cavaliers already toppled then-no. 5 Tennessee on the road. They’ll take on the Terps at Maryland, the Tarheels at Chapel Hill, and the Devils at Cameron. They’ll be ready for any crowd in the postseason.

Reasons they probably won’t win it all:

1. Weak fan support

A rare thing I’ve heard the players complain about is the empty stands during home games. Charlottesville isn’t known for good fans in general, but the crowds at anything besides a football game or conference men’s basketball game are just sad. If they dont go to home games, why would they travel?

2. Mohammed is always hurt or tired

Aisha’s knees have been bothering her since she came to the team. She doesn’t have the endurance to play 35 minutes. She usually ends up playing closer to 25. When she’s on, she’s unstoppable, but she’s a little bit off a little too often.

3. Zoll-less

The Cavaliers are a top 15 team but they could be a top 5 team if Sharnee Zoll could have stayed for one more year. Then the Cavaliers would have had a record-setting passer (all-time ACC leader in assists!) to set up the team’s great scorers. Millner and Moorer do an okay job, but they’re no Sharnee.

4. Double-edged ACC

Playing a conference as tough as the ACC is a mixed blessing. On the one hand, you play the cream of the crop all season long to prepare you for other tough teams in the postseason. On the other hand, teams can get worn out from all the hard work and hung up on a few losses that can haunt the team for the rest of the year.

5. Postseason isn’t a sure thing

Though Virginia is significantly better than the vast majority of teams across the nation, a few stumbles here or there and an early exit in the conference tournament could mean they might get stuck in the NIT. Fortunately, the selection committee has a history of being generous to ACC teams.

Ultimately, the Cavaliers are a solid team, but will need to gain momentum at just the right time if they want to go deep into the NCAA tournament in march. Some other teams have a little bit more talent, and Virginia lacks an offensively prolific guard outside of Wright.  But this is a special group of girls who have already made some noise this season and are looking to makes some more.

Seriously?

While the Houston Comets – the most decorated team in WNBA history – folded this offseason, it appears that this isn’t a league-wide trend.

Check out the Seattle Storm, who have just signed a 10-year extension with Key Arena.

Lucky Storm fans. I mean, I can’t think of a more spirited, devoted and knowledgeable fan base. They definitely deserve to keep their team.