JIM & DANICA MADE IT AN INTERESTING SPORTS WEEKEND

A lot has been spoken and written about Jim Boeheim’s melt down Saturday Night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.  With 10-seconds remaining in what was still a winnable game, C. J. Fair dashed along the baseline toward the basket.  The shot went in but veteran referee Tony Green immediately called a charge and wiped the bucket off.  Boeheim immediately went “nuts” and raced onto the floor. You didn’t have to be a skilled lip reader to realize that he was shouting, “That’s Bull-Shit, that’s Bull-shit” as he confront Green at mid-court.  Green immediately access a technical foul on the coach as he made his way to the table to report the fouls.  Boeheim continued to shout and confront Green as they made their way to the table where a second technical was issued resulting in Boeheim’s ejection.

This has been the hot topic in sports this weekend with a multitude of media, fans and fellow coaches lining up on both sides of the argument.  Some have been steadfast in their defense of Coach Boeheim saying among other thing how they admire his passion, while other have been extremely critical, calling him an idiot. As for me, I fall somewhere in the middle.

First let’s look at the original charge call made by Tony Green.  When I saw the play in live action, my first reaction was, while it was a bang-bang play, that it was a charge. After watching replays from different angles, I think this was one of those so called 50-50 calls that could have gone either way. When you slow it down and look at it from different angles y definition it was probably a block, but Green didn’t have that luxury.  Tony Green was in a no-win situation, he had only three choices, block, charge or play on.  If he had call the block, the Duke supporters would have been unhappy. And he would have heard it from Coach K.  Would K have reacted like Boeheim, probably not? But K has never been bashful about drop a few F-Bombs, so one technical may have been possible, we will never know.  He could have opted for the “play on” and called nothing.  If he had chosen this option, he would have been widely accused by everyone and the media of “swallowing the whistle.”  It should be noted that during a similar game in last year’s Big East Tournament, Jim Burr and his crew was accused of this very thing and ridiculed to the point that they did not finish out their tournament assignment.  And Coach Boeheim chimed in saying, “The refs are paid to call the entire game, not just the first 39:55, they have to call something.” Well in this case, Tony Green didn’t swallow his whistle and he did “call something.” 

Green’s final choice was to call the charge, which he did.  As a result he took two points off of the board for Syracuse.  Because this was a player control foul, Duke would not have shot free throws, but got the ball out of bounds giving Syracuse the opportunity to either get a steal or immediate foul being down only two points. If they had chosen to immediately foul, Syracuse would have stood a better than average chance of getting the ball back with not Duke points scored from the line as the Blue Devils were 7-17 from the free throw line.  To simplify thing, despite the call, Syracuse was still in the game and still had a chance to win.

Immediately after the call by Tony Green, Boeheim totally lost his composure. He was not just a step or two on the court he charged to center court confronting Green with “That’s Bull-Shit, That’s Bull Shit.” Green immediately signaled a technical foul and was making his way to the table where Boeheim continued to berate him.

Several seconds passed between the first and second technical. Usually an assistant or even a player gets between the coach and the referee and tried to move him back toward the bench before a second technical is call.  That didn’t happen, Boeheim continued to shout and confront Green and the referee has little choice to issue the second technical, which is an automatic ejection.  I believe 100%, that had someone had gotten between Boeheim and Green immediately after the first technical and made any type of effort to move him back toward the bench, Tony Green would have “looked the other way” and went about his business at the table. But that never happened. Green could NOT look the other way when the coach is in his face and continues to berate him.

 So after a full weekend of analyzing every aspect of the entire situation, here is my conclusions.

Being a big time college referee is tough and you have to make tough calls. Tony Green did that. Right or wrong he made a call. Was it the right call? That is still being debated.

Did the call warrant that type of reaction from Boeheim. Certainly not. His reaction, whether you call it passion, anger or frustration, was totally inappropriate.  Earlier in the year Iowa coach Fran McCaffery was ejected from a game for a similar reaction.  He was widely criticized in the media, and suspended by the Big 10 Conference.  While Boeheim has received some criticism he has by and large gotten a pass because he is a Hall of Fame Coach that “still has a passion for the game.”  Do I expect Boeheim to be suspended, No. Should he be probably? If you are going to hold one coach accountable then you have to hold them all accountable.

Did the original charge call by Tony Green decide the game? No. the Score was 60-58, Duke would not have shot free throws, but only got the ball out of bound.  As I said earlier, Syracuse still had options and could have gone for a steal under their basket or fouled sending Duke to the Line where they were a woeful 7-17. Syracuse still had a chance to win the game.

Did Boeheim’s reactions cost his team any chance to win. Yes, He took any chance they had completely away from them. He said in his post-game press conference he hate to see the game decided on that call. (The charge.) Well I disagree, the game was NOT decided on the original charge call, it was decided when Coach Boeheim, chose to go running onto the court screaming like a mad man and none of his assistants had the where with all to make any attempt to rein him in.

Why did Coach Boeheim react in this manner? Maybe he is frustrated at being force into a place that he doesn’t want to be. He has made no secret that he was angry at the move from the Big East to the ACC.  In the Big East he was always the Big Fish in the pond. Years back he occasionally had to share the spotlight with the likes of Lou Carnesecca and John Thompson, but for the last several years he was the top dog in the Big East. Now, in the ACC he has to share the spotlight with others like Coach K, Roy Williams and next year Rick Pitino. Instead of being the only one, he is going to be one of several. He will no longer get to play the conference tournament in his own back yard at Madison Square Garden.  Even in his post-game press conference he continues to take backhand swipes at the ACC and its members, with comment like, “The way they do things down here,” and “I’m sure when tournament time comes we are going to have to find Greensboro.

Moving on, Syracuse –Duke wasn’t the only thing making news this week. Danica Patrick and The King exchanged barbs with Tony Stewart joining in for good measure.

Richard Petty, The undisputed “King” of NASCAR, said prior to the Daytona 500 that Danica could probably win a race “if everybody else stayed home.”  Danica more or less brush off the remarks saying he is “entitle to his opinion.”

Patrick’s car owner Tony Stewart then weighed in saying that Patrick and Petty should race and that Danica should shove the checkered flag up his butt after she wins.

Petty went on to clarify his remarks, “This is a female deal that's driving her. There's nothing wrong with that, because that's good PR for me. More fans come out, people are more interested in it. She has helped to draw attention to the sport, which helps everybody in the sport."

Basically, Petty is correct. Danica’s involvement in NASCAR is nothing more than a well-orchestrated marketing tool by everybody involved in NASCAR. Nothing more, nothing less, and to be honest there is nothing wrong with that.  NASCAR, Sports and Business in general is all about money. 

Danica Patrick sells millions of dollar’s in merchandise each year. Why? Because she is a female in a male dominated sport.  Those t-shirts, hats and other merchandise are not rolling off of the shelves because she wins races. The Big Name sponsors on her car are not there because she gets them prime TV-time in victory lane, they are there because she get their name on TV and before the public just because she shows up.  She doesn’t have to do anything special, other than show up and the media and the fans are all over her, which is good for her sponsor, good for her team and good for NASCAR.

However, the fact remains she hasn’t won anything. Her average finish is middle of the road at best. If a male driver maintained the same stats that she has, he would be with a lesser funded team or most likely looking for a ride or sponsorship.  The bottom line is Danica Patrick is a mediocre driver with mediocre talent that still has a place in NASCAR because of her gender, name recognition and she sells millions of dollars in t-shirts each year, nothing else.  

 

 

A TRIP DOWN MAIN STREET

A few months back, I made a trip back to my home town of Tazewell, Virginia. As I walked down Main Street, I got to thinking back to the days of my childhood and just how much things have changed. Most of the stores that I had visited in my youth have long closed and are now either vacant or used as office space.  Gone are the days when people came to Main street to shop and to visit.

As I made my way down the street I stopped in front of the building that once housed Jackson's Drug Store. Oh, what memories came flooding back as I looked in the window. I fondly remember the old soda fountain where you could get a cherry coke, and ice cream sundae or my favorite an ice cold Cherry Smash.

I remember on Saturday afternoon, you could walk by Jackson's and at one time of the other, see almost every kid in the community sitting, or as most would do, spinning on the round soda fountain stools, while their parents shopped on Main Street.

Jackson's was a place that where I could go as a child and buy a Christmas or Birthday gift for my mom and dad and simple ask Doc Fugate to charge it.  He would then simply write it down in the large file that he kept on the counter for everyone in the community. He would file it away until the next time my mom or dad came in to "settle up."

Jackson's was a place that we went to get you prescriptions filled by Doc Fugate, but it was a place where the community came to visit and catch up on what had gone on since the last time they were in town. You see, growing up in a small town your neighbors were also your friends. Jackson's was "the ole country store" on Main Street.

When I was growing up in the late sixties and early seventies, the rest of the nation was struggling with something called civil rights. I remember watching the news, seeing riots and fights between white and black people. People in other parts of the county would have probably been confused had they walked by Jackson's Drug Store on any Saturday afternoon. Had they stopped at Jackson's and took time to look in the window, they would have probably seen black kids and white kids sitting side by side spinning on those round soda fountain stools laughing and sharing the time while their parents shopped up and down Main Street.

One of the fixtures at Jackson's Drug Store was an kindly old black gentleman that I knew as "Mister Henry."  As I looked in the window some 40-years later I could see as if it was yesterday, Mister Henry sweeping, stocking shelves, and often mopping and cleaning up the mess us kids had made.  Mister Henry also delivered medicine to the sick "folks" who couldn't get out. He never charging them a dime and most of the time never got more than a "thank you" and a smile, which was always enough. Mister Henry always had a kind word and a smile for everyone who he met.

My dad was a truck driver and would often travel to Florida to pick up produce for Deskin's Supermarket. As a young boy I would always love to go with him. Seeing the country and spending time with my dad was always a treat.

It was on one of these trips that it had rained all week in Florida and the packing houses was short on produce because the pickers hadn't been able to pick in the field. For three day we sat in a motel before dad made the decision to get me back to Tazewell in time for me to go back to school. So early on a Saturday morning dad took me to the Orlando Bus Station and put me on bus bound for Bluefield.

Bluefield was a close as I could get to Tazewell, and my concern was how I would get from Bluefield to Tazewell.  Daddy reply was, "if I can get you to Bluefield you should be able to find a way to Tazewell." For the 18-hours it took for the bus to make the trip from Orlando to Bluefield, I worried about how I would travel those last 20-miles.

I arrived in Bluefield on a rainy Sunday morning, I got off the bus and made my way inside the station, the first person I saw was Mister Henry. Without hesitation I made my way over to him and ask him for a ride back to Tazewell. I climbed into the back seat of Mister Henry's car and 40-minutes later he delivered me to my front door.

As I got out of his car, I tried to pay him but but he refused to take the $10.00 that I offered, saying, "I don't want your money, that's what neighbors are for."

When my dad finally got back to Tazewell we took Mister Henry a 10-pound bag of orange down to Jackson's. Those oranges and my sincere thank you was the only pay that Mister Henry ever received for being a neighbor. You see our neighbors were also our friends. You see when I was growing up in our small town we were more concerned about being good neighbors and good friends. People like Doc Fugate, and Mister Henry were the rule rather than the exception.

I will never forget the time that I spent a Jackson's, spinning on those soda fountain stood, but more important I have never forgotten the kindness that Mister Henry showed me on that rainy Sunday Morning many years ago.

GAME DAY IN DEATH VALLEY

WELCOME TO DEATH VALLEY

Death Valley is officially known as Memorial Stadium

There are just some places that every college football fan has to visit and see a game. For me those places include Notre Dame Stadium, The Big House at Michigan, The Cotton Bowl for a Red River Shootout between Oklahoma and Texas just to name a few.  This year I got to travel to Death Valley on the Campus of Clemson University. This is One of the Best game day atmospheres in all of College Football. The Tiger Walk, Howard's Rock, Tiger Rag and "Running down the Hill" makes for a game day environment that is impressive to any college football fan. When I attended the Tigers were ranked #3 in the country and expectations were high. As we were walking in from the parking lots in the colors of an opposing team we were greeted several time with "Welcome to Clemson," or "Glad You are Here." We found the Clemson fans Passionate and devoted but for the most part, polite and respectful. In the stadium, the 86,000+ fans were loud and definitely know how to give their Team a big home field advantage. My visit to Clemson's Memorial Stadium was a Bucket List trip for me and I am glad I was able to scratch it off of my list. Hats off to Clemson and the Tiger Nation.

ENTER THE TIGER'S

HOWARD'S ROCK

NEVER TRUST A GROUND HOG

I do care if your name is Punxsutawney Phil, Brooklyn Betty or Hagerstown Howard, when it comes to weather you can't trust a Ground Hog.  Since ole Phil predicted an "early spring" we have had two significant snows here in Southwest Virginia, got 9-inches of snow while on Vacation in Kansas City and now today, and today got about 5-inches on the ground in Christiansburg and it is still snowing. I guess Ground Hogs are a lot like some people I know, They tell you what you want to hear at the time.

APRIL SNOW

SOUTHWEST VA. SNOW

5-INCHES AND COUNTING

THIS WAS AN APRIL SURPRISE

April "SNOW" Showers

APRIL SURPRISE

SNOW, SNOW AND MORE SNOW

SNOW IS FOR THE BIRDS

ED T. RUSH - A CANCER ON THE PAC 12

On Monday CBS Sports reported that PAC-12 Supervisor of Officials had met with the referees who would be working the 2013 PAC-12 Tournament and offered any official $5,000 or a trip to Cancun if they "Ring up" or "Run" Arizona coach Shawn Miller. Later during the UCLA-Arizona Game Miller received his only Technical of the season when he complained about a suspicious double dribble that has been called on his guard.  I watch the game highlights and saw Miller complain, however unless her got into the officials family tree, or cursed then I did not think his actions warranted a technical. After all I have seen an heard a lot worse from coaches in the ACC. I have even heard Coach K and retired Coach Jim Calhoun drop a few F-Bombs on officials and not even get a hard look.

The fact of the matter is that joking or not, Ed T. Rush has lost all credibility with the fans and if Commissioner Larry Scott continues to stick with him then Mr. Scott's Credibility is in serious jeopardy. Scott and Rush both have said that the comments were inappropriate but that Rush was only joking and should not have been taken seriously.  Well, evidently at least one referee, Michael Irving, took Rush serious, as he is the referee that called the questionable technical during the UCLA-Arizona Game.  When that technical was called, Rush's comment we no longer a joke, those comments became a reality.  We will never know if Irving receives his $5,000, but I do doubt that we will see pictures of him vacationing in Cancun.

When Rush was hired by the PAC 12, he brought baggage from the NBA.  He was not well liked by Team administrators, owner, coaches and fellow officials.  Dallas Mavericks owner Mike Cuban was very critical of Rush, saying he wouldn't hire him to manage a Dairy Queen. Other have said that Rush doesn't have the best interest of the league or the game at heart, It's all about Ed Rush. He was abrasive, self-centered and not well like in the NBA and he has not been well regarded in the PAC-12.  Recently PAC-12 official Dick Cartmell submitted his resignation citing "personal differences with the direction of the officiating program."  Dick Cartmell, is not a rookie official, he is a veteran referee who has worked 5-Final Fours.

When you have a Veteran referee say he would rather resign than be apart of the "new direction" this should raise some red flags in the PAC 12 Offices.  Then you have the Supervisor of Officials makes highly inappropriate remarks (joking or not) it's time to say enough is enough.

The continued employment of Ed T. Rush by the PAC-12 will tarnish not only the credibility of the Commissioner but the entire conference. The University Presidents and Conference Athletic Directors should demand the Rush be fired and the sooner the better. Ed Rush is a cancer and need to be removed.