Big Sam steps down

In case you didn't catch the news over the weekend, the manager of the Bolton Wanderers, Sam Allardyce, stepped down over the weekend. As a proud supporter of Bolton this is a big blow. Bolton is a club that takes players that other clubs overlook and turns them in to stars. They take retreads and breathe new life in to their careers. They take talented, tempermental players and make them work as a part of a system. They are a poor man's New England Patriots.

The one constant in this equation was their former fullback and now former manager, Sam Allardyce. He took the team from the bottom of the EPL to a consistent presence at the top of the tables. They've played in Europe the past several seasons and are set to make another UEFA Cup appearance next year as they sit solidly in 5th place.

The sudden loss of Big Sam will no doubt hurt. The question is whether Bolton can build upon, or at least sustain, the success he has taught Bolton fans to expect over the past several seasons. Regressing to the dark days of relegation and uninspired football will surely not please the fans at Reebok Stadium.

Perhaps most striking about this move is that he is reported to be moving to Manchester City, home of the Beaz and a team that is in constant danger of relegation. I understand wanting to take on the challenge of another turnaround, but how about delivering a top 4 finish in the Premiership and a place in the Champions League before you go?

Picks, continued

Alright, now that we're legit, I can make these picks the way they were mean to be made, at 8:01 AM PDT, while listening to Disc 2 of Ted Nugent's Double Live album. Stranglehold's coming up in 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

Wait, Stranglehold's coming up right now. I forgot, that's the only thing worth listening to on this, but oh, how it is worth it.

Alright, the draft, we're at number 4. Let's get down to business.

4. Joe Thomas - ok, you're right, i'm just looking at Peter King and Don Bank's mock drafts and plagiarizing, but i'm pretty sure that's what one or the other did as well. besides, i just switched shit up on those losers. BOOM!

5. Gaines Adams - i have no reason to think otherwise. the next warren sapp? the next Jarvis Moss? or, uh, maybe the next somebody from Arizona?

6. Okoye - i kind of wish the bears dealt briggs for this guy, though i'm sure it would have been a bad move, b/c Angelo would have pulled the trigger if otherwise. Angelo knows what the fuck he's doing, by the way, come draft day.

7. Adrian Peterson - not b/c I think it'll happen, but i'm ready to make my own way in this world. also, DIII's point system doesn't penalize much for being 1 off. ha! fucker

guitar solo

8. LaRon Landry - "The Ron", it's French, er, it's freedom

9. Levi Brown - OK, I'll say it, this guy's nasty!

10. Tedd Ginn, Jr. - why look at the o-line, now? Schuab won't notice

11. Adam Carriker

12. Pat Willis - I predict the 9ers take 2 games against the hawks this year. i'm just saying.

13. Jamaal Anderson

14. Darrell Revis

15. Leon Hall

16. Marshawn Lynch

17. Reggie Nelson

18. Alan Branch

19. Jarvis Moss

20. Lawrence Timmons

21. Anthony Spencer

22. Michael Griffin

23. Aaron Ross

24. Jon Beason

25. Paul Posluszny

26. Brandon Meriweather

27. Dwayne Bowe

28. David Harris

29. Joe Staley

30. Robert Meachem

31. Greg Olsen

32. Anthony Gonzalez

There it is you assholes. I'll take my money after I get up from my AYYYYYY MMMMMM ALE!

Dear Diary...blah blah blah - Picks, well, 3 of em

So, I'm not quite sure what kind of cry baby shit DIII put out there last night because it's 7:45 AM and I don't care. What I do know is that it's 7:45 AM, I've got big money on the table w/ that f'ing DB, and I have not submitted my draft selections, yet. 15 minutes, can it be done? Am I sweating? Am I worried? Am I rushing to copy and paste whatever Len "slice of provolone for a face" Pasquarelli has for draft predictions in here? Am I drunk?

OK, yes (but it's from the booze), yes (it's now 7:51), yes (i make this great egg plant dish w/ provolone), and yes (but it's from the booze).

Here it goes, it's like 8 minute abs, but instead, I'm exercising my MIND, and my FINGERS, fuckers.

Here it goes. Shut up. Here it goes.

Jamarcus Russell - anybody here about this kid's arm? me neither, but i have heard that he's athletic
Calvin Johnson - what else is detroit gonna do. i mean, drafting wideouts in the first round has always worked out well for them

5 minutes

Brady Quinn - does anybody have doubts about this guys pecs?

3 minutes - let's me honest, it may be time to start going w/ everything Peter "my daughter looks like a UW cheerleader" King's picks here. hmm, that can't possibly end well.

orrrrrrrrr, I'll just post these right now, and buy myself 45 minutes. yaaaaayyyyyyy

Dear Diary

Took the wife out for drinks earlier on but she was coming down with a cold so we came home and I settled in for a night of tv.

Flipped over to the worldwide leader and found myself actually paying attention to an NBA game for the first time all year. Who are these Golden State Warriors? Sure I know who Baron Davis, Jason Richardson and Monta Ellis are but I certainly didn't know that they could be this entertaining. Davis is that rare former UCLA player who I've always enjoyed watching but obviously I wasn't paying near enough attention. He takes the ball to the rim strong and the Mavs simply didn't have an answer for him. Can Golden State beat Dallas two more times? I don't know because tonight the Warriors were throwing in all kinds of ridiculous shots. It doesn't matter. Tonight I may have found my new team since the Sonics are dreaming of Las Vegas.

I also turned the channel long enough to see the Mariners win another game and reach .500. All I ask of the Mariners is to stay within shouting distance of first until August 31st. Once the Huskies start playing the M's can tank it. Just don't force me to watch Arena football or even worse go outside.

Tomorrow's the draft and the Hawks don't pick until the mid 50's. Here's hoping they find a stud defensive tackle and a competent tight end. Seattle fans need another run at the Super Bowl to remove the bitter taste in our mouths from a couple of seasons back.

Mock 2007 National Football League Annual Selection Meeting

I enjoy watching sports. I really enjoy watching big sports events and gambling. Now I enjoy the draft but normally I couldn't care less about who the Vikings pick. It was fairly obvious then that adding money into the equation would spice things up. So here's the rules. We're gambling on the first round only. Scoring is similar to ESPN. If you nail the pick you get 5 points. If you miss the pick by one spot you get 4 points and so on. With that out of the way, here's my best guess at the first round.

1. JaMarcus Russell
2. Calvin Johnson
3. Brady Quinn
4. Gaines Adams
5. Joe Thomas
6. Amobi Okoye
7. Jamaal Anderson
8. LaRon Landry
9. Levi Brown
10.Alan Branch
11.Patrick Willis
12.Adrian Peterson
13.Leon Hall
14.Reggie Nelson
15.Adam Carriker
16.Marshawn Lynch
17.Brandon Meriweather
18.Darrelle Revis
19.Robert Meachem
20.Paul Posluszny
21.Jarvis Moss
22.Ted Ginn
23.Dwayne Bowe
24.Aaron Ross
25.Greg Olsen
26.Lawrence Timmons
27.Jon Beason
28.Michael Griffin
29.Joe Staley
30.Dwayne Jarrett
31.Justin Harrell
32.Steve Smith

There you go. That's a damn near unstoppable mock draft!

92,000 reasons the SEC kicks ass at football

Christ, I didn't know the VT shooting was going to cause WUWS to go into such a deep mourning. With proper respects paid to the victims, it's now time to move onto something else.

We here on the west coast (and by we, I mean everyone but me so fuck off) like nothing more than to bitch about east coast bias.

"The media doesn't pay attention to the Pac-10."
"The media underrates the Pac-10."
"The media overrates (insert whichever conference is good in a given year)."

Waaaah. Cry me a fucking river. Here's a picture of Bryant-Denny from Alabama's spring game last weekend.




That's 92,138 fans. For the spring game. And they had to turn away other fans.

You want to know why the SEC is so fucking good at football? There you go. It's not because a bunch of yahoos have nothing better to do on a Saturday than watch a fake game. The fans are symptomatic of the passion that the South has for football. That passion translates to cutthroat competition in all aspects. From stadium building, to facilities, to recruiting, to coaching hires and all the way down to the actual games. Supporters of SEC teams don't fuck around and it's reflected on the product that's put on the field. Is it any wonder then that the media pays so much attention to these teams?

This weekend while the Huskies are playing their Purple-Gold game in front of 20,000, I'll be sitting on Go Strider's couch gambling on the NFL draft. Does that make me part of the problem? Maybe, maybe not. I personally don't believe in an east coast bias and even if it is true, it wouldn't bother me. But that's for another post.

Thoughts and Prayers....

We at WUWS stand in solidarity with all the victims of the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech, their families, the students, and the whole nation. Such senseless acts remind us all of the important things in life.

USC signed who???

I'm actually gonna send you over to Joey's site at Straight Bangin' for this story. Go ahead, i'll wait.



Ok you're back. Really? Is any opponent going to take him seriously after seeing those videos? As an opposing fan I'm not exactly in awe of this signing.

Solid UW Basketball Update

Would be pointless for me to simply reiterate the times article today on UW's current basketball recruiting situation, but great insight into their current standing, as well as what we all feared, a note at the end of the article claiming the rare occasion that UW may be competing with WSU for a basketball recruit. That's just sad, is a player willing to go to WSU worth UW's time?

Seattle Times Article Link

SPC's new Shirt

Description
Chloe, Patch me through to DoD and set up a perimeter around the location. No one gets in or out unless I say so. I give you my word.

Courtesy of Aquaman....

Ultimate Pitching Matchup

"He hated Venezuelans! And he was half Venezuelan! .......And he hated irony!"


Who would have won last night if Felix Hernandez was matched up against Bill Brasky and the Red Sox? Discuss.

My Pick: I'm taking Felix after 43 innings of bloodshed. But only because Bill Brasky had to be pulled from the game so that he could give birth to a delicious 16 ounce steak. The after birth was sauteed mushrooms.

The games that make Seattle fans jump off bridges

Until this decade Boston fans were renowned for their suffering. What's more, they let you know about it. It certainly must have been difficult to watch Roger Clemens strike out 20 Seattle Mariners. It couldn't have been easy watching Larry Bird win three NBA titles. I can imagine the heartbreak of watching Doug Flutie throw a hail mary on his way to winning the Heisman. The agony of watching the Patriots go to two Super Bowls was a profile in courage. OK ok, the Pats sucked horribly most of the time before the Tuck Game.

Here's my point, if you want to talk about a sports town that has suffered quietly while enduring it's fair share of heartbreakers then you need to head over to Seattle. The Sonics won an NBA title when I was in diapers and the Huskies won an NCAA title 16 years ago. Half a title at that. Two championships. That's it. Other than that, we've been able to witness many 90 loss Mariners seasons. Seahawks fans once regarded Rick Mirer as the franchise savior. We even managed to find humor in the substance abuse problems of Shawn Kemp and Vin Baker. To top it off, at one time or another the Mariners, Seahawks and Sonics all threatened to leave town. Somehow in between all this mediocrity, our favorite teams have managed to occasionally raise our hopes. Of course this is Seattle so they screw it up often in heartbreaking fashion. I give to you an unlucky 13 Seattle sports dissappointments. Get ready for a horrifying trip down memory lane.

2006 Sweet 16
Washington vs. UConn

Where do you begin with this one? There was dubious refereeing that led to Brandon Roy sitting for most of the second half and most of the starting lineup fouling out. There was Mike Jensen making a stupid foul late in regulation. There was a last second shot by Rashad Anderson to send the game to overtime. There was Joel smith making a bad pass to seal the game. One of the most frustrating parts was that Washington would have played an unimpressive George Mason team for a shot at the Final Four.




1992 Apple cup
Washington vs. Washington St.

The Huskies had their 20+ game winning streak snapped a couple of weeks earlier against Arizona but still came into this game ranked in the top 5. Beating the Cougars would have given the Dawgs their third straight 10 win season heading into a Rose Bowl rematch with Michigan. The enduring image of this game is Drew Bledsoe hitting a diving Phillip Bobo who slid into a snow pack at the back of the endzone. This game hurt not only becuase it completely removed any remaining mystique the Huskies had, but also becuase it came at the hands of a rival. The coming months saw the Huskies lose in the Rose Bowl followed by the Billy Joe Hobert scandal and finally Don James stepping down before the 1993 season.


1999 NCAA First Round
Washington vs. Miami(OH)

In retrospect I'm glad I decided to go to class for the first half. Bob Bender and the Huskies returned to the NCAA tournament where they had lost in the Sweet 16 a year earlier (more on that later). Wally Szczerbiak, and yes I had to look up how to spell that name, went apeshit as Bender steadfastly refused to play any kind of box and one zone. Szczerbiak scored 43 of his team's 59 points. That's right 73%!!! Despite this, the Huskies still had one last shot to win the game. It was blocked by Szczerbiak and the Huskies went home early. This loss hurt and Bender never was able to get the Huskies back into the postseason. The program quickly spiraled into the kind of mediocrity that comes with players like Thalo Green and Michael Johnson.


1995 Western Conference Playoffs, First Round
Seattle Supersonics vs. Los Angeles Lakers

There's not a single Sonics fan that needs help hating the Lakers. Well this series helped. I don't even remember much about it other than Nick Van Exel throwing uppercuts after hitting a bunch of 3 pointers. That really pissed me off!


1994
Washington vs. Oregon

The Kenny Wheaton game. This loss actually stings more now because it was a springboard game for the Oregon program. Before this game, Oregon was a perennial doormat. They were the kind of team you didn't even give much thought to becuase the Huskies always beat them. In '94, the Huskies ended Miami's home win streak and were a top 10 team coming into the game. Late in the 4th quarter, the Ducks were up by four but the Huskies were driving. Then...




2003 NFC Wildcard
Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers

Let me set the scene. January. Lambeau Field. Overtime coin toss.

"We want the ball and we're gonna score!"

I loved the confidence Matt. I hated what actually happened.


1997 Apple Cup
Washington vs. Washington St.

Brock Huard throwing a ton of interceptions off his back foot. Ryan Leaf with his fucking cocky smirk throwing for a ton of yards and touchdowns. Cougar fans rushing the Husky Stadium field at the end of the game. Washington State clinching their first Rose Bowl trip in 67 years. Ugh.


2001 ALCS
Seattle Mariners vs. New York Yankees

A classic "We're the Yankees and you're not" series. The Mariners had won a record 116 games in the regular season behind great pitching and a balanced offense. It seemed like everybody on the team had a career year. After struggling to beat the Indians in the divisional series, the Mariners were set for a rematch with the Yankees. It was over before it started. New York went to Safeco and swept the first two games. The Mariners showed up in game 3 and clobbered the Yanks. In game four, Alfonso Soriano hit a walk off homerun and the M's rolled over and played dead in game 5. What was so frustrating was how the Yankees didn't even have to break a sweat to win this series.


1993 Western Conference Finals, Game 7
Seattle Supersonics vs. Phoenix Suns

When Bill Simmons can stop talking about David Ortiz and Larry Bird long enough to mention that the Supes got hosed, then you know it was bad. I don't have the numbers but let's just say that the Suns shot A LOT of free throws. David Stern demanded a Michael Jordan vs. Charles Barkely final and he got it. I'm sure he chuckled to himself when he thought about all the stupid Soincs fans who thought their team had a chance. Barkely was a whining bitch. Dan Majerle had a stupid tan and a stupider nickname. Kevin Johnson couldn't close his mouth all the way. God, I hated that Suns team.


1998 Sweet 16
Washington vs. UConn

The Huskies were playing the role of Cinderella as an 11 seed. With time running out UConn was down one.




2006 Super Bowl XL
Seattle Seahawks vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

I don't need to go into detail and it's probably a good thing that the NFL doesn't allow highlights to be posted on youtube.


1990
Washington vs. UCLA

This one may not be as well remembered as some others on the list but it's my personal most bitter Seattle sports memory. The Huskies were 8-1 and ranked #2 in the country when the day started. UCLA was bad and was a heavy underdog coming into Montlake. On a windy, rainy day Mark Brunell played like Casey Paus and UCLA led late. Washington scored a late touchdown to tie it at 22. UCLA then was forced to punt with less than two minutes left giving the Huskies a chance to drive for a potential winning field goal. It was not to be as Brunell overthrew his receiver and the pass was picked off. UCLA moved the ball close enough to attempt a field goal. With seconds left on the clock, their kicker hit an absolute dying quail that won the game and killed Washington's national title hopes. To add insult to injury, the following week saw a loss by #1 Notre Dame that would have assured the top spot for Washington. This loss cost the Huskies at least a split of the 1990 title. I'd even go so far as to argue that a title in '90 would have led to the Huskies being ranked higher to start 1991. That higher ranking may have been the difference between splitting the title with Miami and winning it outright. I think my innocence died that day. To this day if you want to get my dad fired up, bring up this game.


1994 Western Conference Playoffs, First Round Game 5
Seattle Supersonics vs. Denver Nuggets

Any Sonics fan should be able to tell you where they were during this game. The Sonics drilled the Nuggets in the first two games. Before game three, John Elway was doing the player intros, the Denver crowd was fired up and they blew out the Supes. The Sonics had a chance to win game four but Shawn Kemp missed crucial free throws and assholes everywhere got tight. Game five went to overtime and we were treated to this indelible image.



I still can't believe they lost to the Nuggets. Robert Pack had the only good games of his career during this series. Robert Pack!!?! I thought this team was going to win the title with Jordan retired. What a wasted opportunity. It felt like a family member died that day.

What Happened to Husky Football?

January 1, 2001. A beautiful sunny winter day in Pasadena, California, a far cry from the dreary, rainy winters in Seattle. Despite my weariness and dizziness caused by heavily drinking into the wee morning hours, I could still clearly make out the scoreboard:

Washington 34, Purdue 24.

Yes, the Washington Huskies had finished an improbable season 11-1 and ranked #3 in the final polls. Marquis Tuiasosopo, whose name rolls off the tongue of any UW alum like poetry, was the king of the world, and possibly the greatest Husky ever. That I was in his graduating class is a point of much pride.

I have been a Husky fan all my life. Some of my friends talked about how great it would be if the Huskies were able to win the Rose Bowl our senior year. Thanks to Tui, we did. And the experience was more than I could have imagined. Sitting on the border of Husky fans and Purdue fans in the Rose Bowl, I heard all the pre-game talk about "Big-Ten smash-mouth football". So what happened? The Huskies ran for 268 yards to Purdue's 76. And I can personally attest that the Purdue fans did not like hearing about that all game. Some of them wanted to hurt me. Badly. But it's the risk you run when you speak the truth to the masses. Just look what happened to Jesus.

Sadly, that warm winter day many years ago marked the last game of a strong Husky program. Good wins the following season against Michigan and Stanford, and the annual beating of Washington State when misguided Cougar fans seemed to think they were good at football, are the lone highlights since. In 2007, a .500 season and a trip to the Sun Bowl would be cause for celebration. Some people have even suggested that the UW is a basketball school. Many current students have never been to a bowl game, but have seen three NCAA tournament bids.

How did it come to this?

This takes some dissecting. The reasons are often related to each other. For instance, recruiting has been terrible. Why? Well, partly because of the upheaval in the coaching situation, partly because of poor prioritizing of needs, and partly because of the lack of wins. The problem can't be pinned down to one cause, nor can it be resolved with one cure. That said, here are the reasons UW football is so down:

1) Lack of overall strength among the athletes.
2) Lack of coaching continuity.
3) Poor recruiting.
4) Fan apathy (no, we as fans can't be let off the hook).

Now, 1-3 can basically be attributed to poor vision and strategy by the coaches. But of all the mistakes made by the staff(s), failing to develop talent is by far the worst. Since limits were placed on the number of scholarships, programs have had to depend more on their development programs to turn initially somewhat marginal recruits into key performers. There is less margin for error, but if your developmental system is constantly making your players stronger and smarter then you can still succeed and maintain success.

The Washington Huskies are among the physically weakest teams in college football. The proof is in the results: an inexcusable lack of a running game for years now, and a total inability to stop the run. Those battles begin in the trenches, and the men in those trenches need to be strong. Rick Neuheisel was more concerned with recruiting receivers than linemen and he was even less concerned with strength training as his firing of strength coach Bill Gillespie shows. All Gillespie did was help make strong men out of the lesser-caliber but hard working recruits brought in by Jim Lambright. Instead of the fu-fu "functional strength" nonsense preached by later strength coaches, including Steve Emtman who of all people should know better, Gillespie believed in lifting a lot of weight as many times as you can, then pushing you to do more. The past weightlifting records are no longer posted in the Husky weightroom because the current athletes are so far away from them.

This lax view of working out not only caused mediocre players to remain mediocre, but it caused talented players to not realize their full potential. Many Husky fans are surprised to learn that troubled Chicago Bears star Tank Johnson is actually former Husky Terry Johnson. He was a good college player, but clearly the training program held him back from being the dominant force he is in the NFL. The fact that he's bat-ass crazy and probably a felon notwithstanding.

Injuries is another measurement of overall strength, and the Huskies have been hit with more than their fair share of those in recent years. At one point a couple years ago, over half of the springtime projected starters were out with injury. That doesn't happen to a strong, well-conditioned team. With some strong games running the ball in 2006, perhaps the Huskies under Ty Willingham have turned the strength/conditioning corner.

Can all this be blamed on the lack of continuity and direction from an ever-changing coaching staff? In part. But the players must take some blame in policing themselves. I believe the coaching situation has more affect on recruiting than players already in the program, and recruiting certainly has not been good. Again, the proof is in front of us: the number of players drafted by the NFL has decreased precipitously since 2001. This year, there are only two players who are projected to get drafted: Isaiah Stanbach and Dashon Goldson. Stanbach because of his athleticism and NFL-ready deltoids more than his achievements, and Goldson only God knows why. Take it from someone who watched him over the past two seasons: don't draft Dashon Goldson, he's not a good player. The lack of NFL draftees is also in part attributable to the poor developmental program.

Also contributing to the poor recruiting? A half-empty Husky stadium. It's shameful how so many "fans" have jumped ship. As far as I'm concerned, the only reasons to miss a game are if you pass out in parking lot beforehand or if it's raining really, really hard and the game is on local TV.

Now, how do these problems get solved? The good news is that my exact prescription to solve these problems appears to be happening right now:

1) Make the players stronger so they can run the ball and stop the run.
2) Get the players to buy in to the new system so they work hard during games and especially during the offseason.
3) Nab a star recruit to generate buzz and hope for the future (it only takes one).

The recruit? Jake Locker. He's already been named the 2007 starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman, but the remaining fans would riot if he wasn't. He will likely be on every ticket stub, program, and media guide created this season. All he needs to do is lead the Huskies to some improbable wins this season and a bowl game, however crappy, then we can officially talk about the rebirth of Husky football at this time next year.

And maybe, just maybe, in four years students at the University of Washington can have the same experience I had: a Rose Bowl victory in their senior year.

Forget the summer, bring on the fall.

Noah Can Take His Arc And...What???

Joakim Noah is Ugly and Fat and Bad

Have you ever noticed how many times immigrants to America or people from extremely poor backgrounds work harder than everyone else? Well, Joakim Noah was raised with a silver spoon in his ugly mouth which leads me to believe he doesn't care as much about basketball as, say, Ron Artest, who's choice was to become great at basketball or die in a hail of gunfire while snorting crack off of a fire hydrant covered in bird droppings.

Did you notice how tired Joakim was after the first couple minutes of the NCAA title game? One of Billy Packer's few talents is pointing out how tired people are, and in this case he was right. Noah was gassed after about two minutes. How can this be? He has had an entire season's worth of conditioning. Are Coach Donovan's practices as soft as his first name? Perhaps, but then again no one else on Florida seemed so tired after just a couple minutes. Al Horford didn't look as tired at any point in the game.

What we have left is the obvious: Joakim Noah doesn't work very hard. The proof is right in front of us: he didn't improve from last season, he got tired very early in the biggest (and last) game of this season, and he doesn't take showers. He is supposedly a good defender, but you'd have to be an complete idiot to have his size and length and not be able to defend Lorenzo Mata. Put him against competent talent and it's another story. If he is such a good defender, then how did Greg Oden have by far the best game of his college career against him AND Al Horford AND Chris Richard AND Marreese Speights' three fouls? We all watched Oden back Noah down like he was an ugly, out-of-shape, talented-yet-horrible basketball player who didn't give a crap.

So that must be what he is. Yelling when you score doesn't mean you care. I hope the Celtics draft him.

Pac-10 hoops to get respect next season?

In Atlanta the other day, CBS sat Washington State's Tony Bennett on a chair for national TV, selected him its national coach of the year and splashed on the screen his name and school logo — a nice purple "W".

So funny, yet is stings too!

Next season will be the year of the Pac-10 in college basketball. No other league will have the chops at the top or the depth down below.
ACC? So yesterday. It was widely judged to be the nation's best this year, but then it went out and had a 7-7 NCAA tournament, and only one of its seven entries advanced to the second weekend.
Only the SEC (10-4), bulwarked by Florida's repeat run, bettered the Pac-10's 10-6 NCAA record. The SEC, and possibly the Big East, could argue bragging rights with the Pac-10 in 2007-08, but with Florida and Kentucky in flux, that's not a good start.
The Pac-10 could return 16 of its top 20 scorers next year. It probably won't, but if players like Washington's Spencer Hawes and USC's Nick Young opt to hang around, the league race will be, as they say at the horse track, contentious.
Six teams were ranked the first week of February, in a season in which the freshman class was never better.

Way too early 2008 NCAA preview

Looks like we got a little lazy here at WUWS. In case you hadn't heard there was this thing called the Final Four over the weekend. While most people were involved in the now, I'm always looking ahead to the future. Unfortunately, I'm not always looking very closely so with that in mind here are some teams of note for 2008 followed by my definitive top 5 teams heading into next season.

Teams of Note:

Texas
I'm going to assume that the Chosen One will be throwing lightning bolts and peeing gold in Memphis or Milwaukee or some other barren NBA outpost. The Longhorns will still return the bad decision making of DJ Augustin and the worse coaching of Rick Barnes. Still, they're talented and should be good enough to make a run at the Sweet 16.

Florida
The carnage will be tremendous as people jump off this bandwagon. Oh they'll still have good players I just can't name any of them. If Billy D goes, there will be a lot of drama surrounding this team.

Ohio State
Greg Oden is tall and in college hoops that counts for a lot. It only took 35+ games but we finally saw what all the hype was about against Florida. Being tall also counts for a lot in the NBA draft which is why he won't be around. No matter, Ohio St is bringing in five(!) 7-footers next year. At least it seems that way. If Conley sticks around, expect this team to be good. Plus they play in the Big Ten which has gotta be worth an extra 4 or 5 wins.

Indiana
What?!??!? I know, the Big Ten sucks but I like Kelvin Sampson's track record. Indiana showed improvement this year and actually looked like they cared. DJ White is a good player down low. The backcourt will be helped by the arrival of one the top 3 high school players in Eric Gordon.

USC
This team could be a soap opera with the arrival of OJ Mayo. He's a major talent. He also looks like he could be a major head case. Or a drama queen. Or a cancer in the locker room. Or all of the above. If he lets Tim Floyd actually coach him, this could be a very dangerous team. If he decides he needs 20 shots a game, this team could be one and done. I'll be pulling for the latter.

And now it's time for the Top 5. Drumroll please.

5.Louisville

Perhaps I smoke too much crack. Maybe I think too much of Rick Pitino's coaching ability. Whatever, I like this team. They're led by the fiery point guard Edgar Sosa who sounds like a rival to Tony Montana. Down low, they bring back David Padgett and Derrick Caracter. On the wing they have Terrence Williams who dunks hard and is one of the most athletic players in the Big East. This team has a lot of black guys, a trait of all of Pitino's most successful teams.

4.Kansas

These guys will break your heart every time. They also don't lose anyone to graduation. Sure somebody is bound to go pro but they'll be loaded regardless. Chalmers and Collins should be back and if Brandon Rush returns this will be the best backcourt in the Big XII. Julian Wright may take his long arms to the NBA but Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun are experienced and capable in the frontcourt. If Darrell Arthur sticks around then this team could be a threat to go the the Final Four. But they won't. They'll break your heart every time.

3.Memphis

This will be John Calipari's best team since his '96 UMass squad that went to the Final Four. The Tigers will be loaded. Nobody of import is graduating and they're adding one of the best prep point guards in Derrick Rose. I've seen him on TV and he's badass. If Chris Douglas Roberts and Joey Dorsey don't jump to the NBA then this team will be athletic as hell. They will buttfuck teams like SMU, UAB and Houston on the regular. They will win 30 some games and no one will really know if they are any good. Pretty much like this year, but better.

2.North Carolina

Is it possible to have too much talent? North Carolina made us wonder that at times this year. Brandan Wright is likely to be gone. That is not a problem. Reyshawn Terry and Wes Miller graduate. That is not a problem. Losing those players will free up minutes for all the 4 and 5 star kids on the bench. If Tyler Hansbrough leaves, then there might be a problem. Yes, he's overrated and annoying as hell to opposing fans. But he's an absolute Brockman-type beast that is hyper competitive. He gives Carolina an edge that they otherwise lack. He's Psycho-T!!!

1.UCLA

Does anyone really want to see them in the Final Four again? No, but it may not matter. The only question is if Aaron Afflalo returns. He's not that great an NBA prospect but he's a good college player. If he returns then we'll be treated to announcers once again saying that Ben Howland has UCLA playing the rugged east coast style of defense he brought from Pittsburgh. FYI, Howland is a west coast coach. Check out his bio sometime. Anyway, UCLA's glaring weakness was the lack of an inside game. Enter Kevin Love. The freshman is beefy. He rebounds. He can score. Bill Simmons will tell you that he throws the best outlet passes since Wes Unseld and Bill Walton. You will tell Bill Simmons to shut the fuck up and go back to talking about the NBA and NFL. The Bruins should cruise in a good but not great Pac-10 and will enter the tourney as the favorites. I will pick against them and be bitter when they knock out Louisville, Memphis or whatever other team who's bandwagon I've jumped on.

That's it. You now know who the best teams are for next year. Go ahead and pencil them into the Elite Eight and thank me later. Care to disagree? Think I'm overrating somebody? Tell me in the comments.

...And WUWS Will Walk 500 More

It takes a bigger blog to attract 500 visitors in such a short amount of time. DadaDAda, DadaDAda, dundadadundadadundadadundadadun

Fans Voice Support For the Hard Line

An excerpt from Chicago Tribune report on the Bears Fan Convention:

...
General manager Jerry Angelo sat and smiled, awkwardly, alongside coach Lovie Smith and team President Ted Phillips. For an hour the triumvirate listened as the most repeated theme emerging from the highlight event of the 10th annual gathering of the faithful revolved around one idea: Don't blink in the Briggs stare down.

The momentum building at the microphone was like a home crowd trying to pump up its defense to make a stand on fourth-and-inches.

"I'm with everybody else—let him sit," Trish from Naperville said.

Another fan, who called Angelo's wife, Bernie, his best pick ever, urged the GM to "stand tight and dictate and not be dictated to."

To which Angelo replied, "How do you think my dictate?"

...