The DVR Dilemma

Do you remember that Seinfeld where Kramer bolts into Jerry Seinfeld's apartment as Jerry was watching a Mets game he had recorded from earlier that night?  Jerry had spent so much effort earlier that night trying to avoid any news or updates about the game so he could watch it on his recorded video tape.  Kramer takes one look at Jerry's TV and blurts outs:  "Boy, the Mets really blew it tonight, huh?!"  To Jerry's dismay, all his effort was foiled and watching the rest of the game was now pointless.

"Kramers" have been ruining sports moments for "Jerrys"
everywhere since the dawn of the DVR.

Like Jerry, I have often tried to tiptoe around certain televised games during the past 5 years of the "DVR era" of my life.  I have tried to avoid any updates or fan comments about a particular game so I could take advantage of the ease and efficiency of technology while also not having to plan my life around a scheduled game.  Have I had a "Jerry" moment where my plan was ruined by another overanxious sports fan?  Absolutely.  Have I also had a couple of "Kramer" moments where I drew the ire of other DVR-loving sports fans?  Undoubtedly.  But in this day of blogs, facebook, twitter, text messaging, and cell phones, it can be virtually impossible to not have any DVR disappointments.  Since I have been on both sides of what I call The DVR Dilemma, I cautiously try to walk the fine line between respecting people's wishes to experience the games "live" while also wanting to share in the fun of discussing exciting games, players, strategies, and incredible plays.  To help us all avoid our own "Jerry" and "Kramer" moments the best we can, here are some solutions to the DVR Dilemma (please feel free to share your own below):

Always text with caution.  Phone calls can be ignored, emails can go unopened, but text messages are virtually unavoidable.  You can either resort to turning off your phone until you've watched the game, give your phone to a close friend or family member whose day will not be ruined by a surprising message, or my favorite: send a preventative text message to all those who "might" text you during the game to tell them to leave you alone until tomorrow.

Be a receptionist, if necessary.  If you are not live with the actual game, then answer a phone call with "If you're calling to talk about the game, I am in the middle of the 1st quarter and the score is 19-11."  You know, just to be safe.

You're NEVER safe.  Not even at 35,000 feet.  Delta and JetBlue are two of the airlines that have ESPN and other sports channels that provide mid-game updates.  Also beware of the excitable pilot or steward(ess) who will use the PA system from time to time to give you untimely and unwelcome score updates.

This Kings fan must be excited about something
other than her team or being on Pacific Time.

The West Side is not always the Best Side.  West Coasters are at a serious DVR disadvantage.  Especially if your team is on the East Coast.  When I lived in California for a couple of years, I remember leaving work on a normal day and a Yankee game or another "prime time" sporting event on the East Coast is either in its closing stages or already over.  At least West Coasters still have the sunshine and their own teams to satisfy their sports cravings.  Of course, unless the Sacramento Kings are your team.

Beware of the Ticker.  Be careful when watching other games during the game you really want to watch.  Almost every game has a live sports ticker at the bottom of the screen showing the mid-game and final scores of other games going on or that were recently finished.  If you're planning to watch TV while you wait to start your DVR'd game, then be sure to watch Seinfeld or something.

Live by the Headline Rule.  You can't expect the rest of the world to wait for you to watch the game.  If you are going to DVR a game and watch it the next day or even later, then you are setting yourself up for some serious disappointment.  If the results of your game can be part of a headline on a newspaper, then you can't hold anyone responsible for being a "Kramer".

Don't be annoying.  If you know that someone else is trying to not find out the score or outcome of a game, then please don't utter words like these: "Just be sure to watch the last 5 minutes..." or "Don't waste your time!" or even "You've GOT to watch that game."  Just be cool and enjoy your "Flux-Capacitor" moment as you pay a  visit to your friend...from the future.  Time traveling is even cooler than the DVR, so don't be annoying.

Saving The Worst For Last?

Connecticut is #1?
In what was easily the WORST NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship game I have ever seen, Connecticut snuck by Butler 53-41.  Connecticut's size intimidated Butler into only making 3 out of their 31 2-point attempts by blocking 10 shots, distracting numerous more, and dominating the boards, 51-40.  It was just UGLY.  Butler played just a little better than a Church basketball team would have played.

All Butler Coach Brad Stevens wanted was for his team
to make more than 12 shots.

But before we pour it all on Butler, Connecticut didn't exactly win in style.  The Huskies turned the ball over 11 times, only scored 19 points in the first half, and went 1-11 from three-point range.  But give the Huskies credit, they stormed through the Big East and the NCAA Tournament with an 11-0 record, and they are the Champs for the third time, having won the title previously in 1999 and 2004.

Kemba Walker and the Huskies were just good enough
to defeat the Butler Bulldogs in the Championship Game.

So Connecticut's the #1 team, right?  Well, the UGLY National Championship win by Connecticut did not convince everyone that they are the Champs.  According to the final ESPN/USA Today Coach's Poll, there is one coach out there who thinks that Ohio State is the #1 team in the country.  Since the final poll of the season remains anonymous, we may never know which of the 31 voters put OSU as the #1 team instead of the 30 other voters that voted for the winner of the Championship game.  By the way, Ohio State lost in the Sweet 16 round...it's not like they reached the Championship game or even Final Four!  Ohio State was ranked #1 for the majority of the year, was the #1-ranked team by the selection committee when the brackets were put together, and were picked by many experts to win the tournament, but they lost when it mattered most!  This is like saying that the New England Patriots were the Super Bowl Champions even though Green Bay actually won the Super Bowl.
I'm thinking there are  a few reasons why a voter might do this (feel free to add your own):

1) He coaches Ohio State
2) His team was upset by a lower seed in the NCAA Tournament and currently hates the "one-and-done" tournament format so he voted for the best "team"
3) He runs the BCS Football Championship where the champion is largely determined by voting
4) He had a "hanging chad" on his ballot
5) He thought he was voting for the team with the most hypocritical football coach

Whoever it was should have to at least be accountable for his vote because it makes a mockery out of College Basketball, the NCAA Tournament, and Connecticut.  Step up and explain, sir!

Jimmer is #1!
While Connecticut may have left doubt in some people's minds about which team is #1, there appears to be little doubt who was the #1 basketball player this year:  Jimmer Fredette.

Jimmer has rolled through the Awards season as easily
as he split double-teams this season.

There may not be another BYU player or even another college basketball player like Jimmer for a long time.  Jimmer will have a chance to add the last of the college basketball awards, the Wooden Award, to his trophy case on Friday, but for now he can enjoy this long list of post-season awards and accomplishments:

Naismith Award
Oscar Robertson Trophy
Adolph Rupp Award
Associated Press NPOY
Sporting News NPOY
Basketball Times NPOY
SI.com NPOY
CBSSports.com NPOY
Lowe's Senior CLASS Award

Jimmer is also a consensus first team All-American, named to teams honored by the USBWA, NABC, AP, Wooden, Sporting News, Basketball Times and many other media outlets.

So, what did you do during your Senior year in college?

The Winner's Manual For The Game Of Life?

In the middle of all this March Madness, a big-time college football coach for one of the most prominent programs in the country was suspended on Thursday by his school for the first 5 games of the 2011 college football season.  You might be saying: "What?  How did I not hear about this?  That's almost half their football season!"  Well, once the rest of the sports world had diverted its attention to college basketball on Thursday and Friday of this week, Ohio State announced that Jim Tressel would not coach in the first 5 games in 2011.  It was barely even a line item on TV news ticker.  It was barely even a story on ESPN Sportscenter.  But on Thursday night Ohio State announced that Jim Tressel's original 2-game suspension was extended to 5 games (at his request) for not notifying the NCAA, the OSU athletic department, and his school's compliance department that he was aware for more than 9 months - including the entire 2010 football season - that 5 of his players had received improper benefits for selling autographed memorabilia and receiving discounted tatoos.  The 5 players were suspended in December for the first 5 games of 2011 because they had admitted to receiving the improper benefits in the Spring of 2010.  Inexplicably, the NCAA ruled they were eligible for OSU's January BCS Sugar Bowl appearance against Arkansas (which OSU won) even though it is still a possibility that OSU may have to forfeit their entire 2010 season because at least Coach Tressel knew he was playing ineligble players. 

Clearly, the announcement that was released towards the end of the first day of March Madness was a two-pronged public relations move: 1) The original 2-game suspension for Coach Tressel was met with significant public backlash not only because it didn't meet the 5-game suspension his players received from the NCAA, but also because the 2 games he would be missing would be against 2 of the easier opponents on their schedule (Akron & Toledo); 2) By announcing the extended suspension on a day where the nation's attention towards college sports is at the arena as opposed to the field, OSU saved itself additional public scrutiny as the layers of the Ohio State "Tat-gate" onion are peeled back layer by layer - no public backlash if everyone is worried about their brackets. 

Ohio State's quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, is one of 5 players
who are suspended for the first 5 games in 2011 for
receiving improper benefits.

But those can't be the real reasons Ohio State extended Tressel's suspension, can it? Oh no, we should also remember the NCAA has yet to rule on Tressel's punishment (the now 5-game suspension was "self-imposed" by Tressel and Ohio State).  The real reason Ohio State's announcement was released on Thursday was because it was made shortly after the NCAA denied Ohio State's appeal that the punishment for the 5 players be reduced or removed entirely.  The real public relations move was Tressel jumping behind his punished players immediately after the appeal was denied hoping that the NCAA won't impose any additional suspensions or sanctions on him or his program.  What makes it worse is that Tressel never came forth on his own and he has hid behind his players the whole time!  Ohio State discovered Tressel was aware of the benefits received by the players only as they were preparing the players' appeal to the NCAA. 

I have lost all respect for Jim Tressel.  I'm sure he is a good man.  I'm sure he is a good coach.  But he is also a terrible leader.  His "leadership-from-behind" approach since April when he received the first email regarding the players' infractions has been both hypocritcal and unacceptable in a world where sports athletes and coaches are put on a public pedestal.  I'm not even going to draw comparisons between Jim Tressel and Brandon Davies and how they handled their individual situations, but it is something to keep in mind as we await the finality of the Tressel / Ohio State situation.

Jim Tressel has tarnished his name and his coaching
legend by not coming forth with knowledge
of his players' infractions in April 2010.

In 2008, Tressel wrote a book entitled "The Winners Manual For The Game Of Life".  I have not read the entire book, but in the Prologue, he writes:

"To many people, winning is everything...I've seen the positives of setting a goal and pushing a team of players to achieve it, working together and striving for something as a team.  But I've also seen the destructive force of that kind of ruthless search and what it can do to young people and the coaches who try to win at all costs...So how can you know if you're a winner in life?  Must we redefine the word?  And if your life's game ended this second, would you consider yourself a winner?  How can you measure such a thing?  The book you're holding is my attempt not only to answer those important questions but also to distill the heart of a nearly four-hundred page handbook we give to our football players as they enter each new year at The Ohio State University."

Kids make mistakes but those who are set up to "coach" these kids in both football and life need to actually follow the manual, not just write about it.

Bracket Picking 101

March Madness is officially here!  The 68-team tournament bracket is set and will start with the "First Four" on Tuesday & Wednesday.  The First Four is a new wrinkle to the tournament this year and it consists of 4 play-in games between 8 different teams who were the teams that were seeded #61-68 by the Selection Committee.  The NCAA Tournament will start in full force on Thursday and continue through the Championship Game on April 4.  Now is the time for millions of people who may or may not watch College Basketball to pick up the bracket and fill in the predictions from the "First Four" all the way to the "Final Four".

There is no one right or wrong way to pick your brackets.  There will be upsets, Cinderellas, no one will have a "perfect" bracket, and there will be a lot of money that is won and lost (if you're into that sort of thing).  There are multiple methods that you may use to fill out their brackets, but here are ten things to think about as you pick up your pen:

10. Pick as many upsets as you can.  History says this will not be nearly as successful, but it sure will be fun when Oakland actually beats Texas and you can say, "I picked that one!  I picked that one!"  Careful though, 16 seeds are 0-104 all-time against 1 seeds, 15 seeds are 4-100 against 2 seeds, but the 8 seeds actually have a losing record against the 9 seeds (48-56).

Hampton, a 15 seed, beat Iowa State in 2001.  Only 4
Number 15 seeds have ever won a game in the tourney.

9. Pick the team that has the best school colors.  This totally would depend upon which colors you like, but if it was me, then I would have North Carolina vs. UCLA in the championship game this year.  UCLA has won 11 national championships while North Carolina has won 5.  Hmmm...this one seems to have worked before.

8. Pick the team with the best star player.  It seems that there are always 2 or 3 players every year that carry their team further than where they were expected to go.  18 of the 20 Naismith Award (College Basketball's "Heisman") finalists are going to be playing in the tournament.  Check them out.  They could be the key to cutting down the nets.

7. Pick the team with the best road record.  A team that proves themselves throughout the season and goes into a hostile environment (as opposed to a "neutral" court) is prepared to play in a plethora of environments and situations.  Teams such as Michigan State and Connecticut continually schedule tough road games throughout the season in order to prepare for the NCAA tournament (Michigan State has been to 8 Final Fours and Connecticut has been to 3).  Interestingly, San Diego State led the country with a 12-1 road record while BYU was percentage points behind at 10-1.  Does anyone else wonder what Jimmer said to Kawhi Leonard at the end of the MWC championship game on Saturday?  "See you in Houston!"  Maybe?

6. Pick the team that had the highest finish in its conference tournament.  Since there are 31 teams in the tournament that won their conference tournaments, you may have to resort to another method for a tiebreaker, but how well a team is playing coming into the NCAA tournament can spill over into a national championship run.

The mascot method may not be for you, but the Long
Island Blackbird loves it!

5. Pick the best mascot.  Similar to the "school color" method, this one may be much more subjective but if I  employed this method, this year's championship game would feature the Long Island Blackbirds and the St. Peter's Peacocks.  I think I just realized that I subconsciously really like birds.

4b. Pick the same team to win the championship every year.  This was my wife's "go-to" for years until she got tired of picking Duke and resorted to another method in 2010.  Do you happen to remember who won the national championship last year?  I'll give you a hint...the team's name rhymes with "fluke".

4a. Pick the team whose students enjoy the best weather throughout the year.  I believe this is the method my wife resorted to last year and believe it or not, she still didn't get the 2 final teams: Duke (North Carolina-it's not terrible in the winter, but there are too many hurricanes) and Butler (Indiana-Freeze out in the winter and too many tornadoes...not even close).  Looks like the forecast calls for a championship game between San Diego State and Florida this year.  Mmmm....interesting.  Sorry, Pittsburgh, I know you're a #1 seed and all, but I've seen those Steeler playoff games in January.

3. Pick the team with the best overall record.  The team that wins the most games throughout the season should win the most in the tournament, right?  Kansas, San Diego State, and Ohio State all tied with 32 wins this year.  All the "experts" seem to be picking Kansas and Ohio State, so maybe we should all get paid to go on TV and count a team's number of wins, too?

2. Always pick the highest seed.  The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee spent an entire week narrowing the field and selecting the teams by putting them in order from #1-#68, so they should know something, right?  Well, only once (in 2008) have all four #1 seeds actually reached the Final Four.

1. Be Loyal.  That's right, pick your favorite team no matter what and you may leave everyone saying, "Oh man, my bracket just got Jimmered!"

BYU fans would love it if the phrase
"My bracket got Jimmered" catches on.

From the USA with Love

Amidst all the interest, intrigue, and media buzz this week surrounding BYU, Brandon Davies, the BYU Honor Code, etc. is an international phenomenon that has made its way all the way to Europe.  And no, I'm not talking about the "epic" and "radical" Charlie Sheen freak show.  I'm talking about the New Jersey Nets and the Toronto Raptors.  That's right, the 18-43 Nets and the 17-45 Raptors are two of the worst teams in the NBA, and in an effort to promote the game of basketball and the NBA, the Nets and the Raptors are playing the first regular season NBA games ever this weekend in London, England.  Really?  The NBA is trying to get England interested in the NBA with 2 Nets-Raptors games!?  Thanks for Harry Potter and the Aston Martin, England, we hope you enjoy this exciting matchup between two non-playoff teams.  Next summer, can you return the favor by sending us the West Bromwich Albion and the Wolverhampton Wanderers (both real English Premier League Soccer Teams) to give the US an exciting soccer game to watch?  In fact, can they play each other twice?  Pleeeease...

The Queen's reaction when she
found out the Nets-Raptors were
going to bring the NBA to England.

In all seriousness, it should come as no surprise that the Nets are one of the teams involved.  The Nets were bought by Russian businessman Mikhail Prokhorov last year.  Prokhorov has been trying to raise the Nets' international profile (I didn't know they had one to begin with) ever since he bought the team last year.  Prokhorov also helped close the deal for the Nets to move to Brooklyn in the Fall of 2012, including the construction of the new Barclays (a UK-based company) Center, which will be the home of the Nets for years to come.  Prokhorov also led the aggressive charge to obtain Carmelo Anthony prior to the NBA trade deadline.  Although he didn't end up with Anthony, the Nets were able to make a trade for Jazz All-Star point guard, Deron Williams, so they could have a superstar to build their team around for their upcoming relocation to Brooklyn and the World.  The "Nyets" already have a Russian-language website and a deal with a TV network in the country to broadcast games. "We're making big efforts to make the Nets Russia's home team," Christophe Charlier recently said.  Charlier is the chairman of the board of directors for the Nets and is also deputy CEO of the Mikhail Prokhorov-owned Onexim Group.  On the heels of all these efforts, Nets CEO Brett Yormark summed it up for the two people already following the team: "It's a good time to be a (or the) Nets fan."

Deron Williams will be a cornerstone to the
Nets' desire to have an international fan base.

Deron Williams, in fact, admitted this week that he had no idea his new team was going to play in London to play against the Raptors.  Oh well, I guess the NBA is going to have to improve its marketing of these events if these kind of games are going to take place in the future.  In fact, the NBA has come out and aggressively said that the Nets-Raptors series this weekend is the first of many global initiatives to come.  "Building the sport of basketball and the NBA internationally is a priority for the league as a whole, but we're thrilled that the Nets are so supportive of this."  NBA Europe senior vice president Sophie Goldschmidt said about the NBA-England experiment.  Apparently, the Raptors had to go because the flights must have been the cheapest from Canada.

At Least You're Not Baron Davis...

If you know me, you'd think that on a day when BYU decisively beats San Diego State on the road in the biggest regular season game in either school's basketball history that I would want to talk all about Jimmer Fredette and how BYU deserves to have a #1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament (and not just because I'm a huge BYU fan).  I'll save that argument for another day, but today, I am glad that at least I'm not Baron Davis.

Baron is excited to go to Cleveland

Amidst all the "Melo"-drama, the surprise blockbuster trade of Deron Williams to the Nets, and the Celtics apparently not wanting to win NBA championships anymore, Baron Davis was traded from the lottery-bound, yet exciting, Los Angeles Clippers to the lowly, record-setting, Cleveland Cavaliers.  Now put yourself in Baron Davis' shoes: You were born in Los Angeles, an all-world high school player from Santa Monica, a Pac-10 Freshman of the Year at UCLA, you have a production company in LA with one of your best friends from high school, you're a member of the Screen Actors Guild (I wonder if they have a SAG chapter in Cleveland?), and in 2008 after 10 up-and-down years of playing for NBA teams in Charlotte, New Orleans, and Oakland, you sign a 5-year $65 million deal to come home and play for your hometown team so you can be close to family and run your production company.  Better yet, the Clippers drafted Blake Griffin, the best NBA rookie since LeBron James, to whom you have been throwing alley-oops all year on fast breaks, off backboards, and even out of the moon roof of a Kia during last week's Slam Dunk contest - in LA.

Now can you imagine the conversation that must have taken place on Wednesday night or Thursday morning between Baron and Clippers' management?

"Ummm, Baron?  You've been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.  You know, the 11-47 Cavs who just set the NBA record for the longest losing streak ever at 26 games and who are coached by the guy you publicly feuded with while you were with the Hornets.  Oh, and they also traded 2 of their best players for you and a first-round pick (really for the first-round pick), and you know they don't have LeBron anymore, right?"

But wait, the following was posted on Baron's Facebook page subsequent to the trade:

“I can’t wait to join my new team, bring good energy and help us win games. I’m ready to call The Q (Quicken Loans Arena) home and bring some excitement!!! See you soon Ohio! The Beard is on its way!"

Am I missing something here?!  I'll chalk up Baron's reaction to the "honeymoon" stage that comes when you look for a fresh start after playing for the under-performing Clippers, an owner who has publicly trashed you while sitting courtside at games, and realize that you're now going to play in front of the Cleveland fans and you remember how nice they have been to LeBron since he left (they burned his jersey in the streets!  Of course you're going to want to make nice before you go there).

However, the "honeymoon" will soon be over, Baron will get into arguments with his coach, and will most likely retire after this season (if he makes it that far) so he can get out of the 2 more years on his deal with the Cavs, and go back 2,000+ miles to Los Angeles so he can pursue his family and entertainment interests - which, come on, is the only reason someone would want to go play for the Clippers in the first place.