CBB Officiating is Horrible

Okay, I ranted about Jim Burr the other day...now, I must do the same thing about Tim Higgins. Once again, I'm not saying they are cheating for one team or the other but the officiating is horrendous. How many walking calls weren't made? How many fouls weren't called? And, it's not just the Big East...I watched a Big 12 game following the WVU/Pitt matchup in which Burr was the ref and that game was also poorly called. Basketball is basketball...not football, not hockey.

Anyway, good game for the Mountaineers...huge in the terms they get a first round bye in the Big East tournament and helped their overall seeding in the NCAA Tournament. They need to beat Cincy to carry some momentum into New York. Can they win the Big East? Yes...I think they have a shot. Look at the competition...we've already beaten Villanova and we gave UConn a good matchup. If the shots are falling, watch out.

As for the NCAA...too early to start calling anything yet. Yes, we have a shot of getting deep into the tournament. I'm just not sure...maybe if they play the German National Anthem before every game for Herber or something we'll have a shot.

But, that's about it...going back to work now.

Work is INSANE

This working thing has to stop...it is absolutely insane here. Just to give you an idea, I currently have no less than 15 laptops in my office that range from a Dell 486 to a 1.7 GHz HP NC6200. Basically, the task is to determine which ones can run and which ones can't. I want them all on XP so that naturally retires the 486's and 133's. But, technically, I can get a 266 MHz to run XP as long as there is 256MB of RAM but some of them only have 2 or 3GB hard drives which causes a problem. And, that project, which should not be my project to begin with, has consumed my office.

On top of that, I'm trying to do my other officely duties taking care of folks and stuff like that...fun stuff indeed. I'm trying to prepare a presentation for an office meeting sometime soon. Trying to get people out the door with equipment. I'm going absolutely insane and I'm not sure anyone here cares that much. But, anyway, that's work...and, I found a 16th laptop. I think only pictures can do this justice...so, here they are:

A Few More Pictures

And maybe the best of all the pictures:


This laptop can be yours today for the low, low price of $29.95.

Referee Jim Burr

Could Jim Burr possibly be any worse at officiating a basketball game? I think he gets confused a lot and thinks he's at a football game. Watching the WVU/Syracuse game, I watched the guy calling a phantom walk on Herber followed by a refusal to call a foul on an obvious hack on Gansey. I think the guy is just bad at his job. And I'm not sure that he's really biased against WVU because he makes horrendous calls on both teams...I know they want the Big East to be "tough" but that doesn't mean a hockey game needs to break out. Maybe Burr isn't really worse than any other official...but, it always seems like if there's a bad call, Jim Burr is nearby.

I said earlier this month that I think McNamara has gotten worse...and I think the WVU game showed it. If it wasn't for Devendorf, they wouldn't have had a chance. McNamara made some good shots but he missed more than he made...he threw up some really bad stuff. I think he might have a Napoleon complex. McNamara walked around the 5:30 mark and gave the ref a little lip...he needs smacked around a little.

Back to Devendorf...I think if Pat Beilein would have been like "bring it," he would have tried to take on the entire WVU team by himself. He just seemed to have that type of attitude. I think that would have been a good strategy for the Mountaineers...just bring it. And, is it a requirement at Syracuse that the two white boys on the court have to look like skinheads? Just wondering.

WVU really needs to work on their in-bounding plays. I have never seen a team who has had more problems getting the ball in play and wasting more timeouts because of those problems. It's so unnecessary. Additionally, I don't understand why every team we play just doesn't go inside on every play. WVU has no inside presence on defense. Playing West Virginia is a dunker's dream.

J.D. Collins has been playing better...less garbage shots, more good passes. Less drives...more kickouts. Good J.D., good. Herber needs to catch the ball when he's open instead of letting it go through his legs...killer at the 1:10 mark with only 3 fouls. This is the disadvantage to not having many fouls. And, this is the disadvantage of having no inside defense. But, we'll see what happens. And, WVU made the stop...down by 2 with 0:39 remaining.

Boeheim wanted a foul on McNamara's drive even though there clearly wasn't one. Burr ignored him...maybe he's not so bad. Beilein throws up a shot from halfcourt. Missed it...this game is over folks. WVU - 3 game losing streak. I really don't like Syracuse. I just don't understand that last play. I wish J.D. or Gansey would have flipped off the Syracuse crowd at the end of the game...they were ridiculous. Oh, and great blockout on that free throw guys. Awesome.

Kobe Makes Me Ill

Watching the NBA All-Star game last night, which ranks 2nd among the best all-star games behind basketball, was entertaining at times but Kobe Bryant just ruined all the fun I had watching it. The West was up 21 and the East came back to win, which is pretty remarkable. But, towards the end when Kobe and LeBron were mixing it up, you had the feeling that Kobe Bryant's entire feeling of self-importance was on the line. And, I just can't stand him. I wish Shaq would just sit on him and get it over with.

Barry Bonds announced that 2006 would be his last year. I wish he'd just retire now. Bonds is the only guy in baseball who is receiving a free pass on the steroids issue. McGuire's reputation has been destroyed. Sosa can't even get on a team. But everyone still treats Bonds like a god. I mean, this is the guy whose personal trainer is a known steroid pusher yet people are trying to kid themselves into believing that Bonds is clean. A lot of people are saying McGuire may not get into the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first vote but Bonds is a lock. How is that fair? Bonds is as guilty, if not more so, for the entire streroid era in baseball and I think it's ridiculous for this scum to get a free pass because he's going to pass Babe Ruth in homeruns. Babe Ruth = hero. Barry Bonds = louse.

Of course Jimmy Johnson won the Daytona 500 just because I really didn't want him to. One of my co-workers is a Johnson fan and I don't like either one of them really...

WVU plays Louisville tonight...I hate to say any game is a must-win but it would be nice to get the victory. It's important to get back on the winning track and Louisville is not that great so this would be a good victory.

That's about it for now...it's Presidents' Day but I had to come into work...and, I'm leaving now because, well, I'm done.

The Olympics Are Still Going...

I have tried to watch the Olympics...I mean, it is entertaining but generally by the time NBC airs it, I have already seen the results. And, the ratings have been low for the Olympics so far, which is not surprising. Number one reason is my complaint...who wants to watch it when you know the Americans already lost. Number two, don't we all kinda expect the USA to win everything or at least be in a position to win everything? I mean, I guess we're spoiled.

The only sports I have liked is the speed skating and the snowboard cross...that was pretty neat. I've watched some curling...I don't know why but at least I understand what they're doing. Ice skating...I have no idea. I saw ice dancing the other night...how is that a sport? I don't understand why they have to do all that dancing stuff in the regular ice skating either...the only thing worth watching is the jumps and stuff...not all the dance stuff. Weird sport.

In other news, WVU is 0-2 this week. I can't say they struggled against UConn but getting outrebounded by 20 is tough to overcome. I don't think there's any solution for it at this point. And did anyone else see Rashad Anderson flip off the student section. It was very prominent on CBS...I can't believe no one picked up on this. Did the crowd of 14,683 see it? I want to see a picture. UConn is my NCAA champion this year.

Other stuff from the week that I didn't get to earlier because I have been too busy at work to update:

• I'm glad Indiana chased off Mike Davis. He whined too much. They need to beg Bobby Knight to come back.
• Nate Robinson should not have won the dunk contest...not that I care that much. I really dislike the NBA.
• Shani Davis is the first black to win an individual gold. He seemed real happy about it.
• The Daytona 500 is today. My pick: Please, anyone but Gordon or Jimmy Johnson.
• How is Dick Vitale a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame? I think he's hurting college basketball...I'm almost to a point I can't watch a game he calls. He's like the Lee Corso of basketball...
• Has anyone else seen the VH1 show WebJunk 20? Basically, they take the funny videos off the Internet and show them on a TV show. I'm not a fan of that...videos on the Internet belong on the Internet.
• And this: http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/mazeprankcry.html is a funny video on the Internet.

That's about it for today...I'll try to be a little more timely on the updates...

I Love E-Mail...

Here's an e-mail I received today...

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sugar goes she raise light. embarrass my out find embarrass friends?bad companion carefully the you? corner young news bad my?force find steps shining steps friends.not off social my. bad the money. sandwich whom bad suddenly development letters.added anybody not drew friends?

I couldn't have put it better myself...and that's my update for today since the Mountaineers blew it against Seton Hall. Every time I'm back on board for a great run, they lose to a team like the Pirates.

Eddie Sutton Made Me Sad

Eddie Sutton, the 69-year old coach of Oklahoma State, is done coaching for the year after being involved in a traffic accident in which he was cited for driving under the influence. If you don't know Eddie Sutton, see his picture below...and tell me, does that look like a guy who would get cited with DUI?


In all seriousness though, it is sad. I really like Eddie Sutton...I mean, look at the guy...how can you not support someone like that? If you're wondering how good of a coach Eddie is, look at his record...an astouding 794-310. He is the first coach to ever take 4 teams to the NCAA tournament. His son will take over at Oklahoma State...I'm not sure we'll ever see Eddie Sutton coaching again.

In other news...Kentucky is likely to miss the NCAA tournament...the Wildcats have one victory against an NCAA Tourney worthy team. That team: West Virginia. But, that was in November when WVU was losing the bulk of their games...a whopping 3.

CBS thinks the Mountaineers are still a Top 10 team despite their loss to Pittsburgh...the Sportsline Top 25 has West Virginia at Number 7...a move UP one spot since last week. I guess that win in the MCI Center resonated...

Is it me or did Gerry McNamara of Syracuse become bad? Yeah, he's averaging 16+ points a game but he's shooting 31% from 3-land and 34% overall. Maybe the defenses are playing him tougher...but I swear he was better last year. I mean, he's feeding his team with assists but his shooting has been atrocious.

Is anyone watching the Olympics? Maybe I'll talk about them tomorrow...but that's it for today.

The 'Nog Returns

Well, Pittsnogle returned and WVU basketball rolled over the G'Town Hoyas by a score of 69-56. After the uninspired 0-12 night against Pittsburgh, Kevin rebounded to score 25 against Georgetown at the MCI Center. The win was Coach Beilein's 14th victory over ranked opponents in his short tenure at WVU. More impressive, it was his 12th away from the Coliseum.

You could tell early in the game that WVU had gotten back into their groove...good cuts, a lot of movement and tough defense. And, even though they hit a rough spell approaching half, they still played good ball...just some uncharacteristic turnovers. But the second half was pure genius by Beilein. First, the 'Eers went away from their trademark 1-3-1 defense and played man-to-man for the second half. This really frustrated the Hoyas. WVU's ability to recover and switch is remarkable. Second, they fed the ball inside instead of bombing away from outside the arc. The drives of Herber and Collins and the cuts of Gansey freed up some space for Pittsnogle to make some jumpers. It was poetry again...

West Virginia went only 6-21 from outside...which isn't spectacular but when the 3s didn't drop, they moved inside the arc and went 21-32, an astouding 66%. West Virginia proved a lot of things at the MCI Center: 1) The can play man-to-man if the 1-3-1 isn't working. 2) They can play inside the arc and don't have to live and die by the 3-ball. 3) Up by 10 or down by 10, the team keeps its poise and plays to the final buzzer. 4) They are going to be a tough out in the Big East and NCAA Tournament.

Best Player in College Basketball

Who is the best player in college basketball...is it J.J. Redick or Adam Morrison? Adam Morrison is a favorite because he brings a bad seventies porn 'stache to the game...and J.J. brings horrible poetry. But, don't discount the East Coast bias in the voting for CBB POY, J.J. plays at Duke, which is in North Carolina which is considerably more East Coast than Gonzaga, which is in Washington. The State, not the city. But, let's look at what else each player brings...

• Points per Game: Redick - 28.7. Morrison - 28.4. But, when you look at the schedule they have faced, Redick's points are more impressive. Advantage: Redick
• The Official Dickie V. Excitement Meter - How excited does Vitale get when he watches each player play? Well, I think it's a push. But, what will happen if these two teams meet in the NCAA tournament? His head will explode. And, if his head explodes...Advantage: CBB fans
• Toughness: Redick celebrated a 3 point field goal late in the UNC game by giving the crowd at the Dean Dome the double Shocker. And he acted tough against Boston College. Morrison looks like he's always ready to get in someone's face...and, I'm not sure I'd want him in my face. Advantage - Morrison
• Known For: Redick - Bad poetry. Getting heckled relentlessly everywhere. Being loved by Dick Vitale. Morrison - '70s style mustache. Long hair. Appearing slightly unhygienic. Being loved by Dick Vitale. But probably not writing bad poetry. Advantage - Morrison
• Location: Redick - Duke. So, well, that does it...Redick is automatically disqualified for playing at Duke. For 4 years. Automatic disqualification...he plays for Coach K...there's no overlooking that.

So, after a long and stirring debate, Adam Morrison is College Basketball's Player of the Year. Congratulations...and Tom, tell Adam what he won.

Tom: Congratulations Adam...you have won an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman where Dave will use the new Gillette Fusion razor to rid you of your 8th-grade teenage-style mustache. Back to you.

Alright, thanks Tom. And that about wraps it up for the Player of the Year honors. Thanks for joining us...and remember, Gillette is spying on you.

Confusion...

Confusion. That about sums up the opening ceremonies of the Olympic games. I mean, I did not understand hardly anything of what they did for the opening. I saw balloons with faces flying around. People in silver customs with giant white bubbles strapped to their heads. People skating near fake cows while people in the stands banged on cowbells. I saw a man dancing in flesh-colored tights and a mohawk. I heard the announcer talking about the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and the future of Italy and, well, I didn't get it. And then, this weirdo gets done dancing and a Formula One car starts doing donuts on the stage. Huh? There was a lot of fire everywhere...and some of the acrobatics were pretty cool.

Sophia Loren helped carry in the Olympic flag. I didn't even know where she was at...she's like 74 or something. And then things took another odd turn...Yoko Ono? Why in the world would have have Yoko Ono speak at the Olympics. I'm pretty sure she's not Italian. Maybe they thought having Luciano Pavarotti sing would even things out...but there is no forgiveness for putting Yoko Ono anywhere that people have to listen to her. The lighting of the torch was pretty cool...once again, lots of fire. But, still nothing exciting enough to make me feel better about watching this stuff.

The only reason to watch the opening ceremonies is to see the parade of nations and the reaction they get and to see if any country wears anything really strange. I thought the USA received a very nice welcome...a surprisingly nice welcome actually. Maybe everyone just felt sorry for them since they had to wear those ridiculous hats (I mean, did you see those stupid hats?).

I mean, I can't say it was bad...when they had the games in the States, it was still odd. I guess it's a weird ceremony every year. But, I just don't get it. I thought the Rolling Stones were really bad at the Super Bowl...but, after watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games....well, the Rolling Stones were still really bad.

You've Been Pittsnogled

A Must Read About Kevin Pittsnogle: All Hail Kevin Pittsnogle

WVU Loses to Pitt

Well, West Virginia lost to Pittsburgh at Pitt. So, now 8-1 in the conference. They were bound to lose in-conference eventually. It's just a shame it had to be to Pittsburgh. But, the Mountaineers were playing very poorly and kept it close. Let's look at the positives and negatives from the game:

POSITIVES:

1. J.D. Collins and Joe Herber attacking the basket. When the perimeter defense of Pitt had cleared the lane, J.D. and Joe went to the basket after faking passes or handoffs and had easy layups. I liked that. That exploited about the only weakness in the Pitt defense but it didn't stop Pitt from attacking the perimeter.
2. WVU defense was stout. West Virginia easily could have been blown away in this game but the defense was tough. And, considering it was 4-on-5 at times, that makes it that much more impressive (I don't count Pittsnogle as part of the defense at Pitt).
3. WVU kept it close despite lackluster games by the stars. Gansey played a decent game but didn't come up with any big plays that made a difference. Pittsnogle was a non-factor on both offense and defense. If anything, Pittsnogle hurt the Mountaineers while he was in the game.
4. Beilein was tough. I liked seeing Pat get up in the face of Krauser and fight back. There's no reason Pitt should be able to push the Mountaineers around and I appreciate the fact that Beilein and Herber and Collins were tough enough to fight back. This is another reason I'm disappointed with Pittsnogle's play last night...he just takes it. Gray was pushing him all over the court and he just let it happen.
5. Dickie V. Yeah, I really don't like him but I appreciated the continual compliments he paid the program and Coach Beilein. He really seemed genuine in his praise of the Mountaineers and that's good publicity. I also like the fact he complimented next season's recruits...that makes me feel better.

NEGATIVES:

1. Pittsnogle is in a major shooting slump. He had wide-open looks and didn't make them. He committed turnovers. His defense was horrific. The Mountaineers were better when he was on the bench. And this is about game number 3 of this bad play. I'm a Pittsnogle fan and I know he needs to shoot his way out of the slump...but if he would make up for his bad play on the offensive end with tough defense, I wouldn't criticize so much...but he didn't. He did commit fouls though.
2. Gansey is slumping too. Yeah, he may have scored 14 but he didn't come up with his normal steals or assists. I'm sure he'll work his way out of it but he's not playing the way he was 4 weeks ago, that's for sure.
3. The officiating. No, they didn't cost WVU the game because they were equally bad for both teams. This is basketball, not football. I saw more pushing, shoving, tackling, etc. in this game than in the last Marshall football game. I understand letting the teams play but Big East play has become ridiculous. I don't like ticky-tack fouls but the refs cannot allow this type of basketball to continue.
4. The loss after all the buildup. ESPN.com had run some great articles on Beilein and the program and this kinda kills that momentum. But, like I said, everyone has to lose eventually.

So, now the Moutaineers need to bounce-back against a very tough Georgetown team. It would be very easy for this team to lose a few in a row if they're not careful...hopefully, Pittsnogle gets his stroke back and they can win 4 or 5 of the next 7 games.

UNC/Duke & WVU/Pitt

Well, for a brief moment, I thought UNC could pull a huge upset last night at the Dean Dome. It's hard to believe they had as many turnovers as they did yet hung around the Dukies all night long. Tyler Hansbrough is a beast under the basket. This team is going to be awesome next year. As for Duke...I can only pray some poor little North-west Dakota Community College is able to knock them off in the first round of the NCAA tourney.

UNC/Duke might be the best rivalry in basketball, but the "Backyard Brawl," basketball-style, is tomorrow night. I haven't been able to confirm this but I've heard that this will be the first time ever that both programs are ranked in the Top 25 entering the game. It should be a heckuva matchup...if WVU can win 5 of their next 8 games, watch out. The schedule is brutal. Pitt will be looking for some revenge after last year...

Lastly today, I have heard that Buffalo is going to drop WVU from the schedule and play Auburn. Auburn has offered them more money and they just haven't gotten around to telling the Mounties yet. And, to fill that void, Kansas wants to come play at Mountaineer Field. I would be very happy to see Buffalo dropped and Kansas picked up. The home schedule this year is, so far, pretty lackluster. Cabell County Community College, Buffalo (one of the worst teams in the nation), Maryland, Syracuse, Cincinatti, USF and Rutgers. Not the greatest home schedule. If Buffalo is dropped and Kansas is added, that would mean another BCS out-of-conference game. Conf-USA, ACC, SEC and Big XII for the out of conference would be a good thing to do.

That's about it today...

How 'bout them Cowboys? I mean, Steelers

Well, after 26 years of trying to "Win One for the Thumb," the Pittsburgh Steelers finally win their 5th Super Bowl ring, tying them with Dallas and San Fran for the most in the NFL. I can't say the game was the most exciting I have ever seen in my life but, boy, was the finish nice. Neither team was awesome...Pittsburgh's offense stuttered...Seattle's offense couldn't finish their drives. The Pittsburgh defense bent...bent alot at times, but never broke and that's really what won the game. The trick play with Randle El throwing to Hines was maybe the greatest call I've seen in a long time. And Bettis finally getting a ring and then retiring on the grandest stage of them all...well, that's storybook stuff there.

But, naturally, the talk after the game is all about the officiating. Everyone is blaming the refs for the Steelers win...ESPN has a poll up asking if the refs determined the outcome of the game...Michael Smith wrote a big long article about the officials being pro-Pittsburgh. Are you kidding me? Give me a break. Let's look at the "disputed" calls. A pass interference call...that was that. Yes, it might have been a ticky-tack foul...but, it was a pushoff in the traditional sense of the word and the official called it. I'm not sure I would have but he did.

Then, there's the Roethlisberger touchdown. To me, it looked like the ball skimmed the goal line. All the ball has to do is slightly cross that white stripe at any point in the play for it to be a touchdown. To me, it looked like it did. I thought Madden and Michaels did a very poor job at explaining that to the audience. The holding call? Hey, he pulled the guy down from behind...that's holding.

I mean, there might be some questionable calls...but, that doesn't determine the outcome of the game. Seattle had a lot of opportunities to make plays to win...they didn't. The officiating did not make Hasselbeck throw the interception. The officiating did not allow Willie Parker to run 75 yards for a touchdown. I'm sick of how quickly people look for conspiracy in the losses now. There has been some bad officiating this year...but I didn't think this was one of those times.

On to other things...WVU is now 8-0 in Big East play...only the 5th team to ever start Big East play 8-0. Now, the real tests begin. They have to travel to #9 Pittsburgh who, even though they lost to a surging #22 Georgetown, is a really good team. It will be a great test of the Mounties on the road. Then they have to travel to that constantly improving Georgetown team. What follows that? At Seton Hall, #1 UConn, At Syracuse, struggling Louisville, Pittsburgh and at Cincinatti. That's a really rough schedule to end the season...if they can go 5-3 out of that, I would be happy. But, 16-0 in the Big East sounds pretty nice too...

Oh, and lastly, I've had the flu...I'm not over it. I guess I need to go see a doctor but I'm trying not to. We'll see what happens...

Things I Want To Do...

Well, before that, how about those Mountaineers? Man, can they make it any more difficult on their fans? When Herber missed the layup, I was sure that Notre Dame was going to come down and score...but, well, they held on and that's all that matters. Beilein said at the beginning of the year that all the games were going to be close...well, he was right. But, these close games are definitely building character for this team and I'm excited for the post-season.

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning which means 6 more weeks of winter. Of course, this winter has been so mild that I'm not sure it matters. I'm thinking we're due for an artic blast in March...and, well, that isn't a good thing. But Puxsutawney Phil reminded me of some things I would like to do...

1. Go to Punxsutawney, Pa. to see Phil be pulled from his hole. I know it's a pretty stupid thing but I would really like to go see it...I mean, why not?
2. Attend a UNC/Duke matchup at the Dean Dome. I love UNC basketball and have been to the Dean Center once but not for a game. I figure if I'm going to a game there, why not the biggest rivalry in college basketball?
3. Attend a Super Bowl...preferably with the Steelers. Someone offered me a ticket to Super Bowl XL. For the low, low price of $3000.00. For 1 ticket. Hmmm...maybe attending a Super Bowl isn't a real high priority.
4. Actually organize the server room here at work. I mean, did you see that thing?
5. See the Mountaineers win a national championship in football and/or men's basketball. Who knows...maybe this year? For both?
6. Cross-country trip maybe...Montana, Dakotas, Oregon...swing down through the mid-west. Maybe a 3-month tour...a 3-month tour.

I'm sure there's a bunch of other stuff but that's what I have at the moment.

Signing Day?

Well, today is college football signing day...a day for all the people who watch the sport way too closely to determine who has the best recruiting class and who has the best coaching, etc, etc. But it looks like it might be a pretty quiet day in Mountaineer country...unless Rich Rod has a rabbit up his sleeve, it looks like a pretty basic class. Almost all of West Virginia's main targets chose other schools with Brandon Heath today choosing Louisville over WVU. So, West Virginia's recruiting class will be ranked low AGAIN, around 60th in the country.

I think that's about it for right now...I have a lot of work to do and probably should try to get it done. But, if anything comes up, I'll update.