To make up for yesterday's non-post, we are having a super-sized post today!
New to the Blogroll: Betapundit
We add Betapundit to the non-sports blogroll this week. Betapundit is a Texas Tech guy and a Mac user. While we prefer our Dell Dimension Intel Celeron PC here at Cheap Seats, we always support fellow Red Raiders. So welcome to the blogroll, Betapundit.
Where does Tech basketball go from here?
OK, The Texas Tech basketball season is over, thanks to the West Virginia Mountaineers. A great season, yes. One that will probably rank as one of the best (though I would still argue, not the best.)
Texas Tech basketball has been to the Sweet 16 before, only to sink to the Big XII's basement. So how does Bob Knight keep the momentum going? Well, Tech needs to do 3 things:
First of all, Bob Knight needs to stop beating the bushes for recruits and land some better prospects. I'm not saying we go out and get 5 prima-donna McDonald's AAs, most of whom already have what I call "NBA syndrome" (i.e. they think they're Michael Jordan already and they won't accept any coaching) anyway. What I do want is for Tech to land better coachable prospects than they do already. We went 22-10 this year without a whole lot of talent. Imagine what they could do in coming years with talent.
Second, Texas Tech has to address it's lack of size. Darryl Dora is a nice power forward who is playing out of position at center, and while he and Devonne Giles, who has used up his eligibility, have done admirably, size has been a weakness for this Texas Tech basketball team this year. And good post players killed Tech all year: Ivan McFarlin killed Tech down low during conference, Wayne Simien had a good game, albeit in a loss, for Kansas, and West Virginia's Kevin Pittsnogle dominated the Red Raiders in the game that eliminated Texas Tech.
Granted, they beat Gonzaga, but that's because they forced a lot of turnovers before Gonzaga could get it into the post.
Third, Find another scorer who can handle the basketball, either among the players on the bench or in recruiting. Ronald Ross is graduating, which takes away almost 20 points a game.
Do all that and Texas Tech can build on this Sweet 16 season.
Meanwhile, back in Lubbock...
Now that both basketball teams are officially eliminated, the focus in Red Raider Nation has shifted to spring football practice and baseball. And since the baseball team got rained on (as in it rained over the weekend) in Austin, spring practice is dominating the headlines.
Don Williams of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal pens this piece about how Texas Tech is emphasizing physical play from the safety position this year. Given that Texas Tech's defensive rankings have declined every year since Mike Leach took over, physical play from any position would be good.
Texas teams banned from BCS?
According to the Austin American-Statesman, State Senator Jeff Wentworth, a Republican from San Antonio, has proposed a bill that would prohibit Texas universities from taking part in BCS bowls, unless that bowl is part of a playoff.
Normally, this would go unnoticed except for 3 things:
1. Wentworth has a lot of pull in the Texas Senate, or so my friends who work for the Lege tell me.
2. This bill was filed after the deadline and had to be approved by the Senate in order to be added to the calendar, which means Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst and the Senate leadership are interested in this bill also.
3. Twelve other states are considering similar legislation, including California (home of national champ USC), Florida (home to 3 perennial championship contenders), North Carolina (home of the ACC), Big 10 state Michigan, SEC states Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, Big 12 states Colorado and Oklahoma, and Pac-10 states Oregon, Washington, and Arizona.
Now I know some of people out there think that the government shouldn't get involved in sports. (Unless their team needs a stadium, then most of these hypocrites want government to be very involved.)
The problem is that sports can't fix itself many times, which practically invites the government in. Witness the steroid hearings. And as long as they keep funding stadiums, governments will want more say.
As for the bill, I'd like to see something done about the BCS in our lifetime, but this isn't it. If lawmakers want the BCS to go away, they should banish bowl games from television. That would make the BCS conferences stand up and pay attention. Kill the cash cow and college football will be forced into a playoff.
Speaking of steroids...
Jeffery Flanagan of the Kansas City Star wonders why, despite golfer's larger physiques, there's no talk of steroids in golf.
It's because they look like 100-pound weaklings instead of 90-pound weaklings, Jeff.
Seriously, most of these guys, aside from the beer guts of John Daly and Vijay Singh, are miniature clones of Shawn Bradley. Even Tiger Woods isn't that physically imposing.
Speaking of the Statesman...
The Austin American-Statesman's Kirk Bohls wonders why Kentucky can't play this weekend. Hmm... maybe it's because they lost to Michigan State, Kirk.
NCAA Frozen Four
The NCAA's Frozen Four kicks off April 7th in Columbus. Conference rivals Denver University and Colorado College are matched up in one semifinal, and the Denver Post's Terry Frei is reporting that neither school is happy with the Thursday afternoon time slot.
Hey, DU and CC, be glad someone is willing to broadcast hockey at all.
Avery Johnson, Mavericks Head Coach
The reviews are mostly positive for new Dallas Mavericks head coach Avery Johnson. Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes that he's escaped Don Nelson's shadow. And the Dallas Morning News' Eddie Sefko notes that the team is picking up it's defensive intensity under Johnson. Hopefully, Mark Cuban will let Johnson develop into a head coach and not pull the trigger too quickly if things go wrong.
An Awesomely Bad Song that VH1 somehow missed
Finally, we present to you the worst song ever recorded:
(video courtesy
The party responsible for this piece of Europop crap, entitled "Dragostea Din Tei", is a Romanian group called O-Zone.
You have to admit, though, the "Numa numa yeah!" chorus is catchy.
Still makes Missouri basketball coach Quin Snyder look like a competent singer.
Update: Lyrics (in Romanian and English) may be found here.
Tomorrow: TBA
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