Butler U: Win It For Me
Dear Butler,
I don’t care who you when it for, please just win it. I’m trying to get used to the fact that the player I hate the most in the NFL is now the QB for the team that I love the most. I can’t take the NCAA team I hate the most winning the championship. Please win, please.
Thank you,
Fatpickle
Gracias Por Todo, Greivis Vasquez
Greivis Vasquez played his last game in a Maryland Terrapins uniform today, a heartbreaking 85-83 loss to Michigan State in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament. If the final 2 minutes were the epitaph for his career, it would read like this.
2:00 minute mark MD trails 80-71
1:54 Greivis makes a 2pt jumper, he’s fouled on the play. MD trails 80-73
1:53 Greivis makes FT to complete 3 pt play. MD trails 80-74
1:51 Greivis steals ball dishes to Mosley for layup. MD trails 80-76
1:27 Greivis makes a 3 pointer. MD trails 80-79
0:39 Greivis makes a 2pt jumper. MD leads 81-80
0:07 Greivis makes a 2pt jumper. MD leads 83-82
That’s 10 points, a steal and an assist in the final 2 minutes. He was Reggie F’in Miller in Madison Square Garden! He took the team on his back and he carried them. And it was vintage Greivis, out of control…fall away jumpers in the lane, using the glass and in heavy traffic…it.was.perfect.
Greivis was both frustrating and fun as hell. He was like a crazy girlfriend that you know is certified, but you can’t cut her loose cuz the sex is great. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched him in a game and screamed NOOOOoooo Greiv what the YESSSSSSSSSS, as he took some stupid shot that he should have never taken, but he hit them more often than not. The debate will be thrown around in bars and on blogs for many years to come, where doe Greivis rank on the Terps all-time list of great players? For me, he’s now #3, behind Juan and Bias. Thanks for the memories Greivis.
Cheers and Hail
LazyJC: An Idiot’s Retort
Recently some donk came on FatPickled and enlightened us about how much better the NBA is then NCAA basketball. Certainly, we’re all better for it, because, as we know, in this day and age, no one could be interested in good, old fashioned amateur sports. We must have the watered down, boring-beyond-belief professional version of what used to be a great game. I could go on a lengthy diatribe on how wrong the preceding post is, but to keep things relatively short, and relatively fair, I’ll just respond to each point made:
They play 3x as many games - I get sick of hearing people saying that college kids try harder. If your wife asks you to lay the wood once a day you’d go all out. Let her ask you to lay it 3x a day and see if you’re pulling out all the usual tricks each time.
- Right, the college kids that are diving for every loose ball, battling for every rebound, taking charges left and right aren’t playing harder then the pros who walk up and down the court most of the game. True, the pro game is longer, and the season is, too (who’s fault is that? they get paid to play that many games), but the reasoning for the style of play is simple. The NBA fills seats by giving the thrill seeking audiences they’re trying to attract dunks and 3-pointers. No reason to waste energy on defense, when no one forking up hundreds of dollars for good seats wants to see it, anyway.
There are way too many white guys in college basketball…at times it almost seems unrealistic to me
-Not sure how to respond to this, does anyone think these white kids are taking roster spots from minority kids? Maybe they can play a bit, too. Regardless of their leaping ability.
College basketball never had LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, or Amare Stoudemire, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady…should I keep going?
-Yes, college basketball also never had Martell Webster, Gerald Green, Shaun Livingston, Robert Swift, or Dorell Wright. Who are they? A few other first rounders out of high school. They’ve etched out a few years of getting paid, but none have developed into even a solid contributor. There’s a few more who have stuck around for a while, Kwame Brown, Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler, come to mind. Again, no stars, just lost potential. You think a year or two of college may have helped their game (and career)? Now, perhaps they didn’t have the grades for college, but that’s why there’s the University of Texas, and Ohio State. Hell, Kobe’s recently spoken about how he regrets not playing in college.
High school players try pretty hard and want to win…does that mean I should compare them with NBA players?
-???
Sit courtside at a college game and then at a NBA game…the speed of the game is like comparing apples to oranges or better yet…women to men
-No, what you notice is the difference in strength, and the explosiveness that almost every player possesses. It’s like comparing men to, young men. It’s called maturation, and it steps up at each level. There’s no comparison in the athleticism and skill of the average NBA’er to the average college player. Still, when you walk the ball up the court every possession, how much added excitement does it generate? Half of the “highlight” plays that occur in the pro game is a result of an elite offensive player being guarded by an awful defensive player, and the rules of the game forbidding the defender from getting help. They’re trying to sell posters, too, you know.
It’s a possibility your girlfriend would bang Tyler Hansbrough…it’s a certainty your girlfriend would bang Dwayne Wade
- Most likely your girlfriend in college would have banged the Big Man on Campus, just for the notoriety. It’s a lock your girlfriend/wife would bang Dwayne Wade, he’s worth $100 million. So what? They’d bang Donald Trump, for the same reason.
There are 347 Division I teams consisting of about 4,200 college basketball players. Only sixty players are drafted into the NBA each year. That means only 1.4% of these kids are even good enough to ever step foot on an NBA floor
-Go through any NBA roster, and you’ll find an undrafted player. The NBA draft is as much of a crapshoot as any other professional league. Again, skill alone doesn’t guarantee quality of play.
I’m guessing you still want amateur players to represent USA in the Olympics?
-My personal favorite. When the world got sick of losing to our amateurs, they developed basketball programs that copied the likes of Russell, Chamberlain, Irving, Alcinder, Bird, Johnson and Jordan. In other words, players who were excellent basketball players, not just physical freaks who could dunk. Once our younger generation of players became more concerned with garnering shoe contracts, then perfecting their games, we had to send pros to win international competitions. And in case you didn’t notice in Athens, our second tier pros can’t win. That’s how bad the quality of basketball has fallen in the U.S. That’s why USA Basketball hired a college coach to win back the gold.
Name one NBA player that is so skinny he has to wear a t-shirt under his jersey
-Its called league uniform policy violation. Although, with all the obscene tats we see, they may want to re-think it.
Name one NBA player with pimples
-The ones who leave after one year of college (not Greg Odom, though. I’m convinced he’s really 35).
ATHLETICISM, ATHLETICISM, ATHLETICISM…like Shaq says, Lebron should be a cheat code
-Agreed. So why is the league so boring?
One question for basketball fans (and idiots) out there; you can attend one more sporting event in your life. You can choose between half-court floor seats at Game 7 of the NBA Finals, or seats behind either bench at Duke-UNC at Cameron Indoor. What would it be?
The Association has the better athletes, and players, of course. But does it have the atmosphere? Does it have the passion? There’s a reason Dick Vitale covers the college game, while Dr. Jack Ramsay speaks for the pros. It’s just a difference in attitude, and I’ll take the Madness over the organized dunk contest that the NBA has become. Decide for yourself. Just don’t listen to your bartender 
Posted by lazyjc22 Date: Friday, May 22, 2009
E4three32: NBA Vs. NCAA Basketball? Everything and More
Recently some donk came in where I bartend and started talking about how much better NCAA basketball is than the NBA. All the while I stood there politely nodding my head and holding back my thoughts on the topic, hoping that by pretending to be interested in what this guy was saying I might be able to get a pretty good tip. But the fact of the matter is…this guy is an idiot, and if you feel the same way this guy does, guess what…you’re an idiot too! Now it wouldn’t be fair to just call you an idiot and that be the end of it, rather I’m going to list the numerous reasons why the NBA is flatout just better than college basketball…
- They play 3x as many games - I get sick of hearing people saying that college kids try harder. If your wife asks you to lay the wood once a day you’d go all out. Let her ask you to lay it 3x a day and see if you’re pulling out all the usual tricks each time
- There are way too many white guys in college basketball…at times it almost seems unrealistic to me
- College basketball never had LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, or Amare Stoudemire, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady…should I keep going?
- High school players try pretty hard and want to win…does that mean I should compare them with NBA players?
- Sit courtside at a college game and then at a NBA game…the speed of the game is like comparing apples to oranges or better yet…women to men
- It’s a possibility your girlfriend would bang Tyler Hansbrough…it’s a certainty your gilfriend would bang Dwayne Wade
- There are 347 Division I teams consisting of about 4,200 college basketball players. Only sixty players are drafted into the NBA each year. That means only 1.4% of these kids are even good enough to ever step foot on an NBA floor
- I’m guessing you still want amatuer players to represent USA in the olympics?
- Name one NBA player that is so skinny he has to wear a t-shirt under his jersey
- Name one NBA player with pimples
- ATHLETICISM, ATHLETICISM, ATHLETICSIM…like Shaq says, Lebron should be a cheat code
Damn…that tip wasn’t worth it.
Until Next time,
E4three32
Posted by E4three32 Date: Friday, May 22, 2009
Categories: E4three32, NBA, NCAA
Tags: e4three, lebron james, NBA, NCAA
LazyJC: Fun for Everyone (Even the Wife!)
Fatpickle’s note: Please help me in welcoming LazyJC to Fatpickled. True to his nickname, he has finally produced his first post… 3 months after being hired. JC studied journalism at JMU, his mom is an English teacher, and he’s also a teacher himself. All of that makes him overqualified for this blog. I’ve enjoyed his dry humor and knowledge of sports for many years, hope you guys do too. Welcome aboard JC.
While I’m watching my tournament brackets get completely busted (I’ve never put faith in Jim Boeheim and his crappy zone defense before, why did I do it now?) it’s still hard for the smile to go away. Quite simply, this is the best time for a sports fan to be alive. And I say that with a solid history of being a fanatic supporter of the NFL and college football, yet there’s no pigskin in sight.
At the beginning of March Madness, my wife usually gets mad, knowing that I’ll be plastered in front of the TV throughout Rivalry Week, Conference Championship Week, and then every Thursday through Sunday during the actual NCAA Tournament (not to mention the NIT games during the rest of the week). She whines and cries that there’s always a game on, and I’ll put college basketball before her in my priorities (and says it like it’s a bad thing). For a time, she’ll banish herself to the bedroom, while I watch in the living room, sprawled on the couch. I’ve always asked her to watch with me, and she’ll retort that I don’t really want her to (honestly, as long as she’s quiet, I don’t mind). However, even she isn’t immune from the pull of the bracket. There she was, yelling at the TV, as her father’s alumnus, Villanova, struggled in their opening round game against American University.Knowing I’d picked them to make it to the Elite Eight, she watched with me as they dispatched UCLA, and, while she didn’t stay up to see the Wildcats whip-up on Duke, she did ask if I was going to DVR it.
In the back of her mind, she knows that this late March - early April orgy of sports entertainment doesn’t stop with college basketball. If the tournament isn’t on, there’s a spring training game on. Or a playoff-chase NHL game, or an NFL draft anaylysis, or a pre-Master’s tune-up PGA Tour event. The best thing about this time of year, is that my wife is right, there’s always something on! While there’s a lot less drama on frozen pond this season, as my beloved Washington Capitals are securely in control of their division, she remembers last season’s mad dash to the playoffs, and we watched every second of their push for the postseason, jumping around like the crazy Russian kids that play for the Caps, going nuts after every goal (I’ve asked Ted Leonsis if he’d change the team’s motto from “Rock the Red”, to “Rock the Red Army”, as half the squad is comprised of Ruskies, fun to watch Ruskies, I’ll add).
Just when the Madness subsides, Opening Day is here, as is the tradition like no other. The first week of April brings us the shouts of “Play Ball!”, and the hushed tones of Jim Nance calling the action at Augusta National. Again, though not a sports fan, my wife will gladly skip work with me to watch every Opening Day game that’s televised, and she’d never miss watching Tiger, or anyone for that matter, play Amen Corner. How could things be better? Perhaps we should begin petitioning Churchill Downs to move the Kentucky Derby up a few weekends, just to get it into the mix.
Anyway, though March has just flown by, and April will come an go just as quickly, remember that it’s okay to take it all in. This is what we sports fans live for (at least until training camp opens), stop and smell the azaelas. Just pick a few for the wife, so you don’t get into too much trouble.
LazyJC
Let The Madness Begin
Update: 1 box was open, picking underdog WKTY to make the Sweet 16
There it is.. my official bracket. The madness starts tomorrow and I’ll probably see more college basketball tomorrow than I have all year (I have watched zero NBA!) This bracket was filled out in one swift stroke of the pen. No scratch-outs, no crumpled up brackets thrown in the trash, and no other brackets lying around with different picks. I feel pretty good about it.
Tomorrow is also the day that results in more people calling in sick to work than any other day. I don’t know the number of lost profit that results from the lack of manpower, but I’m hoping our fragile economy can handle it. I actually think it’s a great day for the economy. Workers will be paid to sit at their favorite Pubs to eat, drink and be merry. The bars make $$, the waiters/waitresses make $$, and the bookies make lots of $$!
Since I’ve started this blog I haven’t spent a lot of time talking about my love for the Terps. I’m a huge fan and feel that they are the one team that has let me down the least in the past 10-15 years. NCAA Champs, ACC Champs, and even when they have down years they find a way to beat Duke and UNC! Go TERPS!!
Cinderella story…
Cheers and Hail
Posted by fatpickle Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Categories: Fatpickled, NCAA
Tags: march madness, NCAA, Terps
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