Does UK Really Care That They Lost...

((HT: WTVQ-TV))

Apparently, not...

As you see with their appearance in the NIT, they are one and done...
Here's what happened in the 3,500 seat barn at Robert Morris...


It will be interesting to see how many kids will hang around- outside of Nerlens Noel- will go NBA or not...

How many of you had this happening in your NIT pool...???
That's what the HQ thought...

BUZZER BEATER (CBI Style): Wyoming Shoots Down Lehigh

Lehigh may have been the darlings of last year's NCAA Tournament upsetting Duke in the second round.  This year the Mountain Hawks were one and done in the CBI.

Nathan Sobey's corner three as time expired was a winner for Wyoming.

"We wanted the other guards to spot up in the corners and Nate (Sobey) was able to knock it down.

It’s nice to have a shot fall like that for us at the end." Wyoming head coach Larry Shyatt said.

Sobey finished with 12 points.  The Cowboys were led by Luke Martinez with 25 points, Larry Nance, Jr. added 21 for Wyoming.

The Pokes move on to the quarterfinal round of the CBI to face the winner of the Western Michigan/North Dakota State game.

BUZZER BEATER (NIT Style): Pointer's Shot Lifts Johnnies Over Joey's

Who says you can't get motivated to play an NIT game.  St. John's and St. Joesph's played a great college basketball game in Philadelphia Tuesday night.

The game came down to one last shot by Sir'Dominic Pointer of St. John's.



"I've never hit a shot like that in college," Pointer said "It just felt good and to celebrate it with my teammates felt even better."

Pointer finished with 15 points for the Red Storm who advance to the NIT second round to face Virginia.

Chicago Cubs Leaving Wrigley Field? A Surbuban Mayor Makes A Pitch For Cubs To Move

That mayor would be Brad Stephens of Rosemont.  Stephens has 25 acres of prime real estate in Rosemont he's willing to offer to Chicago Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts and the Ricketts family to build an new ball park and parking to accommodate the Cubs.

In an interview with CSN Chicago's David Kaplan Stephens said,  "The Chicago Cubs are being held hostage by the neighborhood as they look to run their business. We are willing to offer them a tremendous opportunity if they are interested. Bring the bricks and the ivy and we can get a deal done."



The Cubs would like to renovate Wrigley Field, which turns 99 this season, and Ricketts is will to put up an estimated $500 million to completely overhaul Wrigley Field with no taxpayer dollars.

To do this the Cubs ownership would like increase revenue by adding signage in the outfield and increase the number of night games played.  Right now the Cubs are capped at 30 while the major league average is 57.

Of course politics is getting in the way and 44th Ward Alderman Tom Tunney, whose ward includes Wrigley Field is not playing nice and neither are the rooftop clubs overlooking Wrigley Field and local community groups.

A top aide to Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel said in Chicago Sun Times, “The idea that the Cubs would leave Wrigley Field is not something to be taken seriously,”

I would take it seriously and if I were Tom Ricketts, move the team to Rosemont. 

I'm sorry, Wrigley Field is old and tired and quite frankly an albatross to the Cubs.  There is no way in it's current state Wrigley Field can add new revenue.  No video board, no luxury boxes, no advertising.

Built a replica or something retro in Rosemont with money coming from parking, luxury boxes, all the amenities fans expect.  The Cubs need to do something to keep up with other MLB teams who have found their cash cows within their ballparks.

Heck the Cubs might end that their World Series drought and perhaps win a World Series in this century by bidding for free agents and keeping home grown talent. 

Staying in Wrigley with it's current restrictions will just handcuff the team financially. 

With that said the Ricketts family remains committed to working out an agreement with the City of Chicago.  The lure of Rosemont might be too much to pass up down the road.

Cam Newton's Brain "Gets Stuck In Traffic..."

This is what happens sometimes when you host your own charity fundraiser and you get asked questions on the fly...

Cam Newton (or, "Cameron Jerrell Newton" as his mother identified him since he was stuck in traffic and late for his own fundraiser) was asked by the highly-partisan Auburn crowd whether or not he could sing the Auburn fight song for the crowd in attendance...

The running gag was that anything got (or was) "stuck in traffic" when something went wrong on the evening...

You can guess what happened...

Or, you can watch above...

After it was over, Cam admitted that his brain got stuck in traffic...

Although, for the record, the Cam Newton Foundation looks like it will be doing some good things for youth who should be staying in shape and want to make a point to, possibly, even play athletically at the same time in their high school years...

Miss Jackie, Cam's mother, should keep it on the straight and narrow...

NFL vs. MLB: Who Plays on Sept 5th and Who Doesn't?

Roger Goodell

((ht: baltimoresun.com))

Could it be? A no-holds barred, steel-cage , "I Quit" match between NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and MLB commissioner Bud Selig on the shore of the Baltimore Harbor?

That's what is shaping up as the NFL is desperately trying to get their defending Super Bowl champs the Baltimore Ravens to play their opening game at home, on Thursday night Sept. 5th. A 10-year NFL tradition: The champ kicks off the season--at home.

The problem:

The Baltimore Orioles, who 'Oh By The Way', play in Camden Yards directly across the street that very night. It's a typical regular season baseball matchup vs. the Chicago White Sox.

Read more from the Baltimore Sun RIGHT HERE

The potential ways to resolve this battle are mind-boggling. And, quite honestly, potentially very funny.

For their part, the 2 commish's have spoken about this and the Jolly Roger is trying to cajole Heir Selig to move the baseball game to the afternoon.

What complicates that: It's a series opener for the Orioles and White Sox, both of whom will be coming into town late the previous evening.

And we might add, the baseball game has been scheduled for some time.

We're guessing that one of 2 things will happen here. (1)- The Ravens end up opening on the road. Ending the NFL 'Tradition', but not inconveniencing MLB. Or (2), MLB caves and moves their game.

Option 3, playing on Wednesday isn't preferred by Goodell, because that is Rosh Hashanah a date.

In the meantime, please allow our minds to wander and think of this:

Miami's Jim Larranaga Wins USBWA Coach Of The Year Award

Miami Head Coach Jim Larranaga

When the college basketball season began who thought that Miami would have a shot at the Final Four?  If you did I hope you put money down on the Hurricanes in the Las Vegas sports books.

The Hurricanes won the ACC Championship Sunday and Tuesday Jim Larranaga won the Henry Iba Award as the national coach of the year by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association of America.

"Coach L definitely deserves this award because of his passion for the game of basketball and his dedication to the team and the University of Miami," Miami point guard Shane Larkin said. "He said he would take this program to the top, and in only year two, we are ACC champions."

Larranaga has made Miami Hurricane basketball relevant in the city with boasts the current and more than likely repeat NBA Champions, the Miami Heat.  Heck Lebron James and Dewayne Wade were big Hurricane fans showing up at the Bank United Center to catch a game. 

Hurricane basketball was a hotter ticket that Heat games when Duke and North Carolina came to Coral Gables.

Every year I have the privilege to vote for the Henry Iba Award and as much as I love what Jim Larranaga has accomplished in two short years at Miami I voted for Jim Crews at Saint Louis U.

Believe me my heart was with Larranaga but couldn't pull the trigger.

Saint Louis U Head Coach Jim Crews

Jim Crews wasn't suppose to be the head coach of the Billikens, it was Rick Majerus.  Last August Majerus took a leave of absence because to health issues and Crews became the interim head coach.

Of course you know those health issues took Majerus' life last December.

All Crews did was lead SLU to the Atlantic 10 Championship with a 27-6 record and a four seed in the Midwest Regional.

The Sporting News recognized Crews as it's national coach of the year last week.  Yet with all the accolades and success it's not guaranteed that Crews will be SLU's coach next season.

Saint Louis athletic director Chris May is not committing to Crews long term but would rather wait and evaluate the program at the end of the season.

The SLU job is much more attractive that it was when Majerus took the gig and there will be many interested candidates.

Perhaps the best man for the job is already there.