Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Turnover at top of rankings
If there’s anything that’s certain this year in college basketball, it’s that no one team has stood out above the rest as the best team in the nation.
Sure, Pittsburgh currently sits atop both polls, but it wasn’t unanimous. UConn and Oklahoma each received first-place votes this week as well.
In the preseason polls, North Carolina was the unanimous choice as the nation’s No. 1 team. Aside from one coach’s vote in week two for Connecticut, it remained that way in both polls for the first seven weeks until the Tar Heels lost a game.
For the next two weeks, Pittsburgh reigned supreme, earning all but two AP votes in both weeks and all but one coach’s vote the first week and two the second week.
Once the Panthers lost their first game, it was Wake Forest’s turn in the spotlight, although a handful of voters thought otherwise, choosing Duke with their No. 1 vote.
Thanks to a Wake Forest loss that same week, Duke moved into the top spot in the next poll, though Connecticut, Pittsburgh and Oklahoma all earned first-place votes as well.
Wake Forest redeemed itself by beating the Blue Devils, however, and the following week saw UConn take a turn at the top of the ladder, with Oklahoma and North Carolina also receiving consideration.
The Huskies held strong for three weeks with the target on their backs, but following a loss to Pittsburgh last week, they lost the No. 1 ranking to the Panthers.
Now that Pittsburgh has come full circle after dropping to as low as No. 6 three weeks ago, the Panthers have proven just how difficult it is going to be to project a winner in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Through 15 weeks of the 2008-09 season, five teams have already claimed that crown for one of more weeks with Pittsburgh earning the distinction two different times.
By comparison, the 2007-08 season saw just three teams — North Carolina, Memphis and Tennessee — earn the No. 1 ranking prior to the NCAA Tournament.
Likewise, Duke and UConn were the only two teams to receive the No. 1 ranking prior to the NCAA Tournament in the 2005-06 season.
Not only is the top of the rankings in flux, the number of teams receiving votes is notably higher than at the same time last season. In last year’s week 15 poll, 36 teams received votes in the AP poll. This week, 45 teams received at least one vote in the AP poll.
One team not among those 45 after a loss Sunday is Wisconsin.
Yet, Joe Lunardi of ESPN has the Badgers as a potential No. 11 seed in this week’s Bracketology update, giving Bo Ryan’s squad a rematch against Rick Barnes and Texas.
So what can we expect in the next two weeks leading into the conference tournaments?
First, given their remaining schedules, it seems unlikely that Pittsburgh or UConn will go without a loss the rest of the way. Therefore, it can be reasonably expected that another team, perhaps No. 3 Oklahoma, could lay claim to the No. 1 ranking before season’s end.
Second, another non-BCS school will find its way into the top 25.
Right now, Butler, Xavier and Gonzaga are the only three who fit the category of “mid-major” programs ranked in the top 25, but Utah, Dayton, Creighton and Utah State are just a handful of the teams knocking on the door receiving votes in this week’s AP poll.
Finally, one or more Big East teams will fall out of the top ten.
Pittsburgh, UConn, Louisville and Marquette are the four Big East schools in the top eight in this week’s poll. Unfortunately for them, however, they each still have to play one or more of the other three.
Pittsburgh plays Marquette and UConn at home to finish the season, for example. Marquette also plays UConn at home and Louisville on the road, giving them the toughest remaining schedule of the four.
As the lowest ranked team — Marquette is No. 8 — among the four they have the most to gain as well, but could fall fast if they struggle against the other three.
Whatever happens, it is shaping up to be an exciting finish to a roller coaster ride of a regular season for college basketball.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Parra chooses new number
Pitchers and catchers have reported to Spring Training and the first games are just days away.
With that, comes another time-honored aspect of baseball: superstition.
Superstition has long reigned supreme in baseball clubhouses at all levels. Players avoid stepping on baselines, others purposely step on them as they enter and leave the field.
Players consistently go through the same routine when entering the batter’s box: adjusting batting gloves, tapping the plate, wiggling the bat, and the list goes on.
If a player starts hitting well, he might wear the same article of clothing as long as the trend continues. And every year, there is a dramatic increase in facial hair during the postseason.
One of the most important things to many players, however, is the number they wear on their back. For many it may simply be the first number they wore in little league, for others it may have been the number their father wore. Still other players choose numbers to honor great athletes in the past.
Numbers are not just important to the players. Choose any number and an average fan could probably name someone who wears it on his back.
For example, 24: Willie Mays, Ken Griffey, Jr. (in Seattle). Also, 8: Cal Ripken, Jr., Yogi Berra.
And of course, 5: Joe DiMaggio, Johnny Bench.
For Milwaukee Brewers starter Manny Parra, No. 43 seemed just fine over the past two seasons as long as he got the opportunity to pitch in the big leagues.
Now that he has a full season of ups and downs under his belt, he has swapped the 43 for the No. 26 he will wear beginning this season, according to the team’s Web site.
Why the change?
Perhaps it’s the 26 strikeouts he threw in 26 innings in the 2007 season, his first partial season with Milwaukee.
Maybe it’s the fact he wore No. 26 in high school, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Or perhaps Parra chose the No. 26 because he was drafted in the 26th round on the 26th day of June.
Another reason for the number change could be Parra’s age — you guessed it, 26.
Finally, the number could be a nod to the Brewers’ postseason appearance last season, the first for Milwaukee in 26 years.
It really doesn’t matter why Parra chose a new number. The fact is the young Brewers’ starter will be relied upon in 2009 to provide quality starts on a consistent basis.
While Parra was hot in the month June, winning each of the five games he started in the month, the lefty was just 5-8 in all other months in the 2008 season.
With the departure of CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets, the Brewers rotation consists of Yovani Gallardo, Dave Bush, Braden Looper, Jeff Suppan, and Parra, in that order, according to the team’s current depth chart.
Though it could change, the Brew Crew currently have an ace who posted zero decisions last season and only one other pitcher in the rotation with a winning record. That pitcher, of course, is Parra at 10-8.
If Parra performs well in March, he could earn himself a higher spot in the rotation. Regardless of whether he remains in the five slot or moves up, Parra pitched the fewest innings last season of any current starter, excluding Gallardo who sat out much of the year.
Even if Parra posts another winning season, without increased innings pitched, he will continue to be a burden on the Brewers bullpen, which has been depleted and overhauled as a result of the departure of several Brewers in the offseason.
Hopefully for the Brewers and their fans, the number change will make the difference for Parra in terms of consistency. If not, maybe some minor adjustments and increased confidence will do the trick. Whatever the case, the Brewers’ success in 2009 will undoubtedly depend of the performance of all five starters and the new-look bullpen.
Who knows, maybe the No. 26 will lead to 26 wins for Parra. Of course, it could just as easily lead to 26 losses for the lefty.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
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