Super Conferences

With all of the talk about what could happen with the Big Ten expansion and what would follow I think its time to talk about what I would like to see happen. I know this will affect every sport, but all that matters in college athletics at the end is football and men's basketball. We know how big hockey is Minnesota and a few other select areas, but expansion will not affect hockey at all. No offense to women's basketball, but other than a few select teams, not many people follow it, the money is all in two sports, and money talks. That being said, when expanding conferences we have to remember that while this is being done mainly for football, with basketball in mind, every sport will be affected. This is why I think it is crazy when I hear that Texas is being considered, and even more bonkers when I hear other schools from Texas being mentioned too. Is it worth the extra money a team like Texas would bring in if we had to pay for baseball, softball, soccer, gymnastics etc. etc. etc. to have to fly down to Texas for regular season games and meets? Is it really better for student athletes to have to fly to Texas instead of Indiana for a game? No. I know that part of the reason they are talking about those teams is because if they added four teams from the Big 12 they could be their own division and compete more in division to keep traveling down, but part of what I love about college sports is the regional competition. I love being from the Midwest and competing against the West Coast, the East Coast, the South. I love being called the meat and potato teams, the tough teams. I love going against the "speed" of the SEC, it makes for better conversations. So in my perfect world, the conferences would look a little like what follows.



Big Ten



The Big Ten is making the first move, so they should get to do pretty much what they want to. I've heard everything from adding four Big Twelve teams and Notre Dame to adding UConn, Syracuse, Rutgers, Pitt and Notre Dame. Neither of these scenarios makes any sense and neither do much for me. As I said, I love the regional feeling to conferences. I would however be open to one team stretching the conference if it were for a good reason. I would love to see the Big Ten add Notre Dame, Missouri, Pitt, Iowa State and then either Rutgers or Nebraska. Why Iowa State? Three reasons. First of all, it keeps the Big Ten more compact. It also keeps other conferences closer together. Iowa State is also a great educational university, something very important to the conference. Third, something that should not be overlooked, is Iowa State is a bit of a pushover. I know that everyone wants to be the best, but when you have 16 teams competing it is nice to have a few teams that are only going to compete every decade or two. It allows the powers of the conference to have a game on the schedule that they know will help propel them to a better chance at making the Championship game or eventually an at large bid into the tournament. I think Notre Dame is an obvious choice, Missouri brings a good market and solid football and basketball program in, Pittsburgh also has great programs and the location is ideal, then comes the choice between the New York market (which is not a big college market but is New York) and the prestige of Nebraska football. Personally I want Nebraska to bring another power into the conference. Sure the thought of New York is riveting, but real college football fans will turn on Nebraska vs OSU over Rutgers vs anyone, unless Rutgers was competing for a title. I know you can make the argument that in that case Rutgers should be taken over Iowa State, but again the location drives that addition. Also, if the Big Ten takes Nebraska and Missouri, Iowa State is almost out on an island, which means for the good of all conferences they should join. I know it's all about money, but I want what is best for all of college football and basketball, it would not be as compelling without the debate over which conference was the best, and of course if you add Notre Dame, Nebraska, Missouri and Pitt, the Big Ten would be the best conference, and Rutgers does not add anything but television sets. Unfortunately I think Rutgers will make it in, leaving Iowa State in the Big Twelve.



After the Big Ten adds Notre Dame, Missouri, Nebraska, Pitt and Rutgers the race would begin, and I think it would end with five Super Conferences.



The SEC would be next in line to choose teams, after all ESPN and the rest of the media has us believing that the Dolphins and Jaguars would be lucky to get an invite from the SEC. The SEC would take over Florida by adding South Florida, Miami and Florida State. They would then add Georgia Tech, East Carolina and Louisville, (I know, that's six, but Arkansas is making a move too)


The ACC and Big East would then be forced to join forces and become the dominant basketball conference, at least initially. Duke, North Carolina, Virginia, V Tech, West Virginia, Clemson, Boston College, Wake Forrest, Maryland, NC State, UCONN, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Memphis and Central Florida would become the eastern conference, whatever they want to call it. They would still need one team which could come from telling a school like Villanova to move their football program up to the FBS division, or from getting a smaller school like FIU or Southern Alabama to join.



The Big Twelve, having lost Nebraska and Missouri would add Arkansas, TCU, Houston, Colorado State, New Mexico and New Mexico State. Sure they would drop down a notch, but what can they do at this point but hope these schools can step up their level of competition.



The Pac Ten would be the final conference and would add BYU, Utah, Boise State, UNLV and Air Force. Sure they would like to add teams from the Big 12, but when your conference has the least to offer you end up picking up the scraps. Sorry Pac 10, but you will never be what the Big 10 and SEC are.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch vs Cinnamon Toasters

So I had been buying CTC (Cinnamon Toast Crunch) for a few weeks because it was cheaper than Cinnamon Toasters at Wal Mart, but then I decided I needed to know which was better, once and for all. So I bought both and mixed them together to see if I could tell a difference. I could. It was not even close. Cinnamon Toasters have a little more puff to them, which makes them a lot more fun to eat, and they have a more even spread of cinnamon and sugar, which means they are not as overwhelming as CTC and just plain better. I always thought that Cinnamon Toasters were just as good, but once compared together I realized that Cinnamon Toast Crunch is a FAR inferior cereal. Give up on the name brand this time, go for the Malt O Meal knock off, you'll like it more and save money.

As for Cheerios and its family, stick to the name brand. Wait for the sale. Off brands do something wrong there.

The Timberwolves have Four Chances to Win Tonight, Not One

I know that it seems like the Timberwolves have only one, maybe two chances to really win tonight at the NBA draft lottery, but if you look a little deeper they actually can win big four ways, maybe more if Kahn can be creative enough. The sure ways to win are to land the number one or two pick in the upcoming draft. John Wall is good. There are no ifs ands or buts about it. He is a game changer, and will be for many years to come. Evan Turner might not have the start potential Wall has, but he is a guy who will come in and be productive from day one. He is a guy who can play multiple positions well, and is still improving in aspects of his game. He can score from anywhere on the court, but most importantly by driving to the basket. This is the most important aspect of his scoring in my opinion because in the NBA when you can get to line and get big guys in foul trouble you are doing more to change the game then when you are hitting threes, just ask Kobe. His biggest games in the Playoffs usually come with 12, 15 even 20 free throw attempts, and the Lakers do not lose when he scores from charity stripe. Turner can also rebound, pass and is working on his ball handling.

The other ways the Wolves can win are not as obvious but I think are sure fire ways. If they do not land the first or second pick they need to hope that the Knicks or Nets land the number two pick. Why? Landing Turner is not going to be enough to land Lebron. However if they trade what will become Turner to the Wolves they can get a lot in return. A package of the number two pick and David Lee from the Knicks for Rubio and Al Jefferson would look great for the Knicks. They would then be able to get Lebron and another star (Bosh?) add in Al Jeff and a point guard. Heck, they might consider trading Wall for those two so they can have an immediately dominant front court and a young rising star at point. I personally think they would take Wall in an instant, but you never know. For the Wolves David Lee would pair nicely with Kevin Love down low and Flynn, Turner and Brewer would round a solid young core. Then with the 16th pick they could hope to get a guy like OK States James Anderson if he fell, or they could trade up a few spots and grab him to give them more offense.

As for the Nets, they think they have a chance at Lebron too. Again with the prospect of getting Rubio and Jefferson they might be willing to part with either of the first two picks. They don't have as much to offer back, but if they feel that Devin Harris' upside is not what Rubio's will be, and that adding Al Jefferson also would help, they might pull the trigger.

The dream scenario would be if the Wolves somehow broke the lottery curse and got the number one pick, and New York landed the number two pick. New York can probably get Lebron and Bosh and adding Turner would be nice, like I said. However David Lee and Bosh play the same position, and Al Jefferson is more of a scorer who I think would work well with those two since he can also stroke the 15 foot J. Rubio is the difference maker in my opinion though with the Knicks. THey still want him, and I think they would trade for him. That would give the Wolves an amazing young group of guys in Wall, Brewer, Turner, Love and Lee, with Flynn coming off the bench as a sixth man, a very effective sixth man.

Chances are the Wolves will not move up though, they never do, and they will have to settle for a guy that might be great but might not. Hopefully they can stay in the top two though, or at the very least someone who would really want Rubio would get a top pick so we can move him and build again this year.

All I know is the Wolves have two of the top 16 picks in a deep draft, they better make the most of it this year.

KG's "Advice" for Lebron

As I am sure you have heard KG gave Lebron some advice after the Celtics finished the Cavs this past week. He told Lebron that "Loyalty is something that hurts you at times", of course in reference to his loyalty to the Minnesota Timberwolves when he stayed in Minnesota instead of leaving to become a free agent in a place where he would have a better chance to win a title.

I think are two things to look at here, first the positives. KG is probably my favorite NBA player of all time. He loved Minnesota, he worked as hard as anyone, and he didn't blame anyone for the Wolves not winning out loud, something many stars are not able to do. KG also never said that if he had to do it again he would leave Minnesota, after all he still got his ring, is on pace to win another this year, and of course there is no lack of great power forwards to not win a ring while they were stars. Malone, Barkley and Wilkens were perhaps the three best at their positions from the mid 80's through the late 90's. None won a ring. None have to be ashamed of it. KG also wasn't telling Lebron to leave Cleveland, after all with Shaq's expiring contract, a few other players whose contracts expire in the new future and some savvy veterans who will be free agents the Cavs still have a chance to make themselves the best fit for a championship caliber team. If the Celtics decide to go young, Ray Allen might want to win another title, and if he would sign for less with the Cavs he would give Lebron the pure shooter he has lacked. Delonte West only has 1 year left and is earning almost five million, Antwan Jamison has two left at over 12 a year, something that might look good to a team with cap space or needing a player like him coming off the bench. Mo Williams and Anderson Varejo are hurting the cap the most in Cleveland, but being a Timberwolves fan I know there is always a GM out there with his head in the sand who might make a dumb move. The point is KG could have been telling him to wait and see what the Cavs can do, then make your decision.

There is that side of all of us though that think KG was saying something else, that he was essentially saying he made a mistake by not leaving earlier. I know he might think that now, but hopefully when he looks back he will realize that he couldn't have done things much better, and he really has no reason to think loyalty hurt him. First of all, he may have been loyal, but he also received max contracts every step of the way, something he would not have received in other cities. Sure money isn't everything, but why then didn't he offer to play for $10 million so Taylor could sign another star? HE also was given the chance to become a legend. Something Malone never would have become. Malone was never alone, it was always Stockton and Malone. KG had a chance to be KG. There was not going to be a KG and Wally, or KG and Gugliotta, or KG and Sam I Am. It was his team, and whether he admits it or not he wanted it to be HIS team more than anyone because he is that much of a competitor.

KG also forgets that despite what happened, the Wolves showed him loyalty too. Once Da Kid left town, the franchise had no where to go but down, way down. Instead of stringing him along another few seasons, or trading for what McHale and company thought was the best for the franchise, we made sure that we also got Garnett to place he had a chance to win at, a place it was almost impossible for him to lose at if they stayed healthy.

Finally, though I don't like to bring it up because I love KG so much as a player, we have to remember that there are also two flaws to KG himself that contributed to his "Loyalty" keeping him from a title. First of all, his play in crunch time. We can't forget that against Tim Duncan KG usually was outmatched. He never had a bad playoff run, but he also wasn't able to completely change a series on his own. I'm not saying he wasn't ever the best player for the Wolves, there were just times he wasn't the best player on the floor. Mostly because of his offense, much like Dirk doesn't change games with his D even though his offense is usually great. The other flaw that isn't as obvious is the fact the KG was a bit of a GM himself. He often told the management what he wanted, and like many star players he got what he wanted. He should have let the people with experience make personnel decisions and stuck to doing his best of the court.

Lebron is at fault in this last way too, it seems. He likes Mike Brown, the problem is he doesn't respect him in the way that he should. Mike Brown is afraid to call Lebron out, he thinks that best way to handle his star is to let his star help with the coaching. Phil Jackson isn't possibly the best coach of all time because of his coaching ability, its because of his management. Remember NBA players are not working professionals with advanced degrees for the most part, they are kids, kids with a lot of money and no one to tell them its my way or the highway. Jackson doesn't care who you are, you play by his rules. Sure players do not like this at times, we saw Kobe crying about it a few years back. You know what though, Phil didn't give in to Kobe and eventually he sat down and thought it over and realized that Jackson was a winner, and without him Kobe hasn't won a thing. Lebron wants to go somewhere where he can win, but it seems like he also wants to help pick the coach, he might want some say in the personel it looks like too. The problem is players don't win games on their own. Remember, as great as they are, a guy like Phil Jackson has seen the same guy with a different number for the last 50 years or so playing, much longer than these guys have even been alive. Even a guy like McHale, who I like to rip from time to time, knows more about basketball than we can imagine. He played the game at an elite level. He has seen the game from the inside and out and knows more than we think. He might not have been a great GM overall, but then again when you are selecting late in the draft many GM's aren't.

The point is Lebron needs to take KG's advice to heart, if Cleveland doesn't look like a place he can win then it might be time to move on. He needs to remember though that loyalty goes both ways, and he needs to be loyal to his team and let them make the big decisions. He also needs to remember that if he wants to be a legend, he needs to win on his own. Kobe is great, but without Shaq and without Gasol (who people seem to forget has been a dominant big for years now) he has not won on his own. Lebron has the talent to be in the same conversation as Jordan, but right now he doesn't have the direction.

Forget Notre Dame

I want Notre Dame to join the Big Ten. It makes sense for them to join the Big Ten. However, I can't take much more of their arrogance and I think its time that the Big Ten give them an ultimatum. I am not much for ultimatums, but I just can't take it anymore. For some reason Notre Dame thinks that it is better than every other school and that they can do what they want. The fact is though, college football has changed. Notre Dame hasn't won a title since 1988, that's 22 years. They have won only two in the last 36 years. Florida, USC, Oklahoma, Miami and Nebraska have all won three or more in that time. Florida State, Penn St and LSU have all won two. Miami has won five since 1983 actually, Notre Dame has won one, in 1988.

All of this shows that college football has changed, and Notre Dame is not what it once was. This is why I can't stand their arrogance. They are not the super power they once were. Sure the Big Ten would be lucky to have them in the conference, but they can't let Notre Dame call the shots. Its time for Jim Delaney and the Big Ten to tell Notre Dame they can either be in or out. If Brian Kelly and Captain Jack Sparrow or Swarick or whatever his name is love being independent, fine, then live with it when you are getting steam rolled by the big conferences. They can play in the Big East/ACC or whatever becomes of the conferences once the Big Ten and SEC are done picking their schools. Or they can stand alone and watch from the inside out as a tournament comes around. I don't want the Big Ten to go to 14 teams if Notre Dame isn't ready, then we have a chance of losing the last team we want. Its time to go big or go home. Otherwise we are going to end up with Iowa State or something, and the SEC is going to end with a team like Georgia Tech or Clemson as their worst addition.

Its time to chose. Enough dicking around Jim Delaney. Make them choose, they can go to the prom with the King, or they can go with the tuba player. Its their choice.