- Summary thoughts
- Once again, the Big 10 pissed the bed. Once again, the BCS failed. I turned the TV off last night unfulfilled. I thought in my mind that LSU is the best coached, most athletic, smartest, best team in the land. I don't think there's any doubt on that. They're #1. But Ohio State a worth opponent? Not hardly. Give me USC. Give me West Virginia. Give me Missouri. Give me Kansas. Give me Georgia. Give me anyone but an overrated, weak scheduled Big 10 team who only got there because of their conference and because their season ended on November 24.
- Anyone in Nebraska who doesn't think Bo Pelini is the man for the job is crazy. To see the interaction he has with those players and to see his gameplan and performance, it's evident to anyone how great of a motivator and coach he is. And he's only 39.
- Fox needs to get out of college football. Chris Rose is a douche. The rotating pre-game show hosts is a failure. Chris Meyers is absolutely terrible as a sideline guy. His halftime kicking competition spectacle was a trainwreck.
- Although I did enjoy Thom Brennamen and Charles Davis. Thought they were pretty good, although every other BCS announcing team they brought out was for the most part spare. Also enjoyed the lack of commercials. Those were some of the fastest commercial breaks I've seen. ABC makes you sit for 10 minutes.
- Get this damn thing into an 8 team playoff. The whole BCS is garbage. Tt's an agenda-filled, run by TV networks hype machine. Nothing more. It never works, save for 2005 (Tex-USC).
- All of the pairings are made with agendas. Why not do 1 vs. 2, 3 vs. 4, 5 vs. 6, etc etc. I'll tell you why. Because then the winner of the 3 vs 4 game, if they kick the crap out of the other team, might get voted #1 by the AP writers, thus undermining the BCS's powers to name a champion.
- Thats why we didnt see #4 Va. Tech vs. #3 Oklahoma. Even those 2 teams got beat handily by lower ranked Kansas and West Virginia, which further adds to my disgust for the system. In today's game, with parity and limited scholarships, there is not much difference in about 8-10 top-tier teams every year. So to tell me that one team is better than the other is pure subjectivity and speculation. And who names a champion off of that type of criteria?
- The system and money is already set up. You have the TV networks waiting to write the check. You already have spread this thing out from December 20 to January 7. The big time venues are there. Keep all the minor bowls for teams outside of the top 8. Let them have their postseason. Have the NCAA limit regular season schedules to 11 games. Also, if they have the power, eliminate all Conference Title games, or make every BCS conference play in one. Either way, make it even across the board. Not sure if they have this power, but it needs to be done.
- Saturday December 22 you play Round 1 at the higher seeded team's stadium so as to limit travel and reward a better season to the higher seed. Round 2 is December 29 and at 2 of the BCS bowl stadiums, which will be on rotation from year to year. And then the Championship being played on January 5 at a yearly rotating BCS Stadium. The 2 BCS bowls that don't get to be involved in that particular year, (I'm assuming Jerry World is involved by then, making it 5 venues) get to host bowl games with the 4 best teams that didn't make the top 8. I'd feel better about my champion if they'd have to win 3 games to prove it.
- And all the while, you let the Texas Tech's, Fresno State's, and Navy's of the world play in their Jerkoff.com bowls to appease the bowl traditionalists, to give schools their payouts, and to give them the extra month of practice that is very valuable to programs. And you'd end the season at the same time you do now and you finally have a system that lets the champion be decided on the field.
- But, of course, the Big 10 and the Rose Bowl Committee will never allow this. The Big 10 knows they have it perfect. Play 11 games, end your season November 24, play no conference title game, hope you have 1 dominant in-conference team with zero or 1 loss, let the other national teams play 1 more game, watch them fall like dominoes, and sneak into the title game. If they played by the same rules as everyone else, they know they'd rarely get a team into the title game.
- Otherwise, congrats to LSU, congrats to Bo Pelini, and congrats to Nebraska. I'm including them because this can do nothing but help in getting the program back in order. A national title ring is a powerful thing.
- A final tribute to LSU......
- Stars end 4 game slide.
Dallas Stars beat Wild to end skid
03:56 AM CST on Tuesday, January 8, 2008
By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News
mheika@dallasnews.com
Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco was in a slump.
He had allowed seven goals on his last 30 shots and was pulled after only 13 minutes the last time he faced the Wild.
So coming up with 18 saves in a 3-1 win over Minnesota on Monday at America Airlines Center represented a big step forward.
"Sometimes, you're in a slump or you're not as good as you want to be, and you just have to work your way through it," Turco said. "It's just a matter of concentrating and preparing and not over-thinking. Trust your preparation. It sounds simple, but sometimes it's not."
Stars coach Dave Tippett said Sunday that goalies have to be prepared to stand up and not allow bad goals. Turco accepts that challenge, but he likes to focus on wins and losses more than good and bad goals.
"I think what I've learned over time is I wouldn't want to be doing this job by myself," Turco said. "I don't want to be like a pro golfer. I like being a part of a team – that's the most important part of this. The feeling of winning as a team is very special."
On Monday, Tippett said he was glad to see Turco play a big role in the win.
"Turco played very well and made key saves for us," Tippett said. "We were trying to stop the bleeding [of a four-game losing streak], and we know we are a team that needs certain things in order to win, and we got those tonight. We had enough positives to push us through."
- And sign the only young, offensive playmaker they have to a 5 year deal.
Dallas Stars invest in Ribeiro
12:57 AM CST on Tuesday, January 8, 2008
By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News
mheika@dallasnews.com
Brett Hull has deferred a lot of the responsibilities of his new general manager partnership to co-GM Les Jackson, saying he had a lot to learn in terms of the intricacies of the front office.
But Hull was front-and-center Monday as the Dallas Stars announced a five-year, $25 million contract extension for center Mike Ribeiro. It was the kind of decision that pulled heavily on Hull's ability to read a player's talent.
"I feel it's my forté to understand what a player like that is capable of," Hull said. "And watching him play, I don't see a decline. I don't see this as a one-hit-wonder season. This kid is skilled, he's increased his conditioning and strength, and that will only improve."
Ribeiro, 27, could have become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. The Stars have seen enough in two seasons, though, that they are basically making him their No. 1 center for the next five seasons. He is scheduled to become the team's third-highest-paid player next season at $5 million.
"We saw the money that was being thrown around in the off-season, and to have a player of this caliber who's interested in staying here and being a part of this organization, you tip your hat to him," Hull said.
Ribeiro is on pace for a career-best season. He has 21 goals and 25 assists for 46 points in 41 games. He had two assists Monday in a 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild at American Airlines Center.
Jackson said one of the big keys in making the decision so quickly was Ribeiro's love of the organization. Ribeiro was drafted in his native Montreal and struggled to fit in with the Canadiens. He was shuffled out at a discount to the Stars in a trade for defenseman Janne Niinimaa.
But he tallied 18 goals and 41 assists in 81 games for Dallas last season and slowly found a fit on the team. This season, he has clicked with captain Brenden Morrow, and the two are leading the Stars in scoring.
"We made it clear to their camp that we wanted to re-sign him, and he said very quickly that he wanted the same thing," Jackson said. "When you have that chemistry, it's not difficult to find a place where you can agree on numbers."
Ribeiro, making $2.8 million this season, said the decision was easy.
"I am very happy to sign here. I've made a home here," he said. "The family and kids love it here. This is a great organization, and this is a team that can win the Cup."
Hull said he will put a lot of expectations on Ribeiro.
"He reminds me of myself when I first got to St. Louis," Hull said. "I scored 42 goals, and [coach] Brian Sutter grabbed me for individual meetings, and I was expecting a pat on the back. And instead it was, 'That was nothing, You have so much more to give' That's the way we're going to treat [Ribeiro].
"I really believe the strides he's made from last year to now – it's just scratching the surface of what he can be."
MOVING UP
Stars center Mike Ribeiro signed a five-year contract for $25 million Monday and will become the Stars' third-highest-paid player starting next season. He is making $2.8 million this season. The Stars' top five:
2007-08
Player Salary
Marty Turco $5.7 million
Mattias Nortsrom $4.2 million
Mike Modano $4.2 million
Brenden Morrow $4.1 million
Sergei Zubov $4.0 million
2008-09
Marty Turco $5.7 million
Sergei Zubov $5.3 million
Mike Ribeiro $5.0 million
Brenden Morrow $4.1 million
Jere Lehtinen $4.1 million
- Dirk ramping it up and taking charge...
Dallas Mavericks' Nowitzki aggressive again
Quick decisions have revitalized Nowitzki's offensive game
03:06 AM CST on Tuesday, January 8, 2008
By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmoore@dallasnews.com
For those of you who wondered what was wrong with Dirk Nowitzki early this season, for those who fretted that he had lost his scoring touch, here's an update.
The league's reigning MVP has led the Dallas Mavericks in scoring, or tied for the lead, every game in the last 23 days. Nowitzki has scored 30 or more points four times in this stretch, averaging 26.2 points.
The Mavericks are 7-2 since Nowitzki reasserted himself as the team's primary offensive weapon.
"I felt like, early on, I was looking around too much," Nowitzki said. "I waited on the double-team too much. I wasn't really being aggressive.
"I think the last couple of weeks, I've found a good mix of, when the shot is there, take it; when it's not there, move it."
Nowitzki had developed enough in the post that opponents no longer allow him to get his position and take three to four dribbles before getting off a shot. They are flying extra defenders at him, forcing him to score right away or make the pass.
Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said he wanted Nowitzki to work on passing out of those double-teams early in the season.
"That was a big point of emphasis," Johnson said. "I told him, 'If you don't lead the team in scoring, it's not going to be the end of the world.'
"We saw enough of that and just said, 'Hey, let's think about getting some stronger moves if you get double- or triple-teamed. If you get squeezed, look to make the pass.'
"He's done a good job of mixing it up."
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