Monday, April 19, 2010

Where Amazing Happens? Not Quite...

It's been over a week since my last post, and for the first time ever, I actually had people asking me when I was going to post next. Granted, they were probably just giving me crap, but it feels nice all the same to know that at least someone besides me is reading my work. So once again (since I've done this shout out before), thank you to all of my readers for your support.

The NBA playoffs are well underway, and I'll be honest; I haven't watched a game yet. Not one. For the last few weeks leading up to the playoffs, I've been arguing with people as to why I don't think the NBA playoffs (or the NBA in general) are all that interesting. At least not the first round. Before I start watching anything but the NBA Finals, here are some things that David Stern should institute to make the game better.


Fix the Age Rule

Take it away completely? Actually, quite the opposite. The NBA needs to make a rule similar to the NFL, where a player must be at least 21 years old or have completed his junior year of eligibility for the NCAA in order to enter the draft. There is something wrong with a professional league where 19 and 20 year olds are able to master the game and be stars immediately out of high school. How many 19 and 20 year olds do you see making an impact for teams in the MLB and NFL? A hell of a lot less than there are in the NBA, that's for sure.


Widen the Lane

You know what I see when, on rare occasion, I watch an NBA game on TV? Either a player dribbles around a little and then shoots a 20 footer, or a lazy dump pass is made into the lane, where a post player drops in an easy two footer. The NBA needs to become more of a team game; there is too much one-on-one play. A good way to make the league more pass happy is to widen the lane, forcing the big men to spread out more. Not only will they be unable to hang out under the basket as much, but it will open up the middle for backdoor cuts and give and go's.


Allow Zone Defense

Along with widening the lane, this is another international-esque move that I'd suggest the NBA make. Unlike many arguments, the NBA players are capable of stopping offenses by playing zone defense. They play it in the international game, and who are often some of the best defenders in the NBA? European players. The banning of zone defense was done to promote scoring, and with the athleticism of today's players, there would still be a lot of scoring.


Only Take Four...

...teams per conference to the playoffs. There is no reason to put half the teams in the league in the playoffs other than to increase revenue. The MLB takes eight, and the NFL takes twelve. Anything over that and you're starting to bring in some teams that are just plain mediocre (ahem, Chicago...). There isn't any place for mediocre in the playoffs, and if the NBA wanted to be taken more seriously, they'd start being more like Major League Baseball and less like the National Hockey League. Less is more, gentlemen (that goes for you too, NCAA).


I'm sure that these suggestions I've listed will ignite some discussion. I want to hear your thoughts and criticism, whether you agree with me or not. I doubt that the NBA will take my advice any time soon, but until they do, I won't be watching any of the playoffs until the conference finals...at the earliest.


Since I didn't write about the Ben Roethlisberger situation, I've decided to let you guys tell me what you think. Check out the poll in the top left corner of the page to vote. Think of it as my way of getting "the fans" involved.



- K. Becks

Friday, April 9, 2010

Someone Teach Me How To Play The Piano...

...So that I could play that little piece that they play when they're about to go to a commercial break during the Masters. I personally prefer the CBS Sports College Basketball theme song, but I'm not really up for learning about four different instruments.

Big week in sports so far, and I haven't posted very many entries to talk about all the events that have taken place. Why? Honestly, because all the events bundled into one post looks a lot longer and therefore a lot more professional. Also, I feel that people like to play the percentages game when deciding whether or not to read something. For example, if the piece of writing is long, people may say "I can probably skim this and find something that I think is interesting". But if the piece of writing looks a lot like an article in People Magazine, they are probably more inclined to say "I'll look at the pictures....Oh, there are no pictures? Well then this isn't really worth my time". I learned this from Mark Titus, who feels it is necessary to write a book every time he posts a new entry. Also, yes, to answer the question you're probably asking yourself right now, I am promoting his blog in hopes that maybe he'll read mine and send some of his readers my way. Did you read that Mark? Something like that is what Axe would've preferred you write.

Speaking of college basketball players, how about the National Championship? I know it's been a few days, but that game was probably one of the better ones that I have ever seen. I heard a lot of people complaining that the tournament wasn't as interesting once the big boys like Kansas and Kentucky went down, but as far as I'm concerned, these people were still bitter about losing five dollars in bracket pools. The national championship came down to the last shot, which is fitting considering the way the entire tournament played out. Butler making it to the championship game was not a fluke, either. It really comes down to two things: Butler was a terrific team all year, and was overlooked largely because of the conference they play in. When was the last time that a preseason Top 10 team was considered an underdog if they reached the National Championship? Never, as far as I know. Secondly, no team was that much better than any other team this season. In past years, we've had the North Carolina's and Florida's who have seemingly dominated from November until April. Coming into this year's tournament however, there were probably eight to ten teams who had a legitimate shot of cutting down the nets in Indianapolis.


With everything else going on in sports this week, Major League Baseball beginning play has kind of taken a back seat in importance. Those who did pay attention to Opening Day however, likely saw one of the better plays that will be made all season. Add in a budding star hitting a home run in his first at-bat, and it looks like this season will be full of action. At least to some, apparently. Umpire Joe West thinks it's "pathetic and embarrasing" that the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox games take so long. Most baseball insiders are shrugging this off as a comment made by a loudmouth (basically, West is the T.O. of umpiring), but he does bring up a valid point. Causal fans often use the "baseball is so boring to watch on TV" excuse as to why they are not avid fans of the game. It's not hard to stay interested in a three hour game if you're at the stadium, but it's a whole different matter if you're watching the game on TV. West may not just be blowing hot air here.


Finally, the Masters. Even if you're not a golf fan, you've undoubtedly heard about the tournament in Augusta, or more specifically, how Tiger is doing. After a strong first and second round, Tiger looks like he is in contention for the win at this point. This is probably the best thing that the PGA could have asked for. Casual fans were drawn in because of the Tiger saga, and now that he's doing well, they'll probably tune in to the final two days as well to see if he can win. Eat your own words, Billy Payne, because contrary to what you say, if Tiger wins this weekend, he hasn't disappointed me at all. To us, Tiger Woods is a golfer. Mickey Mantle wasn't exactly a role model, and neither is Kobe Bryant. Hell, even Tiki Barber just left his wife for some hot intern. The point in naming all those athletes is that even though they have had their darker moments on display for the public, we still love them because of their contributions to their respective sport. Besides, Mr. Payne, who are you to talk? You don't even let women join your country club.


Notice to the left of the writing I have replaced the NCAA Tournament tracker with a Masters leaderboard. That way you can spend your whole afternoon on the blog!


- K. Becks

Monday, April 5, 2010

And Then There Were Two

For the second time in two years, a team playing in their home state will face off against an ACC opponent in the Division 1 Men's NCAA Basketball Championship. This is the classic David vs. Goliath story; the real life Hoosiers. At first glance Duke seems like the bigger, more athletic team, but are they? Butler guard Gordon Hayward may be the best NBA prospect on the floor tonight, and forward Matt Howard has the ability to match up with Duke center Brian Zoubek.
Also, with four white players starting for Duke, and Butler's two best players being white, the athleticism seems pretty even to me. Talk about putting Miracle Whip on your Wonder Bread.

If I were Butler coach Brad Stevens, I would make my speech to the team short and sweet. It'd probably go something like this:

Well guys, this is it. The National Championship. Be honest, how many of you guys had us going out in the Sweet 16 on your brackets?....You guys are a bunch of liars. Well, as most coaches say, you guys are going to have to play this game. I can't play it for you, and neither can the other coaches. Of course, if I put a uniform on, they probably wouldn't question it.

Anyway, gentlemen, you have the chance to do something today that no other Butler University basketball player has ever done before; win a National Championship. Let's get after loose balls, stay focused, take smart shots, and play our game. No matter what happens tonight, remember that you have elevated yourself beyond everyone's expectations. But let's win this one and become more than underdogs, cause I'm pretty goddamn tired of people asking me where Jimmy Chitwood is. That's about as funny as people yelling "Run, Forest, Run" to a marathoner.


Inside Lucas Oil Stadium tonight, roughly 75% of the crowd will be rooting for the hometown team. Something tells me that probably holds true for the entire nation as well. Not only do Americans love the underdog, but after seeing Duke receive possibly the easiest road to the Final Four, as well as seemingly receiving lots of calls from the refs, they are almost the equivalent to the Evil Empire. With that being said, here are my thoughts on the game.

Let's go Butler. Destroy the Blue Devils. You've had more than just one shining moment, but tonight you have the chance to capture the brightest one of all.



- K. Becks