Target Centermass

Category: Sports

  • Aggie Hoops: Finally a Big 12 Tourney Win

    Texas A&M entered today’s quarterfinal with zero wins in the history of the Big 12 conference’s tournament. Well before the contest with Colorado was over, it was clear that the 0-9 tournament streak was coming to an end as the Ags cruised to a 86-53 statement win.

    Texas A&M finally got to play a Friday game in the Big 12 tournament. The Aggies will get to stick around and find out what it’s like playing on the weekend.

    Joseph Jones had 21 points and Josh Carter 15, including four of Texas A&M’s season-high 12 3-pointers, and the Aggies won in the Big 12 tournament for the first time, beating Colorado 86-53 in the quarterfinals.

    The Aggies (21-7), who have won a league-high eight straight games, play No. 8 Texas (26-5) in the semifinals Saturday. That comes 10 days after Acie Law hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer in a 46-43 victory over the Longhorns.

    In what might have been an NCAA elimination game, Colorado (20-9) was only 18-of-60 shooting and was never in the game after jumping out to a quick 9-2 lead. The Buffaloes will have to wait until Sunday to find out if they go to the NCAAs for first time since 2003, and third time in 10 1/2 seasons under coach Ricardo Patton.

    […]

    Texas A&M had never played on the second day of the Big 12 tournament, having lost in the first round nine straight years before getting a first-round bye as the No. 4 seed this year.

    With the way the game began, it looked as if the Aggies might extend their dubious postseason streak. Then they started hitting long-range shots.

    The Aggies trailed until Carter’s first 3-pointer made it 13-11 with 10:46 left in the first half. They never trailed again and went on to their biggest margin of victory in a postseason game.

    After Roby missed, Carter made another 3-pointer while being fouled and added the free throw.

    Even when Colorado extended its defensive pressure beyond the arc, and the shot clock was running down, Law made a long 3-pointer. The shot clock was nearing zero again on the next possession when Dominique Kirk hit, pushing the Aggies ahead 23-13.

    Those four 3-pointers were part of a 23-2 spurt that ended when Jones made a tough baseline jumper while being fouled. He missed the free throw, but it was still 29-13 with 5 minutes left.

    Jones didn’t have any of the 3-pointers, but was 8-of-10 shooting.

    The Aggies led 38-24 at halftime, then opened the second half with Jones making a layup and then a free throw after being fouled. Colorado never got closer than 14 points after that, and trailed by at least 20 the final 12 minutes after Carter hit another 3-pointer to make it 53-33.

    Let the analysts and pundits debate whether the Ags are a lock for a trip to March Madness or are still a team on the bubble. As for me, I’m just going to enjoy today’s great leap forward — it is, after all, a far sweeter moment that last year.

  • 2006 Super Bowl Set

    Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Seattle Seahawks.

    Let two weeks of punditry and gambling begin.

  • Lynn Swann Enters Pa. Governor’s Race as Republican

    It’s time for another iteration of the celebrity-for-governor election story.

    Lynn Swann, whose acrobatic receptions took him to four Super Bowls and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, made another leap last night as he formally launched his campaign for the Republican nomination for governor.

    Before a cheering crowd of about 500 at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center, the former Steelers receiver promised to bring leadership and change to his adopted state.

    “I was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974, and tonight, I’m drafted by Pennsylvania to be governor,” Mr Swann said, shortly after making his entrance to the strains of Van Halen’s “Right Now.”

    Speaking for 25 minutes without text or notes, a relaxed and engaging candidate pledged an administration that would deliver lower taxes in general and a reformed property tax system in particular. As in earlier appearances in his campaign, however, Mr. Swann offered few specific details of his polices amid the broad, thematic promises.

    “I want to cut taxes in a responsible way and I’d like to reform property taxes … getting rid of the millage system and giving us real property tax reform,” he said. “If you want change, I’m your guy.”

    In an interview before his appearance, Mr. Swann dismissed suggestions that he had been any less forthcoming than his Republican rivals in fleshing out his policy vision.

    As the Legislature struggled without apparent progress to craft some solution to the controversial property tax issue, Mr. Swann said, “I’m competitive. So even if I had that play today, if I laid it out for you today, don’t you think that my opponents and other people would then say, ‘We can adapt that plan, too’?

    “I don’t think this is the time to roll out the details,” he added while saying that he would provide more policy specifics as the campaign moves forward.

    Swann’s grace has been on display for years on the gridiron and behind the microphone, but certainly the political realm is a different playing field. It certainly seems that the media is already looking for shortcomings and missteps.

    At least in the case of Swann, as opposed to other recent celebrity candidates, the interest in politics doesn’t seem to be overnight or whimsical.

    This is Mr. Swann’s first run for public office, although he has been active in Republican politics, campaigning extensively for President Bush in the 2004 election.

    While he seeks to follow in the path of political outsiders who have won statehouses such as Jesse Ventura in Minnesota and Arnold Schwarzenegger in California, Mr. Swann’s candidacy boasts the support of many members of the state’s GOP hierarchy, such as Mark Holman, who was former Gov. Tom Ridge’s chief of staff, and former state chairman Alan Novak.

    Mr. Swann, born in Tennessee in 1952, was raised in California, and earned a degree in public relations and a place on the All-American football squad while attending the University of Southern California. He appeared last night with his wife, Charene, and their sons, Braxton and Shaffer. His parents, Willie and Mildred Swann, sat beaming in the first row as Mr. Swann spoke in a makeshift theater in the round amid the center’s artifacts of Pennsylvania history.

    In an interview, Mr. Swann said that when he first registered to vote, it was as a Democrat, as his parents still are. He said he switched his registration to Republican after he moved to Pittsburgh, where he was active in civic affairs, including serving on the board of the Pittsburgh Ballet and as a spokesman for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America.

    Okay, now there will be some reason for this sports fan to have a little interest in the Keystone State’s voting this year, though I would need some more specifics from Swann for that interest to actually change into support. I’m sure that’s a common thought in Pennsylvania right now.

  • Orange Bowl Overtime Thought

    Wow!

    Overtime continues but, geez! sometimes it must suck to be a kicker.

    So far a shanked extra point that changed the course of the game by Florida State, a missed field goal at the end of regulation that could have won it for Penn State, and blown field goals by both teams in the first overtime. Ya think anybody is talking to these two guys on the sidelines right now? Not a chance; they’re trapped in their own little haunted worlds.

  • A Brief Look at Sports

    First, a moment of college football, as I witnessed from the treadmill an incredibly bone-headed coaching move.

    Northern Iowa advances to I-AA finals

    Matt Tharp intercepted Barrick Nealy’s third-down pass after Brian Wingert made a 25-yard field goal to give Northern Iowa a 40-37 overtime victory over Texas State in the Division I-AA semifinals on Friday night.

    […]

    Northern Iowa tied it at 37 with 1:27 left on Terrance Freeney’s 2-yard touchdown run and Eric Sanders’ 2-point conversion pass to Justin Surrency. Sanders, who passed for 417 yards and four touchdowns, was 6-of-7 on the 72-yard tying drive.

    Texas State had a chance to win in regulation, but the Bobcats (11-3) ran out the final 1:16 to set up the overtime, drawing boos from the crowd of 15,712.

    Texas State, after giving up the lead, had the ball outside their own 25 yard line with over a minute on the clock, a full hand of three timeouts and an exciting offense that had already put up 37 points. The choices: try to hit deep and break it open, knowing the opponent is out of timeouts in the event of a deep turnover; pass toward the sidelines and try to move into field goal range; mix in runs, which had been somewhat successful, with passes and try to drive, knowing you have the timeouts in your pocket. The decision: repeatedly take a knee, even though the opponent has the momentum after their scoring drive and two-point conversion. Frustrate and confound your players and home fans by not even trying to execute any kind of two-minute drill. My thoughts watching on the treadmill are as follows:

    WTF?

    ESPN2 then showed fans.

    WTF? [followed by boos]

    The Deuce then showed Texas State players on the sidelines.

    WTF?

    Texas State lost in the first overtime. I can only assume the team never wasted time during days and months of practices on the two-minute drill.

    U.S. draws tough group in World Cup

    South American powers Brazil and Argentina drew European opponents they might want to avoid in the first round of the World Cup. That was still better than the United States, which got double trouble Friday.

    Defending champion Brazil will play its first match against 1998 semifinalist Croatia. Argentina wound up with the powerful Netherlands in its group.

    The United States, which advanced to the quarterfinals of the last World Cup in 2002, was drawn into a strong group with Italy, the Czech Republic and Ghana.

    “It’s a very difficult group,” U.S. captain Claudio Reyna said. “You have perhaps three teams that could have been top seeds.”

    Well, that sucks. I’ll watch a good chunk of the World Cup, if only for the global spectacle that it is and the huge interest in my internationally-diverse workplace. That said, it’s soccer, and that’s quite a hindrance towards dedicated viewing. Should the U.S. not advance from group play, it may be headlines only for me.

    Still, garnering far fewer headlines, is a quadrennial world championship that I will be paying far more attention to (and may actually attend):

    2006 World Lacrosse Championships

    London, Canada will host the 2006 international lacrosse championship, the ninth such tournament dating back to 1974. Currently, a record 23 countries are scheduled to participate in the festivities, which will start on July 13 and culminate in the finals on July 22.

    Trust me, it’s a far more exciting game than soccer, especially for spectators.

  • A&M Fires Defensive Coordinator

    Well, I’ll reserve judgement for now.

    There were tons of legitimate excuses along the way, but the results on the field and the restlessness of an alumni fanbase spoiled by Wrecking Crew memories pretty much made it a done deal. Today, the expected axe fell.

    Texas A&M defensive coordinator Carl Torbush was fired on Monday, the first casualty from the Aggies’ disappointing 5-6 season, its second losing record in three seasons under head coach Dennis Franchione.

    Franchione announced the firing in an e-mail Monday afternoon.

    Texas A&M’s defense was ranked 108th out of 117 Division I-A schools and its pass defense was the worst in the nation. The Aggies allowed a whopping 443.82 yards per game and gave up 31.2 points a contest.

    […]

    “After evaluating our defense, I felt like it was in the best interest of our football program to make a change at defensive coordinator,” Franchione said in the statement. “I think Carl is an outstanding person and an excellent coach, but for whatever reason, we were not effective on defense.”

    Franchione said he would begin a national search for a replacement immediately.

    The Aggies entered the season ranked 17th in The Associated Press poll, but lost their opener to Clemson and never entered the poll again.

    Not mentioned is the disgusting 77 points given up on a single day in 2003.

    Well, I assume these folks are happy.

  • Ags Fall to Close 2005 Season

    The Aggies wrapped up their disappointing 2005 campaign with an exciting, hard-fought loss to the Texas Longhorns, their traditional archrivals. Despite outgaining the heavily-favored Longhorns and keeping vaunted Heisman Trophy candidate Vince Young in check, the Aggies just couldn’t muster enough and came up on the short end of the 40-29 outcome.

    If A&M fans can take any consolation for the loss, there are two items to be considered. First, despite the score, the defense played an excellent game against one of the strongest, deepest and talent-rich offenses in the nation. Second, the Aggies may have found their quarterback of the future in redshirt freshman Stephen McGee, making his first start in lieu of injured senior Reggie McNeal. McGee, recruited for his strong arm, actually showed composed, enthusiastic leadership and a surprising running ability (108 yards, 2 touchdowns) as he topped Young in total yards.

  • Aggies Fall at Oklahoma

    At least it wasn’t 77-0 again.

    In fact after falling behind 21-0 before the game was nine minutes old and trailing 28-7 at the end of the first quarter, the Ags rallied to make quite a game of it. Unfortunately, the 36-30 defeat almost certainly condemns A&M to a losing 2005 campaign and a seat on the couch for the bowl season. At 5-5, the Aggies need a highly improbable win against rival and second-ranked Texas on Nov. 25. To compound the difficulties, starting quarterback Reggie McNeal may be lost for the game against the Longhorns, leaving the Oklahoma game in the third quarter with an ankle injury.

    In a Big 12 shocker, thirteenth-ranked Texas Tech went down to a 24-17 defeat at the hands of Oklahoma State. Tech entered the game as 23-point favorites and fresh off crushing A&M, but the Cowboys jumped out to a 17-0 third-quarter lead. The Raiders rallied to tie, but Oklahoma State scored the deciding points in the final minute of the game for the huge upset and their first Big 12 win of the year.

  • Aggie Football: In a Hole

    … and still digging.

    I’m just back from my weekend in Lubbock. Even more embarrassing than the Ags’ 56-17 loss to Texas Tech is the fact that I almost took solace that the Ags were able to hang with the Red Raiders for the first half, trailing 14-10 as the teams went to the break.

    My, how my beloved Aggies, a once powerful and proud program not many years ago, have truly fallen. After so much pre-season hope, the team now needs a major upset in one of its remaining games (at Oklahoma and home against rival Texas) to even achieve a winning season.

  • Aggie Football: Low and Looking Lower

    Well, yesterday’s loss was easily the worst I’ve seen the Aggies play at home in my twenty years of following the team. With hopes high heading into the season after last year’s improvement, it is sad to see a defensive secondary showing such horrid coverage abilities. That’s not to say that the offense has been anything to write home about, but that is somewhat understandable because of injuries.

    With a November slate of road games at pass-happy Texas Tech and rebounding Oklahoma and a home showdown with rival second-ranked Texas, things are not looking pretty for the Ags. As bad as the defense has been, I would expect sites like this and this to only gather more steam.