Rebirth of a Classic

When stumbling upon the news that EA Sports was going forward with an updated version of NBA Jam, I struggled to find words to explain my reaction.

Excitement? Joy? Tear-inducing convulsions due to pleasure overload?

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Even though I was a part of the Nintendo-craze in the late 80's, I consider myself a 90's kid. The golden era of video games for me was that decade, and the shining light was the original NBA Jam for Sega Genesis (which was vastly superior to the SNES version).

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I had a long history with he game. I probably spent about 90% of my time/earnings on the arcade-version. That included almost all of a week-long vacation in Orlando when our hotel had the console in their downstairs game room (note: if you're ever staying in the Orlando World Marriott, check and see if DCS still has the 2nd highest score). I remember shoveling driveways through the winter and saving up $60 to buy NBA Jam at the Kay-Bee Toys store at Trumbull Mall. I then remember getting grounded by my father for asking to stay home from church on Easter so I could continue a 48-hour NBA Jam bender that I was on in April of 1993.

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I only wish Ewing/Stark's NBA Jam dominance was real

We exchanged codes for secret characters (i.e. Bill Clinton, Air Dog, etc.) in the cafeteria at school, we held neighborhood tournaments - hell, I don't think I went outdoors other than to wait for the school bus for 10 months. I even did irreparable damage to a few friendships because of the game. That's how big of an NBA Jam dork I was.

Nothing will ever top the original classic, but this version of NBA Jam should greatly cut into my productivity, just like it did 15 years ago.

Bama Wins, but...

Though Thursday's BCS National Title Game had drama, drastic momentum swings, crushing injuries, and boneheaded coaching decisions, I was left feeling empty after the confetti rained on the members of the Crimson Tide.

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Texas star quarterback Colt McCoy was a mere spectator as he watched his backup, a true freshman named Garrett Gilbert, wilt under the pressure of the spotlight and Bama's relentless defense. Yet even without McCoy, the Longhorns had the ball with a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter before the wheels came off.

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Do I think Texas would've beaten Alabama even with a healthy McCoy? No. However, when it comes to Championship games, I'd rather all things were equal. I want to see #1 vs. #2 at their best. I want dueling superstars (i.e. McCoy vs. Mark Ingram). I want both teams to be firing on all cylinders. Most importantly, I want no excuses.

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Thursday's BCS Title game will always go down as a "yeah, but..." game, and it's the thing I hate the most about sports. A couple of examples of "yeah, but..." games in recent history:

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2007 AFC Divisional Playoff: Chargers 28, Colts 24

This is my favorite because the excuse from Colts' fans "yeah, but Indy didn't have Dwight Freeney...". Forget the fact that the Chargers conducted the game-winning drive with backup Billy Volek on the field. Besides Phillip Rivers being hurt, Ladainian Tomlinson played just one offensive series, and Antonio Gates was practically on one leg.

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Yeah the Colts lost to the Chargers, but...

2005 NCAA Tournament: North Carolina 67, Villanova 66
The fifth-seeded Wildcats, who were a double-digit underdog, stormed back from a ten-point deficit with under four minutes left and had a chance to tie with :11 left. Trailing by three, Villanova guard Allan Ray drove the lane for what appeared to be a basket-plus-foul, sending Ray to the line for a chance to win the game. Instead, officials mistakenly called Ray for a travel, and the Tar Heels were able to hold on.

2002 Boston College 14, Notre Dame 7
The Irish were out to an 8-0 start under first-year head coach Tyrone Willingham when they were upset by the Eagles in South Bend. Former walk-on Pat Dillingham replaced starter Carlyle Holiday for most of the game after Holiday went down with a shoulder injury. Dillingham threw two picks, including one that was returned 71 yards for a score by Josh Ott which ended up being the final margin of victory. Notre Dame, who lived a charmed life through the first eight weeks of the season, was pummeled by USC in the season-finale and in the Gator Bowl by N.C. State.

2000 NCAA Tournament: Tulsa 69, Cincinnati 61
Led by Wooden Award winner Kenyon Martin, the Bearcats had a 28-2 season and were #1 for a good portion of the year. But, Martin was lost for the season after suffering a broken leg during the Conference USA Tournament, leading to the Bearcats' 2nd round upset loss to 7th-seeded Tulsa.

If you go back even further, one "yeah, but..." game that is still talked about around these parts is Kentucky's upset over undefeated Indiana (without Scott May) in the 1975 NCAA Regional Final.

There have been some teams to actually rise above "yeah, but..." excuses:

2001 New England Patriots - lost Drew Bledsoe in Week 2 to injury and had to turn to a former 6th round draft pick named Tom Brady. Brady led the Patriots to 14 wins in the 17 games he started, including Super Bowl XXXVI.

1990 New York Giants - late in December, quarterback Phil Simms broke his foot, thrusting Jeff Hostetler (who threw 109 passes in five seasons as a backup) into the starting role. The Giants upset the heavily-favored 49ers in the NFC Championship game, and went out to beat Buffalo in one of the most memorable Super Bowls of all-time.

The point of all of this is that you always feel empty after "yeah, but..." games. In some instances, the fans are right. Indiana probably would've been undefeated and gone on to win the title in '75 had they had the services of May. Cincinnati likely would've been a Final Four team with Martin, who was by far the most dominant player in the country. But, those questions will be never answered.

Alabama is the BCS (mythical) National Champion. Texas fans are left to wonder what could've been.

Boost for Big Ten

At first glance, the Big Ten's bowl record of 4-3 may not look like much. However, thanks to Iowa's Orange Bowl win over Georgia Tech, the Big Ten captured victories in all three of their marquee bowl games:

Rose Bowl - Ohio State 26, Oregon 17
Orange Bowl - Iowa 24, Georgia Tech 14
Capital One Bowl - Penn State 19, LSU 17

Sure it would've been nice for Northwestern to hold on against Auburn (38-35 OT loss), Minnesota to get a safety against Iowa State (14-13 loss), and Michigan State to hold Texas Tech in check (41-31), but having all the premiere teams in the league win was much more important.

The Big Ten hadn't won a Rose Bowl since Michigan's National Title-clinching victory over Washington State during the 1997 season, and lost their last three appearances in Pasadena by an average of almost three touchdowns. They had lost their last six BCS Bowl appearances, including both of Ohio State's lopsided National Championship defeats by Florida (41-14) and LSU (38-24).

I'm not saying the Big Ten was a great league this year - it wasn't. But, it was clearly better than both the ACC and Pac-10, and I think you can argue it was superior to both the Big East and Big 12 as well.

It's about time.

No National love for Purdue

For Purdue, a perfect 13-0 and a #4 ranking still isn't enough to garner serious love from the national media.

Following an easy 77-62 win over #6 and previously undefeated West Virginia, I heard one national "expert" say that Purdue didn't have the star power that fellow unbeatens Kansas, Texas, and Kentucky had. Really?

E'Twaun Moore isn't a star? He's 7th in the Big Ten in scoring (16.3 ppg), hitting double-figures in all but one of Purdue's wins, while setting season-highs with 22 points against both Tennessee and Wake Forest. After an inconsistent sophomore campaign, E'Twaun has become Purdue's go-to guy.

Robbie Hummel isn't a star? The Preseason All-American and Wooden Award Finalist is averaging a quiet 15/6, but there aren't many players more important to their team that Hummel is to the Boilers. What he does goes way beyond whatever you see in the box score.

JaJuan Johnson isn't a star? This is likely the big man's last year in West Lafayette, and he's making sure to go out with a bang. Johnson made light work of West Virginia's frontcourt, pouring in 25 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The pro scouts know that he's no slouch.

Sure, Purdue doesn't have that sure-fire NBA Lottery pick, but does that mean they're any less of a team than Kansas, Texas, and Kentucky?
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Last time I checked, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins have never played in the NCAA Tournament. Neither have Xavier Henry or J'Covan Brown. What the Boilers may lack in "star" power, they certainly make up for in experience. The fact also remains that there isn't a better defensive team in America than this Purdue squad.

If a perfect non-conference season with wins over heavyweights like Tennessee and West Virginia isn't good enough to make Purdue a Final Four contender, then that's fine.

Maybe it would be better for the country's best kept secret to finally be revealed in Indianapolis this April.

Pobody's Nerfect

To be honest, I'm almost glad that the Colts' pursuit of perfection is over. Let's face facts - the #1 focus of this team should be on winning a Super Bowl Championship, not making Mercury Morris choke on his champagne (though that would be entertaining). Did I expect the Colts to rest starters? Of course. It's what they've done during the entire Tony Dungy Bill Polian era. Did I expect them to lay down like thay did against the Jets? No.

However, none of this matters. This is a great football team, but not one that was up to the level of the '72 Dolphins or '85 Bears. They needed fourth-quarter comebacks in half of their wins. They didn't beat anybody with less than FIVE losses. They didn't play the Chargers, Bengals, Saints, Vikings, or Eagles - the other top five teams in the NFL. Heck, I'm pretty sure the '07 Patriots would've left this year's Colts in their wake. But, who cares?

A Week 16 loss to the Jets doesn't mean that this Colts' team can't go down in history. Whether you're 16-0 or 10-6, the only truly memorable teams win Championships, and last time I checked that was something that the Colts still have a chance to do.

The only thing that made me really upset about watching Indianapolis basically forfeit the final quarter-and-a-half to the Jets, was the way that this team's franchise player conducted himself on the sidelines. Frankly, Peyton Manning looked like a spoiled brat more than a leader of a Super Bowl contender. Between keeping his helmet strapped on and constantly talking to offensive coordinator Tom Moore, I was disgusted with the display that I saw from Manning. Of course he has the right to be upset, because guys like Peyton Manning are so competitive, they want to be out there all the time. But what kind of message did that send to his backup Curtis Painter? If I was Manning and I was going to be forced to sit anyway, I would've thrown a headset on and been rooting on my rookie teammate from the sidelines.

(9:58 PM UPDATE: I'm going to back off on the "throwing Manning under the bus" argument after talking to DZ of 18to88.com. He said Peyton was pretty much in a lose-lose situation - if he stomps off in disgust, he's a primadonna. If he just grins and bears it, then he's a wuss. I can understand that viewpoint.)

The point of all of this is, the Colts haven't won or lost anything yet. The games in January and February are what is going to shape the legacy of this team.

Perfect or not, the Colts can still make history.

Honeymoon = Over

Loyola of Maryland has beaten Indiana. That's the same Greyhounds team that lost to Niagara by 20 and Mount St. Mary's by 19. Boston University, another team that defeated IU this year, has already lost six games and that includes setbacks against Harvard and Iona.

It's way to early to make any determinations about Tom Crean, who is in the infancy of his 2nd year at the helm. However, one thing is clear: this Indiana team is not competing at a level where they should be by now. If the Hoosiers are indeed making progress, they're doing so at a snail's pace. They're improving about as quickly as Zydrunas Ilgauskas on a fast break.

Losing to Kentucky, Mississippi, and Maryland is one thing, but falling to .500-level mid-majors at home is unacceptable.

Indiana currently has five wins. Let's say for the sake of argument that they find a way against Bryant College next week. That would be win #6 going into the Big Ten season. I think the absolute best-case scenario for IU in conference play is 4-14. That would be a season-sweep of Iowa, and stealing two home wins somewhere - unfortunately they don't get Penn State in Bloomington.

I said that 12 wins (double last year's total) was a fair expectation, even though I was hesitant to grade this program's progress by a wins number. That would be a 10-20 regular season record. That's an improvement from 6-25, but I'm pretty underwhelmed with what I've seen from this team so far.

Merry XMas DWI offenders!

In a shocking twist, two key players will return to their respective teams for critical upcoming bowl games.

Florida DE Carlos Dunlap, who is considered to be one of the top players at his position in the entire country, has been reinstated to the football team. The Gators star was arrested just days before the SEC Championship game against Alabama for driving while intoxicated. Florida will battle undefeated Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl.

The Longhorns will have a National Champikonship on the line, and they don't want to take their chances without kick returner D.J. Monroe. Monroe returned a pair of kicks for touchdowns this season, and like Dunlap, also was charged with a DUI. Give Mack Brown a little bit of credit for punishing Monroe a multiple-game suspension (three games to be exact). But, doesn't the timing of all of this seem a bit odd?

Florida is winning. A lot. That's the reason why no one has said much about the now 26 Gators' players to be arrested during Urban Meyer's five-year tenure, or the fact that Meyer is about as strict as at dealing out punishments as a kindergarten teacher. For a DUI and trying to gouge an opponent's eye out, Dunlap and teammate Brandon Spikes were suspended for a combined 1 1/2 games.

What a joke.

College coaches are supposed to be the molders of young men. Yet all they learn from these slaps-on-the-wrist is that the star players will play - no matter what.

I just became a really big Cincinnati fan.