Is Rick Pitino trying to sink his player’s draft stock?

Posted on April 11, 2013 by AD

After Louisville guard Russ Smith’s team won the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, it was a little bit surprising when Smith’s father announced right after the game that his son was entering the NBA draft. It felt for whatever reason like a kneejerk sports parent move– just let the kid enjoy the moment for a while– and besides, Smith hadn’t had a great game and is a bit on the small side to boot. He was one of the best players on the best team this year, though, so it wasn’t surprising when Smith confirmed his dad’s statement the next day.

Louisville head coach Rick Pitino confirmed it too, until he didn’t. ESPN reports:

“Russ, I think, is 50-50,” [Pitino] told Sports Radio 790 in Louisville [today]. “He’s a very confused young man in terms of his decision right now. He didn’t want his dad to say that about him coming out. He wanted time to think of it.”

Yeesh. Does Pitino, who has coached at major college programs and in the NBA, think he’s helping his player with those statements? (He’s not.) Is he trying to force Smith to return to Louisville? (Maybe.) Is he showing early signs of tattoo ink poisoning? (Possibly.)

Why can’t college basketball coaches in the state of Kentucky leave well enough alone when it comes to their players declaring for the NBA draft?

The Memphis Grizzlies have the best promotions

Posted on April 11, 2013 by AD

Last fall, the Memphis Grizzlies were offering free game tickets (and gas cards!) in exchange for guns. Now they’re straight up giving away beer. From the Memphis Business Journal:

The Memphis Grizzlies and A.S. Barboro, the Memphis distributor for MillerCoors, are doing their part to take the edge off of tax season while celebrating the Grizzlies’ upcoming 2013 playoff run.

Beginning at 11 a.m., April 15, the Grizzlies and A.S. Barboro will be giving 300 fans a free 24-ounce Coors Light in the plaza of FedExForum.
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“We looked at a couple of different days, but we decided we could ease the pain from tax day with some free beer,” [Steve Hegdale, general manager of A.S. Barboro,] said. “We’ll say a few words, check some IDs and give away some free beer.”

Fans can begin arriving around 10 a.m. for an identification check to ensure they’re old enough to drink beer. Once that’s taken care of, fans will receive one of 300 limited edition Memphis Grizzlies 24-ounce cans of Coors Light. The giveaway is limited to one can per person.

“If there are two things in life worth celebrating, it is finishing your taxes and Grizzlies playoff basketball,” Chad Bolen, vice president of corporate partnerships with the Grizzlies, said. “Our friends at A.S. Barboro and Coors Light can help you quench your Grizz-sized thirst with a Memphis Grizzlies commemorative 24 oz. can of Coors Light. We encourage all basketball loving, tax-paying, Grizzlies fans to join us for a cold one.”

What could go wrong?

(Read the full story here.)

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The 2013 Masters: My Picks…or Players to Watch

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Luke Watson, special to ALDLAND

Guest blogger Luke Watson is here this week to cover the Masters. -Ed.
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It’s Masters week – the one week a year when I stop bashing Hootie Johnson and the Augusta National Golf Club and just enjoy some smooth guitar and piano while sitting in a comfortable chair in front of a TV. It’s a great week.

Selecting a winner, for me anyways, always seems like a ridiculous thing to do. I used to pick a winner and then, through the whole tournament, be disappointed in my player’s apparent disregard for my feelings. So, a few years ago, I determined to pick a “team” — five guys that I would watch and root for. Life has been better since.

Here is my team:

Lee Westwood. I can’t help it; I love cheering for the guy that’s come close a lot. He deserves to win. He had a good showing in Houston and, while his short game (pitching in particular) is not the strongest part of his game, he’s a well-rounded player that has been in contention before. Add to the mix that he is proudly sponsored by UPS and you’ve got a possible champion.
Jason Dufner. Every time I hear his name, I think of Duff Beer and that makes me think of the Simpsons and that makes me happy. Plus, he’s got some serious game: straight hitter, reasonable putter, great attitude.
Justin Rose. This is the second (and not the last) of my mostly English team. Look, since 1998, he’s been a mainstay in the majors…not intended to be a factual statement. If he wins this weekend, he’ll likely just continue racking up majors and big tournament wins.
Dustin Johnson.
Ian Poulter. I liked him before last year’s Ryder Cup, and I’ve loved him since. Anyone who’s ever spoken to me knows that I have a real thing for the European Team. I like their style, I like their attitude, I like their drive. Ian basically is the European Team – like Seve and Jose before him. I don’t know if he’s got the game that suits Augusta, but I know that he’s gotta be in the top 10 at the end of the week.

There you have it. My top five. Who’s missing?

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Luke is the author of Hotdogs and Golf, and he tweets @LukeGolf2012.

Introducing ALDLAND’s special Masters coverage

Posted on April 11, 2013 by AD

As I’ve written many times, our golf coverage is limited to ancillary matters like hovercrafts, mustaches, Jungle Bird, and the Dukes of Hazzard. With one of the most anticipated iterations of the Masters starting today, though, we thought it would be appropriate to bring in a guest blogger to cover the tournament in earnest.

Starting later this morning, Luke Watson of Hotdogs and Golf will share, from his experienced perspective, his insight on the 2013 Masters. Stay tuned.

Steve Kerr to conduct TNT’s acid-jazz approach to the NBA

Posted on April 10, 2013 by AD

USA Today reports that TNT is experimenting with an “all analyst” approach to its NBA broadcasts. On Thursday, former NBA players Steve Kerr, Chris Webber, and Reggie Miller will broadcast the Thunder-Warriors game without a play-by-play announcer. Although all three have national broadcasting experience, Kerr has been tabbed (by the network?) to “act as ‘point man leading us to breaks. Maybe a little bit of a traffic cop if the game calls for it. It is more like three former players having a round table (discussion) almost during the game.'”

The concept intrigues me, and I am glad TNT is willing to experiment with the traditional broadcast formula, but I was wondering why Kerr was designated as the one to steer the broadcast, until I remembered his role in anchoring another all-star trio.

The Wood Brothers?

More hear.

Upton Abbey: Episode 2 – Lords of the Manor

Posted on April 9, 2013 by AD

We somehow managed to get through the first installment of this series without even mentioning the Braves’ big offseason acquisitions and namesakes of this very series, Justin and B.J. Upton. The brothers did not wait to let their presence on the team be made known, however. Continue reading →

A dozen thoughts on the NCAA national championship game: Louisville defeats Michigan 82-76

Posted on April 9, 2013 by AD

Last night, Louisville outlasted Michigan to win the national championship game. A few thoughts as we awake from our Rick-Pitino-is-getting-a-tattoo nightmares: Continue reading →

Charging for content? The WSJ agrees: Addition by subtraction is the way to go

Posted on April 8, 2013 by AD

Sometimes I like to rag on the Wall Street Journal (recent examples here and here), but when their lead sportswriter comes out in agreement with an expressed opinion of mine, for the same reason, no less, you can be sure I’ll link to the article. From their NCAA tournament championship preview article today:

You will watch Monday night’s final even though there were some dodgy calls at the end of those Saturday games. Syracuse got hit with an offensive foul call in the final minute, down just two points. Now there are people who believe it was an honest-to-goodness charge and people who believe it was not a charge, arguing that the Michigan defender was not set, and the proper call would have been a block, sending the Orange to the line with a chance to tie. It was not the worst whistle or the best whistle ever—it was simply not clear. What is clear is that referees truly enjoy calling the offensive foul—it’s a showy call, with a flashy arm maneuver that looks like a dinner theater actor pointing the way to the restroom. Perhaps the solution to the pervasiveness of offensive foul calls is to make it less exciting to call. If a referee only got to slightly rub his or her temples, would ringing up a charge lose its appeal?

Read the whole article here. Watch a truly absurd officiating moment that would have lead this post had it been a charging call in a college game here.

The Detroit Red Wings’ season in one play

Posted on April 8, 2013 by AD

Things aren’t quite what they used to be around Hockeytown this year, and with realignment looming, it isn’t even clear that the Red Wings will get to seek needed playoff revenge against the Predators this year, much less turn the tide against the Blackhawks. Right now, the Wings season in one play looks something like this:

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The Fab Five and the Final Four: A Twenty-Year Timeout

Posted on April 8, 2013 by AD

Ten Years After was a British blues-rock band centered around guitarist Alvin Lee, who died last month. Twenty years after his team played in the national championship, Chris Webber, the central figure of Michigan’s Fab Five, hasn’t returned from an infamous timeout that is an inescapable part of his legacy. Tonight, the Wolverines are back in the national championship for the first time in exactly twenty years, and while all five members of the Fab Five will be here in Atlanta tonight, as far as we know, only four of them will be inside the Georgia Dome to watch the game.

Last night, friend-of-the-site Jalen Rose laid out the situation and made a public appeal to C-Webb: