“Sources close to the situation told The Star on Monday that Missouri's coaching wish list includes a wide range of candidates, including Alabama-Birmingham's Mike Anderson, Memphis' John Calipari and West Virginia's John Beilein. Texas A&M's Billy Gillispie and Marquette's Tom Crean have also been mentioned.”
- Kansas City Star
I came across this little tid bit on SI.com the other day under an article entitled Truth & Rumors: Feb. 28, 2006 now let’s try to straighten things out here for the Mizzou if we can.
Missouri needs to understand where they are in the pecking order of finding a coach before they can throw out a wish list like this. I mean, seriously guys. It would be like me saying, the candidates to play music for Owen’s next birthday party are the Barenaked Ladies, U2, Kelly Clarkson, and Kanye West . . . not going to happen.
First of all it’s Missouri. Missouri. Do you think of Missouri when you think great basketball programs right now? Do you think of anyone in the Big 12 besides Texas and Oklahoma as decent basketball programs?
Missouri’s records over the past 3 seasons:
2005-06 (4-10, 11-14)
2004-05 (7-9, 16-17)
2003-04 (9-7, 16-14)
Missouri went a combined 20-26 in the past three years, IN THE BIG 12. Big 12, come on Missouri, get your head out of your ass. You can’t bring in the likes of John Calipari, John Beilein and Tom Crean. Do you honestly think that these guys would leave their programs for Missouri?
In basketball, more than most other sports, when you can build a program and win consistently there usually isn’t a reason to move, especially when it is a step down. Memphis to Missouri, step down. WVU to Missouri, step down. Marquette to Missouri, step down. Now look at the other names on the list. Texas A&M to Missouri, maybe a slight step up. Alabama-Birmingham to Missouri, probably a step up. Those are the guys Missouri needs to focus on. Those are the ones that will/might take the job. If you are Missouri’s AD you need to be looking at those assistant coaches at the D-I level that are hot right now, and the head coaches that are at smaller schools that want to make that jump up to a larger D-I program.
It just aggravates me to see programs essentially try to date out of their league. Virginia did that last season with Tubby Smith. Come on Missouri, realize that you are Don Johnson and look for someone like Lisa Rinna to date rather than shooting for Selma Hayek. You are freakin Missouri, remember that.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
Senior Night
Just finished up watching WVU beat Pitt and five seniors making their last appearance in the Colisium.
Kevin Pittsnogle, Patrick Beilein, Joe Herber, J.D. Collins, and transfer Mike Gansey all have represented WVU well. I really have to admit that when the Pittsnogle, Beilein, Herber and Collins first made their starts as freshmen I was sure none of them would be starting today as seniors. I really felt that Coach Beilein would recruit more talented players and most, if not all of these players would be role players (at best).
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Knowing what I know now, I can see the method to John Beilein’s madness. He rooted out the bad seeds and players not willing to play within his system, a la Drew Schifino, and NY player of the year Tyler Relph and kept the basketball smart players that could pick up on his style of offense.
I sometimes wish now I could do over my career and coach basketball. It seems like such a simple game now that I have watched WVU over the past 4 seasons under Beilein. If ever there was a style of offensive basketball that is as much fun to play as it is difficult to learn, it is this style. It takes teamwork and commitment from everyone on the floor. You have to anticipate the moves that your teammates make as they make their cuts to and away from the basket, you must shoot the ball effectively, and take care of each possession.
It has been so much fun watching this team compete over the past 4 seasons, and it will be hard to watch next year when we take a slight step back as new Mountaineers step in, but hopefully we will be watching this team play about 10 more games, then it would be much easier to let them go.
Kevin Pittsnogle, Patrick Beilein, Joe Herber, J.D. Collins, and transfer Mike Gansey all have represented WVU well. I really have to admit that when the Pittsnogle, Beilein, Herber and Collins first made their starts as freshmen I was sure none of them would be starting today as seniors. I really felt that Coach Beilein would recruit more talented players and most, if not all of these players would be role players (at best).
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Knowing what I know now, I can see the method to John Beilein’s madness. He rooted out the bad seeds and players not willing to play within his system, a la Drew Schifino, and NY player of the year Tyler Relph and kept the basketball smart players that could pick up on his style of offense.
I sometimes wish now I could do over my career and coach basketball. It seems like such a simple game now that I have watched WVU over the past 4 seasons under Beilein. If ever there was a style of offensive basketball that is as much fun to play as it is difficult to learn, it is this style. It takes teamwork and commitment from everyone on the floor. You have to anticipate the moves that your teammates make as they make their cuts to and away from the basket, you must shoot the ball effectively, and take care of each possession.
It has been so much fun watching this team compete over the past 4 seasons, and it will be hard to watch next year when we take a slight step back as new Mountaineers step in, but hopefully we will be watching this team play about 10 more games, then it would be much easier to let them go.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Ny Nude Son
I usually, come home for lunch between 12:30 and 1:30 so I get to see Owen for about 30 minutes before he takes his nap. Today Renea put Owen down about 1:00 and of course he didn’t fall asleep for awhile, but Renea and I were listening to him over the monitor.
It was a bright day today with a few clouds outside, and Owen’s room is fairly bright when the sun is out. Well Owen was up in his room just talking to himself and all of a sudden a cloud passes in front of the sun causing it to be less bright then it was before that. Over the monitor, we hear Owen call out, “Hey! Who turned the lights out?” Renea and I both lose it laughing cause we know exactly what he is talking about.
I go back to work and I get a call about 2:00 and it’s Renea and she relays this story to me.
She continues to listen to the monitor for Owen to go to sleep. She hears some grunting over the monitor. Now I have to tell you that over the past few weeks Owen has been taking his clothes off and we even caught him asleep in his bed one night with a PJ top on, socks and no bottoms and no diaper. So anyway, she listens some more then hears Owen say, “Much better. Ahhhhhhh. Naked Baby.”
Renea heads up the stairs, and with his shirt, pants, and diaper off, is our “Naked Baby” ready and comfortable for his nap.
It was a bright day today with a few clouds outside, and Owen’s room is fairly bright when the sun is out. Well Owen was up in his room just talking to himself and all of a sudden a cloud passes in front of the sun causing it to be less bright then it was before that. Over the monitor, we hear Owen call out, “Hey! Who turned the lights out?” Renea and I both lose it laughing cause we know exactly what he is talking about.
I go back to work and I get a call about 2:00 and it’s Renea and she relays this story to me.
She continues to listen to the monitor for Owen to go to sleep. She hears some grunting over the monitor. Now I have to tell you that over the past few weeks Owen has been taking his clothes off and we even caught him asleep in his bed one night with a PJ top on, socks and no bottoms and no diaper. So anyway, she listens some more then hears Owen say, “Much better. Ahhhhhhh. Naked Baby.”
Renea heads up the stairs, and with his shirt, pants, and diaper off, is our “Naked Baby” ready and comfortable for his nap.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Sleeping Chunks
Ever cried so much you threw up? I didn’t think so, but I just witnessed it tonight, not me personally, but from Owen.
You see, we have been trying to put Owen to bed without having to stay in the room with him until he falls asleep. So the last two nights have been difficult, but not as bad as tonight.
We put Owen to bed, started to walk out and then “Nice and Gentle Owen” turned into the “Nancy Kerrigan hit in the knee Owen” he was screaming “NOOOOO, WHYYYYY, WHYYYY ME!” Ok he didn’t say “WHY ME,” but he definitely threw a fit. Bouncing up and down crying, losing his breath then gagging then puking.
Great! Just what I wanted to do at 9:15 at night. Change his bed. Awesome!
So now Owen is laying in his bed, still crying, and I am hoping and praying I don’t have to change sheets again.
This is a stage I can't wait until we get past.
You see, we have been trying to put Owen to bed without having to stay in the room with him until he falls asleep. So the last two nights have been difficult, but not as bad as tonight.
We put Owen to bed, started to walk out and then “Nice and Gentle Owen” turned into the “Nancy Kerrigan hit in the knee Owen” he was screaming “NOOOOO, WHYYYYY, WHYYYY ME!” Ok he didn’t say “WHY ME,” but he definitely threw a fit. Bouncing up and down crying, losing his breath then gagging then puking.
Great! Just what I wanted to do at 9:15 at night. Change his bed. Awesome!
So now Owen is laying in his bed, still crying, and I am hoping and praying I don’t have to change sheets again.
This is a stage I can't wait until we get past.
Monday, February 20, 2006
Mountain Low
For those of you who aren't basketball fans click away to another blog. HA HA, who am I kidding you all are basketball fans, cause the only people reading this blog are family members . . . So anyway I can't criticize WVU's basketball team too much, but tonight I wanted to pick the TV up and throw it across the room. So here is a rant on WVU vs. Syracuse:
Why did we stand and look at the Syracuse players in their zone like we had never seen one of these before? I swear I read J.D. Collins' lips and he said, "What the hell do we do?"
We NEVER penetrated the zone to score, we always looked to pass first, "Hello? Anyone on this team want to take a shot that is NOT behind the three-point line?"
Our interior defense stinks. It stinks. If they caught the ball in the paint they scored. Either an aggressive take to the hoop, or a dunk, but they scored every damn time, and we still refuse to play in front on the post. Sidenote: I can't understand, for the life of me, why we don't front in the post. It puts pressure on the passer to make an excellent lob over not only the defensive man in the post, but over his own man, and with the proper backside help that pass should only result in a positive play maybe once a game.
I am not sure how John Beilein kept his cool and not throw a fit on the sidelines. If that was my team standing around on the offensive end of the floor I would have ripped someone's head off.
Why wasn't Darris Nichols in the game late? J.D. Collins looked so scared I thought he was going to pee his shorts. He didn't want to take the ball to the hoop, he didn't want to shoot it, and he had no idea what they were trying to do when they had the ball for the last shot. Sidenote: For all the praise he receives from the WVU broadcast team, J.D. is a liability late in any ball game, he can'tdrive to the hoop, he can't make an outside jumps shot even if you left him wide open (see UConn game) and apparently he loses all command of the offense late in a game.
I am not a "sky is falling" type of guy, and if I am frustrated by the play tonight then I know the team is, but everyone knew this was going to be a tough stretch and the Big East is a very tought conference, but I don't like the play I am seeing from this team. Hopefully come Big East tourney time they will be ready, because they aren't going to sneak up on anyone this tourney time.
Why did we stand and look at the Syracuse players in their zone like we had never seen one of these before? I swear I read J.D. Collins' lips and he said, "What the hell do we do?"
We NEVER penetrated the zone to score, we always looked to pass first, "Hello? Anyone on this team want to take a shot that is NOT behind the three-point line?"
Our interior defense stinks. It stinks. If they caught the ball in the paint they scored. Either an aggressive take to the hoop, or a dunk, but they scored every damn time, and we still refuse to play in front on the post. Sidenote: I can't understand, for the life of me, why we don't front in the post. It puts pressure on the passer to make an excellent lob over not only the defensive man in the post, but over his own man, and with the proper backside help that pass should only result in a positive play maybe once a game.
I am not sure how John Beilein kept his cool and not throw a fit on the sidelines. If that was my team standing around on the offensive end of the floor I would have ripped someone's head off.
Why wasn't Darris Nichols in the game late? J.D. Collins looked so scared I thought he was going to pee his shorts. He didn't want to take the ball to the hoop, he didn't want to shoot it, and he had no idea what they were trying to do when they had the ball for the last shot. Sidenote: For all the praise he receives from the WVU broadcast team, J.D. is a liability late in any ball game, he can'tdrive to the hoop, he can't make an outside jumps shot even if you left him wide open (see UConn game) and apparently he loses all command of the offense late in a game.
I am not a "sky is falling" type of guy, and if I am frustrated by the play tonight then I know the team is, but everyone knew this was going to be a tough stretch and the Big East is a very tought conference, but I don't like the play I am seeing from this team. Hopefully come Big East tourney time they will be ready, because they aren't going to sneak up on anyone this tourney time.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Ramblings
Just a few thoughts on this Thursday:
The Arizona Cardinals added to their long line of great personnel moves by signing 34 year old Kurt Warner to a three-year contract on Tuesday. Nice move Cardinals, Deion Sanders is a free agent now, would you like to add him as your new starting cornerback?
I love these coaches that resign/take a leave of absence/quit their jobs in the middle of the season. Nice message to send to your players that look up to you. . . “When it gets tough kids, quit.” Take a lesson from my parents who said I could quit after a season was over and not return the next year, but never quit in the middle of the season. One of the best lessons I was ever taught.
A former Escambia County (PENSACOLA, Fla.) middle school gym teacher allegedly let children pay a $1 a day bribe to skip gym class turned himself in Thursday. Now that guy is an entrepreneur. I wouldn’t pay a $1 to skip gym class (cause that is about all I was good at) but I easily would have put down a 5 spot to get out of Trig.
“It is what it is.” I have heard this quote 1,000 times the past few weeks. Yes we all know ‘it is what it is’ when is it ever ‘it is what it isn’t?’ One of my new pet peeves, like nails on a chalkboard.
Michael Bay is gearing up to remake "Friday the 13th" for New Line Cinema. Um, yea, excuse me, but haven’t the last 200 Friday the 13th movies been remakes of the first? People having a good time, Jason killing people, someone thinks they kill Jason, movie over. About sums it up huh?
The Arizona Cardinals added to their long line of great personnel moves by signing 34 year old Kurt Warner to a three-year contract on Tuesday. Nice move Cardinals, Deion Sanders is a free agent now, would you like to add him as your new starting cornerback?
I love these coaches that resign/take a leave of absence/quit their jobs in the middle of the season. Nice message to send to your players that look up to you. . . “When it gets tough kids, quit.” Take a lesson from my parents who said I could quit after a season was over and not return the next year, but never quit in the middle of the season. One of the best lessons I was ever taught.
A former Escambia County (PENSACOLA, Fla.) middle school gym teacher allegedly let children pay a $1 a day bribe to skip gym class turned himself in Thursday. Now that guy is an entrepreneur. I wouldn’t pay a $1 to skip gym class (cause that is about all I was good at) but I easily would have put down a 5 spot to get out of Trig.
“It is what it is.” I have heard this quote 1,000 times the past few weeks. Yes we all know ‘it is what it is’ when is it ever ‘it is what it isn’t?’ One of my new pet peeves, like nails on a chalkboard.
Michael Bay is gearing up to remake "Friday the 13th" for New Line Cinema. Um, yea, excuse me, but haven’t the last 200 Friday the 13th movies been remakes of the first? People having a good time, Jason killing people, someone thinks they kill Jason, movie over. About sums it up huh?
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Baby Jessica and Me
Yesterday I decided that it was warm enough to wash my car and that I would take it through the "touchless" car wash. So I headed back to the office early after my lunch break and I went to this place on what is considered the west side of Marietta, put in my $6 and pulled into the car wash stall.
Now the touchless carwash stall is basically a garage. It has a door when you pull into the stall and a door where you pull out. As your car is being washed both doors are shut, and I the reason for that, I am guessing, so that it keeps all of the water in the stall.
So I sit there as my car is being washed and then the process it complete and the garage door in front of me is supposed to open, I pull out and have a nice clean car. Nice in theory.
Once the car is washed I sit there waiting for the door to open. Waiting. Waiting. The door doesn’t open. I look behind me and the garage door behind me is closed, and it is one of those transparent doors and I can see someone waiting behind me.
So I think, maybe I need to pull forward to activate the door. So I pull forward. Door doesn’t open. Then I think I need to back up then pull forward again. Well I do that, not knowing that the person behind me put their money in for their wash well my car then activates the car wash again. By this time the woman in line behind me drives away.
My car is being washed for a second time, and I realize that I might be stuck here forever. Thoughts go through my head like, “I am going to have to call Renea, she is going to have to call the people who operate the car wash, they are going to have to break down the door to get me out. Baby Jessica gets caught in a well and I get caught in an automatic touchless car wash.”
Then I think/hope that the washing will have to stop and there must be a way to open the doors from the inside. When the second car wash is over I get out of my car, step around the nozzles with water still coming out and see on the wall in front of me a button that says “Emergency Door Open.”
Aahh! I am saved. I hit the button. Nothing.
Stupid emergency door open. Then I look behind me and see buttons on the wall for the back door. I also see that the woman that I thought had abandoned me, to leave me to die in this automatic car wash, had returned. I go hit the buttons on the back doors and the back door opened.
WHEW! I thought I was a goner there for a second. The woman next in line tells me that she talked to the people at the adjacent gas station (that I suppose run the car wash) and they said that I should have left my car still and the doors would open.
Uh huh. Right, like I didn’t try that. Whatever lady, you left me here to die.
She tells me that she will move and I can back out and tell “them” (whoever “them” is) what happened.
I am not telling “them” what happened, who cares about “them.” I have just suffered a traumatic experience. Screw “them.”
So I head back to my car to pull out, and then the front door opens. Yea I guess after a five minute waiting period the door finally does open. NICE.
I relay this story to Renea, and how I almost had to call her to get me removed from the car wash and she can’t stop laughing. Plus when I come home from work she is singing “Working at the Car Wash.”
Don’t you just love sympathy?
I bet Baby Jessica never had to deal with that kind of ridicule.
Now the touchless carwash stall is basically a garage. It has a door when you pull into the stall and a door where you pull out. As your car is being washed both doors are shut, and I the reason for that, I am guessing, so that it keeps all of the water in the stall.
So I sit there as my car is being washed and then the process it complete and the garage door in front of me is supposed to open, I pull out and have a nice clean car. Nice in theory.
Once the car is washed I sit there waiting for the door to open. Waiting. Waiting. The door doesn’t open. I look behind me and the garage door behind me is closed, and it is one of those transparent doors and I can see someone waiting behind me.
So I think, maybe I need to pull forward to activate the door. So I pull forward. Door doesn’t open. Then I think I need to back up then pull forward again. Well I do that, not knowing that the person behind me put their money in for their wash well my car then activates the car wash again. By this time the woman in line behind me drives away.
My car is being washed for a second time, and I realize that I might be stuck here forever. Thoughts go through my head like, “I am going to have to call Renea, she is going to have to call the people who operate the car wash, they are going to have to break down the door to get me out. Baby Jessica gets caught in a well and I get caught in an automatic touchless car wash.”
Then I think/hope that the washing will have to stop and there must be a way to open the doors from the inside. When the second car wash is over I get out of my car, step around the nozzles with water still coming out and see on the wall in front of me a button that says “Emergency Door Open.”
Aahh! I am saved. I hit the button. Nothing.
Stupid emergency door open. Then I look behind me and see buttons on the wall for the back door. I also see that the woman that I thought had abandoned me, to leave me to die in this automatic car wash, had returned. I go hit the buttons on the back doors and the back door opened.
WHEW! I thought I was a goner there for a second. The woman next in line tells me that she talked to the people at the adjacent gas station (that I suppose run the car wash) and they said that I should have left my car still and the doors would open.
Uh huh. Right, like I didn’t try that. Whatever lady, you left me here to die.
She tells me that she will move and I can back out and tell “them” (whoever “them” is) what happened.
I am not telling “them” what happened, who cares about “them.” I have just suffered a traumatic experience. Screw “them.”
So I head back to my car to pull out, and then the front door opens. Yea I guess after a five minute waiting period the door finally does open. NICE.
I relay this story to Renea, and how I almost had to call her to get me removed from the car wash and she can’t stop laughing. Plus when I come home from work she is singing “Working at the Car Wash.”
Don’t you just love sympathy?
I bet Baby Jessica never had to deal with that kind of ridicule.
Monday, February 13, 2006
Keeping Up with the Zundells
This past weekend I visited my brother Adam and sister in-law Kelly. Adam invites me (or I invite myself) over each year for the Duke/Maryland basketball game. Luckily I looked ahead at the WVU schedule and realized that I could do the Duke/MD game on Saturday and pull the WVU/Georgetown game on Sunday as well.
Kelly and Adam were very good hosts and were nice to let me stay at their house for what amounted to 3 nights and almost 4 days. We were involved in a Winter Wonderland that was as much of a Winter Wonderland as predicted.
Duke vs. Maryland was a good game, better and closer than I though it would be. I am always impressed by the support and the facilities at Maryland. If the Comcast Center isn't the top basketball facility in the country then I want to see the place that is. It is top notch, and reminds me of a professional arena. J.J. Redick displayed why he is a candidate for the Player of the Year, although watch him play defense a few series and I contend that he could be the worst defensive player to win that award. He is out of postion about half the time. The other observation I made was that Maryland ran the flex offense. Now the flex offense is the greatest pattern offense in all of time. Everyone has run flex at one time or another in their life so you would think that Duke of all people would be able to defend the flex, but nope, Maryland got a few good looks and a few points from this offense. Crazy.
Due to snow complications we couldn't meet up with my other brother Trent and his wife Rachael. So Adam, Kelly and I ate at ribs place where the ribs were excellent and Yueling was on tap . . . it was definately a watch.
Sunday we woke to no power due to the Winter Wonderland, but no problem, after figuring out how to light the stove, Adam was cooking pancakes to keep us warm.
Sunday night brought the WVU/Georgetown game and I was lucky enough to be able to go with Trent's friend Dan and sit in a box with Dan, Trent, Rachael and my buddy Dave, after Adam had worked the phones to get us tickets to the game. It was a team effort by Trent and Adam to get me into the game after I kinda came up with the idea and really pushed it onto everyone else. A WVU win spelled a good time for all.
Headed back earlier today, had to stop at the Nike outlet in Hagerstown. It is a manditory stop. Overall had a very good weekend and if it hadn't been for my hosts Adam and Kelly, and my ticket broker Trent, it would have just been me stuck in a Winter Wonderland.
Kelly and Adam were very good hosts and were nice to let me stay at their house for what amounted to 3 nights and almost 4 days. We were involved in a Winter Wonderland that was as much of a Winter Wonderland as predicted.
Duke vs. Maryland was a good game, better and closer than I though it would be. I am always impressed by the support and the facilities at Maryland. If the Comcast Center isn't the top basketball facility in the country then I want to see the place that is. It is top notch, and reminds me of a professional arena. J.J. Redick displayed why he is a candidate for the Player of the Year, although watch him play defense a few series and I contend that he could be the worst defensive player to win that award. He is out of postion about half the time. The other observation I made was that Maryland ran the flex offense. Now the flex offense is the greatest pattern offense in all of time. Everyone has run flex at one time or another in their life so you would think that Duke of all people would be able to defend the flex, but nope, Maryland got a few good looks and a few points from this offense. Crazy.
Due to snow complications we couldn't meet up with my other brother Trent and his wife Rachael. So Adam, Kelly and I ate at ribs place where the ribs were excellent and Yueling was on tap . . . it was definately a watch.
Sunday we woke to no power due to the Winter Wonderland, but no problem, after figuring out how to light the stove, Adam was cooking pancakes to keep us warm.
Sunday night brought the WVU/Georgetown game and I was lucky enough to be able to go with Trent's friend Dan and sit in a box with Dan, Trent, Rachael and my buddy Dave, after Adam had worked the phones to get us tickets to the game. It was a team effort by Trent and Adam to get me into the game after I kinda came up with the idea and really pushed it onto everyone else. A WVU win spelled a good time for all.
Headed back earlier today, had to stop at the Nike outlet in Hagerstown. It is a manditory stop. Overall had a very good weekend and if it hadn't been for my hosts Adam and Kelly, and my ticket broker Trent, it would have just been me stuck in a Winter Wonderland.
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