Must See Sports - First Weekend of November 2013

Last week's advantage/disadvantage record, excluding series: 8-4 
Last week's advantage/disadvantage record in series: 1-0
2013 Advantage/Disadvantage Record, excluding series: 75-60

2013 Advantage/Disadvantage FINAL Record (series only): 22-13-4

Thursday, October 31


NBA

New York Knicks at Chicago Bulls

The Knicks will get a tougher challenge than in their opening night contest with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bulls are at home and not at the ring ceremony of the defending champs. Should be a low scoring contest and I will take Derrick Rose over Carmelo Anthony.

Advantage: Bulls


Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Clippers

The Warriors left little pieces of the Lakers all over the floor, ringing up 125 points, including 38 from shooting guard Klay Thompson. These were the same Kobe-less Lakers that the Clipper could not stop on Tuesday night.

Advantage: Warriors

The Warriors already have Steph Curry, who can drop 40 at will. For the sake of everyone else in the West, they should hope that Thompson's 38 points against the Lakers were an anomaly. 6

Friday, November 1

NBA

Miami Heat at Brooklyn Nets

It could take some time for Kevin Garnett (8 PPG, 10 RPG) and Paul Pierce (17 PPG) to assimilate into their new surroundings in Brooklyn. Miami is likely waking up after coughing up 114 points in a loss at Philadelphia. The Heat were up for the Bulls and I expect them to be up for the Nets.

Advantage: Heat

I'm sure The Big Ticket can't wait to get reacquainted with Ray Allen (above) tomorrow. 5

Saturday, November 2

NCAA Football

#7 Mimai Hurricanes at #3 Florida State Seminoles

Game of the week! Florida State QB and Heisman candidate Jameis Winston (2,177 yds., 23 TD, 4 INT) will be on display again in his toughest test of the season. The Hurricanes have a chance to prove that they are a serious ACC contender and not simply the beneficiaries of good fortune and a good schedule.

Winston's favorite target, wide receiver Rashad Greene (39 rec., 690 yds., 8 TD) is going to pose a problem for the Canes. Miami has been susceptible against the pass against teams with legitimate deep threats. At the same time, Miami running back Duke Johnson (823 yds., 6 TD, 6.7 avg.) has been a one man wrecking crew who can deliver in clutch situations.

This game is being played in Tallahassee. FSU's defense has been just as overpowering as its offense while Miami has been in some close games against unremarkable opponents. FSU doesn't lose many battles in the trenches and can force multiple turnovers every week. The Canes only have one win against a ranked opponent this season. The Seminoles are battle tested after consecutive games, lopsided wins, against Maryland and at then-#3 Clemson.

Advantage: Florida State

"The U" hasn't faced the likes of Jameis Winston yet. 4

#18 Oklahoma State Cowboys at #15 Texas Tech Red Raiders

Texas Tech was handed a slice of humble pie in their first loss of the season at Oklahoma last week. Oklahoma State also has a loss. The loser is all but finished in the Big XII race.

Oklahoma State has some hurdles to clear. In spite of a spectacular 219 rushing yards performance by Desmond Roland (366 yds., 6 TD, 5.9 avg.) last week against Iowa, it remains to be seen that he isn't a flavor of the week. OSU has had quarterback issues last year. Cowboys QB J.W. Walsh (1,324 yds., 9 TD, 5 INT, 60% comp.) was benched last week for Clint Chelf (549 yds., 4 TD, 2 INT) who couldn't crack 100 yards passing. OSU head coach Mike Gundy said that he is sticking with Chelf.

Texas Tech's approach of pass first, pass second, pass third and when in doubt - pass, will probably be more effective against the Cowboys that it was against the more physical Sooners. Red Raiders QB Davis Webb (1,812 yds., 13 TD, 7 INT) passed for 385 yards, including two touchdowns, in spite of the loss to Oklahoma. The Cowboys' secondary will face its first high-powered challenge of the season.

The venue and the Cowboys' problems under center tip the scales slightly toward the Red Raiders.

Advantage: Texas Tech



Sunday, November 3

NFL

New Orleans Saints (6-1) at New York Jets (4-4)

The pickings are slim among the Sunday. The Saints and Jets are the most appealing item on the menu. The Saints rebounded following a loss in the final seconds to the New England Patriots and a bye week by clobbering the Buffalo Bills, 35-17. Saints quarterback Drew Brees (2,290 yds., 19 TD, 5 INT, 68%) threw five touchdown passes last week. The Jets had their manhood taken away in Cincinnati, losing by 40 points to the Bengals.

The Jets are still searching for an offensive identity halfway through the regular season. Still the Jets are at home and have a potent one-two punch in the backfield in Bilal Powell and Chris Ivory while the Saints can be a little porous against the run. If the Saints can force turnovers and score points early, it may neutralize the threat of the Jets' running attack. The longer the score remains close, the better chance the Jets have of pulling off the upset. I don't expect that to happen, but expect the tone for the game to be set in the first quarter.

Advantage: Saints

Graham (foot injury) returned to the lineup last week in "limited" action to catch two touchdown passes. Limited?

Monday, November 3

NFL

Chicago Bears (4-3) at Green Bay Packers (5-2)

The NFL's longest standing rivalry continues on Monday Night Football. In spite of a very good record, the Packers have their share of problems - teams have been able to pass the ball on them. They've been oppressive offensively however and appeared to have permanently found a solution to their rushing game with rookie running back Eddie Lacy (446 yds., 3 TD, 4.0 avg.).

The Bears are in need of a complete rebuild on defense. While the Packers will need to constantly account for Bears RB Matt Forte (553 yds., 6 TD, 3.9 avg.), who can bust a long run at any time, the Bears have no shot against the Pack at Lambeau Field without injured QB Jay Cutler (1,658 yds., 12 TD, 7 INT, 65% comp.) in the lineup. Cutler is still out with a groin injury.

If Cutler's wife, Kristin Cavallari (left) is a real keeper, she will invite The Hills co-star Audrina Patridge (right) over and help Jay rehab that groin injury to speed up his recovery. Though if she did, Cutler may have a relapse on a weekly basis. 2

Advantage: Packers

Wednesday, November 5

Chicago Bulls at Indiana Pacers

Indiana is at home and appears just a fierce defensively as last year. It appears that they are successfully working guard Lance Stephenson (18 PPG, 5 APG, 8 RPG) into the offense more. Derrick Rose will be in the building and the Pacers will be waiting.

Advantage: Pacers

Rose is back and it's on in the Eastern Conference! 1

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls! 

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info. 

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1) Image from www.usatoday.com
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3) Image from www.boston.com
4) Image from www.gamedayr.com
5) Image from www.counterkicks.com
6) Image from www.slamonline.com

Must See Sports - Fifth Weekend of March 2013

Last week's advantage/disadvantage record: 1-2
2013 Advantage/Disadvantage Record: 13-11 

Earlier this month, The Hat Trick presented its variation of Mike and Mike in The Morning’s “Sheet of Integrity”, NCAA Tournament bracket predictions. In the round of 64, the sheet of integrity was more like a shred of integrity. The Hat Trick’s projected winner was rubbed out by this year’s big Cinderella story, the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles and coach Andy Enfield.

March is the time for basketball fever. The hardwood will dominate this week’s Must See. However, there is another pastime that is quietly making its return in the next week.

Thursday, March 28

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament – Regional Semifinals

East Region

(2) Miami Hurricanes vs (3) Marquette Golden Eagles

So far: “Straight chalk, homie!” Four teams remain and those four teams are the top four seeds in the region. I personally thought Marquette was overrated coming into the tournament. I thought a last second tip-in win over 14^th seeded Davidson validated that concern, but Marquette has made it to the round of 16 after outlasting Butler in the round of 32. It’s been all chalk so far and I expect that to continue in this game. “The U”, on the other hand, has performed as expected in its first two rounds: with convincing wins.

Advantage: Miami

"Straight chalk...!" 1

(1) Indiana Hosiers vs (4) Syracuse Orange

Sports media has tried to hype up this matchup as Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim’s chance to exorcise ghosts of 1987. Boeheim’s Syracuse Orangemen lost in the championship game at the Superdome in New Orleans on a last second shot by Keith Smart of Indiana, then-coached by the legendary Bobby Knight. This year, the questions in this game revolve around whether Indiana and its high octane style of play can penetrate and outlast the Orange’s famed 2-3 zone defense.

On paper, this game looks like Indiana’s Waterloo. The matchups appear to favor the Orange with their smothering defense against a team that beats opponents by moving the ball quickly and setting up open shots. In addition, I have cracked on Indiana, calling them overrated a few times this year. However, Indiana has shown up big for their big games, win or lose. Syracuse has been fool’s gold, laying giant eggs in the regular season when the spotlight has been on.

It is with great hesitation that I pick the Orange in this contest. The Orange appear to have climbed back on the horse after vanishing late in the regular season. I would not bet the farm on this one, though.

Advantage: Syracuse

Boeheim and Syracuse went on to win a National Championship in 2003, ironically also in New Orleans. I think he's over it. Or is he?

West Region

(9) Wichita State Shockers vs (13) LaSalle Explorers 

LaSalle had to play its way into the field of 64 by beating Boise State in the First Four. They haven’t looked back, eerily similar to the run of Virginia Commonwealth University in 2011. Their backcourt of Ramon Galloway (17 PPG, 4 APG, 5 RPG) and Tyrone Garland (13 PPG) have carried the Explorers in the Big Dance.

Wichita State is a team that pounds and hammers teams in the paint with tough, smart defense and daunting post presence. Their 1-2 punch in the frontcourt of Cleanthony Early (14 PPG, 5 RPG) and Carl Hall (13 PPG, 7 RPG, 2 BlkPG) were key in the Shockers’ absolute trouncing of Pittsburgh in the second round and their overthrowing of top seeded Gonzaga in the third round. I expect the beat-downs to continue.

Advantage: Wichita State

(2) Ohio State Buckeyes vs (6) Arizona Wildcats

Solomon Hill (13 PPG, 5 RPG) and the Wildcats have had a smooth ride through their first two rounds of the tourney. I don’t think they have a shot against Deshaun Thomas (20 PPG, 6 RPG) and the Buckeyes. Ohio State is simply too loaded, too well coached by Thad Motta, and too good. In the post area, I expect the Buckeyes to club Arizona, a team that needs to score points to win. OSU’s defense is too much and Arizona, in my opinion, does not have the athletes to stop Ohio State.

Advantage: Ohio State

DeShaun Thomas...good luck Arizona! 2

Friday, March 29

Midwest Region

(1) Louisville Cardinals vs (12) Oregon Ducks

The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee received some media criticism for seeding Oregon so low, at a 12^th seed. Thus far, the Ducks have proven the Committee wrong. The Duck stops here.

Advantage: Louisville

The Oregon Ducks can expect a similar fate as Daffy Duck. 3

(2) Duke Blue Devils vs (3) Michigan State Spartans

The Friday games offer two of the most “Must See” of the Must See games and this is one of them. Two college coaching legends – Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and Tom Izzo of Michigan State…. Marquis players – senior guard Seth Curry (17 PPG), and senior forwards Ryan Kelly (13 PPG, 5 RPG, 2 BlkPG) and Mason Plumlee (17 PPG, 10 RPG, 2 BlkPG) of Duke squaring off against point guard Keith Appling (13 PPG, 3 APG, 4 RPG), senior forward Derrick Nix (10 PPG, 7 RPG) and freshman guard Gary Harris (13 PPG), who, with 23 points (6/9 FG, 4/7 3-PT, 7/8 FT), appeared to single-handedly squash the Memphis Tigers in the third round….

Let me start by saying that Duke is very, very…VERY good. But their kryptonite is post presence. If the right team with the right personnel can neutralize Plumlee down low and in the paint, the Blue Devils have to take and make high percentage shots to win. They can do that, but so can the Spartans, if forced to (see Gary Harris’ performance against Memphis).

Appling hurt his knee late in the Memphis game, but will play tomorrow. His recovery is key in this game and only he and a few others know how up-to-speed that recovery is. I have been of the opinion that in a single elimination game, the scales tip to fundamentals and high percentage play – shooting, rebounding, passing. I think the Spartans have the slightest edge. Regardless, I expect the winner to advance to the final Four in Atlanta.

Advantage: Michigan State

Nix (left) and Harris (right) can propel the Spartans past Duke. 4

South Region

(1) Kansas Jayhawks vs (4) Michigan Wolverines

Kansas will win if: Senior Jeff Withey (13 PPG, 9 RPG, 4 BlkPG) dominates in the paint and does not turn the ball over excessively.

Kansas will lose if: Freshman guard Ben McLemore (16 PPG, 5 APG) vanishes like he did against North Carolina (2 pts., 0/9 FG, 0/6 3-pt.) and nobody steps up to compensate.

Michigan will win if: They move the ball quickly and take higher percentage shots from the wings and the perimeter.

Michigan will lose if: They try to live by the three, but end up dying by it. Guards Trey Burke (19 PPG, 7 APG, 2 StlPG) and Tim Hardaway, Jr. (15 PPG, 5 RPG) must be smart with the basketball and cannot fall into the trap of jacking up every open three pointer, especially if they fall behind early.

Advantage: Michigan

Tim Hardaway, Jr. could help give the Final Four a heavy Michigan and Midwestern flavor. 5

(3) Florida Gators vs (15) Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles

Cinderella: meet midnight.

Advantage: Florida

Amanda Marcum Enfield, wife of FGCU coach Andy Enfield. I'm gonna miss her. 6

Saturday, March 30

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament – Regional Finals

East Region

Expected matchup: (2) Miami Hurricanes vs (4) Syracuse Orange Advantage: Miami

West Region

Expected matchup: (2) Ohio State Buckeyes vs (9) Wichita State Shockers Advantage: Ohio State

Sunday, March 31

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament – Regional Finals

Midwest Region

Expected matchup: (1) Louisville Cardinals vs (3) Michigan State Spartans Advantage: Michigan State

South Region

Expected matchup: (3) Florida Gators vs (4) Michigan Wolverines Advantage: Florida

Monday, April 1

Major League Baseball

Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees

Jon Lester, Red Sox vs C.C. Sabathia, Yankees

Major League Baseball is back! I find it fitting that the first matchup on April Fools Day is a matchup of A.L. East fool’s gold. The Red Sox, contrary to what many of their loyal fans may think, have a long way to go before returning to serious contention. The Yankees have so much age and offseason baggage that I just don’t see how they make a deep playoff run, if they make the playoffs at all in 2013.

Adavatages – Game: Yankees, Series: Yankees

America is looking forward to looking at (someone like her looking at) America's Pastime. 7

San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Dodgers

Matt Cain, Giants vs Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers

Magic Johnson and the Dodgers’ ownership group spent a ton of money over the past year to buy the N.L. West for the Dodgers. Failure is not an opinion. In their way are the defending World Series champion Giants. A schedule including baseball’s greatest west coast rivalry is a fitting way to start the season. This game, and series, are a coin toss.

Advantages – Game: Giants, Series: Dodgers

Magic put his money where his mouth is. 8

Tuesday, April 2

NBA

New York Knicks at Miami Heat

Once streak endeth; a new streak beginneth, especially with the Heat playing at home.

Advantage: Miami  

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.

1, 7, 8) Image cited in a prior Hat Trick posting.
2) Image from www.midwestsportsfans.com
3) Image from http://fartoon.blogspot.com
4) Image from www.detroitnews.com
5) Image from www.thesportsbank.net
6) Image from www.weeklyworldnews.com

Hat of Integrity - No Chalk

Those of you who listen to Mike and Mike in the Morning are probably familiar with the Sheet of Integrity, the annual NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament projection of the show hosts. Not to be outdone, I am releasing my own tournament projections. Because while it is tired and cliché, could I really call myself a blogger without letting the world know my two cents on the 2013 NCAA Tournament, notwithstanding my lack of knowledge of the college game or the teams relative to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee?

Midwest Region

The Midwest Region is home to the Louisville Cardinals, the top seed in the tournament. Louisville is a solid, quality ballclub with a coach in Rick Pitino who, in my opinion, should already be in the Basketball Hall of Fame. However, I think the #1 overall seed is too high. Louisville has a style of play that appears to try to out-physical their opponents, but, more times than not in closer games, resorts to the jumper. I don't think they can win the whole thing with that style. The Cardinals' success is going to hinge on senior standout point guard Peyton Siva (10 PPG, 6 APG). It's now or never and he knows it.


I have Michigan State advancing from this region. Like Louisville, they have a cream of the crop coach in Tom Izzo. Like Louisville, the Spartans stake their claim in the paint but unlike Louisville, they have the bodies to do it for 40 minutes and win games. Their key player is junior guard Keith Appling (14 PPG, 4 APG) and I think he is at a point in which he can lead his team through the bracket.

Win or lose, expect Pitino to be among the best dressed at the Big Dance. 1

South Region

Kansas is the top seed in the region and that should surprise nobody. Bill Self is another elite head coach in the college ranks. Guard Ben McLemore (16 PPG, 5 RPG) may be getting more of the headlines in 2013 (and might not be playing in college in 2014) but Kansas will continue to advance in the later rounds is senior Jeff Withey (14 PPG, 8 RPG) dominates in the middle like he has all season. Kansas could win the entire tournament, but I have them losing to Michigan.

Michigan is consistently inconsistent but steps its game up for the big games. Their backcourt play (when it is “on”) takes away Kansas’ strength down low. It is a gamble of a pick and if I am wrong, do not be surprised to see Kansas cutting down the nets on April 8^th in Atlanta.

My pick out of this region is Georgetown. Georgetown has been on fire in the last month. What sold me on the Hoyas was how they simply manhandled Syracuse twice in the regular season, including once in the Carrier Dome where the Orange never lose. Hoyas forward Otto Porter, Jr.(16 PPG, 7 RPG) has been playing out of his mind of late, scoring in double figures in 18 consecutive games. Georgetown controls the game as well as any team and every player on the court is a capable offensive contributor. Their “test” will likely be a Sweet 16 matchup with Florida and/or a Regional Final contest against Kansas (if I am wrong about Michigan winning a possible KU-UM matchup).

John Thompson, II led the Hoyas to a championship in 1984. Can current coach John Thompson, III carry the torch? 2

West Region

To paraphrase NFL wide receiver Randy Moss, “Straight chalk, homie!” 

I expect a #1 Gonzaga vs #2 Ohio St. contest in the West Regional Final. I expect the Buckeyes of OSU to advance because, frankly, I am not sold on West Coast Conference basketball and its utter lack of defense and physical play. That doesn't mean Gonzaga isn't very good. And players like senior forward Elias Harris (15 PPG, 7 RPG) will enable the Bulldogs to zip through the earlier rounds. But this semi-Cinderella will meet the stroke of midnight should it cross paths with Deshaun Thomas (20 PPG, 6 RPG) and the physical, athletic, and deceptively quick Buckeyes.

Upset special: Ole Miss to the Sweet 16.

Straight chalk! 3

East Region

I also have chalk coming out of the region, but I see potential for a few minor upsets in the second and third rounds of the tournament in this bracket (the rounds of 64 and 32, respectively). I have been proclaiming the Indiana Hosiers to be fool's gold all year long, and thought I had some ammunition when they were upset by Butler in November. However, the Hosiers have proven, with their total body of work, that they deserve to be the #1 seed in the region. The household name on this team is sophomore forward Cody Zeller (17 PPG, 8 RPG), but I think the x-factor for IU is guard Victor Oladipo (14 PPG, 6 RPG, 2 StlPG, 44% - 3 pt. pct.). Oladipo can do everything…EVERYTHING on both ends of the floor and is why the Hosiers have a chance at a championship this season.

The Miami Hurricanes have made doubters out of the believers that “The U” was just a flash-in-the-pan team on a regular season hot streak. They won the ACC regular season title. They won the ACC tournament. Their 1-2 punch of guard Shane Larkin (15 PPG, 4 APG, 4 RPG, 2 StlPG) and 6’11” center Kenny Kadji (13 PPG, 7 RPG, 68% FG, 36% 3 pt. pct.) has been all but unstoppable all season. The Miami-Indiana matchup, should it happen, will be a meeting of flight (Indiana) versus fight (Miami). At high levels of basketball, I think fundamentals like rebounds and points in the paint win out which is why I think Miami would have the slightest advantage against the speedy, sharp-shooting Hosiers.

Victor Oladipo of Indiana has the inside track on the Player of the Year award. 4

FINAL FOUR

I have OSU beating MSU and Georgetown U. beating “The U” for an Ohio State-Georgetown Championship Game, with the Hoyas emerging victorious. But that is a L..O..N..G way away. My personal “Sheet of Integrity” could easily be headed for the shredder by this time next week. So take my braket with a grain…better yet…a shaker of salt and enjoy March Madness!

To be settled in Atlanta.... 5

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.

1) Image from www.usatoday.com

2) Image from www.mail.com
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4) Image from http://collegebasketball.ap.org
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Must See Sports – First Weekend of March 2013

Saturday, March 2

NCAA Men’s College Basketball

#5 Miami Hurricanes at #3 Duke Blue Devils

Six words: regular season game of the year!

Miami has been battling all year to show that they are the real deal. They have had the #1 ranking within their grasp, only to fall short of the top spot after being hammered by Wake Forest earlier this week. After losing some early season games against teams that, on paper, did not belong on the same court with the Canes (Florida Gulf Coast and Indiana State), the Canes became the hottest team in the country, ripping off 14 straight wins, including a dethroning of then #1 Duke in January.

Miami's strategy is to out-physical and rough up the opponent under the board and in the paint. However, the key cogs in their machine are the two studs in their backcourt, sophomore Shane Larkin (13 PPG, 4 APG, 4 RPG) and senior Durand Scott (13 PPG, 4 RPG). They are the straws that stir the Hurricane, so to speak.

Duke's success will depend on their seniors, shooting guard Seth Curry (17 PPG) and power forward Mason Plumlee (17 PPG, 11 RPG). Coming off of a court-storming loss at Virginia and returning home, I fully expect the Blue Devils to be "up" for this game. Expect the Hurricanes to leave Cameron Indoor as a tropical depression.

Advantage: Duke


#10 Louisville Cardinals at #12 Syracuse Orange

Both of these soon-to-be former Big East powerhouses have fallen out of the top ten since their meeting in January. That doesn't mean that either is without well justified championship aspirations. Nonetheless, Georgetown wrestled away the top dog's spot in the conference with their win over Syracuse last week and everyone else is looking up at the Hoyas.

Louisville is a very well balanced team that can beat an opponent in a variety of way. All five starters are solid, future-NBA aspiring players. But senior point guard Peyton Siva (10 PPG, 6 APG) has to continue to play with a fire in his belly to go out on top. How much will the Cardinals be up for this road game in a place where the host is coming off of a recently snapped 38 game home winning streak to the aforementioned Hoyas and the guest has a losing record against ranked opponents (with no wins on the road against ranked opponents)?

Syracuse is at home in the Carrier Dome with something to prove and I don't expect lighting to strike twice in one week.

Advantage: Syracuse

Due to time constraints, the remaining Must See matchups will not contain a preview..

Sunday, March 3

NCAA Men’s College Basketball

#9 Michigan State at #4 Michigan

Advantage: Michigan

NBA

Miami Heat at New York Knicks

Advantage: Heat

Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Clippers

Advantage: Thunder

Tuesday, March 5

NCAA Men’s College Basketball

#16 Ohio State Buckeyes at #1 Indiana Hosiers

Advantage: Indiana

Wednesday, March 6

NBA

Chicago Bulls at San Antonio Spurs

Advantage: Bulls



Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.

Retweet of the Day - January 23, 2013

The baseball world lost three legends this past weekend. St. Louis Cardinals slugger Stan Musial and Baltimore Orioles Manager Earl Weaver, National Baseball Hall of Famers, passed away this past Saturday. College Baseball Hall of Fame coach Rob Fraser, who spent three decades at the University of Miami, known as "The Wizard of College Baseball", passed away on Sunday at age 79.

While Musial was the consummate gentleman and Fraser helped young people transition into manhood, Weaver, as many of you know, was know for a fiery outburst or three...per week. That leads us to this retweet, from Mike (@EERCANE) :

"Weaver/Ron Fraser/Musial in ONE week? Well, at least Heaven's baseball team just got a lot better. Will Jesus put up w/ Weaver's outbursts?"

Weaver, perhaps a little confused about his role in this photo, was ejected over 90 times in his career, including twice before the start of the game.

Image from www.baltimoresportsreport.com

Strike up the bands and play the fight songs! College football is in full swing. With the fall comes another academic year of college sports. Every year, there is one scandal or another (usually several) that rock college athletics. Today, Elena Verlee of Online Colleges was nice enough to share the following article about the big whoppers of all time to rock college sports. You can find the original article at www.onlinecolleges.net.

The 10 Most Embarrassing Moments in NCAA History

by Staff Writers

July 31, 2012

We all love to see the embarrassing “Not Top 10″ plays where a player, say, picks up a football and runs it into the wrong endzone. It’s lighthearted fun that no doubt leaves the player feeling a bit sheepish for a little while. But sometimes, sports programs find themselves embroiled in much deeper, much more disgraceful scenarios of their own design. These highly public embarrassments can ruin lives, cost schools thousands or millions of dollars, and leave the entire country with a bad taste in its mouth. These 10 cases are hopefully the most embarrassing moments in NCAA history any of us will have to witness.

1. Jerry Sandusky brings down Joe Paterno:

   What a horrible irony that Penn State’s alma mater includes the words, “May no act of ours bring shame.” For more than 15 years, coaching assistant Jerry Sandusky disgraced the school by sexually abusing boys placed in his care. The resulting embarrassment enveloped once-beloved head coach Joe Paterno, the Penn State football program, the NCAA, and every fan of college football in America. “JoePa” did not live to see his statue removed from its place near Beaver Stadium and forklifted into storage, or his record vacated of more than 100 wins, knocking him from atop the list of winningest college football coaches ever. For the NCAA, having such a man in the record books was clearly too humiliating.
   

2. Reggie Bush stripped of the Heisman:

   Whether college athletes should be paid for their services is a debate worth having. Nevertheless, as the rule stands (and as it stood in the early 2000s), accepting nearly $290,000 in cash and gifts is $290,000 more than players are allowed to accept. USC star running back Reggie Bush was certainly not the first to take people’s offers of limo rides and free housing, but he was the first to go on to win the Heisman Trophy. In a huge black eye for USC and the Heisman Trust, Bush opted to relinquish the award before it was snatched out of his soiled hands, the first time the award has been returned.
   

3. SMU gets the death penalty:

   In the wake of Penn State’s devastating NCAA punishment, many are reminded of another name in the annals of college sports embarrassments: Southern Methodist University. Although Penn State will retain a crippled football program, SMU’s entire 1987 and 1988 seasons were canceled when it was discovered players had been paid thousands of dollars out of a slush fund with the full knowledge of people like former Texas governor and chairman of SMU’s board of governors Bill Clements and AD Bob Hitch. Ironically, Penn State was among the schools who raided SMU’s football roster for players. As a result of the death penalty, SMU’s program took two decades to recover, Clements’ political career was killed, and the Southwest Conference had one of the final nails put in its coffin.
   

4. CCNY point-shaving:

                                   Players accepting money for playing their best is one thing; players taking money for making errors and helping bookies beat the spread is a whole other can of worms. In 1951, a cloud was cast over NCAA basketball when a point-shaving scandal involving seven schools and 32 players came to light. What began with the arrest of three of the stars of City College New York’s NIT-winning 1950 team for conspiring with gangsters to fix games soon spread to NYU, Long Island University, the University of Kentucky, and elsewhere. The scandal remains one of the worst black eyes in college basketball history.
   

5. Jim Tressel and Tattoo-Gate:

     Jim “The Sweater Vest” Tressel was so ensconced as head football coach at Ohio State that when asked if Tressel was going to be fired, OSU president Gordon Gee responded, “No, are you kidding? I’m just hoping the coach doesn’t dismiss me.” Clearly Tressel’s 106-22 record with OSU had brought him significant power, power enough that, when informed his players were selling memorabilia to a known drug dealer in exchange for tattoos, he sat on the knowledge for eight months in 2011. Then he lied to investigators about how long he knew the truth. A red-faced OSU tried to keep Tressel’s chastening to a five-game suspension and $250,000 fine, but ultimately bowed to public pressure and asked for his resignation.
   

6. Minnesota brawls with Ohio State:

   The thought process while watching the clip of this embarrassing moment in college basketball history goes something like this: ‘OK, that was a pretty hard foul. Oh, nice, that player is going to help him up OH, NOT THE GROIN!’ Angered at an impending loss to their Big Ten rivals, Minnesota initiated a street fight by punching and kneeing Ohio State player Luke Witte and then stomping his head while he was on the floor. The crowd even booed him as he was helped off the court on his way to the hospital. The governor of Ohio called it a “public mugging.” Two Minnesota players were suspended for the season, and dunking before games — showboating that the NCAA believed attributed to the hostile environment — was banned.
   

7. Miami brawls with FIU:

   To call this Miami football’s all-time low is saying a lot, considering their history. But on the night of Oct. 14, 2006, the country watched in disgust as Hurricane players goaded Florida International’s Golden Panthers into a fight with taunting and showing off. FIU took the bait. A Golden Panther tackled a holder and punched him, and all hell broke loose. Miami players took their helmets off and used them as weapons. An injured FIU player swung a crutch at some Hurricanes. A ‘Cane body-slammed a Panther. Players were stomped and kicked in the head. State troopers had to help separate the teams. More than 30 players were later suspended. Even a TV commentator, former Hurricane Lamar Thomas, was fired for the embarrassing in-game comments, “You come into our house, you should get your behind kicked.”
   

8. University of Minnesota academic fraud:

   Minnesota basketball managed to go almost 30 years after the 1972 brawl before falling on their faces in front of the country all over again. On the morning of the team’s first-round game in the 1999 NCAA tournament, news broke of a former academic advisor claiming to have written 400 papers for Gopher basketball players over a period of five years, with head coach Clem Haskins’ total knowledge. Haskins later admitted paying the woman to do so and was subsequently fired and banned from coaching college basketball until 2007. Some supporters wished he would have fought harder to clear his name, but he correctly decided that would have only dragged the school’s name further through the mud than it had already traveled.
   

9. Nevin Shapiro blows the whistle on Miami:

   When Nevin Shapiro was imprisoned in 2010 for participating in a nearly $1 billion Ponzi scheme, more than a few people in the college sports world must have started to worry. Such worry is warranted. Eight players on the Miami Hurricanes football team have already been suspended for accepting gifts from this persona non grata, but according to Shapiro, dozens more players are involved. He says from 2002 to 2010 he hooked up at least 72 college players with money, prostitutes, yacht and limo rides, tackle bounties (which are currently roiling the NFL), jewelry, and travel. Shapiro is peeved at his predicament and has vowed he will take Miami football down with him.
   

10. Rick Pitino is blackmailed:

    Three, six, and 15. These are the numbers of Rick Pitino’s most notable achievements: three schools led to the Final Four, six NCAA Tournament regional championships, and 15 seconds of sex with extortionist Karen Cunagin Sypher. In one of Louisville basketball’s most embarrassing moments, and certainly the most embarrassing moment of Pitino’s storied career, the coach had an extremely brief sexual encounter with the wife of his equipment manager in a restaurant booth in 2003. The woman then tried to milk Pitino for $10 million. Pitino called the cops on her but in so doing opened himself up to some humiliating courtroom interrogation and accusations of rape by Sypher. Ultimately he was vindicated, but not until adding another sad chapter to the college sports history books.
    

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