Kobe Bryant is a Winner, Not a Leader

The second half of today’s Lakers-Mavericks game included two controversial plays made by the Lakers: Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum both respectively being ejected from the game due to throwing elbows at Mavericks players out of frustration with the inevitable sweep that the Lakers were playing part in.

It was certainly the case that the Lakers were frustrated with the way their season was ending. Additionally, it was clear that Phil Jackson - in what was most likely his last game as the Lakers’ coach - had little desire to intercede in the course of action his players were taking in venting their exasperations during the second half. However, the most bizarre detail from the events of the game, and the entire series for that matter, was the absence of Kobe Bryant in taking a leadership role during the dire circumstances that the Lakers were presented with in the second half.

There is no question that Kobe is one of the best players in NBA history - his five championship rings certainly are emblematic of his excellence. Statistically, Kobe will retire (when he does retire) as one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the game. Despite these lofty accomplishments, Kobe’s notable absenteeism in today’s events defines his on-court personality throughout his career: Kobe is a winner, but he is not a leader.

If Kobe was a leader, he would have pulled his teammates aside after Odom was ejected from the game and told them to settle down and lose gracefully. If Kobe was a leader, he would have given the speech that Derek Fisher gave in the Lakers’ huddle immediately following Bynum’s ejection. If Kobe was a leader, he would have demanded the ball during the Lakers’ difficult second half, attempting to set the precedent that the Lakers would not go down without a fight. Instead, Kobe did none of this. Kobe did lead the team in scoring, but his “plus/minus” rating was -29, the worst rating out of anyone that played in the game. His physical presence in the game but emotional absence from the game did more harm than good for the team and will likely involve negative repercussions for the team in the off-season.

It is much easier for players to step into a leadership role when they a leading a winning team. However, true character and leadership is tested when times are tough. Great leaders in sports will their teams in trying times. A wonderful example of this trait from the NBA this weekend was Rajon Rondo, who dislocated his elbow, returned to the game, and played with one useable arm in the entire second half of Game Three. Rondo could have played it safe and stayed out of the game. The Celtics could have held their lead without him. However, being the leader that he is, Rondo knew his team needed him to lead them by his own example. Kobe’s inability to act in a similar manner is disheartening to NBA fans who want to see Kobe make the leap to the next level of his Hall of Fame career.

Kobe will be compared to players like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird throughout the remainder of his career. These comparisons are fair in terms of statistics, victories and championship rings, but there is no comparison in the intangible realm of leadership. Jordan, Johnson and Bird would not have let their teammates behave the way that Kobe did during today’s loss. Jordan, Johnson and Bird would have demanded the ball until the head coach took them out of the game or until the clock expired. Kobe Bryant’s noted absence in the Lakers’ sweep defines who Kobe is: a winner, but not a leader.

The Legacy of UConn’s Championship Run

A week after the University of Connecticut’s Men’s Basketball team capped off one of the most amazing post-season runs in the history of basketball, the accomplishments of the team over the past month are still awe-inspiring. In mid-March, it would have been extremely presumptuous to assume that UConn could have achieved anything more incredible than what was achieved in the Big East Tournament, but the following three weeks of basketball converted this presumption into a reality.

For a program that has won (now) three National Championships, has over a dozen former players in the NBA, and is lead by a Hall of Fame coach in Jim Calhoun, any post-season success is viewed through a lens skewed by historical success. No matter how much that lens alters interpretation, this championship run stands alone in its incredible achievement and its emblemization of the UConn program under Calhoun.

In the unbiased reality of the college sporting world, UConn had no business winning the National Championship this season. The Huskies were coming off of a disappointing 18-16 season in 2010, missing the NCAA Tournament, and graduating three seniors that did not make the positive impact on the program that was expected after UConn’s Final Four run in 2009. In November Calhoun had a roster full of freshman lead by Kemba Walker, who at the time was nothing more than a Big East pre-season first-teamer and the point guard running an unproven offense.

Despite this pre-season outlook, UConn took on the persona of their head coach in November. The young team rallied around Walker, garnering gritty, determined and authoritative wins over Wichita State, Michigan State and Kentucky in Maui. While the “Maui wowie” occurred about five months before UConn cut down the nets in Houston, the seeds for a late-season run were planted at that time. The young team took the lead from Walker, who emerged as an all-American candidate by December. UConn played suffocating defense and approached the three Maui games with a dogged tenacity. Calhoun eased off of his normally caustic approach to coaching, allowing his young team to make mistakes without verbally berating the youngsters in the front of a national audience. This team seemed different than any previous UConn team because this team was different from any previous UConn team.

The regular season personified these differences even more. The Huskies struggled at times by losing back-to-back games three times during the Big East regular season, but also exceeded expectations by garnering impressive wins against Villanova, Texas, Tennessee, and Georgetown. Throughout the entire Big East schedule, Calhoun, Walker and the rest of the team did not waver from their established normalcy. When the Huskies ended the season with a difficult home loss against Notre Dame, they came back the next day with what was uniformly interpreted as the best practice of the season.

After that experience, the next eleven wins were - in hindsight - a given. Sure there were scares, like overtime against Syracuse and near losses against Arizona and Kentucky, but the camaraderie of the Huskies after the regular season became stronger after every Kemba Walker score, Alex Oriachi rebound, and Shabazz Napier assist. Winning became an expectation, and each victory a fulfillment of that expectation. As ornery as Jim Calhoun has been throughout his career at Connecticut, he appeared much more forgiving and patient during the Big East and NCAA title runs.

There was a kismet connection between the coach and his players, and the NCAA Championship game against Butler was the personification of this connection. Butler did play terribly, specifically on the offensive side of the court, but much of the reason for this sub-par play was UConn imposing its will on the Bulldogs. UConn dominated the boards, blocked ten shots, and willed Butler into submission. The best example of this was the last four minutes of the game: while UConn dribbled out the clock on each possession, Butler refused to foul, essentially waving the white flag on their season.

In the press conference after the final game, Jim Calhoun stated that he “needed” this team after the trials and tribulations in his life outside of the arena during those six months. Additionally, this team “needed” Calhoun. Kemba Walker needed Calhoun to give him control of the team and to impose his will on the UConn program. Alex Oriachi needed Calhoun to push him to the next level. Jeremy Lamb needed Calhoun to remind him that Walker was not going to carry the team by himself on the offensive end.

The emotional connection between Calhoun and his players was apparent once the final buzzer sounded in Houston. For as anticlimactic as the championship game was, and for as routine as the celebration seemed to the casual fan, in the minds of those close to the UConn program the finale could note have been more perfect. A scrappy game for a scrappy team and a scrappy program ended in a deterministic manner. While Butler appeared shell-shocked at what it endured on Monday night, UConn was as poised and prudent.

When the Huskies arrived back in Storrs on Tuesday, the emotion once again perfectly embodied the program. Calhoun expressed his love for a university that has loved him so much during his tenure. Upon seeing his number retired in the Gampel Pavilion rafters, Kemba Walker cried tears of joy for a university that he provided with so much joy during the previous three years (and six months in particular). The 2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship trophy carries a legacy of the season it exemplifies, a legacy of hard-work, tenacity and a fighting spirit. The 2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship trophy carries a legacy of Jim Calhoun and his Connecticut Huskies.

Key Aspects of the Final Four Match-ups

Even though this is the most unpredictable Final Four ever in terms of the teams participating, the results of tonight‘s games will be relatively easy to predict depending on which team takes control of the variables listed below.

VCU vs. Butler - Game Pace

VCU and Butler play very different styles. The Commodores like to push the ball up and down the floor, taking advantage of opportunities as early in the shot clock as possible to hoist up a shot. Shaka Smart’s squad has carried itself through the tournament behind extremely efficient three-point shooting, enabling the team to shoot the ball early and often without major negative repercussions.

The Butler Bulldogs can run and have an efficient fast-break offense, but the team is best suited to control the pace in the half-court game. This was exhibited first-hand in last year’s NCAA Championship game, where Brad Steven’s brilliant game plan kept Butler in the game until the final whistle with an extremely effective, slow-down, half-court offensive game that neutralized the high-intensity Duke man-to-man defense. This NCAA Tournament run has been no different for the Bulldogs. Butler has prevented turnovers, run an efficient half-court offense, and been brilliant on the boards without giving ground to opponents on the fast-break.

Ultimately this first Final Four game will come down to game pace. If VCU is able to keep up its fantastic three-point shooting, no team can beat the Commodores. Their thorough domination of Kansas in the Elite Eight last weekend is the best example of this scenario playing out. If VCU can continue to get good shots off early in the shot clock, Butler will not be able to slow down their pace. However, if Butler can hold VCU to a poor shooting percentage and can slow down their overall offensive execution, then the Bulldogs will be able to prevent VCU from obtaining the momentum that has guided them to four straight tournament victories. Butler’s experience and execution gives them the advantage going into the contest, but those qualities are a collective moot point if VCU shoots 50% from three-point range.

Kentucky vs. Connecticut - Momentum

In contrast to the first Final Four game, the Kentucky/UConn match-up contains two teams that share very similar styles of play. Both teams have developed excellent half-court offenses behind experiences head coaches. Both squads contain superb athletic ability, enabling them scrap for points and rebounds even when they are not shooting very well. Additionally, both rosters have done a wonderful job during this tournament of taking advantage of opportunistic moments late in the game (the best examples of this being Kentucky’s buzzer beaters against Princeton and Ohio State and UConn’s late game defensive plays against San Diego State and Arizona).

The turning point in the latter contest tonight will come down to momentum. Kentucky and UConn are in the Final Four because they have been able to take advantage of a timely jump shot or turnover and make a run inspired by the energy that the play brings to the team. This tournament has been one of runs for both schools: Kentucky has made a late-game push every game this tournament, enabling them to defeat more experienced and seasoned teams by capitalizing on the importance of the moment. UConn’s last two games in particular have been back-and-forth games of runs that have ultimately seen the Huskies come out on top because they have showed tremendous poise in the face of an opponent’s offensive outburst and because they have hit the right shots at the right times in each game.

If both teams play as expected - solid shooting, tough defensive, scrappy rebounding - this game will come down to coaching. Both John Calipari and Jim Calhoun have done tremendous work this past March of taking extremely young teams and preparing them for every variable in the NCAA Tournament. Tonight each coach needs to ensure that his team capitalized on the momentum of the contest. If this game goes as predicted, then it will have the feel of a heavyweight fight: two tough opponents going blow-for-blow for forty minutes until a winner emerges in the final minutes. Those final minutes will come down to whoever takes advantage of the momentum of the moment and executes in a calm and confident manner.

Summing Up the Magic From Storrs via Anaheim

As if their Big East Tournament run was not amazing enough, the Connecticut Huskies continued their own personal “one-ups-man-ship” this past weekend in Anaheim by garnering a birth in the Final Four for the fourth time in the program’s history. “Destiny” is a term used loosely in the sporting world, but as Kyle Fogg’s game-winning attempt fell short for Arizona on Saturday night, no one could deny that this UConn team is indeed a team of destiny.

Each game of their NCAA Tournament run to this point has played witness to the Huskies coming out with a victory in starkly different fashions. In the second round against Bucknell, UConn turned out arguably its most dominant performance of the season, highlighted by Kemba Walker’s near triple-double and his eloquent distribution of the basketball throughout the contest against a markedly overmatched opponent. Two nights later against Cincinnati, Uconn beat a Big East opponent in typical Big East fashion: a back-and-forth bruising battle that was more than anything else of a lesson of how to survive and advance in tournament play. In the Sweet Sixteen, Kemba Walker once again put the team on his shoulders against a more experienced San Diego State team, stuffing the box score with 36 points and single-handedly ensuring the Huskies would live to see the next round. In the Elite Eight, UConn showed their collective poise and maturity: trapped in a game of runs, the Huskies appeared undaunted throughout the game, constantly fighting back after Arizona made several runs to take back the lead throughout the game. Key plays from players like Alex Oriachi, Donnell Beverly, and (most importantly) Jeremy Lamb compounded at the end of the game to carry the Huskies to Houston next weekend.

There has been a large amount of melodrama around UConn’s season because of the inexperience of the team, its Big East regular season woes, and the recruiting violations that overshadowed much of the season. The great thing about March is that none of these issues matter in the NCAA Tournament. Thirty-plus regular season games quickly provide maturity to even the youngest of squads. Difficult in-conference challenges mold young men to be able to handle any challenges that confront them in tournament play. Violations and bad press only count in the blogosphere and in the newspapers: once the team steps onto the court to play, all that factors into the result is what happens on the parquet.

In addition to the paragraph above, Jim Calhoun deserves much more credit than he has received for the team’s impressive March run. While he has been tactically the best coach in the NCAA Tournament this side of Shaka Smart, the way he has handled this team in particular is something to be marveled at. In dealing with most of his UConn teams, Calhoun historically has fit the persona of his Boston upbringing: stern, unyielding, crass and deterministic. However, Calhoun has realized this season that he could not coach this team like he has handled previous UConn’s squads because of the youth and uniqueness of the roster. Kemba Walker has elevated his game to the pinnacle of greatness at UConn, and as a result Calhoun has given him a long leash this season and allowed him to make mistakes that he previously would not have tolerated from other star players. When Shabazz Napier or Roscoe Smith makes a sophomoric (no pun intended) mistake, Calhoun will pull them out of the game with a pat on the back or a personal conversation, rather than verbally lashing out at the player in front of the entire arena. This UConn team is different from any other team Calhoun has coached before, and his ability to understand the uniqueness of this team demonstrates why Calhoun has the love of his players and why he is a Hall of Famer.

As one of the most improbable runs in college basketball history continues this week, UConn fans are left to ask, “What’s next?” Husky Nation would have been forgiving had the team exited the NCAA Tournament in the early rounds, knowing that the Big East Tournament accomplishment was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Now, this UConn team truly feels like a team of national destiny, not just Big East destiny. Two weeks ago it was a far-fetched fantasy to think the Huskies would still be in the Tournament, now it is an inspiring reality. UConn heads to Houston on the metaphorical shoulders of Kemba Walker but the team could probably float there if they wanted to. Right now, two more victories seem like an imperative, not an option. Let’s see how man more tricks Coach Calhoun has up his sleeve.

Measuring the Significance of UConn’s Week

Putting hyperbole and emotion aside, what the University of Connecticut’s Men’s Basketball team accomplished this past week in New York City is one of the most significant feats in the program’s history. There are truly only four other successes in program history that compare to what UConn achieved: the NIT Championship in 1988, the Big East Championship/Impossible Dream season of 1990, and the two National Championships that the program won in 1999 and 2004.

UConn came into this season picked to finish tenth in the Big East, and quite honestly that prediction made sense. The program had graduated three seniors from a disappointing team and had no real scoring threat. Kemba Walker was a pass-first point-guard who was a third or fourth (at best) scoring option. Jim Calhoun touted his incoming freshmen class, but they were freshmen that had proven nothing yet. The one fact that everyone could agree with in November was that UConn had talent, but so did fifteen other teams in the Big East Conference.

Despite these odds, UConn completely transformed over the course of the season from a team without an identity to one where every individual’s identity compounds for the betterment of the team. The trip from “Maui to Manhattan”, as Calhoun defined the season last night, can be defined as an epic journey and a coming-of-age story for the team detailed in the previous paragraph. This journey has a cast of several, all of whom had their Big East season culminate in a successful and appropriate ending.

First-and-foremost is Kemba Walker. Every person who knows the English language has pontificated over Kemba’s accomplishments this week, so piling on to this sentiment is redundant. However, this past week has demonstrated two cold, hard facts about Walker that are definitive of his ability to excel on the next level. First, Walker evolved his on-court persona this season. In his first two seasons, Walker was a pass-first point guard who would score only by default. Now, because the structure of the Huskies’ roster dictated this, he has become a dynamic offensive player who can score at will against any opponent at any time. Second, Walker is a proven leader. His ability to bond with his coach, become a role model for younger teammates, and respond to the request to carry the team on his shoulders all season long is indicative of his leadership.

The freshman class (Shabazz Napier, Roscoe Smith, Jeremy Lamb, Tyler Olander, Niels Giffey, etc.) was the biggest question mark coming into the season for Coach Calhoun. However, in the first true test of their mettle, the first-years provided the support that Walker needed to bring the team the Big East crown.

Napier has emerged as the point-guard of the future for the program, showing the moxie of former UConn point guard Khalid El-Amin by hitting two huge free-throws late in the game against Louisville. Roscoe Smith has the most raw talent on the team, according to Calhoun, but despite the hype he has showed excellent patience and composure this season by allowing the game to come to him in the form of mid-range jump shots and offensive rebounds. Jeremy Lamb fits the bill of great UConn swing players in the past (Donyell Marshall, Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon) in his ability to use his physical gifts to score in a variety of ways. Olander and Giffey, though they saw limited playing time throughout the entire week, still provided strong defense and clutch rebounds when spelling the starters.

The “veterans” outside of Walker on the UConn roster all have found their niches on the team and have learned to contribute as necessary to the greater good of the program night-in and night-out. Alex Oriachi and Charles Okwandu finally emerged last week to prove an inside scoring threat that the Huskies needed to compliment perimeter play, as well as providing an occasional blocked shot to change the moment of a defensive possession. Donnell Beverly, as one of two seniors on the team that sees significant playing time, was a defensive stalwart during the week and has provided an experience, level-headed alternative to run the point. Jamal Coombs-McDaniel, who had two twenty-point games in the middle of the season during Walker’s scoring struggles, is the ultimate gap-filler for the team; if Uconn needs a momentum-shifting basket or rebound from someone not named Kemba Walker, Coombs-McDaniel is usually the person to make the play, as seen in the rebound he harnessed at the end of the UConn/Pittsburgh game on Wednesday.

Despite the growth of the players on the team, no person at UConn needed or wanted this victory more than Jim Calhoun. Between the disappointment of last season and the NCAA disciplinary measures this season, Calhoun clearly needed a turn of events on the court this season to refocus national attention to the positives with the program. Calhoun has said throughout the season that he “loves” this team, and he is a not a person to throw around such terms casually. The always demonstrative, hard-headed, impatient coach has been able to get the most out of this team, as highlighted by the unparalleled Big East Tournament run. Anyone who watched the post-game interviews after the game on Saturday could see that Calhoun was extremely emotional and excited for his players. That is public emotion that one only sees from Calhoun when his teams accomplish amazing feats. On a personal level for Calhoun, this accomplishment certainly qualifies as amazing.

UConn could continue their recent momentum all the way to a Final Four appearance. UConn could bow out after a couple Tournament victories from exhaustion. UConn could lose to Bucknell in their first NCAA Tournament game on Thursday. Regardless of what happens in the NCAA Tournament, UConn’s success in the Big East Tournament this past week brings a tremendous feeling of pride back to the program. This past week was so significant because all the necessary contributors to the team contributed to the team’s success throughout the week. The players have bought into a true team mentality, and that mentality is apparent to anyone that watches the Huskies play. Life is a little easier as a coach, player or fan when the team one is associated with brings this determined and excited attitude to every game. It is for this reason that Saturday night was a night of celebration for the Huskies.

Breaking Down the Big East Tournament

In what might be the deepest and most unpredictable Big East Tournament field in the conference’s history, let’s take some time to break down each team and their outlook heading into the tournament this week.

One Seed: Pittsburgh (27-4 overall, 15-3 conference)

The Panthers enter the Big East Tournament as the top seed, winning the conference by one game over Notre Dame. This Pitt team resembles every other Pitt team that Jamie Dixon has brought to Manhattan during his time as the program’s head coach: experienced, physical, guard-driven, tenacious. The Panthers never get blown out of the gym, yet at the same time never blow out their opponents. This is a team that grinds out every win, and that is exactly the recipe needed to survive this week. However, Pitt’s first game on Thursday (likely against either Georgetown or Connecticut) could be the one that sends them home before the Big Dance.

Two Seed: Notre Dame (25-5, 14-4)

The Irish showed tremendous moxie at the end of their regular season, knocking off UConn on the road on Saturday despite being without Ben Hansbrough for the last eight minutes of the game and despite Kemba Walker’s 34 points. This is the best team in the Big East right now and is the team that no one wants to play in the NCAA Tournament. Look for the Irish to make it all the way to Saturday, as no team on their side of the bracket (with the exception of Louisville) should give Notre Dame much trouble.

Three Seed: Louisville (23-8, 12-6)

Louisville is the epitome of a dangerous tournament team: red-hot shooters, aggressive guards, high-pressure defense. If the Cardinals get momentum behind the leadership of Preston Knowles and Peyton Siva, no team will beat them in Madison Square Garden. However, this is also a team that has lost to Providence and Cincinnati this season, in addition to losing yesterday at West Virginia. All three of those teams are in the Cardinals’ pod in their side of the bracket, which will definitely be problematic for a team better suited for a deep NCAA Tournament run than a deeper Big East Tournament run.

Four Seed: Syracuse (25-6, 12-6)

Thanks to a late-season stumble by St. Johns at Seton Hall, the Orange qualified for the last of the four double-byes in the Big East Tournament. Jim Beoheims’s team is fortunate to avoid the first two rounds of the tournament, as this is a team much better suited for a three-day run than a five-day run in New York City. The main weapon of the Orange is the 2-3 zone, but every team in the conference has already seen the zone at this point in the season. Look for the Orange to be the first double-bye team to lose if St. John’s can make it to the quarterfinals.

Five Seed: St. John’s (20-10, 12-6)

If St. John’s can get past the winner of Seton Hall/Rutgers on Wednesday, the Red Storm should be the prohibitive favorite to win the conference tournament. The Johnnies are 4-1 at Madison Square Garden against ranked teams this season, and there is no reason to think that a team with ten seniors playing in their last Big East Tournament will not scrap and claw through every game this week. A date with Notre Dame on Saturday night is destiny at this point for St. John’s, as long as the team focuses at the task at hand on Wednesday and does not get caught looking ahead to a potential redemptive quarterfinals match-up with Syracuse, the only ranked team to beat St. John’s at MSG.

Six Seed: West Virginia (20-10, 11-7)

The defending Big East Tournament Champions come into this year’s tournament with three very impressive, hard-fought, consecutive wins: at Rutgers, Connecticut, and Louisville. However, the likelihood of the Mountaineers knocking off Louisville in the quarterfinals seems unlikely at this point. Bobby Huggins’ 2011 team may be as gritty as the 2010 version, but it certainly is not as talented or experienced. A tough match-up against the Marquette/Providence winner on Wednesday may be too much for West Virginia to overcome to then face a rested and hungry Louisville team one day later.

Seven Seed: Cincinnati (24-7, 11-7)

The unranked Bearcats are probably the most surprising seed in the tournament, ranked higher in the conference than three nationally ranked teams. Mick Cronin’s team has beaten Georgetown twice, Marquette, and Louisville in the last two weeks, arriving in Manhattan as one of the hottest teams in the league. Cincinnati’s size could serve it very well in their bracket draw, where match-ups against Villanova and Notre Dame seem destined to happen. While it seems unlikely that Cincy can get past the Irish, it is not out of the question, as the Bearcats have a similar profile as the West Virginia team that won the 2010 Big East Tournament.

Eight Seed: Georgetown (21-9, 10-8)

The Hoyas are one of the most difficult teams to figure out in the conference. John Thompson’s crew has tremendous experience, is well-coached with a unique style of game-playing, and has avoided bad losses all season. In contrast, Georgetown is stumbling into the tournament, losing four of its last five games and fulfilling its profile as the streakiest team in the league. If Georgetown can turn around its late-season woes and get on the right track against the Connecticut/DePaul winner on Wednesday, a run to Saturday night is possible. However, it is just as likely that the Hoyas will be on a bus back to Washington D.C. by 3:00PM on .

Nine Seed: Connecticut (21-9, 9-9)

The entire country saw what this Huskies team is capable of in tournaments during its remarkable Maui Invitational win in November. As goes Kemba Walker, so goes UConn. A win over DePaul on Tuesday should be a shoe-in. Additionally, this team certainly has the capability to run through Georgetown and Pittsburgh on the next two days of the tournament if their Freshman trio of Jeremy Lamb, Shabazz Napier, and Roscoe Smith can provide support for Walker. Even with their potential scoring spark, this Huskies team does not have the consistency to garner more than three victories in the conference tournament.

Ten Seed: Villanova (21-10, 9-9)

No team in the country that has already locked up an NCAA Tournament bid is struggling more right now than Villanova. Four consecutive losses and eight loses in their last twelve games have the Wildcats looking for some semblance of success to resuscitate their season. A Tuesday night game against an inferior South Florida team could be exactly what Jay Wright’s players need to turn their free-falling season around. If Nova can also get by Cincinnati on Wednesday, Notre Dame should be very nervous about facing this team after it has finally discovered its winning ways. Even though Villanova has the potential to give the Irish fits, the Wildcats are unlikely to get past the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament.

Eleven Seed: Marquette (18-13, 9-9)

No team better personifies the middle of the Big East than Marquette. The Golden Eagles have beaten Notre Dame, Syracuse and UConn this season, but also lost to Seton Hall and Cincinnati in the last week. If you are looking for a first-round upset, Marquette is the team most likely to be defeated by a lower seed.

Twelve Seed: Seton Hall (13-17, 7-11)

If there is one player in the Big East that can get the national attention that he deserves this week, it is Seton Hall’s Jeremy Hazell. Despite missing half the season due to injury, Hazell, a senior and a 2,000 point scorer, is the most dangerous Big East shooter this side of Marshon Brooks when he gets hot. If Hazell can lift the Pirates past Rutgers and catch fire against St. John’s, then the only thing that stands between Seton Hall and a Friday night game at MSG is Syracuse. It is not out of the question that Hazell can carry his team past Syracuse and their zone defense, but as Hazell goes, so go the Pirates.

Thirteen Seed: Rutgers (14-16, 5-13)

There are two Rutgers teams in the Big East: the Scarlet Knights at home at the RAC and the Scarlet Knights anywhere else. This season, neither version of the team has been that good. While many pundits believe that first-year coach Mike Rice is building something special in Piscataway, he is still at least one season away from winning a game in the Big East Tournament.

Fourteen Seed: Providence (15-16, 4-14)

Providence star Marshon Lynch scored 52 points in a game this season against Notre Dame…and the Friars still lost. That fact summarizes the Friars’ season: one star, solid effort, little progress. A one-point home win against Rutgers on Friday was the one thing ending their close-of-the-season losing streak. Even though Marquette is extremely vulnerable, it is going to take a special game from Lynch - and at least one other Friar - for Providence to make any first-round noise in the Garden.

Fifteen Seed: South Florida (9-22, 3-15)

South Florida’s three Big East wins this season are against DePaul (two) and Providence. Do not expect a fourth win this week.

Sixteen Seed: DePaul (7-23, 1-17)

DePaul entered the Big East Tournament two years ago 0-16 and won its first-round game. If they accomplish the same feat this year with a 1-15 record entering the postseason, Jim Calhoun’s post-game press conference

Norm Roberts: Big East Coach of the Year

The St. John‘s University basketball program is having arguably its best season since Mike Jarvis roamed the Red Storm sidelines over a decade ago. The team is currently 11-5 in the Big East, good for fourth place in the powerful conference. Additionally, the Johnnies are ranked 15th in the country, the school’s highest ranking since the 1990s. Clearly, the beloved college basketball program of New York City is going through a tremendous resurgence.

Additionally, many analysts and prognosticators are bombarding new St. John’s Head Coach Steve Lavin with praise for leading the program back into the national limelight. Lavin has certainly done wonders with balancing playing time and dealing with potential ego issues to ensure the good of the team has priority over individual accomplishments.

The program has ten seniors that currently see playing time. These seniors account for over 75% of the team’s points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals. While the Johnnies had some bad loses early in the season (St. Bonaventure, Fordham), they have turned the season around and showed the positive effects of playing together for four year.

Despite Lavin’s leadership, one must ask how much of a role Lavin has truly played in the team’s maturity and development this season with the aforementioned statistics.

Norm Roberts, Lavin’s predecessor at the school, inherited the program that was clearly struggling and did not show much improvement in his six years at the university. However, after signing a five-year contract in 2004 he was granted an additional extension. Therefore, it can be interpreted that the university was pleased enough with Roberts’ work to keep him on campus.

The confusing aspect of the Roberts’ situation is that he was fired last season after his best season at the school. Roberts led the team to its first winning season in his tenure at St. John’s, but despite this record the administration decided to fire him, even though ten rising seniors were returning to the program.

Clearly any athletic administration that understands the state of the Big East knows that this amount of senior experience is very rare, and experience such as this will enable a program to show tremendous improvement in the following season.

The unfortunate aspect of the situation for Roberts is that he never had the cache of Steve Lavin. Lavin, a slick, well-dressed guy, coached at UCLA and was a popular commentator on ESPN. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Roberts was born and raised in Queens, with his previous biggest claim to fame having been serving as an assistant under Bill Self at Tulsa, Illinois and Kansas. Once the rumor spread that Lavin had interest in the St. John’s position (even before the position was open), Roberts had little chance of keeping his job despite the strong team he had returning in the following season.

The questionable treatment of Roberts is emblematic of a larger pandemic in major college sports: university administrators using poor timing and dubious judgment in firing coaches in order to bring in bigger name coaches with the hope that these coaches will magically turn around their programs.

The best example of this scenario in the past decade was Notre Dame’s treatment of former football head coach Ty Willingham. After leading Stanford to 44 wins in seven seasons, Willingham arrived in South Bend for the 2002 season and made an immediate impact on the program, leading the Irish to a 10-2 record and securing many Coach of the Year honors.

(Another piece of irony here is how similar Willingham’s first year at Notre Dame was to Lavin’s current first year at St. John’s, leading the program to the limelight with only a few months of experience there).

Despite this strong start and an immediate contract extension, Willingham finished the next two seasons with a combined 11-12 record. Immediately after the 2004 regular season, Willingham was fired and the Irish hired Notre Dame alum and New England Patriots Offensive Coordinator Charlie Weis. Notre Dame chose to terminate Willingham’s contract before he even had the opportunity to coach the first senior class that he actually recruited.

Inevitably, Weis took over the program and Notre Dame had a sensational season, finishing the season 9-3 and making a trip to the 2006 Fiesta Bowl. Despite a loss in the game, and despite the fact that Weis had a little over a year with the program, he was signed to a ten-year contract extension worth over $30 million. Three seasons later, Weis was fired by Notre Dame, after being given the opportunity to coach the senior class that he recruited to a mediocre 6-6 record.

Had Notre Dame given Willingham more time with the talent he brought to campus, then he very well could still be at the university. His potential for success in the annals of Notre Dam history will never be known because of the inability of the Notre Dame administration to provide him with the opportunity to coach a roster full of players that he brought to campus himself.

St. John’s, in addition to the news media in general, needs to tread lightly before giving Lavin too much credit for the program’s success this season. Clearly he has done a wonderful job of providing the energy and focus that the senior-laden program needed this season, but one must wonder if Norm Roberts could have provided the same leadership to the program this season.

Lavin’s attractiveness to recruits and the sudden celebrity of St. John’s will serve the program well in the next couple seasons, but if Lavin cannot continue the same level of success that he has shown this season then he very well could be back on TV with Norm Roberts in a couple years. Such is life in college coaching.

Does Jim Calhoun’s Punishment Fit His Crime?

“If the NCAA was responsible for the Normandy invasion, then the Allies would have landed in Turkey.” - Bobby Knight

This past week the NCAA suspended University of Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun for the school’s first three Big East Conference games in the 2011-2012 season. Additionally, UConn will face scholarship reductions for three academic, recruiting restrictions, and three years probation.

After remaining relatively flip about his involvement in the violations that brought an NCAA investigation to Storrs, CT, Calhoun finally issued a statement this week accepting personal responsibility for the conduct of his staff in the recruitment of Nate Miles.

While the statement serves to provide public closure for Calhoun in this embarrassing situation (minus any further action from Calhoun’s lawyers), the decision by the NCAA to suspend Calhoun for three conference games still leaves much of the situation open to interpretation. Why was Calhoun suspended for three conference games? Why not the first three games of the season? Why not more games?

The NCAA’s condemnation of Calhoun does not provide a punishment befitting of the crime; instead, the punishment comes across as a half-hearted attempt to make an example out of the Hall of Fame coach without providing direction as to what culpability the NCAA actually believes belongs to Calhoun for the actions of his staff. This lack of clarity raises several counterpoints that undermine the NCAA’s decision.

First, the entire course of action surrounding the Nate Miles saga has been tainted from the get-go. The violations first came to light in a Yahoo! Sports story published in March 2009, which gained further notoriety during Final Four a week later when UConn was preparing for its match-up against Michigan State. Calhoun has never had a strong relationship with the press, so questions remain as to what the true intentions were of Yahoo! Sports’ staff in releasing this story at that time. Why not wait until after the NCAA Tournament had ended to release the story?

Second, Nate Miles never played a single game at UConn. Miles was dismissed from the university in his first semester on campus for violating a restraining order. At no time during his brief tenure did Miles log any minutes in any games, Big East or otherwise. While Miles certainly registered on the low end of the moral barometer, there are questions as to what role the player’s morality played in the NCAA’s decision. If Miles was a 3.0 student with no police record who left the school under his own accord, would the NCAA have imposed the same punishment on Calhoun?

Third, Calhoun and the university took action once the violations were confirmed by firing the two assistant coaches who were involved in Miles’ recruitment and formally severing ties with Josh Nochimson, a former UConn student manager-turned-agent who gave Miles inappropriate benefits while he was being recruited by UConn. Once the university properly vetted out who was responsible for the violations, action was taken to ensure that the guilty parties were held accountable.

However, even with the three previous paragraphs, Calhoun did not do himself any good in the eyes of the NCAA or the media by issuing the statement he issued this week at this point in the process. If Calhoun had come out in 2009 and directly addressed the mistakes, or if he had done so after the NCAA completed its initial investigation, it would have likely benefited both Calhoun and the university in the long-run. Whether Calhoun was encouraged by his attorneys to stay silent, or if he decided to do so himself, his tight-lipped approach to the issue did him no favors in the court of public opinion. Calhoun appeared to be guilty of something, even if he had no direct knowledge of the illegal activities.

The synopsis above leads to the question broached at the beginning of this article: does Jim Calhoun’s punishment fit his crime? Does a three-game Big East suspension send a clear message to Calhoun and other coaches about what he did and why he should not have done it?

On ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the Morning this week, former Hall of Fame head coach and current ESPN commentator Bobby Knight discussed the specifics of Calhoun’s suspension with Mike Greenberg. When asked if NCAA coaches know the specifics of the recruiting regulations and when/how to raise red flags about staff behavior to their universities and the NCAA, Knight stated that the rules are so arbitrary that it is difficult for coaches to keep track of what activity is allowed and disallowed and how each activity category changes from year to year. Specific to the Nate Miles situation, Knight stated that if coaches could not recruit a high school player who had previous contact with an agent, then coaches would not be able to recruit any high school players. This is the exact basis of the NCAA’s complaint against Calhoun and UConn in the Miles case.

This ambiguity is the crux of this writer’s complaint with the Calhoun decision. Calhoun should be punished because his staff violated rules, and as the head coach he should be held responsible for the actions of his employees. However, with the current state of NCAA recruiting, one wonders how the firing of two employees and the removal of scholarships is not punishment enough. Suspending Calhoun for three Big East games (specifically) comes across as more vindictive than anything else.

If the NCAA is truly concerned with the university-agent-player relationship, it makes more sense for the NCAA to attack the problem directly rather than subversively. Rather than reactively slapping a coach’s wrists, the NCAA should proactively seek out a resolution to the issue. The Nate Miles case wreaks of insanity - the player went to five high schools in four years and had contact with an agent throughout the entire recruiting process, but it took a restraining order violation on campus to make the university act. The NCAA did not act until Miles was no longer affiliated with UConn or Division-I basketball. A player with his troubled history should never be allowed to represent any university in a school-funded sport until he gets his life in order. At the present moment, the NCAA does not appear to be very concerned with this fact.

This hypocrisy from the NCAA is lampooned in the quote at the start of this article. The NCAA has good intentions in mind, but those intentions are never executed accurately. The NCAA waxes poetic about its credo of level playing fields and fairness, but then allows Bruce Pearl to still coach even though he blatantly violated rules several times after already being punished for the same violations. The NCAA proclaims it is on the side of morality, but then allows Kelvin Sampson to destroy two basketball programs before finally being suspended from coaching in Division-I. The NCAA marvels at the history of the sport and proactively celebrates it every March, but then allows John Calipari to damage the short-term legacy of every school he leaves when he takes another step in his coaching career.

Jim Calhoun has coached at two universities for over thirty years. His players respect him, often coming back to campus to work with current UConn players and to participate in charity events on behalf of his philanthropy. He has given millions of dollars to the University and to various charities. Growing up supporting his family from the age of fifteen in metropolitan Boston after the death of his father, Calhoun can put himself in the shoes of many of the same players he is recruiting - poor, urban kids who are looking for an opportunity to advance the well-being of their families. In this regard, Calhoun is a torch-bearer for many of the same qualities that the NCAA bylaws seek to instill on its student-athletes.

If the NCAA wants to make a negative example of Calhoun, then that is the NCAA’s prerogative, but what will the NCAA do if the same thing happens at Duke, or at Syracuse, or at Harvard? (Actually Harvard was identified last year for giving money to recruits and fixing SAT scores but the NCAA has yet to act). Calhoun may not be charming or media-friendly, but that is not an excuse to rake him over the coals after the university has already accepted responsibility for his lack of accountability.

US Soccer Needs to Step It Up

This week the US national soccer team escaped two games against Costa Rica and Honduras with three points.  “Escaped” is perhaps the best way to summarize the two matches, as the squad played very poorly for almost the entire 180 minutes yet was still able to maintain its stranglehold on second-place in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying group.  In order to ensure that the US is able to qualify for the 2010 Cup, several weaknesses that were pronounced in this week’s games need to be resolved before the team travels to Estadio Azteca to face the Mexican national team on August 12.

Defensive Lapses

Throughout the contest with Costa Rica, the American defense appeared absent-minded at best.  The outside backs were consistently out of position on crosses and long balls, allowing the Costa Ricans to have unchallenged shots on goal against Tim Howard.  The inside backs were ineffective at clearing the ball.  Several misplayed balls, either into the middle of the field or given back to the Costa Rican team, did not allow the defense to reset.  Coach Bob Bradley did attempt to address this issue during the Honduras match by replacing Pablo Mastroeni and Marvelle Wynne in the US lineup with Jonathan Spector and Jonathan Bornstein.  While the defense was more effective against Honduras, the Honduran offense was still able to have several largely uncontested shots on goal due to poor marking in the first 60 minutes of the game on Saturday night.  Without a strong defense, the Americans will not be able to allow midfielders like DeMarcus Beasley and Jose Francisco Torres to cheat up the field to support the offensive attack.

50-50s

The US team was repeatedly outhustled by both of its opponents this past week and the best measure of this lack of urgency in getting to the ball was seen by the inability of the Americans to win 50-50 balls.  Throughout the entire Costa Rica match and during the majority of the Honduras match, deflected balls that bounced into open space were consistently won by the Americans’ opponents.  With the combined speed and strength of players like Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore, it was disheartening for American soccer fans to witness so many free balls won by the opposition.  Additionally, aerial passes were often trapped in an inefficient way – rather than chesting the ball or heading it down to the pitch, American would head the ball back to the opposition or miss-touch it when attempting to trap.  Thus, balls that were in US possession quickly became 50-50 balls.  During international play when there are so many world-class players on each team, possession of 50-50 balls is at a premium, as the best teams in the world are able to win these balls and turn them into offensive attacks.  If the US wants to be considered one of the world’s best teams entering the 2010 Cup, the winning of and control of 50-50 balls needs to become a higher priority for the squad.

Set Pieces

The Americans did not have many set pieces in either match this week.  Both goals in the victory over Honduras (the Landon Donovan penalty kick and the Carlos Bocanegra header off of a Donovan corner kick) did come off of set plays.  However, the Americans had limited set opportunities in each game.  Thus, the set piece issue has been a two-part problem for the squad.  First, the Americans have not been putting themselves in situations to earn free kicks.  Set pieces often arise from well-played long balls or quick offensive attacks created from effective passing.  The US was not able to outrun either opposing defense for many good long ball attacks last week and the team’s passing was average at best.  Second, when the Americans did have a chance to run set pieces, the team rarely took advantage.  Carlos Bocanegra had a ball land at his feet at the mouth of the goal against Honduras and misplayed it.  Oguchi Onyewu was not able to get his head on a single ball off of a set piece in either match, and he is generally the focal point of these plays due to his size and his excellent heading ability.  Costa Rica and Honduras are not known either regionally or globally for their defenses.  Additionally, the Americans will be facing much stronger defenses if they run into European teams in World Cup 2010.  Thus, properly executing set plays has to become a higher priority for the Americans in the remaining qualification matches, as goals will be difficult to come by once the Americans leave their home turf.

Goalkeeping

Tim Howard is undoubtedly one of the best goalkeepers in the world.  However, it is very rare for him to allow four goals in two games.  The first goal that Costa Rica scored against Howard last weekend was a sensational shot by Alvaro Alberto Chaco Saborio, but had Howard been in better position (closer to his line) that is a play he could have made.  Clearly he was frustrated by the lack of effective defense in the Costa Rica game in particular, as could be seen from him venting at his backs after each of the goals were allowed.  If the defense is out of position, it is on the goalkeeper to keep the defense honest and ensure that his teammates are where they need to be to put as little pressure on him personally as possible.  In the previous six qualifying matches in this stage, Howard allowed one goal (in a game that the Americans beat Cuba 6-1).  For the US to clinch a birth in the Cup, the team needs Tim Howard to be at his best.  Hopefully an increased focus on proper defensive alignment and general ball-protecting skills will enable him to command his 18 like he has in the previous months of qualifying.

 

Overall the US national team is in a great place.  Sitting second in CONCACAF with ten points, the US is in an excellent position to clinch a birth in the 2010 World Cup.  Landon Donovan, the heartbeat of the team, has been playing extremely well in qualifying.  Rising stars like Jozy Altidore and Brian Ching (when healthy) have given Coach Bob Bradley offensive options that Bruce Arena was lacking in 2006.  However, there are still several areas for improvement.  If the problematic areas highlighted in this article can be addressed and reformed before the Mexico match in August, then there is no reason why the Americans cannot serious content for the World Cup title in 2010.  However, these problems need to be addressed immediately before they spiral out of control in Mexico, where the Americans have never won in World Cup qualifying.

Kobe Doin’ Work Needs Work

Last night ESPN broadcasted the television premier of Spike Lee’s documentary Kobe Doin’ Work, a 90-minute piece highlighted by Kobe Bryant giving commentary on a game he played against the San Antonio Spurs last season. When asked earlier this year by ESPN.com about focusing an entire documentary on one player, Lee had the following response:

But you have to pick a great player if you want to focus on him the whole game. Someone who commands presence. Kobe's coaching, too, telling people where to go on the court and encouraging his teammates. On the bench, he's doing stuff. So, I think it's a great portrait of one of the true giants in team sports today.
(http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/features/kobedoinwork)

This statement exemplifies Lee’s sentiment that Bryant was chosen because of his “presence”: his ability to be a leader in a team sport. Despite Lee’s best efforts to distinguish Bryant as a leader on the court, Bryant instead comes off of aloof and not genuine for much of the documentary. Rather then having a Jordan-esque or LeBron-esque presence throughout the contest, Bryant appears to either be trying to hard to please the cameras or not trying hard enough to motivate his teammates throughout the documentary.

The majority of Bryant’s contrived efforts to please the cameras come from the commentary he provides to Lee about his performance throughout the documentary. Rather than hearing genuine, detailed breakdown of his performance or the performance of other people on the court, the audience for the most part hears snippets of commentary that are lacking the substance one would expect based on Lee’s quote above.

When breaking down the Lakers’ offense, Bryant downgrades the importance of strategy employed by Coach Phil Jackson. According to Bryant, Jackson sets the tone and provides the framework but the players actually provide the strategy and execution within the game. This statement leaves the audience wanting more information from Bryant. How does the team determine which sets to run against certain defensive sets? Who are the major options in the offense during the different moments in the game? While he introduces the topic of the triangle offense, Bryant does not provide any insight into how the offense is run. Instead, the audiences gets a dozen different views of Bryant running up and down the floor with no real emotional substance.

Occasionally, Bryant does an excellent job of providing insight into the game within the game. He mentions that Bruce Bowen defends him so well that Bowen knows the direction that Bryant will travel before he even makes a move with the ball. However, a few minutes later Bryant will make an obtuse statement that he provides little information to support. For example, Bryant mentions that Sasha Vujacic is an excellent shooter. Again, the audience is left wondering what makes Vujacic an excellent shooter (other than the obvious video evidence of him hitting a jumper). Instead of providing more insight here, Bryant finishes his argument by poking fun at Vujacic for not being able to dunk on anyone during the game.

Bryant is clearly an intelligent, worldly person, but without substance to justify many of his statements throughout the documentary he comes across as smug. If Lee’s intent was to connect his audience to Bryant on a more intimate level, this attempt failed because of Bryant’s inability to make strong arguments about anything that he discussing during the 90-minute segment. One is left wondering if Bryant is always this aloof or if he refuses to make strong statements due to the fact that he is on camera and he would rather shy away from saying anything that can be misconstrued as critical of another person or himself.

With respect to the lack of motivation for other Lakers’ players playing alongside Bryant, many of Bryant’s interactions with his teammates appear contrived. During timeouts and the halftime break, Bryant pulls select teammates aside and gives them short speeches about what they need to do during the next segment of the game. However, the exchanges are often one-sided and cold. At one point, Bryant tells Pau Gasol to run behind him during on of their offensive sets. In response, Gasol nods. In his running commentary, Kobe boasts about how he is always trying to make his teammates better players and that they understand that. However, in this exchange Gasol reacted as if he was being told what to do, rather than accepting Bryant’s advice as encouraging or helpful.

Additionally, Bryant appears to have a very bizarre relationship with Coach Jackson. While on the bench in the first half of the game, Bryant yells down the bench to Jackson to inform him that he wants to return to the game. Rather than arguing with his star, Jackson relents and lets Bryant re-enter the contest. Providing commentary of the incident, Bryant laughs and states that he and Jackson have a relationship where he can make decisions and the coach must relent. At halftime, when Jackson is attempting to review tape from the first half with the team, Bryant repeatedly interjects his own opinions while Jackson is addressing the team. It would not be foolish to assume that the two men have a mutual understanding that this interaction is allowed; however, Jackson is uncomfortable every time that Bryant overextends his authority. Bryant’s frequent interruptions come off as an attempt to establish his presence as team leader off the court. This contrived effort is the product of his inability to genuinely reach out to his Lakers’ teammates on the court.

Despite the cold interactions, there are moments when the exchanges appear friendly. Towards the end of the game when the Lakers have a large lead, Bryant teases Sasha Vujacic in Italian, a language that both players speak. Then, a few minutes later, Vujacic and Bryant have a conversation on the bench in Spanish with Gasol. One can safely assume that these exchanges occur on a daily basis between the teammates, as Bryant spent several years during his adolescence playing basketball in Europe.

While Bryant makes a heart-felt effort to reach out to his teammates in the latter minutes of the contest, Bryant’s sense of self-importance again shines through at the end of the game. In the locker room, conversation turns to “MVP” chants for Bryant from the Lakers’ fans and the fact that Bryant’s daughters held up “Daddy for MVP” signs behind the Lakers’ bench during the game. Bryant jokingly states that he stayed up late the night before helping his daughters make the signs. While it is clear that Bryant says this in jest, one is left wondering if he does in fact keep his own MVP campaign at the forefront of his mind at all times. Bryant even continues discussing the MVP-related aspects of the game as Jackson tries to present a post-game speech to the squad. Clearly, Bryant is a great talent and attempts to take a leadership role within the team; however, Bryant’s own self-aggrandizement and phoniness diminish from Lee’s attempt to present Bryant in the limelight.

Lee stated earlier in this article that Bryant is “one of the true giants in team sports today”. Unfortunately for the director and the star, this message is lost throughout the entire documentary. Bryant’s lack of personality and substance throughout the piece serves to celebrate the other players and teams that stand out as cohesive units in the NBA. The Boston Celtics have three star players, and throughout every game they play together the Big Three approach every aspect of the game with exuberant emotion. In Cleveland, the Cavaliers would go to war for LeBron James – they defer to him often but at the same token identify him as a natural leader. In contract, Bryant and the Lakers appear without sincere emotion and cohesiveness during the documentary. Kobe Doin’ Work diminishes, rather than supports, Lee’s statement that Bryant is one of the true giants in team sports. Bryant is certainly someone who commands presence, but that presence is unfortunately without sincerity or substance.

LeBron James: The Best Athlete in Sports

The term “athlete” is thrown around every day in the sports world when discussion ensues about people who excel at their given sports. Some argue that Tiger Woods is the best athlete in sports because he has dominated golf more than any other person has dominated his sport this decade. Others state that Tom Brady is the best athlete in sports because he has been a consistent winner in a team-focused game throughout his entire professional career. Alex Rodriguez (steroids or no steroids) is widely considered the best athlete in sports because of the monstrous statistical numbers that he puts up year after year in a game where statistics are considered holy.

While all three men mentioned above – and dozens of others - dominate their particular positions in their specific sports, this domination does not necessary make them supreme athletes. According to dictionary.com, an athlete is defined as “a person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts”. Therefore, in order to determine who the best athlete is in sports today, it needs to be determined what current athlete embodies the best mix of natural/acquired traits and excellence in a competitive context. In translation, what athlete has the natural ability, honed talents, and tendencies to rise to the moment that separates him from all other athletes currently playing sports?

Natural ability is best exemplified by the sheer strength, size, agility and speed that the athlete embodies. These traits cannot be acquired legally in the sports world (although many athletes attempt to acquire these attributes illegally); one must be born with these traits and develop them over time.

Honed talents are specific to the game that the athlete participates in. A great running back holds the ball properly, catches out of the backfield and hedges pass-rushers away from the quarterback. A star pitcher perfects his release point, hits the corners of home plate, and changes the movement on pitches depending on the stance of the hitter. An all-star point guard makes the right bounce pass, can hit a pull-up jumper, and dribbles the ball as if it were attached to his hand on a string. All of these honed talents are preceded by natural inclinations based on the athlete’s natural abilities and perfected by training and coaching.

Ability to rise to the moment means that the athlete lavishes in the “big moment” – a particular game, or time within a game, where the athlete is entrusted to and actually does deliver. Whether it be a birdie putt on the 72nd green or a pass on the final lap at Daytona, a great athlete does what he needs to do in order to succeed on the grandest stage of his sport and is consistently successful.

While a plethora of world-class athletes embody two of these qualities at a peak level across all sports, it is very rare when the athlete ranks towards the top of his peer group in all three categories simultaneously. LeBron James is the one athlete today that unquestionably finds himself in the elite class across all three athletic characteristics. Both Tiger and Tom Brady have wonderfully-honed skills and are the most clutch performers in their respective sports, but neither man is supremely athletically gifted by nature. A-Rod is a naturally gifted baseball player and a finely tuned athlete, but he is notorious for failing in the spotlight. In contrast, LeBron is a natural freak, a superb basketball talent, and a supremely clutch performer.

LeBron is officially listed as 6’8” and 250 pounds. He is also a small forward. In comparison, Dwight Howard is listed as 6’11” and 265 pounds, and he is one of the most dominant centers in the NBA. The fact that LeBron is almost the same size as one of the premier centers in the NBA is amazing considering the position that he plays. Additionally, his body type is unlike any other body type seen in basketball history for a man his size. He has a 7’0” wingspan and can leap 44” in the air. His broad shoulders and wide chest allow LeBron to mow down the lane and overpower opponents even larger than Dwight Howard. The total package enables LeBron to blow past guards, square up over forwards, and dunk over centers. He can compete and conquer anyone he faces on the court because he is genetically predisposed to do so.

There has not been a player above 6’8” as skilled in the game of basketball as LeBron James since Magic Johnson retired nearly two decades ago. LeBron can score at will from anywhere on the floor. He also handles the basketball extremely well, which enables him to create his own shot or spread the defense for a better passing lane. Speaking of his passing, LeBron is one of the best passers in the NBA. He is smart enough to pass up a bad shot for an opportunity for a teammate with a better look at the basket. Defensively LeBron is perennially one of the toughest match-ups in basketball. He is quick enough to steal the ball from the NBA’s best point guards and has the reaction time to block shots and rebound above men taller than him. When all of the qualities are considered together, LeBron’s basketball IQ reads off the charts. His athletic ability enables him to make plays that few other players can make, but this ability combined with his basketball talents results in the exudation of athleticism from LeBron.

As stated earlier, a great athlete becomes a superior athlete when he is able to play his best with the most on the line. Even though he is only 24 years old, LeBron James has quickly proven himself as one of the most clutch athletes in sports. He has made several game-winning shots, both in the regular season and in the playoffs, in his short career. Perhaps even more importantly, his decision-making ability in these end-of-game situations is amazing. If LeBron does not have an open look at the hoop, he will defer to a teammate for a better opportunity to score the basket. On top of that, LeBron usually defers to the right teammate – the person who has the best chance at scoring when the Cavaliers need points. Rather than shying away from the limelight, LeBron embraces it. He wears his emotions in his sleeve, and the higher that the stakes are the more confident basketball fans are that he will deliver when needed.

Finally, no major team sport is as individually affected as basketball. Tennis and golf are true individual sports, but the athlete is competing against himself as much as he is competing against the field. All the other major sports (football, baseball, hockey, soccer) are team sports where the success of a star athlete can be adversely affected by the success of his opponent or the failure of his teammates. In basketball, an individual player can single-handedly affect the outcome of a game. Therefore, basketball allows for an athlete to alter the course of events more-so than any other sport. LeBron James is predisposed to be a great athlete because he plays a game that allows him to seek and perform in the limelight. The qualities he embodies – natural ability, honed talents, and clutch performance – enable LeBron to be one of the best athletes in sports. The fact that he plays a sport where individual excellence can single-handedly result in team excellence pushes LeBron over the edge into a class of his own as the best athlete in sports.

Fire Isiah!

Last week, Knicks GM Donnie Walsh announced that Isaiah Thomas would not be returning to the sideline as the franchise’s head coach next season. While New York City has let out a collective sigh of relief upon hearing this announcement, and while this declaration is the first of many changes Walsh will likely make to this struggling organization, that fact remains that this is not necessarily the best move for the team. The rally cry of Knicks’ fans over the past season has been "Fire Isaiah", but Knicks management has done no such thing to date.

According to Walsh, Thomas will stay with the Knicks as a "personal advisor". Many people suspect that the Knicks do not want to go through litigation and a buyout to complete eliminate Thomas from the organization, choosing instead to hide him behind the scenes and to keep him as far from the public eye as possible.

The major problem with this decision is that it is emblematic of the Knicks problems over the last few seasons that Thomas has been charged with running to organization. Rather than taking a strong stand and completely ridding the franchise of problems, Walsh and the rest of the organization has chosen to instead push a specific problem (Thomas) to the side. Addressing the issue head-on would allow the organization to completely rid itself of perhaps its worst era in history. While Walsh is celebrated across the NBA as an excellent executive, it is worrisome that some of these recent Knicks qualities (indecisiveness, ignorance) may have already seeped into his leadership.

Furthermore, Walsh side-stepped another report that came out on Monday which stated that, per Walsh’s instruction, Thomas was to have no direct contact with any Knicks players in his current position. Not only is this evidence that Walsh views Thomas as a destructive member in the Knicks’ organization, but it is also evidence of the fact that Walsh does not want Thomas to have anything to do with the franchise.

This entire situation reeks of passive aggressiveness. Knicks management understands that it must rid the franchise of any connection to Thomas. By removing him from the bench, barring him from any decision-making responsibilities concerning the organization, and preventing him from contacting any players directly, Knicks management is sending an unmistakable message that it no longer wants Thomas in a relationship with the Knicks.

The fact remains, however, that he is still a Knicks employee. This sends a paradoxical message to all parties involved: embarrass the franchise, recklessly spend money, endure two years of losing records, but you can still keep your job. It appears that no matter how many mistakes Thomas makes, the Knicks do not plan on ridding themselves of him until his "undisclosed" contract extension that he signed in March 2007 ends. The Knicks would rather absorb the collateral costs of keeping Thomas employed than to negotiate a buyout and finally allow this two-year long scar on the franchise heal.

Perhaps the most ironic aspect of this situation is that the Knicks do not want to buyout Thomas’ contract despite the fact that - thanks to Thomas’s contract negotiation skills - the franchise will pay the painful trio of Zach Randolph, Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford more money in 2010 ($38.6 million) than it paid them this year ($30.1 million). An extra $5 or $10 million dollars to save face and completed rid the franchise of Thomas’ tarnish is definitely worth the price, especially when considered alongside the tens of millions of dollars that the Knicks have thrown at questionable acquisitions. However, until James Dolan and Walsh end the Thomas era in the Knicks front-office, the franchise will not full be able to recover from the horrors of the last two seasons.

The Rise and Fall of Pedro Martinez

"I actually realized that I was somebody important, because I caught the attention of 60,000 people, plus you guys, plus the whole world watching a guy that if you reverse the time back 15 years ago, I was sitting under a mango tree without 50 cents to actually pay for a bus. And today, I was the center of attention of the whole city of New York."
October 14, 2004

There is no quote that better personifies Pedro Martinez’s major league career than the quote above from the 2004 American League Championship Series. Born in a poor, suburban part of the Dominican Republic, Pedro has parlayed an explosive fastball from his small frame into one of the most unusual, yet exciting careers in modern baseball history. Built by God to defy the baseball odds (few power pitchers in history have been as dominate as Pedro Martinez has been in the last decade, despite the fact that he is one of the smallest pitchers in the game), no pitcher is as hypnotizingly charismatic as Pedro. Listed among the top pitchers of all-time, no player has galvanized (positively or negatively) as many fan bases since the early 1990s as Pedro.

However, for all of the imprints that Pedro has left on the game of baseball, the fact is that he is at the end of his career. Since the start of the 2007 season, Pedro has only started six games. In his first two seasons with the Mets, Pedro averaged 27 starts per season. Since the start of the 2007 season, Pedro’s ERA is 4.34 and his average strikeouts per nine innings (K/9) are 9.54. Throughout his entire career Pedro has a 2.81 ERA with an average of 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Still as crafty as ever, Pedro managed to earn himself the number two position in the Mets’ rotation coming into this season. However, Pedro had to relinquish this role last week when he strained his left hamstring in his first start of the 2008 season.

While the fastball may not have the zip it once did, Pedro’s pitching has always been more of an art form than a blitzkrieg. "Crafty" is an adjective that gets thrown around too much in describing non-power pitchers, but Pedro – health permitting – is still craftier than most pitchers despite the fact that he did not reach 90 on the radar gun in his April 1st start. His fastball has always been a bit deceiving, a rocket of a pitch in the late 1990s that would hit 95 or 96 on the radar gun but seemed to whiz by Yankee and Blue Jay bats ten miles per hour faster. Pedro’s change-up has always fed off of his deceiving fastball – a pitch that comes out of his hand looking like a fastball but traveling to the plate about fifteen miles per hour slower. His best pitch may be his third option: the curveball. Pedro’s breaking ball has a late snap to it, slider movement with curveball velocity. At one point in his career Pedro could throw a nasty slider as a fourth pitch when needed; however, his deteriorating health prevents him from throwing a pitch that requires so much arm action. With the increased wear-and-tear on his body, Pedro came out of the gate this season throwing a cutter for the first time in his career. Creativity and inventiveness have never been qualities that Pedro has lacked. The major issue now with Pedro is that these traits become ineffective for the Mets when Pedro is not healthy enough to pitch.

Herein lies the sad truth of Pedro Martinez, 2008 edition: he is an old solider. As General Douglas MacArthur stated at the end of his military career, ""Old soldiers never die; they just fade away." Pedro is fading away. Still too proud, and perhaps a little too young to simply retire, Pedro is attempting to stretch out his career for a few more years, maybe to win one more World Series ring, maybe to solidify his status as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. The man who only had 50 cents and a mango tree to his name in the 1980s is fully aware that his supreme baseball ability is fizzling away and out of his control. His recent stints on the disabled list over the last few years place Pedro in this MacArthurian archetype: a pitcher who refuses to retire yet continues to fade out of on-the-field relevance due to his inability to consistently pitch.

The one fact that any fan that is new to the game of baseball should remember when viewing this current edition of Pedro is that this is not emblematic of the man who galvanized the entire Red Sox Nation in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Pedro Martinez will go down as one of the top ten pitchers of all-time when he finally throws in the towel. The fact that Pedro refuses to throw in the towel shows just how electric of a baseball personality he still is. A lightning rod for media attention and rival criticism, Pedro will be the center of baseball media attention for as long as he can continue to take the mound. The major question at this current point in Pedro’s career is just how much longer, if ever again, Pedro will be able to take the mound in the majors.

The NFL’s Contenders and Pretenders through Week 6

As the seventh Sunday of the NFL season approaches, there are a handful of teams that have separated themselves from the rest of the pack in the race to Super Bowl XLII in Glendale, Arizona in February.

The high-flying New England Patriots look to be the biggest threat to go 16-0 in the regular season since the 1998 Denver Broncos, who started the season 13-0 before a Week 14 loss in the Meadowlands to the New York Giants. The 21st Century rivals of the Patriots – the Indianapolis Colts – have an equally explosive offense, an undefeated record, and a Week 9 match-up with the Patriots in the RCA Dome. In the NFC, the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers appear to be at the head of the class. Each team is entering Week 7 with a 5-1 record, weak divisional opponents remaining on the schedule, and a solid offense that has the ability to put up points in short spurts.

With these four teams clearly a rung higher on the NFL ladder than the rest of the league, there is a question as to how good the next level of teams is. For argument’s sake, this article will attempt to divvy up the six teams in the NFL that have four wins through Week 6. Which of these four-win teams has a shot to knock off their superior conference opponents come January? Which of these teams has too many holes to fill in before playoff time? Which one of these teams will be lucky to get to .500 this season, let alone punch a ticket to Glendale?

Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1): Contenders
Out of this six-win group, the Steelers might be the best team. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has already won a Super Bowl with the Steelers, so he has the experience in order to guide the team to the big game again. The Steelers also have a run-oriented offense with explosive running back Willie Parker, and historically teams with a run-oriented offense are able to control the pace of the games they play in and dictate their own game-play tempo. Perhaps the biggest reason why the Steelers should be considered threats in the AFC is because they have arguably the best defense in the conference. Through five games the Steelers have only given up 47 points – that is less than ten points per game. By comparison, the Colts and Patriots have allowed their opponents to score 88 and 92 points, respectively, with one more game played. A strong running attack and a stingy defense are two major ingredients in the recipe for a Super Bowl champion; as of today, this Steelers squad appears to be made of the right stuff to take on the Patriots and Colts in late January.

Baltimore Ravens (4-2): Pretenders
Since their victory in Super Bowl XXXV, the Ravens have had the same problem that has yet to be resolved: a complete lack of offensive productivity. Head Coach Brian Billick has an offensive background, serving as Denny Green’s offensive coordinator in Minnesota from 1992-1998. Despite this background, Billick has not been able to get the necessary production from his offense to make the Ravens a perennial threat, and this season is no different. An offense led by Kyle Boller (or an aging Steve McNair, take your pick) is an anemic offense at best. Additionally, the team’s point differential through six games is a minuscule ten points, far from the dominance that a team needs to make a run for the Lombardi Trophy. Furthermore, the Ravens’ schedule to this point in the season leaves much to be desired, as the team’s four wins have come against the Jets, Cardinals, 49ers, and Rams, four teams with a combined record of 6-17. Piggybacking on this schedule argument, the Ravens still have to play the Steelers twice, a second game against a pesky Cleveland Browns team, at San Diego, against New England, against Indianapolis, and at Seattle. If the Ravens can at least split these difficult games then they will have proven themselves a serious contender in January, but as of today Billick’s squad is doing nothing but pretending.

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-1): Pretenders
The Jaguars have put up gaudy numbers to this point in the regular season, and these numbers have earned the team a place in this argument. A 3-1 division record in the toughest division in football (the AFC South), a 2-0 road record, and a +42 point differential to start the season highlight just how consistent the Jags have been through Week 6. The two-headed running attack of Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor has allowed the Jags to mix up their running attack and spell one solid running with another on any down. Schedule-wise, the Jags have a moderately difficult schedule to end the season – games at Indianapolis and Pittsburgh line up next to games at home against Buffalo and Oakland in November in December. However, the major hurdle for the Jags to overcome to make a serious run for the Super Bowl is a mental hurdle that has handicapped the franchise over the last few years: the Jags always play to the level of their opponent. While those games against Buffalo and Oakland appear to be winnable (and should be for a team this talented and well-coached), they are in reality just as winnable as the games against Indy and Pittsburgh, because the team plays at a lower level against weaker opponents. Their six-point win at home against Atlanta in Week 2 and their ten-point win in Kansas City against a bad Chiefs team in Week 5 are evidence of their perpetual languid effort against inferior opponents. Playoff football is as much mental as it is physical, and the Jags have yet to prove that they have the mental discipline to be a serious playoff contender.

New York Giants (4-2): Contenders
Who would have thought two months ago that the Tiki Barber-less Giants would be a serious threat in the NFC East? Who would have believed this same statement two weeks ago when a banged-up Brandon Jacobs was on the sideline for the G-Men? Despite these rhetorical questions, the recent success of the Giants alongside the absence of a stud running back for the run-oriented franchise is one of the biggest surprises of the NFL season through Week 6. Eli Manning is finally developing into the Giants’ franchise quarterback, Plaxico Burris has kept his ego in check (for the most part), the offensive line has solidified and given Manning the necessary time to make wise decisions in the pocket, and the defensive line has been nothing short of dominant. The main question mark for the Giants seems to be the running game, but the team currently ranks twelfth in the NFL in rushing yards per game (128.8) and the Giants have three running backs who have run for over 100 yards to this point in the season. In fact, the injury to Jacobs may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Giants, since they are able to give more carries to Derrick Ward and Rueben Droughns, which provides more flexibility in rushing offense personnel. With a very easy schedule throughout the rest of the season – the toughest game left for the Giants is a Week 17 match-up at home against the Patriots – the Giants can easily slide into place as a serious contender for the Lombardi Trophy in the NFC alongside the Packers and Cowboys.

Carolina Panthers (4-2): Pretenders
The Panthers are a difficult team to figure out. Through Week 6, the team has had a weak schedule with no truly impressive wins (their best win might be last week’s victory over Arizona), mediocre statistics (15th in points scored, 23rd in total yards), and a huge question mark in the quarterback position (their current starter is the 43 year-old Vinny Testaverde). However, like the Giants, the Panthers have an easy schedule throughout the rest of the season - save games against the Colts and Cowboys - and a multifaceted running offense with DeAngelo Williams and DeShaun Foster both rushing for over 200 yards through Week 6. On the other hand, the Panthers have a low point differential of +13 and a 0-2 home record alongside a 4-0 road record. It is the enigmatic state of the team that will prevent the Panthers from making the leap to contender territory. Teams that win Super Bowls have distinct identities – it is the nature of a champion to leave its own personalized stamp on the league. The Patriots, Colts, Cowboys and Packers all have this defining quality or set of qualities that are well-known throughout the league. In contrast, the Panthers are a team without an outstanding identity. This is the main reason that the team has had so many questions at quarterback, and it will be the main reason why the Panthers are watching the Super Bowl in Charlotte in early February.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2): Contenders
Much like their divisional opponent Carolina, the Bucs are a team that is largely under the radar around the NFL. However, unlike Carolina, the Bucs have proven themselves to be a strong team and an early favorite to win the puzzling NFL South. Most importantly, the team has a proven leader in Jeff Garcia. Although Garcia has been a journeyman quarterback since he left San Francisco, he brings experience and stability to a franchise that has been lacking these qualities since its victory in Super Bowl XXXVII. While the Bucs’ offense has been futile at best so far this season, the defense have picked up the slack, currently ranking 5th in points allowed and 12th in yards allowed. Wins over the Panthers and the Tennessee Titans prove that the team has what it takes to win games against tough opponents, a vital characteristic for title contenders. Additionally, the Bucs have no games against other contenders for the rest of the season – their two toughest games left on the schedule are versus Jacksonville and at Houston, two very winnable games. Finally, the Bucs have a coach who has lead them to the promise land before. Jon Gruden is a Super Bowl winning coach who has altered his coaching style since the Super Bowl in order to be more accommodating of the changing needs of his roster. The combination of Gruden’s flexibility and experience, when combined with the other aforementioned characteristics, puts the Bucs alongside the Giants and Steelers amongst the group of four-win Super Bowl contenders through Week 6 in the NFL season.

The Unsung Heroes of October

For the total sports fan, there is no better month than October. January has the BCS bowl games and the NFL Playoffs, March has its Madness, and May has the NBA and NHL Playoffs, but October is the resting place of the greatest annual amalgam of sporting contests. With everything from baseball to hockey to soccer (yes, soccer) becoming more relevant, it is the right time to take a look at who helps make major college and professional sports so relevant at this time of year. The unsung heroes are the men who are acting - intentionally or unintentionally – to make their sports special, even if they do not receive the same press as the A-Rods and Peyton Mannings of the world.

MLB – Mike Lowell, 3B, Boston Red Sox
Two off-seasons ago when the Red Sox traded for Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell was “the other guy” involved in the trade. While the Sox originally took Lowell on as a charity case – the Marlins traded him along with Beckett to get rid of his $9 million-a-year contract – Mike Lowell has turned into the solidifying figure of the 2007 Red Sox. Men like David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Josh Beckett, and Jonathan Papelbon receive the glory, but Lowell embodies the guts and grit of this Red Sox team.

Lowell’s season-long stat line speaks for itself: 154 games, .324 batting average, .879 OBS, 37 doubles, 21 home runs, and 120 RBIs. With several Red Sox starters in and out of the lineup throughout the season with injury problems, Lowell has maintained his health and his fifth spot in the Red Sox lineup. With several rookies making immediate impacts on the roster, Lowell has led by example and been a stabilizing, stoic presence in the Red Sox dugout. As the Red Sox gear up for the ALCS, Lowell’s heroic ways will garner more and more attention as the Red Sox attempt to garner their second World Series crown in four years.

NFL – Eric Mangini, Head Coach, New York Jets
The New England Patriots have been a whirling dervish throughout the first five weeks of the NFL season, tearing apart anything and anyone in their path. While some excellent off-season acquisitions – Randy Moss, Adalius Thomas, and Sammy Morris, among others – have played a role in dominance of the team to this point, the real person to thank for the dominance of the Patriots is Public Enemy Number 1 in Patriots’ camp: Eric Mangini.

By ratting out his former boss after a Week 1 loss in New Jersey, Eric Mangini has lit a fuse underneath Bill Belichick and the entire Patriots team. No longer satisfied with merely beating opponents, the Patriots are now demoralizing their opponents. The Patriots have outscored their first five opponents by an average margin of 23 points-per-game and outgained their opponents by a staggering 177 yards-per-game. Tom Brady has a quarterback rating of 128.7, the team has two running backs (Sammy Morris and Laurence Maroney) and two receivers (Randy Moss and Wes Welker) on pace for 1,000 yards each this season, and the defense and special teams are pretty good as well. While Belicheck is an artist when it comes to Xs and Os, Mangini has been his inspiration. Without the surfacing of the cheating allegations, it is possible that the Patriots might be showing some mercy to their opponents. Instead, the boys from Foxboro have been tearing through their opponents at full-throttle and look to be as good of a threat as ever to go 16-0 in the regular season.

College Football - Jim Leauitt, Head Coach, University of South Florida
Many people predicted that a few teams from the Big East would make to this point in the college football season and still be undefeated. Nobody predicted that one of these undefeated teams – and the highest ranked team in the conference – would be the University of South Florida.

While Louisville and Rutgers have both lost multiple times already this season and fallen completely out of BCS title contention, South Florida has picked up where the defeated powers left off. If a 26-23 victory at Auburn on September 8 was a statement game for the Bulls, then their September 28 victory over then fifth-ranked West Virginia put an exclamation point on that statement. The man behind the magic is Jim Leauitt, a humble, modest man who has taken full advantage of his school’s Florida location to build an under-the-radar BCS title contender. South Florida is as small-time as a big-time team can be in the BCS title run, but the team has played beautifully with the big boys to this point in the year.

NHL – Chris Drury, Forward, New York Rangers
Although the NHL season has just begun (for those of you at home the NHL season has actually begun), professional hockey needs a big boost in its biggest market. With the addition of a man nicknamed “Hockey God” by ESPN’s John Buccigross to the New York Rangers, the NHL unknowingly made a stride towards making hockey relevance again in New York City. Drury is a former Calder Trophy winner, Presidents Trophy winner and Stanley Cup winner. In his first two games as a Ranger Drury has three points. For the NHL to avoid 1.1 primetime television ratings again this year, the league needs a big team with a big-time talent. Chris Drury has proven to be “the man” in the past, and for the sake of professional hockey he needs to do the same again this year when the eyes of eight million New Yorkers on him.

English Premiership – Emmanuel Adebayor, Forward, Arsenal
Across the “Pond”, the fandom of the MLB, NFL, College Football and NHL combined are encompassed in one league: the English Premiership. While soccer does not receive the press in should in the States, the Premiership is arguably the most popular national sporting league in the world. Arsenal has been the Yankees of the Premiership over the last several years, with a vivacious Russian owner named Alisher Usmanov who has poured hundreds of millions of dollars into building the best team in all of soccer. Despite all of his personal investing, all-world forward Thierry Henry left Arsenal at the end of last season to play for FC Barcelona in La Liga in Spain and therefore left a huge gap in Arsenal’s offense. Despite Henry’s departure, Arsenal is currently ranked at the top of the Premiership, thanks in large part to a man from (of all places) Togo.

After signing a long-term contract with Arsenal in May, Emmanuel Adebayor has filled Henry’s large shoes to the tune of six goals in the six games he has started. The unlikely scoring machine has been the perfect compliment to more-famous Arsenal stars like Tomas Rosicky and Francesc Fabregas. If Adebayor can keep scoring goals against the world’s best at his currently torrid pace, his fame will soon be sung throughout the Premiership for years to come. As of now, Arsenal and its fans will take Adebayor’s goal-scoring ways under the radar so long as the squad remains atop the Premiership standings.


Whether you are a fan of football or futbol, professional sports or amateur sports, there is definitely something to cheer for in October. Hockey has just started, football and soccer are in full bloom, and baseball is at its climax of emotion and excitement. If anyone tells you that this October is lacking in star power, just remind them that some of the biggest October stars often emerge largely unsung and off of the media radar. The stars would tell you themselves, but they are too busy benefiting their sports outside of the limelight.