by Terrence Mayrose
Greivis Vasquez : A proven winner or desperate to be the center of attention ?
All I could think of while watching and suffering through the home stretch of that Duke-Maryland game was what exactly to make of Greivis Vaquez’s actions. My gut instinct was to characterize it as another “look at me” type of performance that is not much different from a little child screaming in the grocery store becuase of what it’s aimed for : attention. You saw the act.. the chest pounding, the pointing to the stands, raising his arms, and putting his hand to his ear saying “I can’t hear you”. I was utterly disgusted that he couldn’t just play, and win the game. He made it a show. My attention wasn’t focused on saluting his performance for beating my Dukies, it was not focused on how dumb he looked. Let’s be serious. He’s easily one of the top 10, possibly top 5 players in the country. Does he really need to hear the fans chanting to be the best player on the court ? Doubtful.
by Terrence Mayrose
Coaches Get On Board With the T & 2
Finally ! Finally ! Finally ! Yes, I screamed that three times in the past week while watching 
Rutgers upset Georgetown, the Celtics beat the Kings, and, most recently, Syracuse knock off Georgetown. Why was I so excited about an awful NJ school, an elderly team whose fans have awful accents, and a whiny coach who won’t play man to man ? Simple. In the final seconds, THEY ALL FOULED; UP THREE….and of course… THEY ALL WON .
I couldn’t believe it. I was elated. As the texts from T and 2 readers like James Alberino, John Strange, Jon Snediker and Bill Hassett rolled in throughout the week, I just kept smiling. By the time Syracuse hacked up three, I had perfected the Judd Nelson-Breakfast Club fist pump. Continue reading »
by Terrence Mayrose
Kentucky Basketball Falls From Its perch. Who’s Next? 
The 75-76’ Indiana Hoosiers can breathe a little easier now that Kentucky, the last remaining unbeaten team this season, has suffered it’s first loss to South Carolina. Led by an array of tough, clutch, and “how the hell did he hit that” shots from Devan Downey, the Gamecocks made Kentucky’s stay atop the polls very short.
The recent upset of John (“ never actually been to a Final Four”) Calipari, John (“one and done”) Wall and Kentucky as well as the memories of Mario Chalmers trey to beat an undefeated Memphis in 08’ show that even the best of the best can take a loss. Which makes hoopsters wonder: Will there ever be another undefeated champion ?
Devan Downey dropped thirty in the 68-62 upset, and put himself on the map as one of the nation’s best scorers; although Gamecock
faithful will be quick to tell you that he’s no fluke. The Chester, S.C. native spurned his home state by electing to attend Cincinnati as a freshman. After posting 11.9 ppg in his freshman year, Downey decided to come home, and it’s been all good since. After sitting out the ’06-’07 season, Downey’s scored 18.4 ppg (07-08),and 19.8(08-09). He’s even better this season as Downey’s 22.4 ppg leads the SEC. With a scorer like this, and a decent record, 12-8 (3-3), The Gamecocks have a shot to be a dark horse in the SEC tournament. After all, they have shown they can play with (and beat) the best.
Now that no unbeatens remain, who is the frontrunner for a national title? With such a crop of great teams atop the polls there may not be just one, but Kansas stands out. Bill Self’s crew is currently 19-1 with their only setback to #14 Tennessee. A January 30th trip to #13 Kansas State, and Feb 8th trip to #6 Texas could yield two wins that would give the Jayhawks the most impressive resume in the country. It should also be noted that Kansas currently ranks 2nd in both Offensive and Defensive Efficiency and you know how much we like that.
Speaking of frontrunners… CBSSports.com’s Gary Parrish points out that the end of January is a great time to find out who will make the Final Four. Parrish stated that in the past five seasons, at least three of the Final Four teams (all four in ’08) have been in the Top Ten during the last week of January. Remember to refer back to this in March when filling out your sheets. Kentucky, Kansas, Villanova, Syracuse, Michigan State, Texas, Georgetown, Duke, West Virginia and Purdue are your current candidates.
Gil Lock Returns For NFL Postseason
Back by popular demand, Gil Lock of Ryno Rife Sports Handicappers ventures out of his collegiate 
comfort zone to bring you his opinions on this weekend’s divisional round. Those that followed Rife With Opinions during the college football season remember that Gil came under a bit of fire as he struggled for much of the campaign. He finished with a strong bowl season, however, and is willing to share his thoughts on how this weekend’s NFL playoff games will unfold. Here we go.
New Orleans Saints – Arizona Cardinals Under 57
(Saturday 4:30 EST-FOX) Classic contrarian pick here, with a little logic thrown in for good measure. Drew Brees hasn’t played for real in almost a month. He may take a quarter or so to get going while I don’t think the Cardinals will have as much success once New Orleans gets a look at the Green Bay game film.
Indianapolis Colts – 6 1/2 over Baltimore Ravens
(Saturday 8:00 EST-CBS) The Colts have put themselves squarely behind the eight ball by forfeiting their last two games. If they don’t win it all, they’ll never hear the end of it. Baltimore’s secondary isn’t what it used to be, even at full strength, let alone with Ed Reed nursing a sore groin. Peyton Manning should devour the Ravens’ blitzes while Joe Flacco struggles to keep up.
Dallas Cowboys + 2 1/2 over Minnesota Vikings
(Sunday 1:00 EST-FOX) This one will break the heart of my good friend F-r-a-n-k Tufano, but I don’t see the Vikings recovering from their stumbling finish. Dallas may be the hottest team in football right now and absolutely has the better QB. Look for a big day from Jason Witten.
New York Jets +7 1/2 over San Diego Chargers
(Sunday 4:30 EST-CBS) Now, before Fireman Ed offers to take me out to dinner, let me say that San Diego wins this one. I just don’t think they have the firepower to run away and hide from the Jets’ defense. The Chargers incredibly tall receivers will force the Jets into adjustments that should open up the running game for San Diego.
By Eddie Mayrose
New York Mets GM Omar Minaya Feeling The Heat
In the middle of a week that saw John Lackey sign with the Red Sox and Roy Halladay traded to 
the Phillies, Omar Minaya has taken his share of pounding in the media for failing to do anything to improve the Metropolitan Baseball club. Made me think I missed an announcement that had Major League Baseball awarding a championship in December without playing a regular season schedule. Minaya offered little more than a request for patience; explaining that the Mets do have a plan and they’re content to let it run its course.
One thing in the GM’s favor is that three superstars; Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana will be returning to the roster. The presence of Reyes and Beltran in the lineup should serve to boost David Wright’s stats back to their normal range. While the Amazins’ desperately need starting pitching and failed to bring either Halladay or Lackey into the fold, Minaya does hve a little credit in the bank when it comes to preaching patience. He outlasted all contenders in free agent negotiations with Beltran and Pedro Martinez and gave up next to nothing to acquire Santana after waiting out the Red Sox and Yankees.
Fans and media alike are calling for any kind of deal as if the Mets are obligated to provide some show of good faith. They’ve already offered Jason Bay a four year deal but won’t go for five. Good for them. Putting fanatacism aside, does anyone really think Jason Bay will be worth $16 million in five years? If Minaya can ship Luis Castillo out of CitiField for Orlando Hudson, sign Bay and bring in one or two mid level starters (Ben Sheets, Justin Duchscherrer), he’ll be heading into 2010 with a very similar roster to the one that was picked by many to win the NL East in 2009.
Listen To Your Father, Kid. New York Jets December Preview
Have to admit I received the following preview of the Jets’ stretch run from Cheap Seater Keith Whelan with more than a little satisfaction. My attempt to educate fans of Gang Green to the presence of outside forces dedicated to their demise has started to hit home. Whelan, a long time season ticket holder, offered this opinion on how his favorite team would finish the season.
“It’s just too easy to expect the Jets to break our hearts again. We all know they will. But, now, I’ve taken your advice to go beyond the pessimistic view and look for the twisted one that will not only hurt but pour salt in the wound.” “The way I see it, we’ll easily beat Atlanta this week while Miami, Baltimore and Jacksonville lose. That puts us a game up and in control of our own fate; a very bad sign.” “We’ll head to Indy next week and shock everyone by knocking off the unbeaten Colts as they rest players.” “Then, facing a ‘win and we’re in’ game at home, we’ll be crushed by Cincinnati. They’ve hurt me too many times for me to see this thing turning out any other way.”
Nice job, Keith. The only thing I might add is a few Patriots’ losses that will have that Cincinnati defeat cost them the division as well. So, if you’re torn between holiday commitments and watching the Jets, it’s been our pleasure to free you up for some parties and shopping.
Russian Billionaire Takes Control of New Jersey Nets
Nets’ owner Bruce Ratner announced that an agreement has been reached with Mikhail Prokhorov regarding his stake in the Nets franchise and the proposed arena in Brooklyn. The final hurdle is approval by the remaining NBA owners who have already indicated they’d sign off on the deal. No decision has been reached on Prokhorov’s request that the Nets be allowed to play with seven men on the court and shoot at a nine foot basket.
Hey, Giants Football Fans, Come In Off The Ledge
While Sunday night’s loss to Philadelphia probably cost Big Blue any chance of winning the NFC East, the Giants still find themselves in the driver’s seat for a Wild Card berth. Yes, I know the defense was terrible; allowing back breaking plays at the end of the firat half and then, again, after the Jints had finally taken the lead. Yet, regardless of how the D performed, the Giants still win that game if not for the two TD returns allowed on a fumble recovery and a punt. Hang tough, Giants’ fans. A 9-7 record is easily attainable and more than likely secures the postseason for your football team. Refresh my memory. How’d the Giants do the last time they were a 9-7 Wild Card team?
Tiger Woods Named AP Athlete of the Decade
For the first time in three weeks, Tiger Woods got a little good news when he was named AP Athlete of the Decade. Obvious jokes aside, Woods’ selection was as easy as you’ll see with an award so open to different interpretations. Interesting to guess where Tiger would have finished had the vote been taken after Thanksgiving, though. After all, Barry Bonds, four time MVP, batting champ and all time Home Run leader didn’t garner a single vote. Wonder why?
Dallas Cowboys Football Stadium Debuts 3D Screen
So I’m watching Chargers-Cowboys in Jerry Jones’ brand new palace last Sunday. CBS fulfilled what seems like a contractual obligation by extolling the virtues of the new stadium ad nauseum. There were views of the promenade, the enormous standing room area, six or seven thousand shots of Jones in his luxury box and, of course, many references to the enormous video screen that hangs over the field. Now, I find that a video screen in a stadium is quite useful for replays; after all, it’s the one concession you make to television when you attend a game in person. However, I’ve never seen the logic of broadcasting the game as it’s being played. Why would anyone pay good money for a ticket to, essentially, enjoy less comfort for an activity that could have been enjoyed at home for free?
Be that as it may, the ‘Pokes went over the top with an “Emperor’s New Clothes” feature that really gave me a laugh. At one point in the game, we were shown an image of a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader wearing a pair of 3D glasses. Apparently, Jones and the Cowboys were quite impressed with themselves for showing a three dimensional view of the game on the giant screen. Fans seemed very excited about it, too. Wonder if any of them realized that, along with the fans assembled in every other NFL stadium, they were already enjoying a 3D version of the game by simply looking down at the field. Somewhere, P.T. Barnum must have been smiling.
Mayrose Honored
Congratulations to Virginia Mayrose, Staten Island High School Volleyball Coach of the Year. Recognized for leading St. Joseph Hill Academy to its first title since she founded the program, Mayrose completely revamped her team’s style of play; raising the competitive bar in her own league while bolstering the reputation of Staten Island volleyball among the more established schools in New York City. She’s really cute, too. Well done, Gin.
