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Saturday, February 12, 2011

Blog # 45

My Beloved 92 Bloggees:
 
I might have to get an unlisted email address. After the last blog, I was barraged with emails from UAB supporters for not mentioning its Wednesday night road win at Marshall 64 - 48 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102090341 . I know that Marshall has a reputation for being extra tough at home as evidenced by its 15-point win over Memphis and 30-point win against UAB-slayer Southern Miss. Plus they did win at rival and ranked West Virginia. So, kudos to the Blazers and Cameron Moore with his double-double of  18 points and 14 rebounds.
 
Ensuring that bloggees get their money's worth, I took another look at the game and found this unusual statistic:  UAB shot 2 free throws the entire game. Yes, for the entire 40 minutes, the Thundering Herd only committed 6 fouls. Some might look at that as playing clean, perfect defense....my take without seeing the game is that they were probably playing too softly. With Marshall gathering only 21 rebounds in the game, 3 on the offensive end, that supports my theory they were not playing with much aggressiveness. It might be time for Marshall to bring out the football helmets and shoulder pads on the practice court, Tom Izzo-style http://hubpages.com/hub/Tom-Izzo (scroll to the bottom of that link). NEXT
 
 
 
 
I am hearing Tide Nation on the message boards is developing a true love affair with former Gator assistant Anthony Grant, Alabama's 2nd-year head coach. Even though they lost at Vanderbilt's Rec Center Thursday night 81 - 77 http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102100615 , fans are seeing how hard the Crimson and White play for Grant and it has been paying off. They must have loved the fire he showed in Music City after not getting a crucial foul call down the stretch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRdqSN70_zA .
 
During the beginning of the first half, I almost picked up the phone thinking I needed to get the prescription for my eyeglasses  updated. Vandy's 90 % free throw shooter, all-BB (Barry's Blog) John Jenkins, was fouled on a three-point shot attempt and it appeared I saw him miss two of his three free throws! No worries, he nailed his next eight. NEXT
 
 
 
 
 
I have determined that http://www.espn3.com/ is an excellent way to control one's weight and pocketbook. On Wednesday night, Florida was playing South Carolina in a regionally televised game that was not being shown in Birmingham. Before discovering http://www.espn3.com/ I would have gone to a sports bar and met bloggees Robin and Jenny to watch it, dropping $25 on unhealthy and fattening food. Instead, I avoided knowing the score, watched it on http://www.espn3.com/ later in the night (they archive games about an hour after their completion) and I ended up thinner, less poorer and preserved marital bliss (which is not easy for a hoops junkie). By the way on http://www.espn3.com/ you can fast forward through commercials dragging with your mouse the time tab at the bottom.
 
Apparently, if a live broadcast is blacked out on http://www.espn3.com/ like last Tuesday's Jacksonville - North Florida game, you can still watch a replay of that game on the website. That is what I did Wednesday, when I heard that game came down to the final shot. I fast forwarded until the final exciting minute and watched Gator-beater Jacksonville win a thriller. NEXT
 
 
 
 
 
Speaking of Jacksonville, to the dismay of Gator fans, they got thumped Friday night by East Tennessee State 80 - 64 in Spurrier, TN  http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/boxscore?gid=201102110176 . The Buccaneers bounced back from its upset loss at Stetson last Sunday after winning 13 of their previous 14. Former UAB coach Murry Bartow leads the ETSU brain trust which includes former Samford assistant, a super guy, Thomas Johnson. Don't forget, Crimson Tide Justin Tubbs  and his 9.4 ppg http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/60338 starts for this Atlantic Sun team.  Tide fans might want to go to http://www.espn3.com/ and watch a bit of Tubbs in action during the replay of Friday night's game. NEXT
 
 
 
 
As I  indicated in a previous blog, I love Southwest Airlines. Last weekend, I made a reservation to Houston for Final Four Monday morning, just in case Florida gets there. I had a free ticket, which is easy to earn especially if you have their credit card  http://www.mychasecreditcards.com/southwest/air?int=HOMEAIR1BMYCHSE110208. In fact, it looks like you now get two free roundtrips after your first purchase with a new Southwest Visa card. (I do not make a dime or earn Southwest credits if you sign up for their credit card. I just want to spread the word to you, my loyal bloggees.)
 
History will show I did not jinx myself by making the reservation. I did the same thing a few months before the end of the 2006 football season to Phoenix  and in 2008 to  Ft. Lauderdale and was rewarded watching the Gators win the national championship games while other Gators missed out (or later paid a ton for airfare) by not having the foresight. I also did it to Indianapolis a few months before the end of the basketball season in 2006 and watched the Orange and Blue cut down the nets sitting next to bloggee Richie. (I drove to Atlanta for the 2007 Gator hoops national championship game or Southwest would have gotten the call).
 
The bottom line is go ahead and do it now if your favorite team has even a remote chance of making it to the Final Four. Make your plane reservation on http://www.southwest.com/. If you have a free ticket on Southwest, it will cost you between $5 - $10 security fee which is refundable if you cancel. If you don't have a free ticket, you can still make a reservation now and if you cancel, you get to apply 100 % of the fare to future flights. You can't lose. That is why as a college basketball fan, I certainly love Southwest Airlines.
 
My final comment on Southwest Airlines. I am not a big hitter........however, I pay for everything on my Southwest Airlines Visa and as a result, I earned a Companion Pass meaning my wife flies free whenever I fly. They are the best...also no baggage fees.  NEXT
 
 
 
 
Jay "Jason" Williams spoke to the Birmingham Tipoff Club on Monday and was excellent. (Bloggee President Chris does a great job lining up outstanding speakers.) He told us about the trauma of his motorcycle accident and then being told in the hospital that he may never walk again. His college coach at Duke, Mike Krzyzewski, came to visit him in the intensive care unit within 24 hours and took off a pendant he was wearing and gave it Jay saying, "Give it back to me when you step on the court during a game". Jay responded that he was just told that he may never be able to walk. Coach K emphasized that he would return to the court and needed to believe that.
 
After three long years of intense rehab against all odds, he was warming up before his first NBA pre-season game for the New Jersey Nets. Coach K was sitting at courtside. Jay came over to him and returned the pendant to his former coach...quite powerful.
 
Williams also surprised me when he announced who he thought would be Krzyzewski's eventual successor. I was sure he would say current Stanford coach, Johnny Dawkins, the former Blue Devil point guard. Or maybe it would be another former Duke point guard, Tommy Amaker, who after a tough time at Michigan is getting it right at Harvard.
 
I had the pedigree right....it was a former point guard for Coach K, except it was current associate head coach, Steve Wojciechowski, otherwise known as "Wojo". Here is something you might not know, it was new to me. Jay indicated 5' 11 "Wojo" coaches the big men and is so shrewd around the paint, that Jay has a tough time in pickup games when the smaller "Wojo" posts him up. THAT'S IT
 
 
 
Enjoy.... Today:  Gators play on ESPN at 5:00 Central against TN, Bruce Pearl is 8 - 2 against Billy D......Samford gets a break playing at Western Carolina at 2:00 after the home team won last night at 7:00 (postponed from Thursday night because flu virus attacked its opponent, Chattanooga.....ESPNU covers St. Louis Chaminade's high school game at 4:00 that features Gator McDonald's All-American, Bradley Beal),
 
 
 
Barry
 
 
Current All-BB team only includes SEC and mid-major players excluding Florida and Samford (so there is no personal bias) and freshmen (to not encourage one and dones) :
 
 
 
 
 
Andrew Goudelock - College fo Charleston http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/73564
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