Jay Walking

Greenberg: 96-team NCAA field can work if ...

March 23, 2010 , ι By JAY GREENBERG

If 96 teams in the NCAA tournament would mean getting rid of the meaningless conference championships and providing byes to regular-season conference champions, then the more the merrier. But of... Read on

If 96 teams in the NCAA tournament would mean getting rid of the meaningless conference championships and providing byes to regular-season conference champions, then the more the merrier.
	 
But of course, the conferences don't intend for an expanded NCAA to substitute revenue from league tournaments, only to supplement it. Thus, everybody but the Ivy League indulges despite the fact that, in the power conferences, these tournaments barely affect NCAA seedings, and, in the case of one-qualifier leagues, gives their mediocre clubs an opportunity to overachieve for three days and fluke the league's truly best representative out of the NCAAs.
	 
The regular season winners of the power conferences -- even the division winners of leagues like the Big East that cut themselves in half for regular-season scheduling purposes -- should get byes. Then, all the at-large teams should be seeded and play down to however-many survivors, who then qualify for a re-seeded double-elimination tournament against the regular-season conference winners.
	 
This would a) put needed value back into the regular season b) provide conference winners some protection against rust and the means for perhaps an intriguing second shot at the team that upset them in the tournament. Then, they could prove themselves to the powerhouse it appeared all season.
	 
Selection Sunday and plenty of one-and done intrigue would survive this format, as would the best teams more often, the purpose of any seeding process to begin with. As compelling as was watching Northern Iowa hanging on against Kansas, worry, the tournament has become less exciting with a No. 1 overall seed out, not more so.
	 
If Northern Iowa or Cornell make it to the championship game, then sure, this might become one of the most memorable tournaments ever. But those teams are still an unlikely three wins away from that, and this tournament even farther away from producing its truly best team, with the Jayhawks out and Syracuse and Kentucky one slip-up away from the same fate.

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When . . . .

September 30, 2009 , ι Jay Greenberg

.. . . and only when Toney Douglas, certainy not drafted because he was the second coming of World B. Free, is in the Knicks' rotation, will I believe that Mike D'Anoni is prioritizing defense more... Read on

.. . . and only when Toney Douglas, certainy not drafted because he was the second coming of World B. Free,  is in the Knicks' rotation, will I believe that Mike D'Anoni is prioritizing defense more than just as a topic of discussion on the day training camp begins.
	 
 
	 
. . . . and only when the Wilpons don't know where else to turn, does Bobby Valentine return to manage the Mets, which could be by June of next year.
	 
 
	 
. .  and only when Marion Gaborik plays 58 of the first 60 games will I believe the Rangers are a playoff team, never mind a Stanley Cup threat. Not with these centers. 
	 
 
	 
 . . . and only when  Kris Jenkins, who mysterious disappearance after 11 games last season had just as much to do with the Jets'collpase as Brett Favre's age and infimity,  is still going strong in Week 13, will I believe they are a real threat to get to the Super Bowl.

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Jets have revisionist history

September 21, 2009 , ι JAY GREENBERG

Being 2-0 with a rookie quarterback beats being 0-2. Bart Scott can play — no offensive touchdowns allowed in two games is arching eyebrows around the NFL and beating the Patriots is beating the... Read on

Being 2-0 with a rookie quarterback beats being 0-2.
	 
Bart Scott can play — no offensive touchdowns allowed in two games is arching eyebrows around the NFL and beating the Patriots is beating the Patriots. Although without Rodney Harrison, Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel and now, even the emergent guy who made Bruschi and Vrabel disposable, Jarod Mayo, time will tell whether these Patriots are still The Patriots.
	 
But in all the euphoria at a wired Meadowlands yesterday at the ending of a reasonably-hideous eight-straight home losses streak to New England, easy to overlook was two Jets wins in the last three years at Foxboro, and the fact that they were a lot better than 2-0 last year, actually 8-3.
	 
That was when Kris Jenkins and Brett Favre ran out of gas and when Eric Mangini became Rich Kotite, never mind the fact that he got a Jets team with practically nothing to the post-season in 2006, along the way humiliating in Green Bay a Packers team one season from the NFC title game, and last year similarly put away at halftime a Cardinals team that went on to the Super Bowl.
	 
In other words, in two of the last three seasons, the Jets were looking a lot better than just 2-0, one of which resulted in a post-season berth, too. So not to be skeptical about two excellent wins, or about the players taking on this coach's personality -- hard to take on the last one's personality since essentially he didn't have one -- but all this greatest win in years stuff is a little over the top. In the buildup-psyche-up of last week, it was entirely convenient for the Jets to ignore their recent success in Foxboro, which in turn became convenient for the media to ignore.
	 
Don't know who asked Rex Ryan to kiss Bill Belichick's rings and never really had the impression that Mangini's Jets thought they were overmatched, but hey, the new coach's shtik played big with the players and the media, so it worked.
	 
The Jets have a chance to be pretty good. But they also were pretty good three seasons ago and deep into last season, plus had three playoff teams under Herm Edwards, too, so all this long-suffering stuff gets insufferable, largely because it is not accurate.

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I wonder . . . .

August 19, 2009 , ι Jay Greenberg

.. . . . . Who ever asked Rex Ryan to "kiss Bill Belichick's rings" and why, if the new Jets coach hadn't said that,Â whoever would believe he and team were totally intimidated by the Patriots?Â Â ... Read on

.. . . . . Who ever asked Rex Ryan to "kiss Bill Belichick's rings" and why, if the new Jets coach hadn't said that,Â  whoever would believe he and team were totally intimidated by the Patriots?Â Â  Most of these Jets beat the Patriots last year in Foxoboro, so why would the new coach think they are cowed And why, like his Dad, Buddy,Â  is Ryan so insecure that he has to make himself the story? That's the first truth revealed by this compulsive truth teller.
	 . . . .why the Vikings would want a soon-to-be 40-year-old quarterback, coming off aÂ  year with ample evidence his best days are long behind him?Â  But I don't wonder at all what posseesses Brett Favre to be so reluctant to give up the very thing that for more than two decades has defined -- which includes, of course, self-defined -- him.
	 As for tarnishing the legend, I don't think for a second that anyone other than in New York or Minnesota will remember a thing about Favre's final seasons, only what he did in Green Bay. Despite Willie Mays's vividly embrassing stumbles in the 1973 World Series, I still remember him as the best all-around player I ever have seen.
	 Cynical as I am about his waffling and what it has done to the Vikings, Favre has eanred the right to go out on his own terms.Â  Why would he take the hint, when someone is investing up to $25 million in the belief he still canÂ  play at a high level?Â

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Vick

July 31, 2009 , ι Jay Greenberg

Michael Vick's best opportunity to re-claim his career would be to take the half-step of returning in the new UFL. It is the more instant opportunity to not only score some points for his team but... Read on

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All-time Cruel

July 20, 2009 , ι Jay Greenberg

I wonder when Tom Watson will get around to congratulating himself on his near miracle? Hopefully, sometime before his last breath, but who would blame him from taking it to his grave?I watched the... Read on

I wonder when Tom Watson will get around to congratulating himself on his near miracle? Hopefully, sometime before his last breath, but who would blame him from taking it to his grave?
	 I watched the 1978-1979 Bruins, losers to the Canadiens in the previous two finals leading with two mnutes to go in Game 7 in Montreal, only to put two many men on the ice, give up a power play goal to the great Guy Lafleur, and then lose in overtime.
	 I am still not over the team of my youth and ongoing heartache, the Pirates, be one out away after having suffered consecutive NLCS losses, and get beat in 1992 by a hit by the last guy on the Braves bench. But I don't know if those were any more cruel than the 18th hole Sunday to Watson, about to pull off maybe the greatest sporting miracle of all time..
	 Is it worth it to play your heart out, only to have it broken? Thjird or fourth place would have been a much happier ending than second, the way it turned out.

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Water on the Brain

June 20, 2009 , ι Jay Greenberg

If Yankee fans who waited five-and-a-half hours for Thursday's game were happy to be invited to move down to the first two levels, and thought getting an additional freebie to a "non-premium" game in... Read on

If Yankee fans who waited five-and-a-half hours for Thursday's game were happy to be invited to move down to the first two levels, and thought getting an additional freebie to a "non-premium" game in 2009 and 2010 was a case of management stepping up for them, then they are either happy to be abused or beaten down by decades of being taken for granted. .
	 The employees -- meaning the Yankee and Nationals players -- should have been the ones inconvenienced by flying home between Florida and Atlanta to make up the game on Monday, the only mutual off day the Nationals and Yankees had for the rest of the season. Not the paying customers, who whould always come first but haven't in a long time.
	 In light of the dire forecast for daylight hours Thursday, the probability that the weather would clear in the evening, and the bad options for rescheduling the game, here is what the Yankees should have done: Announce Wednesday that the Thursday game was being rescheduled for 7 p.m. and that anyone holding tickets unable to attend at night could get a rain check for another game.
	 Of course, the Yankees preferred not to do that because they had to fly to South Florida after the game and hoped the skies would clear by late afternoon, enabling an earlier departure. To have the fans show up by 1 pm. when there was no chance the game could start at that point was completely inconsiderate.
	 Not that the Yankees behaved any differently than the majority of well-supported franchises would have. Really, the United States Golf Association, which at first arrogantly refused to offer rain checks after the abreviated first round of the U.S. Open until the office of the state attorney general got involved, turned Randy Levine, Lonn Troost and the Steinbrenners into Ralph Nader by comparison.

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Closing Arguments

June 10, 2009 , ι Jay Greenberg

Probably, Roger Federer needed four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal out of the way to finally win a French Open Sunday.Then again,Federer also has needed two Wimbledon finals wins and four... Read on

Probably, Roger Federer needed four-time defending champion Rafael Nadal out of the way to finally win a French Open Sunday.Then again,Federer also has needed two Wimbledon finals wins and four Roland Garros losses to Nadal to move to the head of all discussions as to who is the best male tennis player ever.
	 In this sport especially, it's all about the rivals .
	 Pete Sampras, who was tied Sunday by Federer for all time slam wins with 14, had Andge Agassi (a career slam among his eight major titles). Rod Lavar had 12-time slam champion Ken Rosewall. But, not knowing how many championships Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe took from each other by the accident of birth, can you just go by numbers of titles?
	 Laver who won all four slams in 1962 before going off to earn a living on the pro circuit, won another grand slam within a year after the open era began. So who knows how many Laver would have earned beyond his 11 total, just like who knows what he or Bill Tilden would have accomplished with today's rackets, or today's mania for conditioning or, conversely, against today's greater depth of competition?
	 But, assuming Federer, who has won the one French Open title that Sampras never did (or only once reasonably approached) takes just one more Slam, the argument really will be Laver vs. Federer, both players for all surfaces. Quite the argument it should be, too, the Laver Gap being huge, but still not the only consideration.
	 I'm almost as blown away with Jack Nicklaus's 19 second places in majors as I am his record 18 championships. Both numbers reflect not just Nicklaus's incredible consistency but the calibre of his competition (Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Julius Boros),.
	 Andy Roddick, a one-time slam winner, and two time Wimvbledon finals loser to Federer is no Gary Player, which left Federer in dire need of a perfectly good nemesis until Nadal broke through in finals against Roger at Wimbledon (2008) and Australia (2009)
	 Assuming good health, Nadal, with five slams already at age 23, will make a run at 14. But a consistent disappointment at Fiushing Meadow, and a loser in the third round this year on the Roland Garros clay he has domnated, will Nadal ever have the run that Federer has had with 20 straight semifinal appearances and counting, or with hisi mind-boggling just two semifinal absences since winning his first major in 2003?
	 For the record, Laver was runner up six times in slams. Federer, so far, five times. Had Robin Soderling slammed closed the door of wondrous, probably, final, opportunity for Federer on Suday, close wouldn't have counted . But in the long run, you can make an argument for it.

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Roger can pinch himself, but he's not dreaming.

June 02, 2009 , ι Jay Greenberg

Now even Andy Murray, another in a series of Roger Federer nemeses since going down to him in the U.S, Open final, is gone from Roland Garros. Opportunity knocks so loud it must give Federer a... Read on

Now even Andy Murray, another in a series of Roger Federer nemeses since going down to him in the U.S, Open final, is gone from Roland Garros. Opportunity knocks so loud it must give Federer a headache.
	 Other than No. 2 Federer, the only top-10 seed remaining in the French Open is No. 5 Juan Martin del Porto, The only player playing scaringly well is Robin Soderling, who followed up his upset of Rafael Nadal by thrashing Nikolai Daveydenko in straight sets Tuesday.
	 If, in light of Federer's back, mononucelosis, and Nadal problems over the last year, all this suddenly seems too fortuitous to be true, the real question is whether Federer, whose escape against Tommy Haas was his second come-from-behind necessity in two matches, can control his forehand, not his nerves. If Roger was meant to choke, he would have done it already. not just in this tournament as he struggles against himself like he hasn't in seven years, but any of his last 20 grand slams in which he reached at least the semfinals every time.
	 That is why, if Federer cannot complete the career slam or never wins the two more majors he needs to become the all-time leader, a case still will be makable for Federer as the greatest player ever. Twenty straight semifinals in slams and wins in 13 of them is a consistency that rivals that rivals 19 second places for Jack Nicklaus in addition to his 18 titles in majors.
	 So, while the ultimate sweetness of avenging four straight losses to Nadal at the French Open will not be available to Federer this year, while skeptics have reason to doubt whether Federer, trounced so badly by Nadal in last year's final and a loser to him at Wimbledon and Austraia, too, is any longer Rafa's equal, historians wouldleave no asterisks beside a win by the Swiss master on Suday.
	 Neither will Roger need to take to heart any cush theoretical qualifers, considering how Sampras made one semi in Paris and never even got close another time, consdering Federer's only losses in his last 31 matches at Roland Garos since 2005 were all to 4-time champion Nadal.
	 Until Nadal, who broke through on Wimbledon's grass and Australia's hard courts in the past year, draws close to Sampras and Roger, Federer will remain the greatest all-around player in the Open Era. This next one will be win No. 14, tied for tops all-time. That's not good fortune, actually beyond excellence.
	 Federer might be pinching himself at such glorious and unexpected opportunity. But who would dare say he is not for real. Roger Federer? Are you kidding?

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Vick

May 23, 2009 , ι Jay Greenberg

There has to be a hole in Michael Vick's soul if he could hang dogs and bankroll an operation that stole beloved pets for the training of the vicious canines he bred.I suspect that even if the Humane... Read on

There has to be a hole in Michael Vick's soul if he could hang dogs and bankroll an operation that stole beloved pets for the training of the vicious canines he bred.
	 I suspect that even if the Humane Society is seizing upon the opportunity to use Vick for educational purposes, that the monster within is just getting a new set of courtroom clothes, no real new sensibility about the cruelties he and his partners committed upon the defenseless.
	 But as someone who has owned three dogs and lis counting the days for the arrival of our new puppy in July I also understand the human race's relationship with the animal kingdom varies by culture and species
	 This dog lover condemns the hypocrisy of the hunter, a beloved 4-legged member of the family beside him, shooting a defenseless animal in the name of sport. But I also eat meat and chicken and know it comes from animals born to bleak existences only for the purpose of satisfying my craving.
	 Therefore I restrict my judgement about Vick's potential return to football to the point of law. He did 19 months in jail, a considerable penalty for a conviction of a serious felony and will complete his confinement in July. If a team wants his services, they are entitled to them, as he is to a new life and an opportunity to prove himself something of more value to society than being the greatest running quarterback who ever lived.
	 If, of course, it is understood that the NFL boss's ultimate obligation is to make his league palatable to the public, this civil libertarian who shuddered at the testimony as to what went on at the Vick house still cringes at a sports commissioner putting himself above the judiciary with a draconian piling on to a penalty already served.
	 The list of current NFL players with criminal records is extensive. The amount of publicity that the Vick case drew, or the potential for making the valued season ticket holders walk through animal rights activists into the stadiums shouldn't set up a double standard. A 4-8 game suspension would reinforce the point Goodell made to Pacman Jones that NFL employees are held to a higher standard, Anything more than that and Goodell is playing to the crowd and asking for Vick to hire the lawyer that Shoeless Joe Jackson never had and probably should have.