SportsProf

Article on Urban Meyer in SI

2009-12-06T13:35:00.002-05:00

Thankfully, Sports Illustrated doesn't praise to the high heavens everyone it covers. In the current issue ("Sportsman of the Year"), there's a good, balanced piece on Florida's Urban Meyer. It's worthy of a read, because the article points out how Meyer got to where he is, how he's evolved as a coach, and what he's like.

And it's not all sweetness and light.

But then again, some who are very accomplished don't always win the Rotarian of the Year Award. That doesn't make the Rotarians of the Year nice pushovers who can't make a living, and it doesn't make the very accomplished evildoers without a life. But life is a series of choices and compromises, and Urban Meyer is revealed to be as human as everyone else.

And the SI jinx reared its head again, with Alabama's beating Meyer's Florida Gators handily to win the SEC Championship last night.

The New York Times Spends About 3,000 Words on a 5'9" Future DIII Guard

2009-12-06T13:31:00.002-05:00

As only the New York Times can do.

Skim the article and ask "why was this story written?" The kid seems nice, and, yes, he did transfer from a very academic private school to one that has a much better basketball program. He lives on the Upper West Side, has 2 siblings and lives in an apartment large enough that the extra bedroom has a ping-pong table in it. Okay, so he's a son of privilege.

But where is the story?

With the Jets struggling to make the playoffs, the Giants faltering, the Knicks and Nets awful and few caring about ice hockey, there are plenty of pages to fill in the NYT. So not compelling was this story, by the way, that it didn't appear in the sports section.

C'mon, NYT, you guys think that you cover stories that others miss and operate at a higher level than everyone else. No disrespect to a kid who seems to be nice, hard-working and earnest, but there's not much to the story.

One Point from Chaos

2009-12-06T13:23:00.002-05:00

And in this case, chaos would have been a good thing.

Texas, whose clock management skills left something to be desired last night, eked out a 1-point victory over Nebraska in the Big 12 title game. That win all but guarantees the Longhorns a spot in the national title game against Alabama, which thrashed Florida, in January.

Meanwhile, TCU, Boise State and Cincinnati all finished with undefeated seasons. So, assume for a moment that a) Texas lost to Nebraska or tied the Cornhuskers or, alternatively, b) that those who vote in polls that the BCS takes into account decide that Texas's body of work over the past month or so hasn't been good enough to keep the Longhorns ahead of the three schools I just mentioned.

Then what?

I have nothing against Texas, but the whole outlook of the BCS perplexes at best and infuriates at worst. It would have been fun, as a fan, to see the powers that be in college football deal with a Texas defeat. It would be easy to imagine infuriating everyone -- including the United States Congress (which surprisingly cares, even as the national debt mounts). I have not researched the situation in great detail, but after watching "Sports Center" this morning, it seems that Cincinnati can make a great argument that it's had as good a year as Texas has enjoyed.

Let the arguments begin!

Penn Basketball is 0-5

2009-12-05T21:18:00.002-05:00

Yikes. Whatever happened to the intense Penn-Princeton basketball rivalry? When will be the next time these two schools play games that have meaning for the Ivy title?

Yankees to Cut Payroll to $185 Million

2009-12-05T21:12:00.003-05:00

That's down from the $208 million they spent in 2009.

The last time I checked, that means they'll still be spend more in 2010 than any other team in the majors.

I know that there are big free agents out there in John Lackey and Jason Bay. Right at the end of the season, the talk was that the marquis names would get the big money and that no one else will. But if the Yankees are cutting their payroll, the Dodgers are in the throes of a divorce, the Cubs have had their issues and the Phillies are focusing on relievers, who is left to pursue these free agents?

Boston? The Mets? The Angels?

The Yankees still look pretty tough to me.

Spain Wins the Davis Cup

2009-12-05T21:03:00.002-05:00

Does anyone know what this is?

Does anyone care any more?

No, this isn't the cup that the cars could win in the movie Cars. It's also not the name of the cup that drivers win in NASCAR.

Here's the story line, for those who are interested.

The sport that participates in the Davis Cup has become less and less relevant as the years have passed. It's interesting how the omnipresence of the media and the internet have affected the availability of various pastimes and their popularity. In the abstract, you would have thought that both phenomena would have helped every sport become more popular because each sport would garner more publicity, and, therefore, be able to put more people in the seats, sell more ads, draw more TV ratings, and sell more merchandise.

Instead, these two factors have made the competition between sports more daunting. There isn't room in people's wallets for enough sports dollars to feed all of these sports. We all only have so much to spend. So instead of enhancing the allure of each and every sport, the media that are available has created a continuum with which fans can compare the sports they might be interested in. Some sports have benefited greatly from these factors; others, by comparison, have suffered.

Right now, the NBA and NHL seem to be hurting. Arena Football closed down (a good approach with the media helped it generate its own momentum, but ultimately fans saw Arena Football really for what it is -- a gimmick -- and stopped caring enough to help it through the recession). The indoor soccer league folded before the recession hit. The LPGA has been reeling.

And tennis?

It's very hard to fathom.

But few, if any, care about the Davis Cup any more. Outside the major tournaments, few care about tennis much anymore either.

NASCAR, the NFL and international soccer have benefited greatly. Major League Baseball, pardon the pun, is holding serve.

Tennis once was very exciting, in the age of Navratilova and Evert, McEnroe, Connors and Borg.

Today?

It seems to be something that fills up the ESPN slots in the wee hours.

And that's not good for tennis.

Phillies Should Pass on Pedro Martinez

2009-12-05T20:59:00.002-05:00

For the simple reason that you don't know whether the guy who wowed in the NLCS against the Dodgers or several weeks' rest or the guy who looked well past his prime against the Yankees in the World Series will show up. For that reason, the Phillies should pass.

A .500 team with a chance to break through who's willing to take a risk might opt for Pedro.

But the Phillies need someone more predictable.

And better.

And it hurts to say that because of all of Pedro Martinez's accomplishments and because he's a lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Pedro recently said he'd like to return to Philadelphia.

The Phillies should say thank you.

And then no thank you.

The Search for Princeton's Football Coach is On

2009-12-03T16:11:00.002-05:00

And seemingly moving fast, according to this article in The Daily Princetonian.

Among the candidates:

Jason Garrett, Class of '89, the offensive coordinator for the Cowboys (longshot)

Bob Surace, Class of '90, an assistant coach with the Bengals for the past 8 years (somewhat of a long shot)

Mike Bajakian, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Central Michigan, who's a '96 graduate of Williams College and a New Jersey native (interesting candidate; medium shot)

Joe Susan, Rutgers' tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator, who once coached Davidson to an undefeated season and who was offensive coordinator at Princeton in most of the 1990's (leader in the clubhouse so far).

Stay tuned -- it will be interesting to see who AD Gary Walters hires for this position.

If Necessity is the Mother of Invention, Then What's Desperation the Parent Of?

2009-12-01T13:05:00.002-05:00

The 76ers seem desperate. They are serious about signing Allen Iverson, and word from ESPN Radio and the Philadelphia papers is that the Answer will be in uniform for the team on Monday. Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer unloaded both barrels on the team this morning, a must read for those who are confounded by the latest of front-office moves. I've blogged about the signing here and here and remain unconvinced at best and totally turned off at worst. And, yes, all the while I'll take a shot at Comcast for promoting a circus when they don't own Ringling Brothers. This is ridiculous.

Cigar bars. Dancing girls. Blue light-like specials for tickets, food, drink and photo ops. Now the return of Allen Iverson.

What else will they think of?

Will Phillies' Fans Boo Chris Coste Now That He Signed with the Mets?

2009-12-01T13:03:00.003-05:00

Figured that the question was worth asking.

I would hope that they wouldn't. Coste's story is a terrific one, and he contributed well to the Phillies' efforts in 2007 and 2008. Phillies' fans should recall a visit to St. Louis at the beginning of the 2008 season, when Cardinals' fans gave a standing ovation to Phillies' back-up outfielder (how soon they forget) So Taguchi, who had played a reserve role for the Cardinals for several years. That was classy, and Phillies' fans would be wise to emulate Cardinals' fans.

Go See "The Blind Side"

2009-11-29T15:58:00.002-05:00

The movie is based on Michael Lewis's book, which alternatively discusses the evolution of the left tackle position in the NFL and the curious case of Michael Oher, a homeless young man in Memphis whom a friend of Lewis from high school's family adopted. Oher, from an awful background, ended up as the ward of Sean and LeAnn Tuohy, enrolled in a Christian School, tried out for the football team, and had the size and coordination to get noticed by every school in the SEC. The evolution of the left tackle position came about because of the ability of fast right defensive ends (such as Lawrence Taylor) to dash around the left tackle and hit the quarterback on his blind side. The evolution of Oher is somewhat more remarkable.

The movie doesn't focus nearly as much on Lewis's observations about the evolution of the left tackle position. Lewis, who is as good a social commentator as there is, likes to point out trends and peel back many layers of the onion to analyze them (and, yes, that analogy is used in the movie). Instead, this movie focuses almost exclusively on Oher's compelling story, the gentle giant from a place called Hurt Village who grew up among some characters who would make Fagin from Oliver! look like Mother Theresa. We all know the result -- he went to Ole Miss, excelled, was a first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens and, at mid-season, playing right tackle, was named by no less an authority than Peter King of Sports Illustrated at the best at his position.

It's a warm movie and a great story. We all need to hear more inspirational stories, especially at a time where unemployment is very high and shows little signs of dropping and somehow the news that the recession has ended hasn't hit most businesses. People are testy, people are antsy, people are afraid. So, if you're any of those things, go see "The Blind Side." It's a good story with lessons in it for many.

Chris Ballard's Brilliant Idea

2009-11-29T15:46:00.002-05:00

Ballard writes for Sports Illustrated, and in this week's inside back column he writes of LeBron James and the legacy that he's going to try to create for himself. It's not secret that many NBA teams are saving up salary cap money to pry James from the hoops backwoods of Cleveland to the likes of New York City, where James somehow will sprinkle his magic dust over a cast of also-rans and turn them into a world champion. The Knicks are one example of an NBA team that is making pagan sacrifices to get undefined Gods to steer the uber-talented James to their team.

Ballard, though, makes a great point that otherwise would drive James' fellow players, his union and perhaps NBA Commissioner David Stern wild. Ballard notes that James earns about $30 million a year on endorsements and really doesn't need the money (relatively speaking, as ultra-competitive NBA players want to make more salary than everyone else -- it's the nature of the competitive player). So, following that logic, Ballard suggests that to win titles and cement his legacy as one of the all-time best, James should sign with a team that has a chance for a title for the NBA minimum, for at least a year and perhaps as many as three. By doing so, he can play with Kobe Bryan in Los Angeles, Dwight Howard in Orlando or, say, Dwayne Wade in Miami (and, if he were to do this, the Heat could also ink hot free agent Chris Bosh, to create an amazing trio of stars). Were James to go this route, he could win several titles, perhaps a title a year for five years in a row.

And what could be more valuable to LeBron than winning titles -- he'll become more valuable to sponsors, and his legacy will not only be one of transcendant talent, but also one of being one of the top team players ever. All because he opted to take less salary.

It's a great thought, and one that LeBron and his advisors should explore, at least for the short term. After all, while the bright lights of New York City might be enticing, I'm not sure that the prospect of playing for a sub-.500 team for a while is all that attractive. Were James to go this route, he'd shake up the NBA -- for the better -- for the near future.

I Coached Good, But Boy Did They Play Bad

2009-11-29T15:41:00.002-05:00

The Nets fired Lawrence Frank, he of the 0-16 record.

It's hard to imagine Phil Jackson or Red Auerbach faring better with the roster that the Nets have, but when you're 0-16, it's the coach who gets fired. Assistant Tom Barrise takes over for now, but it's hard to imagine that any of the host of former NBA head coaches out there can do much better than the hard-working Frank.

The Nets are a symptom of a greater problem that the NBA has -- too many teams, not enough good players, a sagging product that over time will not sustain the high expectations (and resultant weight) that the NBA's hyperactive and overachieiving marketing machine has placed upon the league. In English soccer, they'd be relegated to the next league down. In the NBA, they'll continue to languish without much hope for improvement for quite a while.

Let the Speculation About Al Golden Begin

2009-11-29T14:16:00.002-05:00

Virginia fired its head football coach, Al Groh, after a 3-9 season.

Temple coach Al Groh is enjoying a 9-3 season thus far, has turned around what was a miserable program in 3 years, was a prime target of UCLA after last season, and is one of the hottest young coaches out there.

He also had been UVA's defensive coordinator before moving to Temple. Unless UVA is primed to hire either a) a big-name coach (and hope he has a successful second act) or b) a coordinator at a big-name program, Golden makes all the sense in the world for UVA. He's been nothing short of masterful since going to Temple.

Let the speculation begin.

Oregon State's Unique Recruiting Tool: Meet the President

2009-11-28T10:05:00.003-05:00

Most recruits want to be on Craig's list. That is, the list of Craig Robinson, the head men's basketball coach at Oregon State University. As most know, Robinson is the brother-in-law of President Obama.

The other day the OSU team visited the White House. President Obama greeted them, posed for photos and talked with each member of the team.

Pretty neat stuff. Oregon State has a great hoops history and was in the national hoops conversation more than 25 years ago under legendary coach Ralph Miller. Now, Craig Robinson has put the Beavers back on the map. He's a pretty good basketball coach in his own right, and if you're a parent you'd want your kid to play for him. It also doesn't hurt that if your child goes to Oregon State, he might get the chance to meet the President. As powerful recruiters as Jim Calhoun, Jim Boeheim, Roy Williams, Rick Pitino and John Calipari are, none of them can promise a White House visit or a photo op with President Obama (wags might suggest that Calipari and his staff would try to promise something like that, but realistically even the Kentucky coach cannot deliver on something like that).

And here's the thing of it -- sure, the Obama connection gets Craig Robinson a lot of press, and that has to help him with recruiting. But, no fan or writer should short change Robinson -- the guy can teach and coach. He's a very good man, and players improve under him, and he'll make sure that they get their degrees. All of the other stuff is a bonus.

When the Cigar Bars and Dancing Girls Won't Do: The 76ers are Contemplating Signing Allen Iverson

2009-11-28T09:47:00.003-05:00

That's what ESPN.com is reporting.

Young PG Lou Williams is out two months with a broken jaw. Two years ago now-starting PG Jrue Holliday was in high school. Holliday was viewed as a solid developmental project when the 76ers took him in the draft; they didn't envision playing him 35 minutes a game about 5 weeks into his rookie season.

Which means that the 76ers have a vacuum at point guard. And reports are that they're going to try to fill it with Allen Iverson. But isn't this 34 year-old the same guy who the 76ers conceded under the coaching administration of Larry Brown was really a two guard, despite his small size? So now is the guy once called the "Answer" really the answer, not only as a starting PG (where the job description for successful PGs has passing as a priority before shooting) but as a mentor to young and impressionable point guards?

(It's also amusing to note that Brown is touting the virtues of Iverson, or at least saying nice things. Those who lived through the tumult during Brown's coaching of Iverson recall "owner" Pat Croce's getting involved to mediate between the star player and the coach and, also, Iverson's now infamous "practice" rant. Iverson frustrated Brown greatly. Brown's positive comments derive more from his training at the University of North Carolina, where loyalty to the basketball family runs pretty deep and where the 11th commandment is "though shall praise and network for former players and family members and never speak ill.").

This is a desperate move for a team that is playing to a half-empty building and that has quickly forgotten the wake that Iverson left as a legacy before he was traded to Denver. Yes, Iverson has played hard throughout his career, but he hasn't played smart all that much, has taken a lot of shots, has a tendency to go one-on-three, and has not shown leadership skills during his career. As the headline states, the 76ers have resorted to gimmickry to get young fans in the building -- cigar bars, photo opps with scantily clad dancers and the like -- and most fans, particularly serious basketball fans have seen through those tactics for what they are -- carnival-like attractions. But now the front office is one-upping itself if it brings Allen Iverson back. Big time.

Sure, they can talk about reconciliation, about the prodigal son's returning home and try to make the signing worthy of a Billy Wilder or Cecil B. DeMille movie, with GM Eddie Stefanski splitting the Schuylkill River to enable Iverson to walk across it (as with his advanced NBA age presumably he can no longer walk on it) and return to the Wachovia Center. For a day or so, everyone will say the right things, the usual fluff about how exciting the possibility to have AI again, with AI's saying that his career has come full circle and he's excited to end it where it began. Yes, they might even push the Eagles off the sports page for a day or two, and perhaps they'll sell some more tickets for a few games.

But they won't win, they're not building for the long term, and they're inking a guy who will do nothing to bring their franchise forward. Better to sign a PG from the developmental league to split time with Holliday, take their lumps, perhaps fall into the lottery, and then get a player who can help them get to the next level. Because with AI yes, they might win a few more games, but at what price?

Dignity? Hypocrisy? Good basketball? Teamwork? A good practice work ethic?

Sounds like the NBA's version of a circus is about to come back to town.

And it's not a lot of fun to watch old acrobats try one more time to show their stuff on the high wire.

Why Won't The Cardinals Introduce Mark McGwire at a News Conference?

2009-11-27T13:54:00.002-05:00

The team is tight-lipped about when they'll produce McGwire, who has been named the Cardinals' hitting coach.

The Cardinals' brass hasn't given a reason for its failure to produce McGwire, but perhaps here are a few reasons:

1. The former first baseman is completing an associates' degree at a St. Louis-area community college on pharmacology.

2. He's boning up on how to answer questions at the press conference with one of the best defense attorneys in the St. Louis area.

3. He's trying to get Sammy Sosa to show up with him, so that they can reminisce about their epic chase of Roger Maris's record.

4. He's lining up his endorsements with GNS, CVS and the folks who advertise products in bodybuilding magazines.

5. Major League Baseball is looking for late on a Friday afternoon (as the lowest number of readers reads the papers on Saturdays) after a terrorist attack has occurred.

McGwire can run, but he cannot hide. Let's see if the local St. Louis sports media -- who will have to live with him and a grouchy Tony LaRussa every day -- will press McGwire on his past one-man clinical trial testing of whatever substance(s) he used. Or, will the national media (Messrs. Gammons, Olney, Stark, Verducci and Kurkjian) pound him on the topic? Or, will all writers try to adopt the mode that MLB seemingly hopes they will -- fuggetaboutit. My guess is that he'll field a few questions about his escapades and otherwise escape a grilling.

Except on an annual basis, when Hall of Fame voters express some public agony about their votes, only to vote "no" each and every year.

Pirates' Ohlendorf Interning in D.C.

2009-11-27T13:48:00.002-05:00

No, he's not part of the Nationals' roster.

The Princeton grad is interning with the Department of Agriculture.

No, the operations research major isn't working on a way for small-market teams -- including his own -- to grow better prospects. Ohlendorf is a Texan, and he and his father have raised longhorns. Agriculture intrigues him and he likes to learn, so the ace of the Pirates' staff is spending his off-season in D.C. before heading to spring training.

Good off-season story for the Pirates, who still need to figure out a way to play .500 ball and draw people to that beautiful ballpark of theirs.

Will the 76ers Sign Allen Iverson?

2009-11-27T13:42:00.003-05:00

Here are two reasons why they might:

1. Starting point guard Lou Williams broke his jaw the other night against the Wizards and is out 2 months. Rookie Jrue Holliday, who was a freshman at UCLA last season, is now the starting point guard. Willie Green, much more of a 2 guard (sound familiar?) is the back-up.

2. The team is last in the NBA in attendance. Apparently, the dance team doesn't bring in men in the 22-40 age group as much as the front office thought it would.

Here are two reasons why they shouldn't:

1. Iverson is a distinct part of the 76ers' past, and the team should stay in the "moved on" mode.
2. He doesn't fit in with what coach Eddie Jordan is trying to do.

Basketball purity left the NBA a long time ago. The league has morphed much more into an "entertainment" mode than the rest of the three major leagues combined. Finances do matter, especially when unemployment exceeds 10% and most people don't feel like the recession has ended even if the experts claim it has. Translated: people just aren't coming out, so the question for the front office is whether the return of Allen Iverson would bring in a few more thousand people a night.

The answer: no. He's not the same guy he was ten years ago. Besides, some would continue to stay away were he to be brought back. The verdict: tempting, but not practical.

If Allen Iverson is to un-retire, he'll have to do so somewhere else.

Allen Iverson to Retire?

2009-11-25T22:15:00.002-05:00

So says reports on ESPN.com.

This report raises a lot of questions, such as:

1) what will he be remembered most for;
2) what will he retire to; and
3) is he a Hall of Famer?

As for the third question, it's both rhetorical and actual. My guess is that he'll be voted into the Hall because of the ratio of his individual effort to his size, as opposed to his shooting percentage, his unselfishness and his ability to make his teammates better. He has the numbers for the Hall, and he'll get in. Whether or not he's a Hall of Famer existentially is a different question. His backers will stress his effort, especially for his size, his MVP season and contend that he carried the 76ers without a bona fide lead supporting player, in that the Philadelphia team never got him a Scottie Pippen for their (poor man's) version of Michael Jordan and that playing with the George Lynches of the world failed to enable him to shine.

Interesting point, but he couldn't play with Jerry Stackhouse, who, when he was young, was teed up to be a star in the NBA (his prep and college bona fides suggested he would be). And, if he had someone better than a young Stackhouse, an established NBA star, would Iverson have known how to play with him? Or, would Iverson have insisted upon the limelight, tried to do it on his own during crunch time (and how many times did 76er fans see shots taken in 1 on 3 situations), and frozen out the star? It's hard to argue that Iverson would have shown his true greatness playing alongside a Pippen-like player. To the contrary, that situation would have underscored, even more, 76ers' fans and basketball purists' frustrations with him.

As did his stint in Denver, where he couldn't mesh with a more talented team than Philadelphia's and so frustrated were the Nuggets that they peddled him to Detroit for a perhaps less talented but much more team oriented and, as a result, valued player (at the time) in Chauncey Billups. And then Iverson failed to mesh in Detroit because he didn't like being a sixth man, even though, at age 31, that was perhaps the role that he was best-suited for. What made Iverson fearless and, at times, brilliant, also brought him down -- his unwillingness to compromise under any circumstances.

So, is Iverson a "Hall of Famer" in a different sense -- one that considers teamwork ahead of numbers? The answer is no. Sure, it's unfair to judge any player by a lack of championship rings. Sometimes so-so players earn rings because they're in the right place at the right time. Not to knock them, but many players could have played the eight-man in the rotation role (or beyond) on the Michael Jordan Bulls -- but only a handful did, and they have multiple rings. By the same token, Iverson seemed to frustrate those he coached, had that infamous "practice" rant, seemed to be a source of friction for the 76ers when Larry Brown coached them, and didn't seem to make his teammates better and, better yet, to lead.

Michael Jordan led. A player would join the Bulls, and he would say (as he did to Steve Kerr), "Hey, we've got to get you a ring." Jordan would practice the hardest, and he'd get into teammates' faces if he didn't believe they were working hard enough. (A friend who was in the Celtics' training camp decades ago recalled how Larry Bird always had to be the last player out of the gym; he spent hours shooting the ball). Iverson? To be fair, he played very hard in games, but he didn't appear to do any of that. And if the player to whom the others were required to defer doesn't do that stuff, then the team seems more about him and the show that he can put on that it is about winning.

It's hard to imagine Allen Iverson retired. Perhaps he needs a year to replenish a battered body, as he's a smallish guy who has taken a pounding over the years and given many a courageous personal effort. Perhaps he'll use that year to rehabilitate his image and take a shot at a comeback next season, as it's just hard to believe at such a young age he'll be happy sitting in the elementary school carpool line or riding a hybrid bike on bikepaths after spending half the morning at the breakfast table doing the crossword puzzle.

The bet here is that he'll be back.

And he'll accept a role off the bench.

Unless. . .

he opts for huge bucks as a drawing card somewhere overseas.

But in some of those towns, fans take their hoops really seriously.

And they care if you go to practice.

And might stone you if you don't.

Thoughts: Princeton Fires Head Football Coach Roger Hughes

2009-11-23T15:00:00.002-05:00

I saw the story in my morning paper and wasn't surprised. The Tigers were 47-52 under Hughes during his ten-year tenure, had 3 winning seasons and 1 shared Ivy title during that time. I've met Coach Hughes on occasion; he seems to be a nice, good guy, and I wish him well.

It's easy to pile onto Coach Hughes and say "numbers don't lie" or "with a record like that, they should have fired him a few years ago" and things like that. After all, in sports and sales, the numbers don't lie. But before Princeton alums pump their chests, say this is a great job, and say that they need someone who is a "winner", consider at least one fact that hurts the Tigers.

Princeton is the only school in the Ivies that doesn't accept transfer students.

And, if it did, like any other Ivy, it would not only accept athletes, but bassoonists, classicists, creative writers and fencers. Which means that you wouldn't see a pipeline of gridders coming through Old Nassau every year.

But, according to someone very familiar with Princeton football, the aggregate numbers aren't the issue. This person told me several years ago that one transfer -- even every other year -- could make a huge difference. Several years ago, the star Harvard running back transferred from Northwestern and the star Yale running back from Air Force. Yale's QB this year transferred from Nebraska, and over the years Penn's had transfers from Duke and North Carolina play quarterback. Presumably, these are upper echelon talents for the Ivies who can really make a difference.

Again, the number of transfers that Princeton takes for any activity -- zero.

So, imagine if you're another Ivy, and you have a need for a specific position. The Ivies have prestige, they recruit lots of kids, including some kids the Ivies reach for. Kids who the Ivies would be thrilled to get but who opt for scholarships elsewhere (as opposed to need-based financial aid) or better football opportunities. Those kids fall behind others on the depth chart, still want to play, and look to the schools that initially recruited them and then transfer. Or, they simply look to transfer. And any other Ivy with a need can match up its need(s) with who is available. So, if Cornell needs a defensive tackle and a kid from Stanford wants out, they can get him. If Dartmouth needs a running back and a kid from Duke is unhappy in Durham, presto, Dartmouth has a starting running back.

Now, one player doesn't a roster make, but one skill-position player who is a difference maker can help a good team be great or an average team contend in the Ivies. The transfer rule by no means excuses the overall record of the Princeton Tigers during Roger Hughes' tenure, but Princeton's decision not to admit transfers might put it at a competitive disadvantage in football. The hypothesis is more anecdotal than empirical right now, but stories abound in Ivy circles as to how transfers help Ivy football programs.

There's also some conjecture that Hughes didn't have as easy a time with the admissions office as other Ivy coaches do, but show me an Ivy coach, and I'll show you someone with a beef about the admissions office -- other schools let the prospects know more quickly that a recruit is likely to get in, the admissions office doesn't like football, the basketball team is the favorite and so forth. Again, anecdotal stuff.

At any rate, from afar the Hughes teams didn't perform as crisply on average as Al Bagnoli's Penn teams. Perhaps an occasional transfer might have helped, but Princeton A.D. Gary Walters now has the opportunity to hire a head football coach who can improve the won-loss record. Let's see what he can do.

Al Golden -- The Hottest Name in College Football Coaches

2009-11-21T18:05:00.002-05:00

The Temple Owls have won their ninth straight, pasting Kent State 47-13 in Philadelphia today. They are now 9-2 and travel to Ohio Friday to play the 8-3 Bobcats.

If your Division 1-A school will be looking for a head coach after this season, expect Al Golden, who brought back a comatose program from close to elimination and who has worked miracles on North Broad Street, to be at the top of the list.

Luck of the Irish: FIFA and the Blues See Green

2009-11-21T17:51:00.002-05:00

FIFA has said no replay.

Sepp Blatter, President of FIFA, has been silent.

France just said no to a replay.

Thierry "Hands" Henry, captain of Les Bleus, belatedly said that there should be a replay. Perhaps his agent told him that his legacy (and obituary) would be that in a key game to save his national team from humiliation, he guided a ball with his hand in extra time to steer a World Cup berth to France.

The French press has been all over the French team.

The French gym teachers' union apparently is appalled at France's lack of owning up to the fiasco that the referee (a Swede) created when he didn't call an obvious hand ball (he should be relegated for at least a short time to a beer league in Beirut for missing that call).

About 6 years ago FIFA lauded a national team coach for sportsmanship when he elected not to demand a replay after an obvious blown call. That's interesting, isn't it? Sure, that coach elected not to complain mightily (thereby not giving FIFA a major headache), but those who truly merit the attention are when they take a stand that is against their own interest for the sake of integrity -- which is what the French national team and manager Raymond Domenech would be doing if they mandated to all governing bodies that there be a replay.

Instead, the French berth and FIFA itself are tainted.

As will be the 2010 World Cup.

And conspiracy theories will abound.

Those theories will say that FIFA will do anything to get team from about 7 countries -- England, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Brazil -- into the World Cup at all costs (apparently when the results of the play-in rounds revealed that France and Portugal would be in danger of not making the World Cup, the fief heads of FIFA changed the play-in match-ups to avoid a France-Portugal play-in series, thus avoiding having one of those two traditional powers not make the World Cup).

So, if FIFA wants those 7 countries in the World Cup every year, then FIFA should just say so and save the rest of us the drama and the hypocrisy. France has 64 million people and many more consumers than Ireland, which has a population of 4 million. But if that's the case, then China, India, Russia and the United States should make it in automatically every year too.

It may be that rules are rules and that FIFA needs to follow them at all costs. That would be to say that if the referee failed to call the hand ball, there's nothing that FIFA can do about it. But given all of the doubts and the fact that few, if any, could imagine a World Cup without France, it's hard to dispel notions that the hand of someone muted the whistle of the referee. And while there's no evidence to suggest that -- the guy might have had an awful day and been daydreaming about his plans for after the match -- 4 million Irishmen, many Frenchmen, and many others will wonder for a while what happened on that play that prevented the referee from making the obvious call.

France-Ireland -- World Cup Qualifier Travesty

2009-11-19T05:35:00.002-05:00

Lest you might have thought that anything to do with the Olympics and planning for it was among the most questionable, if not corrupt, activities in the world, now we have last night's World Cup qualifier between France and Ireland, played in France. I'm in France now, and I've had the benefit of hearing the French reaction to the "Hand of Henry" goal that propelled France to a tie in the match and a berth in the 2010 World Cup.

Irish star Robbie Keane scored in the thirty-third minute, and for a good part of the game the Irish really took it to France. In extra time (for Americans, that means time added to a half to allow for the time that the clock ran but play did not continue because of an injury), the ball made its way toward the goal Ireland was defending. French captain, former Arsenal and current Barcelona striker Thierry Henry guided it with his hand toward another player. The referee should have stopped play and called it a "hand ball." Sometimes, if the touching is viewed as obvious and deliberate, a player can get a yellow card (the equivalent to a technical foul in basketball; get two yellow cards and you get a red card, an automatic ejection and a suspension from the next game). Play would have stopped, and Ireland would have had a free kick.

Instead, the Irish are crying foul in their beer. Apparently the French media are not being kind to their own Les Bleus, as a colleague told me that commentators on the air and in print are saying that France won because it cheated. Naturally, there's speculation that since no one involved with the World Cup could imagine one without France. . . well, you fill in the blank. That's a tough allegation, and, as American baseball fans learned, in the post-season this past season otherwise well-regarded umpires missed some obvious calls (including two in a row in a World Series game by umpire Brian Gorman, who called a double play that wasn't against the Yankees and then called Chase Utley out at first when he clearly was safe).

This is a pretty awful spectacle, and if you can find a replay you'll see how obvious a missed call this was and confirm that it was at the worst time of the game. Which leads to a suggestion. . .

Why don't they have instant replay on all goals in games like this? That doesn't mean I'm suggesting that they do so in every league match everywhere, but in championship matches, tournament matches, deciding World Cup qualifiers, why don't the powers that be take some pressure off the officials and guarantee some more quality in the officiating. Akin to a "booth review" in the last 2 minutes of a National Football League game, a review of any goal should be automatic. If this were the case, the referee would head to a booth on the field and converse with officials up in the press box. They would review a replay of the goal, and the referee clearly would have seen the hand ball. And then he would have made the right call.

Instead, at best human error cost the Irish a World Cup berth (my guess is that there are several World Cup officials who would contend that had the Irish played better throughout the qualifying, their fate wouldn't have come down to this goal in this game, so that they shouldn't make such a big deal about this goal). The Irish fans are angry and frustrated, and the French fans are sighing a sigh of relief.

But both Les Bleus and the French fans know that the French didn't deserve that goal, that tie or a berth in the World Cup.

As does the rest of the soccer world.

The accident has happened, so now it's time for the World Cup officials to put up better traffic signs in the form of instant replay. The reason is clear -- the integrity of the game is at stake.

Great Baseball Hot Stove Talk from SI's Jon Heyman

2009-11-18T15:29:00.003-05:00

Good stuff on

a) who might get Roy Halladay;

b) whether and when Mark McGwire might come clean; and

c) which teams are looking to trade players.

I have a hard time believing that the Phillies would seriously consider trading for Brandon Inge, who is only a few years younger than Pedro Feliz and has a bad on-base percentage (according to MLB.com, a career .305). The Phillies need someone who can hit consistently, field the position reasonably well and have an OBP closer to .350 than .300. Placido Polanco would seem to fit the bill, but he's a Type A free agent who would cost the Phillies their first-round draft pick. And given the Phils' sudden and unprecedented run of success with first-round picks, it's hard to believe that they'd be willing to part with one for Polanco.

Keep on following Jon Heyman on SI.com. He's worth the time.