KL: Matt Barkley vs Aaron Corp?

Aaron Corp (Left) vs Matt Barkley (Right?)

I admit I was shocked when USC coach Pete Carroll chose Matt Barkley over Aaron Corp to lead his juggernaut as the starting Quarterback. True Freshman over a Third Year Player (RS Soph). Interception Prone over Conservative Playcalling.

Then I realized--this is USC. They don't settle for boring and conservative. They settle for the "It" factor. Whatever that means. And why not let Barkley start? Corp has not exactly taken one meaningful snap in his career. Yes, I am amused by the scrambling abilities that Corp brings to the table and would love to see how USC would have implemented that in their system. However, on a National Level, Matt Barkley was extremely sought after and has a name that is recognizable to those who follow recruiting. As was Mark Sanchez and John David Booty. Who followed Heisman winners Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer. How does Corp figure into here? He doesn't. The pattern is clear. And he needs to transfer. Talent wasted--that's what we have here.

Oh, and did I mention 3rd string Mitch Mustain is now an afterthought after being selected the 2005 Highschool Player of the Year and rated as the #1 QB by most draft "experts" while starting his collegiate career 8-0 as a starter in the mighty SEC for Arkansas? Speaking of wasted talent...

WP: Big Enough to Admit It...

So...a year later and the "proof" would seem to reside within the proverbial pudding. In my previous "Tour" post, I woefully lamented Lance Armstrong's return to the Tour de France as a misguided attempt to relive the hey-day of his youth, a la Bret Favre. Now that all is said and done, I must admit that I was wrong. Not only did Lance perform, but he did so with style, grace and panache. Kudos to the French populace for giving him a chance to prove himself despite the percieved tarnish they have accorded him in the past. His commitment to and love for the sport of cycling will perhaps be his greatest legacy, even if we were to see him atop the winners podium for years to come. And I will, without hesitation or regrets, cheer him on next year. Good on ya, Lance!!

KL: An Intriguing Hire

With the inevitable demise of former USC Basketball coach Tim Floyd--the somewhat revived program looked for a new leader under suppressed circumstances. With NCAA sanctions looming, an entire recruiting class gone, and early NBA defections, a team once penciled in to go deep into the 2010 Men's Tourney--even whispers of the Final Four--suddenly, the Trojans finishing 8th or 9th in the PAC 10 is a realistic possibility. Perhaps only Washington State will be less successful.

So what coach was willing to take on an almost hopeless situation? Surely not Pitt's Jamie Dixon--USC's wishful hope and first choice. Yes, he is from LA and his wife is a Trojan alum, but to go from a program that cares, to a program that is more worried about its 2015 football recruiting class: Dixon obviously was a no-go.

All other preferred options were quickly gone. Former NBA coaches Jeff Van Gundy said no while Reggie Theus was willing--but just too controversial of a choice given the state of the program.

With seemingly nowhere to go and starting at ground zero--USC shockingly released a video email announcing it has hired a coach.

And your 2009-2010 USC Men's Basketball Coach is... Kevin O'Neil? Yes, the former Coach at the Universities of Marquette, Northwestern, Tennessee and Arizona (Interim). Former NBA assistant to close friends Jeff Van Gundy and Rick Carlisle and former Head Coach of the Toronto Raptors.

This blogger admits he was surprised and even dismayed. Read every USC message board and the fans were up in arms. Anger followed by depression hit instantly. After all...this is USC!

Wait a minute... this is not football. This is a hoops program that even after three consecutive March Madness bids (considered a success here) the fans struggled to fill the seats. Realistically, who was going to take this job? Almost sure NCAA sanctions looming and an indifferent fanbase? A fanbase that Tim Floyd slowly was awakening. Only to have the reset button hit so suddenly the moment allegations surfaced of Floyd giving $1,000 to an OJ Mayo-linked individual.

No, despite the initial shock, and after only a brief attempt at research, I have come to the conclusion and believe USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett made the right choice in Kevin O'Neil. There was not going to be a big name. There really was only two choices: (1) Hire an established retread known to be clean, (2) Hire a hotshot up-and-coming assistant--and not know what you are getting.

O'Neil, aka "KO", if nothing else, knows basketball, is clean, and stresses education, defense, and a self-sacrificing spirit. He will NOT attract Prima Donas like Mayo or other me-first one-and-done recruits. He will build the program slowly but, ethically. And maybe like his Tennessee coaching stint, he will restore a franchise in shambles (5 wins the year before), and allow the next coach to succeed (20-win seasons four times consecutively once he left).

Or, this may also end up like his one year stint with the Arizona Wildcats, where his notorious volatile personality overwhelmed the players, the assistants and even Lute Olson. All O'Neil had to do was keep his mouth closed for one year and he would have been the next coach of a storied program. He failed to do so and was ran out of town.

Maybe he is just holding down the program and restoring a measure of respectability and discipline until the likes of Dixon will reconsider coming back home. Or maybe, he will be the next washed up retread to resurrect his career in the fashion of Pete Carroll... OR maybe he will burnout the first season with Tim Floyd's players unaccustomed to the fiery O'Neil at the helm and everything will spin out of control.

This really is one hire that can be absolutely fantastic or completely nuts. Either way, it is an intriguing hire that was the best-case in a hopeless situation.

KL: Rejoice--There will be no Lovefest!

Thank GOODNESS I have been spared the lovefest that was going to be.

The sports networks, the AM stations, and others would have been talking for hours on end of the impending LeBron James vs Kobe Bryant matchup, whom--I believe--would not even be guarding each other in the actual game. Yes, Lebron is gone and Kobe still lives, but Kobe on his own is simply not endearing enough for a solo showering of love. He simply does not have the personality or ability to maintain a level of adornment that Lebron on his own would exude. And Kobe vs Dwight just does not have the same tone that would allow the talking heads to excessively celebrate. While I admit, that I would have

tuned in to see this well-hyped matchup, one would soon realize that basketball is a team sport.

If there is one theme that will be sounded off, it is the one remaining question: Can Kobe do it on his own? Yes, and here's why. The depth, the experience, and the drive will allow the Laker's to prevail. Up until this point, one can make two judgements against the Lakers. After cruising through their 82-game regular season, they simply have sleepwalked through the first three rounds waiting to avenge the 2008 blowout series to the Boston Celtics. Or... One might just assume that the Lakers simply play soft and playoff atmosphere has exposed this team with many chinks in their armor.

On The Finals...

Dwight Howard is simply not angry enough which may play well into the Laker's finesse game up front. The key is how focused will Andrew Bynum be? Speaking of focus, one must always assume Lamar Odom's head will be somewhere else. Which Magic backcourt member will be able to "control" Kobe? Alston? Lee? Pietrus? Sounds like they might be in trouble on that one. Can Rashard Lewis provide a consistent scoring threat after Dwight Howard? We'll find out soon...

Until then, I make the bold prediction: Lakers in six.

KL: It turns out ... UNC is pretty good

This just in: ....it turns out that The University of North Carolina Tar Heels is a pretty good basketball squad. After blowouts of top 10 teams such as Gonzaga, Oklahoma, and Villanova, I wasn't willing to see the light. After last night, against the always gritty style of Tom Izzo and the Spartans, I have officially conceded and will admit that UNC is--bar none--the best college basketball team of the 2008-2009 season.

....congratulations to the ACC ... for allowing the nations best team to have a home. And let's hope that the other schools (and certainly not their rival fanbase) do not attempt to ride the Tar Heel train for bragging rights. I mean, hypothetically, Memphis was one Mario Chalmer's almost brick from winning the national championship one year ago. Had that happened--would the UAB, Houston, or Tulsa fanbases claim to be sitting in the nation's best college basketball conference? It would be rather pathetic if they did. And thankfully they wouldn't. Regardless, based on the performance of the other ACC squads this past March--well I think that pretty well answers the question on the nations toughest conference. And just to bring credibility to my argument, to those who think I have ill intentions to certain schools by making this point, I should point out that my school of choice did not make it past the second round.

....the award for the best conference overall? Despite listening to the constant barrage of ESPN dribble, I will have to agree that the Big East is on top of the list. Having 4 teams in the Elite Eight and 2 in the Final Four... Of course, let it be known that the Tar Heels would dominate this conference as well had they played a schedule featuring statistic padding schools such as 9-24 DePaul, 9-22 South Florida, and 11-21 Rutgers.

....the real winners last night, however, was us--the audience. We no longer have to see Tyler Hansbrough's open mouth, dumbfounded look, nor his bald Missourian father. Let his NBA journeyman career begin...

KL: The Rise of the Quarterback

Week 2 of the 2008 NFL season provided some very interesting quarterback stories.

There was one veteran and one newcomer who each had an outstanding day statistically and lifted their teams to huge victories:

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay: 24/38 328 yds 3 TDs, 0 INT
Kurt Warner, Arizona 19/24 361 yds 3 TDs, 0 INT

There was another veteran and another newcomer who did not impress on such a statistical level, but nobly lifted their teams to much needed victories after a week of uncertainty. Two teams who desperately needed some order restored received it with quarterback play that efficiently managed the game:

Matt Cassel, New England: 16/23 165 yds 0 TD, 0 INT
Kerry Collins, Tennessee 14/21 128 yds 1 TDs, 0 INT



All four stories are different--yet so similar. They are stories that delicately interweave.

Two years ago, both Kurt Warner (Cardinals) and Kerry Collins (Titans) were forced out of their starting positions by younger, college superstars in 2006. Matt Leinart (Cardinals) and Vince Young (Titans) were both coming off of two of the greatest college football seasons ever for quarterbacks. Warner and Collins both won the starting job initially, but both were looking over their shoulders from the beginning. Fans, management, and coaches were all searching for ways to give Leinart and Young the duties. Two or three weeks later, they did--justified or not. Neither Warner nor Collins played horribly; but neither gave the coaches a reason to stick with either. Three years later, Leinart is working under a new head coach that is unforgiving of preseason interceptions and off-the-field distractions, while Young seems to have become emotionally unstable. Both have shown they are mentally weak when the going gets tough. Enter Warner and Collins. They have catapulted themselves back into starting jobs as tough-minded veterans who know how to survive in this difficult league.

Three years ago, Aaron Rogers and Matt Cassel were selected in the same draft--April of 2005. Both originally from the PAC 10; both becoming backup quarterbacks over the next three seasons in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots, respectively. However, their similarities end here. After turning Cal into a formidable football program, Rogers disappointingly dropped to the bottom of the first round of the same draft--after possible first-pick speculation. Cassel surprisingly even was picked--and it was in the seventh and final round; this is the same quarterback who was once an afterthought in college while, ironically, backing up Matt Leinart at USC. Rogers was to be the inevitable heir of Brett Favre in Green Bay. He knew he would have to sit before he was to play. But when one year turned into two years which turned into three years, there was serious concern over his status while Brett Favre continued his fickle retirement games. In New England, just like at USC, Matt Cassel was an afterthought. After all, Tom Brady was going nowhere and seemed to be as durable as they come. Cassel was fortunate to even be in the NFL. Unlike Rogers, who was forced to endure and adapt to a secondary role, Cassel had no reasons for complaint. He was living the life--as an NFL back-up no less!

This past weekend, Kurt Warner and Aaron Rogers led brilliant offensive attacks while Kerry Collins and Matt Cassel played calmly, conservatively, and handled the football with care. Combined, the four did not throw a single interception and led their teams to a 4-0 record. Meanwhile, Brady, Leinart, and Young sat, and Cassel defeated a Favre led squad--who (Favre) played far below his normal level.

So in the future, never assume you will be able to make sense out of this world. You will see that events will always find a way to turn themselves upside down!

WP: Lance pulling a page from Favre's playbook??

Let me begin by saying, I like Lance Armstrong. Despite the rumor and innuendo surrounding his final few runs at the Tour, I believe he reinvigorated a waning interest in cycling as a sport in Europe and created a new buzz over cycling as recreation here at home. His retirement at the pinnicle of his career, I felt, set a standard for athletes-at-large who seem to have a hard time figuring out just when to call it a night. Now all of that nobility and wisdom that Lance displayed, all of his tremendous accomplishments, appear to be teetering on the edge of a treacherous chasm we shall call "if only forsight had been 20/20."

No, I do not believe Lance Armstrong should return to cycling...at least not in this manner. My reason for thinking thus is twofold, and I will start my argument with Lance's stated purpose for the triumphant return.

"I am happy to announce that after talking with my children, my family and my closest friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden," Armstrong said in a statement released to The Associated Press.

Noble...selfless...compassionate? Perhaps. But will it really make a difference in "global awareness?" I would counter that there is far more to lose by a comeback attempt. By ending his career at arguably the top of his game, having won an unprecedented seven Tours, Lance demonstrated that a cancer patient could not just survive, but excel and thrive. This was a crowning achievement for anyone, let alone someone fighting the ravages of a disease. Now suppose that he was to return and NOT win, or worse yet, fail miserably. Which scenario has the greater positive impact on cancer awareness??

So, any negative attention that would come with his return has the potential to undo all of the positive press that has been created for his cause. That is the exact opposite result that he intends.

And negative attention is a rather sticky wicket when you left a sport under, at best suspicions and at worst (in the European community) expectations, of drug use. Lance is not alone in this "did they or didn't they?" group which ranges from those who "did" (Festina, Rasmussen, Landis) to those who "didn't" (Ullrich, Astana, Bass). Please not the quotation marks...I am not making accusations of guilt or innocence. Now due to increased rhetoric from WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency (think Yoda's impetuous and windy twin who is far less skilled in the powers of the force) and threats from European broadcasters of reduced coverage, the cycling community and more importantly individual teams (go Slipstream!) are seeing the need to self-police in an effort to overcome the tarnished image of the sport.

So does cycling really need one of its icons, who many believe got away clean, stepping back into the limelight, reminding everyone of the old ways? It seems possible that this might be a rubberband set to snap back catching Lance and the sport in general squarely in the chamois protected nether region. There is just far too much potential for a negative outcome here to make a return to the Tour de France seem sensible.

Why not reach out for new records in cyclocross or the numerous mountain bike events throughout the world. He has the mettle and the drive for it...I think it would be a fantastic, and risk free, avenue for him to extend his contributions to the sport he loves and the cause he has embraced.

If not...maybe there is an NFL team who needs a quarterback.