Good Knight

So, I got an email recently regarding the "revelation" that Bobby Knight would be interested in returning to college basketball if it was the right opportunity -- the revelation was tied to the comment that he would be interested in the University of Georgia job if they called. I mention the email because it got me to thinking about the purpose of big time Division I college sports (primarily football and basketball) and the role of the people paid to coach athletes at this level. Note that I did not say "student-athlete."

The email contained the following rant:

Bobby Knight should have no place in the NCAA and he should have been banned years ago after his second outburst. The first time he flipped out and berated a kid or threw chair it would have been okay to put him on a plan of improvement, or make him work with a counselor or anger management coach. The second time it happened, he should have been tossed out of his job and out of the NCAA. You don't get to pull that shit in corporate America, and you certainly shouldn't be allowed to pull it in EDUCATION. I know you're going to say "he's a coach, not an educator." Yes he is a coach, but his job includes teaching game strategy as well as sportsmanship and appropriate conduct and how to represent the school. Come on. He was a terrible example. He might have been good at the game strategy part and winning games and making money for the the schools, but he failed miserably has a mentor/example... and being a coach involves both. The NCAA should have washed its hands of him years ago.

Angry? Sure. Well thought out? Yeah. Correct? Hell and no.

By now, you all know me...I adore innocence and naivety. It's cute and it's a sign that we haven't completely lost our way in this mean and cruel society. However, that rant is ridiculous! Here's why...

First, Division I sports are not about educating kids. They are about winning games, generating money, and showcasing kids for professional sports. School schedules are manipulated for kids so that they can spend a majority of their time on their major -- sports; coaches make significantly more money than anyone else on campus and, at public schools, are almost always the highest paid state employee. Oh, and not by a little.

Second, Coaches are fired for having winning records and good kids. Coaches are fired for having great records overall, but losing records against rivals. Coaches are fired because they are poor recruiters of talent. And, coaches are fired when schools are not maximizing profit through the program.

Show me a school that rewards graduating players and producing good men, and I will show you a losing program. Case and point -- Northwestern is a fantastic school with a great academic reputation and a history of producing quality student-athletes. They have also NEVER been in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. I wouldn't want to be associated with that.

Finally, Bobby Knight is a genius. Bobby Knight understood the two most important things about Division I basketball. How to coach it and how to win at it. He also has done it without having to cheat! No recruiting violations. No paying players. Nothing!

Let's look at the facts...

• 902 wins (most by any Division I men's basketball coach)


• 3 NCAA Championships (including the last undefeated team -- 1976 Indiana Hoosiers)


• Only coach to win championships in the NCAA, the NIT, Olympics and Pan American Games


• He has won the Naismith College Coach of the Year, the Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award, the Henry Iba Award twice, the Big Ten Coach of the Year six times, and was the Naismith Award winner for Men's Outstanding Contribution to Basketball.

What has Indiana Basketball given us since Bobby Knight left? After a highly successful 29 year career with the General, Indiana has had 4 coaches in 8 years and is currently serving a 3-year probation for recruiting violations.

Do you think that the alumni and students of Indiana would prefer wins now? Or a good example? With the amount of money tied to college sports these days and the profile it gives a university, count me among those that would choose the wins.

I have been around a lot of college coaches and they ain't saints. Their jobs depend on them winning games. Period. Schools that value anything else ALWAYS suffer .

Catch Me If You Can

This is going to be a quick entry, as we are fast approaching kickoff, so I will say the Pittsburgh Steelers win, and fairly decisively. They definitely cover the spread. I have already read Sinickal's predictions, and I concur wholeheartedly. I think Willie Parker has a great game with lots of yards, and possibly multiple touchdowns. The Steelers defense closes out. Game Over.

Games are usually that simple. You can overthink predictions, and this is why the Super Bowl should be held the week after the conference championship games. However, if most people overthink the game, and that affects the spread in my favor so be it.

Most prognosticators seem to be caught up in the whole Arizona hype/bandwagon. On this front, I was watching a very underrated flick this morning, Catch Me If You Can, in which Tom Hanks is trying to catch a criminal named Frank Abagnale played by Leonardo DiCaprio. I bring this up simply for one quote. After you read Sinickal's last post, you would hate to be caught up in a dilemma that the young Frank Abagnale encounters. He is approached in the hospital by a senior doctor while pretending himself to be an actual doctor. Abagnale's simple response; "I should have concurred. Don't be Frank Abagnale. I concur - Steelers.

A Super Day!

Quick post today to get on the record about the only day of the year that really matters...

Let's get the pick out of the way up front -- Pittsburgh wins and I don't think it will be a close game. The score may be close, but I think that Pittsburgh will really beat up Arizona and win this decisively.

I know that this isn't a popular pick. EVERYONE seems to believe that the Cardinals are a team of destiny; or that Wisenhunt knows the Steelers players to well; or that Larry Fitzgerald is a great feel good story; or any number of other reasons that emerge when you have two weeks to do nothing but think about why the best team won't win. By the way, I do this periodically also. In the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, I spend 10 days not even questioning my pick and 3 days wondering why everyone else (especially the experts) is questioning theirs. Then, of course, self doubt creeps in. And THAT'S how you lose money with your bookie.

This happens a lot in College football. Remember that just a few weeks ago, everyone had convinced themselves that Oklahoma was a much better team than Florida. You will also remember that I was the voice of reason in explaining why Oklahoma could not stay on the same field with the Gators.

To me, picking games is a pretty simple science (which is probably why I am wrong so often). In the case of this game, I look at a few practical nuggets:

1. Pittsburgh has better talent. Other than Fitzgerald and, maybe Warner (Ben has as many rings by the way), where is Arizona better? When all is said and done, talent and solid coaching win football games and I like Pittsburgh for both.


2. Football is a simple game. You run the ball. You stop the run. Arizona can't do either consistently. They may be able to pull off the upset today (a big chore), but I don't want my hard earned gambling money on a team that had a game this year in which they ran the ball 7 times in 57 total plays.


3. You should never forget what you have seen. Arizona was a dysfunctional team playing in a horrendous Division all year! If this game were being played any other week but this week, people wouldn't be thinking twice. Pittsburgh is a solid, consistent franchise that just wins games. Period. That counts for a lot with me.


4. Two words -- Mike Tomlim. Okay, here is where I fall apart. I simply love this man. His quotes and philosophies on football are original and - to quote Tony Kornheiser - flamboyantly articulate. Everyone seems to relate to him! I will follow him anywhere. I just hope that he never ends up coaching the Green Bay Packers.

I will answer the "Ken Wisenhunt used to be the offensive coordinator for the Steelers and knows the tendencies of the players there" argument this way. Dick Labeau was there also, and understands the tendencies of Wisenhunt. Oh, and LaBeau IS a genius.

I already know that the Steelers are a physically and mentally tough football team that is never out of a game. Arizona is a team that has shown several times this year that they can be taken out of a game. I am positive that the Wisenhunt and the Cardinals have a plan for how to beat the Steelers today, but I will leave you with this quote courtesy of Mike Tyson..."Everyone has a plan until they get hit."

And Pittsburgh is going to hit Arizona today.