Sports Agenda for Tuesday (6/26/12)
Big Story:
Hmm, now that the NBA season is over, what shall we talk about for the next 50+ days until teams report for training camp in the NFL and college? Well, the Marlins continue to suck the life out of Miami, or the death of the BCS, or the NBA Draft? Decisions, decisions, decisions.
Quote of the Day:
"None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody - a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns - bent down and helped us pick up our boots." – the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall
Death to the BCS:
Today, the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee will vote on a four-team playoff proposal from conference commissioners.
Assuming the BCS Presidents don't short circuit the process, we will finally have a college football playoff in major college football.
The new playoff will be the four best teams, likely chosen by a selection committee.
The current BCS bowls (Orange, Sugar, Rose, Fiesta) will likely rotate as sites for the semifinal games.
This is huge for the BCS bowls because they've had to put on some pretty putrid bowls in the last few years due to tie-ins.
After the semifinal game, a championship game will be held by the two teams left standing.
The championship game will be bid on by potential sites like is done by the NFL with the Super Bowl.
At the top of the list of landing sites will likely be JerryWorld, I mean Cowboys Stadium.
I'd put a vote in for South Florida, because sometimes it can be 70 some odd degrees down here on January 1.
Speaking of January 1, I believe that's the date the new playoffs will be targeted for semifinal games.
The presidents want to make that day count again instead of the week long process that stretches nearly in mid-January currently.
So when would all this take place?
Not until the 2014 season.
So we're stuck with the BCS for two more years.
But that's not bad news for South Florida, because I believe the BCS National Championship Game is scheduled for South Florida in January.
It's a win-win for everyone.
Early numbers put a ten-year contract for the playoff in the neighborhood of $5 billion. I think the number is on the low end.
It's not the 16 team playoff we need, but we'll finally get on the road to that eventuality.
Plus, while the preseason polls are fun for us in the media and fans, they'll finally lose their importance in front of a selection committee.
Hey, it's not perfect, but it's a helluva lot better than what we've had to deal with.
Miami Marlins: (vs. St. Louis Cardinals, 7:10 p.m.)
Hey, great seats are still available for the Marlins games.
Well, that's easy to say because the team has gone from suck to blow. (Cue the Spaceballs music!)
The Marlins loss on Monday night, yes, they lost again, dropped them to dead last in the NL East. Well, it's technically a tie for last, but Miami is going down.
Seriously, these guys are making the 2011 Miami Dolphins look good, and that's tough.
The Marlins are so bad….how bad are they?
Power hitter Giancarlo Stanton is hitting below .200 for the month and has just 2 homers in his last 10 games. His batting average has gone from .285 in mid-June to .271 today.
Lead-off man Jose Reyes, who was improving in mid-June, has regressed to an average of .220 over his last 10 games and .270 overall on the season.
What we're missing and it's desperately needed is a COMPLETE meltdown from manager Ozzie Guillen.
He needs to channel all of his anger and completely flip out on this team.
I'm thinking of the movie Bull Durham, the manager asks the veteran Crash Davis how to get through to the guys.
Davis tells the manager the team is young, so scare 'em.
That's exactly what Guillen needs to do in the locker room with these guys.
I'm talking taking a bat to some stuff in the locker room, hats flying, drinks flying, yknow, complete meltdown.
NBA Draft: (Thursday)
So the Heat are right back to work on the team starting Thursday with the NBA Draft.
Where should Miami look?
Well, if you believe the reports that Ray Allen is interested in playing here, then that leaves you with two positions to look at: small forward and center.
Personally, if I'm in there I'm looking for a dynamic small forward who I can bring off the bench to give LeBron breaks in games.
I'm thinking that if he's there, someone like Vandy's Jeff Taylor or possibly French player Evan Fournier could be the pick.
Past those guys, I think if someone like Fab Melo is on the board you jump on him for athleticism and shot blocking alone.
I could also see the Heat giving Festus Ezeli a serious look, he's a 6'11", 264 pound senior out of Vanderbilt.
If he was in complete free fall, snagging Jared Sullinger might not be a bad idea either at the end of the first round.
IF the Heat take a decent player in the draft, sign Ray Allen, and make a big pitch to someone like Steve Nash or another decent free agent looking for a ring, then the Heat are going to start next season where they ended this season, on top.
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