Surprise, surprise, surprise.
Now we find out that Memphis probably used an ineligible player during its 2008 run to the Final Four. If the allegations are proven, Memphis will have to forfeit all 38 wins that year, including their Title Game appearance.
This would also be the second time that John Calipari was forced to modify his resume.
Yet like Kelvin Sampson before him, on goes Calipari to another big-time program. No consequences. No financial penalties. No expectations other than that he'll cheat for his new team, too.
And Lipscomb is proud of its association with big-time college athletics? Really?
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Spelling Bee Thursday
Wow. Round 5 was a bloodbath.
Two of my favorites -- Talmadge Nakamoto, who lists his fafvorite movie as "The Princess Bride" and Alex Wells of San Diego with the hair and the mustache -- missed the Top 11. Alex was felled in the Round 5 Massacre (dansant); Talmadge survivied but went down in Round 6 (caliche).
TV tonight will feature two of the favorites (Shivishankar and Chand) plus 3-timers Kyle Mou, Aishwarya Pastapur, Kennyi Aouad, and Neetu Chandak. Only four of the remaining 11 are rookies.
Two of my favorites -- Talmadge Nakamoto, who lists his fafvorite movie as "The Princess Bride" and Alex Wells of San Diego with the hair and the mustache -- missed the Top 11. Alex was felled in the Round 5 Massacre (dansant); Talmadge survivied but went down in Round 6 (caliche).
TV tonight will feature two of the favorites (Shivishankar and Chand) plus 3-timers Kyle Mou, Aishwarya Pastapur, Kennyi Aouad, and Neetu Chandak. Only four of the remaining 11 are rookies.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Watching the Spelling Bee
Calling it now -- at least one California kid is going to be on TV Friday night. 15 spellers in, and the difference in confidence between the California kids and the rest is palpable.
And wow. I just saw the kid from San Diego. I hope he gets there, just for the mustache factor.
Of course, it's way too early. And we're only seeing them facing one word out of the 27 they are being scored on. They have already taken a 50-word test worth 25 points. The words they're spelling now are worth 3 points each. The top 50 scorers (out of 293) advance to the TV semifinals tomorrow.
Canada is up now. Stay tuned.
UPDATE -- End of the third quarter. The oral round is scoring at about an 83% clip. I'm guessing (not unreasonably, I don't think) that the written round averaged about 84%. Based on those probabilities, 43 kids out of 293 will score 29 or higher. That only leaves seven spots for somebody who missed one in the oral round, provided they aced the written test.
It's the National Spelling Bee. The margin for error is very, very slim.
UPDATE AGAIN -- Another interesting stat: Kids who have been to the Spelling Bee at least once are 122-for-134 (91%) in the oral rounds, while newcomers are 343-for-419 (81%) so far. Spellers on their third or fourth national bee are a combined 35-for-36, or 97.2%.
MY PICK -- Kavia Shivashankar of Olathe, Kansas. If experience counts, this could be her year. This is her fourth finals, and she has 3 top-10 finishes already. No other speller in the field has placed in the top 25 more than once. Watch out also for defending-runner-up Sidharth Chand and last year's 10-th place finisher Kyle Mou.
And wow. I just saw the kid from San Diego. I hope he gets there, just for the mustache factor.
Of course, it's way too early. And we're only seeing them facing one word out of the 27 they are being scored on. They have already taken a 50-word test worth 25 points. The words they're spelling now are worth 3 points each. The top 50 scorers (out of 293) advance to the TV semifinals tomorrow.
Canada is up now. Stay tuned.
UPDATE -- End of the third quarter. The oral round is scoring at about an 83% clip. I'm guessing (not unreasonably, I don't think) that the written round averaged about 84%. Based on those probabilities, 43 kids out of 293 will score 29 or higher. That only leaves seven spots for somebody who missed one in the oral round, provided they aced the written test.
It's the National Spelling Bee. The margin for error is very, very slim.
UPDATE AGAIN -- Another interesting stat: Kids who have been to the Spelling Bee at least once are 122-for-134 (91%) in the oral rounds, while newcomers are 343-for-419 (81%) so far. Spellers on their third or fourth national bee are a combined 35-for-36, or 97.2%.
MY PICK -- Kavia Shivashankar of Olathe, Kansas. If experience counts, this could be her year. This is her fourth finals, and she has 3 top-10 finishes already. No other speller in the field has placed in the top 25 more than once. Watch out also for defending-runner-up Sidharth Chand and last year's 10-th place finisher Kyle Mou.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Bee Week
The National Spelling Bee is this week. Live streaming starts tomorrow on ESPN 360, with semifinals on Thursday and the championship Friday night.
The first academic competition I ever won was a spelling bee in first grade. I won the school-wide fourth grade spelling bee even though I was only in fourth grade for the last six weeks of the year. I never got to compete at the highest levels, but that's probably for the best. I'm insufferable enough as it is.
The first academic competition I ever won was a spelling bee in first grade. I won the school-wide fourth grade spelling bee even though I was only in fourth grade for the last six weeks of the year. I never got to compete at the highest levels, but that's probably for the best. I'm insufferable enough as it is.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Your Move, NCAA
So here it is. The gauntlet is thrown down.
Whether or not I watch college football or basketball next year will depend on what the NCAA does with USC.
Are you listening, Lipscomb? Belmont? Mid-majors? Are you listening, ESPN? Kyle Whelliston? Are you listening, CBS? Coca-Cola? Pontiac?
The O. J. Mayo & Reggie Bush stories embody everything that is wrong about college sports. USC needs to be a scapegoat, a warning. The message the NCAA sends in the USC case will tell me and fans like me whether they take themselves seriously enough to enforce their own rules.
And if they don't, I'm done. With them and with any of their member institutions, conferences, and "corporate champions." When the NCAA is ready to have a fair competition on a level playing field, I'm right there.
It's time for the stakeholders -- member schools, sponsors, conferences -- to force the NCAA's hand. And if you're a fan of an NCAA school, it's time to you to stand up for the honest coaches and players who take fairness seriously.
Write your AD. Write your University President. Contact networks and sponsors. Tell them we've seen enough.
Your move, NCAA.
Whether or not I watch college football or basketball next year will depend on what the NCAA does with USC.
Are you listening, Lipscomb? Belmont? Mid-majors? Are you listening, ESPN? Kyle Whelliston? Are you listening, CBS? Coca-Cola? Pontiac?
The O. J. Mayo & Reggie Bush stories embody everything that is wrong about college sports. USC needs to be a scapegoat, a warning. The message the NCAA sends in the USC case will tell me and fans like me whether they take themselves seriously enough to enforce their own rules.
And if they don't, I'm done. With them and with any of their member institutions, conferences, and "corporate champions." When the NCAA is ready to have a fair competition on a level playing field, I'm right there.
It's time for the stakeholders -- member schools, sponsors, conferences -- to force the NCAA's hand. And if you're a fan of an NCAA school, it's time to you to stand up for the honest coaches and players who take fairness seriously.
Write your AD. Write your University President. Contact networks and sponsors. Tell them we've seen enough.
Your move, NCAA.
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