LET LBJ PLAY PG

The Miami Heat have a situation at point guard. Who to start? Mario Chalmers? A guy who showed talent his rookie year but then had a huge drop-off his second year in the league? Or Carlos Arroyo, an NBA journeyman who doesn't really do anything spectacularly? Mario Chalmers is most famous for making a last second shot in the NCAA tournament a few years ago. "Super" Mario is his nickname, but he has done close to nothing in the NBA so far to be considered starter caliber. He's an average on the ball defender who likes to gamble. He might get a few steals, but more likely than not he is getting beat by most point guards in the league. What is most shocking to me is that he appeared slower his second season. I don't know how it's possible to lose speed at his age (second year player) but that's how it seemed to me. Carlos Arroyo on the other hand has never been known to be a great defensive player. The upside for Arroyo is that he doesn't turn the ball over much, but that is countered by the fact he's not a great playmaker either. Aside from that, his range is not as good as Chalmers' (although I wouldn't call Chalmers a lethal threat from beyond three point range either).


Many people around the league, the so called experts, have made much of the fact we don't have a true starting caliber point guard on the Miami Heat roster. I disagree. Ever since Lebron James came into the NBA I thought to myself Lebron should be playing point guard. At his size, speed, and athletic ability, it would create a mismatch against any team in the NBA. Many have touted his passing ability as his best attribute. I know in Cleveland he needed to carry the team and score a whole lot of points in order to win ball games, but now that he's in Miami, he has Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to feed the ball to. Adding to that, he is going to have Mike Miller, one of the best three point shooters in the league, out on the wing by himself when opposing teams send a double team to make up for the size mismatch Lebron has over "x" point guard. Obviously Erik Spoelstra needs to clear it with Lebron and make sure he would be willing to play point guard, but I really don't see any reason why he wouldn't.


It would benefit the team greatly and he has made it clear he wants to try and average a triple double next year. What better way for him to reach those numbers than to play point guard? Lebron would be this generation's Magic Johnson, if not even better (I still give Magic the advantage when it comes to intangibles such as leadership skills). It's not like this is a new idea either. The Chicago Bulls used Scottie Pippen as a point forward who would handle the ball for a large part of the game, especially towards the end of the Bulls dynasty when Michael Jordan needed someone to carry some of the ball handling load. The second wave of Bulls' championships featured Ron Harper as the starting point guard, and he was brought on more for his defense than his playmaking or ball handling ability. The backup point guard was Steve Kerr, another player who was really a specialist type and not starting caliber (Kerr retired with the highest three point shooting percentage in league history). Scottie Pippen's numbers reflect more of what Lebron's numbers should be if he played point guard (Pippen was really a triple threat player in that he could score, rebound, and distribute the ball as well as any point guard in the league). In today's league, players like the Lakers' Lamar Odom are used as point forwards as well.


Everyone has expected Lebron to be the next Michael Jordan. To me, he is more of a blend of Magic Johnson and Scottie Pippen. Sure he can score tons of points. He proved that in Cleveland. But in order for him to win championships here in Miami and for the Heat to become the dynasty he and the rest of the Heat stars envisioned when they all agreed to take less money and come to South Beach, scoring can't be his main focus. 

With this much talent around him, Lebron doesn't need to carry the scoring load.

LET LBJ PLAY PG

It's about time!

According to Manny Navarro from the Miami Herald, Randy Shannon lit into his players. (Eye on the U). I have been complaining about Randy Shannon's sideline demeanor since he was hired. Honestly, I have been complaining about Randy Shannon for many other reasons as well and have at times flip-flopped when it comes to any discussion dealing with him. I applauded Shannon when he first became the head coach for making discipline a priority. He made sure his players were going to class, he banned guns on campus, he told them that their main focus should be on getting a solid education. I read about these stories in the paper and thought to myself it was about time someone stepped up and helped mold these kids into men, not just athletes hoping to make it to the NFL.

Many of my friends, most of them varsity coaches in Dade County, told me they felt Randy Shannon was the wrong guy for the job. Some of them even stopped being Hurricane fans when he was hired because they felt the program was heading in the wrong direction. Randy Shannon was a good defensive coordinator, they'd say, but not head coach material. Year in and year out, I would find myself wondering if they were correct when I would notice several blunders that even a casual fan could see. To begin with, I felt Shannon handled the Robert Marve/Jacory Harris quarterback competition the wrong way. Reading between the lines, and I could be wrong, I felt Shannon had made promises to both players. After Randy brought in the entire Northwestern team, I thought the writing was already on the wall--Jacory would become the starter.

Then there were the clock management issues. Shannon seemed to use his time-outs at the most inopportune times, leaving the team vulnerable in the last few minutes of games. Why was he taking so many time-outs? Too many men on the field, the wrong personnel on the field, not knowing how to line up against certain offenses, etc. These are things that an organized coach takes care of way before the game on the practice field. As a guy who was a high school coach for a few years, I understand that these things happen. In my first year I found myself calling time-outs all the time. Difference is I was 23 and had no experience in managing a team. Shannon has been around football his whole life and is getting paid a hell of a whole lot more than I was.

Another thing that bothered me about Randy was he always seemed to be so calm on the sidelines. I know ranting and raving during games isn't for everyone (personally, I don't know any other way to behave. I am naturally a loud guy, so as a coach, I stormed up and down the sideline the entire game. Especially when a player would jump offsides or forget their blocking assignment). So when I read this story that Randy Shannon lit into his players after losing to Ohio State, I felt this was something long overdue. He should have done this a very long time ago. He should have done it last year when we lost to Virginia Tech.

People have been making excuses for this team for far too long. I have heard it all from blaming Larry Coker for his poor recruiting to Randy just needs more time to get his guys in place. I am sorry to say this is the Northwestern class' third year and I have seen very little improvement from most of their players. I am not at practice every day but I do watch the games. Where the hell is Tommy Streeter? Why is Aldarius Johnson playing so poorly? We were told these guys would be the next wave of great receivers at the U and we have barely seen anything from either of them. Jacory Harris has been nothing but mediocre at best!

I know it is a sports cliche, but I firmly believe it to be true...a team takes on the personality of their head coach. Attitude is contagious. I am not friends with Randy Shannon, nor am I with the team when they are behind closed doors. Judging from what I see during games, there does not seem to be much urgency from this team. The Miami fans are getting tired of being told to wait. They are tired of being told that this team is too young. Watch the Ohio State game again. We should have won that game.

It's about time!

Black Eyed Peas to perform in next Super Bowl

The NFL has had a problem with their halftime show in the past few years ever since Janet Jackson's boob popped out on stage (Thank Justin Timberlake). In order to try and remain "family" friendly, the league has had rock bands such as The Rolling Stones and The Who perform during halftime. The problem with this? The stats show most people under the age of 30 are tuning out. While I personally have no problem watching Mick Jagger decompose on stage, most people I know disagree with me. This was made clear to me last year via my facebook account. Every other status update was some form of complaint about The Who being selected for the halftime show. When I defended the NFL's choice I was surprised to find out most people on my friends list had never even heard of The Who. I assume the NFL's choice this year will appeal to a more general mass of people. The Black Eyed Peas have a variety of songs that appeal to a younger crowd while not offending the "family" group out there. Songs such as "I got a feeling", "Let's get it started",  or "Where is the love" are sure to be neutral and vanilla. However, there are certain songs I am sure the NFL won't let them play on stage such as "My Humps" and "Boom Boom Pow" which both revolve around certain female body parts.

I am decomposing.

Black Eyed Peas to perform in next Super Bowl

The female reporter everyone is talking about...

Ines Sainz. By now you know who this woman is unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past few days. Well, in case you didn't already know (Seriously, where have you been?) she is the Mexican female reporter who has been at the center of some recent controversy regarding female reporters in NFL locker rooms. Sainz attended a New York Jets practice last week with the hopes of interviewing Mark Sanchez, one of the few Hispanic players in the NFL and the Jets current quarterback. Sainz allegedly was harrassed by Jets players while she waited in the locker room. It has also been alleged that Rex Ryan and the defensive backs moved their drill period closer to Sainz in order to try and bump into her. Now while this may seem childish, I will defend the Jets players on this.

I was a high school football player. I remember what it was like when the cheerleaders or track girls would be running around the track during our practices. Some of us would intentionally throw the ball towards them in order to try and show off. No player can say they were not aware the girls were watching. Some of us would get reprimanded by our coaches for turning around to watch them do their cheers. While it is true that the Jets players are adults and professionals, at the end of the day they are football players who behave like children for the most part. They are being paid to play a game. It's not like they were in a corporate office discussing company assets and mergers.

All of this has spurred some heated debate about whether female reporters should be allowed in NFL locker rooms period. Let's use some common sense here. There are 53 men on an NFL team. That's 53 men with raging hormones. That's 53 men playing the most violent sport on this planet who are full of nothing but testosterone. They are in their locker room, their safe haven. They are showering, eating, watching television, listening to music, etc. Some of them are walking around naked, some of them are wearing close to nothing. Enter this woman:



You're a football player in a locker room full of dudes. This walks in. What are you going to do?

Is it realistic to expect 53 men to all be on their best behavior? Think of the atmosphere you are in. These guys are pulling pranks on one another, every other word out of their mouth starts with an F and ends with a K. They are basically in a frat house. How are they not going to whistle and make comments? Especially when she is dressed like this!

Call me a misogynist if you'd like. Call me a pig. I don't see how the Jets players are to blame for what happened to Ines Sainz. She very well knows what she looks like and she very well knows she's entering a locker room full of sweaty pigs. Anyone who will try to tell you these 53 men are supposed to be gentlemen with manners don't know much about football players. 

By the way, now that we're on the topic...Is Ines Sainz hotter than  Erin Andrews?

The female reporter everyone is talking about...

Jacory Harris' last tweet...

Jacory Harris has a history of responding to fans in a fashion that doesn't make much sense to me. Last year he told fans he didn't want them on the UM bandwagon when they had "disappeared" over the last few years. I have no problem with him talking like that except for the fact he has done nothing in his three years at the U to earn this right. If Willis McGahee says something like that, Edgerrin James, Clinton Portis, or any other UM great says that, it has a little more meaning. Jacory Harris says it and I scratch my head. Especially after he threw 17 interceptions last season and especially after his poor showing against Ohio State last week. Yesterday it was announced Head Coach Randy Shannon banned Twitter. (For full story click UM bans Twitter).

Jacory's comments before deactivating his Twitter account are more alarming:

"To the fans that's here only when things go right. Thank you. We loved you while you were here. Just know if everything goes as planned, don't come back. With that being said....God bless you! Negative or positive. I'm out!!"

Now here's my issue. When Jacory was first recruited out of Northwestern, I was a firm supporter. I believed Jacory would eventually beat out Robert Marve just because it appeared the writing was on the wall. After all, Jacory was part of the #1 rated recruiting class that came out of Northwestern. The fact Jacory split time his first year with Marve was done purposefully to force out Marve in my opinion. Whether that was Randy Shannon's intent or not, Marve left the U after a falling out with the coaching staff. Jacory has shown flashes of greatness during the last few years. Sometimes he hits Travis Benjamin on a deep pass and you can't help but feel, "Finally! We're back! The U is back!" The problem is he follows up a beautiful deep pass with an untimely interception and the occasional four pick game like the one he had against Ohio State.

Until Jacory Harris wins something significant I don't think he has earned any right to tell fans to jump off the UM bandwagon. Leave that to the players who have actually brought respect and honor to the football program. Leave that to Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Just because you play for the U doesn't mean you are part of that circle. You have to earn that. So far Jacory has been nothing but inconsistent. I hope Randy Shannon keeps the Twitter ban all year long and that he bans their facebook accounts as well. All of the current
players should keep their mouths shut until they win something.

Jacory Harris playing for the Northwestern Bulls.

Jacory Harris' last tweet...

Twitter Ban at the U

Randy Shannon has banned his players from using Twitter. He says the team needs to regain focus. Is this shocking? Most coaches are control freaks. They have meticulous practice plans that are planned out to the minute. At 3:00 PM you have group drills. At 3:15, you break into individual drills. At 3:30, you work on a passing skeleton. The whistle blows and the players are expected to move around the practice field as quickly as possible. No time is wasted. A friend of mine who played college football told me he couldn't stand to have his whole life planned out for him. His class schedule was selected for him and he was expected to be in study hall while not in practice or lifting weights in the gym. Everything was pre-packaged. For some, this is a small sacrifice to pay in order to play college football. After all, only a very small percentage of us who play high school football make it to the next level.

Which brings me to my point. If it is well understood by anyone who follows college football that the coach is usually akin to a dictator, why is the media making such a big deal out of the fact that Randy Shannon banned Twitter? (Take this Quiz: Who said it? NFL Coach or Dictator?) C'mon. The Miami Dolphins run their organization like the Pentagon. The New England Patriots don't even tell the media when their players are injured, or when they do, they only vaguely describe the injury. The year the Patriots almost went undefeated (Thank you David Tyree and Eli Manning), Tom Brady was listed as having a shoulder injury the entire season. The only thing Twitter does is give the players more control over how they are perceived by their fans and media. However, the social networking site can cause distractions.

All it takes is for one player to post an inappropriate picture (Former Miami Heat player Michael Beasley accidentally posting pictures of his weed) and all of a sudden you have a public relations disaster on your hands that could lead to an NCAA investigation, more media pressure, and a giant headache for the University of Miami Athletics Department. What is shocking to me is how Shannon has not banned other social networking sites such as Facebook. Facebook is just as dangerous if not more dangerous than twitter because of the fact people post photo albums of virtually every social event they partake in.

 You went to a party this weekend? Someone took a picture. Were you drinking a beer? You better believe there is a picture somewhere out there. I'll give you a perfect example. Just last year I was at Chili's in Coconut Grove when I realized sitting right behind me was Graig Cooper, a running back who plays for the Hurricanes. I try as much as possible to not be "that annoying fan" who is always asking for autographs and pictures, but I figured he was sitting right behind me and I was really the only one who had noticed he was there. I approached him and asked if it was ok if I took a picture with him. He seemed very shy to be honest, but he took the picture with me (of course he threw up the "U" sign with his hands). Now what would have happened if Graig Cooper was out with a bunch of his friends drinking beers (nothing illegal about that by the way) and I secretly took a bunch of pictures from the corner and later posted them on my Twitter or Facebook account? Would people have made an issue out of it? Maybe, maybe not. What if he was at a strip club? What if he was smoking weed? Players need to be very careful what they do in public. This has always been an issue for all athletes, but even more so in this generation of camera phones.

Twitter Ban at the U

UF the new convicts?

Chris Rainey told his ex-girlfriend it was "time to die, bitch." He was arrested. That brings the total of Gators arrested over the last few years to a whopping 27. The media has yet to put the University of Florida under the microscope the way they did when the University of Miami was dominating college football. In 1995, Sports Illustrated called for the banning of the University of Miami football program after the Pell Grant scandal.

Sports Illustrated called for the end of the University of Miami football program. Why not do the same for the University of Florida?

While it is true the Miami program was in disarray at the time, it faced an unprecedented amount of media attention and scrutiny. Why is that no one criticizes the Gators now? Tim Tebow served as a distraction while he was playing at the University of Florida, his off field philanthropic efforts and his religious fervor being as much a part of his image as his talent as a football player. Now that he plays for the Denver Broncos, Urban Meyer might be in trouble. The Gators don't have a media darling to shield them from criticism any longer.

UF the new convicts?