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By Taro Murata… Just because you live in the city and don’t have a boat or car, it doesn’t mean you can’t catch giant fish. Trust me, I grew up in the concrete, where it seemed impossible to dram of any decent fishing experiences.
In reality, though, there are great fishing opportunities in Toronto and its surrounding areas. The TTC, GO Train and Ferry boats are all options for getting out to the shore, even if you do happen to have a car. Some good places to look for big fish are the Toronto Islands, Ashbridges Bay, Credit River, Rouge River and Leslie Street Spit.
Depending on the time of year, the species you can catch include Pike, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Carp, Sucker, Sunfish, Crappie, Salmon, Brown Trout, Drum, Chub, Steelhead, Bullhead Catfish, Silver Bass and Perch.
The next time you go down for a walk to the water, bring a rod and you might be surprised to see the beast you pull out of there! For more information, email me at [email protected] or check out http://www.fishcity.tv. And remember…Get fish or die tryin’!
by Willie Gannon… Two weeks ago, Thierry Henry scored an invaluable away goal to hand the advantage to Barcelona in their Champions League match at Stade Gerland.
Lyon provided a stern test for the favorites and even had the temerity to take the lead through a majestic Juninho Pernambuco free kick, eventually wayward finishing and Barcelona’s undoubted quality combined to leave the tie on a knife-edge at 1-1.
Most pundits had expected Barcelona to dispose of Lyon comfortably, but Claude Puel’s side are no pushovers, and on another night, the French champions would have pulled off a memorable victory.
Going into this game at Camp Nou, Barcelona are slight favorites, thanks to that Henry header. And they will be happy in the knowledge that they have beaten Lyon the previous two times they have travelled to the Catalan capital.
However, Barcelona have never beaten French opposition in the knockout phase of the Champions League so they will need to be wary, especially as Lyon contain one of Europe’s hottest strikers in Karim Benzema.
But with the influential French youngster a major doubt for the Last-16 clash, Los Cules could be forgiven for thinking luck might be on their side.
This season Barcelona have been playing some of the most exciting football ever seen in Europe. They have played with wild abandon, Pep Guardiola the surprise choice to succeed Frank Rijkaard as manager seemed to have absorbed all the pressure that the team play under. With this newfound freedom, Barca excelled.
They took on all comers and swept them aside, becoming the fastest team to score 100 goals in a season. Guardiola’s Barcelona won admirers in all corners of the world. And then on Valentine’s Day, the wheels began to come off.
Heading into their match with Real Betis, Barca were 1/22 to win La Liga, 11 points ahead of their nearest rivals and playing an incredible brand of football. Henry had finally settled and was scoring, Messi was as amazing as ever and was scoring, and Samuel E’too was back scoring too.
But Betis pulled off the impossible, they came from two down to draw 2-2. A week later Barca lost to Espanyol, and their worst form of the season was biting right as the Champions League was starting back up.
Roll on four weeks without a win and Barca went into last weekend’s crunch game with Atletic Bilbao knowing that defeat would pile on the pressure. Madrid had cut their lead to four points.
However, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going and Barca pulled off a much needed 2-0 win. But the manner of the victory would suggest that they have indeed turned a corner.
The Los Cules of before Christmas were back.
And just in time for the second leg of the tie against Lyon.
Compare the current runs of the two teams…
Going into matchday one, Lyon had won three in a row, Barca had just lost for the first time since December. And now with matchday two on the horizon Lyon have lost two in a row to Lille in Ligue 1 and the Cup for the first time since December too.
Their form is beginning to desert them right as Barca’s is returning. Add the current loss in form to a potential injury to Benzema and it gets harder to see Lyon coming out of the Nou Camp with a win.
But they do possess the team to pull off an unlikely result. Juninho, Kallstrom, Ederson, Fred, Makoun, all very capable players. Where their problems lie is in front of goal.
Only Benzema has hit double figures this term, and the team struggle to score if he does not play. So far this season they have scored 35 goals between 11 players in Ligue 1.
Barcelona’s poor run came at the right time for Guardiola. With the bad results he has been vindicated in telling his players that they have won nothing yet and that they cannot take anything for granted. That hard work comes before glory every time.
Thankfully they seem to have listened.
And the Los Cules of before Christmas are back…
Odds-
Barcelona 2/5 Draw 10/3 Lyon 8/1
By Andrew McNair… There are a couple of old sayings in football, one is, if you are good enough, then you are old enough and this is a fitting maxim for the players we have chosen as ten of the best young players in world football today.
The other famous saying is the Alan Hansen quote: “you’ll never win anything with kids,” which considering number three on this list of young superstars, is already the proud owner of a European Championship winners medal isn’t strictly true.
And despite all ten players still being eligible for their national under-21 sides, they have won a combined three under 20 World Cups, two Olympic gold’s, one UEFA under 19 Championship, four La Liga titles, two Spanish Super Cups, one UEFA Champions League, two FA Cups, four Ligue 1 titles, one French Cup, one Scottish Cup, one South American Super Cup, two FIFA Club World Cups and a single Under 20 South American Championship.
Not a bad tally for a bunch of “kids,” Mr Hansen.
10. Theo Walcott
England’s brightest prospect is a lightening quick forward who broke into the Southampton side as a 16 year old in 2005 before becoming the most expensive 16 year old in British football history when he joined Arsenal in a deal that could rise to £12 million.
Since joining Arsenal, his progress has been stifled by injury and he has tended to be more “wall flower” than a headline grabber but the 19 year old has still clocked up 89 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 11 goals. Walcott has been out injured since November after dislocating his shoulder on international duty but is due back fitter and stronger this month and will be hoping to play a vital role in his sides attack on the UEFA Champions League.
Theo shot to international fame as a shock inclusion in England’s 2006 World Cup squad after becoming England’s youngest ever international at 17 years and 75 days and only last year became the youngest ever player to score a hat trick (three goals in one game) for England in their vital World Cup Qualifier in Croatia.
9. John Fleck
The 17 year old Scot played his first Old Firm Derby in February after impressing in three or four Rangers games after breaking into the side in January. The left footed winger/ forward became the youngest ever player to play in and win a British Cup Final when he came on as a sub for Rangers in their 2008 Scottish Cup triumph over Queen of the South, aged just 16.
Fleck made his first start for Rangers against Falkirk in January and was named man of the match before scoring his first goal for the club two weeks later as Rangers beat Dundee United as the youngster was again named man of the match. There has already been speculation that Fleck will be called up to the full Scotland squad for their World Cup Qualifier with Holland this month and it would certainly cap off a whirl wind two months for the rising star.
John’s uncle Robert also started his career with Rangers before going on to become a household name at Norwich City. I think we can safely say that his nephew is aiming a little higher.
8. Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva
Most people will probably know him as Alexandre Pato, AC Milan’s Brazilian forward who takes his nickname from his home town of Pato Branco.
Pato started his career with Internacional (not to be confused with the club across the city) in Brazil where he impressed in just 28 games for his boyhood club before joining Milan in 2007. Since then, he has scored close to a goal every two games for the club and has been an inspiration in a revitalized Milan side this season in Serie A.
19 year old Alexandre also holds the record for the quickest goal in a debut for Brazil. In doing so, he beat the record of a certain legend called Pele.
7. Diego Capel
The Spanish left winger is fast becoming a house hold name as his Sevilla side, continue to keep Spain’s more fancied side’s on their toes. Capel has lightening pace and isn’t scared to take on his opposite number with a touch of skill or burst of acceleration.
21 year old Capel was originally on the books of FC Barcelona but has been with Sevilla since 2001, working his way up through the youth teams and B side before cementing his place in the current side. And if Barca hadn’t noticed they had missed a trick, they did when Diego scored his first goal for the club against, you guessed it, Barcelona.
Diego didn’t play in Spain’s European Championship victory but has since made his international debut, confirming the strength of the current Spanish side. Expect to see him at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
6. John Obi Mikel
Nigerian and Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel can only play under 21’s for another month but he is still more than worthy of a place on this guide to the best young players on the planet. Mikel has already played over 100 times for Chelsea where he is a regular starter despite competing for a midfield place with the likes of Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and fellow African, Michael Essien.
John has twice been named Young African Footballer of the year (2005 and 2006) as well as Chelsea’s young player of the year in 2007 and 2008.
With over 20 caps already for Nigeria, it is safe to say that Mikel has made quite the impact early on in his career and a few disciplinary issues aside has grown into a top class holding midfielder. Claude who? The Chelsea fans must be struggling to remember the French World Cup winner.
5. Gonzalo Higuain
Not knowing whether to play international football for France or for Argentina isn’t really an “every day problem” but like David Trezeguet before him, it was a tough decision for Gonzalo. The 21 year old Real Madrid forward eventually chose Argentina as, well, he can’t speak French.
Higuain burst onto the scene at River Plate in Argentina and impressed enough to earn himself a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid. After a slow first season, the striker has slowly improved his goal scoring record and has been a revelation this year, leading Real’s floundering assault on the Spanish title.
Now a regular starter for Madrid and with two league titles under his belt, only his European form needs improving. Higuain still hasn’t scored in Europe but I wouldn’t bet on him not scoring against Liverpool this month in the UEFA Champions League.
4. Karim Benzema
The new Thierry Henry is a title that would weigh heavy on many a man’s shoulders and in the form of international duty, it has for Karim. In the eyes of many, he flopped at EURO 2008 with a nation, not just the comparison to Thierry Henry on his back.
At club and European level however. the 21 year old rarely looks flustered and has been a major part of Olympique Lyonnais’ last three French titles. His 20 goals last season also made him France’s Ligue 1 top goal scorer and earned him the French player of the year award.
But still, it is in Europe where his record is most impressive. 12 goals in 17 European outings for Lyon in the Champions League is a record up there with the very best and it surely won’t be too long before we see this young superstar playing at one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
3. Francesc Fabregas Soler
It is not often you come across a player with 37 full international caps and over 200 senior club appearances, yet is still eligible for an under 21 side. But in Cesc Fabregas we are not dealing with the norm, we are dealing with the exception. He actually only played for Spain’s under 21’s once.
The 21 year old midfielder is European Champion with Spain, an FA Cup winner with Arsenal and last year’s PFA Young player of the year off his own back. Oh, and he is Arsenal’s club captain.
His achievements say it all and there isn’t really too much to add apart from to tell you that if you are lucky, he’ll be back in action for all to see in Arsenal’s date with Roma in the Champions League after four months out with a knee injury.
2. Sergio Aguero
Argentinean football’s youngest ever top flight player debuted for Independiente at just 15 years old in 2003, breaking the record previously held by one Diego Maradona.
The pint sized (another trait he shares with Maradona) striker joined Atletico Madrid in 2006 and hasn’t looked back, replacing Fernando Torres as the capital city side’s favourite player. 27 goals in a season will make any fans forget about any predecessors.
In 2007, the Argentine was voted FIFA’s Young Player of the Year and Atletico are certainly still reaping the benefits of the coup of signing the world’s second best young player but they’ll be expecting another busy summer as Europe’s elite come calling once again.
Aguero is also part of a very special current Argentina side that also includes Gonzalo Higuain (number 5) and the next player on this list….
1. Lionel Messi
There is no doubt that Messi is the best player in the world eligible for his countries under 21 side and many would tell you that there is no doubt he is the best player in the world, period. That though is for another day.
Barcelona’s Messi is even shorter than Aguero but even greater in reputation. The 21 year old has taken the football world by storm since breaking into the Barcelona side five years ago (yes, that long). A goal every two games in La Liga despite not being a striker is a fantastic record and doesn’t include all the goals he has set up.
The player everyone compares to Maradona is every bit as skilful as his hero if not as great an inspiration but his time will come and we may already be watching a player capable of hitting the dizzy heights and joining the names Pele and Maradona amongst the greatest footballers who ever lived.
FIFPro World Young Player of the year for the last three years reminds us he is still young but with a Barcelona Spanish title looking likely and a chance of winning the UEFA Champions League, a world player of the year award without the word “young” is a strong probability.
So there you have ten of the best young players in the game today and with records belonging to Pele and Maradona tumbling, it is safe to say they are pretty “special”.
“You’ll never win anything with kids”…I say, you’ll never win anything without them.
by Robert Seagal… For the record, I would have preferred to hold off on trading O’Neal until the offseason. However, in this economy, saving some money for a rainy day is important too. Having cap space is important for many reasons.
For instance, if the Raptors don’t re-sign Marion and Parker, they have the opportunity to trade a first rounder to a team for a disgruntled player whose team is feeling the pocket pinch.
Tyson Chandler is on the the market for that very reason right now. What’s better than an expiring contract like Jermaine O’Neal? No contract. Ultimately, you can do far more with 15 million dollars cap space in terms of a trade than you could with a 23-million dollar expiring contract.
But Raptor fans seem to be quite unhappy with this trade for some reason.
Before you throw Bryan Colangelo under the bus for trading away Jermaine O’Neal, Jarmario Moon’s bargain contract and a conditional first rounder to the Miami Heat in exchange for Shawn Marion, Marcus Banks, and about 3 million dollars in cash, why not evaluate which direction the Raptors are headed?
Rumors are that the New Jersey Nets offered Vince Carter and an expiring contract to the Heat in exchange for Marion alone. Why is that significant? The Heat chose the Raptors offer. It should be a telling tale about the state of the economy. It should also say something about trading for need.
Is Carter a better player than O’Neal at this stage? Yes. But what did the Heat need? More importantly, what did the Raptors need? The Raptors needed to shed O’Neal’s mammoth contract and in the process saved about 34 million dollars which the Heat now owe the oft-injured forward.
Furthermore, the Raptors now become players in free agency this coming season. The most important factor however, is that Shawn Marion is a far better fit for the Raptors than O’Neal ever was.
Marion and O’Neal is pretty much a wash in terms of talent level. Both are former all-stars, but Marion is less injury prone, makes almost 5 million less, is going to expire at the end of the season, and is younger. He’s the better rebounder, and essentially he brings toughness to the wing position for the Raptors.
The Heat are biting the bullet on O’Neal’s contract for the sake of contending for a championship, but in reality O’Neal does very little for them. His value is inflated because of past accomplishments. Truth be told, he does less per dollar than any player in the league.
He’s likely to miss at least 25-30 games in any season, is offensively inefficient, demands to be the focal point of an offense yet happens to be a horribly incapable finisher around the rim and a fairly bad passer to boot.
Furthermore, as he’s aged, he’s been less and less likely to go to the rim. As a Raptor, a large portion of his shots have been mid range jump shots and wild turn arounds. While his defensive game is a tremendous asset for any team, his offense is average at best.
If both players became free agents tomorrow, Marion would be worth at least 3 million more, and yet as it stands he earns almost 5 million dollars less. In this economy, there is no room to blow 8 million dollars and do it for a guy who’s one big injury away from retirement.
Let us evaluate the Raptors per position:
Point Guard: B+
Between Jose Calderon, Roko Ukic and now Marcus Banks, the Raptors have four point guards on a 13-man roster. This would naturally mean trouble, but I doubt Colangelo doesn’t see a way around this.
Between Ukic and Banks you have a speedy, defensively sound back court which truly compliments each other. At 6′5, Ukic is a point guard in a shooting guard’s body, while at 6′2 Banks is a shooting guard in the body of a point guard.
By taking the ball out of Banks’ hands on offense and giving it to either Anthony Parker or Roko Ukic, the Raptors could turn Banks’ career around much like Colangelo and D’Antoni did for Boris Diaw in Phoenix.
Thus, at this point, the Raptors have a solid point guard rotation, and with Banks and Ukic, they can really look to run a lot. If Marion is on the court with those two, it could be a real treat to watch with Ukic possibly being the most talented and creative passer on the team.
Shooting Guard: C+
This would now be the weakest position on the Raptors roster, and if Parker can play a little above his head, they can mask it. With Ukic, Banks, Joey Graham, Jason Kapono, the Raptors have a plethora of guys who can play the position in spurts. All four players have their problems, and therefore it’d be very important for Parker to stay healthy if the Raptors have any chance at the playoffs.
Small Forward:B+
The Raptors certainly didn’t trade for Anthony, James, or Durant, but they did get a guy who compliments their front court duo very well. Marion is an excellent rebounder, an above average defender, and most importantly, a tough competitor. Hopefully, playing with passers like Calderon, Ukic, and Bargnani can really resurrect his career.
Behind Marion, the Raptors have Joey Graham and Jason Kapono. While Joey may be asked to play a little back-up power forward, Kapono is far from a scrub. While he may not be good value at his contract, the Raptors have a very special shooter in him, and if he can find his groove either for the remainder of this season or under their new coach next season, he might live up to his contract yet.
When he’s aggressive, he’s still a player who keeps defenses honest. With guys like Bargnani and Bosh up front, players like Kapono are needed.
Power Forward:A-
Behind Bosh, the Raptors could seriously use a gritty veteran. Instead they have young players like Kris Humphries, Joey Graham, and Nathan Jawai. Bosh is an All-star, and hopefully the rest does him some good. At some point, this team will need to address their lack of back up big men.
However, with an up-tempo style, the Raptors may be able to get away with Graham and even Marion at times here. At this point, the Raptors have Chris Bosh, Andrea Bargnani, Shawn Marion, Joey Graham, Kris Humphries, and Nathan Jawai who can all play this position. Talk about versatility.
Center: C+
They turned their best position into their worst by trading O’Neal, but again in an uptempo offense, Bosh can be hidden at this position as well. Bargnani has come into his own this season, and I feel that if the Raptors are going to be successful, they’ll need a lot more of what they got from him in January.
With Marion, the Raptors become a vastly superior rebounding team as well, because Marion can play on the court at the same time as Bosh and Bargnani—which is something the Raptors couldn’t manage to do with much success while O’Neal was in town.
Overall, the deal balances out both rosters. Moon and O’Neal are simply not as good as most fans think they were, and in Miami, Heat fans along with Riley will have to find that out the hard way.
While it’s certainly possible that O’Neal will play his heart out with the Heat, I’ll shave my head if he lives up to even half of his contract.
Again, if the Raptors like Marion, they can keep him after this season. If not, they can use the cap space they have to take contracts off of some other teams’ hands.
As a team which is feeling the pinch financially, what would be better than giving off $15 million in salary to a team in exchange for a second rounder? Some teams may be desperate to shed salary for the 2010 free agent frenzy, and this might be something Colangelo can capitalize on by making his moves one year in advance.
My name is Jessica Princes. I was born September 16th in Budapest, Hungary.
My zodiac sign is Virgo.
But it doesn’t really fit me.
I am a professional model and actress.
I am the Official model for Maxine Morgan INC.
I love to drive, I love cars specially sport cars, my favourite is a new Skyline.
Love to read, favourite books: Antoine De Saint-Exupery: The little prince, and Harry Potter books.
Love to play with computer games: Tomb raider, Zanzarah.
My favourite TV show: Knight Rider, The girls next door, and I love to watch horror movies.
I love animals, I have a little shih-tzu, and guinea pigs, and I don’t like animal testing.
When I’m not working, I love to go to the gym, and work out hard, and I like walking a lot, with my little doggie.
My favourite food: Italian
My favourite colours: pink and white
My websites: www.jessicaprinces.com & www.jessicaprinces.co.nr
My measurements:
Height: 5′6;
Weight: 105 lbs;
Hair color: blonde;
Eye color: green, but I’m always wearing colored contaclenses;
Bust: 33;
Waist: 23;
Hip: 33;
Glamour photos by Karen Beri…
by Derek Harmsworth… 
Though both teams may be out of the playoffs when the postseason starts in about five weeks’ time, there is still pride on the line as the battle of Ontario resumes tonight between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators, a battle that the Leafs have dominated this season.
Unfortunately for the Leafs, they will have to do it without the services of Mike Van Ryn, who will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his MCL in Saturday’s loss to the Oilers.
Van Ryn—obtained in the Bryan McCabe trade with Florida—has shown flashes of brilliance this season, which has been marred by injury.
Van Ryn suffered the injury early into the game against Edmonton. After colliding with an Oilers player, he fell, twisting his leg underneath him uncomfortably.
Also, a bit of unfortunate news coming our way this afternoon, as it appears that Martin Gerber will not get the nod tonight in net for the Leafs, who will instead turn to Curtis Joseph for tonight’s tilt in Ottawa.
The Maple Leafs are 3-0-1 this season against their provincial rivals, and have also won seven of the last nine games against.
Many Leafs fans were hoping to get a chance to see Gerber attempt to stick it to his old club, but coach Ron Wilson said after practice that Joseph would start tonight in goal.
The Maple Leafs announced yesterday that defenseman Anton Stralman and Phil Oreskovic have been called up and will see action with the big club tonight.
The 6′3″, 217-pound Oreskovic is a +15 with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies this season. Marlies coach Greg Gilbert has praised Oreskovic all season for his steady stay-at-home play, and also for his crease-clearing ability.
Meanwhile, Vesa Toskala, shut down last Wednesday by the club, will undergo surgery today to repair his ailing hip. Recovery time is expected to be around four months, with Toskala being ready for the start of training camp in September.
Just a reminder that Leafs Talk Today finally makes its much anticipated return to the airwaves this Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 PM Eastern Time. Join Derek and Josh as they weave their way through the latest news concerning the Toronto Maple Leafs and the National Hockey League.
This weeks special guest is Joel Kwiatkowski.
For more info on the show, click HERE
by Stoker Dafire… It’s a well documented realism that fighters stay in love with boxing long after she has divorced them and put their belongings on the curb.
Accepting the fact that they no longer have anything to offer a sport that has loved them unconditionally is a hard pill to swallow.
Tradition shows us that our boxing heroes will stay in the sport much too long, like a jilted lover—hopelessly searching for some reconciliatory winning streak that just might put them back in the good graces of their beloved.
Rocky Marciano, Lennox Lewis, Joe Calzaghe, and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are the exception to this rule.
Considerable wealth, good health, and common sense awarded them the strength to say goodbye.
So why do we ridicule these men for calling it quits while their brain matter and thick wallets are still very much intact?
In most cases it’s reminiscent of the classic western movie where the guy who has won all the the money at the poker table suddenly decides he has an important engagement and gets up to leave, taking the losers money with him.
Lately its us—the fans—who have pulled out our loaded Colt .45s and clicked the hammer back in anger.
Marciano, Lewis, Mayweather, and most recently Calzaghe were told they had better sit back down and finish the game; or else face the consequences of being judged in the court of public opinion for the rest of their days.
Marciano who retired after an incredible career record of 49-0 was ridiculed for fighting former champions such as Archie Moore and Joe Louis when they were visibly past their primes.
He was also raked over the coals for aborting his comeback in 1959 when Ingemar Johannson won the heavyweight championship from Floyd Patterson.
Lewis and Calzaghe were criticized for not finishing their business.
Lewis was told he needed a rematch with Vitali Klitschko; Calzaghe was ridiculed by me and others for not fighting Carl Froch.
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the “Grand Pubah” of hated fighters.
The reason for this has many possibilities.
Maybe it’s because he picked his battles well; big enough to matter, small enough to win.
It could be that Boxing’s welterweight division was then and still is a hot bed of pugilistic talent and boxing fans wanted “Little Floyd” to stick around and clean-up the worlds greatest fighters.
The most likely scenario is the fact that Mayweather has an enormous ego and blatant arrogance; which caused many a hard core fight fan to want to see him stick around and get a much needed beat-down from Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito.
However, like the boy who cried wolf, many fans failed to believe him when he called it quits on June 7th 2008 with a record of 39-0 25 kos.
Since the success of Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao, it’s once again a much debated issue.
If, when, or where he will make his anticipated return to the ring is still a well guarded secret.
Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.- Jonathan Kozol
by Mike Henderson…
Coming down to the wire now, with one week until Selection Sunday, the teams that need to do something to impress the committee have taken the unusual approach of playing poorly. Some teams (Auburn, New Mexico) have jumped into the fray, while others continue to stagger toward the finish line.
On the Way Up
Auburn - Winning eight of their last nine, including victories against Tennessee and LSU, have propelled the Tigers into the tournament conversation. Outside of SEC play, however, they haven’t beaten anyone of note. The lack of a surge by anyone else is really helping their chances at this point. Two wins in the SEC tournament and they are in.
New Mexico - Steve Alford’s Lobos have the same streak (8 of 9) as Auburn and have beaten all of the Mountain West’s big boy (UNLV, Utah, BYU and San Diego State). However, there are no wins that stand out outside of the conference and all of the previously mentioned wins were at home. Still, they tied Utah and BYU for top spot in a tough conference.
Texas A&M - Six wins in row and the Aggies are almost a lock. Big wins over Texas and Missouri stand out, but they also have wins over Arizona and LSU, two teams that look to be in the tourney. They have very balanced scoring and their defense, apart from the second half against Missouri, looks okay. Mark Turgeon had a team like this three years ago (Wichita State) and took them to the Sweet Sixteen.
Michigan - Saturday’s win at Minnesota was huge. Road wins are always at a premium, especially at this time of year. Add early wins against Duke and UCLA and the Wolverines could be back in the tourney. Winning at least once in the conference tournament would help.
On the Way Down
Kentucky - Unless they do something special in the SEC tourney, they’re going to the NIT. They are three and eight in their last 11, including an incomprehensible home loss to Georgia, who picked up their third conference win of the year. Somehow, I don’t think Tubby Smith is sympathetic to what Billy Gillespie must be hearing in Lexington.
Minnesota - Speaking of Tubby, the Gophers are doing their late-season best to dissuade the committee from extending a March Madness invitation. Three and six in their last nine, including a painful loss to Michigan at home Saturday is not what the committee is looking for. Most of what I’ve read or heard seems to indicate that they will get in but I’m not sure why. The Big Ten is by far the most overrated conference in college hoops. More on that later.
UNLV - The Rebels have on thing to be thankful for: the Mountain West tourney is being held in Las Vegas. That said, if I was a betting man, I would not spend anything more than say, nothing, on them to win. After beating Louisville on the road without Wink Adams, and maintaining a high RPI ranking for most of the season, the Runnin’ Rebels have really been mediocre at best. They need to win this tournament to get in.
Cincinnati - Losses in five of their last six have virtually assured the Bearcats of a ticket to the NIT, barring a special run in the Big East tournament. Yes, you can lose to Syracuse without slipping too much, but getting it handed to you by South Florida and then losing to Seton Hall at home won’t pay the rent.
The “Who Knows” and “Are You Kiddings?
Wisconsin - One of the thirty-eight teams from the Big Ten that should receive a bid, the Badgers (18-11, 9-8 in conference) seem to have alerted the selection crew that they are ready for the Madness. Ironically, the madness would be having a mediocre team with a mediocre record in a mediocre conference get an at large bid. There are better teams than Wisconsin that won’t even get a sniff.
Northwestern - The Wildcats (17-11, 8-9) also reside in the Big Ten. They are also mediocre. Yes they have won some games (Ohio State, Purdue). They have also lost some games (Iowa, Minnesota -73-45). This means they are a competitive team in a competitive conference. It doesn’t mean they should be part of the field.
Florida - I think they’ll get in, just because we’re running out of teams. They’re faltering as they did toward the end of last season but had a big win in terms of selection against Kentucky on Saturday.
Creighton - The best case scenario for the Missouri Valley having two teams in might have blown up on the weekend. If the Bluejays had reached the final of their tournament and lost, this may have been the case. However, they were awful, blowing a 20 point lead against Wichita State before winning at the buzzer, then getting waxed by Illinois State. Pins and needles for Dana Altman’s crew.
By Louis “King of Roncesvalles” Pisano…
The Toronto Marlies hosted the Eastern conference leading Hershey Bears (Washington Capitals AHL affiliate) in a Saturday afternoon tilt at the Ricoh Coliseum, this after being in Hamilton the night previous, and dropping a big divisional game 2-0 to the Bulldogs. This game marked the return of Brian Pothier, the Washington Capitals d-man that had been out for 14 months recuperating from post concussion syndrome along with the return of the Caps highly touted goalie sensation, Simeon Varlamov returning from a sprained ACL.
The first period started out with seemingly more hits than shots on net, and the message from the Marlies coach Greg Gilbert must have been clear when facing the top two scoring leaders in the AHL in Keith Aucoin, and Alexandre Giroux, get physical. This worked for the first period obviously with the score being notched at zeros after one. The second and third periods saw the Hershey Bears show why they are in first, with Giroux potting two goals and Aucoin scoring one while adding two assists, finalizing the game with a 6-1 thumping of the home town Marlies. Toronto’s Yuri Tlusty and Jeremy Williams assisted on the lone Toronto goal scored by Tim Stapleton. Tlusty has recorded a point on the last 7 goals scored by the Marlies.
Simeon Varlamov stopped 20 of 21 shots while the extremely alert and always active goalie patrolled the pipes for the Bears in his return. Tim Stapleton had six shots on him scoring just once, and said of Varlamov’s play “He’s quick I mean it’s almost like he reacts before you shoot, like he knows where you are shooting, he’s an outstanding goaltender obviously and he was a big part of their win tonight.”
In the post game interview with Toronto’s head coach Greg Gilbert he talked about what he felt went wrong, “It’s fair to say that we weren’t mentally in the game period.” The Marlies came out with energy but it seemed as the goals began to pile up against them the wind came out of their sails and I wondered, nearing the final leg of the season if the players might be feeling the wear and tear, physically and mentally of the long season, to which Mr. Gilbert said “They’re professional athlete’s it shouldn’t, they get paid to do a job, shouldn’t wear on anybody.”
The next game at home for the Marlies will be March 14th, when they host the Lake Erie Monsters, after trips to Syracuse and Rochester.
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