Posted on March 26th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Just like that — 932 days since winning an official PGA Tour event — Tiger Woods is back. Just like that — two weeks after withdrawing on the 12th hole of a tournament and limping off — he resembles his old self again. And just like that — seven years since his last victory in the Masters — Woods is favored to win next week at the Augusta National.
“It feels really good,” he said Sunday after his dominating, five-shot victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. “It’s been a lot of hard work.”
Woods’ drought began after the fateful car accident on Thanksgiving night in 2009, leading to his failed marriage and fall from grace. Though the victories dried up, his status as golf’s focal point never waned. He continues to influence TV ratings, attendance and buzz like no golfer ever, and like no athlete since Michael Jordan. When Woods shot 62 in the final round of the Honda Classic earlier this month, ratings were up 78 percent compared with last year.
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Posted on March 25th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
The NFL came down hard on the New Orleans Saints for their illegal bounty program, suspending coach Sean Peyton for the upcoming season, fining the team $500,000 and snatching two second-round draft picks. The league is weighing the penalties for players such as Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who reportedly offered $10,000 to any teammate who knocked Brett Favre out of the NFC Championship Game in 2010.
“Discipline for individual players involved in the Saints’ prohibited program continues to be under review with the NFL Players Association and will be addressed by Commissioner Goodell at a later date,” the league said in a statement. “The program included ‘bounty’ payments for ‘knock-outs’ and ‘cart-offs,’ plays on which an opposing player was forced to leave the game. At times, the bounties even targeted specific players by name.”
In addition to Favre, according to the NFL’s investigation, quarterbacks Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers and Kurt Warner also were targeted by name.
I suppose that those men and their families are thankful for the whistleblowers in “Bountygate.” I imagine that other opposing players and their families are grateful for the informants who came forward. I suspect that Saints players and their families would feel likewise if sources had exposed the scandal on another team.
Anyone who cares about the life and limbs of targeted players is thankful for the “snitches” — not that the derogatory term is appropriate or appreciated. Unless you’re a proponent of criminal activity, gangster ethics and witness intimidation, the word has no business in your vocabulary.
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Posted on March 23rd, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
The Denver Broncos just sent their country mouse — quarterback Tim Tebow — to the Big Apple. They threw Little Red Riding Tim to the Big Bad Wolves. They traded the NFL’s biggest choirboy to the league’s rowdiest, most dysfunctional band, the New York Jets.
Just when we thought “Tebowmania” couldn’t get any crazier, it was ratcheted up several notches by the Broncos, who conveniently brushed it off their lap. Now the Jets have to manage the circus, including the quarterback controversy that’s certain to brew if Mark Sanchez stumbles. Only a return engagement on HBO’s Hard Knocks would make this scenario more interesting.
“I wanted to play for Coach [Rex] Ryan ever since I saw Hard Knocks,” Tebow said of the Jets’ foulmouthed leader. “He just seemed like a coach who loves football and is passionate about the game of football. He’s definitely a players’ coach. I just love that about him.”
When Tebow led the Broncos to an 8-8 record, followed by a playoff victory against Pittsburgh, he was the veritable Pied Piper of Denver. Every player in the locker room rallied around him, as did fans across the country. It didn’t matter that most NFL personnel executives consider Tebow too flawed to succeed long-term. Tebowmania is fueled by faith more than football, with true believers convinced that a higher power is at work.
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Posted on March 22nd, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Two questions always dominate men’s college basketball as the NCAA tournament approaches the penultimate weekend: Who’s going to win the title and who’s leaving early for the NBA?
The Maryland Terrapins didn’t qualify for the postseason, but they don’t have worry about losing their best player, either. Terrell Stoglin, the ACC’s leading scorer this season, announced Wednesday that he will return for his junior year. Conversely, St. John’s University missed out on the tournament and coach Steve Lavin has a hole to fill. Moe Harkless, the Big East Rookie of the Year, declared for the draft and plans to hire an agent, making the decision irreversible.
Other “one-and-done” candidates this year might include Kentucky’s Anthony Davis (the consensus No. 1 overall pick), teammate Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Duke’s Austin Rivers. One mock draft has nine freshmen in the first round, including four of the top seven picks.
That’s nothing new. Many freshmen have gone high in the draft since 2007, when freshmen Greg Oden and Kevin Durant went 1-2 after the NBA banned high school players. But a new NCAA policy this season makes me question the organization’s concern about underclassmen, whether they are one-and-done, two-and-through or three-and-flee.
Instead of continuing to allow players to “test the waters,” as it has done for years, the NCAA moved up its deadline to withdraw from the draft and retain collegiate eligibility if an agent hasn’t been signed. Players used to have until May 8, which gave them an opportunity to work out for NBA teams and receive feedback.
But the pull-out date this year is April 10, three weeks before the NBA allows its teams to contact early-entry candidates.
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Posted on March 20th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Poor Tim Tebow, Alex Smith, Matt Hasselbeck, Kevin Kolb and Matt Moore. Their teams coveted Peyton Manning and viewed him as an upgrade. How can those bruised egos overcome such emotional trauma, knowing they were viewed as totally dispensable?
Please.
Take Smith, for example. He led the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC title game and reportedly was offered a $24 million contract. But that was before the Niners’ dalliance with Manning. The contract remains on the table, but Smith is upset at the perceived lack of loyalty.
He should be grateful that coach Jim Harbaugh gave him one last shot at career resuscitation.
The Arizona Cardinals traded Pro Bowl cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round draft to acquire Kolb a mere eight months ago. The only reason Kolb remained on the roster past 1 p.m. last Friday was Manning’s refusal to sign. Otherwise, Kolb would’ve been dumped instead of receiving a $7 million roster bonus.
I guess the money can soothe his feelings.
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Posted on March 19th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
I graduated from Howard University, which competes against Norfolk State University in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Doesn’t matter.
Friends of mine graduated from other MEAC schools, such as Hampton, Florida A&M, Morgan State and Bethune-Cookman. Irrelevant.
I also have friends who attended schools in the Southwestern Athletic Conference — the other Division I league that consists of historically black colleges and universities, such as Texas Southern, Grambling and Prairie View. Inconsequential.
For one glorious weekend, no matter our alma maters, we were all Norfolk State fans. We were rooting as hard as anyone, right alongside NSU students, faculty and alumni in the school’s first-ever trip to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament: “Behold the green and gold!”
When the Spartans upset the University of Missouri on Friday, 86-84, they became the weekend’s biggest story (at least until Lehigh shocked Duke a couple of hours later). It was an upset of historic proportions, since No. 15 seeds had lost a whopping 104 of 108 games against No. 2 seeds prior to Friday. But Norfolk State defied the odds, becoming the first No. 15 to beat a No. 2 since 2001.
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Posted on March 17th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
The University of Connecticut men’s basketball team won the NCAA championship last year, but was knocked out of the tournament on Thursday in its first game. The Huskies won’t have a chance to play in next year’s tournament, unless they win an appeal, because their academic performance has been deemed sub-par.
The “Big Dance” won’t be the same without UConn, which also won the national title in 2004 and 1999. This year’s tournament has been impacted by school work as well, with Syracuse University losing freshman center Fab Melo on the eve of its first game. He was deemed ineligible for academic reasons, putting a dent in the Orange’s championship hopes.
Players have faced academic suspensions for years, but the move to sanction entire teams is relatively new. HBCUs have been disproportionately affected. They represent about 7 percent of the schools evaluated in the NCAA’s annual report on Academic Progress Rates (APRs), but received 29 of the 58 harshest penalties last year.
There’s actually some good news this year: According to an annual report by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports (TIDES), the disparity between graduation rates of black and white players in the men’s tournament has narrowed. The difference remains troubling — 88 percent for white players and 60 percent for black players. But the latter group’s number rose by one point while the other number fell by three points.
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Posted on March 16th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Once again, it’s time to check off some items on my “TIDU List” — Things I Don’t Understand:
• How you can avoid skepticism regarding the Wizards’ trade for Nene.
The Denver Nuggets signed center Nene to a five-year, $67 million deal three months ago. He’s been injured for most of this season. Now, after experiencing buyer’s remorse, the Nuggets are trading him for JaVale McGee.
The fear is that Denver knows something about Nene that the Wizards don’t.
• Why Georgetown is such a popular pick to be upset by Belmont.
Yes, the Hoyas have exited the NCAA tournament early recently. Yes, they’re 3-3 in their last six games this season, while high-scoring Belmont is red-hot. But No. 3s are 92-16 all-time against No. 14s.
Upsets will occur somewhere, but the Hoyas are too deep and athletic this year.
• How Orlando can survive another season of Dwight Howard drama.
He waffled for 24 hours before deciding to stay for next season. But the circus will remain in town until there’s a long-term deal. The Magic still risk losing him for nothing unless they trade him.
If he loves Orlando like he says, he doesn’t know how to show it.
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Posted on March 15th, 2012
President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron
By DERON SNYDER
No matter what the NCAA says about its “First Four,” held on Tuesday and Wednesday, those games aren’t the first round of the men’s basketball tournament. They’re play-in games to qualify for the field of 64. The real action gets under way Thursday and Friday, when 60 teams play their first game.
Like millions of other Americans, President Obama has filled out his bracket for the men’s tournament. (His picks for the women’s tournament will be revealed on Friday.) Seeing how Obama is the First Fan and Baller-in-Chief, ESPN unveiled his picks during a live broadcast for the third consecutive year.
The NCAA tournament has spawned a new science — “bracketology” — in which experts and non-experts alike predict which 68 teams will be included in the field. But once the teams are announced on Selection Sunday, the focus turns to predicting winners in any number of office pools and online contests. The word “bracket” likely is uttered in March more times than the other 11 months combined.
Obama is definitely conservative when it comes to predicting winners. He correctly picked the University of North Carolina in 2009, when the Tar Heels were a No. 1 seed. He incorrectly picked Kansas University in 2010 and 2011, with the Jayhawks being a No. 1 seed both seasons. But he’s going with North Carolina again this year, with the Tar Heels — again — a No. 1 seed.
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Posted on March 14th, 2012
By DERON SNYDER
Upon further review, the NFL has decided to penalize the New York Giants for trading two first-round draft picks, a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick to the San Diego Chargers in 2004 for the rights to quarterback Eli Manning.
When the deal was approved, the league was uncertain of the effect on competitive balance. The Giants didn’t break any rules but, in hindsight, they clearly took advantage of San Diego to win two Super Bowls with Manning.
The late Al Davis smirked when he heard the news, which merely reaffirmed his long-held belief that the NFL is drunk with power and above the legal limit in operating its business.
OK, none of the aforementioned actually happened. But the concept is similar to the NFL retroactively penalizing the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys for league-approved contracts in 2010 that apparently violated no provisions in the NFL’s labor agreement. It’s beyond me how teams can be sanctioned for breaking an unwritten rule or gentlemen’s agreement.
My esteemed colleague Dan Daly took the Redskins to task for apparently ignoring the league’s warnings and front-loading contracts for Albert Haynesworth and DeAngelo Hall in 2010, a season without a salary cap because the collective bargaining agreement had expired. But I think the NFL is guilty of gross arrogance in this case, not the Redskins and Cowboys.
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