Sports In The Joint...The View From the Row

Compassion and empathy. I am truly thankful for every day I have. The following column is written by Hogfather, direct from the row, at a prison near you. It is not any political statement on capital punishment. In this year of 2009 we have more people in prison in the United States than any country and next year we will have more, because prison is a growth industry. So listen closely to what the Hogfather has to say especially at the end, and count you blessings.

You got the half. Your got 2. Your got the half….This is what it is like when there is some sporting event coming on here in prison. We’re just as competitive as we were in the free world but now we are not “watching” our favorite team. We here on the Row must listen to the game on the little clock radio that we have tuned to the gills so that we can pick up that AM station way down that dial after the sun goes down. “Say, You guys picking it up down on Westwood One?”…is something that is asked about everytime there is something on because everyone is scrambling to get the best reception and because there are several places to get a good game we ask one another where it is coming in the best. The games fade late at night but if you are on the strongest station, you can get it REALLY LOW towards the end of the game. Here we have to work together to get our dose of football or basketball or even NASCAR.

This being Sunday is a NASCAR day for me. I play a little fantasy by picking 5 cars against someone else’s five cars. At the end of the race if the total finishing place of your five are lower than his, then you my friend are the winner. I have done this for a long time and get the NASCAR magazine because it gives me the breakdown on every single race and who is good where. I know more about each track and driver than the competition usually, but I assure you that does not mean I win. In that sport a hotdog wrapper can cause your car to overheat and that is the end of your ace car. It’s not like football where another player comes in for the one suffering some ailment. You have the one car and if that thing blows then your day blows.

Football is by far the biggest sport in prison. I have been a few places and it is always the same. Nothing trumps the game. I don’t care what is happening…if the game is on ain’t nothing happening anymore but football. The guys that don’t like it, and there are some, are looked upon as wierdo’s. Something ain’t right about those cats. Better keep an eye out for those dudes.

We all have our favorite teams, but if you’re a fan of a team that is not from Texas, you had better been born there and can prove it. Don’t just like them because they have won a few championships because at that point you’re fake. If you are not down with the same team for life, the you are not a real fan and personally, I do not want to hear about your lifelong devotion to the team that just so happened to win the Super Bowl the last few years. I’m a Dallas fan and I have had to fight because of that fact. If you are a diehard fan here and have not had at least one fight because of your team then something’s wrong.

Texan fans And Cowboy fans clash every Sunday. If Dallas wins and Houston loses then you will hear the Dallas fans talking smack. If it is the other way around then Houston fans get their day to rub it in. Either way this is done every weekend. If they both win, they they look to WHO they played. If Dallas beat the better team they are the best.

Basketball gets wild. A lot of teams and a long season. I really just like the Mavericks. I look at the record everyday when I get my paper. Beyond that , I do not pay attention until the finals roll around. A ton of people here are like that but it is the San Antonio Spurs fans that rule the prisons. I hate them because I like Dallas but I will take them before I will take Houston. My best friend is a Spurs fan, he listens to them every chance he can. I’d rather read. When finals come around I get in the mix to see who will take the championship. I like the Lakers this year because Boston is hurt, but who know what could happen. Dallas will make the playoffs, and lose first round just like the Cowboys, but I know that going in so it doesn’t make me mad.

There are shotguns to play, parlays during football season, fantasy EVERYTHING…baseball, football, basketball, and my favorite, NASCAR.

Guys here can tell you stats from games that were played last year. I am not messing with you about that. Some guys here spend every minute reading sports magazines and saving them from the year before. I have seen gambling books that are so detailed that they could be sold in the free world and give the layman a HUGE advantage. Like Bibles, they cherish every page and update them all the time. It is how they make it year to year and if they do good they eat like kings. If they don’t they have to eat what TDC makes and for them that ain’t alot these days. People bet chicken trays, pork chops, and the best of the food on games if they don’t have a few stamps. ANYTHING to get into the action or to make the game that much more enjoyable. Nothing like your team winning AND you get a chicken tray.

In prison sports takes us from a world filled with 23 hours of lockdown and places us at the games with our teams. We leave this place for another one and if our team loses it just gets as quiet as a church because all of us are hurt just a little. Come Monday we will be our old selves and because there is a game we’ll be making our bets for that one as well. It’s a way of life and as much a part of prison life as these razor fences that surround this place. During the week we are just locked up but come Sunday Whatever our ill, they take a backseat to the game. escape this joint to be with the team of our choosing. We make spreads (elaborate meals) just like the ones that we would enjoy as if we were tailgating at the game, and for a time we are free to enjoy the competition! It is what we need and the reason it is so important to this life. At the end of the day I’ll sit back and wonder what must have happened to that guy down the run who would rather read than watch football. Maybe I can get some action on that. I’ll hit up the guys and see if we can get a be going on what it was…maybe I’ll get me a chicken tray!

Sweet Sixteen Here We Come

I was with an AAU coach in LA one time and I asked his opinion why there were so many upsets in college basketball. He gave me an answer which I would see over and over again. "There a alot of good basketball players." With that in mind, it sort of explains why a team from little Sienna could hang and come close with Louisville. To me that is what makes the whole deal...these little known teams that beat and hang with the big boys. Sienna would never even be scheduled with Ohio State in football...they may not even have a team for all I know. But to see a team like that hang with the big boys and beat an Ohio State, now that is madness. They had a very nice team.

I continue to be impressed with Syracuse. They seem to have a ton of good players at all the key positions. They have shooting, size and a nice point guard in Johnny Flynn. A friend of mine called from Arizona and I told him that the best team won...too big, too fast and too good. Oh yeah, they also have a very decent coach, a ton of heart, and a zone that is hard to match up against.

Wisconsin upset Florida State. Probably not really the better team, but they have a style that slows the ball down and were a terrible first round matchup for the Noles. The other part of the equation is that matchups are everything. Mix that with the old lots of good players and you have strange happenings.

Oklahoma/Syracuse has the makings of a great game. I have no clue how this one will play out. I think UNC will handle Gonzaga if healthy. Villanova ambushed UCLA and were only a 2 point favorite in Philly. That would have been the game of the year to bet on. What a blowout. The only solace UCLA can take is they go back to LA and Villanova has to live in Philly. Probably about as bad a day for UCLA hoops in a long time.

Pitt looked beatable, but now may have the easier time in their region. Still, they seem primed for a fall, and if they make it past Xavier and have to play Villanova or Duke there could be big trouble. Speaking of Duke, they played well against Texas and sure seem to get the right calls with the refs. This brings up a sore point. The refs in many games seem to always seem to make calls at the right time against the lower seeded small conference teams. Also, there are games when the ref just takes the best players out with really non calls. It gives the advantage to the deeper team.

If Memphis makes it through to play U-Conn, that would be a great game.

ACC weaker than advertised. Big 12 a little better than expected. And of course, the Big East, as advertised. Still, with the ACC there were some close buzzer type games, its the way the tournament goes. And what about Cinderella Arizona. Could they beat Louisville? Rumor has it Pitinos wife is house shopping in Tucson (a big upgrade from Loserville believe me). Wouldn't it be funny if the interim coach beat his replacement. Probably won't happen, but does have some intrigue.

I would bet only on one thing: we probably won't have all number one seeds again this year at the final 4. Good luck and talk at the final 4.

Speaking of which, I saw almost no people in the crowd for Utah-Arizona. Why not play that game out west instead of Miami. People in Miami could care less about those 2 teams.

Let The MADNESS Begin

There is this great website, bracketscience.com. It has some great information, so with a friend, I decided to pay the 20 bucks because the guy who owns it piqued my interest. Pete Tiernan has some of the greatest trends I have ever seen. However, in the end I went with the team that is pure chalk. I feel it was Pitt's good luck to get knocked out early in the Big East Tournament. They should be right and when I see them play, I cannot believe they are ever going to lose...of course I thought that about the Tarheels early when the beat Michigan State in Detroit by 40. I think Michigan State is a much better team now. In fact, they are going to be a tough matchup in the tournament. One thing I got from this website (it's sort of like Billyball for hoops) is that this one chart shows there may be a minimum of upsets. Given that and last years tourney, I am playing some chalk. I think freshmen staying at least a year have evened the playing field against senior laden teams. Still, it point to teams with seniors, a high point differential, and coaching pedigree to be a big factor. Still with all these great stats, the gurus are wrong...its' college basketball one game craziness and the best team does not always win...see Villanova and NC State. So here goes: Final 8

Pitt

Duke

UNC

Clemson

Memphis

Washington

Mich State

Louisville

with Pitt over Memphis for the title. And I already have buyers remorse. First round upsets for me are Western Ky, Butler (maybe this is not an upset),Wisconsin, BYU,Maryland, USC and Arizona. Some of these may not be upsets, but they are the lower seeds.

So why do I have this sinking feeling. I have bet absolutely nothing and it's probably time to quite getting paralysis by analysis.

*************************************************************************************

The last time I cried when a team lost was when Arizona State was in the Far West Regionals. It was in the early 60's. It was a smaller tournament then and the Sun Devils just killed UCLA in the semifinals a couple nights before by about 25 points, going away. It would be the last time the Bruins would lose in an NCAA match for many years. In fact the following year UCLA would win it all and start the streak. Arizona State would be one game away from a final four appearance. However, they ran into a red hot Oregon State team with Mel Counts and Heisman Trophy winner Terry Baker, and seemed to be playing in cement tennis shoes. Arizona State featured Jumpin Joe Caldwell, an Olympic Gold Medalist with Jerry West and company. Joe Caldwell is one of the best players you never heard of. He could jump over the bed of a pickup truck and could have dually qualified for the track team in the Olympics as well. He had a very good NBA career and was one of the few shutdown defenders on Jerry West. He opted for the ABA and never got the noteriety he would have otherwise because he was made a pawn of the labor disputes. I remember one time he blocked Wilt from behind. I remember another time he intentionally fouled Wild by grabbing him on the mid section and Wilt lifted him in the air about 18 inches. There are many old timers who can be very thankful that Wilt was not a violent man. Have a fun Big Dance.

Hoops Hoops Everywhere...It's Madness

First and foremost, since we mentioned the two great coaches that get overlooked by the Hall of Fame in basketball, I feel obliged to mention the obvious player. Artis Gilmore has soooo many credentials where do you begin. Averaging 22 rebounds in an NCAA season would probably be a good place to start, but that is just for starters. He took a nice Jacksonville University team to the NCAA finals and I believe at the time broke the records for blocked shots. (OF course the NCAA didn't like that action where a small school goes to the finals and Jax got slapped with a bunch of sanctions....How dare they beat high major schools on a regular basis, especially a Florida University that is small!) In Artis' first season in the ABA he was rookie of the year and I believe MVP. The ABA was a great league at the time. When the ABA merged with the NBA, Artis had a great career. Oh yeah, the competition was not chopped liver in the middle in those times...Kareem, Bob Lanier, Willis Reed, Wilt, Nate Thurmond and many more great pivot men. What are these guys who select this stuff smokin? Artis, you should be in the hall.

*************************************************************************************

What a great year the NBA is putting together this year. The Western Conference race is so close for playoff spots 2 through 9. There are so many nice players that are young and that make the league so exciting, a real breath of fresh air. However, I will now agree with most of the NBA ex players consensus in Houston that Kobe is in a league by himself. The other night after Artest shut down Lebron, he had Kobe one on one. The results were disaster for Artest. Kobe hit every shot, mid range, the 3, drives. What made it fun was Artest tried to intimidate Kobe and it did not work. Kobe told him something like "are you a stand up comedian" and proceeded to destroy one of the best defenders in the league. Heck there were 2 on him and it did not matter. The things that seperate him from MJ is that Jordan brought it harder on D on a regular basis and Michael had bigger hands that allowed him to do a few things that Kobe cannot.

Deron Williams is a player who gets a little overlooked because people are so enamored with Chris Paul. But Williams is bigger and a better defender and for my money, I would love him on my team. I remember seeing him in Vegas in AAU ball and I wondered why he wasn't rated higher. However, Dallas high school ball that year you had Chris Bosch, Ike Diagou, and Bracey Wright, who would be a solid pro if his knees did not give out. You also had a guard named Hopkins as well as Daniel Gibson. So for some reason Deron Williams got overlooked and since Texas had T J Ford, Deron Williams went to Illinois. Williams was under rated then and I think because he plays in Utah, he is under rated now.

*************************************************************************************

I am not a fan of conference tournaments, but the Syracuse/UConn game was one for the ages. When a young player says "I am going to Memphis for the great education and the possibility of playing great basketball" what he really means is "yeah this town is rough and most of the pro players won't live within 30 miles of the arena because the murder rate is so high, but darnit, they pay real good". Having said that, they don't do anything all the other teams do and they deserved a one seed. However, the committee is great at laying the wood to the non BCS teams.

Toughest leagues. My eyes tell me at the top, it is the Big East. I also say top to bottom that the ACC is probably the best league balance wise. Sagarin rates the ACC first, Big Ten second, and Big East third. Personally, what all this means is that the tournament is going to be a gas. There are more teams that could have a chance than ever before. Every team seems to have one flaw or another. Still, the last 2 years have had less upsets than previous years. Is this because the High Major Hoop teams are getting the high school superstars that would have otherwise gone pro? Personally, I think there is something refreshing about a Jacksonville making it to the finals. George Mason was a sheer joy a couple years ago. Remember when this country really went for the underdog? My fantasy would to see about 3 great superstars go to a mid to low major school and give a quote"yeah we could have gone to Louisville, but dammit all we think that Bob Jones University should be number one!" Now that would be the greatest.

Two Obvious Coaches Left Out

When John Wooden says you are the greatest basketball coach he has ever seen, but you will never win a National Championship...and then you win the National Championship...don't you think you would then be in the Basketball Hall of Fame? I mean, what more of an endorsement do you want. This is an endorsement that comes from the man many think of as the greatest basketball coach ever. Yet with those credentials and that endorsement you still do not make it into the hall of fame. Well, that is the case if your name is Jerry Tarkanian.

Tarkanian was a winner, a big winner at every stop of his coaching career. He was a great Juco coach at Long Beach Community, he won big at Long Beach State, and had a powerhouse at UNLV, a powerhouse that won it all. And he had many great teams there besides the team that won it all. Plus he won at Fresno State, a place that has had no success since he has left.

More than this, I know he would have been a great NBA coach. However, when he had his brief stint on the bench at San Antonio, the Spurs could not sign Rod Strickland and two other starters, so Tark was forced to play shorthanded in a league where the players make the difference. Great players would take time out of their warmups to talk to Tark when he was in the NBA, that's how much respect he had. UNLV basketball was a sold out event with stars at courtside and the games were televised live to Channel 5 in LA and were broadcast by legendary announcer Chic Hearn. They were a Hollywood Production!

What is the real reason a John Chaney can get in and Tark cannot. Is it because Tark was at constant war with the NCAA. Tark is said to have paid well. In fact it was reported that Reggie Theus took a pay cut to go to the NBA. HOWEVER, most of the big schools pay...yes the reputable ones. If you don't believe it go to an AAU summer event for about 5 minutes and you will feel it. There is a saying that a kid in Chicago knows what he is worth at a young age. Was he excluded because people never wanted to see UNLV win against a pristine Duke? Who knows, but go down the list of some of the coaches in the Hall and Tarks' teams would beat a majority of them.

The second coach that is being hosed is Guy V. Lewis who led the Houston Cougars to 4 Final Four appearances. Coach Lewis started modern day big attendance basketball when he had UCLA play Houston in a sold out Astrodome in the late 60's. At the time this was unheard of. There was a packed house and Houston beat a great Bruin team led by Lew Alcindor, aka Kareen Abdul Jabbar. Houston had the best team to never win a title with the Phi Slamma Jamma group led by Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajawon. This was the original ESPN highlight reel high flying modern basketball pioneers. When I tell kids today that being offered to play for Houston was at one time as high as it got they cannot believe it. The fact is that Houston was a big time powerhouse for about 25 years and got the shaft when they were left out of the Big 12. And it was built by Coach Lewis. And again, not picking on coach Cheney...he is a great coach and he belongs...but his teams would fall way short of most of the Houston teams. The players in the pros from Coach Lewis is a very long list. Plus he brought African American players into the South way before most schools in that part of the country had done so. So let's summarize: many pros, revolutionized the game, 4 Final Fours and a great winning percentage. A no brainer. A don't give me the NC State game. There are fluke wins in many NCAA tournament games, the best team does not always win that tournament as anything can happen in one game. That is why the NBA playoff usually does not leave any doubt because you have a seven game series.

I have heard many coaches say if this player was in New York, wow would you have really heard of him even more. I hear the chant big time here in Houston and also when I visit LA. There is no doubt in my mind that these two coaches would be in the Hall if they would have been at an East Coast school. Oh, and if they did pay the players good, Bless them. But don't be surprised if your favorite school that is in the top 25 does not pay real good money to their players. It's a way of life and since their name is not UNLV, the NCAA looks the other way. But become an upstart school that comes out of nowhere like Jacksonville in the 70's or UNLV, and believe me the NCAA will stack the deck against you to keep successful and will generally slap a team like that with a convenient little suspension.

____________________________________________________________________

It's tournament time soon. How will the Big East fare. No doubt it is tough top to almost the bottom. Georgetown is having a tough year but I often wonder how they would do in an easier league. Speaking of easier, the SEC is as soft as I have ever seen. Billy Donovan needs to get his money man to get him some bigs. Auburn is a real small club, but they remind me of a Don Nelson Milwaukee team of the 70's with their small 4 guard set. I like South Carolina...I think Coach Horn has done a great job and the Gamecocks are fun to watch. I saw LSU play in Houston in a 4 team tournament and at the time they did not even look like a top 100 team. Now they have caught firel A team that could be real nice is UW- Green Bay...however, they may not make the tournament if their league does not get 2 teams, as they have to go through Butler. Watch for them if they get in, they could upset a few teams. The Big kid from Pittsburgh, Dejuan, is as strong a player in college as I have seen in awhile. Sometimes, it is hard for me to believe Pitt ever loses. They have a nice package and when Coach Dixon let's them play they are very nice to watch. Wake has a long athletic team that could go far, but they seem to lack a shooter at certain times and have had a few problems when teams pack in a tight zone. How did Western Kentucky beat Louisville? I could see it on some of their past teams but not this years bunch. I could not see it happening at this time of the season. In fact, I can't see Western within 20. But maybe that could be one of those games that may show a chink in the armor of the Big East. Personally, I think it was a fluke. So March Madness is coming and I say bring it on! College B-ball will finally have some relevance.