« November 6, 2007 | Main | November 8, 2007 »
By Jay Johnson
I think that a big ole WTF? is in order after this box score came across the ticker:
Gardner-Webb 84
Kentucky 68
In Rupp Arena. No, seriously.
Guess UK's national title hopes are dashed. Well, except for the fact that there's a tournament that decides that...
UPDATE BY BRENDAN: Pat Forde argues that this upset is on par with Appalachian State's win over Michigan. What do you think?
Kentucky was a 25-point favorite, if that matters.
By Brendan Loy
No pun intended. :) Anyway, Seth Davis has a nice article about the Zags and their thoroughly admirable head coach, Mark Few, as well as the team's prospects for this upcoming basketball season.
I really think Gonzaga could do some special things this year. In fact, of my three teams -- USC, Notre Dame and Gonzaga -- I have the highest hopes for the Zags, despite the hype surrounding the Trojans' O.J. Mayo and the return of Kyle McAlarney to an Irish team helmed by the reigning Big East Coach of the Year (ahem). If Gabe Pruitt and Nick Young had stuck around at USC, I'd have more faith in the Trojans to live up to the hype, but as it is, I'm not so sure. As for the Irish, well, I just don't sense that this is a team ready to show off some heretofore unseen greatness; I think last year was pretty much their high water mark, and against a tougher Big East schedule this season, I expect them to suffer a return to mediocrity. I hope I'm wrong, of course. But anyway, Gonzaga... with Josh Heytvelt back, Jeremy Pargo taking over point guard duties full-time, and Micah Downs injury-free and in the lineup for a full season, I really think they could make some serious noise. I'm particularly excited about the ascendancy of Pargo, who is a freakin' stud (or "Grown Ass Man," as La Rev likes to say). Derek Raivio was very talented, but inconsistent to the point of being a liability his junior and senior years, IMHO. Pargo, I think, can succeed where Raivio failed: leading his team to achieve greater things than anyone expects of them. Well, if Heytvelt can stay healthy and away from the 'shrooms, that is.
The Zags are ranked #14 in both preseason polls. That ranking will be tested early, given that they have games against Texas Tech (probably), #28 Butler or Michigan or Virginia Tech (possibly), #10 Wazzu, #32 UConn, Oklahoma, #7 Tennessee (in Seattle, alas) and Georgia, all before 2008 is a week old -- and a visit to #3 Memphis on January 26, to boot. (If I wasn't going to be the father of a one-month-old at that point, I'd totally be trying to get tickets and planning a road trip.) I almost hope the Zags do well, but not too well, against that early schedule. Not that I'll be rooting against them in any particular game, mind, but generally they seem to do better when they come into the NCAA Tournament with low expectations (last year notwithstanding), so an early record that's better than last year's 9-6 start, but also not insanely good, would probably be ideal.
Ah, screw it, I hope they start 15-0 en route to an undefeated national championship. :) Go Zags!
By CNN
-- An 18-year-old believed to have shot dead eight people at a Finnish school has died from self-inflicted injuries, police said.
By Brendan Loy
In my earlier post about yesterday's elections across the country, I failed to mention the really big news: Jim Namnath, of Jim & Toni fame, was elected to the board of trustees of the College of Marin, ousting incumbent Harry Moore. The other three incumbents were re-elected. (Indeed, Jim was the only candidate for any local office to buck the status quo trend.) Congratulations, Jim!
By CNN
-- Space shuttle Discovery has landed safely at Kennedy Space Center after a 15-day mission to build and repair the space station.
By Brendan Loy
I mentioned yesterday that I'm going to Saturday's 12:30 PM Tennessee-Arkansas game with Jonathan (who will be driving in from Morgantown on Friday after attending the West Virginia-Louisville game Thursday night) and Jay. What I didn't mention is that we have a fourth ticket that needs a home. I've asked a couple of people, but as the ticket is presently still unclaimed, I thought I'd open it up for any Irish Trojan readers who might be in the greater Knoxville area and would be interested in a face value ($44) ticket to see the Vols take on the Razorbacks at 108,000-strong "Fort Neyland." Granted, this could result in my sitting next to some weirdo from the Internet, but so could selling it on Craigslist or StubHub, so why not? :) Anyway, if you're interested, shoot me an e-mail this afternoon or evening at irishtrojan [at] gmail.com. Otherwise, I think I may have a Craigslist buyer. So let me know.
By Brendan Loy
First, there was the fake interview with Les Miles. Then, the fake brain x-ray. And now, via the great (and broke) road-tripping Jonathan Tu, this piece of comedy gold:
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - After four days of martial law and nearly eight years under former President Pervez Musharraf, the Republic of Pakistan was restored to order by LSU (8-1, 5-1 SEC West) head coach Les Miles, who parachuted into the Muslim country in a daring pre-dawn raid.
“People of Pakistan, you are free!” Miles shouted from the highest step of the Pakistani House of Parliament.
Heh.
Next season on 24: Jack Bauer finally meets his match... Les Miles.
By Brendan Loy
Scott Schmidt, a.k.a. Boi From Troy, has an op-ed in today's L.A. Times -- in which he criticizes USC. Specifically: "no one should be so arrogant as to think that their talent on the field will excuse their behavior off it. Yet if Heritage Hall celebrates O.J. Simpson the football player while looking away from O.J. Simpson the man, regrettably, that is the idea we're left with."
P.S. But -- through no fault of Scott's, I'm sure -- the headline writer misused an apostrophe in the subhead!!! "The university still honor's Simpson's football career" ... AAAHH!!! Somebody call the grammar police!!
By Brendan Loy
My normally "blue" hometown of Newington, Connecticut unexpectedly swung Republican in yesterday's election, with 35-year-old Jeff Wright -- the older brother of one of my high-school classmates -- defeating Maureen Klett for mayor, and Republicans taking over majorities on the board of education and, for the first time in 16 years, the town council. My dad says it was a "tax revolt." Wright is the first Republican elected mayor of Newington since Rodney Mortensen won on the GOP line in 1991. (Mortsensen subsequently won as an independent in 1993, and again as an independent two years ago. Democratic mayors were elected in 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2003.)
Here in Knoxville, by contrast, Election Day was a real snoozer. Most of the races were decided at the primary stage.
In South Bend, all the incumbents won. In Mesa, voters approved the construction of a $250 million resort and adventure park. And in Denver, a series of infrastructure bonds and tax increases appears likely to pass.
In Kentucky, indicted Republican governor Ernie Flitcher was defeated in a landslide. But in Mississippi, another Republican governor, possible vice-presidential contender Haley Barbour, won easily. More results of national interest here.
Also, back in Connecticut, the statewide debut of optical scan voting machines, replacing the venerable old lever machines, appears to have gone well. Of course, voting systems always perform "well" -- until there's a close election. :)
Any interesting election results where y'all live?
UPDATE: Via Anonymous Hoosier, news of another stunning Republican mayoral upset -- in Indianapolis, where underfunded outsider Greg Ballard ousted an incumbent Democrat who had been expected to cruise to an easy victory. Some are calling it "the biggest upset in Indiana political history." The Star says "voter anger about rising taxes and crime blew massive change into the City-County Building, from the mayor's office to the council, where Republicans also recaptured the majority they lost four years ago."
UPDATE 2: Elsewhere, Democrats were more successful. (Hat tip: Angrier & Angrier.)
My other sites