Thoughts while reveling in Tottenham Hotspur's first trophy since 1999

It wasn’t as easy as it might have been, but Spurs won the Carling Cup Sunday, so no matter how much goes wrong this week, it’s been a good one.
To the left is man of the match Jonathan Woodgate, who anchored the defense and scored the game-winner.
Anyway, here's some stuff Gravette and I wrote about.







Do GMs and others put too much stock in the NFL Combine?
Gravette: There is no doubt in my mind that the NFL Combine is rubbish.
Three full days of running 40’s, vertical leaps and bench presses in the weight room. How is that supposed to prove how good of a football player you could be?
I don’t even see any reason for holding the combine. All this talk about whose stock is rising and whose stock is falling. Who cares?
I guess the ‘Golden Boy’, Tom Brady, didn’t do so hot at the combine and look where he is at. Akili Smith must have had a great showing and look where he’s at now.
These people should forget about how fast these kids can run and look at their performance on the field. That is all that should matter.

Staubs: While I fully support the use of the word rubbish, I find it hard to agree with Mr. Gravette on this issue. The importance of the combine might be a bit overstated, but for the relevant teams, the combine can make all the difference.
Impact players can be found at the combine. Good teams find these guys that can help their team right away.
Antonio Cromartie was never going to be a first-round pick until he impressed at the combine last year, and he ended up leading the Chargers to the AFC Championship game despite the numerous injuries the team suffered. The guy will be an elite corner for years to come, and if not for the combine he would have been a late second-round or early third-round pick.
For every major bust, there are plenty of success stories that don’t get as much play from the media or the common fan. The combine works.

Will Mike Bibby take the Hawks to the playoffs?
Staubs: The Hawks now have the players to not only make the playoffs, but to win a series. The problem is that they have a true buffoon on the sidelines.
Down the stretch and (potentially) in the playoffs, Woodson will cost them games. He already has, but because the expectations for the Hawks are so low, he isn’t yet on the hot seat.
The other night, the Hawks were playing a close game against my favorite team, the Utah Jazz (I always loved Stockton, Hornacek, Malone, and Sloan, and have continued to follow the young team currently in place). While sweating the end of the game, there was simply no doubt that the well-coached Jazz would make the plays to win and the poorly-coached Hawks would not.
The Jazz, after trailing most of the game, scored 10 points on their final five possessions – on two lay-ups and six free throws – while the Hawks forced shots and ended up losing by six. If the coaches were reversed … I don’t know that the outcome is the same.
Despite Woodson, the Hawks will probably sneak in to the playoffs, but will be swept by the seasoned Pistons or Cavs in the first round.

Gravette: I’ve always thought the Hawks needed a point guard to do some damage, and they finally got one.
After years of drafting big men over point guards, they settled on Mike Bibby. In my opinion, this would have been a good trade about three years ago when Bibby was considered one of the best in the league, but I haven’t even heard about him this year.
I know he has been hurt and all, but I’m not sure he can play anymore. If the Hawks get to the playoffs, it’s all because of my boy J-Smooth. That kid can play.
Bibby can only help the Hawks, but I don’t see him having a huge impact simply because he can’t stay healthy. So no, the Hawks aren’t going to the playoffs because of Bibby.

Was there a better decision than Keith Van Horn’s to go to New Jersey for over four million dollars?
Gravette: Of course not. This guy may be the smartest person I know. He is going to make over four million dollars by sitting on a bench for a month. Does it get any better than that? Nope. Enough said.

Staubs: Yeah, what a coup he’s pulled here. These Mormon guys are pretty smart. I probably should have supported Romney after all.

Not as in-depth as Bob Loblaw's Law Blog

All-Star games are horrible.

Whom do you believe, Clemens or McNamee?
Staubs: I find it hard to believe either one. A couple friends and I have basically assumed Clemens was on something for five years. What other explanation was there for him to randomly throw a broken bat at Piazza? But it seemed like a lot of people were surprised when his name was in the Mitchell Report.
I believe Clemens more today than I did before the two men appeared before Congress. McNamee is a total scumbag (not to mention a dead ringer for Andy Dick), and, solely on appearances, totally unbelievable.
Could it be some vendetta McNamee has against him? I don't know. I doubt it, but it's in the realm of possibility.
Realistically, McNamee seems like a worthless human being, and I'm sure he is enjoying the spotlight even in this odd manner, but there must be at least a shred of truth in what he is saying. But I surmise that both are telling half-truths at best.

Gravette: I’m finding it harder and harder to believe anything that Roger Clemens says. If it was just Brian McNamee making these claims, I might give the Rocket a small amount of respect.
But when Andy Pettitte backs him up, I can’t believe a word that he says. These two are supposed to be friends, right? It seems that Pettitte is the bigger man and wants the truth to be told even if it’s ruins a friendship and tarnishes his career.
It’s clear that someone is lying here. With more than one person now having said that Clemens used steroids, it’s hard for me to think that McNamee is not telling the truth.

Is the recent form of the JSU men's basketball team a sign of things to come or a mirage?

Gravette: The men’s basketball team put together back-to-back impressive wins over the weekend, and it appears that next year could be looking a little bit better than expected. Mike LaPlante could have very well saved his job with those victories.
I can’t see anyway that the Gamecocks don’t top six wins when they take the court next season, but I don’t expect JSU to compete for the top spot in the OVC.
They are basically only losing Will Ginn and will have more experience on their side. With that said, I think the future is bright with all the young talent the Gamecocks have, but I still see them finishing under .500 next year.

Staubs: Well, JSU played two teams that are competing to host first round OVC-tournament games, and pretty much handled them. I've been expecting their performances to improve, and I'm buying this team's chances for next year.
I don't think we're talking about OVC champions or anything like that, but I'll be beyond surprised if JSU doesn't qualify for the conference tournament again next season, and I think they have every opportunity to get a top-four seed.

What's the deal with the JSU women's basketball media members not receiving the same perks as the men's media?

Gravette: Staubs enjoys the luxury of covering the men’s basketball games at JSU. The luxury I’m talking about is the free pizza in the media room.
While I do enjoy covering a team that actually wins from time to time, I mostly think about Staubs eating Papa Johns when I leave. It’s a shame. What must I do to get pizza there before the women’s game kicks off? Any ideas Razz 47?

Staubs: Hahaha. I attended my first full women's game this weekend, and frankly, Papa John could feed everyone in the building for about the same price as he feeds the media for the men's games. When I can hear individual conversations taking place across the court - in between the pep band's incessant blaring, of course - well, that's not a pizza-worthy occasion.

Thoughts while wondering who could possibly find Amy Winehouse appealing in any form or fashion

It's never too early to discuss baseball here at J&J, so here's a couple baseball-related questions and another one.

Who will be the biggest surprise in the AL?

Staubs: The Yankees and Red Sox will be great like they have been all decade. But I'm not convinced both will make the playoffs this season.
Toronto is going to be really, really good. I'd make them the favorite in any other AL division, but the East is soooo stacked.
Now that Schilling isn't in the Red Sox rotation, the Jays have the best rotation in the AL. Obviously it starts with Roy Halladay - the best pitcher in the AL now that Santana is gone - but watch out for Dustin Mcgowan. This guy will win multiple Cy Youngs, and it wouldn't surprise me to see him win 20 games as soon as this season.
Burnett's career numbers are almost identical to Beckett's before last season, and if he can develop consistency and stay healthy ... well, that's the best top three I've seen in years.
Getting Rolen shores up what was already a strong infield defense, which is key because Toronto's staff revolves around ground ball outs.
The bullpen is very strong with two guys who have proven to be dominant closers and the lineup is well above average. If this team stays healthy, it can displace the two perennial powers.

Gravette: My biggest surprise in the American League may not be a surprise at all, but it’s the Angels. Everyone knows they’re good, but I don’t think anyone is picking them to go all the way.
Their pitching staff is solid behind John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar. They added Jon Garland in the off-season to bolster their pitching staff as well.
The biggest move they made, however, was bringing in Torii Hunter. I think he is the piece that puts this team over the top.
The Angels have one of the best bullpens in the league, and they still have Vladimir Guerrero out in right field. Add Hunter and Guerrero to the list of budding youngsters on the roster, and the Angels should be pretty tough to beat.


Staubs: Oh, I thought the question was who will be the biggest surprise in the AL, not who is the favorite. My bad.

Who will be the biggest surprise in the NL?

Gravette: It’s always hard to predict which teams will go from mediocre to great in a span of one year. In the National League, I really like the makeup of the Brew Crew.
Their crop of young players like Ryan Braun, Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder are only going to get better as time passes. When he is healthy, Ben Sheets is ridiculously good.
I really like some of the moves they made in the off-season as well. They picked up Jason Kendall, Mike Cameron, Jeff Suppan and Eric Gagne which bolsters both their offense and defense. Now that Cameron is out of PETCO, I expect him to have a monster year (after he serves his 25-game suspension of course).
I wouldn’t want to face this lineup. From top to bottom, the Brewers are solid.

Staubs: It's all about pitching for me, and the Giants have as much of it as anyone.
Matt Cain had such incredible bad luck last season - at one point he was 2-12 with an ERA under 3.5 and a WHIP under 1.2 - but that should even out this season.
And I simply cannot say enough about Tim Lincecum. He is the surest thing to come along in baseball in a long time. When you throw 99 and everyone says your fastball is your second best pitch .. well, you're pretty good. Pretty, pretty good.
The Giants also have two quality lefties.
Noah Lowry appeared to turn the corner last year, and the Giants also have Barry Zito, who, if he can regain his form, has proven he can pitch like a Cy Young winner.
Most importantly, the Giants are a perfect Tiki/Ewing Theory candidate (Bill Simmons' term for a term that loses a star player and then performs better the next season). Without the constant hoopla surrounding Bonds, the team will be able to concentrate on baseball more.
The NL West always has a surprise, and I think the Giants can come from nowhere and contend for this division.

Who is the best team in NCAA basketball right now?

Gravette: It’s certainly not Jacksonville State. In my opinion, it’s Duke.
I know that Memphis hasn’t lost a game, but look who they’re playing. When Duke beat North Carolina last week, they proved to me that they were the best team in the country.
They don’t have a superstar, but they do have five players averaging double-figures. It’s that balance that makes them so dangerous.
Their only loss came back in December to Pittsburgh, and they only lost by one point. I expect Duke to go deep into the tournament and possibly even win the national title.

Staubs: I've got to say Kansas, and I don't think it's that close. Tough game tonight, playing another top ten team on the road, but a win seals them as #1 in my mind.
Bill Self isn't a great coach, but he has assembled an impressive collection of talent. The team is experienced and polished, and can beat you from anywhere on the court.
The only other team I would say would be UCLA, who has the best point guard in the nation (with all respect to D.J. Augustine), best big man in the nation (with no respect to Tyler Hansbrough), and the best coach in the nation.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa?

While trying to figure out what just happened, Gravette and I tackled some burning questions.

What are your final thoughts after Super Bowl XLII?
Gravette: I really enjoyed this one. Not only was it a great game, but the Patriot dream of an undefeated season was shattered.
Nobody thought the Giants stood a chance and they walked away victorious. Maybe the Patriots won’t be so cocky in the future.
The Giants looked like the better team on Sunday night. Their line blocked extremely well, their front seven put pressure on Brady all night, their receivers made big plays when they needed to step up and the didn’t make costly mistakes.
My hat goes off to Eli Manning. He has had to deal with so much criticism throughout his career. He stepped up big time on the biggest stage of them all and showed that he does have what it takes to be successful in the NFL. I’m also happy for Michael Strahan. After being the best defensive end for almost the last decade, he finally won his championship.
The Patriots may have been the better team all year long, but not tonight.

Staubs: Blech. That was a wildly uninteresting football game, and should never be shown on ESPN Classic.
It was nice of Genius Bill Belichick to morph back into Idiot Bill Bellichick (Going for it on 4th and 13 in the first half in lieu of a 48-yard field goal may be the worst coaching decision in "Super" Bowl history). It was nice of Tom Brady and Eli Manning to switch jerseys. And it was especially nice of the Patriots to drop all 10 interceptions Eli tried to throw.
Every time the Patriots brought pressure, Eli threw the ball up for grabs. If the Pats DBs could have caught the ball half the time it was thrown to them, Eli throws five picks. The fact that he won the MVP instead of Strahan or Welker is criminal.
Of course, if Tom Brady doesn’t totally disappear, the Pats still win. For a guy who has made his living and reputation on thriving when it matters most, he pretty much did the opposite. Totally missing receivers, throwing off the back foot needlessly, etc.
I won’t be surprised if it comes out that he needs surgery or something, because something wasn’t right with him. If health wasn’t the problem, that was the worst performance from a regular season MVP in a championship environment since Karl Malone in the late '90s.


Does Spygate tarnish the Patriots dynasty?
Staubs: Again, I would like to remind everyone of my contempt for this term. Every time I hear ___gate, I want to start beating random objects, people, or animals. Nonetheless ...

Gravette: I think it does.
If these developing allegations about taping the Rams walk through prior to the Super Bowl a couple of years back are true, I think the Patriots should be stripped of that title and possibly the others they have won.
If you can’t win without cheating, then don’t even take the field. Maybe Bill Belicheck isn’t that great of a coach after all, unless cheating makes a coach great.
I’m really tired of hearing about Spygate. Does it really matter? It’s in the past, and the Patriots didn’t go undefeated after all. That’s all that matters to me.

Staubs: Before watching the "Super" Bowl, I thought this was a total non-issue. Everybody does it, right?
Well, maybe I was wrong. If Belichick is praised for anything, it’s for his halftime adjustments. Well, I’m still waiting for a halftime adjustment from this game. Or an in-game adjustment. Or anything that admitted, “Hey, what we’re doing isn’t working, so let’s try something else.”
Albert Einstein said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Well, Belichick is insane.
And he’s also a cheater, because I‘m convinced the majority of his coaching adjustments over the years were largely aided by video replay which is illegal in the NFL.
I’m not saying the Patriots should be stripped of their Super Bowls. What good would that do the Rams, Eagles, and/or Panthers? Those victories would be more hollow than playing a basketball game against a team who had its best player hurt, giving them someone with the basketball skills of Helen Keller, and continuing to play 5-on-5.
But - and 99 cases out of 100 I’m violently opposed to this resolution - there should certainly be some kind of asterisk next to that chapter in NFL history.


Do the Braves stand a chance in the NL East after the Mets acquisition of Johan Santana?
Gravette: I don’t think so.
The Mets have arguably the best lineup in the National League. With the addition of Santana, they may also have the best pitching staff in Johan Santana, a healthy Pedro Martinez, John Maine, Orlando Hernandez and Oliver Perez.
As a lifelong Braves fan, I can only hope that Martinez or Santana fail to reach expectations. Without Andrew Jones, the Braves can’t out slug the Mets.
As much as I hate to say it, it looks like another lack-luster third place finish for Atlanta in 2008.

Staubs: This is something I'm really passionate about, for whatever reason. I'm not really a Braves fan, but I like a lot of the players they have amassed, and I think the Jones loss will help in an addition-by-subtraction sort of way (Actually, I have plans to write a column on this in the not too distant future).
I’ll be following with some interest this season. Of course, now that I actually want to watch the Braves every day, TBS goes in another direction. Standard.
Whenever I did catch a Braves game last season, I always walked away thinking what a special player Yunel Escobar is going to be. He does things you just don’t see from any players, let alone young ones.
He is incredible at advancing runners and getting them in without getting a hit. Man on second no outs, he has a knack for hitting the ball the other way - even on an inside pitch - that few can match. While this brought his batting average down to a still impressive .326, it left a larger impression on me.
The only recognition he really got last year, at least from the national media, was when he went to second on a walk. Of course, that was deserved, it was a play you see about once a decade, but he does so much more that goes unseen by most.
Anyway, I’m not going to sit here and write about everyone in the lineup, but it’s a well-above lineup and a well-above average defense.
All you really need from a pitching staff is two dominant starters and three pretty good ones. That’s what the Braves have. Hampton isn’t hurt (yet), and if he can regain anywhere near his prime ability, the Braves’ rotation will be as good as the Mets.
And the bullpen is better. As a left-handed hitter, the guy I would least like to face (other than perhaps Unit, who still scares me) would be Mike Gonzalez. Watching him mow through Victorino, Utley, and Howard last season was enthralling.
There isn’t a liability out there other than Tyler Yates, who is just horrid. He should just be pitching in mop-up roles this season, or hopefully, sent to the minors.
Anyway, Santana’s great, but he went 15-13 with a much better bullpen behind him last season. With the rest of the Mets’ rotation being either old (Pedro), inconsistent (Maine, Perez), or both (El Duque), I don’t rate them that much more highly than the Braves or Phillies. I’d make the Mets the favorite, but I think the East definitely gets two teams in the playoffs, and Atlanta should be one of the two.