A sports blog by and for Midwest Sports Fans
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It’s morning. While you get out your favorite coffee mug, pour a glass of orange juice, and make sure you have enough milk for your bowl of cereal, get yourself back up to date with the happenings in, or at least somewhat near, the sporting universe.
The following are links that we’re certain Sophia Bush would love.
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Growing up, Michael Jordan was my second favorite athlete in any sport. (No one trumped or will trump Calbert Cheaney.) I was a huge Bulls fan, I watched every Bulls game I could, I read every MJ book I could get my hands on, and I pretty much knew everything that was publicly available to know about him.
I never knew however, until just a few minutes ago, that MJ once shattered a backboard with a dunk. (Seriously, where the hell have I been?) But he did, and the video evidence below proves it.
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Since I have no way of knowing for sure, I’ll take credit for ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi finally seeing the light on Xavier, who he has pegged as a six seed this week. Joe, you’re welcome for the one-man intervention I held for you last week.
So while Joey Brackets seeing the light on Xavier is a step in the right direction, it’s clear that I still have some work to do based on today’s projected bracket.
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Just before New Year’s Day, I posted a column questioning if the San Diego State Aztecs basketball team was ‘for real.’ Two months later, they’ve answered with an emphatic YES — even if few have noticed.
AJ Kaufman is the Co-Editor of MSF. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ajkauf7| Tweet | Email Post
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A full slate of college hoops over the weekend yielded its share of bubble winners and losers. It also reaffirmed the general mediocrity in many leagues and reinforced how few teams can actually win games away from home.
The good news is that makes for a ton of exciting basketball. The bad news is that it makes for a ton of teams for me to write about in this edition of Bubble Boys.
Here’s my list of locks from the six major conferences, obviously barring significant injury or utter collapse:
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It’s morning. While you get out your favorite coffee mug, pour a glass of orange juice, and make sure you have enough milk for your bowl of cereal, get yourself back up to date with the happenings in, or at least somewhat near, the sporting universe.
The following are links that we’re certain Maria Menounos would love.
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On Wednesday night, the highly ranked Purdue Boilermakers head south to Bloomington for a battle with their arch rivals, the Indiana Hoosiers. In the first battle a few weeks back in West Lafayette, the Hoosiers played valiantly but ultimately came up short. In the friendly confines of Assembly Hall, the Hoosiers will be looking to salvage their season by taking down the hated and favored Boilers. Regardless of what happens Wednesday night, this game will most likely mark the end of a recent era that has seen Purdue dominate Indiana in almost every conceivable way.
After Wednesday, the Boilers will go as far as seniors E’Twaun Moore and JaJaun Johnson can take them in the Big 10 and NCAA Tournaments, but will then have to fill those gargantuan shoes next season. Indiana, on the other hand, loses only defensive specialist Jeremiah Rivers while adding McDonald’s All-American Cody Zeller to a lineup that will be more experienced and more talented than any IU team since Eric Gordon was wearing the Cream & Crimson. And with Tom Crean already lining up commitments from top in-state recruit after top in-state recruit for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 classes, the balance of power in the Basketball State seems to be shifting back towards Bloomington.
Crean and Purdue head coach Matt Painter recently discussed the relative states of their programs, and as expected MSF was there to capture the entire conversation. It is presented below, verbatim, in photo story format.
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Update: Free agent SS Bob Sanders is visiting the Jaguars Monday. As a released player, Sanders is free to sign with any team until the day before the March 4 lockout. Sanders has been injury prone the past few seasons, but he could clearly help a weak Jags secondary. The team ranked 28th in the league against the pass last year.
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Update: Free agent SS Bob Sanders is visiting the Jaguars Monday. As a released player, Sanders is free to sign with any team until the day before the March 4 lockout. Sanders has been injury prone the past few seasons, but he could clearly help a weak Jags secondary. The team ranked 28th in the league against the pass last year.
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Update: The St. Louis Rams have released FS O.J. Atogwe. Atogwe was due an $8M roster bonus on the 21st, and the Rams did not want to pay it. Atogwe may end up back with the Rams as he said he wants to remain and the team is up and coming, but expect him to shop his services on the free agent market as this will most likely be his last chance to get a big deal.
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Update: According to FOX Sports' Adam Caplan, the chances of the Colts re-signing free agent Joseph Addai are "much less than 50-50." Donald Brown may be ready to take over the first string duties, but he has yet to prove he can stay on the field. Given Addai wants to return to Indy, it would be a shock if the Colts don't work something out with him.
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Update: The Eagles are reportedly seeking a first-round pick and "something else," possibly a third-round pick, in exchange for Kevin Kolb. The National Football Post's Dan Pompei says "no one expects them to come too far off their asking price," and that it's "starting to look as if it’s a possibility that Kolb might be back in Philly." Given Michael Vick does not have a long term deal, and that he was injury prone last season, it might make sense for the Eagles to keep Kolb around at least for one more season.
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This video was posted in August of 2007, so it’s not exactly new, but I just saw it for the first time. It is entitled “11 Guys You’ll Always Find Playing Pickup Basketball” and I think you’ll find it to be absolutely spot-on.
There were are least five times when I laughed out loud. Seeing as how it’s 7:00 am, I’m still wiping the sleep out of my eyes, and it’s a five-minute video, I’d say that’s a pretty good ratio.
And yes, the “Hypothetical Dunker” is the dude from Man In a Box.
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On Saturday night in Los Angeles, some of the best dunkers in the NBA will participate in the league’s annual Slam Dunk Competition.
This year’s contestants are: LA Clippers PF Blake Griffin; Milwaukee Bucks PG Brandon Jennings; Washington Wizards C JaVale McGee; and, Oklahoma City Thunder PF Serge Ibaka.
Like many people, my favorite to win this year is Blake Griffin. He has taken the NBA by storm with some of his insane dunks, and I expect him to do something spectacular on Saturday. My sleeper pick is Serge Ibaka, as he’s a super athletic forward who could give Blake a run for the title.
Now, because of all the amazing dunks Blake Griffin has done this year, I have a feeling that he’ll do something so spectacular it may be considered one of the best dunks of all-time. To see what Blake might have to go against, let’s rank the top ten dunks in the Slam Dunk Competition’s history. [Editor's note: Brandon's choice for #1 will probably surprise you...]
