Random Rumblings

• If you take anything away from the World Baseball Classic, take this: It is important. It’s soooo important. And if you ever forget, just turn up the volume and all of the commentators will be sure to remind you. It took me only two innings before I became sick and tired of hearing about the excitement surrounding the Classic and how united teams were after most spent all of three days practicing together. Come on, do you really think Kevin Youkilis cares about Ryan Braun?
  
  This whole thing reminds me of women’s basketball, when the announcers spend the entire game trying to convince viewers that they’re watching a competitive product. The problem with that is we know athleticism when we see it, and it’s just not there. And unfortunately for the Classic, we can tell the difference between meaningful baseball and an exhibition event. The world’s best ball players start playing real baseball in April; this is just glorified Spring Training.
  
  
• Everyone likes to pin the blame all over Terrell Owens when his teams don’t win the Super Bowl, but there’s no denying that the teams who let him go get worse before they get better. The 2004 San Francisco 49ers won just two games and 2005 Philadelphia Eagles went 2-7 after the team banished Owens.
  
  The Cowboys will regress this season.
  
  As for T.O., well, I’m just waiting for people to find a way to blame the Buffalo snow that ruins the Bills’ passing game every year on him.
  
  
• Some people might be upset with ESPN for not airing the opening round of the Big East tournament this week, but I say it’s a blessing. As good as the conference is at the top, it’s just as bad at the bottom. I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say again: Some of these small private schools just can’t compete with major public universities.
  
  But as long as one or two stay competitive, it just gives the Seton Hall’s of the world false hope.
  
  
• And you can’t tell me that college basketball in general isn’t down when Duke, the seventh ranked team in nation, gets zero points from its bench and still keeps a game with North Carolina fairly close.
  
  
• If Pros vs. Joes wants to become a new version of American Gladiators, it needs the pros to have gimmicks. That’s why I’m fine with Pac Man Jones getting into a fight on the show. The only thing that would make the scene better would be if he “made it rain” after laying some poor guy out.
  
  
• Food for thought: When we refer to ridiculous numbers put up during the steroid era in baseball, the one guy we always pick on is Brady Anderson. But how about Barry Larkin in 1996? The guy hit 33 homeruns at age 32, which is good for about 16% of the homeruns he hit during his 19 year career.
  
  
• Here is UConn’s fatal flaw: I’m not sure they have a guy who could make a key shot down the stretch ala Rip Hamilton or Ben Gordon. The Huskies best perimeter player is A.J. Price, who almost never takes a good shot.
  
  
• I’ll close with this short rant: What’s the deal with people wearing those sweatbands on their arms all the time now? You’re supposed to grow out of this when you get cut from your high school basketball team or (if you don’t make it that far) when you stop pretending to be Bret “The Hitman” Hart. Do bartenders really need to break out the Under Armour to serve me a Sam Adams?