Words are time bombs after a UConn loss. Questions can be batted into the balcony like an Emeka Okafor rejection. Questioners are always advised to bring their sarcasm-proof earmuffs and bulletproof egos, because there are two inalienable truths established in our state since 1986:
Jim Calhoun is a great basketball coach, and he is a very sore loser.
Gomes returned to Connecticut and dropped 26 points and 12 boards on Calhoun.
So Calhoun dropped seven f-bombs on Dave Solomon of the New Haven Register for asking about the junior forward from Waterbury.
"Recruiting is hardly an exact science. What does Gomes do that blows you away now that maybe no one saw?" Solomon asked.
Calhoun had praised Gomes in his opening remarks and it's no secret Gomes was not as fit and not nearly as good coming out of Wilby High. It's also no secret that Calhoun's ears grow red when he hears the name. Gomes has improved exponentially in three years at PC and asking about that improvement was fitting and proper. What happened next wasn't.
"Do you want me to go throughout the country of the guys who came and didn't go?" Calhoun answered. "I'm a genius. I took Emeka Okafor at 100 [high school ratings]. It's the dumbest [f-bomb] question I've ever heard. I've explained it a thousand times. I [f-bombed] up. I didn't take Ryan Gomes. Does that make you happy?"
"I didn't say you [f-bombed] up," Solomon said.
"It took 18 months to sell the kid to Providence," Calhoun said. "It has been written about. It has been talked about - don't shake your f-bomb head - you asked a question. I'm telling you how I feel about it. I took Emeka Okafor and Caron Butler. THEY'RE NOT BAD. I CAN'T GET EVERYONE."
Calhoun was yelling now.
"We have 13 scholarships," he said. "When I saw him he was 6-5, 265-270 pounds. When he graduated, we took Caron. He then waited to get his SAT scores in the spring. It took [AAU coach] Wayne Simone 18 months to convince - I believe that's his quote - to convince Tim Welsh to take the kid.
"I'm tired of talking about Ryan. I just said he's one of the best players in our league and starting to look like one of the best players in the country. I don't know what else I can say. If you want me to say I [f-bombed] up, I [f-bombed] up. Write it. I don't know how else I can answer it. ... You want me to say I [f-bombed] up. For the fifth time, I [f-bombed] up. So print it five times. Make everybody happy that we would have won the game if we had Ryan Gomes."
[posted by Marc @ 11:33 PM #]
Thanks for not watching because PC WON!! Wahoo!!
[posted by Marc @ 11:32 PM #]
I just saw on espn...Providence is up on Conn at half time. I'm not going to 'watch'...I'm not going to 'watch'... I swear I will not.
[posted by Kimberly @ 1:08 PM #]
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Pokey Reese
I previously said that I am not really excited with the prospect of having Pokey Reese on the Red Sox. However, I've given it a little thought and decided to back off a bit.
The negatives about Reese include a susceptibility for injury and bad offensive numbers.
The positives are his defense and speed. His defense alone could lower Derek Lowe's ERA and put him back up to 18 to 20 wins for the 2004 season. The prospect of having three starting pitchers winning 18 to 20 games is very real this season. Not to mention Keith Foulke, Scott Williamson, Alan Embree, and Mike Timlin could be an extremely dominating bullpen.
With luck, Pokey Reese will remain healthy this season and provide the type of middle of the diamond defense that can help us to the World Series. Let's face it, we're not going to score the type of runs we did last year. If we can lean more on our bullpen and defense this year, the Red Sox could top their win total from last year.
I previously said that I am not really excited with the prospect of having Pokey Reese on the Red Sox. However, I've given it a little thought and decided to back off a bit.
The negatives about Reese include a susceptibility for injury and bad offensive numbers.
The positives are his defense and speed. His defense alone could lower Derek Lowe's ERA and put him back up to 18 to 20 wins for the 2004 season. The prospect of having three starting pitchers winning 18 to 20 games is very real this season. Not to mention Keith Foulke, Scott Williamson, Alan Embree, and Mike Timlin could be an extremely dominating bullpen.
With luck, Pokey Reese will remain healthy this season and provide the type of middle of the diamond defense that can help us to the World Series. Let's face it, we're not going to score the type of runs we did last year. If we can lean more on our bullpen and defense this year, the Red Sox could top their win total from last year.
[posted by Marc @ 1:39 PM #]
Don't dog the underdog
It is hard to believe that the Patriots are only two seasons removed from their first Super Bowl victory. It is harder to believe that they are back. The hardest thing to believe is that they are favorites! The "favorites" part is what worries me. All the media coverage last week was about Peyton Manning and the Colts juggernaut offense. The Patriots thrive on that sort of thing. The more you take the spotlight away from them, the more they feel slighted and, in a sense, hungrier to prove to everyone how good they are. Now we are the favorites. The Panther's are the ones who demand respect. Will this have an effect on the outcome of the championship game? Possibly.
If you played this game in a vacuum, the Patriots would win it every time. However, the Patriots have proved time after time that you don't overlook the underdog. I hope that they learned from their experiences that they need to prepare harder for this game than any other in their careers.
Still Itching for Baseball
The sick thing about the Patriots' success is that I still look for Red Sox news first before I consider reading anything about the Pat's. All I can think about is that after the Super Bowl I can focus my attention on the Red Sox. I think I need professional help.
It is hard to believe that the Patriots are only two seasons removed from their first Super Bowl victory. It is harder to believe that they are back. The hardest thing to believe is that they are favorites! The "favorites" part is what worries me. All the media coverage last week was about Peyton Manning and the Colts juggernaut offense. The Patriots thrive on that sort of thing. The more you take the spotlight away from them, the more they feel slighted and, in a sense, hungrier to prove to everyone how good they are. Now we are the favorites. The Panther's are the ones who demand respect. Will this have an effect on the outcome of the championship game? Possibly.
If you played this game in a vacuum, the Patriots would win it every time. However, the Patriots have proved time after time that you don't overlook the underdog. I hope that they learned from their experiences that they need to prepare harder for this game than any other in their careers.
Still Itching for Baseball
The sick thing about the Patriots' success is that I still look for Red Sox news first before I consider reading anything about the Pat's. All I can think about is that after the Super Bowl I can focus my attention on the Red Sox. I think I need professional help.
[posted by Marc @ 11:27 AM #]
