The glory. The reward. The quest for something more. The 3-pointer is the most tantalizing opportunity for the college basketball player. It is also the biggest headache and pet peeve for this college basketball fan.
I will not argue the place of the 3 in the NBA, for it is not nearly as big a problem in the pros as it is in college. In college, teams shoot 3's at a ridiculous pace. And most of the time, they are completely unnecessary.
In college, there is a 35-second shot clock. The team has 35 seconds to work the ball around court and look for the best possible shot. Lay-ups are definite possibilities (look at the Princeton offense). Mid-range jumpers? Run a screen-and-roll or pick-and-pop, and those are open all day. Run a 2-man game with a big man in the post, you're either gonna get a good look from the block, an open cutter through the paint, or another open jumper. These are easy things for players to look for. Except they don't. They look for the first, semi-open shot. Quite often with 18-22 seconds left on the clock. The most frustrating thing about this is that a open 3 can be had at any given time. Literally, you can shoot an open 3 ANY TIME YOU WANT!!! Why not spend a few more seconds running through the offense a little more, making a couple extra passes, looking for a better shot. If it's not there with 6-8 seconds left, fine, go for the deep look. But for cryin' out loud, a mid-range shot is a much better option, and a layup is a near-lock. Teams live and die by the 3-pointer. Why not just live by everything that's closer? Never heard of a team suffering because they attempted too many layups. Besides, what if you make the shot and get fouled? Now you got 3 points a much easier way. Just saying.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Alex Rodriguez and Steroids.
Let's get one thing clear. No one is surprised. I will not be surprised if anyone else ever tests positive for steroids or other performance enhancing drugs from now on. Only disappointed. Now, some thoughts about A-Rod.
1) What an idiot. It's an over-the-counter drug, from the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, that you know NOTHING about, that you are INJECTING into yourelf. HELLO! And no, you were not "young and stupid." You were 25 years old with over 6 years of professional experience. You should know better.
2) He says he felt the pressure to perform and live up to the contract he signed. Alex, you were given that contract for a reason. You had already proven you could perform at a high level (actually, one of the highest). There was no need to give yourself an added boost.
3)There are more details that he is not giving us, which is unfortunate. He has a chance to be the first guy to really stand up and take blame for what he's done. Granted, he has told quite a bit already and that is commendable on its own in relation to what the other offenders have done. But there are so many more details that he is glazing over that it is still difficult to fully take him at his word. If Rodriguez really cared about getting this out in the open, he would've done it in 2004 when he was informed that he had failed a test. Obviously we don't expect anyone to come forward with this information, but don't try to tell us how good it feels to put this out in the open when you've had more than enough opportunities to do it in the past.
Other aspects of this issue:
Bud Selig- Yes, you are somewhat to blame. You are the Commissioner of baseball, it's your job to make sure things are running smoothly. When they're not, you have to fix it. This issue is 10+ years in the making, and we are just now starting to see significant change. Where were you at? Congratulations on being the Commissioner who allowed steroids into baseball and did little-to-nothing about it.
Punishment- There shouldn't be any. Obviously I don't approve that 104 players tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, but at they time they were not banned by the league. As for future positive tests, I go with David Ortiz and Ozzie Guillen (that's a first): 1-year suspension for 1st positive, lifetime for 2nd. If you're gonna keep Pete Rose out because he bet on his team to win, then you gotta keep out performance enhancers whose play actually has an effect on the game.
The Leak- What self-righteous prick decided it was his duty to out Rodriguez and none of the other 103 players? The only reason the player's union agreed to these drug tests is if they were kept confidential. Good job dude, now the next collective bargaining agreement is gonna be incredibly difficult to agree on.
1) What an idiot. It's an over-the-counter drug, from the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, that you know NOTHING about, that you are INJECTING into yourelf. HELLO! And no, you were not "young and stupid." You were 25 years old with over 6 years of professional experience. You should know better.
2) He says he felt the pressure to perform and live up to the contract he signed. Alex, you were given that contract for a reason. You had already proven you could perform at a high level (actually, one of the highest). There was no need to give yourself an added boost.
3)There are more details that he is not giving us, which is unfortunate. He has a chance to be the first guy to really stand up and take blame for what he's done. Granted, he has told quite a bit already and that is commendable on its own in relation to what the other offenders have done. But there are so many more details that he is glazing over that it is still difficult to fully take him at his word. If Rodriguez really cared about getting this out in the open, he would've done it in 2004 when he was informed that he had failed a test. Obviously we don't expect anyone to come forward with this information, but don't try to tell us how good it feels to put this out in the open when you've had more than enough opportunities to do it in the past.
Other aspects of this issue:
Bud Selig- Yes, you are somewhat to blame. You are the Commissioner of baseball, it's your job to make sure things are running smoothly. When they're not, you have to fix it. This issue is 10+ years in the making, and we are just now starting to see significant change. Where were you at? Congratulations on being the Commissioner who allowed steroids into baseball and did little-to-nothing about it.
Punishment- There shouldn't be any. Obviously I don't approve that 104 players tested positive for performance enhancing drugs, but at they time they were not banned by the league. As for future positive tests, I go with David Ortiz and Ozzie Guillen (that's a first): 1-year suspension for 1st positive, lifetime for 2nd. If you're gonna keep Pete Rose out because he bet on his team to win, then you gotta keep out performance enhancers whose play actually has an effect on the game.
The Leak- What self-righteous prick decided it was his duty to out Rodriguez and none of the other 103 players? The only reason the player's union agreed to these drug tests is if they were kept confidential. Good job dude, now the next collective bargaining agreement is gonna be incredibly difficult to agree on.
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