Month: December 2008

Mid-Week grades for Dec. 31

Posted by dobrien – December 31, 2008

Since we're doing a year-end recap on Wednesday's show, I'll stick with the theme and give year-end grades out this week. This is for the best and worst from the last 366 days of 2008. To listen in, check out WGEM SportsCenter presented by Hardee's from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. every day on ESPN 1440. We'll break down the grades around 8:15 or so on Wednesday.

YE Phelps Begins Swim_O'Br
A — Michael Phelps. He was an easy pick as the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year. Winning eight gold medals in one Olympiad will do that for you. He captivated a nation and pulled a lot of people into swimming, if only for a week. We'll see where he goes from here. NBC has signed on to telecast a lot of swimming events between now and the London Games. Phelps, no doubt, will be at the forefront of that coverage.

PGA Tour Awards Golf_O'Br
B — Padraig Harrington. Yes, Tiger's win on one leg at the U.S. Open was the most impressive feat in the sports world this year (apologies to Phelps and Usain Bolt). But, Paddy quietly went about his business. He came from behind to win at the British Open and again at the PGA Championship to nab Player of the Year honors. What will the focus be when the majors season starts at Augusta National? Tiger or the fact Harrington is halfway to a Paddy Melt — a run of four straight major championships? I'll take Tiger in that battle.

YE Top 10 Sports Illi_O'Br
C — Chicago Cubs. Yes, the Cubs had a fantastic regular season. No one in the National League won as many games in the regular season than the North Siders. They had the NL's Manager of the Year (Lou Piniella) and the Rookie of the Year (Geovany Soto). They also won as many postseason games as the Pittsburgh Pirates — a big fat zero. How will the Cubs bounce back in 2009?

Ron_zook
D — University of Illinois football team. The Illini's blowout loss to USC on the first day of the new year in the Rose Bowl was a sign of things to come for Ron Zook's crew. After earning a BCS bid last season, the Illini couldn't even earn enough wins to get a spot in one of the 34 postseason bowls this season. The Illini finished 5-7, including a loss to Western Michigan of the MAC. And the Illini almost lost to Louisiana-Lafayette. Zook's seat isn't hot yet, but another sub-par year like this one and it may start to get warm.

Cowboys Eagles Footba_O'Br(2)
F — Dallas Cowboys. I know the Detroit Lions finished 0-16, but that was only about four wins short of what was expected of them. (And the Rams and Chiefs could land here, too.) But the 2008 Cowboys are one of the biggest groups of choke artists in recent memory. T.O. killed another coach, who has no leadership skills anyway. Pacman made no impact. The team gave up valuable draft picks for Roy Williams, who was another non-factor. Tony Romo stunk up the place in December — yet again. Thank goodness he got his money last year. He'd better start saving some of it. So much for that Super Bowl run.

QU review — Alabama 86, QU men 58

Posted by dobrien – December 30, 2008

Taking a major step up in competition on Tuesday night, the Hawks fared well — despite what the final score above might look like.

QU led for a majority of the first half — leading by five points midway through the half — and trailed just 36-29 at the break. Alabama (9-3) used a 13-0 run in the first three minutes of the second half to pull away.

We'll skip the usual three stars since I had to listen to the game on the radio. (The Alabama radio crew, by the way, was very complimentary of the Hawks.)

While I wasn't in Tuscaloosa, I was at Springfield, Mo., earlier this year when the Hawks — minus four key players — played Missouri State in an exhibition and were soundly beat 79-44. If QU played like it did that night, it had no chance against the Tide.

"We went to Missouri State and I wasn't happy at all because we weren't ever in that game," QU coach Marty Bell said. "Tonight, we were in it for a long time. That is great improvement from Nov. 3 to Dec. 30. I'm looking at the improvement.

"It should you give great confidence that you can play against a team in one of the best conferences in the country."

The only real bad news for the Hawks came midway through the second half when senior point guard Scooter Maye suffered an injury to his left shoulder. He separated the shoulder. The Alabama training staff was able to pop it back into place, but Maye was forced to wear a sling the rest of the night. Bell doesn't expect Maye to be able to play in the Hawks' Great Lakes Valley Conference games at Drury and Missouri Science & Technology this weekend.

"We've adjusted to all kinds of situations this year, and we'll have to do it again," Bell said.

Maye's injury likely will mean more time for Mookie Pierre and freshman Courtney Belger at the point.

DOBservations
Bell said his team was excited to play at Alabama despite a sparse crowd — the announced crowd was 8,341 — which showed up to watch. … QU assistant coach Luke Strege was the one who landed the game for the Hawks. He used to work with Jeff Dunlap, Alabama's Director of Basketball Operations, when the two were at Georgia under Jim Harrick. Dunlap is a former QU assistant under Steve Hawkins from 1991-94. … The Hawks will spend the New Year in Tuscaloosa before joining up with the women's team on New Year's Day as they make the trip to Drury for Friday's GLVC doubleheader. … The QU women's team rolled to a 92-68 victory over future GLVC foe Illinois-Springfield Tuesday night in front of a nice-sized crowd at Pepsi Arena. The Lady Hawks drilled 16 3-pointers and dropped 60 points on the Prairie Stars in the first half.

Slap of the Week — Dec. 26

Posted by dobrien – December 26, 2008

Brut_sun_bowl_logo
While we may be at odds over whether or not there needs to be a playoff system put in place at the highest level of college football. (I say yes. As does this guy.)

I think we can all agree that there are WAAAAAAY too many college bowl games being played these days. This year, gave us 34 bowl games to choose from. While it might be great for contests like this one, it's not really that special to go to a bowl any more.

The bowl system finally got so saturated that Notre Dame was finally able to win a bowl game.

Slap honors could go to the grand poobahs of college football, whoever they are, but we'll save them for the fine folks at the Brut Sun Bowl.

"Geez, how could I have missed the Brut Sun Bowl?" you may be asking yourself.

Don't worry, you're in luck. The Brut Sun Bowl will be broadcast in all of its glory at 1 p.m. on New Year's Eve day on CBS. Oregon State and Pitt will do battle (and it might not be that bad a game if truth be told.)

But what gets the Brut Sun Bowl the final Slap of the Week honor for 2008 is the fact that it's having the Village People as its halftime show. If you're a really big fan of the song "YMCA," you can still get down to El Paso, Texas, in time to be part of what the Sun Bowl suits hope is a Guiness World Record crowd signing along to the 1970s disco tune that's played in every ball park and wedding reception known to man.

Was Loverboy booked? Couldn't Winger get together and help out, too? Isn't Gerardo looking for work? There has to be a Guiness World Record for singing "Rico Suave" right?

Hawks makeup date set

Posted by dobrien – December 17, 2008

The Quincy University men's basketball team's game against Missouri Western that was snowed out on Tuesday night has been rescheduled for Monday, Jan. 12.

The Hawks (5-2) will play the final game of their current homestand at 3:!5 p.m. Saturday against Truman State.

Rescheduling the Missouri Western game will actually break up what is still a pretty big challenge in January. Starting with the Dec. 30 game at Alabama, QU will play eight of 10 games on the road before coming home for a Great Lakes Valley Conference home doubleheader Jan. 29 when Bellarmine comes to Pepsi Arena.

DOBservation
Blogging will be light until Dec. 26 since I'm taking some time off. Happy Holidays!

QU review — QU men 71, Henderson State 60

Posted by dobrien – December 14, 2008

The Hawks wrapped up their second straight share of the QU/Subway Holiday Classic championship by earning the program's first-ever victory over Henderson State. The Hawks have a solid first half to thank for their perefect weekend. QU jumped out to a 41-25 lead at halftime and did enough in the second half to put the Reddies away.

Here's a look at Sunday's three stars:

Burke0809
1. Tyler Burke
The freshman from Warsaw, Mo., is really starting to like Pepsi Arena. He drilled five 3-pointers and set a tournament record with 9 3-pointers on the weekend. He's the best threat on the team from behind the 3-point arc on a team filled with guys who can drill shots from downtown. His rough start from long distance — he went 2 for 12 from distance in the team's first two games — is a mere memory. Five games into this seven-game homestand, Burke is 19 for 31 from 3-point range, a sizzling 61.3 percent.

Maye0809
2. Scooter Maye
The senior point guard came into the program with a reputation as a defensive stopper. He proved why on Sunday. He made two steals that he converted into easy hoops. Not known as a long-range threat, Maye made a key 3-pointer with just over 11 minutes to play. He drilled a line-drive 3-pointer from the right wing to give the Hawks a 50-40 lead.

Edmonds0809
3. Josh Edmonds
He continues to be a steadying influence on the floor. He had nine points, four steals, three assists and three rebounds. Edmonds made just one 3-pointer, but made two baskets in the paint among the trees. Marty Bell knows what Edmonds is going to give him every game.

DOBservations
The Hawks have won or shared their holiday tournament title now four times in nine tries — 2000, 2004, 2007 and 2008. … QU is 13-5 all-time in its tournament. … QU shared the crown with Missouri-St. Louis, which hammered Robert Morris-Springfield 96-61 in Sunday's first game. … QU is now 1-6 all-time against Henderson State. … Neither Nikola Obradovic nor Tyler Thompson played on Sunday. Bell said the matchup didn't suit them to get in into the game. … The Hawks only used nine players, the lowest number they've played since the road loss at Truman State. … Justin Brock and Burke made the all-tournament team for QU. Brock scored 24 points and had 15 rebounds on the weekend. Joining them on the all-tournament team were UMSL's Aaron Jackson and Beaumont Beasley and Henderson State's Julius Berry. … For the second straight game, QU women's basketball coach JD Gravina had the crowd in stitches with his antics as the Hawk mascot.

QU review — QU men 88, Robert Morris 37

Posted by dobrien – December 14, 2008

The Hawks gave coach Marty Bell the first 50-plus-point victory of his coaching career by crushing the Eagles from start to finish. QU's intensity didn't waver at all during the game, an impressive feat in a blowout.

Here's a look at Saturday's stars:

Brock0809
1. Justin Brock
He led the Hawks with 15 points and 11 rebounds, including seven offensive rebounds that helped him pad that point total. Robert Morris had no one that could match Brock's size, which helped the Liberty product have his way in the low post. Brock also had two assists in just 16 minutes of playing time thanks to the blowout.

Belger0809
2. Courtney Belger
He made the most of his nine minutes. He scored seven points, had six rebounds, two assists and two steals. The only shot he missed was on a dunk that he nearly flushed down in transition. QU fans should have fun watching him grow over the next four years.
Gravina0809
3. JD Gravina
The Quincy University women's basketball coach served as the Hawk mascot on Saturday. He dunked a basketball, with the help of a 3-foot tall block, had a dance off and got knocked out by Jackson Marth, son of WGEM Sports Director Ben Marth. If the coaching thing doesn't work out for Gravina, he could always be the next San Diego Chicken.

DOBservations
The Hawks (4-2) will try to win their second straight title today when they face Henderson State at 5:15 p.m. QU has never beaten the Reddies. Henderson State owns a 6-0 series lead over QU, including a 67-64 win over the Hawks during the 2006 QU/Subway Holiday Tournament. … In Saturday's first game, Missouri-St. Louis pulled away from Henderson State midway through the first half en route to a 71-54 victory. The Tritons (5-3) will play Robert Morris at 3 p.m. in Sunday's first game. … Former Hawk Jeff Wilson is off to a strong start with the Robert Morris-Chicago men's basketball team. He was named his league's Player of the Week last week. 

Slap of the Week — Dec. 12

Posted by dobrien – December 12, 2008

Blagojevich Corruptio_O'Br(2)
I realize this is a sports blog, but the slap this week has to go to Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.

The folks on Law & Order couldn't make this stuff up. He deserves a good slap for allegedly trying to sell a senate seat and attempting to get people fired from a newspaper because they wouldn't support him. He's allegedly tried to do plenty of other dumb things like threatening to deny the Tribune Co. state aid to sell off Wrigley Field unless those who did not support him at the paper were canned.

(By the way, this goes to the top of the "Ripped from the headlines" story list that L&O sometimes uses, beating out Plaxico Burress and the guy trampled at a Wal-Mart on black Friday as possible plot lines.)

Has to make any Illinoisan feel good when you read stuff like this:

"I can tell you one thing," Chicago FBI Chief Robert Grant said. "If (Illinois)
isn't the most corrupt state in the United States, it's certainly one
hell of a competitor."

Thanks, Blago. Thanks to you, too, George Ryan. Don't hold your breath waiting for clemency.

Mid-Week grades for Dec. 10

Posted by dobrien – December 10, 2008

Had to skip out on my appointed rounds on WGEM SportsCenter presented by Hardee's, but that doesn't mean I was too busy to get my mid-week grades in:

Buccaneers Panthers F_O'Br
A — Smash and Dash. For those of you who are still sleeping on the Carolina Panthers, you'd better wake up. Thanks to their backfield of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, dubbed Smash and Dash, the Panthers are a legit Super Bowl contender. They have a solid defense and a quarterback who doesn't make a lot of dumb mistakes. The team seems to be ego-free, too. So, they're nothing like the Dallas Cowboys.

Jazz Timberwolves Bas_O'Br
B — Jerry Sloan. Tuesday night was the Utah Jazz coach's 20th anniversary on the sideline. Most of us never stay with one job for 20 years. In the NBA, you're lucky to last more than three. Since Sloan was hired there have been 222 coaching changes in the NBA and he has coached 123 different players. The guys been coaching longer than five teams have been around — Minnesota, Orlando, Toronto, Vancouver/Memphis, Charlotte.

QHS-QND_BBKB1a
 C — Quincy High School boys basketball team. I'm sure some in Blue Devil Nation are fretting over the team's 1-4 start. After all, it's only the second time since 1915 that the team has started a season so poorly. Remember though that Sean Taylor is using a lot of underclassmen. Exercise some patience and let those kids grow. Taylor's shown he knows what he's doing on the bench. In the end, everything will be OK.

Knicks Bulls Basketba_O'Br
D — Derrick Rose's culinary skills. Last week's 'A' needs to be told that you can buy apples that are already cut into pieces. Heck, some are even sold with little tubs of caramel with them. Those are tasty. Rose didn't miss any games, but his gaffe landed him on this list.

Blagojevich Corruptio_O'Br
F — Illinois voters. Say what you will about Rod Blagojevich or the convict who served before him — George Ryan. We're the dopes who keep putting these crooks into office. The last Illinois governor that proved to be clean was Eastern Illinois University graduate Jim Edgar. Can we talk him out of retirement?

QU review — QU women 108, Rockhurst 75

Posted by dobrien – December 6, 2008

Unlike Thursday night when it took the Lady Hawks a little while to get going before squashing Missouri-St. Louis, QU dominated from the start in hammering Rockhurst. It's the fourth time this season, the Lady Hawks have hit the century mark, extending their own school record for 100-point games in a season.

Saturday's stars

Stellflue0809
1. Lindsey Stellflue
The junior forward is quietly putting together another solid season. She had 17 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. At some point down the road, it will be her turn for another breakout game offensively.

Bunte0809
2. Renita Bunte
The Quincy Notre Dame product is playing some solid basketball off the bench. She had her first double-digit game as a college player on Saturday with 11 points — one of five Lady Hawks in double figures. She also had four assists and four rebounds. Her emergence means Whintae Irby should be fresher down the stretch than she was last season when she was asked to play tons of minutes.

Young0809
3. Michaela Young
The sophomore center is in dogfight for minutes and certainly helped her cause with Saturday's action. She had five points and eight rebounds coming off the bench. While it looks like Courtney Shuman has locked down the starting center spot, it's far from a done competition. Young's ability to get rough in the low post is her strongest attribute, one QU will need down the line.

DOBservations
In case you were wondering, Jessica Keller scored 23 points, grabbed nine rebounds and made six steals. Just another day at the office. … The Lady Hawks have won 19 straight games at home and are 19-1 at Pepsi Arena during JD Gravina's tenure. … In order to make his team a little more aggressive, Gravina turned to a game of dodgeball at practice on Friday. Read more about that in Sunday's game story in the Herald-Whig. … Alex Roznowski continued her frantic 3-point pace, making three more on Saturday. She's made at least three in all nine of QU's games and has 35 on the season. … The Lady Hawks, who are in final exams next week, are off until Dec. 18 when they play in the Great Western Shootout in Las Vegas. QU will face Western Washington, which had just one loss coming into the weekend, and Central Washington, which had just one win coming into the weekend, during the tournament. 

QU review — Rockhurst 89, QU men 78

Posted by dobrien – December 6, 2008

A bad five-minute stretch of play Saturday at Pepsi Arena killed QU's dreams of going 7-0 during its current homestand. The Hawks turned the ball over on six straight possessions, while Rockhurst went on a 12-0 run midway through the second half to put the game away.

Saturday's stars

AldenSmith
1. Rockhurst's Alden Smith
The athletic senior swingman was a difference-maker for Rockhurst. He had 21 points, threw down two thunderous dunks and took advantage of QU all game long. Just a 58 percent free-throw shooter coming in, Smith made 8 of 9 from the charity stripe, which certainly boosted his confidence. If teams try to concentrate too much on stopping Aaron Hill, which QU did on Saturday, Smith will make them pay.

JoshuaKwajah
2. Rockhurst's Joshua Kwajah
I'm guessing Kwajah was buried in the Hawks' scouting report on Rockhurst. And why wouldn't he be? The senior from Canada came into the game averaging just 2.7 points per game. But he scored nine points during Rockhurst's game-changing run. He drilled a pair of 3-pointers and seemed to be in the right place at the right time all game long. He finished with 16 points as one of five Rockhurst players in double figures.

Brock0809
3. Justin Brock
His encore wasn't too bad. After scoring 22 points in his first game as a Hawk on Thursday, Brock poured in 21 points and was the focal point of the offense. Marty Bell said after the game that the Hawks can't be too reliant on Brock to bail them out. That's something the 2006-07 Hawks did when they had Joel Box down in the low block. QU will find the proper balance on offense, especially when they've all had a few more games together.

DOBservations
Freshman point guard Courtney Belger played nine solid minutes in the first half, but saw just two minutes of action in the second half. … After coming off the bench on Thursday in their first games after injury, Brock and senior Austin Chapital were in the starting lineup. … You don't want to get into a free-throw shooting contest with Rockhurst. A 77-percent foul-shooting team coming in, Rockhurst made 27 of 30 foul shots. … There was nearly a major upset in the GLVC play on Saturday. Missouri Science & Technology, which had lost 30 straight league games coming into the day, went to double overtime at home against defending league champ Drury. The Panthers needed a 3-pointer at the end of the first overtime to extend the game and went on to post a 91-84 victory to extend the Miners' league losing streak to 31 games. … The Hawks are off until next weekend's ninth annual QU/Subway Holiday Tournament. Bell said he anticipated giving his team Sunday and Monday off to prepare for their final exams before having a light practice on Tuesday.