Month: April 2009

Was that the best Bulls playoff game ever?

Posted by dobrien – April 30, 2009

 

Bulls center Joakim Noah celebrates after the final horn sounded in the Bulls' 128-127 triple overtime victory on Thursday night. (AP Photo)

Bulls center Joakim Noah celebrates after the final horn sounded in the Bulls' 128-127 triple overtime victory on Thursday night. (AP Photo)

That’s the question I have to throw out after the Bulls’ triple-OT win on Thursday night.

I think the only one that is in the pantheon is the Game 6 win over Portland in the 1992 finals. Bulls were down 15 going into the fourth quarter and came back behind the likes of Bobby Hansen and Stacey King, who is doing an awesome job on color on Comcast SportsNet. He’s a homer, but I love it.

Some on facebook immediately threw out Jordan’s game in Game 5 against Utah in 1997 — known widely as the “flu game.” Yes, Jordan had many great games. That’s obvious. But I’m talking as a complete team effort, not a one-man show, where does this one rank?

This has to be up there. From Derrick Rose’s big first half to John Salmons making big shots all game long. Then there was Brad Miller rallying the Bulls in the fourth quarter after they blew a double-digit lead. He was even making 3-pointers. Joakim Noah’s steal and slam to foul out Paul Pierce. Rose’s block on Rajon Rando in the third overtime. This game had it all.

Let’s see if the NBA does anything with Rondo, who has been as thug as they come in this series. Hopefully, his thug job on Kirk Hinrich in the first half isn’t lost in all of the excitement of the triple overtime game. If Dwight Howard gets suspended for what he did, then Rondo should be benched, too. Of course, the NBA won’t do it because, utlimately, they’d prefer to have future Hall of Famers like Ray Allen and Paul Pierce move on.

It was a neat game to watch, too. I was “twittering” during the game, trading texts with the only other Bulls fan I knew when he was at QU, Bryant Biasotti, and chatting with people on facebook who knew I was glued to the game. 

Hopefully, Game 7 lives up to the hype it will get between now and the tip.

Former QU/JWCC star helps team win title

Posted by dobrien – April 30, 2009

Joel Box talks with a member of the Kuwait TV broadcast crew Wednesday after helping Al-Qadsia win the Gulf Championship title.

Joel Box talks with a member of the Kuwait TV broadcast crew Wednesday after helping Al-Qadsia win the Gulf Championship title.

Former Quincy University and John Wood Community College men’s basketball player Joel Box is celebrating a championship today. On Wednesday night, Box helped Al-Qadsia to a 69-67 victory over Al-Rayyan of Qatar in the championship game of the Gulf Championship in Kuwait.

Box scored the game-winning basket on a tip-in with three seconds left. He was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after scoring 16 points, grabbing 18 rebounds and making three blocks.

For video highlights of the win, including a look at Box’s winning shot and him running around the court celebrating the win, click here. I’m not fluent in Arabic, but I’m pretty sure the announcer ripped off Jack Buck’s “I don’t believe what I just saw.” Or maybe, it was Buck’s “Go crazy, folks. Go crazy.”

The 6-foot-9 center was also named the tournament’s MVP. He had 22 points, 18 rebounds, three assists and two steals in his team’s semifinal win, while going for 18 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks in the quarterfinals.

Box’s title comes on the heels of a successful season with the Blue Stars of the Lebanon Basketball Federation. He averaged 17.5 points and 12.4 rebounds per game this season, his second as a professional. He spent his first year as a pro in Turkey.

Box said he’ll next play in a tournament in Indonesia. He’s hopeful of returning to Quincy in late May to participate in the annual Gus Macker 3-on-3 tournament.

Mid-Week Grades — April 29

Posted by dobrien – April 29, 2009

School’s back in session. No field trips scheduled here, just a look at the good, bad and ugly from the world of sports. If you’d like to submit your grade, email us at sportscenter@wgem.com or text it in at 217-617-9437. Heck, you can even zip us something through Twitter now that I’ve convinced Houchins to get the show on the site. Remember to listen in weekdays from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on ESPN 1440. Here we go:

Rookie Derrick Rose has shown during the playoffs why he was an overwhelming pick for the NBA's Rookie of the Year award. (AP Photo)

Rookie Derrick Rose has shown during the playoffs why he was an overwhelming pick for the NBA's Rookie of the Year award. (AP Photo)

A — Bulls-Celtics series. Of course, I’d like to see the Bulls win this series, but even if they don’t, they have entertained their fan base and given them hope of a better future. I was spent after watching Game 4′s double-OT thriller on Sunday. I haven’t yelled at a game like that in a few years — since the team was last in the playoffs. The game was an ESPN “Instant Classic” and was replayed on ESPN Classic on Monday, certainly not the last we’ll see of that game. If the Bulls only had a coach — Vinny Del Negro is awful — they’d probably be in the No. 4-5 series instead of being the No. 7 seed. If only Doug Collins would have taken the job last summer. Gosh, do I hate My Coach, Vinny.

Jacoby Ellsbury's steal of home Sunday against the Yankees is one example of how the stolen base might be making a comeback. (AP Photo)

Jacoby Ellsbury's steal of home Sunday against the Yankees is one example of how the stolen base might be making a comeback. (AP Photo)

B — Stolen bases. Fantasy geeks everywhere are racing to pick up Colorado Rockies’ rookie outfielder Dexter Fowler. On Monday night, Fowler swiped five bases — yes, five — in a game against San Diego. And the fantasy geeks are taking note. Overnight, Fowler went from being owned in just 9 percent of ESPN.com leagues to nearly 17 percent. A day earlier, Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury stole home in a game against the Yankees. It’s cool to see the steal making a comeback. I grew up with Rickey Henderson and Vince Coleman knocking down more than 100 steals a year. The stolen base has nearly become extinct. Did you realize that Juan Pierre is the active steals leader with just 430, that’s 55th all-time? Pathetic.

These Jets fans were happy about the team picking Marc Sanchez with their top pick. There were others at Radio City Music Hall who weren't as enamored with the selection. (AP Photo)

These Jets fans were happy about the team picking Marc Sanchez with their top pick. There were others at Radio City Music Hall who weren't as enamored with the selection. (AP Photo)

C — NFL Draft. A lot of people love it, but I just can’t get into it. About the only thing good about the draft is watching the New York Jets fans cringe whenever their team picks. Poor Mark Sanchez never had a chance.

D — Great Lakes Valley Conference. Actually, it’s the league’s Faculty Athletic Representatives who get full credit for this one. Seems the league didn’t know how it was going to determine which six schools made the GLVC Tournament in baseball this year until just days before the season started. The FARs voted that only divisional games counted toward which teams would make the GLVC Tournament field. As a result, the Quincy University baseball team might not make the league tourney field despite being guaranteed to have a better record in GLVC play than third-place Missouri S&T. See, the Miners have been a little bit better against the West than QU has, which has the Miners in control of the third and final slot from the West. (Of course, had QU not given up 48 runs in splitting four games with last-place UMSL last weekend, including blowing a 10-0 lead in one game, the Hawks would be much better off.) QU must win three of four games against division-leading Southern Indiana this weekend to pass the Miners. Still, the policy makes little sense. Imagine MLB telling the Cubs and Cardinals only games against NL Central teams mattered for who makes the playoffs.

These New Orleans Hornets fans must have lost a bet or wanted to make sure they got their money's worth while watching the end of Monday's 121-63 Denver victory. (AP Photo)

These New Orleans Hornets fans must have lost a bet or wanted to make sure they got their money's worth while watching the end of Monday's 121-63 Denver victory. (AP Photo)

F — New Orleans Hornets. Seriously? A 58-point loss on your home court in the playoffs? We did a little NBA bracket challenge in the WGEM Sports Zone and I picked the Hornets to be my surprise team in the Western Conference, getting to the finals and losing to the Lakers. Dumb move. I thought the team would rally around Chris Paul, but he’s clearly not at 100 percent. Nuggets will close this one out tonight. Haven’t the fans of New Orleans suffered enough without having to watch something like Monday’s game. The locals aren’t too happy about it. And here I was upset about the Bulls’ in Game 3 of their series. That was mild in comparison. The Nuggets had seven players in double figures in the 121-63 triumph. Bet Peja Stojakovic loves to see that he had a plus-minus of minus-39, the worst of a bad Hornets bunch.

Slap of the Week — April 24

Posted by dobrien – April 24, 2009

 

New Bulls player Anthony Roberson, center, chats with Derrick Rose, left, before a recent practice. "Yeah, I can't believe they gave me Nocioni's number either," Roberson said.* (AP Photo) Note: *-Roberson really didn't say this ... as far as we know.

New Bulls player Anthony Roberson, center, chats with Derrick Rose, left, before a recent practice. "Yeah, I can't believe they gave me Nocioni's number either," Roberson said.* (AP Photo) Note: *-Roberson really didn't say this ... as far as we know.

I’ll admit there was a time after the Bulls traded Andres Nocioni that I didn’t watch any of their games. It was just too hard. Kind of like seeing your ex-girlfriend waltzing around town with her new beau — or something like that. You just want to look away and hurl an expletive or 12. 

It wasn’t until about two weeks were left in the regular season that I got back to the Bulls. I wanted to see them make the playoffs. I was pumped when they beat the Celtics in the first game of the playoffs. I wanted to punch something when Vinny Del Negro ran out of timeouts in Game 2. (Actually, I wanted to punch VDN.)

Then came Game 3 and I was appalled with what I saw. Sure, it was bad enough to see the Bulls lie down and take what easily could have been a 40-point beating. But the biggest miscarriage of justice since the Montreal screw job came in the waning moments of the beatdown.

I couldn’t believe my eyes. There was a guy parading around the court wearing a “No. 5″ jersey for the Bulls. I was pretty sure Jalen Rose had not returned to the team. I came to find out that the team gave the number to something called Anthony Roberson, whom the team got in that fabulous trade with the Knicks that also brought over the dead luggage known as Tim Thomas for the waste of space known as Larry Hughes.

Roberson was wearing the number reserved for former Bull Andres Nocioni. It was the number John Paxson wore during the first three-peat. He liked that the hard-working Nocioni was wearing his old number. But why was some scrub who has already played for four different teams in less than three seasons issued this number? I want answers, and I want them now.

Others likely will see this differently, but this is as egregious an act as when the St. Louis Cardinals somehow assigned Bud Smith the No. 51, a number he only wore once before all of the Willie McGee fans spoke up and demanded a change. Smith then changed to No. 52 and tossed a no-hitter against San Diego later in his rookie season.

I’m not saying that Nocioni’s number should be retired. (Paxson has a better case than Nocioni ever will.) Yet shouldn’t there be some kind of mourning period for numbers? If a popular player, which Nocioni was to a lot of Bulls fans, gets traded, shouldn’t that number be put out of circulation for a while? At least, keep it on the shelf for the rest of the season. If you want to issue it the following season, fine.

The last thing I want to do is have people think I’m repping Anthony Roberson when I wear my No. 5 Bulls T-shirt.

Roberson should have known better than to request No. 5. He deserves a good slap.

Mid-Week Grades — April 22

Posted by dobrien – April 22, 2009

Don’t how my graduate assistant, Josh Houchins, did running class today on WGEM SportsCenter. Unfortunately, too much work in the office kept me from my appointed radio rounds today. Yet, I’m not too busy to take a look in the grade book. Here we go:

If she keeps on firing, Torie Bunzell might get a "400" strikeout ball this year, too. (Photo courtesy of QU Sports Information)

If she keeps on firing, Torie Bunzell might get a "400" strikeout ball this year, too. (Photo courtesy of QU Sports Information)

A — Torie Bunzell. The Quincy University sophomore is rewriting the record books this spring. I gave the team a “B” a few weeks back, but Bunzell deserves her own “A.” Thanks to her, the team has tied the school record for wins inside the Great Lakes Valley Conference (15) and the Lady Hawks have a chance to be the No. 1 seed at the league tournament. She’s just the 65th player ever to strike out at least 300 batters in a season. Going into a Wednesday twinbill with Truman State, Bunzell had 327 strikeouts. There’s a chance she could become just the 12th pitcher in the history of NCAA Division II softball to reach the 400-strikeout barrier in a season.

mutombosmallB — Dikembe Mutombo. It looks like Mutombo’s career is over after he suffered a knee injury Tuesday night in Houston’s first-round playoff series with Portland. Mutombo will be remembered by many for his finger-waving after blocks that helped make him a four-time winner of the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award. More important, Mutombo used his NBA riches to help his homeland of Kinshasha in the Congo. He built a hospital there among other things. If more NBA players would make like Mutombo, the league would be much better off.

joel_dantsmallC — Culver-Stockton College. The Canton, Mo., school has turned to Joel Dant as its new athletic director. Dant, a Hannibal native, is coming back to his alma mater. The 1970 C-SC grad has a lot of work to do. The school’s athletic teams struggled mightily this season. Thanks to a strong spring, the department has a .308 winning percentage this season — a far cry from the .176 winning percentage C-SC had after its fall and winter sports. Dant’s background is in corporate human resources. It will be interesting to see if the outside-the-box hire pays dividends in more wins for C-SC on the field.

D — Acacia Elementary School. Now showing on the latest installment of “Real Sports” on HBO is a segment about how the school has turned to games like “shadow tag” to keep kids safe on the playground. There are even some schools out there who let kids jump rope … without the rope. Huh? Acacia even has a no touching policy and doesn’t allow students to give “high fives.” However, “air fives” are acceptable. And we wonder why we’re so soft.

vdnsmallF — Vinny Del Negro. This is what you get for having a rookie coach in charge of our team. The Bulls ran out of timeouts in regulation of both playoff games in Boston. VDN, who looks better suited to be a mortician than a basketball coach, lucked out when Paul Pierced gagged off a late free throw in Game 1. Had he made the second of two free throws in Saturday’s opener, the Bulls would have had to take a 60-foot heave, which is what happened in Game 2 after Ray Allen sank what proved to be the game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds left. VDN doesn’t think he did anything wrong. Bulls fans should pray his game management gets better when the series resumes Thursday in Chicago. I’m not holding my breath.

Slap of the Week — April 17

Posted by dobrien – April 17, 2009

Florida International Athletic Director Pete Garcia made quite a splash earlier this week. Somehow, Garcia managed to convince Isaiah Thomas to take over as the school’s basketball coach.

Please take a listen to the accompanying YouTube clip from FIU’s press conference introducing the former Pistons star. It’s only eight seconds long, but it’s gold.

Yes, Garcia welcomed his new, big-name coach by calling him by the wrong name. The worst part is no one flinched after Garcia delivered the line. Seriously, Isaiah Thompson? Seems that Garcia has had some problems of his own lately. How he was ever able to hire Thomas/Thompson is surprising. Garcia didn’t even bother to call any of Thomas’ former employers to see if he was on the up and up. It’s not like anything happened when Thomas was with the Knicks.

Thomas did earn some points by agreeing to coach his first year at FIU for free. But Thomas will always be slime to me. It dates all the way back to when he froze Michael Jordan out of the 1985 NBA all-star game. He was then a member of the thug Pistons, who couldn’t guard Jordan so they just fouled him all game long. He was one of the punks who walked off the court early when the Bulls finally put a fork in the Pistons in 1991. Thomas will always be a punk to me, the basketball version of Sergio Garcia if you will.

Still, it looks like Thomas’ new boss is a dolt. They’re probably made for each other.

Former Hawk football star dies in accident

Posted by dobrien – April 16, 2009

Former Quincy University football star Barry Brueggeman was killed in a one-vehicle accident Thursday near Cape Girardeau, Mo.

According to an accident report filed by Missouri State Highway Patrol, Brueggeman was traveling westbound on Missouri Route 32 when he tried to turn his tractor trailer north onto Missouri Route C in Ste. Genevieve County around 4 p.m. The load in Brueggeman’s trailor shifted, which caused the semi to overturn. Brueggeman was declared dead at the scene at 4:05 p.m. by paramedic Tyler Coenig.

Brueggeman, 27, earned All-American accolades twice during his QU career, which ended after the 2003 season. As a junior, he was a first team NCAA Division II Mid-Major All-American pick as an offensive lineman. As a senior, he was named an honorable meniton All-American by the NAIA and Don Hanson’s Football Gazette. He was also a first-team pick to the Mid-States Football Association’s all-league team in 2003, QU’s first year in the league

After graduation, Brueggeman went on to play for the River City Rage of the United Indoor Football League, earning all-star accolades in 2007. Brueggeman, a Shipman, Ill., was recruited to QU by current Hawks head coach Bill Terlisner out of Piasa Southwestern High School.

“I just can’t believe it,” Terlisner said Thursday night. “He’s a guy who I never expected to get this phone call about.”

A four-year starter for the Hawks, Brueggeman is considered one of the best linemen in the history of QU’s program. He helped open holes for the school’s all-time leading rusher, LeVar Ammons, who rushed for 3,100 yards in just two seasons.

“He was the first player we had that the (pro) scouts came here to look at,” Terlisner said. “He was just a big likable guy. Everybody liked him. He never had an enemy, never caused problems. He just liked to play football and hang out. He was always a hard worker.”

Brueggeman was married to former QU women’s basketball star Deanna McCormick. The couple is expecting their first child this spring.

Changing plans

Posted by dobrien – April 16, 2009

With the threat of rain in the forecast for Saturday — The Weather Channel has it as a 50 percent chance — several athletic events have already been moved from Saturday to Friday.

The Quincy High School baseball team, which was forced to move its Western Big Six Conference opener to Rock Island last weekend, will face Alleman in a 4 p.m. doubleheader on Friday at the QHS field.

Quincy University has moved two events. The baseball team’s Great Lakes Valley Conference doubleheader with Drury will be at 5 p.m. on Friday.

The QU softball team will play a key GLVC twinbill against Missouri-St. Louis at 2 p.m. on Friday. Following that doubleheader, the program will honor all of its donors who helped make the Mart Heinen Softball Complex a reality during a post-game picnic and reception.

Mid-Week Grades for April 15

Posted by dobrien – April 15, 2009

Here’s a look at this week’s group of grades. Remember that it’s Tax Day. So if you haven’t filled out your forms yet, you’d better get going. Listen in to WGEM SportsCenter on Wednesday around 8:15 or so to hear Josh Houchins and I break these down as well as talk about your submissions, which can be done via text at 217-617-9437 or email at sportscenter@wgem.com. We guarantee that no Peeps will be harmed in this segment.

kalassmallA — Harry Kalas. Had it not been for the longtime Philadelphia Phillies announcer’s work on NFL Films, many of us wouldn’t have known his voice. His death earlier this week leaves us with very few “voices” left in baseball. And by “voices” I mean guys who you associate with particular teams. Guys like Jack Buck, Harry Caray and Jack Brickhouse to name a few. Thank goodness, we still have Vin Scully, who just started his 60th season with the Dodgers. They just don’t make announcers like they used to.

cinksmall1B — Twitter. When I first signed up for the latest social networking craze, I had no idea what I was getting into. This might be the best of them all. If people are willing to let you behind the curtain, it’s rather fascinating. We’ve heard all about the Charlie Villanueva craziness earlier this season when he made a tweet at halftime of a game. Then there are things you don’t hear about like golfer Stewart Cink. He jokingly “tweeted” that he was “getting hosed on ESPN’s coverage” on Thursday. Then on Friday made the comment he started the back nine with “an Inn-N-Out burger : Double-double.” Classic!

C — Usain Bolt. It’s been an interesting week for the Jamaican sprint champion.First came the shocking news that he learned how to roll marijuana joints as a child. Then came the follow-up story where Bolt said he doesn’t smoke dope and apologized for suggesting all young Jamaicans roll joints. Anyone who has ever listed to a little Peter Tosh or Bob Marley knows that Bolt didn’t need to apologize. After all, ganja is a fact of vacation life in Jamaica, mon.

D — Sergio Garcia. He was at his whining best again last week at the Masters. Click on the video to hear what I’m talking about. Thankfully, Garcia was a non-factor at Augusta National. Unfortunately, he wasn’t found face down in Rae’s Creek as I had hoped. To make matters worse, Garcia let down a bunch of dopes who bought a certain driver with the hope Garcia would win and let them have their new toy for free.

F — Iowa High School Athletic Association. Seems the folks at the IHSAA are pretty serious about exhibition games. Cody Gabella of Burlington Notre Dame had the rare opportunity to play alongside the Burlington Bees in an exhibition game against Southeastern Community College earlier this month. Gabella’s father is the head coach of the Bees and wanted the chance to coach his son, who went 1 for 2 in the game. But thanks to those two at-bats, Gabella has lost his junior season this summer. The IHSAA said he violated a rule that says players can not compete against college players in an organized game. There’s no doubt the kid violated the rule, but a year’s suspension is pretty harsh. Probably worse than throwing a technical on a team that wore non-conforming uniforms in a state championship game.

Slap of the Week — April 10

Posted by dobrien – April 10, 2009

As a DirecTV watcher, I’m one of the few who actually gets NBA TV. I watch often. They have a nightly show where they go live to games around the league and break them down as they’re happening. This comes in handy when the Bulls aren’t on and even moreso now that Andres Nocioni is playing in the NBA’s equivalent of Siberia — Sacramento.

Anyway, NBA TV gets former players on to do commentary. The best was earlier this season when Chris Webber and Gary Payton were doing commentary. They spoke a language all their own, which was rather entertaining.

Unfortunately, C-Webb and The Glove weren’t available last week, leaving us with Cheryl Miller and Scot Pollard. The two got in a little tiff earlier this week after Pollard missed the pregame and halftime shows. The video may be the most awkward moments on a studio show since Jim Rome got beat down by former Rams quarterback Jim Everett.

Pollard, one of the NBA’s more eccentric players this decade, shows off the world championship ring he “won” last season while holding down the Boston bench. He then hammers Miller a bit on her age. She’s a more accomplished player than Pollard ever was.

Pollard’s a dope, but Miller doesn’t help herself by whining about him being late. One of the producers should have cut this thing short, but when you have hours to kill on a 24-hour network that is solely about the NBA, I guess you’ll let a lot of stuff go.

Enjoy the show.