Ode to the Minter/Murphy Bearcats

 

Back in the days before BK

Many great Bearcats used to play

So, here’s an ode to all those guys

That kicked so much ass before our eyes.

 

When I was barely four feet tall

At Nippert Stadium, I’d yell “Give it to Small!”

For David Small would juke and spin

And carry the offense for a win

 

Nearly 3000 yards at 6.7 a pop

Small played big, a bitch to stop

Finished his career with 31 Tds

Took UC from one and ten to eight and three.

 

And then in 1994

A new receiver blew through the door.

Quick as hell, his hands were great

That man’s name was Robert Tate

 

Holy shit, just look at 1995.

Tate’s yards per catch, 19.5

After one game he signed my hat

That young boy will always remember that.

 

But to pursue the NFL you see

Tate needed to convert to DB

Drafted by the Vikings in round 6

Covered NFL receivers until 2006

 

On the defensive side at that same time

Artrell Hawkins was in his prime

Covering receivers and returning kicks

Offensives struggled to move the sticks

 

And in 1997, low and behold

A 47-year bowl drought ends at the Humanitarian Bowl

With Brad Jackson out there giving heck

And four punt return TDs by Tinker Keck

 

Brad Jackson played for Huggs, a different sport

Making tackles on the field and on the court

392 career tackles, third most in UC history

Playing next to Phillip Curry

 

Curry prowled the field with fury

487 career tackles, yeah offenses worried

A brutal defense, great special teams

Keck’s punt returns and ints

 

And anchoring the offensive line, another great you see

Three time all-conference, Jason Fabini.

A fourth round Jets Pick in 1998

His NFL career turned out so great. 

 

The next year a freshman stormed on the scene

Demarco McCleskey, a running machine

Rushed for nearly 3500 yards, good for 2^nd at UC

No shortage of touchdowns, he had 43

 

How about a receiver, catching everything in sight

LaDaris Vann, a small man with big fight. 

Caught 204 passes in his Bearcat career

While breaking tackles, alluding, leaving defenders in the rear

 

With Vann in the slot, always on the go

The Bearcats could look down the field to Jonny O.

Olinger was a stud, want to feel alive?

Go watch his incredible game winning 2001 Memphis drive

 

But you need a QB, to throw these guys passes

And Gino did that, kicking so many asses

Starting as a freshman, an incredible career

11,453 yards, making defenses fear

 

78 TDs, and so many comeback wins to his name

See TCU, Southern Miss, Memphis, so many great games

And poor one out for the Buckeye near miss

Two balls on the spot, close to sweet upset bliss

 

But no UC defender more havoc did wreak.

Than the fast and powerful force, Antwan Peek

27 career sacks and I promise you this

No UC lineman made more Offensive tackles miss.

 

And I’ll tell you this, though it may seem quite bold

Peek had at least as many sacks, denied by a hold

A singular Bearcat force, like none other. 

Many great lineman, but Peek, there will never be another

 

Of course, Peek was followed by Frasier and Cole

Starting a dline tradition that is still on a roll

And that line also included Mike Wright

Those offensive lines were in for such a fright. 

 

If UC football is relatively new to you

I’m glad you came here, for this history review

I hope you enjoyed this ode to those guys

Those Bearcats, who kicked so much ass in front of our eyes. 

Writing About Writing

               I’ve been an avid reader since I read Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card in the 8^th grade.  It was assigned to me by one of my least favorite teachers in one of my least favorite classes (an advanced English class that was tedious and boring).  However, in assigning us to read Ender’s Game that teacher gave me a lifelong appreciation for Science Fiction and Fantasy novels that has never waned. You never know where important moments in your life will come from.

                I remember putting off reading the assigned chapters until the last possible second.  I think she’d assigned us to read the first 5 chapters the first week.  The night, before I laid in bed around 9:00 picking up the book to read those chapters. I didn’t put the book down until nearly 4 in the morning.  I’d finish it the next day after school. 

From that day forward I plowed through the Ender’s series (It was 4 books at that time), the Foundation Series, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and every other piece of science fiction I could get my hand on.  I dabbled in fantasy with Watership Down and Lord of the Rings, but struggled to get into some of the big series at the time like Wheel of Time and Sword of Truth.  Eventually, my tastes expanded and I dove into the Hyperion Cantos, the Culture Series, Game of Thrones, First Law, etc. 

At some point I started coming up with ideas of my own.  I wrote out some vague plans for an ambitious series and even wrote a rough draft of the prologue and first chapter of what would eventually become Felan’s Rescue.  But ultimately, I never committed the time to following through and in my twenties, when there was plenty of time to be had, those pages stayed mostly blank.

Then came law school and limited reading beyond law school assigned readings.  Then came getting my law practice off the ground.  But shortly before the birth of my now two-year-old daughter I had an epiphany.   I knew I wanted to write these, but if I didn’t commit those pages would always remain empty.  I wanted to tell my daughter that I gave it a shot.  That I had something I really wanted to do and I took the time to do it.  So shortly after she was born, I began revisiting Felan’s Rescue.  Over the next seven months I wrote during my lunch at work, sometimes at night, sometimes if I had a light day I’d write during work hours (the beauty of owning your own practice) and I finished a draft of Felan’s Rescue.

Several edits later I had a draft I was very happy with and since then I’ve been querying various agents hoping to find someone as excited by the story as I am.  In the meantime, I’ve been writing a second novel whose first draft is getting closer to being finished by the day.  Maybe the only people that will read these novels will be close to me, but I’m proud of the work I’ve put into them.  I love the characters and love how the pieces of both stories fit.  I hope one day they’ll be on bookshelves somewhere, but until that day I’m happy my daughter inspired me to commit to the writing process and write two novels I’ve intended to write for over a decade. 

Redraft the NBA (every 10 years)

This started as a thought exercise.  If the players decided they wanted to form their own league where the players had stakes in the league so that they could keep the vast majority of the money, what could they do to maximize the value of the league?  Basically, if you were starting a league from scratch how would you make it the most fun/profitable?  It morphed into a plan for the best possible version of the NBA.  Players don’t stay at a franchise forever anymore.  They move.  Their free agency is a huge deal.  The old way of a player being forever tied to a franchise is gone.  With all that in mind here is my biggest idea for the best possible NBA: every ten years you redraft the entire league. 

                I know you’re thinking it wouldn’t work, but hear me out.  I’ve tried to work through the anticipated complaints and issues and you’ll see me address them as I go, but think about how awesome this would be.  People would be crazy for the redraft.  It would drive content.  It would get massive viewership.  TV would pay a ton for it.   It might be bigger than the games.  I've thought out the basics of how it would work and why it would be (1) awesome and (2) financially unbelievable for the players and owners.  More importantly, given the way players move around from city to city these days now seems like the perfect time for it.  Players just aren't tied to franchises like they once were.  Lets take advantage of that to make the most fun / most interesting NBA possible.  Let's Redraft the NBA every 10 seasons.

2 years before the draft:

                Our hypothetical redraft is going to take place after the 2025 season.  We have 5 years to go.  The previous five years everything was normal.  There was a salary cap, free agents, a rookie draft, etc.  This will continue to be the case for a couple more seasons.  However the second to last season before the redraft we get rid of the rookie draft.  All rookies are now free agents.  I like this because there is less value in the draft when you won’t have your rookie under contract for 3-5 years.  With the draft being devalued, why not allow rookies to sign where they feel it is the best fit.  Further, it’s something unique to change the narrative for an offseason.  I also think without a draft, they should exempt rookie salaries from the cap.  Teams can bid what they want for a rookie. 

Last Season before the Draft:

                The last season before the Redraft is UNCAPPED and there is no maximum player salary.  This is one my favorite little ideas to set up the redraft.  Big stars will be setting up their contracts to capitalize on that last season.  There could be free agent bidding wars and teams trying to spend those extra dollars at the end to steal a championship for a season.  I think there should be a provision that limits how much you can backload a contract (this will encourage free agent activity the year proceeding the redraft).  Also teams will be incentivized to win as many games possible that season (and every other season) because of my next rule.

Draft Order for the Redraft:

                The draft order for the Redraft will be determined by your record over the 10 seasons preceding the draft.  During the first 8 seasons we still have a normal rookie draft where draft order is tied to your record the opposite way (lottery with bad teams picking early), but the Redraft will reward the teams that did the most winning over the previous decade.  Record only, not titles.  There will still be some tanking incentive early in the ten years, but is it worth ruining your draft position for the Redraft?  During that final season not only will fans be tracking their team’s record for that season, but they will track their record for redraft purposes.  There is interest for every team.  Every season there is incentive to win games because this could matter for the Redraft. 

The Redraft, Rounds 1 and 2:

                These are your stars.  They are the guys you want to build your franchise around.  They are only required to sign a 2 year contract with the team that drafts them, but can sign up to a 5 year deal if they choose.  There are some financial incentives to sign for the additional years as well as financial incentives to resign with the team that drafts you.  When you are drafting a star in the Redraft you could get him for a full 5 years, you could get him for only 2 years.   Every player that wants to play professional basketball will be eligible for the Redraft.  There will be no rookie draft that season.  All rookies will be in the Redraft. 

The Redraft, Rounds 3-6:

                Starter level players.  They are required to sign for at least 3 seasons and up to 5 seasons. 

The Redraft, Rounds 7-10: 

                Bench and developmental type players.  Players are required to sign 4-5 year contract with the team that drafts them. 

Free Agency: 

                Any players not taken in the 10 round Redraft will be free agents. 

Why Owner’s Would Agree to It?

                I have to think it would be worth an insane amount of money to the League.  It’s relevant to every season, but particularly relevant as you start approaching the 10^th year.  It incentives teams to avoid tanking.  Owners mostly aren’t keeping their guys throughout their careers anyways.  This gives the successful franchises a chance to lock in the best guys to new contracts and gives the struggling franchises a chance to overhaul their roster.  Hope is around for every franchise.  That has to drive interest. 

Why the Players Would Agree?

                The money would be huge.  You just know it would.  The best players would only have to go to a team for 2 years if they were really against playing for that franchise then have the flexibility to move on.  The best players could get huge paydays in the uncapped season.  Starter level players would have slightly less flexibility but could still get out of their contract in 3 years.  Late round role players would have 4 years of a guaranteed contract. 

Why the Fans Should Want It?

                What would drive conversation in the NBA more than Redrafting the entire League?  The debates about who you should take would be never ending.  The two years leading up to the draft would be incredibly exciting.  You’d still a nice period of time where the game is run like it is.  You can still develop attachments to your players, hell it would probably be a consideration of owners when drafting.  Does an owner who wants to keep his star on his team trade down to a spot he knows he can get him and acquire an additional pick?  Does he reach for his guy early?  There would be so many variables to consider. 

                I get fired up thinking about this idea.  I know it would never happen, but wow would it be incredible if it did.                 

Best First Round NCAA Tournament Games (That I Watched and Remember)

No basketball today.  It's depressing.  I hate it.  To give a little basketball to everyone's lives I'm ranking my fall time favorite first round games.  I'm sure I missed some (as these are off the top of my head) so please share your favorites.  I'll count down from 10.

10.  14 Weber State over 3 UNC (1999)- We'll start with an upset I remember watching on my mini TV in my bedroom.  It was a late night game.  I was in 8th grade.  Harold "The Show" Arceneaux just took over. 

9.  13 UNCW over 4 USC (2002) -  A sentimental favorite for me as my dad went to UNCW and always followed them.  Brett Blizzard and Craig Callahan made this a team that could win a tournament game and they did in a great, exciting battle with USC.  

8.  6. Maryland over 11. UNCW (2003)-  They were back a second straight year and looked headed for another NCAA tournament win when Drew Nichols broke my heart.  Amazing game and end.  I watched it at a high school party my senior year.  

7.  9. UAB over 8. Washington (2004)-  The only game I couldn't find footage of.  The final score was 102 to 100.  It ended in regulation.  UAB put up 51 each half.  One of the most exciting, up and down basketball games I remember watching.  https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=244000048

6.  13. Vermont over 4 Syracuse (2005) -  "OHHHHHHH!  MY GOODNESS!  SORRENTINE, HIT THAT ONE FROM THE PARKING LOT!" --- Gus Johnson

5.  8. Cincinnati over 9. Purdue (2015)-  UC winning a tournament game they never seem to win.  Down late, game seemingly lost and they make every play down the stretch including a buzzer beating Caupain layup to force OT.  

4.  11. VCU over 6. Duke (2007) -  One of my toughest omissions was when Lehigh beat Duke, but this one really sticks out.  Eric Maynor was awesome for VCU and drilled the game winner with 1.8 to play.  

3.  13. Valparaiso over 4. Mississippi (1998) - I stayed late at school and walked home to watch the end of this one.  Everyone knows it.  The homerun play to Bryce Drew. 

2.  15. Hampton over 2. Iowa State (2001)-  Capping off a crazy dame in Boise.  Ending with the image of their coach kicking his legs in the air being held up by his celebrating player.  

1.  14. Georgia State over 3. Baylor (2015)- Down 10 with under 2 minutes left.  Georgia State mounts a furious comeback capped off by RJ Hunter from deep while an injured coach Ron Hunter falls out of his chair.  

Pre-Selection Bracket Projection 2020

I’d be stunned if there was a tournament next week.  I’d be surprised if there is a tournament at all.  However, if there is a tournament (either starting next week or eventually) here is my prediction for what the field will look like:

One Seeds:         Kansas, Gonzaga, Dayton, Baylor

Two Seeds:         San Diego State, Creighton, Florida State, Duke

Three Seeds:     Kentucky, Michigan State, Seton Hall, Oregon

Four Seeds:        Wisconsin, Villanova, Louisville, Maryland

Five Seeds:         Ohio State, Penn State, Auburn, Butler

Six Seeds:            BYU, Illinois, Houston, Colorado

Seven Seeds:     West Virginia, Iowa, Virginia, St Marys,

Eight Seeds:       Arizona, Michigan, Providence, USC

Nine Seeds:        Marquette, Florida, LSU, Oklahoma

Ten Seeds:          ETSU, UCLA, Arizona State, Utah State

11 Seeds:             Rutgers, Cincinnati, Texas Tech, NC State/Texas

12 Seeds:             Richmond/Wichita State, Stephen F. Austin, Yale, Liberty

13 Seeds:             Akron, Vermont, North Texas, Belmont

14 Seeds:             UC Irvine, NM State, North Dakota State, Hofstra

15 Seeds:             Eastern Washington, Little Rock, NKU, Bradley

16 Seeds:             Winthrop, Boston, Siena/NC Central, Prairie View A&M/Robert Morris

Last 4 In:  NC State, Richmond, Wichita State, Texas

First Four Out:  Mississippi State, Stanford, Xavier Purdue

Next Four Out:  Northern Iowa, Saint Louis, South Carolina, Memphis

Others Considered: Arkansas, Rhode Island, Alabama, Tennessee, Syracuse, Tulsa

I have 36 teams I think are definitely in the tournament as of today (not including teams that have already won their at large bids).  Those are every team seeded on the first 8 seed lines, plus every nine seed except Oklahoma.  I think Oklahoma, Arizona State and Rutgers are almost certain to be in as well, but I’m not willing to put it at the likelihood of the other 36. 

That leaves 10 teams I think the committee could theoretically choose as of today for the remaining 6 spots.  Those teams are:  UCLA, Texas Tech, NC State, Richmond, Wichita State, Texas, Mississippi State, Stanford, Xavier and Northern Iowa.  I actually think the committee will overseed UCLA, but I have them on this list because I think they COULD go the other way (They have things the committee traditionally values, but real holes that justify leaving them out).  I have Purdue over Northern Iowa on my First Four Out, but I think Northern Iowa is more likely to make the tournament.  Basically they have things the committee might value that are unique, whereas Purdue has things that other bubble teams did better.

Tuesday (Championship Week) Bracket Projection

One Seeds:         Kansas, Gonzaga, Dayton, Baylor

Two Seeds:         San Diego State, Creighton, Florida State, Duke

Three Seeds:     Kentucky, Michigan State, Seton Hall, Oregon

Four Seeds:        Wisconsin, Villanova, Louisville, Maryland

Five Seeds:         Ohio State, Penn State, Auburn, Butler

Six Seeds:            BYU, Illinois, Houston, Colorado

Seven Seeds:     West Virginia, Iowa, Virginia, St Marys,

Eight Seeds:       Arizona, Michigan, Providence, USC

Nine Seeds:        Marquette, Florida, LSU, Stanford

Ten Seeds:          Oklahoma, ETSU, UCLA, Arizona State,

11 Seeds:             Utah State, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Indiana/Xavier

12 Seeds:             Texas Tech/NC State, Stephen F. Austin, Yale, Liberty

13 Seeds:             Akron, Vermont, Louisiana Tech, Belmont

14 Seeds:             UC Irvine, NM State, Colgate, NKU

15 Seeds:             Hofstra, ND State, Eastern Washington, Little Rock

16 Seeds:             Winthrop, Bradley, Siena/NC A&T, Prairie View A&M/St Francis (PA)

Last 4 In:  Indiana, Xavier, Texas Tech, NC State

First Four Out:  Richmond, Texas, Mississippi State, Wichita State

Next Four Out:  Purdue, Northern Iowa, Saint Louis, South Carolina

Others Considered: Memphis, Arkansas, Rhode Island, Alabama, Tennessee, Syracuse, Tulsa

I have 35 teams I think are definitely in the tournament as of today (not including teams that have already won their at large bids).  Those are every team seeded on the first 8 seed lines, plus every nine seed except Stanford.  I think Stanford, Oklahoma, Arizona State and Rutgers are likely to be in as well, but I’m not willing to put it at the likelihood of the other 35. 

That leaves 10 teams I think the committee could theoretically choose as of today for the remaining 6 spots.  Those teams are:  UCLA, Cincinnati, Indiana, Xavier, Texas Tech, NC State, Richmond, Texas, Mississippi State and Wichita State.  I think 6 of those 10 would be in today.  I have my prediction of who would, but I could see justifications for going with the others.

Everyone else listed I think would be out as of today, though some others could theoretically make a run at it in their conference tournaments.   

First Bracket Projection 2020

One Seeds:         Kansas, Gonzaga, Dayton, Baylor

Two Seeds:         San Diego State, Duke, Creighton, Florida State

Three Seeds:      Kentucky, Michigan State, Seton Hall, Oregon

Four Seeds:        Ohio State, Villanova, Louisville, Wisconsin

Five Seeds:         Maryland, Penn State, Auburn, Butler

Six Seeds:            Iowa, BYU, Houston, Colorado

Seven Seeds:     West Virginia, Illinois, Michigan, Virginia

Eight Seeds:       Arizona, Providence, St Marys, USC

Nine Seeds:        Marquette, Florida, LSU, Stanford

Ten Seeds:          Oklahoma, UCLA, Arizona State, Utah State

11 Seeds:            Rutgers, Cincinnati, ETSU, Indiana/Xavier

12 Seeds:            Texas Tech/NC State, Stephen F. Austin, Yale, Liberty

13 Seeds:            Akron, Vermont, Louisiana Tech, Belmont

14 Seeds:            UC Irvine, NM State, Colgate, Wright State

15 Seeds:            Hofstra, ND State, Eastern Washington, Little Rock

16 Seeds:            Winthrop, Bradley, Siena/NC A&T, Prairie View A&M/St Francis (PA)

Last 4 In:  Indiana, Xavier, Texas Tech, NC State

First Four Out:  Richmond, Texas, Mississippi State, Wichita State

Next Four Out:  Purdue, Northern Iowa, Saint Louis, South Carolina

Others Considered: Memphis, Arkansas, Rhode Island, Alabama, Tennessee, Syracuse, Tulsa

I have 36 teams I think are definitely in the tournament as of today (not including teams have already won their at large bids).  Those are every team seeded on the first 8 seed lines, plus every nine seed except Stanford.  I think Stanford, Oklahoma, Arizona State and Rutgers are likely to be in as well, but I’m not willing to put it at the likelihood of the other 36. 

That leaves 11 teams I think the committee could theoretically choose as of today for the remaining 7 spots.  One of those spots I’m giving to ETSU as an at large selection.  That leaves 6 spots left for those remaining 10 teams.  Those teams are:  UCLA, Cincinnati, Indiana, Xavier, Texas Tech, NC State, Richmond, Texas, Mississippi State and Wichita State.  I think 6 of those 10 would be in today.  I have my prediction of who would, but I could see justifications for going with the others.

Everyone else listed I think would be out as of today, though some others could theoretically make a run at it in their conference tournaments.