And how would you like those words cooked, Sir?

"Once the undefeated Colts burn out under the heat of the national spotlight again, I can't see any reason to pick against Baltimore to get back to the Super Bowl."

FitzFacts
Tuesday, November 14, 2006


"The Ravens are going to win the Super Bowl. I don't see why anything else needs to be said ... I'm telling you right now, book it."

FitzFacts
Friday, December 29

Mmmm ... yummy. I always find that words taste a little better when they are italicized rather than boldfaced, which can so easily overwhelm the delicate flavors. So, I was wrong, but it's not like I jumped on the bandwagon late, and I think it's official now. I am a Ravens fan. If anything, this loss solidifies that more than a win.

It turns out that it really didn't matter that the Colts were stolen away from Baltimore all those years ago. That former Colts cheerleaders now in their 60s and 70s were torn about which team to root for. Or that the local supervisor of the Mayflower Moving Company said he had no idea what was going into the trucks on that snowy night that so many Baltimoreans refuse to let go. Or that the mayor of Indianapolis at that time now lives in Maryland. (I'm not going to provide all the links to those stories; they were all in the Baltimore Sun last week).

Nope, none of the history or the karma came into play at M&T Bank Stadium last night. The Colts sure came to play though. In the kind of defensive struggle that was hard to watch - boring if you weren't a fan of either team, excruciating if you were - Indianapolis endured its mistakes and stuck with a gameplan that was conservative and risky at the same time. The Colts' record-setting QB threw two interceptions and no touchdowns, but five times Indianapolis got the ball close enough for Adam Vinatieri to kick it through the uprights, and with each successful boot, the pressure on the Ravens nudged up a few more psis.

So, credit Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning and especially the oft-maligned Indianapolis defense. The only really bad decision the Colts made all day was the third down no-huddle offense that never worked and led to at least one turnover. Aside from that ill-conceived tactic, Indianapolis stuck with the run and the medium-range passing game to move the ball into field goal range. This was not the kind of performance that will get Manning any more commercials, but a few more like it could get him a Super Bowl ring.

Now, what went wrong for the Ravens? Let's see, when Brian Billick fired Jim Fassel midseason and took the reins of the offense, he was able to rejuvenate Jamal Lewis and the running game. On the Ravens' best drive of the first half, they drove 51 yards to the Indianapolis four on six runs and one pass before Steve McNair was picked off by Antoine Bethea. So, what did they do when they got the ball again, this time in the third quarter? Passed the ball six straight plays and then punted. Lewis got all of two carries in the third, against one of the worst rushing defenses in the league. He got two more in the fourth, in a game when the lead was never more than nine points.

Okay, what else? Todd Heap fumbled for the first time this year, which gave Indianapolis field position for its second score. Bethea picked off McNair at the goal line, saving at least three points, and somehow he hung onto the ball despite a violent collision with his teammate. When McNair finally completed a deep ball to Mark Clayton late in the third, Clayton fumbled, but thanks to an Indy penalty, the Ravens ended up with a five-yard gain to their own 22 instead of a 48-yard gain into field goal range.

On defense, Ed Reed had two interceptions but would likely have had four if Ray Lewis hadn't just barely tipped two Manning passes. And on one of his picks, Reed lateraled to Chris McAlister but was wrongly ruled out of bounds, and the play was blown dead. Terrell Suggs forced a fumbled at the Baltimore 24 that bounced right to Ben Utecht, the only Colt anywhere near the ball.

And, just for good measure, on special teams, don't forget Vinatieri's 51-yarder that bounced on, and then over, the crossbar. If the above paragraphs sound like excuses, I can't offer any argument. Being a fan is all about emotional and irrational justification of nonsensical behavior.

This game could not have been more hyped locally. In a town whose residents wear their inferiority complices like badges of honor, the media dug up every painful memory, ripped apart more than two decades of scar tissue to whip the populace into a purple frenzy. For the last few days, you saw purple everywhere you looked. Today, at church, at the coffee shop, at the grocery store, not a stitch. Just like that, it's all gone.

But of course, the fans will remember. And when next year's schedule is released, the date with Indianapolis will be circled in purple.

George Mason 73, Towson 44

Sports fans often argue about which is worse: losing a close game or getting blown out. One week after letting a win get away in double overtime against Virginia Commonwealth, Towson went to the other extreme of losing and let George Mason put on a clinic last night. I don't have a strong rooting interest in the Tigers yet, so I can't claim to be heartbroken by the close loss, but I'll take that game over the one I saw last night every time.

The last time I saw the Patriots play, they were getting a final fitting for their Cinderella slippers against UConn in the NCAA Tournament. They beat the Huskies on national television in a sold-out Verizon Center to get to the Final Four. The media frenzy has cooled, to put it mildly, with GMU's 7-7 start this season. Still, there were signs of a reawakening in a 55-34 win over UNC-Wilmington on Monday. Towson, on the other hand, lost another double-OT at Georgia State before bouncing back with a win against Delaware.

In a promising atmosphere that included an ESPNU telecast and a good crowd thanks to a smart cross-promotion with the Ravens, everything seemed fine for the Tigers until the opening tip. Actually, that's a bit of a stretch; TU hung with the Patriots for the first 10 minutes of the half. Unlike the stymieing fullcourt pressure of VCU, Mason sat back in the halfcourt and swarmed Gary Neal whenever he got the ball. Early on, Neal was able to find open teammates, and the Tigers trailed 15-13 halfway through the first period; but when the teams went to their benches, GMU's defensive intensity picked up. Previously open passing lanes were suddenly closed as more than one Tiger found himself in the air with the ball and nowhere to go. The Patriots closed out the half on an 18-6 run.

After that, the only suspense was who would win the Ravens' halftime free-throw shooting fundraiser sponsored by a local radio station. The loudest cheers of the night came for Baltimore's first round pick, Haloti Ngata, who certainly has a WWE career available if the NFL doesn't work out, and kicker Matt Stover, who missed a free throw, but then nailed a three. Like basketball players, NFL guys don't look too big when they are together on the court, until the normal sized humans join them.

Towson tossed in a couple threes to open the second half but the Patriots answered quickly and then basically stepped on the Tigers' throat as they built the lead throughout the half. Neal finished with 18 points, seven below his average, and no other Tiger reached double figures. Mason got its typical 16 and 18 from Will Thomas and Folarin Campbell, respectively, the two remaining components from last year's iron five, but the real revelation for GMU coach Jim Larranaga was the play of point guard Jordan Carter, who had nine points, seven rebounds and eight assists, and was perfect from the floor.

Last week, I thought VCU looked very strong in the CAA race because they had such a balanced team effort. George Mason looks like it has the personnel to compete and showed it in spades last night. Towson badly needs to find a point guard to take some of the pressure off of Neal in the backcourt.

I'll be taking at least one more look at the Tigers this season when they host UNC-Wilmington next weekend. Now that I think about it, I have yet to see them win in four tries over the last few years. Could there be a FitzJinx?

Hoopsy Daisy!

GW
The Colonials cut a 17-point second half deficit to one, but were never able to take the lead in a 91-84 loss at UMass last night. This wasn't one I expected them to win, and they showed strong resolve in making several runs at the Minutemen down the stretch. The hosts's interior tandem of Stephane Lasme (23 points, 13 rebounds, 11 blocks) and Rashaun Freeman (21, 7) dominated, but it was the unexpected outside prowess of Etienne Brower that opened up the paint for the big guys. Brower, who missed the first seven games of the season with an ankle injury, knocked down two treys in the first six minutes last night. On the plus side, Carl Elliott (19 points, 6 rebounds) and Maureece Rice (30, 7) made lots of clutch shots to keep it close, and GW got good minutes from Cheyenne Moore and Damian Hollis. As I have been saying for a while, check back with me at the end of the month for a more in-depth evaluation of this team.

Terps
As I have also been saying for a while, after ripping through the bottom quartile of the RPI recently, Maryland stumbled badly at home last night against Miami. Unlike Iona, Miami has actually won a game this season. Unlike Mount Saint Mary's, Miami decided to play defense against Mike Jones. And unlike Siena, Miami has players who are just as big, quick and skilled as Maryland's. Still, this is not the end of the world for the Terps. In fact, Gary Williams will use this loss to great effect in motivating his team, especially his young guards. But no amount of coaching is going to add bulk to Ekene Ibekwe and James Gist or quickness to Will Bowers. Could be ugly when Tyler Hansbrough gets ahold of these guys. Fortunately, the Terps match up much better with Clemson, who comes to town this weekend. Look for Maryland to catch the Tigers looking ahead to UNC and pull the upset to beat Duke out of the ACC cellar.

Wizards
Some stat maven is going to have to look up the last time Washington won when Gibert Arenas scored only 21 points, but balanced scoring effort put the Wiz over the Bulls 113-103 at Verizon Center last night. Caron Butler continued his hot streak with a team-high 26 points and Antonio Daniels had his highest scoring total of the year with 15 off the bench. In a game that pitted one of the league's highest scoring offense against one of its stingiest defenses, the Wiz won out, bouncing back nicely from Sunday's loss to the Raptors. Over at Hoops Addict, Ryan thinks that Marty Burns ranked Washington too high at #3 (I disagree) and loves that Slam Online posted Carmelo Anthony's iPod playlist (I am befuddled).

Tomorrow
If you're lucky, I'll have a full recap of tonight's George Mason vs. Towson game. How could you want anything more than an up-close look at two teams battling it out for for sixth place in a midmajor college basketball conference?

"Dirt" under my fingernails

F/X has carved out Tuesday nights at 10:00 as the debut destination for its dramatic series, sometimes with success - The Shield, Rescue Me, Nip/Tuck - sometimes not - Thief, Over There. I enjoy the former, except Nip/Tuck of late, enough that I am willing to give Dirt a few more chances. I skipped most of the pilot last week, but caught up on the replays and tuned in again last night to see where we were headed.

Very simple premise. Courteney Cox plays Lucy Spiller, the Type-A editor of two celebrity gossip ragmags - one lowbrow and the other lower brow. I can see why the pitch meeting for this one was an absolute home run (I think I scrambled a metaphor there, but stay with me). We are so fascinated by celebrity culture and gossip in this country that what could be more interesting than a show dramatizing that process? Sounds great, right?

The trick here is make fiction stranger than truth and more interesting, otherwise viewers will just flip over to Entertainment Tonight and the E! True Hollywood Story. And, for me anyway, it has to be funny, at least a few times an hour. This is why The Shield and Rescue Me work, because if there were no humor, you'd just get dragged into the amoral morass, and how much of that can you take every week?

So, is Dirt getting it done? Not yet. I'm not sure Cox can carry the show (ironically, last night we learned that Spiller's job is in jeopardy). She's got the right, ADHD, barracuda approach that we all suspect this character has to have, but she still hasn't quite shaken the cheery neuroticism of Monica Geller. Getting the magazine published still has a little too much "let's put on a show" vibe. And she always looks a little too good on camera. Her character has the requisite personal shortcomings, but the director needs to let her look ugly as well. The good news is that she seems to have a drinking problem, so we can only hope that there's a major bender in her future, with substantial plot-altering consequences.

I'm equally conflicted about Ian Hart as the "functioning schizophrenic" paparazzo, Don Konkey, the Mickey Rooney to Cox's Judy Garland. If the writers haven't given Cox's character enough flaws, they have overcompensated with Hart's. This guy has a shrine to a his dead cat, thinks that it's raining blood, and is haunted by the corpse of a dead actress. Oh, and even though he hears voices, he's also a Rainman-type savant when it comes to movie trivia and sports statistics. This should do wonders for the image of treatable mental illness.

Outside of these codependent business partners, we have an array of characters looking to grab a little camera time and audience interest. Josh Stewart plays Holt McLaren, a Sean Penn type whose talent hasn't always overcome his nonmatinee idol looks and is overshadowed by his beautiful but clueless starlet girlfriend. After some initial exposition, McLaren sets the plot in motion by making a Faustian deal with Spiller that may or may not have caused a friend, Konkey's corpse buddy, to kill herself. Jeffrey Nordling is quite convincing as a Spiller's scheming boss who leers at a young staffer named, get this, Willa. Rick Fox stretches his chops to play an NBA superstar set up for something by Spiller and Konkey. If those last two sentences sound gratuitous, well, exactly.

Are you getting all this? Of course you are, because this is what it takes to follow 21st century dramatic television. The plot twists and turns until you have to go to a message board to sort it out with fellow devotees. You find a character to like and then he/she does something morally offensive but defensible or at least understandable, and now you have to stay tuned to see which way the character goes. I'll do so grudgingly, but not if there is something better on, which seems like a pretty good possibility.

Tuesday Traipsings

No major topic today, so let's just hunt through the headlines and see what's going on:

Florida wins the National Championship. Like most fans outside of Columbus and Gainesville, I tuned this one out early in the second half, but it was a familiar, if not predictable, result. How many times have we seen one team that is so clearly athletically superior to its opponent in the college national championship? That's why last year's comeback win by Texas was such an instant classic. Ohio State lost Ted Ginn Jr. early in the game last night, but unless they were planning to add him to the defensive backfield, it wouldn't have made any difference. Urban Meyer's offensive scheme makes Steve Spurrier look like Pop Warner. Three backs in an I formation, no backs in the backfield, alternating QB's, the Gators did everything except hide the ball under their jerseys, and everything worked. It even rubbed off on the kicker, Chris Hetland, who came into the game 4-13 on field goals this season, none longer than 33 yards, and booted two from more than 40 in the second quarter. Now, for all those carping for a playoff system or for Boise State to get their shot, please, Florida earned this championship. Personally, I think way too much time passes between the last regular season game and the championship, but until the ratings come down, none of that will change. Maybe they could start the season later or find a good primetime slot for this game before the second week in January. Anyway, on to the NFL playoffs.

The Baltimore Sun is going to get some angry letters responding to its cover story on Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay. He was only 24 when his father moved Baltimore's beloved Colts away, and the article tries to show his side of the story, but evenhanded journalism has no place in the hearts of the hometowners when it comes to Irsay, whose name is synonymous with Hussein and bin Laden around here (although Khomeini or Gadaffi might be a more appropriate substitute, historically speaking).

Speaking of Baltimore history, Cal Ripken should get voted into the Hall of Fame by the time this is posted today, and no one ever deserved it more. My older son got a chance to meet him this fall at a soccer tournament where one of his kids was playing. I didn't want to take him away from that, but he stopped to say hello and shake hands when I asked. No surprise to anyone who waited in the long lines for his autograph at Camden Yards, and a nice little thrill for my boy (and me).

Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday hails the DVD release of Mike Judge's "Idiocracy." I must have missed this one when it flopped in theaters last fall, but it seems it might be worth a peek. Anyone who came up with Office Space gets a few second shots in my book.

The creator of Scooby-Doo died yesterday at the age of 81. It was neither Hanna nor Barbera, but Iwao Takamoto. He took the name for his canine creation from the last line of Sinatra's "Strangers in the Night." Now there's a FitzFact if ever there was one. RIP.

Today's blogging soundtrack is Johnny Cash's American IV: The Man Comes Around. There are two genii at work on this album; the first is Cash, of course, and the second is producer Rick Rubin. The accompanying musicians and vocalists aren't too shabby either: Nick Cave, Don Henley, Billy Preston, Fiona Apple, John Frusciante, Benmont Tench and others. The disc contains many well-known pop and folk tunes, but don't mistake this for one of those weak standards collections so many former rockers like Rod Stewart have turned to in the twilight of their careers. That notion is quickly dispelled in the title track, a new Cash original based on his reading of the Book of Revelation, which leads off the album. The sparse guitar licks and rolling keyboard bass summon exactly the apocalyptic themes called for in the lyrics. The next cut, the Grammy-winning Cash take on Trent Reznor's "Hurt," lets you know that you can expect just about anything the rest of the way. Not that that there aren't some missteps (I've come around on "Danny Boy," not quite there on "Desperado,") but if you listen to the album from start to finish, and consider that Cash had to know that he wasn't going to be around much longer (American V was released after his death), I think you'll find something to contemplate. So much so, that I don't recommend popping this one in while you're driving; you might end up lost, and not just in thought.

Finally, do you think Dear Abby ever had to deal with questions like this?

Poll

Terps stay on top but all these soft opponents are priming them for a big ACC stumble coming up. Georgetown loses Marc Egerson for "personal reasons," but the win over Notre Dame would have been more impressive if Kyle McAlarney had suited up instead of toking up. (I know, he was busted for possession, not using). VCU looks even better to me now that I have seen them play. Virginia Tech still has a lot to prove to the skeptics, including me. GW can jump back ahead with a win at UMass this week. Virginia got one good win (Gonzaga) and one not bad loss (Stanford). Old Dominion's win at Georgetown is fading like Marty McFly's family photo.

1. Maryland
Terps beat Iona even though Gary Williams took two days off to help Brenda Frese with her “You’re the One That I Want” audition.
2. Georgetown
Nancy Pelosi attended Saturday’s win over Notre Dame, asked John Thompson to help with her “Pelosi Paranoia” plan on Capitol Hill.
3. VCU
VCU has won 6 games in opponents’ gyms this year, more than UCLA, Florida and North Carolina … combined.
4. Virginia Tech
Win at Cameron Indoor moves the Hokies up, even if Paulus to McRoberts isn’t exactly Hurley to Laettner.
5. GW
Colonials put an end to the “We Are Marshall” win streak.
6. Virginia
UVA loses to Stanford in a hackfest that was uglier than anything either school’s band has ever done.
7. Old Dominion
ODU gets in on the George Mason Final Four Revenge Tour.
8. William and Mary
The hottest team in the CAA has won six straight games, and none of them were against Longwood.
9. Loyola
With his winless team leading by one, Iona head coach Jeff Ruland got two technicals, and Loyola took the lead for good; Matt Millen called after the game to offer Ruland a job.
10. American
Just a dearth of teams with winning records out there.

Sunshine of Your Love

The Doc and I got our movie-watching New Year off to a good start with "Little Miss Sunshine" the other night. I missed the end of the Boise State-Oklahoma game but after nearly two weeks of nonstop Wizards-Colonials-Ravens-Terps-BCS-Star Wars-Harry Potter, something had to give, and I had wanted to see this movie anyway. Besides the only college football game that matters is next week, not that any of them matter that much anyway.

But back to the movie. As always, first some context. As I said, this one arrived with high expectations despite a title that evoked memories of a high school musical production of "Little Mary Sunshine," a campy stage adaptation of the Nelson Eddy-Jeanette MacDonald vehicle, in which I played a Canadian Mountie. It's neither a painful nor pleasant memory and probably irrelevant, but, hey it's my blog.

The concept - motley misfits hit the road, learn about life and themselves - is not original, but the fully realized characters, excellent performances, and just enough twists in the plot make watching "LMS" the equivalent of ordering a good meal at a fine restaurant: a tasty melange of potent flavors, with some pleasant surprises only hinted at in the menu, and over in less than two hours (a quality hard to find in so many of today's seat-numbingly long epics).

Every member of the cast, from the main ensemble to the fringe, delivers believability, emotion and humor. As a friend of mine said, you could imagine any of the main characters as the star of their own movie. Greg Kinnear as the overmatched, would-be self-improvement maven is both hateable for his criticism of his chubby daughter's diet choices and lovable for his determined and undignified pursuit of her happiness. Alan Arkin, the most charismatic onscreen heroin addict since Diana Ross as Billie Holiday, jolts the story with hilarious rants throughout. Steve Carell shines in the awkward situations, his cinematic trademark. And while it's hard to believe that Toni Collette was ever enough of a movie babe to have been cast as Princess Diana, she perfectly embodies the role of a working mother trying to encourage her entire family in their dreams even as the burdens threaten to overwhelm her. Paul Dano's character holds to a vow of silence for a good bit of the film, but he still portrays teenage angst with humor without getting maudlin. And finally, Abigail Breslin, as the pageant contestant that drives the whole plot, captures you with her charm, her love for her family, and her absolute commitment to her art in the uproarious conclusion.

The child beauty pageant industry comes in for a thorough skewering and stomping from directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris and writer Michael Arndt. It's funny and horrifying at the same time, and sadly believable. This is only the second feature they have directed, coming out of the music video backgorund, and the first script from Arndt. I'd keep an eye out for their future efforts, solo or collaborative.

Go Gilbert, it's your birthday!

Not sure if today is actually Gilbert Arenas' real birthday, but there is a party for him in DC tonight that is becoming the event of the season, to borrow a phrase from Kansas. I used to believe that I played my best basketball of the year on my birthday, even when it was just a pickup game. Gilbert had pretty special night with the gamewinner on Wednesday; maybe that was his birthday. Head on over to Big Stein's for all the news and links, but be careful, you could be there a while.

Tiger Trouble in Towson

The Wizards won on a dramatic Gilbert Arenas three-pointer, the Colonials opened their A-10 schedule with a win over lackluster Fordham, so what did I do last night? Took my boys a battle of two Local Poll Top Ten teams - Virginia Commonwealth and Towson University; the Doc, having had quite enough of the recent sports bonanza that the holidays brought, scheduled a massage. So, after the fellas finished swim practice, we scooted across campus to the Towson Center. Thanks to my friend D-Fly, we had some quality seats a few rows behind the Towson bench, which we settled into just as the opening tip went up.

A typical "students-on-break" crowd scattered comfortably around the arena, including a surprisingly large contingent of the Towson Pep Band; alas, no sign of the national champion dance team. Several other cliches of the college basketball crowd were present, including the large, loud and increasingly profane fan a few rows behind us and the "wacky student who is not nearly as amusing as he thinks he is," in front of us.

Early on, the visiting Rams showed why they have risen as high as #3 in my rankings, with a bruising interior defense and challenging fullcourt pressure that took advantage of the limited availability of Towson point guard C. C. Williams, who has played only 11 minutes in the last two games because of illness. When Towson was able to get the ball across midcourt, they relied on leading scorer Gary Neal and also got a couple threes from sophomore Tim Crossin. The Rams also struggled to hang onto the ball, committing 10 first half turnovers, but solid contributions from their second unit resulted in a 25-20 halftime lead. As the teams jogged to the locker rooms, Cursing Fan exhorted Towson coach Pat Kennedy to "Wake their asses up!"

The Rams' first-year head coach Anthony Grant, a Billy Donovan protege (how old does that make you feel?), wisely focused his defensive strategy on Neal, the only Towson player who averages double figures in scoring (24 ppg). At 6-5, 200, Neal is the Arenas of the CAA, complete with Agent Zero's range, confidence and conscience. The Ram defense did everything they could to discourage him and his teammates, closing in on any Tiger who challenged the lane. "Better be plenty of ice in the training room," I remarked as several bodies collided near the basket, again.

At the half, we beat the rush to the concession stand and fueled up with some hotdogs and pretzels; and I set out to find the athletic director from VCU, a college friend of my brother's. He was seated near the team bench just in front of a vocal group that had travelled from Richmond, including their own "Wacky Student" in a Rams jersey and headband. Who knew you could buy such items?

At the start of the second half, Towson continued to settle for long jumpers and VCU began to pull away a little, stretching the lead to eight on the shoulders of their balanced, three-guard attack. But after the first media timeout, the Tigers' Tommy Breaux sent TU's Wacky Student into paroxysms with an ESPN-worthy block and dunk, and when Neal followed with a three, the Tigers had captured the momentum, but not the lead. As the clocked ticked toward the 12:00 mark, Kennedy subbed Neal out, figuring to rest his star through the upcoming timeout. In Neal's absence, either VCU relaxed or the Tigers stepped up because the next three Towson possessions resulted in baskets from inside ten feet, and when Neal returned, his team led by three.

But the Rams were not ready to roll over. They continued to pressure the ball and crash the offensive boards. Close games as are often decided by free throws, and this one could have been, except that nobody made them; VCU missed five straight in the last two minutes and Towson's Dennard Abraham managed only 1-2 with a chance to boost the lead to three with 19 seconds left. Down by two, Jesse Pellot-Rosa drove baseline, drew a foul and tied the game by finally making two from the line. Overtime.

We hustled down for a quick bathroom break, where I saw the VCU AD. "What do you think?" he asked. "Tough way to make a living," I replied. "And both teams could use a free throw coach."

Overtime could not have started better for Towson as Neal chucked in a trey and was fouled, but he missed the freebie. The Tigers clung to the lead thanks to some clutch shooting by Neal and Dennard, whose free throw pushed the margin to four with less than a minute. But then VCU drew a foul and made two, forced a bad pass by Neal and scored again to tie it. Neal could not escape the VCU defense on the last possession and Rocky Coleman's shot went awry.

Double overtime! Wacky Student was aghast! Cursing Fan had long since abandoned creativity and launched a continuous assault of cluster F-bombs. I called the Doc, "We're going to be home a little late."

Again the OT began with a Towson three, this one from Crossin, but Pellot-Rosa drew Breaux's fifth foul on the next possession. Kennedy chose to go small with freshman Rodney Spruill, but youth was not served. Spruill missed a shot, mishandled a bad pass from Coleman and fouled Pellot Rosa, not exactly the spark his coach was looking for. By the time senior forward Winstonn Tubbs came in for him, VCU had grabbed the lead. Towson took it right back as Neal scored twice to go up three, but VCU caught them celebrating and Walker knocked down a quick three to tie it with 1:47 left. Neal answered with a "No, no, no, Yes!" trey of his own, but the Rams again drove for a quick score. Towson milked the clock but failed to get a good shot and Walker drained another three to put the Rams ahead 82-80.

On the final possession, Neal worked himself free at the top of the key with about eight seconds left. He fought through a double team, elevated into the lane ... and short-armed the jumper, didn't even draw iron. Maybe he was expecting more contact, there had certainly been plenty as he initiated his drive, but VCU grabbed the airball, and made the ensuing free throws to ice the game.

Neal finished with 36 points, including six threes, but VCU's defense, depth, and mental toughhness proved to be too much for the hosts. The Rams are 5-0 on the road this year (1-2 at neutral sites) and they seem to have figured out how to get that extra effort it takes to get the job done. Towson has a tremendous asset in Neal and some nice complimentary players, but when Breaux fouled out, VCU penetrated easily. The Rams and Drexel look like the teams to beat in the CAA, but Towson should be in the second tier with Hofstra, Old Dominion, and William and Mary (suddenly the league's hottest team). Not that I anticipate a change in the FitzFacts subtitle, but living only 15 minutes away, I'm hoping to see a few more Towson games this year. I'll keep you posted.

Greater love hath no man ...

Belated Happy New Year greetings! For those of you having trouble sticking to your resolutions on Day 3, here's a little inspiration for you.

New Year, New Poll

Maryland takes two easy ones to stay on top. Georgetown moves up by beating Coach K protege Tommy Amaker (Somebody give me a won-loss percentage of former Coach K assistants. That would be Amaker, Quin Snyder and Mike Brey. Who else am I missing? Other than Brey, have any of them gotten it done?). Everybody else loses and falls down or even out. I'm done with Navy for a while; you can beat up on D3 teams but can't handle the big tough Ivy League? Shove off, sailor. And AU, I want U to want AU, but come on, Longwood? You might as well have lost to Bushwood, with that tremendous Smails-Webb backcourt. I hope to get a live look at Towson-VCU tomorrow and GW later this month. Check my votes against the final tally over at Big Stein's place:

1. Maryland
Terps beat Siena, who was picked fourth in the Crayola Conference behind Periwinkle, Goldenrod and perennial powerhouse Raw Umber.
2. Georgetown
Hoyas lead the entire way in a solid win at Michigan. Wolverine Band plays “Detroit Rock City” instead of “Hail to the Victors” to honor Gerald Ford’s lifelong membership in the Kiss Army.
3. VCU
My Team of Destiny reverts to a George McFly Team of Density, falling at Appalachian State, the poll’s bizarro UAB.
4. GW
Air Force Academy’s strategy of making shots while not allowing the Colonials to do the same seems unfair to GW fans, but is remarkably effective.
5. Virginia Tech
Hokies lose at Marshall, because well, maybe you’ve heard, they are Marshall. Just ask them. What, you have a better explanation?
6. Virginia
Cavaliers get back on the winning track by applying a little topical ointment of victory, aka American University.
7. Old Dominion
Readers’ choice: ODU can’t get the drop on Winthrop. Monarchs flop against Winthrop. ODU can’t stop Winthrop. Old Dominion fails to top Winthrop. Monarchs efforts plop versus Winthrop.
8. George Mason
Congratulations if you guessed that the Patriots would split their two games against Drexel and Mississippi State last week, but don’t even try to convince me that you were right on the win and the loss.
9. Towson
Tigers put up 40 in each half of Winston-Salem’s 13th straight loss. The Rams have played only four home games this season with losses at Fresno State, Auburn, Georgetown and Kansas. Special thanks go to schedule consultant Fang Mitchell.
10. William and Mary
The Tribe make their first entry into the Top 10 because Navy lost a second Ivy League game, which is an automatic three-week suspension.

Friday Finale

Well, it's the end of the year, but more importantly it's the end of the week, so let's take a look at some recent events:

Colonials
First, one of the objects of my subtitular obsession. GW lost, 66-52, to a better team last night, the Air Force Academy. I listened to the first half driving the family home from the Maryland-Mount St. Mary's game (more on that later), and the powerful Washington Post Radio signal (AM 1500) stayed with me almost to my driveway, more than an hour from the Foggy Bottom campus. Nice upgrade there. The Colonials were trailing the sharp-shooting Falcons early, but by the time my sleeping kids had been transferred from Suburban to bed, GW had fought back and taken a 31-30 halftime lead.

Through the magic of the Internet, I watched the second half on a CSTV live video feed, listened to the Post Radio via the website, and checked in on the GWHoops chat room (Hey, I'm obsessed, remember?). Unfortunately, the audio and video were out of synch, so my little digital sports sensory festival was not quite perfect, but still, it's pretty amazing to think that all this is possible. More unfortunately, the Colonials were also off kilter and could not get untracked offensively in the second half.

After surrendering eight first half turnovers - they average just 10 per game - the Falcons settled down and and locked up GW for nearly five minutes as they retook the lead with a 10-0 run. The Colonials rallied to within four after Karl Hobbs called a second timeout, but Air Force applied the clamps for another three minutes, built the lead back to nine, and GW never threatened again. Air Force runs the "Princeton" offense effectively, which usually means that a second half lead becomes a death march of wide open three-pointers and late in the shot clock backdoor layups. GW is a team that you can never give up on, but once the Falcons found their comfort zone, it was all over.

The Colonials should regain their footing tonight against Colgate, but the only remaining non-con opponent is Marshall. Despite Duquesne's shocking OT win against BC last night, the Atlantic 10 looks like a one-bid league this year. That bid could be GW's, but there will be some bumps along the way. Hobbs has to incorporate Cheyenne Moore into the mix without sacrificing the impressive development of Rob Diggs and the potential flashed by Travis King and Damian Hollis. Should be fun to watch.

Wizards
At 16-12, the Wizards are in first place in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference and could have the second-best record in the conference with a win tonight. Go back and read that sentence again. When I predicted that Washington would get to .500 by the New Year, I never dreamed they would be brushing up against .600. Gilbert Arenas has been simply unbelievable, Caron Butler has been a beast, Antawn Jamison has decided to rebound as well as score, and Brendan Haywood(!) has shaken off the shackles of his detractors and brought legitimate inside game. The only thing more shocking than Washington's record in December (11-3 so far) is Comcast's decision to show the last two games on tape delay while putting the Caps on live. And tomorrow's game against Milwaukee is not televised at all? Looks like it's back to the video feed for me.

Terps
I made my first trip to the Comcast Center last night to watch Maryland dismember Mount St. Marys. On the Terps' first possession, Mike Jones got free on the left wing and made a three. The next possession, the Mount defense sagged on an inbounds play and Jones was wide open for another three from the same spot. He did the same thing on the next three possessions, from the exact same spot! Meanwhile, the Mounties had only mustered one free throw. It wasn't ever much of a contest but it's always fun for me to watch my kids enjoy a game. The arena is quite impressive, with some nice tributes to great moments in Maryland history sprinkled around the concourse.

I don't think I'll ever be a Terps fan, but I do enjoy watching them play. This team definitely has the talent to get to the Final Four, but they could just as easily bomb out in the early rounds of the tournament. If Gary Williams can play his freshman point guard combo right, there is no reason they can't challenge UNC for the ACC title.

Ravens
The Ravens are going to win the Super Bowl. I don't see why anything else needs to be said. Yes, San Diego has a record-breaking tailback, but Baltimore's defense dismantles and demoralizes, and the offense is good enough. And they are getting all kinds of motivation from being overlooked by the national media. Maybe I'll have more on this after the regualr season, but, I'm telling you right now, book it.

Movies
Night at the Museum
Four thumbs up from my family for this one. Creative and amusing for adults and kiddies and should be a bonanza for the Museum of Natural History. Obviously, if you are allergic to Ben Stiller's array of double-takes and his three facial displays of shock, surprise, and disbelief, you want to avoid this one, although only one of his usual coconspirators makes an appearance (shocking that Will Ferrell did not get a cameo). Also, I am a little tired of the "let's prove to the preteen kid that his divorced Dad isn't a loser" plotline, but there was enough other distraction to make this one work.
Charlotte's Web
From down south, my brother makes a strong buy recomendation for this classic, despite my earlier trepidations. He is something of an aficionado, with at least two candidates for Ferndom in his clan and multiple out-loud readings. I guess I will reconsider, as I can only hope that it is "radiant," "humble," and "some movie."
Rocky Balboa
Like most people, I lost track of Rocky somewhere between IV and V, but head on over to Bill Simmons to get an authoritative read of this latest installment. As he often does, Simmons captures the mindset of the average American male approaching middle age on matters of sports and pop culture, even if he had the Ravens as only the sixth best team in the NFL going into last weekend.

Noteable Deaths
James Brown
The body of the Godfather of Soul lay in state at the Apollo Theater this week as mourners paid their respects. How cool is that? U.S. politicians get the Capitol, Russians get the Kremlin, and the pope gets St. Peter's, I would take the Apollo every time, given the choice.
Gerald Ford
Here we have a guy who was a great college football player who turned down the NFl for a life of public service. I know the money was nowhere near what it is now, but some reason, this makes me think of Pat Tillman, and the awesome sacrifice he made when he chose armed combat in Afghanistan over professional football.
Ralph Stebbins
Don't recognize the name? In April, 2005, the former well-digger won a $208 million Mega Millions jackpot. He and his wife quit their jobs and bought an RV. He died of a heart attack last Saturday. He was 43. Won't stop me from buying a ticket when the jackpot is more than $50 million.

Fini
So have a Happy New Year! We'll be watching the ball drop and a lot of football, but FitzFacts will return sometime next week. Hope you enjoyed reading this year as much as I enjoyed writing.

Cavaliers come tumbling down

For my final local college basketball poll of 2006, Virginia falls dramatically from the top spot. With two losses in Puerto Rico, the Hoos have to win several ACC games in the New Year to get a sniff of the Top Five. GW has a huge chance to impress tonight against Air Force. I'll be listening to that one on the way home from a presumed blowout of Mount Saint Mary's by the Terps. I plan to see Towson against VCU next week, and if the Rams look as good in person as they have on paper and in brief highlights, they could stay in the mix with the big guys all season. I thought American looked pretty good for a half against Maryland; the Eagles keep it up and they will move ahead of Navy soon

Big Stein has posted a sans-comments poll, last time I checked. My complete thoughts are below:

1. Maryland
Gary Williams now 1-1 against former employers. Could be tough to win the series with Ohio State as the rubber match.
2. Virginia Tech
Hokies finally get a road win after Seth Greenberg points out the obvious similarities between South Orange, NJ, and Blacksburg, VA.
3. VCU
Boasting the poll’s longest active win streak of seven games, VCU applies to upgrade its status from “Team of Probably” to “Team of Destiny.”
4. GW
All’s quiet at Foggy Bottom as Karl Hobbs tries to work his way back onto the media’s “Nice” list.
5. Georgetown
Hoyas now 5-1 this month. JTIII demands that Sports Information Office reprint schedule to show all games as slated for December.
6. Old Dominion
Monarchs get a win against poll whipping boy UAB; Blazers now 0-3 against poll members including Radford.
7. Virginia
Dave Leitao dismayed to learn that his “All-Inclusive” resort package only includes one win. Gotta read the fine print, coach.
8. Navy
Mids rip another Division III opponent (Washington College) before falling to Hoyas. So when is Feinstein going to write a book about Navy’s domination of its DIII opponents?
9. American
Strong first half against Maryland convinces Jeff Jones that he made the right move leaving Charlottesville for Tenley Circle.
10. George Mason
Patriots reenter poll with win over Holy Cross, but must beat Drexel, the best Dragons not in Eragon, this week to stay

Denver 117, Washington 108

(To the tune of, "Baby, It's Cold Outside." Go ahead, sing it with a friend.)

‘Melo can’t play – Another big break for our side
Nor JR and Nene – Wizards should whip Denver’s hide
The Nuggets’ lineup is thin – This looks like an easy win
That would be nice – In just one week, to beat them twice
I don’t think we should worry – the Wiz should win, scoring a flurry
Caron and Gil will be running the floor - Listen to the crowd roar
But Earl Boykins is playing with fury – Rebounding like Moses Scurry
Maybe this could be a chore – Washington’s shooting is poor

Tonight the Wiz stink - Baby, it's bad out there
Everything’s out of sync - No points to be had out there
I wish I knew how – Boykins is playing like Yao
It’s hard to tell – When just last night, they played so well
Every time they try to go, go, go, sir – The Wiz can’t seem to get any closer
The lead looks three miles wide – They’re just playing for pride
It’s just not their day – Now I have no doubt

The shots just won’t go - Baby, they’re cold from outside
No rhythm, no flow - Can’t seem to get off the schneid
Marcus Camby has been – Fiercer than Rin Tin Tin
Another miss by Antawn – And a foul on DeShawn
More out of tune than Sid Vicious – Tonight the Wiz sleep with the fishes
On D, no one’s minding the store – When Joe Smith cuts backdoor
Taking shots against Eddie’s wishes - Can’t get a break from the officials
Well maybe just one quarter more – If only they could tie the score

They rally like they’re at home – Cut the lead to a pair
My mouth is starting to foam – On my knees in a prayer
But the Birdman crash lands – Tonight he won’t take a bow
I can’t believe what I see – Why do the Wiz do this to me?
I guess there’s always tomorrow – Clips and Suns might only bring sorrow
At least they really tried – Could have rolled over and died
And next time they play – I’ll be on the couch
Cuz, baby, it's cold outside

You Get a Line, I'll Get a Poll

For the third straight week, Monday is Poll Day. Despite a deluge of Gilbert data, Big Stein has posted the poll. As you can see from his intro, he doesn't like the credit I gave to VA Tech and VCU for playing and beating decent teams. I still think 1-2 are very close but a quantum leap from 3-7, which are also very close. It gets pretty ugly near the bottom of the poll, but I refuse to vote for George Mason until they get over .500. Here are my rankings and comments:

1. Virginia
Cavs starting backcourt averages a triple double. It’s a completely meaningless stat, but I expect to hear it on the next Raycom broadcast anyway.
2. Maryland
Terps put up 56 points in first half of 101-50 win over UMKC, much to the dismay of Gary Williams’ tailor and drycleaner.
3. Virginia Tech
Washington Redskins management pressures Comcast to suspend Zabian Dowdell from future Hokie broadcasts because his name sounds a lot like Steve Czaban.
4.VCU
VCU jumps three spots in my ranking because they beat a team that has been to the NCAA Tournament in the last 20 years.
5. GW
Colonials beat UMBC last week after beating UMES earlier this season. Karl Hobbs asks GW Mathematics Department to submit proof that BC + ES = CP.
6. Georgetown
After the Hoyas beat Winston Salem, Roy Hibbert is rushed to the National Aquarium in Baltimore to save two seals from choking to death.
7. Old Dominion
Monarchs’ leading scorer Valdas Vasylius looks like a shoo-in to join Arvydas Sabonis, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Sarunas Jasukevicius, and Darius Songaila on the All-Time All-Lithuania Team, but don’t tell Ramunas “The Lithuanian Scottie Pippen” Siskauskas.
8. Navy
Navy scored 65 points in a win over Division III Delaware Valley College last week. In losses to Moravian, Lebanon Valley, DeSales, Franklin & Marshall, Lincoln University, and Vassar this season, Delaware Valley has given up an average of 98 points. And yet, somehow the Midshipmen moved up a spot in my rankings.
9. American
As part of a dramatic marketing makeover, AU hires John Mellencamp to write a new school fight song.
10. Towson
$30 million to renovate the Towson Center? What, is the University President moving in?

Zero to 60 in 53 minutes

Truth be told, Gilbert Arenas only played 49 minutes in Washington's 147-141 overtime win against the Lakers last night, and while his 60-point outburst was historic and dramatic, it was not surprising. Arenas and the Wizards forced the tempo all night (and into the morning), and his points came from everywhere; he had 15 from three-point range and made 21 free throws. In the five minute OT, he scored 16 points, more than some teams have had in an entire quarter this season. And unlike Kobe Bryant's 81-point game last year, Gilbert took less than half of his team's shots and added eight assists and eight rebounds (Kobe had two and six).

I won't try to summarize the game; Big Stein has all the links you could want over at the Bog. But I do have a few random thoughts:

On the East Coast, you had to stay up late to watch this one, but it was worth it. Right up there with the Caps four-overtime loss to the Islanders in the 1987 playoffs, except that the Caps lost, of course.

Caron Butler decisively settled the question of who got the best in the Butler for Kwame Brown trade last season.

When Odom is healthy, the Lakers are just a better point guard away from contending for a title. Bynum is becoming a Western Conference Dwight Howard, Walton is the best three-point shooter in the League, Radmanovic and Vujacic can also shoot it, and when you forget that Kwame was the number one pick, he looks like a good body to have coming off the bench. They have a better record than any team in the East, but are looking at a five seed in the West today.

The Comcast announcing team of Steve Buckhantz and Phil Chenier do a good job, but they are unabashed homers (New Years Resolution: use the word abashed without the "un" in a sentence). Last night, one of them, I can't remember which, said, "Kobe Bryant really has Arenas-like range on his jumper," and the other agreed. I love Gilbert's game, but I think most people would have reversed the roles in that comparison.

Agent Zero is a really cool nickname, the best in the NBA. It's cool because it has nothing to do with his initials or truncating his name, like T-Mac, KG, 'Melo, or D-Wade. It's cool because it's intrinsic to his personality and captures his well-chronicled eccentricity. It's cool because it came from a blogger, and wasn't focus-grouped into existence by a marketing executive. If you think about it, "The Answer" is a clever sobriquet coined by Reebok for Allen Iverson. But that's the problem; you have think about it. Agent Zero makes you smile right away, and then laugh when you think about it. It's cool because Gilbert likes it; I think he enjoys calling himself Agent Zero and laughs when others do the same. Back to Iverson for comparison: I just don't picture him screaming out, "I am the Answer!" after a big shot. It's cool because Gilbert didn't give himself the tag, like Kobe with the ridiculous "Mamba" or Shaq with his millions of monikers. Finally, it's cool because last year, when Gilbert was asked by a Miami police officer if he had any "street names," Gilbert jokingly replied, "Zero Hero."

I can honestly say that I am not nearly as enthused about the black and gold uniforms that the Wizards wore last night. I don't mind the gold jerseys as much as some folks do, but the black shorts are not working for me no matter how many games they win. Basketball uniforms are meant to have the same color shorts and shirts. The two-color combo looks like something Marathon Oil would have worn in the 1990s as they barnstormed around the country playing in college exhibitions. Or a Greek professional team named after its sponsor. Make the shorts tighter and you've got yourself a women's volleyball uni. Give me a gold-and-gold or a black-and-black, but right now the Wizards look like the equipment manager packed the wrong crates.

The Wiz have won eight of their last 10 and are one game over .500, something I hadn't hoped for until the end of the month. It's fair to argue that they beat Miami without Shaq and Wade, Philly without Iverson, and the Lakers without Odom, but they did beat Dallas with Dirk and Denver with Carmelo, and they have now won three in a row on the road. By the way, it looks like 'Melo will be a noshow in tonight's rematch after the "Fight Night in the Garden" over the weekend. I have nothing to say about the brawl, but if anyone has a good "Stop Snitching" joke to pass on, I am all ears.

Timeout

I had a request recently for something other than sports, and I always tried to accomodate my tiny yet diverse readership, but I have two problems. First, there are tons of sports stories to cover today. Second, outside of sports, right now, I got nothing, creatively speaking. So instead of any snarkoleptic FitzFacts drollery, I offer up the following links to several stories from today's Baltimore Sun, which apparently has a new motto, Christmas Lights for All:

Have you seen the commercial with the little boy and his sister joyfully screaming their heads off after he unwraps a coveted toy on Christmas morning? If you haven't, turn on your television and wait about three minutes. It's an ad for BMW, but the home video is real and only slightly altered. Naturally, the clip took off after it was posted on YouTube and now has its own website. My favorite part of the original video is how quickly the boy shifts from his ecstatic celebration to opening the next gift. Get the full story from the Sun's Joe Burris.

Forget about Red State vs. Blue State, fake tree vs. real, white lights vs. multicolored, my man Kevin Cowherd breaks down the gift card debate. Sorry KC, I'm with your wife on this one. The gift card is one very small step from, as Randy Moss said, "Straight cash, homey," and we know how well that worked out for George and Jerry on Elaine's birthday.

Finally, if you've already had it up to here with the holidays, then let's transition back to sports with a selection from Rick Maese, who gives us a thoroughly modern response to a classic Christmas question.

Web of Whys

Okay, end of the week, nine more shopping days and all that good stuff. So, what have we got .... A movie review of course. Naturally, it's a movie I haven't even seen.

Six months ago I watched a trailer for the new version of Charlotte's Web, which opens in theaters today. The preview featured an acrobatic, animatronic Wilbur, flatulent cows, Dakota Fanning as Fern and Julia Roberts as the voice of Charlotte. When the trailer voiceover guy introduced it as "the most beloved children's book of all time," I cringed, and my fears were confirmed as it played across the screen. I hated it.

Why does the pig have to do backflips? Isn't the whole theme of the movie that he is not spectacular but still worth saving? Why do the cows have to fart? There's plenty of humor in EB White's book, I think there's even a pretty terrific belch if I remember correctly, but I don't remember farting. Can Fern really be played by a blonde? Dakota Fanning is a winning actress, but Fern is a farm girl, not some gauzy, beautiful, soft-focus angel. Wait a minute, she saves Wilbur's life, so I guess she is an angel, but Fern has brown hair, she has freckles, she has substance. Haley Joel Osment in drag would have been a better choice ("I see dead piglets").

And Julia Roberts gets her own paragraph. I know, I know, she won an Academy Award. And I liked Erin Brockovich, but I never got the whole Pretty Woman thing. Great song, really dumb movie. I can tolerate Richard Gere swooping the incredibly annoying Debra Winger off her feet in An Officer and a Gentleman, but once was enough, really, and at least Lou Gossett, Jr. got to beat the crap out of him in that movie. Now, Roberts married Lyle Lovett, so I respect that. Yes, she dumped him, but still, Charlotte is a role for Meryl Streep or Lily Tomlin. I guess it could have been worse. They could have made her British.

Maybe some other people felt the same way because when I saw another version of the trailer at the end of the summer, the cows had cleaned up their acts, and the pig was no longer a member of Porque du Soleil. And in today's Baltimore Sun, movie reviewer Michael Sragow has high praise for the final product. Sragow also makes an ineffectively broad argument that men enjoy "chick flicks" more than women, using two female directors as examples. I see what he is getting at, but I would argue that those two are the exception, not the rule.

Anway, will I see Charlotte's Web? Tough call. I don't think the boys will be clamoring for this one. John Cleese does one of the voices, which almost cancels out the Roberts factor, but Oprah as one of the cows (insert joke that will enrage women all over the planet here) tips the scales in the other direction (ha!). What I do know is that if we end up seeing the movie, we will all cry when Charlotte dies.

GW bounces back

Speaking of obsessions, the Colonials cruised to a 72-51 win over UMBC at Smith Center last night. Maureece Rice had 22 points and 10 rebounds as GW jumped the Retrievers from the outset, but the most important news was that the long-awaited Cheyenne Moore finally played more than just a minute. He had 10 points in 10 minutes, including two threes and a swooping reverse layup that left the crowd giddy. Regis Koundjia left the game after getting a hard shot to the jaw, but hopefuly will be ready when GW plays Air Force in two weeks.

The Colonials' record now stands at 7-2, a respectable if unremarkable tally as the nonconference schedule winds down. Air Force might be the best team they play all year, so a record of 9-3 entering league play would be fine. The upper level of the A-10 hold UMass, Xavier and St. Louis as expected, but also a surprising Dayton team. The middle and bottom of the conference has been pretty bad, so this looks like a two-bid year for the league at best. Right now, there's no reason to think the Colonials can't be one of those teams.

Bowled over

So how sports-obsessed is my older son? Yesterday's homework assignment was to write 10 sentences using words from the spelling list, a holiday-themed assortment with entries like holly, menorah, poinsettia, etc. Here is sentence number one:

"Northern Illinois plays against TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl."

Are there five sportswriters in the country who know this? Is it too early to contact the Elias Sports Bureau and tell them I'd like to recommend a new hire? You know, I thought I showed some grasp of trivial sports knowledge by knowing the TCU's nickname is the Horned Frogs, but this takes the Yule Log.

California Screaming

Saturday night, the Doc and I had some seasonal social events to attend, so I watched the first half of GW-USC before we had to leave, but my older son said he would tape the rest of the game for me.

As I predicted, Southern Cal started slowly, but GW didn't light it up either. The Trojans struggled mightily in the first half, suffering a 10-minute scoring drought, turning the ball over 11 times, and managing only 18 field goal attempts. At the break GW led, 29-16, mainly as a result of eight offensive rebounds. Carl Elliott had outscored his Trojan counterpart Lodrick Stewart 9-2, and USC point guard Daniel Hackett had three personal fouls and Stewart and Dwight Lewis had two each.

By the time we reached our first stop of the night, GW had opened up a 20-point lead with under 18 minutes to play. "Not bad," I thought. This would be a great road win for a team that is very much a work in progress.

After exchanging holiday greetings with some neighbors and new acquaintances, we bid our hosts farewell and climbed into the car to move on to the next soiree. I turned on the radio and heard the announcer say, "The Trojans are really feeling it now! They lead 56-52 and GW calls timeout."

What? How does that happen? But of course it happens all the time. GW was down 18 to UNC Wilmington and 17 to Xavier last season and won both games. And some GW fans still can't talk about the Colonials blowing an 18-point lead against Iowa in the 1996 NCAA Tournament. But, coming in early December instead of early March, this one shouldn't hurt as much.

First, you have to give credit to USC and their coach, Tim Floyd. The Trojans didn't take the lead with a six or eight minute burst, they ground away like a PGA Tour veteran trying to make the cut. For nearly 14 minutes they chipped at the lead and crashed the boards until they went ahead 53-52 on two Taj Gibson free throws. Stewart made up for his lousy first half with 19 points in the second, including three treys. Gibson set up camp in the lane and collected 12 rebounds. And over the last 1:30, USC made 18 of 20 free throws to protect and extend the lead.

Also, the Trojans did a great job short circuiting GW's halfcourt offense by denying the first pass to the wing, a tactic Duke used to great effect in the NCAA Tournament last year and something GW should expect to see a lot more often. The Colonials are going to have to work on their back screens and back door cuts to exploit the defensive overplay.

Not that GW escapes without some blame for this one. It's easy to focus on Elliott, who was 1-8 in the second half and finished with eight turnovers. A 90% free throw shooter this season, he missed the front end of a one-and-one just before USC took the lead for good. But the whole team suffered from miscues throughout the second half. Rob Diggs interefered with a Traivs King layin that was about to fall through the hoop, Regis Koundjia mistimed a fastbreak layup, Maureece Rice missed three free throws (including another one-and-one front end), and Elliott, Rice and King all missed open shots under the four-minute mark.

Surprisingly, Cheyenne Moore appeared only in the last minute when GW had to foul. Noel Wilmore did not play at all and Damien Hollis was only on the court for a minute or two. After such a great first half defensive effort, I think it's fair to say that GW ran out of gas against a deeper and very athletic USC team. Karl Hobbs may not want the aggravation that comes with giving lesser players more minutes, but he might need a few minutes from those guys just to keep Elliott and Rice fresh.

Before the season, I figured this would be a tough game, but it's hard to stomach when you have such a great opportunity. The Colonials face UMBC tonight, and I'll be impressed if they come out stong and focused. If not, they could find themselves in a real struggle.

Polling for Dollars

Despite the title of this post, I'm not getting paid for my opinions regarding the DC/MD/VA Division I hoops hierarchy. In that spirit, Virginia moves to my Number 1 spot without playing a game this week. I had the Cavs a very close second behind Maryland last week, and the Terps loss at BC - after beating Fordham - makes them a very close second behind UVa. Stepping down a bit, teams 3-7 are bunched pretty closely. GW blew a big lead against USC (more on that later), but they don't have a bad loss and they have the best win - over Va. Tech. Yes, ODU winning at Georgetown is nice, but they just lost at Tech. Georgetown slips ahead of ODU, but just barely; the Hoyas still don't have an impressive win. VCU has to get credit for three road wins, but a bad early loss at Toledo hurts. Liberty jumps in with the best winning percentage of all 27 eligible teams. Navy drops a spot after losing at home to Penn, and Towson knocks AU out because the Eagles lost to Yale.

Check Big Stein's Bog to see how my picks compare:

1. Virginia
Cavaliers take 13 days off. Dave Leitao’s hairline suspiciously lower on his forehead when he returns from “recruiting trip.”
2. Maryland
Beat Fordham and lost to BC. Gary Williams withdraws petition for exemption for Terps to join new basketball superconference, The Big Jesuit.
3. GW
Colonials’ loss at Southern Cal eliminates them from BCS consideration.
4. Virginia Tech
Coleman Collins is the Hokies’ best basketball player with two last names since Dell Curry.
5. Georgetown
Beat Oral Roberts who beat Kansas who beat USC who beat GW, which is the alma mater of Alec Baldwin, who was in “She’s Having a Baby” with Kevin Bacon. Yes!
6. Old Dominion
Branding firm recommended changing name to New and Improved Dominion, but University’s legal counsel advised against, citing truth in advertising statutes.
7. VCU
Wins at Albany and Richmond boost their RPI in the all-important “wins at state capitals” category. Better be careful against perennial powers Montpelier and Carson City.
8. Liberty
Larry Blair is the Flames leading scorer, Moe Barry has yet to play a minute this season, but Curly and Shemp were both suspended for a “disciplinary reasons.”
9. Navy
Invokes the oft-used “Penn and Princeton” exemption clause to avoid automatic expulsion from the Top 10 for losing to an Ivy League Team. American University lobbies unsuccessfully to add Yale to the list.
10. Towson
With Temple and Georgetown on the schedule this week, it could be a while before we see Pat’s Cats crack the Top 10 again.

Frosted

We watched the Rudolph/Frosty doubleheader as planned on Friday night, and the quality of the classics showed through as always, but CBS made a major goof in selecting the awful "Frosty Returns" for the last half hour. Apparently this piece of dreck has been around since 1992, but somebody needs to put it out of its misery before we are subjected to a 20th Anniversary Celebration.

The original Frosty and its eponymous Christmas carol survive and thrive because of the simple story that appeals to children and adults. The small touches, like Frosty wishing himself a happy birthday when he comes to life, the miming talents of Hocus Pocus the rabbit, and of course the unforgettable dialogue of Professor Hinkle the evil magician ("Busy, busy, busy ...), and other touches of wry humor allow you to enjoy yourself while watching your kids fight a tear the first time they see Frosty melted into a puddle inside the greenhouse. The writers wisely choose to have Santa Claus - rather than the army or the President, as Hocus first suggests - save the day. In doing so, Santa explains to Karen, and all of us, that every year the magic of Christmas returns and can make miracles happen. Yes, it's simplistic, and no, it's not subtle, but only minutes after the show reached its satisfying conclusion, I learned how easy it is to mangle such a great premise.

"Frosty Returns" takes us to Beansboro, a small American burg where Frosty comes to life to help a little girl save her town from an evil industrialist who seeks to enrich himself by ridding the world of snow. So, right away, we have a lefty political agenda, featuring those Hollywood favorites, environmentalists against corporate overlords. Frosty, no longer just a happy jolly soul content to run and play before he melts away, is now some sort of superhero, "SnowMan," ready to defend the rights of skiers and snowboarders. The vocal talents of Jonathan Winters, John Goodman, Brian Doyle Murray and Andrea Martin cannot save this excruciatingly bad script compounded by animation from the "Charlie Brown" team that becomes utterly charmless without the writing and music that made those shows great. Worst of all, the "Let There Be Snow" anthem sung by Frosty is still reverbrating in my head. Ugh.

So, a note to the CBS programming department. Bury this garbage in whatever pit you dug it up from and maybe, just maybe, Santa will leave a quality CSI spinoff in your stocking instead of lumps of coal like the already-cancelled "3 lbs."

Fa fa fa Friday, fa fa fa Friday

Run run run, run run run run away
Psycho Killer
Qu'est Que C'est?

Today's post title and subtitle come courtesy of the Talking Heads, of course. Don't read anything into it, I just liked the way it sounded with Friday.

So what's on tap for the weekend? Two great choices tonight. You've got the Rudolph/ Frosty doubleheader beginning at 8:00 on CBS, or Wizards-Sixers on ESPN - or Comcast SportsNet for you locals who like the homer announcing. If you're looking for something Xmassy from the new millenium, there's "The Polar Express" on ABC Family. We'll be on the cartoons from our couch, but the commercials required to stretch Rudolph to an hour should leave plenty of time to see if Gilbert and Co. can win their third in a row. And if neither of the above holiday video offerings are putting you in the spirit, then head on over to Big Stein's Bog and check out what YouTube is - or should be - all about.

For tomorrow, we've got the Colonials at Southern Cal; the Trojans are 5-2 coming off a loss at #13 Kansas. The game's marquee matchup pits USC's leading scorer Lodrick Stewart against GW's Carl Elliott. At 6-4, 210, Stewart shoots the three frequently and efficiently (17-39) and has the size to get to the basket. Freshman center Taj Gibson averages nearly 10 rebounds and has 12 blocks this season, but he has also fouled out of three games already. USC also has trouble hanging onto the ball (19.4 TOs/gm) and their lead assist man Daniel Hackett has an assist/turnover ratio lower than 1/1. Coming off an intense battle against the Jayhawks, look for USC to start slowly against GW, recover, and then become another victim of GW coach Karl Hobbs' halftime adjustments. Colonials 82, Trojans 75.

We will also be getting a Christmas tree tomorrow. At least, that's the plan. This particular holiday tradition has generations of family history, giving it a very high bloggability factor. Tune in Monday to see if tomorrow's expedition makes the annals.

Sunday, we've got the Ravens at Kansas City. Baltimore's toughest remaining game comes after a ten-day layoff following the loss at Cincinnati. If the defense scores a touchdown, the Ravens win by at least two TD's. If not, it probably comes down to a field goal. The Chiefs are playing for a wildcard spot, but they won't advance their cause this weekend. The Ravens have shut down top AFC backs LaDanian Tomlinson and Willie Parker, and it will be no different for KC's Larry Johnson.

That's it for me today. As my mother would say when her dog won't stop barking at a guest, "Peace!"

Thursday Threshings

Here's a couple quick hits for all you late in the day blog readers (bleaders?).

First, naturally, the Wizards torched the Knicks 113-102 and tied a team record for three-pointers (14) in the process. Most of the damage was done by Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison, who had 38 and 33 points, respectively. It was a remarkable contrast to the last time the Wiz played the Knicks and missed all 14 of their three-point attempts, another record. Perhaps Gilbert was motivated by the unveiling of his new signature shoe from Adidas, the Gil Zero. For more (much, much more) on that event, check out Big Stein's Bog (Link 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Yep, that's right six links. Big Stein really rocked the keyboard yesterday. One fact that you will not find in all that material about the new Gil Zero shoe is that I will never own a pair, at least not until they come way down from the $90 retail price.

Have you seen the Lexus commercial where the car parallel parks itself? Would you like to know if this really works? Or if the fine print actually says "Professional Driver, closed course?" The Baltimore Sun assigned its trusty, crusty columnist Kevin Cowherd to the the task, and he penned an amusing review. In finding the link for the commercial I learned that BMW has a car with the same techniology, just no cool commercial. You can also find amateurs' tests on YouTube. And there are lots of other reviews and articles about the Lexus, but I am going with my boy KC.

Not that anyone asked, but, my blogging soundtrack today is a pair of CD's: The White Stripes' "Get Behind Me Satan" and "Dreamin' My Dreams" by Patty Loveless. It's a bit of a change from the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy compilations that have been bouncing out of the speakers in my car (quite an education for the kids on those discs), but I am enjoying both.

The Loveless CD is exactly what I expected, an easy listen with charming versions of singles that are not what you would call standards but are generally better known as rendered by other artists. The best cut of these is the duet with Dwight Yoakam on "Never Ending Song of Love," which was written by Delaney Bramlett and originally recorded in 1971 by Bramlett and his wife Bonnie. I've been a fan of both Yoakam and Loveless for 20 years and only today did I learn that they were born less than three months apart in the town of Pikeville, Kentucky, population 6,295 (FitzFact! Well actually Wikipedia, but I'd say it meets the qualifications). That's either a remarkable coincidence or a tribute to the Pikeville School District's musical curriculum for including such unique course offererings as Plaintive, Haunting Ballads 101 and Advanced Infectious Chorus Hollerin'.

The title track is of course a cover of the late, great Waylon Jennings hit, and Loveless also does good work with Steve Earle's "My Old Friend the Blues" and Delbert McClinton's "Same Kind of Crazy." And any singer (or producer) wise enough to include Emmylou Harris on background vocals has earned my vote, or at least enough of my time to give a listen.

"Satan" was my second shot at the White Stripes, after being thoroughly unimpressed with Jack White's production of Loretta Lynn on the critically acclaimed "Van Lear Rose." I like this album much better although there are a few clunkers. The piano riffs, muffled drums and fuzzy guitar licks throughout are engaging. Top song has to go to "My Doorbell," where Jack White's amusingly randy vocal recalls Janis Joplin. The song is more suggestive than explicit (and certainly less so than the Chuck D and Ad-Rock lyrics I had been hearing), but I don't think they would have been allowed to sing it on the Ed Sullivan show. The White Stripes have received a great deal of hype outside of their music, but I don't care if they are brother and sister (they're not), married (they were), or never perform wearing clothes that are not black, white or red. This album sounds like a keeper to me.

Wednesday Whatever

No hot topic to blog on today, but I guess I am not alone. ESPN.com's lead story asks the burning question, "Did Ali invent rap?"

GW won 79-56 over a subpar UMES team last night. Another strong second half by the Colonials put this one away with solid games from Rice (20 pts, 4-6 3FG), Elliott (13 pts, 7 rebounds, 5 steals), and an excellent performance from Rob Diggs (16pts, 7 rebounds, 7 blocks). Most noteworthy for the future was the first appearance of Cheyenne Moore in a GW uniform. Moore, who transferred from Clemson, had been out with a stress fracture and only played two minutes, but he is expected to be a major contributor this season. Also a nice 14 minutes from freshman Damian Hollis who was 4-4 from the field. The 7-1 Colonials get a better test on the road this Saturday at USC.

The Wizards walloped the hottest team in the NBA Monday night, but I was busy coaching my own cagers and didn't see a minute of the action. Big Stein has some all-access Gilbert material in the Bog today, but I'm more interested to see how the Wiz go at the Knicks tonight. They still haven't won on the road and got embarrassed in their last trip to the Garden, so the pieces would seem to be in place, but you just can't tell with this team yet. I'd love to see them get to .500 by the end of the month and then take a closer look.

The Ravens have had plenty of time to recover from last week's loss at Cincinnati. It wasn't a disaster, and the rest of the games this weekend showed how wide open the league is. New England looked shaky in their win, Indianapolis got dumped, and San Diego escaped from a bad Buffalo team. I know Dallas, Seattle and New Orleans are gathering momentum, but the NFC still stands for Nobody Freaking Cares when it comes to this year's Super Bowl race. Indy probably has a lock on home field for the playoffs, but Baltimore shouldn't have to go on the road until then.

Finally, on a nonsports note, I was walking the dog this morning, and as we turned up the hill for home, I noticed an object about the size of a football lying in the road. As we got closer, Sweet Pea did her usual curious, but easily-spooked, investigation (she was once startled by a bag of leaves). The item turned out to be a piece of meat, some sort of large, gristly roast, lying a few feet from the curb. It was quite red, not rotted at all, so I don' t think it had been there very long, and I guess it was too early for discovery by the turkey vultures that often take care of this sort of thing. There was not a shred of packaging nearby; I have no idea how it got there, and really can't come up with a plausible scenario. All I keep thinking is that if my life were a Tarantino or Coen brothers movie, I would have picked up the meat and set in motion a profanely hilarious and astonishingly violent sequence of events involving a multinational cast of grotesquely idiosyncratic characters. But my life, even with its daily moments of drama and comedy, is not a movie, so I kept the dog away from it, and headed home.

Poll Positions

Alright folks, you're in trouble now. As of yesterday I am a voter in the Washington Post's Local Top 11 Poll (insert gleeful cackle at the thought of my new powers of influence and persuasion). The brainchild of Post reporter and blogger Dan Steinberg, the poll ranks the top 10 Division I college basketball teams in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. There are about 60 voters, and even some actual journalists. Here's the link to the poll and another link with more "pithy comments."

My rankings were pretty close to the final results. Here's how I voted:

1. Maryland
Fear the Turnover! McAlarney leads Notre Dame comeback. South Bend area headline writers rejoice. "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" copyright holders contact their attorneys. Gary Williams switches from Verizon DSL to Comcast Digital Cable.
2. Virginia
Cavaliers beat NC State. ACC's regular season now officially longer than NHL's.
3. Old Dominion
Monarchs are 3-0 against poll-eligible teams, and currently in first place for the coveted Steinberg Cup.
4. GW
Colonials get their first win over an opponent not found in the bakery aisle. Carl Elliott is cooler than the other side of a cucumber pillow.
5. Georgetown
Hoyas lead at halftime but lose at Duke. As the Blue Devils go on an 8-0 run to take command, Dick Vitale informs us that Greg Oden likes pancakes.
6. Virginia Tech
Seth Greenberg wants to bring in a specialist to help his team to develop killer instinct, but can't get Marcus Vick to return his calls.
7. VCU
Rams win at Houston 102-84, spoiling the Cougars celebration of Benny Anders Day.
8. Navy
Annapolis hasn't seen this kind of two-sport success since the days of Robinson and McCallum.
9. George Mason
Patriots' bandwagon crashes and burns returning home from Verizon Center, tying up traffic on 95 for two days. In postgame press conference, Jim Larranaga asks, "Hey, where'd everybody go?" To paraphrase the great Zero Mostel, "There's no shame in losing to Bucknell, but there's no great honor either."
10. Coppin State
With losses at Virginia Tech, Hawaii, Tennessee, Kansas State, Missouri, and Iowa, the Golden Eagles are the best, and highest-grossing, 2-6 team in the country

Ice Man Elliott

It wasn't as stunning as his halfcourt shot to beat Dayton or as dramatic as his overtime tip-in to take down Charlotte, but Carl Elliott cemented his reputation as a great clutch player when he sank both ends of a one-and-one to give GW the lead and the win over Virginia Tech.

After falling apart in the second half at Providence last week, the Colonials needed to bounce back against a quality opponent, both for their own confidence and to legitimize their 4-1 record. The Hokies carry just a little more strength-of-schedule weight than previous GW victims BU, Dartmouth, Kennesaw State and Longwood.

Trailing 38-29 after a half marked by turnovers and porous defense, GW abandoned its man-to-man and trapping pressure for a 2-3 zone that clogged the passing lanes and frustrated the Hokies. Karl Hobbs also went with freshman guard Travis King over big man Dokun Akingbade in a three-guard lineup for almost the entire second half. The halftime adjustments clicked as GW opened the period with a 16-2 run that featured baskets from all three guards and a five-minute scoring drought for Tech.

GW got great support for Elliott's heroics from King (9 pts), Maureece Rice (11) and Rob Diggs (13 pts, 5-6 FG), but Regis Koundjia stood out, with 10 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Koundjia has tested the patience of Colonials fans since he became eligible nearly a year ago, but yesterday he exploited his considerable athletic ability, driving to the basket, keeping rebounds alive, and getting a quick and disruptive hand on the ball on numerous Hokie possessions, including a missed dunk attempt by Coleman Collins after Elliott's late free throws. His first step is nearly unstoppable and watching him sky and cuff an offensive rebound for a putback drew the appreciation of the Verizon Center crowd.

The Colonials get yet one more light and fluffy treat on Tuesday when UMES visits Smith Center, but another tests looms at 5-1 USC on Saturday. Clemson transfer Cheyenne Moore dressed for yesterday's contest and will be a major addition to the lineup when he is fully recovered from his stress fracture injury. Of course, if the game is on the line, put the ball in Elliott's hands and rest easy.