Bad Weekend For Kentucky Fans

Kentucky fans had a horrible weekend and I'm so happy about that.

Let me put it out there: I used to not care one bit about the University of Kentucky. I didn't care if they won or lost ... unless my UNC Tar Heels were playing them or in a certain East Regional Final game to Duke in 1992.

But since I moved to Kentucky over a decade ago, Wildcat fans just get on your nerves. They can normally pull that crap here because ... well, everyone is a Kentucky fan. There is no real regional rival. Louisville? There are more Wildcats fans in Louisville than Cardinal fans. Indiana? Who barks about that?

But as a Tar Heel fan, their vitrol doesn't fly with me. We are also among college basketball's elite. We are also in the 2,000 win club (with more of those won fair and square than Kentucky). Since Kentucky's last Final Four in 1998 (I moved here at Christmas 1998), Carolina has been to four Final Fours and won two National Championships.

Oh, and Carolina is 22-11 all time in head to head matchups with Kentucky. That's Kentucky's worst record against any opponent they've faced more than a handful of times. They hate when I pull that one out.

So I will admit that I do take pleasure in Kentucky's misfortune this weekend.

First off, the NCAA rules Enes Kanter ineligible. Permanently. All I heard from Kentucky fans was that Kanter was clean, the NCAA won't shut him down ... and if they do, it will just be for a couple of games. When the appeal process was going on, all I heard was that Kanter will be made eligible because of new evidence and how if the NCAA was lax on those Ohio State players and Cam Newton then they'll be a bit sympathetic towards Kanter.

Nope. He's done. Forever. Kentucky fans will still claim him as one of their own when he hits the NBA. Yeah, then I claim Dwight Howard since he was gonna come to Carolina if he wasn't going into the draft.

Then came Saturday. Kentucky played Pitt in the Compass Bowl or something. Pitt spanked them, 27-10. Not a biggie since Kentucky fans don't really care about football. Or any sport not played on a basketball court. But this did come against a team that forced one coach out and then had to fire his replacement because of a domestic assault. Not really a team with any leadership right now.

Saturday night, those hoopsters played their first SEC game of the season ... and lost to unranked Georgia, 77-70. That gets the fans' attention. Kentucky fans have said, "look, we lost to North Carolina in Chapel Hill and UConn in Hawaii ... and we are really coming together." They still can say all of that, but now this is also a team that lost to Georgia.

Today, their women's team lost ... at home ... to Georgia. Kentucky, who I haven't really heard to much about, is ranked No. 10 in the country.

Not a great week for Kentucky fans.

Dolphins Are Wrong For Doing Tony Sparano Like This

I don't want to see anybody lose their job ... but I also don't like to see a guy holding a job while his employer is jet-setting across the country to land his replacement.

That's what the Miami Dolphins are doing with Tony Sparano. All Sparano has done is take a laughingstock team and made them decent. He doesn't deserve this. He doesn't deserve his bosses flying out to Palo Alto to try to woo Jim Harbaugh.

Nothing against Harbaugh and nothing against the Dolphins if they want to work together. Miami has every right to hire whatver coach they want. But don't piss on the man that you haven't even fired yet! I mean the fact that Sparano hasn't been fired yet is because they're okay with him if they can't find anything better.

So you've undermined your coach. That will work well if the Phins stick with Sparano. It also works well that the Dolphins franchise can stab their head coach in the back.

Do everyone a favor and be up front with Tony. Ya know, the guy who made your team cool with that wacky Wildcat offense. What Miami is doing is looking for a new, hot wife when he's already married. If he can't find a hot woman to marry him, well they kinda like what they have at home.

If this was in the stretch run of the season, I'm cool with it. My Redskins did the same thing a year ago. In Jim Zorn's last 5 games, the Skins were talking with Mike Shanahan. But Zorn knew he was out at the end of the season and the Skins knew that the campaign was over and they may as well let Zorn finish out the year. Zorn then caught on to the Ravens coaching staff.

Sparano is hanging in the wind. While there are coaching changes all over the league, that means that coaching staffs are being assembled. I'm sure Sparano would be sought after.

But he can't. He's busy pulling a knife out of his back.

The NHL Needs More "Winter Classics" ... in Canada

The Winter Classic is the crown jewel of the NHL's regular season. The Classic, as they'll tell you, puts the game back to its roots -- outdoors. It draws quite a crowd (over 60,000 attended the Capts-Pens game in Pittsburgh on Saturday) and routinely is one of the biggest TV viewing matches the NHL has.

The NHL loves it. They tell you that that's how hockey was played! Outdoors in the cold. In the elements. Where people love it.

We will never see a Winter Classic in Anaheim. Or Dallas. Or Tampa Bay. Or Phoenix. Those cities aren't majestic enough to house such a game. Not even cities like Atlanta, Raleigh or Nashville will get a shot. Of course, the NHL knows that not only would it lose its luster, but people may not show up. At least not like they'd do in Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Boston or New York.

Yet, there are NHL franchises in Anaheim, Dallas, Tampa, Phoenix, Nashville, Atlanta and Raleigh. In several of those cities, no one would really care if (a) their team played in a Winter Classic or (b) even played in their city at all.

That's not totally fair. There are some northern teams struggling for fans. The Islanders are the worst attended team in the NHL despite residing in the league's most populous market. The Columbus Blue Jackets, New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche are also in the bottom 7 in attendance.

Still, the southern towns suffer. Phoenix (29th of 30 teams), Atlanta (28th), Anaheim (25th), Dallas (23rd), Carolina (22nd), Florida (21st), Nashville (20th) and Tampa Bay (19th) are all in the bottom third in attendance. The only "southern" city in the top half of the NHL in attendance? The Los Angeles Kings at 13th.

Why do we keep up with this charade? Why? Why, in a league of 30 teams, are only SIX Canadian franchises in operation? SIX!

The Toronto Maple Leafs, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers all have their home games at 100% capacity ... if not better (the Leafs are 102.6% capacity). The only Canadian team to not hit that mark is the relatively newer Ottawa Senators ... who still fill their arena at a 98% clip.

Meanwhile, the Coyotes are at 61%. The Thrashers are at 68%. The only "southern" cities that fill to capacity by at least 90% are the Kings (97%) and Predators (93.4%).

So why not move these teams back? Get the Coyotes out of freakin' Phoenix and move them back to Winnipeg? Bring back the Winnipeg Jets! Bring back the Winnipeg Jets! Why not move the Panthers or Lightning to Quebec and give us back our Nordiques!

I know you are saying that Winnipeg and Quebec are smaller markets. But they are rabid markets. Those citizens will flock to games.

I know you are also saying, "hey, they had their chance and couldn't hang." Fair, but remember that when the Jets left Winnipeg for Phoenix and the Nordiques left Quebec for Colorado there was no salary cap like there is today and the Canadian dollar was in shambles. Those teams, like the ones in Edmonton and Calgary, can survive in this NHL.

Remember that Minnesota lost their North Stars to Dallas yet were able to get the expansion Wild a few years later.

Heck, move the Atlanta Thrashers to Toronto! That city can house two NHL teams. I mean, if New York can do it and the Los Angeles-Anaheim area can do it ... why couldn't hockey crazed Toronto?

That would make the NHL tick again! Invest back into Canada! No new teams, just relocate the existing ones.

And while you're at it ... move the Carolina Hurricanes back to Hartford and bring back our Whalers!

Why Bengals Fans Should Be Happy Marvin Lewis Is Staying

Bengals fans here in Cincinnati are standing beside themselves today. After spending the last two months basically counting down the days of the Marvin Lewis Era, the clock was rewound.

Marvin Lewis is staying. Bengals fans are crying.

I get that. For the last eight years, Lewis' Bengals have had just two winning seasons and zero playoff victories (despite hosting two postseason games). The team has been undisciplined, moody and ... well, poorly coached. If this was any other NFL franchise (sans Jacksonville), Lewis would have been shown the door a long time ago.

I know this sounds a bit odd, but Bengals fans should actually be happy that Lewis is coming back.

The top reason is that Lewis may actually be getting some of those items he requested granted. He wants a little more power. He wants to be able to hire and fire within his coaching staff. He wants so more say in personnel moves. He wants a bubble over their practice field. These are requests that most coaches never have to ask for -- it usually comes with the job. But this is Cincinnati and things are done differently.

I know the perception is that "whoop-dee-doo! We get a practice bubble and a crummy team for several more years!" But imagine if the Bengals didn't give him anything and Lewis walked? Who would be walking through that door? It sure as heck isn't Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher or Jim Harbaugh. It will be some coordinator that will deal with the Bengals cheap ways just to get a shot at a head coaching gig.

So either keep a guy that has probably had more power than any coach the Bengals have had since Mike Brown took sole ownership of the franchise 20 years ago ... or go back to the Shula/LeBeau days of losing and regressing as a franchise. That's an easy choice.

Not to mention if there is a work stoppage next season. For example, if the players and owners agree to a new CBA just a couple of weeks before their first game, it would be nice to have the same coaching staff in place to make the learning curve quicker.

Yes, those are small victories ... but for this franchise, any victories are nice.

2011 NFL Playoff Matchups I'd Love to See

We still don't know who will win the AFC South or NFC West. As I type this, the Buccaneers, Packers and Giants are all still alive for the final NFC Wildcard spot. Still, I am salivating over some of the possible playoff matchups we could enjoy.

We do know that this about the AFC: 1-Patriots, 2-Steelers, 3-Chiefs/Colts, 4-Jaguars/Colts/Chiefs, 5-Ravens and 6-Jets. In the NFC, it is: 1-Falcons, 2-Bears, 3-Eagles, 4-Rams/Seahawks, 5-Saints, 6-Bucs/Packers/Giants.

So what matchups ... aside from possible Super Bowl ones ... are we looking forward to?

10-Chiefs at Patriots: This starts a trend of Patriot Games. But this one is interesting because Kansas City will bring former Pats Matt Cassell, Romeo Crennell and Charlie Weis (among others) up to New England to face their old coach.

9-Packers at Eagles: A lot of people picked big things for the Packers this year and many of them are still holding on to that. An Aaron Rodgers-Michael Vick matchup would quite a site.

8-Eagles at Bears: Michael Vick against that speedy Chicago defense. Plus two of the best return men in the game -- Devin Hester and Desean Jackson -- will mean that you will have to wait for your bathroom breaks.

7-Colts at Patriots: We've seen this countless times and usually when the two meet, the games are close. Injuries to Indy pushes this game down several pegs.

6-Giants at Eagles: If New York gets in, don't you think we'd want to see them try to exact revenge for the meltdown in the Meadowlands a few weeks ago? The last time the G-men were a wildcard team they went on to win the Super Bowl.

5-Saints at Falcons: The defending Super Bowl champs against the NFC team with the best record. Remember that New Orleans was the only team to beat the Falcons in Atlanta this season.

4-Ravens at Patriots: If there is anyone who is not scared to go to New England to play in the postseason, it is Baltimore. They blew out the Pats there last postseason and nearly beat them there earlier this year.

3-Steelers at Patriots: The two best teams of the last decade combined for 5 Super Bowl victories in 6 appearances. These are the only two active quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl rings. Would be a great game with a Super Bowl on the line.

2-Jets at Patriots: Oh, man. Do I even need to set this one up?

1-Eagles at Falcons: This would have to be for the NFC Championship ... and that would be outstanding. Imagine Michael Vick coming back to Atlanta with a Super Bowl berth on the line! That story alone makes this a great game. Add in the offensive firepower both teams possess and the fact that many feel that these are the two best teams in the conference and a matchup between the two would be fitting.

As for possible Super Bowl matchups, here are my top six:

1-Eagles vs Patriots
2-Falcons vs Patriots
3-Eagles vs Steelers
4-Saints vs Steelers
5-Saints vs Jets
6-Giants vs Colts

A Bad Day For The Big Ten

Today is New Year's Day and it is usually a day filled with hopes, wishes, promises and changes. The Big Ten would love to shut their eyes and try for all those things again tomorrow.

The Big Ten went 0-5 in bowl games today. Not only did they lose every bowl on New Years, it was a collection of embarrassing results.

It all started in the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas. Not a big deal, but Northwestern lost to Texas Tech, 45-38. N'western continues their wait for another bowl victory -- they haven't won one since 1949.

The agony continued with the conferences Michigan schools getting pummelled by SEC teams simultaneously. In the Capital One Bowl, Michigan State were spanked by Alabama, 49-7. Michigan State, if you remember, was bent that Ohio State was selected for a BCS bid instead of them. Well, they sure didn't show up for this one.

A bit to the east in the Gator Bowl, Mississippi State just blew out Michigan, 52-14. If the Rich Rodriguez era does end in Ann Arbor, it sure ended on a negative note.

Move west to the Outback Bowl you'd see Penn State losing to Florida, 37-24. Of all the bowl losses today, the Big Ten can be proud of this one. This was a beauty of a game that was close down to the wire. The clincher was a Florida pick-six as Penn State was driving for a game winning TD.

And then the Rose Bowl. Look, TCU could/should be able to play for a national championship so losing to them isn't devastating. But this was a Wisconsin team that was hanging 70 points on people and they were shut down to just 19 against TCU. TCU became the first non-AQ school to win the Rose Bowl and, aside from the BCS title game, will be the most talked about bowl this season.

Even though it isn't a horrible loss, it still means that the Big Ten champion was beaten by a school from a non-BCS conference.

All the conference has left is Ohio State taking on Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl. Arkansas is a heck of a team, but a loss would mean the Big Ten was 0-6 in bowl games in the New Year. It would also mean the Big Ten was 0-4 against the SEC.

If you wanted to pick some more nits, let me remind you that the next member of the Big Ten ... Nebraska ... was upset by Washington in the Holiday Bowl.

Heading into the day, the Big Ten was looking pretty good. Iowa upset Missouri in the Insight Bowl and Illinois dominated Baylor in the Texas Bowl. But with the complete letdown on this New Year's Day, the Big Ten heads back north with their tails between their legs.

The Sportz Assassin College Football Playoff

So, here has been my playoff proposal for years now: Have all six BCS champions in the playoffs, have the top ranked non-AQ school in and then five at large bids. The seedings would be according to the final BCS standings (which means the top 5 non-champions make it in). The only concession on the seeding is due to keeping two conference teams from playing each other until, at least, the Semifinal round. Easy, eh?

1-Auburn (SEC Champ)
2-Oregon (Pac 10 Champ)
3-TCU (top non-AQ team)
4-Stanford

12-UConn (Big East Champ) at 5-Wisconsin (Big Ten Champ)
11-Virginia Tech (ACC Champ) at 6-Ohio State
10-Boise State at 7-Oklahoma (Big XII Champ)
9-Michigan State at 8-Arkansas

Here would be your TV schedule.

December 18th
12pm: UConn at Wisconsin
3pm: Michigan State at Arkansas
6pm: Virginia Tech at Ohio State
9pm: Boise State at Oklahoma

December 25th
12pm: Mich State/Oklahoma/Boise State at Auburn*
3pm: Oklahoma/Boise State/Arkansas at Oregon*
6pm: Ohio State/Virginia Tech at TCU
9pm: Wisconsin/UConn at Stanford

*If Arkansas beats Mich State, they would play Oregon instead of SEC-rival Auburn. That would mean the Oklahoma/Boise State winner would play Auburn.

January 1st
3pm: Semifinals
8pm: Semifinals

January 10th
8pm: Championship game