Some thoughts on a bunch of different things before the Memorial Day weekend.  I'll be going to Utah from Friday through Monday for a little getaway.  It seems every time I go away, the weather cools off in Tucson and I don't get to miss the 100+ degree weather.  And yes, I believe weather patterns revolve around my travel schedule.  That's how big Happy Hour has become.

• Arizona hired Reggie Geary as its 3rd and final assistant coach.  It was an inevitable hire for Coach Olson who not only gets a familiar face on his staff but repairs some of the damage caused by the handling of Geary's previous time at Arizona.  That's when he signed on as a coach but was moved to a pencil pusher position.  Geary will handle a bulk of the recruiting, which could be interesting.  He's never done this and I don't believe he can recruit any NBADL players he coached, although they would probably benefit from some more time in college.  Next for Arizona is Nic Wise and Chase Budinger.  We'll have more on those situations next week.
• The Diamondbacks have lost 2 of 3 to the Marlins.  Micah Owings and Brandon Webb both turned in terrific pitching performances but the Dbacks bats continue to fail them.  Another week of this and the conversation will inevitably turn back to "the Diamondbacks don't have a legit cleanup bat" and fans clamoring the team to make a trade. 
• Celtics vs. Pistons series is as tough to watch as advertised.  For me, this series has turned into one of those political pundit shows.  I probably should be watching some but every time I turn it on, I just can't stomach more than about 10 minutes.  This series seems destined for 7 games to the benefit of absolutely no one.
• The Lakers came back from a 20 point 3rd quarter defecit to beat the Spurs in Game 1.  Thats it, the series is over.  The Lakers are not only a better team but they now have a huge momentum advantage.  Other than that, one thing missing from the Lakers conversation is that Pau Gasol is really, really good.  Some people thought he was the European version of Shareef Abur-Rahim, the former Hawks All Star who turned into a terrible player when traded to a successful team but Gasol is anything but.  He is a really talented big man.

Happy Hour will be back live on Tuesday at 4 PM.  Until then, enjoy one of the most underrated holiday weekends of the year, Memorial Day weekend.  Its a guaranteed 3 day weekend, unlike Christmas holiday or 4th of July which can fall on a Tues-Thurs or a Sat-Sun.   I measure holidays not on the significane represented by the day or the magnitude of the events on the day but rather if it conveniently allows a 3 day weekend

Arizona announced this morning that they were granting Emmanuel Negedu his full and unconditional release from his signed letter of intent and this may actually be the best news of the offseason so far.

Yesterday on Happy Hour we discussed, for basically the entire show (I was able to get in a few jabs at the NBA Playoffs), whether Arizona should release him from his letter of intent.  The speculation from Negedu's coach and several other media outlets stated that Arizona was not considering a release at that point.  I strongly felt Arizona should release him, if at the very least, to avoid further public discussion about the reasons for the release.  The discussion also allowed me to introduce the corniest joke ever told on Happy Hour; calling him Emmanuel Nege-don't want to come to Arizona.  It was a joke worthy of being on the worst sitcom which is really any sitcom on ABC.

I think Coach Olson and Jim Livengood's quick decision to grant the release is a good example of what can be avoided with decisive action.  This issue is now resolved and anything that happens will be just a foot note.

Arizona has struggled this offseason to quickly resolve outstanding issues that have adversely effected the program and to an even greater extent, the publc perception of the program.  When issues linger, such as ambiguous reasoning for coaches being let go, a players transfer status, unfilled coaching vacancies, etc., they become explored, discussed, and repeated.

Let's think about the last 24-48 hours for the basketball team. Two highly qualified new assistant coaches introduced to the media where they left a very positive impression, a combo guard from California commits to play next season, and Arizona reaches a quick decision on a tough situation.  Its been the best 2 day stretch for Arizona Basketball since any 2 days Kevin O'Neill didn't cuss a player out.  Actually, that probably never happened, so lets just say its the best 2 day stretch in a long time for Arizona.

Mike D'Antoni had his introductory press conference as the new head coach of the New York Knicks today and already had to deny his first rumor.  No, it wasn't about whether he claims to have the greatest moustache in NBA Coaching history, rather about whether he in fact was already lobbying the team to trade Stephon Marbury.

D'antoni later denied wanting to trade Marbury, which is perhaps the worst denial ever.  When you are just starting as a coach, why would you want to compromise your credibility by basically saying you don't want to trade Marbury.  Sure, you are preventing Marbury from becoming sullen but weigh that against the angry fan base.  D'Antoni should have been the one initiating the rumor instead of denying it because after all, Marbury is terrible.

Mike also had to deal with his new GM Donnie Walsh mispronouncing his last name.  I would think if you are shelling out $24 million for a coach, you would have done enough research to be able to pronounce his name.  Maybe whatever Isiah Thomas has is contagious.

D'Antoni ultimately left Phoenix because he didn't feel supported by GM Steve Kerr and believed they had different basketball philosophies.  He wanted to coach with a completely supportive GM and do things only his way.  This only works if you win titles, not only win in the regular season.  D'Antoni bristled at such suggestions from Kerr that he spend 10-15 minutes practicing defense, decrease Nash's workload and develop his bench.  Apparently, these logical, rational suggestions proved to be far too harsh for D'Antoni.  Getting obvious suggestions from his GM proved to cause a poisonous work environment for D'Antoni.  How's that for thick skin?

And thick skin is exactly what he is going to need to succeed in New York.  With thousands of people believing they are GM's, D'Antoni will at some point long for the days of a suffocating work environment with Steve Kerr looming, demanding such unreasonable adjustments for a team that achieved 4 consecutive playoff failures.

Max Scherzer made his first start last night for the Diamondbacks.  After pitching 4.1 IP with 7 K's out of the bullpen in his ML debut, I believe expectations for his first start began with complete game shutout and ended with perfect game with 27 strikeouts. 

What happened last night was a solid performance but not nearly the dominance he flashed out of the bullpen.  He allowed 5 runs although just 2 of those were earned.  His fastball sat mostly in the low 90's and he showed good control of his slider.  He may have been holding back a bit on his fastball because it was his first start but he was still able to throw it past several Phillies.

There's no doubt he deserves another couple of starts until Doug Davis returns.  Scherzer is still a much better option to start than Edgar Gonzalez.  I'd expect him to go back to the bullpen at some point and be a big weapon for the Diamondbacks in the second half of the season.

Until then, after one start, maybe we can dial down the expectations to a complete game or a strikeout.  One of the other.  Oh, and 10 K's.

Another year, another NFL Draft in the books and another 7 hours of my life that I will never have back.  But thats a good thing.  I watch the NFL Draft with such zealotry its eclpises most actual NFL games, in terms of the enjoyment I get out of it.  And to be perfectly honest, I'm not exactly sure why.  When I was asked recently by my girlfriend why I enjoy it so much, it turned into one of those "you wouldn't understand" answers which is basically code for "I'm embarrassed I'm unable to articulate why I dedicate an entire weekend to watching players who may or may not turn into productive NFL players".  Count me a victim of the NFL PR machine or just an absent minded sports fan who loves watching sporting events, either way, I'm a huge fan of the NFL Draft.

This year's draft was a bit different.  Roger Goodell decided to try and speed things up and in the process ruined any semblance of suspense at the top of the draft when you could clearly hear the loudspeaker at Radio City Music Hall informing the crowd that a selection was made, followed by a shot of one of the prospects celebrating and then 2 minutes later, Goodell formally announced the pick.  I wish some of these NFL Draft prospects had a sense of humor and just started faking a cell phone call and then celebrating wildly just to throw everyone off.  I don't care if that player turned into the biggest bust in NFL History, he would go down as my favorite of all time. 

Here are a couple of my other observations from the NFL Draft:

-- Apparently ESPN decided for a "Minority Report" - esque theme for this year's draft.   Didn't that movie come out like 5-6 years ago?  What, was the Matrix the backup plan?

-- Does anyone still like Berman?  He's become just like Champ in Anchorman when he starts rambling during lunch.  Hey Berman, why don't you sit the next one out, stop talking for while.  Everytime Berman started stumbling his way through a point and would finish, there would just be awkward silence from the rest of the panel.

-- Speaking of which, did all 5 of these guys just meet each other?  Even Bill Belicheck and Matt Walsh have better chemistry than those guys.

-- So Bill Belicheck wears a cut off hooded sweatshirt during some of the biggest games of his career, regularly conducts interviews in that same outfit but then busts out a pinke shirt/tie suit combo for 35 seconds of NFL Draft interview?  Someone's trying to do a little character damage control.

-- Joe Flacco, meet Kyle Boller.  Kyle Boller, meet Joe Flacco.   I can't wait to hear stories from Baltimore about how they were bowled over by Flacco's ability to throw a football 60 yards from his knees.

-- Chad Henne has the biggest chin I've ever seen on a human being.  He's like the personification of Quagmire from Family Guy.

Back with a couple more updates later this week...

NL West

1. LA Dodgers – I think I’ve picked them to win the last several years in a row.  They have the best rotation 1-5, depending on if Hiroki Kiroda not being pulling of a debut like Kei Igawa or Hideki Irabu.  Penny, Lowe, Billingsley, Kiroda, and Loaiza with Schmidt expected back in May and Clayton Kershaw in the minors is a deep and talented staff.  Plus Broxton/Saito are a great 8^th/9^th combo
   1. Offense: Rafael Furcal is going to have a monster year.  Andruw Jones is the key to this offense.  If he can bounce back after a disastrous 2007, offense could be very good but if he continues to ingest a dozen donuts a day seemingly, it could be lost money.  Also, the development of James Loney, Matt Kemp and Andre Eithier are very important.  Will the Dodgers be more Angels or Dbacks with their young players?  They need results now from their young players.
   2. Make or Break – Andruw Jones.  If he performs, it takes the pressure off young players and also gives them a bona fide cleanup hitter. 
2. Arizona Diamondbacks – The Diamondbacks will deal with the pressure of being the reigning NL West champions.  Whether they repeat that feat or not is probably decided by how they are able to replace nearly 400 IP lost off their staff.  The defection of Livian Hernandez may save money not only in salary but in food from the post game spread but it also hurts the Dbacks because of his consistency taking the ball.  Combined with the uncertain status of Doug Davis, who will miss most of April and May (at least) after thyroid cancer surgery, Arizona will need to replace both of those innings eaters on a thin staff.
   1. Offense: Complete opposite of the Rockies.  Most of their lineup probably had subpar seasons, save for Eric Byrnes, and yet they were still able to win the crown.  With the developing bats of Chris Young, Stephen Drew and Justin Upton, Arizona could have a formidable lineup.
   2. Make or Break – Micah Owings.  They showed they can win without a great offense, but they’ll need very good pitching.  With Davis’s health status and Livian leaving, Arizona needs Owings to throw 200 IP.
3. Colorado Rockies – They seem like a logical team to see a bit of a drop off from last year, considering just about everyone in their lineup had career years. They have a nice trio if young pitching in Francis/Jimenez/Morales.  Aaron Cook has only once had 200 IP in his career.  Plus, I think Francis will fall off a little bit and Morales is not quite ready for an entire season.
   1. Offense: They got amazing years from just about every regular.  It’s easy to forget that this team was in 4^th place for about 90% of the season.  They had to win 14 of 15 and win a play-in game to make the playoffs.  They are a much better team than anyone thought but I don’t think they are perennial pennant contenders…yet.
   2. Make or Break – Ubaldo Jimenez/Franklin Morales – They both need to pitch well for an entire season in the bigs.  Jimenez was electric in the playoffs, Morales was very inconsistent.
4. San Diego Padres – Their inability to land a big bat will cost them once again.  Though, had Chris Young stayed healthy this team probably wins the NL West.  At some point Hoffman and Maddux will falter and I think that is this year, although this is now the 5^th straight year someone has predicted that.  Both will be serviceable but not above average.
   1. Offense: I still can’t believe Khalil Greene hit 27 HR’s last year.  Is he buddies with Jose Guillen or Paul Byrd? With Adrian Gonzalez, they combined to hit 57 HR’s.  They also lost Mike Cameron and his 21 Hr’s.  I just can’t see this team surviving in the NL West.
   2. Make or Break – Kevin Kouzmanoff.  After struggling to start his rookie year, he ended up with 18 HR’s.  He’ll have to hit close to 30 to provide another big bat for their offense.
5. San Francisco Giants – I don’t understand Brian Sabean and the Giants.  They sign Aaron Rowand to a huge 5 year deal.  But this team is terrible offensively and have no hope in the near future to turn it around.  Barry Zito is going to always be a bust.  Only bright spot is Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum.  Their two best prospects are 19 and 17.  It would make sense to trade Cain and Linceum for a bunch of prospects.  Just because 2008 is going to terrible doesn’t mean 2012 does too.  It’s going to be a long couple of years.  Their offense isn't even worth discussing.
   1. Make or Break – Barry Zito.  If he’s awful, they’ll be the worst team in baseball.  If he’s just bad, they’ll be the worst team in the NL.

American League East

1. New York Yankees – They may end up with 3 rookies in the rotation by mid-summer, but that’s only a problem if the rookies aren’t very good.  Hughes, Kennedy and Chamberlain are 3 of the best in the game.  With Andy Pettitte, Mike Mussina, and Kei Igawa the Yankees also have some veteran SP depth.  Though I think Joba Chamberlain is better off in the bullpen providing that shut down 8^th before Rivera’s 9^th..  I also would expect them to make a trade for a veteran SP this season.
   • Offense: Development of Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera are important.  But Yankees really need resurgent years from Damon, Giambi, Abreu and Matsui.  Their offense will be a bigger question mark than their pitching
   • Make or Break – Andy Pettitte.  He has to be healthy most of the season or the starting pitching will crumble.  That and the guy who dyes A-Rod’s hair.  In order to play good, A-Rod must feel good.
2. Boston Red Sox – Injury to Curt Schilling hurts.  Beckett will start the year on the DL.  Wakefield, the Dick Clark of baseball, is in his 40’s.  Jon Lester has never pitched more than 150 IP in his career and only twice as eclipsed 100 IP.  Dice K is probably the kind of SP that year in and year out is 15-12 with an ERA close to 4 and not the ace he was expected to be.  Their bullpen is a strength with Papelbon the best in the bigs.
   • Offense:  Manny and Ortiz lead the way.  Pedroia, Youkilis, Ellsbury and Varitek all provide different contributions but are incredibly important.  JD Drew and Julio Lugo will try to justify their contracts again this season
   • Make or Break – Clay Buchholz.  After last year’s no-hitter, he was shut down.  If he can turn in a season long performance that is ace worthy, it could re-establish the Red Sox as the team to beat.  If not, they could continue to morph into the Yankees, just a couple of years behind.
3. Tampa Bay Devil Rays – Call me crazy, but when you get rid of a guy who attacked an umpire and get rid of a guy who texted a picture of a handgun to his girlfriend with the message, “You dead, dawg”, its probably going to improve the team chemistry.  Add in some veterans, specifically Troy Percival and Cliff Floyd and this teams talent should take off.  SP of Kazmir, Shields, Garza and other youngsters waiting could really elevate this team
   • Offense:  Led by Crawford, Upton and Pena the team has speed, power and everything in between and could get even better if uber prospect 3B Evan Longoria is called up in the first half of the season.
   • Make or Break – Scott Kazmir.  If he can bounce back and be healthy, Tampa Bay could use young pitching to acquire some more needs offensively or in the bullpen.  If not, they will have to continue to be patient.
4. Toronto Blue Jays – Team has been rife with controversy at the managerial position and in the GM spot.  That usually doesn’t translate to a whole lot of on the field success.  Roy Halladay and AJ “If he stays healthy for the whole season” Burnett will anchor the rotation, followed by McGowan, Litsch and Marcum.  You haven’t heard of them now and with the exception of McGowan, you probably won’t by the end of the season.
   • Offense: Rios, Wells, Hill, Big Hurt, Overbay could be one of the best in the AL or one of the most disappointing.
   • Make or Break - Vernon Wells.  Makes too much money to underachieve.  Toronto needs offense to be able to keep up with Boston and New York and then just cross their fingers with their pitching.
5. Baltimore Orioles – Add them to the list of teams that will flourish once their owner, in this case Peter Angelos, is no longer in office (Pirates, Royals and Twins fit that bill).  Until then, Baltimore will have some exciting young players in Adam Jones and Nick Markakis to watch and really not a lot of other reasons.
   • Make or Break – Adam Jones.  No, not Pac Man and it shouldn’t be held against him that he has the same name.  The former Seattle super prospect that was centerpiece of Erik Bedard trade has a ton of talent.  He could give Baltimore the most dynamic pair of OF’ers in the MLB or another reason for Oriole fans to hate their own team if he disappoints.

AL Central

1. Detroit Tigers – 3 major off season acquisitions make this team really interesting.  Edgar Renteria, Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis make this team a competitor with the Indians and add to an arsenal of a team that just made it to the World Series in 2006.  Plus, we’ll find out if it was a change of scenery that was needed or basically an entire arm transplant for Dontrelle Willis.  The bullpen is a mess without Joel Zumaya, who is likely done for the entire season.
   1. Offensively, they are an absolute force.  Sheffield, Ordonez, Guillen, Granderson, Renteria and Cabrera. That’s ridiculous.
   2. Make of Break – Dontrelle Willis and Jeremy Bonderman.  If you went back 3 years, these two were on the verge of super stardom.  Now they are both on the verge of being journeyman.  If both figure it out, Detroit will be clear AL favorite.
2. Cleveland Indians – Very similar to the Tigers.  Lots of offense, some great pitching at the top but suspect in rotation depth and bullpen.  Sabathia will have contract status discussed all season and that impact could go either way with his performance.  Carmona will have to duplicate last year and Byrd will have to do it without HGH.  Joe Borowski in the bullpen is scary and no real attractive options to close other than Borowski..  AL Central may be decided by who is able to trade for Chad Cordero or Huston Street.
   1. Offensively: Grady Sizemore will continue to improve with Hafner, Victor Martinez and Jhonny Peralta.  More holes offensively with Garko, Cabrera, Jason Michaels and Franklin Gutierrez than the Tigers but still a very good mone.
   2. Make or Break – Joe Borowski.  Team has limited window with CC’s contract.  If the bullpen can’t nail down wins, it could be a long season.
3. Chicago White Sox – Seems like a team in turmoil.  Despite moves to trade Garland, sign Swisher and trade for Quentin, it’s not clear what direction this team is going.  Perhaps it has something, probably everything to do with their manager who wields too much power.  SP is strong at the top with Buerhle and Vasquez but after that a couple of questions marks in Jose Contreras and Jon Danks.  Bullpen has Bobby Jenks, who continues to be very good.
   1. Offensively – Thome, Konerko, Swisher, Dye, O.Cabrera give it a lot of juice.  They’ll all need to play well to try and catch Detroit or Cleveland.
   2. Make or Break – Jose Contreras.  Joining El Duque, Livian Hernandez and Dikembo Mutomobo, Lebron James and Greg Oden on the All- How Old Are They Really? Team.  If he can pitch as he did 2 years ago, White Sox could be right there with Indians and Tigers.
4. Kansas City Royals – 2008 will be remembered for the Royals and Rays getting out of the basement, well if you are a Royals or Rays fan.  Royals have some great young talent, some interesting arms and at this point a bit more hope than the Twins after the Santana trade.
   1. Make or Break – Gil Meche.  While he pitched effectively last season, it’s still no where near enough to justify massive contract.  Per financials, if he’s bad, Royals have no shot next 4 seasons at anything.
5. Minnesota Twins – Not only did they lose Santana, but they also traded Matt Garza and I’m not sure they have the depth to sustain both those losses.  Francisco Liriano starts out in the minors and they may have a strong second half but I think the purse tightening finally catches up to them
   1. Make or Break – Carlos Gomez.  If he provides to be a good to very good player, Twins fans won’t despair over Johan Santana, as much.

AL West

1. Seattle Mariners – Maybe the strongest rotation from 1-5 in the American League.  Erik Bedard, Felix Hernandez, Jarrod Washburn, Miguel Batista and Carlos Silva give the Mariners a bunch of reliable innings eaters to go with their two aces at the top.  JJ Putz and some other young arms make up a formidable bullpen.
   1. If Richie Sexson can bounce back and hit closer to career average of .260 than the Mendoza line, Seattle could have a potent lineup.  Ichiro, Beltre, Ibanez, Betancourt, J.Lopez, Jojima, Vidro and Wilkerson are all pesky players with some pop.
   2. Make or Break – Richie Sexson – Any Dback fans still want to complain about letting this guy go? 
2. LA Angels of Anaheim – John Lackey could be out for a long time, Kelvim Escobar is likely out for the season and after that there is lots of youth.  Jered Weaver, Dustin Mosely, Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders will make up rotation with Jon Garland.  Still a strong closer in K-Rod but their bullpen hasn’t been the same without an effective Scott Shields.
   1. Young hitters have not produced as expected, you’d much rather have the Dbacks than Angels at this point.  Torii Hunter gives team some more thump, but instead of spending all that money on Hunter and Matthews Jr last two year, it would have been better off finding true protection for Vlad Guerrero.
   2. Make or Break – Ervin Santana.  If he can pitch this season everywhere like he pitched at home (6-4, 3.27) Angels can survive early injuries.  If not, they make dig themselves into a tough hole.
3. Oakland A’s – Along with the White Sox, team may have biggest inadvertent impact on AL champs than any other team.  With Joe Blanton, Rich Harden and Huston Street all potentially available, lots of teams will be rooting for the A’s to struggle.  But if Harden is healthy, A’s may have a strong enough staff to compete well into the summer and push back any potential firesale.
   1. Offensively – They could be pretty bad.  They need Barton, Suzuki, Buck and others to develop this season to not be amongst the worst in baseball.
   2. Make or Break – Rich Harden, with Bobby Crosby and Eric Chavez not far behind.
4. Texas Rangers – Remember a few years ago when the Rangers had a lot of really good, young talent but no pitching.  Well, the KC Chiefs of MLB are now a not very young team with no real pitching after consistently failing to address those pitching needs.
   1. Make or Break – Josh Hamilton.  Could be 40 HR guy making offense really good or could be injury prone again and leave offense weak

AL Wild Card: Cleveland Indians

AL Championship: Tigers over the Yankees

AL MVP: Alex Rodriguez

AL Cy Young: Justin Verlander

Since the beginning of the semester, we have had two interns helping us out around the station and during my show.  Though they are not allowed to make eye contact or address anyone by their first name, so far they have been excellent in their abilities to answer phones.  As a reward for good behavior, I'm publishing Intern Tom's first blog on the Arizona Wildcat Basketball season.  He's a journalism major at UofA and one of the finest human beings I have ever met.  Actually, only one of those things is true.  Anyway, here's his first crack in the hyper competitive world of blogging...

 INTERN TOM's BLOG

The 2007-08 season was a trying one for anyone who bleeds red and blue. From Lute going on a sabbatical to the early first round exit (again) it was a rough one to watch.

The guards for the ‘Cats were the bright points for the team. Nic Wise was the surprise of the season, after having to watch Mustafa Shakur for a year you would have figured that he would have regressed but he should that he could control the ball and run the team. Jerryd Bayless was the star of the team. He was absolutely dominant when Wise went out with the injury and showed the promise that many thought he when coming out of high school. Chase Budinger went from being the leader and returning hero of the team to Amelia.

The big men for UofA struggled, Jordan Hill was in foul trouble for half the season, Fendi is strong and good for 4 fouls a game, Jamelle Horne showed some promise when Kevin O’Neill let him out of the doghouse and Kirk Walters should have taken the shot against UCLA instead of passing (joking, why was he in the game at the point anyways?).

Now that the 2007-08 season is done (finally), it is time to see what lies ahead for the 2008-09 season.

Coaches

Lute Olson: The white haired one has said he is coming back and that he will fulfill his contract through 2011. Many people are excited to see Coach O back at the helm after whatever Kevin O’Neill was doing on the sidelines. Olson will bring the up tempo style back to UA that this team needs in order to score. Will we see zone defense? You better believe it.

Around the beginning of the school year, expect to see Olson announce that he will retire after the upcoming season. Olson did not want to retire with the disaster that was the 07-08 season and will want to go out with dignity and class. Plus it will help bring some closure to not only Olson but Tucson. There is a possibility of the team announcing a head coach in waiting. My sleeper pick is former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery. Which brings us too…

Kevin O’Neill: Au revoir, Adios, Hasta La Vista. No matter what language you speak there is no other way to put it, KO is gone. The body language, the avoidance of the topic in his press conference, everything says that he is leaving. Sure UA will have to buy him out and we will hear about how much money the athletic department had to spend to get rid of him but it is worth the money.

The riff between KO and Olson is too wide and mostly from KO’s side. Olson talked to players “behind KO’s back” and we heard about through “anonymous sources” (I wonder who it was? hint hint). The style of play between the two coaches clashed. KO offering recruits scholarships that Olson says he has no interest in even talking to. Even the style of calling timeouts, “TO” using them all up in the first half while Olson saves them and uses them in the last two minutes. Plus, how will KO deal with going from calling the shots one year to being a minor voice on the team?

Replacement: Former UA assistant and Oregon State coach Jay John

Josh Pastner: Pastner has a coaching spot as long as Olson is the coach. He is the best recruiter on the coaching staff and is probably the coach that players can relate to most. There has been rumors that he is up for the Rice head coaching job. This could be a good audition for him taking over the Arizona basketball program in 10 years, maybe even 5.

Miles Simon: Wow, did Lute blow the Reggie Geary thing or what? Expect him to leave due to “personal reasons”.

Replacement: I would like to see them right their mistake and have Reggie Geary back but another possibility is another former UA aide Jessie Evans.

Players

Jerryd Bayless: The best player from the team would benefit from another year in the program. His left hand is weak and can sometimes play out of control and take bad shots. OK, I’m getting picky but it would be nice to see him back. The downside of him coming back is 1) he gets hurt or 2) he does not get as many touches with Brandon Jennings at the point. Both of these could hurt his draft stock.

Bayless’ decision: With the fifth pick in the NBA Draft the _____ pick…Jerryd Bayless.

Chase Budinger: Chase was a ghost for half of the season. You did not know what you were going to get with Chase. Sometimes he would be lights out and score 25 and other nights Wilma the Wildcat showed more aggression on the court. Chase NEEDS another year to learn to become more of a leader and more aggressive on the court. Teams are licking their chops at getting an athlete that can shoot and jump out of the gym but the passion is lacking for Chase.

Budinger’s decision: Chase will be the feature on the Arizona men’s basketball media guide for his last season.

Jordan Hill: Hill is the biggest question mark of them all for these three and is the most important player for UofA to get back next season. Without him they have no proven post presence and their next best option is incoming freshman Jeff Withey. Hill could use another season to refine his low post moves and not rely on his jumper so much. Hill has off the court issues that could lead to him leaving. He is at best a second-rounder this season and would benefit greatly with staying another year when the talent in next year’s draft is worse and putting on some weight to bang with the pros.

Hill’s decision: He’ll be back and if Kevin Love and Brook Lopez leave, he’ll be the best big man in the Pac-10.

Nic Wise: There have been rumors that if the above three come back that Wise would leave because he would be coming off the bench again. Wise will most likely lose the starting PG spot to Brandon Jennings if Bayless stays but BJ would move to SG if Bayless leaves. Wise improved over the offseason and will only get better after recovering from knee surgery.

Wise’s decision: Wise will be the heart and soul of next year’s squad dishing assists and starting the break alongside Brandon Jennings for Olson.

Jamelle Horne: Most of you are thinking why are you putting a guy who hardly played in the top 5 question marks for next year? Well, Horne will play a big role and will either start or be the first one off the bench depending on what others decide. Horne was solid on defense but made mental errors on offense. Most of those errors can be attributed to being afraid to make mistakes and being pulled by KO.

Horne’s decision: 42 stays. He’ll play a big role for the ‘Cats coming off the bench to give the starters a breather, something they did not get all season.

Athletic Director Jim Livengood: After he apparently wanted to let KO take over and let Olson go, he is second to KO on the hot seat. Lute has enough pull in the community to make anything happen, so getting on his bad side is not a good idea. Livengood has done a terrible job at hiring coaches (that’s an understatement), so why should he be allowed to hire a replacement? He shouldn’t and the University should start their first job search over the summer with finding an athletic director who has a good track record of hiring coaches. (Especially if the football team falls short, again.)

I couldn’t believe how many people were complaining about the NCAA tournament after the first day.  You can’t complain about the NCAA tournament.  That’s like complaining about Christmas gifts on Christmas Day.; its just poor form.  After spending an inordinate number of hours watching the first four days of games, here are some thoughts:

Biggest Upset: If I had to pick a game, it would be Davidson over Georgetown.  Stephen Curry, whose nickname should be Baby Stevie, drops 30 on the Hoyas after an opening round total of 40.  He looks like Jason Kidd’s son’s head on a college player’s body, it’s a little disturbing.  But he is a force from the outside.  Davidson will now take on Wisconsin in the Sweet 16 and as is the case with every opponent against Wisconsin, the biggest challenge will be not falling asleep.  I’m starting to think Kirk Walters caught his mono from the Wisconsin tournament game in 2006.

Biggest Upset that didn’t happen in a game:  I was shocked that  Mike Krzyzewski didn’t start gnawing on a wheel of cheese late in the game versus Belmont and West Virginia.  I imagine he winds down after a game by running on a giant enclosed wheel. 

Best Team in Tournament: Its hard to argue with North Carolina at this point.  Also, Kansas is doing a good job of making that case as well.  If this plays out as it should, and c’mon if March Madness is anything its predictable, UNC and Kansas will meet in the Final Four and we’ll be subjected to an endless barrage of Roy Williams vs. Kansas pieces when in realty the move likely benefited both Williams and Kansas.

Worst Team in Tournament: Vanderbilt.  The Commodores lost by 21 as a 4 seed to Siena.  Most college basketball fans probably couldn’t tell you which state Vanderbilt or Siena resides in but the Commodores nonetheless were able to embarrass whichever state they belong to (Its Tennessee, Vandy is in Nashville).

Worst Uniforms: Marquette.  Good lord, didn’t Marquette learn anything from the 95-01 Vancouver Grizzlies.  Where did those uniforms come from?  They look like someone threw up some Easter Peeps and they decided to keep it as their uniform. 

Biggest Letdown: USC.  Their athleticism neutralized by Kansas St. just muscling them all over the court.  USC was the biggest victim of Pac 10 officiating.  Protected all season by officials who do not allow the slightest bit of contact, the Trojans played a rough and tumble Kansas St. team, a team partially recruited by Bob Huggins, and didn’t know how to respond.  They needed to push the tempo all game and use their athleticism to spread K State out, but they didn’t know how to react to not hearing a whistle every 15 seconds.

Back with a breakdown of the Best Sweet 16 games later this week.

Andy Katz will join us on Happy Hour tomorrow, tune in at 5:25 PM.

I attended the Phoenix Suns vs. San Antonio Spurs game on Sunday, a game in which the Suns battled back from a 6 point 4^th quarter deficit to eventually win.  It was my first NBA game attended in person of the season and first one in 2 years that I attended as an actual fan and not a member of the media.  Everyone thinks getting media passes to games is one of the great perks of working in radio, but the reality is attending sporting events as a member of the media absolutely neuters you and desensitizes you to what it means to actually attend as a fan.  You remain emotionless and unbiased for so many games; it takes a long time to get back into heckling mode.  Regardless, attending the Suns game reminded me that so much of the entertainment comes from just watching and noting fan behavior.  Some notes from the aforementioned Suns/Spurs game:

• Courtside for this game was Muhammad Ali (rousing standing ovation) and John McCain (fans sort of confused whether to stand and applaud or not, most applauded).  Suns courtside celebrities are the only ones who actually exceed the age of 4 of their starting 5.
• A couple of rules to remember if you are attending a live sporting event, but specifically a NBA game

1. Don’t wear a button down shirt – I know the constant hip hop music blasting in the arena makes it seem like you are actually going to a club.  But you aren’t.  It’s a sporting event.  Dress like it.

2. Don’t tuck your shirt in - Same as above.  People are coming to games to be reminded of work, they are coming to escape it.  This especially applies if you are daring to wear jean shorts (jorts).  Never, EVER, under any circumstance should you be tucking something into jorts.  It’s not even acceptable to wear them if you are under the age of 35.

3.  If you are going to ogle the cheerleaders, sit down in your seat and do it – During one timeout, the cheerleaders came onto the floor and the smattering of dudes who were still standing and staring just came off as extremely creepy.  Windowless-van- with-airbrushed-castle-and-unicorn-on-side-creepy.

4.  Try to contain yourself for the free t-shirt – I don’t understand why people get so rabid over a cheap, screen printed t-shirt which will likely fade into the rag pile after about 6 washes.  Unless there are just thousands of homeless people masquerading as sports fans, there is no rational explanation for the behavior fans display trying to get a free t shirt. 

5.  If you are going to heckle, you either be bringing some decent heckling material or be prepared to be heckled yourself.  I would like to see all sub par hecklers heckled themselves if they have weak game.

6.  Whenever the “Everybody clap your hands” song comes on, DO NOT clap your hands.  It’s like a children’s instructional song masquerading as acceptable fare for a sporting event.  The more people that clap, the more it encourages teams to employ these insulting tactics. Only clap when you are reacting to what’s happening on the floor, not by some random, terrible song.

Back with more later in the week.