Jonathan Says

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

When putting University of Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen on the CT Fire-O-Meter a couple of weeks ago, I did it knowing that it would take a lot for his alma mater to show him the door. After all, Friedgen has taken the Terrapins to heights they had not reached since Bobby Ross ran the team (the 1980s).

Well, Maryland has had it’s ups this year (defeating Clemson) and has certainly had its downs (losing to Middle Tennessee State)-but nothing can be lower than getting blown out 31-0 by a hapless Virginia team.

To put this in perspective, Duke beat the Cavaliers by four touchdowns. I’m not saying that this loss is going to cost Friedgen his job (it’s not), but it’s this sort of loss that makes me think his seat is only getting warmer. There is a chance that Al Groh’s team has finally come together despite inexperience and lack of depth, but that just seems unlikely to me.

What is more likely is that Friedgen got the Terrapins as high as he could, but hasn’t done a good job maximizing winning seasons.

Wake Forest’s Jim Grobe was hired around the same time as the Maryland coach and while he didn’t have the same success early on, he is certainly reaping the benefits of getting solid recruits and running a solid game plan.
If losses like the one to Virginia continue to occur, expect Friedgen to face the same fate as John Bunting and Chuck Amato, who were fired by their alma maters (North Carolina and North Carolina State) for their lack of success.

NBA

The leaves are changing color outside. The nights are becoming crisp. This can only mean one thing-football . err . NBA preseason!

Seriously, is there anything more anticlimactic and unanticipated than the preseason? Major League Baseball’s spring training gets a lot of press, as does the NFL preseason. However, there is something about the NBA’s version that turns me (and I think the majority of basketball fans) off.

If you ask me, the culprit here is the NBA Summer League. I never understood why there is a league during the summer that accomplishes the exact same things as the preseason. Teams get to sign players and try them out, rookies get their feet wet in pro action and coaches get to implement different offensive and defensive strategies.

So why do we have both? The preseason just adds more games until the actual season starts and realistically adds more chances for players to get injured (A toast to you, Antawn Jamison).

So what’s my point?

Either make the summer league the official preseason, or get rid of it all together. This way, injuries will be more easily avoidable and the start of basketball season will be a little bit more exciting.