Next week, the 2009-10 college basketball season begins, which means we’re roughly 21 weeks away from knowing who the 2010 national champion will be in Indianapolis, IN.

There are lots of changes to this season. For my Alma mater, Alabama, they’re at year 1 of a new beginning, a new chapter with a new coach. There’s a new scoreboard for Coleman Coliseum among other improvements to the venue for this season. I have lots of memories of the basketball team when I was in school. I can remember my freshman year sitting court side behind one of the baskets for the Kentucky game. I remember going to that game specifically to see Rick Pitino. I remember thinking how strange a feeling it was when he walked out on the court, like a king had just entered the building with his bodyguards dressed like mobsters. I remember when Mark Gottfried was hired. I remember it being such a breath of fresh air when he arrived. I remember going to Midnight Madness when the NCAA still required the teams to NOT scrimmage until it was actually after midnight. I had a huge crush on Jeremy Hays. He was the center on the team when I was in college. I still have his autograph on a poster and a t-shirt. But alas, the Mark Gottfried era, though it brought an Elite Eight and Mark’s Madness student section who did their best to keep the SEC refs in check, came to an end last season. Anthony Grant was hired in March and that same newness and breath of fresh air seemed to overtake those of us who actually pay attention to Alabama basketball. It’s a spark, an excitement, a push in what we hope is the right direction for the program. And it begins with this first season.

There are lots of changes this season. For North Carolina, the team I’ve pulled for since I was in my mother’s womb begins it’s 100th basketball season next week. For the 6th time, they are beginning a season as the reigning National Champions. In some ways they are starting over, too. Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, Mike Copeland, and Bobby Frasor will not be dressed in Carolina uniforms. This team will do everything they can to chart their own course, make their own legacy all the while living in the shadow of the legends that have walked that campus and played for that school. They will look to model their game after people such as Lennie Rosenbluth, Phil Ford, Michael Jordan, James Worthy, and Antawn Jamison…among 100s of others. They’ll play for the name on the front of the jersey instead of the one on the back (we hope). They’ll be guided by one of the most accomplished coaching staffs in college basketball. They will try to handle the pressure not only of living up to the legacy that has been built over the last 99 seasons of Carolina basketball, but also the pressure of the media to see what this reloaded team can do as an encore to the last 4 seasons that culminated in the school’s 6th championship.

It’s exhausting, sometimes, what these 21 weeks can bring. I know with great certainty that while I absolutely LOVE the game of basketball, I usually feel like I’ve run a marathon by the time the championship game rolls around…and all that without ever putting on a uniform or dribbling a ball, so I can’t imagine the exhaustion level of one of the players. I’m determined to have fun with this season. Last season I was frustrated with the way Mark Gottfried’s tenure ended. He deserved a better ending. And I was nervous for every Carolina game that it would be the undoing of the entire team and they wouldn’t win their championship they’d worked 4 years to win. So, this season I want it to be different. I want to enjoy it…to feel that fun that Coach Williams talks about all the time. To experience the journey whether it be with the 1 or the 100 or both.

Bring on the season.

Bring on the fun.

ROLL TIDE and GO HEELS!

Shaun Alexander’s bodyguard: That’s what I always remember when I think of Chris Samuels.  Chris was responsible not just for protecting the quarterback at Alabama, but for opening holes bigger than the Grand Canyon for running back Shaun Alexander as Alabama made their run for their 21st SEC championship.  I can remember thinking our season was over when Chris got hurt.  Most people would have pinned our hopes and dreams on Shaun Alexander’s cuts through the field, but no…I knew our bread and butter was with Chris.  What I didn’t bank on was Chris Samuels so seamlessly transitioning to the role of coach and leader during his recovery.  But what comes to mind after I daydream about how incredible he and Shaun were together during that 1999 college football season, is the kind of person Chris is.

Lately there has been speculation that Chris is close to retirement after 10 seasons in the NFL, and with his recent addition to the Washington Redskins Injured Reserve list, it seems all but confirmed.  When I first heard about his neck injuries that could cause him permanent damage if he didn’t retire, I wanted to cry.  Chris is one of the good guys…The guys that you don’t hear about because the players in the NFL who are the bad guys are much louder.  You don’t hear about Chris staying out at a strip club throwing money in the air until the crack of dawn, but you also don’t get to hear what he’s really doing, such as constructing a mixed-income housing development in Selma, AL.  It’s only when players like Chris retire that we get to hear the great stories about the person they are instead of the helmeted football player we see 16 weekends a year.

Take this story from Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback for example:

Samuels was drafted by the Redskins third overall in 2000 to be their left tackle for a decade. He almost made it. He’s started 141 of 150 games, playing through painful shoulder, knee, ankle, back and neck injuries. But now, having been advised he risks his long-term health if he continues to play with a neck injury, he’ll sit the rest of the season. Many of his teammates think he’s played his last game.

I followed Samuels in 2000 during the run-up to the draft and through training camp — in part because SI wanted to do a you-are-there story on a top prospect as he prepared to leave the cocoon of college and enter the pressure of playing right away in the NFL, and in part because of the rise in importance of left tackles. Michael Lewis tells the tale of the value of a left tackle superbly in The Blind Side, and I credit him for seeing what the game has become. Tackle has joined quarterback and pass-rusher as the three most important cornerstone positions for NFL teams.

But as I followed Samuels, I saw not only a good player but also a compelling and conscientious person. The day before the draft, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on Broadway, he twice turned away the housekeeper who wanted to make up the room. “It’s OK,” he said. “I got it.” He’d already made his bed, tidied the room and straightened up the bathroom, hanging the towels neatly on the rack.

In training camp, Bruce Smith and Dana Stubblefield took it upon themselves to school the rook and make his life miserable on and off the field. He took the taunts and the hazing through mini-camps, but determined he wouldn’t take it once the real practices started. It took just one practice for Samuels to fight back, taking Stubblefield on a wide rush and, when Stubblefield popped him in the forehead, Samuels cold-cocked him with a roundhouse right to the neck, just below the helmet. He knew as the cornerstone of the offensive line, he had to be a fighter and defend not only his turf but his peers’. He became one of the go-to guys on the team.

When Sean Taylor died senselessly, Samuels vacillated between outrage, fury and leadership — knowing he had to be there for the grieving, mostly younger guys in his locker room, which he was.

“I’ve been here six seasons,” Chris Cooley told me, “and three of those six seasons we’ve had some significant turmoil. But I never saw guys quit or try less, and part of that is because of Chris. He set such a great example with his work and his play. Part of being a leader is just showing up every day and working hard, and that’s all he’s ever done.

“It’s just so unfortunate that we lose him. He’s been the solid rock of the Redskins for 10 years. Cherished by the community. So respected by everyone in the locker room. He’s the kind of guy who would have made a great Hog. That’s about the greatest thing I could say about him — he would have fit in with those great Redskins of the past.”

If Samuels and Jones are forced to retire, the league will be diminished without them, and without players like them.

We need more stories like this.  We need to be able to tell kids that want to be football players when they grow up that they can be like Chris Samuels instead of being like the bad guys.  And we need to be able to tell them these stories before the players even consider retirement.  Whatever Chris decides to do I know it’ll be the right choice, but I’ll still be sad the day he does retire because of the person the NFL will be losing.

It’s that time of year, again.  My campaign to get Dallas Clark voted onto the Pro Bowl roster last season fell short.  But we have new life this year.  Why, you ask?  Because Tony Gonzalez now plays for the NFC…so I’m saying there’s a chance.  There’s a chance with the player who has hogged the voting for the TE position in the AFC now playing for the other conference, that Dallas Clark has a better opportunity to get the votes he needs.

If you have but one vote to cast, make it a vote for Dallas Clark for the NFL Pro Bowl.    Click the logo below to vote.

I could spend the rest of this blog explaining to you why you should vote for Dallas Clark, but I’m not sure WordPress has enough room on their server for that.  So, just watch this clip from Sunday’s game vs. the St. Louis Rams.

After that catch, Peyton Manning told the media this about Dallas Clark:

It was just a corner route. The safety was on the hash. Once he moves to the middle of the field, that brings you back to Dallas Clark. I just tried to throw it up high and give us a chance. Dallas has made that catch before. I’m not saying it’s routine, but he can spoil you.

Need more evidence, watch this clip from the week 2 game against the Miami Dolphins.  I should probably mention that this was the first play from scrimmage.

Dallas Clark is the 3rd ranked TE in the NFL, but it should be noted that he has more yards per reception and more yards per game than the two ahead of him.  The NFL ranks the TE’s by number of receptions, so consider the fact that Dallas has done more with less receptions than the other two guys.  Also, those other two guys have a fumble each, whereas Dallas hasn’t dropped the ball, yet.  In fact, in his entire career (this is his 7th season), he’s only fumbled the ball 4 times, and of those 4 times, he’s only lost the fumble twice.  For what it’s worth, in my opinion, Dallas has deserved to be named to the Pro Bowl for a few years now.

If you’ve got some time, click on the Pro Bowl logo above.  It will take you directly to the ballot.  The Tight Ends are on page #4.  The ballot opens with QBs, then RBs, then WRs, then TEs.  So click the green continue button towards the bottom 3 times and you’ll be on the Tight Ends page. You can vote as many times as you want, and while you’re there, why not just go ahead and vote for ALL the Colts players!

Thank you for your time.

Manning’s torrid start is great even by his standards

Is it just me, or is the last thing any team in the NFL wanted to hear was that at the age of 33 and in his 12th professional season, Peyton Manning is playing better and more consistently than he has in his entire life.

It makes me wonder about how amazed I’ve been when the Colts won 10, 12, 12, 14, 12, 13, and 12 games in each of the last six regular seasons.  Was Peyton just hanging out and throwing passes for fun and not focusing?  I mean if this is the best start of his entire career, have the other 11 seasons just been practice?

I always seem to find myself saying that just when we think we’ve seen all his tricks, he surprises us with something new.

ROLL TIDE ROLL!!

Despite the rain that has saturated the entire southeast for the last month or so (it stopped raining right before kickoff), I had one of the best times of my life.  This was an incredibly cool experience. 

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This is Peyton Manning’s 12th season in the NFL.  You would think that after all this time we’d have seen all his tricks.  But, last night against the Miami Dolphins he pulled another rabbit out of his hat.  Peyton Manning has suited up in a Colts uniform for 178 regular season games.  He has won 119 of them.  37 times he has lead his team in the fourth quarter to a come from behind victory.  I have always felt honored to be a fan of his.  He understands the great blessing he has of being one of the 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL…what a privilege it is to be in his position as a human being and as an athlete.  Last night, he reminded us all of how incredibly humbling it is to be even considered in the same breath as a man whose career was over before Peyton was ever born.

Johnny Unitas has always been described as the ultimate field general.  The man who could walk on a football field poised, calm, cool, and lead his team down the field to score whatever points they needed to win the game.  He did that 118 times in his 18 year career.  And until last night he was the winningest quarterback to ever wear a horseshoe on his helmet.

Last night, the Colts controlled the ball against the Dolphins for 14 minutes and 53 seconds.  Yes, you read that right.  14:53!  The game is 60 minutes long.  That’s less than a quarter of the game.  They had 3 plays in the entire 3rd quarter.  And here’s the kicker…they won the game.  Let me repeat that.  THEY WON THE GAME!  The Dolphins scored 23 points, controlling the ball for 45 minutes and 7 seconds.  The Colts scored 27 points.  The NFL started keeping time of possession stats in 1977.  Since then, no team has controlled the ball for less than 15 minutes and still won the game, but then again, no one ever asked Peyton Manning if he could do that.

It’s not how long you have the ball.  It’s what you do with it when you have it.

With the win last night, Peyton Manning surpassed, at least on paper, Johnny Unitas as the winningest Colts quarterback of all time.  And he did it the same way Johnny Unitas himself would do it.  I thought that was only fitting.  When you pass the person on the list who did it the right way every time, you should really model your performance off of his.  Peyton never got flustered.  He didn’t cringe when he saw the rushing yards the Dolphins were racking up against his defense continue to grow.  He didn’t yell at anyone.  He didn’t slam his helmet to the ground.  He didn’t kick the Gatorade cooler over.  He just sat there with his teammates and waited for the next opportunity to take his offense out on the field.

But let’s back up.  Let’s back up to the first play of the game.

Officially, this is what the play by play says about the first play: P.Manning pass deep middle to D.Clark for 80 yards, TOUCHDOWN.  What it doesn’t say is how both Peyton and Dallas grinned from ear to ear like they’d been practicing that since Wednesday and were just then getting to enjoy the fruits of their labor.  What it doesn’t say is how shocked the MNF announcers, the fans in the stands, and the Colts radio announcer Bob Lamey all were.  What it doesn’t say is that you could practically hear Chad Pennington saying to himself, “HOLY $#%&, where’s my helmet?”.

Now don’t get me wrong, Chad Pennington and his Dolphins offense did absolutely everything right.  On any other given day, during any other given game, he would have easily done enough to win the game.  The problem was that he was playing Peyton Manning and the ghost of Johnny Unitas.

I’m not gonna lie to you.  I was a little concerned as I watched the Dolphins attack my Colts defense on the ground.  In fact, I walked away from the game for the entire 3rd quarter because I was so sick of hearing “1st down Dolphins” and the word “wildcat.”  But strange as it might sound, I was as calm as calm could be last night all the way leading up to the game and throughout.  Normally, I’m wringing my hands, moving around with a lot of nervous energy, and scared out of my ever-lovin’ mind.  Maybe I’ve matured.  Maybe I’m finally realizing that week 2 doesn’t make the whole season disappear.  Or maybe, just maybe, I’ve finally gained the same confidence in Peyton Manning as he has in himself.

Peyton doesn’t feel like he belongs in the same sentence as Johnny Unitas, and maybe, to a degree, that’s true.  The game has changed so much since Johnny Unitas played, but what Peyton did last night was a hat tip to the greatest field general of them all, as if to say, “I may be passing Johnny Unitas on the stat sheet, but I’m gonna pass him playing the game the way he played it.”  Because, no matter how much the game changes and no matter how much time your team controls the ball, the way Johnny Unitas led his teams will always be the right way to play it: poised, calm, and cool.

Thank you, Johnny Unitas for leading the way.

I can’t believe my nephew Lincoln is already two years old.  We celebrated his birthday over Labor Day weekend.  It was a fish/dolphin/shark/sea life themed party.  We had to coax him out of the pool for the cake and the presents, but he had such a good time.  He got a water table from his Aunt Aimee and Uncle Geof, and that seems to be his favorite present.  He loves water, so getting to play in it anytime he wants to is like heaven for him.  Enjoy the slide show.

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Family Statement

“Edward M. Kennedy—the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply—died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port. We’ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever. We thank everyone who gave him care and support over this last year, and everyone who stood with him for so many years in his tireless march for progress toward justice, fairness and opportunity for all. He loved this country and devoted his life to serving it. He always believed that our best days were still ahead, but it’s hard to imagine any of them without him.”

*All of this information and statements from his colleagues can be found on Senator Kennedy’s official Senate website.

If you would like to share a memory or condolences with the Kennedy family, you can do so here.

There’s really no way that my own thoughts could do this event justice, and since I wasn’t there in person, I won’t attempt to do so.  I’ll just let the news report speak for itself.  I will tell you that they painted his autograph on the floor as the way to designate it Tyler Hansbrough Court at Poplar Bluff High School.  I hadn’t even really thought about what it would look like, but using his autograph was a pretty creative idea, I think.

My favorite part is that he specifically referred to his teammates when talking about what an honor this was.  As you can read in the article below, he wants all future players at PBHS who see his name on that court to remember all his teammates that worked just as hard as he did.  Team First = Tyler “what planet are you from” Hansbrough

For a slightly longer, professional video by the Pacers, go here.

Poplar Bluff presents Hansbrough with key to city

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Indiana Pacers rookie forward and former University of North Carolina national champion Tyler Hansbrough was honored Thursday night in his hometown as the city awarded him a key to the city and the gym floor was named in his honor at E.T. Peters Gym, where he played prep basketball at Poplar Bluff High School.

Hansbrough was a three-time all-state selection for the Mules from 2001 to 2005, winning two Class 5 state championships in his junior and senior years.

Hansbrough owns the school record for points scored in a career (2,464), career rebounds (1,175), points in a season (801) and points in a game (44).

Hansbrough, who was wearing a walking boot due to his recent shin injury, pulled the sheet off the newly enshrined Tyler Hansbrough Court.

“One thing about this court is when you see my name out on the floor when the kids are back [from summer break] working out, one thing I want them to remember is about the team that I was involved with,” Hansbrough said. “It wasn’t just myself.”

Hansbrough thanked his teammates for helping him earn this honor.

“It was more the people that I was surrounded with that helped me out in high school and in college,” he said. “I’ve been lucky to be around great people and a great community.”

Hansbrough had family, former teachers and teammates, along with about 500 fans, in attendance.

“We’ve had a lot of great memories here,” Tyler’s mother, Tami Hansbrough, said. “It’s hard to describe. It’s just great to be back and having people supporting you. He’s excited about [the honor], too. Basketball is just a big part of our lives.”

North Carolina coach Roy Williams, former Poplar Bluff coach John David Pattillo and Pacers coach Jim O’Brien also attended the ceremony.

O’Brien said he hoped Hansbrough’s winning ways at UNC and Poplar Bluff rub off on the Pacers, who haven’t made the NBA playoffs since the 2005-2006 season.

Hansbrough went 99-15 at Poplar Bluff and 120-22 at North Carolina.

O’Brien, along with Pacers president Larry Bird and general manager David Morway, were shocked he still was available at their No. 13 pick in June’s NBA draft.

“We are absolutely delighted to have Tyler,” O’Brien said. “We were shocked that he was available to us at 13. We made the decision [a few years back] that we were going to build a team of people of high character that loved to be in the gym, that loved to work, that would be good teammates and good representatives of their community.”

Williams spoke of his memories of coming to Poplar Bluff during the recruiting process.

He made a visit one fall to watch Hansbrough lift weights and shoot baskets. After a visit to a golf course with some Poplar Bluff coaches in the afternoon while Hansbrough was in class, Williams returned later that evening to watch a Mules pickup game.

“I couldn’t talk to Tyler,” Williams said. “It was during the time period that we couldn’t talk to individuals, you could only watch him play.

“I remember walking back and saying to John David, I said, ‘Coach would do me favor? Would you tell Tyler that I was here from weights at 7 a.m. and I was here for shooting at 7:45 a.m. and came back to the scrimmage at 7 p.m. and [Duke coach Mike] Krzyzewski’s butt was just here for the pick up games.’”

Williams never will forget the time spent as Hansbrough’s coach.

“It was a wonderful experience to coach him for four years and be in that locker room,” Williams said.

Earlier in the program, Poplar Bluff Mayor Loyd Matthews read a proclamation and presented Hansbrough with a key to the city.

Later in the evening, Hansbrough remarked that he wished he had that key while in high school so he could have worked on his game.

“It would have been a lot easier to get in this gym,” Hansbrough said. “I wouldn’t have had to climb through the window or break a door. I was really religious about getting in here and working out and getting my shots.”

Friday, August 14, 2009
By ROB TATE ~ Daily American Republic

I’ve been to the Carolina Basketball Museum three times now, and it’s not old, yet.  I’m still finding something I missed every time.  This time was important though.  This time we were going to see the newest additions to the family.  The 2009 National Championship trophies.  I proudly wore my new Hansbrough Pacers t-shirt and still cried when Antawn Jamison says in the video introduction to the museum that he’s never felt on any level the way he felt when he ran out of the tunnel at the Smith Center. 

I understand there is a case in the works for Tyler’s memorabilia that he has donated to the school/museum, but it isn’t ready, yet.  And, the new trophies will eventually be placed in a case similar to the ones the other national championship trophies are in.  Just another reason to visit the museum.  This time through, I only took two pictures because only two pictures needed to be taken, and I still got giggly when I saw the trophies like the game was just the day before.

Funny story: when I took the picture of the game ball and NABC Coaches’ Trophy, I did a double take on the ball at first thinking that it couldn’t possibly be the ball signed by the team from this year because the score of the game wasn’t nearly lopsided enough.  HA!  But it was the correct ball from the correct team. 

If you’d like to see all my pictures from my visits to the museum, go here.