Thursday, March 8, 2007

Teflon Coach

Why do some people seem to get breaks with the media? Why are some public figures roasted at the steak every time they step out of line while others get away with highway robbery? There may not be an answer to the question of unexplainable public perceptions. One thing is for sure, Coach K is definitely one of those public figures who always seems to come out of scandals looking clean. Why? Is he really that powerful, I think not. The latest scandal coming out of Duke is the intentional foul or flying forearm/elbow by Gerald Henderson to UNC'S Tyler Hansboro that knocked the Tar Heel to the floor, breaking his nose, and spouting blood all over his jersey and the floor. It was late in the game and was the Dukies fourth loss out of five to their hated rivals.
What's crazy is all the people who have proclaimed to have seen the replay of the mugging and have then turned around and said that it was obviously unintentional. What are they looking at? Why are they defending Duke? Does Coach K have dirty pictures on most of the media and is holding them over their heads daring them to say something negative about his program? What a joke! Coach K is like Tim Robbins character in the Shawshank Redemption, "He crawled through a river of shit and came out clean on the other side."
I don't think Coach K is evil, or that he even runs a dirty program, but I do think that he receives preferential treatment for no reason other than the fact that a) he has been tremendously successful and b) he schmoozes the press.
His comments after the game did little to suppress the feeling that he had given out the order for the hit on Hansboro. "The game was over, or at least the outcome was, Coach K said. "I don't know why those kids were out there in the first place. I guess that's what happens, so be it."
I guess this is what happens when the media lets an individual become bigger than the game and allows him to wield too much power.

Mavs Win 16th Straight

The Mavs won yet again Tuesday, defeating New Jersey 102-89 at home. The win makes them the first team to clinch a playoff spot in the NBA. Point Guard Jason Terry led Dallas with 24 points. Dirk Nowitzki had another superb game with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. Dirk is now considered in many circles (see www.espn.com and www.nba.com) to be the front runner for MVP of the regular season. He has led the Mavs to a NBA best51-9 record. When will the Mavericks ever lose again? Well after a four day break, they hit the road for a two-game West Coast trip that begins in L.A, against the Lakers on Sun. Then they play Golden State on the second day of a back to back. They will then hurry home to meet Phoenix on Wednesday on ESPN. The Mavs will have to play some of their best basketball of the year to win all three and keep the streak alive.