Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Madness in McKale

Christine Olson sat courtside. Lute Olson watched the game from his office with two security guards outside.
The situation at McKale Center is awkward.

It's like a party where a guy who just broke up with his girlfriend refuses to even walk to the other side of the room.
Lute has gone into hiding. He won't speak to reporters to clear up the situation and rumor has it that Kevin O'Neill won't be back if Oslon indeed returns. As Greg Hansen of the Arizona Daily said, the "silence is deafening."
Lute deserves his privacy. Arizona basketball owes everything to him, but he owes it to the fans, to his players, and to the recruits to clear the uncertainity.

The program is in a sad, seemingly unorganized state. The Wildcats are holding on for dear life to their NCAA Tournament chances this season, and with the possible departure of both Jerryd Bayless and Chase Budinger, next year appears even more likely the tournament streak will come to an end.

Lute didn't have to address his personal life Sunday afternoon. But he could have said a few things to the crowd and thanked them for their support. He could have taken the microphone and publicly thanked Jawann McClellan who had one of the most difficult careers of any UA basketball player yet handled himself in a manner that will leave him as one of the most respected UA basketball has had.

I feel bad for Jawann. No one went through more obstacles, from the passing of his father to his academic challenges to the knee injuries that decimated his career. Yet he always kept his had up, was a great leader and gave it 100 percent on the floor. He was a solid citizen in the UA community, interacted with fans and students, and threw himself into all of university life, not just basketball.

Arizona will miss his presence.

It's time for Dodger baseball

The Dodgers top for starters already have a nickname. The Fearsome Foursome.
Brad Penny, Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley and Kuroda should strike fear into opposing teams who have to face the Dodgers in a 3-4 game series. Barring injuries, of course.
One of the interesting aspects of this story is that Brad Penny in an attempt to stay in better shape is riding his bike every day to Dodgertown, a habit he began last season.

On the not so lighter side:

Nomar takes out his frustration on the fans

Check it out: My post regarding the "Birdman"on National Lampoon's Splog.

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