You Cannot Be Serious?!?! American "Tennis"

The United States of America has produced some of the best tennis players in history. Sampras, Aggasi, Tilden, Connors, McEnroe, Sears are just a few of the successful American male tennis players. On the female side, we have given the world Evert, Navritalova, the Williams sisters, King, Davenport and Capriati. The United States is home to the largest tennis stadium in the world, Arthur Ashe and home to one of the most popular of the slams- the US Open. American tennis rivalries have been fierce. None more fierce than McEnroe and any line judge that gets in his way. The United States has been at the forefront of international tennis for years. Yet in the new poll released last week, no American male or female is ranked in the top ten for the first time since the 1970's. USA, USA, USA?

The causes for American downfall are too complex for my meager mind. One thing that is very clear is that the men are in more trouble than the women. Both Williams sisters have been dealing with serious medical issues for much of the past two seasons forcing them to miss tournaments. Missing tournaments doesn't allow you to collect points necessary to be highly ranked. No one can argue that the Williams sisters have been the dominant force in womens tennis for the last decade. Hopefully they will be back on the court soon and will continue their dominance for a few more years.

The mystery lies on the mens side. Looking at the latest rankings you find that the Americans highest ranked player is Sam Querry. Young up and comers appear in the rankings as well including Donald Young and John Isner (who played in the longest tennis match in history at Wimbledon). These players are known throughout the American circuit, but globally the one American who carries real weight is Andy Roddick. Roddick's career has been one of ups and major downs. Roddick rose to world number one in 2003 following his win at the US Open (his only slam). Roddick has been in the top ten for a better part of a decade, reaching 4 other slam finals. He fell to Federer in a memorable Wimbledon match back in 2009. Roddick has had success, but his career is becoming more known for his antics and misses.

McEnroe made a career out of being the bad boy of tennis. His tirades were dealt with because he was winning. Roddick's antics often times appear to be childish. Roddick is known for his temper and misdirected rage (see the multiple broken racquets). Roddick is a world class player with a lot of potential, if he can harness it. Roddick has dealt with a series of injuries that has forced him to miss time on tour. All the greats go through this, it's how you bounce back that defines you. Nadal made amends for missing nearly a whole season by coming back and dominating slams. 2007-2009 Roddick dealt with injuries that cut into his time on tour. He was still able to put together a decent resume. 2009 really saw the return of Roddick. That was the year of Wimbledon. He came so close to knocking off Federer in very, very,very long tiebreak in the sweltering London heat. He underperformed at the US Open but came out swinging in Australia in 2010. The rest of 2010 was a nightmare for Roddick. Poor showings in smaller tournaments mirrored into poor showings at the slams. Roddick can hang those poor outings on illness and injury. After all, he won 2 tournaments in 2010.

He cannot blame illness or injury on his 2011 campaign. He has been stunned in the first round of several tournament, most recently by an Italian qualifier in Rome. Roddick performs better in the later stages of the season. His worst tournament is the French Open and his overall clay court performance is certainly nothing to brag about. 2011 is young, and by all accounts Roddick is healthy. Wimbledon and the US Open (including the US Open hardcourt series) is where he has the most success. We can't write off Andy Roddick just yet. He isn't James Blake. Roddick has won the US Open and has been to the finals of other slams. Roddick must have a decent performance at Roland Garros in order to get into a good position for Wimbledon. I am not a fan of Roddick personally, but I am hoping that he can put together one last run at a slam. It has been almost ten years since an American has won a slam, it would be nice to see Roddick win another.

*He better not be playing against Andy Murray.

Launching Braintree

After nearly a year of tinkering, I think it is officially time to roll out "Braintree". I have always been impressed with President John Adams. David McCullough's biography of Adams showed this nation what an asset he was in the fight for independence. Adams had many flaws that hopefully will not show their way onto the pages of this blog. One of his strengths was his love of free speech. That is exactly what Braintree will be. It will be a place to comment on the news of the day- both sports and world events. For the summer months, we will mainly focus on the NBA Playoffs, Grand Slam Tennis, The first GOP debate, MLB, and any other events that suddenly transpire. Moving into the fall we will turn our attention to college football, MLB playoffs, the NFL (maybe), and the off year elections here in the commonwealth of Kentucky. I don't claim to be an expert on anything. I only hope to present news in an analytical yet witty way that is different from what you see everywhere else. Stories that fall through the mainstream cracks will also be looked at. Feel free to submit ideas, events, pictures or whatever you wish. The more input the better. I hope that you enjoy Braintree. Enough self promotion, lets do this.

There is No Place Like Nebraska

To many people, the months after a college football season ends consists of NFL playoffs, NCAA hoops, NBA playoffs, NHL playoffs and the start of the MLB season. To the few folks who live and breathe college football, the months after that over-hyped BCS Championship Game consists of coaching changes, recruiting scandals and of course next years schedule release. The 2011 off-season gave college football fans something else to muddle over- new conference affiliations!

The most talked about move during the "realignment" period was the move that started it all. It was no secret that the University of Nebraska was unhappy in the Big 12. Suspicions mounted early on that the Big 12 only benefited the southern members of the conference, specifically Texas schools. This suspicion can be explained in many ways. One way is that Nebraska was put in a division that was "weak". That is accurate, but only if you look at the last 2 years of the Big 12. Colorado, Kansas State, Mizzou and even Kansas had their moments of glory in the Big 12 conference. Nebraska clearly was THE school in the north division, but its power in the conference was in fact diminished, but not because of the way the conference was divided.

Another way to explain the suspicion is that the north inhibited Nebraska from getting big money games- I.E. a yearly game with Oklahoma/Texas. The overall power was in the south. Texas and Oklahoma HAD to play each other every single year. Nebraska was robbed of its annual rivalry game with Oklahoma so that the Red River Shootout could take precedent. Nebraska was also losing out on exposure thanks to the Big 12 media rights. Texas and Oklahoma got a lot more in terms of national publicity much to the chagrin of Husker nation.

Suspicions are usually developed to take fans minds off of the brutal truth- that truth is that Nebraska just wasn't competitive overall in the Big 12. Fans will fire back, hey we have to play a weak schedule and that makes us weak. The 'weak because of our schedule' bit doesn't add up. Nebraska won the last 4 Big Eight championships (and some national titles) before switching over to the Big 12. The trend didn't stop there though. Nebraska won the second Big 12 championship game on the way to winning national title number 3 for Coach Tom Osborne. Under Frank Solich, Nebraska won the conference title two seasons later. Solich even coached the Huskers to the 2002 BCS Title Game where they got thumped by Miami.

Nebraska's problems began after that BCS title game. Solich was fired as head coach in 2003 after his team went 9-3 (losses to Mizzou, Kansas State, Texas). Nebraska panicked after the short success of Bob Stoops at rival Oklahoma. They needed to make a splash and abandon the the things that made Nebraska "Nebraska". They went out and hired Super Bowl runner up Bill Callahan. His arrival in Nebraska was similar to that of Billy Clyde to Kentucky. Callahan promised change. AD Steve Pederson promised that Nebraska would not tolerate mediocrity any longer. His promise was kept. Callahan only had two winning seasons during his time in Lincoln. Callahan had lost games, the fan base, and even the beloved black shirts. Callahan was fired in 2007 and Bo Pellini was brought in to right the ship.

Pellini had instant success in Lincoln. He brought back the black shirt defense of the past (and the actual black shirts) and brought some much needed attitude to the head coaching position. Nebraska's offense hasn't been terribly flashy during his tenure. The most notable names during Pellinis tenure are Ndamukong Suh and Prince Amukumara, both defensive beasts. Nebraska appeared in the Big 12 championship game 2/3 years Pellini has been head coach. The attitude was back in Lincoln.

Nebraska used to be the top dog before going through a period of stagnation. Nebraska could still be a player in the Big 12. Competitiveness on the field isn't why Nebraska left. They left for greener pastures financially. Nebraska is a mid-west state which seems foreign in the Texas dominated Big 12. The Big Ten has something that the Big 12 doesn't- the Big Ten television network. Nebraska will be given permanent exposure to a large television audience in all sports, not to mention the added revenue. Entering the Big Ten allows Nebraska to strengthen its recruiting force in the Mid-West. Head Coach Bo Pellini is an Ohio native, and often dips into Ohio to snatch recruits. Nebraska will keep its Texas recruiting ties at least for a few years until the Big 12 dries those pipelines up. Recruiting to Nebraska will be easier when you look at the schedule- Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State and in 2016-2017 Tennessee. You will be playing in the largest stadiums in the nation week in and week out. The move to the Big Ten is a move that brings Big Red home.

In the end, it makes sense for Nebraska to be the twelfth member of the Big Ten. Is Nebraska the power it was in the 90's? Absolutely not, but neither is Michigan, Florida State, and Penn State. Powers go through periods of transition. Nebraska seems to be coming out of that recession. Nebraska never was at home in the Big 12. No longer will Nebraska have to worry about that. The fans too get what they want- a "tougher" schedule. The Big Ten is not the SEC, but by adding Nebraska, they easily become the second best conference in the nation. Nebraska will force the Big Ten to evolve. Michigan has a new coach that brings some west coast flare to Ann Arbor. Tressel will likely be run out of town paving the way for a young new mind to come in while Joe Pa's days in Happy Valley are coming to an end. Perhaps the addition of Nebraska will help to resuscitate the image of the Big Ten nationally. It will never surpass the SEC, but maybe one day the Big Ten can compete toe-toe with the SEC at the highest level. I guess we will just have to sit back and watch.

Beat Ohio State.

The Decision and the Apology: The Maturation of LeBron James

Last summer LeBron James made "The Decision". He did so on ESPN during primetime. The event was hyped and full of promotion. LeBron did one noble thing that night. He donated all of the proceeds of his primetime spectacle to charity. The Decision marked the end of his time in Cleveland and ushered in the new era in Miami. James teamed up with Team USA teammate Chris Bosh and headed to South Beach to bolster a revamped Heat with Dwayne Wade leading the charge. Of course the city of Cleveland was angry at this decision. They were mad that the hometown boy left home. Many people around the country were mad at how the decision was made.

No one has any objections to a professional team adding powerful components to their lineup in order to win. Winning teams bring in money, and all pro teams are out to bring money. The New York Yankees have been called the evil empire by many of their critics. It's an unfair nickname. Granted, I am not a Yankee fan. I do not get mad over the fact that they load up with all stars every season. Baseball lacks a salary cap. They are doing what they can to win- which is the purpose of professional sports. I have nothing against the Heat. They have proven in this postseason that they can win with 3 really good players and a cast of secondary players. The team has gelled and they are fun to watch. My problem lies with LeBron James.

LeBron James isn't a one man show. We all learned that during his time in Cleveland. LeBron wants to win. The ownership in Cleveland wasn't listening to its star player. Many could argue that LeBron always gets what he wants. That he has been coddled as a player. That certainly wasn't the case in Cleveland. Cleveland got greedy. They built a team around LeBron. However, they didn't give him the keys to win it all. The money they gave him was justified because of the money coming in (how many Cavs games were sold out this season?). Cleveland could have kept LeBron had they made more of an effort in the last 2 years to build a winning ballclub. Firing the best coach you have had in a while to keep LeBron was a selfish move. Obviously it didn't work.

So where is the problem? Cleveland seems to be at fault in all of this. They had every oppurtunity to keep James. They chose not to. They chose to milk the cash cow that is LeBron Inc. The problem lies with LeBron's attitude in all this. He dragged out the most obvious of decisions. Instead of simply announcing that he was leaving Cleveland, he decided to go for the throat. But the throat of who? He went for the throat of Dan Gilbert. It worked though. Everyone remembers Dan Gilbert's outrageous letter he released once James left town. I can understand why Gilbert wrote that letter. He never should have published it. The letter was written out of anger.

The Decision was dramatic in the sense that we all had to watch the event unfold. Cities like Chicago, New York and Miami took out huge ads in the local papers. When I was in Chicago last summer, a private citizen put an ad on a billboard on Michigan Ave. begging James to come. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg appeared in a youtube video begging James to come. The problem is "The Decision". He didn't just hold a press conference in Akron that was open to all the media. Instead he flew to Connecticut and held a private ESPN only event that gave the worldwide leader exclusive access to the news. The hour long special dragged on and on and on as they showed highlights of LeBron's career. Then at the end, he said- Miami.

So here we are- May 11, 2011. Redemption day for LeBron. In beating Boston (with Miami) he is able to put to bed some of his demons. For LeBron to fully apologize, all he needs to do is win a title. Once he wins it, he can freely admit he could never have done it alone. That's all I want. I want for him to stop "Witnessing". Professional sports is about winning. Beating a beliguered Boston team in the second round isn't winning. You are an NBA All-Star and the "heir apparent" to Jordans crown. Don't collapse at half court and act like you just won the title when all you did was to vindicate old demons from your past. Professional sports is about winning as a team. Superstars always play with emotions. Sometimes those emotions make them look foolish. Think Rooney or Rodman.

What's my point? My point is that LeBron James is quite possibly the best professional player in the game right now. He commands enourmous audiences and has put a brand on this generation of NBA viewers. For him to reach the next level, he has to win an NBA title. Winning it this year would go a long way in changing my opinion of him. I still think he acts like a child sometime. Coming pro out of high school does not allow for much maturation. LeBron has matured, but his quest for a ring has crippled his maturation. The media (and people like me) are to blame for this. He has been under enormous pressure since entering the league. Winning a title will silence his critics. Winning it with the Heat will show that he can be a team player. The LeBron of Cleveland will be dead. The new LeBron (that he himself talked about in "The Decision" )will take flight as the LeBron of Team USA that envisioned joining forces with Wade and Bosh and reaching for their collective dreams together. Win it this year, and "The Decision" will be forgotten. No apology will be needed. Winning a title as a team will show the world that LeBron James isn't the best player in the league. It shows the world that LeBron James is the next Michael Jordan. Jordan couldn't win it alone. He had the help of Rodman, Pippen and others. Win the title this year and no one will remember the James of Cleveland, just like no one remembers the Jordan of Washington.

Basketball. Basketball. Basketball. Thank God.

They say that time makes the heart grow fonder- or something like that. Indeed, it has been a long time since I have posted on the blog. It's safe to say that a lot has happened. Let's get to it....

Kentucky goes to the Final Four

No one could seriously have predicted this outcome. Sure last years team was a good pick and next years team is all but a shoe in. The 2010-2011 squad was certainly not final four caliber. Forget about it. The Cats put together an impressive postseason romp through the SEC Tournament that carried over all the way to Houston. The wins against Ohio State and UNC were impressive. I think that the Newark bracket sweet 16 and elite 8 games were more entertaining and challenging than final four. The Cats of course came up short against a UConn team that walloped them in Maui back in November. All in all, it was a great ride for the Cats. JORTS!

Jorts is joined in the draft by Knight and Liggins

Josh Harrellson enters the draft as the only senior on the team. Joining him are freshman PG Brandon Knight and junior swingman Deandre Liggins. Jorts is an interesting pro prospect. He probably won't get picked in the draft. He will more than likely be allocated to the free agency market and take his chances with the summer workouts. Knight will most certainly be a top 5 if not top 10 pick. The wildcard is Liggins. I like Liggins, but he NEVER struck me as a pro prospect. He has an upside- his defense. However he only really has one year of work. The argument could be made that Knight only has one year of work too. The difference is that Knight has talent. Liggins has talent too, but he doesn't have "it". Liggins will probably be taken in the late second round or left to test the free agent market. Either way, he will be making money pro somewhere in the world.

I know I just defended Knight in comparison to Liggins. The truth is, I am not convinced that Knight will be "explosive" in the NBA. Don't get me wrong, I think he will do just fine in the league. Kentucky fans should not get delusional and think that this is going to be the second coming of John Wall.

The NBA Playoffs

I have always been a huge fan of the playoffs. This year is different. This is the first season that I have followed wire to wire. I've become addicted. Thanks to my Chicago girlfriend, I have adopted the Bulls as my "team". I wish I wouldn't have been corrupted by her because I have also developed a crush on Indiana. We were able to go watch the Bulls play the Pacers in Indy. If you have never been to an NBA game, you need to go. It was my first NBA game and I absolutely loved it. This years NBA Playoffs has been exciting to watch because of all the "other" teams stepping up.

Dallas has had a crazy post season run that includes a beatdown of the Lakers. Memphis went from being winless into the playoffs to being tied 2-2 and 2 games away from going to the west finals. Oklahoma City is on a mission after being bounced by LA last season. Rondo dislocated his elbow and came back to try and take down the mighty Heat. Then there is the Bulls. The Bulls Pacers series was nerve-wracking and exciting to watch. The fun continued as the tenacious Hawks pestered the Bulls into a game 6 tomorrow night. A lot of great storylines to follow which makes me think- who needs football? NFL that is....

Halftime in the O-Dome

Kentucky is down 2 at Florida at the half. As I said earlier, the game is kind of hard to watch. Foul trouble is looming for the cats. One bright side is that Kentucky's bench played well. Hood, Vargas, and Polson (sans the whitest play in basketball history) have all played well in a season where the bench has failed us time and time again.

Expect a similar second half- but PRAY that our bench can contribute. We need them. Badly.

Oh- Mamma Mia is terrifying. Pierce Brosnan singing is akin to Polson starting.

GO CATS

Kind of a Big Deal....

I have been on a short hiatus. Forgiveness is appreciated. However, the world has not stopped in my absence. Egypt is a nightmare, the nation is covered in snow, and the road to the final four is littered with WTF moments. No need to go through all of them- just the one that matters to us.

The nation always likes to gush on the Gators. They love the Gators. We Kentucky fans always ignore such infatuation because we know that when it comes down to it (post Noah years), Florida is always a letdown.

That is not the case this year. Kind of. True, Florida does boast the second best record in the SEC. They are the leader of the SEC East.

Both teams have similar records over their last seven games. Kentucky has one more loss than Florida over that stretch. However, Florida had miraculous over time wins at Georgia and at Tennessee.

Kentucky is coming off a rough little patch that includes losses at Alabama and at Ole Miss. Kentucky has only lost away from Rupp this season. The last two losses were by a combined 4 points. The road has not been kind.

Kentucky enters the O-Dome Saturday night with Gameday in tow. It is THE game of the day. Both teams have a lot at stake. However, I think Kentucky is the team that is hungrier for a win. Kentucky, and her players, have a lot to prove...

They need to prove

1. They can win close games: Every game they have lost (sans UConn) has been 9 points or less.

2. They can win on the road: HORRID road record. Wins at Louisville and Portland are all we have.

3.The "seniors" can lead: Senior Jorts and juniors Miller/Liggins need to step it up. The last game against Ole Miss saw LITTLE out of our leaders.

4. They are "Gameday Ready": This team has shown spurts, but they need to put the hammer down for the whole game.

Outcome: Kentucky enters a HOSTILE O-Dome Saturday night. I expect a fight the whole game. However, I see Kentucky find that will to win and surge ahead in the second half. It won't be pretty. It won't be fun. In the end, Kentucky grinds out an UGLY win at Florida.

Kentucky 68 Florida 65