wordjockey
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UK 1st in wins, 1st in NCAA appearances, 7 Titles, etc. & counting!
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Post by wordjockey on Aug 19, 2004 15:23:30 GMT -5
Name: Wordjockey Age: 44 Grade: working on 1st masters (secondary ed.) and 2nd B.A. (This one in English) Height: 5' 11" State: KY (Born in NC. Lived all around, TN, GA, OK, FL, TX, NV) Hobbies: Working on the next "Great American Novel," cooking, learning how to use photoshop. Will kick your a$$ at the NYTimes Crossword puzzle. Interesting Fact: Used to be a wild boy, in the Nightclub/resturant and Hotel/Casino business. Was an Air Traffic Controller, and in Network Computer Sales. Survived all that and cancer.
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wordjockey
Veteran
UK 1st in wins, 1st in NCAA appearances, 7 Titles, etc. & counting!
Posts: 51
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Post by wordjockey on Sept 16, 2004 1:49:25 GMT -5
Oregon has a 28 pt spread. Granted, this doesn't make them infallible, but oddsmakers make spreads as big as they can until the serious players start making them go down. Ergo, the smart people in Vegas think Oklahoma will win by more than 28 points. The other smart people agree by not betting on the underdog. qcomdrj- You are in the ballpark on odds, but not exactly correct. The oddsmakes in Vegas want to set the spread at an amount that they hope will have people BET equally for both teams, e.g., 1/2 of all dollars for one team to win, and 1/2 of all dollars for another team to win. They make their money when you bet, by the "vig", ( the percentage they keep for taking the bet) and could care less who wins or loses. Obviously, they need to have some ballpark of where the game will go, or any Joe Six-pack would bet his house on say, Slippery Rock being favored over Oklahoma by 30 points. The lines move when massive amounts go to one side or the other, usually by a few large bettors, or an injury report or rumor, shared by large bettors, or a groundswell of folks hearing such a rumor. This is also the reason you see games listed as 'OFF', something, like a quarterback being questionable physically, (like a Michael Vick for the Falcons) in mid-week. Just a FYI.
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wordjockey
Veteran
UK 1st in wins, 1st in NCAA appearances, 7 Titles, etc. & counting!
Posts: 51
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Post by wordjockey on Aug 27, 2004 9:50:19 GMT -5
Nebraska, Tennessee, Clemson, Michigan, Ohio State, Georgia, can all get votes. I'll make a case for UK. We are in the top 25 nationally in attendance (69,000+ per game) and every year we get beat by the rest of the SEC like a rented mule. That's loyalty, or at least delusion. I won't put us at #1, but at least we are good fans. And bowl comittees love us, those one in 5 years we manage to go. And we are so polite when we lose, unlike basketball season. From my bartending days, I loved seeing LSU fans come to town. Lots of fun, and great tippers, too.
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wordjockey
Veteran
UK 1st in wins, 1st in NCAA appearances, 7 Titles, etc. & counting!
Posts: 51
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Post by wordjockey on Sept 8, 2004 15:58:33 GMT -5
I'd set aside politics for basketball. Going to most of UK's games this year, obviously.
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wordjockey
Veteran
UK 1st in wins, 1st in NCAA appearances, 7 Titles, etc. & counting!
Posts: 51
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Post by wordjockey on Sept 7, 2004 22:36:14 GMT -5
LSU has a basketball team? I know they lost to Houston last year and they were probably the worst team in all of D-1 last year....doesn't say to much about LSU. LSU pretty much fell off the basketball map after Shaq left. Sci fan Even a homer like you knows better than that. LSU can beat half the Big 12 (the worse half) anytime. (And anyone can beat Nebraska in basketball.) They aren't the best team in the world, but worst in D1? A little over the top, my friend. They played better team ball after Shaq left and before he got there, by the way. Same will happen in Miami.
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wordjockey
Veteran
UK 1st in wins, 1st in NCAA appearances, 7 Titles, etc. & counting!
Posts: 51
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Post by wordjockey on Sept 6, 2004 19:19:02 GMT -5
Strong, solid team. Good recruiting year, but will be chasing Alabama and Miss. St. for the west title. Arkansas could be a sleeper as well. They did land the best recruit for '05, so LSU should be good for the next 2 to 3 years, barring injury.
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wordjockey
Veteran
UK 1st in wins, 1st in NCAA appearances, 7 Titles, etc. & counting!
Posts: 51
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Post by wordjockey on Sept 8, 2004 13:06:31 GMT -5
I vote for Robin Roberts as the best looking sportscaster who is related to a possible POY. Bills, I hate to break this to you, and it might not/should not even play into your opinion, but Robin used to be a local sportscaster for an affiliate in Altanta. She "plays for the other team," if you catch my drift. Still a great sportscaster and attractive, mind you. Just a FYI.
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wordjockey
Veteran
UK 1st in wins, 1st in NCAA appearances, 7 Titles, etc. & counting!
Posts: 51
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Post by wordjockey on Sept 1, 2004 14:33:57 GMT -5
Nice sleuthing, Roy_who. You Kansas grads are good for something. Speaking of which, how's things in the great Northwest? Not to be off topic, or anything.
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wordjockey
Veteran
UK 1st in wins, 1st in NCAA appearances, 7 Titles, etc. & counting!
Posts: 51
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Post by wordjockey on Aug 31, 2004 20:57:36 GMT -5
In college, Bill was damn close. He was considered a better passer, they were close on rebounds, but Lew would win the shooting battle. I guess, by a bit, Alcindor. But I'm probably biased from the pro stats. I got a kick out of him being such an obvious "hippie type" playing for Wooden, which was and is quite a feat for Wooden, when you consider it.
I was always under the impression that it was Wilt that caused the dunk rule, but I may be confusing it with widening the lane.
Anyone know about the lane thing?
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wordjockey
Veteran
UK 1st in wins, 1st in NCAA appearances, 7 Titles, etc. & counting!
Posts: 51
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Post by wordjockey on Aug 31, 2004 20:49:45 GMT -5
Hey Chill out. I never said the ACC allowed blacks to play in the early or mid-60's, i didn't bring up the ACC at all. All I said was that a number of players could do what Maravich did if they didn't play against black players. I stand by that. I wonder if you disagree. Imagine Larry Bird, David Thompson, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Lou Alcindor, Bill Walton, Oscar Robertson, or Tim Duncan playing against all-white competition. Wouldn't they have dominated as well? Notice, I never said players on the next level down were as good or better than Maravich. However, if we're trying to find the single greatest player of all time we should compare him to the BEST, I'm saying his level of competition was not as difficult as any of the rest of the players I previously mentioned. The reference to his pro career was, simply, that early on he had large numbers of turnovers and took many poor shots, leading to a poor FG%. (I tried to find the numbers at the website you quoted from but couldn't.) I wonder, since you have this weird desire to criticize my age, the maturity level of someone who would end an arguement that was never heated with the line "Grow some pubes." Classy. Bob Knight would be proud. Sorry if the pubes remark hurt your feelings. My bad. Here's a player, from Maravich's time, Earl Monroe. Both were guards, about the same size. Monroe averaged .464 FG .807FT 3.0 RPG and 3.9 APG Pete's were .441 FG .820 FT 4.2 RPG and 5.4 APG Not as high an average on field goals, but he was "the" shooter, so guarded closely. Not bad. Both are on the NBA 50 all-time squad. My point is that you are discounting him because of history, or the lack of the knowledge of it. That's all. I still would take Oscar Robertson as my all-around guard guy. (Not counting Jordan, who is in his own league, with Wilt.) The pubes thing comes straight from Dick Cheney, not Bob Knight. My mistake. You had to be there, Pete was a "rock star" of his day, and a show unto himself. I will still contend he was one of the best offensive players, ever. Would have made a perfect Globetrotter.
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wordjockey
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UK 1st in wins, 1st in NCAA appearances, 7 Titles, etc. & counting!
Posts: 51
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Post by wordjockey on Aug 30, 2004 9:54:16 GMT -5
Back to my original post on this topic, I would put Thompson right at the top. He was stunning. I was able to see him play on TV, and he was playing while the dunk was outlawed, but had HUGE hops. I would have a tie with Thompson, Walton, and the 'Big "O'", one for each major position. Choose your poison. In athletic ability, I would rate Thompson as #1.
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wordjockey
Veteran
UK 1st in wins, 1st in NCAA appearances, 7 Titles, etc. & counting!
Posts: 51
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Post by wordjockey on Aug 29, 2004 23:58:38 GMT -5
The problem with putting Maravich on the list is not that he didn't play "predominantly" black players. It is that he played NO black players, the SEC was all White is his day. Was he a great college player? yes. But he doesn't belong in this onversation. Kentucky fans know all too well what happens when play in a all white league after they got beat by Texas Western in Cole Field House years back. To prove my point, look what happened to him when e did play against black players, professionally, He got embarrassed often. He's and amazing player, no doubt, but doesn't stack up against Alcindor, Walton, Larry Bird, David Thompson, Len Bias, Patrick Ewing, Oscar Robertson, David Robinson, and others. I will start with a quote from before your time... "Jane, you ignorant slut!" First of all, I brought up Wilt Chamberlain to show you how stupid your argument is. Check and see how many black players he played against at Kansas. Next, UK did lose with an all white team to Texas Western in 1966. How many black players were in your wonderful, precious ACC in the '65 - '66 season? One. Two more were added the next year, so don't get preachy. Next, let's examine Maravich in the pros: He played on losing teams, as top draft picks often do. His rookie season, his average was 23.2 ppg,(9th in the league) and was named to the all-rookie team. In his 3rd season he averaged 26.1, 5th in the NBA ( a teamate was 4th) and went to his first all-star game. He also had 6.9 assists per game, good for 6th in the league. In the '75 -'76 year he was 3rd in the league in scoring (behind Macadoo and Jabbar) The next part comes straight from the NBA website: "The following season was Maravich's finest as a professional. He saw action in 73 games and led the NBA in scoring with a career-best 31.1 p p g. He scored 40 or more points 13 times, the most in the NBA that season and he led the league in total points (2,273), field goals attempted (2,047) and free throws made (501). On Feb. 25, 1977, he scored 68 points in a game against the New York Knicks despite the efforts of defensive ace Walt Frazier to bottle him up. Maravich's performance that day ranks as the 11th-best single-game total in NBA history. He returned to the NBA All-Star Game in 1977 and earned his second straight berth on the All-NBA First Team" Also from the same site: "Maravich was a notorious long-range bomber during his career, but ... he had never played in a league, college or pro, that used the three-point shot. All of his many points had come on two-pointers, even when launched from a great distance. In 1979-80, the NBA finally adopted the three-point shot. In his final season-with his skills rusty, his knees creaky, and his minutes limited-Pistol Pete Maravich finally got a chance to shoot three-pointers. He went 10-for-15." Doesn't sound embarassing to me... In conclusion; your arguments, as stated before are baseless, stupid, and don't deal with facts. Grow some pubes and do some research before you make claims you can't back up. You are making Maryland fans look bad. I like them, for the most part, but you aren't helping.
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wordjockey
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UK 1st in wins, 1st in NCAA appearances, 7 Titles, etc. & counting!
Posts: 51
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Post by wordjockey on Aug 27, 2004 9:20:58 GMT -5
As for the Laettner stats... It will sound like sour grapes, coming from a UK fan, and I don't deny he played great in the NCAA's... BUT he got to play 4 years, and there are more games ( 64 teams since '85, I think) so Walton, Alcindor, and co. Can't compete on the totals records. I would bet they would have had more, if in a 64 team tourney and allowed 4 years to play. Again, not denying Latner his due, just pointing out apples and oranges.
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wordjockey
Veteran
UK 1st in wins, 1st in NCAA appearances, 7 Titles, etc. & counting!
Posts: 51
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Post by wordjockey on Aug 27, 2004 9:14:22 GMT -5
Probably the best frontcourt to play in one state at one time... (1985) Len Bias...College Park, Maryland Patrick Ewing...Landover, Maryland David Robinson...Annapolis, Maryland Now THAT statement I could agree with.
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wordjockey
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UK 1st in wins, 1st in NCAA appearances, 7 Titles, etc. & counting!
Posts: 51
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Post by wordjockey on Aug 27, 2004 2:30:13 GMT -5
Saying Maravich wasn't a great player because he didn't play against predominantly black competetion is incredibly stupid. You could say the same for Wilt Chamberlain, and you would sound just as off base. Pete was an incredible offensive talent, shooter, passer, and dribbler. Overall, I would go with Oscar Robertson or Bill Walton, but to make that statemant about Maravich is just uninformed. He played in the pros, and did just fine offensively, on poor teams, playing against a lot of great black players. Len Bias was a good player, but gets this "aura" around him because he died. Look at the record books. Did he dominate the national competition? No. David Thompson, you could argue, was among the best, or Bernard King, or a lot of others. Don't let Maryland glasses and youth blind you to good players from the past.
An add on: Maravich, (and Alcindor, Robertson, Thompson, etc) scored all those points in 3 years of eligibility. Top that. A player today won't do that against the Washington Generals. The game is different, granted, but it ain't gonna happen. Players are too busy now trying to go one-on-one for a dunk to make the Sportscenter highlights.
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