College Basketball Season Starts, Feelings of Trepidation Begin

Last night college basketball season tipped off with Duke beating some cupcake team. I know that's how big college programs start their seasons in every sport. Whatever, I'm fine with that, I like to see a win in the season opener as much as anyone. And with the Maryland team this year, we're going to need all the cupcake teams we can get, or maybe not.

Last season, Maryland gave up some easy wins to not very good teams, including American and Ohio. Yet, they managed to beat UNC while healthy, one of the few teams to do that. I fear that Maryland basketball might suffer the same problems as Maryland football, they play to the level of their opponent and forget to show up sometimes. This is a young team that is lacking in leadership and big men. Yes, they have Vasquez and Hayes as solid guard options, and that new freshman who was magically declared eligible, but this is a team that is going to struggle with consistency.

I know I'm sounding pessimistic again, as I tend to do at the beginning of any season for a team I follow, but lets be fair. I haven't had a reason to be optimistic before any season started this year. And with the Terps missing the NCAA Tournament 3 out of the last 4 years, and having an epic collapse last year, can I really get excited. I'd rather be surprised if Maryland does well than disappointed if they play terribly.

I believe that the ACC is the best conference in college basketball. Yeah, some people will argue that the Big East is the best, but I think they lose credibility when they have so many teams, they can't all play in the Big East tournament. The ACC was a little weaker than normal last year, but it's still a force to be reckoned with. And with 6 teams from the ACC ranked in the top 40 on rivals.com and 7 teams in the top 65.

This seems to be yet another rebuilding year for Maryland. Though I hope Gary will be able to motivate the team to somehow make the tournament. I'm tired of getting excited only to wind up watching the NIT every year. I'd rather go out in the first round to the Tourney than go deep in the NIT. And I think most people would agree.

I'm not going to make any preseason predictions as to what the Terps record is going to be. I really haven't put that much effort into analyzing the schedule and looking at how other teams are doing. And I really just have no idea what's going to happen. Maybe, Gary will get his alcoholic ass together and be able to motivate this young team and coach them into solid play, while showing the fans and alumni that there is a lot of upside for this young talent. And maybe, Gary will get so drunk he'll pass out mid game, leading everyone to think he finally had that heart attack everyone sees coming. Or maybe, he'll actually have a heart attack during an ACC game. Really, I can see any of these possibilities happening.

One thing I'm pretty certain of though, this whole, I won a Championship seven years ago routine is not going to fly much longer if the Terps keep missing the tournament. Maryland fans expect this team to be competitive every year and are getting tired of going to the NIT. If Gary doesn't turn things around this season, a lot more people will be calling for his head.

Photo: AP and found on the Baltimore Sun website

Ravens Are Bowl Eligible

Well, I was wrong. Before the season began, I predicted the Ravens final record to be 5-11. As of right now the Ravens are 6-3 are tied with Pittsburgh for first place in the AFC North after a 41-13 win over the Texans. And the Ravens are looking better than anyone I know expected and have compiled four straight wins. The Ravens are taking advantage of the weaker teams they have to play and getting the wins they need to get. They have only beaten one team with a winning record, but two of the three games they have lost were very close. And as the Ravens seemingly get better each week, they will probably have a good chance to make the playoffs.

A lot of this renewed hope in Baltimore is due to the 'three headed monster" running back approach. Call me an elitist if you will, I am going to rename this the Ravens' Hydra. I think it sounds better, and makes sense. Running backs Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, and Le'Ron McClain combine to tear apart defenses week after week. It seems as if a team tries to shut one down just has to worry about another. In a way, if you cut off one head, another grows back in its place.

One reason that the Hydra is so effective is the offensive line good play. This line was suspect coming into this season. Plagued with injury and inexperienced players, the O-line has overcome these obstacles and come together quite nicely. They open running lanes and help to make the big plays. They will however face a big challenge next week against the Giants' defense. And we'll get to see if the Ravens' offense is really coming together or has just capitalized against weak defenses.

The Hydra and the offensive line also allows Joe Flacco to excel. The Ravens are able to run the ball so there is less pressure on Flacco. And the offensive line relieves pressure by giving him plenty of time in the pocket. He's been able to mature from game to game and can lead the team down the field. He can spread the defense by throwing the long ball, man, he has a rocket for an arm. And it turn, this helps the Hydra to succeed. If a defense stuffs the box to block the run, he can throw a long pass and open up the field.

Every part of this team seems to be working together to make the other parts better. The second string quarterback, Troy Smith comes in and runs the option, he creates another threat and adds another highly skilled player to the offense. He enables Flacco to become a receiver, which helps to confuse defenses. And receiver Derek Mason has been running great routes making Flacco's passes look even better because Mason keeps coming down with the ball. Even Todd Heap was getting in on the action last week, reminding everyone why we used to love this tight end.

Cam Cameron has done a great job this year making this offense work. He deserves some type of award for finally giving Baltimore an offense. I'm happy Miami was so bad last year so the Ravens were able to pick him up. I guess something good came out of the 1-15 season.

But this is still a very good defense. Ray Lewis, who people were saying was past his prime, came down with two interceptions yesterday. He continues to be a dynamic force on the field and great leader on the sidelines. Even in his 13th season he continues to be effective in leading the defense which has not allowed a 100 yard rusher in recent memory. Only three teams this season have scored over 20 points on the season and only one team, the Colts, have scored over 30 points. Those are impressive numbers. This is a defense that cannot be overlooked, even though the offense has been shining this year as well.

Expect the defense to play a big part next week against the Giants, the defending Super Bowl Champions are 8-1 this season and are pulling away from the NFC East, considered the best conference in football right now. They are looking to be serious contenders again this year, and a win by the Ravens would be a big statement about how far this young Baltimore team has come.
It should be an exciting game next week. We'll see if the Ravens' Hydra combined with new dynamic offense and brutal defense can shut down the Giants' own three headed monster. It'll be a good test for the Ravens who have so far this season exceeded expectations. While playoffs this year would be great, knowing that we are able to compete with the best teams in the league will be a good enough result for me.

Fear the Turkey

Last night Maryland went out on the national stage to make a statement. Unfortunately that statement was "this is not our year." Maryland has played well some games and dismally others. They are only half a game out of first place in the ACC Costal Division but they were outplayed in every way by Virginia Tech last night. All night they traded touchdowns for field goals or punts. They wasted excellent field position time and time again. And they put almost no pressure on the VT quarterback Sean Glennon, who is still recovering from a high ankle sprain. Maryland can't even rush a gimpy guy. That is not good.

The only glimmer of offense came when Heyward-Bey caught a pass from Turner and ran 63 yards to the end zone. It finally looked like there was a change in momentum. After that, a VT player was hit by the kickoff and Maryland recovered. But even with such great field position all the Terps could muster was a field goal to make the score 20-13 VT. And that was the end of the comeback for Maryland. The final score was 23-13 VT. I know that Da'Rel Scott is injured and so we have to rely more on the passing game. But this was a game of wasted opportunities much like this season has been one of wasted potential.

It's possible that Maryland could turn around and win the next three games and go to the ACC Championship game. As of now two out of the last three teams they play are ranked. And the Terps have been prefect this year against ranked teams. But last night showed that they are undersized and inconsistent. The defensive line averaged about 50 lbs. lighter than VT's offensive line. Fifty pounds is almost half a person, not a football player, but a person like me. Why are we so small?

The reason is that our recruiting sucks. VT is in Blacksburg, VA. It's a nice town, but it's in the middle of nowhere. And they recruit way better than Maryland, which is right outside of DC. How is this possible. Is our team that terrible that players are willing to go live in the middle of nowhere rather than play for us? Why can't we get bigger recruits? I know the ACC isn't really a football conference, and I can understand players wanting to live in boondocks to play for a SEC or Big 10 team. But we're losing these players to VT. Come on.

I know that it's not normal to do this with a winning team that has beaten a bunch of big teams this year, but I'm calling for Fridge's head. Or at least calling for some better recruiting. Yes, we've won the big games, but imagine how great we'd have been this year if we'd actually won the games we were supposed to win as well. It looks to me like there is a problem with the leadership. And maybe it's time for some new blood.

Maryland had the opportunity to be great this year. They could be dominating the ACC right now if they would just show up all the time. I know the team has made big steps since last year and I appreciate that. And maybe it'll continue next year. But it's just as likely that next year Maryland could finish at the bottom of the ACC.

So come on, I'd like a little consistency. And a bigger defensive line. I hope the Fridge is listening, because I doubt I'm the only Maryland alumni to feel this way.

Not So Fantasy Thursday

Now I like football as much as the next girl, well, maybe more, but I don't really like NFL games on Thursday nights. Besides the fact that the games are on a channel that no one gets, I almost feel like it's too much football. I know, this sounds like crazy talk. How can one have too much football? I'm not exactly sure, but I think the answer is by having Thursday night NFL games.

Now, I'm perfectly happy with Thursday night college football games. In fact, I love those. (This might have something to do with Maryland playing Virginia Tech tonight.) But Thursday seems to early in the week to have NFL games. It gives team an extremely short week unless they are playing after a bye. And as a result I think the football viewers suffer.

The NFL already has all day Sunday and Monday night. Do they really need Thursdays as well. I like to spend my Thursdays either watching college football or Grey's Anatomy. Whatever, you know you've watched it too. Now I'm expected to go to a bar and try to watch some NFL game just so I have an idea whats going on because it's a nationally televised game and therefore a big deal? Boo to that.

The other problem is that Thursday night games are terrible for fantasy football. I now have to remember to make my picks before Sunday morning. I guess I can deal with that, but I also like to play around with my fantasy roster all week. What can I say, I have a few mediocre wide receivers, and I usually decide to go with my gut at the last minute. Now I'm being forced to commit to a few players by Thursday. What if I want to pick up someone off waivers only to find out they've already played? I don't like this at all.

This week its not a big deal. Jay Cutler is my starting quarterback and that's not likely to change. But what happens when I have someone who I decided not to play or totally forgot about and has a huge week. I have to stare at that stat for a few days and have it eat away at my confidence.

One plus, is this week I have my quarterback starting on Thursday and my opponent has no one. So I get to be in the lead for at least two and a half days. Which will be nice, but could easily come back and bite me in the ass. Also, I get annoyed having to wait until Monday night for a winner to be decided. This is just going to be worse.

Fantasy participation is up over the last few years. Again I have no stats for this but I feel like everyone I know now has a fantasy team. This was not the case a few years ago. So I'm going with my observations. And I have to believe that as a corollary, people are paying more attention to football. Now I'm not saying the NFL should base its schedule on fantasy owners. But a lot of these owners are fans. And the NFL should schedule games around the fans preferences. And I'm not sure most fans want Thursday football. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's just me.

I know that no one wants to hear about anyone else's fantasy team. But this complaint is a fantasy team owner complaint, not so much about my actual team. So thank you for listening to my little rant. Let's leave Thursday football to the NCAA.

GO TERPS

Flacco for President

For years, Ravens' fans have watched our beloved defense win games and haven't complained too much. But this weekend we saw something different. The offense actually came from behind and won the game. When the Ravens were down 27-13 in the third quarter I thought it was over. Yeah, I was ready to call it quits and go take a nap. But I hung on and something wonderful happened. We cam from behind and won. The Ravens scored 24 unanswered points in the second half.

There have been many games over the years where the Ravens have scored 24 points over the course of several games. So this is a big change for us loyal fans. All of a sudden, we're not out of the game when down. All of a sudden, we can come from behind. This is a huge change. And its something to get excited about. Games will be more fun to watch because everyone loves offense. People will have more reasons to cheer. And Baltimore will have a much better chance to not only have a winning record but make the playoffs.

Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like we have found a franchise quarterback. He has a cannon for an arm, can run if need by, and even has pretty good hands for any of those crazy trick plays. I doubted him in the beginning. I didn't think he was ready. But it goes to show that a level head, poise and steep learning curve can count for more than experience. Experience doesn't hurt. With every game he gets better and better. And that has to have something to do with experience, but I guess it could also be comfort within the system.

Flacco now has my full vote of confidence as a starter. And if there are any fans still not behind him, I think you should take another look at his accomplishments. He has no interceptions in the last three games while having four passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. He's not afraid to take risks and throw the long ball to spread the field. He stays calm in a crisis and can orchestrate a come from behind win on the road. He even runs a no huddle offense with only minor snafus.

So as a Ravens fans, I think I've found change I can believe in.

Maryland Wins Big on Bye Week

For the mercurial Terps, the bye week might have been there biggest victory so far. They did not have a chance to play while Florida State and Georgia Tech slugged it out. Luckily for Maryland, Georgia Tech won, which places Maryland on top of the ACC Atlantic Division. Which means, Maryland is now in control of it's own destiny. If the Terps continue to win, they could go the ACC title game. That's right, the team that barely beat Delaware and lost to Middle Tennessee is now a legitimate contender for the ACC title.

Maryland is now 6-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play. They go to Virginia Tech this Thursday for a nationally televised game. Virginia Tech is no longer ranked but maybe Maryland will step up because this is a nationally televised game and play the way they have in big games. Maybe they have finally gotten their act together and will continue to play to their potential. Since their first bye week, they have won two in a row. One to an unranked team, in the pouring rain. So maybe this will continue. (By the way, can someone explain to me why they get two bye weeks, I'm not complaining, I just don't remember this happening before.)

Maryland is now ranked 23 in the BCS poll and the AP poll and 21 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. They are bowl eligible and keep up the good play could be looking at something better than the Tire Bowl or Toilet Bowl or whatever lame bowl games they've gone to in recent years.
I know this is a lot of optimism and hope to put on the line when talking about a team that sometimes fails to show up, but I've been very pessimistic lately and am trying to see the glass as half full.

The ACC has been wide open and very volatile this year. The standings change pretty dramatically every week and Maryland has a tough schedule for the last 4 games playing VT, UNC, Florida State and Boston College, all of which have winning records overall and only Boston College has a losing conference record. I think this is actually a good thing for the Terps. They tend to play to the level of their opponent. So when they have a tougher opponent, they tend to play better than against a cupcake team.

No matter what happens throughout the rest of the season, I've been pleasantly surprised by the Terps this year. Despite their struggles and some ugly wins, they have done better than I expected. This probably means I've jinxed them and they will go off the Lithium and go back to being bipolar, but I guess I can live with that. I mean pretty much every team that is bowl eligible gets to go to one now. Even if it is the Toilet Bowl.

Whatever, I'm still excited for Thursday's game. GO TERPS!

The Audacity of Hope: Life as a Sports Fan

On Friday a friend asked me when the parade started so that she could avoid it. She then went on to say that she thought sports fans were the dumbest people out there. They get all excited because they have no lives and root for sports they can't play. And then get feel like they have achieved some sort of personal victory because "their team" won. I thought this was an odd thing to say to me, since I'm probably the biggest sports fan she knows, and I spend way too much time watching, reading and writing about sports. But it got me thinking about why do people invest so much time and energy and emotion into their sports teams.

Sports allow people to invest in something bigger than themselves. When you are a sports fan, you are part of something. There is a large group of people who bond over the triumphs and failures of a group of athletes playing a sport at any level. You watch a game that you love and forget about everything else. They are an escape where you can focus on two teams or athletes fighting it out. They are an alternate reality where everything can be broken down to x's and o's or simple mechanics.

Sports are a reason to get together with your friends. They are a reason to party and celebrate. Be it the Superbowl, the World Series, March Madness or just a Sunday afternoon. There is always a reason to meet up with people and hang out and talk.

Fandom can be a family tradition. Even if you don't support the same team as your parents, many times they are the ones that instilled the love of the game in you. I may complain about how long the baseball season is and how terrible the Orioles are, but I get a little teary eyed every time I drive past the spot where Memorial Stadium used to stand. I'm not the worlds biggest baseball fan, but the sight of that stadium's old spot are enough to flood me with memories. And I have my parents to thank for that, for instilling a love of sports in me.

Sports also give people something to talk about. During a lull in the conversation, sports are an easy topic. While people harbor strong feelings about their teams, they are usually willing to talk about sports in a mostly civilized manner, unlike religion or politics. They are a common ground among most people. Everyone has at least one sport that they at least half way care about even if it's rhythmic gymnastics.

If you're like me, they are also a way to pick up guys. Yeah, I use sports to pick up guys. It's easy to butt into a conversation about sports, rattle off a few facts, and then apologize for butting in. Usually guys are then confused by a girl with even a cursory knowledge of sports, so they forget you rudely interrupted and happily accept you as part of the conversation. And it's an easy way for them to talk to a girl. So everyone wins.

But I think most importantly sports give people a sense of hope. I sense of anything can happen. And a sense that if you keep trying long enough and work hard enough, you will persevere. There's always next year. It could happen. America is still a country that loves an underdog or Cinderella story. Don't believe me, look at every sports movie in recent history, see any stories about how great a dynasty team is? People believe that you can rise above your place. Sports are a reason to hope. A reason to cheer. A venue for heroes to arise and villains to be defeated. Dramatic story lines are created. No one stays on top forever. And for that reason, your team could be next.

Sports often lead to heartbreak instead of championships. But there enough victories during a season that its worth watching. And the little victories of beating a rival or making the playoffs are usually enough to tide a fan over. Besides, there's always next year. Sports give people a reason to hope and if for no other reason, it's great to be a sports fan.