Statistics usually help explain what happened in a basketball game. Sometimes, though, they simply make you scratch your head.
Look at the contributions of Waubonsie Valley starters Jelani Johnson and Kyle Obendorf in the Warriors' 61-40 win over York in their regional title game Friday night. Warrior fans know they've played key roles in the team's 22-win season with Obendorf averaging nearly 7 rebounds and Johnson averaging 13.2 points and 7 rebounds.
As I said to coach Steve Weemer afterward, "If I had told you Obendorf would have one rebound before fouling out and Johnson would score just two points but you were going to win by 21 points you would have thought I was crazy."
"You're right," he said.
But that's what happened. Go figure.
"Kyle was a little down but I told him to stay positive," said Weemer. "He's had a great season. He had a tough night but we stayed alive."
And Josh Daniels, who had a career-high 28 points, said it wouldn't be wise to overlook Johnson's contributions.
The junior did have eight rebounds.
"And Jelani did a good job of locking down No. 12 (York's 3-point specialist Roger Coffin)," said Daniels. "We built off his effort on defense and played hard."
The Yankees are still the evil empire, and he does come off as a little bit arrogant the longer you read into this story, but here he says what we have all been thinking for a long, long time.
To paraphrase Michael Bolton (no, the other one, but you can just call him Mike): There was nothing wrong with the Red Sox until they got good and started winning championships.
is in town this weekend at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont. It runs until 7 pm today, then 9-6 on Saturday and 9-5 on Sunday.
John Daly will make two appearances at the show on Saturday, which should be fun for all in attendance.
I'm literally sick and very tired of this cold and snow and I'm ready to play golf - while I can't make it to the show this weekend, I highly recommend it for all you other frustrated golfers.
I know there are people out there that have feelings on this subject, and what better way to do it than here, at the Daily Dose via The Sports Beacon...
Let me know what you thought of my column, of the other columns or news accounts you read or heard or saw...I'm interested in how you feel about sport, and it's place in times like this.
It's not often that columnists get to add to their print product, but fortunately for me The Sports Beacon allows me to do just that.
I did go into last night's contest between NIU and Western Michigan with an open mind. I was willing to be awed by 9,000 strong at the Convocation Center. But after spending four hours around the campus prior to the game, I got a real sense that that wasn't going to happen.
So what do I do? ...
Read on for more, and the entire poem by Robert Frost...
I went out to Northern Illinois University tonight for the first sporting event since the Cole Hall shootings on Feb. 14. I wasn't sure how I'd be affected by it, considering I've never, ever been around anything quite like that.
I was struck by the vibe there in a very positive way. Many people, students and staff, were wearing some kind of a black and red ribbon. 8x10 printouts and signs were everywhere, reminding everyone to move "forward, together, forward."
It was definitely something to be a part of, if only for a few hours...
We've heard plenty about how many high school kids are giving up playing more than one sport to "focus" on the one in which they think they can excel the most. But there are still plenty that are kids for all seasons.
Shouldn't it? You part with a little bit of your hard-earned cash for the opportunity to get into the gym and watch some high school kids play a little basketball. Simple enough.
It's snowing right now. Again. We're supposed to get 10 inches tonight. View image">Again.
I miss Arizona.
Since '02 I've gone out there four times - and it gets better and better. There's baseball, golf, and no wind, snow and roads where people drive on, rather than do this
because of all the hot/cold fluctuations. For the record, that is Illinois. I swear. I would never do anything for purely dramatic effect.... Ever.
Aurora Christian had four weeks to raise $500,000 for its new football stadium project. If the school accomplished that by the end of February, an anonymous donor would match $500,000 and ACS would be able to play home football games for the 2008 season. With one week left before the deadline, Aurora Christian is $82,000 away from its goal. If it doesn't raise $82,000 in the next week, it's likely that ACS will not be able to play home football games in 2008.
Mississippi State women's softball coach Jay Miller hasn't forgot his roots. The Aurora native has landed another area product in West Aurora pitcher Stephanie Becker.
The 6-foot-2, fireballing left-hander actually made her decision this past summer but announced it this weekend. The talented junior still has two seasons remaining with the Blackhawks before she steps up to the challenge of the competitive Southeastern Conference.
Former West standout Lindsay Hunley completes here senior season this spring at Mississippi State, so Becker won't be teamed with her since she won't join the program until the fall of 2009. She will team up for one season with Kaneland grad Laurie Siebert, who will be a sophomore this season for the Bulldogs.
On today's column about D.J. Smith (potentially) being the first African-American quarterback to ever start at West Aurora...it's a pretty unbelievable thing - even moreso considering it happened in 2006. And since last year's starting QB - and the projected started in 2008 - John Nunnally, is also of African-American descent, some Aurora old-timers have even called it "old news"...
Newark's girls basketball team fought hard, but couldn't overcome Anna Jones and Flanagan. The Norsemen lost in the Class 1A state championship game 62-60 in overtime on Saturday afternoon at Redbird Arena in Normal.
I have a question - why are the most important IHSA state events so far down south? I know, I know, the charm of "going to state" is getting on the bus, staying in a hotel, etc etc.
Who knows, maybe the IHSA has tried to bring football and basketball up north and they can't find the right fit, but wouldn't it be sweet to see state football at Soldier Field (which may happen once they wise up and put FieldTurf in there), or even Northwestern.
I'd love to see hoops at the United Center...I've even heard good things about the new Sears complex out in Hoffman Estates...
It was an emotional Don Davidson who stepped up the ladder and made the final cuts on the net Friday after his Aurora Christian Eagles claimed a second straight regional title, 58-52 over Genoa-Kingston.
Ironically, it’s the same score AC won by Dec. 29th when beating the Cogs in the third-place game at the Plano Christmas Classic.
It’s the 10th regional crown the school has won in the 31-year tenure of Davidson’s program. It’s the first they’ve won at home and the first Davidson has won since the death of his wife, Stephanie, who passed away last fall.
“It’s been a real emotional year for me,” said Davidson, whose career record now stands at 549-303. “My wife’s funeral was Nov. 3rd and practice began on Nov. 5th. I’m really proud of these kids.”
The team has worn red wristbands citing her favorite Bible verse from Ephesians all season.
“It was one year ago tonight, in fact, when she had surgery on her lung and we got the word that the cancer had spread,” said Davidson. “That was devastating news. The Lord has given me strength and sustained me.”
And his strength has helped his players.
“He’s a man of God and a warrior,” said senior guard Joe Redmond. “He knows it sometimes it gets worse before it gets better. She was with him for a long time. She was his only girl friend. For him to stick with us after what he went through meant a lot to us.”
Here are the top 3 dumbest sporting "events" going on this weekend...
1. The NFL Combine - very few things in sports are dumber than this. Need proof? My beloved Iggles picked Mike Mamula in the first round of the '95 draft because he tested well at this thing. That's right - Mike Mamula.
2. WGC-Accenture Match Play - look, I love golf. It's my sport of choice now. But the way the PGA Tour and the Golf Channel pimp this thing is just too much. No one cares about golf brackets....no one.
3. NASCAR's Auto Club 500 - The rest of the season is pointless isn't it? Don't they bill the Daytona 500 as the sport's Super Bowl? So what do I care anything else the gearheads do the rest of the year...
When the Illinois High School Association decided to expand the girls' and boys' basketball tournaments to four-classes, it was sold as the opportunity for more schools to compete for a state title.
Not necessarily in number, as 16 teams still go Downstate in four classes as it did in the old days, but in variety. The powers-that-be at the IHSA must have been grinning broadly this afternoon that in the first game of the first four-class state tournament, the Norsemen advanced to Saturday's Class 1A title game for the (you guessed it) first time in school history. Prior to this year, Newark had never advanced past the sectional level, let alone to the title game. Heading into the tournament, it's a safe bet that not many would have seen this coming. But teams making an unexpected run in the postseason has always been one of the fun parts of sports, and something the players, schools and communities will never forget.
How would the Norsemen have done in the old tournament? At this juncture, does that matter? The debate about the class system in all sports will rage on for as long as we have tournaments, but at least so far the result has been just as the IHSA advertised.
You remember those annoying emails you'd get from friends trying to get you to sign up for some "6 degrees of separation" emails where you put your name on it and you supposedly can find out that you somehow have a connection to Mark Paul Gosselaar and Bill Paxton...
Well, here's my version....when it comes to sports.
I am a huge fan of the View image">Wu-Tang Clan - my favorite from the group is the GZA - The Genius created a classic solo joint called Liquid Swords - RZA produced much of the album - they both appear with Bill Murray in a fantastic sketch comedy - Bill Murray is a diehard Cubs fan - I have covered the Cubs.
As a reward - here is Bill Murray, RZA and GZA in Coffee and Cigarettes: Delirium (GZA also mentions the Indy 500 as well, so that's an added bonus!)
Harry Caray passed away in 1998. I wasn't old enough to remember him with Jimmy Piersall at Comiskey Park...to me, he was the voice - and the face - of the Cubs.
Here's one of the best Harry moments I could find...
That's just stupid. Like Halle Berry marrying David Justice stupid.
Ridiculous. Holmes is the 53rd ranked player in the world. You don't just do that.
Sure, people will say "well, that just proves he's the best player in the world." No, his 13 majors in 10 years proves that.
This is like Superman coming out of the View image">Fortress of Solitude and saying, "Screw saving the world, I'm going to beat the crap out of men with these souped up tire irons."
This coming NBA Finals is the 10th anniversary of the last Bulls title...
Ten years? Already? Wow.
How bad has the last decade sucked? As the Bulls are about to embark on the second half, they have won 277 games in the last 10 years. Yup. You read that right. That's compared to the 642 victories the previous ten years.
I was supposed to go out to see Mooseheart take on Chicago (Waldorf) in the Class 1A boys basketball regional semifinals at Westminster Christian. The Ramblers, as a No. 3 seed were expected to roll No. 14 seed Waldorf.
Waubonsie Valley offensive lineman A.J. Lindeman, who was previously going to walk on at Central Michigan University, signed a National Letter of Intent with a different MAC school on Friday - the University of Toledo.
Looks like Newark is going to the Class 1A girls basketball state finals....they lead Warren 33-13 at halftime in the Rockford Super-Sectional at Rock Valley College in Rockford....
It'll be the first trip to Normal for the Norseman..
It's interesting that the biggest stories in the Beacon News coverage area right now are Newark and Rosary girls teams and the Somonauk boys basketball teams. I'll be honest - I never heard of Newark or Somonauk until I started working here last summer, and I thought all Rosary had was volleyball and swimming.
I may disagree with the IHSA's belief that "everybody gets a trophy" - but I do like the fact that these small schools get a little more time to shine than usual.
After all, there are about 35 to 40 cities in this state I've still never heard of.
