Day 42: Le Moyne College, Dirk, Daniel Snyder and more

HEADLINES

1) Division II Le Moyne College defeated Syracuse, 72-69, in an exhibition game at the Carrier Dome last night. It was just an exhibition game, but is this one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history?

Ben: No. I don't feel like an exhibition game should be considered a stunning upset. I think it's a fantastic story, great for those players on Le Moyne, and something fun for us to talk about today -- but I don't think this game is any better then Valpo over Ole Miss or Findlay over Ohio State or Chaminade over Virginia or Hampton over Iowa State. All of those games were during the legit part of the college basketball season, so I don't think an exhibition game the first week of November is more meaningful then those wins. Great for Le Moyne, not terrible for Syracuse.

Boz: It has to be considered one of the biggest upsets in college basketball history, but it isn't THE biggest upset in college basketball history. The biggest upset would belong to Chaminade, who in 1982 as an NAIA team (they are now Division II) upset the No. 1 team in the nation in Virginia led by Ralph Sampson and Rick Carlisle. The win for Le Moyne is the biggest in the school's history and even though it was exhibition, it's pretty cool that they can say for this season that they are the best basketball team in the city of Syracuse. When you play a zone like the Orange do, a hot shooting team can knock them off and thats what the Dolphins (yes thats what Le Moyne's nickname is) did. Again, it was an exhibition game, but the Orange have to be pretty embarassed in the loss and thanking their lucky stars that it was just in fact an exhibition game.

2) After scoring just 52 points through three quarters of play, the Mavericks outscored the Utah Jazz 44-18 in the fourth quarter to win 96-85. Dirk Nowitzki scored 29 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter comeback. How impressive was Dirk's fourth quarter and how good can the Mavs be?

Ben: I think his fourth quarter is impressive but what bothers me is how bad they played in the first 3 quarters. It's great that they won the game and were able to beat a good Jazz team, but they showed how unethusiastic they can be for 75% of the game. Obviously Dirk is a great player, and can help lead the Mavs deep into the playoffs -- but they need to put together a better effort then last night.

Boz: It's pretty impressive that he scored 29 points in the fourth quarter while the rest of the team scored just 15. That's a perfect example of a player putting a team on his back and carrying them to a win. While I am not a big Dirk fan (which would surprise anyone who has seen me play basketball), I'm impressed with what Dirk can do in pressure situations. If he continues to play like this, with the addition Shawn Marion, the Mavs could be a tough team in the West this season. I predict them finishing in the top four in the conference behind the Lakers, Spurs and Nuggets.

3) Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder made in-season comments about his team yesterday at a charitable event. Snyder said "I feel bad for the fans. I feel sorry for the fans, and we’re very, very appreciative of our loyal fan base. We just feel terrible. We’re disappointed. We’re embarrassed, and we hope to get it going soon.” Are you ok with Snyder's comments?

Ben: Nope. What else is he suppose to say? "I think it's going well." I'm not ok with his comments because it didn't come out on a random day -- it came out at a public event when something was brought to his attention. It was almost like it popped into his head...."hmm, this'll get me bonus points" and made his comments. Sorry Dan, don't get credit for that.

Boz: Yes and no. I'm glad that he still cares about the team and that he has the desire to win. However, he's the guy that signs the checks. He is the guy who brought in the players and coaches. Therefore, he's ultimately the guy who is responsible for the losing season. You can blame the lack of talent or the lack of good coaching, but Snyder was the guy who put all the pieces in place. So instead of saying how sorry he feels about the fans, do something about it in the offseason and put together a winning team.

4) After a 2007 loss in Denver, Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Ryan Clark needed surgeries for remove his spleen and gall bladder due to a sickle cell trait in his blodd that reacted adversely to the stress and exertion of the high altitude that could have cost him his life. Clark still has the sickle cell trait in his blood and has been cleared to play by doctors and is considering playing in the game. Should the Steelers even let Clark go on the trip?

Ben: I don't think so. Your long term health should be the main focus -- not playing a random game in November. He's already qualified for his NFL pension I believe, so he should be taking care of his health and taking care of those things.

Boz: This is hard to say because teams usually allow the player to make the ultimate decision on whether or not they will play. However, this isn't just a serious injury or even a career-threatening injury, this is a life-threatening condition. I know this is a big game and the Steelers are right in the middle of the division championship race but this is a situation that is bigger than the game of football. All football players are ultra-competitive and I'm sure Clark wants to play in this game, but he has a family to think about and the Steelers shouldn't even allow Clark to make the decision.

OVER/UNDER

1) Kurt Warner and Jay Cutler have each thrown 11 interceptions through seven games this season and they square off on Sunday. Over or under 4 total interceptions in the Bears/Cardinals game on Sunday?

Ben: UNDER. I'll take the first part of Boz's answer below as my evidence.

Boz: UNDER. I'm saying this for two reasons: (1) neither teams secondaries are all that impressive and (2) I have both of them as my quarterbacks on my fantasy team and I need a win this week.

2) Chase Utley needs 1 home run to break the all-time record for home runs in a world series. Over or under 0.5 home runs for Chase Utley in the remainder of the world series?

Ben: UNDER. Utley has to cool off at some point. Ryan Howard's going deep tonight -- not Utley. Mark it down.

Boz: OVER. I think the Utley will get one off of Petitte tonight. When you're hot as Utley is right now, the ball comes in looking like the size of a beach ball. He's got a good chance to hit one tonight plus this series isn't gaurenteed to not go to a seventh game.

3) The Boston Celtics are off to a 5-0 start and seem to be winning at ease. Over or under 15 losses for the Celtics this season?

Ben: UNDER. I think the East is set up well for the Celtics this season. They have numerous mismatches up and down there lineup and I'll take them to lose 14.

Boz: UNDER. Even losing 15 games puts them at 67 wins which is a lot. If it were the Eastern Conference of a couple years ago then I would say over. But with the East much more competitive, I see the Celtics finishing with 60-65 wins this year, meaning 17-22 losses.

HAPPY HOUR

Ben: Happy 7th Anniversary ESPN's Around the Horn. Although this blog is not directly related to that show -- it is a favorite of both Boz and mine -- and gives us some good information for the blog. I'm glad Max whatever is off as host, but the rest of the guys there are solid guys I like listening to.

Boz: Happy 42nd Birthday to Eric Karros. Karros had a 13-year career in the MLB, mainly with the Dodgers. He did spend 2003 with the Cubs, a year in which the Cubs went to the NLCS. The 1992 Rookie of the Year is now showcasing his talents as a broadcaster and is doing a good job during the World Series.