Louisville @ Notre Dame, aka House Divided

Every year this basketball game is a tough one to watch. You see, I am a Notre Dame alum in my adopted hometown of Louisville. I married my college sweetheart, who hails from – you guessed it – Louisville. As a lifelong fan of the Cards, she often waits until tip-off to determine which team she will root for. Other times, she simply leaves the room, too upset to even watch.

For both of us, it is difficult to enjoy fully either team's success in this game. One's success always comes at the expense of the other team, and you know full well that loved ones are hurting as a result. Our boys are too young yet to have experienced playing sports against one another, but I have an inkling how it feels to be a parent in that situation.

Having said that, I would like to touch on Kyle Kuric's dunk at the end of the first half. In case you missed it, and you really should see it, here is the clip:

Because Kuric received a technical foul afterward, it has been the subject of some debate. (You'll note this link is from a column in the Louisville Courier-Journal. The South Bend Tribune understandably focused on the outcome in overtime and chose to omit references to the tremendous dunk by Kuric.)

Now, I will be the first to recognize that:

• Kyle Kuric's dunk was nothing short of amazing, reminiscent of his work against top-ranked Syracuse in the last game played at Freedom Hall.
• Kuric is not a trash-talker but, from all appearances, a stand-up kid.
• If anything, his coaches and teammates have continually pushed Kuric to show more leadership as a junior, to be more demonstrative. (I don't disagree with this advice.)
• Other players have certainly gotten away with more abusive behavior toward opponents.

However, I would also point out:

• The Big East has a national reputation as a rough-and-tumble basketball conference, so it is likely the league's referees are charged with making sure things don't get out of hand.
• Taunting of any sort is frowned upon in college athletics, among fellow student athletes. (While I agree with this policy, I am less bothered by trash-talking, etc. in pro sports.)
• Kyle Kuric stated that he “looked down at him and walked away.” It sure seemed to me that Kuric's "look" was more of a "glare" at Irish guard Scott Martin. The point, however, is that Kuric wasn't mugging for the camera or interacting with the student section. He singled out a fellow student athlete for embarrassment and was whistled for it.

The technical foul was the correct call. Not because Kyle Kuric is a dirty player or a bad person, but because he demeaned a fellow student athlete, a 21- or 22-year-old kid. College athletes are supposed to be there for the purpose of earning a degree. They are not supposed to try to posterize each other, belittling others in the hopes of making themselves look better.

Thoughts from Super Bowl XLV

The Game

Match-up of the NFL's 2 best defenses

There sure were a lot of points scored – 56 combined – in a tilt featuring the league's best defensive units. For what it's worth, the Packers D, with 3 forced turnovers and the interception return for a touchdown, outplayed the Steelers D.

Host city Dallas
I find it amusing that:

Bart Starr plunges into the end zone in the "Ice Bowl," the 1967 NFL Championship Game

.

Lynn Swann hauls in a "Hail Mary" from Terry Bradshaw in Super Bowl X.

• The contestants of Super Bowl XLV each have their own share of postseason history with the city's beloved Cowboys, who were noticeably absent from the proceedings. (Stuff that in your ten-gallon Stetson and smoke it, fans of so-called “America's Team.”)
• The weather leading up to the Super Bowl included some ice, lots of snow and cold rain. This certainly couldn't have done much for the festive atmosphere the NFL tries to create for its signature event.
• Undaunted by the wet blanket the weather provided, nor the incomplete seating in the end zones, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and local civic leaders are petitioning for Dallas to be added to the unofficial Super Bowl hosting rotation of Miami and New Orleans.

Steelers running game
Let me see if I understand. The Steelers come out in the second half and run the ball right down the Packers' collective throat, then decide to have Big Ben repeatedly drop back and throw despite inconsistent results. Why wouldn't you continue to RUN THE DAMN BALL?! Isn't this what Pittsburgh did throughout the playoffs, indeed has always done?

Franco Harris won 4 Super Bowls with the 1970's era Steel Curtain teams.

Aaron Rodgers as MVP
I was really happy to see him perform well on the NFL's biggest stage. The Brett Favre comparisons are inevitable, but as sports columnist Bernie Miklasz astutely points out, Rodgers is more akin to Bart Starr than Favre. Boy, let's hope it stays that way.

Aaron Rodgers finally has his real championship belt, courtesy of linebacker Clay Matthews.

Future of the NFL
The potential for a work stoppage continued to dominate headlines leading up to the Super Bowl. I, for one, agree that the NFL needs to do far more to secure the safety of players before it can consider adding 2 more games to the schedule.

Injuries are a part of the game, reinforced by the fact that Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey missed the game entirely, and Packers receiver Donald Driver and cornerback Charles Woodson didn't play a down in the second half. But when it comes to the league's biggest games, don't you want the best players to decide the outcome rather than to watch from the sidelines in street clothes?

Charles Woodson sat out the 2nd half of Super Bowl XLV with a broken collarbone.

Sidelights

Flubbed national anthem
Maybe I just had low expectations going in, but let's cut Christina Aguilera a little slack for forgetting a line of the national anthem. If you have never made a mistake when in front of a crowd of people, then perhaps you can lob a stone in Christina's direction. Besides, no one can touch Whitney Houston's breathtaking rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner.

Best TV commercials
While the bar for Super Bowl commercials admittedly has been ratcheted down the last few years, this year's crop was a pleasant surprise. For me, the Pepsi Max and Doritos spots were easily the best. The creep-out factor of the Doritos finger-licking spot was especially memorable, but points get deducted from the Pepsi Max spots as a group for the crotch shot. It's been done to death, and it does nothing to make anyone want to enjoy a soft drink.

Worst TV commercials
GoDaddy & ShapeUps share the award here. While I enjoy the female form as much as anyone, you're going to have to put more thought and effort into your marketing and advertising before you can part me from my money. Check out USA Today's Super Bowl ad meter.

Spike Lee, LeBron James & The Decision

Watching highlights of LeBron James dropping 51 on the Orlando Magic last night reminded me of a post that I meant to write and never did. So here goes...

The Decision would have been the biggest sports-related public relations blunder of 2010 if not for Tiger Woods' ongoing struggles to put his life and career back together. Most of the commentary I have seen agrees that it was awkward and dragged on. I don't think I am alone in believing that James ended up dropping what amounted to a giant “F You” to the entire metro Cleveland area.

Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert reacted horribly but was understandably upset at the lack of respect shown to him and his team. No, LeBron James didn't owe him any more seasons, but he owed him a PHONE CALL.

Initially, Spike Lee's comments are spot-on. Look, James was a free agent, and he decided it was best for him to move on. He knew it wouldn't be popular, but he did what he thought was best for him. Here are comments Lee made during an interview on ESPN following The Decision broadcast:

However, I saw Spike Lee appear subsequently in a town hall session on the image of the black athlete on ESPN as part of a Martin Luther King, Jr. remembrance. (I just happened to stumble across the panel discussions involving director Spike Lee, college basketball coach John Calipari, sprinter Marion Jones, college football coach Randy Shannon, former basketball player Jalen Rose and sports journalist Michael Wilbon. I would encourage you to watch all of the segments on YouTube.) Frankly, I was appalled at Lee's commentary that day:

Lee's divisive commentary, invoking imagery of runaway slaves being beaten and tormented by presumably white owners, stands in stark contrast to King's message of working together for a better world for all people. If Lee had specifically addressed his comments toward Cavaliers owner Gilbert and his unprofessional reaction, they would have been easier to swallow. But the big problem is that Gilbert was to a degree justified in his feelings because James failed to perform the common courtesy of filling Gilbert in on his plans BEFORE telling the rest of the world.

What is more, Cleveland sports fans can actually be forgiven for feeling betrayed. They thought James was “one of them.” He claimed to understand just how hard the generations of losing had hurt the area's collective psyche. More than any other NBA player, James “got it.” Not only did he understand, but he shared in that suffering, so the fans believed in him to bring their city that ever elusive championship.

When James so coldly pulled the plug on his stint with the Cavaliers, it was unthinkable to these fans. It was sort of like serving your spouse divorce papers on the Jumbotron and telling him or her “I never loved you.” Except for one thing – The Decision was aired on national television!!!! Complete and utter humiliation served up on national television for fans that had dared to let their guard down. They trusted him to stop all of the losing, and in return they received the latest, most painful chapter in their saga of despair.

Conclusions

• I am no fan of any particular Cleveland team, but Cleveland fans got the rawest deal I have ever seen.
• I think Lee got it right the first time, and I can't understand why he felt the need to speak of runaway slaves. The timing of his questionable comments was reprehensible.
• Oh yeah, I hate the font Comic Sans, too.