According to a recent slideshow on iVillage based on a piece on AskMen.com by Jasmine Leigh, an estimated 70 percent of women fake orgasms at some point in their lives.

The reasons women do this is simple, Leigh states: she either doesn't want a man to keep trying and thus prolong the encounter, or she doesn't want him to feel bad about not bringing her over the edge. To help men figure out if they're "being duped," Leigh outlines 14 signs to know for certain.

The first sign she tells men to watch out for is the retraction of the clitoral head. She soothes the worries that this will be hard to see if the lights happen to be off, or if a man’s face is not close enough to that part of her anatomy: "Under the guide of giving her some extra special treatment, you can feel whether she's actually close to climaxing or just faking," she writes.

Sign number two that a woman is not faking it is increased breathing and heart rate. "Liars and the truthful alike might clutch at you and moan and groan, but her breathing is the missing link," Leigh writes. "Her thumping heart will also be a sign that it's for real; if she isn't actually excited, her heart rate and her bodily manner will be very ordinary."

Third: dilated pupils. "This might be hard to tell in the dark, but if the lights are on, all you have to do is ask her to look into your eyes as she climaxes," Leigh says. "Chances are she'll be more than willing to oblige to that romantic request. Just make sure to note of what her pupils looked like at the beginning of your romp so you can compare their difference in size at the end."

Does anyone else feel like this is becoming more like a sobriety test than an romantic encounter? I'm all about educating men about pleasure and women's bodies, but how can a man enjoy himself if the entire time he is in bed with a woman, he's also in the middle of an engrossing discovery process to build a case against her?

Worse, the list doesn't stop there. It goes into the reddening of the lips, vaginal muscle spasms (which the author proclaims cannot be faked, though any practitioner of Kegels and pilates might disagree), sudden perspiration, "post-coital bliss" (if she jumps out of bed immediately or makes conversation, she is lying, Leigh declares), and so on.

The last item on iVillage slideshow is a simple "ask her," which in my opinion should have gone first. But the original piece by Leigh is more egregious, suggesting a man quiz his partner about what she feels when she climaxes and use her body language as a make-shift lie-detector test. She also suggests a man ruin a woman's orgasm as she's approaching the edge, suggesting that if a woman is really about to orgasm, she will be cross about being denied release.

At the end, Leigh consoles men who may find they're being deceived and suggests "more quality foreplay."

This has to be the most damaging piece of sexual advice I have ever read in my life, and I've read a lot of bullshit in the fifteen years I have been devouring sex literature.

Firstly, if a man feels his partner is not enjoying herself as much as she could be, the course of action should not be to test and interrogate her, but to initiate a discussion about bringing pleasure to the next level. If a man isn't comfortable discussing sex, he may try declaring an evening is all about his partner's pleasure, call her a goddess and playfully ask her to instruct him in the ways of her pleasure.

I don't like talking about sex outright a lot of time. It goes against my belief that my partner and I are sex gods, born with the ability to make others orgasm with a single touch. So instead, when I first start having sex and every once in a while afterward, I ask him to teach me how to please him. This is done in the context of a sex game, not a serious discussion, but it nevertheless serves to show me things about how he enjoys to be touched -- perhaps even more than a discussion might, as it happens in the heat of moment.

Another good idea is to watch your partner masturbate. If you'd rather go all the way when you're in the same room, try playing together on Skype during a business trip. You will learn a lot about how your partner likes to be touched by watching him or her playing on their own.

Other incredible turn-ons can be discovered outside the bedroom by simply getting to know one another. I write for a living, which means that I am always riding some kind of deadline. In a stroke of genius one night, my boyfriend decided to attack me right before we had to leave for a lecture. We knew what the traffic would be like if we delayed, and he knew I didn't want to be late. He also asserted, correctly, that imposing this deadline would put me over the edge in seconds.

He was right.

Notice that none of these things involve paranoia and creepy information-gathering techniques. They occur naturally in a relationship, basing themselves on knowledge of ourselves and our partners. That is how sex should be approached.

Because, let me tell you something, hounding someone about whether or not they're orgasming is not going to help them get there any faster. Also, I think people put an unnecessary amount of stress on the destination and often forget that a big part of sex is the journey. Orgasm isn't the only pleasure of sex.

My friend and favorite sex doctor, Madeleine Castellanos wrote a great post on her blog some time ago that echoes this last point brilliantly:

The predominant message that is promoted by the media is that orgasm is the pinnacle of sexual pleasure. It is seen as the goal of sex and the marker by which people often judge their own ability to please their partners. But this is not necessarily so. Because pleasing one’s partner is a very subjective thing, each person has different criteria for what pleases them. Also, what pleases them and what they crave at any particular moment may be different from the day before. But people get stuck on this idea of “Did you cum?” Ironically, this same focus on orgasm creates the very pressure that influences some people to fake it. For others, the anxiety about whether or not they will produce an orgasm for their partner is enough to keep it from happening smoothly.

I have always thought that if you are faking orgasms on a regular basis, you are really cheating yourself. By faking it, you are not giving your partner an honest message, but instead allowing them to believe that a certain set of circumstances is what toots your horn. If this continues, it becomes more and more difficult to eventually be truthful about the situation, so you may never get around to the alternative sexual activities/positions that actually do allow you to reach orgasm. It also perpetuates the idea that orgasm is the be-all and end-all of sex. That simply devalues the enjoyment of the other 99% of sex.

This is something I beg Jasmine Leigh to consider the next time she sits down to help men with their sex lives.

AV Flox is the editor of Sex and the 405 -- what your newspaper would look like if it had a sex section.

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It's nice to know that you were there Thanks for acting like you cared And making me feel like I was the only one It's nice to know we had it all Thanks for watching as I fall And letting me know we were done Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh... So much for my happy ending Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh... – Avril Lavigne. Going into this series, I felt our Lakers still had enough left to defeat the Dallas Mavericks and move onto their moment of truth against Oklahoma in the western finals. But the last two games in LA have shown this confidence was illusory and the Lakers, so great in going to three straight finals have succumbed to the inevitably of time and change. While we are not yet mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, I have never been to slow on the uptake in understand what I am seeing. The patient is the ICU, the tubes are in place, life support is one, the heart monitors beep on the patient’s chest, vital organs are failing one after another and the prognosis is death. I have visited such patients in hospitals before and I know what they look like. This patient will leave the NBA playoffs dead, in a pine box. It has become more than obvious that this season is a seminal one, bringing concrete change in standings of the NBA’s elite. And like San Antonio and Boston, the Lakers are finally on the wrong end of that change. Since I am not going to wait for the doctor to inevitably declare the heart stopped, I will start my post mortem right now. For those who want to wait for the death certificate to be officially signed, I apologize for doing the autopsy now. First, the most notable cause of death in my view. Ever since the Shaq- Kobe era started, our five championship runs were signature events for one reason: We always had the best, most dominant player on our side. We had to deal with some monster teams in brutal series- Portland, Sacramento, Boston come to mind. There were others. But in all those series, we had the one guy who was hardest to contain, impossible to defend; first Shaq, then Kobe. This edge was incalculable in feeding our title runs. As I look at this series, for the first time, this is not the case. Now it is Dirk Nowitzkie who is that player, not Kobe Bryant. And as this fact gave us that edge in victory over defeat, so it is now giving it to Dallas. This is a signature event in showing that time has finally caught up with our beloved Lakers. For the first time since Shaq came to LA, we are playing a series where the most unstoppable player is no longer in PurpleandGold. In talking to my good friend Gemfow, he said Dirks size makes him harder to defend than Kobe. And this is true. But my point is, if this were the Kobe of five years ago, it wouldn’t matter. Kobe would still be the hardest guy to stop. In this series, because of age, injury, the passage of time and Nowitzkie’s talents, this edge is now gone. Most probably for all time. In looking at our future and the appearance of good young teams being led by their own stars-Miami, Dallas, Chicago, Memphis-it is also apparent that no small cosmetic fix will cure what ails us. There will have to changes made. And the size of the changes seems to predicate that we may not get a another ring for a while. The day of the great Derrek Fisher is over. His clutch shooting just cannot overcome his overall offensive ineptness nor the liability he has become on offense. If Fish is still our starting point guard next year, you can write us off already. This team needs shooters. Not hot/cold scorers, but some real shooters to make shots from the perimeter. Guys who can make teams pay night after night, game after game, month after month for packing it in down low. Without a couple of these, you can write us off. The Lakers need to find a replacement for aging Ron Artest. I was never a big fan of losing Ariza for him. I have always believed in speed and effective athleticism as essential for winning championships in any sport. And I especially hate getting rid of a youthful, fast, athletic guy who fit in this team so well, who brought us so much of what we lacked for an older, slower player. Last year, Artest worked out. Would we have won with Ariza instead of Artest? We will never know. But what we do know is we are now starting to pay a price for making that bargain of age over youth. What to do with Pau Gasol? For two years he was one of the best players in the league. He was essential, vital in us going to three straight championships. For some reason, right when he should be in the prime of his career, he has not only reverted back to soft Gasol, but taken that to new level. There were excuses of fatigue early when Drew was out, but those excuses have gone by the wayside long ago. I think trading Pau should be explored very hard. He just seems like a guy who may begin a big fade from here on out. The question is, what can we get for him now? You can’t give this still talented player away for chopped liver or only serviceable players. You have to get value. Trading Pau for someone who can really help may be hard. If we can get good draft picks for the future, I think I would take that plunge. This team will also need a mental makeover as well as physical one. When Kobe Bryant is no longer the best player on the floor, especially when we are not playing the Lebron-Wade Heat but the Dallas Mavericks, then this is not hard to see. We have one good young player coming up: Andrew Bynum. Both Pau and Kobe will have to adjust and maximize on this fact. If Pau returns, he has to accept that Drew has taken his spot on team. He must adjust his game and concentrate on rebounds and defense instead of wanting to get chances to score on the block. Kobe also has to start to make a strong, concerted effort to incorporate Drew into the offense in a big way. Even if it means he has to play Robin for any game or stretch of games. I am not saying Kobe needs to become a point guard, but he needs to understand and accommodate the reality of what time has wrought. If he and Pau and rest of the team can’t, then you can write us off. As I am writing this, just now, I saw the interview with Drew in the locker. He was asked what the problem is. His response, “The team panicked when we got down by ten and started jacking up shots.” Later, a reporter told Kobe that stated there are trust issues on this team. Boy, this sure tells me Drew is becoming as much more aggressive and confident off the court as he is on the court. His message is clear. Use me. Use the post. Quit playing stupid ball. Whether Drew can back up his very aggressive remarks, I don’t know. But I am very happy he is now confident enough to speak his mind. I wonder how Kobe and the others will take it in the locker room when Drew decides to dispense with the candy coating and speaks his mind. I am sure they won’t like this message too much, but maybe, finally, now they will listen. When you look at this long list of changes, both physical and mental, one begins to see the sheer size of the changes that will need to take place. Since I will assume that no teams will be willing to make trades to help us, the mountain becomes even bigger. This would mean we will have to eventually sign some very good free agents to begin coming back. It may also entail bottoming out for a few years and getting some prime draft choices. None of this signifies a very fast return to true championship contention. If one looks at the very best case scenario next year: Drew becomes a great, great center and his teammates allow and embrace him taking over; there are still problems. He will be leading a team with aging cohorts: Kobe, Pau, Lamar, Artest, Fish. With teams like Dallas, Memphis, Oklahoma, Miami and Chicago out there, it is still hard to envision the Lakers navigating those kinds of waters with an older cast. Once again, change seems mandatory. Playing devil’s advocate, one could say that the team is worn out from its three consecutive finals appearances. But this same excuse could have and probable was used in San Antonio when they stopped going to finals. Old teams that begin to fail usually don’t rebound and win championships. If this team is physically and mentally the same next year, I don’t hope to see any different fate that enveloped San Antonio when the rot set in there. Finally, although I will repeat this thought when the end is official, I want to thank Kobe, Fish, Artest, Lamar, Drew and all our players for their historic run. You guys gave me more fun than a fan ever has a right to. I won’t even try to list the great plays, the great team and individual moments that your hearts and skills gave me as you marched and battled your way into NBA history. And beating Boston is ALWAYS on the top of my list as the very best sports accomplishments. And you guys did it. It was glorious. To Kobe, if you have won your last ring, I want to thank you for being the most physically spectacular player I have ever seen in a Lakers uniform. I also want to send you my dentist bill for the TMJ you gave me because of the hundreds of times my jaw dropped and locked because you just did something AGAIN, for the millionth time, that no human being on the face of this earth should be able to do. I also want to thank you for playing with heart, passion and through injuries in a way that showed your heart was the only thing that was bigger than your skill and work ethic. I will never forget your unbridled ferocity, skill, will and never say die attitude and performances for as long as my heart beats in my body. Thank you for all that and even more. Finally, I hope I am as wrong about the Lakers demise as I was about us beating Dallas. I hope the patient has a miracle recovery, leaves the ICU and the hospital and keeps our hopes for a threepeat alive. I hope this happens. I wouldn’t have written this if I think it would, but here’s a toast to miracles and hoping.

If the NFL Draft is like Christmas for football fans, the Patriots fan’s experience is much like waking up Christmas morning only to find that your gifts have been delayed in transit. The excitement and anticipation is replaced by confusion, followed by frustration, vague detachment and jealousy. Instead of unwrapping the shiny new toys you’ve seen advertised, inside is a picture of the gift and a promise that you’ll love it eventually.

The Patriots strategy this draft was clearly one aimed at maintaining the team’s competitiveness well into the future. They stuck firmly to their principals of selecting for value and stockpiling future picks. They also continued their recent tradition of taking players who are highly talented, but slipped due to off-field or injury concerns. The Patriots scout specifically for their own schemes, which is why they often have prospects higher or lower on their draft board than other teams. This can give the impression that they reached for a player, or did not take a highly rated player when they had the opportunity. New England is a stable franchise with an established culture, and can afford to develop players more slowly than other teams, or allow them time to recover from injury. Rookie receiver Taylor Price and defensive back Josh Barrett, who was acquired off of waivers were two such examples last year.

What is especially important to the Patriots is that their players have a genuine dedication to the game. They want players who make football their life and are constantly trying to improve. Maturity and leadership are also highly valued. Six of their nine picks were team captains, and every player spent at least four years in college.

When you finish first in your conference it usually means you have a strong nucleus of players, and unless many of them are scheduled for free agency or retirement there are not a lot of holes to fill. Unlike Atlanta, who took the "one player away" approach, trading away a slew of picks to move up and select wide receiver Julio Jones, the Patriots added players with high upside who will not necessarily be expected to start right away.

Their first selection, offensive tackle Nate Solder of Colorado, is a gigantic player who is very athletic. He has all the physical tools to become an elite left tackle, and pass protection is his strength. He will need time to refine his game and add muscle, but will be learning from esteemed offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia who should be able to mold him into a starter by 2012 or earlier.

Massive players with quick feet are hard to find, and usually go very high in the first round. Solder was only the second offensive tackle taken in this draft, after Tyron Smith of USC. Clearly Belichick felt there was better value selecting the second tackle than the eighth defensive line player. He passed on Cameron Jordan, a pass-rushing defensive end with 3-4 experience, who many, including myself thought would be a nice addition. It should be noted that other 3-4 teams with DE needs such as Dallas, Washington, and San Diego also went in another direction from Jordan who ended up with New Orleans, a 4-3 team.

The best part for New England is that due to the likely adoption of a rookie wage scale for this year’s picks, they will not have to pay Solder a huge salary like some recent OT prospects. The Patriots still have right tackle Nick Kaczur under contract, and can temporarily move Sebastian Vollmer over to the left side until Solder is ready to step in. Solder and Vollmer are both excellent in pass protection, and should form a solid tandem that will keep defenders away from Tom Brady for as long as he wants to play.

Belichick loves to draft players he has received inside information about through his relationships with college coaches, such as the three Florida players he took in 2010. In the case of Solder, he was able to tap recently-hired Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach Moses Cabrera for an in-depth analysis.

When it was New England’s turn again at number 28 overall, they elected to trade the pick to New Orleans for a 2011 late second rounder, and the Saints' 2012 first round pick. They turned down the opportunity to select available defensive linemen such as Muhammad Wilkerson or Cameron Hayward, who went to 3-4 conference rivals the Jets and Steelers respectively. With the first pick of round two, Belichick again ignored the front seven, selecting cornerback Ras-I Dowling over Jabaal Sheard and Brooks Reed who both went within the first ten picks of the round. These two moves indicated the Patriots did not feel there were any pass rushers worth selecting high in the draft, or that the ones they were interested in went too early in the first round. One option would have been to trade up, but that would mean sacrificing flexibility later in the draft and giving up multiple high picks. Belichick covets and hordes his draft picks, especially those in the early rounds. He understands they are the best way of adding talent to a team without having to pay that player a huge amount, as opposed to bringing in free agents whose price can be inflated by another team also bidding for their services. Players taken in the second and third rounds are especially important because there is a good chance they may become a starter, but if they don’t pan out you are not losing too much money by cutting or trading them.

There was much speculation that they Patriots would trade their #33 pick to a team in search of a quarterback, but no deal materialized that New England felt was worthwhile. Already in possession of an additional first rounder for next year, they decided to take a highly regarded cornerback who at one point in 2010 was expected to go in the first half of round one before missing much of his senior season due to injury. Dowling has good size and speed, and knows how to make plays on the ball. He is very fluid for a corner of his size, and can also play some safety. He should contribute on special teams units and sub packages right away, and could eventually replace Leigh Bodden at outside corner. If Dowling is as good as advertised, and both he and Bodden fully recover from their injuries, the Patriots could have three excellent CBs, virtually unheard of in the NFL. Like All-Pro Devin McCourty, they are aggressive, physical corners who can tackle and create turnovers – the ideal type for Belichick’s scheme. New England’s secondary could be one of the best in the league with rising star Patrick Chung stepping into a starting role alongside the clutch and dependable James Sanders or mercurial Pro Bowler Brandon Meriweather.

A strong pass-rush can help make up for a weak secondary, but perhaps New England plans to test if the inverse is true as well. I am a big fan of the Dowling pick and agree with the adage that you can never have enough good corners. Every season there seems to be injuries at the position. Kyle Arrington was a surprisingly capable stand-in for Bodden last season, and having a quality player ready to step up is very valuable. The Patriots suddenly have a glut of talent at the corner position after struggling through 2008 with Ellis Hobbs atop the depth chart. This will come in handy when facing teams like the Colts, Packers or Saints who like to spread the field in multiple receiver sets.

Last season the Patriots had the highest turnover differential in the league, due in no small part to Brady’s incredible streak of interception-free games. They also had key takeaways which were the difference in games, such as Sander’s goalline pick off Payton Manning. Bill Belichick knows that winning the turnover battle often means winning the game, and is trying to install a secondary capable of generating interceptions. In 2009 Bodden recorded five picks, with Meriweather chipping in another five. Last season McCourty snagged seven as a rookie, while Chung, Sanders and Meriweather each had three. If Brady and the offense continue to pile on the points, forcing opponents to take more risks by throwing the ball downfield, the New England defensive backs should be able to take advantage.

The remainder of New England’s 2011 draft was an exercise in filling anticipated holes in the roster and stockpiling future talent. By trading picks in rounds two and three, they were able to come away with Oakland’s 2012 second rounder, which could be very high in the round. This sets the Patriots up with two picks in each of the first two rounds next year, and also gives them some ammunition if they want to trade for a veteran.

New England also took advantage of Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallet’s slide to select a player with impressive physical talents and a deep love for football that slipped into the third round due to drug and alcohol related rumors and accusations of being arrogant. He will have time to develop behind and learn from the legendary Tom Brady. He could eventually replace Brady, or be dealt for a high pick like Matt Cassel.

Another skilled prospect who slipped was Texas Christian University offensive lineman Marcus Cannon, a massive player who is upwards of 350 pounds, yet moves surprisingly well. He was taken in the fifth round, which could be an absolute steal. Cannon played both tackle positions in college, and has first/second round talent, but fell due to a recent diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This will delay his NFL career, but Cannon is expected to make a full recovery. He will probably move inside to guard where his combination of size, strength and agility will allow him to overwhelm defenders in the running game and ably protect the quarterback on passing plays.

New England filled a glaring roster hole with the selection of two complimentary running backs on day two. Second round pick Shane Vereen of California is a small but stout back with excellent versatility. He has speed and strength to go along with pass-protection and receiving skills. Opponents will have trouble predicting what type of play will be run when he lines up in the backfield, something that cannot always be said for BenJarvus Green-Ellis or Danny Woodhead.

In the third round the Patriots took another running back, LSU’s Stevan Ridley. At 5’11", 225lb, Ridley is a more powerful, move-the-pile back. He may take over the fullback/running back role from Sammy Morris, and at the very least will contribute as a bruising, run-down-the-clock type late in games. Both running back selections were considered a bit of a reach, but they will make the Patriots instantly younger at a position where they had an NFL-high three players over the age of 30 last season. Belichick knew which RBs he wanted from the deep 2011 crop, and struck early rather than risk missing out.

Another boost to the running game will be tight end Lee Smith out of Marshall, who was taken in the fifth round. Smith is not very fast, but excels as a blocker, and will serve as a replacement for Alge Crumpler when he retires. The focus on the offensive line and particularly the running game could be an indication that New England plans to have a more balanced attack, moving away from their reliance on the short passing game. I doubt there will be an major shift in philosophy, given Brady’s passing prowess, but the ability to pound the football when desired will certainly make it easier on the passing game, and keep defenses from dropping as many players into coverage.

In the seventh round the Patriots took another player from TCU, defensive back Malcolm Williams who projects as a special teams player. This is similar to what they have done in the past when the see a likely rookie free agent they are interested in but don’t want to compete for his signature.

The biggest storyline from the Patriots 2011 draft will be how they refused to address New England’s biggest weakness, the lack of pass rush. Belichick did draft Central Arkansas DE/OLB Markell Carter in the sixth round, but he will likely begin as a special teams player if he makes the roster. The draft is not the only way to add talent, and it is possible a trade or free agent acquisition could bring some front seven help. More likely, Belichick is comfortable with players already on the team and feels that they can elevate their level of play this season. Jermaine Cunningham has adapted well to the OLB position after playing DE in college, and may be ready to emerge as a consistent threat. Rob Ninkovich was a forgotten player on the team before last season, and he went on to play an important role for the team as a part-time starter. The roster is also stocked with young defensive linemen such as Ron Brace, Brandon Deaderick, Kyle Love, Myron Pryor, Kade Weston and Eric Moore. Any of them could step into a starting role with a strong training camp and preseason (provided the labor issues are resolved in time).

Overall I would give the Patriots a B+ grade for this draft, but we will consider that grade pending until we are able to see the players on the field. That may not be until 2012 for many of them even if there is football this year. Most impressive was that New England started with six picks in the first three rounds and made five selections in those rounds which included potential starters at left tackle, cornerback and quarterback, while also adding 2012 first and second round picks. This draft serves as an example of how to maintain the long term health of a franchise.

Hi everyone! It's been so long since I posted here, but I love this comm and wanted to share this pretty dress I just bought. I wore this to dinner on Friday night. It's one of those Monif C convertible dresses, so you can wrap it in many different ways. I blog over at fashionable.com, so apologies if you have already seen these photos.




My review:

I waited a long time to buy this dress but I'm so glad I did! It's gorgeous in real life. I love the color, the ruching, and fit. I got this in a size 1x and thought the size chart was pretty accurate. It's expensive but I thought the quality was excellent and I felt great in it, so I'm happy with the purchase. Such a sexy dress! Overall, I def recommend it. I really wish I had this in all the colors!! I love the coral paired with gold.








Monif C dress, Pour la Victoire heels, Joanna Laura Constantine necklace via GILT, SimplyBe clutch

A few more photos over at my blog-- Fatshionable

Thanks for reading!

Set your gear into fast speed with this Volcom 5 Speed Clutch from 6PM.com. Instead of your regular plain black clutch, this one sparkles with a feminine touch for just $17.10 after a markdown from $38.00! It doesn't only look great, it's super practical as well where your wallet, keys, cosmetics and phone will be close to you at all times. Includes a single, removable shoulder strap and a metal mesh bow detail for charm. Available in Black with one size at press time.

Can this 18x travel zoom go the distance?

As the variety and quantity of “travel zoom” compacts grows, kicked off in earnest by Panasonic’s TZ series a couple of years back and now sporting everything from Full HD video and GPS to 3D shooting, it was about time Nikon pimped its Coolpix series and emerged with its own “small camera, big zoom” contender.

It has done so here in the comparably slim and attractive shape of the 18x optical zoom Coolpix S9100, which despite shoehorning in a focal range equivalent to a wide angle 25mm to 450mm in 35mm film terms, with a maximum F/3.5 lens aperture, still manages to fit in a trouser pocket or clutch bag. Such an expansive range trumps just about every current travel zoom rival, with the exception at the time of writing of the 24x Olympus SZ-30.

The Coolpix S9100’s lens is supported by sensor shift anti-shake, electronic vibration reduction plus motion detection technology to avoid blur resulting from hand wobble at longer focal lengths. Though there’s not much in the way of a handgrip offered on this model, except for a thin sliver at the front and small square of raised plastic nodules at the back, proportions are a manageable 104.8 x 62 x 34.6mm and it weighs 214g including optional SD card and provided rechargeable battery. Available body colours include red, silver and the sophisticated black we had a look at.

Whilst Casio’s latest Exilim EX-H30 travel zoom is perhaps the closest match for this Nikon in terms of size and control layout - though fields a 16-megapixel resolution and weedy 12.5x optical zoom by comparison - other rivals include the Canon PowerShot SX220 HS, Fujifilm FinePix F550 EXR, Sony Cyber-shot HX9, Olympus SZ-20 alongside the aforementioned Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ20 and Olympus SZ-30, so plenty of choice. The S9100 is comparably and competitively priced however, with online deals available around the ?250 mark, down from its maker’s suggested retail price of ?299.

Press the top plate power button and in just over a second the camera readies itself for action. The rear LCD blinks into life and a fraction later the lens extends from its retracted position within the body to arrive at extreme wideangle setting ready for the first shot, or video.

Lens apart, the Nikon is no slouch when it comes to headline features. These include a 12.1 effective resolution from a 12.75 megapixel CMOS sensor, Full HD video recording at 30 frames per second and in stereo too, thanks to a pair of top mounted microphones, and the alternative option to shoot video at 240fps to create slow motion clips when replayed. Although the camera does offer a tiny top plate stills shooting mode dial with which to manually make selections, plus a dedicated record button for video, we don’t get the usual shutter and aperture priority plus manual shooting options crammed onto it. Despite the sophisticated exterior, this is very much a point and shoot camera - and fortunately, as we’ll see, a commendably reliable one with it.

With, as expected, no optical viewfinder provided, photos and video are composed and reviewed utilising the 3-inch screen, which betters the average 230k dot camera LCD quite considerably via its huge 920k dot resolution. Nikon also claims its screen cuts down on reflection in bright sunlight; in practice we were shooting under bright spring sun without viewing difficulty.

Apart from the preset auto modes on the Nikon’s teeny dial - which include two night shooting options in night portrait and night scene, neither of which proved as effective as simply finding a flat surface to rest the camera on, setting it to auto and activating the self timer to avoid jogging the camera when pressing the shutter release - the mode that jumps out is “effects” mode. Short for “special effects” this is a new mode for Nikon, also featured on its latest D5100 DSLR, which is a collection of digital effects filters by another name.

Applied at the point of capture, as with the Magic Filters and Art Filters on Olympus compacts and digital Pen series, are on the Nikon the likes of the self explanatory “soft”, “nostalgic” (not only sepia toned but also artistically blurry), high contrast monochrome (punchy black and white), high key, low key, and selective colour options. If you’re wondering where the usual “miniature” mode is, it’s to be found instead among the playback menu’s retouching options, which also allow the application of soft, selective colour plus fisheye effects. The above all help prevent the more experienced user getting bored, whilst providing extra icing on the cake for those trading up the S9100 from a lower priced snapshot. The accent at all times remains on ease of use.

Luckily then the camera is as responsive as we'd hoped for from a pocket compact. A half press of the shutter release button and exposure had been determined in the blink of an eye, the camera’s readiness trumpeted by the auto focus point glowing green and a loud confirming bleep. Upon pressing down fully in less than 2 seconds a maximum quality JPEG is committed modest internal memory or the three varieties of removable SD card - respectably swift once again. There’s no RAW shooting option here.

When it comes to downloading or sharing pictures and video, the camera features the regulars of HDMI output under a side flap, plus joint AV and USB output port squirreled away at the base. As with recent Coolpix releases, there’s no mains charger provided - instead the S9100’s battery is charged in camera, with the supplied USB lead hooking up to a mains adapter with vacant USB port. Battery life is good for around 270 shots, which is so-so - better than some competitors but rather short of the 1000 shots offered by the Casio EX-H20 or H30 models.

Whereas typically Nikon compacts have delivered rather muted colours in comparison with the likes of Panasonic and Samsung, that’s not the case here. Images are as well saturated as we hoped for straight from the camera, whilst colours remained true to the subject. This meant that we felt moved to carry out little in the way of post processing.

Though the optical zoom can be used when shooting video, the camera takes a moment to catch up with adjustments, which can therefore throw your shot out of focus when zooming in.

We were however able to achieve sharp results from shooting handheld in daylight at the telephoto end of the zoom - not always the case with competing travel zooms. That said, there were instances of corner softening at maximum wide angle and also the familiar bugbear of purple fringing visible between areas of high contrast - both only really visible if cropping in closely. For lower light, sticking at ISO 800 and below naturally yielded the smallest amount of image noise, but while the top ISO 1600 and ISO 3200 low light settings do yield a progressively more speckled appearance in the shadows, overall the image quality exceeded what we expected from a sub ?300 point and shoot.

Verdict:

The S9100 is something of a sheep in wolf’s clothing; though styled like an enthusiast model, at least in its black incarnation, when you drill down into the feature set you discover a pretty much “auto everything” point and shoot.

Still, the ?250 asking price reflects this - in comparison with say a Nikon Coolpix P300 or P7000 - and the point of this model is, first and foremost, that humungous focal range. This is a camera that will slot easily into your pocket to be ready, with a little quick zoom adjustment, for most subjects you can throw at it. Given its ability to both shoehorn expansive landscapes and candid close-ups into frame - switching between both in a matter of seconds - ?250 seems a fair price to pay for the privilege. The end result is one of the better travel zooms on the market today.

Tags: Cameras Digital cameras Nikon Nikon S9100 12 megapixels Compact cameras

                   

Nikon Coolpix S9100 originally appeared on http://www.pocket-lint.com on Sun, 17 Apr 2011 08:50:16 +0100

After dealing away Deron Williams, the Jazz needs to look to the future to fill the point guard spot (Devin Harris is a short-term solution at best). Knight is perfect for the role, with prototypical NBA point guard size at 6-3 and, unlike many of his college counterparts, Knight also possesses a great shooting stroke from the perimeter.

Knight hasn't announced his decision yet about entering the draft, but Kentucky Coach John Calipari's recent history in grooming one-and-done guards at Kentucky and Memphis like John Wall, Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans indicates that Calipari may encourage Knight to go pro if he thinks his draft stock is high enough.

After spearheading Kentucky's charge to the Final Four and demonstrating his ability to hit clutch shots and serve as a tough on-ball defender, Knight's stock may never be higher. He’s also a high-character guy which plays well in the Utah Jazz organization.

The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Derrick Williams with the first-pick, a franchise player who'll be the cornerstone of the team's rebuilding efforts. 

With the luxury of two first-round choices, they get a proven winner in Shelvin Mack. 

Mack shot up draft boards with his outstanding shooting performance during the NCAA tournament. Also, the fact that he led the mid-major Butler Bulldogs to consecutive national championship games proves to GM's and coaches that he's a proven winner. 

He's a bit undersized for the shooting guard spot, but that's exactly what he is; a deadly shooter. 

If Ricky Rubio finally decides to come to Minneapolis, the guard spot will be crowded, but the Timberwolves are definitely in need of a long-range shooter. 

Mack's their guy. 

NBADraft.net had this to say in their profile of Mack:

 Instant offense type of shooter/scorer at the lead guard position. Very composed. Always on balance, never seems to rush things. Good pace to his game. Plays smart, values the basketball. Aggressive scorer with a crafty offensive game. Really knows how to create shots and has a strong one on one game. Good shot selection. Strong jump shooter and mid-range game with a strong ability to create shots for himself off the dribble 

MUST READ: Is Kobe Bryant the Most Clutch Player in the NBA?

I like Mack, a lot. He may not have prototypical size, but I'll take any player who can shoot from long distance and create off the dribble. Mack is that type of player. 

The Daytona is not the largest watch in Rolex's sport lineup.  That title belongs to the new Explorer II at 42mm the Deepsea at 44mm.  40mm, the size of both the Daytona and the Submariner, is a historical nod to the watches of yesteryear that began at 36mm, slowly crept to 39mm, and in the modern era, became what they are today.

This year's Daytona isn't all that different from last year's.  But, on the Everose models, you'll see a brand new bezel, a bezel that looks much like those that you'll find on a few vintage pieces from the past.  The black bezel, made of Cerachrom, is essentially impervious to scratches. 

But more important to use, the Cerachrom bezel looks a hell of a lot like the black bezels of the original Daytonas.  In 1965, Rolex released the reference 6240, the first Daytona to have screw down pushers and the very first to be made entirely with a black bezel.  Occasionally you will see the earlier 6239 with a black bezel, but that is quite rare. 

The black Cerachrom bezel on the modern Daytona, available only on Everose models currently, is a welcomed touch.  The contrast of the glistening black ceramic against Rolex's specially concocted Everose material is very nice, especially when paired with a leather strap and white dial.  In fact, this touch makes an otherwise very dress chronograph rather sporty, and because it is still sized at 40mm, a very classy watch.

Inside this new Daytona is Rolex's fantastic caliber 4130, complete with column wheel and vertical clutch.  This is the movement that replaced Zenith's El Primero movement in the year 2000.

For more details on the new Rolex Daytona in Everose with a Cerachrom bezel, click here.

Elizabeth Drew

As is his custom, President Obama erred on the side of caution in confronting this country’s grave fiscal crisis. On Wednesday he gave a good speech far too late. What if he hadn’t been so dilatory on a subject he inevitably would have to confront?

Consider this picture: in early 2010, the Tea Party was a mere specter, not yet a full-blown movement, much less an election victor, and it was unimaginable that it would, in effect, seize control of one body of the Congress. Even if Obama had addressed the fiscal crisis at the outset of this year, rather than deliver a wan and cautious State of the Union address, he would have set the predicate for the current budget battle rather than leaving an opening for Paul Ryan’s radical (and somewhat nonsensical) proposal to fill the vacuum. In essence, Ryan’s plan would change Medicare and Medicaid almost beyond recognition and sharply lower tax rates for the wealthiest individuals and for corporations. It relies on strange assumptions, such as 2.8 percent unemployment by 2021, and it appears to come nowhere near his claimed savings of $1.6 trillion. Ordinarily, such a proposal would have been laughed out of town, but now it’s been transformed into respectability.

The possibility of a bipartisan “Grand Bargain” has grown dimmer, given the lines that have now been drawn, and the Republicans’ perhaps inevitable hyperbole about the President’s speech, which they denounced as “partisan” (Heavens!) and a campaign gimmick. They could not entertain the possibility that Obama’s was a serious, thoughtful offering. The House’s adoption Thursday of the deal made between Obama and House Speaker John Boehner last Friday offers a glimmer of a possibility of compromise on much larger issues, but if the past is prologue, they would be compromises essentially on Republican terms.

For Obama, this struggle has always been about two things. Politically, he has to show that he is more fiscally responsible than his Republican opponents. He also has to get results that are substantively sound. The two issues he must now grapple with are drastically reducing the size of the huge annual deficits (the difference between spending and revenues in any given fiscal year), officially projected this year to reach a staggering, once inconceivable $1.5 trillion. His second challenge is to persuade the Congress to raise the limit (the so-called debt ceiling) on the national debt, now estimated to be over $14 trillion, nearly rivaling the nation’s GDP. The limit is now predicted to be reached in mid-May (though the deadline is fluid because the Treasury can employ tricks for a while to keep the government liquid).

The Republicans have threatened to oppose raising the limit unless “structural” changes are made to the government’s budget, so it’s possible that the two issues will in effect be combined. Catastrophic effects have been predicted if the nation were to default on the national debt, which is no longer entirely out of question. The difficulty is that a vote against raising the debt ceiling is a cheap way to purchase political protection and to make a point—even Senator Barack Obama of Illinois voted against doing so in 2006. And the radicals who control the House seem willing to let the nation go into default in order to get across their message.

This long battle raises big questions: one is who we really are, what we want the relationship between the government and the people to be, and whether in the current political circumstances, this country can be governed in any rational way.

The last-hour deal Obama reached with Boehner on April 8, to cut domestic spending for this fiscal year by $39 billion, was a worse defeat—nearly an abject failure—for the President than was generally understood (which suggests that he hasn’t lost his political skills). When that $39 billion worth of cuts was added to the $40 billion he had already conceded without a fight earlier in the year, it amounted to a total of $80 billion in cuts below his own original proposal for this year’s budget. This was eighty percent of the way toward the $102 billion in cuts that the Tea Party-dominated House had proposed in February.

But the fact that such a huge fight occurred over spending for a mere twelve percent of the federal budget for just the remaining six months of this fiscal year was absurd. It was a situation made for political drama (and hoked-up television), since if an agreement hadn’t been reached by midnight, the federal government would have had to shut down. The fight over this spending bill was the budgetary Spanish Civil War: both sides were testing their skills and their weapons—and each other.

This relatively minor skirmish, in comparison to the ones that were to come, was nevertheless revealing about how Obama handles his role in shaping domestic policy with a divided Congress, one chamber dominated by conservative true believers. Tea Party members and other freshmen elected with its strong backing, were originally written off (and laughed at) as political amateurs, but, with the help of senior colleagues who joined up with them out of shared beliefs or opportunism, they ended up dominating the new Congress’s agenda, partly by default on Obama’s part. The Tea Party turned out to be a formidable political force because they are amateurs, inflexible and uncompromising.

The President tried to portray his near-rout as a success by employing theater—he stood in front of a window through which the viewing audience could see the Washington Monument, now kept open as the result of a deal having been reached—and extolled the agreement as “the biggest annual spending cut in history,” This wasn’t the sort of “victory” his most passionate supporters had expected when they elected him. The rapidity with which Obama took ownership of a budget deal that was so clearly a major coup for Boehner and the Tea Party gave him a chameleon-like aspect.

In some ways, Obama and the partisan but pragmatic Boehner, neither of whom wanted a government shutdown, are up against the same forces. According to Vin Weber, a former House member and now a prominent and well-wired lobbyist, most of the House Republicans are conservative, with about two-thirds of them belonging to the conservative Republican Study Committee chaired by Jim Jordan, a third-term congressman from Urbana, Ohio. Weber said, “These folks are conservatives across the board and want to win on both social and fiscal issues. But the majority cared more about fiscal issues, as has always been the case in the Congress.” In the fight over the spending bill, Weber told me, “I think it’s true that most junior members care more about spending and a handful of members insist on getting some victory on social issues.” Boehner had to contend with, and pacify, both factions.

While the fiscal conservatives were demanding large spending cuts, the smaller group of social conservatives, led by Jim Jordan, was focused on cutting off federal funding of Planned Parenthood. Though the long-ago adopted Hyde amendment forbids the use of federal funds to pay for abortions, the pro-life forces are constantly on patrol against any possible ways of getting around the ban. (The fact that abortions account for just 3 percent of Planned Parenthood’s care, which focuses mainly on reproductive health issues among lower income women, and are set apart, often in another building, and are paid for by private funds, was of no interest to the pro-life forces, who also, contradictorily, opposed birth control—which was their real target this time.)

But Boehner no doubt understood that the fight over the funding of Planned Parenthood would not hold up as a rationale for closing down the government. In the end, he dropped the defunding of Planned Parenthood in exchange for another couple of billion dollars in cuts. The pro-lifers did win a provision in the final agreement that restricted the District of Columbia—the one place it could reach into and despite hard-won home rule in 1973, still treats essentially as its plantation—from using taxpayer funds to pay for abortions. Thus they sought to punish defenseless poor women—because they could. (And Obama went along.) According to Weber, the majority of members on both sides would prefer not to take on the highly contentious abortion issue, so the outside groups that feel strongly about it rely on a small clutch of members. And the leaders don’t want to alienate such an intense and vocal part of the Republican base. In any case, the Republican effort to defund Planned Parenthood is likely to recur again and again as the budget battle continues. These forces don’t give up easily.

Though they are feeling triumphant, the Republicans are running a real risk by catering to their base—and in many cases trying avoid primary challenges from the right next year. The astute political analyst Charlie Cook, who was the first to call attention to the Republican wave of 2010, warned in a recent column in the National Journal that the Republicans are misreading their mandate—a not uncommon tendency of both parties in the euphoria of victory. The conservative base and the Tea Partiers may want “to take a meat axe to the government,” Cook wrote, adding, “It would be a blunder, however, to think that such views drove the election.” The Republicans won in 2010, Cook argues, essentially because independents and swing voters wanted to punish the Democrats for the state of the economy, and (Republicans: take note) because they feared that their Medicare benefits would be reduced. The Democrats won in 2008, Cook argues, because those same groups wanted to punish Republicans for George W. Bush’s war in Iraq, and party members’ personal scandals.

Moreover, despite the Republicans insistent claim that they were sent to Washington to “cut government spending,” a Wall Street Journal/NBC poll taken in mid-October 2010 revealed that people selected “job creation and economic growth” over “the deficit and government spending” by a substantial margin as the most important issue in the following month’s election.

But if the Democrats lull themselves into thinking they can just sit back while the Republicans destroy their own reelection chances, they could awaken some day to find that there has been an abrupt reversal of the direction that, with a few brief interludes, this country has been going in since the l930s, and an upending of longstanding assumptions about the relationship of the state and individuals.

So, with the House in the hands of the beyond-radical, almost nihilistic, right, and the Senate Democrats cautious and concerned that they could well lose control of the chamber in the 2010 elections, that left the President. One odd feature of the Obama presidency is the frequency with which his aides offer explanations of why the President handled an issue this way or that. I know of no precedent for this. Each time, the explanation is intended to portray a solid belief on Obama’s part that this is the right way to govern, a fixed point on the compass, but the compass needle keeps swinging about. Early in his presidency, aides said that Obama wanted to travel the country, that he wasn’t sent to Washington to get involved in the nitty-gritty legislative process—which is usually taken as a given in the role of a President.

But during the past couple of weeks they explained that Obama had been standing aside from the congressional budget fight because “the public” prefers to see the President as a compromiser. Obama’s aides also gave, perhaps unintentionally, a raw political reason for why the President stood aside so long: they said that his poll numbers had dropped after the health care bill was passed last year because, they said, the public saw him as too involved in the legislative struggle. Perhaps; but for one thing the President wasn’t all that involved, and for another it’s also possible that his poll numbers went down because, inexplicably, the White House lost the war over the definition of one of the greatest social advances in fifty years.

In any case, it didn’t necessarily follow that a President should stand on the sidelines while Congress determines how much money should be spent on federal programs, or which ones should be killed—a fateful set of decisions, affecting every citizen’s life. There may have been little Obama could do to fend off the $61 billion in spending cuts adopted by the House. (Since Boehner couldn’t get enough Republican support for it—notably, fifty nine conservative Republicans voted against the deal because it didn’t go far enough—it was salvaged by Democrats. It was, after all, their President’s deal as well.) But he could have been a voice, setting the direction for the Democrats in Congress, who were knew which way he’d go.

But then, after coming under considerable criticism for failing to lead, Obama suddenly reversed course following the April 8 deal, and the White House announced that he would give a major speech in the coming week. So on Wednesday at George Washington University, he called for Republicans and Democrats to join in trying to reach an agreement on a broad plan that would include savings in entitlement programs, and tax increases on the wealthiest taxpayers (contrary to the extension of Bush tax cuts he had agreed to in the lame duck session), and also cuts in defense spending.

Oddly, it wasn’t until four days later that it was made known what the negotiators had agreed to. (As it happens, a Congressional Budget Office report now said that because the proposal contained so many gimmicks, mainly counting money that the government wasn’t going to spend anyway, the actual amount cut was—get ready—$352 million.) This makes one wonder how much of a deal Boehner and the Democrats had actually made. Inevitably, Democrats howled at cuts in programs dear to them, and Republicans carried on that the cuts hadn’t gone far enough. But because the subject of the fight was domestic discretionary programs—programs that largely help the middle class and the poor—that was where the cuts were going to be made. In the end, about half the cuts hit education, health, and labor programs, as well as job-producing programs such as building highways and high-speed rail.

Obama should be in a better political position as he enters into the upcoming negotiations about the debt ceiling than he was when he negotiated the April 8 agreement: since that didn’t go so well for him, he should have learned some lessons. He could begin with correcting an odd tendency, displayed throughout his presidency, to make premature concessions, perhaps to appear “reasonable”—he must have learned by now that an opponent simply pockets the concession and keeps demanding more. But the Republicans’ proposal to in effect destroy Medicare is always a very unpopular idea. Republicans seem to have a tin ear about entitlement programs. (George W. Bush’s proposal to partially privatize Social Security went nowhere fast.)

Still, the Democrats now have to deal with the fact that the Ryan proposal, which the House was expected to pass on Friday afternoon, will be on the table as the only serious alternative to the President’s proposal—unless a bipartisan deal comes to Obama’s and the Democrats’ rescue.

Looking for a clutch for Easter or those spring weddings? This may be the clutch for you! The Jacqueline Ferrar Floral Clutch is the perfect size to carry your lip gloss and cash! It is absolutely beautiful, adorned with black, blush or ivory petals! Whether it is paired with your pretty pink Easter dress, your little black dress or whether it is a gift for the bride-to-be on her wedding day, this clutch is a beauty and the perfect addition to your ensemble. Marked at $23.99, down from $40.00, jcpenney is offering this clutch at a steal!

The PS 31 has quickly replaced my Bosch 18v as my everyday drill. I could not have been more surprised by the performance.

Initial Impressions

The case that comes with it is not as robust as the traditional Bosch tool case. It is made from a soft canvas-like material but the construction seems sturdy enough. I would not stack other tool cases on top of this one. On the other hand, the drilll is very tough. It fits well in your hand and the rubberized surfaces are very comfortable. The size is a little deceptive but, it only takes one pull of the trigger to realize this is no kid’s toy. It comes with an led light to see what you are drillling and it has an integrated battery gauge.

Specs/Warranty

The drill is rated at 265 in/lbs torque and weighs in at 2.1 lbs. It comes with the Bosch Provantage Program. When you sign up, you get 2 years of free battery replacement and 3 years of repair. It took me about 5 minutes on the phone to register.

Using the drill

To see what it was capable of I chucked it with a 1” spade bit. I drilled the first hole in a pine 2×4. No problems. I then proceeded to drill a hole in a piece of walnut scrap that was a little thicker than the pine. Once again, no problems. After boring the 2 holes, the battery gauge still showed a full 3 bars. In all honesty, if you are going to drill large holes all day long, this is probably not going to be the ideal tool. I would imagine that the battery would start to drain after prolonged use. However, this little beauty can certainly handle occasional heavy-duty tasks.

It has 2 speeds, a progressive trigger and a clutch with 20 settings. I really like the trigger.

Where this drill/driver really shines is in normal, everyday woodworking. It fits into tight spaces and can be carried in your pocket. It is hard to explain just how easy it is to use. This tool feels like an extension of your hand. I have owned three 18v drills and always believed that bigger is better. The ps31 has changed my way of thinking. The power ratings on this tool are comparable to the ratings on the 14.4V
nicad drills still out there. The weight is about half that of the 14.4 nicads.

It comes with 2 batteries. The batteries charge in less than 30 minutes.

Summary

This drill may not completely replace your need for an 18v or corded drill. But, for a woodworker, it should handle all of your daily drilling and driving tasks and the occasional holesaw or spade-bit chore. It will also go a lot of places that an 18v or corded drill cannot. The best part is that due to the light weight, your arms will thank you at the end of the day.

Bottom Line

Don’t be scared by the small size. This thing packs a punch and is very easy to use. You will be pleasantly surprised.

If you need a blast of color to go with your favorite little black dress, the Medium Mindy Metallic Clutch by Dolce & Gabbana should fit the bill. The metallic calfskin clutch zips all the way around and even though it’s almost the size of  a piece of notebook paper (it’s 6.25 “ high by [...]

That's a joke, really.   50 acres of a small prairie restoration project is not a lawn.   But--lawn or not--if left to its own devices, it won't turn into its much earlier prairie self, either.   It soon becomes a mix of invasive woody species, invasive non-native grasses and forbs, native grasses and forbs, and a major fire hazard right next to a construction yard--a potent source of sparks and fuel.   One of the major tools for prairie restoration and maintenance, fire, is not available because of the houses and the construction yard and the increasingly drought-prone climate.  Prescribed fires too often get loose and become uncontrolled wildfires...and neighbors (and local volunteer fire departments) are not thrilled.   Getting a permit for a prescribed fire when there's an area wide burn-ban (something we now have for many months a year) is difficult to impossible, and burning without one is illegal and arouses ire as well as fire.

Hence, mowing.  Mowing is not the same management tool, and does not have exactly the same results, but it does accomplish some of the goals of a prescribed burn: reducing the risk of wildfire is the big one, but there are others.   Fire returns minerals in the burnt vegetation to the soil; the decay of mowed vegetation does the same thing, though slower (hence, no post-fire burst of fertility.)   Fire enables the germination of some seeds; mowing does not.  OTOH, too hot a fire (fueled by, for instance, the burning of live Ashe juniper) can sterilize the soil--not a good thing, and mowing doesn't do that, either.  In our experience (admittedly, only about a decade) carefully timed mowing results in the return of native grass species and most (not all) native forb species, while controlling many invasive non-natives.  Just as fire has different effects at different times of the year, so too does mowing 

Mowing acreage for management is different from mowing lawns (whatever size) for appearance.   Achieving the billiard-table look--flat and smooth and uniform--is not the goal at all.  Cutting height is chosen (by season, by slope, by plant type) to assist the desired species and deter the unwanted.   Desired species include ground-nesting birds (whose habitat is left uncut in the spring until after nesting season) and migrating raptors, whose late fall-through-spring depredations on grassland rodents help with the management of that population. 

Mowing larger areas of grass requires larger equipment than a little lawn tractor.  Besides the acreage, there's the mowing height thing.   Some areas need to be mowed to four inches, others to six or even eight.  Where we're restoring tallgrass, it's important not to scalp the crowns of the big bunchgrasses (Indiangrass, eastern gama, switchgrass, big bluestem, little bluestem.)   They can be mowed only when dormant, in winter.  Nor do we want to mow cactus (prickly pear responds to mowing with great enthusiasm, generating new cactus plants from nearly every fragment.  Mashing them with a tractor tire doesn't kill them either.)   New baby cacti--the kind we dig out and dispose of in a heap in one place)  are hard to see in taller grass and forbs, but if you can cut just above them, they can be removed more easily.   Some areas were not mowed for years because we were killing off a non-native introduced "improved pasture grass"...that responds to mowing by spreading, but left on its own will "thatch" itself to death.  It looks ugly as sin right now, but native grasses and forbs are pushing up through the thatch.  (And the thatch retards erosion in heavy rainfall, breaking the force of the big rain events before they reach the soil itself.) 

So there's the tractor...a small, by modern farm standards,  John Deere named Bombadil...and PTO, its three-point hitch, and its mower deck attached thereto, six feet of rapidly rotating blade that can shred just about anything, including woody invasives up to an inch or so thick.   Including body parts, if anyone is so stupid as to reach under the mower deck while it's on or slowing down.  It's easy to drive, if you follow some basic safety rules....it steers well, it has brakes and clutch, and behind you is the loud (very loud, which is why you should wear earplug)  mower deck, leaving a six foot swathe of whatever you were cutting.  I enjoy the tractor...up to a point.  That point is determined by the tractor's effect on my back, something I don't really notice until I try to get off the tractor.   Stay on it too long, and I am barely able to clamber down, holding onto anything I can grab, and I walk funny for the next several hours.  "Too long" is becoming shorter as I get older.  

Preparing for tractor work in the field includes the earplugs, a cloth to tie over nose and mouth, bandit style, because of the dust, dark glasses, the big straw hat,  a long-sleeved denim shirt (not just sun protection, but protection against the thorny stuff I'll be mowing near and under), gloves,  sturdy shoes with nonskid soles (dust and shredded bits of grass get all over the steps up...sliding while descending is not a good idea.  If I know I'm going to be out awhile, I take water along. 

If you have a rectangular field, there are known ways to mow it more efficiently.  If you have an irregular field, you can be inventive.   I tend to define rectangular patches and mow them by the efficient pattern, except when dealing with water courses or (in some cases) the old worn-down terracing.  Then I tackle the irregular bits between the regular bits. 

But in addition to the mowing itself, there are other considerations.  Fire, again.   Mowing dry tall grass on a very hot day can cause a wildfire...the grass is perfect tinder, and it takes only enough heat (as from the tractor engine itself) or a spark (as from the blade hitting a flint rock, of which we have many) or an upturned shard of glass that focuses sun on dry grass to start the fire.   Mowing green grass is never as risky--but any mowing is riskier as the temperature climbs and humidity drops.  Wind adds to the fire danger.  So the safest time to mow the dead dry stuff is on a cool, still, damp morning.   The most dangerous is a hot day with a brisk breeze.  This places a premium on getting that dry stuff down early--in the year and in the day.   In the past six months, our area is over 10 inches down from normal rainfall...the half inch we got a couple of days ago is already gone from the dry vegetation and the top inch of soil.  

In addition, for the past two years most of our rain has fallen in one week, in September.  This produces a surge of late season vegetation--mostly forbs--on ground far too wet to work (12 inches in one rainstorm...)  Field conditions--temperature, yes, but also how wet the ground is (and where) determines when you can mow.  All days are not the same.  All times of day are not the same.  All places on the place are not the same.   The east grass, in particular, has a seepy slope that can't have the big tractor on it if it's wet.  (Getting the big tractor--big to us--stuck out in the field is not a good thing...)   Across the whole of the place, the soil depth ranges from four feet of gluey black clay to solid rock--sometimes within 20 feet of each other.  I need to know that--know where the seeps are, where the drainage is, what the footing is--everywhere, to be sure that I won't bog the rig down.  (We've stuck the little lawn tractor once or twice.  Not the big rig.)    These limitations create the temptation to work too long at one time (too long for my back) and are the reason I'm not on the tractor today, yesterday having produced the "old geezer hobbling around" back situation.  But...acres have been mowed, though acres remain to be mowed.  Cactus was isolated for digging out and picking up.  The red-tailed hawk (yesterday's hawk) approved the removal of cover from grassland rodents.   So will the foxes.  

So tomorrow, weather permitting, I'll be back on the tractor (taking the ibuprofen first, this time) to mow some more on this "lawn" of ours.  Compared to when we bought it, it's got a lot more native grass, and more species of native grass, and areas that were barren are now vegetated with native plants. 

For those of you who have had your fill of scouts, combines, pro days, predictions and mock drafts, let me introduce to you an alternative.

It’s called "Wet Behind the Ears", an in-depth look at 10 rookies, who may be as important to fantasy football as they are to the real NFL.

Since late February, each one of them has been pushed, poked, prodded and put through the proverbial ringer of what is known as the NFL draft process.

These young athletes are closing in on a memorable weekend, when they will learn their fate and don the caps and jerseys of their new teams.

But they will also need to learn how important they can be to fantasy teams, whose owners can only hope to find a star in the making. Some of them have a lot of growing up to do, while others seem mature beyond their years.

Which ones will make an immediate impact? And which ones will need some time? You be the judge and feel free to state your opinion, because any one of these rookies could be yours, when your fantasy team is on the clock.

________________________________________________________________________________

WEEK ONE - THE TOP 10 (BEST BETS):

1. GEORGIA WR A.J. GREEN

When A.J. Green showed up at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, he promptly got out-shined by the next best receiver in this year's draft. But that did not bother the Bulldogs' superstar. He acknowledges that Alabama's Julio Jones is a unique talent and will likely be a star in the league for the next decade.

But then Green had one of the strangest pro days in recent memory. First, he refused to re-run the 40-yard dash and let his 4.5 second combine time stand. Then he proceeded with a 30-minute scripted session in front of nobody in particular.

Well, at least it seemed that way. There were professional scouts that made the trip to Athens, Ga., but because of an obscure NFL lockout rule, they were unable to watch Green perform on the gridiron. Instead, scouts viewed the workout on televisions inside the Bulldogs' practice complex.

Nevertheless, Green will be off the board early in the first round on April 28 and should be considered the top rookie selection off fantasy draft boards in August.

With sub-4.4 speed, Green can get up field in a hurry, but scouts marvel more about his route running skills and his ability to out-leap opponents in the end zone.

Comparisons to current Detroit wide receiver Calvin Johnson make Green all the more appealing for fantasy owners, especially in dynasty leagues where long-term production is essential.

Of course, rookie receivers are always overrated in the real NFL. But in fantasy, an athlete of Green's stature can stand out as a No. 3 receiver with upside. Last year, Dallas' Dez Bryant proved to be what Green could be on a week-to-week basis.

Supremely talented, Bryant simply busted through, ran past or out-muscled defenders on his way to the end zone on a regular basis. Green's skills are similar, so look for him to explode upon the fantasy scene and contribute immediately in touchdown-only leagues.

Possible Destinations: Carolina, Cincinnati or Cleveland

2011 Stat Prediction: 70 Rec, 1,125 Yds, 8 TDs

 

Every fantasy owner has their eyes peeled for the next great running back to grab hold of the NFL spotlight. Unfortunately, it is hard to predict how certain backs will be used in certain systems and how quickly they will be able to adapt to the pro game.

There have been rumors circulating about a lack of urgency for teams this year when it comes to the running back position.

Most teams believe they can wait to get a quality back in the mid-rounds. And with the quantity and depth of defensive players and quarterbacks this year, there is plenty of evidence to support this.

 

2. ALABAMA RB MARK INGRAM

Alabama's Mark Ingram may be the only back to hear his name announced in the first round. A big, powerful runner with great vision and soft hands, Ingram could be a three-down back for a team that needs one to step into a starter's role.

With the uncertainty of free agents Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown in Miami, most mock drafts have Ingram going to the Fish at pick 15.

But some fantasy owners fall in love with rookie backs too soon or disregard the fragility of players who battled injuries in college. Just ask anybody who drafted Buffalo's C.J. Spiller or San Diego's Ryan Mathews in 2010.

Spiller had a disappointing inaugural season in the NFL. But fantasy owners should not have put much stock in him in the first place. For half the season, Spiller played behind both Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch, prior to Lynch's trade to Seattle.

Meanwhile, many gurus predicted that Mathews would make Chargers fans forget long-time star LaDainian Tomlinson, who left sunny Southern California for the bright lights of New York.

Two games into the season, Mathews suffered a severe ankle sprain and fantasy owners paid the price. But they should have seen it coming. Mathews was injury-prone in college, with knee, ankle and foot problems that limited him.

At 5’10 and 215 pounds, Ingram looks durable, but after winning the Heisman Trophy in 2009, he sustained a knee injury last year that has concerned some teams.

Fortunately for Ingram, he looked as healthy as an ox at the combine and at his pro day, where he ran in the low 4.5s.

Look for Ingram to be a low-risk, high-reward pick for fantasy owners, who can only hope that he lives up to the Emmitt Smith comparisons that got everybody excited in the first place.

Then again, we're talking about a rookie here. Smith is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, who also happens to be the NFL's all-time leading rusher.

Possible Destinations: Miami, New England, New York Giants or Green Bay

2011 Stat Prediction: 236 Att - 1062 Yds, 22 Rec - 154 Yds, 10 Total TDs

 

3. ILLINOIS RB MIKEL LESHOURE

Call me crazy, but I think Mikel Leshoure is going make an immediate impact in Fantasy, especially if he lands on a squad that is willing to feed him the ball.

The Illinois workhorse toted the rock 281 times in 2010 for 1,697 yards and 17 rushing touchdowns to earn the College Football Performance Awards’ Running Back Trophy.

The honor is based on the extent to which an individual player increases the overall effectiveness of his team.

Leshoure broke Illinois’ record for overall touchdowns in a season with 20 and his rushing total broke the all-time Fighting Illini record previously held by Pittsburgh Steelers star Rashard Mendenhall.

If you still don’t believe he will be a force to be reckoned with, check out Leshoure's highlight reel, courtesy of YouTube.

It begins with a touchdown scamper against Northwestern at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. His overall performance in the Nov. 20 game was stunning, with another score and a school-record 330 yards on the ground.

It was Division I’s highest single-game rushing total in 2010 and put Leshoure’s name squarely on the NFL Draft map.

Possible Destinations: New England, Green Bay, Washington, Denver or New York Giants

2011 Stat Prediction: 200 Att - 940 Yds, 37 Rec - 327 Yds, 8 Total Tds

 

4. ALABAMA WR JULIO JONES

I’m going to go out on a limb and predict that Alabama’s Julio Jones will be a fantasy stud as a rookie. Now, normally I would rate guys like A.J. Green and Jones lower on my list and for good reason.

Rookie wide receivers that are considered “best in class” tend to be merely average in their freshman campaigns and sometimes it takes three seasons for them to achieve star status.

But Jones’ talent is undeniable. When he’s focused, he can be downright lethal, with 4.3 speed that often leaves defenders in his rear view.

Unfortunately, his attention can be fleeting, with drops at the most inopportune times. In a sense, he’s a lot like Terrell Owens. He’ll use his physicality to make a clutch third-down grab, but he’ll make coaches cry by misplaying a ball when he’s wide open.

Then again, he reminds me of a young Anquan Boldin too. You know, the current Baltimore Ravens star, who burst on the scene in 2003 with Arizona?

Boldin’s rookie numbers were 101 catches for 1,377 yards and 8 touchdowns. Would those stats help your fantasy team?

Possible Destinations: Tennessee, Washington, Minnesota, or St. Louis

2011 Stat Prediction: 68 Rec, 872 Yds, 6 Tds

 

5. VIRGINIA TECH RB RYAN WILLIAMS

Mark Ingram may be the only back taken in the first round and that’s still up for debate. But it does not necessarily mean that this year’s running back class is weak.

Virginia Tech’s Ryan Williams is considered by many to be next in line after Ingram. And although he struggled with injuries in college, Williams could be a fantasy surprise, if you’re willing to take a stab at him.

According to the Sporting News, Williams loved watching Dallas star Emmitt Smith as a kid. But this writer likes the fact that he wore the number 34 for the Hokies, in honor of a man affectionately known as 'Sweetness.'

A hamstring injury, combined with a three back system, limited Williams’ production a year ago. But scouts should refer to his 2009 totals to see the potential the kid has. As a sophomore, he scampered for 1,655 yards and 21 touchdowns on 293 carries.

At 5-9” he’s actually the same size as Chicago great Walter Payton and if given the chance, he would like to follow in his footsteps to greatness.

Possible Destinations: New England, New York Giants, Chicago or Cincinnati

2011 Stat Prediction: 194 Att - 853 Yds, 38 Rec - 343 Yds, 6 Total TDs

 

6. KANSAS STATE RB DANIEL THOMAS

Minor injuries can sometimes stall running backs in their tracks, especially ones who run over defenders instead of around them.

This has been the case for Kansas State’s Daniel Thomas, who missed the Senior Bowl, the Combine and his school’s original pro day with a strained hamstring. Scouts already know what Thomas brings to the table.

In 2009, he earned the Big 12’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year Award with a conference-leading 1,265 yards and 11 touchdowns. He then followed it up with 1,585 yards and 19 scores in his senior year.

But Thomas is pedestrian when it comes to straight-line speed, and NFL scouts wanted to see him up close to gauge how slow he truly is.

When he finally performed in front of them on April 5, he clocked in around 4.7, but immediately cited a strained quad muscle.

He may slip to the late-third or fourth round, but the team that drafts him will need him to focus on staying in shape. If he does, he could be a diamond in the rough for both the team and fantasy owners.

Possible Destinations: Cincinnati, New York Giants, New Orleans or Denver

2011 Stat Prediction: 173 Att - 744 Yds, 18 Rec - 137 Yds, 5 Total TDs

 

7. PITTSBURGH WR JONATHAN BALDWIN

The last time a wide receiver came out of Pitt with the size and speed of Jonathan Baldwin, he did pretty well for himself. So, if lightning can strike once for Arizona, why not twice?

Baldwin may never duplicate the success of the great Larry Fitzgerald, but can you imagine Fitz taking him under his wing? With his 6-5” frame, Baldwin’s 4.4 speed in the 40 is breathtaking and even faster than Fitzgerald ran.

Wherever he goes, he will scare the daylights out of undersized corners and will be an immediate red-zone threat.

Choose him wisely in dynasty leagues and you may reap the benefits sooner than later, especially if a mentor like Fitzgerald is around to show him the ropes.

Possible Destinations: San Diego, Washington, Denver, New England or Arizona

2011 Stat Prediction: 52 Rec, 718 Yds, 5 Tds

 

8. ARKANSAS QB RYAN MALLET

“So, did you do drugs or didn’t you?” That was a recurring question at the combine for Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallet, who probably wishes he had never given into his curiosity to try a mind-altering substance.

But just like in the real world, misdeeds can be hard to overcome, especially if one refuses to accept responsibility and own up to mistakes.

Although he was scrutinized for not answering questions about his reported drug use, Mallet was composed through most of his interview at the NFL combine. Photo by HawgSports.com

Coincidentally, Mallet was stoic through most of his interview at the NFL Combine. To view some of his answers to questions that were not about his alleged drug use, click on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/embed/p02jZZbfznY.

But Mallet did not help himself out with the media, when he refused to answer the $64,000 question.

He stated time and again that he would provide an answer in private meetings with teams, but when he cut the press conference off and stormed off the podium, the damage was done.

Mallet may have been mum on the advice of his agent, but he was ultimately perceived as a young man with a cavalier attitude.

Some teams pay the consequences for spending time and money on loose cannons. Remember San Diego and Ryan Leaf? But, if Mallet’s answer in private is acceptable and he remains clean, he could be the steal of the draft.

At 6’7” and with a rifle arm to die for, many teams fancy him, especially because he comes from a pro-style offense. But he is by far the slowest signal caller in the draft and will need a line that is capable of keeping a statue upright.

Mallet’s fantasy and early success will be determined by the team that drafts him. If it’s a veteran one, with loads of talent like Minnesota, he could start from day one. But if it is a mediocre team that is re-building, the heat in the kitchen may be too hot for Mallet to handle.

Possible Destinations: Minnesota, Cincinnati, Arizona or Tennessee

2011 Stat Prediction: Pass Att - 275, 3340 Yds, 22 Pass Tds, 17 INTs, Rush Att 20, 42 Yds, 2 Rush Tds

 

9. CAL RB SHANE VAREEN

Fantasy sleeper alert! Fantasy sleeper alert! Name: Shane Vareen Position: RB. Conference: Pac 10 Team: Cal. I know, I know. Cal is the same school that produced Marshawn Lynch, who got in trouble with the law not once, but twice in Buffalo and then fizzled out with the Bills, who replaced him with former undrafted free agent Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller.

But if you recall, Lynch was a first-round draft choice of the Bills (12th overall) in 2007. Cal has also produced a pair of solid NFL backs in Jahvid Best and Justin Forsett and an average one in J.J. Arrington.

So, for the heck of it, let’s compare Lynch and Vareen, who is expected to come off the board in the second or third round. Both players, of course, played three seasons for the Bears, before foregoing their final season of college eligibility.

Total rushing attempts: Vareen wins 556 to 490. Total rushing yards: Lynch wins by a nose, 3,230 to 2,834. Total rushing TDs: Deadlocked at 29. Total 100-yard rushing games: Vareen wins, 11 to 9.

Total receptions: Vareen wins 74 to 68. Total receiving yards: Vareen wins by a nose, 674 to 600. Total receiving TDs: Deadlocked at 6. Total all-purpose yardage (including kick and punt returns): Lynch wins by a nose 4,574 to 4,069.

Lynch started 20 of 38 games in his Cal career, but had no starts in his first season with the team. Vareen started 19 of 38, including three starts his first year. He saw action in every single one of the 38 total games.

So, there you have it. Basically, Lynch and Vareen are identical, when it comes to production and durability. Vareen is just as fast too. He ran just one one-hundredth of a second slower than Lynch at the combine. Lynch was 4.46 and Vareen 4.47.

Therefore, an organization that picks Vareen gets a first-round talent in the late second or early-third round. Not too shabby for franchises that refuse to reach for players too early. And if you’re a fantasy owner, you cannot go wrong with the value you will get in the short and long term.

Vareen can sub for a starter in a pinch, like he did in his first two seasons behind Best. He also is consistent. He had multiple touchdowns in 10 games, 100 or more all-purpose yards 20 times and at least one reception in 37 of his 38 contests.

According to WalterFootball.com, Vareen has athleticism and vision, is elusive in the open field and is simply too talented to fall past the second round at this point. Okay. Maybe a team will need to reach just a little bit.

Possible Destinations: Green Bay, New Orleans, New England, Miami or Atlanta

2011 Stat Prediction: 164 Att - 697 Yds, 24 Rec - 209 Yds, 5 Total TDs

 

10. AUBURN QB CAMERON NEWTON

Cam Newton's fantasy relevance will depend on who takes him at the end of April. If it's a team with a returning starter like Buffalo, he will likely sit and learn. But if it's Carolina, Arizona, Tennessee or Washington, he may spread his wings early and often.

Big arm? Check. Physical freak? Check. Team Leader, Heisman Winner, Champion and Fantasy sensation for the next decade? Check. So why would any team pass on Cam Newton as the next face of its franchise?

According to former Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner, Cam Newton is a guy with loads of potential, but the odds are stacked against him because he prefers to tuck the ball in and run instead of looking for a second or third option on pass plays.

“Tell me the last QB that won a championship that was a ’running QB’?” asked Warner on NFL Network. “I can’t tell you one that’s won one in this league.”

Recently, Pro Football Weekly writer Nolan Nawrocki had some nasty things to say about Newton in his NFL Draft Preview Guide.

Nawrocki came under fire afterwards for what was considered to be over-the-top criticism of the Tigers star. Mr. Nawrocki may not have a personal vendetta against Newton, but his critique was so scathing, it made Warner’s comments seem like child’s play.

A few of Nawrocki’s points were valid, but Newton has his defenders too. Most of them believe the Auburn star has matured and has put his questionable past behind him.

They point out that Newton was an immature teenager when his off-the-field issues occurred and that his ability to succeed under pressure and with so much scrutiny is a testament to his character.

The debate about Newton’s integrity and his father’s influence can be debated for days, months or years.

But when all is said and done, there is no denying that Newton is a physical marvel, who just so happens to have the smile and charisma to sell loads of merchandise and to put fannies in stadium seats.

That is the bottom line in the NFL and the main reason Carolina would be crazy not to draft Newton No. 1 overall.

If that does not happen and Newton slips down a couple of notches, this writer will predict one thing for certain. Small market Buffalo will draft Newton and without hesitation. Why, you ask? Because 92-year old Hall of Fame owner Ralph Wilson is a lot smarter than people think.

Like he did when he drafted Jim Kelly in 1983, Wilson will pull the trigger on a quarterback who demands the spotlight.

Kelly, who is also a Hall of Famer, has gone on record to say that Newton is not an ideal fit for Buffalo. But at one time, he felt the same way about himself. After spurning the Bills to play in the USFL, he had a change of heart in 1986, and we all know how that turned out.

If Buffalo fans hope to keep their team from running off to a larger market, they should embrace Newton if he is there for the taking at No. 3. Prime-time broadcasts have been hard to come by for the Bills, who have not made a postseason appearance in 11 years.

And that will change in a heartbeat if Newton becomes Buffalo’s leader. Wilson may not be around to see many more Monday Night affairs, but his spirit will rest easy when he leaves this great earth.

Possible Destinations: Carolina, Buffalo, Cincinnati or Arizona

2011 Stat Prediction: Pass Att - 225, 2025 Yds, 15 Pass Tds, 13 INTs, Rush Att 58, 406 Yds, 5 Rush Tds

If I could, I'd just make this a picture of Tyreke dunking on Gary Neal, over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.

The Good:

1. DMC

See Player of the Week

2. Marcus in the Clutch

Marcus had a bad shooting week overall, but it seems like he steps it up to another level when it counts, something I love to see.  Against Houston, he hit clutch shot after clutch shot to make up for some really stupid mistakes the Kings were making.  Then against Memphis he almost single-handedly brought the Kings back into that game and made it interesting at the end.  Its nice knowing you have more than one go-to option at the end of the game (yes, I still consider Reke one of them).

3. Becoming a Sammy D Fan

I have gone from Sammy D Hater to Sammy D Admirer to Sammy D Fan this year.  Three more double-doubles this week for the big fella and two 15+ rebound games.  He's making it extremely hard for the Kings to not re-sign him this offseason.  If they don't, this team will have taken a big step back both defensively and on the boards.

4. Here We Build Rally

The Here We Build Rally last Tuesday was a rousing success, with over 300 Kings fans and media in attendance (on short notice on a weekday while work was going on, no less).  Big ups to Carmichael Dave for organizing it and anyone who attended.  Keep the faith Sactown.

5. Tyreke's Doctor

I just want to say thank you to whoever the doctor was that gave Tyreke the shockwave treatment on his feet because we're seeing the old Tyreke again, and maybe a little bit more, as evidenced by that huge slam on Gary Neal and another nifty dunk against the Grizzlies (which unfortunately didn't count since he stepped out of bounds).  Reke seems to have a little extra spring in his step these last few games and that can only mean good things.  His production hasn't been half bad either.  

6. Beno off the Bench

Beno has been filling his bench role nicely, still shooting as efficiently as ever and passing the ball well.  He also has fit well at times when playing with both Tyreke and Marcus.

7. JT's shooting

Jason has very quietly started to become a much better and more consistent shooter from the field.  His FG% for the year is at 49.8% now, which would be the best of his three years, after slipping a bit last year.  Defensively he's making strides too.

8. The Lakers

I'm sorry for blaspheming, but I have to root for Jerry Buss and the Lakers to get enough support to block a Kings move to Anaheim if the Maloofs end up filing.  You can do it Jerry! (Now if you'll excuse me I have to go take a shower and cry).

9. Comcast Sports Network

It was reported that CSN might be trying to get involved in the process with keeping the Kings in Sacramento.  Now nobody knows how they want to get involved, but their current contract (worth about $11 million annually) expires soon, so perhaps a newer, more lucrative contract could help entice the Kings to stay.  All I know is they have a customer for life if they are involved with the Kings staying.

The Bad:

1. Inefficient Marcus

Marcus's hot shooting couldn't carry on forever.  This week he scored 63 points in 4 games but needed 66 shots to do it.  That's less than a point a shot.  Definitely not good. 

2. Small Forward Position

By far Sacramento's most glaring weakness.  Cisco is the most consistent option we have and that's not good.  He's more of a guard anyway, and while he can play the spot on offense, defensively he's out of his league against most of the NBA's Small Forwards.  Donté is better defensively but on offense you never know if he'll be having a good shooting night or a bad shooting night (although its been getting better lately).

 

3. The Lady Cats

The Charlotte Bobcat Dancers are currently beating our Sacramento Kings Dance Team 54% to 46%.  Its up to YOU to change that.  Vote often.  

 

The Ugly:

1. 2nd Half Collapse Against San Antonio

That was just atrocious.  The game went from a 2 point deficit to a 22 point one in one quarter, where the Spurs scored 41 points.  The 4th quarter wasn't much better.

2. Stupid Mental Mistakes Against Houston

First one: Clear Path foul on DeMarcus when we were up 12.  That's two shots and the ball.  To make matters worse, Houston hit a three after the free throws, making it a 5 point possession for them.  Then came the atrocious inbounds from JT to Tyreke.  But worst of all was fouling Kyle Lowry while shooting a three... twice.  Has this team not learned?  Luckily Marcus was able to bail us out and we got the win.  But we shouldn't have been in that position in the first place.

Player of the Week:

DeMarcus Cousins

12.8 PPG, .538 FG%, 9.5 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.5 STL

Boogie's stats took a bit of a hit on Friday against the Grizzlies since he couldn't stay in the game due to foul trouble, but considering everyone on the team had at least one bad game this week, I thought I should recognize the work done by DeMarcus this week.  Last week I bagged on him for his rebounding and he responded in a big way this week, grabbing 9, 15, and 11 in the three games he was able to play big minutes in.  Against Utah he had a career high 5 steals, to go with 6 assists as well.  His passing has gotten better as the season has gone on too (even if he still racks up a bunch of turnovers).  One area where I really want to praise DeMarcus on is his toughness.  He's been hurting a lot this past month with his shoulder and he hasn't asked to come out once.  He has missed one game all year, despite various minor injuries, and that game was a team suspension.  Along with that, he's showed increased patience.  There is no doubt in my mind that on the court, DeMarcus has made a huge leap from where he is now to back in October.  

Image / GIF of the Week: 

by chenp22 on Apr 7, 2011 1:27 AM PDT up reply actions   19 recs

Comment of the Week (on why Beno didn't get up after Reke's dunk):  

If Reke would have stopped and popped a 12 footer

it would have gotten Beno exploding out of his chair.

by bench_blob on Apr 6, 2011 10:05 PM PDT up reply actions   6 recs

Highlight of the Week:

The Doctor who gave Tyreke the shockwave therapy for his foot should use this as advertising. 

Caption Contest:

Link to Last Week's Picture

Last Week's Winner: Rickyflip

… And here’s Evans. Chests the ball down on the edge of the penalty area… Evans… Evans… EVANS……

GOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Last Week's Runner-Up: vfettke

Reke: Do not try and bounce the ball. That’s impossible. Instead… only try to realize the truth. 
Childress: What truth? 
Reke: There is no ball. 
Childress: There is no ball? 
Reke: Then you’ll see, that it is not the ball that bounces, it is only yourself.

Last Week's Vfettke Would Almost Always Win if Photoshop Was Allowed Winner: Exhibit G

This Week's Picture: 

A reminder of the rules for the Caption Contest.  Leave your caption in the comments below, and the most rec'd (to recommend a comment, hit action, then rec) caption wins.  

This week's caption contest winner gets a painting by Desmond Mason.

Lottery Projection and Profile of the Week: 

Current Projected Lottery Position: 5th

Current Lottery Range: 4-6th

Draft Profile: Enes Kanter, PF/C, 6'10, 250 lbs, Turkey

Kanter might be the best big man in this draft now with Jared Sullinger out.  He is a load down low and has a very advanced post-game for his age.  He's big, he's strong, and he's got a lot of skill.  He doesn't use it often, but his jumpshot has been improving as well.  

Perhaps his best comparison is Houston's Luis Scola, except that unlike Scola, Kanter possesses the length and size to be able to create issues on the defensive end of the ball too.

One problem with Kanter lies in the fact that he hasn't played a basketball game in about a year.  He committed to Kentucky but the NCAA ruled him ineligible for his freshman year.  As such, while he was with the team, he was not allowed to practice or play with them in games.  

Still, there is no doubt he's a very, very skilled big man.  I don't think he has star potential, but I do think he could be one of the better rookies out of the gate.  The Kings don't need him nearly as much as they would've a year ago before DeMarcus came on board, but he might end up being the Best Player Available where they pick.

Draft Profile: Jimmer Fredette, PG, 6'2, 195 lbs, Senior, BYU

Jimmer is one of the rare collegians who stayed in school his entire career, and unlike some, he got better each year.  This year he ended up leading the NCAA in scoring with 28.9 PPG.

Jimmer is a sharpshooter, able to hit well beyond even NBA 3 point range.  He's also got good court vision, but doesn't get as many assists as he would in the NBA since BYU's offense meant he had to carry the load scoring wise.

It seems that while a lot of people loved Jimmer in college, when considering his NBA prospects most seem to either love him (saying he's Nash or Curry like) or hate him (Adam Morrison comparisons).  I see him as somewhere in between.  In fact, the closest comparison that comes to my mind is Mike Bibby.  Jimmer doesn't come with a posse and bad tattoos though.

Defense is Jimmer's weak point, but what he lacks in lateral quickness he makes up for in strength.  He won't get bullied easily by bigger NBA guards.

Question of the Week:

This week I'm not asking a question per se.  This week I'm taking nominations for the 2nd Annual Greenies.

So while I will still be picking the overall winners, I'd like you guys to help me out with some nominees.  Here are the categories:

1. Best Natting Meme of the Year

2. StR Nickname of the Year

3. StR Rookie Commenter of the Year (must have joined after last season)

4. Dejan Bodiroga Foreign StR Commenter of the Year (Best person who posts on StR but is a fan of another team/blog)

5. The Everybody Dance Post-Game Thread GIF of the Year 

6. StR Photoshop of the Year

7. StR Comment of the Year

8. Xinyue75777 Troll of the Year

9. Best StR Fanpost of the Year

And Nostradumbass Prediction for Next Week:

Screw it. We're gonna end this year on a positive note.

@ Golden State 4/10 W (There will never be enough revenge for StR Night 3)

v. Oklahoma City 4/11 W (HERE WE STAY! HERE WE STAY!)

v. Lakers 4/13 W (Beat LA! Beat LA!)

@ Board of Governors 4/14-4/18 W (Yeah. I went there. We are STAYING. Keep up the hope Sacramento!)

Nostradumbass Record for the Season 39 - 39 (.500!)

With all the talk about next year, I figured I would post my thoughts. Note: title inspired by the recently absent Austin Montgomery

Here's the roster breakdown.

Point guard

Projected Depth Chart-

1. Peyton Siva
2. Elisha Justice/Russ Smith                                                                                               

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The breakdown- Peyton Siva became a secondary leader in the second half of the season. We saw him blossom in games such as the first UConn and first WVU game, being the clutch player. He was very vocal and a great driver. He averaged 10 ppg and 5 assists last season. I would figure those to go up to about 14 and 7 this year, minimum (points). I have a feeling one of the two backups will transfer, but who knows. Russ Smith is a tenacious defender who fits well into our system. Justice quarterbacks the offense. I like Smith but am neutral toward Justice. I don't like how he does not seem to like driving into lane. He often looked overmatched, especially on D. Advantage, Russ.
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Shooting Guard

Projected Depth Chart-

1. Wayne Blackshear
2. Chris Smith
3. Mike Marra
4. HENDO!
5. Mark Jackson Jr.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Breakdown-
Dudes a beast. I think a talent like him HAS to start. I like Chris Smith and all, but Wayne has more size which will help us with our, uh, problem (say it, Carolina Cardinal). Chris Smith did keep us in a lot of games last year with his great ability to get to the rim or take a pull-up jumpshot. But at the tail end of the season, not including the Morehead State debacle, he lost his confidence and just at times would not shoot. We may need him back on track, especially if Wayne is a *gasp* bust. Marra is a streaky shooter who would either go for 16+ (S Bama, Marquette, etc.) or shoot 0-10 (UNLV). He was the best player on the team until the UNLV game (I'm looking at you, 922. http://www.cardchronicle.com/2010/12/7/1862821/a-bridge-year-too-late). Hendo is, well, Hendo.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Small Forward

Projected Depth Chart-

1. Kyle Kuric,
2. see shooting guards,
3. Angel Nunez                                                                                    

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Breakdown- All I really need to do is talk about Kyle, because our shooting guards are pretty much interchangable with this position. As you know, Kyle was a great three point shooter last year, being by far our most efficient player, and quietly our best down the stretch (http://www.cardchronicle.com/2011/3/3/2028189/kuric-has-quietly-been-our-best#storyjump). What I am interested in is if he can make his game more well-rounded. He showed that late in the season. He began to drive more and shoot more mid-range jumpers. He also was our leading rebounder in our last ten games.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Power Forward
Projected Depth Chart-

1. Chane Behannen/Rakeem Buckles/Jared Swopshire
2. Steven Van Treese

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Breakdown- I see a revolving door. Three talented players, three good rebounders, one very good shooter, two power players. It's a nice problem to have. Judging from Rick Pitino's past, I believe Jared Swopshire will start from day one. I believe he may let Chane get some experience and then start, or stick with Swop if he does not pan out. You may be wondering, why am I not including Rakeem Buckles in the conversation? ACL injuries are tough to get over. The staff should treat the injury with caution. We don't need him blowing out his knee again next year. If he gets healthy quickly, he will start about a quarter of the way in, or halfway through the nonconference. But who knows, we have lots of good players at the position, so the starter will be very good.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Center
Projected Depth Chart

1. Terrence Jennings
2. Tony Woods
3. Gorgui Dieng
4. Zach Price

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Breakdown- LOADED. Boom. Lots of talent here. At the end of last season, TJ morphed into a double-double guy. I really like his post moves and baby hook. He fits perfectly into an up-tempo style. No reason not to start him. Tony Woods and Gorgui Dieng are interchangable. I can't tell you much about his game, but I can say that he is loaded with ability, for he was a five-star out of high school. Gorgui looks like the second coming of Hashem Thabeet, though he is still raw and learning the game.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I just spent, like, and hour and a half on this, so I'd better get props. Okay? OKAY?!

For next season, I am calling a 26-4 record, finishing second in the Big East to Syracuse, and winning the Big East tournament. I also am for once thinking of an undefeated nonconference. Records, predictions, as always are welcome.

GO CARDS.
Note: I am not calling us losing to SU at any point, but I believe a clunker at the end costs us the regular season crown.

Oklahoma City 101, Denver 94

The best part about a game like this is that, while it wasn't as close a contest as we'd hoped, this was still a needed workout for two teams that are still growing and learning by leaps and bounds, even with just a week left in the regular season.

Oklahoma City clearly wanted to go out swinging, even if the shots weren't falling, denying themselves a chance to stew over a lack of effort should things go the wrong way. They didn't go the wrong way. Denver appeared to have no energy in this loss, which is strange because the team was playing at home, following a night off, following a matinee win on Sunday.

Oklahoma City's brand of small ball, and the zone they went to for stretches seemed to confuse the Nuggets, who it should be pointed out are a new team that didn't come together with the benefit of a training camp, while working in its second full month. Toss in Kevin Durant's 10-21 shooting with 11 made free throws, and a nice run from Eric Maynor, and you've got a tough conundrum to work through.

I still think new Oklahoma City center Kendrick Perkins is out of step with his new team offensively, he doesn't know when to juke when they want him to jake (or "jark," or whatever the opposite of "juke" is), but defensively he's fit right in, moving his feet and funneling defenders into either perimeter helpers, or the help machine that is Serge Ibaka. The result is just 97 points per 100 possessions for a Nuggets team that has been amongst the league leaders in offensive efficiency since trading what many cable TV analysts have called "the best pure scorer in the NBA."

***

Sacramento 104, Houston 101

The irony is too cruel not to point out, but the Sacramento Kings have turned into out and out road warriors down the stretch of their miserable season. The young crew is playing terrible basketball at home in Arco Arena, a building that used to boast the best home court advantage in the NBA. And yet they can't stop winning on the road against good teams while readying themselves for a move away from Sacto to start the 2011-12 season. I'd love it if it weren't so cruelly depressing.

The Kings defended expertly and played their tails off again on Tuesday, limiting a white-hot Rockets team to 101 points per 100 possessions, which is a terribly low number for a Houston offense that has been amongst the best in the NBA over the last month and a half. Going small has worked for Houston of late, but Kyle Lowy and Courtney Lee combined to shoot 8-28, and the team couldn't buy a thrill from long range (7-25).

Sacramento wasn't much better in missing 10 of 11 treys, but the bigs finished well and Marcus Thornton dropped another 21 points.

Memphis lost as well, but all this means is that Houston and the Grizzlies are trading misses with the Grizz up two possessions and time running out in the fourth quarter. Memphis is up three games in the West with four to play. Houston has to win out.

***

Los Angeles Clippers 82, Memphis 81

I can't tell you that the referees in this game cost Memphis the contest. I can just tell you that the Tony Brothers-led crew featuring Violet Palmer was terrible throughout, and especially toward the end of this messy game, when the trio came up with a convoluted jump ball call after failing to recognize whether a shot clock violation had occurred before or after a block/charge call that they still couldn't figure out whether or not was either a block or charge call.

Whew.

Nine points in the final half of the fourth quarter for Clippers guard Mo Williams, as the Grizzlies just couldn't find a consistent rhythm offensively, rarely stringing back-to-back bits of good execution together. Not exactly a function of Los Angeles' defense, but not far off either. Ugly game on both ends, as the two teams combined to miss 18 of 23 three-pointers (without much of a transition attack to follow), and netting just 65 percent of the free throws tossed up in this contest.

Fourteen points, 15 rebounds, four steals and three blocks for Marc Gasol in the loss.

("He's big!" — Michael Smith, Los Angeles Clippers analyst.)

(No shot. I like Smith a lot.)

***

Chicago 97, Phoenix 94

An interesting game for both sides. I know that Chicago has its issues scoring, but Phoenix actually appeared to be really going after it defensively, especially in that second half. Chicago's effort never let up, but the shot selection was dodgy at times, as was the team's quickness on offense. The Bulls are quicker than the Suns at every angle, but they let Phoenix load up.

It wasn't enough for Phoenix to pull out the win, though. Luol Deng finished on several broken plays and Derrick Rose hit a couple of key buckets down the stretch after nearly shooting Chicago out of it for the initial 90 percent of the game, and the Suns were finished off by a baffling attempt at a two-pointer with just a few seconds left and the Suns down three points. The shooter? Dr. Cerebral, Steve Nash. Strange.

Twenty-three points on 22 shots for Vince Carter, not all that great considering all those shots, and yet it looked like his best game in months.

***

Boston 99, Philadelphia 82

The Celtics really impressed in this win, they got back in transition and expertly handled Philly's attempts at a screen and roll attack. This was a strong, strong home win for the C's.

Rajon Rondo is getting some good pub following the game for his 16-point, 13-assist line, and that's nice, but this was truly a team effort on both ends. 29 assists on 40 field goals for Boston, and it seemed like every time I flipped over the Celtics were just missing out on chalking up another assist as a jumper rimmed out.

We can't get too down on the 76ers, either. This team worked, but it was beaten by a smarter Boston offense with loads of options and back-screens, and the Celtics just annihilated the76ers whenever they tried to run.

Twenty-one points and five assists for Evan Turner in the loss, as the rookie looked smooth and in rhythm throughout. Very good to see. Not unlike Gordon Hayward in Utah from Tuesday, he looked like a completely different player.

***

Washington 107, Detroit 105

I'm not going to get too giddy over it, not with that season-long sample size to dissuade me, but the Wizards have been playing harder and smarter of late. John Wall is also boasting the sort of swing and hop that we saw from the kid before injuries derailed his season, he made 14-16 free throws in this win, and had the game on a string for most of his 46 (!) minutes.

No such fun for Detroit. Rip Hamilton missed 10 of 11 shots, while the rest of the team struggled to stay in front of the Wiz. Greg Monroe did manage a nice line of 22 points, 14 rebounds, four steals and four assists. The Pistons had their chances late, but it felt as if Washington outplayed them all evening despite the close score.

***

New York 131, Toronto 118

Don't take away New York's considerable offensive gifts, the team's range, and the team's quick thinking offensively in this win. But you also know exactly what went down in New York on Tuesday. Toronto couldn't be bothered to either cover off of a screen and roll, in transition or delayed transition, or on a drive and kick game. The Knicks put up 131 points because, dangit, they're supposed to put up 131 points in this situation.

Nice, gaudy stats for everyone. 23 points apiece for Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudmire on 16-28 combined shooting. 28 points for Toney Douglas, 56 percent from deep for the Knicks, 57 percent overall.

Toronto wasn't far off, because the Knicks held up their end of the "don't check anyone" bargain, but they didn't have the firepower with Andrea Bargnani only playing eight minutes due to a dodgy ankle.

***

San Antonio 97, Atlanta 90

I know that they're the Hawks, and we can make fun of them for being mercurial and losing games that they shouldn't, but the Hawks still do boast a pretty good team, and for that reason I think this was a pretty special win for San Antonio.

For one, it allowed for the reminder that Tony Parker can take this Spurs team on his back offensively if he needs to. Hawk guard Kirk Hinrich was up in this guy's grill throughout that second half, and yet he still came through with eight points in the last half of the fourth quarter, and 10 needed points in the third with Hinrich draped all over him. 12 fourth quarter points for Manu Ginobili, as well.

Jamal Crawford scored 20 off the bench for Atlanta, and Joe Johnson came through with some nice moves when he wasn't missing all five of his three-pointers. The Hawks were without Josh Smith due to knee inflammation, though, and Jason Collins went out with a turned left ankle in the first half. Not good news.

***

New Jersey 107, Minnesota 105

This game didn't appear on my dish package, though I can safely say that I wouldn't have seen much of it in the midst of a ridiculous 13-game night.

17 turnovers for Minnesota, to just nine for New Jersey, though the Wolves did make up for that by making 8-15 three-pointers and dominating the boards even with Kevin Love on the sidelines. 21 assists, as I'm sure you're aware, from Deron Williams. And DW won't even play in the next game due to injury.

If someone can tell me why Mario West (three points, three rebounds in 29 minutes) is starting an NBA game, kindly proceed to not tell me why Mario West is starting an NBA game.

***

Cleveland 99, Charlotte 89

The Bobcats are beat up right now, they weren't that great a team to begin with, with both injuries and payroll-driven deals decimating the roster. But that noise only goes so far -- Cleveland kicked Charlotte's butt last night because the Cavaliers wanted it more.

The Bobcats once prided themselves on defense, but they weren't especially ready as the NBA's second-worst offense piled up 34 first quarter points on the visitors. That was essentially enough for the win, as the two teams traded even blows for the last three quarters.

Nine points and nine boards in the first quarter for J.J. Hickson, and 16 and 19 overall. Nicely done.

***

Orlando 78, Milwaukee 72

An ugly game with poor decisions offensively from either side. I understand that both Milwaukee and Orlando are knockout defensive units, but this was a pretty week showing, even with Orlando's hot start (the Magic began the game on a 14-0 run) and Milwaukee's eventual comeback.

Brandon Jennings missed six of seven three-pointers because he just doesn't get it, and how the Bucks managed just four offensive rebounds despite shooting 36 percent and missing five free throws is beyond me.

Hedo Turkoglu also essentially won the game on a fadeaway long two-pointer with his foot on the line, going to his left.

***

Golden State 108, Portland 87

Every so often the Trail Blazers just seem to have their feet caught in quicksand, and while we shouldn't take away from what was a pointed and aggressive Golden State attack, Portland will be playing in three weeks, and we first need to point out that the playoff team here is susceptible to the slow-paced blowout.

Golden State attacked, man. Even on broken plays or improvised delayed-transition sets. Every time I flipped over I saw the Warriors moving their feet and moving the ball. David Lee's 29-point, 20-rebound mark actually does help tell the story, as he got to the rim off of drives and slid his way around defenders for strong finishes. He even went right. I swear I saw it.

Portland just couldn't get it together. The team wasn't exactly dribbling the ball off of its foot, just 10 percent of the team's possessions ended in a turnover, but nothing was coming easy, and Brandon Roy (2-11 shooting) just had one of those nights that we're just going to have to get used to from him every so often.

The playoffs, with all the time off between games, will hopefully be a different story.

***

Utah 86, Los Angeles Lakers 85

Your typical "this is how the Lakers lose" game.

When the ball went inside-out, the team was impossible to defend. When it attempted to go outside-in, even when Kobe Bryant gave up the ball (doing things like dumping it to Pau Gasol for a baseline jumper at the end of the shot clock, a shot he never hits), the Lakers fell flat. And though Utah didn't go great guns offensively, down the stretch the Laker defense just hoped that the game and the needed defense would just work out on its own.

This is an issue for Los Angeles, and you've seen it down the stretch of their last two losses. This is a long, athletic team with an often dominant front line defensively. But too often guys like Gasol and Lamar Odom will just hope that their presence will be enough to deter a shot, or allow a teammate to get a rebound. This stops them from making that one extra step over and into an area that makes it tough for a team or player to score. The bigs were moving their feet after the All-Star break, but they've stopped in the last two games, and the Lakers have lost two close ones as a result. And once again, Kobe wasn't much in the clutch.

Still, two close losses. Even really embarrassing themselves on the glass, defensively, and with that obvious offense, the Lakers still had a chance. This speaks to this team's talent. Now, let's speak to effort on defense and intelligence on offense and win a third straight championship.

Credit Utah, finally. The team was moving throughout and looking really good on the baseline, a place that Phil Jackson likes to send driving guards. Without Devin Harris to run the show, Gordon Hayward had to make several inbound passes, and he was totally down with the Bobby Gross role, setting up Al Jefferson in the post and Paul Millsap cutting from an angle. Just five assists for Hayward, but trust me, he was stirring that drink. Those 22 points, mostly scored in the face of terrible defense from Shannon Brown, didn't hurt.

Twenty-three rebounds from Andrew Bynum, but in a game where both teams missed exactly 51 shots? And 16 combined free throw clangs? You're supposed to get 23 boards, my man.

Thank you for reading.

LORAC Summer 2011 Makeup Collection

by BecomeGorgeous.com
Create a fabulous, straight-out-of-a-magazine look that captures attention with the new makeup collection for summer 2011 by LORAC Touch Me, Tease Me, Tantalize Me. The collection is meant to offer your skin a sun-kissed glam look while caring for it through the skin-savvy formulation, so check out the collection and select your favorites!
Make up / Makeup Products

LORAC, a recognizable name in the makeup industry has managed to come-up with a fab new makeup collection for the 2011 summer season. Created by famous makeup artist Carol Shaw, LORAC (which stands for Carol only spelled backwards) has been designed to provide the benefits of a fab makeup while still caring for the skin and providing a natural finish.

Because Carol herself grew up loving makeup and because she observed that not all makeup products benefit the skin, she decided to take matters into her own hands and set out to develop a line of products which looked and felt fabulous on the skin, using the purest and the mildest ingredients available.
LORAC is a brand which managed to put two of the most important standards in makeup, care and color, on the first place so give their products a try and enhance your natural beauty for a mesmerizing look. Check out the hot LORAC summer 2011 makeup line titled Touch Me, Tease Me, Tantalize Me!

LORAC TANtalEYES Palette
Earthy tones are fabulous and can do wonders for the skin especially if you've got a subtle tan. The shimmery hues featured in the TANtalEYES makeup palette can help add that celebrity glam to your look so combine these four fab hues for a remarkable appearance. These shimmering hues are mineral infused and feature a high-pigmented baked look for a fab and easy application which provides long lasting effects. Use these hues to create sultry eye makeup look that will definitely make heads turn.

LORAC selfTANTALIZER
Bronzed skin is in and with the new selfTANTALIZER, a body bronzing gradual self tanner, obtaining a gorgeous golden-tan has never been easier. The product contains DHA to ensure a safe and natural gradual skin coloration. The Camu Camu, Maracuja and Pomegranate seed oils help the skin maintain a natural smoothness while offering protection from free-radicals. With a fabulous vanilla scent, this tanner will most definitely be a secret to keep in your beauty kit.

LORAC Hot Off the Red Carpet Collection
This limited edition makeup collection provides all you beauty essentials for a spectacular summery look. Create a sun-kissed, goddess look using the new fab collection which contains 2 exclusive, color coordinated eyeshadow duos, an exclusive TANtalizer Baked Bronzer, a full size Multiplex 3D lipgloss in 3D and a fab Gold Blingy Bag that can be worn as a fab glam clutch.

LORAC's treatment-based makeup is filled with plant extracts, skin rejuvenators and conditioners which will help you receive that professional finish look that dazzles, so give the collection a try and bring out the goddess in you.

By Samantha Baldwin
excerpt from examiner.com

Natalie Portman carried a book clutch to the New York premiere of Black Swan. Kate Spade has created a line of book clutches called the Book of the Month Clutch. Portman's clutch, by designer Olympia Le-Tan, retails for $1,250, if you can even get one. Kate Spade's are $325, still out of reach for many of us. That makes a book clutch an official fashion trend. The high cost also makes it ripe for DIY possibilities.

My DIY book clutch is similar to Kate Spade's in size and style. It costs about a dollar to make, does not damage any books, and is completely customizable. You choose your favorite author and book, and you can even design your own cover.

Read the Full Story » | More on CRAFT » | Comments » | Read more articles in CRAFT Projects | Digg this!

Shelvin Mack Gives Butler Bulldogs Fans a Reason to Celebrate!

In what might be one of the most unusual matchups in NCAA tournament history, the No. 8 seed Butler Bulldogs defeated the No. 11 seed VCU Rams 70-62. Throughout the first half of this showdown, Butler struggled with accuracy (going 0 for 9 from 3-point range), but Shelvin Mack stepped it up to score 11 points, making three of his four three-pointers. 

Mack gave Butler its first lead of the game, and the Bulldogs didn't look back since.

With just over two minutes left to play, VCU's Jamie Skeen sunk a clutch three pointer to set the Rams up for a four-point play, but Butler's Matt Howard (along with Mack) continued to grab boards left and right.

Mack finished with 24 points and six rebounds, but his presence cannot be described solely by listing stats. This Bulldogs guard was a game-changer, elevating his teammates when they just couldn't seem to get anything going offensively.

There is no news on whether Mack will declare for the NBA draft, but just look at him! He's built for the NBA. His size is makes him especially dangerous because it allows him to be sneakily speedy, and with a little work on the consistency of his jump shot, his range will prove him to be a spectacular asset in the pros.

The Bulldogs will now wait patiently as they anticipate the outcome of tonight's game between No. 4 seed Kentucky and No. 3 seed UConn.

For more NCAA tournament coverage, check out our March Madness Page. 

Foody thoughtsThis week the KFC Double Down arrived on Australian shores, prompting blogger MuKa to investigate the amount of Kilojoules contained in other junk food treats. His results conclude that almost all readily available takeaways (aside from Subway) contain an unhealthy amount of kilojoules – some nearly as much as your daily allowance!bq. OMG! The Quarter Pounder and Double Whopper (with fries) exceed my recommended daily fat intake (70 g).Muka also points out that we can’t help adding chips or a fizzy, sugary drink to our tasty takeaway treat, which leads nicely into the latest post on The Skeptical Chymist blog. Their post, All in good taste,goodtaste.html summarises a talk by Eric Anslyn on mimicking the yummy tastes of sugars in fizzy drinks: bq. Anslyn is a Coca-Cola man…by which I mean that he doesn’t like the taste of the diet version – I presume this applies to other soda brands as well. It’s not just him though, his chemistry can tell the difference too.h4{color:brown}. Devastating Events"Fear Not the Black Swan":http://blogs.nature.com/amadhemorrhage/2011/03/28/fear-not-the-black-swan is Graham Morehead’s latest post which considers that every complex system is unpredictable to some degree, but are these events which result in devastating consequences, in any way preventable? bq. The whole world, it seems, suffered from the collapse of the U.S. housing market. Was this collapse a black swan? Was it preventable? Every complex system is unpredictable to some degree. The planet itself is a complex system that surprised us all with a recent 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan. We can’t control what the planet does even if we work together, but perhaps we can sustain our economic systems. Like Taleb, I hope our systems become more robust. I believe, however, that this recent economic collapse was entirely preventable.Sadly, Japan was unable to prevent some of the devastating events that took place last month, following the unprecedented magnitude 9 earthquake, resulting in a destructive tsunami. However, huge attempts are being made to prevent further nuclear fallout at the Fukushima Daichii power plant. NPG’s The Great Beyond Blog, is keeping us regularly posted on the events. In their latest update they remind us that, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the situation remains “very serious.” In another post, they discuss the possible effects of radiation doses on pregnant women. This follows a rush of news stories revealing that pregnant women were fleeing Tokyo, fearing the effects of Fukushima radiation on their unborn children. h4{color:brown}. Science in filmThis week saw the conclusion of our mini-series on science as seen on screen. Last week we asked our readers to vote for their favourite Nature video. Congratulations to "Lego Antikythera mechanism ":http://blogs.nature.com/u6e5b2ce1/2011/03/29/and-the-winner-is-wt video that scooped up 42% of the vote and now officially holds the title of Best Nature Video, as voted by Nature Network readers. Thanks to everyone who took part. A breakdown of the results can be found in the post, as well as the video itself. Our science as seen on screen theme continues to be a popular subject, and blogger Paige Brown has been revealing more about the scientifically inspired script behind the film Gattaca. She considers the possibilities of the ideas contained in the film and offers an explanation for genetic sequencing, discussing the controversial topic of genetic discrimination. Now onto a face that has been a familiar feature on our screen for decades. Elizabeth Taylor, who sadly passed away last week, will be remembered chiefly as an on-screen legend, a social activist and a fashion icon, but what you perhaps didn’t know is that she was also a clinical trial subject. Abbott Laboratories, a Chicago-based pharmaceutical company, included Elizabeth among 300 study subjects enrolled in the Endovascular Valve Edge-to-Edge Repair Study (EVEREST II), a clinical trial testing an experimental medical device called MitraClip. On The Spoonful of Medicine’s post, you can watch a video of Ted Feldman, a cardiologist at Northshore University, who is leading the EVEREST II trial.h4{color:brown}. Anniversary of a burning issueThis week marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Robert Bunsen who invented (or possibly didn’t, but who cares?) The Bunsen burner – luckily before the advent of the health and safety culture! The Skeptical Chymistaburner.html have been discussing what else he contributed to the scientific community: bq. Apart from almost poisoning himself while developing a cure for arsenic poisoning, he played a crucial role in the development of spectroscopy. He then used his spectroscope to discover caesium and rubidium from their emission spectra – and isolate them from mineral spring water. 40 tons of water gave up just 50 grams of caesium. In work that feels remarkably modern, he replaced expensive platinum electrodes with carbon to produce a battery that was widely used in arc lighting and electroplating.h4{color:brown}. Work and advice Richard Williams has been asking for advice on how to manage his workload, after the realisation that he has to climb a metaphorical ‘journal article mountain.’ bq. Is this experience normal, and therefore just the natural progression through the journey of a PhD? Am I missing a trick somewhere?Advice is suggested in his comment thread. Meanwhile, Scitable’s blog, Bioscience and eLearning, have also been giving some good advice by suggesting ways to make work easier for teachers by using an iPad (or equivalent) for marking and/or feedback. Blogger Nick Morris,id=TWTScitable who is a senior lecturer at Newcastle University says:bq. I think the iPad is a great tool providing feedback on work, and I guess it would also be great for marking_.h4{color:brown}. Technology advancement – give and take The Great Beyond Blog is also offering some twitter advicekeep.html for those online-savvy professors: keep it personal. bq. From the night’s television to what the cat dragged in, professors who want to gain credibility with their students should give up tweeting scholarly material and instead concentrate on tweeting social snippets of their lives. At least this is the message from a new study of 120 undergraduate students published in the current issue of the journalLearning, Media and Technology.Bob O’Hara’s latest post considers how the web has changed science research, enabling you to search for information online. Amusingly he highlights generational differences when it comes to technology advances:bq. Fortunately, what technology taketh away, technology giveth. After I had vented my frustration, I used google to search (my elder readers may wish to follow this link to know what I’m writing about) for “linear model of coregionalization”. After a couple of false starts, I found a paper that described it well enough for my needs. So it turned out well in the end._h4{color:brown}. Guest posts This week’s guest blogger is Patricia Fara, a lecturer on the History of Science at Cambridge University. In her post,science/2011/03/30/science-a-four-thousand-year-history-1 she discusses some of the problems she faced when deciding how to begin her most recent book, Science: A Four Thousand Year History. bq. To write Science: A Four Thousand Year History, I had to decide when science began. This is no trivial question, but gets right to the heart of what science might be.Meanwhile, Scilog’s guest post this week is on The Genetic Priming of Religiosity – by John Jacob Lyons. Lyons suggests that religiosity has not been assimilated into the human genome. There is neither a gene, nor a clutch of genes, for religion. However, he does believe that our genomes have been primed for religiosity and that all we need is just a simple trigger from the environment to manifest religious behaviour. Find out more in his summary.. DrugsThis week the Bioentrepreneur blog have been discussing how much it costs to develop a drug: The postsecrets/2011/04/01/the-cost-of-developing-a-drug-that-mythical-figure reveals that in comparison to 2003 where costs for developing a drug were around $800 million, the figure has now ratcheted up to $1.2 billion. However, a new study is suggesting this figure isn’t accurate. The post links to some interesting resources and more information on this subject. The Spoonful of Medicine blog,15.html brought to you by Nature Medicine_, have been discussing a specific drug, Makena. Tin February the KV Pharmaceuticals (St. Louis-based company) behind the preterm labour drug, set off a bit of a scare by sending a letter to compound pharmacies saying that these pharmacies should stop producing the cheaper alternative of their drug which lacks formal approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In their post, To compound or not to compound,15.html they reveal that the FDA won’t go after these pharmacies, so long as the compounded version remains safe and is of good quality.h4{color:brown}. Clock this Our Boston blogger, Tinker Ready, last week reminded those in the area to attend MIT’s Women & Science meeting. This week she has provided us with a brief summary of the event and you can also check out her Twitter page for a full report.Matt Brown has revealed to us in his London blog that one of his absolute favourite features of Cambridge is coming to the Science Museum in April – well sort of. The chronophage is a magnificent golden clock, with no hands or numbers, and features a temporally ravenous beast. The original is permanently on show outside Corpus Christi College Library in Cambridge and the new version will go on display at the Science Museum from 18 April. For pictures of these clocks, check out Matt’s post. those who are interested in science communication and publishing, we have compiled a public calendar of the latest events in London and the surrounding areas. We’ll regularly update the calendar so that the coming month contains the events that we’re aware of. Do let us know if we are missing any events and, if you would like to add one to the calendar, feel free to leave a comment. h4{color:brown}. Finally: The bear necessitiesIn the run up to Easter, Barbara Ferreira has been talking to us about The giant bunny of Minorca. The discovery of the Nuralagus rex, which roughly translates to ‘Minorcan king of hares,’ lived on the island 3 to 5 million years ago. What is most interesting about this rabbit, is its extraordinarily big size. It weighed an average of 12kg, or about 10 times more than the common European rabbit. Find out more in her post. Onto another big animal, Anne-Marie Hodge has been talking about the South America Bear which holds the record for the largest known bear. Arctodus simus, from the genera Arctotherium_, is known for having been found in great numbers in the La Brea Tar Pits. They were seriously formidable, attaining sizes that would have made modern grizzlies and polar bears look paltry. She suggests reasons for this mega-bear’s disappearance, and asks why, if its large size was so hard to maintain, did it develop in the first place?c/2011/04/bear arctotherium-reconstruction-thumb-300×360-2245.jpg" width=“300” height=“360” class=“mt-image-center” style=“text-align: center; display: block; margin: 0 auto 20px;” />

With the Final Four set to begin on Saturday, here's a list of the starters on each of the teams ranked from most valuable to least valuable:

1. Kemba Walker, G, UConn: All the All-American point guard has done is average 26.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in the Huskies' four NCAA tournament victories, leading them to a fifth Final Four.

2. Brandon Knight, G, Kentucky: Had Knight not made a game-winning layup against Princeton or a tie-breaking 16 footer against Ohio State, Kentucky might be home watching this Final Four instead of playing in it.

3. Matt Howard, F, Butler: There are certainly flashier, more talented players below Howard on this list, but nobody has played a bigger role in his team's success. Howard is averaging 16.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in the NCAA tournament and made a game winner against Old Dominion.

4. Terrence Jones, F, Kentucky: Maybe the most amazing part of Kentucky's run to the Final Four is that Jones hasn't scored more than 12 points in any of the Wildcats' four games. Kentucky needs more from its freshman forward.

5. Shelvin Mack, G, Butler: Although Mack's production increased this season, his shooting percentage dipped to 40 percent. Mack has been a bit better than that in the NCAA tournament, shooting 42.9 percent including a 10-for-16 masterpiece against Pittsburgh in the round of 32.

6. Jamie Skeen, F, VCU: Had center Larry Sanders not turned pro last spring, we still might not know what Skeen can do. Instead Skeen has replaced Sanders as VCU's go-to big man, averaging 15.4 points and 7.6 rebounds and erupting for 26 and 10 in the regional finals against Kansas.

7. Jeremy Lamb, G, UConn: If Walker was UConn's best player in Anaheim, Lamb was the most clutch. The freshman made key jumpers and key steals down the stretch against both San Diego State and Arizona, enabling the Huskies to advance.

8. DeAndre Liggins, G, Kentucky: There isn't a better perimeter defensive stopper left in the NCAA tournament than Liggins, though his defense will be tested by UConn's vaunted backcourt of Walker and Lamb.

9. Bradford Burgess, G, VCU: His team's second-leading scorer during the regular season, Burgess is shooting a ridiculous 13-for-18 from 3-point range during the NCAA tournament.

10. Joey Rodriguez, G, VCU: The most amazing part of Rodriguez's story: He initially quit the team when Shaka Smart replaced Anthony Grant two years ago. Now he's averaging 8.3 assists per game in the NCAA tournament as the starting point guard on a Final Four team.

11. Alex Oriakhi, F/C, UConn: The notion that UConn goes as Oriakhi does has taken a hit so far during the NCAA tournament. He's been quiet, yet the Huskies keep winning.

12. Josh Harrellson, F, Kentucky: There's not a better feel-good story in the NCAA tournament than Harrellson, whose gone from fan favorite at the end of the bench to Kentucky's most productive interior player.

13. Darius Miller, G, Kentucky: While the inconsistent Miller struggled against West Virginia and Ohio State, he has shot with confidence throughout the NCAA tournament.

14. Andrew Smith, C, Butler: A sprained left ankle hampered Smith last week, but he's averaged 8.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in the NCAA tournament.

15. Shawn Vanzant, G, Butler: The versatile guard has sank 7 of 16 3-pointers in the NCAA tournament so far.

16. Roscoe Smith, F, UConn: The freshman forward has helped out Oriakhi on the defensive glass the second half of the season, chipping in eight boards against San Diego State and five against Arizona.

17. Ed Nixon, G, VCU: On a team in which seemingly everyone has played over-their-heads, Nixon has been the exception. Aside from an 11-point game against Purdue, he has just eight total points in the Rams' three other NCAA tournament victories.

18. Chase Stigall, G, Butler: While Stigall starts for Butler, it's defensive stopper Ronald Nored who gets the most minutes at this position.

19. Tyler Olander, F, UConn: Olander started but played just five minutes per game against San Diego State and Arizona because coach Jim Calhoun went smaller with guard Shabazz Napier playing heavy minutes. Expect more of the same at the Final Four.

20. D.J. Haley, C, VCU: The 7-footer starts to give VCU size down low but often plays sparingly after the opening minutes.

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Improving your site search and navigation can have a dramatic impact on sales. Not being able to find the product you want is one of the top - and sometimes overlooked - barriers to conversion.

In this article I've attempted to summarise what I see as the most important steps to improving the customer experience. While some require specific technology, many of these ideas can be implemented on any website.

Improve your zero search result pages

It's important to keep the customer's journey going by offering them different options at each stage of their journey through your site. If they encounter a search results page where no products are returned, and no alternatives are provided, they're likely to go elsewhere.

An optimised zero-results page might display your current top selling products, provide links to key product categories, and give customers advice on how to best use your search facility. See how Sears does it here.

Get customers to the product page in the minimum number of clicks

Imagine the parallel with a high street store. If you're in mind to purchase, you don't want to spend ages trawling the aisles before finding the items you want.

So getting customers to relevant product within the smallest number of clicks is important. Review your taxonomy and page design so that you can reach any product within three clicks.

Direct customers to relevant products with dynamic refinement options

Dynamic navigation refinements are pretty much a given for the best e-retailers these days. Refinement options give the customer the opportunity to narrow down their product selection according to product attributes such as size, colour, brand and price.

Its success lies in the fact that it very much mirrors the way that customers tend to shop offline. Once you've found the product type that you want to buy (say jeans), you then tend to narrow down your product choice according to certain criteria - the brands you prefer, the budget you have to spend, the size that's going to fit you.

ASOS is a good example here. There are various search and navigation packages available that provide this feature (see below).

Invest in an "intelligent search" package

A decent search and navigation tool will do a lot of the work for you when it comes to optimising your "searchandising", offering features such as custom landing pages, drag and drop of search results, easy methods to promote particular classes of product (e.g. certain brands), as well as total control of your front-end page navigation.

Offer a variety of navigation methods

Different customers will expect to navigate in different ways. Some will expect to find product arrange according to product type (clothing, accessories, homewares...), others will expect brand listings, while some product categories lend themselves to certain navigation choices (parents often look for Toys according to their age suitability, for example).

Multichannel retailers should examine how their customers search for products in store. Do they tend to ask for a specific brand, product type, or something else?

Rank products by sales, newness, conversion

The way in which you order your product results when customers are navigating through the site can offer an excellent selling opportunity. Pushing your higher converting products above the fold is a great technique.

Newness is an important pull within the fashion sector, while you might also want to consider sales or stock levels as a suitable metric. This product sorting is a feature of most high-end search and nav products, although it can almost always be achieved another way if you don't have access to these tools.

Rank site categories using analytics data

Take a look at how Argos orders its navigation. It's certainly not alphabetical - there's something smarter at work here.

Use your analytics to drive decisions around ordering your site navigation. This shouldn't be a one-off task - search and nav needs to be regularly reviewed to ensure that it's keeping pace with your product ranges and customer behaviour.

Offer custom sort options

Allow your customers to sort their search and nav results in they want that they want - whether it's by ascending/descending price, alphabetical order, by product popularity or, if you offer them, customer reviews.

Also allow manipulation of other options such as result pagination if possible.

Encourage advanced searching

Most customers will tend to search for two or three word phrases, but some will want to do more, particularly if you have a large product catalogue.

Offer Boolean search options if possible (e.g. searching on Google for "handbag" OR "clutch bag" will show you search results containing either the word "handbag" or "clutch bag" or both).

Colour searching is essential for fashion retailers - see how effective this can be by searching John Lewis for the term "red jumper". Style searching takes things on even further - ASOS has started introducing terms like "slouchy" and "over the knee" into their search keywords.

Present non-product search results along with product results

Consider the range of things that customers look for with a search box. It's not just products that they're after.

See how John Lewis deals with the search term "oxford". Not only are we seeing Oxford Shirts, but also details on the Oxford Street store. All bases are covered. You can use the same technique to link to buying guides and product advice.

Cross-sell and upsell, ideally pre-basket

Use search and nav data to drive cross-selling opportunities. There are various ways to do this: manual options involve linking specific items in your catalogue together (e.g. cameras and camera cases), while more advanced tools will do the work for you, for example by examining common combinations of products that customers buy together.

Always look for opportunities to upsell, particularly if you're in the world of branded retail.

Aim to do this type of promotion before your customers get to the basket. Taking Dr Mike Baxter's best practice ideas on board here, it's best to keep your basket uncluttered and avoid leading your customers away from their purchase journey by confusing them with alternative products.

Use customer recommendation boxes during the search and nav journey (people who bought/viewed this also bought...)

The most elementary form of social shopping, customer recommendation boxes are commonplace on e-commerce sites for a good reason, customers like to know what's popular, and crowd behaviour dictates that each sale of an item, when advertised, tends to attract another.

Consider pros/cons of search-box suggestions

Some retailers now offer a drop down list of recognised search terms or quick links that appear when the customer starts to enter a term.

This has advantages (can help speed up searches, helps reduce misspellings) as well as disadvantages (tends to limit the range of search terms).

Create spelling associations to help with misspellings 

Many search tools allow you to create linguistic associations between terms and their misspellings. The best will have common misspellings already built in. Consider misspellings that might be likely with your product range e.g. complex brand names.

Check that search and nav results agree

In most cases, it's best practice to ensure that the product results obtained through using the search box and navigating/refining are the same.

For example, on a department store website, I'd expect to see the same result set whether I clicked down the navigation path Men's > Jeans and refined to black jeans, or I searched for the phrase "mens black jeans".

Some customers will always prefer either to search or navigate through your catalogue, so it's essential that you're not presenting different purchase opportunities to these two different groups of customers (unless you have more information about the customer and you're able to direct that customer segment towards a tailored set of search results).

Location, existence, method of search box and top/side/footer nav

The principles of Steve Krug's "Don't Make Me Think" apply here. Your search box should be at the top right of the screen. Why? Because that's how the majority of websites do it, so that's where your customers will expect to see it.

In terms of navigation, similar principles apply. Your visitors will expect to see your top level categories laid out either horizontally across the screen, or vertically on the left hand side of the screen. The navigation should be rendered in resizable text for the purposes of accessibility, and you should avoid Javascript or flash menus like the plague.

Footer navigation is a great place for links to static pages, such as contact details, delivery and returns information, terms and conditions and corporate information.

Use clickable breadcrumbs 

Breadcrumbs are normally used in one of two ways: either to track and reflect the customer's search and navigation journey, or to signpost the customer's current location in your product hierarchy.

Note that these might not be exactly the same thing - for example if you redirect a search for "fragrances" to a landing page, the customer might find themselves in your category section "Beauty > Fragrances" without having clicked through that navigation journey.

The breadcrumb should be clickable to allow the customer to step back to a larger set of search results.

Ensure your product hierarchy speaks the customer's language

Make sure that your hierarchy and copy talks about products in the way that a customer might. For example, the phrase "small domestic appliances" rolls off the tongue of Head Office Buying teams nationwide, but customers are much more likely to be searching for a "toaster" or "iron".

Similarly, just because your office is organised such that one team is responsible for buying men's and women's jeans, you probably wouldn't want to display them at the same time in search results.

Change sort strategies in line with seasonality and promotions

Another example of the ugly term "searchandising" (the concept of optimising your search and navigation to help with the merchandising of your products) is to change the way you sort your product results according to commercial factors.

For example, if you deal with seasonal product, it might be beneficial to promote new products at the start of the season, high converting products in-season, then products where you have high stock levels at the end of the season.

Test and test again

As with any changes to the front end of your site, testing the performance of your search and navigation will yield useful information. On a regular basis you should test your search box by entering your top search queries and considering the set of results that are returned.

Put yourself in the customer's shoes, do you see what you expected to see? If not, how could the results be improved? What else might you want to see on the page?

If you're making major changes to your search and navigation, it's worth testing it out on a group of real customers. This needn't be an expensive exercise. Many customers are more than happy to offer constructive criticism by taking part in a focus group, particularly if you offer an incentive for taking part.

Another good option, particularly during the early stages of any changes, is to put some of your colleagues in front of the site and ask for their feedback on your site search and navigation.

Conclusion

Hopefully you'll get some food for thought from the ideas above. Have a look at your competitors, test out their search and navigation, and see how you compare. Then go forth and optimise!

I got to test ride a Ducati Diavel carbon today with a full Termi exhaust. Quick background, most of my mileage has been spent on my V-Star 1300, I've also been on 2nd gen V-Rod, Ducati ST3, Ducati 696, Kawi cruisers, regular HD cruisers. I also currently own a BMW K1200S that I've put about 400 miles on, mostly straightaways and highways. This is my first time mounting Ducati's new big twin motor and I was pretty excited. With 162bhp it's a little more powerful(and heavy) than the Streetfighter, and about 10bhp shy of the 1198. Image: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/tom10167/IMG_0348.jpg Image: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/tom10167/IMG_0349.jpg These bikes have had a lot of talk about them so there isn't really much to get in to that way. The bike does have some very nice touches on it, though. Things like uniquely shaped reservoirs on the bars and I really like the way the pillion pegs fold in and out. Very sleek. To me the real test for this bike was going to be seating position. Having sat on a V-Max, M109r and ridden the V-Rod I know there's almost no chance I'd ever own those bikes. This bike passes the test quite well. The pegs are only very slightly inward, maybe five degrees past perpendicular. The bars are quite wide and high up and pulled back far enough that I didn't feel like I was in a yoga class. I meant to sit on the Monster afterwards to compare but never got around to it. I ask for a test ride(well actually, I decline several times from the Ducati mechanic but a salesman declares I must ride it. Take note Japan: Your customer service is a shit fuckin sandwich compared to Euro dealers) We fire it up and it sounds quite good. Craftily I started recording on my iPhone and there is a video(just sound really) clip of the bike running with me on it. I miss the pegs every single time I feel for them the entire test ride but fortunately the bike is very, very low. Lower than the Monster for sure but the seat is still nice and wide and feels very comfortable. The rumble of the bike is very pronounced through the seat but nowhere else. A careful eye will notice vibrations through the mirrors but it's negligible and the same can be said about the bars. The seat bounces fairly hard, but it's rough enough that it isn't annoying and it isn't so rough that it's jarring(like the motor found in most HDs) I snick this bitch in to first gear and take off. Maneuvering around this bike is considerably more flickable than my K and the 50 lb weight difference is immediately noticed. A straightaway opens up and I expect this bike to pull slightly harder than my K but a negligible amount. Wrongggggggggggggggggg. It's hard to gauge how much faster this bike actually is because due to the seating position you can't use your legs to hold yourself on the bike under hard acceleration and have to use nothing but your arms. However, it felt very, very fast. The power delivery feels even more linear than my bike, though I do wish it redlined later(I'd take 6,000 RPMs later if they're just handing them out) Conversely, the power of the V-Rod comes in a fashion very similar to a 600cc sportbike and to be perfectly honest it felt a lot like riding an FZ6r. At this point I immeditely noticed the intense vibrations through the pegs. The bars and seat were quite good but the pegs were downright bad. Shifting up to sixth gear remedied it but only slightly. Doing 80 on the highway would get old very fast. The V-Rod in this area was very nice and I remember no complaints at all. The mirrors are cool looking and surprisingly functional. I love big rectangular mirrors but these still do a good job of covering the areas that matter and they remain stagnant all the way up to 100mph(maybe higher) The transmission was interesting. People like to use lots of onomatopoeias to describe transmissions "The transmission was good but lacked the snick snick found in XYZ" is something I read everywhere. I have no idea what the fuck that means. The force required to shift from first to second etc. was higher than most other bikes I've ridden. However a positive tradeoff was when it landed in the gear the shifter didn't budge 1mm past that, leaving you with heavy but decisive shifts. The neutral was VERY easy to find and you never felt scared that you might have gone too far and put the bike in 2nd or first. Unfortunately, getting a foot under the shifter was a little more difficult than I'd want. I might be able to get used to it but it is definitely a flaw. I ride in SIDI Vortice boots and have a size 9 so maybe some different configurations would experience less or more of a problem. Extending it out and up just a few mm would remedy this pretty easily. This is another area where the V-Rod did better for sure. The front brakes were good. They didn't have that binary toggle feeling I got from the ST3 but they were nowhere near as mushy as my old cruiser's brakes. They definitely felt better than the V-Rods, and honestly not having a harsh initial bite is probably a good thing, especially if Ducati is dragging over typical HD riders. Make no mistake about it, you pull that front lever, the bike stops. The rear brake was a bit of a joke. I thought the shift lever was misplaced but compared to the brake lever it looked like it was custom designed for my foot. The rear brake is almost impossible to get to. By the time you push it down far enough to actually feel anything grab your right foot is in a ballerina pose, toes straight down. This thing needs to get lifted a great deal and soon. Another note on the ergos was the angle at which the bars lay. Ergonomically your wrists should be at a steep angle, almost upright and rotated outward slightly(hold your arm out and look at how your hand naturally lays) These bars are very flat and actually felt like they were curved upward. It was pretty unpleasant, though a bar is easily remedied I still don't understand what they were thinking it almost feels like a drag bar. They were nice and fat and the clutch had a very nice light pull to it, so it isn't all bad. The instrumentation on this bike is bountiful. Image: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/tom10167/IMG_0353.jpg I never really look at all this crap on a first ride but two screens, one of them looking it was pulled from a modern smartphone is pretty nice. I certainly had no problems with the digital tach. The speedo is smartly placed at the highest point meaning you have to move your head the shortest distance to find it. The bike has several modes and unlike my K it adjusts fuel maps as well as suspension(the K only controls suspension) personally I'm not interested in cutting my own balls off so I left the bike in sport mode the entire time. The switchgear certainly leaves something to be desired, though. The castration button is on top of the turn signal cancellation button, and at least once I accidentally pulled up the mode menu when trying to cancel the signals. I also noticed I accidentally turned on the high beams about 100 times. It's located by your pointer finger on a trigger and the way it's engaged makes it very easy to hit when reaching for the clutch. It's downright bad to be perfectly honest. The signal buttons themselves are also not very good(though it's easy to be snobby when you ride a bike with such well laid out signals like a BMW :) ) there was almost no feedback on left, right or cancel and I looked down every single time to see. Fortunately Ducati makes it so you have to hold the mode button for three seconds to actually change the mode, so an accidental change is pretty unlikely. It's also displayed on the color LCD Trip meter, big legible gear indicator, MPG and up top it tells you the current HP available(162 high) the mode(sport) and what the traction control is set to. There are some other things but I don't know what they're for. I'm certainly not a good enough rider to comment on the handling but turning on this bike certainly felt nice, and while it wasn't quite as flickable as the 696 it was a very clear second and worlds ahead of the V-Rod which is one of the least flickable bikes I've ever ridden(on par with the Electra Glide) I'm sure a tradeoff is highway stability but if you're buying a Ducati for highway stability buy a different Ducati. Literally any other Ducati! Image: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v143/tom10167/IMG_0351.jpg You can see my chicken strips next to the Ducatisti's. Bringing it back I was asking myself if I'd ever own this bike, the answer is no, but that doesn't matter. Ducati isn't marketing this bike to people who choose a bike INSTEAD of a car. This is an excellent streetbike. The low seat height makes it really easy to get both feet FIRMLY planted on the ground, but it isn't so low that moving it around is awkward or cumbersome. It makes a blistering amount of power from idle to redline and while I'm sure it would get destroyed by a great rider in the twisties, it was still effortless to get leaned over and bring back. My biggest complaint by far was the vibrations through the pegs. "It's a twin" doesn't cut it for an excuse anymore. There isn't a Harley in the stable that makes a lick of vibrations from idle to redline, and the ST3 I rode was butter smooth all the way up to redline as well. That said, comparing this bike to the V-Rod it's really a no brainer and downright incredible at how much better this bike is at being a sport cruiser than the V-Rod. It'd be like the 2011 CBR1000RR coming out and Suzuki releasing the GSX-R 1000 that same year at 50 lbs lighter with 30 more RWHP at a lower MSRP. The V-Rod gets points for a better laid-out design(this is of course easier given the lack of features) a much smoother ride, and some cruiser guys will always prefer the look of a Vrod or M109r over the Diavel. This is like a Monster on steroids. Comfy, small and nekkid. YouTube - Ducati Diavel onboard engine sound(Termi full exhaust) Should be ready in about 10 minutes

People love to give Kemba Walker his due for what he has done with the young Huskies this season. He has put them on his back on several occasions down the stretch of games. He is the prototypical "Batman" but Batman can't do it alone.

Ever since the Big East Tournament, Jeremy Lamb has taken his game to another level. He averaged just 10.3 points per game throughout the course of the season. He had a stretch of games early in the year where he only scored 17 points in five games. In the seven games leading up to the Big East Tournament, Lamb scored in double-digits once. On top of that, he wasn't the greatest outside shooter.

It was crucial for Lamb to help Walker in the Big East Tournament for them to have a shot to compete. Since the tournament, Lamb has scored in double-figures in every game they have played.

He is averaging 18 points a game in the NCAA Tournament. His field goal percentage and three point percentage have increased significantly. He is turning into that second legitimate scoring threat that the Huskies thought he would be.

We are witnessing a player blossom right in front of our eyes. His 6'5" body fits perfectly in the NBA, so he is definitely showing scouts what he can do.

He was a late bloomer last season coming out of Norcross, HS in Georgia. His body will still need work as well as his overall game, but he has the size to be a solid pro. He is just a Freshman, so the time for development is there.

He was huge late against Arizona as he made three baskets to increase the Huskies' lead. He also hit a clutch three late against San Diego State to push the lead to four points, exactly what Connecticut needed to make a deep run.

Walker has been the guy down the stretch, but Connecticut wouldn't be where they are without Lamb. He has been the perfect Robin to Walker's Batman.

2011 NBA Mock Draft Will See Kemba Walker Go Off of the Board, But Will He Be Heading to Charlotte?

Since the Big East Tournament, Kemba Walker has played his best basketball of the season.

Walker has reminded us of how special of a talent he is and how dynamic of a player he can be at the next level. The Connecticut guard has a great clutch gene and has put the Huskies on his back and has carried them all the way to the Final Four.

Charlotte is going to have a pick towards the top of the first round and that's going to give the Bobcats a great shot of landing the guard. D.J. Augustin has been a solid point guard for the Bobcats, but he's not a gamechanger and Walker is in every sense of the word. He's the type of player you want holding the ball in the final seconds, and more times than not, he's going to make the shot and give you the win.

One of the knocks against Walker is his size, and that's going to be something that's going to hold him back from being one of the top picks in the draft, keeping him where the Bobcats can snag him. I have a hard time putting a huge amount of stock into size when it pertains to guards because we've seen players at those positions come through the league and dominate, regardless of their size.

Walker's the type of player where you can give him the ball and watch him go to work as he slashes to the rim for the bucket or kick it out to his teammates. He's aggressive, and sometimes that hurts him, as he forces bad shots and tries to make things happen when there's nothing there. He also needs to improve his jump shot, but all of the tools are there for Walker to be the type of player who can consistently carry a starting role for years.

I don't see him being a franchise player, but he's certainly a piece to the puzzle and he could thrive in Charlotte, knocking down big shots and sparking a team as Michael Jordan puts a squad around him.

Kemba Walker of the UConn Huskies has had an incredible run in the postseason to this point.

Walker has simply put the Huskies on his back and carried them through the Big East Conference Tournament, winning five games in five days, and has now led his team to the Final Four in Houston this weekend.

At this rate, he is the runaway favorite for the Most Outstanding Player award in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

Is he also a consideration for the No. pick in the 2011 NBA Draft?

Well, he would have to actually declare first for that to become a possibility.

That is what gets me at this time of the year. Everyone is working on their mock NBA Drafts for June, but we have absolutely no idea who will even enter yet.

I'm sure that everyone has Jared Sullinger of Ohio State as the consensus top pick. As of this moment, Sullinger said that he is absolutely coming back to the Buckeyes next season. While he could still change his mind, you have to remove him from consideration right now.

Other underclassmen who have not declared should also not be discussed right now. Forget about Harrison Barnes at North Carolina and Kyrie Irving at Duke. We have no idea about Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones of Kentucky. They are all still undecided.

As of now, so is Walker. But if the junior guard does leave early, is he the likely No. 1 draft pick?

While his talent is immeasurable, there are factors that could drop him down slightly on the draft board.

First off, Walker if listed at 6'1'', yet he is probably closer to a shade under 5'10'' in all honesty. His size could affect his draft position.

Walker is also a point guard, but he is a shoot first, shoot second, pass last type of point guard. I am not saying that that is an awful thing, but many teams want their point guard to lead the offense, where Walker is someone who tends to carry his offense. Because of his size, he is not really an option as a shooting guard.

But even with all of that said, you cannot take away what Walker has been able to do on the court this season with not as much talent surrounding a UConn star as usual. He has had 10 games with at least 30 points scored this season, and is there anyone in the country who has been more clutch this year?

Ultimately, I see Walker leaving the Huskies program whenever his run ends. Whether it takes place on Saturday in elimination or culminates Monday night with a national championship, I strongly feel as if Walker's collegiate career is quickly winding down.

I'm not sure whether Walker should be the top overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Teams such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards all expect to be in the mix for the top spot. The Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors and New Jersey Nets could also be in the running, depending if they can get a little bit of luck with the ping pong balls.

In fact, if Walker does declare, he may be a great fit with the Nets, especially if they fear that Deron Williams could bolt in 2012. If not the Nets, Walker could be a solid fit with the Detroit Pistons if he was still on the board when they select.

For more on Walker and the Huskies, make sure to check out Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Tom Fontenault, who takes a look at the NCAA Tournament Final Four: Who Cuts Down the Nets in Houston on Monday?

Pretty much sums it up, right?
The Boston Celtics: Memo to the Celtics: Get over your angst about the Kendrick Perkins trade, mmkay? It's time to wake the hell up and start playing the basketball again. You realize Perk only played with you for 12 games this season, right? You actually won games and played defense without him. You certainly didn't play any D last night. The Pacers -- who are 11 games below .500 and got blown out at home by the Kings last Friday -- finished with an Offensive Rating of 119.2.

Now, admittedly, they could have used Perkins last night. Shaq, The Drain and Troy Murphy were all out. Then, due to foul trouble, Nenad Krstic (17 minutes) and Kevin Garnett (25 minutes) spent more time on the pine than they did on the hardwood, and Roy Hibbert went berzerk (26 points on 12-for-17 shooting).

Said Doc Rivers: "Kevin and Nenad were in foul trouble, and tonight, we need that extra big body. Tonight, the foul trouble just killed us. It crushed us today."

Countered KG: "We became a great team because we were known to do it for 48 minutes. We seem to be missing that right now."

As a Celtics fan, I'm more concerned with the latter than I am the former.

Paul Pierce, quote machine: "In the most important part of the game, the fourth quarter, we couldn't get a stop right there. It's a weird time to be talking about this, when there are nine games left in the season."

Frank Vogel, quote machine: ""One day, probably when I'm old and gray, I'll try to figure out what was wrong with us -- why we can beat Boston, but lose to Sacramento and Detroit."

The Chicago Bulls: Late defensive stands and clutch play by Derrick Rose covered up for the fact that the Bulls didn't play particularly well against the Grizzlies and Bucks last weekend. Last night, the Windy City Stags again came out sluggish, trailing 27-13 at the end of the first quarter and 48-25 with just over four minutes to go before halftime. Their fourth quarter rally was busted up by Spencer Hawes, who hit back-to-back-to-back jumpers from 20, 20 and 17 feet. The comeback was also busted up by...

Derrick Rose: The Great Poohdini had a pretty sweet game -- 31 points, 12-for-24 from the field, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals and a blocked shot -- but turned the ball over 10 miserable times. The kid also learned a valuable lesson: Being a superstar and MVP candidate doesn't mean you get the call every time you drive into contact. Rose had been earning whistles at will over the last few games. Last night, the refs swallowed their tweets, which led to missed shots and some of those turnovers.

The San Antonio Spurs: Eh, you expect a loss when Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker all sit out with injuries, but the Spurs have lost four in a row and their seemingly insurmountable lead in the West has shrunk to 3.5 games. Time for all-out panic? No. Time for some serious, chin-rubbing concern? Yes, I believe so.

The Milwaukee Bucks: Faced with a critical, must-win game against a struggling team, the Bucks...

...missed their last 11 shots and went scoreless in the final 3:52 of their one-point loss to the Bobcraps. That's the kinda season it's been for these Buckaroos.

Brandon Jennings, who went 2-for-12 in the fourth quarter, said: "It was a must-win game and we came up short. We had chances to do it and I take it on myself that I should have came up down the stretch and made big plays. But I didn't."

In the fial 15 seconds alone, Jennings missed two layups and a three.

The AP recap mentions that Andrew Bogut "was scoreless on 0-for-2 shooting in the fourth despite a huge size advantage." To which I say, uhm, if he had such a huge size advantage, why did Brandon Jennings take 12 shots to his two? Because the last time I checked, Jennings was shooting 38 percent for the season.

Oh, and the 'Craps were without centers Kwame Brown (personal reasons), Joel Przybilla (knee) and DeSagana Diop (Achilles' tendon). Give it to your big man, Brandon!

But what do I know?

Said Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles: "With 11 seconds left to go in the game, if you say you are going to get two layups and a wide-open 3 to win it and you don't even have the ball, you would take that. We just couldn't make that."

The Orlando Magic: Look: We all knew this was coming. At some point, the Knicks were gonna dig in their heels and beat a good team. The Magic were unlucky enough to be that team. But, hey, it happened on the road in overtime, and Orlando was missing Jameer Nelson, Quentin Richardson and J.J. Redick. So, you know, circumstances. But still, you never wanna be the team that let's another team off the hook, you know?

Kudos, though, to Dwight Howard for fouling out and earning a technical when his team was only down two points with 1:16 left in OT. Should knocking the ball off the backboard have been at tech? Maybe not. But Dwight has to know his constant barking and complaining have made the refs extra senstive to, you know, his barking and complaining.

Said Howard: "There's nothing you can do about it now. I just went for the rebound. I think that should have been a delay of game. Every time you roll the ball down the court, they usually call a delay of game, but it's cool, you know. I'll try to get it rescinded. If not, I'll just have to continue to play."

Added Gilbert Arenas: "I mean 99.9 percent when you throw the ball down the other side, it's a delay of game warning. They've got to call it how they see it. You can't put too much on what they do. They're human, too. The calls they see is the calls they're going to make."

Let me get this straight...both guys thought it should have been some kind of call...just not a technical. Here's an idea then: DON'T DO THAT.

Interesting factoid from ESPN Stats and Information: "It appears the Knicks play to the level of their competition. While Carmelo and Company are just 1-8 against teams with losing records, they are 7-4 vs teams .500 or better with the defense allowing more than 6 points fewer than against sub-par competition. Four of the Knicks eight remaining games are against teams over .500."

So the Knicks are good against good teams...and bad against bad teams. Well, you know what they say: Ninety percent of the game is mental, and the other half is physical.

The Utah Jazz: Well, the 1990-91 Sacramento Kings are safe. They will continue to be the only team in league history to go 1-40 at home. Thanks to the frickin' Jazz, who missed 11 free throws in an overtime loss, by the way. Man, I'm glad Jerry Sloan isn't around to deal with this crap. Oh, and check this out, from the AP recap:

Still, the loss gave Washington a series sweep. The Wizards won, 108-101 on Jan. 17. At the time, few realized it was the beginning of the end for the Jazz.

They were 27-13 going into that game, but have gone 9-26 since to fall out of the playoff hunt.

Giant, slapping facepalms, Batman.

Chris's Lacktion Report:

Celtics-Pacers: Sasha Pavlovic bricked once from the OneAmerica Tower in 2:08 for a +1.

Magic-Knicks: Malik Allen derailed Link's adventure in 11 seconds for a Mario.

For the Knickerbockers, Shelden Williams fathered three boards in 15:51, only to brick and lose the rock once each and foul out for 7:3 Voskuhl. Jared Jeffries was perfect from the field (on one attempt) in 22:11 and also had a board, but fouled four times for a 4:3 Voskuhl.

Sixers-Bulls: Marreese Speights spoiled a board in 5:28 with a brick and three fouls for a 3:1 Voskuhl.

Generals-Jazz: Hamady N'Diaye celebrated the silencing of the tabernacle choir with a 3.3 trillion gift (3:20).

Q. I'm going to a wedding in LA next month and absolutely stumped at what to wear. It's going to be at a country club in the mid-afternoon. I was told suits for the guys, but wasn't given any indication on what to wear as a girl. I'm 5'8, size 12-14, with a smaller waist and more junk in my trunk, and I want to also look as slim as possible! What do I wear??

A. Afternoon weddings are my favorite! They are a great excuse to get dressed up and wear a pretty dress, without having to invest in something black tie. In other words, you'll get a lot more use out of the dress you choose! Play up your assets with a fitted top that shows off your waist and shoulders and look for a skirted bottom that flares out to conceal your "junk".

For a spring afternoon wedding, I love a pretty printed dress, so here are a few options to choose from. Add a pair of heels, some fun jewelry and a pretty clutch and you're all set!

UConn’s Kemba Walker is here to help Carmelo’s New York Knicks in our mock draft.

16. New York Knicks – Kemba Walker, PG, Connecticut, 6-1, 172

You know what? Sometimes gut feeling trumps pragmatism (in basketball, not in war.)

Let’s take a peek at the Knicks roster:

PG – Chauncey Billups (34), Toney Douglas (25), Anthony Carter (35), Andy Rautins (24)

SG –  Landry Fields (22), Roger Mason (30)

SF – Carmelo Anthony (26), Bill Walker (23), Derrick Brown (23)

PF – Amar’e Stoudemire (28), Shawne Williams (25), Renaldo Balkman (26)

C – Jared Jeffries (29), Amar’e Stoudemire (28), Ronny Turiaf (28), Shelden Williams (27)

The Knicks need some size, first and foremost. I thought long and hard about sticking Tristan Thompson here in the hopes that he might develop into a big capable of guarding 5’s, of taking some pressure off Amar’e while at the same time not slowing the Knicks down. I considered Kenneth Faried for the same reasons.

Ultimately, I came to a pair of conclusions:

One, that the Knicks already have undersized defensive-oriented 5’s in Balkman and Turiaf. While both Thompson and Faried may project a tad more favorably, I don’t know that they’re substantial improvements.

Two, Kemba Walker is clearly the best player still on the board, and my afore-referenced “gut feeling” is that he’d succeed mammoth-ly in New York.

When the Knicks begin looking for a point to replace Chauncey, they will probably end up being more concerned with finding a show-runner (someone who can spread the wealth between Carmelo and Amar’e) than a show-stopper (hyperbolically, but of so alliteratively, Kemba).

I'm not sure that's the right answer.

What Kemba does on the Knicks, I think, is maximize Amar’e via constant pick and roll. Which, in a world sans fan pressure and external concerns, is probably what the Knicks should be doing.

He’d also get Mike D’Antoni’s team moving again at the pace they did with Raymond Felton at the helm.

Kemba is a blur, amazingly fast with an ability to change direction like only the elites of the NBA. He gets to the rim at will in college, and nothing I’ve seen from him makes me think that he won’t be able to once he gets to the league.

All the intangibles are there. Kemba is by all accounts a great kid off the court, as competitive as they come on it, and very, very clutch.

His biggest weakness at the NBA level will be his size. He’s not tiny, but at a generous 6-1, 172, he’ll be at a disadvantage against nearly every starting point in the NBA and potentially have trouble finishing around the rim.

But that’s really it. League scouts have also been arguing that Kemba’s not a pure point guard (and by the Naismith definition, he’s not), but he is capable of getting his teammates involved off his penetration.

I think the UConn standout would make a killing running the pick and roll with Amar’e. You can’t keep Kemba out of the lane without help, and even though he’s not the most natural passer in the world, I think he could get the hang off dropping the ball off to the league’s premiere finisher when he sees that help coming.

Kemba wouldn’t start right away, but he would be a great fit in New York.

(Previous pick: John Henson – Indiana Pacers)

(Upcoming pick: Philadelphia 76ers)

2010/2011 NBA Season
	vs.
29-42 (19-18 home)	vs.	52-19 (20-15 road)
March 26, 2011
Bradley Center
7:30 PM
Radio: 620 WTMJ TV: FSN Wisconsin
Probable starters:
Brandon Jennings	PG	Derrick Rose
John Salmons	SG	Keith Bogans
Carlos Delfino	SF	Luol Deng
Luc Mbah a Moute	PF	Carlos Boozer
Andrew Bogut	C	Joakim Noah
(29th) 101.2 - OFFENSE -  108.0 (13th)
(4th) 102.5 - DEFENSE - 99.8 (1st)
(25th) 89.8  - PACE -  90.4 (23rd)

On the Bulls: Blog a Bull / Bulls By The Horns

A day after his 37 points sparked the Bucks to a very necessary win in New York, Brandon Jennings hopes to reprise his starring role against MVP candidate Derrick Rose and the Bulls.  

Brandon going off. Jennings' season-high 37 last night is the most he's scored since...wait, has he ever scored more than that in the NBA?  Gee, I can't remember. 

NBA.com: Redd finally ready?
He's still listed as "out" on the Bucks.com gameday page, but it sounds like there's a good chance Redd suits up and gets his first run in over 13 months tonight.

Scott Skiles says he will "most likely" suit up tomorrow night against the Chicago Bulls at home. "We’re not sure how much he’s going to play yet. That will probably depend on the game." Skiles said. "He looks good, though. He’s in good shape. He’s been playing 4-on-4 and 5-on-5 after a long rehab."

It's difficult to imagine Redd being ready to make a real impact on the court, but giving him a couple minutes should at least offer an emotional boost in front of what could be a mixed crowd.

JS: Rose brings MVP act to Bradley Center
Not withstanding the arguments for Dwight Howard and a slew of other guys, all the hype suggests Derrick Rose will walk away with the MVP this year. 

"He can not have a great game on a given night and still close the game out and win the game with big plays," Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. "That’s what the great players do.

"And he can have a great night as well. He’s got the size, the speed and the power at that position and he’s an excellent finisher. His defense is much better. His three-point shooting is greatly improved and you’ve got to respect him on the floor now. That’s why he’s markedly better.

"He was very, very good coming into the league. Now he’s continued to get better. It’s scary."

Bulls still winning with defense. The Bulls have cruised to a 14-3 record since the all-star break, overtaking the Celtics for tops in the East despite their star players' numbers dropping off a bit. Though his scoring has been around 25 ppg all season, Rose's other numbers have tailed off a bit since the all-star break: .398/.292 shooting and 6.5 apg vs. .450/.355 and 8.2 apg before. Carlos Boozer has also had his struggles since the all-star break, dealing with ankle issues and putting up an un-Boozer-like 13.6 ppg with 7.5 rpg on 44% shooting compared to 19.3 ppg, 9.9 rpg and 54% before.

But all that's OK when you have the league's best defense (99.8 pts/100). Chicago has the best eFG% allowed (.461) and are third in the league in forcing turnovers. And the Bulls play all that defense while still ranking in the league's top half offensively--take note, Bucks.

SLAM: Jennings Receives NBA Cares Award for February
Not to be lost in Jennings' on-court heroics are his equally impressive contributions off the court. The NBA this week recognized his help in refurbishing the Double Rock Learning Center in his hometown of Compton with the NBA Cares Award, given each month to players who do the most for their communities. Well done, Brandon. 

SBNation.com: Derrick Rose No Better An NBA MVP Candidate than Russell Westbrook
Tom Ziller at SBN takes the contrarian angle, using the relative anonymity of Russell Westbrook (at least in MVP terms) to make his point.  

All told, Rose likely has the slimmest of edges over Westbrook based on the fact he has played more minutes and, given the turnover comparison, a touch more efficient. But it's incredibly close, and if you're willing to strongly consider Rose for the award, you've also got to consider Westbrook. And if you consider Rose and Westbrook, you've got to consider superior producers LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Dwayne Wade, Dirk Nowitzki ... heck, Durant. Kevin Love is as productive as Rose. Why not him? Where would the Wolves be without Kevin Love? Worst team ever? Kobe Bryant. Zach Randolph. Pau Gasol. Amar'e Stoudemire. All of these players compare to Rose in terms of production; many of them compare favorably.

The formula for Rose's likely success is ironically similar to what propelled Brandon Jennings to plenty of rookie of the year hype a year ago: surprising (if not particularly efficient) raw numbers, a team that surpassed all expectations, and a certain aesthetic appeal to his game. To be clear, Rose is way ahead of Jennings and he also has the big market thing going for him, but I'd hazard that the type of fans who thought Jennings was the league's best rookie a year ago are probably squarely in Rose's MVP camp now (Bucks/Bulls hatred excluded).

if Rose does take home the MVP, he'll likely do it with the worst FG% (43.7%) of any MVP in the last 47 years save for Allen Iverson (42% in 2001). 

Jennings in the clutch. He was terrific down the stretch last night, but Brandon Jennings has mostly struggled late in games this season: via 82games, he's managed just 23% eFG shooting in clutch situations.  Woof. But hey, at least he's an 85% shooter from the line in those situations... 

I apologize, folks, but I likely will not have time to go back and grab screencaps for this week's B^3, holiday travel season and all.  I did, however, want to offer a few thoughts before everyone closes their laptops over the next few days and surrounds themselves with loved ones...and in-laws.

Instead of a traditional breakdown, I want to look at a few random topics, issues, triumphs and concerns that emerged from the Colts' 34-24 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday.  This battle for division tiebreakers certainly had a lot of talking points, not the least of which was the officiating.  But we'll get into that a little later.

Before we jump into these talking points, I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or whatever the appropriate phrase is these days.  I truly hope you all enjoy your time around family and friends and wear the most hideous sweaters you can find.  No matter what your year has been like -- and I'm more than aware of how rough a year can be -- I hope you at least enjoy being around those who matter most to you for this little stretch of time.

With that said, let's jump ahead and take a look at a few things from last Sunday's game:

1. Yes, the officiating really WAS that bad.  And it was made worse by Dan Dierdorf misinforming the television audience and apparently not understanding critical NFL rules, despite being paid to do so.

Let's start with the unnecessary roughness penalty likely leveraged against Aaron Francisco, but perhaps Antoine Bethea...we'll never know, because Mike Carey couldn't be bothered to specify.

Carey's explanation: "Personal foul, unnecessary roughness, on the defense...a blow to the head, on a defenseless receiver.  15 yard penalty, automatic first down."

Dierdorf's input: "They're calling it a blow to the head, but I don't think they're...I'm assuming it was on Francisco coming in late, even though it wasn't a blow to the head."

Gumbel's objection: "...but you know, the penalty marker almost beat Francisco to it..."

Dierdorf again: "Yeah, so I'm not...I wish he would have identified which player it was against."

So basically, Carey calls an unnecessary roughness penalty for a blow to the head.  Except Mike Thomas' head is never touched on this play.  A penalty flag comes in as Francisco is arriving to help gang tackle, so it's likely not a late hit penalty misidentified as a blow to the head.  It's just a bad call.  Although, to be fair, this crew completely missed Robert Mathis going helmet-to-helmet on David Garrard on the previous drive, which really just serves to demonstrate how bad this crew really was.

It's all amplified by Dierdorf, though, really not knowing what's going on.  He agrees with the penalty, basically, but he's not sure why, because he's not sure who the penalty was called on, or what the penalty really was.  He just agrees.

Let's jump ahead to the mysterious invisible third-down.  With 5:34 left in the first quarter, Maurice Jones-Drew took a shotgun handoff from Garrard and was swarmed by the Colts' defense for maybe a gain of one yard.  Immediately as the defense swarmed, a penalty flag was thrown.  An official huddle ensues.  How many of these did we see Sunday?  Far too many.

Here's the official explanation:

Carey's explanation: There is no foul on the play, therefore no play.  Third down.  Replay third down.

Gumbel: Well...I've got to say, that's most surprising that that's gonna come, that's gonna cause a replay of third down.  I thought the penalty marker flew after the ball was snapped.

Dierdorf: Well Mike Carey is insinuating, or what he's saying is that the whistle blew and there was no play.  This is very rare to see something like this, where you see a play play all the way out and then you're told it didn't count...well Mike Carey again just said no foul on the play, we're replaying third down.  Well, I'm perplexed.

Actually, no hate for Dierdorf here.  I was similarly perplexed.  I have a laundry list of issues with this series of events.  Now, if any of you read yesterday's Polian Corner, you know that Polian believes the play was blown dead prior to the snap and that's why Jacksonville was essentially granted two 3rd-and-4s (one of which didn't count.)

Okay, then why was a flag thrown post-snap?  If that's the case, then not all officials knew the play was blown dead.  And that raises questions about what the flag was.  Most folks believe the flag was thrown on Jacksonville LT Eugene Monroe for a false start, which is actually a pre-snap penalty.  If that's the case, and that flag really couldn't have been anything else, it should have marched the Jags back five yards.  Except after discussion, Carey decides that there was no pre-snap penalty...how he came to that conclusion is beyond me, as the wing judge obviously thought it necessary to throw a flag.  Unless he unleashed a sneeze that would shake the heavens above, I doubt his flag dislodged itself from his pocket and threw itself out there.  Obviously it was thrown for a reason.  How did the officials come to disregard it?

I also have a huge problem with this play being run with no real sign of protest from the officials, even if the crowd noise prevented the whistles from being heard if indeed anyone blew their whistle.  It seems like the only thing the league has talked about this year is player safety, so what message does it send to fans if league officials allow a meaningless play to begin, develop and terminate in a tackle?  What if Jones-Drew had been hurt on that play?  What if Dwight Freeney had sprained his ankle?  For all talk the NFL does on behalf of player safety, they sure don't back it up on the field consistently.

Obviously, this no play or invisible play as I'm calling it allowed the Jags to extend their drive and put three points on the board.  But as a flag was thrown, either there was a penalty or there wasn't.  If there was, the Jaguars should have been assessed the appropriate penalty yardage.  If there wasn't, the play shouldn't have been blown dead.  I'm shocked the officials didn't uphold the penalty, if nothing else to save face and avoid the awkwardness of having a play that didn't really count.  The refs were clearly in the wrong here.

So as not to dwell on the topic too long, let's take a look at Thomas' controversial 78-yard punt return touchdown.

Dierdorf: You know, Greg, this crowd is really unhappy.  The more they look at it, the unhappier they get.  But in reality, that was not a fair catch signal.

Gumbel: The more we look at it, the more we're convinced that the Colts kinda duped themselves into thinking it was a fair catch.

Dierdorf: If they did, that was their mistake and I guarantee you every special teams coach in the league this week is gonna pay a little more attention to just that scenario.  But that was a wave...you gotta put the arm straight up over your head, wave it vigorously, identify that you're making the fair catch, and that was far from it.

Dierdorf spawned a huge misconception here and apparently CBS producers were unable to correct him.  Yes, Dan, to signal for a valid fair catch, a player must put his arm above his head and wave it.  But a player can also signal an invalid fair catch, prompting a five yard penalty from the spot of the signal, and that has a different set of rules:

Item 2: Invalid Fair-Catch Signal.

If a player raises his hand(s) above his shoulder(s) in any other manner, it is an invalid fair-catch signal. If there is an invalid fair-catch signal, the ball is dead when caught or recovered by any player of the receiving team, but it is not a fair catch. (The ball is not dead if it touches an opponent before or after it strikes the ground. See Article 3b).  Note: A fair-catch signal given behind the line of scrimmage on a scrimmage kick is ignored and is neither valid nor invalid.

Penalty: For an invalid fair-catch signal: Loss of five yards from the spot of the signal.

So to make a valid fair catch, a player must wave his arm above his head.  But a player can also make an invalid fair catch, and this rule was put in place to prevent returners from giving ambiguous signals to slow the coverage team or disinterest them from making the tackle completely.  The question, then, is whether Thomas raised his hand above his shoulder.

Looks pretty clear to me that Thomas' hand is well above his shoulder.  It's at least to his facemask.  As a returner, you are not allowed to raise your hand above shoulder level unless you are making a fair catch, in which case you have to raise your arm above your head to make the fair catch.  Anything else is ambiguous and should be penalized.  It doesn't matter why Thomas' hand was above his shoulder, just that it was.  I've seen some Jaguars fans try to excuse it as Thomas attempting to catch his balance, but even if that was the case (and clearly it's not, at least in any realm of reality), it doesn't matter.  The zone between the shoulders and helmet could essentially be re-named the "invalid fair catch zone."  Or maybe now, the "Mike Thomas zone."

Nice of Thomas to return it, flip into the endzone and taunt fans though.  Gee, who will ever remember Devin Hester in the annals of history when you've got a guy like Thomas around, gifted a touchdown by an incompetent officiating crew?

The officials did a terrible job on Sunday, and while I thought their officiating overall favored the Jaguars, certainly calls went against Jacksonville too, like the aforementioned no-call on Mathis' helmet-to-helmet hit.  I'm not going to feature these calls, obviously, as it's a Colts blog and coverage is Colts-centered.  But Jacksonville was hit or not hit with a few iffy penalties as well, and with a game of this magnitude, bad officiating is simply inexcusable.  The way I see it, the officials essentially gifted Jacksonville 10 first half points (three on a drive that should have never continued due to a phantom third down, seven on a punt return that should have never counted due to an invalid fair catch signal.)  Again, in a game of this importance, there is no reason the refs should be huddling every drive, missing obvious calls or dismissing plays entirely.  Fans of both teams should be enraged by the effort put forth by Carey's crew last Sunday.

As a final point on the issue, announcers like Dierdorf perpetuate misinformation and do more harm than good.  Perhaps more dubious than Dierdorf are the CBS producers who didn't properly research the fair catch rule and inform him that he was babbling nonsense into the microphone.  There are fact-checkers for a reason.  CBS would be wise to use them.

2.  Daryl Smith's hit on Austin Collie was not malicious or designed, but just a terribly unfortunate incident.  Similarly, Peyton Manning's throw did not lead Collie into a collision.

I've seen some discussion amongst Colts fans regarding the intent of Smith's hit that concussed Collie.  Believe me, I hate the Jaguars.  I know it's easy to assume that every one of their players is a murderous, thieving, firebreathing scumbag on a mission to climb through your windows and snatch your people up.  But nothing I've seen on the hit suggests that Smith was trying to do anything more than his job: dislodge the ball from Collie.

Smith unfortunately gets Collie as Collie is attempting to go down to avoid a helmet-to-helmet hit like he experienced in the Eagles game.  There is nothing Smith can do about this.  He is just coming in to make a play on the ball, which by all appearances Collie is going to catch, and is coming in full force as Collie is diving toward the turf to avoid a collision.  I think Smith is as surprised as anyone that Collie gets low as quickly as he does and sort of twists his body as well.  You can tell Collie was seeking sanctuary by trying to go down there and Smith is just looking to make a play in the Jaguars' porous secondary.  The unfortunate result of these two things is a collision that leaves Collie concussed and eventually sends him to IR.

It's also been suggested that Manning should have never thrown this ball, that he led Collie into the collision, but I just don't see that.  It's a great throw.  Collie beats the corner and the safety is well over top, Manning puts the ball low where only Collie can make a play on it and where Collie can quickly get down to avoid a big hit and continue the drive.  I think Manning does misjudge the speed at which Smith is coming in, but it's unrealistic to expect Manning to calculate that.  He correctly made a read on the corner and safety and put the ball in a good place for Collie to make a catch and get down.  Smith makes an outstanding individual effort to peel off his zone and display defensive back speed as a linebacker.  If Smith doesn't get there, it's a clean catch.  Even if Smith gets there and doesn't have the awkward meeting with Collie as Collie is going down, it's probably a catch and a smack or an incomplete pass. 

But I really don't think Manning leads Collie into anything.  Collie had almost caught the ball when he was hit, and usually when a QB leads a WR into a hit, he places a ball in a position where the receiver can either be sandwiched by a corner and a safety or otherwise is forced to take a head-on collision with a defensive back charging over top.  Here, Manning just makes an incredibly difficult throw that should theoretically put Collie in good position to make a catch and go down.  It just doesn't end that way, because that's the way this season has gone.

3.  Stunting was great for disrupting the Jags' run game.  It wasn't so great, however, on obvious passing downs.

I don't know how many of you noticed, but Dwight Freeney may have played his best game of the season last Sunday.  Yes, even without a sack.  He absolutely owned Monroe.  It was an All-Pro performance, no doubt.  Bull rushes.  Spin moves.  Great angles.  Great leverage.  Domination in the run game.  Even live at the game, where I am usually too emotionally-invested to appreciate individual matchups, I could see what Freeney was doing.  Chances are, when he ends up enshrined in Canton, no one will ever talk about this game.  But I'm telling you, it was one of his best.  He took the edge rush to a new level.

And credit goes to the Colts' defensive line, really, for playing a great game across the board.  Fili Moala probably put together his best Colt performance in particular.  Dan Muir and Antonio Johnson were stalwarts all day.  Eric Foster made some noise.  It was a beautiful performance by the defensive line, and one that complicated what the Jaguars were attempting to do.  Credit John Teerlinck and Larry Coyer for working in tandem to design a scheme that locked down Jones-Drew:

"[The Colts] did a lot of passing stunts on running downs," said Jaguars guard Uche Nwaneri. "A lot of guys cross-slanting at the line of scrimmage. There wasn’t much of an opportunity to [physically] get on them. It was crazy."

The Jaguars were obviously unprepared for the way the Colts' defensive line played this game, and it cost them a running attack.  For that, I applaud the coaching staff.  Jim Caldwell challenged the defense in particular to rise up for this game, and they did.  Coaches innovated and came up with creative ways to shut down the Jacksonville running attack.  In that regard, coaching decisions were magnificent.

But when the Colts had the Jaguars in obvious pass situations, they still stunted.  And stunted.  And stunted.  As you all know, I'm not a huge fan of stunts to generate pass rush.  The Colts were destroying the Jaguars' pass protection with vanilla edge rushes.  Why go away from that?  Stunts hinder the Colts' pass rush.  And while they might be fine in ambiguous run-pass situations, 3rd-and-8 is not an ideal time to use one when your edge rush is working just fine.  I don't understand why the Colts kept going to stunts on obvious pass situations when Jones-Drew was not a factor as a runner.  They had the Jaguars right where they wanted them...and then gave up their ultra-effective edge rush.  I don't understand it at all.

The Colts wanted to force Garrard to pass the ball by shutting down Jones-Drew.  They did that.  But then they failed to put their best pass-rushers in a position to make Garrard pay for his dropbacks, and to me, for as well-coached as the defensive line was against the run last Sunday, it was poorly-coached against the pass.

4.  Having Gary Brackett back and healthy makes a BIG difference.

Most will, of course, point to Brackett's tackle of Jones-Drew two yards in the backfield on the Colts' goal-line stand that left the Jaguars with three points instead of seven.  But Brackett was all over the field on Sunday.  And his biggest impact, believe it or not, might not have even been his play between the whistles, but his leadership before and after them.

The Colts' defense communicated a lot more than we've seen at any point this season.  Defensive ends communicated with linebackers, linebackers with defensive tackles, safeties with linebackers.  Jones-Drew indicated that the Colts filled every gap, every time, and I have to believe a lot of that is due to the defense's quarterback being back and healthy.  For as much field as Brackett covered during plays, he was just as active calling out defenses, making adjustments and setting players up for success beforehand.  The Colts have looked leaky against the run on more than a few occasions this year, mostly all a result of Colt defenders not properly filling a gap and giving the RB nowhere to go.  Brackett ensured that everyone was where they needed to be pre-snap and post-snap, and you can't discount the effect that had on the defense's performance.

Brackett allows for more defensive flexibility, which might be his greatest asset.  Pat Angerer did an admirable job filling in for Brackett while the defensive captain was injured, but my guess is that Angerer was extremely limited in his defensive playcalling ability.  The Colts probably just ran whatever vanilla playcall Coyer was able to relay to the rookie linebacker.  But Brackett allows for adjustment, and Brackett can see things Angerer doesn't necessarily notice at this point in his career.  I'm not trying to knock Angerer, he's a fine SAM who will probably be a good MIKE when Brackett nears the end of his career and Angerer knows the defense better.  But right now, there is no substitute for experience, and Brackett has shown once again, as if we ever forgot, that he is irreplaceable.  Or at least until Angerer logs a few more years.

5.  For as well as the defense played most of the game, they still did not execute well in the clutch, and this is perhaps becoming an area of concern.

Don't get me wrong, the defense was awesome for most of the day.  As I said, the officials essentially gifted the Jaguars 10 points, none of which the defense should really be accountable for.  They shut down Jones-Drew, held him under 50 yards.  They'd never held him under 100 yards in any previous meeting.  That's not just good.  That's spectacular.

But, as they did against the Cowboys, the defense let the opposition back in the game.  They failed to seal the deal.  With Jacksonville down by 10 points with 3:21 remaining the game, the Colts' defense allowed the Jaguars to drive the field and score, largely due to an overly-conservative defense.  The defensive scheme wasn't entirely dissimilar to the one employed against the Cowboys which let Jon Kitna drive Dallas to a go-ahead touchdown with minutes remaining that the Colts had to eventually tie to force overtime.

I only mention this because we might be seeing a trend here.  The Colts have been content to sit back in coverage on this drives, which isn't atypical for a Colt defense.  But they've been failing to step up in the red zone, which is extremely atypical.  As mgrex03 wrote this week:

For the second week in a row, the defense did struggle in the Red Zone.  They've been so good all year, I hope they can get back to their first 12 game form for the home stretch of the schedule.

The Colts' defense has struggled in the red zone for two consecutive weeks and also let the Cowboys drive over them when they needed to buckle down most (The Eight Point drive.)  I don't like the direction this is trending.  It seems like, recently, the defense plays well for most of the game and then either lets the opposition back in it or lets the opposition threaten to get back in it.

Part of it is philosophy.  As I said earlier, the Colts' edge rush was destroying the Jaguars' pass protection all day.  Garrard only had seconds to throw.  As such, the Colts should not have given the cushion they did at the end.  Their scheme was a little too conservative considering the success they were having with Freeney and Mathis on edge rushes.  Now, couple that cushion with passing situation stunts that took away the pass rush, and I really don't understand what the defensive coaches thought they were doing or thought they had in terms of a fourth quarter gameplan.  If I'm Coyer, I bring my corners a little closer to the receivers, focus linebacker coverage on the tight end and let my edge rush do its work.  This isn't calling for Justin Tryon or Jacob Lacey to press or jam receivers, it's just calling for them to play a little closer than 8-10 yards off.  That kind of cushion negates even the best pass rush, and then of course passing down stunts negate any pass rush at all.

Simply put: I think the defense, from a schematic viewpoint, is counterproductive at times.  Sometimes, you have to see a weakness and go for the kill.  Coyer seems content just to not die, if that makes any sense.

6.  The Colts figured out how to use Donald Brown, receivers are proving to be very good blockers and we saw a little too much Dominic Rhodes.

It only took 3/4ths of the season, but the Colts figured out how to use Brown.  He's not a great blocker.  He's not a bulldozer.  He is, however, dangerous in the open field with a little help from blockers.  So finally, the Colts ran some plays to take advantage of that.

Brown excelled primarily between the tackles, as much as that stretch play might lead you to believe that he ran better outside.  The Colts ran a number of traps and delays for Brown, running plays considered typically 'finesse' in nature.  These blocking schemes opened up huge holes in the Jaguars' defensive front for Brown to sprint through and enter the second level.  And from there, my suspicions were confirmed: the Colts block really well at the second level.  I've always compared Pierre Garcon to Hines Ward...not that he's anywhere near Ward's level, just that he's extremely physical, a great downfield blocker and willing to scrap.  Jacob Tamme showed a little something in his downfield blocking, too.  And most impressively, offensive linemen were able to hustle downfield and make plays.  The effort displayed by guys like Charlie Johnson, Kyle DeVan and Mike Pollak was tremendous.

The Colts went away from those running plays in the second half because the Jaguars switched to a base, three-linebacker defense in Collie's absence.  Whereas draws, delays and traps are easy to run against nickel packages, they are decidedly more difficult to execute when an extra linebacker in is in the play.  I think the Colts then should have gone to Brown more as a receiver, forced a linebacker to make a play on him one-on-one in coverage, and they tried to at points but were ultimately unsuccessful.  It's a shame, too, because Brown has been ridiculously productive as a receiver out the backfield this season and really for his young career.

It was nice to see Brown run with some confidence, too.  Even on those plays that didn't generate 45+ yards, Brown was running with a little extra oomph between the tackles.  He moved piles, churned out extra yards, did the things we've been praising Joseph Addai and Mike Hart for all year long.  Brown is a back that needs carries, needs confidence and certainly needs blocking and correlated success in order to do well.  If you just give him a handful of carries against a loaded defensive front and behind a shoddy offensive line, Brown -- like most NFL backs -- will fair poorly.  Utilize him well, though, and Brown will run even some of the weaker plays in his arsenal with much more confidence.

As a final note on the run game, Rhodes played too many snaps for my liking.  Other than a handful of carries, he wasn't remarkably effective.  Rhodes is a great guy to have in the locker room and is a solid cog in an offense that relies on familiarity.  But 2010 Rhodes isn't the same as 2006 Rhodes.  He struggled on several runs last Sunday and wasn't particularly effective in his time on the field.  He's a good blocker and a decent receiver, which helps, but I think you could have taken away maybe 5-10 of Rhodes' snaps and split them up between Brown and Javarris James.

7.  It's about time to write that flanker screen out of the playbook.

Unless any of you really enjoy seeing Wayne and Garcon fight to get back to the original line-of-scrimmage.  Maybe that play works three years ago, or heck, even three months ago when the Colts had a plethora of weapons.  Now, with defenses focusing on the outside receivers, it really doesn't work and the Colts are lucky to avoid a loss on that play.

They're not really running it to set up much either.  Rarely -- if ever -- will you see Manning pump fake to the flanker screen while the outside receiver releases deep, leaving an overzealous corner in his wake.  It's just an ineffective play that doesn't do much for setting up other plays.  The Colts are running out of weapons to run it anyway, and even if they had them, I don't think it's really worked to great effect since Garcon's game-winning touchdown against the Dolphins in Week 2 of the 2009 season.

I, for one, wouldn't be sad if that play was written out of the playbook this year.

8.  When Kelvin Hayden returns, Justin Tryon should start at the other corner position, not Jacob Lacey.

I think Tryon has proven himself a more consistent, more impactful player than Lacey this year.  I'd say their tackling skills are about even, but Tryon has made far more plays in coverage.  I just like Tryon as a corner better.  I have all season.  He gives more cushion than Lacey but has much better closing speed.  His ball skills are also uncanny.  I'm not saying he'll be a lockdown corner in this league any time soon, but for right now, I think he's a better play than Lacey.

You could argue that Lacey knows the defense better, has been around longer and has more chemistry with the rest of the squad.  I could argue that despite that chemistry, Lacey has found himself lagging in coverage an awful lot this season.

9.  Not all mid-to-late season free agent signings are garbage.

True story: Tyjuan Hagler has had a bigger impact on this season than Bob Sanders.  Taj Smith has had a bigger impact on this season than Anthony Gonzalez.

I don't know why the Colts failed to bring Hagler in earlier than they did, but he's proven to be a solid pickup thus far.  I'm sure that doesn't surprise many folks who follow the Colts; when healthy, Hagler has always been a solid player.  Smith has been an instant impact to special teams, whether through luck or skill.  He's always in the right place at the right time and has brought energy and playmaking ability to an oft-maligned unit.

Sure, nobody gets excited when the Colts sign a David Pender or Al Aflava to their active roster.  But not all late pickups are garbage.  Some will be relied on to make plays, and some will make plays on their own.

10.  Pat McAfee hasn't been Pat McAfee since his suspension.

He's look a bit off, granted he's a good enough player where "a bit off" is still on par with an average NFL punter's performance.  But McAfee, for my money, is one of the better punters in this league when he's on his A-game.  He just hasn't been consistently on an A-game since his suspension.

Last Sunday may have been his worst performance of the season.  He only averaged 22.7 yards per punt, compared to Adam Podlesh's 47.3 yards per punt.  His touchbacks have been down considerably post-suspension.  It just seems that his overall game, for whatever reason, has faltered since the infamous canal dive.

I'm not trying to rag on McAfee too hard here.  I know he can be a very good punter.  He's a fun guy, great to fans, accessible, etc.  But the fact remains that his play has fallen off, for whatever reason, since his suspension.  I don't think he would argue that.  We've seen that punters and good field position can make the difference between winning and losing a playoff game, just as Mike Scifres.  So should the Colts be lucky enough to make the postseason, McAfee will need to step his game up a bit.

 

 

 

PFW's All-America team annually honors college football's most talented players and is determined based on considerable feedback from NFL evaluators, taking into consideration a player's pure talent and contribution to his team. Unlike many other teams honoring the best college football players, PFW places an extra premium on true talent and draft value in the selection process. However, participants are expected to have contributed for the bulk of the season to qualify, leaving off some talented prospects who were limited this season. Extra attention is paid to qualities such as toughness, competitiveness and work ethic.

Juniors are designated by one asterisk (*), draft-eligible sophomores have two (**) and true sophomores have three (***).

Quarterback

Andrew Luck, Stanford**

Luck is extremely tough and mature beyond his years and led the Cardinal to a near-perfect season, falling only to Oregon. He is very accurate, has good escapability and grades out very highly in every facet of the game.  

Honorable mention:
Kellen Moore, Boise State*
Cam Newton, Auburn*
Ryan Mallett, Arkansas*
Jake Locker, Washington
Colin Kaepernick, Nevada

 

Running back

Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State

Strong and compactly built, Hunter (an estimated 5-8, 200) runs with great pad level and plays bigger than his size. After his junior season was derailed by injury, he returned to top form as a senior and was one of the nation's most consistent runners. 

Honorable mention:
LaMichael James, Oregon**
Andre Ellington, Clemson**
Mark Ingram, Alabama*
Jordan Todman, Connecticut*
Mikel LeShoure, Illinois*

 

Fullback

Owen Marecic, Stanford

An old-school, throwback tough guy who also stood out at linebacker. Marecic embodies the toughness and versatility so highly desired at the FB position.

Honorable mention:
Anthony Sherman, Connecticut

 

Wide receivers

Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma State**
A.J. Green, Georgia

Blackmon broke out of Dez Bryant's shadow and rose to the occasion against better competition every week, easily beating Nebraska's Prince Amukamara and Texas' Aaron Williams. Once he returned to the lineup after a four-game suspension, Green could not be stopped. 

Honorable mention:
Alshon Jeffery, South Carolina***
Julio Jones, Alabama*
Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma*
Titus Young, Boise State

 

Tight end

Lance Kendricks, Wisconsin

An improved blocker who showed he can be a weapon in the passing game.  

Honorable mention:
D.J. Williams, Arkansas
Michael Egnew, Missouri*

 

Offensive tackles

Nate Solder, Colorado
Anthony Castonzo, Boston College

Solder and Castonzo both started slowly but finished the season very strong and proved very reliable in pass protection. They could become solid blind-side protectors in the pros. 

Honorable mention:
Marcus Cannon, TCU
Danny Watkins, Baylor
Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin
Lee Ziemba, Auburn
Ben Ijalana, Villanova

 

Offensive guards

Cordy Glenn, Georgia*
Clint Boling, Georgia

The Bulldogs featured the best pair of guards in college football despite the team's struggles this season. Glenn is big, strong and powerful. Boling has been very steady, consistent and dependable. Both are gifted enough to play outside.

Honorable mention:
John Moffitt, Wisconsin
Rodney Hudson, Florida State
Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State

 

Center

Mike Pouncey, Florida

He will be better suited for a move back to guard in the pros, but his snapping improved down the stretch, and when it comes to putting a body on a body, few were better. 

Honorable mention:
Chase Beeler, Stanford
Mike Brewster, Ohio State*

 

Defensive ends

Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson*
J.J. Watt, Wisconsin*

Bowers reshaped his body and became a force off the edge this season, proving as dominant as any pass rusher in college football. Watt consistently came through in the clutch with a great motor and pass-rush instincts, showing he can take over games.  

Honorable mention:
Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue
Adrian Clayborn, Iowa
Allen Bailey, Miami (Fla.)
Cameron Jordan, California

 

Defensive tackles

Marcell Dareus, Alabama*
Nick Fairley, Auburn*

Dareus lined up everywhere along the line and, even with a bad ankle, needed to be accounted for, captaining a young defensive line. Fairley was a pass-rushing force from the inside and made impact plays when the Tigers needed them most. 

Honorable mention:
Stephen Paea, Oregon State
Corey Liuget, Illinois*

 

Inside linebacker

Luke Kuechly, Boston College***

Kuechly was seemingly always around the ball with superb instincts and exceptional football reflexes. He looks like he was born to play the position. 

Honorable mention:
Greg Jones, Michigan State
Manti Te'o, Notre Dame***
Nate Irving, North Carolina State

 

Outside linebackers

Von Miller, Texas A&M
Justin Houston, Georgia*

Even when Miller was playing hobbled on a bad ankle, he was creating pressure and finished the season very strong. His goal-line presence against Oklahoma was memorable and defines how often he lived in the backfield. Houston has legitimate pass-rushing talent and great strength to leverage the run. 

Honorable mention:
Bruce Carter, North Carolina
Akeem Ayers, UCLA*
Sean Spence, Miami (Fla.)*

 

Cornerbacks

Patrick Peterson, LSU
Prince Amukamara, Nebraska

Peterson's physicality and game-breaking return ability has not been seen since the days of Charles Woodson. It's rare that a player can dominate the way that Peterson did this season. Big, physical and instinctive, Amukamara did everything he was asked to do by the Cornhuskers.  

Honorable mention:
Brandon Harris, Miami (Fla.)*
Janoris Jenkins, Florida*
Cliff Harris, Oregon***
Omar Bolden, Arizona State*

 

Safeties

Eric Hagg, Nebraska
Jaiquawn Jarrett, Temple

Hagg was an invaluable piece of Bo Pelini's defense and seldom left the field, making plays against the run and pass. What Jarrett might lack in foot quickness and athletic ability he compensated for with great instincts and football savvy.    

Honorable mention:
Mark Barron, Alabama*
Rahim Moore, UCLA*
Ahmad Black, Florida

 

Placekicker

Alex Henery, Nebraska

A little-known walk-on who finished his career as the most accurate kicker in NCAA history, Henery broke nearly every Cornhuskers record. 

Honorable mention:
Dan Bailey, Oklahoma State

 

Punter

Drew Butler, Georgia*

The son of former Bears PK Kevin Butler very capably flipped the field and is one of the few specialists who could consider departing school early. 

Honorable mention:
Chas Henry, Florida

 

Return specialist

Cliff Harris, Oregon***

Returned four punts for TDs and was a threat every time he touched the ball. 

Honorable mention:
Patrick Peterson, LSU*

Its that time of the year again ,when we review the year gone by and predict a few things on the digital marketplace that will be a disrupters in the marketplace. Here are a few predictions from the best of the " digital gurus" . Please feel free to share your own thoughts on social media prediction trends for 2011

Filed under: Etc., Hybrid, Japan

Hino Motors, a company that produces everything from medium- and heavy-duty trucks, to buses and even Toyota-badged vehicles like the Land Cruiser Prado SUV, FJ Cruiser, Dyna trucks and the Toyoace commercial products, is developing a hybrid system for its light-duty lineup of trucks. The setup will be field tested in Japan to assess real-world reductions in fuel consumption prior to its planned commercial launch in 2011.

The hybrid system features a clutch between the engine and motor and provides the light-duty trucks with all-electric drive capabilities. Testing conducted by Hino has shown a 50-percent improvement in fuel efficiency over a traditional diesel truck. The hybrid setup features a NiMH battery pack and advanced controllers and electronics designed to improve overall efficiency. Hino claims that the size and weight of the various hybrid components are significantly reduced compared to similar systems. The diesel-electric setup will be dropped into vehicles that are hitting the streets very soon. Several companies, including the Japan Post Service Co. Ltd., will get a chance to test it out long before the commercial debut.

[Source: Green Car Congress]

Hino Motors testing hybrid system for light-duty trucks originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 09:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, Charlie was pretty excited when he got his golden ticket to tour the Wonka factory, but I think I’d be more excited to get this shimmering Lauren Merkin Eve Metallic Snake-Print Clutch. (It’d certainly be better for my waistline!) It’s just the right size to hold the necessities without being clunky, and the brilliant [...]

Opening Night in Major League Baseball; just one game on the schedule.

The defending champion New York Yankees entered Boston on April 4^th (Easter) to play 2010’s first regular season contest. Airing nationally on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, the game featured a prime-time pitching match up and two of the early favorites to reach postseason play in the American League.

With Josh Beckett on the hill for the Red Sox and C.C. Sabathia slated to start for the Yankees -- in addition to Boston’s new preventative defense-first lineup -- many expected a low scoring and hard-fought game between two of the game’s most storied franchises. That, they did not get.

Instead, what transpired was an emotionally charged back-and-forth affair with an ending that didn’t disappoint -- as if that were ever in doubt.

Everybody wants their team to win game one. For Red Sox fans, this particular opener was even more meaningful. Not only was it played against the Yankees who were fresh off a World Series title with the rest of the league watching, but it was also the first time fans would be introduced to the "bridge year" version of their Sox. For the first time in years, the Red Sox were defensively oriented. Needless to say, nobody knew exactly what to expect.

What followed was yet another Red Sox vs. Yankees classic, something fans should always expect when these two organizations get together.

OTM COVERAGE: Randy Booth’s recap of top moment number five of 2010 (April 4, 2010)

GAME RECAP (via Yahoo! Sports): 04/04/2010 - Boston Red Sox 9 New York Yankees 7

 

Inning number one for Josh Beckett went about as expected. If you’ve watched Josh pitch enough, you’re well aware that he tends to lean heavily on his fastball the first time through a lineup, assumedly in an attempt to establish a rhythm and avoid giving opposing hitters a look at his secondary stuff early, allowing him to utilize it later on in the game when the fastball may not have the same zip as it did early on.

The Yankees had likely established that same fact in their scouting report for Boston‘s starter. After all, they’ve seen enough of Beckett during his time with Florida and Boston to know what to expect.

With that in mind, Yankees leadoff hitter Derek Jeter jumped on the first pitch he saw -- a fastball -- but grounded out to Boston’s new shortstop, Marco Scutaro, for the game’s first out. Nick Johnson would follow by driving a fastball to deep center but right into the glove of Jacoby Ellsbury, thankfully, for out number two. Mark Teixeira ended the initial frame by grounding out to first baseman Kevin Youkilis. Not a pretty start for the Sox, but they got the job done.

A bit of foreshadowing, perhaps?

After Sabathia set down Ellsbury, Pedroia and Victor Martinez in succession during the home half of the first, it appeared as though those fans expecting a low-scoring game would not be let down. However, inning number two would alter that perception.

The frame began innocently enough; Alex Rodriguez grounded out to Beckett and Robinson Cano lined out to center for a quick two outs. Yankees catcher Jorge Posada stepped in with two outs and nobody on and proceeded to do something no other hitter had done against Beckett in any of his four career Opening Day starts -- hit a home run. The shot to right field deflated the hometown crowd and dug the Red Sox an early 1-0 hole. The Yankees’ offense, however, was not finished.

Unimpressed with Posada’s accomplishment, as well as Beckett’s fastball apparently, in stepped Curtis Granderson for his first official at-bat as a member of the Yankees -- and it was a memorable one, to say the least. Granderson blasted a Beckett offering into deep right-center field for back-to-back home runs.

After being just one out away from a second scoreless frame to start the game, Beckett and the Red Sox quickly found themselves down 2-0 in just the second inning. Visibly shaken, Beckett would surrender consecutive singles to the eight and nine hitters, Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner, before finally retiring Jeter to stop the bleeding.

On the to the bottom of the second, Yankees leading 2-0.

Kevin Youkilis led off with a double to left-center and would advance to third after a David Ortiz groundout. Like Granderson before him, Adrian Beltre would make an immediate impact in his first at-bat with his new team by scoring Youkilis by way of sacrifice fly. Despite an inning-ending strikeout by J.D. Drew, Youkilis’ run reenergized the hometown crowd and cut the Yankees’ lead in half.

Through two: Yankees 2, Red Sox 1.

After both teams broke out offensively in the second inning, the pressure was back on starters Beckett and Sabathia to regain composure in what was an electric atmosphere on this particular night. Aside from a leadoff walk to Boston’s Marco Scutaro, neither offense would manage anything in inning number three.

Pitcher’s duel back on track? Not so fast.

Robinson Cano led off the fourth with a double but would risk being stranded at third base after consecutive groundouts by Posada and Granderson. A two-out walk to Swisher put runners on the corners, and the Yankees would add on to their lead following back-to-back run-scoring singles by Brett Gardner and Derek Jeter. Leading 4-1 at that point, with Gardner on third and Jeter on first, New York scored after successfully completing a double steal. While Nick Johnson would end the inning by way of strikeout, the damage was done.

Needing an answer in the fourth, the Red Sox offense produced nothing of the sort. Three up [Pedroia, Martinez, Youkilis], three down.

After four: Yankees 5, Red Sox 1.

Back on the mound with a bad taste in his mouth and little time to recover from the previous inning’s troubles, Beckett would again quickly retire the first two hitters before running into more trouble. With two outs, Cano singled to deep right and advanced into scoring position following a walk to Posada.

Exit, Josh Beckett. Enter, Scott Schoeneweis. Exit, Fenway fans' enthusiasm.

After a wild pitch that advanced both runners into scoring position, Schoeneweis would strike Granderson out to avoid falling any further behind.

Sabathia, who had retired nine straight hitters and seemed to be finding his flow, entered the fifth with a 5-1 lead and all the momentum on his side.

However, using a little two-out magic of their own, Boston would ride back-to-back singles from Drew and Scutaro, as well as a fielding error by Brett Gardner, to plate their second run of the game and give the home fans a little more hope as they entered the final four innings down 5-2.

In the top of the sixth, Schoeneweis and Ramon Ramirez would maneuver around a two-out single by Jeter to put a much needed zero on the Green Monster scoreboard, giving the offense a chance to cut further into the New York lead in the home half.

After a Pedroia walk and Martinez double to start the sixth, Kevin Youkilis brought the home team within one run of the lead after tripling to right field despite the enormous piano he carried on his back around the bases. The tying run on third and with one out (a David Ortiz groundout), Sabathia was pulled from the game, giving way to reliever David Robertson. Beltre met Robertson with a game-tying RBI-single, plating Youkilis for the Red Sox first baseman’s second run of the game. Although J.D. Drew and Mike Cameron would go down quietly to end the inning, momentum was back on the home team’s side with the game knotted-up.

Six complete: Yankees 5, Red Sox 5.

Ramon Ramirez did his best to give that momentum right back to New York after walking Teixeira in front of Alex Rodriguez, who followed with a double, to start the seventh. Hideki Okajima was called on for damage control following Ramirez’s exit. New York had other plans as Cano produced the go-ahead run, grounding out to Dustin Pedroia. With Rodriguez standing on third, Okajima would surrender an RBI-single to Posada, who ended the night 3-4 with a pair of RBI. Okajima would go on to walk Granderson before getting a clutch double play ball off the bat of Nick Swisher to end any remaining threat.

Through 6 ½ innings: Yankees 7, Red Sox 5.

In the bottom of the seventh, Robertson would give way to reliever Chan Ho Park. Thankfully, the only relief Park provided would be in Boston’s favor.

Marco Scutaro, continuing what was an impressive Boston debut, led off the inning with a single to center -- part of a 2-3 (RBI, R, BB) night for the Sox’s new shortstop. After an Ellsbury strikeout for out number one, Dustin Pedroia crushed a Park offering Over the Monster (see what I did there?) to bring the game back to even at seven runs a piece. Later in the inning, Youkilis would double with two outs, knocking Chan Ho Park from the game after surrendering three runs in less than an inning of work.

Damaso Marte entered the game for what would be an interesting outing. After allowing Youkilis to advance to third on a wild pitch, Marte and catcher Jorge Posada combined for a run-scoring passed ball. Marte would walk Ortiz to finish his outing, giving way to Joba Chamberlain who ended the frame with a groundball off the bat of Adrian Beltre.

Nonetheless, the damage had been done and Boston had their first lead of the 2010 season, one that they would not relinquish.

Seven in the books: Yankees 7, Red Sox 8.

Daniel Bard was called on for the eighth inning and came through with a scoreless frame.

The Red Sox would add-on to the 8-7 lead in their half of the eighth after Dustin Pedroia singled home Mike Cameron with two outs for the ninth and final run of the game for Boston.

Jonathan Papelbon would close out the ninth, ending a rollercoaster game with playoff-like atmosphere that gave fans reason for optimism regarding the remaining 161 games. While that optimism, in retrospect, was unwarranted, this remains one of the most notable wins for Boston in 2010.

Final score: MFY 7, Red Sox 9.

Game Notes

- Boston’s new acquisitions -- Marco Scutaro, Mike Cameron and Adrian Beltre -- who were originally brought in for defensive purposes, combined to go 5-9, with 2 BB, 3 RBI and 2 runs scored in their first game with the Red Sox.

- This was the first night opener in Fenway Park’s then-98-year-old history.

- In what was supposed to be a pitcher’s duel, starters Josh Beckett and C.C. Sabathia’s combined stat line read: 10 IP, 14 H, 10 R (all earned), 5 BB, 2 HR.

- Pedro Martinez, who received an enormous ovation, was on hand to throw out the game’s first pitch.

- Boston’s Opening Day victory was their first of the sort against the Yankees since 1985.

- The Red Sox improved to 20-14 all-time when playing on Easter.

- Kevin Youkilis [2 2B, 3B] became the first Red Sox player to record three extra base hits on Opening Day since 1973 when Carlton Fisk had a double and a pair of home runs. Ironically, that game also occurred at Fenway Park against the visiting Yankees.

- Despite his rough outing, Beckett [4.2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K] is still one of the better Opening Day starters in all of baseball. His career numbers, including this game, look like this: 5 GS, 27.1 IP, 9 ER, 2.96 ERA.

- Before Brett Gardner accomplished the feat as part of a double steal in the fourth inning of this game, the last time Boston allowed a theft of home to an opposing base runner was July 5, 2006, in the fourth inning of a game at Tampa Bay. The base runner? Everyone’s favorite former Tampa Bay Ray, Carl Crawford.

 

***COME BACK TOMORROW FOR TOP MOMENT NUMBER FOUR FROM 2010!***

Memories of Shaquille O'Neal permeate this swapping spree by the Orlando Magic. For Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith, but also for me personally.

Otis Smith has been involved with the Magic enough--both as a player and as a member of the front office--to recognize the similarities between Dwight Howard and O'Neal. Both were the first overall pick by the Orlando Magic. Both have used the nickname Superman. Both are (or were, in Shaq's case) mammoth men, athletic freaks, physical specimens who should be studied in a remote lab somewhere by William Stryker for possible genetic mutations. 

For Smith, the similarities must make him worry. Smith remembers when O'Neal left Orlando for Hollywood, and he knows how much it devastated the Magic fans. Now, the Magic are in an almost identical situation with Howard. Howard's contract expires after next season (though he has a player option for 2013) and there are whispers, rumblings that Howard will bolt for a brighter spotlight, a better chance to win a coveted ring. 

Smith finds himself in the dreaded position that Cavs GM Danny Ferry occupied last season with LeBron James: win a championship, or lose your franchise player. Smith was smart enough to realize the Magic as constituted before these two trades were not truly title contenders. Sure, they would win a lot of games and be seeded highly come playoff time, but the Magic had little chance of beating Boston or Miami in a seven-game series. Boston had defeated virtually the same team last postseason, while LeBron James and Dwyane Wade probably dream of being guarded by Vince Carter. The goal of any elite team is always to win a championship--even more so when it could be your only chance of retaining the world's greatest center. 

With all this in mind (yes, I know definitively what Otis Smith is thinking at all times), Smith took a risk he had to take. He gambled on the possibility that Gilbert Arenas could return to pre-injury, pre-guns-in-the-locker-room form, that the Magic could survive without a backup center, that Jason Richardson is a better winner than Vince Carter (OK, that last one isn't really a gamble). 

Unfortunately for Magic fans, Smith's gamble reminds me all too much of Steve Kerr's gamble on Shaq. 

Shortly after being hired as the Phoenix Suns' GM, Kerr traded away Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks for O'Neal. At the time, the Suns had the best record in the Western Conference, but, based on his championship experience as a player, Kerr decided the Suns couldn't win a championship with D'Antoni ball, couldn't win a championship without a true center. So, Kerr gambled that a former star (are you starting to see the parallels?) could return to form and help his team win a title. 

Two years later, both Shaq and Kerr were gone from Phoenix and the Suns were  worse than they had been before the trade.  Kerr's gamble didn't pan out, and I suspect the same will happen for Otis Smith. Time and again, we are reminded how important familiarity and comfort with your teammates is to success in basketball. Look at Miami. They had a full offseason and training camp to learn how to play together, yet it still took about 20 games for the Heat to find their comfort zone on the court. Blowing up a team in the middle of the season, with no time to get to know your new teammates, is near impossible to do successfully. 

To me, the trades themselves weren't so bad, but the timing and the sense of desperation they signal are the real problems.  Ever since he was busted for PED-use, Rashard Lewis has not been close to the same player. He's shooting 41% and scoring just 12 ppg this season, so its not as though the Magic gave up much to get Arenas. Jason Richardson is certainly an upgrade over the corpse of Vince Carter. Hedo Turkoglu played his best basketball in Orlando because he fits the system well. He's played awfully since, but that can partially be attributed to his hatred of Toronto and playing the wrong position in Phoenix. Turkoglu is NOT a power forward. He's at his best with the ball in his hands at the top of the key, utilizing his size to penetrate and finish, or pass, over smaller defenders. With Steve Nash in town, he didn't have the chance to play that way in Phoenix, but Orlando will likely give him that opportunity again.

Losing Gortat is tough, but Howard plays 36 minutes per game, so a backup center is more of a luxury than a necessity. The Magic could suck it up and play talented (but raw) rookie Daniel Orton, sign a free agent like Josh Boone or Randolph Morris, or make another trade. With Arenas and Richardson on board, either Jameer Nelson or JJ Redick seem expendable at this point and could net a solid power forward/ center in return. 

Ultimately, though, the success of the Magic going forward will hinge on the play of Arenas. Arenas has shown flashes of Hibachi this season, though he's scoring inefficiently and turning the ball over at a high rate. Smith is gambling that playing for a contender, as well as playing with Dwight Howard, will reinvigorate Arenas. It may seem far-fetched, but there's a better chance of seeing a rejuvenated Arenas than most people think. 

Ever since the gun incident and ensuing suspension, Arenas has lost the enthusiasm and love that was a staple of the way he played the game. For those of us who've seen Agent Zero play this season, or even talk with the media, it's been jarring how sullen and depressed he seems. Arenas was always one of those guys who you KNEW loved basketball just by how he looked out on the court. A change of scenery may help, but playing with the gregarious Howard is a more likely cure for whatever ills Arenas. 

Who wouldn't enjoy playing with Howard. On the court, he does all the dirty work--gobbles up rebounds, owns the paint, makes up for defensive mistakes--and commands extra attention on offensive, freeing up space for others to make plays. Off the court, Howard is a merry prankster, a joyful kid who always has a smile on his face. Perhaps Howard's spirit will infect Arenas, bring back Gilbert the prankster, the guy who yelled "Hibachi" after big shots, the guy who once filled Andray Blatche's bath tub with coffee, the guy who once started a snowball fight on the team bus.

If Arenas can rekindle some of that ancient magic in Orlando, a championship is within the realm of possibility. It's a big risk, but Otis Smith had to take it. Howard is the rare type of player you do whatever it takes to keep on your team.

If a banner is the only thing that will keep Howard in Orlando, then Smith is going to try anything he can to deliver that banner. The Magic got a miraculous do-over with Howard when Shaq left for LA, but they won't be able to replace Howard so easily. 

Dwight Howard's fate may rest in the hands of Gilbert Arenas. Magic fans beware. 

Highlight of the Week

Tommy's Trifecta

1. Sleeping on the Spurs- It's either the gift or the curse of Tim Duncan. No matter how successful the Spurs are, they always fly under the radar. The Spurs are 23-3, the best record in the NBA, yet, somehow, the average fan overlooks their early season success. Out west, the Lakers and the Mavericks gobble up the attention of the media and the fans, while the Spurs continue to gobble up wins. Conventional wisdom said the Spurs were too old, too washed up to compete for a championship this season. Duncan has clearly lost a couple steps on both ends of the floor, but he's gracefully handing over the team to Parker, Ginobli, and Jefferson. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli took a summer off from international competition to rejuvenate their bodies, while Richard Jefferson trained with head coach Gregg Popovich in an effort to re-find his game. So far, everything has worked according to plan. Ginobli is finally healthy, putting together perhaps the best season of his career. His PER is a fantastic 23.9, he's shooting 46% from the field and averaging a career-high 19.8 PPG, and he's also dishing out a career-high 4.9 apg. In back-to-back games this week against the Bucks and the Nuggets, Manu hit game-winners at the buzzer. Parker has been nearly as good, averaging a career-high 7.2 apg and shooting 52%. With their championship pedigree, and one of the deepest benches in the league, it's about time everyone takes notice of the Spurs. Undoubtedly, the Lakers already have.
2. Dirk for MVP- I was one of the people who thought Dirk didn't deserve the MVP he won in 2007. I thought Steve Nash had a better season and was more important to his team's overall success. After 26 games this season, I'm officially driving the Dirk-for-MVP bus. The giant German has led the Mavericks to a surprising 21-5 record, and he's been shooting at an incredible rate. 56% from the field, 42.4% from distance, and 86% from the charity stripe. He's shooting an absurd 56% on shots between 16-13 feet (supposedly the worst shots to take), while taking 7.7 of his 17 field goal attempts per game from this range. To top it all off, he's been a killer in the clutch, ranking second in the league in fourth quarter scoring average at 6.9 points. Hop aboard the bus, everyone! There's room enough for all.
3. Bonus Highlight-  No words are necessary.

Pick-and-Roll: Who'd you Rather?

Kobe Bryant or LeBron James?

Point Guard, Tom King: Give me the guy who's been there before. The guy with five rings. The guy who wants to annihilate the game's best players, not play on the same team as them. The guy who could care less about endorsement deals, his public image, or becoming a global business icon. The guy who wakes up at 4 AM in the off-season to workout. The guy who studies film more than Ebert and Roeper. The guy whose work ethic is admired by Tiger Woods. The guy who strains and pushes to be the best basketball player he can possibly be. Give me Kobe Bryant. 

I come hard off the screen, only to be met by a hedging big man. I fake the shot, side step the defender, and throw a wrap-around bounce pass to the big man rolling to the front of the rim for what should be an easy deuce.

Power Forward, Jay King: 

Where I come from, basketball's a team game. Kobe has five rings, yes, but if you put Lebron with an in-his-prime Shaq (or even an in-his-prime Gasol), Lebron wouldn't be ringless right now. I can promise you that.  

I'm not even going to mention Kobe's shortcomings. I'm not even going to mention Kobe's single second-half point against Phoenix -- in a Game 7 -- back in 2006? Or how everyone conveniently wipes that one from their memories. Or how that was the biggest no-show I've ever seen, by a star, in a playoff game. (Yes, Lebron's Game 5 included.) Or how we forget about that one, because Kobe was gifted with Pau Gasol, who happens to be the NBA's greatest big man right now (yes, Dwight Howard included), and together they have won two championships in a row.

Or how Kobe shot 6-24 in Game 7. Or how the Celtics severely limited him in two different championship series. Or how all the stats say he's far from the best in crunch-time.

All those things I "didn't mention " included, Kobe Bryant is phenomenal. He's perhaps the game's most-developed player, ever. He possesses Fred Astaire's footwork, Michael Scofield's ingenuity (anybody else like Prison Break?), and a Cobra Kai fighter's attitude ("Put him in a body bag, Johnny!"). When all is said and done, Kobe will be (rightfully) considered one of the game's ten greatest players, ever. And one of its fiercest, most dedicated winners. Lebron's not at that level, yet, for his career.

But if you gave me one choice, for this season, I'm taking Lebron. He's the two-time defending MVP, don't forget. He won 61 games last season, with a team currently 8-19. And yes, I understand Shaq left, too, and so did Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and so did Delonte West. But what Lebron did, with that team, considering the talent, should be considered on some level between incredible and miracle. Even if it all ended with heartache rather than a championship.

So before you overlook Lebron James' talents, just because he had a couple bad (okay, really bad) postseason games, just remember this:

In the NBA, it takes five to tango. And when you discuss how Lebron needed to join superstars to win, remember that Kobe Bryant -- before Gasol fell in his lap -- asked for a trade. He knows what Lebron has learned the hard way. Winning championships, by yourself, in the NBA, is impossible.

Even Jordan had Pippen.

Love 'Em Like Larry

 

• Knicks fans (let me explain)- If you're a true NBA fan, you can't help but appreciate the raucous environment at Madison Square Garden for the Celtics and Heat games. That's what basketball should be all about. I would sell my younger brothers to a Chinese slave trader for the chance to play in front of a crowd like that. 
• JJ Redick- I have to admit up front that I am a die-hard Duke fan and I also root unabashedly for American-born white NBA players. As a former white basketball player myself, I know the obstacles Redick has overcome to become a viable NBA player--most notably our inability to jump, and our poor overall athleticism. Redick is a typical white guy in that fashion. He doesn't jump well; in fact, at 6-foot-4, I think I've only seen him dunk once and that wasn't exactly the prettiest dunk. Somehow, it seems like every time I watch Redick play, he plays well. Tuesday night against the Nuggets was no exception. Redick had a career-high 29 points, even getting into a little mano-y-mano duel with JR Smith. 
• Andre Miller- Miller and Brandon Roy have reportedly not gotten along well for a long time now, and rumors have swirled since last season that Miller would be traded. With Oden's career on the brink, and Brandon's Roy's career-altering knee issues, combined with the overall poor play of the Blazers this season, Miller will very likely be traded before the February 24th trade deadline. I know Roy is nearly impossible to trade at this point, and Miller's expiring contract is attractive for other teams, but I'd rather keep Miller if I was Portland GM Rich Cho. The guy has been severely underrated his entire career. Each team he plays for immediately improves upon his arrival, and misses him when he's gone. Just look at the 76ers. With Miller in '08, they pushed the Magic to six games in the opening round of the playoffs. Since Miller left-- with almost the same roster, mind you--the Sixers have been cellar-dwellers of the Atlantic Division. Miller is like that crafty, old guy at the park that nobody wants to guard: he can't shoot, his game is unorthodox, and he's not the best defender, but he has all the tricks and he's always the guy calling out, "Next!" 

 

 

Trade 'Em Like Tony (Allen, of course)

•  Fans voting for All-Star Game- We've abused our power as voters so badly that we should have our right to vote stripped. Based on the votes tallied as of Thursday, Yao Ming would be the West's starting center. Ming has played five games all season. The next guy in line? Andrew Bynum, who has played three games and started zero of them. Of course, both of those guys are better options than the center with the third-most votes: Brendan Haywood! Haywood is the Mavericks back up center. He has started one game all season. Carlos Boozer (10 games played), Vince Carter, and Gilbert Arenas all have more votes than Kevin Love. Love just happens to be averaging 21.1 ppg and 15.7 rpg, the most of any player since Dennis Rodman in 1997. I love Shaq and think he's a been a great addition, but there's no way he should be the second leading vote-getter for Eastern Centers.   It's time that the fans vote is either taken away completely, or is taken in concert with voting done by players and coaches. I say forget the fans entirely, let's just have the players and coaches vote.
• Injury Gods- First, Greg Oden has season-ending and career threatening microfracture surgery. Then, Brandon Roy's knees give out on him to the point where it's sad to watch him play now because of how hobbled he is. Now, Yao Ming will miss the season and possibly retire after sustaining another stress fracture in his foot. When will the madness end, o vengeful hoops gods? It's too sad to have some of the game's best players (and seemingly good guys) destroyed by injuries.
• Antoine Walker- Walker recently joined the Idaho Stampede of the D-League, in an attempt to make a comeback to the NBA. Walker came to Springfield, MA (five minutes from hometown of Longmeadow) for a game against the Springfield Armor Saturday night. Naturally, I was excited and curious to see if Walker had anything left in the tank. I left feeling depressed. For Walker, and for the entire D-League. Walker scored 27 points and unleashed a Wiggle after a late-game three-pointer, but he's not nearly ready for the NBA. He labored up and down the court, had a doughy, uninspiring physique, and continued to hang around the three-point arc, despite the obvious advantage he had in the post (I shouldn't be surprised, of course). One play in particular made me aware that 'Toine has a long way to go. Walker receieved the ball at the top of the key, with uber-goofy, 6-foot-10 former Wake Forest center Chas McFarland guarding him. In his prime, Walker would have made McFarland fall every time he chased him out on the perimeter. This time, however, Walker jabbed right, drove left, and threw up a left-handed scoop shot. In '98, the move would have worked because McFarland would be on his butt at the foul line, but in 2010, McFarland stayed right with Walker and swatted the shot into the second row. At this point, I knew a call up was a lot of hard work away for Walker. Walker still has the talent, no doubt, and If he drops 20-25 pounds, he'll have a good chance to make it back. But it was sad to see one of my childhood idols toiling in front of 2,800 former fans.
  

 

 

Next Week's DVR Queue

• Monday: Dallas @ Miami, 7:30 PM
• Tuesday: Dallas @ Orlando 7 PM BONUS: Milwaukee @ LA (Lakers) 10:30 PM
• Wednesday: Oklahoma City @ New York 7:30 PM
• Thursday: San Antonio @ Orlando 8 PM
• Friday: Sadly, there are no games on Christmas Eve. Go to sleep early and prepare for XMas.
• Saturday: Boston @ Orlando 2:30 PM + Miami @ LA (Lakers) 5 PM
• Sunday: Atlanta @ New Orleans 7 PM

Last in a series

PFW draft analyst Nolan Nawrocki previews the top prospects for the 2011 NFL draft, by position. In cases where a listed prospect is playing in a bowl game, we identify that upcoming matchup.

Underclassmen dominate the defensive back ranks, with most of the top cornerbacks and safeties likely to come from the junior class. LSU's Patrick Peterson is the star of the crop, with the size-speed combination to factor as a cornerback or safety in the NFL while doubling as a return man. Unique to this class, if juniors wind up exiting as expected, is the presence of more significant size than most typical draft classes have. (Editor's note: Juniors are denoted by an asterisk.)

Previous position: 2011 LB prospects

 

CORNERBACKS

1. Patrick Peterson, LSU*
6-0e, 220e, 4.40e

Peterson is fully expected to enter the NFL draft following his junior season after starring as both a cornerback and return man. He stands out as the most dominant all-around performer since Charles Woodson exited Michigan as the fourth overall selection of the Raiders in 1998. At 6 feet, 220-plus pounds, he is extremely physical at the line of scrimmage in press-man coverage, has terrific ball skills and is aggressive supporting the run. He is so thick that NFL DB coaches could ask him to drop weight or even move him to free safety. For as physical as Peterson is — and he put on a clinic hemming Alabama's Julio Jones on the line — his hip tightness shows up against quicker receivers, such as Alabama's Marquis Maze, and he tends to freelance too much. He projects as a top-10 pick.
Don't miss: Peterson's Tigers play Texas A&M in the AT&T Cotton Bowl at 8 p.m. ET Jan. 7.

 

2. Prince Amukamara, Nebraska
6-0¼e, 201e, 4.45e

With great length, good hips and very good body control, Amukamara matches up favorably in man or zone coverage. He has a very good feel for patterns developing, can sort out combo routes quickly and trusts his eyes, very quickly jumping routes. He appears most comfortable manning zones. Although he tends to play a bit flat-footed and squat on routes, which gets him in trouble against double moves, he shows the ability to recover. Evaluators who have passed through the program say he is every bit as good as advertised and have stamped top-10 grades on the senior. Those who watch tape of him attempting to cover Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon and see him increasingly clutch and grab will have more concerns.
Don't miss: Amukamara's Cornhuskers play Washington in the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl at 10 p.m. ET Dec. 30.

 

3. Brandon Harris, Miami (Fla.)*
5-11e, 195e, 4.50e

A very football-smart, instinctive cover man whose physicality stands out on tape, Harris compares favorably to Kareem Jackson. He has a great feel for the game, can line up inside or outside and noticeably stands out as a tackler, having delivered knockout shots coming downhill and chopping down Terrelle Pryor in the open field. He is quick and very solid in all facets of the game, driving hard against the run and pass. In three seasons, he has only four interceptions, and he could stand to improve his ball recognition. He has the tools to develop into a solid starter in the pros.
Don't miss: Harris' Hurricanes play Notre Dame in the Hyundai Sun Bowl at 2 p.m. ET Dec. 31.

 

4. Janoris Jenkins, Florida*
5-10e, 185e, 4.45e

Jenkins plays the game with a swagger. He's confident, competitive and very energetic in coverage, sticking to receivers like a gnat. With excellent athletic ability and movement skills, he is very fluid coming out of his pedal, flips his hips and transitions quickly and shows great anticipation reading routes and making plays on the ball. Despite being undersized, he matches up well in man coverage against bigger receivers, such as South Carolina's Alshon Jeffery, and is a willing tackler who will support the run with fervor. He is small-framed and not built to withstand much contact, and he struggles some fending off blockers. He always could be mismatched against bigger receivers, but he could factor readily in the pros in nickel situations and should develop rapidly. Having been suspended, he will have his character evaluated by teams.
Don't miss: Jenkins' Gators play Penn State in the Outback Bowl at 1 p.m. ET Jan. 1.

 

5. Aaron Williams, Texas*
6-0, 190, 4.50e

Williams struggled this season when he was forced to move outside from his more comfortable nickel-back position and try to handle outside receivers. He had trouble covering Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon down the field and even struggled against the speed of Florida Atlantic. Most glaring on a defense that collectively regressed this season was Williams' lack of production on the ball. He did not nab a single interception this season. He still has upside to improve, but if he were to declare for the draft, his inability to make plays on the ball could keep him out of the first round.

 

SAFETIES

1. Mark Barron, Alabama*
6-2e, 210e, 4.50e

There may not be a true first-round safety in this year's class. Barron clearly looks the part with a very athletic build. He shows the foot quickness and burst to handle receivers and easily carry tight ends and is capable of making the acrobatic interception off the hash. Nonetheless, he can be exposed by quickness, frozen by double moves and too often has allowed big plays over the top this season, losing awareness with his back to the ball. As a run defender, he attacks the line of scrimmage and will strike with authority. He is agile slipping blocks, can close fast to the ball and will make his presence felt as a tackler in the box. He is asked to do a lot in a well-coached secondary and could still hone his instincts but, in a weak safety lot, stands a chance to be the first one drafted.
Don't miss: Barron's Crimson Tide play Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl at 1 p.m. ET Jan. 1.

 

2. Rahim Moore, UCLA*
6-1e, 195e, 4.50e

Built more like a cornerback than a safety with a slight, narrow frame, Moore may be better-suited for the edges. He shows good ball skills on the back end, plays the ball in the air like a receiver and covers a lot of ground. Where evaluators should be most concerned is with the way he factors in the run game, as he struggles playing off blocks, is too inconsistent tackling in space and is much more of a catcher than a striker. He lacks the physicality desired in the box, can be eliminated too easily and plays the game with too much finesse. He could struggle to match up with receivers in man coverage but could warrant interest as a zone corner or single high safety playing center field. 

 

3. SS Eric Hagg, Nebraska
6-1 5/8, 206, 4.50e

A very athletic, rangy defender with a cornerback-like build, Hagg has not always been quick to stick his nose in a pile and has been criticized for his lack of toughness, having missed some time to injuries. After lining up at the hybrid linebacker position for the Blackshirts as a senior, however, he showed more willingness supporting the run, seldom leaving the field and keying Bo Pelini's aggressive defense. He has the cover skills to match up with receivers in the slot and has ascended to the top of the senior class with a solid season.
Don't miss: Hagg's Cornhuskers play Washington in the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl at 10 p.m. ET Dec. 30.

 

4. FS George Iloka, Boise State*
6-3e, 205e, 4.50e

Iloka has been a productive three-year starter who graduated from high school early and immediately stepped into the lineup for an underrated secondary. Long-limbed, athletic and rangy with fluid movement skills and good leaping ability, Iloka plays fast and has shown the ability to make plays on the back end despite not being tested heavily or having great production on the ball. Although he could become more consistent securing tackles in space, he has stood out more heavily than teammate Jeron Johnson and has moldable talent.
Don't miss: Iloka's Broncos play Utah in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl at 8 p.m. ET Dec. 22.

 

5. FS Robert Sands, West Virginia*
6-4e, 220e, 4.50e

Sands often roams in the Mountaineers' 3-3-5 defense and is surprisingly light on his feet for as big as he is. He has a very lean build with good flexibility, carries his weight well and packs a punch. He plays the run aggressively, flashes explosive striking ability and noticeably stands out with some of the big plays he makes. He does have a tendency to play undisciplined and bite on play-action and can still hone his eyes and instincts, but he possesses intriguing NFL-quality traits.
Don't miss: Sands' Mountaineers play North Carolina State in the Champs Sports Bowl at 6:30 p.m. ET Dec. 28.

 

Don't miss out on PFW's brand-new NFL Draft mobile app for iPhone, Blackberry and Android — coming soon. It will provide the very best in player analysis and inside draft info. Watch ProFootballWeekly.com for an announcement when it becomes available. Also, be sure to get your copy of PFW's 2011 Draft Guide magazine (on sale March 1) and PFW's 2011 Draft Preview book (on sale March 29). Both publications will be available at retail outlets and at PFWstore.com.

Sixth in a series

PFW draft analyst Nolan Nawrocki previews the top prospects for the 2011 NFL draft, by position. In cases where a listed prospect is playing in a bowl game, we identify that upcoming matchup.

Underclassmen included, the defensive line crop could shape up to be the most talented position group in the 2011 NFL draft, with a bevy of young talent inside and outside. Like a year ago, there are two potential top-five picks. (Editor's note: Juniors are denoted by an asterisk. Third-year sophomore are marked by two asterisks.)

 

DEFENSIVE ENDS

1. Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson*
6-4e, 275e, 4.75e

Bowers is quick off the ball to crash the corner. Yet, he also is physical at the point of attack and uniquely can fit on either the right or left side. He can even create mismatches from the inside in sub packages. The nation's most heralded high school recruit underachieved his first two seasons, but motivated by the recent passing of his father and "big brother" Gaines Adams, he cut down his weight, reshaped his body and found a new burst that has allowed him to bend the edge, close and finish in a way he couldn't a year ago. Strong, explosive and powerful, he is more complete than Adams was exiting Clemson. With untapped potential to become a better pro than college player, he could be the first pass rusher selected if he exits early as expected.
Don't miss: Bowers' Tigers play South Florida in the Meineke Car Care Bowl at noon ET Dec. 31.

 

2. Robert Quinn, North Carolina**
6-5e, 270e, 4.70e

Quinn showed exceptionally well as a sophomore before being suspended this season in the far-reaching NCAA investigation for accepting improper benefits, and his character will come under closer scrutiny if he departs early as expected. Also weighing into his draft status could be questions about the tumor he had removed from his brain as a senior in high school. Strictly based on his sophomore tape evaluation, however, he boasts outstanding bend, balance and burst and clearly can rush the passer. He could stand to improve against the run, but he has the size and athletic ability to get off blocks and will be highly coveted as a sack artist whenever he decides to depart.
Don't miss: Quinn's Tar Heels play Tennessee in the Franklin Ameican Mortgage Music City Bowl at 6:40 p.m. ET Dec. 30.

 

3. Adrian Clayborn, Iowa
6-3, 287, 4.75e

For a 290-pounder, Clayborn is extremely quick, athletic and explosive with the strength to anchor against the run. The greatest concern evaluators will have leading up to the draft — and what figures to be one of the more highly debated subjects — is regarding the Erb's palsy that was diagnosed at birth. Characterized by paralysis in his right shoulder, it has not stopped him from becoming a dominant player at the college level. However, in a league that preys on weaknesses and isolates matchups, it could become more of an issue whenever he is outflanked in the pros. It could create enough concern from a medical standpoint to slide him out of the top 10. He plays with power and violence, has extremely strong hands and is superb slip-shedding blocks. However, to fit into an odd front, he will need to be able to play right- and left-handed, and he will need to clear a battery of tests at the ­Combine for decision makers to feel comfortable with selecting him with a very high pick.
Don't miss: Clayborn's Hawkeyes play Missouri in the Insight Bowl at 10 p.m. ET Dec. 28.

 

4. J.J. Watt, Wisconsin*
6-6e, 290e, 4.85e

Really standing out against Ohio State and coming off a dominant performance against an overmatched Northwestern squad, Watt has become stronger as the season has progressed, and his sheer size will command extra attention from NFL evaluators. He has some explosive power to rush the passer and will fit best as a base defensive end in the pros, fitting a similar mold as former Nebraska DE Adam Carriker. However, he possesses more athletic ability and better hip flexibility than the former first-round pick of the Rams, who could never stay healthy. Where Watt stands out more from Carriker is in his style of play. Where there were some concerns about ­Carriker's toughness and how well he would finish around piles, Watt plays with more passion, energy and nastiness.
Don't miss: Watt's Badgers play TCU in the Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO at 5 p.m. ET Jan. 1.

 

5. Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue
6-4, 261, 4.80e

Kerrigan might not fit into the first round on his physical traits, but his motor, effort and production grade out at a high level and could help him warrant attention late in the first round. He is very tough, leaves everything on the field and consistently makes plays in the clutch. Coming from a program known for producing strong pass rushers will only help ­Kerrigan's case. The jury is still out about whether he can handle lining up as an outside linebacker in an odd front, and if he shows he can bend, flip his hips cleanly and drop in spring workouts, it could help his draft value.

 

DEFENSIVE TACKLES

1. Marcell Dareus, Alabama*
6-3e, 305e, 5.10e

Dareus can line up anywhere on the line, on the nose or in a shade, and has been a force for the Crimson Tide's three-man front the past two seasons, despite playing on an injured ankle for much of this year. He is powerfully built in the lower body with a thick trunk and possesses the press strength to set an edge and rip off blocks. Despite his experience in Alabama's odd front, he could warrant more interest inside in a 4-3 defense with the up-the-field quickness, positional instincts and competitiveness to become a very effective, gap-shooting penetrator. He is excellent against the run and, while not afforded a lot of opportunity to play in gaps, could be very productive rushing the passer from the inside.
Don't miss: Dareus' Crimson Tide play Michigan State in the Capital One at 1 p.m. ET Jan. 1.

 

2. Nick Fairley, Auburn*
6-5e, 300e, 4.80e

With exceptional take-off speed and twitch, Fairley is very difficult to block one-on-one when he is dialed into the game, and his quickness will not be rivaled in this year's draft class. He fits the prototype of an explosive three-technique. However, he will play down to the competition, take plays off and freelance too much, and his lack of lower-body strength shows up when he is matched against power. He has shown he can take over games, as he did against LSU and Alabama, and has rare hip flexibility and explosion to drive through ballcarriers and send quarterbacks to the sideline. He has been known to deliver cheap shots, and his rogue style of play borders on unsportsmanlike, but it may win favor with many old-school coaches. He has the length to warrant looks outside but is best playing in gaps.
Don't miss: Fairley's Tigers play Oregon in the Tostitos BCS national championship game at 8:30 p.m. Jan. 10.

 

3. Stephen Paea, Oregon State
6-1 3/8, 306, 4.95e

Paea has come on strong down the stretch and has been more disruptive despite consistently having extra protection rolled his way. In a similar mold as Jaguars 2010 first-round selection Tyson Alualu, Paea is very well-built, quick and strong and can create mismatches in one-on-one situations. He will work out like a phenom and test through the roof and does not figure to escape the first round. However, he does not consistently play to his workout numbers, and concerns remain about him staying blocked too long and not being able to process what he sees quickly enough.

 

4. Allen Bailey, Miami (Fla.)
6-4e, 290e, 4.75e

Bailey has lined up most at the DLE spot for the Hurricanes and very well could stay outside in the pros, where things do not unfold as quickly and get on top of him. That said, he has moved inside at times, is as strong as a house — the stories about him wrestling alligators with his bare hands are true — and could be effective stacking the point of attack anywhere along the line. He is not a creative pass rusher and plays a bit tall, but he is rarely moved off the line and has a great motor that would be attractive inside. With good coaching and more reps, he could be trained to locate the ball more quickly and become very disruptive inside.
Don't miss: Bailey's Hurricanes play Notre Dame in the Hyundai Sun Bowl at 2 p.m. ET Dec. 31.

 

5. Christian Ballard, Iowa
6-4, 298, 4.86

Ballard is extremely talented and could really ascend in the postseason the same way Kevin Williams did at the Senior Bowl once evaluators get a chance to see him move, bend and strike up close. He looks every bit the part. However, his instincts do not match his athletic ability, he too often is late to locate the ball, and he has underachieved throughout his career. He plays outside for the Hawkeyes, and some evaluators believe he is too stiff and upright to kick inside, but he has the tools to play anywhere on the line, and his versatility is a big plus. Coaches who grade his flashes could come away very impressed, and there were times, such as against Penn State, when he dominated. But overall, he has been too inconsistent and may not have enough of a trench temperament to ever be great.
Don't miss: Ballard's Hawkeyes play Missouri in the Insight Bowl at 10 p.m. ET Dec. 28.

 

Don't miss out on PFW's brand-new NFL Draft mobile app for iPhone, Blackberry and Android — coming soon. It will provide the very best in player analysis and inside draft info. Watch ProFootballWeekly.com for an announcement when it becomes available. Also, be sure to get your copy of PFW's 2011 Draft Guide magazine (on sale March 1) and PFW's 2011 Draft Preview book (on sale March 29). Both publications will be available at retail outlets and at PFWstore.com.

Red Byron was racing from the day he owned his first car at ten years old, the story goes that he actually drove his first car at five. Being ten years old didn't stop him from racing and neither, years later, did a war injury that required his foot to be literally strapped to the pedals. Born in Alabama, Byron grew up behind one wheel or another, eventually becoming one of the best modified drivers around. He raced in NASCAR before it was NASCAR. Before World War II, the loosely organized but growing world of American automobile racing drew men in from the back field tracks to compete against other wheelers. 

Fonty Flock was the first National Championship Stock Car Circuit champion in 1947 but by 1948, Byron overtook him and was crowned champion. To give you some perspective, for winning that Cup Season, he made $1250.00. Bill France first organized modified competitions and simply dabbled in stock car races. However, the overwhelming popularity of the stock car races brought us to the very beginnings of our sport. Byron followed right along. Originally a modified champion, Byron refocused his efforts on stock car racing and was almost an instant success.

Red was not the first NASCAR champion, but he was the first Strictly Stock Champion. His second championship in 1949 was won with two first place finishes and a 117.5 point lead over Lee Petty. You'd probably recognize Red if given have the chance, the photo of him covered head to toe in red dirt from Martinsville Speedway is always kicking around. His glasses hide his eyes and he lounges in the seat of his car, looking just about as tired as a man can get. 

Red Byron is one of those men who probably weren't meant to do anything other than race. As I mentioned, his story starts out with him behind the wheel at 5. Byron fought in WWII; he joined the US Army Air Force and was a B-24 bomber pilot. He flew more than 50 missions and was shot down during a mission over the Aleutian Islands. His leg was so badly damaged that the doctors wanted to amputate it. Knowing that he would never race again if they did, he refused to let them. Probably one of the most determined men in NASCAR, he returned to racing in 1946. 

Red had his mechanic, Red Vogt (another legend in NASCAR) build him a special brace which fixed his foot to the clutch. That's the foot he raced with to become NASCAR's first stock champion. His racing career lasted until 1951, his health forced him to move into engine development and team running. Byron had, officially, a very short NASCAR career. But his years of racing make him truly one of the great racers. 

By: Dennis Cook

Clutch

The past 20 years have produced no better rock band than Clutch. A bold, blunt statement but 'bold' and 'blunt' are two things Clutch excels at. Yes, there are a handful of great bands that reside in the same line, but in terms of rock's key fundamentals - real craftsmanship, a rebellious undertow, a boogie addled soul, an unabashed willingness to speak truth to power, a love of volume and electricity - Clutch has it locked down and has continued to evolve in fascinating ways with every album and tour. The force and quality of what they do is a sound to crush the lazy and distracted with profound focus & broad dynamics. Heavy and subtle, complex and brute force, Clutch is simply mighty rock 'n' roll kung-fu.

The name of the band's website kind of sums it up: www.pro-rock.com. They approach everything they do with a respect for the music and their fans that's positively inspiring, which has garnered a deeply fierce core fan base since they hurled out of the gate in the early 1990s. One can hear their evolution very clearly in their recorded work, but the psychic pimp slap of what they do is felt most immediately in the live arena. Without flash pots or smoke, Clutch seizes a hall and grips it tightly for as long as they occupy the stage.

One can check out a pretty dandy approximation of the experience on the band's new DVD Live at the 9:30 (released May 11 on the band's own Weathermaker Music), which captures a performance at Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club, where Clutch played their entire 1995 self-titled album bookended by prime live staples. Neil Fallon (vocals, guitar), Dan Maines (bass), Tim Sult (guitar) and Jean-Paul Gaster (drums) simmer and grind in a really winning way throughout the concert, which is captured in an unobtrusive way that scoops up the energy and vibe of live Clutch without trying to turn these brainy blue-collar road warriors into video vixens. And the live disc is accompanied by the homegrown documentary Fortune Tellers Make A Killing Nowadays, which gathers insights from fans and band members as they snake around the States.

"It's a rare and fortunate thing we have. A lot of things can go wrong, by one's own doing or fate just deals a sour hand. But because we're friends first and a band second that made it easy. No one was looking at the band as the stepping-stone to a band that might get them success or that kind of mindset," says Neil Fallon. "With the best bands, the sum is always greater than the parts. If people aren't focused on the same thing, it becomes apparent that it's four musicians instead of a cohesive unit. I'm glad we never really had to talk about what kind of band we wanted to be. I'm sure that's a pretty awkward conversation [laughs]."

The members of Clutch have been playing with each other since high school in different variations, "mostly bad hardcore bands," according to JP Gaster. Unlike many bands pushing in on their 20th anniversary - August of 2011 - Clutch has seen no lineup change from the original quartet. Everyone is still on the same adventure, and that commitment shows in Clutch's music and general demeanor.

"When we got together properly in 1993 it was a bit more focused, but even back then it was never the intention to make a career out of playing music. More than anything, we just enjoyed playing shows and making records, and we never thought what we would do would actually support ourselves, let alone families. And the music was never intended to do that from the beginning," says Gaster. "Our favorite music was always the stuff you weren't hearing on radio, the bands that weren't popular. So, we never really tried to make a career out of it. It just happened very naturally."

Clutch in concert

Actually, Clutch did it the old fashioned way with sweat and muscle on the road and an almost vulgar commitment to serving their vision in the studio. Add in a great deal of respect for their listeners and you've got the prime ingredients for sustainable longevity.

"We get out and we play 100-percent. We play the hardest we can, and it doesn't matter what the size of the venue. We could be playing in front of a 100 people or we could be in front of 25,000 and the intention is the same. We're there to play as best we can and as hard as we can," says Gaster. "We always make an effort to keep things as fresh as possible. The good thing about being in this band is there's a lot of points in the set to do different things and stretch. We can do the blues or funk or a dub thing, and all these things are very much in the moment. We're not just going through the motions. We're really playing and trying to make a good concert for everybody. Something that simple is refreshing to people. There's not a lot of bands that just get up there and play balls-out rock 'n' roll."

In Clutch's music one hears the swirl of rusty string blues, true psychedelic fervor and 60s modal jazz sparring with the sharp, true edge of musician-wise punk rock like Bad Brains and Fugazi and the sweeping, massive whomp of Black Sabbath and other pioneering hard rockers. Rather than simplify, Clutch complicates beautifully.

"These days, a kid says he wants to be in a metal band, his perspective on metal is what happened in the last three years," says Gaster. "There's no really going back and seeing where this music came from, its history, and there's not a lot of experimentation. A lot of people just don't have the time or energy to go back and study those kick ass old records."

Live, Clutch is like one powerful, flexed muscle onstage, the strength of what they do coming from a collective place. This vibe comes through in their studio work, too, but in concert with the amps up high and the music unfolding right in front of you it's impossible to miss.

Clutch

"As far as studio and live, I've come to the conclusion that albums, even vinyl records, are a new invention. It's a very new phenomenon to have recorded music. Live performance goes back tens of thousands of years, and there's a deep psychological need or ritual that we can only get live," says Fallon. "Maybe it's because it's a very fleeting, temporal thing that will only happen in that manner that one time, whereas recordings are just dead. They're just artifacts. As much as I love records, ultimately there's only so much information in them."

Clutch taps into the primal, communal urge to gather around a fire and beat sticks against the earth and dance and scream at the heavens.

"Live music is pretty primitive in some ways. You can go anywhere in the world - Australia, Berlin or right here in Rock Island, Illinois - and when the lights go down and the music goes up, it's virtually identical. Geographic distance disappears. It's a shared language in a lot of ways," says Fallon. "Lately, I've heard bands bemoaning the fact that they have to go out and tour and work to make money. Straight up, fuck you! Frankly, it pisses me off. To act like you're doing someone a favor by playing music or it's your cross to bear is so ridiculous. What would you rather be doing? If you have an opportunity to make a living playing music that's the golden ring. That's all you can really hope for."

However, being a hard touring band isn't without its downsides.

"It's real easy to focus on the one kid giving you the finger or screaming, 'You suck!' It suddenly washes out the other thousand people that are bobbing their heads. So, I always try to keep in mind that often when people watch someone onstage they feel like they're watching TV. It is annoying but you can't always preach to your choir," says Fallon. "[The live experience] is definitely mutual and reciprocal; it goes back and forth. There's definitely a camaraderie amongst Clutch fans you won't get at a stadium band. I'm not saying I don't want more people to come our shows but I also love that people aren't coming to see us for shits 'n' giggles."

Back To The 9:30

Live at the 9:30 works as a fine primer in the Clutch live experience, where the band has operated in a pretty fearless manner throughout their career, embracing the moment and not worrying too much about perfection or polish.

"It took us a long time to warm up to cameras. It immediately made us self-conscious about what we were doing. The best shows are when you forget that you're playing and the music flows right through you. But Agent Ogden, who directed [Live at the 9:30], had a really good gauge of our personalities and didn't try to be too oppressive," says Fallon. "That particular show, where we do our self-titled record from beginning to end, we rehearsed once the night before in Boston. When we realized we had a decent take, we never did it again, probably because it was too much like work trying to reproduce parts instead of the open book a jam lends itself to."

On revisiting the self-titled record, Gaster says, "It was a lot of years since we'd revisited a lot of that material - 'Droid,' '7 Jam' and even 'Rock N' Roll Outlaws.' It was interesting to listen back to a record I made 15 years ago and try to get myself back into that mindset and figure out where some of that stuff was coming from. It was definitely a fun exercise. I don't think we played exactly like the record, and that's probably for the best. In a lot of ways, I think we're better players than back then, but those songs are still really fun to play, every one of them."

self-titled album

"When we talked about [playing a whole record live] that was the only one we could think of doing where we wouldn't feel upset about a song. When I listen to some of the records I can hear a thousand shoulda-coulda-wouldas," says Fallon. "It was a really interesting exercise because I don't normally listen to our records too much. I'm too busy looking forward. Listening to [the self-titled album] I was surprised by things, and of course, critical of others. I think we played it better live than we did in the studio. It was definitely like reading a high school diary entry [laughs]. What seemed so important and crucial then just makes you scratch your head now and think, 'Dumbass!' You get the luxury of hindsight. You cringe at some parts but hopefully that's because you've grown."

While the play-a-whole-album thing is becoming more commonplace on the concert circuit, it's still a gift and thank you to longtime fans to breathe fresh air into a friendly old soul.

"We don't take it for granted," says Gaster with clear sincerity. "If there was one record we were going to play in its entirety, it's this one. For us, we really found our sound on that album. For us, it was a breakthrough record and I think we made the songs in a way that we felt came together very naturally. It wasn't about trying to pummel people with some sort of heavy vibe or doom people out. I think we really found our own voice on that recording."

Anthrax, Ham Radio And Liquor

One area Clutch gets short changed is their lyrics, which are often bizarre, almost always opaque and rife with possible interpretations. They sometimes have the sharp tipped brevity of good punk or blues but also range into Captain Beefheart/Zappa territory. Politics are a definite subtext but I challenge anyone to pin down exactly what's being shouted from the bully pulpit. More briefly, when Neil Fallon opens his mouth interesting shit tumbles out.

Abraham Lincoln

"Early on I related to a lot of hip-hop acts because I wasn't concerned with singing. It was very rhythmical, and I loved people like Chuck D and Tom Waits for that matter," says Fallon. "If you can tell a short story in the space of a song, it can last forever because when people listen to it they're always going to put in their own two-cents and subjective opinions. I don't ever have an answer to what a song is truly about. I just know it sounds like it is about something. I provide to enough specifics that people can sink their teeth into it, but not so specific that it's a static thing."

"Any song is a license to lie, as you would in a short story. No one can tell you that you can't write about something," continues Fallon. "When people see someone up onstage screaming, they tend to think they're like that all day, but nothing could be further from the truth because I have the luxury of doing that for an hour and a half every day. Society accepts that kind of madness. I think it's part of the reason people go to shows, to experience that luminism for 90 minutes. There's an element of escapism to the lyrics but not in a way that ever tries to pass itself off as real."

One reoccurring thread in the Clutch songbook is tunes related to Abraham Lincoln in some way.

"The initial interest started when we were doing our early shows at the 9:30 Club in [Washington], D.C. The club shares an alley with Ford's Theatre. At one end of the alley is the bricked up window they say [John Wilkes] Booth jumped out of and broke his leg before getting on his horse and riding away. At the other end of the alley is the Hoover FBI Building. I used to sit back there and sneak beers and bug out on that," says Fallon. "Then, oddly enough, when we went to do the 'A Shogun Named Marcus' video, it was on a farm in Maryland where they captured George Atzerodt, who was assigned to kill Lincoln's Vice-President. They captured him in the house you can see in that video."

"So, Lincoln was always popping up on the radar unintentionally," continues Fallon. "Growing up in Washington, D.C., I'm kind of blind to the monuments, but as I got older and showed out-of-towners the sights I was struck by the Lincoln Memorial. It's kind of wild. It's a Greek temple to a god, and it's not that long ago. In terms of history, 1864 is yesterday. America is a brightly burning star. I'm not an America basher, but being an American I feel obligated to be a critic - as I think any artist should be."

Independence

Clutch

The longer Clutch goes on the more independent they become. The band has run their own label for a few years and has slowly been regaining their back catalog from its various label homes and reissuing the albums in great expanded editions that gather up b-sides, live cuts and more in thoughtful packaging. It is but one sign of many that there's no one besides Clutch calling the shots for this band today.

"It really is very empowering. From the inception of the band, the labels were always kind of a headache for us," says Gaster. "Whether we were on an independent or major label or one of those between labels, those people are in the business of making money off your records. That's all well and good, and in the best situations, you can strike a balance but more likely than not it's not gonna happen."

"The most frustrating thing about the 90s for us was jumping from one major label to another. These people would see we'd sell 100,000 records and tour pretty relentlessly, but they never could put the equation together," continues Gaster. "They'd look at us and the numbers and think, 'We, being Superstar Records Number One, can make them a million seller.' So, somebody would sign us to their label and inevitably within a few weeks of release they'd realize, 'This is not easy music to work. There's not much of a gimmick here and just look at these guys!' And then we'd be back to square one again where the label wasn't willing to do much of anything, be it getting records into stores or promote a bit more or even make another record. We'd go three years between records, which was very frustrating. In those days it seemed like people would actually fight you if you tried to do anything creative. Having Weathermaker, our own label, is fantastic. All those headaches are gone. We're able to make the records we want to make, whenever we want to make 'em. I think we've made more money off Weathermaker in two years than we've ever seen in our entire careers from royalties."

Perhaps more than anything else, Clutch has maintained their musical curiosity despite wrestling with the industry for close to 20 years. One hears them stretch backwards and forwards in time to create a present sound that's alive, searching and gutbucket real. They haven't lost a driving desire to do something different with their instruments or with one another, and the music crackles with these intentions.

"We try to keep it fresh and as exciting as we can. I try to practice with my drums everyday and think about my drums everyday. I study as much as I can, and I try to listen to as much music as I can, and I know the other guys do too," says Gaster, who embodies his band's confidence in the face of the competition. "Oh, I'm not worried about other bands [laughs]."

Clutch Tour Dates :: Clutch News :: Clutch Concert Reviews

JamBase | Down A Gravel Road
Go See Live Music!

This post is sponsored by The Affordable Style Network, but written by Kat Griffin. I had the pleasure to talk with Angie Stocklin, the founder and primary buyer for The Affordable Style Network. In 2005, she was a 28-year-old school psychologist when she started Sunglass Warehouse out of her home as a side project with her husband. Since then, she's "taken a big swing" at it as a business, added a number of sites to their roster (including Inexpensive Watches, Handbag Heaven, Affordable Scarves, ABC Neckties, Reading Glasses Shopper, and Socks 4 Life), and has had a lot of fun doing it. They choose their stock in a variety of ways. "We definitely buy some things based on touch and feel after seeing it at the shows," Angie said. "We always try to pay attention to what's pretty for next season, and we watch the runway shows and major fashion magazines. At the same time, we try to keep classic things in stock -- they're in style but not so trendy." While Angie notes that some of their products are "inspired by Valentino or Marc Jacobs, etc," she wanted to stress that the bags are not knockoffs or replicas. "We don't represent any of our bags to be the exact same style, quality, or size as the designer brand. Yes, you can tell that they're inspired by a designer brand, but an actual knockoff will have a faux name on it, a similar lining, similar hardware, and so forth." Angie took me through some of her favorites (and her mother's favorites, her sisters' favorites, and more...)

This pashmina is one of Angie's and her mother's favorites. "You can't go wrong with it," she says, noting that her mother has gifted them to all of her sisters, as well as several co-workers and ladies she knows from church. The pashmina is $11.01 and comes in dark purple, berry pink, sky blue, dark green, orange, light purple, and turquoise blue. Solid Colored Pashmina

Angie is personally rocking these vintage-looking sunglasses. "They're a nice square oversized style," she notes. Some of her other favorites include the #3660, which has "just a glimmer" of a cat-eye (pictured at very top), as well as her trusty aviators. The shades at left are $13.56, available in purple, black, brown, black tortoise, and brown tortoise at Sunglass Warehouse. SW Vintage Style #8939

"I always really like to direct people to our business card holders, also," Angie says. "They're perfect for credit cards, IDs, business cards -- and you can just stick them in your back pocket and go." The card holder is $8.46, and available in black, brown, purple, blue, and green. Cork Business Card Holder

Angie also points to the Ruby scarf as one of her favorites. "Our knits are really big, and this scarf is a big, warm scarf. It's extra long, so you can loop it 3 or even 4 times around your neck. With the fringe at the bottom, it's really pretty." Some of her other favorites include a leopard print scarf ("leopard is hot, but it's just a little bit of a print, so it isn't so overwhelming," Angie explains), as well as some of the infinity loop scarves. The cable scarf, pictured, is $25.46 and available in creamy ivory, olive green, and black. Ruby Cable Scarf

As for handbags, one of Angie's favorites is this zipper clutch, which has a bit of a rock-and-roll vibe to it. It can be worn as a wristlet, also, and the numerous pockets make it great for organization. It's $31.41 at Handbag Heaven. Anderson Zipper Clutch

Dec. 12, 2010 at 10:09 PM | Grief Factor: 1

No fine jewelry collection is complete without a classic pair of pearl stud earrings. This exceptional pair showcases smooth, round, lustrous white Akoya cultured pearls, well-matched for size, shape and color. The pearls have a diameter of 7.5-8mm and are featured on posts with clutch backings, both made from bright and durable 14 karat white gold. These are fine quality pearls, with a beautiful deep luster.
Akoya cultured pearls are produced in salt-water mollusks in Japan and China. They were the first type of pearl to be cultured, back in the 1920s, and remain the most popular and classic choice for pearl jewelry today. Akoya cultured pearls are prized for their smoothness, roundness, and gorgeous deep luster. Though they may look similar to freshwater cultured pearls, when the two are placed side-by-side, the Akoya pearl's superior qualities are evident.

On my site (www.GuysNation.com), one of my authors wrote an interesting article breaking down the roster scenarios for the upcoming 2011 NHL Winter Classic hockey game between the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Here's his perspective on the Pittsburgh Penguins:

For the past three years, the National Hockey League has treated us to a one of a kind game on New Year’s Day.  Two NHL teams take over a large outdoor venue and play a regular season game, reminiscent of kids playing on a frozen pond.  Weather isn’t a factor, as the teams have been known to brave extreme cold and snow.  This tradition is known as the Winter Classic. 

In case you’re unaware, 2011’s rendition of the Winter Classic features what is arguably the biggest rivalry in hockey today. The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals will square off in Pittsburgh at Heinz Field, the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The whole world will have an opportunity to watch the league’s two prominent stars, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, showcase their abilities.  If it’s anything like their previous meetings, you won’t want to miss it.

A lot can happen between now and January 1.  Injuries, slumps, and recent breakouts will most likely all factor in the game’s line-up.  While there’s always the possibility of new injuries, what about the players currently nursing injuries?  Will they be ready to go for the big showdown?  Sure, I believe that most guys would do anything to suit up for a game of this caliber, regardless of nagging injuries, but the bottom line is each team can only have 20 players dressed. 

Then there’s the issue with goaltending.  Most would say that Marc-Andre Fleury is a sure bet to tend goal for the Penguins, but who gets the start for Washington?  In the end, the decisions will all come down to the respective coaching staffs.  In this brief article, I give my rundown and predictions on the line-ups.  You can think of it as my line-up wish list.

Pittsburgh Penguins 1st Forward Line:

Chris Kunitz, Sidney Crosby, Pascal Dupuis

Whether you’re a fan or not, Sidney Crosby is the face of hockey in North America.  In only five seasons, this young star has already won a Stanley Cup, won a gold medal at the Olympics, won the Art Ross, Hart and Pearson awards, and was named captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Off the ice, he’s a class act.  Chris Kunitz has had the benefit of playing on his line for a while now, and has definitely taken advantage of it.  Dupuis was just recently added to the line, and his point production has skyrocketed.  Look for this line to be a key factor on January 1st.

Pittsburgh Penguins 2nd Forward Line:

Matt Cooke, Evgeni Malkin, Arron Asham

Malkin is another huge star for Pittsburgh.  Last week, his knee was bothering him, but I’m sure he’ll take part in the outdoor game.  Cooke and Asham are two tough customers with more skill than the average goon.  I personally can’t stand Matt Cooke, but I can all but guarantee that he’ll have a spot for the Classic.

Pittsburgh Penguins 3rd Forward Line:

Tyler Kennedy, Mark Letestu, Chris Conner

These three youngsters are huge fan favorites in the city of Pittsburgh, and locals know them as “The Buzz” line.  Kennedy emerged as a hero in 2009, during the Pens’ Stanley Cup run.  He scored 3 game winning goals throughout the playoffs, and he’s still a clutch player.  Letestu is in his true rookie campaign, and has definitely found a place on this line.  Conner brings the speed and the grit, and unless Jordan Staal comes back, he should be a go.

Pittsburgh Penguins 4th Forward Line:

Craig Adams, Max Talbot, Mike Rupp

There’s nothing flashy here.  The Pens’ 4th line will be called upon to shut down the Capitals’ scorers and generate some hard-nosed scoring chances.  Talbot, the most offensively skilled of the three, is also one of the best two-way forwards in the game.

Scratches:

Mike Comrie

Sadly, Mike Comrie isn’t being utilized by the Penguins.  Brought in as a possible 1st or 2nd line forward, he’s now a nightly, healthy scratch.  As much as I’d love to see him take part in the Classic, instead of Cooke or Asham, he’ll most likely be watching from one of the boxes at Heinz Feild.

Pittsburgh Penguins 1st Defensive Pair:

Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang

Brooks Orpik is the pinnacle of what most young defensive players aspire to be.  He hits, he intimidates, and most importantly, he makes sure that no one scores against the Penguins when he’s out on the ice.  I’m sure he’ll be matched up with Ovechkin’s line for the Winter Classic.  Kris Letang is speedy, puck moving, offensive defenseman.  I rank him way higher than the Capitals’ Mike Green for his defensive play.  He often contributes to the Pens’ power play, and is one of the most skilled players in the entire league at the shootout.

Pittsburgh Penguins 2nd Defensive Pair:

Paul Martin, Zbynek Michalek

Pittsburgh knows defense wins championships, and that’s exactly why they signed both Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek in the offseason.  They’re both six-year veterans of the NHL, and while they’ve been known to put up points, defense is their specialty.

Pittsburgh Penguins 3rd Defensive Pair:

Alex Goligoski, Deryk Engelland

Goligoski is Pittsburgh’s answer to Mike Green.  His stickhandling and offensive skills are on par with most forwards in the NHL.  He’s solid as a quarterback for whatever power play line he’s on, but like Green, his willingness to jump up often lands him out of position.  He recently was demoted to the 3rd pair.  Engelland is a rookie with size.  He takes pride in being a stay-at-home type defenseman, and with time should be able to really compliment Goligoski’s play.

Scratches:

Ben Lovejoy

Lovejoy is a little younger than Engelland, but a lot more offensive-minded.  Coach Dan Bylsma has been rotating those two in and out of the lineup, but I think that he’ll favor Engelland for the Classic.  While Lovejoy paired with Goligoski has the potential to be an offensive explosion, it could also be a liability, and this a game that Pittsburgh is serious about winning.

Pittsburgh Penguins Starting Goalie:

Marc-Andre Fleury

I think everyone knows that “Flower” will be in goal for the Penguins on New Year's Day.  Barring a major injury, you’ll see him between the pipes. That’s my take.  

I can’t predict what will take place over three weeks, but I can tell you that I’m counting the days to this monumental event.  For those of you with HBO, there’s a new 24/7 mini-series, airing Wednesday nights at 10:00 PM that will give you an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at both teams leading up to the big game.  The four-part series starts December 15th.

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