By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

I don't think I've ever liked one thing about Chad Ochocinco. His only value is on the football field 16 days out of every calendar year, but even that gets compromised from time to time with his never-ending, off-the-field soap opera disguised as a circus.

His latest episode went public Tuesday on -- where else? -- Twitter.

ESPN's best radio talk-show host, Colin Cowherd, did his job on Tuesday by expressing an opinion about moron athletes. I can't remember if his rant was prompted by the latest Allen Iverson drama or another Ben Roethlisberger sex-abuse allegation.

Regardless, Cowherd went on about how many athletes make bad decisions when presented with boatloads of money. I couldn't agree more.

Now, before we continue, please note there's no disputing that non-athletes make bad choices with their money as well. Some people are bad at sports, others are bad at playing a musical instrument and still others are bad at making decisions. It's just a part of life that some are good at and others struggle with.

But the reason the exploits of athletes are dissected and discussed the way they are is because they are high-profile citizens in our shallow and fame-obsessed culture. Becoming a high-profile person is partly -- maybe largely -- what drives some young people to work hard and pursue a career in pro football, for example. Fame, money, cars and women represent the promised land for many aspiring athletes.

They pursue those material things because to them, jewelry symbolizes a better life from the one that shaped their upbringing. How many times have we heard stories about athletes who made it despite a tough childhood in the ghetto with nine siblings and a single mother who worked three jobs because the alcoholic dad left home?

And despite an absence of proper parental guidance, some athletes remain strong enough to stick to their sport, stay away from the guns and drugs and earn a college scholarship and perform well enough to earn the notice of professional scouts. Years later, they're midway through a solid pro career, their troubles seemingly behind them.

But just because an athlete doesn't have a felony record, however, it doesn't mean those problems are entirely in the past. Psychological or social shortcomings, certainly far less tangible than a DUI or an assault arrest, don't go away with million-dollar salaries.

Perhaps an absence of attention during childhood is what drove Chad Johnson, years later as an adult, to sport gold teeth, to don a Hall of Fame jacket and to change his last name to, in his mind, match his jersey number. Maybe there wasn't an absence of attention and there's some other explanation behind Ochocinco's endless quest for the spotlight.

Perhaps it's why Terrell Owens kept a Sharpie in his sock. Maybe it's why Iverson is, well, Iverson. Could it be why Roethlisberger seems to find himself in trouble frequently?

A few of my Cincinnati friends sent me a video that made one of the local news channels a couple years ago, when Ochocinco went on some video-game shopping spree at a Best Buy or something like that. How come we never hear about athletes and their visits to Barnes & Noble?

But back to today's latest, where Ochocinco used the popular microblogging site to lash out at Cowherd for his criticism of athletes and their squandering of money. Cowherd singled out the Bengals' wideout for dropping $150,000 on an SUV, claiming he'll end up like former NBA player Antoine Walker, who at one point owned nine luxury vehicles, but now can't pay his bills.

And because Ochocinco can't take any criticism because he's a child, please, here were his Twitter reactions to Cowherd's rant -- eight of them, all within a span of about 50 minutes:

+ Colin coward talking shh?

+ Colin Coward with all the negative going on with athletes how do u find a way to lump me n yo show just say I don't like this black guy!!

+ I guess Colin won't be happy till I get a DUI, arrested, well hell maybe I should get accused of rape, maybe that'll make him STFU!!!!

+ @Reddy_Dean why talk about somebody who does nothing wrong? Talk shows are merely for negative material I don't fit that category.

+ @espn__michelle tell your lil fake Ryan Seacrest never made it in life so I am gonna judge everybody who does what I couldn't do to shutup!

+ @espn_colin its not my fault your girl is cheating on you, its your fault, try EXTENZE and stop worryin about me! Lmao-have a show bout that

+ @espn_colin you look like an extra from the movie LORD OF THE RINGS, get your lisp fixed before you do your next show!

+ Anyway back to being great, time is money and I just lost about awww nevermind, I love y'all, headed into practice

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

There used to be a time when I hated March Madness almost as much as I loved it.

The NCAA Basketball Tournament is always the top sporting event each calendar year, but compared to most playoffs, it always ended too quickly.

So once the first week of April would roll around and the great sport has crowned its annual champion, I'd find myself in a sports-deprived funk. And before you can tell me about Opening Day, let me first tell you that Major League Baseball in April, May and June is boring as hell.

But then I developed an interest in hockey and found the Stanley Cup Playoffs also to be a great tournament. And then I moved to Louisville and took a liking to horse racing, particularly Derby Season that grabs its headlines throughout April.

And then Lebron James turned pro and suddenly my hometown Cavaliers are a television staple throughout the month of May.

And this year, we'll have a World Cup to enjoy in June. And after the July 11 final in Johannesburg, we can then shift our attention to the MLB trading deadline and the second half of the season, hoping for two or three intriguing pennant races.

Or we can say, "Screw baseball," as I'll probably do, and start thinking college football.

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Mario Chalmers will forever be remembered as the hero for Kansas, but college basketball fans probably won't soon forget Memphis' terrible free-throw shooting that allowed Chalmers' late three to even matter.

KU trailed by nine points with barely more than two minutes left, but the Tigers missed four of five freebies down the stretch as the Jayhawks mounted their furious comeback.

Kansas guard Sherron Collins brought the ball up on Kansas' final possession in regulation, handed to Chalmers, who dribbled once to his left, then launched the game-tying shot that the following week would grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.

And once overtime began, one team enjoyed the momentum while the other went searching for a Zoloft prescription. Kansas took advantage of its second life and ran away with its first national championship in 20 years, 75-68.

No account of this game can be provided without a mention of Derrick Rose, Memphis' electrifying freshman point guard who almost single-handedly led the Tigers to the title. Rose blossomed in the second half, scoring on driving layups and long-range bombs. His off-balanced rainbow banked in as the shot clock expired, giving Memphis a late eight-point cushion. But the officials later overturned the three-point ruling and said Rose's foot was on the line.

Follow March Madness 140 characters at a time: @onegreatseason]]>http://onegreatseason.com/home/rss-comments-entry-6941815.xmlListsJohn P. WiseFri, 05 Mar 2010 16:44:08 +0000http://onegreatseason.com/home/2010/3/5/the-top-6-sports-movies-of-all-time.html395609:4298590:6916567

In honor of Sunday's Academy Awards, I've compiled a list of the six best sports movies of all time.

Anyone can do a Top 50, a Top 20 or a Top 10. If you do a Top 50, you don't really miss out on anything, leaving your readers no opportunity to write in and tell you how stupid you are. I like to take those chances.

I've seen dozens of sports movies and there are many I would have liked to have added to this list. Hundreds have been made over the years, and surely you'll disagree with this best-of countdown, but after recalling some of my favorites, I feel confident in calling this the only list you need to heed:

6. The Express (2008) -- Rob Brown's second sports movie has him playing the role of Ernie Davis, the legendary Syracuse running back who would become college football's first black Heisman Trophy winner at a time when the civil rights movement divided Americans in the 1960s. Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder, played by Dennis Quaid in Quaid's fourth sports role, is set in his ways as he tries to make the Orange a top team in the east, but Davis teaches him as much about the world as the coach can teach him about football. Davis wins the Heisman, and his coach gets that elusive national championship.

5. All The Right Moves (1983) -- A great guy movie that has stood the test of time, as more than 25 years have passed since its debut and men of a certain age continue to quote from it regularly. Who can forget names like Nickerson, Salvucci, Spider, Mouse and of course Tom Cruise's lead character, Stefen Djordjevic? Ampipe's 6-2 stack monster was a formidable defensive front against Walnut Heights, but a late mistake cost the Bulldogs the key win and the season -- even the football-obsessed western Pennsylvania steel town -- seemed to unravel from there.

4. Slap Shot (1977) -- Also set in a poor steel town, this hockey flick is chock full of memorable guy quotes. But the story of a broke minor-league team picks up steam when veteran player-coach Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) finally decides to insert the recently acquired trio of the Hanson brothers, who in real life are still cashing in on minor-league appearances. What unfolds after the rejuvenated squad begins to lift the spirits of a downtrodden fanbase is hardly the Miracle On Ice, but the exciting, late-season surge leaves no viewer dissatisfied.

3. Rocky (1976) -- Nearly 35 years after its release, the music from "Rocky" still makes me want to run a few miles and bang out some push-ups and sit-ups. The movie is pretty inspiring as well, the feel-good tale of unheralded boxer Rocky Balboa, a down-on-his-luck meat factory thug who gets a shot at the heavyweight champ through a publicity stunt. Just as he begins an unlikely courtship with Adrian, Rocky starts to train for his fight with Apollo Creed, triggering a series of life-changing events depicted in many, many sequels.

2. Hoosiers (1986) -- The ultimate David-and-Goliath story shows rural Indiana's tiny Hickory High School overcome the absence of its star player, an unpopular coach and even a drunk assistant on its way to an improbable state championship in 1952. The movie was loosely based on Milan High School's surprising state title run in 1954.

1. Bull Durham (1988) -- Unlike "Hoosiers," this baseball classic wasn't officially based on a true story, but something tells me what happened here probably happens a lot in the minors. A journeyman catcher is brought in to mentor a talented but immature pitcher, and an eccentric beauty comes between them. In the end, though, it's logical wisdom that brings the two players together, allowing the young hurler to advance to the majors, leaving the catcher behind in the southern sun ... with the girl, of course.]]>http://onegreatseason.com/home/rss-comments-entry-6916567.xmlAntonio CromartieNew York JetsTwitter RecapsJohn P. WiseFri, 05 Mar 2010 06:39:42 +0000http://onegreatseason.com/home/2010/3/5/jets-trade-for-antonio-cromartie-who-said-what.html395609:4298590:6912669

The Jets certainly were the NFL's January darlings under first-year coach Rex Ryan, and just hours into free agency season, they made a move that many think could have Gang Green playing into February next year.

The Jets traded for San Diego star cornerback Antonio Cromartie just a few minutes after midnight Friday, adding a shut-down cornerback to an already dominant defensive secondary led by Darrelle Revis, considered the best corner in the league right now.

When something appears to be so obvious -- like the theory that the Jets' defense will carry them to the Super Bowl next season, for example -- something often goes wrong and the sky-high expectations set by fans precede only heartbreak.

But for an hour at least, there was plenty of speculation on Twitter about how good the Jets will be in 2010. Here's a sampling:

* @MondayMorningQB: With the addition of Antonio Cromartie and the already dominating Darrelle Revis, Rex Ryan can now call blitzes with his eyes closed.

* @1000Steps: Charger nation says have him NY, he'll implode there.

* @MoveTheSticks: Cromartie fits NYJ scheme. They send heavy pressure and allow CB's 2 jump routes. Good move.

* @TheJetsStream: Cromartie reportedly has seven kids living in 5 states. Could get expensive if all of his families want PSLs in new stadium.

* @SexyRexyRyan: We got Cromartie! This is our year! Don't worry about the year after that, we play for today!

* @BrettHickman: Cromartie on one side and Revis on the other side? This move was made for playoff matchups against Peyton Manning and the Colts.

* @tunasweasel: Can Jets now put Cromartie on Moss and let Revis cover Welker? >> makes perfect sense.

* @AbuKedem: Best secondary in a long while, or did SD offload a problem on us?

* @Jerm_Weiner: A 3rd round draft pick for Cromartie? Is that what this Pro Bowl CB is worth? I know he had an off year this year, but cmon.

* @nchowdhury07: Antonio cromartie + darrelle revis in the jets secondary = game over.]]>http://onegreatseason.com/home/rss-comments-entry-6912669.xmlDukeEvan TurnerKansasNotebooksOhio StateSyracuseJohn P. WiseThu, 04 Mar 2010 16:47:30 +0000http://onegreatseason.com/home/2010/3/4/thursday-hoops-notebook-big-12-girls-gone-wild.html395609:4298590:6906489

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Turns out female thuggery isn't reserved for college soccer. Check out this gem from Wednesday night, when Baylor's Brittney Griner, already a Youtube sensation for her dunking, clocks Texas Tech's Jordan Barncastle.

One thing I never get about cry-baby athletes is the rage-fueled quest to retaliate. Moments before the punch, Barncastle certainly fouled the hell out of Griner, but the refs made the call. Quit acting like a 2-year-old and go to the line and sink the free throws. Or, if you really have problems managing your hate, wait until you're at the other end of the court and return the favor with a hack across the mouth.

Remember the in-game conduct last fall of New Mexico soccer player Elizabeth Lambert?

SEEDING MADNESS: Ohio State has worked its way into the conversation about NCAA Tournament top seeds. The Buckeyes have won 10 of their last 11 games, and despite a complete absence of a bench, they're well coached and their starting five is among the best in the country. I'd like to know the last team to earn a top seed with seven losses.

And don't forget the Bucks have the best player in the country, do-everything Evan Turner, who's more than capable of carrying OSU to a championship a la Danny Manning in 1988.

IF IFS AND BUTS: Speaking of Ohio State's starting five, imagine this lineup if no Buckeye would have left school early in 2007 or 2008:

+ PG Mike Conley Sr
+ SG Daequan Cook Sr
+ SF Evan Turner Jr
+ PF Kosta Koufos Jr
+ C Greg Oden Sr
+ 6th man - David Lighty Jr
+ 7th man - Jon Diebler Jr

THAT FINAL TOP SEED: Duke is more likely to win the ACC Tournament than Kansas State is to win the Big 12 Tournament, so expect the Blue Devils to grab that top honor out West. But then the question becomes, "Who's more deserving of the first No. 2 seed? Ohio State or Kansas State?" That does make a difference because the team that doesn't get it will be squared up with Kansas, Syracuse or Kentucky. Good luck getting past that trio.

FINAL THOUGHT: I hope the brackets line up in a way that will give us Kansas, the best team in the country, and Syracuse, the most complete team in the country, in the championship game on April 5 in Indianapolis.

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

This time of year when ESPN spends much of its "SportsCenter" air showing tournament resumes of NCAA bubble teams, at least one thing is misleading.

Not that I'm complaining, because March is definitely the best month of the year and if ESPN or anyone else wants to devote entire shows to college basketball, I will watch.

But the category called "Key Wins" can many times portray a picture much different from reality.

Take, for example, the Cincinnati resume. Three weeks ago the Bearcats were a bubble team. Expert Joe Lunardi's "First Four Out" notwithstanding, I thought UC had no chance once mid-February rolled around because its two signature triumphs were three months earlier. Wins over Vanderbilt and Maryland would seem hot now, but I'm pretty sure the Bearcats, even at familiar Fifth Third Cemetery, would have no chance against either of those teams.

North Carolina is another example of how early season results aren't a great gauge of a team's current capabilities. Way back when, the defending champion Tar Heels beat Ohio State (currently ranked No. 6) and Michigan State (No. 11) and lost at Kentucky (No. 3) by just two points.

I don't have the perfect solution; quality wins are obviously key in determining at least a small part of a team's candidacy for the NCAA Tournament. But maybe less weight should be placed on what a team did around Thanksgiving, and greater consideration should be given to a team's last 10 games before its conference tournament.

WHY NOT HARANGODY? With apologies to Syracuse's Wesley Johnson and Villanova's Scottie Reynolds, and maybe even Marquette's Lazar Hayward, but I'm curious why Luke Harangody isn't really getting any mentions at all for Big East Player of the Year.

His 24.1 points per game are nearly three full points ahead of the league's No. 2 scorer, and his 10 rebounds per game are second only to Seton Hall's Herb Pope. He's scored 29 points or more in seven games this year for Notre Dame.

In their last two games without the injured senior, the Irish have earned two nice wins over Pittsburgh and Georgetown, but if Harangody was out the entire season, Notre Dame would barely make the second round of the Indiana high school tournament. Outside of the score sheet, he's that team's entire heart and soul.

PRETTY NICE LITTLE SATURDAY: Get your Bed, Bath & Beyond run out of the way early Saturday, because for the second straight week, there's a great reason to be on your couch for at least six straight hours.

Noon
+ West Virginia at Villanova, CBS

2 p.m.
+ Syracuse at Louisville, ESPN
+ Kansas at Missouri, CBS

4 p.m.
+ Texas at Baylor, ESPN

And even though the annual season-ender between Duke and North Carolina won't have an ACC title on the line, the Blue Devils are playing for a No. 1 tournament seed. And the visiting Heels, with no pressure on them whatsoever, would love nothing more than to ruin Senior Night in Durham. These hated rivals meet at 9 p.m. Saturday (ESPN).

FINAL FOUR PICKS: Everyone seems to agree on three of the four top seeds, but that last slot is up for grabs. No one's talking about Duke; do the Devils deserve it? How about Kansas State? Can Purdue slide in without Robbie Hummel? Here are my projected top seeds, with predicted region champions in parentheses.

MIDWEST: Kansas (Kansas)
SOUTH: Syracuse (Syracuse)
EAST: Kentucky (Kentucky)
WEST: Kansas State (Duke)

WILD CARD: Ohio State has no bench, but if it can stay healthy and out of foul trouble, Evan Turner, the nation's finest player, will carry the Buckeyes to Indianapolis.

SLEEPER: The West will be the weakest of the four regions, so this could finally be the year for Gonzaga to break through and get to a Final Four.

It's March and everyone's talking about college basketball. Is your team on the bubble?

While all the talk is about teams and brackets and seeds, let's not forget about some of the top individual players who hope to lead those squads deep into the NCAA Tournament.

So let's get started with my five leading candidates to win the coveted Naismith Award, which honors the best player in men's college basketball (stats through Feb. 28):

+ Evan Turner, Jr, G, Ohio State
No one has as well-rounded a game as Turner, and his effort has been so consistent this year that even a six-game absence in midseason shouldn't keep him from winning this honor. Once he returned from breaking his back, he picked up where he left off, chasing down double-doubles each night out and even recording many near triple-doubles.

Turner leads the Big Ten in scoring (19.7 points per game) and rebounding (9.3), and is second in assists (5.9) and steals (1.9), but did you know he's also fifth in field-goal percentage (.543) and even ninth in blocks (1.0)? Before only playing 39 minutes on Saturday, Turner had played all 40 minutes in each of Ohio State's previous three games and has turned the trick nine times overall this year. He is carrying the Buckeyes toward a possible Big Ten championship and maybe even a No. 2 NCAA Tournament seed. No player in the country means more to his team than Turner.

The funny thing about Turner is that he seems more of a lock for national player of the year than Big Ten player of the year, as Michigan State's Kalin Lucas continues to get support for the league honor.

+ Sherron Collins, Sr, G, Kansas
Collins is KU's undisputed leader and obviously means a great deal to his team, but if you take him away, the Jayhawks are still dangerous, whereas the Buckeyes wouldn't even be an NIT squad without Turner.

But that shouldn't diminish Collins' candidacy for national honors. He leads the Jayhawks with 15.3 points per game and 4.3 assists, and also, despite playing for a deep team that plays eight guys at least 15 minutes, and another three players about seven minutes each, averages a team-best 32.7 minutes per game.

Late in a tight game, you want Collins on the line. He makes 84 percent of his free throws and is a proven winner. Kansas is 118-18 in Collins' four years at point guard.

+ John Wall, Fr, G, Kentucky
No one in the country is more electrifying than Wall, and many expect him to be the first player taken in the NBA draft in June. But he still has some work to do before leaving Lexington, like lead the Wildcats to their first national championship since 1998.

Wall leads the team in scoring (16.7), assists (6.2) and minutes (34.4), and is third in rebounding (4.1). With the exception of Derrick Rose, no college basketball player in recent memory has shown his kind of explosiveness. He's also a defensive witch, averaging nearly two steals per game. He saved the day with a late gem at Vanderbilt on Feb. 20, preserving a narrow win over the ranked Commodores.

But even John Wall might have hit the wall. A slightly less-then-stellar February, perhaps due to his youth, might have taken him out of the top spot as Evan Turner continues his relentless push.

+ John Scheyer, Sr, G, Duke
Before he even stepped foot on the Durham campus, Scheyer was a Youtube legend after having scored 21 points in 75 seconds in an Illinois high school playoff game.

And he's been Mr. Steady in his four outstanding years at Duke. No doubt he's the ACC Player of the Year and he'll get some consideration for national POY honors, but he doesn't have the all-around game that Turner has.

+ Scottie Reynolds, Sr, G, Villanova
Much like Scheyer, Reynolds has been a key contributor since the first days he stepped on campus, seemingly seven or eight years ago.

It didn't take long for Reynolds to assert himself as a team leader, and now that his career is winding down, he's got his Wildcats poised to make a deep tournament run.

Reynolds is among Big East leaders in scoring, steals, field-goal percentage, free-throw percentage and three-point percentage. He might be the league's top player and could take a few votes away from Turner on any national ballot.

Also receiving consideration:

By JOHN P. WISE
One Great Season

Quite fitting it was that a great decade of championship games closed with the NCAA's first final in 26 years to reach overtime, where Michigan's Rumeal Robinson sank two free throws with three seconds left to turn a one-point deficit into an 80-79 victory over Seton Hall.

This game for some reason gets lost in the shuffle of the sport's great championship events. Perhaps it's because the side stories are the ones that endure more than the end result.

Particularly the one about Steve Fisher, the loyal assistant under Bill Frieder until Frieder told Michigan AD Bo Schembechler he was leaving to take the Arizona State job after the season. Schembechler, the legendary football coach at the legendary
football school, incorporated some legendary football logic when he famously said, "A Michigan man will coach Michigan." Frieder was fired and Fisher took over the Wolverines the day before the tournament started.

Or maybe it was the one about Glen Rice, whose 184 points (30.7 per game) in Fisher's first six games as head coach -- all tournament wins -- still stand
 as the most in an NCAA Tournament. Rice scored 31 points in the final, slightly outdone by Seton Hall's John Morton, who finished with 35 of his own. But it was Rice who celebrated like a king that night in Seattle.

Perhaps it's just as likely the sidebar we best recall is the one about Robinson, typically a poor foul shooter, who shouldn't even have been at the line in the first place, according to some.

Driving through the lane, presumably preparing to pass, Robinson's defender, an old playground buddy named Gerald Greene, was called for a questionable hand-check foul. Michigan's point guard, shooting 64 percent from the line, knocked down both foul shots to give the Wolverines the victory, making the brand new coach look like a great one. It was only two years later that Fisher would sign the greatest freshmen class ever. The Fab Five, headlined by Chris Webber and Jalen Rose, would lead Michigan back to the NCAA title game in 1992 and 1993, but would lose to ACC powers Duke and North Carolina, and after that, the Wolverines went back to being a football school.

Follow March Madness 140 characters at a time: @onegreatseason]]>http://onegreatseason.com/home/rss-comments-entry-6881741.xmlGuest BlogsOlympicsUSA HockeyJohn P. WiseMon, 01 Mar 2010 02:30:42 +0000http://onegreatseason.com/home/2010/2/28/team-usa-wins-silver-in-hockey-gold-in-respect.html395609:4298590:6870976

By MIKE LOOMIS
Special To One Great Season

Respect.

More than all the games, the No. 1 seed and the silver medals draped around their necks, the Americans won respect.

Canada was a team built from the ground up for one thing: to win gold. Even after the United States shocked everyone and beat the Canadians in the preliminary round, I wrote that ultimately the road to gold still would have to go through Canada. (this article continues below...)

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Team USA put up a valiant effort, but ultimately lost to the best team in hockey, on a goal scored by the best player in hockey. A fitting end for both sides, really.

The Americans have nothing to be sorry about. Every achievement in this Olympics was earned, every goal was hard-fought (except for the Finland game, when goals were being given out like candy), every win was another notch on their belts. Team USA earned its place on the podium, and now the world knows where the Americans stand among the hockey hierarchy. This much is true as well: they aren't going away any time soon.

While Canada was built to win gold, the US team was built to compete, and compete it did. Even after Sunday's final, I think even the most die-hard Canadian hockey fan would concede America had the best team overall. It played smart, tough and determined, and only a handful of its players are over the age of 25. 

This Olympics represent a true changing of the guard in Olympics hockey, and I would think the Americans are only going to get stronger from now on. 

Respect. It's more important than any gold medal, at least until the next Winter Olympics.

Four years will never feel so long.

Mike Loomis is a freelance video editor in Cincinnati who has become "useless around the house since the Olympics started." Follow him on Twitter at @Loomis2.