The Bumpy Ride Begins

Arizona won't surprise anyone this year when it loses games it shouldn't. And here's the first chance to (not) shock you: UAB 72, Arizona 71 ... Tucson.

What will shock you, however, is how 'Zona lost the game: As UAB's Paul Delaney III wound up for a more-than-halfcourt heave as time ran out, Arizona's Jamelle Horne dove at Delaney's back and grabbed his jersey.

The refs called an intentional foul. And with 0.8 seconds on the clock, Delaney did all he had to -- make a free throw.

I find this all vaguely reminiscent of Justin Dentmon's ridiculous fouling of Chris Hernandez as he shot a halfcourt runner a few years ago. Hernandez sank all three foul shots to force overtime, and the deflated Washington Huskies lost to Stanford, 76-67. Dentmon had trouble dealing with the whole ordeal.

There's a reason the coaches yell "Don't foul!" before every big last-second play. Get ready for a wild season, Arizona fans.


Elsewhere
We had a great Tuesday night in Basketball Land:

-- Stephen Curry and Davidson pushed Oklahoma and Blake Griffin to the brink, but the supremely talented Sooners held on.

-- North Carolina confirmed its top-dog status against the woe-is-them Kentucky Wildcats.

-- Syracuse took about 39 minutes to put away Richmond.

-- Indiana beat IUPUI by three points, and it's almost definitely a sign of things to come.

-- Providence took one step back in the right direction with a win against Dartmouth (even if the Friars gave up 82 points).

-- Washington recovered, topping Cleveland State.

-- Washington State has given up 58 points ... in two games.

-- San Diego's not going anywhere fast, and Nevada has a tough road in front of it.

A few other things ...
-- I hereby declare it not OK to call Stephen Curry "Steph" Curry. It's a new trend in the media (well, on ESPN) -- and it's not OK.

-- There are still some good people in sports, even if this does seem like a minor thing to many.

-- Ryan Dempster got a big deal with the Cubs.

-- I clicked on the link to see if People had picked me for Sexiest Man Alive. No dice. Oh well, there's always next year. Damn you, Hugh Jackman.

-- Enjoy your flight home for the holidays! Seriously, what's next? A cavity search?

Parting Thought: I've decided that II is much cooler than Jr. after a name. So, if you're going to narcissistically name your kid after yourself, give him the II, it makes him seem much cooler

Just a couple thoughts on a Tuesday:

Journalists dress like those involved with the topic they cover. Think about it.

A sports journalist (writers, radio guys, behind-the-scenes TV guys) dresses like a fat slob, with an alarming lack of fashion sense, mostly because they are usually fat slobs. Makes sense right? They dress like sports fans.

Of course, the exception to this rule is the empty-suit TV guys, who know about as much about sports as your dirty socks. They usually have a few suits in their rotation, plus a heavy bag of makeup and mirrors. Look harder, TV guy, maybe you'll finally figure out how to fill that empty space in your head where your brain used to be.

Other news
-- Chipotle. Is. Delicious.

-- While I think ending homelessness and poverty will be two of the greatest challenges of my generation, I do have one comment for panhandlers: Shaking a cup filled with change at me will not make me want to give you money. Period. A simple "God Bless You" would be nice. Or a song. Or even a high five. Shaking the cup just doesn't do it for me.

-- I know what you're thinking. It's either (a) I can't believe this guy just linked me to the Chipotle Web site, (b) Isn't this a sports blog? (c) Why am I still reading this? or (d) Wasn't I on Facebook?

-- There's a sleepover at SportsWorks in Pittsburgh. You're invited. Now in theory, having a sleepover with a big-time university's cheerleaders and its mascot would probably be pretty sweet. A couple brews. Maybe a DJ. You know, liven up the event and make things happen. Unfortunately, these are Pitt cheerleaders. Tough luck guys ...

-- Know who I'm sick of? Michael Phelps. He makes me wallow. Nobody likes wallowing.

-- All. Senior. Citizens. Should. Have. Life Alert.

-- Yes, I did just link you to a page on which former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop is featured prominently. Seriously, look at that facial hair. Would you really ever want that guy operating on your kids (he was a pediatric surgeon)?

-- It's never too early for hoops. Especially Big East hoops.

-- Parting thought: Byron Leftwich should start over Ben Roethlisberger. There. I said it.











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