Yay for Isiah!

What a magnificient time to be a journalist in Miami!

Ya, the newspapers are folding, jobs are vanishing, salaries are decreasing, people aren’t reading, and the future looks even worse. But I say it again: What a magnificient time to be a journalist in Miami!

Why? Because Isiah Thomas, along with all of his shenanigans and ineptitude, is coming to Florida International University to coach a little basketball.

It’s not a question of whether there will be a scandal of some kind at FIU in the coming years, but a question of when? And how many? Not only is Thomas a horrible coach (56-108 as a coach and GM for the Knicks) but he also led an unsavory life in the Big Apple which led to a $11.6 million sexual harassment lawsuit.

Throw in the mine fields of recruiting and college-age girls, and Thomas figures to be overwhelmed.

Journalists in Miami will have all sorts of exciting and lurid stories coming from the FIU basketball program. Imagine being the beat writer for FIU basketball. That person will have something to rip or expose just about every week. Any journalist searching for a story will be able to find something “special” happening with the FIU basketball program.

The Golden Panthers are asking Thomas to coach, which at the college level, means he will have to assemble his teams as well. Coaching and managing are proven weaknesses of Isiah Thomas. His teams in New York averaged 27 wins and close to $100 million in salaries during Thomas’ last four seasons with the Knicks.

At least when Thomas is finally ousted from FIU some years from now, the Athletic Director won’t have to buy out Stephon Marbury’s contract or watch Eddy Curry gain weight on the bench.

World Baseball Classic

The World Baseball Classic kicks off March 5 and while it cannot be compared to the prestige or gravity of the World Cup, baseball’s international event is still pretty cool. Die-hard fans will be treated to Japan versus China at 4:30am on Thursday followed by Taipei versus Korea the same time on Friday.

Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the United States all play on Saturday. These teams all figure to contend for the championship along with Cuba and Japan.

Japan, the defending champion, is coming off of a disappointing showing in Beijing where they failed to medal. Look for them to try and bounce back, but it will be difficult for them to contend with the offensive power of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. The DR can feature a lineup consisting of David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, A-Rod, and Jose Guillen. Puerto Rico can counter with Pudge Rodriguez or Geovany Soto, Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Alex Rios. These two teams probably have the most well-rounded offenses, featuring speed, power, and contact.

The US can post a lineup that includes Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, David Wright, Adam Dunn, and Ryan Braun to name a few. These guys are great players, but history has shown that the US team does not take international baseball as seriously as the other nations. After all, these guys are pretty much using the WBC as a tune-up for the regular season. On the flip side, this is the biggest stage for Cuba’s players. They are always a dangerous team because international baseball is the only time the world and scouts get the opportunity to see them play.

US pitching will be hard to hit, however. Roy Oswalt and Jake Peavy headline as starters while the pen consists of JJ Putz, Jonathan Broxton, Scott Shields and flame thrower, Matt Lindstrom. The other great staff belongs to the DR. They can trot out Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Pedro Martinez as starters and have guys such as Jose Arredondo, Juan Cruz, Damaso Marte, and Tony Pena slam the door in the later innings.

Because they are the deepest team, look for the Dominican Republic to win the World Baseball Classic with the US and Puerto Rico perhaps giving the DR a run for their money. Cuba is a tough team to quantify because they are a team of unknowns, but they always play terrific, fundamental baseball with plenty of passion. They too can win this. Japan, however, will probably be overmatched by teams that will throw it harder and hit it farther.

Haslem and O’Neal: a match made in heaven

The addition of Jermaine O’Neal provides the obvious size the Heat desperately need. He also is an accomplished scorer, a decent rebounder, and occasionally a superb shot-blocker. At age 30 and with his recent history of injuries, O’Neal’s best years are probably behind him. But if he can somehow chip in anywhere from 15-20 points per game and pull down 8-10 rebounds per game, then the Heat become a formidable playoff contender.

Perhaps the greatest aspect of the O’Neal trade is the fact that Haslem gets to slide over to his natural position. Generously listed at at 6′8″, Haslem was out-sized every night playing the 5, but now at the 4, he can use his athleticism and heart to get the better of most power fowards. Last night was a perfect example. Against Kevin Love and Brian Cardinal, Haslem scored an easy 17 points and grabbed 6 rebounds because he matched up so well with those forwards. Even though the Heat lost, one could see glimpses of the two big men working well together and looking for each other under the basket.

Not to mention, Haslem is at his best spotting up for mid-range jumpers. Having a dominant post player like O’Neal will give Haslem more opportunities to knock down his 12 to 15 foot jumpshots. The Heat were able to earn a ring with an O’Neal a few years ago, and they definitely improved their chances to win another one by acquiring another O’Neal.

5 Star Recruits? Shannon has to coach better for them to be worth anything

With football’s national signing day tomorrow, the Hurricanes are expected to post yet another top recruiting class. Hats off to Coach Shannon for accomplishing that, but recent 5-7 and 7-6 records leave me skeptical that Shannon has the chops to coach a team to a National Championship. Watching Shannon and Nix waste the last 2:41 in the Emerald Bowl while gaining no more than 20 yards was appalling. Those 161 seconds were probably the nail in the coffin for Nix who was arguably the least creative offensive coordinator in the country. Even my South African roommate’s mother, who knows nothing about rugby much less football, could guess with alarming accuracy run or pass while watching Nix’s “creative” formations. If she could figure out Nix, imagine how much fun Bud Foster of Virginia Tech or Mickey Andrews of Florida State had with our offense during Nix’s tenure. They probably took the night before the game off, knowing it was going to be an endless number of draw plays up the middle and horizontal passes.

So Shannon fired Nix and hired Whipple which probably bought the head coach another year to try and mold the roster. Nix left UM by saying that Shannon would not let him run a spread offense and that Shannon wanted him to be conservative. Whipple and Shannon have been quoted that they are on the same page and that they see eye to eye. Great, so basically hiring Whipple ensures more of the same Shannon-offense which would probably struggle to score on offense-only drills.

Bringing in five star recruits does not guarantee success. Clemson proved that last year and Kyle Wright was living proof of that during his time at UM. Coaches must be able to develop that five star talent for it to be worth anything. Boise State and Utah play easier schedules, but their coaches know how to polish those rough stones into precious jewels. Their coaches are also brilliant in terms of X’s and O’s evidenced by their upsets of Alabama and Oklahoma in the last few years.

UM, under Shannon, has not shown the ability or desire to upset anybody. They have had their chances and have looked bad by getting blown out by Oklahoma last year and by playing “let’s not get blown out, but losing by like 20 is okay” against Florida. I don’t know enough about Whipple to know if he is conservative or aggressive in terms of play calling, but being on the same page with Shannon and seeing eye to eye does not give me hope that the Canes will be averaging 30+ points per game anytime soon. Shannon needs to realize that offenses like Florida, Texas Tech, Utah and Boise State are the way of the future in college football. Please Coach Whipple, spread out the other teams’ defenses and let the receivers make some plays. Make Jacory Harris run more. Don’t be afraid to hand the ball off to Cooper 25-30 times. I know it sounds crazy, but giving the ball to your biggest playmaker is probably a good thing.

Last but not least, I am not a Canes hater. I have lived in Miami most of my life. I have witnessed the sanction years, Butch Davis, and the recent National Championship first hand. I hate seeing my favorite team become Iowa State or Toledo. I hate seeing them struggle against Duke or North Carolina…in football. I hope, as much as anyone, that the Canes get back to the good old days, but it won’t be with Shannon and his new braintrust. Maybe Jon Gruden?