Despite the college football season having recently wrapped up, an entirely different season (and one that is arguably more exciting) has just begun: The hunt by many colleges to find new head coaches. The coaching carousel is spinning at full speed, and on Monday, Allen Kenney, my co-managing editor at Crystal Ball Run (as well as from Blatanthomerism.com) stopped by to break it all down.
To listen to the podcast on this website, click the green box below
To listen to the podcast on your iPhone or Android please click here
To download the podcast straight from iTunes, please click here
To subscribe to the Aaron Torres Sports Podcast, please click here
Allen and I are always full of opinions, and weren’t afraid to share them on this fun-filled podcast. Included, we talked about:
- What’s going on at Texas A&M? Is Kevin Sumlin a good hire? Is he in over his head, and is the A&M administration even going to give him a chance to succeed?
- Was Mark Richt ever really an option at A&M? Why Allen thinks that the Mark Richt rumor speaks to higher problems at A&M, and why I think the rumor might’ve been leaked by Richt himself.
- Why Allen and I disagree on the Jim Mora Jr. hire at UCLA (aka Jim L. Mora). Allen thinks it’s a shot in the dark by UCLA, while I think it can work. Can Mora make UCLA a portal to the NFL for high school kids? Or is he the next, in a great long line of coaching failures at the school.
- Onto Kansas, where Allen hates the Charlie Weis hire. Why did the school pay so much for him and is there any chance he can earn the salary? On the opposite side, is this the most exposure Kansas football has gotten since their 2007 Orange Bowl season?
Since I started this website three years ago, I can’t ever remember a crazier week in the world of sports than this past one. We had the Major League Baseball's winter meetings mixed with the opening of NBA training camps, which just so happened to be fused into a fun week of college hoops, and the college football coaching carousel nearly spinning off its axis. My only wish is that we could’ve had the WNBA playoffs as a cheery on top of this week’s sports sundae.
I’m kidding on that last one of course. But in all seriousness though, all this sports madness left me in a tough conundrum yesterday morning. At the time, there wasn’t a whole lot to write about; all was quiet on the home-front in basketball (where training camps opened today, and where- at the time- Chris Paul was still comfortably a Hornet), and in baseball things were quiet too, with no apparent player movement beyond “Mark Buehrle going to Florida.” So instead, I wrote a column about Tim Tebow. The timing was nothing, if not weird. Even I’ll admit that.
Still, the column did have some relevance. ...at least for about 30 seconds, until, just minutes after I posted it news broke that Albert Pujols had spurned the Cardinals and was headed to Anaheim (or is that Los Angeles?) to play for the Angels. Could it be true? Could the best player in baseball really be switching leagues and teams at the tail-end of his prime, and doing it in large part to spite the only organization he’d ever called home? It sounded like it couldn’t be real. Until it was.
Which brings us to today, and brings us to our eventual reality: Baseball’s power struggle has shifted out West, and done it on the big bat, and bigger contract of Albert Pujols. Ultimately, I don’t know what it means. Could it be that the Angels are guaranteed their first World Series win since 2002? AL West dominance for years to come? Or are they only guaranteed a week’s worth of headlines in April, followed by 10 years’ worth of big payments into Pujols’ direct deposit account from then on out? Only time will tell.
What I do know though, is that this is big. Like really, really big. And ultimately, it’s also the best thing that could’ve happened to the sport of baseball.
Simply put, Tim Tebow is the most polarizing athlete of my lifetime. Despite never breaking the law, doing anything morally or ethically wrong, or hell, even winning a professional championship, people have stronger opinions on him than anything athlete I can ever remember. You either love or hate him, loathe or appreciate him. He elicits opinion, anger and reverence like no one else; not Mike Tyson, Michael Jordan or Mike Vick, nor mention Ben Roethlisberger, Tiger Woods or Kobe Bryant.
Why? Well, I’m not totally sure, but from the best I can gauge it’s because he doesn’t do things conventionally. Ask most NFL “analysts,” and they’ll tell you a guy can’t be good in the “NATIONAL…FOOTBALL…LEAGUE,” if he can’t throw a frozen rope 40 yards downfield, or he picks up more first downs with his legs than his arm. Forget winning six of seven games, Tim Tebow can’t throw a pretty spiral! The world is coming to an end!!! For some, it doesn’t matter what Tebow does, they'll just never be in his corner. And yes, I’m talking you to Merrill Hoge. You prick.
But thankfully, I’m here. I’m here to peel back the layers of the onion, and help people fully appreciate Tim Tebow. He might not be your conventional signal-caller, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy him.
It’s time to embrace Tim Tebow.
Here are 50 reasons why you should…
One of the biggest complaints about my college basketball coverage here at Aaron Torres Sports goes a little something like this: Geez Aaron, all you ever do is talk about Kentucky!! You love them. You’re a closet fan. Why don’t you and John Calipari just go get married or something!
Ok, so maybe no one has actually called me out on that last one. But the first three are definitely in play.
But with that, let’s get one thing straight: I’m not a Kentucky fan, I’m a UConn fan. A big one actually. As a matter of fact, when UConn and Kentucky get on the court together (which has happened a lot recently), I root for UConn. Every…single…time. Promise.
Of course with that said, it doesn’t mean that I can’t have respect for Kentucky, because frankly, I do. The truth is, I find the program and the fans fascinating, and most importantly, I actually like John Calipari a lot. I know that sounds blasphemous, but to quote every 16-year-old girl in America, "Whatever, I don't care what you think!" I like Cal a lot, and give him credit for doing things his way, and not listening to the outsiders. I give him credit for taking already skilled players, and milking every last ounce of talent out of them (who saw Eric Bledsoe as a Top 20 pick after one year?). And really, doesn’t that NCAA Tournament resume speak for itself at this point? Those six straight Sweet 16’s don’t lie. Neither do five Elite Eight’s in six years. Basically, I have respect for Calipari in the same way I’ve got respect for Nick Saban or Les Miles. Just because they’re not my coach (like Jim Calhoun is), doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate them. Ya know?
Ok, so now that I’ve gotten my little John Calipari soliloquy out of the way, let’s talk some hoops. As you may have heard, there was a pretty game this weekend, and to anyone who knows me, knows that I’ve got plenty of thoughts on it.
Here are a six-pack of takeaways on one of the most impressive early season college hoops games I’ve seen in years, Carolina and Kentucky.
Alright, so let me get one thing out of the way right up front: Ultimately, I don’t actually care who plays LSU in the BCS National Championship.
A lot of you have asked my opinion, a lot of you have shot down my opinion when I’ve given it, and a lot of you have argued the merits of your own opinions. And ultimately, you know what? You’re right. And so am I. And really, that’s the gift and the curse of the BCS; it leads to arguments, debates and discussion. It makes college football relevant from the first Saturday in September until the first in December. And it makes your opinion just as valid as mine, and ultimately just as valid as any pollster’s too. The only difference between you, me and the pollster is that his or her opinion counts and ours doesn’t. That doesn’t make one opinion more valid than the other though.
So with that as some context, I’m just going to throw this out there: Alabama should play for the BCS National Championship Game. Quite frankly, I don’t even think it should be a debate.
Now don’t get me wrong. I watched last night’s Beatdown at Bedlam, and quite frankly, I enjoyed it immensely. I’ve thought Oklahoma was overrated for two years, I’ve thought Oklahoma State was the better team for two months, and I’m glad each got what was coming to them. I’m also glad that Mike Gundy is no longer just some dude who’s 40, and his quarterback has proven to be more than a guy closing in on 30. They’re both really, really good at their respective crafts, and I’m happy we can finally acknowledge each for it, rather than continuing to make the same played out jokes about them.
no comments
Alright, so I’m just going to spill the beans: For weeks I’ve been hinting at, casually mentioning and tweeting about a big surprise I’ve had to share with all of you.
And well, that surprise can’t wait any longer:
(Drumroll, please…)
I wrote a book!
No, seriously, I wrote a book. It’s on the 2011 UConn basketball team, and it’s called 'The Unlikeliest Champion'. And believe me; I’m just as surprised to type out that last sentence as you are to read it. I still can’t believe it actually.
But I did it. It wasn’t without the help of a lot of people (no seriously, A LOT of people), and the incredible support of my family and friends. Not to mention a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears. Well, actually there was no blood or sweat. But I sure did cry a lot.
Anyway, I’m sure you’re probably thinking to yourself: The 2011 Huskies? Hmm. Why UConn and why now?
Well, as most of you know by now, I’m a born and bred UConn guy. Growing up in Connecticut affords you a lot of great opportunities and experiences, but when it comes to sports- and college sports in specific- you’ve only got one choice: You either root for UConn…or you sit alone every day in the elementary school cafeteria. That’s really it. People in this state are born into UConn fandom, live it, and breathe it for 365 days a year. There aren’t many things that this state has to call its own, but UConn and its sports teams are one of them.
As for the 2011 team in specific, well, there’s a reason I wrote about them too. Simply put, in all the years I’ve been watching sports, I’ve never seen an underdog story quite like them. Not just in college basketball. But in sports, too.
Consider the following things:
- Entering 2011, UConn was coming off an 18-16 season, where they not only missed the NCAA Tournament, but got bounced early from the NIT too. Following the season they lost three senior starters to graduation and a high-profile transfer, meaning that other than Kemba Walker, UConn didn’t really return anyone of substance to the 2011 team.
- Of the recruits who came in to replace the departed seniors, only Roscoe Smith was considered “elite.” UConn missed on a bunch of other prospects, and instead ended up with a handful that most had never heard of. Jeremy Lamb hadn’t started for his high school as a junior and Shabazz Napier had to move his graduation up a year to get to Storrs for the 2011 season. Yes, both of things actually happened.
no comments
So the plan yesterday was to sit down and do a column on college football’s coaching hot stove. Again, that was the plan, until I actually sat down to write. At which point instead of doing a hot-stove piece, I lost my train of thought, lost my focus and ended up with 1,500 words on Mike Leach alone. Woops. I can’t quite say how that happened, but I guess I should just be thankful that when I did, I finished it all wearing pants. Needless to say, it was a weird experience, which leads me to wonder, is this how Mike Sherman feels when he wakes up every day?
Anyway, because of my love affair with Mike Leach, it left a lot of room, and a lot of leftover material from my college football coaching notebook. From Ohio State to Ole Miss, Arizona and Arizona State, now onto Texas A&M, college football coaches are coming and going at a rapid pace. Not nearly as a Mike Sherman team can blow another fourth quarter lead, but pretty close. (Woops, did I mention Sherman again? My bad!)
Here are some big-picture takeaways from the college football coaching carousel, and in addition below are my Championship Weekend picks.
Basically, look at this as a college football hodgepodge column.
Enjoy!
Since starting this website over three years ago, I have written hundreds of thousands in this very space on college football. I’ve written about two Urban Meyer retirements and the subsequent un-retirements that followed. I’ve written about the Big Ten expanding to 12 teams, the Big XII shrinking to 10, and the Big East no longer being “big” or strictly located in the East. I’ve even written about not one, but two pairs of McCoy and Shipley brothers at Texas. (Speaking of which, did you know that Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley were roommates at one time? Seriously!)
But in all those words and all those columns, one thing that I’ve pretty much never touched on is the Washington State football team. In my defense, there’s never been much reason to. Since I’ve started this site, the Cougars have not only been one of the worst AQ teams in college football, but they’ve done it without any of the flair or quirky trappings of historically bad teams. They’ve never had the overall feistiness of Vanderbilt, the-easy-to-make-fun-of head coach like Tim Brewster at Minnesota, and haven’t really ever found the spectacular ways to lose otherwise winnable games like Ole Miss has. Nope, worse than being bad, Washington State was simply uninteresting, their football team dull and drab. Kind of what I suspect Pullman might be like this time of year too.
Well, it’s safe to say that’s all about to change. In one day, Washington State has gone from dull and drab to innovative and exciting. That happened on Wednesday afternoon, when they went ahead and hired former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach to run their football program. And with all due respect to Urban Meyer at Ohio State, Rich Rodriguez at Arizona, and anything that might happen at UCLA, Ole Miss or Arizona State going forward, this will go down as far and away the best hire of the offseason.
Let’s start with the obvious and start with this: No matter what you think of Leach’s quirky personality, outspoken nature, or how things ended at Texas Tech for him, there’s no doubt the dude just wins football games.
From the beginning, no one was on the “Urban Meyer to Ohio State” news faster, or with insight than the website ElevenWarriors.com, who broke the news story over two weeks ago. And on Tuesday, one of the owners of Eleven Warriors, Ramzy Nasrallah stopped by to discuss a wild week Columbus on the AaronTorres-Sports.com podcast.
To listen to the podcast on this website, click the green box below
To listen to the podcast on your iPhone or Android please click here
To download the podcast straight from iTunes, please click here
To subscribe to the Aaron Torres Sports Podcast, please click here
Amongst the topics Ramzy and I discussed, included the following:
- The roster that Urban Meyer inherits, and why offensive line play could be key in year one.
- How good is the Big Ten that Urban Meyer is walking into? Significantly better than 3-4 years ago?
- Are college football fans forgetting how good Jim Tressel was as a coach? Also, why this year’s quarterback play proves just how valuable Tressel was to the program.
- Who will fill out Urban Meyer’s staff? Luke Fickell is an obvious, but who beyond that do we know? Who do we expect?
- What role will Gene Smith play in the program going forward? Also, why Ramzy believes that the worst of NCAA sanctions are probably behind the school.
- Finally, what are realistic expectations of year one of the Meyer era? What is the ceiling of his potential?
Folks, this is the biggest story to hit college football in weeks, and there is no better insight to get than from the man who was part of the breaking of this story in Eleven Warriors' Ramzy Nazrallah. Few- if any- know more about the Ohio State program than Ramzy does, and he drops all kinds of knowledge here that you can’t find anywhere else.
Remember, you can listen to the podcast by clicking the green box above, or by downloading it straight from iTunes. You can also subscribe to the podcast by clicking here.
Also be sure to comment below with thoughts on the podcast, or e-mail in at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
In addition, be sure to follow Aaron on Twitter @Aaron_Torres, Facebook.com or by downloading the Aaron Torres Sports App for FREE for your iPhone or Androids.
And finally, for those who missed the big news on Wednesday, well, a major annoucement was made: Aaron Torres wrote his first book! Click here for details.
Until then…
no comments
It’s college football’s championship week, which can mean only one thing: It’s time to talk some football! And like last year at this time, I’ve decided to have a three-part, mega-podcast to commemorate the event.
Joining me on the phone this afternoon were three of college football’s brightest minds, ITB’s Michael Felder to talk the ACC Championship Game, CBS’ Adam Jacobi on the Big Ten and Barrett Sallee of the College Football News to talk the SEC title game. All are experts in their respective fields, and all have insight which I respect immensely.
(Note, because of the umm, one-sidedness of the Pac-12 title game, I decided to skip discussion on that. To all the Oregon or UCLA fans who may be disappointed, I’m sorry. If anything blame Rick Neuheisel).
To listen to the podcast on this website, click the green box below
To listen to the podcast on your iPhone or Android please click here
To download the podcast straight from iTunes, please click here
To subscribe to the Aaron Torres Sports Podcast, please click here
A lot of football was discussed on the podcast, including the following:
Michael’s Take On:
- Why Clemson has struggled the last few weeks, why Logan Thomas has blossomed, and why David Wilson very well could be the most underrated player in college football.
Adam’s Take On:
- An “Urban Revival” At Ohio State, why a key injury hampered Wisconsin in their first meeting with Michigan State, and why the Badgers might get revenge Saturday.
no comments
