Is Bill Simmons serious?

by utcopt on Mar 19, 2008 4:57 PM CDT

Just saw this on ESPN.com...

Not that I gave too much stock to Bill Simmons' NCAA Basketball analysis to begin with, but seriously?

St. Mary's over Texas in the second round!

Did he see the drubbing we put on them earlier this year? How about even watching a Texas game this year at all?!

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They aren't his picks

His wife did the picks this year, read more carefully

by ryanlionrah on Mar 19, 2008 5:04 PM CDT 0 recs

Nevermind, different link

by ryanlionrah on Mar 19, 2008 5:05 PM CDT up 0 recs

Wife has us losing to Miami though

by ryanlionrah on Mar 19, 2008 5:06 PM CDT up 0 recs

Also this from Tim Keown's Article on ESPN...

"If they win, it won't be the coaching: Texas and USC." - 64 Things to Mull Over

Why is it that ESPN still thinks that Barnes is not a good coach? He was coach of the year in the Big 12 people!

by utcopt on Mar 19, 2008 5:07 PM CDT 0 recs

Or maybe

an awkwardly phrased compliment to the talent on both teams? I certainly don't understand how he could make a point to call out Barnes, out all the coaches in the tournament, for being a poor coach.

TWC

by TWC on Mar 19, 2008 5:16 PM CDT up 0 recs

I didnt really understand that either

I know Barnes got some shit for last year, but Tim Floyd has a decent tourney reputation.

Maybe its a compliment to OJ and DJ? I dont get it. That 64 things article was just plain dumb all over though, I don't think Ive even read anything of Keown's before, I'm not looking to in the future either.

by BoddickerIsClutch on Mar 19, 2008 5:21 PM CDT up 0 recs

That was simply a terrible article

I didn't find much entertainment value in that at all. In fact, it got down right boring about mid way through.

To me, it seems like the talent level for ESPN (both on -air and off) has gone downhill dramatically since the glory days of the early 90s when Dan Patrick and friends were at their finest. There are very few ESPN employees I admire or enjoy listening to.

We all know the media has a hard time giving the Big 12 teams credit for anything good they do. I imagine they cringed when we won the National Championship in '05. If Vince Young hadn't been on that team, the media would have forgotten all about it within a week.

I hate to say it, but I can't help thinking that it's hate on the South. I get sick of it too. The Rockets have a 22-game win streak and move from 10th to 1st in the ridiculously tough West and the best the media can come up with is nightly reports of who didn't play for the team they beat or how weak the schedule is during the streak.

I appreciate people like Skip Bayless on "1st and 10", who are actually objective and don't take into account where the team resides.

I have no problem thinking that Tim Keown was taking a shot at both Barnes and Tim Floyd. His entire article had more dry humor than the most senile, grizzled old man in Texas. It's alright though. He will be eating his words soon.

by UTAth on Mar 19, 2008 8:26 PM CDT up 0 recs

COMPLETELY agree

I totally agree with you and I've been saying this forever. And it's Texas especially, not just the south (they love OU and Bob Stoops and company). Many of you may remember if you were watching the Rose Bowl in 2006 that right after we won, the media types didn't come rushing over to congratulate Texas on being freakin' awesome, they went directly to the USC sideline and started talking to them! When in HISTORY has it been to approach the loser first right after a game instead of the winner? And VY or not, they're desperately trying to forget that year (there are plenty of sports media types still down on VY after all he's done and still consider Reggie "I suck so much it hurts sometimes" Bush the better player, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, and you'd better believe if VY had won the Heisman and then had the agent-scandal that Bush had, everyone would have been calling for him to be stripped of the award but not so the case with RB). So I completely agree with your assessment and am glad I'm not the only one who sees it. I hope Texas wins the NCAA tourney this year as a giant middle finger to those sports types, who I'm sure will dismiss the entire thing as a "fluke" solely the result of the other teams having injuries/not playing as well/unfair referring. I can't stand how they always try to take it away from us.

Honk if you're longhorny!

by Katie McBeast on Mar 19, 2008 8:55 PM CDT up 0 recs

You appreciate Skip Bayless?

ban the poster!

Get your ass going! You ain't hurt!

by Cyrus on Mar 19, 2008 9:28 PM CDT up 0 recs

I appreciate his objectivity

He has no bias towards certain conferences or schools like Packer, Vitale or Digger. I don't agree with everything he says, of course, but I like the fact that he puts some thought into his commentary. Many of the guests that ends up sitting across from him to counterpoint usually end up having interesting things to say also.

Woody Paige is fun to listen to as well. I wish he had stayed on "1st and 10" with Skip. The only place I see him now is "Round the Horn".

by UTAth on Mar 19, 2008 9:39 PM CDT up 0 recs

Agree

I have to admit that Skip makes me totally insane at times and some things he says are utterly ridiculous. However it's nice to see someone that won't be swayed by what is "in". He really is objective with those kinds of things, unlike any other analyst i've really seen.

by PSUhorn on Mar 19, 2008 11:11 PM CDT up 0 recs

Whatever

Bayless is anything but objective. He was always hatin' on the Cowboys and TO this past year, despite their performance on the field (or TO's off the field, for that matter). Objectivity would include praise for what teams are doing good, but the man constantly has a axe to grind in the wrong places.

by orangeblood1 on Mar 20, 2008 10:14 AM CDT up 0 recs

I agree

He loves to pick on TO, it's true. I don't know what his reasons are, but I'm not a Dallas fan so I don't really pay attention to that. All I can figure is, he doesn't respect the guy because of his attitude.

by UTAth on Mar 20, 2008 10:32 AM CDT up 0 recs

I'll have to defer

I've never listened to him discuss anything on the NFL, so I guess I can't comment there. I should have specified that I generally notice he is more objective with college sports. I really only watch segments that talk about college sports, then turn off the tv.

by PSUhorn on Mar 20, 2008 12:51 PM CDT up 0 recs

Yes

The only one I care to listen to about College Hoops at ESPN now is The General.

by BoddickerIsClutch on Mar 20, 2008 8:13 AM CDT up 0 recs

Anti-big 12 Bias

I think that this is something that is spread throughout the entirety of the sports media. The fact that a SI writer wrote in a post about Kansas, "Let's face it the Big 12 was weak this year."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...

We did send 6 teams to the tourney right? What does it take to be a non-"weak conference"?

I just hope that over the next few years we see a dominant conference in the basketball tourney, between Kansas, A&M and Texas we should be solid for a long time. Maybe then we can have a media drone that only talks about how great we are. Like a big 12 Dickie V. Who I would expect to have a Texas accent, talk about how good football is during every sports season, and predict that the Big 12 teams will beat everyone.

Long Live Longhorns

by Russellatron on Mar 20, 2008 9:58 AM CDT up 0 recs

Last Years Performance

Obviously still rings loud to people who dont watch the games.

Only way to turn the opinions around is to prove it on the court, I wouldnt mind busting up Bill's bracket =D

by BoddickerIsClutch on Mar 19, 2008 5:15 PM CDT 0 recs

Many people predict upsets, its the NCAA tourney

we can't really be mad at people who predict the unexpected.

"So what if I'm tired? I can rest when I die." -- Major Applewhite

by the1austin on Mar 19, 2008 5:24 PM CDT 0 recs

both had annoying picks

First his wife basically takes the chalk. Not sure what the point is of bringing in the unorthodox person and then having her take the chalk, and her usual rambling wasn't as entertaining as usual. Nothing against her picks, just the idea seemed off.

Then his picks seemed upset heavy for this year where I think there are a handful of really good teams and then a lot of mediocre ones. Yes, the good teams probably have some flaws, but I don't really see that many upsets. Some Sweet 16 cinderellas sure, but I expect most of them will be out by the elite 8.

by tenuki on Mar 20, 2008 12:00 PM CDT 0 recs