Jumping out of January...

It is hard to believe but we are already at the end of January. It seems like we just entered the new year. However, time and the sports world goes on in all three aspects so let's get started.

Prep Report
- It was rivalry night in Southern Illinois it seemed as the games that got in had rivalry implications. Impressive road wins by West Frankfort at Benton, Pinckneyville at Nashville, and Trico at Sesser-Valier.
- West Frankfort has won 3 games in 2 weeks after going winless most of the season.
- Herrin is on a streak after winning the WF Tournament last week, they beat Harrisburg at home last night. Today, they jump on a bus and head to play Pleasant Plains in the Pleasant Plains shoot out. This is a rematch of the 2002 Class A State Championship game.
- Who said that Pinckneyville wouldn't be good? A road win at Nashville has changed all of that and the run they have been on in 2009 after winning the BIT again.
- Speaking of Pinckneyville, it will be the place to be today as they are hosting their annual shootout. It has been going on for a long time and it is well run.

College Sports
- SIU is on the road at Evansville tonight. Both teams are facing quick turnarounds for games as the winter storm played havoc with their schedules this week.
- It is another big day of college basketball today with wall to wall coverage on every channel imaginable.
- You have to love college basketball right now in the heart of conference season.

Pro Sports
- Serena Williams has won the Australian Open in tennis this morning.
- The Super Bowl is finally tomorrow.
- Donovan McNabb wants to retire an Eagle. We shall see what management has to say.
- Shaq vs. Kobe...a marketing ploy...we await the opinion of Kobe on this one. If it was...pure genius.
- Speaking of the NBA, the Eastern Conference right now is the Celtics, Cavs, and then everyone else.
- Phil Mickelson never had thoughts on missing the cut of a PGA event right out of the shoot. He did in the FBR yesterday.

Like several other people in the area, I am headed to Pinckneyville for the games today. I'm out.

DC

Slowly to Normalcy...

As we continue to dig out, day by day there seems to be a little normalcy coming back to our lives in the region. The same can be said for high school basketball in the area as some teams are going to play tonight, some have cancelled, and others are moving games to other dates.

Prep Report
- Make sure you check with your local school about games tonight. Some schools are in session and not playing, some schools are out of session and playing, and some schools are out and not playing.
- The GEC Boys Tournament will resume tonight and the championship game will be played on Monday night at SIC.
- If games are still scheduled, there are some big games on the agenda tonight as far as conference implications.
- Congratulations to Lauren Mitchell of ZRC. She now has scored over 2,000 points in her career.
- The State Bowling Tournament begins today in O'Fallon, IL

College Sports
- SIU men and women won their games at home last night. The men beat Missouri State while the women defeated Wichita State.
- The winter weather has also caused issues with college basketball games in the region as well.
- Ed Hightower was supposed to officiate the Purdue at Wisconsin game on Tuesday night but he could not fly out of the Metro East area due to the weather.
- It is so awesome to listen Bobby Knight break down a college basketball game. He is at the head of the class in that particular area on the network.

Pro Sports
- Is the Super Bowl here yet?
- This Joe Torre book is really causing some barbs to be lobbed in all directions.
- Albert Pujols has told the Cardinals to sign Manny Ramirez. Would this not be a turn in the opposite direction of the management if they were to sign him and spend money?
- The rosters for the NBA All-Star game are set. As usual, there are names that are on that shouldn't be and names that aren't on that should be.

The weekend is almost here. I'm out.

DC

Digging Out...

After reading all of the reports after the winter storm, here's hoping that everything can return to normal as soon as possible for everyone in the region. This storm is going to have affects days after it has passed thru the area. The sports world is feeling it as well on the prep and even college scenes. Even with a late January day, there is major news breaking on the national college and pro level as well.

Prep Report
- Without saying, there are several games going to be postponed tonight.
- It wouldn't surprise me to see that games for tomorrow night and even Saturday night are postponed as well.
- The SEC Girls Basketball tournament in Dongola is going to go on as scheduled today with 4 games being played in two gyms.

College Sports
- The weather postponed the Missouri State at SIU game until tonight. It will be the second half of a doubleheader as the SIU women are at home vs. Wichita State.
- #1 DUKE fell on the road at Wake Forest in a very good game last night. It seems that having the #1 ranking is some sort of a jinx again this season.
- A miracle run to the NCAA Tournament last year is long since forgotten. Georgia came out of the SEC gates at 0-5 and today they fired men's head basketball coach Dennis Felton.
- Former IU coach Kelvin Sampson is appealing the ruling not allowing him to coach in college basketball. This tells me that he doesn't like the NBA game and/or he has a job lined up but needs to get the ruling reversed.
- What is up lately with all of the 70 foot plus shots being made in college basketball this season?

Pro Sports
- Herm Edwards is going to join ESPN for their NFL coverage. This will be a great move for both because I am a huge fan of Edwards.
- Jeff Jagodzinski, the fired Boston College coach for interviewing with the Jets, has been hired as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- 12 year contracts don't come around very often. The Red Wings have signed Henrik Zetterberg. Doesn't that seem like an awfully long time?
- Say what you want about tennis, but playing in the Australian heat with the roof open at times takes a pretty special athlete. However, it is nice to see them shut the roof and cool things down.

Amazing as it seems, I continue to find things to do around the house during these winter days. I'm out.

DC

At a Stand Still...

With the weather, things are pretty much at a stand still in the prep sports world in Southern Illinois. Many games have been cancelled and I would expect that as the week goes on that each day will continue to give more cancellations. Though things are at a stand still here, the other parts of the sports world are still running full steam ahead.

Pro Sports
- The State Bowling tournament for both boys and girls will take place this weekend. The tournament is held at St. Clair Bowl in O'Fallon, IL.
- There will be several Southern Illinois teams and individuals competing this weekend in the Bowling State Finals.
- As expected, there are no games to speak of in the area tonight. I would expect that possibly tomorrow or for sure the weekend there will be games back on the docket to be played.
- Check with your school or media outlet for cancellations of games and reschedules.

College Sports
- Bobby Bowden has signed a 1 year extension to remain the head football coach at Florida State. That would be 34 seasons as the head coach of the Seminoles.
- Gary Williams and Maryland are sparring over recruiting. Do you think the pressure of not doing much since a National Championship earlier this decade is playing a part in this?
- The ACC will take center stage tonight with #1 DUKE traveling to #4 Wake Forest.
- Pittsburgh at Villanova is another good game of ranked teams tonight as well.

Pro Sports
- I mentioned the name Kurt Radomski earlier in the week. I don't believe that his name or many other MLB players are going to be quiet over the next few weeks.
- The Cubs have made another deal. They have acquired Aaron Heilman from the Mariners for SS Ronny Cedeno and P Garrett Olson. This should quiet the Jake Peavy to the Cubs rumors.
- Anyone else wondering what 3 songs Bruce Springsteen will play at the Super Bowl?
- Speaking of the Super Bowl, can the game get here so I don't have to listen to all of the hype?

Like most of you, I have some digging out to do. I'm out.

DC

Sports and Cabin Fever...

What else is one going to do with the weather as it is today in the area? You watch sports and read up on things going on in the sports world. The prep sports side will be a little slow with all of the postponements. The college side continues to churn out basketball tidbits while the pro side goes full force into Super Bowl coverage.

Prep Report
- If your team had a game tonight, then you need to make sure the game has been postponed and when the rescheduled date is. Several teams have done that this afternoon already.
- Several games last night were cancelled and/or game times moved up to get away from the weather that has hit the area today.
- Today is a day why athletic directors are underpaid in their jobs.
- Pinckneyville High School is having a shootout on Saturday. Trico/Flora, SV/Trenton-Wesclin, Du Quoin/St. Joe Ogden, Waltonville/Greenville, and Pinckneyville/Riverton.

College Sports
- Kelvin Sampson is going to appeal his NCAA discipline. Are you serious? Hey Kelvin...no one will hire you right now at the college level.
- Carbondale native and 11 year head basketball coach at Alabama Mark Gottfried resigned yesterday. Increasing pressure from the fan base of disappointing seasons as well as losing to Auburn 4 of the last 5 times will do that.
- A Wisconsin court has ruled that cheerleading is a contact sport.

Pro Sports
- A-Rod is unphased by the shots Torre said in his upcoming book. No kidding...what else is A-Rod going to say.
- The name Radomski is at it again. He said he supplied over 300 MLB players with various kinds of steroids and HGH.
- Today is Media Day at the Super Bowl. This is where we wait with baited breath on all of the various one liners from players and also the dumbest questions asked by reporters.
- The Rams hired 3 new assistant coaches for the upcoming season yesterday.

With nothing to do, I have several hours of shows on the DVR to catch up on. It is time to take care of that. I'm out.

DC

The Calm before the...

You read the title and you know the reason for it. It seems we have a major winter storm coming our way over the next day or so. This will mean that many events are going to be cancelled. However, before we get to that point, there is plenty to talk about.

Prep Report
- The boys basketball regional at Carterville has been moved to Anna-Jonesboro. This is due to damage to the Carterville gym floor.
- Benton won the SIRR Ohio Division wrestling championship this past Saturday. They had lost to Murphysboro earlier in the week. Those two programs are pretty darn salty.
- The GEC tournament will go on this week at SIC. It is a traditional and annual event.
- It is a light schedule in the area with girls basketbal not having very many games.
- The SEC girls tournament is this week.

College Sports
- SIU didn't look real good in a road game at Illinois State on Saturday. They are going to have to find a way to win on the road.
- Look for DUKE to be your new #1 team in the country after Wake Forest was beaten last week.
- This will be the third time a ACC team has been ranked number 1 this season.
- Oregon State Craig Robinson is the first brother-in-law to President Obama. He attended the inauguration last week and then lead his team to a win at Stanford this past weekend.

Pro Sports
- Is anyone else waiting on the Joe Torre book about the Yankees to come out? This could be a very interesting read.
- The NHL All-Star game happened last night. It is tough to get people to watch and be interested when the game is on a channel that few people have.
- Today begins the PR and Hype machine known as the Super Bowl.

Is anyone else making that short list to get to the store? I'm out.

DC

Only the Prep Basketball...

There was no blog yesterday since I was in the gym over 13 hours watching basketball. With that being the case, I have nothing but prep basketball to catch up on today and no other sports.

Winners of the following boys tournaments are as follows in parentheses:
Benton - (Pinckneyville)
West Frankfort - (Herrin)
Massac County - (Carbondale)
Nashville - (Breese Central)
Salem - (Centralia)
Carmi - (Mt. Vernon, IN and Harrisburg)
Sparta - (Columbia)
Midland Trail Conference Tournament - (Woodlawn)
South Egyptian Conference Tournament - (Meridian)

- The GEC will hold their conference tournament next week to wrap up the mid-winter tournament part of the schedule.
- Last night was rivalry night around the area with Carbodale/Murphysboro, Woodlawn/Waltonville, Breese Central/Breese Mater Dei, and Centralia/Mt. Vernon playing for tournament titles on neutral floors.
- With Massac County and Nashville losing in the semi-finals of their own tournaments, the only undefeated team left in the area is Woodlawn.
- Pinckneyville has won 25 games in a row at the BIT which translates into 5 straight undefeated championships. This may have been the most impressive considering the amount of talent that graduated last year.
- The BIT had only one game decided by double digit points and 3 overtime games. The teams were pretty even which meant for close games.
- Eldorado was the favorite but Herrin came in and shocked the world by winning at WF. The Tigers are a team that everyone has been waiting on to do well and this gives them much momentum going into the rest of the season.
- It was good to see West Frankfort get their first win of the season. Kevin Toney is one of the hardest workers in the business.
- The battle of Jackson County went to Carbondale as they beat Murphysboro at Massac County. This game happened even though a regular season contest a couple of weeks ago was cancelled due to all of the off the court problems between the two schools.
- Even with a loss to the Terriers, I still think that Massac County is the favorite in 2A in this part of the state.
- Breese Central wins the NIT over Breese Mater Dei. The Cougars are young, good, and looking to make another run to Peoria. They will have a tough Regional and Sectional to get it done though.
- Speaking of that Sectional, Columbia breezed to the Sparta title beating Trico last night. The Eagles have found their basketball legs after playing into the semi-finals in football.
- At Sparta, it was amazing to me to see the good teams in the pool opposite Columbia. That side was loaded.
- Centralia has 3 wins over Mt. Vernon this year by a total of 5 points. They play one more time in conference and then possibly could meet in the Regional finals.
- Reid Roper hit a free throw with no time left on the clock to give Harrisburg a 50-49 win over Olney and a share of the title with Mt. Vernon, IN.
- With 3 of the top 4 seeds losing in the first round of the SEC tournament, Meridian cruised to a title. The Bobcats are poising themselves to make a run in postseason.
- Woodlawn remained undefeated by beating Waltonville for a 2nd time last night 66-58. The Cardinals win the MTC tournament title for the first time. The Spartans get 2nd and now will exit the conference after one year and be an independent next season. The gym at Louisville North Clay was so full they were turning people away.
- Another note on that game...Woodlawn and Waltonville are 8 miles apart and they traveled over an hour to play the game.
- Why is it so hard to pick all-tournament teams these days? It seemed like it used to be easier.

The wrap up on what was a very busy week in basketball is complete. Rest up...another week begins tomorrow. I'm out.

DC