Lin-sanity, by Casey Mitchell

This is Casey Mitchell guest blogging for ST today. It looks that the hype is for real and so is Jeremy Lin. With 171 points, Lin sets the record for most points in his first seven starts since the NBA - ABA merger in 1976. If his first three starts didn't impress you enough, dropping 38 on Kobe and the Lakers should have caught your attention. Even people across the border are buying into Lin-sanity. I was amazed to see the reaction from an opposing crowd after a player just made a shot to beat your team. Not even when Kobe Bryant dropped 61 against the Knicks in Madison Square Garden, did an opposing crowd go crazy like when Jeremy Lin shoots the ball. He showed that he can shoot and he can pass with 13 assists against the Kings on Wednesday. What is really impressive to me is the way he can take a team from the cellar to .500 and a huge threat in the playoff race. Before Lin became a starter, New York was 8-15 and near the bottom of the division. Now they have won seven straight and are now 15-15. Once Melo gets back and healthy, it will be interesting to see how Lin's game will change. I think his assist numbers will improve but he won't attempt the same amount of shots. Anthony has already said he expects to be the "last shot guy," but I'm not sure if that would be the best thing for the team. Sure, Carmelo is the seasoned veteran and has made some clutch shot in his days but let's face it, Jeremy Lin is the guy in New York right now.The only thing to be concerned about, is that Lin has turned the ball over nearly 6 times per game since becoming a full time starter. Not long after leaving the game, Randy Moss has decided to come out of retirement and take the field again. The only problem is finding a team. The Vikings have already said they don't have any interest in bringing Moss back. There are a lot of teams that are looking to rebuild for years to come, and that doesn't include signing a 35 year old receiver past his prime. Don't get me wrong, back in his hay-day, Moss was one of the best players in the game. I just don't see him being a huge asset to a team next year.

JUST LIKE...WHAT?? by ST

This whole Jeremy Lin situation reminds me of...and the sentence trailed off as the credits began to roll. I've been racking my brain for a couple days and can not draw a parallel. The Tebow thing is stupid. How about a mid season call up in baseball? There have been some who've made a splash but not taken over the planet. As a rule we get the rookie who might come out of nowhere to become a prime time player but in the NFL or NBA the waiver wire can provide help, not usually a front and center guy. I remember in 1975 the Mets called up a kid who'd been the International League player of the year. Hit safely in his 1st 23 games. Ever hear of him? I bet you haven't. His name is Mike Vail. As a Knicks fan here's hoping Lin doesn't flame out in a similar fashion.
Nice story from TCU. 4 players arrested in a drug sting. One, DJ Yendrey was honorable mention all Mountain West as a defensive tackle. I love the quote from head coach Gary Patterson "there are days people want to be a head football coach, but today is not one of those days". Simple, but it says it. Sure inspired the basketball team who rallied from a 17 point deficit to knock off conference co-leader UNLV last night.
Getting geared up for the biggest Oregon basketball game since the 1st round of the Big Dance against Mississippi State on March 21st, a 76-69 loss. California poses a problem. They buried the Ducks at Matt Knight Arena back on January 8th. The Bears had been unbeaten at home until 2 weeks ago when Arizona beat them in a tight one 78-74. Tip off time is 7:30 on Comcast Channel 37.

HAPPY....WELL YOU KNOW by ST

For years I've been unable to get my head out of the 12 year old gutter. I always do a show on this day and ask people if they catch the irony of the initials of this day of love?? Sure it's sophmoric but consider the source. For today we have many questions to ask you. What are your sports loves?? What about sports do you love to hate? Who were and are some of your sports crushes? I'm calling on our female listeners in particular. This is your day. Time to make your contribution.
I used to preface segments like this with "I can't believe". No more. Unfortunately it appears we're failing to grow as a society. From reporter Jason Whitlock to boxer Floyd Mayweather, their blatant racist comments about the Knick's Jeremy Lin. Insinuating his attention if soley based on his Asian descent. Morons. The kid was born in LA and raised in Palo Alto. Mayweather is a Hall of Fame talent but has also taken shots at Manny Pacquiao. In anticipation of the only fight we want to see but might not he went off on a youtube rant. Said he was gonna make Manny make him a sushi roll and some rice. One catch. Pacquiao is from the Phillipines and not Asian. Once again we find ignorance knows no racial, social, or economic boundaries. It just shows up and the best among us rise above it.

WAY WORSE BEFORE A RESOLUTION by ST

Was reading some of what went down in State College related to the Sandusky child molestation case. If sleaze bothers you this case is your worst nightmare. It's going to get much more revealing and disgusting before the dust settles. Already the mouthpiece for Tim Curley, disgraced former athletic director has asked the case to be tossed against his client. Says Joe Paterno's was vital to the prosecution and of course Paterno just died. Basically their M.O was look the other way at repeated child rape then hope a key witness drops dead. The judge also asked Sandusky to stay inside as neighbors felt uncomfortable with his sitting on his deck watching children at a nearby elementary school. They've set a tentative trial date for the middle of May. That should add a charming touch to the merry, merry month.
Very nice win by the Ducks Saturday afternoon against Washington State. On the heels of the top to bottom demolition of the Dawgs, you might have anticipated a slight let down. There was. Early. I thought the guys were a bit sloppy with the ball and on defense got lost a few times leading to some easy Coug buckets. The continued outstanding shooting kept them at or near the lead all 1st half long and sent them to the break on top. About midway through the 2nd half, Wazzou's Abe Lodwick, a Bend area kid, dropped a three to put WSU up by 3. Here I'm thinking they best not fall into one of those extended offensive droughts they've been prone to. They didn't and it was due to terrific effort. Both Devoe Joseph and EJ Singler followed misses with tip ins. A trey by EJ off a nice find by DJ gave them the lead at the 6 minute mark they would not relinquish. Well done and it positioned them for this critical road trip to the Bay Area. On today's show I'll share some of what I experienced in the far reaches of section 105 as far as volume, distractions and my continued confusion over a horrifying song.
Gotta throw out an R.I.P to Whitney Houston a Jersey girl from Newark who was as gifted a singer as I've ever heard. Unfortunately she was never able to shake the demons that chased her via various substances. She will be missed.

New York Love, by Casey Mitchell

This is Casey Mitchell guest blogging for ST today. The people of New York don't have much to complain about these days. The Giants just pulled off a great playoff run to make it to Super Bowl XLVI. Once they got there, they weren't going to go down easy. It was classic Eli Manning in the clutch. You could just tell that when they had the ball during that last drive, they had full confidence that they were going to win. Well, it took a great throw and catch to Mario Manningham to do it but they were able to take home the trophy. I would just like to say that the ball that Wes Welker "dropped" wasn't exactly the best throw in the world. I think Wes makes that catch 7 times out of 10, but if that ball is a little better thrown, it would be New England who would be crowned as Super Bowl Champs. The Giants have some decisions to make as to who they want to sign back next year. Mario Manningham, who made the great catch in the final drive, is a free agent along with breakout receiver Victor Cruz. I think that they will only bring back one of those players, and I think it will be Victor Cruz. Last season Cruz set a Giants franchise record with 1,536 receiving yards in the regular season. Cruz also had 269 yards in the postseason.

As for the Knicks, phenom Jeremy Lin has taken the league by storm. Before last Saturday, Lin scored 32 points all together. But after becoming a starter for New York he has averaged over 25 points over the last three games. Lin and the Knicks take on the Lakers tonight in MSG. When asked, Kobe and Mike Brown said they didn't know what Jeremy Lin has done in the past few days. Not sure if this is a plot to get inside his head, but if Lin can keep this up, maybe Kobe and the Lakers will finally know who he is, along with the rest of the country.

EARLY MADNESS AND THE CHARACTER ISSUE by ST

A trio of marquee games on the college hardwood with 2 more than living up. Kansas reached into the past to remind Baylor about their place in the game. At tip off the Bears were ranked 6th, KU sat 10th. Both packed identical 8 & 2 records in the Big 12, tied at the top with #4 Missouri. It was tight at halftime when the Jayhawks ripped off a 19-4 run in the first 5 minutes and that was all she wrote.
Second ranked Syracuse rode a 29 point show from Kris Joseph to take an overtime decision against Big East rival Georgetown but the thriller of the evening took us to Chapel Hill. I think North Carolina coach Roy Williams flat out blew the game. They owned Duke all night long with their athleticism and willingness to ignore the clock and push the pace. Then with about 4 1/2 minutes left he took the air out of the ball. The foul shots began to clang. The advantage shrunk and shrunk. Duke ball down 2 with 13 seconds left. Super frosh Austin Rivers dropped a trey as the buzzer sounded and the Blue Devils ripped out the hearts of the Heel faithful at the Dean Dome.
Huge game for the Ducks hosting Washington at the Matt tonight. I'll make this simple. Unless they win the Pac 12 tournament at grab that auto bid to the Dance, they can not afford to lose any more home games. The heartbreaking loss at Colorado eliminated just about any room for error. The Dawgs know this win pretty much knocks the Ducks out of the regular season race and keeps them on the conference lead. They've won 8 of 9.
The most recent NFL Hall of Fame balloting has been revealed. Chris Carter, 4th on the all time catch list, did not make it. He had a well documented cocaine problem during his career. There have been whispers his induction is being delayed because of that. My question is should character count among voters?? Look forward to your response on today's shows.

JUST NOT TRUE by ST

Ever hear someone say there are two sides to every story or everything is debatable? I never bought that. Some loser walks into a drug store late at night and shoots the cashier on sight for the cash with no warning they're a murdering scumbag. I don't want to hear about their childhood or financial troubles. A player takes a performance enhancing steroid so they can play better they're a cheating pig. I don't want to hear about the culture or how "everyone" is doing it. The fans and media members still today using words like "taint" attached to Tom Brady are complete and total idiots.
With Kobe Bryant passing Shaq on the NBA all time scoring list I've heard lot's of talk about his place in history. Oddly many are pooh poohing the accomplishments of Kareem Jabber. I think he's easily in the all time Top 5. His credentials are off the charts. Not many have been a key cog on championship winners for two different teams. He won a Finals MVP with the Bucks in 1971 and the Lakers later in his career in 1985. All time leading scorer. 10 times he was either 1st or 2nd team on the all-NBA defensive team. I grant Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain their due but Kareem battled Hall of Fame centers his entire career. Nate Thurmond, Bill Walton, Willis Reed, Robert Parrish, Moses Malone, Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes or Walt Bellamy. The way media and fans take what he accomplished for granted is ridiculous.
I find it wonderful timing that Baseball's Hall of Fame will now offer a drug education program for students and young adults. Think it has anything to do with the fact that Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa will make their 1st appearance on the Hall Ballot this year??