Make it happen, Kenny Williams!

I will make it no secret on this blog that my baseball team is the New York Yankees. I have been a Bronx Bombers fan my entire life and had the pleasure of attending the first-ever playoff game at the new Yankee Stadium.

With that being said, I did live in the north suburbs of Chicago for two summers while in high school. Due to Wrigley selling out every day, I got the chance to watch the White Sox in person on a regular basis after taking the Red Line downtown.

A little news item broke this week concerning General Manager Kenny Williams' offseason plans-- centering around San Diego Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. Apparently, Chicago pitcher Jake Peavy is selling his old teammate to his new club and creating some buzz around the south side of the Windy City.

Here are five reasons why this would be an awesome move for the White Sox.

1. The Tigers got younger-- Despite keeping hurler Justin Verlander for $80 million, the Tigers got rid of Curtis Granderson and, in my opinion, became a more inexperienced baseball team this winter. The AL Central is always up for grabs, with Minnesota, Detroit, Chicago and Kansas City staying very conservative year-in and year-out.

2. If it makes Jake Peavy happy, go for it-- Before getting injured over the past couple of seasons, Jake Peavy was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. Granted, his entire career has been spent in the National League, but anyone with a career sub-3.30 ERA and a .231 batting average against is solid in my book. If the 2007 NL Cy Young brings some of his stuff with him from the left coast and is reunited with a teammate, he could really shine.

3. Right Field at U.S. Cellular is bomb city-- I was at the 2003 Home Run Derby at "The Cell" and man, the ball travels in that stadium. With the fenced-in VIP area in right sticking into the outfield, it creates a nice little seam for lefty hitters to do work. A-Gone would welcome that, even if Petco is a hitter's park.

4. Jim Thome and Johnny Damon-- First, the White Sox let Jim Thome go. Then, they whiffed on signing Johnny Damon. I know it's going to be hard to convince the Padres to trade Gonzalez because he's a home-grown talent who draws fans to watch a bad, young team, but Kenny Williams has to make a push. He hasn't done too well for himself this year.

5. He's Adrian Gonzalez-- The fact that there are four reasons not mentioning Gonzalez directly shows you how big of a slam dunk this would be for the White Sox. Yes, his batting average won't wow you (.277 in 2009), but the 40 home runs and 99 RBIs from last season were impressive. Right now, he's only making a shade over $3 million and he came close to an OPS of .960 in '09. Add that to the fact that he's durable (Gonzalez only sat two games last year) and you create a winning solution.

There you go, Kenny Williams. Work the Padres hard for Adrian Gonzalez. You won't be disappointed.

Scholastic Sports Tragedy

I wish I could bottle up the energy and dedication that goes into being a high school athlete or coach.

Some of my greatest memories as an adolescent came on the soccer field or the baseball diamond-- all while playing for coaches I admired and for whom I would run through a wall.

Last June, the ugly side of scholastic sports reared its ugly head in Iowa, when legendary Aplington-Parkersburg High School football coach Ed Thomas was killed by a former player in the middle of the school's weight room.

This was the same coach that helped rebuild his community following a devastating tornado that tore down buildings and left the town craving for a pick-me-up in the form of high school football. He was the man that led multiple students toward NFL careers-- including stud Green Bay Packers defensive player Aaron Kampman.

24-year-old Mark Becker has pleaded not guilty to the shooting by reason of insanity as the trial goes to jury this evening. He claimed the coach was Satan and that he was being "tormented" by him.

Is this simply an isolated incident from a former player that was clearly mentally disturbed? Or, is it a case of athletes not being able to take a coach's advice in stride or using the correct state of mind?

Yes, there are some high school coaches that push kids too far-- some that even abuse athletes physically and mentally. Those leaders should be reprimanded and kept away from gifted students perfecting their craft.

However, there are many superb instructors around the country at the high school level-- Saint Anthony (NJ) basketball coach Bob Hurley comes to mind-- and the Ed Thomases of the world deserved to be understood.

As a high school athlete, it is your responsibility to learn the game, work hard and give it your all every practice and contest. Your coach will challenge you physically and you should challenge your coach mentally. A good leader will embrace this give-and-take, thus creating a healthy relationship.

As we await the verdict in Iowa, I only hope that high school athletes around the country realize the importance of developing a working relationship with their coach. It will help them in school, on the field and most importantly, in life.

I know I'm not the only one sending my best to this Iowa community tonight.

U-S-A, U-S-A!

I never found a way to get into hockey as a kid. It had all the elements of sports I follow religiously-- a quicker pace than basketball, the physical nature of soccer and the strategy of football. But, because I grew up in New Jersey, hockey just wasn't in the forefront.

However, I haven't been as into an Olympic event as I was last night while watching USA-Canada. The 5-3 victory was intriguing for a multitude of reasons.

It put Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller on an international pedastal after posting 42 saves. For New Jersey Devils fans, watching Brian Rafalski and Jamie Lagenbrunner beat Martin Brodeur must have been a bit awkward. And, with today being the 30th anniversary of "The Miracle on Ice" in Lake Placid, there was a little extra emotion added to beating the hosts while wearing the throwback USA jerseys from 1980.

In no way, shape or form am I trying to compare the two wins. One revolutionized the sport, calmed political tensions momentarily and had no-name kids beating the world's best from overseas. The other was an upset, but just because the United States hadn't defeated Canada in "their sport" since 1960.

The fact that the U.S. avoids Canada and Russia until a potential gold medal showdown makes this win even sweeter. ESPN's Barry Melrose said on the day of the opening ceremonies that if the United States took home gold that it would send equivalent shockwaves through the hockey world to those felt in 1980 (which I find to be a ridiculous statement).

The closest thing linking those two teams is that defenseman Brooks Orpik is named for 1980 coach Herb Brooks (pictured)-- no other parallels can be made.

Yes, it was awesome watching Ryan Kesler send an all-out diving shot into an empty net to end things, but it can't compare to Mike Eruzione dancing after a goal in New York or Jim Craig turning away 36 shots against Boris Mikhailov and the Soviets.

Americans should enjoy watching this scrappy group of hockey players make a run toward a gold medal. But make no mistake about it, it won't create thousands of new hockey fans like Al Michaels' call and the U.S. squad's accomplishment did three decades ago.

The Battle of New Jersey

Rutgers had a chance to make a statement to the Big East conference this weekend against Connecticut. Despite an 18-point loss, the Scarlet Knights (14-13, 4-10) have a lot to play for in the last two weeks of the season.

RU is not only still in the running for some form of postseason play, but there is still the task of fighting for conference tournament seeding. But above all, there are two meetings with its hated rival from South Orange-- the Seton Hall Pirates.

With the first of two games on Tuesday in Newark (the return trip to the RAC will be played March 4), it's always fun to think back to some great moments in this series-- one that is not as publicized due to a lack of success in the New Jersey basketball programs.

Rutgers trails by seven in a series that will "celebrate" its 56th and 57th meetings this month. Here are my Top 3 memories from the last decade of RU-SHU hoops.

3. Feb. 23, 2002-- 66-60 RU-- This game was coined the "Seton Brawl." It was Senior Night for Rashod Kent, one of the most beloved players in the history of Scarlet Knights hoops. After a short-lived NFL career (yes, football), Kent had a rough run-in with the law and served some time in prison for drug-related crimes. But, on this night, he was his unbelieveable, undersized center self. RU guard Jerome Coleman was on fire from deep and when his Paul Robeson High School teammate Mike Sherrod was thrown into Section 118 by SHU's Marcus Toney-El, all heck broke loose on the floor. Watching Gary Waters and Louis Orr try to break that fight up was comical.

2. Feb. 8, 2005-- 62-61 RU in OT-- I feel like every game in this rivalry gets a nickname. The Hall fans deemed this one "The Les Jones Affair." Jones was a well-known Big East ref and he may have cost college basketball one of the best multiple-overtime games in the last decade. But, when Quincy Douby rose for a jumper with time expiring in overtime, Donald Copeland got a bit too close. There was no contact, but Douby got the call (he was a sophomore at the time and was one year away from leading the conference in scoring). He calmly hit the second of two free throws to send the RAC into a frenzy.

1. March 9, 2008-- 64-61 RU-- Rutgers was on a nine-game losing streak heading into this one and had nothing to play for except the rivalry on the last day of the regular season. The Scarlet Knights hadn't won since beating Villanova and Pittsburgh in back-to-back games over five weeks prior. Down by as many as 17 points, it looked as if RU's first game on Seton Hall's new home court ("The Rock") would go about as well as every game at Continental Airlines Arena. After Jamar Nutter tied the game with five seconds left, JR Inman hit a running three-pointer as time expired in one of the best basketball endings you can script. Yes, it ended RU's season at 11-20, but it destroyed Seton Hall's hopes of a NIT bid.

I can guarantee one thing. Two meetings in 10 days between Rutgers and Seton Hall will create a bit of tension on the New Jersey college basketball scene.

And by the way, coaches Freddie Hill and Bobby Gonzalez hate each other-- a lot.

Enjoy.

The Tim Higgins Story

I may be one of a small group of people that will read every word of Dana O'Neil's ESPN article on veteran college basketball referee Tim Higgins.

When the casual fan watches a college hoops game, they're focusing on the star players, the marquee coaches and the student sections. Having attended hundreds of on-campus Big East tilts over the better part of 21 years, I have a general idea of the tempo of the game before tip-off.

Once I see the trio of officials, the complexion of the 40 minutes has already been decided. And, that's what makes O'Neil's look at the lifestyle of a college basketball referee so interesting.

Sometimes we forget that these refs work day jobs too-- as vice presidents of sales companies and high school principals (see Tim Higgins and Bob Donato).

We also forget about the grief they get from players, fans and coaches for two hours straight every night. Nobody officiates a perfect game and even I lose sight of that occasionally.

ESPN doesn't caption the picture in the piece this way, but I'm 100 percent sure that its from a Texas at Providence game in Jan. 2004. I'll never forget Providence coach Tim Welsh (who would go on to lose to Rutgers on a Herve Lamizana buzzer-beater a few days later) staring over Higgins' shoulder with Texas head man Rick Barnes. Higgins was reviewing the floater that would create the "light-up backboards" in college hoops.

Rewind to 10 years ago. Higgins calls a Miami basket good at Villanova that clearly leaves the shooter's hand after the buzzer. There was no replay and this is the event that stays with the veteran, highly-acclaimed official to this day.

I had the chance to meet Higgins in Feb. 2006 in Piscataway when he called the infamous Rutgers-Marquette game that led to Gary Waters' firing. Until that point, I didn't respect referees as humans. I looked at them as robots that flew from game to game and were paid to take a beating from fans due to their ineptitude.

I never once saw an official talk to a fan pre-game before that day. With 30 inches of snow in New Jersey, only a handful of people were able to get to the RAC (I walked). Higgins went around the lower level of the arena and personally thanked the fans for coming out in his deep tri-state area accent. That moment made me realize that refs are people too. As corny as it sounds, that was refreshing for a college hoops junkie. I could now respect every aspect of the game.

With last week's intentional foul on Kris Joseph in the Syracuse-Louisville game--given out by Higgins-- making national headlines, all of the talk is about how poorly Higgins calls a game.

Five years ago, I would have agreed. Now, I know how important officials are to college basketball. Props to the Tim Higgins figures in the sports world-- we owe you some more respect.

ESPN article on Tim Higgins

Bracketology with Danny B(rackets)

I wonder how many books on sport sociology and statistics line the Saint Joseph's University office of Joe Lunardi.

He gets the chance to provide analysis for basketball broadcasts at one of the most interesting venues in the nation at Hawk Hill. Then, as his "day job," Lunardi posts an updated NCAA Tournament bracket and makes television appearances creating and bursting bubbles around the nation.

That must be a pretty cool gig.

With 2010's version of March Madness quickly approaching and Top 10 upsets becoming the norm-- No. 3 Syracuse and No. 8 Georgetown fell to Louisville and Rutgers (*cue RU cheers*)-- it's time to take a quick look at contenders and pretenders. We will look deeper into the bracket during the conference tournaments.

Contenders

1. Kentucky-- Yes, I dislike John Calipari. And yes, I think that John Wall's tendency to turn the ball over and DeMarcus Cousins' attitude could come back to haunt the Wildcats in a late-game situation. But, there is no doubt in my mind that this is the most athletic team in the nation. Patrick Patterson is a legitimate post player turned 3-point shooter and if the complementary scoring shows up after the SEC Tournament, UK has to be the title favorite.

2. Kansas State-- This isn't a trendy pick because the (other) Wildcats don't defend as well as other elite teams (they give up nearly 70 points per game). Your two guards (Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente) average a combined 36 points per contest and Frank Martin is the scariest coach in the nation. That's a solid equation for success.

Pretenders

1. Temple-- Joe Lunardi is definitely a Philadelphia homer. How is Temple a No. 5 seed? I hate to continue my crusade against the Atlantic 10 (just kidding, I enjoy it very much) but I can't believe that analysts are discussing more bubble teams from this conference than anywhere else. Juan Fernandez and Lavoy Allen are complete players but other than that, I'm not impressed by the Owls.

2. Michigan State-- Tom Izzo is an amazing coach-- probably the best in the country. Kalin Lucas and Raymar Morgan are NBA prospects, but without a bulldog rebounder like Goran Suton, they won't make it past the Sweet 16. They win games in the ugly, Big 10 fashion-- unlike the 2008-2009 Spartans team that sprinted to the national title game.

More to come on the full brackets during early March...

Tobacco Road-ish

Maybe it's because there was 20 inches of snow on the ground outside my house. Or, maybe I was just too tired after spending six hours at a Rutgers Athletic Center with 100 people inside of it (Blizzard 2010 smacked New Jersey).

But, watching Duke-UNC last night seemed different. For my entire life, this has been the second best rivalry in American sports-- right behind the Yankees and Red Sox. As a college hoops fan, you marked your calendar for the mid-February and early March tilts at the Dean Dome and Cameron Indoor.

Wednesday's leg one was a defensive basketball game-- Coach K's favorite kind of hoops. However, there were points when Roy Williams looked like he was trying too hard and when Ed Davis (4 points, 5 rebounds) looked more like a second-round pick than a sure-fire lottery selection.

Watching Jon Scheyer (pictured; 24 points on 5-of-9 from 3-point range) reminded me of J.J. Reddick at times and, in turn, some better moments in this rivalry.

Maybe the aura and mystique faded a bit because of this crazy little stat. The game put now No. 7 Duke (20-4, 8-2 in the ACC) against unranked and sliding North Carolina (13-11, 2-7).

Against a comparable schedule, UNC is one game better than Rutgers (12-12, 2-9 in the BIG EAST). The team in Chapel Hill is falling fast.

Roy Williams will get a ton of breathing room and rightfully so. If you win two national titles in five years, you can survive one NIT season. However, on Tobacco Road, you don't get much time to rebuild.

I'm sure Williams would have loved Tyler Hansbrough back on the court yesterday. None of his Tar Heels seemed to understand the importance of protecting the Dean Dome against Duke. And, that's a sad fact.

Let's hope it's a better game at Cameron Indoor next month.