CJ Fair Says Aloha!

Blood after a dunk is so badass. I dunked once and cut my finger on the rim in a pick up game... Walked around for three days like I had the biggest dick on the eastern seaboard.

Glad the NCAA is tightening up the rules this year. Hopefully next year they will make karate chops to the head illegal as well.

UPDATE: How awful is that video?... Round 2
UPDATE: Got the video working. Enjoy.

Syracuse's Doug Marrone Taking the Helm in Buffalo

This Buffalo Bills haven't had a winning season since 2004 and haven't made the playoffs for 13 years.  When they fired head coach Chan Gailey after going 16-32 over three seasons, at least the fans hoped that the team would be headed for a better future.  But when they hired former Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone just shy of a week after Gailey was shown the door, it became clear that the 2013 season would not be full steam ahead.

Marrone, in his first head coaching job, went 25-25 in four season with Syracuse.  The Bills, who interviewed former Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt and offensive coordinator Ray Horton, former Bears head coach Lovie Smith and Oregon head coach Chip Kelly decided to take a coach who plays in the same market, just over two hours away.

Now for the pros.  Marrone won two Bowl games -- both Pinstripe Bowls in 2010 and 2012 -- and finished 8-5 this season with the Orange.  He served as the New York Jets offensive line coach from 2002-2005, and the New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator from '06-'08.  That's about it.

The Bills had the opportunities to go with someone who was NFL ready.  Bringing in Marrone should be better for their offense, but going with someone who has been out of the NFL for four seasons is a high risk.  Marrone will have the luxury of picking his own staff, which could be an issue if he pulls from a mediocre Syracuse coaching staff.  Time will tell how the Bills form around the new coaching staff, but going with Marrone was far from anyone's first, second or third choice.

College Basketball is Back

 

The most exciting game on hardwood is back tonight, tipping off at 5 p.m., officially marking the countdown to March Madness.  Tom Izzo's no. 14 Michigan State will battle Kevin Ollie's new look UConn team.  Last season, UConn lost players to the NBA and to transfers after the NCAA has suspended them from both the Big East and NCAA Championships for academic violations. 

Michigan State is favored in the game tonight, coming from across the pond at Ramstein Airbase in Germany.  This game marks the first regular season college basketball game in history to be played overseas, but it won't be the first to be played in an out-of-the-ordinary location. 

Ohio State and Marquette will face off aboard the USS Yorktown in Charleston, S.C., Florida and Georgetown will be aboard the USS Bataan in Jacksonville, Fla., and Syracuse will take on San Diego State from the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, Calif.  The 'Cuse-SDSU game will tip-off Sunday because of the strong chance of wind and rain Friday evening.

Each team will be sporting custom uniforms for each game, consisting of their team colors as a camouflage design.  Normally, gimmicky uniforms fall flat on their face, but these uniforms aren't just about the look.  Last year, when Michigan State took on North Carolina in the first Carrier Classic, every player wore the same name on their backs -- "U.S.A."

Now, for the picks.  The losing streak has to end eventually right?  I'm gonna go for the upset -- with a side of bias -- and take UConn over State in the opening game.  Ohio State should take down Marquette in a solid game, with the best game coming from Jacksonville, where Florida will take down Georgetown.  On Sunday, Syracuse will handle San Diego State, no matter the weather.