Author Archives: Kent Sterling

Indiana Pacers Bring Some Joy to IPS School 44 – Vogel Confirms Popeye Jones as Third Assistant

by Kent Sterling

The Pacers were fighting into June to win the franchise’s first NBA Title. The left four months to rest up for the opening of training camp. What they do during the “down time” included thrilling a group of IPS elementary school students.

Point guard George Hill, coach Frank Vogel, team president Jim Morris, COO Rick Fuson, and the indomitable Eddie White showed up with a truckload of gifts donated by JAKKS Pacific for the students in today’s Summer Christmas event.

The Pacers were joined by the Indiana Members Credit Union and the Indiana National Guard to bring an early holiday fun to kids who sure enjoyed the effort.

There was a little news broken during the post event interview as Vogel told me that Popeye Jones had been named the third assistant, filling to last of the two vacancies caused by Jim Boylen and Brian Shaw’s departures.

Vogel is a rare bird in that he seems to genuinely enjoy these events and talking to the media. Maybe it’s the years he spent auditing video and doing the grunt work, but Vogel is appears to have fun bringing smiles to the faces of grade school kids.

Here is the interview with Vogel talking about how important this kind of outreach is and talking about the hire of Jones – which frankly surprised me as I wasn’t sure the Pacers were ready to announce it.

2013-2014 NBA Position Rankings – Top 10 Centers; Where Is Roy Hibbert?

by Ryan Sterling

The center position in the NBA is in a state of turmoil.

With the league turning to small ball line-ups the traditional center position was taken over by hybrid big men, who keep the floor spaced for slashing wings.

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These ten players are the exception to this new style of basketball. They must have the ability to defend the rim, play with their back to the basket, and rebound both offensively and defensively. Here are the final rankings:

1 – Dwight Howard

With the media circus Howard creates and the expectations fans of the NBA have for him was a disappointment for Howard in many respects, but he still the best center in the league. He still put up 17.1 ppg and grabbed 12.4 rpg, which was the best in the NBA. He blocked 2.2 shots per game which was the third best average in the league. Howard did all of this with a bum shoulder and if I am thinking correctly the shoulder is huge part of playing basketball. Howard takes criticism for some of his behavior, but the fact of the matter is he can play and is a difference maker on both sides of the floor.

The Rockets will be better with Howard in the middle, but I do not believe they are championship level just yet. Howard can sway people’s opinion of him this year by playing MVP level basketball and taking the Rockets deep into playoffs. He needs to put in work at the free throw line and become more of a dominate force on the offensive side, but as far as centers go in the NBA Howard has the throne.

2 – Brook Lopez

Lopez has all the tools to be the best big man in the game. The Nets would be wise to make him the vocal point of their offensive game plan. Lopez has the offensive game that can dominate opponents. Lopez also was seventh in the NBA in blocked shots (2.08) and his blocked shot per foul was second best in the NBA, so not only does Lopez block shots, but he does so without fouling. Lopez averaged 19.4 ppg last season, which is best among centers in the league (espn.com has him behind Aldridge, but I have Aldridge as a PF). The only place where Lopez needs to improve is on the glass. His rebounding numbers throughout his career are pretty terrible. If Lopez can get those numbers up he has a slight chance to pass up Howard.

With the new additions to the Nets roster Lopez will have more room to roam on the offensive side. Having shooters such as Paul Pierce and Jason Terry and a big man the quality of Kevin Garnett around him will only serve to help Lopez get one-on-one match-ups and very few in the NBA can handle that defensively.

3 – Roy Hibbert

Hibbert showed fans around the league just how good he can be during the Pacers playoff run. I understand that his regular season numbers left something to be desired. He struggled to put the ball in the hole, but Hibbert has claimed he was playing with an injured wrist and I tend to believe him. Hibbert has shot nearly 50 percent from the field in every other season except last year and his shooting percentage from inside ten feet was atrocious.

As he showed later in the season and in the playoffs those numbers did not reflect the real product. During the regular season Hibbert averaged 11.9 points and 8.3 rebounds, not premiere big man numbers. But in the playoffs Hibbert put up 17 points, 9.9 rebounds, and blocked two shots. Those blocks do not count the number of shots he affected. Hibbert leads a Pacer defense that is the best in the NBA in a number of categories and with a full season of consistent offensive play look for Hibbert to get back in the All-Star game.

4 – Marc Gasol

Gasol could go as high as number two on this list, but I have him at four becasue I do not think he can dominate a game on the offensive side of the ball like the top three on list. Do not get me wrong, I think Gasol is a fantastic player with a skill set very few big men have. He can handle the ball, he sees the floor well, and he was the defensive player of the year.

The only thing I see lacking in his game is the ability for the Grizzlies to throw him the ball and have him dominate. Hibbert showed he could do it against the Heat, Howard led his team to an NBA Finals where the second best player was either Hedo Turkoglu, Jameer Nelson, or Rashard Lewis, and Lopez has done it in the regular season for a Nets team that has in the past been terrible. I love Gasol’s game and he is one of the best big men in the world, but I cannot see him moving up this list without a dominate playoff run. This could be that year.

5 – Greg Monroe

Greg Monroe will be the best center in the NBA in five years. Each season his numbers have gotten better and better and he is only 23 years old. Monroe scores (16.0 ppg), he boards (9.6 rpg) and he can pass (3.5 apg). His offensive game is well rounded as the stats prove. Defensively Monroe needs to improve. He does not block shots at the rate of the centers above him and as a young player he needs to refine his positioning. In his defense Andre Drummond is playing with him and Drummond averages 1.6 blocks per game, so that number probably will not go up without Drummond getting hurt.

The signing of Josh Smith will hurt Monroe’s growth in terms of numbers. I think Monroe is a twenty and ten type guy, but with Smith on the roster I do not believe his numbers will match the skill. His current numbers stack up with every center in the league and with a few more years of NBA coaching and experience Monroe will be a force to be reckoned with.

6 – Joakim Noah

Noah is a player fans everywhere love to hate, except for Bulls fans. Noah is a double-double nearly every night and without Derrick Rose this past season Noah upped his assist numbers from 2.5 per game to 4 per game. Impressive for a player going into his seventh season in the league. Noah is not an offensive presence by any stretch and his jumper is the most hideous looking thing this side of Shaun Marion, but for he lacks on the offensive end he makes up for on defense. Noah led the Bulls last year in rebounds (11.1), steals (1.2) and blocks (2.1). Noah was third in the NBA in offensive rebounding with 3.7 per game. So lets take a look at the stat line:

ppg – 11.9 rpg – 11.1 apg – 4.0 spg – 1.2 bpg – 2.1 off rpg – 3.7

These are the numbers of a man who plays the game with reckless abandon and will do anything to help his team win, despite his downfalls as an offensive player. His numbers dipped in this year’s playoffs, but Noah was playing through plantar fasciitis. Look for typical Noah-like numbers this season and with the return of Derrick Rose, I see a career year coming.

7 – Al Horford

Another big man who I really like, but has some struggles offensively. Last season was Horford’s best in terms of numbers. He put up 17.4 ppg, 10.2 rpg, and dished out 3.2 apg. For his career Horford is a 54 percent shooter from the field, but his jumper outside of fifteen feet is not good. He lives off of slashing guards dumping the ball of to him in places he can score. If Horford can develop a mid-range game he will jump up this list. Horford also blocks 1.1 shots per game and grabs 1.1 steals per game.

The block numbers will go up because of the absence of Josh Smith’s 1.8 blocks per game. Look for Horford to have an even better year statically this season with Josh Smith moving on and the addition of Paul Milsap. Horford will be relied upon to put up numbers on the inside. Horford needs a playoff run to get higher on this list. His game matches up well with the other players on this list; unfortunately, he has not been able to show a national audience.

8 – Al Jefferson

This is a prime example of a one-way center. Offensively Jefferson might be the best big man in the league. He can score from anywhere on the floor and is capable of putting up 40 in any given game. He has had two seasons of 20 and 10 and with a Bobcats team that will depend on him to play outstanding basketball he should be in line for a few more seasons. Jefferson averaged 17.8 ppg last year and unfortunately has seen his scoring numbers fall since he was traded from Minnesota.

The only thing keeping Jefferson out of the top three on this list is his defense, which is not good. He struggles to handle one-on-one match-ups in the post and is ineffective as a rim protector. Hopefully with the addition of a shot blocker in Cody Zeller, Jefferson will not be asked to block shots or play one-on-one in the post. If Jefferson can improve defensively he hop far up this list. Remember Jefferson is only 28 years old and there is room for improvement.

9 – DeMarcus Cousins

If Demarcus Cousins can get his head on straight he will be a premiere big man in the NBA. Seventeen technicals and four ejections are too many for a key player. Take a look at the numbers from Cousins compared to Jefferson, who is only spot ahead of him:

Jefferson ppg – 17.8 rpg – 9.2 apg – 2.1 bpg – 1.1 fg% – .494
Cousins ppg – 17.1 rpg – 9.9 apg – 2.7 bpg – 0.7 fg% – .465

Those are similar numbers from two players who play have the same game. The only difference is Cousins is 23. Cousins needs a veteran to come in and show him what it means to be a professional basketball player. Consistent effort night in and night out is necessary and if Cousins can pair that effort with his skill set he will be unstoppable. Unfortunately for Cousins it does not look like Sacramento is a place where many veterans are looking to end their career so Cousins will have to figure out the mental aspect of the game through his own experience. As stated above with Jefferson, if Cousins can complete his game on the defensive side and get his head on right he will shoot up this list.

10 – David Lee

David Lee can play. He is not normally what you think of as an NBA center, but in the absence of Andrew Bogut, Lee stepped in and gave the Warriors a boost at the five. Lee has been a 20 and 10 guy in the past and while those days are probably over with the emergence of Stephen Curry, Lee can still bring it and be effective. Lee was right behind Lopez at third in scoring among NBA centers (18.5) and he was tied for fourth in the NBA with 11.2 rpg.

The one area where Lee cannot stack up is he is not a rim protector. He has averaged less than half a block per game for his career and it does not appear as though he will be upping those numbers anytime soon. Lee has a nice mid-range game and can play back-to-the-basket, which makes him a great offense weapon at the center position. Look for Lee’s numbers to drop off a little due to the style of play the Warriors will be playing, but Lee is still a top center in the league.

Click here for rankings of power forwards

Click here for rankings of wings

Click here for rankings of point guards

Indianapolis Sports – Never More Interesting with Only Pacers a “Sure Thing”

by Kent Sterling

Paul George is one of the big reasons the Pacers are the only sure thing in central Indiana among sports franchises.

Back and forth I go about the predicted fortunes of the Indianapolis Colts. They are projected to win anywhere from six to 12 games, and that’s an unusually huge swath between potential success and failure. Hard to imagine most NFL teams winning more than 12 or less than six (except for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are strong nowhere).

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The Indiana Hoosiers football team returns 19 starters, is a year stronger, and had the fourth best recruiting class in the Big Ten. BTN analyst Tom Dienhart wrote last week that the Hoosiers could win as many as eight or as few as three. Hell of a big difference.

The Purdue Boilermakers weren’t terrible last year, but administrators felt stronger enough to fire Danny Hope and hire Darrell Hazell. What that’s going to mean for the Boiler is anyone’s guess. Hazell needed only two years to turn Kent State into a winner, but this first year in West Lafayette might be a long one.

Indiana University Basketball lost over 80% of nearly every relevant statistic through graduation and early entry to the NBA. Tom Crean has restocked with talented freshmen, but guessing whether Yogi Ferrell, Will Sheehey, and the new blood can continue the ascent the program has enjoyed since hitting rock bottom in Crean’s first season is in question.

The Pacers are undoubtedly stronger than they were during last season’s run to a Game Seven in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat. David West signed a new three year deal, and the second unit was completely reconstructed with the additions of Solomon Hill, Chris Copeland, C.J. Watson, and Luis Scola. Danny Granger’s return will likely mean the addition of Lance Stephenson to that group. Ian Mahinmi will be the lone holdover.

The question with the Pacers is whether the vacancies left by assistant coaches Jim Boylen and Brian Shaw will lead to a disruption of what made the team so proficient last season. Nate McMillan will fill one of the positions, and his resume’ would prompt confidence.

The question with the Pacers is whether they will be ready to win the 60+ games in the regular season needed to secure the top seed in the East. The Heat won 66 last year while the Pacers won “only” 49, so the difference between the two-time defending NBA Champions and the Pacers isn’t really the 48 minutes that sent the Heat to the Finals, but the 17 wins that sent Game Seven to South Beach.

The rest of the Indiana franchises of interest have such a wide margin of expectations that it’s almost impossible to focus on what we believe might happen.

For the Colts, I expect 10 wins. Andrew Luck will become a top five quarterback in the NFL, which may appear ambitious, but after watching him in camp for better than two weeks, I see no physical or psychological flaw. He’s the best young gun I’ve ever seen, and if there are more than three teams you would refuse to trade their current QB for Luck, I would question their sanity.

The rest of the Colts are good enough that they can win more than they lose as long as Luck is healthy. The free agent signings, minus Gosder Cherilous make me a bit nervous. They are okay to good players, and those guys in bulk tend not to be the foundation for champions.

There are enough tools offensively, if Ahmad Bradshaw can run as he did last season, for the Colts to score, and the defense should be a little bit better.

IU Football? I have no earthly idea. They start the season with five consecutive home games, so whatever is going to happen, fans should know early. Anything less than 3-2 in those five, and October/November will see some lonely afternoons in Bloomington. Coach Kevin Wilson called out fans last week for not showing up in Bloomington for the Wisconsin game. Let’s see if he has taken the steps needed to give the fans a reason for enthusiasm.

IU Hoops should be expected to make the NCAA Tournament. A top five recruiting class should be enough to keep the Hoosiers relevant. Noah Vonleh is a unique kid, and the return of Sheehey and Ferrell will give Indiana a quality team. If not, the current void of players in the 2014 class will need to be filled with dynamic newcomers.

Purdue Basketball will go as far as Ronnie Johnson and A.J. Hammons take them. Johnson should be expected to step up and play well, but it’s the play of the occasionally laconic Hammons who will drive the team to a first division finish in the Big Ten or right off a cliff.

As for Boilermakers football, minus the arrival of Hazell, there isn’t much reason for optimism. Like the Hoosiers, there is a wide open quarterback competition, and until we see the QB for either team effectively lead, it isn’t possible to assess anything.

This is a Fall unlike any I can remember, when the ceiling is so high and the floor so low for virtually every team. Strap in.

Indianapolis Colts Camp – Coby Fleener’s Concussion, Players Get Serious, and DHB’s Hands Have a Tough Day

by Kent Sterling

There was a different vibe a Colts Camp today. Nothing like a 24-point hammering by an expansion team-esque Buffalo Bills to get a full roster serious about football. The fun of last week was replaced by serious work.

Second year tight end Coby Fleener watched from the sidelines with his sleeves rolled up to avoid the farmer’s tan that all football players are gifted with during camp because of concussion symptoms suffered during Sunday’s game.
Rookie defensive end Bjoern Werner got his first action of camp, and appeared to be damn excited about it.
Wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey did not to dispel worries about his hands.
Pat Angerer was cleared to practice, but he came out after the work had started and then worked on the side.
There was some focused work on special teams with an emphasis on maintaining lane integrity. That may have happened multiple times in earlier workout without my notice, but after Sunday’s collapse on special teams, it was not lost on anyone that special teams work was an important part of practice.
The best part of the day came after the scheduled workout when Reggie Wayne took balls fired from the machine. He caught pass after pass left-handed just above his shoe tops, and I thought this is a football version of watching Ted Williams take batting practice.
There are players who impress each workout. I have really liked the way third year Ben Ijalana has moved. He’s only worked with the third unit and against the third unit defense, but he looks quick and strong. Whether he would look that way against the ones – who knows?
Running back Kerwynn Williams has looked quick, sure, and has been very good as a receiver out of the backfield. I’ve caught myself saying over and over again, “Who in the hell in #49? He’s huge!” He’s Caesar Rayford, a 6’7″, 267 lbs. rookie linebacker out of Washington, and he towers over the others linebackers.

There was a lot of talk about the tweet from Jim Irsay that called out the performance of the team he owns, “Many starters played briefly or were nursing little injuries,but it was a crap performance,my apologies/My commanders got n earful from me!”

The tweet was ill-considered as an attempt to try to commiserate with fans who felt cheated by a 24-point loss to a bad team. Colts fans know better than most that the preseason is meaningless by virtue of the complete disconnect between preseason failure from 2005-2010 when the Colts went a dreadful 4-22, and the regular season success represented by a 75-21 record.

Season ticket prices, which mandate the inclusion of two preseason games, are one of the reasons for fan dissatisfaction with a meaningless loss where the first team guys for the Bills exposed the third stringers of the Colts. My advice would be for season ticket holders to view the preseason as free while accepting a 20% up charge in regular season prices.

Massive justifications are my specialty, but I would suggest that Irsay not play the fanbase he worked so hard to build as saps. Apologies ring hollow from the guy who happily counts the money generated by a “crap performance” while simultaneously offering platitudes.

I’ve always been a fan of Irsay’s. He’s a quirky guy, but compared to many of the men who make incredible amounts of cash through their franchises, he’s a gem. His use of social media is both fun and generous, but pretending to share frustration with fans while stuffing wads of their cash into his pockets is disingenuous.

If being serious is a good thing, and a step in the right direction, the Colts should be more ready to go Sunday at MetLife Stadium against the Giants.

Unlike More Talked About Radio Hosts, 101 ESPN’s Randy Karraker Does It Right – Always

by Kent Sterling

The madness surrounding the idiocy perpetrated by Jack Clark upon the legacy of Albert Pujols has generated headlines in St. Louis and across the country because watching the self-immolation of the famous has become an American pastime. I wasn’t going to write about it because the squeaky wheels getting the grease in the soap opera of St. Louis media have become tiresome, but then decided that not only was it a teaching moment for those hoping to avoid a slander lawsuit, it was kind of fun.

As a conscience soother, I have decided to also write about a guy who does his job right every single day, extending far beyond the four-hours he spends everyday in the studio.

Randy Karraker has been a St. Louis radio institution for three decades, and that will continue for as long as he chooses because pros are not that easy to come by. He embodies the professionalism that accounts for the survival of radio as a medium because as he knows, it’s the content and not the fading delivery system that matters.

The idiocy of the management at CBS in the late 1990s sent Randy packing from KMOX, as that radio station decided that it needed to become somehow less special in the eyes and ears of its listeners. Randy was and is the perfect talent for a station like KMOX, but their self-imposed lapses in judgment sent him into the treacherous jungles of low-power radio to continue to make a living doing what he loved, even if not for the station he adored.

That all changed in 2009 when he was among the first hires by 101 ESPN when the station launched. He became the anchor of “The Fast Lane” from 2p-6p every afternoon, and KMOX’s loss became Randy’s gain. KMOX has become a moribund property that works tirelessly not to engage listeners with an endless string of newscasts interrupted frequently by spots, weather, and traffic. Without Cardinals baseball to buoy the ratings, it would have lapsed into total obscurity long ago.

The best part of Randy’s story is that he is genuinely a good guy. The man heard on the radio is the man you see at Cardinals games, as well as in my office from time to time during my run as PD at 101 ESPN.

Randy should be the play-by-play voice of the Cardinals. He should have followed his mentor, the one-of-a-kind Jack Buck, and continued the legacy of genuinely decent pros describing the action at Busch Stadium for the tens of thousands of Cardinals fans who rely upon 1120 AM as their conduit to all things Redbirds. That didn’t happen, but Randy didn’t turn sour or bitter. He continued to respect the medium and St. Louisans who rely upon his honest analysis.

Never in his life has this former usher at Busch Stadium lived more than a mile from the house in which he grew up, and it’s a short bike ride to the 101 studios. Randy works tirelessly to fill those four hours on 101 with great content, and even more important is how he represents himself and 101 in the community. He always makes time for listeners who are kind enough to say hello to him in the grocery store or a restaurant.

One story that is vintage Randy is about a potential client who saw him at a gas station. The guy was in the process of deciding whether or not to use Randy as a spokesperson as part of a major buy on 101. The guy thought, “Randy’s a busy guy, and he doesn’t need me bothering him, so I’ll leave him alone.” Randy saw the guy, approached and greeted him by name. The guy made the decision right then to pull the trigger on the deal.

Randy didn’t say hello to try to persuade him to do business with 101, but because that’s just who he is – a good guy who enjoys talking to St. Louisans. He learned the business of radio from Jack Buck, and after so many years of watching him do things the KMOX way, it became part of Randy’s DNA.

It’s a shame for CBS that the guy who embodies the KMOX way is now defining the 101 ESPN way, but those are the breaks when management intervenes to change the personality of a station whose chief attribute was personality.

Every city has a Randy Karraker – the guy without whom a city’s collective radio character would not be the same. There are more than one of those at 101 ESPN, the station that in less than five years has become the voice of St. Louis – not just of its sports fans, but of the city itself. That position was abandoned the day that CBS decided that Randy and so many others were disposable pieces of their puzzle.

Randy took that piece of St. Louis with him to 101, and never looked back. My hope for him and 101 is that the Cardinals have the foresight to take their product to 101, and put Randy where he belongs – behind the mike at Busch Stadium sharing his gift for description with Cardinals fans just as his mentor did.

Henry David Thoreau on the Current State of College Football – He Would Have Loved Johnny Football

by Kent Sterling

Disobeying isn’t just for petulant seven-year-olds. It’s the best way to cause change.

It’s hard to list the ways the NCAA is losing control of big money college athletics and the kids whose efforts comprise the product. The NCAA, schools, coaches, and local businesses make fat cash because kids work tirelessly to compete on Saturdays in the fall. The kids are allowed to attend classes at no charge as their sole compensation.

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Regardless of the value of their brand, the student-athletes are restricted from monetizing it in any way. The schools and NCAA on the other hand, eagerly sell all kinds of swag featuring the image of those brands.

Last week, the NCAA pulled all merchandise from their online store after ESPN analyst Jay Bilas, also an attorney, outed them for their eagerness in profiting from the images of players.

Schools continue to sell jerseys representing players, and the kids don’t get a dime other than the pass through expense of tuition and room and board covering an education for which many have no use.

But the kids are wising up. Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel is being investigated for signing more than 4,400 items in exchange for cash. That’s a blatant violation of enough NCAA rules that if proven true, Manziel is almost guaranteed to lose his remaining eligibility. His only saving grace is that the NCAA has no subpoena power, meaning it cannot compel testimony. Proving that Manziel took cash or a promise of future cash may take enough time for Johnny Football to wrap up what is damn likely to be his final campaign anyway.

Then, the NCAA will penalize Texas A&M with forfeited games and other restrictions that will have no effect on Manziel – just the folks he leaves behind.

It’s beyond dispute, among most, that the construct of collegiate athletics is unjust to its core. The powerful profit, while the workers toil for scraps. What a wonderful irony it would be for these preyed upon cogs in the corrupt machine of college football to take a course in which it was mandatory for them to read “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau.

Most people have vague associations between Thoreau and Walden Pond, but have little understanding of how relevant his message would be today as college athletes serve as a repressed minority. What would Thoreau advocate for athletes?

He would almost certainly see Manziel as a hero for opposing the corrupt rules that serve only to restrict the right available to everyone else – to sell their likeness and profit from their brand as they see fit. Thoreau would encourage others to do likewise as the rules would certainly change were they ignored by all.

So using quotes from Thoreau, we ask him about college football, and the NCAA as a governmental institution:

The NCAA has become a tool of profiteering institutions who work as hard to repress student-athletes as regulate competition. What should athletes do to combat the machine that crushes their ability to be compensated at the level of their value?

“If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law.”

What can be done to change the construct of college athletics?

“Things do not change; we change.”

What could NCAA President Mark Emmert say that would give you hope that the NCAA is headed in the right direction?

“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.”

What gives you hope that the NCAA might be able to reform in a way that makes it worthy of trust as an oversight institution for college football and men’s basketball players?

“There is one consolation in being sick; and that is the possibility that you may recover to a better state than you were ever in before.”

What advice what you give the athletes who are restricted by the NCAA?

“A minority is powerless while it conforms to the majority; it is not even a minority then; but it is irresistible when it clogs by its whole weight. If the alternative is to keep all just men in prison, or give up war and slavery, the State will not hesitate which to choose.”

Thoreau was a smart guy who inspired Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and others who chose rather than to engage in physical confrontation to not conform to the requirements of the powerful.

If every college football player accepted cash for signing autographs, the NCAA would be powerless to punish any of them. Manziel is easy prey as long as he has no compatriots.

College athletes should seek out ways to break the unfair rules that restrict them from being fairly compensated for their work and financial impact on a university and the NCAA as a whole.

Instead of recoiling from autograph brokers, they should embrace them.

I doubt Manziel has ever heard of Thoreau, and if he took cash it was more likely about enjoying the benefits of the financial gain than making a statement against the oppression of his peers, but in today’s society, we can’t be choosy in selecting our heroes.

Those who disobey bad rules should be embraced, not punished.

Jack Clark and Kevin Slaten Fired for Accusing Albert Pujols of PED Use – Slander Never a Good Strategy for Publicity

by Kent Sterling

I hope this graphic didn’t cost Tim McKernan too much cash to produce. The show is kaput and may result is a lawsuit that bankrupts the company.

There were days in St. Louis that I just shook my head and laughed.

Sportstalk in St. Louis is an interesting business. The players are always the same, but the ways in which they get themselves into trouble is consistently surprising if not amusing.

Jack Clark, the former first baseman and current media gadfly, accused Albert Pujols of being a steroid user, “I know for a fact he was. The trainer that worked with him, threw him batting practice from Kansas City, that worked him out every day, basically told me that’s what he did.”

He was fired Friday night along with his partner Kevin Slaten, only days after debuting their show on WGNU. The owner was not pleased about Pujols threatening to sue for slander, and this wasn’t some ordinary, “I’ll sue you!” proclamation. This was a measured and certain threat said in a way that made those listening believe he will.

Tim McKernan is the owner of the company that owns the station, and he is doing everything possible to stop the legal train Pujols is piloting from rolling his financial health. That means a full-flaps denial and the termination of all involved.

There are a lot of ways to legally shield yourself from a slander suit, but saying “I know for a fact he was,” is not among them. To prove slander against someone who attacks a public figure, malice needs to be proven. That means the attacker must have shown a reckless disregard for the truth. If Clark had said, “It’s my opinion that Pujols juiced,” that’s fine because an opinion is not a truth but a belief.

Ironically, Slaten was caught in the backwash of this storm. He’s worked for quite a list of stations over the years, and his demise with the others was usually self-inflicted. His anger is legendary, as are the results of his temper.

There are a lot of great sports broadcasters in St. Louis, but most work at 101 ESPN – headed by John Kijowski and Hoss Neupert. When 101 launched, the lineup and signal completely dwarfed what the other stations tried to do, and the battle for ears ended quickly.

Slaten is a compelling broadcaster whom I was advised by virtually everyone I spoke to – inside and outside radio – not to hire. I never met the man, and have no opinion about his behavior because I have never witnessed it.

The problem with this show is the same that plagues small time radio operations that do everything on the cheap. The shows and talent are allowed to operate independently without daily oversight, and the hosts respond by saying wacky stuff without any critique or feedback. That vacuum is where the potential for lawsuits lurks.

There is a reasonable strategy for the guys with the bad signal going up against a superior opponent – shock and awe. The only way for a station like WGNU to get any attention in among potential audience is to provoke a response. Slaten has lived in this world before by ambushing Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan without informing him he was on the air. That is an actionable FCC offense, but minor league stuff compared to inviting a lawsuit by a well-funded adversary like Pujols.

The stunt – or idiotically phrased accusation – got millions of dollars worth of free publicity, but like boobs in “Office Space” with their shaving portions of pennies scheme, this gambit worked too well.

Here’s a short primer for broadcasters, and whether you are a former player or a Syracuse grad embarking on a career behind a microphone, don’t state anything as a fact unless you saw it. If you believe something, say you believe it or that it’s your opinion. The truth is an absolute defense against defamation charges, but ignorance of slander and libel laws are not.

Indianpolis Colts – Owner Jim Irsay Needs to Remember What He Does Best – Own

by Kent Sterling

There is an old saying in sports that the best teams have an owner who owns, a general manager who generally manages, and a coach who coaches.

The Indianapolis Colts were a team like that for many years, most of them very successful.

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Owner Jim Irsay sent a tweet today just before 2p that pulled back the curtain a little bit on the inner workings of the Colts:

Many starters played briefly or were nursing little injuries,but it was a crap performance,my apologies/My commanders got n earful from me!

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) August 12, 2013

Maybe that was meant to reassure fans that there was a consequence for the poor performance during yesterday’s 44-20 debacle against the Buffalo Bills in the preseason opener. Maybe Irsay was just kidding. I don’t know. He’s a tough guy to read sometimes.

If Irsay was serious, I would direct his attention to the 4-22 preseason record his team compiled from 2005-2010. After winning at just a 15.4% clip in those six postseasons, the Colts went on to win 75-of-96 in the regular season, a Super Bowl Championship, and an AFC crown.

The Colts are going to be what they are because of how they play beginning September 8th against the Oakland Raiders. Whether they bounce back to win their last three preseason games or lose them all, their record will be 0-0 when the regular season begins.

No one likes to be embarrassed, and if there is something systemically wrong with the efforts of the front office staff or the coaches, those should be addressed, but Ryan Grigson and Chuck Pagano don’t need Irsay to tell them that the Colts looked hapless yesterday.

I believe Jim Irsay is one of the most effective owners in the NFL, but assuaging the doubts of nutty fans who overreact to a preseason hiccup via Twitter seems more than a little unownerly.

Grigson took over a team in ruin after a 2-14 2011 record, much like Bill Polian did before him when the Colts qualified for the first pick in the 1998 NFL Draft because of a 3-13 record. Both took once every generation talents at quarterback, surrounded them with role players, and the wins followed.

This is no time to deviate from that recipe for success, and a closed door meeting to shake things up once in awhile is not the worst idea, but outing the meeting on Twitter is a distraction.

That is if it happened. I’m going to give Irsay the benefit of the doubt and chalk the tweet up to an effort to pacify lunatics who ran screaming from Lucas Oil Stadium yesterday after the drubbing by a team the Colts should expect to beat sound with starters.

Indiana Football – Kevin Wilson Talks About How the Running Game Is Important for the Hoosiers

by Kent Sterling

Most of the principles of winning games regardless of the sport are fairly simple. You will make more open shots than contested shots; getting people out with a fastball is helped by a good off speed pitch; and the ability to pass effectively is dependent upon the ability to run – and vice versa.

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Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson understands that the key to scoring points in football through the air is keeping defenses honest by running the ball well.

Second and five is better than second and eight because throwing against a nickel package is tougher.

When the field is shorter, running is key.

Wilson gets all of that, and talks about the need to run the ball better in order to be as productive as he would like the Hoosiers offense to be.

At the 1:36 mark on the video, Wilson’s cell phone rings, prompting an amusing reference to former basketball coach Kelvin Sampson.

2013-2014 NBA Position Rankings – Top Ten Power Forwards Led by Tim Duncan

by Ryan Sterling

The Big men! My favorite because nothing opens up the three point shot like a great big man who demands attention. The power forward position has transformed in the last fifteen years to include pick and pop and stretch four men.

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In my opinion there is still nothing better than a power forward who has a back to the basket game and can hit the 16-foot jumper. These were a little more difficult to come up with because each of these guys can bring different things to the table and there is no one standard to which they can be held.

Here are the rankings for the power forward position in the NBA.

1 – Tim Duncan

Tim Duncan reminded us all last season what a force he can still be in the NBA. He turned back the clock in a spectacular NBA Finals putting up 20.5 ppg and 12.3 rpg. Duncan blocked 6.4% of opponents two-point shots, the highest such number of his career. He made Chris Bosh look like a high-schooler for most of the NBA Finals. It seems like we all tend to forget Duncan is two time MVP, Rookie of the Year, three time Finals MVP, fourteen time All-NBA selection (10 first-team) and a fourteen time All-NBA Defensive Team selection (eight first-team).

Duncan in my opinion is the best power forward to ever play the game. At 37 years old Duncan is on the decline, but his game is not built upon his explosive leaping ability or his superior quickness. He has aged well in the NBA and has one, maybe two more years of high quality basketball left in him. Age has forced Duncan to play at a pace a little slower during regular season, but in the playoffs as the games begin to mean more and more we still have the pleasure of seeing Tim Duncan play like Tim Duncan of old.

2 – LaMarcus Aldridge

Over the last three years few players in the NBA have been as consistent as Aldridge. He has averaged 21.8 ppg, 21.7 ppg, and 21.1 ppg to go with 8.8 rpg, 8.0 rpg, and 9.1 rpg. Aldridge is exactly what you look for in your prototypical four man. He can play with his back to the basket and he an stretch out his jumper to about 18 feet. He shoots 50 percent from the floor and 80 percent from the free throw line. Aldridge throws out more assists than he does turnovers and his assist numbers have gone up every season he has been in the NBA.

Aldridge has plateaued in what he is going to do in this league and the only route for him to improve his status as a big man is to make a couple runs in the playoffs. Aldridge has accomplished everything in his career playing in obscurity in Portland. Fortunately for Aldridge, the Trailblazers have provided him a competitive roster with the additions of Robin Lopez and CJ McCollum. Lopez will allow Aldridge to play the power forward, which is his more natural position. Look for Aldridge to put up his usual 21 and 8 during this season, but you will pay more attention because the Trail Blazers will be a much better team.

3 – Dirk Nowitzki

I do not care what people say, Dirk can still play. He battled through knee troubles and played the fewest minutes of his career since his rookie year. He still went for 17 points and 7 rebounds per game. You could say Dirk started the transition from back to the basket power fowards to more of the pick and pop, stretch power forward with his style of play.

For his career Dirk has dropped 22.6 ppg, grabbed 8.2 boards and shot over 38 percent from deep. He is a twelve time All-NBA selection and has both a Finals and a Regular Season MVP. At 35, Dirk will be looking for a rebound year and I think he will have it. Dirk struggled all of last season with conditioning while trying to recover from knee issues. With a full off-season not interrupted by attempting to play for the German National Team, Dirk will be at full strength and that is not a good thing for the rest of the NBA.

4 – David West

West is the perfect player to lead the Pacers and his demeanor and leadership ability is a huge reason why the Pacers were able to take the Heat to the brink of elimination in the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals. Before his knee injury during the 2010-11 season West was arguably a top three four-man in the NBA. He had two seasons where he put up 20 ppg, 8 rpg and 3 apg. After a season recovering from that knee injury where he saw his numbers drop considerably, West got back on track scoring 17.1 ppg and grabbing 7.7 rpg.

Playing alongside Roy Hibbert gives West one-on-one situations in the post where he can go stretches being unguardable. West can step out and hit a 17 footer and hits over 80 percent from the foul line for his career. West will age well as his game is more Tim Duncan-esque allowing for him to play below the rim and be effective. West is the emotional center of the Pacers and brings a culture of toughness few in the league can match. The Pacers rewarded West with a three-year deal worth 36 million dollars and he will be worth every penny. Look for West to continue an upward trend in his third season since his serious knee injury.

5 – Zach Randolph

Another player on this list who plays the game below the rim. Randolph had been stuck in the mud in Portland, Los Angeles (Clippers), and New York, but he has found some traction in Memphis. Randolph had five seasons of 20 point, 10 rebound per game earlier in his career and while those types of numbers are no longer in the cards for the native of Marion, Indiana, he can still put up some excellent stats. Randolph has come a long way from being part of a deal that saw him traded from New York for Quentin Richardson straight up in 2009.

Playing alongside Marc Gasol has given Randolph a running mate who compliments his game and allows Randolph free reign of the paint. The only problems with Randolph’s game are his inability to knock down mid-range jumpers and he can check out mentally on occasion. Those problems aside Randolph will be a force this year as the Grizzlies will look to build off their Western Conference Finals appearance last season.

6 – Kevin Love

I really am not a fan of putting Love here, but when healthy Love has the ability to be the best power forward in the game. He only played 18 games last season, and has never played in the playoffs, but there is no denying the man can flat play the game. In 2011-12 Love averaged 26 ppg and 13.3 rpg while shooting .372 from three. In 55 games in 2011-12 he had 48 double-doubles, which led the NBA. In 2010-11 Love had 64 double-doubles in 73 total games, which was second best in the NBA and was the highest percentage in the NBA. In 2011-12 Love finished second in rebounding and fourth in scoring in the NBA, the last player to do that? The man atop this list, Tim Duncan.

Love’s game is a fusion of what power forward play in the NBA used to be and the new breed of pick and pop 4-men. Above all Love has the best outlet game in the world. No one throws an outlet pass off a board like he can. With the improvement of center Nikola Pekovic, Love can play with more space to work and has a front court mate who can actually play. Look for Love to have a standout year after recovering from a fractured hand.

7 – Kevin Garnett

One of the best power forwards to ever play the game. Unfortunately, he has no off switch and plays full out every second of every game. So unlike Tim Duncan, who can turn it off and on and still show flashes of greatness, Garnett is who he is at all times and pays the price. Granted, this season will be Garnett’s 18th, but he has seen significant drop off in his numbers since he joined the Celtics in 2007.

After nine straight 20-point, 10-rebound seasons Garnett has not put up a season with 16 points and 9 boards. The decline in numbers is evident, but the fire is still there. Perhaps we will see a rejuvenated Kevin Garnett this season joining the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets have far more depth at the forward position than Boston has had the last few years and with less minutes we could see more of the Kevin Garnett we grew up watching.

8 – Blake Griffin

The most exciting big man in the league, Griffin has given more highlight plays than any other player in the NBA. Too bad for Griffin highlights are not a stat I am using to determine this list. Griffin has many holes in his game that his athleticism covers up. He is a below average shooter and when taking on premiere power forwards his post defense can be lacking. Griffin already has two seasons of 20 and 10 under his belt and his ceiling is higher than any other on this list. What Griffin can do cannot be taught and that is run and jump.

Griffin needs someone to work with him to develop more of a consistent offensive game. If he can work to get a legitimate mid-range game to go along with some back-to-the-basket moves, Griffin can be scary good. If he does not develop that portion of his game, Griffin will not be on this list for as long as he should as athleticism is not forever. Look for Griffin to be his usual self, putting up high teens scoring numbers and somewhere around twelve boards per game. As Chris Paul correctly stated the Clippers only chance of being a championship contender is if Griffin plays up to his potential.

9 – Chris Bosh

I gave serious thought to not putting Bosh on this list. He has lost who he is as a basketball player. The compass he uses to determine his direction is constantly pointing southwest. Bosh has all the skill in the world. He can board, he can score, and he is an above average defender. Unfortunately, his numbers have gotten worse and worse each year since joining the Heat. He is only 29 years-old and has an opportunity to turn it around and take the image of him getting abused by David West, Roy Hibbert and Tim Duncan out our memories.

Chris Bosh is a 20 and 10 talent who seems confused about his role. LeBron and Wade need to have a sit down with Bosh and let him know what he needs to do. Stop shooting threes and get back to playing back-to-the-basket with a great face-up game. Bosh can be the player he was in Toronto he just needs help to get pointed back in the right direction.

10 – Josh Smith

Another player who forgets who he is from time-to-time. Hopefully in Detroit, Smith will get to play the power forward spot, which is where he would be most effective. Unfortunately, with Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond also on the roster, he likely won’t get that chance. He is a freak athletically and can be dominate if given the right opportunity. Shooting threes is not a part of his game that should be on display at any point.

Smith is capable of playing All-NBA basketball. He can be nonchalant at times and disappears from the stat sheet. If Smith can find some consistency and become a player who a team can depend on game in and game out, he can move up this list. If not, there are very capable players who will pass him by. Right now, he is on the border of not deserving a spot on this list, but his potential to be a perennial all-star gives him the nod.

Click here to read Ryan’s Point Guard rankings

Click here to read Ryan’s Wing rankings

Click here to read Ryan’s Center rankings