those were the three words that came to mind after the Sharks lost a heartbreaking game last night to the Colorado Avalanche. The Sharks outshot the Avs 51-17 (42-7 after the 1st period). The Sharks simply outplayed and dominated the Avs. It was one of the best games I’ve ever seen them play. To have them lose on an own goal a minute into Overtime was one of the most unfortunate ways to lose.
However, while I sat in shock for 10 minutes without moving afterwards, I was surprisingly ok on my way home and when I woke up this morning. Yes the loss sucked, but I was extremely happy with the way we played. We were playing with heart and character…we just couldnt get in the back of the net.
Is this a repeat of last year’s round 1 series against Anaheim? In terms of losses…perhaps. Im going to say no. Last year, we were flat out…out played. We played with no heart. Whenever adversity came, the Sharks just curled up in a ball and gave up. They played with no character.
In game 1 this series, we played a horrible 2nd period. We came back and played one hell of a period 3, and lost with 30 seconds remaining on a bad deflection off Rob Blake. In game 2, we were down by one goal 5 times in the game. Each time, the Sharks didnt give up, and tied it every single time, eventually winning in Overtime. In game 3, we played our most complete game ever, and dominated, yet loss on the worst type of goal.
Am I worried? No. Im loving the way we’re playing. From the very beginning, I’ve said its a best of 7 series. It’s the first to four wins…not the first to 1 or 2. If the Sharks continue to play the way they’re playing this week, the Sharks WILL win. I have faith in them.
The NFL draft is less than a week away, and speculation is swirling on the fate of all the QBs in this draft class: Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy, and Jimmy Clausen. The biggest question of this draft has to be: “Where will Tim Tebow get drafted?”
If you’ve remotely been following college football for the past three years, you would know that Tim Tebow is arguably one of the greatest college football players of all time. He was a three-time Heisman Trophy finalist, winning it in 2007. He lead Florida to two national championships. He won the Maxwell Award twice (best football player in the country). His trophy and awards list goes on and on and on. He was a dual threat qb, throwing for 88 TDs and running for another 57. In 2007, he set the record for most combined TDs in a season (55).
You would think that after being called one of the greatest college players to have ever played, Tim Tebow would be the top draft pick in the draft this month, go on to be an immediate starter in the NFL next season, and have a productive career in the NFL in the future.
To the shock of many, Tim Tebow isnt the best QB in the draft this year, and some would argue that he’s not even in the top 3. There are some analysts that think Tebow shouldn’t play QB in the NFL and would be better suited being a Tight End or a Halfback.
WHAT?! One of the best college players ever might not even play his position in the NFL? What’s going on?!
Before I move on, take a short quiz for me. For these next 5 players, read their stats and tell me when they got drafted and how their career is doing right now.
1. Timmy Chang – 5 year starter at Hawaii. Completed 1377 out of 2436 passes for 17,072 yard and 117 touchdowns (3rd most all time). Holds the record for most offensive yard (16,910), most career passing yards (17,072), and most career plays from scrimmage (2,587).
2. Graham Harrell – 3 year starter at Texas Tech. All time leader in touchdowns (134), and 2nd in passing yardage to Timmy Chang. Won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, which is awarded to the best senior QB in the country. 2008 Gator Bowl MVP and was 4th in the Heisman Trophy voting.
3. Troy Smith – Heisman Trophy winner in 2006 from Ohio State and AP Player of the Year. Consensus All-American. Voted the best Big 10 player of the decade this year. One of the best dual-threat (runner and passer) QBs of all time. Finished his career with 54 passing TDs and 14 rushing TDs.
4. Jason White – two time Heisman Trophy finalist from Oklahoma, winning it in 2003. Two time winner of the Davey O’Brien Award, awarded to the best college football player. Winner of the Maxwell Award in 2004.
5. Eric Couch – Heisman Trophy and Davey O’Brien Award winner from Nebraska.
Ok done? How did you do?
1. Timmy Chang went undrafted. He tried to play in the CFL (Canadian Football League) but couldn’t make it there.
2. Graham Harrell went undrafted, and is currently playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL.
3. Troy Smith was drafted in the 5th round by Baltimore, but is serving as the backup QB to Joe Flacco.
4. Jason White went undrafted in 2005. Gone from football.
5. Eric Couch was drafted in the 3rd round by Saint Louis as a wide receiver. He went on to play as a safety in NFL Europe.
Chang, Harrell, and White weren’t drafted at all…even through 7 rounds! Heisman Trophy winner Couch wasn’t even drafted as a QB. And Smith…one of the most exciting QBs to have played this decade is currently sitting as a backup to Flacco, who went to Delaware, a Division 1-AA school.
This clearly shows that success in the college game does not necessarily translate to success at the NFL level. To understand why, there is only one thing you have to consider: the college offense vs the pro offense.
The College Offense
In the college game, a lot of schools run gimmick offenses, where the QB is often times in the shotgun position, meaning that the QB stands up 5 yards behind the center, as opposed to right behind him (with his hands often touching the center’s thigh/butt). A lot of college teams to use this to either run a spread offense or an option offense.
In an option offense, dual threat QBs have the option to either run with the ball, pass, or handoff to the RB. Troy Smith at Ohio State played out of the option offense, since he was dangerous running or passing. Smith would get the ball 5 years behind the line of scrimmage, see what the defense gave him, and then have the “option” to either run with or pass the ball. Other option QBs who were successful in college were Vince Young and Tim Tebow.
In a spread offense, again the QB would stand in an shotgun formation 5 yards behind the center. The spread offense is a passing-based offense, with 4 or 5 WRs playing at a time, and is dependent on quick, short, precise routes run by the WRs. By standing 5 yards behind the center, the QB would have enough time to see what WRs are open and get the ball to them quickly. Timmy Chang at Hawaii and Graham Harrell at Texas Tech both played in spread offenses, and were able to set numerous passing records. The offense is solely on the passing game, so obviously they were able to set great numbers.
The NFL offense
However, the successful teams in the NFL run a pro style offense, and you will rarely find a successful team running the spread or option offenses. A pro style offense has the QB directly behind the Center, two WRs to the sides, and a RB and Full back behind him. As the QB drops back, in those three seconds, he has the choice to either handoff to his RB or throw a pass to his WR. The defense facing a strong team will have to respect the run and the pass, so in those few seconds as the QB drops back, they are unsure what’s going to happen.
Pro-style QBs are often called “pocket passers.” Most of these QBs operate in the “pocket,” the area that a QB’s lineman gives for protection. As a generalization, they are not the most mobile QBs and wont beat you while running. If you take a look at the QBs who have won a Superbowl in NFL History: Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Kurt Warner, John Elway, Brett Favre, Troy Aikman, Steve Young, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw…they are all your traditional pocket passers.
The Two Most Important Skills Sets in a NFL QB
1. Good arm strength/throwing mechanics – Throwing mechanics is very important…however a lot of college players lack the fundamentals of a pro QB. For example, the biggest knock on Tim Tebow is his poor throwing mechanics. See the following video for an explanation.
2. Good footwork – This is one of the biggest issues with QB’s making the transition from college to the pros. With more and more QBs operating out of the shotgun formation, a lot of QBs lack the necessary fundamentals in their footwork that is necessary in the pros.
In the NFL, with the QB mostly under the center and not in a shotgun, the QB must do a 3-step, 5-step, or 8-step drop to give himself room away from the line of scrimmage. The following video at 0:18 shows Steve Young doing a 5-step drop. Note: even though he almost trips, its the most clear example of a drop I could find.
Most college QBs lack the fundamental footwork to achieve these drops…simply because they are not required to do so at the college level.
The Transition Between College and the NFL
Mainly because of footwork and arm strength, and to an extent lack of familiarity/experience in running a non-spread or non-option based offense, there are many great college QBs who have never been able to make the jump to the NFL. Often times, these QBs aren’t even given a chance to succeed. Also realize that the college game is set up such that an amazingly freakish athlete, a la Vince Young and Troy Smith, can still dominate other teams…based on his athletic prowess alone. Not to say that these athletes aren’t talented…they are…its just that when they get to the NFL wherever everyone is very good…their athleticism wont be enough succeed. They need strong fundamentals to make that next step.
The 2010 Quarterback Class
Sam Bradford. Colt McCoy. Tim Tebow. Jimmy Clausen.
This 2010 QB class might be the most hyped up class in recent years, not because of talent, but because of name recognition. I still think that the 2004 NFL draft class was one of the best QB classes (Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger) in a while.
Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame) is the most NFL ready QB out of the four, mainly because he played in a pro style offense under Charlie Weiss (ex offensive coordinator of the Patriots and Jets) while at Notre Dame. He has the arm strength and footwork necessary to be an immediate started in the NFL.
Sam Bradford (Oklahoma) might not be as “NFL ready” as Clausen, but I believe he has greater potential to be a greater QB than Clausen. At Oklahoma, he showed that he had a great arm and great leadership qualities. The biggest unknown is whether or not his season ending shoulder injury during this junior year will have any affect on his throwing.
After Clausen and Bradford, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow are the two biggest unknowns. The biggest knock on Colt McCoy is his toughness. He’s by far on the smaller side for QBs. How he’ll be able to deal with the grueling hits in the NFL will go a long way to see if he’ll have a productive career. He has the arm strength and the smarts to succeed. I dont quite know if he has the toughness.
Tim Tebow is probably the biggest question mark this entire draft. He is by far the most athletic athlete out of these 4 QBs but he also lacks the most in fundamentals. At Florida, he was able to pretty much will his team to win and most of the time, he used his insane body to run the ball and crush opposing defenses. However, his throwing mechanics was poor and his foot work was severely lacking. But the one trait that Tebow has that none of the other 3 can match is his insane dedication to his position. This offseason, he wanted to prove his critics wrong, so he worked with a bunch of NFL QB gurus and worked on his throwing and footwork. From what I saw on film from Gruden’s QB Camp, he has improved tremendously! His throwing release is much quicker and his movement on the 8-step drop was insane. It’s one thing to show these changes when you dont have 300 LB lineman after you. How he’ll respond in actual games will be interesting.
It wasn’t long ago that Santonio Holmes and Ben Roethlisberger hooked up for one of the greatest plays in Superbowl history and helped lead the Steelers to their 6th Superbowl title. For his performance, Holmes was named Superbowl MVP. Surely, a play that will be remembered by fans forever.
In a post I wrote last month regarding the Steelers, I mentioned that it would be interesting to see what the Rooney family will do in response to the off-field behavior of Santonio Holmes and Ben Roethlisberger. Holmes and Roethlisberger were both accused of sexual assaults allegations this past summer, though as we’ll find out tomorrow, no charges will be brought up against Roethlisberger. However, in the past week, rumors were swirling that Holmes would be suspended for four games for a drug related incident. He has been a repeat offender, and has admitted on multiple occasions to using (and dealing drugs) in the past.
Finally today, the Steelers traded him for a 5th Round Draft Pick to the New York Jets. WOW. The 3rd most important player on the Steelers, behind Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu, was just traded. The Superbowl MVP for crying out loud. A 26 year old player who is still in his prime. Traded…for the 151st pick in the draft. What a slap in the face to Holmes. This guy has the talent and the ability to the #1 receiver on any team. Talent wise…this guy could be one of the best WR in the next couple years. WOW.
What a message this sends from the owners to Ben Roethlisberger.
“You know what…we just took away your best offensive weapon. We’re not afraid to do the right thing. You dont shape up…we’re not afraid to let you go too.”
Again in my previous post, I questioned if the Rooney family had the balls and guts to do the right thing…to uphold the fine traditions that make the Steelers the class of all professional sports teams…and the finest team out there.
Tonight…they answered that.
WOW. WOW. WOW.
*edit*
1) and what do you know…the New York Jets are playing the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field next season…oh you know Holmes will have this game circled on his calendar.
2) interesting to know that if Holmes does get that 4 game suspension (which it is highly assumed that he will), the next violation after that will result in a 1 year suspension. The Steelers had to be thinking that if was highly likely Holmes wouldnt change…
April. It’s that time of the year again when I write my yearly “why the San Jose Sharks will win the Stanley Cup” post. For the past 4-5 years, I’ve started the postseason with great anticipation…”THIS WILL BE THE YEAR WHEN THE SHARKS FINALLY BRINGING HOME THE CUP!” Obviously, every year has ended in disappointment. The Sharks are the ultimate tease…great regular season team…horrible post season team.
Every year, I’ve said, “this is by far the BEST Sharks team in franchise history. this is the most complete team ever. We will finally win!”
I’m afraid to say it again…but…this is by far the best Sharks team in our team’s history. I believe this is one of the most complete teams we’ve ever had. However….will we win? Im actually kind of nervous this year. There are way too many good teams out there: Chicago, Washington, Pittsburgh, and Vancouver. Will we win? I’m actually not that confident this year…but I know we can match up with the best of them.
Some important thoughts going into the playoffs.
1. The play of the Sharks heading into the playoffs
Last year, the Sharks limped into the playoffs. They started the season strong, but by the end, they only won 5 of their 10 last games. A month before the end of the season, they were nursing some serious injuries with Jonathan Cheechoo, Torrey Mitchell, Jeremy Roenick, Patrick Marleau, Ryan Clowe, and Mike Grier all banged up. They were simply out of sync and not playing well. They were unluckily paired up with the Anaheim Ducks who were in the opposite scenario…they started the season poorly, but were playing so amazingly well come playoffs. They’re hot play continued on to the postseason, where they beat the Sharks 4 games to 2.
This year, the Sharks again went through a period of time when they lost 6 games in a row in March. That was actually…ok with me. It started to become gut check time, and they’ve responded extremely well in the last few games. In the past three games, against Colorado, Calgary, and Vancouver, they have played extremely well in “playoff like games.”
These past two games specifically have been extremely impressive. On Tuesday’s game against Calgary, Calgary was fighting for their playoff lives. They needed to win in order to have a chance to make the playoffs. The Sharks were up 2-1 in the 3rd period, and Calgary threw everything at the Sharks. Yet the Sharks played great defensive hockey, and hung on to win.
Tonight’s game was equally impressive. The Sharks skated out to a 4-0 lead through 2 periods, Vancouver got testy and physical, and the Sharks responded and fought back. There were a total of 76 penalty minutes in the 3rd, with the Sharks getting 51 of them. There was a time when there were 6 Sharks players in the penalty box. Yes the Canucks scored 2 power play goals, but that didnt matter. Sharks fan had to love the fact that the players didnt take any crap from the Canucks, got mad, and fought back. In the most encouraging sign, Joe Thornton even took exception about a play and got a 2 minute roughing penalty.
What was also encouraging tonight was that the three top lines chipped in to score goals: Thornton, Joe Pavelski, and Logan Couture/Manny Malhotra. The knock on the Sharks for a long time was whether or not they could generate enough scoring past their top line of Thornton, Marleau, Dany Heatley. In recent games, the 2nd and 3rd lines have been contributing tremendously to the scoring…a great sign heading into the playoffs.
2. The Mentality of the Sharks
In game 6 of the playoffs against Anaheim last year, Joe Thorton and Ryan Getzlaf, two of the best centers in hockey, dropped their gloves and fought only 2 seconds into the game. This was a continuation between bad blood between them in game 5.
Like the parody said, what would have happened if Joe Thornton started the playoffs angry? What would have happened if the entire team had started the playoffs angry? What have happened if the Sharks played with some heart last year? Things would have obviously been very different.
I’m starting to like the character the Sharks are playing with. Thornton isnt afraid to rough someone up. With Jody Shelly gone, Ryan Clowe is starting to take on the “you aint messing with my team” role. With the captaincy removed from him, Patrick Marleau is having a great year and is constantly always one of the best Sharks on the ice.
3. The X Factors
The key to success for the Sharks is the performance of two players: Joe Thornton and Evgeni Nabokov. I believe with everyone else on the ice, you know what you are getting. Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Ryan Clowe, Scott Nicol, Manny Malhotra, Dan Boyle, Rob Blake, Douglas Murray, Marc-Edouard Vlasic…you know that they will give you a good, solid performance.
Which Nabokov will show up for the playoffs? The one who performed atrociously in the quarterfinals game against Canada in the Olympics and gave up 6 goals. The one who gave up 5 goals on 21 shots against Dallas on 3/31 and was pulled? Or the one played lights out hockey in the past two games against Calgary and Vancouver, only giving up 3 goals on 70 shot attempts, while making some brilliant saves along the way.
Or Thornton…Will we expect a player who only scored 4 points in 6 straight losses…who while is one of the best passers in the game, still manages to give up the puck at the worst time. Or will we expect a player who wont play weak, but will pass will and skate hard? A player, who like tonight, showed his heart, character, and dedication to the team and fought for his team.
4. I will cry if…
The Sharks draw the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs. Like the Ducks last year, Detroit started off the season horribly. All their star players were hurt, and they were in danger of not making the playoffs. They got healthy, and in March, they won 12 out of their 15 games.
The Sharks will finish either 1st or 2nd in the West. They will win the West if they beat Phoenix on Saturday, and Chicago loses at least one game. If Chicago wins their next two, they get the top seed. Los Angeles, Detroit, and Nashville are all tied with 98 points for the 5th spot. The only way the Sharks and Red Wings will match up is if the Sharks finish 2nd and the Red Wings finish 7th.
I cant even begin to think about the possibilities of “who needs to beat who”…in order for this to happen. It all depends on how Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, Nashville, and Colorado do in their next games, and because of some awesome scheduling, we get the following three games this coming weekend: Det vs Chi, Chi vs Col, LA vs Col.
5. Final Thoughts
The 2009-2010 playoffs are soon upon us. While we dont have it as bad as Cubs fans (60 years+ of sadness), it’s been a tough 5 years in San Jose. A great regular season team somehow magically disappears in the playoffs. We are the butt of so many hockey jokes.
Question: “How do you weaken Joe Thornton and make him useless?”
Answer: “Make him play in the postseason.”
Once again, I feel this is our best year to win it all. I really really do love the makeup of this team…from our top line to our fourth line…from our top defensive pairing to our 7th defenseman…from Nabby to Greiss. I believe this is a team built to go far in the playoffs.
Will Sharks fans be partying on the Alameda this June, or will we be asking the, “What happened question?”
Nike just released their new ad for Tiger Woods today.
Earl Woods: “I am more prone to being inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything.”
I find it a very, very fascinating commercial. When I showed this to some people today, I was met with confusion. Why was Earl’s voice in it? What was the point of this? What are they trying to sell? Why did Nike do this?
Pre last Thanksgiving, Tiger Woods was the world’s most marketable athlete. He had signed record breaking endorsement deals with Nike, General Motors, Accenture, and Gatorade. During the fallout of his marriage infidelity fiasco, every single one of his major sponsors dropped him…except for Nike. Nike was the only major sponsor to stand by his side throughout the past couple months. They were the only ones to not give up on Tiger, and were willing to support him and help him through this time.
This commercial is Nike’s first official “statement” in their support of Tiger Woods. The questions Earl Woods asked are the same questions that Nike and the rest of the world are asking him. “What are you thinking? What are you feeling? What did you learn?” Basically, Nike (through Earl) is saying to Tiger, “How have you changed through this? How are you different?”
Nike’s not trying to sell anything in this ad. It’s their first public statement to Tiger, “We stood by you. Dont let us down.”
Today’s headline: “Boston College hires Cornell’s Steve Donahue as coach”
Steve Donahue lead Cornell to an amazing run in the NCAA tournament. After winning the Ivy League, they made it all the way to the Sweet 16 before losing to Kentucky. This was also the same Cornell team that was up by 3 on Kansas at the half back in January, before losing by only 5. Donahue coached a great team…a team led by 4 seniors, including stars Ryan Whitman and Louis Dale. They were a strong team with a ton of experience…a team that had great post players and players who could shoot well.
The only reason why I know the Cornell team well this year was because they were Jeremy Lin and Harvard’s main competition this season. Unlike other conferences in the country, the Ivy League doesnt have a season ending tournament, where the winner gets the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The representative from the Ivy League is the winner of the regular season title, hence the regular season is often referred to as the “14 Game Tournament.”
The regular season is extremely important, and every single game matters. Cornell and Harvard played twice this year, one home and one away, and both times Cornell completely dominated and outclassed Harvard. Cornell’s four best players were seniors. Other than Jeremy Lin, Harvard’s 4 other top players were 3 freshman and 1 sophomore. Harvard’s starting 5 was extremely talented, but they simply lacked the experience to play with Cornell.
I really wanted to see Jeremy Lin lead Harvard to the Ivy League title, and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. I really wanted him to get that opportunity to play on the national level, and let the entire country see how good he is. But while he may have been disappointed in not winning the Ivy League this year, he should take encouragment/comfort/satisfaction in knowing that he laid down the foundations for a solid program at Harvard for the years to come.
With Cornell’s coach leaving and 4 best players graduating, the Ivy League race will come down to a battle between Harvard and Princeton next year. This year, Harvard had a great group of underclassman in Kyle Casey, Keith Wright, Christian Webster, and Brandyn Curry. After a year’s of experience, they will only get better in the years to come. Also, coach Tommy Amaker is bringing in a surprisingly good recruiting class. Even though Harvard is losing great talent in Jeremy Lin next year, they are returning almost the entire team and are bringing in a ton of new recruits that its highly probable that Harvard will gain a bid to the NCAA tournament next season.
All of this couldn’t have happened without Jeremy Lin. Jeremy was one of the few players who interviewed Tommy Amaker in 2007 for the open coaching position, and has been a leader of this team for the past three years. In his first season under Amaker in Lin’s sophomore year, he lead Harvard to an 8-22 (3-11 conference) record. By the time Jeremy was a senior, Harvard went 21-7 (10-4). As the team’s leader, and one of the few seniors on the team, Jeremy had to lead the youngsters by example during every game and every practice.
I dont know the history of Harvard Basketball or who have written their names in the history books while at Harvard. However, even though Jeremy Lin didn’t make it to the NCAA tournament or lead Harvard to an Ivy League title, he has to go down as one of the best in Harvard basketball history. If not for the numbers and stats that he put, then for the winning program he helped established.
One Shining Moment, the greatest song associated with a sporting event ever (The Champions League anthem is a close 2nd), was written by David Barrett after he watched Larry Bird play for Indiana State in the 1979 NCAA tournament.
Since 1987, CBS has closed its coverage of the tournament with a video montage recapping the tourney, using One Shining Moment as the song. Since the 2003, the song has traditionally been sung by Luther Vandross. This year, CBS decided to have Jennifer Hudson sing it.
2009 One Shining Moment by Luther Vandross.
2010 One Shining Moment sung by Jennifer Hudson.
Call me a traditionalist or whatever, but Im not a fan of Hudson’s version of this song. I also dont like shots of her singing the song interspersed throughout the montage…that’s never happened in the past 15+ years or so.
Today in the Champions League quarterfinals, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi proved why he’s the best player in the world, scoring a hat trick against Arsenal in the span of 21 minutes.
If I were to ask you who do you think has been the best team in the Bay Area this past decade, who would you say?
Definitely not the 49ers or the Raiders. Definitely not the Warriors, Giants or Athletics. You could make an argument for the Sharks, but they haven’t made it past the Western Conference Finals yet, and are a perennial playoff disappointment. Great regular season team…horrible playoff team when it matters.
Let’s go away from the pro level, and look at the college level. Stanford men’s basketball has had its moments this past decade, but haven’t been consistent in the past two years. You could make a case for Cal Football, but they too like the Sharks have just succeeded in disappointing its fan base. While Cal men’s basketball and Stanford football are on the rise recently, they were flat out atrocious the beginning of this decade.
So who would you say is the best team out of the Bay Area this past decade? I will argue…the Stanford Women’s Basketball Team, who will be playing in the national title game this coming Tuesday!
Before I go on, I will be the first to admit that I watch and follow women’s college basketball, and I can tell you the names of all the stars who have played this past decade. While women’s basketball isn’t as fast, explosive, and “exciting” as the men’s game, it is still very fundamentals based…and sometimes thats just fun to watch.
Tara VanDerveer, the coach at Stanford, has built a dynasty in Palo Alto. She has a career record of 757-193 (.797) and has led Stanford to two national titles in the 90s.
In this decade, the Stanford women has either won or had a share of the regular season title every single year. They won it outright in 8 years, and shared the title in 2. The women have also won the Pac-10 tournament 7 times as well. This past decade, they’ve amassed a record of 291-52 (.848 winning percentage). They have made the NCAA tournament each year for the past 23 years.
They have made it to the Elite 8 for the past 7 years, and have made the Final Four for the past 3 years. This coming Tuesday, they will be playing in their 2nd national title game in the past 3 years!
Some of our generation’s great female basketball players have played at Stanford. Nicole Powell played at the Farm from 2001-2004, as did Candice Wiggins from 2005-2008. Both were drafted #3 overall in the 04 and 08, respectively and both are having amazing careers in the WNBA right now.
No other team from the Bay Area has had as much success on the national level than the Stanford women have. They are by far the best team in the Bay Area right now.
Honorable Mention…
1. San Jose Sabercats – Arena Football League. Won the Arena Bowl in 2002, 2004, and 2007.
2. San Jose Earthquakes: Major League Soccer. Won MLS Cup in 2001 and 2003. Then the team proceeds to relocate to Houston…where they win the MLS Cup in 2006 and 2007…with almost the exact same team. No I’m not bitter. I blame it all on Landon Donovan leaving for Germany for a couple months and then coming back and signing with the LA Galaxy.
******************** Why you should watch the title game between Stanford and Uconn
If you were to watch only one woman’s basketball game in your life…watch this coming Tuesday’s national title game between #1 Connecticut vs #2 Stanford. The Stanford women are 36-1, with their only loss coming to UConn last December. Connecticut is undefeated this season, 38-0, and has won 77 straight games, with their last loss coming to Stanford two years ago in the Final Four. Connecticut was ranked #1 the entire season, while Stanford was ranked #2 the enitre season. These are without a doubt the two best teams in the country, and it’s only fitting that these two teams would be playing in the national championship.
Uconn features Tina Charles and Maya Moore, maybe the best players in the entire country. Charles was the 2010 AP Player of the Year, while Moore was the 2009 AP Player of the Year. In their win against Baylor in the Final Four, Charles dropped 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Moore dropped 34 points and 12 rebounds.
While none of Stanford’s players made it to the 1st Team All-American, they boast the best frontcourt in the entire country, in center Jayne Appel and forwards Nnemkadi Ogwumike and Kayla Pederson. These three players terrorize opposing team’s defenses and create matchup problems all around. While they are all big players, they are all very quick and are great shooters.
This will be one of the best matchups in the womens college basketball ever. Not only does it pit two great teams with a ton of star players against each other, but it also pits two of the best coaches in the game against each other: VanDerveer vs Geno Auriemma, who’s led Uconn to 6 national championships.
Again, if you want to witness a great matchup between two of the best teams in the country, watch this Tuesday’s national championship game. No you wont see dunks or alley oop passes, but it will be hard fought and physical game. You will see great shooting, coupled with great defense at the same time.
My predictions: Uconn over Stanford. As much as I think Stanford has a great team and will fight hard, Uconn is simply too powerful. With a win on Tuesday, they will cap off their 2nd straight undefeated season.
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