Your Average Joe

Bethpage, New York, UNITED STATES


Joined March 1st 2011

Number of Posts:
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I watch a lot of NCAA basketball throughout the year. Because of this, many people that know me figure I should win the March Madness pool every year. And while I have been fortunate enough to win it 2 out of the past 3 years, most people who know college basketball know how much of a crapshoot it is. Recently, I have just latched onto a few teams early in the year and when the bracket came out, stuck with them regardless of their “tough road” or inconsistent play down the stretch.

But enough about me. In an effort to show the amount of knowledge needed to fill out a successful bracket, my brother and I decided to fill one out for my dog, Duke. There are a few simple rules we established for Duke in filling out his bracket:

1. Obviously he never picks against his team, Duke.
2. Being a dog, Duke picks heavily for teams with dog mascots (his friends) and heavily against teams that have a version of a cat as mascot (his enemies).
3. Duke is a yorkshire terrier, all of 10lbs, so when the teams aren’t dogs or cats he tends to go for the friendlier mammal, or the mascot who would be friendlier to small dogs like him and when he still can’t decide, he leans towards the higher seed. For example, in this year’s tournament Duke picks Kansas to beat Louisville because they are both birds and Duke doesn’t hold a grudge against either so he picks the 1 seed Kansas.
4. But again, Duke is no idiot, although he has rooting interests like all of us, he begrudgingly picks the all the 1 and 2 seeds (even Kentucky last year and Pittsburgh this year) in the 1st round knowing that would be bracket suicide to have a 16 over a 1 or a 15 over a 2. But after the 1st round, all bets are off.
5. He HATES UNC.


*On a lighter note: Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t sit around all day thinking who my dog would pick for the final four. This exercise started out as a joke between my brother and I and it took about 10-15 minutes to accomplish.*


Now doesn't that sounds like a simple enough strategy? Duke’s entry was entered into the same bracket I participated in last year, featuring 28 participants. And wouldn’t you know, Duke finished 3rd. That’s right, filling out the bracket the way a yorkie named Duke would, we picked the National Champion (Duke) as well as another final four team (one of the very few in the country to pick the Butler Bulldogs) and finished 3rd in the pool. All this with Duke’s other final four teams (the Georgetown Hoyas and Washington Huskies) bowing out very early.


The Bracketologist Himself
He has been talking trash all week



As for this year, who knows? Like most bracket fillers, Duke can’t seem to ignore his loyalty to his team and the teams who helped him last year. With that being said, it turns out Duke has the same final four as last year (Duke over Washington and Georgetown over Butler) with Duke taking home the title. Just in case you needed any last second advice…….
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Big East Overrated?

March 11th 2011 01:07
I will start this by saying I am a New Yorker and have been all my life. I root passionately for my NY teams-some would say the wrong ones (Mets, Jets, Knicks). That being said; no one can accuse me of East Coast Bias when it comes to college basketball. In fact, the Big East, and the way they are covered, sickens me. The Big East probably has the best conference in the country this season, but the gushing and superlatives from many make it seem that the winner of this week’s conference tournament will next play a best of seven against the Lakers.


Big East Champions don't always fair well in the NCAA tournament (from Wikipedia)


There are so many ways to judge which conference is best, but the NCAA tournament offers us a chance to look at conferences competing against each other on a neutral floor without home court advantages. Since the Big East expanded to 16 teams after the 2005 NCAA tournament, they have been regarded as the best conference in America, even though they have not produced a national champion since UCONN in 2004.

Okay, I get it; just because their team wins it all doesn’t make their conference best. Let’s look deeper. From 2005-2010 of the 12 possible NCAA tournament finalists, the Big East does not represent any of those spots either while the ACC and Big Ten have 3 apiece. Taking one step further back, there have been 24 final four teams since 2005 and the Big East only accounts for 4 of those spots (Louisville was still in Conference USA in 2005). Meanwhile the Big Ten had 5 and the ACC also had 4. I just don’t see the superiority of the Big East.

Now seeding has a lot to do with how a conference performs in the tournament. Using the same time frame, since 2005 only George Mason (#11) has made the final four as any seed lower than 5. However, during this time, the Big East has littered to bracket with high seeds. Last year featured 5 Big East teams with a #3 seed or better and 2009 also had 5, with 3 Big East teams receiving a 1 seed. Most of these teams played well below their seed, and do not represent a dominant conference.

Enough with the numbers. I guess what I am trying to say is that it’s time for the Big East to put up or shut up come tournament time. With 11 teams likely to make the Dance, the Big East had better improve upon their 8-8 record and total of 2 Sweet 16 teams from last year. Heck, maybe have a team play for the national championship. If not, ESPN’s obsession with the Big East will begin to fall on deaf ears.


* images on this page were taken from the following Wikipedia pages:

Big East Men's Basketball Tournament

The picture is licensed under the GNU Free Document License
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I already cringe for fans of the Panthers, Bills and Cardinals. Not only are they coming off terrible seasons on the field, they are also in need of a long-term solution at QB and are stuck drafting in the Top 5 of the NFL Draft. With that comes the distinct possibility that they will have the chance to draft Auburn QB Cam Newton. The unfortunate truth is that Newton is better off being taken later in the draft by a team with an established QB, an organization that can take a chance on possibly developing his "wondrous athletic ability" into a competent NFL quarterback.

I have nothing personal against Newton, (although I still find it quite strange that his dad could offer his services up to colleges for six figures without his knowledge), but I do doubt that he will turn into a QB who warrants anything near a top 10 selection. This being the case even though he had one of the great college seasons of recent memory, carving up SEC defenses (an unusually soft group) en route to Heisman Trophy and National Championship honors.

Newton's greatest strengths are his ability to run and run his mouth.

Who are the successful NFL QB's with those two traits at the forefront? Michael Vick is still a more accomplished runner than passer, but Vick has sub 4.4 speed, while Newton ran a more pedestrian 4.59. Plenty of defensive ends and linebackers in the NFL possess the type of size and speed to keep up with Newton's ability to run and as Vick has shown, being hit by those guys too many times leads to mostly shortened seasons.

Some mobile quarterbacks have thrived in the NFL before, some of the best examples being Randall Cunningham, Steve Young, Steve McNair and Donovan McNabb. Those guys adapted when they figured out running as a first option would shorten their careers.

The prototypical QB?
Who will make the same mistake the Broncos made? (from Wikipedia)


A quick list of the current top QBs (Brady, Rodgers, Manning, Brees, Rivers) show that for the most part, accurate, immobile statues are preferred to the "athletic type" that Newton seems to be. Also, for the most part, these guys are humble and self-deprecating, not likely to be quoted as saying “I see myself not only as a football player, but an entertainer and icon” as Newton has been. Has Newton shown the type of footwork and fundamentals needed to become a competent drop back passer? Most scouts and experts do not see it and watching him in college showed Auburn’s passing game existing of the gimmick spread offense passing plays that have yet to show they could work in the NFL.

Look, Cam Newton could prove to be a great selection for whoever is seduced by the athletic skills and big smile he possesses, and in no way am I actively rooting against him. The team that drafts him may do what is right and have him sit for a year to see if he can learn the NFL game and develop the skills he needs to succeed in the league. But more likely than not, in 10 years I will be watching NFL Network's top 10 draft busts of the decade and Newton will be on the list (I am guessing Tim Tebow will be there as well).

Carolina, Buffalo and Arizona: you have been warned.




* images on this page were taken from the following Wikipedia pages:

Tim Tebow

The picture is licensed under the GNU Free Document License
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LBJ for MVP

March 1st 2011 23:57
Lebron James ditched Cleveland
Lebron James took the easy way out
Lebron James can't win the big one


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Just Your Average Joe

March 1st 2011 21:52
Hello World,

My name is Joe Secchio and the blog title says it all: I am just an average guy who has well above average passion and knowledge for sports. When not working, I immerse myself in sports while devoting extra attention to the teams I live and die with (Jets, Mets, Knicks). To me, this is one of the best times of the sports year, with the MLB season and the NFL draft on the horizon. Mix that in with March Madness and the NBA playoffs taking shape, March is one of the most exciting (and time consuming) months of the year when it comes to following sports. With that in mind, I stumbled upon this site and decided to launch the blog to share my thoughts on everything sports (please no NHL or MMA!) while opening up a dialogue with whoever wants to chat/disagree/argue. Look forward to hearing from you


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Recent Comments

Comment by Your Average Joe
on Big East Overrated?

March 11th 2011 16:36
Joe- They can be overrated because the winning and "big wins" come against each other. Just because the media puts 8 teams in the Top 25 doesn't mean they all belong there. Then come tournament time, these teams with high seeds almost always come up short. As far as them being worn out, the Big Ten plays the same physical brand of basketball in an 18 game conference schedule and they seem to be okay. In fact, their conference tournament ends one day after the Big East, giving them less time to recover for the NCAA tournament. Although I think the whole rest thing is overrated; West Virginia grinded out the Big East Tournament last year and made a run to the Final Four while top seed Syracuse lost early and then was upset by Butler in the Sweet 16. I have always admired Pitt-I think Dixon does more with less in that conference and is a great guy to back it up-I root for them almost every year. All I am asking for from the Big East is since they'll have 11 of the Top 40 seeds, they should get more teams deep in the tournament

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Comment by Your Average Joe
on In Kahn I dont Trust

March 3rd 2011 21:50
Being a Knicks fan, I know what it's like to go through these terrible regimes that never seem to end. When Isiah Thomas ran the Knicks into the ground for the better part of 5 years, his moves seemed to defy logic and lacked any semblance of a plan. I think that’s the part of it that hurts the most: stick to a plan. If it's trade off your assets and build through the draft, then do it. If the picks don't work out, then they don't work out and you and the scouts can be held accountable.
The thing is you left out 2 of the most curious moves. One being the Darko signing!!! The other being one that I am sure you remember from the 2009 draft. The twolves actually drafting ANOTHER PG later in the round (Ty Lawson) and flipped him to Denver, which I believe turned into Martell Webster?!?!? Three PG's drafted and he still doesn’t have one, that about sums it up.

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Comment by Your Average Joe
on LBJ for MVP

March 2nd 2011 14:41
I agree with you Joe that most years, Paul does not get enough credit. He really should have won the 2008 MVP over Kobe leading a similarly under talented Hornets team to the same number of wins as the Lakers (who did not take off that year until trading for Gasol). Maybe it was because he got hurt 2 years ago and his numbers are down a little bit, but I definitely see him as a worthy choice, along with Rose and Howard.

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