Ramble On ... McKillop Wins Clair Bee Honor and Mullin Snubbed (Again) ...

Davidson's Bob McKillop has won the Coach Clair Bee Award, his first national coaching honor.

The award honors the Division I men's basketball coach who has made the most significant positive contribution to his sport in the preceding year. The awards ceremony will take place Monday, April 7, in San Antonio.

McKillop, 57, led Davidson (29-7) to the school's first Elite Eight appearance since 1969. Davidson had a 25-game winning streak and defeated three ranked opponents in the NCAA tournament.

The nine-member selection committee for the award included Dean Smith, Bobby Knight, Billy Packer and Dick Vitale. Other finalists for the award were Mark Few (Gonzaga), Trent Johnson (Stanford), Ernie Kent (Oregon) and Rick Stansbury (Mississippi State).

***

That said, I can't believe that Chris Mullin has been snubbed (AGAIN) for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. I learned that Mully was not in San Antonio, a clear indication that he will not be at a press conference the Hall of Fame stages in the NCAA city to announce the incoming Hall of Fame class.

Mullin is the second best college basketball player in the history of NYC, behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor). Abdul-Jabbar chose to attend college at UCLA, of course. Mullin chose to stay local and attended St. John's. There has never been a better NYC college player. In addition, Mullin earned two Olympic gold medals and had an All-Star level NBA career. He is HEAD and SHOULDERS better than dozens of other players who have been inducted on their college basketball merits, never mind the rest.

It is a shame. And, I am officially 'pissed off.'

***

Bob Delaney made a guest appearance on the Jim Rome radio show and sales on hte Amazon web site jumped up nearly 600 spots on the best seller listing. Here is a URL for the site which requires a subscription to listen in to streaming audio feeds:

http://www.jimrome.com/home/audio_archive_list/00/bobdelaney.html

***

This from MediaBistro:

Craigslist Revenue Up From $55M to $81M in '08

Newspapers, consider your lunch eaten, and your ass kicked by the big bad online bully for dessert: Online classifieds hub Craigslist will enjoy an estimated $81 million in revenue this year, up from an estimated $55 million in 2007, according to a report released this morning by interactive classified advertising consulting firm Classified Intelligence LLC.

Let's see the latest figures on how online impresario Craig Newmark is putting the rest of the media world to shame, according to Classy Intel:

Estimated revenue in 2003: $7 million
Estimated revenue in 2008: $81 million
New classified ads each month: More than 30 million
Full-time employees working out of one Victorian-style house in San Francisco: 25

***

I liked the two hires announced on Wednesday when the NY Knicks introduced Donny Walsh to the media and Indiana U. announced that Tom Crean will be the head coach at Bloomington. Crean will have to sweep up the mess left by Kelvin Sampson. ESPN reported that Sampson will attempt to work in the NBA, as an assistant coach, I imagine.

***

There was talk of the United States Olympic Committee folding up shop in Colorado Springs and relocating offices. The inside track was to relocate to Chicago to bond with the Chicago 2016 organizing committee in hopes to land the summer games in the year I will turn 57! Yikes.

Anyhow, the USOC is staying put in Colorado Springs. Here is a blurb on the topic:

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (AFP) - The US Olympic Committee (USOC) headquarters will remain in Colorado Springs after a review of pitches from several rival cities, USOC chairman Peter Ueberroth announced Monday.

The 53 million-dollar deal from Colorado Springs, the USOC's home since 1978, will provide for training center upgrades and new administrative headquarters buildings for the USOC as well as national sport governing bodies.

"There has long been a special relationship between the USOC and Colorado Springs and we're pleased to announce this relationship will continue," said Ueberroth.

***

Ft. Worth Star-Telegram basketball columnist Jan Hubbard had some interesting thoughts on the NBA's post season awards program for MVP and the likes of Rookie of the Year, etc.

Read on:

Admittedly, I’ve taken a long-winded way to get to today’s point, which is that the NBA should have a serious discussion about revamping the awards system.

Individual awards have traditionally been based on performances for the regular season. For the most part, it’s worked fine.

But consider this point: Why should individual awards be based on the regular season with team awards based on the postseason? Isn’t this supposed to be a team sport? Championships are decided in the playoffs. Shouldn’t the playoffs be considered when determining who has performed the best for that season?

The Warriors’ upset over Dallas last season was a key turning point in NBA history. It was the first time an eighth seed had beaten a top seed in a seven-game first round series.

But it also showed the weakness of the award system. This is not to pick on Dirk Nowitzki because he is a great basketball player and had a great season in 2006-07. It is a privilege to watch him play basketball on a regular basis.

But when he accepted his award last year, his team was out of the playoffs.

Then consider LeBron James. He led an immensely undertalented team to the NBA Finals almost through his own sheer will. Is there any doubt that when looking at the whole season that James should have been MVP? I will bet even Dirk agrees.

I would have no problem with award voting ending after the first three rounds of the playoffs. There is an MVP of the Finals, so that award is sufficient.

But I also would be willing to have voting after the Finals. The NBA could then notify winners, and perhaps bring them to New York for awards presentations in conjunction with the college draft. There was a time in the ‘80s when the NBA would bring the MVP to the league meetings, which are no longer held, and present the trophy.

The regular season would obviously still be important. The All-NBA teams, defensive player of the year, most improved player, etc., would still be largely based on regular-season performances. And the regular season certainly would have an influence on the MVP award.

When the NBA recounts its award history, it presents winners as the top players in individual categories for the entire season. That is inaccurate because there is no listing that awards are “For Regular Season Only.”

The time has come for a change. The NBA should gather not only top historians -- coaches and executives -- but also players like Kevin Garnett who have studied NBA history. And perhaps a panel of media could be assembled -- not only people who have been around for 20-30 years covering the league, but the younger generation of 20- and 30-somethings who could add a fresh perspective.

(A sidenote: Please, no internet fan voting designed to attract a sponsors to add additional revenue to the league. I understand that has also become a tradition, but let’s keep this one semi-pure.)

The NBA should solicit opinions and make a common-sense decision. Let the individual awards reflect the best player for the entire season, not a specific part of it. Keeping an antiquated system for no other reason than tradition no longer makes sense.

***

I remember the 1988 NBA League Meetings which were planned for Scottsdale, Arizona but moved to Whittier and Industry City, California when Arizona refused to adopt the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday into law.

The NBA pulled the plug on AZ and made a statement to the state's tourism board and politicians.

The DNC had this to say about Senator John McCain's mea culpa to critics who blamed him in part for Arizona's opposition to the King holiday bill:

The Democratic National Committee, however, was not sold by McCain's apology.

"It's frankly disingenuous for John McCain to try and reinvent himself for the general election by distorting his record of opposing a holiday honoring Dr. King. John McCain should be honest about his full record of opposing the federal holiday, opposing a state holiday four years later, using divisive language to defend himself, and voting to cut off funding for the commission working to promote the King holiday as recently as 1994," spokeswoman Karen Finney said in a statement.

***

Hmm? Let me think? PR firm has one agenda but Hillary has another. What is a PR-guy to do? See this from Friday's WSJ?

Amid resignation calls from labor leaders, Sen. Hillary Clinton's chief strategist Mark Penn apologized Friday for meeting with the Colombian ambassador this week to discuss a trade agreement that Sen. Clinton opposes.

"The meeting was an error in judgment that will not be repeated and I am sorry for it. The senator's well known opposition to this trade deal is clear and was not discussed," he said in a statement released by Sen. Clinton's presidential campaign.

In a statement first provided to The Wall Street Journal, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa — whose union has endorsed rival Sen. Barack Obama — said the account calls into question Sen. Clinton's own credibility on the trade pact.

"How can we trust that a President Hillary Clinton would stand strong against this trade deal when her top adviser is being paid by Colombia to promote it?" Mr. Hoffa said. "To support this so-called 'free trade agreement' is anathema to the labor movement and to anyone who supports working people, social justice or the environment." (See the statement.1)

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Mr. Penn met in his capacity as chief executive of Burson-Marsteller, a public relations and lobbying firm that is contracted to promote passage of the bilateral free-trade agreement that President Bush is expected to send to Capitol Hill next week despite opposition from Democrats and labor unions. Sen. Clinton and rival Sen. Obama oppose the deal.

***

My TV Production question of the day? Why did CBS Sports keep the Final Four Show in the studio? It was strange to see Greg Gumbel, Clark Kellogg, Seth Davis and Billy D in the studio setting, rather than the obligatory courtside perch at the Alamodome. Sam Ryan and the great Lesley Visser were at courtside, and that's a good thing.

CBS dedicated a huge chunk of the Final Four Show to a group called Hoops for Hope. Check it out: http://www.hoopsofhope.org

- 30 -

Ramble On ...

The Blog @ terrylyons.com celebrated its 300th posting this week. Not bad for a "mindless hack." ... That reminds me of a veteran writer who once said, "You can call me mindless and you can call me a hack, but don't call me a mindless hack."

***

A different, vet scribe, Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune, has this to say about the differences between new media, blogging and the traditional media:

I don't read any blogs. I find it interesting the way the national political campaigns (my first love and job) have hired people to interact with the blogosphere. You may say I'm old, out of touch and cranky, and I probably would have to agree. I'm also probably resentful on some level as I see this unsubstantiated, personal opinion passing for journalism and weep for America and the world. People do seem to read this stuff and equate it with what we do at The Tribune or other media and don't make much distinction.

How is it I can work for decades developing contacts around the NBA and traveling regularly around the NBA and talking with the decision makers and some guy in his basement in his underwear is writing something that has credibility? As close as I can figure, these bloggers are the electronic version of the neighborhood tavern. You used to go in and hear people wailing about sports or politics and offering opinions on all the major issues. We did our man in the street interviews when such issues came up. Now, these people we used to ask for opinion started these blogs and are supposed to be experts. How can that be? I never see any of them, I never hear the coaches and general managers and players I talk to saying they talked to them. So where do they get their information?

People often doubt the traditional media, but we are out asking questions, developing sources of information and interacting with the participants. What are these bloggers doing? I'm fortunate on some level to be getting close to retirement because if these blogs are credible sources of information, there's no point in spending all the time on the road that I do. And did you see that kid eating his ice cream and putting his hands on everything and can't someone shut that baby up and whose idea is it to give these kids a snow day and when I was their age I used to walk 15 miles to school in the snow. And without shoes!

Now, the one thing that I will add to Sam's view is one of the biggest problems and issues with journalism: the fact that the 'traditional' media build relationships, are out beating the beat, traveling, asking the questions, etc. AND THEY STILL GET IT WRONG a good portion of the time.

So, the dilemna? The guy, situated in his basement in his underwear, getting it wrong by making assumptions fans are making everyday OR the guy, dressed slightly better and 'out there' in the trenches getting it wrong because he takes information from a source that has no insight, or gets used by a player/agent/front office type, or just plain-out is lazy and doesn't go the extra yard to check his facts and sources.

+++

My view on the issue: I recently gave a national basketball blogger the cold hard facts on the exact methods the NBA uses to suggest/test/check/vote/implement on-court rule changes. The blogger and an NBA team owner each had it wrong in their statement that NBA Commissioner David Stern can implement a rule change on his own or via the NBA Basketball Operations department (Stu Jackson).

I pointed out that the rules are governed by the NBA Competition Committee and that teams suggest rule changes, either get support or do not get support. The NBA office is only there to facilitate the rule change, test it if need be, then implement the rule change after it has been adopted by the Competition Committee and approved by a majority vote of the NBA Board of Governors (one vote per team, usually the team owner who has consulted his top 'basketball guy' for the vote).

The blogger, by the way, who has a zillion contacts and works hard to build relationships, proceeded to 'get it wrong' TWICE.

Such is life.

***

So, Bear Stearns was nearly history. $2 bucks a share in the same 52-week period where it towered atop the financial pages (last April 25th it was at 159.++).

Delta announced they are cutting 30,000 jobs by overing pay-outs.

As my pal, Chris B. often says, "Sooner or later, we'll all be working for one company."

My buddy, Spy, chimed in: "Yeah, that company might be the Chinese government."

***

I like the new USA Today sports blog. Funny? When Dick Young ran a similar list of items in the NYC tabs, weren't "blogs" called "Notes Columns?"

***

Gotta love the fact that NY News reporter Frank Isola checked the flight records of Jim Dolan's plane to help substantiate a story about the Knicks pursuit of Donny Walsh as team president/GM. Walsh is a good guy. Smart. He would be a good fit for the Knicks.

***

The Boston Herald business section ran a story on Yao Ming and Reebok this past Wednesday, noting that Reebok will base its Olympic marketing efforts on the shoulders of the Chinese national team center who is recovering from foot surgery.

Donna Goodison wrote:

A foot stress fracture proved to be a season-ending injury for Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, but Reebok International says the setback hasn’t altered its Olympics marketing strategy.

The Canton athletic footwear brand is betting on a big rebound by the 7-foot-6 Chinese athlete in time to play for the Chinese national basketball team when the Beijing games start in August.

Reebok is relying on Yao’s hero status in China to make its brand a household name in the nation of 1.3 billion as it continues an expansion plan that will double the number of its retail stores there to 500 this year. “That’s 30 percent of our global retail presence,” said Todd Krinsky, Reebok’s vice president of sports and entertainment marketing. “It’s one of the biggest growth opportunities in the world for us given what’s going on from an economic standpoint.”

And so Reebok has incorporated Yao’s injury into its “Fuel Yao’s Unlimited Power” campaign, its first major Chinese marketing effort integrating TV, Web, billboard, text message and retail components, including the launch of two new Yao sneakers. Its Chinese Web site, www.reebokyao.com, now allows fans to offer well wishes to Yao during recovery.

The campaign stems from consumer research that showed most young Chinese don’t see Yao as simply a sports figure and are not just hoop fans. “He’s the first Chinese athlete to achieve a lot of things in the U.S., so they really look at him as a hero,” Krinsky said. “We took that insight and created a campaign where the consumers have a chance to be a part of who Yao is.”

“The Rockets are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, and it would be nice if he was playing,” Krinsky said. “But everyone feels comfortable about his rehabilitation, and that he will be on schedule to play in the Olympics.”

***

Some confusion over a prior post in this space regarding media reports about Carmelo Anthony and his representation. A spokesperson for Bill Duffy emailed to set the record straight in stating: "Carmelo Anthony is still represented by BDA Sports Management. His agent is BDA's Sr. VP Calvin Andrews. Said BDA: "The BDA Sports Marketing group still represents Carmelo Anthony, but Carmelo is hiring an additional marketing firm to work on marketing endeavors." .... (**** More to come on this topic)

***

This from Forbes.com via the AP: As of Wednesday, March 19, 2008, at least 3,992 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes eight military civilians. At least 3,251 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

The AP count is four more than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Wednesday at 10 a.m. EDT.

The British military has reported 175 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia, three; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, South Korea, one death each.

***

A French authority became the first in government to utter words of support towards political action against the 2008 Beijing Olympics when they suggested possible boycott of the event's Opening Ceremonies.

The boycott and other actions against China stem from this report from September, 2006, as reported then by the Washington Post:

Wang Guangya, China's ambassador to the United Nations, made a formal statement on Darfur that calls into question China's claim to be treated as a responsible international player. Mr. Wang began by saying that China wants U.N. peacekeepers to be deployed in Darfur, calling this a "good idea and realistic option," one that should be done "as soon as feasible." But then he went on to explain that China was refusing to support the U.N. resolution calling for such a deployment. Unless China changes its position, the result may well be tens of thousands of civilian deaths.

Now, a boycott of a made-for-TV show as the method to raise leverage against China's lack of support to a UN resolution to stem the tide of genocide in Darfur? That's it, use the sporting event... that'll get 'em where it hurts. Now, fact is that China is the Sudan's largest trading partner. So, c'mon? Why wait? Why, on earth, would government (any govt) allow sports to play any role in this issue? Move on it, before the Olympic Games.

The protests in Tibet have added to the controversy.

-30-