ASK AC - YOUR QUESTIONS GET ANSWERED

08/30/04 YOUR SPORTS QUESTIONS ANSWERED


With the NBA season over, Wagercom.com will be starting a new feature with NBA guru AC Titticock. AC will be answering reader e-mail every week or two, so keep e-mailing him with questions, ideas, and/or naked photos of your sisters. Questions can be about the NBA, Major League Baseball, Fantasy sports, or the great Taylor Rain-Janine Lindemuller debate. Just send your questions to ac@wagercom.com

First of all, I’d like to give a shout out to all of the Wagercom.com fans who joined us last weekend in Las Vegas to celebrate fantasy football, the Gary Payton trade, and Janine Lindemulder’s triumphant return to the work she does best. http://www.avn.com/index.php?Primary_Navigation=Articles&Action=View_Article&Content_ID=80283

We appreciate all of the support Vegas showed the Wagercom.com crew, especially the warm greeting we received from Miss Alabama 1999 and whole MBA squad from Villanova University who diligently sat through a deep Wagercom.com discussion ranging from donkey kong, to porches, to doubling on eleven.

However, I have to give a heartfelt apology to all of those who responded to our ad http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/cas/39900021.html who we could not get back in touch with due to technical difficulties in our suite. I promise next year we will get back to you sooner and you can be part of the annual Wagercom.com draft day festivities.

Yo yo AC, what’s up? Thanks for the heads up about the US mens hoops team. They were terrible. I won a bunch of cash betting against them to win gold on your advice. What can the US do to fix the situation?

B Gregg, Philadelphia, PA

Thanks for the props but picking against the USA was not a difficult task. As I mentioned in my past two Ask AC columns, the team could simply not shoot or pass which are the two most important skills to have in international basketball. We all know the US selection committee is to blame as they chose to have a team with no point guards and no shooters (and don’t give me that Stephon Marbury crap).

I watched the whole Argentina game and was actually surprised by how much we dominated them physically, and no I am not making that up. I haven’t seen the box score but I am guessing we outrebounded them 9000 to 23, including what had to be a record for offensive rebounds in one game. Not only did we kill them on the boards, but when we applied any bit of pressure, we forced them into turnovers. So if we just physically dominated them, how did we lose? Simple, our offense was putrid with a capital vomit. Dwayne Wayne Wade missed about 4 straight close jumpers in the first half and his confidence was gone from then on. The whole team missed a ton of easy 15 foot shots, just reprehensible. Not only that but Argentina was smoking from three and our terrible match-up zone defense involved us not matching up with the shooter (I still haven’t figured that one out). We lost because we had to hit 3 baskets for every 2 they hit and there was more chance of me watching and liking a Robin Williams movie than us being able to do that.

Other than our poor shooting and passing, I have to wonder what Larry Brown was doing with his offensive schemes and player rotations. Our offense involved us getting the ball and driving 1 on 5 to the hoop. Now I understand that if your players can’t shoot, you need to get the ball closer the basket, but the continual driving to the hole against 5 players was painful to watch. The guards should have been able to draw at least one downlow defender to drop the ball off for a lay-up, but that never happened. Also, the two times Iverson and Wade full court pressed, Argentina turned the ball over. Why weren’t we doing more of that? As far as player rotation, Melo may not play D but he has a nice shot. I can’t imagine he wouldn’t have been useful against the zone to drop in a couple of 15 to 20 footers. I think the biggest disappointment though was the lack of time for LeDong. When he was out there he was not good, so I can’t blame Larry Brown for this one, but I just am surprised by how little he was able to do. I thought he would be well suited for the international game, but I guess even AC can be wrong once in awhile.

So what can team USA do? Easy, take 12 shooters next time. Dust off Dale Ellis, Craig Hodges, Conner Henry, Damon Bailey, and hell even bring Walter McCarty and plant him in the corner. It is that simple. We lost to Pepe Sanchez whose foot speed has been compared to that of a dieing 900 year old turtle with tendonitis. Pepe regularly got busted by Iverson in Sixer practices but when the game is a zone game and passing takes the place of foot speed, skilled players like Pepe get the advantage. And as long as we are talking about them, are there much better porn names than Manu “Mangoo” Ginobili and Pepe Sanchez who could be billed as Dirty Sanchez’s friendlier cousin?

I've long held the belief that football is meant to be played on grass rather than on astro-turf. I'm curious: are the home fields of more Superbowl champions grass or astro-turf?

Joshua A. Rodine Peoria, Il

Mr. Rodine, first of all, and call me a purist if you like, but I would argue that football is meant to be played on crack cocaine rather than either grass or astro-turf like you suggest, but that’s just me. However, I think what is more important in determining the Super Bowl winner is the ratio of hookers and strip clubs in a super bowl city to the number of recovering or current drug addicts on each of the Super Bowl teams. For instance, if Jamaal Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens made the Super Bowl, they would have an easier time winning if the game were played in Topeka, Kansas than in New Orleans or Miami. I haven’t had a chance to completely prove the validity of this theory as the Michael Irvin paradox flusters me, but I think it may just be a statistical anomaly. Alternatively, I put a chart together in my last Ask AC that actually holds the raw data to iterate this problem yourself which you can reference here http://www.sternfannetwork.com/forum/showthread/t-13044.html .

Hope that helps.

What is the deal with all of the old-school jerseys these days? Should I buy one, and if so, which should I buy? What would be your top five?

Blackjack Girl Wayne, PA

The old school jersey fad has started to grow a little bit out of hand. Over the past week, on two separate occasions, I have seen Len Bias Celtic jerseys and wanted to stab myself in the eye both times. Actually, the first time I wanted to stab myself in the eye and the second time I wanted to stab the dude wearing it in the eye. I mean why do you have to do that to me? Why not just go for the kill shot and start wearing Buckner Red Sox jerseys around, jeesh.

As previously mentioned, the Wagercom.com crew was out in vegas for the annual fantasy football draft and I suggested the twelve of us go in old school NFL jerseys with a twist. I thought we should wear Rae Carruth, OJ Simpson, Art Schlichter, Dexter Manley (spelled Mnalye), Michael Irvin, Jamal Lewis, Ray Lewis, Michael Pittman, Lawrence LT Taylor, Zeke Mowatt (Lisa Olsen in the house), Eugene Robinson, and Bennie Blades jerseys. Think about seeing twelve guys walking through vegas in those jerseys, just brilliant. Unfortunately we couldn’t get it together in time. However, if you’re out in vegas for our fantasy hoops draft, you’ll recognize us by the Kobe Bryant, Calvin Murphy, Ruben Patterson, James Worthy, and RaWeed Wallace jerseys we’ll be wearing.

Finally, my top five old school jersey’s that I would like to own are:

1. Greg Kite

2. Darren Daye

3. Steve Grogan, only if the neck brace were included

4. Floyd “Honey Bear” Rayford http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/rayfofl01.shtml if it were actual size (there is no way he was 195 as listed, maybe his right ankle was 195 but that’s it).

5. Doug Flutie BC jersey

Until Next time, AC.

contact AC at ac@wagercom.com or post your questions/comments on the Wagercom Message Board

To sign up to receive this column each week by email simply click on: info@wagercom.com, put your email address in the message box and hit send.

Check the current point spreads and game lines.