another one, another zero

NCAA Tournament Post Mortem

I wanted to avoid a bitter, heat of the moment rant in the aftermath of yesterday's collapse. So I stewed on it for a while. Went out for some sushi with Tom Yu and did some reflecting.

If you want some actual professional analysis, I suggest this piece by Thomas Boswell which hits the nail on the head, in my view:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/23/AR2008032302067.html?sid%3DST2008032302032&sub=AR

In Boswell's words: "In the end, this was not a game that the crowd controlled or the zebras distorted or the Hoyas squandered, though all those elements were needed for such a stunner. Above all, this was a game that glorious gunner Stephen Curry (30 points), one of the best long shooters of any generation, and his Davidson running mate Jason Richards (20 points) went out and ripped from the hands of a careless Hoyas team that let a potential blowout turn into the school's most alarming tournament defeat since losing the title game to Villanova in '85."

All true. But this one hit me hard. I still feel a sense of astonishment over the loss. Not only because it actually happened, but because it is was such an uncharacteristic way for the Hoyas to lose.

First, the team that beat the Hoyas was a shock. We lost to a vastly inferior team - on paper and on the floor. As the Post correctly points out, the Hoyas, in their history, had really been UPSET in the tournament only two times - 1985 and 1987. Say what you will about them, but the Hoyas generally don't lay an egg in the tournament, and I thought that had especially been the case under JT3. A loss to a 10th seeded team (whose team bus was a Land Rover) did not seem to mesh with the upwards trajectory that the program was on. We expected more - and not irrationally so. I was not expecting a Final Four run this year, but I also was not expecting a loss to LL Bean Outlet.

Second, the way they lost was shocking. The team, under JT3, had always been prepared, honest and hardworking. I felt they'd lose in the tourney this year eventually - but I KNEW that they would lose in a hard fought battle in which they would be outclassed and trailing pretty much from beginning to end. This was the case with ALL of their losses this year - the vast majority of them to equally stong teams, all of them away from home. NOT the case on Sunday. Sunday was a COLLAPSE, a loss of composure. A team that came unglued - a troubling loss that leaves you shaking your head in disappointment. We have seen losses, but this kind of loss is something we have not seen from this Hoyas team since the twilight days of JT2.

Though astonished at the way it went down, I have to admit that I am not completely surprised by the result. I wasn't overly optimistic heading into the tournament - the Hoyas played a bad game against Pitt last week to gear up for the tourney and something about Davidson just screamed cinderella story. Further, the fact that Davidson was essentially playing a home game and that Stephen Curry played off his ass against Gonzaga just made me feel queasy. I am not trying to set up an "I TOLD YOU SO.."….just filling you in on my state of mind heading into Sunday morning.

But then I got rational. I thought to myself - how would Bish analyze this game? And I really looked at the situation thoughtfully- the Hoyas had vastly superior size. Vastly superior athletes. Were MUCH deeper. And played in the toughest conference in the nation. They were certainly ready to take on the Southern Conference's version of 98 Degrees. Moreover - they were certainly ready to take on and contain someone the likes of Stephen Curry. Any number of Hoya guards could hang with him defensively - and more to the point - these Hoyas COULD NOT be defeated by a one man show. It's just not possible given their disciplined team defense, methodical style of play and the fact that they could throw a defensive rotatation of 3 if not 4 fresh guards at him throughout the course of the game. Someone else would need to step up for Team Izod and that was just not going to happen on a team whose tallest guy is 6'8" and white.

The only thing that worried me was that Davidson had perhaps the ONLY student section in the nation with a greater chinos to jeans ratio than the Hoyas student section….But that was just personally disturbing and hopefully would not have any direct impact on the game.

Lo and behold, the first 25 minutes of the game played out exactly according to form.

FIRST HALF STATS:

Hoyas

: 38 (13/20 from the floor)

Princeton of the South

(with a student body that is about the size of my high school): 27

Stephen Curry

: 2/8 shooting, 5 pts. Did not make his first shot until 9:31 of the first half. Did not hit his first 3 ptr until 0:48 of the first half.

All in all, everything I thought about prior to the game was holding true. Curry was locked down, frustrated and throwing up prayers. The Hoyas were playing smart, disciplined, defensive basketball. The three pointers were falling - the result of a well run offense and, for the most part, smart, open shots - and all of this without ANY reliance on Hibbert down low. It was reminiscent of the Villanova win in the Big East Tourney. And I was feeling good.

It carried over into the second half. In the first 5 minutes, the Hoyas built the lead to 16 - and Curry missed his first 3 shots of the half. Hoyas were on cruise control and I was licking my chops for Wisconsin. Stinking Badgers. As a side note, my premature analysis of the Badgers was pretty favorable. I think of them and Bo Ryan's style as typically Big East. Something the Hoyas knew and did not fear. Many tournament teams would be frustrated by them and their stifling defense, but I thought the Hoyas would be up to the task. Certainly the Badgers would be a tough out, but no tougher than Louisville or Pitt. In short, we could beat them at their own game…. Needless to say, my mind was wandering.

Then something happened. I tried to trace it back to a single moment - or a single play. But it really isnt' possible. Was it the 4 point play by Curry that finally got him and the crowd into the game? Was it the 3-4 offensive fouls in a row that gave the frat boys with the high SAT scores new life? I don’t think it can be pinpointed….but whatever it was, it happened. And happened fast.

The next 10 minutes of basketball were probably the worst 10 minutes of Hoya basketball - OF MY LIFE. And the funny thing is I never really thought it was that bad. I imagine this is how you feel when you get very badly injured while off-your-ass drunk. You see the blood, you feel that something is wrong, but something in your mind is not working and in a strange way, it's all OK. It's almost as if I expected the J Crew Brigade to mount a charge and the Hoyas to almost allow it to happen…because that is what this team does. They don’t blow people away. Even UMBC only lost by 19. The Hoyas go on cruise control. Don’t run up the score. Make a lot of dumb passes. Get sloppy. Give up a lot of rebounds - BUT STAY AHEAD. Besides, the lead was 16! So what if it went down to 12…or 11….or 9….or 7…..or….wait a minute. BURN ONE JT3!!! Houston, we have a problem..

It was when the lead shrunk to about 7 (at the 10:07 mark of the second half) that I felt an uneasy feeling creep over me for the first time. I thought to myself…DAMN. We have not even TAKEN a shot in a REALLY long time. (This hunch is verified if you check the box score. Between 14:30 of the second half, when Hoyas led 48-33 and 9:18 of the second half, when Hoyas lead was cut to 50-46 and JT3 FINALLY burned one - the Hoyas were only credited with taking 2 SHOTS!, a missed 3 pointer by Ewing and a layup by Hibbert).

In fact between the 10 and 5 minute marks of the second half, Hoyas turned the ball over an astonishing 10 TIMES!

After this stretch, I felt the loss coming on. Hoyas were still ahead, but not for long. Within minutes our 17 point lead had become a 7 point deficit and it was dead man walking time.

The question is not only WHAT HAPPENED? But WHAT HAPPENED SO FAST?

Some post-mortem from the pundits holds a few answers. The smarmy Doug Gottlieb attributed the Hoyas' fall to the "TRIUMVERATE" (do you think he even knows what this word means? Do you think he thinks it is French for "threesome"?) of (1) Lots of Turnovers, (2) Bad Free Throw Shooting, (3) Lack of rebounding. The stats certainly back this up: Turnovers - 20 for the Hoyas, 5 for the cast of Saved by the Bell - the College Years. Freethrows - 8/17 from the free throw line for the Hoyas, 24/30 for '96 Jacksonville Jaguars. Rebounds - slight edge here - 30 for the Hoyas, 28 for the Troy Tulowitzki look alike club, BUT with a 12-7 edge on the offensive glass, in favor of Leave It To Beaver.

Certainly not a recipe for success - BUT - even if you accept all of this as true, it still does not explain the utter collapse of the Hoyas. It's not like all of these factors built up over the course of the game and kept the Macauly Culkins in it until a buzzer beater did us in at the end. To reiterate: THE HOYAS HAD A 17 POINT LEAD IN THE SECOND HALF. Something else went down…..and it was methphysical. Almost as if the good karma of the past two years suddenly, tragically and painfully reversed itself and doomed the Hoyas to defeat.

I personally look to Hibbert. Note - I do not BLAME Roy Hibbert for this or any other loss. To do so would make him more than he is. Hibbert was no more responsible for the Hoyas wins and losses this year than was Mrs. Fenlon. And that statement, I think, is both an exoneration and an indictment of the 2007-2008 Hoyas. Everyone LOOKED to Hibbert. You can't help it - he's 7'2". In some circles, people believed that the Hoyas would go as far as Hibbert would take them. But anyone who watched the team knew better. They knew that Hibbert could become a non-factor, completely disengaged and useless. But DESPITE THIS- the Hoyas had so many other ways to win. So many other leaders, scorers to depend on. A system that was bigger than any one player. A machine that was more than the sum of its parts, with a brain and a lot of heart. But it also had a Big Guy. A classic Gtown center, who sometimes was no more than a mascot. And Roy, in the end, represents that certain missing something of this team. That lurking feeling that, in the end, they were doomed. The seed of doubt, in the back of your mind, that their luck would run out. A seed that grew ever so slightly every time a 6'5" honkey swatted one of Roy's hook shots from the blind side. A feeling that HE….that THEY….just were not up to it.

Roy is the big dude that gets his ass kicked in a bar fight by the obnoxious drunk that isn't afriad to take a swing at him. He's the brother that can't really dance. The dude that goes home on weekends to do his laundry. The college guy that goes to the senior prom.

And that, in the end, is how I will remember this team - Roy's team. A team that disappointed, but, in some strange way, lived up to our very expectations.

BarBri - the Second Time Around

When I was making the decision to move to California, I remember vaguely that one of my considerations on the downside was that I would need to take the CA bar exam eventually...I didnt think much of it until late last year, when I had to force myself to sign up for the test and, best of all, enroll as an "ALUMNI" in my BarBri bar review class.  My memories of my first BarBri experience are nothing but fond.  Taking the class in the summer of 2002 was a rite of passage - right after graduation from law school and before starting my REAL job.  It was a good transition into working life - part academics, part mindless, useless paperwork - it really was the perfect blend of both worlds. 

This time around (and I never thought there would be a SECOND time for BarBri), the novelty has largely worn off.  Part of me feels kind of nostalgic going to a lecture every day, doing homework, turning in essays, practicing multiple choice questions at Starbucks while I sip on a latte and people watch.  It truly does bring back some memories of school - and a simpler time.  But my predominant emotion is annoyance.  Having the perspective of working for a few years really makes me realize how useless the things are you need to know to pass the bar exam.  I really did not have an appreciation for this the first time around.  After all, I had just spent 3 years learning nothing but theoretical law...which I was pretty sure I would never use in real life.  It seemed natural.  Now, it seems like a really big waste of time.  Today, for example, I am spent my morning memorizing elements to crimes that have not been crimes since the Tudor dynasty.  Later on, I am going to practice writing a practice Bar Exam essay - which, as you're trained to do in BarBri, requires you to put aside almost all analytical legal thought and regurgitate the elements of the crimes I memorized this morning.  One important skill you need to learn in preparing for the bar exam is that you can't be too smart for the test.  In the words of one of the BarBri lecturers...just be a sheep.  Not the most engaging way to spend 6 weeks of your intellectual life.

I have been thinking about the best analogy for nonlawyers to really understand what you have to learn to pass the bar exam.  I think I finally came up with something:  imagine, at the end of high school, if you had to memorize the alphabet in a random but very specific order before you could go on to college.  At heart, there are some nuggets of useful knowledge and/or skills that are being tested (memorization and letters) but overall, it's a very specific hazing ritual, the fruits of which will never EVER again be useful to you.

Back to memorization!

If at first you don't succeed....file a lawsuit

It's been a while since I've taken my bar review course, but I seem to remember something in the review materials about this situation....namely that suing the bar examiners after you fail the exam is not usually a successful strategy.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/07/06/mass_bar_sued_for_gay_marriage_question/

Looks like this dude came within a whisker of passing the bar and is now suing because one of the essay questions - about same sex marriage - struck him as morally questionable.  He "refused" to answer it (ie: ran out of time) and is now suing the test makers over the question's morality.  Incedentally, he's also representing himself in the lawsuit....and, while he's at it, throwing in a challenge to the constitutionality of same sex marriage for good measure. 

I don't know how this lawsuit comes out.  What I do know is that the Boston legal community is notoriously chatty....and that, until the end of time, people will see this guy's name and say..."Hey, aren't you the guy that sued the bar exam over the gay marriage question?  That was really dumb."

Check out some of the early reviews from some members of the Boston Bar.  Not very promising:

"The bar exam was a test of whether he knew how to apply domestic relations law, and he refused to answer.  Now he's suing, and I think that makes him a loser."

David Yas, editor of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, said the suit was "idiotic" and that Dunne was "completely missing the point about what it means to be a lawyer."

Does it count??

Question of the day:  Does a hole in one count if you're playing by yourself...and even YOU don't witness it?? 

Yesterday, I got out of work a little early and was playing a twilight nine at the Palo Alto Muni ($13, all you can play!).

I was playing a couple of balls per hole, practicing on the greens, etc....your typical twilight practice round.  I get to the tee on the par three 8th.  153 yards, tees are up.  I select a 7 Iron.  I hit my first shot.  It was decent, but I pushed a little to the right...but still on the green.  I can do better.  I hit a second ball, which was all over the pin from the moment it came off the club.  It landed on the front of the green and tracked to within 6 feet of the pin.  Nice.  Why I decided to hit another ball, I'll never know.  I was not going to do any better than that.

Anyway, against my better judgment, I teed up another one just for the heck of it.  I was feeling cocky after my last shot and sure enough, the next ball comes off the club low and right.  I bad mishit...I turned away in disgust to collect my bag.  Last I saw it, the ball was a line drive, about 10 feet above the ground, hooking towards the right greenside bunker. 

As I walked up to the green, I was focused on knocking in the "birdie" putt that was sitting pretty, about 5 feet from the hole.  I figured I could collect my wayward ball (which was certainly off the back of the green somewhere) after I made my putt.

Well, I line the putt up (flagstick is still in...I am lazy) and putt it towards the hole.  Sadly, it lips out but I tap it in anyway.  I go to retrieve the ball from the hole....and....there are TWO balls in there.  One is the ball I just putted in.  The other is the third, horrible shot I hit.  I was a little stunned.  And not really sure what to make of it.

I have no idea how that second ball got into the hole.  It may have skipped off the lip of the trap on its way over the green and trickled in.  It may have slammed into the flagstick and dropped into the hole.  A squirrel may have gobbled it up and deposited it into the cup.  I wasn't watching.  What I do know is that it was my ball...and I only hit it once.  Badly.  But once.

So.....is it a hole in one?  No one saw it.  Not even me.  I am going to vote no...and like a fisherman that catches and releases a 40 pound marlin...I am going to try again. 

But if anyone ever asks me if I ever got a hole in one, I am going to answer...."sort of."

Day 10: Sin City, Hangover Alley and the Home Stretch

Halfway through my drive from Zion to Vegas, I wondered to myself - "what better way to follow up a couple of days of hiking amidst some of mother nature's most unspoiled terrain than a night of debauchery in the most artificial, garish and over the top city known to man?" If you think this plan sounds like a recipe for disaster, you would be right.

The drive to Vegas was actually really scenic, through the mountains and desert of Arizona and Nevada.  Coming up on Vegas from the east makes you realize - you're really in the middle of nowhere.  I never really appreciated how desolate the area around Vegas was when I flew in.  I also never had the experience of actually driving a car on the strip before - which was pretty sweet. 

I pulled in to the Mirage at around 8pm (aka noon, Vegas time) and was ready for some white tigers, free drinks  and light gambling.  I have always admired the Mirage.  As the first of the "new" mega hotels on the strip, I feel that it's teetering on the edge of being a little dated, 80's and cheesy, as it's neighbors duel to outdo each other on size and flash...but something about the Mirage works for me.   Maybe it's my hope that I'll be playing craps at a table with Gordon Gekko....but I was thoroughly excited for my Mirage experience. 

I checked in, enjoyed a couple of room fridge Bud Lights and got ready to head down to the tables.  I spent a couple of hours playing craps, with what was a decidedly older crowd than I was used to from my stints at Paris and even Mandalay.  Maybe because it was a Wednesday night, but the action was a little slow and the table I planted myself at was terribly cold.   Things picked up a bit when some old dude showed up at the table, sideled up next to me and started betting big on the "Don't".  For those unfamiliar with craps, he was basically betting that the shooter would 7-out, and everyone at the table would lose.  It's kind of like betting with the house in blackjack - which is not allowed in that game, but in craps, its fair game....but highly frowned upon.  Think of that guy that wears his Yankee gear to Fenway for a Sox/Yankees game, and roots loudly for the visiting team...and you get the idea.  Anyway, as soon as this guy shows up and plunks his $500 down on Don't, the table heats up and we all go on a roll.  Nothing could have made me happier than the old dude slinking away after about 30 minutes, down a hefty amount, to the muffled jeers of his fellow players.  It was on.

After an hour or two of treading water at the table, it was time to check out the scene in the rest of the casino.  I went to one of the jungle lounges and started talking to a couple of tipsy, but otherwise friendly English guys.  To make a long story short, we hit the town from there and had our last Red Bull at about 8am.  I went to sleep at about 830 and sprang out of bed, ready for my 10 hour drive to SF at 11.

Needless to say, the next 10 hours would not be fun.  I had a couple of factors working against me:  (1) I felt horrible, (2) it was about 95 degrees outside, in the shade and (3) I had about 1 hour remaining on my book on tape.  By the time I was through Death Valley, it would be useless to me.

I got in the car at the Mirage, drove about 1 mile and had to stop to rest.  I chose to hit the In N Out Burger on Dean Martin Blvd...which was a gift from above.  After a couple burgers, I was rejuvenated and on the road again.  I took Highway 15 west towards LA for a couple of hours.  It's a brutal stretch of road, though some of the hottest, driest land on my drive.  I love to think of this road on a typical Sunday afternoon - jammed with carfuls of miserable Angelenos trudging back home after their weekend in Vegas.  It has to be the most hungover stretch of road in America.  I don't know if it's officially called "Hangover Alley" - but it should be.  The other drivers did not look good.  And it was only Thursday.

The drive was just as brutal as I thought it would be.  I drove all the way through the inland empire of California - which is the vast expanse of valley in the center of the state....it's all farmland, and essentially looked like what I thought Kansas would be.  Not the most exciting scenery, but fortunately, there were a LOT of Tejano radio stations to keep me company.  The motivation to make it to the finish line was strong, though, and I would not be denied.  I hit the Bay Bridge at about 1030pm - for the final, dramatic approach into my new hometown of SF!

Day 8 & 9: Utah Canyons - Top to Bottom

I went on two of the best hikes ever over the past couple of days.  Tuesday, I woke up at dawn (an accomplishment in itself for me) to watch the sun rise over Bryce Canyon at the aptly named Sunrise Point.  From there, I embarked on a 9 mile hike that led me around the rim of the canyon, through an area called "Fairlyland" and eventually down to the bottom for some up close encounters with the alien rock formations (called "hoodoos", dont ask me why). Check out some of the pictures in my Bryce Canyon album posted on the right sidebar.  I took this picture myself, by setting my camera on a rock, hitting the timer and then scampering to the edge of the cliff...just in time to pose.  This photo only hints at some of the spactacular views of the canyon I had from the top, before descending down to the floor.  In many places, the trrail ran along the edge of the cliff...and got fairly narrow in some places. 

After completing the Fairlyland loop, I got in the car and drove a short distance to Zion, where the next day, I took a memorable and really unique walk.  I began by hiking along the Virgin river for a mile or so - which is the small river that has carved Zion Canyon out of the sandstone for millenia.  The paved trail eventually comes to an end at the river and then....you get in the river and keep hiking.  Actually, you're wading.  Upstream for about 2-3 miles and then back again.  The further upstream I went, the narrower the canyon became.  At its narrowest points, I was standing at the bottom of a 700 foot tall cliff, in the river, which was only about 15-20 feet wide between the two opposing canyon walls.  It was unlike anything I had ever seen.  The hike itself was not too strenuous - elevation was relatively low (compared to Bryce) and it was generally flat.  There were some rocky parts of the river, which were slower going, but overall, not too bad.  At its deepest point, the water was about thigh deep, and was not too cold.   I posted some pictures in the Zion Canyon album...check them out!.  Next - off to Vegas - then the home stretch to SF!

Day 7: The Scenic Route

Moab Utah to Bryce Canyon. 

Truth be told, I am starting to get a little overwhelmed by Utah's scenic landscape.  I am just not used to seeing the rocks, canyons, mesas and vast desert that I have been treated to for the past couple of days.  The highpoint so far was yesterday's drive from Moab to Bryce Canyon.  The drive was only a couple of hundred miles and can take about 4 hours or so if you limit your stops.  I did it in about 6.5, because I stopped so many times to gawk and take pictures.  For a relatively short trip, the variety of landscape was very impressive.  Leaving Moab, I took I-70 and 24 west through the flat, barren mesa country.  The sign I saw on I-70 near the town of Green River (where I stopped for some Arby's) said it all:  "No Service Stations for 110 miles".  As I learned in Kansas, though flat does not mean boring.  For about 70 miles, it was like driving on a airport runway through the arid desert.  It may be the first time I ever set the cruise control to 100....the road was completely desolate, with an occasional car passing in the other direction.  Looming off in the distance were huge mesas, which looked pretty eerie off on the horizon.

Gradually, the landscape got more rugged and mountainous, and before long I found myself in a landscape that can best be described as "lunar".  Petrified sand dunes, grey sand and towering red/brown mesas made the entire place look like a movie set for Mars.  Pretty crazy.

Finally, the route wound its way (and I do mean WOUND) up into the mountains, which were very lush in comparison to the moon-like place in my rearview mirror.  At high altitude, the road was lined by a birch forest and provided a great, panoramic view of the valleys below.  Descending the mountains, I was again in canyon country and within sight of my next stop, Bryce Canyon

.

Sayonara New Car Smell

Big thanks to the bottle of Zegna cologne that I had in my suitcase.  The bottle broke somewhere in Utah - and now my entire suitcase and car smell like Tony Soprano.  Fortunatelty, none of my clothes were effected.  Just the suitcase.  So much for the new car smell..I guess there are worse things a car could smell like.  But it's a little overpowering.

I even tried airing the thing out in the middle of the Utah desert.  No dice.

Day 6: Across the Continental Divide

Denver to Moab, Utah.  355 Miles.

Day 6 on the road featured a dramatic drive from Colorado to Utah, followed by an even more dramatic encounter with the rock formations of Utah's canyon land.

Leaving Denver and heading west, I got on I-70, which would take me well into Utah.  Colorado's portion of I-70 is a breathtaking stretch of road, twisting through the gorges of the the Rocky mountains.  The road is blasted out of the mountains themselves and follows a series of streams through the mountains.  I crossed the continental divide at the Eisenhower tunnel  and was soon into Utah and on my way to Moab.

Just outside of Moab is Arches National Park.  Arches gets its name from the otherworldly rock formations that adorn the park.  As tall as sky scrapers, they've been formed over millenia of erosion and weathering.  Pictures really don't do these formations justice - they are massive and breathtaking to behold, especially at sunset.  I've posted some pictures in the "Moab Utah" album on the right, so you can see what I mean....you have to see it to believe it.  It was fun (and a little scary) to climb around on the rocks, as huge boulders, precariously balanced, loomed overhead.

I've found that the mile high altitude is definitely noticeable, especially when I've been hiking a bit.  Not only is the air noticeably thinner, but it's also incredibly dry.  I am constantly thirsty, even though I'm drinking water non-stop. 

Tomorrow - Bryce Canyon.

Day 5: Denver. The Sunshine State

Spent a great day hanging out in sunny Denver, with my old friend Trent.  I was surprised by the city's abundance of modern architecture - especially their brand new art museum. 

It was a great break from the road and a perfect day to be outside.  We spent most of the day just wandering around, having lunch at an outside cafe and taking in the Rockies/Royals game at Coors field.  Good times in Denver.