More Gilbert

I just can't get enough of this guy. Read about some of his pranks here.

More from the Hibachi

Gilbert Arenas says he'd give up one year in the NBA if he could go back to college just to play Duke. Ever since Coach K and others cut him from the national team last summer, Agent Zero has been on a Revenge Tour.

Cats Swagger while Sun Dribbles Stagger

What a great night last night.  Wilma and I celebrated our 37th anniversary in style, taking in the movie Dreamgirls before hustling over to Rookies Sports Bar in Oceanside to watch the Cats pummel ASwho.  Just before tipoff, a young man wearing a Wildcat cap sat down at a nearby table.  "Go Cats!" I said to him, whereby he scooted over and joined us to watch the game on one of the big screens which we'd already requested the game be shown on.  Turns out this wasn't just any young man.  "My girlfriend is Chase Budinger's sister," he said, which immediately endeared him to Wilma and I.  We talked about Chase quite a bit, and learned even more about the Wildcats' freshman phenom.  Soon after the game started, another couple decked out in Wildcat gear walked in.  "Is this the Wildcat section?," the gentleman asked.  "Go Cats!," was the response, so they joined, too.  Turns out the husband works in the UA Athletics department, and he and his wife were spending the week at the beach, too.  Not only that, but his wife went to the same high school as Wilbur, Rincon HS in Tucson.  The party really kicked off then, and the five of us easily made as much noise as the UA student section does for most games.  The 24-point victory over ASwho made it all the sweeter.
If you're reading this, Frank - thanks again for the beers.

• Mohamed out indefinitely - we heard the announcers say that a Wildcat had been taken to the hospital with a concussion, but didn't find out much else until today.  We all wish him a speedy recovery.
• Marcus Williams' X-ray experience - according to this article, Marcus had to wait 3 hours at UCLA Medical Center for wrist X-rays after last week's loss.  Ex-Bruin Don MacLean went to his own private physician instead of waitng in the ER when he was a student there.  The good news is the X-rays were negative, much like the whole experience in LA.
• How's your trivia? - check out the trivia question in this article.
• Tired legs, bad defense - interesting take in this SI article about Arizona's short bench.
• National game of the week - and it's at McKale.  UA vs UNC.  This Saturday.  In Highdef.  Be there.

Agent Zero for Hire

Gilbert Arenas, the human highlight reel, is looking for something more. Something more to go along with his game-winning shots and hot sound bites. He'd like some commercial endorsements.

Still, Arenas hasn't busted through to the upper tier of marketable
players in the NBA despite the dazzling performances, the MVP-caliber
numbers and the long-range buzzer-beaters that now are part of his
nightly routine.


Don't let the hibachi cool off just yet, Gilbert. Your time is coming.

Rivalry Night

Herb Sendak gets his first taste of the UA/ASSu rivalry tonight, and signs point to another lopsided loss for those hated Sun Dribbles. Wilma and I will be watching the "game" at Rookies, a sports bar here in Oceanside, celebrating our 37th anniversary in style. I was checking the odds earlier this morning and the Cats are anywhere from a 17-point favorite to a No Line, meaning no competition.

True love

Who wouldn't love a wife who would induce labor 3 days early so her husband could go to the Bears game today? Wilma is just like that, too.

R Jefferson to have surgery

Ex-Cat and current Net Richard Jefferson will have surgery on his right ankle tomorrow, sidelining him for an unknown length of time. Best wishes, RJ.

And The Slump goes on

Well, this is certainly strange.  The Wildcats haven't lost 3 straight conference games in 23 years - Olson's first year at the helm.  And losing 4 straight to UCLA?  Did anyone see that coming?  Things look a little brighter in the near future (if you don't look at that game against the Tar Heels next weekend), and hopefully a little home cookin' will help the Cats get back their shooting touch, teamwork, and chemistry.  I'm looking at it this way:  better to have a little slump now than when the PAC10 and national tourneys roll around.  I don't like this trend of losing, though.  Now I know what Farky feels like up north.

• The Slump - Coach O says we'll be OK.  I trust him.
• More on the above - I still don't understand why Greg Hansen stays in Tucson.  Sure, he can't be a homer all the time, but he still dredges up ghosts of Wildcats past (Larry Smith) any chance he gets.  Check out the last line of his article here.
• 2007 football schedule released - and it's full of surprises.  Only one non-conference road game (BYU), only 2 November games (one on a Thursday night), and a Dec. 1 matchup against, well, you-know-who.
• New O-line coach - coming from Texas Tech also, he should work very well with Dykes.
• How about a wide receivers coach? - this could be our guy.  Maybe he'll bring a few sweet recruits along, too.

Go Cats!  I'm still drivin' the bandwagon!

Waiting for the ax to fall

After going one and one at home last week against the Oregon schools, the Cats take their show on the road to LA for a very tough 2-game stretch with USC and UCLA.   After that, it's back home again for the Scum Dribbles and another "gimmee" on their non-conference - North Carolina. Such is life.

• The PAC 10 in review - what a conference. The tourney at Staples in March should be one helluva show.
• Softball team set to defend title - how can we expect the girls to practice in this cold weather??
• Shakur stepping it up - and getting some well-deserved national press.  Has this kid turned it around or what this year.
• Lute....Lute - UA's timeless wonder continues to crank out the winners.
• JP volunteers - as I said earlier, those reports of Prince going to Vanderbilt might be just a tad premature.  Sure enough, he winds up at UT.
• Agent Zero - Gilbert still lighting it up.  And remember - he wears the number the 0 because that's the chances some college recruiters gave him of making it to the big time.
• Peaked too early? - hardly.  Better to have a little slump now than later in March. 
  

Commitment to Excrement

Catchy, eh? My new slogan for asu fits perfectly. Nice job against the Beavs yesterday, too, Dribbles. I think I'm going to like Herb.

What's going on with the "fans" at McKale?

This from Greg Hansen in today's Star:

Oregon State basketball coach Jay John did not bring his wife, Lisa to last week's UA-OSU game at McKale Center, in part, because of what John termed were "problems with UA fans'' behind the Beavers' bench.

Those problems were manifest again last week when OSU's Kyle Jeffers had a post-game spat with several UA fans, which resulted in Jeffers being detained by police officers. No charges were filed.

A day later, John, a Salpointe Catholic High School and UA grad, told the Corvallis Gazette-Times that he will no longer permit his team to walk through the northeast entrance/exit to the McKale Center court.

The sad part is that John and his family are longtime Tucsonans; even though the Beavers haven't been competitive at McKale, isolated pockets of UA fans have treated them with no respect.

Is a little civility too much to ask in the sacred game of college hoops?

Or how about this UA fan who was kicked out of the game for standing up the entire game and refusing to sit? All this makes it hard for me to understand what the UA was thinking when they put the students so close to the floor for basketball games. I don't mind a little good-natured ribbing of opposing teams and players, but this mind-spirited stuff has got to stop. Say what you will about the gray-hairs who hold season tickets, at least they appreciate a good game and don't try to throw themselves into the mix.

Wilma and I can relate to the fans sitting (or trying to) behind the nut who refused to sit down. Our season tickets were behind a guy (much older than the student body) who popped up out of his chair for any little reason. When asked to sit down, he refused, insisting instead that everyone else rise in support. Just because the Lemonade Guy ("It's so lemon-y") is working his way up the aisle, that's no reason to bounce up....

Jay "Jaybird" Dobyns rides again

When Jay played for the UA in the '80s, his long blonde hair flowed from under his helmet. As an ATF agent, he shaved his head, tattooed and pierced his body, and became one scary dude. I had the opportunity to meet Jay a few months ago. I remembered his days as a wide out for the UA - and before that at Sahuaro HS here in town - and had kept up on his adventures working undercover for the ATF. He was pleased that I knew who he was (not from any earlier bust, mind you) and I spent a few minutes chatting with him. What an inspiration he is, and deserves all the respect and admiration he's garnished. I'm glad guys like Jay are on our side.

Cats and Beavs

After coming up short against Wazzu - a game which propelled WSU into the Top 25 - the Cats get ready to shake off the loss and start a new win streak going.

• Preview of tonight's game -- Coach Jay takes on his mentor.
• Update -- the PAC-10/Big 12 series.  The Wildcats and the Tree will play two games each in the inaugural season.  Here's the schedule for the first year.
  
• OSU could get first conference win -- against asu.
• Cason to pass on NFL -- will instead defend the pass one more year at Arizona.  That's gotta be good news.
• Mustafa -- finally finds his game as a senior.  Is there anyone better??
• Eugene, you genius -- Edgerson takes his skills and his smile to the Globetrotters.  I still remember the TV coverage he got here reading to kids as a primary school teacher's aide.
• Top flight tight end signs -- and his older brother tries to make it as a walk-on for the UA baseball team.  Nice.

That's all for now....Go Cats!

PAC-10/Big 12 Basketball Series Announced

Starting December '07, the PAC-10 and the Big 12 will start a 4-year head to head battle. I guess the bottom 2 Big 12 teams are out of luck. (oh, wait - Kansas and Texas Tech drew the first byes) First up for UA this December - Texas A

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Gilbert's B'Day Bash

Nothing bashful about "The Hibachi," as you can read in this article about his 25th birthday party (middle of story).
What? Lute wasn't invited??

Duke Sucks

Duke ranked #5?? How did that happen? Here's another Dookie hater's take on it....



Getting ready to go to Santisi Brothers Pizzeria and Sports Grill to catch the UA/WSU hoops game. Yes, we'll all be wearing our finest Wildcat Gear in the heart of Scum Devil country.

Dawgs Pounded

Team chemistry and out-of-body shooting led the Cats over UDub last night in Seattle.  What a great showing by the Cats.

• Huskies defenseless against the Wildcats hot shooting --  With Shakur, J-Mac, and Noodles hitting clutch threes, all that the UW big men could do was gather the ball and throw it back inbounds.  The rebounds aren't happening, guys, when the other team shoots over 65%.
• For a good time, call -- so that's what the Dawg pack was chanting last night.
• Redemption -- Marcus Williams redeems himself after those 2 missed FTs last year.
• Longest streak since '98 -- keep it up, Cats.
• Not so fast -- rumor had it that JP Prince was transferring to Vanderbilt, but his Dad was quoted last as saying that JP hadn't made a final decision yet.  Good luck, JP.
  

Firing Up

Gilbert Arenas keeps up the swag and heats up the hibachi for the Wizards.

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Ex-Wildcats on Opposite Sides of Call

Was it a dirty hit or not?  When Bobby Wade (of the Tenn. Titans) laid a block on the NE Patriots' Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi was right in there, ready to take on the Titan's bench. 

The Dark Side of Recruiting

Here's a very interesting article about AAU basketball teams and the demands they place on college teams.  Seems like a cash donation is required to even talk to team players, with money coming in also from shoe company giants Nike, Reebok, and others.  No mention in the article about Josh Pastner's father's Houston team, but.....