[The Poet]

It will be a short update today, for three reasons. One, only a couple of scores from last night were any surprise at all, so why bother with the others? Two, there's damn little action on a Friday night, so why bother with more than a couple of those also? And three, because I just read some news that has me miffed, and I don't wanna splash my anger over into other people's plates. What is said news, you ask? Well:

Junior point guard for the UNC Tar Heels Larry Drew II announced out of the blue (yeah, sky-blue I reckon) that he is leaving the team immediately . . . just as both he and the team have started to play better. He stated he was leaving because "it's in my best interest to continue my education and basketball career elsewhere" . . . and I suppose to hell with his present teammates. Perhaps it is due to him being replaced in the starting lineup in recent games by freshman Kendall Marshall, but not only was Drew still getting significant minutes on the court, he was also producing off the bench better than he had done as a starter, on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. The announcement came as a complete shock to everyone, as apparently the only person he discussed the matter with was his father, Atlanta Hawks head coach Larry Drew.

Now to be completely honest, I am not angry that he has decided to leave the Carolina program, as his development and progress has not been what was expected, and because he is certainly free to persue his options elsewhere. His progress as a player was definitely hindered by the fact that he received little time as a freshman, playing behind both Ty Lawson and Bobby Frasor. Then he was tossed into the fire as a sophmore in last year's disaster of a campaign, and was the target of much of the criticism, be it justified or not. He did little in the first half of this season to change anyone's opinion, averaging only 4.4 points and 3.9 assists (and 1.8 turnovers) per game. So, had he made the same decision the Ware twins made at the end of last season, and announced after completing this year that he was leaving, I would simply thank him for what he had hepled to accomplish, and wish him well. However, for him to quit the team just as they seem to be turning things around a bit, and with the toughest stretch of the season just beginning . . . well, screw the selfish basturd, that's all I have to say.


As I said above, before starting my rant, I was surprised by only three of last night's games:


Oregon State 68 - Washington 56 = Don't get me wrong. It's not that I think the Huskies are all that good, but please. The Beavers, as I said yesterday, are no damn good at all. OK, so they did edge Arizona earlier in the year. So what? This was no squeaker, and there's no damn excuse for it.

North Florida 72 - Lipscomb 62 = And there's no damn excuse for this one either. Lipscomb is a much better team than are the Ospreys, and should have plucked them good.

Youngstown State 62 - Butler 60 = And though this was a tight one, there's again no damn reason for it. Sure, Butler's not as good as they were last year. What's your point? The Penguins are absolutely horrible, and this victory boosted their Horizon record to 2-10, and 8-14 overall. Gimme a freakin' break!


Tonight's games include only two that hold even the slightest interest to me:


Harvard vs. Princeton = The Ivy chase has yet to scarcely begin, but this is still a big one for both teams.

Fairfield vs. Iona = And if the Gaels want to have any shot at all of catching Fairfield in the MAAC, they need to take this one tonight.


If I manage to calm down a bit, I'll be back later with some early tips tomorrow. If not . . . well, enjoy or don't, what do I care. I'm still p!$$ed, so &@^# it all.