Preseason Top 25: (Gulp) may the Gator dynasty talk begin

Jeffrey Demps is just one of the many reasons Florida - sadly - enters 2009 atop the rankings.

We've all seen a movie where a person - typically a girl - uses the infamous line, "I don' know how to tell you this, so I'm just going to tell you..."

This line is usually followed by some kind of bad news, ranking somewhere along the lines of "I've been cheating on you" or "I'm pregnant" (that could be good news, but not if she precedes it with the line in the first paragraph).

Well, as I get ready to unveil my preseason top 25, which is something I look forward to every college football season, it comes with a bit of a damper in 2009 because I must incorporate the infamous line in paragraph one to kick it off.

I don't know how to tell you this, so I'm just going to tell you...

Florida is No. 1.

There, I said it. And no, I don't feel any better about it now that I have officially said it. Being the Florida State student and die-hard Seminole fan I am, it pains me deeply to utter these words. I searched up and down for reasons to keep the Gators from holding the top spot, but when me of all people can't find a single reason why they shouldn't be No. 1, they are absolutely legit. I'll save my reasons for them being No. 1 in my team write-up for them once we actually dive into the rankings.

Anyway, let's take a look at what we can expect to see in 2009. To me, there are two guaranteed things: Florida will go undefeated, and we will have PLENTY of controversy compliments of the crowd-pleasing BCS. If you thought last year's Oklahoma-Texas debacle was a loud scream for a playoff, this season's BCS meltdown may break the sound barrier.

When analyzing the top team's schedules, we have serious potential to have five undefeated teams at the conclusion of the regular season. Yes, FIVE. Florida goes unbeaten based on talent and coaching alone. Penn State has really only one tough test all season, which comes Nov. 7 against Ohio State. Fortunately for Penn State, the game is in Happy Valley. The Texas-Oklahoma winner on Oct. 17 in Dallas should finish undefeated. The two other unbeaten teams could be USC and Boise State, although both face tough challenges. USC travels to Ohio State Sept. 12 for its first road game of the year and will still be breaking in a new quarterback in redshirt freshman Aaron Corp. The Trojans also have difficult conference road games against Cal (Oct. 3) and Oregon (Oct. 31). As for Boise State, if they can find a way to get by Oregon at home in the season opener Sept. 3, it should be smooth sailing to a 12-0 record. What the BCS will do with this mess if it happens (and I sure hope it does), nobody can be certain.

You may have noticed when I ran off USC's slate of tough games this season, I left out their Oct. 17 tilt against Notre Dame in South Bend. There's a lot of hype surrounding the Irish this year, but for what reason? Why give a team who has gone 10-15 the last two seasons and has a glorified high school schedule in '09 preseason top 25 consideration? When exactly half of your schedule consists of Nevada, Washington, Washington State, Navy, UConn and a depleted Boston College team, it's going to take a while before you receive any sort of consideration in the Brett Jula Top 25 Poll. In fact, I've already set the criteria for the earliest Notre Dame can crack my top 25 this year:

- Be undefeated heading into their Oct. 17 game against USC. That means win home games against Nevada, Michigan State and Washington and road games against Michigan and Purdue. Strange - I think my alma mater, Center High School, has that exact schedule!
- Stay within two touchdowns of USC on Oct. 17. Yes, I'm willing to give more credit to the Irish for a hard-fought loss to a respectable opponent than beating up a helpless opponent.

I could rant all day about how overrated and undeserving the 2009 Notre Dame football team is of a top 25 ranking - it could be a 5,000-word blog post in itself. But let's go ahead and talk about the teams who are actually part of the preseason top 25. Here it is.

No. 25: N.C. State
Head coach Tom O'Brien made a big splash in his third year at Boston College in 1999, going 8-4 after consecutive 4-7 seasons. Will year three at N.C. State see similar results? After closing out last year with four straight wins to make a bowl game and returning the ACC's brightest young star in sophomore quarterback Russell Wilson (17 TD, 1 INT in 2008), there's more than enough reason for optimism in Raleigh.

No. 24: BYU
The Cougars will light up the scoreboard in 2009 with the returns of quarterback Max Hall (3,957 yards, 35 TD in 2008) and running back Harvey Unga (1,132 yards, 11 TD), and they should win plenty of games, but a tough schedule to start the season with games against Oklahoma and Florida State will have BYU out of the 'BCS Buster' talk early.

No. 23: North Carolina
Chapel Hill will always be a basketball town, but Butch Davis is doing a good job getting the football program some attention. UNC is one of the nation's up-and-coming programs, and 2009 should just add more fuel to that fire. The Tar Heels have some holes to fill, particularly at wide receiver with the departure of first-round draft pick Hakeem Nicks, but a strong recruiting class and Davis' coaching should keep them lingering around the top 25 all season long.

No. 22: Kansas
Speaking of quality programs that are overshadowed by basketball, we come to the 22nd-ranked Jayhawks. Kansas was the talk of the country in 2007 with their 12-1 season and Orange Bowl win and followed that up with an 8-5 campaign last season, but cut the Jayhawks some slack - the three Big XII South Division opponents they faced last year were Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech - who were each ranked in the top 3 at one point in 2008. Quarterback Todd Ressing returns for his senior season and should put up gaudy numbers throwing to Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier, each of whom caught 90+ balls for 1,000+ yards a year ago.

No. 21: TCU
TCU has hinged their success upon its defense in recent years, and 2009 will be no different. The Horned Frogs return key players from a defensive unit that surrendered just 10.4 points per game last year and a miniscule 1.4 yards per rush. Headlining the defense is consensus All-American defensive end Jerry Hughes, who led the nation in sacks last year with 15 and had an impressive 19.5 tackles for loss.

No. 20: Florida State
All decade, FSU fans have been asking the question "Is this the year Florida State returns to dominance?" Well, it depends on what your definition of 'dominance' is. If it is 9-10 wins and an ACC championship, the answer could be yes, because both of those feats are well within reach in 2009. If it's anything greater, I'd hold off on that talk for at least another year. Florida State is still a very young team with a lot of question marks on the defensive line and in the secondary, and the losses of Greg Carr, Preston Parker and Corey Surrency and an achilles tendon injury to Taiwan Easterling leaves the depth chart at wide receiver razor-thin. The 'Noles' success this season will rely heavily on the shoulders of quarterback Christian Ponder and the offensive line, which, barring injuries, should be the best unit in the ACC.

No. 19: Iowa
Okay, Kirk Ferentz - time to start really earning that huge paycheck you've been getting since 2004. Last year was a good start by knocking Penn State out of the BCS Championship race, winning 9 games and embarassing South Carolina on New Year's Day in the Outback Bowl. Now let's see what you have for an encore.

No. 18: Nebraska
It may not look like Tom Osbourne and Frank Solich and their option-style offenses that made Nebraska famous, but Bo Pellini seems to have the Huskers playing Husker football again. In his debut season in Lincoln, Pellini guided Nebraska to 9 wins for the first time since 2003 and their first New Year's Day bowl since the national championship game of the 2001 season. Running backs Roy Helu Jr. and Quentin Castille should take a lot of pressure off quarterback Zac Lee, who has thrown only two passes at the Division I level.

No. 17: West Virginia
It's hard to replace a talent like Pat White, but senior Jarrett Brown has the tools and experience necessary to do just that. Having a soft schedule and stud running back Noel Devine in the backfield eases the pain as well.

No. 16: Georgia
Despite going 10-3, last season was a big disappointment through the eyes of Georgia fans given their preseason No. 1 ranking and the dynamic duo of quarterback Matthew Stafford and running back Knowshon Moreno. Both Stafford and Moreno bolted for greener pastures to the NFL at season's end, and with them went the lofty expectations for the Dawgs in 2009. How will UGA respond to life after Stafford and Knowshon? We'll find out right from the get-go as they open up on the road against a highly-talented Oklahoma State squad Sept. 5.

No. 15: Boise State
Head coach Chris Petersen is calling Boise State's opener against Oregon "the biggest game in the history of the program." For a team that's won 10 or more games in six of the last seven seasons, went undefeated in 2006 and shocked Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl that year, I'd consider that a pretty bold statement. But who's to say he's wrong? A win over the Ducks and the Broncos have a pretty clear shot to a 12-0 regular season for the second straight year.

No. 14: Oregon
Still shocked that I'm excited about a game featuring Oregon and Boise State. Can we go back to 1999 when the college football universe was parallel?

No. 13: Georgia Tech
Paul Johnson showed just how lethal the triple-option can be at the major Division I level last year...and he didn't even have players recruited to run that style of offense. With a year of learning the triple-option under their belt, 17 starters coming back and the return of running back/ACC Player of the Year Jonathan Dwyer (1,395 yards, 12 TD), there's not one team in America that wants to face the Yellow Jackets...except maybe Florida.

No. 12: Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech has found the ACC waters to be pretty smooth, having won the league three times in the five years it's been a member. Given how the ACC has stacked up in recent times against the other major conferences, however, the Hokies' much-hyped opener against SEC power Alabama in the Georgia Dome on Sept. 5 may prove to be more important than any other game they play all year - at least for the ACC's sake as a whole.

No. 11: California
People have been talking for quite a while now trying to find a team to dethrone USC as the Pac Ten's top team. I don't think it's going to happen for a long time, but if there is one team that has the possibility to do it in 2009, without a doubt it's the Golden Bears. If running back Jahvid Best hangs around for one more season and let's the hype around Tebow, Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford wither away, he'll be the Heisman front-runner in 2010.

No. 10: Ole Miss
Song of the Day: Houston Nutt - Tell Me How My A** Taste (Remix). Produced by: Shaquille O'Neal. CD mailed to: Arkansas Athletic Department

No. 9: Alabama
Warning: Serious love for the SEC is about to be exhibited. I tried to contain myself, but when you reel in a top-five recruiting class like Nick Saban did, your team is coached by Saban and you have the likes of superfreak Julio Jones returning on offense and defensive standouts Terrence Cody and Rolando McClain, you AT LEAST can't keep Bama out of the top 10.

No. 8: Ohio State
Terrelle Pryor showed why he was the No. 1 recruit in the nation out of high school last season when he guided the Buckeyes to a 10-2 regular season and a near-upset of Texas in the Fiesta Bowl as a true freshman. All reports out of Columbus say Pryor has made tremendous strides since last season. If that is true, Ohio State could wind up playing for its third championship in four years (note to God: please don't let this happen).

No. 7: Penn State
All fingers point to the Lions' highly-anticipated matchup with Pryor and the Buckeyes Nov. 7. This is probably the only Big Ten game you'll see me get excited about for the next 15-20 years.

No. 6: LSU
Les Miles is too good of a coach, and the Tigers are too good of a team to even have a chance or replicating their dismal 3-5 SEC season from a year ago. LSU found their answer at quarterback in sophomore Jordan Jefferson, who had an outstanding game in the Tigers' 38-3 stomping of Georgia Tech in last year's Chik-Fil-A Bowl. While LSU will be hoping to ride the wave of their bowl win well into this season, it won't be easy given their daunting conference schedule that features road contests against Georgia, Alabama and Ole Miss and a home tilt against Florida.

No. 5: Oklahoma State
Mike Gundy doesn't have boys at Oklahoma State anymore - THEY'RE MEN! Most of those men are on the offensive side of the ball, headlined by the three-headed monster of quarterback Zac Robinson (3,064 yards, 25 TD, 10 INT), running back Kendall Hunter (1,555 yards, 20 TD) and wide out Dez Bryant (87 catches, 1,480 yards, 19 TD). As scary as the trio was last year, expect it to be even scarier this season. They should probably fittingly save their biggest scares of the year for Halloween - they'll be playing some team called Texas that day.

No. 4: USC
This is the most vulnerable the Trojans have looked since 2002...and I still have them at No. 4. USC will have to replace all three linebackers from last year's Rose Bowl team as Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews all were selected in April's NFL Draft, and quarterback Mark Sanchez is gone as well and will be replaced by previously-mentioned Aaron Corp. Trojan fans shouldn't be too worried about the QB situation, though - Matt Leinart and Sanchez made pretty smooth transitions from the bench to the field, didn't they?

No. 3: Oklahoma
Oct. 17...OHHHH BABY!

No. 2: Texas
Oct. 17...OHHHH BABY!

No. 1: Florida
Tim Tebow. Jeffrey Demps. Chris Rainey. Urban Meyer. All 11 defensive starters back. Top-five recruiting class. There's nothing more to say about the Gators - I've accepted their nastiness for the 2009 season. Two goons in an office in downtown Sarasota right now are probably laughing, lighting up Cohibas, drinking Malibu-&-Cokes saying "Life is good." Okay, I need to throw up now.

Ink poisoning

The original Birdman (left) has sadly transformed into the tourist attraction on the right

Red lips and bird wings. Smoking skulls and stars on heads. Grim Reapers and wild animals.

Are we talking about items in a local costume shop? I wish.

These happen to be a few examples of tattoos on NBA players' bodies, as crazy as that may sound. Tattoos have taken the league by storm, and frankly, I don't like it.

I've seen the introduction of the Baggy Shorts Era that Michael Jordan started in the mid-90's. In the early part of this decade, headbands became the huge fad - so much so that it inclined Bonzi Wells, who was with Portland at the time, to make a rap song titled "You Gotta Get a Headband" with some of his Trail Blazer teammates. Both of those were well and good, but the Tattoo Era of the NBA is too much to handle.

I have nothing against tattoos themselves. I've even considered on many occasions getting one myself. People can get away with a couple tatts, like Kobe Bryant, who has just two tattoos on his right arm and is one of the premiere players in the league. But the fact of the matter is too many players in the league today are abusing their tattoo privileges by "sleeving" their arms with ridiculous ink designs and depictions; I.E. practically the entire Denver Nuggets roster. As a result, the league continues to lose credibility through my eyes. Looking like a basketball player is just as important as playing like one.

Nobody told Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, David Robinson or Jordan they weren't great or weren't cool enough because they didn't have any tattoos. Guys who have too many tattoos in the league today are, to me, trying to call attention to themselves in a pathetic way. Maybe that's why Bird, Magic, The Admiral and MJ never had any tattoos - their style of play was more than enough reason for fans to notice them on the court.

We all know professional leagues like the NBA are different than the standard 9-5 jobs most Americans have. A lot more money is involved, players can just demand to go to another location (99 percent of the time this wish is granted) and you don't need a certain GPA or degree to be successful. As different as it may be, however, there should still be a business-like etiquette to a certain degree in the NBA.

Afterall, isn't that exactly what the NBA is? A business? You always hear players talk about it in that way, especially when talks of trades and free agent signings hit the air waves. Commissioner David Stern was on the right track in trying to make the NBA more business-like when in 2005 he implemented a dress code that eliminated sleeveless shirts, t-shirts, huge jewelry and shorts from players' attire when going to the arena for a game, sitting out with an injury and for post-game press conferences. Stern encouraged players to take a more classy, professional approach and wear suits and/or collared shirts - not a whole lot to ask of guys making seven and eight-figure salaries.

I applauded the move by Stern. In high school, we had a team rule stating that all basketball team members had to wear a shirt and tie to every road game. Our coach, who was my father as well, always felt you should dress like you play. If you want to play like a bum, show up in sweats. If you enter the gym meaning business and are all about winning, come looking like a guy that is actually ready to do business. I was always a supporter of this outlook and was glad to see Stern implement a similar idea into his league.

Even with the dress code in place in the NBA, Stern is still a long way from fully cleaning up the image of his league. It will obviously take a long time because a number of today's young stars are tatted up from head to toe like Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony, but some sort of tattoo limit should be next on Stern's agenda.

My proposition is simple: No more than three tattoos can be exposed by a certain player. If a player has more than three, they must cover them up either by wristband, shooting sleeve or tape if tattoos are on the arms. If they are below the knees, high socks or leg sleeves (such as these here http://www.jumpusa.com/6570T_black_large.jpg) must be worn.

In Stephon Marbury's rare case of having a tattoo on your head (http://images.dailyradar.com/media/uploads/ballhype/story_large/2009/03/25/marbury_head_tattoo.jpg) ...well, there's no need for people that stupid to be in any professional league, so just simply show them the door.

In extreme cases like Chris Andersen, Kenyon Martin, Melo and J.R. Smith - all of whom play for the Nuggets - they get what I call the "tattoo death penalty" or also known as "The Tony Crocker Rule." Rather than explain in words what the Tony Crocker Rule is, it's much easier to show and pretty self-explanatory in the photo below as to what it is.

Step up and make it happen, Mr. Stern. Don't get caught watching the ink dry (pun completely intended).

What are they waiting for?

When will Minnesota wise up and end the Tarvaris Jackson Era?

Upon absorbing the soap opera that was the Jay Cutler-Josh McDaniels situation for the last couple of weeks, I couldn't help but be disappointed in how it all unfolded in the end.

It had nothing to do with Cutler, McDaniels, the Denver Broncos or Cutler's new team - the Chicago Bears. When evaluating the logistics of the trade, I felt everybody involved won.

Cutler got his wish to move out of Denver and is now on a team that was a Pro Bowl quarterback (such as himself) away from maybe having the best team in the NFL a year ago. Denver gets a quarterback in Kyle Orton that is better suited for McDaniels' shotgun-style offense and the Bears' first round picks in the 2009 and 2010 drafts. Of course, we'll know who the true winner is once the season starts, but as of right now, I can't fault either team for their decisions.

There was a losing team in this trade, however. And that is where my disappointment stems from.

Who is this team, you ask? The Minnesota Vikings.

When Cutler voiced his displeasure with the Broncos and demanded a trade, I expected Vikings owner Zygi Wilf and general manager Rick Spielman to do nothing short of hopping on the first flight leaving Minneapolis to Denver and greeting Cutler at his doorstep with an elaborate fruit basket. Swinging a deal to bring Cutler to a division whose best quarterback in '08 was Jon Kitna would all but officially make the Vikings the favorite in the NFC North forever - as long as Cutler and Adrian Peterson could roll out of bed - right?

This is the Minnesota Vikings we're talking about here. The same Minnesota Vikings that managed to somehow go 10-6 and win the NFC North with a mid-season quarterback controvesy surrounding Tarvaris Jackson and Gus Frerotte. Yes, you read that correctly: Tarvaris Jackson and Gus Frerotte. I wasn't lying when I said Jon Kitna was the best quarterback in the division last year. The same Minnesota Vikings that were 5th in the NFL in rushing yards per game (146.1) despite being 25th in passing yards per game (184.8). The same Minnesota Vikings that finished the regular season ranked a solid 6th in total defense (292.4 yards per game).

From simply looking at those statistics and the personnel on the Vikings' roster, I've devised this statement: the Vikings are a quarterback away from becoming the next dynasty in American professional sports. They had the chance to make that opportunity a reality by potentially getting involved in the Jay Cutler Sweepstakes, but instead are content on dwelling in mediocrity with a mediocre quarterback in Jackson.

Career passer rating: 76.5. Career touchdowns: 20. Career interceptions: 18. Lost starting job mid-season to an almost-40 quarterback who was never any good: Check.

Compare those credentials to Cutler, who has been in the league for the same three years as Jackson but has a career passer rating of 87.1, 54 touchdowns, 37 interceptions and didn't lose his job mid-season to an almost-40 quarterback who was never any good. The choice was easy, and the Vikings didn't cash in. And before you bring up Cutler's career record of 17-20, ask yourself, "Does Jay Cutler play defense?" When you answer "No" and then realize the Broncos have surrendered a staggering 26.9 points per game in Cutler's 37 carer starts, my argument as to why I think he'd be a stud in Minnesota becomes that much more relevant.

This isn't solely based around Cutler. I'm more than willing to bring one Matt Cassel into the mix as well. Throwing to Randy Moss wouldn't be an option for Cassel in Minnesota, but neither would handing off to Sammie Morris or relying on an old, deteriorating defense. It's also worth mentioning Cassel went 10-5 in his first real football action since his senior year of high school in 1999. The guy has played for the best (Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick) and learned under the best (Tom Brady). In my mind, he's worth the $16 million Kansas City will be paying him in 2009 and would be worth even more in Minnesota.

The NFL is a league that lives by the motto "What have you done for me lately?" Job security among coaches and front office people is nearly non-existent. It's why the 2-14 Chiefs pulled the trigger on Cassel and took his $16 million contract. It's why Eric Mangini went from 'Man-genius' in 2006 to 'Can-gini' following the 2008 season. It's why Minnesota SHOULD have made a deal for Cutler. It's why Chicago DID make a deal for Cutler and gave up two first round picks and their starting quarterback in the process. Success in the NFL is judged by Super Bowls, and even if Cutler only puts it together for one year, leads the Bears to the Super Bowl and then bottoms out, THE TRADE STILL WORKED. It's one more Super Bowl than the Bears would have won with Orton running the offense and the same number that the enigmatic Mike Ditka won as a coach in Chicago.

I want to finish this by saying I'm not a Minnesota Vikings fan - never have been. But I am a fan of greatness. Florida State became my college football team at a young age because all they did was win (14 straight top-five finishes in the AP Poll, a record that will NEVER be matched). Tom Brady and Tiger Woods are my favorite athletes for that reason as well. It's sickening how close the Vikings are to reaching that level of greatness I'm so fond of, and the fact they are too stubborn to make that move irritates me.

If you're not going to do it for me, do it for Adrian Peterson, your franchise player. No active player in the NFL, in my opinion, deserves a Super Bowl more than that man. I know he just finished only his second NFL season, but read his feature article in the October 2008 issue of Muscle & Fitness and you'll understand where I'm coming from. Nobody works harder than Peterson, and not many have gone through the life struggles he did to get to where he is today. He deserves better than to be in the huddle, down 24-20, 80 yards from the end zone with 2:15 left on the clock having to count on Tarvaris Jackson to take him home.

It's not fair to Adrian, it's not fair to me and it's not fair to Viking fans. Make a move, Minnesota. Nobody on your team is getting any younger, and those who respect greatness are becoming impatient.

Saved face

His play in the NCAA Tournament has reversed my opinion: Ty Lawson is the best player in the ACC

The Big East may have dominated college basketball headlines all season, but another prestigious conference may be king of the hill at season’s end…again.

The Atlantic Coast Conference, for a nation-leading fifth time this decade, will have a member school playing in the national championship game Monday night when North Carolina battles Michigan State for college basketball’s ultimate prize.

After losing five of their seven tournament participants in the first two rounds, the ACC needed its crown jewel to deliver in a tournament field that was being overrun by the powerful Big East, who placed an NCAA record five schools in the “Sweet 16.”


Ask and you shall receive. The Tar Heels have massacred their tournament opponents by an average of 26 points — the “closest” game coming in a 72-60 regional final win over Oklahoma that UNC controlled from the opening tip.


Carolina saved their best performance for the Final Four, where they disposed of Big East power Villanova with relative ease — much to the delight of Tar Heel fans and ACC supporters alike.
The game was played inside Detroit’s Ford Field, but North Carolina ran more like a Ferrari in their 83-69 drubbing of the Wildcats.


In the driver’s seat was none other than point guard Ty Lawson, the ACC’s Player of the Year. Lawson put the pedal to the floor and kept it there all game long on his way to 22 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals, clearly outshining Nova’s heralded backcourt of Scottie Reynolds, Reggie Redding and Corey Fisher.


Lawson and the Tar Heels put the game on cruise control early when Wayne Ellington’s 3-pointer — one of seven the junior hit on the night — put UNC ahead 8-6 three minutes in and proved to give the Heels the lead for good.


The final stat sheet justified North Carolina’s performance. The Tar Heels kept the pace of the game up-tempo, scoring 80-plus points for a remarkable 30th time this season and shooting a sizzling 11-of-22 from 3-point range. UNC doubled up Villanova in assists (16-8) and blocks (6-3) while attempting 21 more free throws than the Wildcats (37-16). As if that weren’t enough, Villanova, who entered Saturday’s game shooting 45 percent from the field in the tournament, shot just 33 percent (26-of-79) against UNC’s sticky man-to-man defense.


That, my friends, is the sign of a team on a mission to add to an already rich tradition of excellence.


That tradition extends beyond North Carolina and into the ACC. A win over Michigan State would give the Tar Heels an impressive fifth national championship and effectively label the ACC as the best conference in college basketball for the decade.


It has already been mentioned that no conference has pitted more teams in the championship game this decade than the ACC, but let us examine the ACC’s outstanding run over these last 10 years more closely.


Since 2000, only three times (2003, 2006, 2007) was there a Final Four that did not feature an ACC school — the lowest number of any conference in the country. The ACC is also the only conference to have four different programs — North Carolina, Duke, Maryland and Georgia Tech — play for a national title this decade.


On top of that, the championships won by Duke in 2001, Maryland in 2002 and UNC in 2005 meant the ACC was the only conference in the last 10 years to have three different programs win national championships. No other conference has even won three titles this decade, let alone have three different programs win a championship in that time span.


The Big East lived up to its hype for the most part with its amount of quality teams and overall performance in this tournament. But when the dust clears, the ACC will reign supreme yet again if North Carolina can get past one last obstacle Monday night.

That obstacle should prove to be a big one, as the Tom Izzo-coached Spartans are in their fourth Final Four and second championship game of the decade.

The Big Ten, with Michigan State’s title game appearance, is tied with the ACC for most appearances in the championship game by one conference this decade. A win by the Spartans would give the Big Ten two championships in the last 10 years and potentially put them in the discussion as the best conference in college hoops for the decade.

A conference’s legacy lies in the hands of UNC. A win would be the storybook ending to a fantastic 10-year stretch for the ACC, while a loss will surely spark debate as to who the best conference this decade truly was.

Regardless of Monday’s outcome, however, there is no arguing that North Carolina — at the very least — saved the day for the ACC in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Player of the Year? No question.

Toney Douglas has stated his case loud and clear for ACC Player of the Year after a season for the ages

Following a 63-53 victory Sunday afternoon against Virginia Tech, a calm and confident Toney Douglas entered the media room of the Donald L. Tucker Center with a smile that seemed to stretch from Tallahassee to Douglas' hometown of Jonesboro, Ga.

Maybe Douglas was smiling because Florida State's victory over the Hokies gave them 10 conference wins for the first time since the 1992-93 season and pushed their record to 23-8 - their best regular season since that 92-93 season.

Perhaps it was the fact that Douglas, along with fellow seniors Uche Echefu and Brian Hoff, were victorious on their senior day and all but officially punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament, as no ACC team with 10 wins has ever been left out of the tournament field.

Both of those reasons are likely why T.D. had that huge smile on his face, but while he's a consummate team player, a part of Douglas had to be smiling knowing that he likely clinched ACC Player of the Year with his performance in the regular season finale.

Douglas finished with a game-high 22 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two steals to help FSU clinch the No. 4 seed in the upcoming ACC tournament, giving the Seminoles a first-round bye.

Like every Player of the Year candidate should, Douglas stepped up when the game mattered most: in the second half, which he's done all season.

Douglas scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half and on the season has scored over 75 percent of his points in the decisive frame.

"My teammates always say in the second half 'It's your time, Toney. Take over,'" Douglas said after the Virginia Tech game. "Every time in the second half with about five of six minutes left, they say it's TDT - Toney Douglas Time. I knew I was going to take over."

That kind of confidence is why Douglas is leading the ACC in overall points scored (645) and points per game in conference play (23.1). He is also third in steals per game at 1.9, has an ACC-leading 21 games of 20-plus points and has scored over 20 points in 13 of the 'Noles' 16 ACC games. Douglas is also tied with Miami's Jack McClinton for the conference lead in 30-point games this season with three (Nov. 22 vs. Coastal Carolina [30], Jan. 21 @ Miami [30] and Jan. 28 vs. North Carolina [32]).

While his stats alone are good enough to earn him ACC Player of the Year, his undeniable leadership should make him the run-away favorite.

Take into consideration that Florida State entered the 2008-09 season having lost over 50 percent of its offense from a year ago in guards Jason Rich, Isaiah Swann and Ralph Mims, had six newcomers to the program that would see significant playing time and was predicted by the media to finish 10th in the 12-team ACC. It was far from the ideal scenario you'd want your team in heading into a basketball season. Fans in Tallahassee were already looking ahead to the football season next fall (myself included), not realizing just how special of a player we had in Douglas.

One person that has recognized from day one how special Douglas is, is Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton, who has been singing the praises of Douglas all season long.

"I can't say enough about Toney," Hamilton said. "I think the one thing that separates Toney from a lot of people is that he's taken a team with six first-year players that was picked to finish near the bottom of the league and has turned them into a very competitive team. You have to give him a lot of credit for that.

"Not only does he defend, not only is he our leading scorer, but the intangible of having a person out there with the character, the will and desire and the ability to communicate with six first-year players and bring them together during some tough times and compete at a high level in a very tough conference says a lot about his character and the type of person he is. I hope people recognize that. There are a lot of good players in our league having good years, but I think Toney's contribution to our league and to our team has been a cut above what I've witnessed in a long, long time."

Can anyone form a legitimate argument against that? Point blank, the answer is no.

Sure, the Tyler Hansbrough's, Ty Lawson's, Jeff Teague's, Trevor Booker's and Kyle Singler's of the world are great and deserve recognition, but none have been faced with the grueling task of having to put their respective teams on their shoulders EVERY NIGHT. Douglas has done exactly that. As a result, Florida State will be dancing for the first time in 11 years and should wind up giving Douglas the ACC Player of the Year Award that he deserves.

When I asked T.D. specifically to make his case for Player of the Year after the VT game, that swaggering smile that was on his face when he entered the media room reappeared, and he answered with a simple, truthful response.

"I'll let my play speak for itself," Douglas said.

Case closed.

CREDIBLE QUOTES ON DOUGLAS

"Toney Douglas is a Player of the Year candidate in the league. He doesn't even have to make plays to be effective out there, because you have to be paying attention to him. He almost opens the middle by himself; you have to really pay attention to him. He is an outstanding player, an outstanding defender." -- Clemson head coach Oliver Purnell

"You have guys that you can prepare for all you want. But Toney Douglas is going to do what he is going to do. He's a fifth-year guy. He has confidence, he's got strength and he has worked on his game. He is in another place than most players." -- Virginia head coach Dave Leitao

"Florida State's Toney Douglas is one of the most unheralded defenders in the country. Douglas gets deflections and steals and he works as hard as any player I have seen. And don't forget, he also goes down on the other end and leads his team in scoring. He deserves to be recognized and put in the mix for (National) Defensive Player of the Year." -- Jay Bilas, ESPN

"Toney Douglas is a superb player. He creates havoc with his defense. There is not a better on the ball defender - I mean, he has got to be a candidate for National Defensive Player of the Year. That kid really does an amazing job. He is one of the best players in the country, and a great kid obviously. He is an unbelievable leader for them." -- Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski

"In a league of great guards, perhaps the best one is Florida State's Toney Douglas." -- Reece Davis, ESPN

Gone, but never forgotten

Watch over us, guys

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a commentary in the FSView about Sigma Nu's philanthropy basketball tournament, "Ballin' 4 Barrett", which took place in Tully Gym on Saturday, Feb. 28.

This article really meant a lot to me while I was writing it, nearly tearing up at different points throughout the writing process. I feel like I should post it somewhere every chance I get. Seeing as how I have my own blog, I think it's absolutely appropriate and necessary to post it here...

GONE, BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN

For everyone reading this commentary, I want you to take a look around you, breathe in that fresh, north Florida air and realize how fortunate you are to be students here at Florida State University — because in the blink of an eye, it can all be taken away from you.

Once a year, since making one of the best decisions of my life to join the Sigma Nu fraternity in the fall of 2005, I get an honest, bittersweet reminder to do exactly that.

On Saturday, Feb. 28, Sigma Nu will be hosting its annual philanthropy, “Ballin’ 4 Barrett,” at Tully Gym beginning at 9 a.m. The event is a sorority basketball tournament to honor Barrett Burchak, a Sigma Nu who lost his life in a fatal car accident on Oct. 4, 2004. It’s only fitting for this philanthropy to deal with basketball, given that basketball is a sport Barrett held so close to his heart.

While meant to be a fun and enjoyable basketball tournament for everyone involved, the purpose of the philanthropy goes far beyond the basketball court and seeks to give everyone a great sense of pride and accomplishment knowing they are contributing to a meaningful cause.

Each participating sorority pays an entry fee into the tournament, and Sigma Nu has collected donations from a number of local and out-of-town businesses. All of this money goes toward the Barrett Burchak Scholarship, which is given each year to a graduating senior from a Florida high school.

Neither I, nor nearly anyone currently walking this campus, ever had the chance to meet Barrett, but based on the stories I’ve heard from older Sigma Nu’s and the fact that we continue to make this our philanthropy, it’s more than enough evidence to show that Barrett was a magnificent human being.

There are only two people in this world I miss that I’ve never met — one is my grandfather on my father’s side; the other is Barrett Burchak. That’s why “Ballin’ 4 Barrett” is such a bittersweet event for me.

It makes me happy knowing the benefit of our philanthropy, but it pains me at the same time knowing I never had the opportunity to meet this person who had such a profound impact on everyone in his life.

I’m not the only person who feels this way. I share these emotions with all of Sigma Nu. If that wasn’t the case, we wouldn’t all be gathering together as one in Tully on Saturday to remember our fallen brother.

We always say this is the most important event of the year, and it’s not even a close race. Formal in New Orleans — forget about it. Spring Weekend — enjoy the back seat. Sigma Nu takes this philanthropy very seriously and would love to see as many supporters at the event as possible. That’s why we’re cordially inviting everyone to stop by Tully Saturday and pay respect to a great brother, son, student, friend and person.

Also, Sigma Nu will be remembering another lost brother at the event­ — Nimish Khanal — who, similar to Barrett, passed away on Dec. 21, 2007 due to injuries suffered in a car accident a week prior to his death.

Unlike Barrett, I had the chance to meet and befriend Nimish for a few months prior to his passing. In that short time span, I got to know a young man who would do anything in his power to make somebody else’s life better — even if it meant putting his own well-being on the backburner.

Nimish was a selfless guy, who despite only being around Sigma Nu for a short time, served as a role model to every brother in the fraternity.

If everyone took a page from Nimish’s life and applied it to their own, there’s no question the world would be a better place. His actions deserve and demand our respect, and we intend on giving our respect to the fullest extent Saturday.

It is unfortunate to lose friends under such tragic circumstances.

I’m sure many of you reading this can share our fraternity’s pain in losing a close friend to a premature death.

We understand, however, that they rest in a better place now and would be proud and appreciative of the way we remember them — if that’s any consolation.

Rest in peace, Barrett and Nimish.

We love you and miss you guys so much, and we know come Saturday you’ll be looking down upon us with smiling faces.

WPIAL Basketball All-Decade Team: Ambassadors of the new millenium

(From top-left, going clockwise) Revis, DiMichele, Pryor, Jeter, McCauley

(NOTE: For those readers not aware of what 'WPIAL' stands for, it's an acronym for 'Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League', which is the largest high school athletic district in the nation and has 132 participants in basketball)

All hail the kings.

As one of the most exciting decades in western Pennsylvania sports history nears its end, I deemed it appropriate to come up with my WPIAL Basketball All-Decade Team.

A lot of thought and self-debate went into this team, and while I may not exactly be Deuce Skurcenski (http://www.myspace.com/deucethestatman), I've been around the block a time or two when it comes to WPIAL basketball.

My father has been a head coach in the WPIAL for as long as I've been alive sans 2002 and 2003 thanks in large part to three spineless people that will remain anonymous. Anyway, all I did growing up was eat, sleep and breathe WPIAL basketball. I still do to this day, which is why I even went through the process of coming up with an All-Decade team.

It was just a normal way of life for me as I attended all of my dad's games, practices and off-season workouts and observed as he broke down film of upcoming opponents. I'd even tag along on scouting trips to gyms all throughout the greater Pittsburgh area as he'd attend the games of teams he'd face later in season to get a live look at what he'd be going up against as well as take notes on them from the stands.

I also played my entire basketball career in the WPIAL and faced some outstanding competition this decade, having my share of long nights against some great players. A couple of them are on this team.

So many players have come through the first decade of the new millenium in the WPIAL, and a number of them have legitimate cases to be members of the All-Decade squad. However, only five can be selected, and the five I've chosen, in my opinion, are the epitome of greatness at the high school level and have forever etched their names in WPIAL basketball lore.

All five of these players had the ability to put their respective teams on their shoulders at any given moment and showed divine leadership, character and composure while on the court. Beyond what they achieved throughout their high school careers, they've proven to be quality people off the court and all have used athletics to their advantage in becoming the successes they are today.

Enough preface though. Let's unveil this squad.

POINT GUARD - ADAM DIMICHELE (STO-ROX HIGH SCHOOL, CLASS OF 2004)

There may have been point guards throughout the decade that could put the ball through the hoop better (I.E. Blackhawk's Brandon Fuss-Cheatham), but nobody could control a game quite like Sto-Rox's Adam DiMichele.

DiMichele was best at what every coach looks for in a point guard: making his teammates better. His senior year statistics are a reflection of that: 13.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals per game. With numbers like those, you don't even have to have seen DiMichele play to know something good happened when the ball was in his hands.

The most glaring number, and the anchor behind DiMichele's selection, is 105-15. That was Sto-Rox's win-loss record in DiMichele's four years, including three straight WPIAL championship game appearances from 2001-2003, winning back-to-back in 2001 and 2002, and a PIAA state championship his senior year of 2004. In that game, DiMichele closed out his illustrious career in a fitting manner, recording a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds in the Vikings' 62-53 win over perennial AA power Camp Hill Trinity.

Basketball is only the beginning of DiMichele's well-documented high school career. DiMichele is arguably the most successful three-sport athlete in the WPIAL's rich athletic history. DiMichele, along with scoring over 1,000 career points in basketball, broke all of Dan Marino's WPIAL passing records as a four-year starter at quarterback for Sto-Rox, and his talents on the baseball diamond inclined the Toronto Blue Jays to draft him in the 38th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft.

Despite his abilities and leadership on the basketball court, DiMichele decided to go the football route at the college level after playing baseball for two years at Okaloosa-Walton Junior College in Niceville, Florida. DiMichele is currently the starting quarterback at Temple University.

GUARD - DARRELLE REVIS (ALIQUIPPA HIGH SCHOOL, CLASS OF 2004)

How can I sum up Darrelle Revis in one word? I guess the best selection would be...

...scary.

Many of you reading this know him best as a standout cornerback for the New York Jets, where he was a Pro Bowl selection in this just his second year in the NFL. But for those who were fortunate enough to see him play at the high school level (and in my case, unfortunate enough to actually play against him), you can agree that 'scary' is the perfect word to sum up just how talented Revis was.

It may sound crazy given how great of a player he is on the football field, but back in his Aliquippa days, he was equally talented with a basketball in his hands. The man was like poetry in motion: silky-smooth handle, an accurate jumpshot, a lockdown defender (He shuts down NFL wide receivers for a living. What do you think it looked like when he guarded people like me?), and one of the most explosive first steps I've ever seen. An absolute joy to watch and a full-blown migraine to play against. Rick Nohe and my brother, Chris, can vouch for that previous sentence.

Revis' dynamic play helped him win a WPIAL scoring title his junior year in 2003, where he averaged 25.2 points per game en route to leading the Quips over DiMichele's Sto-Rox team in the WPIAL championship game. Revis would again lead Aliquippa to WPIAL gold his senior season, this time over archrival Beaver Falls, to give the Quips back-to-back AA championships.

Through all the recognition and accomplishments Revis garnered during his career, nothing is more impressive than what went down from December 7-9 of 2003.

After a blizzard ripped through Hershey, PA and postponed the PIAA Class AA state football championship to Sunday, December 7, Revis had a performance for the ages in Aliquippa's 32-27 win over Northern Lehigh.

Revis scored all five Aliquippa touchdowns - three rushing, a 69-yard return off a blocked field goal and an 89-yard kickoff return - to mark arguably the best all-around performance in PIAA title game history. Revis also recorded six tackles, a forced fumble and an interception.

Just two days later, Revis took his talents to the basketball court for the first time his senior season in a home tilt with Beaver Falls, who came into the game ranked No. 3 in the state in AA.

If you were expecting rust and/or tired legs from Revis, you were in for a big surprise.

Revis torched the Tigers for 33 points and launched the Quips to an 86-82 overtime victory; a clutch performance against a top-tier team in his first game after a long, hard-fought football season. It just doesn't get a lot more impressive than that.

Speaking of clutch...

GUARD - LANCE JETER (BEAVER FALLS HIGH SCHOOL, CLASS OF 2006)

Rewind a couple paragraphs back to Revis' 33-point effort against Beaver Falls in their 86-82 OT win back in December of 2003. Revis may have stolen the show that night, but a subplot from that game was the birth of a legend that could only be rivaled around western Pennsylvania by Paul Bunyon and his blue ox.

That night, Lance Jeter, a sophomore at the time, buried a shot from just beyond half-court to send the game into overtime. Nobody knew it then, but that would be the first of many memorable shots from the man who was dubbed the nickname "Sweet Jete".

The list of clutch shots Jeter hit throughout his career echo throughout the Beaver Valley today and helped create some of the WPIAL's most unforgettable games. The 2005 WPIAL AA championship game between Beaver Falls and Aliquippa is far and away, in my opinion, the greatest WPIAL championship game ever played -- regardless of classification.

In a see-saw battle that featured arguably the two best teams in the state (it's a shame we couldn't see these two teams play in Hershey for the state championship that year), the legend of Lance Jeter increased ten-fold with his performance in one night. His deep 3-pointer at the buzzer kept the Tigers' shot at winning their first WPIAL title since 1994 alive as it tied the game and sent it into overtime. Three overtimes later, the Tigers accomplished that feat when Jeter worked his magic again and banked in a 30-footer to give Beaver Falls a 79-78 win and the WPIAL championship. Jeter's legendary shots were the exclamation points on a performance that saw him carry the Tigers on his shoulders all night, as he scored a game-high 37 points.

Jeter would come back to put the dagger in Aliquippa again during that 2005 season, this time in the PIAA West Region Final. His two free throws with 5 seconds remaining propelled Beaver Falls to a 58-57 win and advanced them to the AA State Championship. In that game, a huge second half by Jeter and a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer sparked a 16-0 BF run and helped push the Tigers to a 71-59 triumph over York Catholic, giving Beaver Falls their third state championship in school history.

Jeter's style of play didn't exactly reflect his nickname. He wasn't flashy with the basketball, had a suspect jumpshot (and still does haha :-) ) and used brut strength to power his way to the basket. But you clearly can't knock its effectiveness. Jeter finished his memorable career at Beaver Falls 13th on the all-time WPIAL scoring list with an astounding 2,243 points and was the Associated Press' Pennsylvania Class AA Player of the Year in 2005, along with being the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Male High School Athlete of the Year in 2006.

More impressive than his knack for hitting the big shot and all the awards and accolades he received was how Jeter handled all of that attention.

Jeter's high school coach, Doug Biega, was quoted as saying that Jeter was the most humble kid he's ever been around. After having the opportunity to get to know Lance very well over the last year or so, I agree with Biega 100 percent. For everything that he's accomplished so far through athletics, it couldn't happen to a better person. If somebody got a full scholarship to play football at a Big East school (Cincinnati) and followed that up by transferring to Polk Community College to fulfill his love for basketball and still get recruited by a number of Division I schools, that person could tend to get a little cocky, and maybe rightly so. But not Jeter. He represents everything that's good about the sport of basketball. Young kids all around Beaver Falls don't want to be like Lebron: they want to be like Lance. Any time I'd go pick him up in downtown Beaver Falls to play basketball over the summer, a number of people would stop and wave at him, or we'd hear the occassional "WHAT UP, JETE?!" yelled at my car as we drove by. His reaction? A simple smile and a wave. Business as usual, just like he is on the court.

FORWARD - BEN MCCAULEY (YOUGH HIGH SCHOOL, CLASS OF 2005)

Simply put, Ben McCauley didn't get much love playing at Yough in the little-known town of Herminie, but the kid could flat-out play.

I remember the first and only time seeing McCauley play during his high school career. It was his senior year at the Blackhawk Christmas tournament against Jeter's Beaver Falls team that won the state championship. I was anxious to see him play because I had heard schools such as N.C. State, Xavier, Pitt and even Duke were showing interest in the 6'8'' forward. What I saw that day impressed me beyond my initial expectations.

A player like McCauley makes coaching basketball very simple at the high school level. Considering how poor of a supporting cast McCauley had, it made everything he did on the court all the more remarkable. All throughout his career, McCauley saw Box-1's, double teams, traps, etc. yet still managed to be a scoring machine in his four years, totaling 2,284 career points.

In his senior season, McCauley was a man among boys, averaging 28.8 points and 16.5 rebounds per game en route to leading Yough to a 20-9 record and an appearance in the WPIAL Class AAA championship game, the school's first ever appearance in a WPIAL title game as well as the first year EVER Yough won a WPIAL playoff game. And to say McCauley carried the Cougars throughout the playoffs would be an understatement. McCauley averaged 33 points per game in the playoffs, coming just 15 points shy of the all-time points record in a WPIAL postseason. Penn Hills' Drew Schifino still holds that honor after scoring 147 points in four games (36.8 average) as he led the Indians to a AAAA championship in 2000.

McCauley has proven his mettle at the college level as well. He's been a three-year starter at N.C. State in the always powerful ACC with his best season being his sophomore year in 2007, where he averaged 14.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game and garnered Honorable Mention All-ACC honors while starting in all 36 of the Wolfpack's games.

FORWARD - TERRELLE PRYOR (JEANNETTE HIGH SCHOOL, CLASS OF 2008)

So many athletes are said to have the proverbial "total package". Well, try this on for size:

- 6'6'', 235 pounds

- 4.3 40-yard dash

- 36'' vertical leap

- 4,238 rushing yards/4,340 passing yards in football

- 2,285 career points in basketball

That, my friends, is the total package. But why am I bothering explaining it in words when you can see it in action for yourself in a 17-second clip? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbDotbP-qwg)

Much like his All-Decade teammate Revis, Terrelle Pryor is better known for what he does on the gridiron, and for good reason. As a true freshman this year at Ohio State he led the Buckeyes to a 10-3 record and an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl. But those around western Pennsylvania know just how truly gifted Pryor was on the basketball court, making him one of the most prolific athletes in WPIAL history.

Pryor was nothing short of an icon throughout his career, particularly his senior year. Fans would flock towards him following both football and basketball games and have him autograph everything from footballs to Terrelle Pryor figurines that sports memorabilia stores already had made. That's how big-time Pryor was.

While his big-time talent at quarterback anchored Jeannette's run to the AA state championship and a 16-0 record his senior year, his versatility on the basketball court did virtually the same thing. Jeannette ripped through the WPIAL AA playoffs Pryor's senior year, and he had perhaps the most dominant performance in WPIAL championship game history, scorching Beaver Falls for 39 points, 24 rebounds and 10 blocked shots. Pryor would ride the wave from that performance all the way through the state playoffs and help the Jayhawks earn their first ever state basketball championship with a 76-72 overtime win over Philadelphia Strawberry Mansion.

Pryor may have been blessed with tremendous athletic ability, but a strong work ethic and the will to win was the main reason behind all of his success.

"All I cared about was winning," Pryor said to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after being named Male Athlete of the Year in 2008. "The winning means more than any of the individual things I got."

The city that reigns supreme

I may have been exactly 1,001 miles away from home on Sunday, but around 10 p.m. that night, a familiar, "home-like" feeling lingered in my living room like stale cigarette smoke in a college bar.


That feeling? Supremacy, my friends.


While I have made my disliking of the Pittsburgh Steelers well-known throughout my life to those who know me best, I couldn't help but have a great sense of pride for the city I've called home for 22 years as the Steelers began celebrating their 23-14 win over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, advancing the Steelers to their seventh Super Bowl in franchise history.


When you never truly get attached to something like a professional sports team growing up, it's difficult to join the crowd, especially as you get older. That's the best I can sum up my relationship with the Steelers.


If you look at the logistics, it really doesn't make a whole lot of sense as to why I've disliked the franchise for so long. I guess you could say a lot of it has to do with my dad, who, for a reason I still am not certain of today, has had a deep hatred for the Steelers for as long as I've been alive.


His hatred clearly was passed on to myself and my brother as we were growing up. Both my brother and I spent countless Sundays as youngsters with my dad in front of the television watching the Steelers year after year. And year after year, it was my dad continuously venting over Steeler players, coaches and fans. Your early years are obviously the most impressionable times of your life, and I feel that passion was passed down to me from my dad and not chosen out of my own free will.


Think about it. What is there not to like about the Steelers? They really are the definition of a football organization, with extra emphasis on the word organization.


Art Rooney, after having a big day at the horse track back in 1933, purchased the Steelers for $2,500. As it turned out, that may have been the most well spent $2,500 in sports history.


If you wanted to buy the Steelers today, you'd have to dig between 800 million and 1.2 billion dollars deep into your pockets, putting the Steelers in the upper eschelon of American sports franchises.


A pricetag like that doesn't come without credibility, and the Steelers have plenty of it:


- 5 Super Bowl championships
- 7 AFC championships
- 19 division championships
- 22 Hall of Famers


Need anyone say more? And if Pittsburgh wins Super Bowl XLIII and earns their sixth Super Bowl victory, that will give them more than any franchise in the NFL.


The most impressive aspect of the Steelers has been their ability to sustain success over long periods of time. Since 1969, no NFL franchise has posted a better record than Pittsburgh (382-257-2, a .596 winning percentage), and the Steelers have accomplished all of that under the guidance of only three head coaches.


Chuck Noll was at the helm from 1969-1992, winning four Super Bowls before being relieved by Bill Cowher, who led the Steelers to five AFC title game appearances and their fifth Super Bowl title in 2005.


Now it's Mike Tomlin's show, where the 36-year old will look become the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl in two weeks at Raymond James Stadium in just his second year as an NFL head coach.


They may not have the star power or the glamour of other professional sports teams, but when the chips are on the table, nobody is a safer pick to have success year in and year out than the Steelers.


Those previous paragraphs got me a little off track from where I initially wanted to go with this post, and that was the Steelers' win further proved why it's tough to find a better city to call home than Pittsburgh.


I wasn't big on hometown pride growing up around Pittsburgh, but when I decided to branch out and come to Florida State upon graduating high school and traveling to a number of different towns and cities on road trips throughout my four years of college, it has really dawned on me just how great it is to be from Pittsburgh.


From a sports fan's perspective, it's hard to imagine a city with more buzz and pride surrounding its athletics than the Steel City.


The aforementioned Steelers are on the verge of winning their sixth Super Bowl.


The Arizona Cardinals, who the Steelers will be playing in the Super Bowl, are coached by Ken Whisenhunt, who served as the Steelers' tight ends coach and offensive coordinator from 2001-2006.


Whisenhunt's top assistant, Russ Grimm, was a 1981 graduate of Pittsburgh, a 3-time Super Bowl champion as a lineman for the Washington Redskins and was the Steelers' offensive line coach from 2000-2006.


Two key players for the Cardinals (wide receiver Steve Breaston and guard Reggie Wells) started their respective roads to Super Bowl XLIII as standouts on the gridiron at Pittsburgh area high schools. Breaston was a 2003 graduate of Woodland Hills High School, while Wells won a state football championship at South Park High School in the fall of 1997.


Larry Fitzgerald splashed onto the scene during his two years at Pittsburgh and has never looked back. With still the Super Bowl to be played, Fitzgerald's 419 receiving yards are already the most in a single postseason, breaking Jerry Rice's record of 409 yards set in the 1988 playoffs.


Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State's starting quarterback, is a Pittsburgh product (Jeannette HS) that led the Buckeyes to 10 wins and a BCS bowl birth as a true freshman and will have serious Heisman Trophy consideration in the coming years.


The Pittsburgh Penguins advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals this past hockey season, have two of the brightest young stars in the game today (Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin) and have a beautiful state-of-the-art arena coming their way this fall.


The University of Pittsburgh was the only college this sports year to have the football team and the men's and women's basketball teams all ranked in the top 25 at the same time, while the men's basketball team earned the program's first ever No. 1 ranking this season and looks primed to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.


I've barely scratched the surface when it comes to the athletic success and tradition that oozes from every inch of the city that's surrounded by three rivers and has more bridges than any other city in the world. In all, Pittsburgh has 12 professional world championships and has produced a legendary list of athletes that includes, but not limited to, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Mike Ditka, Johnny Unitas, Dan Marino, Stan Musial, Jim Kelly, Arnold Palmer, "Pistol" Pete Maravich and Ty Law.


Not too shabby for a city that is ranked 60th on the 100 Biggest U.S. Cities list (http://www.city-data.com/top1.html).


The auora of Pittsburgh doesn't stop with its athletics. Overall, the city flies under the radar - much like its professional and college sports teams.


Back in 2007, Places Rated Almanac rated Pittsburgh as "America's most livable city" (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07116/781162-53.stm). Many people were shocked to hear news of that magnitude, considering Pittsburgh for years was a smoggy, blue-collar city that used the steel industry as its meal ticket for the greater part of the 20th century.


To outsiders, Pittsburgh still has that stigma attached to it to a certain degree (I hear it from time to time from friends at school), but natives are aware just how fast the city is growing and how big of a player it will be in both the national and global markets in the very near future.


Pittsburgh is also a provider of one of the more underrated night lifes in the country. It's hard to believe when people hear me tell them Pittsburgh is such a great city for a young adult to have a good time in. Frankly, I was shocked to hear that until I turned 21 myself, which opened up a whole new world to me in the city: the world of the south side.


The south side of Pittsburgh isn't your sterotypical big city bar scene with overpriced drinks, cover charges and dress codes. Sure, there are a couple places with those features, but anyone can find their niche in the south side with over 80 bars and pubs that welcome people of all shapes, sizes and colors as long as they're willing to have an exciting night out. Most of those watering holes can be found on East Carson Street, or as I like to call it, North Bourbon Street due to its seemingly never-ending row of bars, clubs and restaurants.


Most people are familiar with phrases along the lines of "Live for the moment" and "Cherish the moment, because you never know when it will come again." If the past, present and future are any indication, Pittsburghers are an exception to words such as those. Pittsburgh has proven to be such a dependable city for its residents over the years, and because of that, my pride for the city is stronger than it's ever been.


Here's to you, Pittsburgh. Thanks for always being there for us.