Barry Jacobs has a thoughtful piece up on
Michael Jordan's place in athletic history. It's a response to his
being declared the athlete of the century. It's also a declaration of
great admiration, even as he expresses reservations about Michael's place in the
pantheon. Â
Basically the final candidates (U.S.) come down to Ali, Jordan, Ruth, Jim
Brown, and Jim Thorpe. We would add Wilt Chamberlain, because it's not often you
see a 7-1 guy who can outrun sprinters, outleap high jumpers, master the
gymastic rings, and be, in essence, a bodybuilder.Â
It's an interesting argument, and like almost all sports arguments, it can't
be resolved. It can definitely be said, though, that while Michael's
talent may be seen again, and other athletes have similar will, getting the two
in one package again is highly unlikely. Michael was a warrior, and we don't
mean that in the hackneyed sports sense. We mean it more in the original.
Dave Wetzel has a piece up on
Bobby Cremins' fate at Tech. There's no question the sharks are
circling, and names are even starting to pop up - among them John Calipari and
Bob Huggins.Â
Bob Huggins? At a serious academic institution? Huggins has done a
great job at Cincinnati, and we realize that the formula to determine graduation
rates is flawed in that transfers and jucos work against you, not to mention NBA
defectors, but still. Cincinnati has had some serious issues there. For
that matter, Calipari's graduation rate wasn't that great at UMass either.
Will Tech want to bring that in? Hard to see. But on the other hand it would
be good for the conference to have a powerful program in Atlanta - and for that
matter in Tallahassee. It's in the ACC's interest to have healthy programs in Maryland, which is the Northern border, and Atlanta/Tally, which is the Southern. Duke can maintain the state of North Carolina, as State and UNC have done at different times.
Bobby might be doomed, but we'll still miss him enormously. He's been
one of the really great characters. We'll never forget his bathtub
interview, nor his reaction when he found out that Tech would be Tim Duncan's
final home opponent. It was a priceless, if helpless, explosion of dismay.