Saturday, January 24, 2009

Return of the Superfan

The Futile Superfan Chronicles have suffered this season from a decidedly depressing confluence of professional obligations and personal ennui, and almost certainly as a direct result, the William & Mary Tribe has scuffled to a 6-12 mark, 1-7 in the Colonial Athletic Association. Everything changes today, friends. The Superfans are back, and so is the Tribe.

Tony Shaver's boys travel to Philly today to take on G:TB fave Bruiser Flint's Drexel Dragons at 4:00. (Of note, the George Mason @ VCU tilt at the same time is televised here in the Mid-Atlantic and will be worth the price of admission. Definitely worth the price of sitting on the couch with a couple of beers.) W&M's lack of athleticism has been a problem this year, a weakness that their laudable effort and precision hasn't overcome. The Tribe is last in the league in scoring offense in conference play, tallying a meager 55.6 points per game and shooting an anemic 36.7% from the field. The Tribe is next to last in the league in defensive rebounding, and while they take good care of the basketball, they lag far behind the league leaders in assists - they're not turning disciplined offense into baskets, and they don't get a lot of easy points.

Bygones. The run starts today. Remember where you heard it.

And finally, while G:TB doesn't care much for women's basketball as an entertainment option, we recognize greatness in all forms. Kay Yow was a great, on and off the court. We send our sympathy to her family and to the N.C. State community.

27 comments:

T.J. said...

Ah, Bruiser Flint, a real man of genius.

MGL said...

VCU/Mason over by 6, home by 6:30, enough Stella in me to tell you what I really think of the Tribe?

8:30.

rob said...

we eagerly await 8:30.

rob said...

splendid start for the terps. that bell tolls for thee, gary.

rob said...

man, i thought 32-13 was bad, and then the terps give up a 28-7 run. trailing by 40 in a conference game, that's bad, right?

T.J. said...

Baylor/OK at 4 should be fun.

Mark said...

Gary Williams looks more and more like a coach headed back to American U. with each passing year of mediocre recruiting and less than disappointing results on the floor.

At this point, if Gary goes (and it seems like he should) Maryland's got to find a coach who can keep a sizeable chunk of the Baltimore and DC talent close to home. There's no reason that a school like Maryland can't recruit better locally.

Mark said...

How about you replace 'less than disappointing' with "less than successful" in my last comment?

T.J. said...

Baylor/OK, not so much fun as an absolute ass kicking...

At the half:
Oklahoma 58
Baylor 31

rob said...

tribe shot 36%, gave up nearly 48%, got outrebounded, 34-26 - easy, peasy 62-49 loss. lather, rinse, repeat.

MGL said...

Dammit Rob, you don't need me. Precision and hustle sounds great at parties, but if you can't shoot and can't keep the other guy from swishes you are in trouble.

Methinks last year was the aberration.

TR said...

To all curious homeowners out there: Having your pipes burst is waaaaaay overrated. Unless, of course, you enjoy having contractors gut your entire home in a few hours to avoid mold infestation.

Team Rezvan's summer house has turned into a massive pile of soggy dumpster fodder, thanks to a water pipe that burst like a zit and ran without notice for a few days. Not good times in the swamps of Jersey. Thank god for scotch. At least I'm not stuck in a hole in the floor like Tom Hanks in The Money Pit.

TR said...

Regarding TJ's comment many hours ago...

What is Percy Harvin's NFL position? Is he a glorified 3rd down back? A Hines Ward-esque receiver? Reggie Bush with balls?

I've seen recent mock drafts that have the Jets getting the DB from Illinois or the WR from Mizzou. Both would fill needs. Harvin wouldn't fill a need.

Mark said...

TJ, Rocky IV is on AMC and the mountain run montage is just starting...

rob said...

one year after a winless pac-10 campaign, craig robinson's got oregon state headed the right direction - last night's win over stanford makes the beavers 3-5 in conference play.

T.J. said...

Yes he can! Conference wins you can believe in!

Mark said...

With regards to RhymO response/thoughts on Percy Harvin. He's a WR in the NFL. I envision him being used in similar fashion to DeSean Jackson during his rookie season. I think he's got more long term potential than Jackson(bigger, stronger) or Tedd Ginn (more wiggle) but I also agree with RhymO that Harvin's doesn't fill a need for the Jets. Leon Washington is their change of pace guy and they don't need a second one in the slot as badly as they need some other things.

A word of caution here though, I'd be very skeptical of Jeremy Maclin (the WR from Missouri). He's not an accomplished route runner, is more a of straight line speed guy and made a ton of his big plays in the return game during his time at Mizzou(Washington has this covered). Personally, I think he's highly overrated as a WR (think Ginn coming out of OSU) and was helped immensely by Missouri's scheme and the less than stellar Big 12 defenses. IMO, he doesn't fill a need for the Jets that well either and could end up being a physical stud who's unable to translate that physical dominance to the field (see: Gholston, Vernon). Vontae Davis (CB, Illinois) seems like the best pick of the three. Though, I worry about if he'll be able to handle the NFL transition, with him being a big corner and all, seems like he might end up moving to safety ala Antrell Rolle.

Geoff said...

I'd like to comment on Rhymo's scotch comment. And my comment is "Amen." Seriously, what beats scotch? I've been enjoying a nice bottle of Lagavulin of late and it dulls the pain of all manners of annoyance and turmoil and generally makes me 48% more fun to be around and 72% more tolerant off asshats and dbags.

Mark said...

It seems RhymO's quite the conversation starter.

Geoff said...

Yet I haven't had a face to face conversation with him in over a decade...and the cosmic dance continues...

Mark said...

Geoff...you think maybe you could sign in and comment under your wife's name next Sunday? You know, just for old time's sake?

Geoff said...

Like wedding bands anf thai prostitutes, I do take requests...

Mark said...

If you're bored today (and you probably are), check out the Washington Posts' profile on DeShawn Stevenson. Fantastic reading.

T.J. said...

Georgetown having a bit of trouble in conference play...

T.J. said...

Mark, just finished watching the Rocky 4 training montage...

Mark said...

Hearts ON FIRE! Strong deSIRE!

T.J. said...

Hey, the NHL All Star game is on Versus right now...