SOMEWHERE IN THE AIR BETWEEN CHICAGO AND MEMPHIS (USA) –- Thoughts from 32,000 feet:

— I watched the replay of the entire UD/St. Joe’s game online last night and you know what: Phil Martelli can bite me. I just don’t see where he thought that Ahmad Nivins got fouled. Was it when KH blocked his shot from behind? I don’t think so. Was it when Ahmad got called for traveling? Wrong! One look at Nivins’ scowling mug and preschool behavior and you could tell he was a man who was totally frustrated because he was getting suffocated by UD’s defense.

And you got outcoached, Philly Phil. Go to DaytonFlyers.com and see for yourself.

— UD may only be #26 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches and AP polls, but Dickie V has got us in his Top 25 at #25:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/dickvitale/news/story?id=3879613

— Yo, Bill Winters –- what the heck is up with Flyer Country, the Dayton Scout.com website? Check it out. Linky sadness:

http://dayton.scout.com/

Looks like the lights are not on and nobody has been home there for quite a while now. Too bad.

— Don’t look for any love from Mike Decourcey of The Sporting News when Xavier and Dayton face off next week. I emailed TSN Mike to see if he was gonna drive up for the game on the 11th and he replied that he’ll be at the UNC/Duke tilt that night. “Bad scheduling” he said. Mike did report that he will be there for the X/UD rematch at the Uniform Rental Center in Cincy, which is where he lives.

— I’ve heard of jocks doing some crazy stuff to get themselves pumped up for a game, but Roger Clemens wins the dubious achievement award for self-motivation:

http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/01/28/great-balls-of-fire/

Forgive me, but that is just…uhhmm…nuts.

— John Updike died last week at age 76. Mr. Updike wrote the best piece of sports journalism in the history of the craft and I’m sorry, but that ain’t even up for debate.

Linky excellence to “Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu”:

http://www.baseball-almanac.com/articles/hub_fans_bid_kid_adieu_article.shtml

— Thursday, February 6th is a holiday back home in New England. What the heck are they celebrating? Truck Day:

http://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts_entertainment/event/red_sox_truck_day2

— Marquette coach Buzz Williams is getting a little touchy lately. Buzzy basically bit off MU color commentator Jim McIlvaine’s head the other day:

http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/buzz-williams-is-kinda-sensitive-about-his-team-22133

I read an astute observation on a MB somewhere the other day: as much as we UD fans love the RPI benefits that stem from the fact that Marquette is undefeated in Big East play, Golden Eagle fans are equally appreciative of UD’s excellent record because it does the same for them.

— I always chuckle when Flyer fans complain about the various permutations of UD’s basic basketball uniforms.

“The black shirts are terrible.”

“The throwback jerseys are cursed.”

You want unsightly unis? These are fugly:

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/23011-THNcom-Blog-Good-bad-and-really-ugly.html

— There was an ad in the Northwest Airlines in-flight rag for “Bravina, the speech pill…a natural supplement for public speaking.” Kinda like Enzyte for the reluctant speech giver.

Gimme a freakin’ break.

— I have never had to live hand-to-mouth, so I have not utilized a payday loan to get by, but obviously a lot of folks do. 350% interest sounds like a swell deal, doesn’t it?

http://www.indystar.com/article/20090203/BUSINESS/902030370

— How about that Super Bowl, huh? As a former Pittsburgher, needless to say I was pleased with the result as were all of my in-laws! OSU fans had to be happy for Santonio Holmes. And what about linebacker James Harrison? He went from the leader in the clubhouse for MVP after his amazing 100 yard interception return to instant video villain when a replay showed Harrison standing over a downed Cardinal player and just beating the tar out of him. I envisioned thousands of people trying to somehow cancel their text message or internet MVP votes for Harrison when they caught a glimpse of that BS. Fortunately, Santonio’s game winning, Swann-like TD reception made it a moot point.

That’s it “From the Swamp.”
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