the wwwesterlies

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Sandflea's Week 1 NCAA Women's Indoor VB Top 40

Sandflea's Week 1 NCAA Women's Indoor Volleyball 2012 Top 40

   (through games of August 26, 2012)

Rank School Record Ranked Opponents Rank Last Week
   Played to Date

1. USC (3-0) 1 2
2. Hawaii (3-0) 1 3
3. Texas (3-0) 1 5
4. Nebraska (3-0) 1 10
5. Penn St. (3-0) 2 15
6. Florida St. (3-0) 3 19
7. Dayton (3-0) 2 20
8. Purdue (3-0) 1 8
9. Colorado St. (3-0) 0 11
10. Florida (3-0) 0 4
11. Tennessee (2-1) 3 9
12. Pepperdine (2-1) 2 7
13. Kentucky (3-0) 2 21
14. UCLA (1-1) 1 1
15. Stanford (2-1) 1 13
16. San Diego (2-1) 1 16
17. Oregon (3-0) 0 22
18. Duke (3-0) 1 25
19. Washington (3-0) 0 14
20. Michigan (4-0) 0 23
21. Minnesota (2-0) 0 26
22. Miami (FL) 0 27
23. Kansas St. (3-0) 0 34
24. Michigan St. (3-0) 0 33
25. North Carolina (2-1) 2 31
26. Texas A&M (2-1) 1 29
27. California (1-1) 0 18
28. N. Iowa (2-1) 1 17
29. BYU (3-0) 0 36
30. N. Colorado (3-0) 1 NR
31. Wyoming (4-0) 0 39
32. Louisville (2-1) 2 37
33. New Mexico St. (3-0) 0 38
34. Oklahoma (3-0) 1 NR
35. San Diego St. (2-0) 1 NR
36. Clemson (3-0) 0 NR
37. Iowa St. (1-2) 3 6
38. Ohio St. (2-1) 1 NR
39. Virginia Commonwealth (3-0) 0 NR
40. Missouri (3-1) 1 NR

Dropped Out: Illinois (1-2), Tulsa (2-1), Cincinnati (0-3), Western Kentucky (1-2), TCU (2-1), Long Beach St. (1-2), UC Davis (2-1)

[UNDER CONSTRUCTION: TO BE COMPLETED SOON!]

2012 FedEx Playoffs, Round I: The Barclays

   Truly, the three-round FedEx Playoffs capped off by a battle of champions is one of the most contrived events in golf. Why not just add a couple more majors: one in Asia and one in the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, South Africa, and South America on a rotating basis) to extend the professional golf season in a more dramatic fashion? That being said, the Playoffs are a lot of fun, even if a bit irrelevant, wedged as they are between the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup.
   What makes the Playoffs fun is the money (grand slam-sized purses), the field (international and grand slam-styled top tier), and the courses. The Black Course at Bethpage State Park in New York, a grand slam-utilized course, was the site of last week's The Barclays, the first round of the Playoffs.
   What made The Barclays even more fun this year? A Northern California native, Nick Watney, humbled the field and withstood a surging Sergio Garcia charge to win against a world-class field by three strokes. The West triumphs again!
   Who else played well in the tournament? How about the top 23, which included Brandt Snedeker at -7; Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia at -6; Graham DeLaet, Louis Oosthuizen, Lee Westwood, and Brian Harman at -5; Greg Chalmers at -4; Bud Cauley, Luke Donald, Bubba Watson, David Hearn, Tom Gillis, Tim Clark, William McGirt, Bob Estes, and Kevin Stadler at -3; and Padraig Harrington, J. B. Holmes, Josh Teater, Geoff Ogilvy, and John Senden at -2. Big names and no names. Nothing unusual about that.
   Rory McIlroy finished tied for 24th at -1, while Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson tied for 38th at +1. Humorously, Ernie Els again beat Adam Scott by one stroke, +3 to +4.
   Epic failures who missed the cut included Jim Furyk, Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Bill Haas, Graeme McDowell, Hunter Mahan, and Ryder Cup American captain Davis Love III.
   What's next? The Deutsche Bank Championship at Boston TPC in Norton, Massachusetts. Maybe another Western golfer, like Phil Mickelson, can keep the streak of one going.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Sandflea's 2012 NCAA BCS Football Preseason Top 40

SANDFLEA'S 2012 NCAA BCS FOOTBALL PRESEASON TOP 40

Position School 2011 Record Final 2011 Position

1. Alabama (12-1) 1
2. Oregon (12-2) 5
3. USC (10-2) 10
4. South Carolina (11-2) 7
5. Michigan (11-2) 8
6. LSU (13-1) 4
7. TCU (11-2) 11
8. Arkansas (11-2) 6
9. Stanford (11-2) 9
10. Michigan State (11-3) 13
11. West Virginia (10-3) 14
12. Boise State (12-1) 3
13. Cincinnati (10-3) 18
14. Wisconsin (11-3) 16
15. Virginia Tech (11-3) 21
16. BYU (10-3) 19
17. Oklahoma (10-3) 23
18. Florida State (9-4) 28
19. Georgia (10-4) 22
20. Nebraska (9-4) 25
21. Clemson (10-4) 26
22. Southern Mississippi (12-2) 20
23. Oklahoma State (12-1) 2
24. Houston (13-1) 12
25. Baylor (10-3) 15
26. Kansas State (10-3) 17
27. Rutgers (9-4) 27
28. Ohio State (6-7) NR
29. Auburn (8-5) 33
30. Texas (8-5) 36
31. Utah (8-5) 37
32. SMU (8-5) 38
33. North Carolina State (8-5) 39
34. Missouri (8-5) 34
35. California (7-6) NR
36. Washington (7-6) NR
37. Notre Dame (8-5) NR
38. Georgia Tech (8-5) NR
39. Florida (7-6) NR
40. Wyoming (8-5) NR

Others to Watch: Tulsa (8-5), San Diego State (8-5), Ohio U. (10-4), Toledo (9-4), Temple (9-4), Louisville (7-6), Air Force (7-6), Iowa (7-6), Illinois (7-6), Purdue (7-6)

Monday, August 27, 2012

Sandflea's 2012 NCAA Indoor Volleyball Preseason Top 40

SANDFLEA'S 2012 NCAA WOMEN'S INDOOR VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON TOP 40

[Editor's Note: This is being posted subsequent to the first weekend of collegiate action. However, the journalist was on vacation in Lake Tahoe and is ignorant of any results at the time this went to "press." Obviously, a strong pro-West bias flavors the ranking, in fresh and stark contrast to most national media polls, including the NCAA's own "poll."]

Position School Last Year's Record Final Position in 2011 Sandflea's Top 40

1. UCLA (30-6) 1
2. USC (29-5) 3
3. Hawaii (31-2) 4
4. Florida (28-6) 5
5. Texas (26-5) 6
6. Iowa St. (25-6) 7
7. Pepperdine (25-8) 9
8. Purdue (29-5) 8
9. Tennessee (28-4) 12
10. Nebraska (25-5) 15
11. Colorado St. (24-6) 13
12. Illinois (32-5) 2
13. Stanford (22-8) 18
14. Washington (24-8) 17
15. Penn State (25-8) 20
16. San Diego (28-5) 22
17. Northern Iowa (33-2) 16
18. California (25-7) 19
19. Florida State (28-7) 10
20. Dayton (25-7) 21
21. Kentucky (28-6) 11
22. Oregon (20-10) 31
23. Michigan (22-13) 28
24. Tulsa (28-7) 24
25. Duke (21-9) 32
26. Minnesota (20-12) 26
27. Miami (FL) (26-5) 14
28. Cincinnati (27-10) 27
29. Texas A&M (23-8) 29
30. W. Kentucky (31-4) 23
31. N. Carolina (23-9) 30
32. TCU (25-7) 37
33. Michigan St. (22-12) 38
34. Kansas St. (22-11) 34
35. Long Beach St. (23-7) 25
36. BYU (21-9) NR
37. Louisville (24-9) 39
38. N.M. State (23-10) NR
39. Wyoming (21-11) NR
40. UC Davis (21-10) NR

Others to Watch: Northern Colorado (22-9), Ohio St, (21-15), Milwaukee (25-5), Marquette (24-11), Utah Valley (23-9), Ohio U. (23-10), Missouri (21-13), Ball St. (25-8), Clemson (20-11), UCF (20-11)

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Summer Olympics 2012: Postscript on the Medal Count

   [UNDER CONSTRUCTION: TO BE CONTINUED]

   The final medal count is in, though not official until all of the test results for performance-enhancing drugs are finalized. To the joy of most Americans, the USA came out on top, with China a close second and Great Britain a surprising third. Russia and Australia were disappointed with their overall athletic performances, but Russia still has an excuse.
  Super sports fan Vladimir Putin, leader of Russia, does not like to feel disappointed. He knows the nature of his country's excuse: they lost an empire. Concurrent with the London Olympics, while seething with medal disappointment, Putin announced plans to grow the Russian military machine. Coincidence? Could Mr. Putin's plans include "encouraging" former Soviet states to rejoin a new and improved Soviet Union? If Olympic results are his only motivation, facts would back up his position. Restoring the Soviet Empire, at least to include all of the former Soviet republics if not Eastern European countries who lived with autonomy in name only, would create entirely different medal count standings.
   The London Olympics found countries like Ukraine and Kazakhstan grabbing several medals. Ukraine and Kazakhstan are former Soviet Republics.
  [UNDER CONSTRUCTION: TO BE CONTINUED]

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Summer Olympics 2012: Closing Ceremony Music Critique

  SUMMER OLYMPICS 2012: CLOSING CEREMONY MUSIC CRITIQUE

   Who is the genius that called Annie Lennox "goth"? I was expecting Joy Division (without Ian Curtis, natch), the Sisters of Mercy, the Cure, or Siouxsie and the Banshees. Instead, we got one-half of the Eurythmics, a great singer with a wonderful '80s band. But not goth, even with the heavy make-up for the occasion.
   Where was U2? Were they not invited because they are Irish and not British? What about a British small-arena band from that early post-punk 80s scene, such as Simple Minds, the Alarm, Echo & the Bunnymen (without Pete DeFreitas, natch), or Big Country (without Stuart Adamson, natch)?

   The musical theme of the London Olympics closing ceremony could have been Missing In Action or Rest In Peace. One-half of the Who played. One-half of Queen played. One-fifth of Pink Floyd played. Where were 60% of the Rolling Stones, 100% of Cream/Eric Clapton, or 75% of Led Zeppelin? Disappointing. At least the 68-year-old Daltrey of the Who is self-aware enough to have deleted the line "Hope I die before I get old" from "My Generation." What somewhat salvaged the '60s section was former Kinks lead Ray Davies singing "Waterloo Sunset." It's not a shame about Ray.

   In addition to having fragmented rock band legends of the past perform, certain great if not super-popular movements in British pop and rock were ignored altogether.
   Where was a representative of the punk era? If they could have Queen without Freddie Mercury, why not the Clash without Joe Strummer? The Sex Pistols without Sid Vicious? Wire without their later art-rock sound?
  Speaking of art-rock, why not a snippet of prog rockers ELP, early Genesis, or Yes? No? What about a slice of British folk with Fairport Convention? What about something more from the glam-rock era than a video-bound David Bowie?
   Where was a representative of the New Romantic movement? Where was ABC, the Human League, Ultravox, or OMD?
   Sure, Britpop of '95 was illustrated by a Gallagher brother and a bit of Blur, but where was a representative of the c86 era? Where were the Reid brothers and the Jesus and Mary Chain? What about Manchester baggy of '89? Where were the Stone Roses or Happy Mondays? Then there's the shoe-gazing movement of the early 90s. Where was My Bloody Valentine, Ride, or Slowdive?
  I'm sorry. When the highlights of the "music" show are a treacly Brian May guitar solo and a sixty-something Pete Townshend leaping three inches off the ground, there's a problem. Eric Idle of Monty Python fame was fun, but where were Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam, and John Cleese? It could have been so much better.
  Somehow, a Spice Girls reunion was symbolic of the whole affair: style over substance. Still, there were Ray Davies, Madness, and Eric Idle. I'll take that threesome over Sir Paul McCartney at 70, the music highlight of the opening ceremony, any day. Let it be, Paul.

2012 Summer Olympics: Second Week Highlights, Lowlights, and General Impressions

   [UNDER CONSTRUCTION: TO BE CONTINUED]

   The second week proved the schedule masters knew what they were doing. Who found track and field events slightly more dramatic than swimming? Combine that with the finals in the team sport competitions (water polo, handball, field hockey, volleyball, basketball, and world football/soccer) and you have a fun-filled final week, marred only by the American coverage of the events courtesy of NBC and its affiliate networks. What follows is a brief look at a few highlights and lowlights of the second week in London.
   Sunday, August 5: In athletics, Usain Bolt of Jamaica clobbered the men's 100-meter field with a 9.63 time, third fastest in history. He holds the world record as well. Skepticism of Jamaican sprinters and the possible use of PEDs, though denied by the sprinters themselves Lance Armstrong style, continues. In the women's 400-meter, USA's Sanya Richards-Ross won gold in 49.55 seconds. Iran's Hamid Soryan won gold in 55 kg wrestling, virtually assuring himself of celebrity, if not fortune, on the homefront. Great Britain's Ben Ainslie won his fourth consecutive gold medal in finn sailing. Impressive.
   In the most predictable result on Sunday, an Ethiopian and a Kenyan finished one-two in the women's marathon. Only slightly less predictable was China capturing gold in men's singles and doubles badminton. In the biggest surprise, Great Britain's Andy Murray defeated all-time great Roger Federer of Switzerland in men's tennis singles, 3-0 (6-2, 6-1, 6-4), in a match that took less than two hours. Perhaps Federer is saving himself for the U. S. Open. Perhaps Murray's work ethic is finally paying off. Perhaps Roger just had a bad day.
   The most interesting event of Sunday had to be the men's 3000-meter steeplechase, where competitors ran, jumped hurdles, and jumped atop walls before landing in a pool of water. Kenyans captured gold and bronze. Terrific!
   Monday, August 6: Best remembered as a Reagan-era military victory of moral, if not strategic, significance, Grenada claimed its first gold medal when Kirani James out-paced the Dominican Republic' Luguelin Santos (silver) and Trinidad and Tobago's Lalonde Gordon (bronze) in the men's 400-meter run. In the women's pole vault, USA's Jenn Suhr took the gold with a vault of 15 feet, 7 inches. She defeated Cuba's Yarisley Silva on less misses, and two-time defending champion Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia, who only cleared 15 feet, 5 inches. The event again displayed the athletic progress of women, for there was a time in the not too distant past when women were considered too physically weak to ever consider a pole vault event. Of course, those who considered them weak were aging patriarchs of the IOC.
   In team equestrian, Great Britain captured the gold in front of an ecstatic crowd. The Netherlands took silver and Saudi Arabia took bronze.
   Embarrassing events included USA's win over Canada in a women's soccer semifinal, 4-3, thanks to some dubious officiating, and USA's 29-point drubbing of Argentina in group competition.
  Tuesday, August 7: Again, the home team, Great Britain, shined in cycling, as Chris Hoy won his sixth lifetime gold medal with a victory in keirin cycling. The host nation won its seventh gold out of ten track cycling events of 2012.
  In the men's 1500, Taoufik Makhioufi of Algeria won gold, while Robert Harting of Germany took the gold in the men's discus. In the men's high jump, Ivan Ukhov captured the gold over Erik Kynard of the USA with a jump of 7 feet, 9 3/4 inches. In the women's 100 hurdles, Sally Pearson of Australia took the gold, while Alistair Brownlee of Great Britain took the gold in the men's triathlon.
  In team dressage, an equestrian event that is the rough equivalent of watching grass grow to casual onlookers, Great Britain grabbed another gold to cheers from those in the crowd still awake at the awards ceremony.
  In windsurfer sailing, Dorian van Rijsselberge of the Netherlands and Marina Alabau Neira of Spain won gold for the men and women, respectively.
  The most predictable gold medal of the day went to China's duo for doubles table tennis.
  In unwatchable events, artistic gymnastics and synchronized swimming awarded several gold medals.
  Wednesday, August 8: In a nice twist, Allyson Felix of the USA beat Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica in the women's 200-meter sprint. In the women's long jump, American Brittney Reese beat Russian Elena Sokolova with a jump of 23 feet, 4 1/2 inches.
  Other highlights of the day included Aries Merritt of the USA taking gold in the men's 110-meter hurdles, Natalya Antyukh of Russia taking gold in the women's 400-meter hurdles. Additionally, Kerri Walsh Jennings and Misty May-Treanor of the USA captured their third career gold medal in women's beach volleyball.
  In another non-surprise, Steve Guerdat of Switzerland took gold in the men's individual equestrian jumping event. And China took gold in men's doubles table tennis.
  In lowlights, Croatia pummeled the USA in a men's water polo quarterfinal match, 8-2, and Italy slammed the USA, 3-0, in a men's indoor volleyball quarterfinal contest.
  Thursday, August 9: In the 200-meter sprint, Usain Bolt of Jamaica won going away in a time of 19.32 seconds to become the first man in Olympic history to be a repeat winner in both the 100- and 200-meter sprints. His attitude matches his speed. In the men's decathlon, American Ashton Eaton won the gold. Fellow American Trey Hardy took the silver to create the first USA 1-2 finish in that event since 1956, when America really was the greatest and richest country on the planet. Christian Taylor of the USA won the men's triple jump gold medal with a combined jumps total of 58 feet, 5 1/4 inches, while David Rudisha of Kenya took gold in the men's 800-meter run with a world record time of 100.91 seconds. In the women's javelin, Barbora Spotakova of the Czech Republic took the gold medal, out-hurling two Germans in the process.
  In women's water polo, USA beat Spain for the gold, 8-5. In women's world football/soccer, the USA beat Japan for the gold, 2-1, before putting on another media-friendly obnoxious victory celebration. Great Britain fattened its medals coffers with a gold and a bronze in the women's individual dressage competition at the equestrian arena.
  Friday, August 10: The USA women's 400-meter relay team set a world record of 40.82 seconds to capture the gold in front of the Jamaican team. Turkey's Asli Cakir Alptekin won the women's 1500-meter run, giving her country its first track and field gold medal. Renaud Lavillenie of France jumped 19 feet, 7 inches to take the gold in the men's pole vault event. The Bahamas team captured gold in the men's 4x400-meter relay, beating the makeshift USA team diminished by injury to two of its stars.
  In the least surprising results of the day, a Russian won the women's hammer throw and Ethiopians captured gold and bronze in the women's 5000-meter run (to nobody's surprise, a Kenyan took the silver).
  In women's field hockey, the Netherlands beat Argentina for the gold, while Great Britain took the bronze.
  Saturday, August 11: The biggest surprise of the day was Mexico upending Brazil, 2-1, to win the gold medal in men's world football/soccer. Jamaica, anchored by wunderkind Usain Bolt, won the men's 4x100-meter relay, setting a new world record of
  In team sport's competition, USA trounced France, 86-50, in women' s basketball to take the gold, while the favored American women were upset by Brazil in the indoor volleyball final, 3-1.


   Even after ten days of viewer conditioning (and air conditioning during the West's major heatwave), certain sports remained unwatchable. Rhythmic gymnastics are the worst of the prissy sports, though synchronized swimming and synchronized diving aren't far behind. On the other end of the spectrum, weightlifting, wrestling, and women's boxing are only appealing if you enjoy watching elbow joints blow out, men appear to be engaging in West Hollywood sex acts, and cuts and welts collect on female faces. I don't.
   Another low point was the USA women's soccer team perform another rehearsed celebration after winning the gold medal match against Japan. The t-shirts they quickly threw on commenting about their "greatness" was another chapter in "The Ugly American" book for non-American spectators and viewers. Note to the soccer team: humility is a virtue. Even LeBron and Kobe did the right thing in press conferences after clutching the men's basketball team for Team USA. [UNDER CONSTRUCTION...TO BE CONTINUED]