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GEORGE GEARHART

Tigerboard Changes History!!!

George Gearhart

Tigerboard Changes History!!!
The articles containing the contents of phone calls that Ricky Clemons made while in prison, and the phone calls themselves, no longer exist, thanks to some handy editing:

In the Columbia Tribune picture, left, Ricky Clemons is seen walking out of
the Boone County Jail on August 24th, 2003. In the photo on the right,
Clemons has been digitally removed, thus erasing his jail sentence, and
further, his phone calls that he made while in jail.

Now that the Clemons phone calls are just a vague imagination, we can move on to what's important: basketball.

Hug a Mod
Do everyone a favor, and before you post something, ask yourself, "Is a mod going to remove this post?" If you think the answer is Yes, don't post it, or tone it down. Even better, if it's already been posted, leave it at that. The mods work for free to make this place kick ass, so please show them some decency.

Student Seating for Mizzou Hoops
I've been chatting with SID's, athletic directors, and various athletic department staff members at several schools across the nation. I'm compiling tons of information to share with you, the fans, regarding the placement of students at college basketball games.

My take: I'll keep it short for now, but I see a lot of room for improvement. I'll expand on this subject when my research is done.

For review, here's the most recent map of the Hearnes (with student sections indicated) that I could find, from the 2001-2002 season. Based on my observations, it doesn't appear that much has changed. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Your assignment? Tell me what you think of the current seating plan, and where you think improvements can be made (my email is at the bottom). If I think you have a good idea, it'll get posted in my next column.

The Hosers
I never really liked the word "Hoosier" much, but maybe that's because I think Indiana resembles Ohio, the worst state I've ever visited. However, when I was growing up, I always liked watching Indiana basketball in March, if only to see what Bobby Knight would do in his next press conference. Perhaps my favorite college hoops moment of all time, albeit off the court, was when Coach Knight sat down at a press table, pulled out a brown bag, and then told the reporters that his wife had packed him a lunch for the press conference. Pure comedy. But this is a different day and age, right?

I wish there was something exciting to write about the IU game. Wait, there is! The Tigers made up more than two points per minute over the final seven to erase a 14-point deficit against the hot-shooting Hoosiers, and ended up winning 63-58.

What went through my mind during that game?
"We're gonna lose, we're gonna lose, we're gonna lose, we're gonna lose, bathroom break at halftime, we're gonna lose, we're gonna lose, we're still in it but we're gonna lose, we're gonna lose, getting closer but we're gonna lose. Ooh, maybe we can do it. Nope, we're gonna lose. WAIT. Getting closer. Doh, we're gonna lose. We're gonna lose, OH MY GOD WE'RE ALMOST THERE. We're gonna win. We're gonna win. We're gonna win!!! WE WON!!!!"

No analysis for that, it just turned out being a fun game to watch. Was I happy with the overall performance? Two words: WE WON. And a side note: a win on the road against a storied program is never something to dwell on. To the stats...

The Fine Line

Indiana made as many foul shots as Mizzou attempted. How do the Tigers shoot only 12 free throws with Johnson, Bryant and Kleiza down low, and McKinney and Paulding on the wings to slash? My guess: this won't happen very many times this season. 4/12 from the charity stripe doesn't cut it, if you want to be a top-10 team.

Missouri won the rebound battle 43-24. The Tigers had 18 offensive boards. This will be a key stat in every game this season. Good rebounding, especially when it carries over to the offensive end, will keep a team in the game.

MU turned the ball over 14 times (not great, but better than 19 or 20).

Out of 65 field goal attempts, 55 were 2-pt. attempts. You don't have to shoot 25 or 30 3's a game to win, and this is evidence.

Rickey's Ankle
I don't know what the full story is. I do know that he doesn't look like himself on the floor, and Mizzou badly needs him to be at 100% when conference starts. Let's hope that, if rest is needed, he'll get it. I'm not certain that playing him 38 minutes a game is necessary right now, but I'm not a coach and I'm not a trainer, so I'll trust that everyone knows what they're doing.

I do know this: I had a chronic sprained ankle when I was younger, and it really sucked. That's my expert opinion.

Up Next: Gonzaga
Alphabetically, Gonzaga is first in their conference. And in a league that's bottom heavy (in a logical ordering sense) with San's, Santa's, and Saint's, they've become accustomed to standing atop the conference in wins, too. With an impressive r�sum� in recent years, some within the Bulldog community are calling this Saturday's game their biggest regular season match up in school history. I wouldn't go so far as to make such a distinction, but nonetheless, it's a big game for both teams.

How does Gonzaga match up with Mizzou, or vice versa? Well, execution aside, everyone in the nation has trouble matching up with Mizzou. But the Zags have talent all over the court. Ronny Turiaf, Cory Violette, and Blake Stepp are a tough trio. Throw in a rotation that goes about ten-deep, and they have the warm bodies to try to control the pace. If Mizzou can establish an inside game and hit some decent mid-range and three-point shots, they'll be able to keep this close and have a chance to win at the end. Offensive discipline is the key, because Gonzaga will make the Tigers pay for their mistakes.

I, for one, can't wait to wake up on Saturday, sip on an ice-cold glass of Coca-Cola Classic, and watch the Tigers head to the Northwest for the "Battle in Seattle", or so I heard they're calling it. This might be the biggest non-conference game of the season, so tune in.

The Tip of My Tongue
I earned a first round bye in my fantasy football playoffs, so this week I have my semi-final game against my ex-roommate Pat. Needless to say, much more than a trip to the finals is at stake. My team looked great until about two weeks ago, but it seems that I've hit a slump. I've got Favre at QB, and Ahman Green and Shaun Alexander in the backfield. Green has been slumping, at least in comparison to the first 8 weeks or so. Alexander is kind of steady. But my problem is with my wideouts.

I have: Andre Johnson (pleasant surprise), Koren Robinson (starting to come on), Reggie Wayne, Jerry Porter, Ike Hilliard (he's out), and Josh Reed. Last week, Josh Reed was my leading receiver, and he was firmly planted on my bench. I don't know what to do here; I've been waiting for Porter to come around and he hasn't. I currently have Johnson, Robinson and Wayne in the starting lineup, but I don't know whether I should keep it that way. Someone, anyone, please give me some insight -- who's going to do good this weekend, and who isn't. I have a couple hundred bucks riding on this game, so I'd like to win, but I'm far from an expert at predicting how a receiver is going to play. Send your opinions to the address below, please.

You can reach George by sending an email to georgetb@horklezorp.com.

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