Long-time readers know that I have pushed for Northwestern University Men’s Basketball Head Coach Bill Carmody to be fired. Despite four consecutive NIT appearances, expectations for NU’s first NCAA Tournament bid have come up short year after year after year. Admittedly, he has done a very good job in recruiting better players than we had seen in years, and the team has responded with some big wins over ranked Big Ten teams over that time period, but the team remains the only Division I program to have never made “The Big Dance.”
I have always thought that Carmody relied too often on Hall of Fame retired Princeton Coach Pete Carril’s “slow-the-game” deliberate offense that was used to great effect years ago. The Princeton offense is designed to allow less athletic teams to compete with athletic teams by using crisp cuts and screens and accurate passing to keep the ball away from the other team, wear them down, and score easy baskets. The problem is that Carril’s teams had their success in the pre-shot clock era, and now with the shot clock, teams can’t just play “keep away.” Plus, using the Princeton offense, more athletis prospects may choose to play elsewhere since there is less emphasis on individual play, which can hinder a kid’s NBA hopes.
Currently, the Wildcats are 13-14 overall, and 4-10 in the Big Ten, not only about to miss the NCAA Tournament, but they won’t make the NIT this year either. Since this is the last year of his contract, the writing you would think, is on the wall. One would think that I would be chomping at the bit for his head, but this is an unusual season.
First, the Big Ten is among the strongest (arguably the strongest) and deepest conference in the nation. But NU has also been hampered by injuries to its top scorers and reserves. Carmody is essentially playing with 7 guys, most of whom were expected to be reserves and bit players at best.
The university and AD Jim Phillips have a problem – do they fire Carmody and start fresh considering the worst luck of any head coach, or do they re-sign him? NU would probably want to give Carmody a VERY short leash, perhaps one year with a school option, but most coaches want more of a commitment in their contracts – 3 to 4 years with a good sized buyout clause. NU doesn’t like to spend extra money, so do they sign Carmody to a longer term deal, but knowing full well that if the team gets healthy next year, but still don’t make the NCAA, they would be under pressure to fire Carmody, but still be on the hook for millions of dollars.
So, would Carmody be willing to stay in Evanston on a short lease? Will the university pull the trigger and fire him anyway? Honestly, I don’t have an answer.

I couldn’t help but think of Robert DeNiro playing fighter Jake LaMotta preparing for his show at the beginning of Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece “Raging Bull” just before the lights dimmed for a one man show by former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson this past Saturday night at the Cadillac Theater here in Chicago.
The pre-show music was a set of 1970s and 1980s soul music, setting the stage for.. who knew. Then the lights went down, Nat King Cole’s “Nature Boy” played on the soundtrack, and there he was: the 46-year-old former heavyweight champion. Tyson began the story of his life: the tragedy of him mother and upbringing; getting into trouble as a kid, ending up in juvenile detention before being “discovered” by trainer Cus D’Amato. Tyson was engaging, and very funny at many of the stories. He stalked the stage like he stalked fighters in his prime (and, as Chicago Sun-Times theater critic Hedy Weiss wrote – he held the audience’s attention throughout, something that many professional actors could not do).
Then came the victories, the fame, then the losses, Robin Givens (and Brad Pitt), imprisonment, Don King, bankruptcy, cocaine addiction, the death of his daughter, up to now. As one would expect if you know Tyson’s story, it was at times funny, sad, and ridiculous. As you would expect, Mitch “Blood” Green who Tyson beat up in a street fight (hilarious story), Ms. Givens and her mother, and Don King come off worst in Tyson’s story, and he still proclaims his innocence of the rape charge (and makes two interesting points – first, Deseree Washington accused another man of rape a short time before the Tyson incident; and if Tyson had been a rapist, why did he serve only 3 years of a 10-year sentence and also why did he not get the full 63 years the judge could have sentenced him to). But Tyson more than admits his own part in his own ups and downs.
Also very touching was the coincidence that brought Tyson – the biter and the “bitee,” Evander Holyfield to the same place Saturday night – Tyson was talking about the infamous biting incident in his fight with Evander Holyfield, and then introduced his former nemesis who was in the audience. It was great to see that the two men had become friends, with Holyfield, who has his own issues and demons, being in Chicago pushing his barbeque sauce.
Unfortunately, ticket sales have caused shows to be cancelled in many cities on the tour. It’s too bad, because Mike Tyson’s is a fascinating story, and Tyson is a very charming and funny narrator. People will be missing a unique opportunity.

In the greatest comic story of all time – “Watchmen,” one of the key phrases is “Who Watches The Watchmen.” In the more famous words of Lord Acton – “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This is what I thought about when I heard the story of the NCAA’s seemingly botched investigation of the University of Miami.
Earlier this week it was disclosed that ethical issues arose in the NCAA’s two year Miami investigation that led to the replacement of its enforcement department and the throwing out of all ill-gotten information gleaned from two depositions that could have been very damaging for the Hurricanes. The NCAA announced that the organization is launching an external review of the enforcement program.
Usually, I feel sympathy for the enforcement people – generally a small group of people trying to enforce a huge number of regulations covering programs that, if dirty, are doing all they can to cover up their tracks. In this case however, the NCAA may have seriously overstepped it’s bounds. The NCAA said it paid Maria Elena Perez, the attorney for former booster Nevin Shapiro, more than $19,000 for work she performed, primarily using subpoena power to ask questions on the association’s behalf and doing so under the guise of a bankruptcy case. The NCAA does not have subpoena power and was not involved in Shapiro’s bankruptcy proceedings.
NCAA President Mark Emmert said however, that the revelations involve only “a small portion” of the findings of the investigation and that the formal notice of allegation – the notice to a school before action is taken would come after the review, which is expected to last 7-10 days. He also said however that the NCAA was continuing its investigation into the Miami program and will not be settled.
University President Donna Shalala called the NCAA’s investigation “unprofessional and unethical,” and insisted that their long probe not only come to a swift end but result in no other penalties against her school. “We have been wronged,” Shalala said.
The University of Miami athletic department has the reputation of being dirty for decades and the allegations that caused this investigation are serious ones, but for Ms. Shalala to expect the NCAA’s problems to magically make the charges go away is preposterous. Although the NCAA does not have legal powers like a court, neither does it have the concepts like mistrial and double jeopardy.
I have lots of problems with the NCAA, including how can you have the wolves guarding the hen houses. Plus, in the volumes of rules and regulations, there aren’t similar rules limiting what the NCAA can and cannot do (which has also led to the lawsuit from the State of Pennsylvania challenging the NCAA’s penalties on Penn State after the Jerry Sandusky affair). It has appeared in the past that the NCAA acted like Inspector Javert in Les Misérables – doggedly pursuing who they “felt” were guilty programs or coaches.
But Miami has not been cleaned up under Ms. Shalala’s tenure – it is just as dirty (and to many boosters, dirty and no longer a sports powerhouse like it was in the Jimmy Johnson years), and there is definitely fire to go with the billowing smoke). To perhaps slam back at Ms. Shalala, an NCAA source told the AP that former Miami assistant coaches Clint Hurtt, Aubrey Hill and Jorge Fernandez provided false or misleading information during the probe into the Hurricanes’ athletic department.
In this case, two wrongs do not make a right. The NCAA needs to clean up its act and Donna Shalala should have cleaned up her athletic program. Is it possible to suspend both sides?

• The thing that makes NFL quarterback Tim Tebow loved and hated is his pious, holier-than-thou attitude, statements, and reputation. But maybe some smart PR person has talked some sense into Tebow. He has canceled an appearance at the controversial Dallas-area First Baptist Church on April 28. The church is led by Robert Jeffress, who has been widely criticized for views against homosexuality, Islam and Mormonism. Tebow, announcing his decision Thursday on Twitter, said that he was canceling his appearance “due to new information that has been brought to my attention.” Yeah – like NFL teams that he would want to play for might pass on him for being too controversial, not to mention the endorsements.
• Can the Oscar “Blade Runner” Pistorius case get any stranger? Pistorius is trying to get released on bail pending his trial on a charge of premeditated murder in the February 14 shooting death of his girlfriend, model Reeva Steenkamp, 29 amid stories that searches of the Olympian’s home turned up testosterone and hypodermic needles leading to the suggestion that ‘roid rage may have played a part in the killing. But then, South African Police announced that lead investigator Hilton Botha was being pulled from the case after prosecutors reinstated attempted murder charges against him in a 2011 incident. Botha is accused of seven counts of attempted murder in an incident in which he and other officers allegedly chased and fired on a minibus full of people while drunk. I don’t know what impact the 24-year police veteran Botha’s charges will have on the Pistorius case, but this is starting to be really weird.

In life, there are just some things that you want to see for yourself: The Great Wall of China; The Pyramids; The Eiffel Tower; Mount Everest. For me, my “bucket list” includes the Australian Open tennis tournament (the only Grand Slam I haven’t attended); and I’d like to see Great White Sharks breaching the Australian waters attacking seals (from the safety or a very large boat, of course).
Similar to that, there are things you can’t take your eyes off of – like traffic accidents, the Jerry Springer Show; idiots on Fox News. You are ashamed of looking, but there you are staring like a hypnotized guy at a side show.
Bring the two together and you have what NBC used to advertise as “Must See TV.” This is not on television, but I am about to have a must-see event tomorrow night. “Mike Tyson – The Undisputed Truth” is playing Chicago this weekend, directed by Spike Lee. The one man “play” if you will, was written by Tyson’s current wife. You either love or hate Tyson, but has there been a more controversial athlete in the final 20 years of the 20th Century than Tyson. Street thug, pulled off the streets by legendary boxing promoter Cus D’Amato; become youngest heavyweight champion in history, but D’Amato dies. Tyson burns his way through the heavyweight division, dates lots of women, marries Robin Givens, parties hard, loses to Buster Douglas and is never the same fighter. The ear-biting incident against Evander Holyfield; convicted of rape – does time in an Indiana prison; more marriages, more kids, strange face tattoo. Where do the stories stop?
I admit that I’m fascinated by Tyson. He is the ultimate example of the dichotomy of man: on the one hand, he has hurt everyone and everything he has ever loved including himself. Mike Tyson is Freud’s ultimate id – the unorganized part of the personality structure that contains a human’s basic, instinctual drives. The id contains the libido, which is the primary source of instinctual force that is unresponsive to the demands of reality. The id acts according to the “pleasure principle”, seeking to avoid pain or unpleasure (not ‘displeasure’) aroused by increases in instinctual tension.
But there is still something of the little Brooklyn boy inside there – scared of people and what they can do to him; cautious. As many bad acts that Tyson has done; many bad things have happened to him as well. In some ways, Tyson is also the epitome of Job – he has lost his wealth, his marriages, his titles, even one of his kids, a three-year-old daughter who died in a tragic treadmill accident. However, Tyson has survived.
There are some people who will probably say that they could never support a rapist, a former thug, a “bad person.” But I have to see this play – I’m fascinated by his view of the events of his life, and I admit that I hope that he has found or is in the process of finding some happiness in this life.
I’ll share my thoughts on the event next week. Have a good weekend everyone.

As with any round number anniversary, the media reminds us of past events, some important, some not so. This November, we will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, which is only important to whose of us who watch the show. At the same time, the media will be flooded with JFK stories since the day before Doctor Who premiered, the president was assassinated. We will relive that day at Dealey Plaza many times this fall, I guarantee you.
It is hard to imagine that Michael Jordan will be turning 50 years of age on Sunday. Older, heavier, divorced from his first wife but engaged to a young woman, Jordan looks older. But not 50; since he stays mostly out of the public eye, the mental image of Michael Jordan is young, athletic, working the magic on the basketball court that made him legendary.
On a personal level, even though I am 1,125 days older than Michael Jeffery Jordan, it has never felt like it. He had to be older – he’s done more, been more places, achieved so much in basketball and in business. He is so much larger than his actual height; so much larger than life, that it is hard to imagine being on the same planet.
That’s not to say that he ever was a hero to me, or a role model; I was and remain much to old for Jordan to have been that to me (plus, living in Chicago, some of the “shadier side” of his personality – gambling, womanizing – were passed around in hushed whispers). But on the court he was the ultimate warrior – doing everything he could to win. That will to win, that relentless competitor is what I think of when I think of Michael Jordan; almost as much as the dunks and big baskets that everyone remembers.
In many ways, Jordan was the late 20th Century’s Muhammad Ali or Babe Ruth – much bigger than the sport they dominated; the symbol of a game, and in Jordan’s case of a basketball shoe worldwide. Some will rightly say that Jordan’s business interests kept him from being a more of a political figure toward African-American interests, and the slave-wage tactics Nike uses in making the shoes bearing his likeness. Interestingly enough, as owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, Jordan was reportedly one of the hard liners in the last NBA/Labor dispute. Does Jordan care only for himself and the other rich guy owners?
Maybe Jordan just didn’t feel comfortable in the role of voice of a cause? But, like Teflon, Jordan was able to deflect the criticism, and while no longer the advertising force he was in his playing days, no one has to ask who that is in the Hanes commercials that feature him.
So, happy birthday Michael. To Chicagoans – he will always be the Bulls: six championships, the United Center “the House That Michael built.” To Nike, he is the lodestone. To the NBA, he remains one of the three pillars of the modern game (along with Magic and Bird). To the rest of the world – he is basketball still. But he remains an enigma, a very private, apparently complex man who everyone in the world knows through his exploits and his commercials, but who very few people REALLY know.

Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose and your friend and humble narrator both grew up in the tough Englewood neighborhood of Chicago. Rose navigated his way through the gangs, drugs and crime to be one of the best basketball players in the world.
Since being drafted by the hometown Bulls, he has been a model citizen on the off the court (at least publically), and he generally has been a PR and advertising dream. More important however, he seems to be very smart about his career.
Rose has stayed out of the spotlight since he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during a playoff-opening win over Philadelphia last year. He has not played this season, but he has been practicing and traveling with the team causing lots of speculation and anticipation for the Bull faithful.
Speaking for the first time in months, first to USA Today and then to the local media, Rose ended hopes of a quick return to the team. Rose said he won’t rush back just to play this season if he isn’t ready. “If it’s where it’s taking me a long time and I’m still not feeling right, I wouldn’t mind missing this year.” Rose told USA Today that he wouldn’t come back until he was “110 percent,” adding that he was “far away, far away” from being ready.
The miraculous recovery of Minnesota Vikings’ running back and NFL Player of the Year Adrian Peterson, who also tore his ACL but came back in near record time to post a 2,097 yard season, just nine yards from breaking the all time record, probably gave people hope that Rose could do likewise. And I know that people see the 30-22 Bulls, currently ranked 5th in the Eastern Conference and think that adding Rose down the stretch could lead to a championship. But, as I wrote at the time, ACL tears take 12-15 months to fully recover from (despite the less than 12 month time it took for Peterson to return), and Rose’s injury occurring during the playoffs made any return this season questionable. It is good to see that both the Bulls and Rose himself are taking Rose’s recovery very slowly. Rose is a special player, perhaps the best since Jordan retired (the second time from the Bulls),and it is foolish to risk his health on a one-time championship. If Rose were to duplicate Peterson’s results, along with the talented team currently playing in a Bulls’ uniform, multiple championships are possible.
It is good to see this young man making a smart decision with his future. Bulls’ fans may be pissed off about it in the short term, but they will forget it all if there is a championship celebration soon afterward.