Monthly Archives: November 2012

Walk-Ons: Louisville to the ACC, Duke wins, Kentucky loses

Ben is recovering from a cold that leaves his voice more husky than usual, and the Walk-Ons are in rare form while discussing the continued realigment landscape. Matt is convinced Duke and UNC are bound for the SEC or Big Ten, while Shane and Ben aren’t so sure. When they agree to disagree, it’s time to talk about Duke’s win over OSU, who should be no. 1, and Kentucky’s flat play against Notre Dame. There’s also a quick look ahead to the weekend games. In between, we touch on Forrest Gump, Ben’s first date with his current wife, Matt’s best first date ever involving the Counting Crows, the similarity between Valentine’s Day and a Frasier episode, and other verbal shenanigans. It’s a crackler, this ‘un. It should be noted here that Matt is one of the few Americans to pronounce the word “what” correctly.

Got a great Psycho T story or a Bleacher Report quote or any other thoughts? E-mail us at [email protected]

Follow us on twitter at @WalkOnsPodcast

Or leave a voicemail at our Google Voice #, and you will almost surely get to be on the show: 818-Walk-On1 (that’s 818-925-5661)

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Walk-Ons: Big 10/ACC Challenge, Turkey Break Wrap-Up

It’s a wild and wooly show today, as we invite Galen Clavio from Crimson Cast to join us in the first ever Walk-Ons/Crimson Cast Challenge. The deal is that all four Crimson Casters (a great podcast out of Indiana that airs on Sundays and Wednesdays), pick all 12 ACC/Big 10 games, while the three of us do the same. We recruited a ringer from twitter named Pistol Pat O’Sullivan to be our fourth, and whoever gets the most picks right wins the day. (You can view everybody’s picks on this spreadsheet). We discuss all the ACC home games with Galen- Shane joined Crimson Cast to cover the Big Ten home games on Sunday– and then Matt, Ben, and Shane get down and dirty with UCLA, N.C. State, Duke’s new ranking, Kentucky’s development, Shane’s hipster love for Creighton and Gonzaga, and Sean Woods’ furious approach to life and basketball. Also, Matt’s radio show was hijacked by Islamic terrorists who MAY have been financed or tacitly supported by Rick Pitino. Lots of ground covered, lots of love, lots of emotion. “Buffalo” by The Deloreans is our music once again. There is an Easter Egg at the end of this podcast.

 

Got a great Psycho T story or a Bleacher Report quote or any other thoughts? E-mail us at [email protected]

Follow us on twitter at @WalkOnsPodcast

Or leave a voicemail at our Google Voice #, and you will almost surely get to be on the show: 818-Walk-On1 (that’s 818-925-5661)

Be a pal and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. Just click “view in iTunes” once you reach that link, and then ‘subscribe for free.’ Voila. If you’re feeling really generous, you could also rate the podcast and write a positive review.

You can also access our podcast RSS feed.

If you need to download the file directly, this’ll do it. Enjoy!

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The Walk-Ons: Shabazz Cometh, Wolfpack Embarrassment, Realignment

It’s a big day in Walk-On land as Ben and I sip Angry Orchard ciders and talk to Matt (he’s drinking diet Mountain Dew) about Shabazz Muhammad’s first game, John Thompson III’s coaching ability, Marcus Smart embarrassing Wolfpack Nation in Puerto Rico, and Maryland taking its violence and rage to the Big Ten. Spike, of course, chimes in as our official Pac-12 correspondent, with some strong opinions on Shabazz and UCLA’s potential. We also hit our Bleacher Report quote of the week and Gilbert Gottfried jokes of the day, and Matt shows us a picture of John Calipari eating chicken on a recliner. We take questions and statements from email, twitter, and two listener voicemails, one psychopathic and one very…”South Carolinian.” Matt even brings a sociological perspective when he explains why Maryland fans are the worst. Some questions remain- what’s happening in Matt’s love life? Where is Aruba? Is an assassin coaching Mississippi State? Today’s music is “Buffalo” by The Deloreans, an awesome group out of Louisville.

 

Got a great Psycho T story or a Bleacher Report quote or any other thoughts? E-mail us at [email protected]

Follow us on twitter at @WalkOnsPodcast

Or leave a voicemail at our Google Voice #, and you will almost surely get to be on the show: 818-Walk-On1 (that’s 818-925-5661)

Be a pal and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. Just click “view in iTunes” once you reach that link, and then ‘subscribe for free.’ Voila. If you’re feeling really generous, you could also rate the podcast and write a positive review.

You can also access our podcast RSS feed.

If you need to download the file directly, this’ll do it. Enjoy!

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The Walk-Ons: Duke-UK Wrap, Early Season Tourney Previews

What a show. What an amazing show. On the basketball side, Ben and I do some verbal flopping as Matt comes to terms with UK’s loss to Duke. We hit on the Florida-Wisconsin and Kansas-Michigan State games, and then we preview the early season tournaments on Matt’s “Would Go/Would Watch/Will Ignore” scale. On the non-basketball side, we talk about Matt’s love life and how it relates to a pair of missing shoes, we interview coaching legend JOHN WOODEN (he’s concerned that Nerlens Noel might have lice), revisit Hootie & The Blowfish memories, check out AXS.TV’s sick lineup of Dan Rather and JAG, and have a serious discussion about whether it was cool for a newspaper writer to imply that Alex Murphy might transfer. A real sparkplug of a show. The Kathy Griffin of shows, even. Bonus John Wooden footage (soundage?) after the closing song. Time stamps below.

 

Got a great Psycho T story or a Bleacher Report quote or any other thoughts? E-mail us at [email protected]

Follow us on twitter at @WalkOnsPodcast

Or leave a voicemail at our Google Voice #, and you will almost surely get to be on the show: 818-Walk-On1 (that’s 818-925-5661)

Be a pal and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. Just click “view in iTunes” once you reach that link, and then ‘subscribe for free.’ Voila. If you’re feeling really generous, you could also rate the podcast and write a positive review.

You can also access our podcast RSS feed.

If you need to download the file directly, this’ll do it. Enjoy!

Time Stamps:

1:00 – Verbal flopping
1:45 – Calipari’s flopping comments
4:45 – Tales of Dickie V
5:40 – Shane & Matt meet in person. Oh GOD.
7:20 – Matt’s relations with the rest of the media (his drinks get sent back)
9:20 – NEW TWITTER ACCOUNT! Ben is psyched for dick pics
11:11 – Shane’s experience with Lil Wayne and his bodyguard
13:25 – The actual game
18:22 – The N&O’s Alex Murphy transferring controversy. Plus, Ben pisses off Ma Murphy
20:29 – How to (not) deal with message board criticism
29:00 – Michigan State – Kansas
31:50 – Matt tells about lifting weights with Aaron Tippin. Here’s the picture.
34:15 – Wisconsin-Florida
35:30 – Previewing the early season tourneys
37:10 – South Carolina debate- good state or bad?
53:30 – What is this AXS.TV? Programming, Dan Rather, JAG
1:01:55 – JOHN WOODEN INTERVIEW
1:08:30 – Listener wonders about Matt’s shoes, and how they play in to this gf issue
1:09:25 – Matt evades
1:12:18 – Bonus Wooden Footage

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Tar Heel Basketball Preview: Gray Clouds over Carolina Blue Skies

I suppose that in a blog post like this, the lead is where I will write about how UNC is “young, but talented,” and how they could get it together to make a run in the NCAA tournament, how as one the premiere basketball programs in the country it will thus always be in the national title hunt. I could even mention that James Michael McAdoo is projected to be a top NBA Draft pick.

But I can’t. I just can’t. The truth is, I’m already in mourning for this year’s UNC squad’s national title hopes. I’ve been in mourning ever since Kendall and the Gang declared for the NBA Draft last year.[1]

Everyone in my family who has gone to UNC has seen the Tar Heels win a national championship in their tenure; the third degree burns that come from singing yourself while jumping over fires on Franklin Street are practically a rite of passage in my household. So the fact that the Tar Heels have virtually no shot at winning a title this year is disappointing, to put it mildly. Being ranked behind N.C. State (I mean, N.C. State) in early preseason polls just adds insult to injury.

Some hopelessly optimistic UNC fans are probably thinking that in this kind of year for college basketball, where the sport is so wide open, anybody can win it. But if I’m being brutally honest (which is difficult as a sports fan), there’s just not a lot to get excited about on this year’s UNC roster. At best, this is mostly a roster of “could-be” players. James Michael McAdoo could live up to his draft hype and be one of the best players in the country this year. Or he could be another Ed Davis/Marvin Williams type, who shows a ton of promise as a freshman that he never lives up to. Brice Johnson or Joel James could turn out to be the next out-of-nowhere freshman phenoms like Tyler Hansbrough, but realistically, probably won’t be. And Marcus Paige could be one of the top point guards in the country,[2] or he could struggle to master Roy William’s complex system as a freshman.

On top of all these issues, there’s a larger, unibrow shaped rain cloud hanging over the entire future of UNC basketball. As Chuck Klosterman so brilliantly pointed out last year, Kentucky’s national championship has changed college basketball, and not for the better. In the past, when UNC lost a ton of players to the NBA, it wasn’t a death sentence because there would always be some highly touted freshman ready to step in. Fans could comfort themselves in the shelter of a “rebuilding year,” where young stars-to-be work out the kinks in their games and blossom into players who will be the foundations of their teams for at least the next one or two seasons. But there are really aren’t rebuilding years in college basketball anymore, because men like John Calipari have realized you can skip the slow process of building and rebuilding, and just reload with one-and-done-NBA-stars-to-be every year. Before last year, those who didn’t like John Calipari’s recruiting methods (myself included) could comfort themselves by saying that one-and-done players don’t win championships, you still have to have three-and-four-year guys like Tyler Hansbrough or Kyle Singler to win it all.

However, if Calipari keeps winning championships, basketball programs like UNC could find themselves with a tough choice: start going after one-and-done players and abandon all pretense of “student-athletes”[3] but win championships, or stick with the three-and-four-year guys who will never be able to stand toe-to-toe with teams stacked with future NBA stars. The problem is, as much as I’d like to see my beloved Tar Heels win another title, I’d like it a lot less if it meant dropping the comforting illusion of college athletes remaining “student-athletes.”

All told, the future of UNC basketball is as bleak as I can remember it being since I started seriously following the sport. Oh well, at least the Bobcats will have another top draft pick to look forward to.


[1] As an aside, I always thought Kendall, at least should have stayed. He’s too slow on defense and can’t score enough to succeed in the NBA. Sadly, so far his playing time in Phoenix indicates his coaches might feel the same way.

[2] Of the three scenarios I mentioned, this is actually the one I’m most confident about.

[3] An admittedly flimsy concept in College Athletics

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The Walk-Ons: Mr. Jones and Me, UK-Duke Preview, Weekend Review

Matt Jones is driving through the Smoky Mountains en route to Duke-Kentucky, and he and Shane talk about the impending showdown, and everything that happened in the opening weekend. Lots of extra chatter about battleships, old people driving vans who kidnap young children, mail-order brides, other fun Russian stereotypes, and Matt’s phobia of using public bathrooms that MAY stem from a traumatic childhood incident he is currently repressing.

 

Got a great Psycho T story or a Bleacher Report quote or any other thoughts? E-mail us at [email protected]

Or leave a voicemail at our Google Voice #, and you will almost surely get to be on the show: 818-Walk-On1 (that’s 818-925-5661)

Be a pal and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. Just click “view in iTunes” once you reach that link, and then ‘subscribe for free.’ Voila. If you’re feeling really generous, you could also rate the podcast and write a positive review.

You can also access our podcast RSS feed.

If you need to download the file directly, this’ll do it. Enjoy!

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Walk-Ons: Our All-Americans, Opening Night Preview

College basketball is finally here, and in our last show before the opening night games tip off, we give our first and second team All-Americans, plus we count down ten of the weekend’s best games. It’s a loaded show, with insight from our crazy Pac-12 listener Spike (and his parrot), some more Tyler Hansbrough stories of dubious origin, and a few listener voicemails offering takes on everything from women’s basketball to the sound a cat makes when it’s crying. After arguing about Bill Self’s merit as a coach, we finish with a few twitter questions and vow to meet again next week.

 

Got a great Psycho T story or a Bleacher Report quote or any other thoughts? E-mail us at [email protected]

Or leave a voicemail at our Google Voice #, and you will almost surely get to be on the show: 818-Walk-On1 (that’s 818-925-5661)

Be a pal and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. Just click “view in iTunes” once you reach that link, and then ‘subscribe for free.’ Voila. If you’re feeling really generous, you could also rate the podcast and write a positive review.

You can also access our podcast RSS feed.

If you need to download the file directly, this’ll do it. Enjoy!

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Walk-Ons: Election Day Spectacular – Freshmen, Coaches, Etc.

It’s an Election Day special here at the Walk-Ons, and this show is the Grover Cleveland of podcast episodes- so good you’ll want to listen to it on non-consecutive days. Today Ben looks at Coaches who, like Obama, were hired in 2008, and ask if their programs are better off now than four years ago. Shane shares his All-Freshman team (including an All-Hipster freshman team) with the dudes, who insult him. Then Matt and Shane argue for minutes about whether mutant all-underclassman teams will start dominating the game. Then, some great stories about Kris Lang and Tyler Hansbrough (from reader emails), and a few election predictions. Oh hey, is there a new feature? There is a new feature– Bleacher Report Quote of the Week. Plus, a MATT STAINBROOK update. Solid episode.

 

Got a great story or a Bleacher Report quote or whatever? E-mail us at [email protected]

Or leave a voicemail at our Google Voice #, and you will almost surely get to be on the show: 818-Walk-On1 (that’s 818-925-5661)

Be a pal and subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. Just click “view in iTunes” once you reach that link, and then ‘subscribe for free.’ Voila. If you’re feeling really generous, you could also rate the podcast and write a positive review.

You can also access our podcast RSS feed.

If you need to download the file directly, this’ll do it. Enjoy!

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1,600 Miles Away

Born and raised in Colorado Springs, I am very familiar with transplants from other states.  We didn’t like them.  We were proud to be from Colorado and upset that anyone had the gall to think they could just move to Colorado.  There were bumper stickers proclaiming “Native” just so that everyone driving around you knew that this traffic issue wasn’t your fault; they closely resembled the “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted For …” monstrosities (coming soon to devastated drivers/voters near you!)

I understand why I’ve been called a front-runner for the better part of 17 years.  Growing up 1600 miles away from Chapel Hill still causes people to question why I would be a Tar Heel fan, and how dare I cheer for basketball royalty so far away when the scrappy teams around me were playing in front of empty seats?!

Name the last time the University of Colorado had a captivating basketball team.  Or Colorado State University.  Or, how about my hometown squad, the Air Force Falcons. Answers: don’t know, don’t care, Jeff Bdzelik’s (!!!) squads.

The point being that there wasn’t much local basketball being played well or watched in droves.  If I wanted to watch good basketball, I gravitated towards the Saturday broadcasts on CBS and other nationally televised games, all culminating in what was becoming my favorite 3 weeks of my young life: March Madness.

I probably did start as a front runner.  All kids do.

Continue reading

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