Category Archives: Miscellaneous

The Weekend Rundown

Lots of goodness going down this weekend, and it all starts tonight.

Men’s Hoops

Friday – Davidson at Duke. Call me crazy, but I like the Blue Devils.

Sunday – Mississippi Valley State at UNC. Call me crazy, but I like the Delta Devils

Women’s Soccer

Friday – UNC vs. Baylor, in Gainesville. Second round NCAA action. If UNC wins, they’ll play Sunday against (probably) Florida.

Friday – Georgia at Duke. Can’t wait for this. Duke will host games through the quarterfinals if they keep winning. Like UNC, they’ll play again at 1pm Sunday if they win, against the winner of Ohio State and UW-Milwaukee.

Men’s Soccer

Sunday – Duke vs. New Mexico. The Devils won their first round NCAA match against Georgia State, and will now travel to Albuquerque to try to continue the run.

Sunday – UNC vs. Coastal Carolina. UNC had a first-round bye, and will host a second round game at Fetzer. Hopefully it doesn’t rain; Coastal Carolina is from the ocean, and they love playing on water.

Field Hockey

Friday – UNC vs. Connecticut, 2pm. It’s the Final Four! If UNC wins, they’ll face Old Dominion or Maryland in the championship Sunday at noon. They’ve beaten both already this season, though ODU handed the Heels their only loss early on. UNC has faced Maryland in the championship the past two season, with a win in 2009 and a loss in 2010. If you have any inclination, you can watch this one live on NCAA.com.

Back this afternoon with the Triangle Prophets. Enjoy your weekend.

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Basketball Won’t Go Away

Each week, contributor and new parent Joey will post his thoughts as he undergoes the transformation from fanboy to father.

You probably saw the title of this post, and immediately began an inner-monologue, railing against me and what I stand for: “What in the hell is he thinking? I’ve waited since late spring for hoops to return. The NBA is locked-out, but I’ve finally got college ball to watch, and now this clown wants it to leave?!? What the…”  Just bear with me.

I’ve never said it in this space, but I won’t try to influence my daughter’s fandom. I’ll let her pick her allegiances on her own if/when she ever decides to do so. That said, she’s going to have a hard time ignoring the looming presence that Carolina basketball has had on her life, even before she took her first breath.

I’ve never been very close to the program. I’ve known folks who worked for the team. I’ve been lucky enough through various avenues in my life to have some access to the program. But, for a guy who for the most part, is just a rabid fan of Carolina Basketball, the nuance that has permeated my young adulthood/marriage/early fatherhood is pretty curious. No, I didn’t get to name her Raysheed McHarrisonbrough, but somehow, my personal road has intersected with Carolina hoops in some quite ironic ways. A few examples, if I may:  Continue reading

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903 plus catching up with Fall Sports

My official thoughts on #903 are coming later today at Grantland, and I’ll link them here. For now, let me give you a synopsis:

-Coach K is amazing.
-Andre Dawkins is a badass.
-Austin Rivers is a work in progress, but last night was ugly.
-The Plumlees are about as bad as we could ever imagine.
-This team is probably not #6 in the country.

Like I said, a lot more coming later. Now, quick fall sports updates.

Women’s Soccer:

1. The Duke women beat Radford with ease in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They’ll face Georgia in Round Two Friday night at home.  Duke, a 1-seed, will have homefield advantage through the quarterfinals if they keep winning.

2. The UNC women posted a 3-0 victory over William & Mary. They’ll face Baylor in Florida Friday afternoon, and will likely meet Florida, a 2-seed, if they reach the Sweet 16.

Men’s Soccer:

1. Duke lost in the semifinals of the ACC tournament to Boston College, and will face Georgia State in the NCAA first round at home tomorrow night.

2. After winning the ACC tournament, UNC is a 1-seed with a first round bye. The Heels will play at home against Elon or Coastal Carolina Sunday night.

Field Hockey:

1. Duke lost in the Elite 8 to Old Dominion, the #2 overall seed.
2. UNC, the best team in the country, is in the Final Four. A rematch with Maryland, who they’ve met in the championship game the past two years (lost in 2010, won in 2009), is looking very possible.

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Of Fairy Tales and Fallacies: Coach K and Paterno

Please welcome Jill to the TRB fray. This is her first post for the site.

Once upon a time, during a chilly November, two revered athletic programs sat on the brink of history. In one arena, nearly 10,000 fans, dressed in blue and white, cheered in adoration, celebrating their legendary coach. In another, over 100,000 fans, also dressed in blue and white, cheered in confusion, mourning the loss of theirs. Only 435 miles separate the Gothic Wonderland from Happy Valley, but on Saturday, the two college havens, both of which sound like villages out of a fairy tale, could not feel farther apart.

As we have recently and painfully learned, a storybook ending can be rewritten in a matter of days. On October 29th, Coach Joe Paterno set the all-time record for wins in Division I football. His Penn State faithful worshiped accordingly, kneeling in reverence before his bronze statue on campus. The man they lovingly call JoePa, like everyone’s favorite grandpa, was an elder statesman who ruled over his Happy Valley Kingdom for six decades with a heart seemingly made of gold. Although insufferably arrogant at times, it was with this heart that he set a gold standard, both for his football program and for his university. He poured his soul into Penn State, he donated and raised millions of dollars, he won two championships without one NCAA infraction, he benefited the lives of thousands. Those facts are unquestionable. On November 9th, just 11 days after making history, Joe Paterno was unceremoniously fired by telephone. It is also unquestionable that he deserved to be.

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Triangle Prophets, Week 11

Every Friday, a group of fearless webmasters and sports fanatics from around the Triangle will gather to predict five college football games against the spread. Every Duke, Carolina, and N.C. State game will be featured, along with a smattering of high profile non-Triangle games. As the season goes along, we’ll keep the standings updated and see who emerges as the one true prophet. Make your predictions in the comment section. Each week, we’ll feature any and all commenters who pick all 5 games correctly.

Current Standings

1. John Watson, The Devil’s Den – 29.5 points

2. Nate Friedman, UNC football correspondent26.5 points

3. Me – 25.5 points

4. Tar Heel Fan Blog – 24.5 points
4. James Henderson, Publisher, Pack Pride – 24.5 points

6. The Devil Wolf, TRB – 23.5 points

7. Jim Young, Editor, ACCSports.com – 22.5 points

8. William Earnhardt, Site Designer – 20.5 points

Continue reading

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OH GOD, IT’S HERE!

The season is here! The season is here! Sweet f#*$ing gobstoppers, the season is here! I’m going to climb a tree and fight a squirrel. I’m going to lecture the pavement. I’m going to dress up like a mailman, break into your house, and spray paint a mural of Coach K in your bathroom. Everything’s on the table here, man. EVERYTHING.

What a great day. And what a great weekend, with the NCAA tournament kicking off for most fall sports. Let’s take a look at what’s happening over the next few days. Beginning, of course, with the best sport in the history of the universe. (At least since they banned lion fighting.)

-Tonight, at 9pm, the Dukies take on Belmont. You might remember Belmont as the team that almost crushed our spirit in 2008 before Gerald Henderson saved us. The spirit was quickly crushed two days later by West Virginia, but hey, at least it wasn’t Belmont. I don’t know about this year’s team, guys. I’m not feeling that No. 6 ranking right now, though I do hope I’m wrong. But where’s the scoring coming from against the good defenses? One-on-one play from Austin Rivers, and the occasional Curry hot streak? As much as Duke ever has a rebuilding year, I think this is it.

-Earlier, at 7pm, UNC is playing Michigan State on a BOAT. Here’s what I hate about this: why is the boat docked? That’s right, docked. Seriously, what is the purpose of playing on an aircraft carrier if it’s not at least going to cruise around the bay? I mean, damn, the boat might as well be in the middle of Kansas. This is like saying you’re playing on ice whenever you play at Madison Square Garden. Yeah, there’s ice somewhere under there, but come on. Anyway, not only will this let us see the greatest collection of basketball talent ever assembled on one team, but it’ll also give us an indication of what Duke faces when Coach K tries to break Knight’s record against the Spartans next week.

-Tomorrow, at Fetzer Field, the UNC women play their first round NCAA game against William & Mary. It’s been a relatively tough year for the Heels, and William & Mary actually drew against Duke in an exhibition earlier this season. Carolina will be the favorite, but I’m going and expecting just about anything. 2pm.

-Sunday, at 2pm, Duke hosts Radford in its first round match. The Blue Devils are one of three 1-seeds from the ACC (FSU and Wake are the others), and they should be able to handle Radford with relative ease.

-Tonight, in the semifinals of the ACC tournament, UNC will meet Virginia at 5:30 and Duke will take on Boston College at 7:30. Here are the highlights from Duke’s 0-0 tie against Clemson in the quarterfinals, after which Duke advanced 5-4 on penalties. It looks like an insanely fun game where both teams had a lot of chances. But guys, if you’re going to make a highlight video of a game that went to penalty kicks, is there one particular element you think you should definitely include?


-Tomorrow morning, top-ranked UNC kicks off the NCAA field hockey tournament against Ohio at home. Duke plays Stanford in Norfolk, Virginia. Potential great match-up the next day if Duke meets No. 2 Old Dominion in the quarterfinals.

Triangle Prophets coming this afternoon! Life is good. Happy Birthday, Emily.

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Things to be Grateful for on a Thursday Morning:

We’re not Penn State alums.

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Two Days!

In two days both Duke and UNC will officially begin their college basketball seasons.  UNC will play against Michigan St. on an aircraft carrier (this is an awesome but at the same time an idiotic idea) and Duke will play against Belmont in Cameron.  Both Duke and UNC are expected to win, but anything can happen in college basketball.

I don’t know too much about Belmont besides the fact that Duke narrowly avoided being upset by them in the NCAA tourney a few years ago.  Supposedly they are a decent team with a decent amount of experience.  They have more size than the exhibition teams Duke has played, but they are in Tennessee so it’s remarkable they know actually know what a basketball is.  When I think of Tennessee I just imagine banjos, biscuits and overrated football teams.

I think Duke may struggle in this game for the first half.  The players will likely come out with a decent amount on anxiety, but they will eventually relax and overwhelm their opponents.  I know the Plumlee’s will rain fire and destruction upon Belmont, but that’s to be expected.  There really isn’t too much to say besides thank god college basketball is finally beginning and life is happy again.

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The Triangle Prophets, Week 10

Every Friday, a group of fearless webmasters and sports fanatics from around the Triangle will gather to predict five college football games against the spread. Every Duke, Carolina, and N.C. State game will be featured, along with a smattering of high profile non-Triangle games. As the season goes along, we’ll keep the standings updated and see who emerges as the one true prophet. Make your predictions in the comment section. Each week, we’ll feature any and all commenters who pick all 5 games correctly.

Current Standings

1. John Watson, The Devil’s Den – 26.5 points

2. Nate Friedman, UNC football correspondent24.5 points
2.
Me – 24.5 points

4. Tar Heel Fan Blog – 23.5 points

5. The Devil Wolf, TRB – 20.5 points
5. Jim Young, Editor, ACCSports.com – 20.5 points

7. William Earnhardt, Site Designer – 19.5 points
7.
James Henderson, Publisher, Pack Pride – 19.5 points

Continue reading

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The Thirty-something Pledge

Each week, contributor and new parent Joey will post his thoughts as he undergoes the transformation from fanboy to father.

So I don’t think I’ve ever missed being to my seats at Kenan for a kickoff. If I’m going to the game, it’s just planned that we leave our tailgate in enough time to get to our seats before the kick. Most of the time, we’re there to see the team come out of the tunnel, but definitely by the time the opening kick is in the air.

I willingly jeopardized that this past weekend.

We got a late start up to the stadium. After a great tailgate of an old-fashioned pig-pickin’, it took a while to shut everything down. Nonetheless, our group meandered hurriedly through Kenan toward our seating section. We’d already been cut off by security as they escorted some hosted recruits to their seats. But none of those things actually made me late to my seat.

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