After suffering its second loss of the year to Big East rival Pitt in the regular seasons finale, the men’s team fell flat again in the Big East Tournament.  An historic and epic six-overtime loss to Syracuse didn’t derail Coach Calhoun’s Huskies from earning a number one seed in the NCAA’s Big Dance.

The team responded to the end in Big East division play by imposing its will on its first two opponents and re-establishing itself as a dominant force in the NCAA.  The major blowouts of Chattanooga (103-47) and Texas A&M (92-66) eased some of the questions that have surrounded the team since shooting guard Jerome Dyson went down with a season ending knee injury.  

Now the Big Dogs from Storrs will face Big Ten power Purdue.  A win against the Boilermakers would put UConn in the Elite Eight and could possibly set up a matchup with Memphis who has won 27 games in a row.  Coach Calhoun going head up against Coach John Calipari’s Tigers would be a classic matchup with the winner advancing to the Final Four.

The Lady Huskies from Storrs have remained undefeated, winning the Big East regular season and tournament championships.  Now Coach Geno Auriemma has his sights set on another national title.  UConn has been the consensus number one team in the country all year long as it has steamrolled its opponents, winning their games by an average margin of victory of 30 plus points a game.

The Cs are getting their players back for the final stretch of the season to work off the rust and acclimate newcomers Mikki Moore and Stephon Marbury into the rotation.  “Starbury” was finally released by the New York Knicks and signed by Boston to add depth at the point guard position.  Boston hopes to get back in top form as it will have to go through the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have lost only one home game all year to make it back to the NBA Finals. 

The New Jersey Nets and the New York Knicks have all but been eliminated from playoff contention.  The Bricks have lost five straight to end their slim hopes and New Jersey hasn’t been able to overcome an injury to point guard Devin Harris.

NHL Slapshots:
The Boston Bruins have wrapped up the Northeast Division title and now are trying to hold off the hard charging New Jersey Devils for the number one seed on the Eastern Conference.  Boston defeated New Jersey 4-1 to earn their first division title since 2003-4.  The win also gave them a five-point lead in the standings with less then ten games remaining. 

The New Jersey Devils are closing in on the Atlantic Division title.  Already riding a hot streak, the Devils were bolstered by the return of future Hall Of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur.  Since his return, Broduer has moved past legendary goalie Patrick Roy on the all-time wins list in the NHL. 

The New York Rangers are holding on to the seventh seed in the playoff race with the Montreal Canadians and Florida Panthers toiling behind them.  The team has responded to the firing of head coach Tom Renney by winning seven of their last ten games.  New coach John Tortella has seemingly lit a fire under the previously dormant Blueshirts.

Danbury was skating uphill all season long after their slow start and never could quite make it over the top.  The team personified the fiery mentality of its head coach, former Danbury Trasher player Dave MacIsaac, as it fought to the bitter end.  Facing a nearly insurmountable deficit in the standings, the Hatters kept fighting until being eliminated on the season’s second to last game.

In the waning minutes of a blowout win over the doormat team of the league, the Hudson Valley Bears, Hatters player Jason Michelson dove into the Hudson Valley bench and began swinging at two Bears players and their head coach, former NHL great Phil Esposito.  Esposito took exception to the actions and blamed the fight on Hatters head coach MacIsaac, whom he clearly thinks is mad.

“Dave MacIsaac has had some kind of problem with everything that goes on in this league all year long. He’s just an unclass coach is what he is and he ruined Danbury,” Esposito said after the game.  “There’s no reason for that in an 8-2 game at the end of the season for him to send him out there.”

MacIsaac laughed off Esposito’s claims.  “He can say what he wants,” the coach said, smiling.  “I didn’t send him, but I’m glad he did it.”

Danbury had their chances down the stretch of the season but failed to capitalize in its head to head matchups with the Jersey Rockhoppers.  They dropped the season series 10-7, including the last three games which proved to be the difference in them skating for the EPHL’s first ever championship.

In recent years a new tradition has begun. The start of Spring Training has marked a time for another steroid era bombshell coming out of Yankee camp, and this year’s Bronx bombshell was the biggest of all. First there was Jason ‘Juicambino’ Giambi and Gary ‘Cream Chef’ Sheffield. Then there was Andy Pettite and Roger ‘the Roider’ Clemens. Now, as pitchers and catchers were reporting with position players on their way, Sports Illustrated broke the news that the so-called greatest player in the game Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez had tested positive for a banned substance in 2003.

The spring had already gotten off to a rocky start for A-Rod as excerpts from former manager Joe Torre’s book The Yankee Years hit the press. In the book, co-authored by Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci, it was revealed that opposing team’s fans weren’t the only ones calling A-Rod “A-Fraud.” Apparently, the super slugger’s phony demeanor when he arrived in the Bronx led his teammates to refer to him as A-Fraud. Also, it was stated that A-Fraud developed a Single White Female-like obsession with Yankee captain Derek Jeter. These damning comments were all the talk, grabbing all the headlines in the New York media but quickly becoming old news when the steroid story broke.

Fans now had a new name for A-Fraud, A-Roid. A-Roid had dodged rumors in the past year that he was on the juice. The claim came from the former player who broke the steroid story open when he wrote the book Juiced. Jose ‘Can You See’ Canseco claimed that MLB’s Mitchell Report was incomplete because it didn’t contain the name of Alex Rodriguez. Rodriguez then went on CBS’s 60 Minutes and told Katie Couric that not only had he never taken steroids, but he never even felt compelled to do so because he “never felt overmatched on the baseball field”.

When Sports Illustrated reporter Selena Roberts broke the story that he did, in fact, take steroids and had been caught doing so, A-Roid was given the opportunity to come clean and fess up to the whole thing. He failed miserably in his apology and confession. A-Roid threw his cousin under the bus, claiming it was all his idea. He claimed that he didn’t even know what he was taking or if it was working, but that he did inject it every month for three years while playing in Texas. He referred to his use as “amateur hour”. He claimed what he was taking “wasn’t tic tacs” but it was a substance that was readily available over the counter in his native Dominican Republic. The substance, primobolan, which he referred to as “boli”, is banned in the D.R. and not even available with a doctor’s note. These claims among other idiotic statements earned A-Roid even more scorn from the New York Yankee fan base.

The Yankee brass, of course, has backed their super slugger. Considering the fact that they just let him opt-out of his mega $250 million contract (which A-Roid claimed was the reason he began taking tic tacs) only to crawl back and re-negotiate an even more outrageous $300 million contract. They have no choice but to embrace him. The new contract was negotiated under the belief that A-Roid would bring dignity back to the game of baseball and chase the real home run king ‘Hammerin’ Hank Aaron’s mark, which was broken by another steroid user Barry ‘U.S.’ Bonds. MLB had their pure hitting savior. The New York Yankees had their ticket salesmen for the new Yankee Stadium. Now they have nothing but a hefty salary to pay and empty seats in the new stadium because no one can afford the over-priced tickets. The news continues to get worse.

As the one-thing-after-another spring unfolded, it was announced that A-Roid had a serious hip injury caused by a cyst. Perhaps the cyst was caused by years of injecting steroids. Before the heat of the mass media could wear him down in Yankee Spring Training camp, he was sent to Colorado for surgery and rehab. The injury could be career threatening. For now, the Yankees are hoping minor surgery will allow him to miss only six weeks, and then he will have to manage his way through a season and get major surgery when it ends.

As the news of this sunk in, another shocking development occurred. Fans were disgusted by the sight of A-Roid turning into Self Love-Rod in a photo shoot that went along with an interview he did with Details Magazine. The creepy photos were highlighted by a shot of Self Love-Rod kissing his own reflection in the mirror in a rather provocative way. Other provocative poses were also on display in what looked like a soft-porn photo shoot. The interview and pictures were done a day after Self Love-Rod found out he was about to be outed as just another steroid user. Maybe this was his way of outing himself for something else. The reporter who did the story later revealed that during his sit-down with Self Love-Rod the fallen slugger was sipping Patron Tequila. Not necessarily the best way to begin regaining respect for his damaged reputation.

Just as the overloaded fans were putting this despicable display aside, another perhaps not-so surprising story broke. Self Love-Rod was also Madam-Rod. The Madam who notoriously provided disgraced former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer with call-girls stated that not only was Call Girl-Rod a client, but he was also a personal acquaintance, and the Madam had saved text messages to prove it. Madam-Rod had previously been linked to strippers who he paraded around cities when his teams were on road trips. This and the fact that he became involved with the Material Girl Madonna led to his ultimate divorce.

Over the years, fans have called the so-called greatest player in the game A-Fraud for being over-hyped, Pay-Rod for being over-paid, May-Rod for not coming up big in October, E-Rod for committing big errors, K-Rod for striking out in the clutch, ‘Ha’-Rod for his bush-league play, Stray-Rod for cheating on his wife.  Now they can add A-Roid, Self Love-Rod and Madam-Rod to the list. Whatever name A-Rod goes by, there is one thing that everyone can agree on calling him, and that is a disgrace.

Play Ball! Please!  

Ray ‘He Got Game’ Allen is having the best shooting season of his career while the Boston Celtics are gearing up a for a chance to win back-to-back championships.

Allen may face another top dog, Richard ‘Rip’ Hamilton in the first round of the playoffs.  ‘Rip’ has led the Pistons to a resurgent second half after struggling earlier in the year.  Hamilton has been reinstated into the starting lineup after moving into a sixth man role to accommodate Allen ‘The Answer’ Iverson.  Not surprisingly, the Pistons turned a losing streak into a winning streak and could give Boston all it can handle.

Old dog Donyell Marshall and the Philadelphia 76ers are another potential first round foe for the Celtics.  Marshall has seen limited duty throughout the season but did have a 14-point outburst recently.

Three other UConn alumni are fighting over the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.  Charlie ‘Says Love My Good And Plenty’ Villanueva has been desperately trying to carry the load for the injury depleted Milwaukee Bucks.  It appears the Bucks have finally run out of gas as they have slipped out of the eight spot.

Ben ‘Big Game’ Gordon and the Chicago Bulls have plugged along all season long and have moved ahead of the Bucks into the final spot.  Gordon erupted for 43 points recently against Miami and has averaged over 20 points a game for the season.  

Emeka ‘Oak Tree’ Okafor and the Charlotte Bobcats are putting the pressure on as they have steadily moved up the standings, hot on the Bulls heels.  Okafor has provided his usual nightly double-double and even went off for 28 points against the Clippers recently.

Hilton ‘Towers’ Armstrong has seen his minutes increase as the New Orleans Hornets have gotten healthy, beginning to play like the western contender from last season.  Armstrong had a career game, going for 14 points and 11 rebounds in his most recent action.

For the rest of Husky Dream Team, the end of the regular season will mean time for vacation.  Josh Boone and Marcus Williams remain the biggest disappointments.  Boone has had a miserable year after a breakout second half of the season in New Jersey, while Williams was cut by the Golden State Warriors after riding the pine all year long. Caron ‘The’ Butler is finishing with a hamstring injury while his Washington Wizards are just looking to end their horrific season.  Kevin Ollie and Jake ‘The Snake’ Voskuhl are both getting starters minutes in Minnesota and Toronto in what could be their final years.

Ray ‘He Got Game’ Allen was the only former Husky Hero who made the All-Star team this year. Allen is averaging eighteen points a game for the first place Boston Celtics. He is also on pace to pass Larry ‘Legend’ Bird on the Celtics consecutive free throws made list.

Richard ‘Rip’ Hamilton didn’t make the All-Star team this year due to injuries early in the season. Hamilton has returned to All-Star from as he has adjusted to his new role as the sixth man for the Detroit Pistons.

Caron ‘the’ Butler also missed out on the All-Star festivities this year, most likely due to the poop performance of his Washington Wizards. Butler continues to be a stat-sheet stuffer, averaging 20.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists.

Emeka Okafor and Ben ‘Big Game’ Gordon have been borderline All-Stars during their careers. They both are playing their best ball as they have bounced back from sup-bar seasons a year ago. Gordon has his scoring average back over 20 points a game while Okafor pulls down a double double nightly. Both the improving Charlotte Bobcats and underachieving Chicago Bulls are on the outside of the playoffs looking in.

Potential future All-Stars Charlie ‘Says Love My Good And Plenty’ Villanueva and Rudy ‘Good To Be’ Gay have continued to prove themselves as top flight players in the league. Villanueva is single-handily keeping his injury-plagued Milwaukee Bucks in playoff position. Gay’s young Memphis Grizzlies continue to struggle.

Josh Boone and Marcus Williams continue to disappoint while Hilton ‘Towers’ Armstrong continues to be a nice role player for the New Orleans Hornets. Boone has lost his starting job to rookie sensation Brooks Lopez in New Jersey, while Williams has never made his way into the rotation in Golden State.

Old veterans Donyell Marshall, Kevin Ollie and Jake ‘The Snake’ Voskuhl play sparingly for the Philadelphia 76ers, Minnesota Timberwolves and the Toronto Raptors.

Coach Jim Calhoun’s men’s squad tied a school record by starting the season 24-1 en route to earning the number one ranking. They were dealt a decisive blow when dynamic starting shooting guard Jerome Dyson went down with a knee injury in a victory over Syracuse. In a play that seemed harmless, Dyson banged knees with an opponent fighting through a screen and went down in hump on the court. He was unable to return to the game and now his season is over. Dyson suffered a torn lateral meniscus that required surgery. The Huskies will surely miss Dyson on the offensive end, as he is the team’s most explosive player. He is also the team’s top perimeter defender.

The Huskies saw first hand what the loss of Dyson might mean to their title hopes when they lost a tough, bruising home game to the previously number-one ranked Pitt Panthers. UConn’s defense suffered let downs while the offense struggled to find a rhythm in the 76-68 defeat. The nations top defender and potential player of the year Hasheem Thabeet was exposed by the strong inside physical play of Pitt’s DeJuan Blair. Blair out-muscled Thabeet and forced the 7’3” center into foul-trouble while scoring 22 points and grabbing 23 rebounds. Thabeet played only 23 minutes, scoring just five points and being held to just four rebounds and two blocked shots.

Coach Calhoun was irate throughout most of the game as the Huskies failed to earn any home calls from the officials. Even with the foul trouble to Thabeet and the loss of Dyson, UConn—who trailed most of the game—rallied for a five-point lead with just over seven minutes remaining. Pitt was on the ropes but they did not go down.

Levance Fields of the Panthers exploited the Huskies soft perimeter defense by nailing two consecutive three-point shots in the final minutes to put Pitt back on tip for good. The loss ended UConn’s 13-game winning streak and knocked them off their perch atop the NCAA rankings.

UConn will have another chance to knock off the Panthers as the team travels to Pittsburgh for the regular season finale. Both teams will be favored to reach the Big East tournament finals for a potential third matchup. The winners of those games will have an inside track to a number one seed in the ‘Big Dance’.

Senior guard Craig Austrie will replace Dyson in the starting lineup and diaper dandy freshman Kemba Walker will see more minutes off the bench. Austrie has displayed the ability to perform well in the clutch throughout his collegiate career for UConn. Walker could be the player of the future for the Huskies. Walker is an explosive guard out of the legendary Rice High School in the Bronx, New York. Walker will need to pick up the slack on offense, using his ability to get to the rim much like Dyson.

UConn’s defense should be able to keep them in every game. Hasheem Thabeet, despite the poor performance against Pitt, is the most dominant force in the NCAA. Thabeet will most certainly be looking for a strong bounce-back performance against Blair and he will continue to affect every shot taken by the Huskies opponents.

A.J. Price and Stanley Robinson will both have to step up their games if UConn is going to make the Final Four. Price has been solid all season and is the Huskies’ only three-point threat. Robinson has struggled since missing the first seven games of the season due to personal reasons.

Coach Geno Auriemma’s women’s team has also suffered an injury to a key player but thus far they have failed to miss a beat. The Lady Huskies have run off ten straight wins since freshman guard Caroline Doty went down with injury, ending her season. UConn, which has been number one all season long, remains undefeated at 26-0. 

Since the loss of Doty, UConn has posted impressive blowout wins over number two ranked North Carolina, top-ten ranked Louisville, top-twenty ranked Pitt and tough Big East rival Rutgers. The team’s margin of victory against its opponents remains in the thirty-point range. Not playing any close games all season may hurt them if they get in a nail-biter during tournament time.

The tremendous trio of Maya Moore, Renee Montgomery and Tina Charles has led the team. The Lady Huskies have also been helped by the return of Kalana Green, who suffered a season ending knee injury last year.
Coach Auriemma’s squad certainly seems to be the class of woman’s basketball, and appears full equipped to overcome the loss of Doty. Being at full strength is often times key to any team’s chances of reaching the ultimate goal.

Both them men’s and woman’s teams—despite the injuries—are talented enough and well coached enough to be dancing deep into March Madness. Husky Mania will be running wild as fans fill out their tournament brackets with hopes of two more National Championships.