The scoreboard read: Cal 74, Arizona 72, but the players' faces told the real story.
Disgust. Anguish. Disappointment.
These were the expressions worn in the UA men's basketball team's locker room after Sunday's game. Reggie Geary, who had no field goals in 25 minutes, had a heated discussion with Arizona assistant Jessie Evans before leaving the locker room without showering.
Is this it for the Wildcats or is it the wake-up call they need?
If the team plays in Los Angeles like it did against Stanford and Cal last weekend, then it may come home with not only two blowout losses, but it will also have lost all of its remaining confidence. In other words, this weekend is do or die for the Wildcats. ...
My take on the O.J. case. I, like many, really think the TV case is great. It's gripping and intense, but we are talking about a man's life here. The whole media scene is ridiculous. The O.J. case has overshadowed all of sports.
I was glad to see, though, that O.J. was not mentioned during the portions of the Super Bowl (or Super Blowout) that I saw. Let's drop it and let the jury decide. ...
Recently, I have been considering how lousy the past year in sports has been.
The near-NBA strike, the NHL mid
lockout and the baseball strike have taken over the front page of the sports section. The money factor in all professional sports is out of hand.
I say pay them all $100,000 a year and give them incentive bonuses. That would get rid of .200 hitters making millions and rookie centers demanding contract renegotiations in the middle of the season.
The greed is senseless and just a slap in the face to the real working man and us impoverished students. ...
The disappointment over the past year also spread to UA sports. With the exception of the Final Four Wildcats and the softball team, the year was littered with failed expectations.
A horrendous baseball season, the worst in history, started the year.
Then the proclamation by Sports Illustrated that the UA football team was No. 1.
Was it the cover jinx or the team?
Probably both.
Dan White is one of the best pure passers in the nation (remember he was once Penn State property), but his talent is being wasted by inept play-calling. If Dick Tomey and the crew don't pull their proverbial heads out, then next year we'll be praying to make the Freedom Bowl. ...
As usual, this is the time of year when a lot of pro football merchandise is being bought.
Why?
Well, the several weeks after the Super Bowl are the bandwagon jumping days.
Just in my strolls around campus, I've seen a 10 to 15 percent increase in San Francisco 49ers gear being worn. How many of these people were Cowboy or Steeler fans before both teams lost?
I say many.
I know only two or three original San Francisco fans and probably know 20 or 30 bandwagon 49er fans. All I have to say is the Cowboys will be back. ...
More on the baseball strike: I really applaud players like Lenny Dykstra who are coming out and saying they are sick of all the talk and just want to play. It is crazy that these players, who are paid for playing a child's game, are crying about a salary cap or taking a pay cut.
Here is an open invitation to any pro baseball scout: I'll play third base for $50,000 a year, no questions asked. ...
Well, I probably won't get $50,000 for this, but I finish this week with my NCAA basketball top four. No. 1 is UConn, followed by Kansas, North Carolina and our favorite Pac-10 team, UCLA. The UA is in the 10-15 range following that "game" against Cal.
Patrick Moran is a political science senior, and despite what some people may think, he is always right. His column appears every Wednesday.