Change has come to Washington... maybe to College Park?

At halftime of today's Maryland-Duke basketball game, the Terps are losing 40-15. 15 FUCKING POINTS IN ONE HALF?!?! Seriously, that's like 10 year old girls rec-league scoring.

In that spirit, I asked Terrapin Club members on the Terrapin Club message boards to sum up, in one word, the state of the Maryland basketball program. As of this moment, before the carnage can further continue, this is the exact listing:

Pathetic
Irrelevant
Afterthought
Overmatched
Hayes
Awful
Clueless
Mediocre
DaveNealStartingCenter
NIT'ish
Big10teamwithoutthetoughness&rebounding
Unqualified
MattDohertyWouldDoBetter
HarrietMiers
Nauseating
Dying
Womens?
Suck
Yow (bear in mind - Kay died this morning)
Depressing
Garbage
Shitshow
Statham
Hayes
Gary
Underachieving
Sucky
Laughingstock

Bear in mind... these are Terrapin Club members, who the athletic department relies upon for donations year after year and hits up on a nearly monthly basis for additional donations.

Yeah. Change may very well be coming. Whether Gary likes it or not.

I will try to update later in the game.

*************POSTMORTEM*************

The game is now over. The Terps have now lost to Duke 85-44. Scored under 50 points.

Here is an addition to the list of "one word" descriptions of Maryland's basketball program, accrued since halftime. It's short... I think most people turned the game off:

Infuriating
Itstheonlyonewegotsowehavenooptionbuttostickwiththem
Loudmouth
Disgusting
KayYow
Irrelevant
Hilarious
Shameful
Ripoff
Discouraging
Fucked
Fail
Embarrassing
Weenjoylosing
Flight93
Why?
GaryWilliams=EpicFailure
Abortion
Catastrophic
Emergency
WhatProgram
Hemorrhoid
Sad

So here's my take. I have, all season long, been in the camp of people who believed that based upon how Gary took this program from the ashes of Len Bias and rebuilt us into a National Championship winner, he deserved to, at the least, go out on his own terms. Maybe he deserved a year or two to bring in more recruits.

Now, after today, it's game over for Gary in my book. I'd be perfectly happy if Debbie Yow called Gary into her office whenever she gets back from her more pressing family matters in North Carolina (speaking of... nice timing to do this Gary) and told him that he can either resign effective the end of the season or be fired right now and allow one of his assistants to finish out the season for him.

Look, it is about talent. And the bottom line is that Gary isn't getting the talent here anymore. Whether it's a lack of effort or just not being willing to play the game the way the recruiting game needs to be played anymore, it's just not happening. It's not like we're a flash in the pan like Rutgers football. The Terrapin basketball program has one of the finest facilities in the nation and one of the richest histories of any D-1 basketball program. Just look in the rafters the next time you're in Comcast.

Gary, you will always hold a special place in my heart, but your time is past.

How to Save the Olympics

I'm in.

Final 2009 NFL Draft Order

Now it's official. Here's your 2009 NFL Draft Order for the first round.

1) Detroit (0-16)
2) St. Louis (2-14)
3) Kansas City (2-14)
4) Seattle (4-12)
5) Cleveland (4-12)
6) Cincinnati (4-11-1)
7) Oakland (5-11)
8) Jacksonville (5-11)
9) Green Bay (6-10)
10) San Francisco (7-9)
11) Buffalo (7-9)
12) Denver (8-8)
13) Washington (8-8)
14) New Orleans (8-8)
15) Houston (8-8)
16) San Diego (8-8)
17) New York Jets (9-7)
18) Chicago (9-7)
19) Tampa Bay (9-7)
20) Detroit via Dallas (9-7) (Roy Williams deal)
21) Philadelphia (9-6-1)
22) Minnesota (10-6)
23) New England (11-5)
24) Atlanta (11-5)
25) Miami (11-5)
26) Baltimore (11-5)
27) Indianapolis (12-4)
28) New York Giants (12-4)
29) Philadelphia via Carolina (12-4)
30) Tennessee (13-3)
31) Super Bowl Loser (Pittsburgh or Arizona)
32) Super Bowl Champion (Pittsburgh or Arizona)

Eating Crow

I guess I'm not really eating crow since I predicted that the Steelers would beat the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game before the playoffs started, but I will admit a few things tonight.

--Troy Polamalu outplayed Ed Reed by a lot

--Both teams hit hard, but the Steelers really laid the crushing shots on Corey Ivy and Willis McGahee

--After Hines Ward left the game, I realized that I found the Steelers much harder to hate

--For all the talk this week about the bye teams losing and home field being overrated, the Ravens sure would have liked one less game of attrition. If Hines Ward and Nate Washington had stayed healthy, the Steelers could have put up 38. The Ravens were down to part-time special teamers playing corner.

--When I have to double-check the spelling of your first name, Daren Stone, you probably shouldn't be taking egregious 15-yard penalties in a 16-14 game to take away 26 yards of field position. I think that might have been your last NFL play.

--Joe Flacco finally looked like a rookie, but with McClain out the Ravens probably had to put it in his hands.

I feel like the Ravens had a great season and I'm really optimistic for next year. I tried to be realistic going into these playoffs, but getting one game away makes it hard to avoid the hype. As Bill Simmons would quote Herm Edwards, "WE CAN BUILD ON THIS!"