A Few Thoughts

CWS

UCLA remained in the shadows of USC.  This time it was the other USC though, as South Carolina beat UCLA two games to none in the College World Series.  Is this a continued bad omen?  Probably.

World Cup

The big matches haven't really lived up to the hype.  Team USA met original expectations (round of 16), but given the draw they had and the easy path it SHOULD have been to the semifinals, getting eliminated in the first round of the knockout stage had to be disappointing.  The fact is, however, they just are not a very good team.  The defense is porous and the passing is pathetic, particularly when compared to the top teams in the world.  Though there is promise for improvement as more and more young US players are getting jobs on overseas teams, where they can really improve (as opposed to the MLS which will never help them: see "star" striker Robbie Findley who had 3 pathetic games at the international level but DOMINATES his MLS competition).  The refs have also been horrible.  They don't know what offsides is, some behavior doesn't warrant the cards handed out, while other tackles nearly deserving of reds haven't even drawn yellows: they can't even freaking tell what a goal is!  I love me some World Cup, though!  Netherlands-Brazil Friday morning, 8am MDT.  Can't wait!  Germany and Argentina meet up on Saturday, also at 8am MDT.  Those games should be AWESOME!  Go Europe (except for Spain)!  Beat those dirty, flopping South Americans!

Expansion

It appears that expansion is safe for now.  The MWC has a chance to be proactive in several ways: adding teams, rearranging/balancing schedules, and positioning itself for better TV contracts.  I am happy to report that they are doing nothing.  While I can't blame them for not adding teams since there aren't any that improve the league at this point, the league will probably continue to dwindle in outer darkness, as a result of their doing nothing.  If nothing else, the universities need to start scheduling more neutral site and big-time road games to get national exposure for the league, since the Mtn Network can't do it.

The Utes' Final Run

The move to the Pac 10/12 was definitely the right one for Utah, it would be the right thing for any non-BCS school to move up.  But I think it's too bad that they are rebuilding in football (despite what Graham Watson thinks) and basketball their final year in the MWC.  They will get everybody else's best shot, since they know it will be their last.  It might result in one extra loss in football and two or three in hoops (but what's the difference between 16 and 18, really).  The best thing for the MWC would actually be for Utah to finish in the middle of the pack and then to go to the Pac 10 and compete with the top dogs over there.  The worst thing for the MWC would be for Utah to dominate the MWC this season and then go suck it up in the Pac 10.  Here's hoping for a sub-par year from the Utes!  It's the best thing for the conference, after all.

UNLV Runnin' (from the law) Rebels

I'm not surprised that one of the thugs from the UNLV basketball team got arrested for felony domestic battery.  After watching Tre'Von Willis rape Jimmer Fredette up and down the court in both games, I knew he had it in him.  In fact, watching a dozen or so UNLV games, I'm surprised only ONE of them has been arrested so far: they aren't exactly the highest caliber young men in the conference.  Assuming that UNLV would not play a recent felon on their team, this dramatically changes the landscape of the MWC for next hoops season.  It certainly pushes UNLV down a slot or two, also considering their sharp-shooting big man Matt Shaw has already been booted from the team, it may be an even further drop than that (he was a much better player than he was given credit for, and I viewed him as one of the "good" guys, at least on the court, where he played with passion but kept his emotions in check...maybe it was the drugs).  Where they were previously going to compete with SDSU and BYU for the title, now you have to drop them into 4th fiddle behind the aforementioned two and New Mexico.  I'm not saying that's how the standings will finish, but the pre-season polls will almost certainly now read: SDSU, BYU, New Mexico, then UNLV, as far as the big 4 are concerned.