This falls squarely into the realm of no shit Sherlock

The NFL has released it's opening day primetime schedule, as well as the Turkeyday schedule and there are a few things which should not surprise us; 1) the Bucs are NOT playing on Turkeyday, 2) the Cowboys and Lions are playing on Turkeyday, 3) the NFL Network will continue to screw over its potential fanbase by broadcasting games nobody can watch. I get the NFL Network but my parents do not even have the option of subscribing which means we will once again be limited to the two worst NFL games that fourth Thursday in November.

Anyway, you've got to appreciate how the NFL teases us by releasing the limited schedule a week before they release the full schedule. No other sport could get away with this but I can guarantee ESPN will have a rundown of each one of these games by the 6:00 SportsCenter complete with final score predictions and rushing totals.

"Get your head out of your ass!"

This SNL spoof commerical from last night is quickly making the rounds on the intertubes but I'll join in on the Peyton love (just call me Kenny Chesney)....

See? Garcia is totally not gay

He's even getting married. Now, would a gay get married? (Not if Dungy has anything to say about it.)

Obligatory cheesecake shot.

Welcome Kato (erghhh....Cato)

The Bucs have signed Kato.


No, not that Kato.


Not that one either.


There we go.

The popular consensus is that this is a good move as it upgrades an average linebacker corp and creates competition for the weakest backer position, strongside, between Cato and Ryan Nece.

Anyone else notice that the Bucs big defensive free agent signings have all been tweeners, i.e. guys who can play two positions? Kevin Carter is between a tackle and end, Chuckwara is between an end and a outside linebacker and Cato could play either outside backer or strong safety. The Tampa Two defense has been good to tweeners who would struggle in a more traditional defense, so it will be fun to see how Kiffin utilizes his newest weapons. The Bucs defensive cupboard has gone from being very barren to well stocked, and should look even better after the draft (Marcus Thomas anyone?).

Oh, and Tampa Tribune, June Arrives Early for Bucs? Nice.

Hells Yeah

Screw the Simms-Garcia cat fight. Screw the minor league signings by the Bucs. Screw (even) the text message Rays bill board (although it makes me want to go to a lot more Rays games). Today and tomorrow, here at the BBB it is all about the VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY.


CAA Represent.

My thoughts, predictions, and other useless insights into the NCAA Tournament

You have to love March madness, if for no other reason that with the exception of the Super Bowl no other sporting event is as widely talked about as the NCAA Tournament. The tournament is held across America with teams from every conference. Everyone has a bracket, and chances are the middle aged mother of two who thinks George Mason is in Georgia will win your tournament. Unless you are bolshevik or a Seminole you should be a fan of March madness.

[and I meant to add this orginally but check out the creatively named Chris' Sports Blog for plenty of NCAA Tourney goodness]

Anyway, on to my thoughts on the bracket with my picks to be released on Thursday...

• Everyone is picking Florida to win it all, which as I have argued is more than fair. Not since Wooden's era has a team brought back all five starters from a championship team, and only UNC and Kansas can rival Florida's talent. And while I think Florida is a lock for the Final Four, I do not think they will win it all this year. Since Kansas beat Florida in overtime (at a neutral site) back in November I have been leaning towards Kansas to win the championship and I'm still leaning that way right now. My advice for filling out your bracket is to pick a Final Four and work backwards. For example, before the brackets were announced my Final Four was Florida, Kansas, Texas and Oregon. I'm feeling less confident about Texas and obviously Oregon and Florida both can not make the Final Four, so I have no idea who my current Final Four would be.

• I'm a shameless SEC apologist so I will make an argument for Arkansas. The Hogs have a great neutral site record (6-2) beating Southern Illionois, West Virginia and Vandy and losing to Texas Tech. In addition Arkansas lost at Texas, so nobody can say Arkansas did not have a difficult non-conference schedule (like say Syracuse). In addition, the SEC is the second best conference by RPI (behind only the ACC).

• I hate that Stanford is one of the last four teams in. Their non-conference schedule is less than impressive (Texas Tech, Virginia and Air Force, and they got killed by Air Force 45-79), and they lost in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament. The best thing Stanford had going for them is they finished 6th in the PAC-10 with a 10-8 record. If the Comittee was simply looking at conference records then Kansas State (10-6), which finished fourth in the Big 12, deserved to get in ahead of Stanford. But then again, I watched very few middle of the pack games involving either the PAC 10 or Big 12 so I don't have a good feel for either team.

• One team which I do have a good feel for is FSU which for the second straight year is one of the last four teams out. FSU is a great case study of what the Selection Committee takes into account when handing out at-large bids.. FSU has the best player in the ACC (Thornton) and played a great non-conference schedule (Florida, Wisconsin, Pitt). But the Noles went a pitiful 7-9 in conference, and no matter how deep the ACC is this year the Selection Committee was not going to let in a team with a losing record in conference. FSU has the ability to beat any team it plays (they did beat Florida) but the Noles are horribly inconsistent. If FSU could have picked up one more win February (when they went 2-5) they probably would have been playing in the tournament.

• Prepare yourself for plenty of Jim Boeheim whining over the next 24 hours. And I might actually feel some pity for Boeheim if his team has left New York more than once before New Years Day this season. Syracuse played three decent teams out of conference (Wichita St, Oklahoma St, and Drexel) and lost to all three teams. Additionally, Syracuse didn't have many impressive Big East wins despite going 10-8 in the conference. The Orange beat Marquette and Villanova early in the season and defeated Georgetown in a classic let down game for the Hoyas (Georgetown had just defeated Pitt).

• The mid-majors got hosed and not because Drexel didn't get in. I don't have any problem with the number of mid-majors which earned at large berths. You could make an argument in favor of Drexel based on their out of conference record (beat Syracuse, Villanova, Creighton) but any team which losses to my alma mater, William and Mary, should not earn an at-large bid. Maybe someday when William and Mary sells it soul and spends the money to field a decent team (and with the current president that may happen) losing to William and Mary will not be a black mark on a team's resume. Instead, it appears the Selection Committee hates mid majors because eight mids are matched up against each other in the first round of the tournament. The Nevada-Creighton and Old Dominion-Butler matchups are especially disheartening. There is no way that mid majors will be as big of a story this year as they were last year (although that was bound to happen before the brackets were announced anyway).

• I think we're going to see a return to chalk this year, with runs by middle of the pack conference teams like Maryland, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech. This isn't exactly going out on a limb but I think at least three of these teams will defeat either a #1 or #2 seed.

• I really like VCU to make it to the Sweet Sixteen for several reasons; 1) they are coached by former Florida assistant Anthony Grant, 2) they won an underrated CAA (also know as George Mason's conference) and, 3) they are from Virginia. VCU pulls weak Duke and Pitt teams in the first two rounds.

• Just something worth pointing out, there are a lot of freshman point guards on teams which are getting a lot of pub. Ohio State, Texas, UNC and Maryland all start freshman at the point guard position and while all of these rookies are talented, it remains to be seen how they dish the ball when the pressure is on.

A Story in Pictures

Because everything's easier to understand when all you have to figure out is bright shiny images.....

The Buccaneer quarterback saga begins March 13, 1972 with the birth of Trent Dilfer (for convience's sake we will fast forward 22 years and several dozen other Buc quarterbacks).

Dilfer (the one with his shirt off) had a few good years in Tampa, got chased off by that fat fuck Bubba the Love Sponge, then got to tell Tampa to suck his dick before beginning his Kung Fu-like destiny to roam the league going from one city to the next every year.

Dilfer was replaced by a series of forgetable quarterbacks beginning with Eric Zeier. This is the only existing picture of Zeier.

Everyone loved Shaun King until people realized his arm was weaker than FDR's legs. He now has a promising career in the Arena League.

Then came Brad Johnson, who despite not being able to throw the ball further than 15 yards down field, won a Super Bowl. The BJ is 68 and currently looking for a team interested in his services.


For roughly two years the quarterback position was manned by either Rob Johnson or King whenever the Bucs had a late game as the same time as the Ponderosa early bird special (the BJ has to eat).

Rob Johnson's current whereabouts are unknown. Despite what his website might lead you to believe King is still in the arena league.

For a brief time we were teased with the suckitude of Chris Simms before....

...we had to live through a year of Brian Griese....

...only to go back to the Liberace-loving, spinach-dip making quarterback. These years are largely forgetable.


In stepped Bruce Gradkowski (let's be honest you have no idea what Grads looks like) and Tim Rattay when the Panthers defense decided they like Simms better without a spleen.

And now we have Simms and Jeff Garcia on the same team (and maybe Plummer if he wants to make it a holy trinity?). I'm sure this will work out well....

Could the Bucs be the big winners this offseason?

With the initial flury of free agency slowing down it appears the Bucs could emerge as the big winners of the offseason. With a shallow free agent pool and an unprecedented 27% increase in the salary cap, the best value this offseason lies in quantity not quality. And no team has signed more players than the Bucs.

Take a look at the right hand side bar, the Bucs have signed at least seven free agents, including five who were not on the team last year (I'm not including Plummer in that number). The Bucs have upgraded three crucial positions on the team which were weaknesses last year, quarterback, offensive tackle and defensive end. More importantly, the Bucs have not broken the bank signing any of these players.

The surplus of cash has resulted in over valued contracts for some of the premier free agents. Joey Porter has received $20 million in guaranteed cash in a 5 year, $32 million contract from the Dolphins. Adalius Thomas has $15 million guanteed in his 6 year contract with the Pats. Patrick Kerney's 6 year contract with the Seahawks includes $19.5 million in guaranteed money. In comparison, the Bucs signed Kevin Carter to a contract with less than $5 million guaranteed. As Buccaneer Harbour points out, that is some shrew maneuvering by Bruce Allen.

After the disasterous '04 offseason which led to the signings of Todd Steusie, Charlie Garner and Darrell Russell (all busts), the Bucs seem to have retooled their approach to free agency. The Bucs have had mixed success pursuing value free agents like Chris Hovan, Jamie Winborn and Ike Hilliard. Some players turn into starters like Hovan, others (like Winborn) don't stick with the team. Either way the Bucs are not spending a good deal of cash signing these players.

On the flip side, the Bucs have only lost two players so far (although if Mahan signs somewhere else it would be a big loss). It is unlikely the Bucs will lose any starters this offseason (although, again, there is a possibility middlebacker Shelton Quarles may be lost for the season due to injury). When taken on the whole, so far the Bucs have come out ahead this offseason. We still have another month or so to go until the draft so it is too early to say for sure the Bucs came out winners this offseason but based on the early reports I would say they have to be front runners for the honor.

The Buccaneer Ministry of Truth

Hat tip to the Times Bucs blog (and Stephen Holder) for revealing this tid bit from the press conference with Bruce Allen regarding the Plummer trade...

Reporter: "Is this a conditional draft pick?" (The Broncos press release says it is)

Allen: "No. There's other conditions with the pick we sent. . . They're undisclosed."

Reporter: "So, it IS a conditional pick?"

Allen: "No."

I'm no Nobel Laureate but I'm pretty sure if a pick has conditions it is, by definition, a conditional pick.

I've had some time to digest the qb moves and I still like it, if for no other reason than it involves Gruden and company thinking outside the box. In the best case scenario, the Bucs pick up Carr or a draft pick in exchange for Plummer or Simms, respectively. In the worst case scenario the Bucs carry three starting-caliber qbs on their roster heading into the season which, compared to last season, ain't all that bad. The Bucs have a good deal of flexibility because of the increased cap as it is. But we'll see how this plays out. Moving on....

Scanning the headlines......ahhhh, the Bucs have signed defensive end Kevin Carter (go Gators) to a four year deal for $25. Spires ain't happy about the move, not that I blame him. Holder indicates Carter could play the tackle position previously manned by Booger and before him Sapp. I haven't seen much of Carter since he moved to the Dolphins but I don't remember him being big enough to man the under tackle position (although he is talented at getting to the quarterback).

I know I'm forgettting something......that's right, check out my latest installment of the sunshine state roundball update over at the sticks, which is apparently not a fan of not gay jokes.

What the hell is going on here?

I've pretty much quit doing the whole BREAKING NEWS thing, but ESPN News is reporting that the Bucs have signed Jeff Garcia and traded for Jake Plummer.

I've have no idea what is going on here.

My first impression is that Gruden and company are going with the theory that if you throw enough shit against the wall some of it has to stick. That being written both Garcia and Plummer are better fits for Gruden's west coast offense than Chris Simms. Plus, with Plummer on board the Bucs quarterbacks, on average, are slightly less effimenate. And if Plummer regrew his beard it might make the Bucs quarterbacks the most manly squad (again on average) in the NFL.

With this many former starting quarterbacks on the roster you can expect two results: 1) a very heated training camp battle, and 2) a lot of media hype surrounding the Bucs going into the season. I think Garcia is the odds on favorite to win the job for the upcoming season, with Plummer set to enter the roll of quarterback for the future. Which leaves Simms as the odd man out (and a very good chance that Simms sees the writing on the wall and asks to be traded). But ESPN has been wrong before so we'll see how this plays out.

UPDATE (1:54 pm): ESPN is now reporting that if Plummer does retire then the Bucs would not have to give up a draft pick. Rumors are flying in certainly one of the most interesting Buccaneer offseasons in recent history. Some of the more interesting ones.....

• Bucs may try and trade the rights to Plummer to the Texans for either Carr or a draft pick.
• Bucs may try and trade away Simms, maybe to the Raiders.

UPDATE (2:42): ESPN's Michael Smith reports Plummer had turned in his retirement papers to the NFL front office according to the Pewter Report message board.

A lover spurned...

Dear Jake,

Fuck you. What did we ever do to you that pissed you off? Was it the Largo sex change firing thing, 'cause if it was we're totally not down with that. That ain't Tampa baby.

We could have made you so happy. You could be throwing to Joey Galloway and Calvin Johnson, and handing off to Cadillac and Mike Alstott. We would even over look your suckitude when you tried to throw a 30 yard pass into double coverage using your left hand. Anything's better than the pussy we're with now, he can't even get his balls past the line of scrimmage (if you know what I mean).

We had so much to offer you; plentiful beaches, quality steak joints, no state income tax....we would have even turned a blind eye when you went to our ample strip clubs. 'Cause we're down with that.

But hey, it's cool. We don't need you or your beard. There are plenty of other fish in the sea. In fact, we've been talking to this other guy who is totally not gay. So enjoy retirement fucktard.

-Tampa Bay

Don't let the door hit you on the way out

Kenyatta cut by Bucs.

You ever have that guy in college who makes a great first impression but then you get to know him and you realize all he ever does is make bad jokes, argues with people and brings nothing to the table? Everyone has a friend like that, and I won't say his name (Snake), but when he leaves you are slightly relieved. You still wish him well, just as long as he's not in the same zip code. Well, that's what Kenyatta was to the Bucs, he tried hard but he never lived up to the expectations.

Anyway with Kenyatta gone, Trueblood is left to man the right tackle position which should work great as long as the Bucs run the ball every play. Trueblood is big and works as hard as anyone on the line but he struggles in pass protection. In his defense, pass blocking typically takes more time for young tackles to learn and requires working in synch with another equally young lineman in Davin Joseph, so Trueblood may get better. But if I'm the Bucs I would try and sign Jeff Gracia or Brad Johnson for more quarterback depth if you know what I'm saying.

(Like a Virus) The number of Bucs blogs continues to expand with the addition of Buc Em to the Sports Blogs Network. While many Bucs blogs can lay claim to spot on analysis and commentary only Buc Em features pics of the Oscar Meyer Weiner-mobile.

(White Wants Green) You want an indication for how much money teams are going to throw at free agents? It looks like Dewayne White will not resign with the Bucs because they are not going to give him Simeon Rice money. Assuming White leaves it would leave the Bucs pitifully thin on the defensive line.

(Drum Roll Please) And my selection for the Bucs first round pick is.........Calvin Johnson.

CJ blew away most everyone at the combine, and the biggest question in my mind isn't "do the Bucs want him?" but "will he be available at #4?" Supposedly CJ has been ranked as the number one talent in the draft, which combined with a weak free agent pool at receiver, could lead to CJ being picked before the Bucs' clock starts. Even if JaMarcus and Joe Thomas go to the Raiders and Lions respectively, I think there's a good chance the Browns trade down, possibly with Minnesota at seven. The Browns could still draft Adrian Peterson at seven and would pick up an extra second round pick in the process. And Minnesota could use a safety net for whomever they throw out there at receiver. We still have two months to go before the draft so plenty can happen between now and then.

Calvin continues to prove that his only weaknesses are kyptonite and Reggie Ball.

In defense of the Gators

I'll just get it out of the way, I still think Florida should be the favorites to win the NCAA Championship.

Everyone and their mother are dogging the Gators right now because they've lost 3 out of their last 4 games, and if you've seen any of these games you would to be dogging them to. The Gators came out expecting their opponent to roll over, and then looked confused when their opponents refused to roll over. Still, I think the Gators are a lock to get to the Final Four.

(They ARE the Champs) It's a double edged sword wearing the crown. Sure, you're the king of the hill, but at the same time every peon out there wants a piece of you. Every SEC away game for Florida this year has been the biggest game for their opponent all season. Just look at the Tennessee game, the Vols second biggest alum (behind Larry the Cable Guy) Peyton Manning was at the game and fem fatale coach Pat Summit tried her best to fulfill my fantasy. Nobody could have beat the Vols the way they were playing last night. The Vols shot a .580 field goal percentage and went 21-34 from the 3 point line. NBA team don't shoot that well.

(But it is No Big Ten) The SEC is better this year than most people realize. Just looking at the RPI rankings they are the second best conference behind the ACC, which is even more amazing considering there is only one legit contender in the conference. It was just a few years ago that Kentucky ruled what was essentially a football conference. But times have changed since the SEC was the worst basketball conference and now there is not a bad team in the SEC. Vandy, LSU and Tennessee are all better teams than people give them credit for.

(They Still have Talent) Come Tournament time all that matters, unless your name is George Mason, is how much talent you have. Only two teams can rival Florida's talent (Kansas and UNC). The next week will be the biggest test of Billy Donovan's career seeing as how he has to pick up his team and motivate them to play their best starting. But fortunately, Billy has plenty of talent to work with starting with Al Horford. Horford, not Noah or Brewer, is the backbone and best player on the Gators. Over the past few weeks when the shit hit the fan, it was Horford that stepped up his game. Green may score the most points and Noah may get the most attention but it is Horford that does all the little things such as guarding the opposing team's best player. Next you watch the Gators pay attention to Horford, the rest of the team thrives off what he does.

Anyway, consider me firmly on the Gators bandwagon come March. I think they are the best team in the country. But hey, if I'm talking crazy tell me I'm crazy.

You Should Have Picked Tails

Bucs lose coin flip, pick fourth.

This shouldn't really change the draft all that much since most mocks have the Browns picking Adrian Peterson. Which means Calvin Johnson is still on the Bucs radar, although don't expect Gruden to tip his hand. Although even with Bruce Allen trying to rig the flip the Bucs couldn't win.

Allen actually supplied the only necessary equipment, a special commemorative coin presented to him on behalf of the commander of MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. A beautiful, multi-colored coin emblazoned with a motto that always inspires Allen – “Mission First. People Always. America Forever.” – it is almost always in his possession. MacDill representatives gave it to Allen before a game last season to recognize the outstanding relationship the team and the military have long enjoyed.

Around the Ebays

(Here Come the 'One Last Stop' Cliches) A bit of good news to lead off the post, the A-Train has declared his intention to return for next season. Since Gruden has already said he would welcome Alstott back all that remains is for the two sides to work out a contract for one more year. The St Pete Times reports the deal would be in the $1.5 million range.

(Is 'Thrashers' the Worst Nickname in the NHL?) The Bolts finish up their two week stretch of division games tonight against Atlanta. Winner of the game takes the division lead. Normally I would point you in the direction of BoltsMag but John has apparently decided to take this game off.

(When are They Bringing Back the Hit Show?) One of this sites favorites blogs, Rays Index is back and bringing the big stick. With the start of spring training, The Professor, is all over the Devil Rays and which pitcher bears a striking resemblance to Bruce Sutter.

(Sign Andre Wadsworth!) Scott continues to make the argument for keeping Simeon Rice, and I'm starting to buy what he's selling. What with the dearth of free agents and the ass load of cash teams have from the new CBA/TV deals I get the feeling we are about a month away from seeing some baseball style exorbitant contracts. By comparison Rice's contract may not seem so painfully high.

i know it's not football but...

It's almost March when means the second best time of the year (or maybe the best if baseball and football in October is not your thing) is just around the corner. Despite Florida's loss I still think they have to be the favorites to win the Tournament, mostly because they have the exact same team which won last year. Every team Florida has played has been gunning for the Gators, much the same way every team looks forward to playing the Super Bowl Champions.

Florida has been playing much closer games than most people have realized, and were actually down by 11 to Alabama at half time last week. Billy Donovan's team have not been playing with a great deal of fire, while Vanderbilt undoubtedly considered Saturday's matchup their most important game all year. Not that I blame either team. The closest Vandy will come to the National Championship is beating Florida, while Donovan has to prepare his team for another month and a half of basketball.

Which leads me to my second point, I think the Gators stand a better chance of winning the National Championship if they lose in the SEC tournament. Everyone knows the Gators have the talent to win it all, it simple comes down to whether they want it enough. Getting handed a loss in their conference tourney would give the Gators that chip on their shoulder to motivate them come NCAA Tournament time. After all it worked last year.

Finally, be sure to check out my sunshine state roundball update at the Sticks, this and every Monday until the NCAA Tournament.

Oh yeah, Vandy's coach is a dick.

Consider this neither here nor there

Every couple has their list (or at least they should). Number One with a bullet on mine has been Christina Ricci. Which is why I thought I had died and gone to heaven when I saw this.


I don't know if it's the chains or Christina running around in her skimpies in the preview, but I want to let my future wife know (because I'm sure she reads this) that she is welcome to join me here in Northern Virginia.

Provided she brings the chains.

It's that damn Lecavalier, he's so hot now

Did you know Vinny Lecavalier is the leading scorer in the league right? I had no idea until Oiler of the Sportsfrog and Breakaway Beach clued me in this morning. It seems the Bolts have been on bit of run the past few weeks....

Overshadowed a bit by the Pittsburgh Penguins recent 11-0-2 run, the second hottest team in the NHL right now has to be the Tampa Bay Lightning.

After dusting off the Coyotes 5-3 last night, the Lightning have won 13 of their last 16 games and have moved just 3 points out of the Southeast Division leading - and currently slumping - Atlanta Thrashers. Tampa Bay also has played two less games than Atlanta has, entering Wednesday's action.

Martin St. Louis is tied for third in total goals scored, and both of the Bolts stars are behind only one player in total points (Sidney Crosby). Their goal play and defense has still been dreadful compared to their Stanley Cup run, but the Bolts have four straight division games on their schedule coming up and a chance to move into first in the division.

(HT to Oiler)

This Post Contains Nothing About the Bucs

Bit of catching up to do....

(A Very Well Trained Monkey) First, as you can tell from the right hand side, I have been fired from AOL's Buccaneer Fanhouse. Citing something about downsizing/outsourcing/globalization I have been handed my pink slip. Quite frankly it was painful to get cut, mainly because the Fanhouse is a unique collection of some of the best bloggers on these here intertubes and ebays (minus yours truly now) but such is business. I believe either someone from India or possibly a well trained monkey will be taking over the Buccaneer Fanhouse. Still I recommend checking it out if you have not done so.

(Something about Closing Doors and Opening Windows) If you are starting to get the ski withdrawal shakes, which is a common affliction affecting Northern Virginia's 20-something female population, you can find me at the Sticks of Fire. If you are not familiar with the Sticks it is the best (and only) collection of Tampa Bay bloggers you can find. I am already writing on local college basketball over there and you can expect to find more draft goodness as April closes.

(So I Lied) This post does contain something about the Bucs. Be sure to catch Scott's position review at The Official Tampa Tribune Buccaneer Blog BucShots. If I could ever find the motivation to do something like this it would not be half as good.

...and my new first round pick for the Bucs is now Amobi Okoye. Check later as I change my prediction on a lunar cycle basis.

One of these two is now writing the Buc Fanhouse

repeat after me. i am. sofa king. retarded.

For those paying attention at home I was 0 for 4 on my Super Bowl predictions, and was wildly off on my prediction of a Bears Super Bowl win, and thus owe BucStats a solid dose of my own humiliation. Check it.

Just for the record Scott, I'm a rebel and I will damn well seperate points with a number, period, parenthesis, semicolon and question mark if I feel like it. Thats just the kind of education you receive from The Streets U.

As for the draft, it's on like Donkey Kong. I think the Bucks will take Al Hordford with their first pick, which would be a steal since I believe Big Al is the most talented player on the Gators. Noah gets all the love cause he's so damn quirky, but Horford is the backbone of the number one team in the country. (Seriously, I'll take Calvin for your double or nothing.)

Random side note on the Bolts, what the hell happened to this team? Was losing the Buhlin Wall that big of a loss to the team? They looked primed for a one of those 5 or 6 year dominating runs, then the strike hits, and the Bolts can't find a decent goalie. John?