Post by FIUPantherFan on Mar 28, 2008 15:03:11 GMT -5
THE 12TH ANNUAL "BIRDY" AWARDS
Mar
28
Written by: jaywalker
Friday, March 28, 2008 9:52 AM
Hey, guys, either you have a sense of humor or you don't. Enjoy.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky. When he won the Freshman Birdy, I hailed him as the future of the Sun Belt Conference. I now proclaim myself correct.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Bo McCalebb, New Orleans. He won the Birdy for this last year. He should have won the SBC award last year, too. Sammy Sharp?
?
COACH OF THE YEAR: Ronnie Arrow, South Alabama. Added some discipline to a talented team and earned the first SBC at-large bid in 14 years.
BEST SIXTH MAN: Jordan Payne, ULM. Judging by their record, maybe he should have started.
MOST UNDERRATED PLAYER: Kevin Kanaskie, Middle Tennessee. You don't think Boogie Yates made First team by himself, do you. Plays hard. Plays smart. And goes relatively unnoticed.
BIGGEST DISAPPEARING ACT: Adrien Banks, Arkansas State. If I had been the coach, he'd have disappeared for good after firing a gun in the Jonesboro City Limits back in December.
RISING STAR: Chris Gradnigo, Louisiana. Over the last seven games, averaged 18 points per. Can shoot it standing still. Can shoot it long-range. Can shoot it off the dribble, can shoot it in close. Can shoot it moving sideways. Can shoot it. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Bo McCalebb, UNO. Not only is he the SBC all-time leading scorer, he also leaves UNO with the most Birdys in history. You may find a better player than Bo. You won't find a better young man.
MOST OVERACHIEVING TEAM: Denver. Seven Players. Four freshmen. Two walk-ons. And they won 11 games. How did that happen?
MOST UNDERACHIEVING TEAM: ULM. Tied for the West title last year. Returned five starters. And, finished dead last. There was more wrong with those guys than just losing their point guard. Hmmmmmmm.
TEAM MOST LIKELY TO BE PICKED TO WIN THE LEAGUE IN 2009. Middle Tennessee. They'll return all their players from this years team. Here's hoping they don't pull a ULM.
TEAMS MOST LIKELY TO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT THAT: Louisiana, South Alabama.
BEST DEFENSIVE TEAM: UALR. You don't think that they won the West with that juggernaut offense, do you?
GRACE UNDER FIRE: Darrin Horn, Western Kentucky. Horn said and did everything right during the Toppers run in the NCAA tournament.
FRANK SINATRA AWARD: Robert Lee, Louisiana. Decided to do it "his way." Got rid of the malcontents and recruited high school kids from Louisiana. After a 1-6 start, finished at .500 and shared the West title with mostly Freshmen and Sophomores. And, has those kids working in the classroom, too. What a difference a coach makes.
MOST CURIOUS DEPARTURE: thingyey Nutt, Arkansas State. Story goes, with three games left in the regular season, asked for a contract extension. When it was refused, he resigned with three games left. He finished two games over .500 in his 13 year career. Do the math.
BRASS BALLS AWARD: thingyey Nutt, Arkansas State.....for asking for the extension after the Indians seventh straight loss.
MOST CURIOUS HIRE: John Brady, Arkansas State. Brady brings a reputation for being a bit surly. Wonder how that will play out in Jonesboro.
COACH I (STILL) WANT TO HAVE A BEER WITH: Sergio Rouco, Florida International. Dude cracks me up.
COACH I'D LOVE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Mary Taylor Cowles, Western Kentucky. And, Mr. Cowles can join us if he wants.
BEST COACHING ADJUSTMENT: Kermit Davis, Middle Tennessee. With bench decorum a point of emphasis, Kermit managed to stay in every game this year. My guess is, it wasn't easy.
BEST ADVERTISMENT FOR THE SUN BELT: Ty Rogers' buzzer beater.
CLAIRVOYANCE AWARD: ULM fans. They opened Sun Belt play at home with their "archrival" Louisiana. Fewer than 1000 people showed up. Maybe they knew it was gonna be a long season.
MOST CURIOUS SENIOR DAY: Arkansas State. They drew their largest crowd of the season in their final home game. They all left after the retirement ceremony of the Indian Family Mascot at halftime. After watching the family stand and do nothing, they figured, what the heck. They saw that from their team all year.
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR: After four years with no NCAA appearances, many Hilltopper fans wished that Darrin Horn would go away. Those same fans are now casting a wary eye toward Columbia, SC among other places.
BEST RIVALRY: Western Kentucky vs. Middle Tennessee. You know, they really don't like each other much.
WARMEST/FUZZIEST RIVALRY: Middle Tennessee vs. Louisiana. It can't be a real rivalry when the fans of both schools have a group hug and sing "Kumbaya" after the games.
BEST IDEA FOR A SLOGAN: Arkansas State has changed their mascot to the Red Wolves. They've hired John Brady. I can see the billboards now: ASU Basketball.....Jowls and Howls
BEST LOOKING DANCE TEAM: Florida International. Muy caliente. So are their outfits.
BEST INDIVIDUAL DANCER: Kyle Lavergne, Louisiana. Say what you want. No one dances better.
BEST LOOKING INDIVIDUAL DANCER: Don't know her name, but if I lived in New Orleans, I'd buy season tickets.
BEST LOOKING CHEERLEADERS: Louisiana. If you like em tiny.
JOHN LOCKE AWARD: Lacey Henderson, Denver. In a flashback episode on "Lost," Locke yells at a travel guide, "Don't tell me what I can't do!" Ms. Henderson, who lost a leg all the way to the hip as a result of cancer, is a Denver cheerleader who does everything her teammates do. We could all learn something from her.
BEST BAND: Troy. Again
BEST MUSICAL SELECTIONS BY A BAND: FIU. If you heard those songs on the radio, you'd say "Oh, wow!"
LAWRENCE WELK AWARD: Denver, who has an accordion player in their band. LET'S POLKA!!!!!!!
BEST FACILITY: Jack Stephens Center, Little Rock. They got a lot of bang for their buck. And, at 5600 seats, it's a perfect size for most Sun Belt Schools.
WORST FACILITY: Troy/FAU. Think Howard might part with a couple of million to help the Owls out? Probably not.
HOME SWEET HOME (NOT): The Chamber of Horrors was only a horror for the home team this year.
BIGGEST CROWD: Over 30,000 showed up at the 7500 seat Magness Arena to hear Barack Obama speak. The crowd in the arena and the crowd turned away both had something in common. Neither heard the candidate say anything of substance.
BEST EATS AT A SBC GAME: The grilled burgers at Pharmed Arena at FIU.
BEST CHEAP BREAKFAST: Judy's Castle, Bowling Green. Two eggs, meat, taters and toast or biscuits. Three bucks.
BEST PLATE LUNCH: Well, KAjunRaider says it's in Murfreesboro. But he has yet to take me there. He'll get another chance next week.
MOST BELOVED MASCOT: Big Red, Western Kentucky. They like the lovable blob more than they like their coaches.
MOST HATED MASCOT: Cayenne, Louisiana. Cajun fans would rather have Jerry Baldwin as their football coach.
MOST EXPENSIVE LEAGUE CITY TO VISIT: Boca Raton, Florida. Lodging is out of sight. So are restaurants. Even the fast food combos are an extra two bucks.
BEST LEAGUE CITY TO VISIT: Boca Raton, Florida. At any price.
MOST FUN POSTER ON A MESSAGE BOARD: Mr. the Dude, dude. Will hammer his team......and yours. And, you'll probably laugh.
MOST DISAPPOINTING PART OF A MESSAGE BOARD: Whether it was the job, the kids, or too much firewater, we didn't hear nearly enough from dahbeed this year.
IRON MAN AWARD: Mike Wagenheim, UNO. The voice of the Privateers did the play by play for all fourteen games at the SBC tournament for the webcast. And sounded as fresh in the men's final as he did in the women's quarters. No one prepares harder than Wags. And as soon as he realizes how good he is, he won't be in the Belt.
BEST TIMING AWARD: Randy Lee, Western Kentucky. Got to ride with the Toppers to the Sweet 16 in his first season as their play by play man.
BEST LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP: Denver assistant SID Celya McCullah and Western Kentucky assistant SID Chris Glowacki got engaged in February. The wedding will be on a lacrosse field, Big Red will be the Best Man, and the bachelor party will be at Uncle Sam's.
MOST ANTICIPATED AWARDS: The Birdys. But I'll be d**ned if I know why.
Mar
28
Written by: jaywalker
Friday, March 28, 2008 9:52 AM
Hey, guys, either you have a sense of humor or you don't. Enjoy.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Courtney Lee, Western Kentucky. When he won the Freshman Birdy, I hailed him as the future of the Sun Belt Conference. I now proclaim myself correct.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Bo McCalebb, New Orleans. He won the Birdy for this last year. He should have won the SBC award last year, too. Sammy Sharp?
?COACH OF THE YEAR: Ronnie Arrow, South Alabama. Added some discipline to a talented team and earned the first SBC at-large bid in 14 years.
BEST SIXTH MAN: Jordan Payne, ULM. Judging by their record, maybe he should have started.
MOST UNDERRATED PLAYER: Kevin Kanaskie, Middle Tennessee. You don't think Boogie Yates made First team by himself, do you. Plays hard. Plays smart. And goes relatively unnoticed.
BIGGEST DISAPPEARING ACT: Adrien Banks, Arkansas State. If I had been the coach, he'd have disappeared for good after firing a gun in the Jonesboro City Limits back in December.
RISING STAR: Chris Gradnigo, Louisiana. Over the last seven games, averaged 18 points per. Can shoot it standing still. Can shoot it long-range. Can shoot it off the dribble, can shoot it in close. Can shoot it moving sideways. Can shoot it. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Bo McCalebb, UNO. Not only is he the SBC all-time leading scorer, he also leaves UNO with the most Birdys in history. You may find a better player than Bo. You won't find a better young man.
MOST OVERACHIEVING TEAM: Denver. Seven Players. Four freshmen. Two walk-ons. And they won 11 games. How did that happen?
MOST UNDERACHIEVING TEAM: ULM. Tied for the West title last year. Returned five starters. And, finished dead last. There was more wrong with those guys than just losing their point guard. Hmmmmmmm.
TEAM MOST LIKELY TO BE PICKED TO WIN THE LEAGUE IN 2009. Middle Tennessee. They'll return all their players from this years team. Here's hoping they don't pull a ULM.
TEAMS MOST LIKELY TO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT THAT: Louisiana, South Alabama.
BEST DEFENSIVE TEAM: UALR. You don't think that they won the West with that juggernaut offense, do you?
GRACE UNDER FIRE: Darrin Horn, Western Kentucky. Horn said and did everything right during the Toppers run in the NCAA tournament.
FRANK SINATRA AWARD: Robert Lee, Louisiana. Decided to do it "his way." Got rid of the malcontents and recruited high school kids from Louisiana. After a 1-6 start, finished at .500 and shared the West title with mostly Freshmen and Sophomores. And, has those kids working in the classroom, too. What a difference a coach makes.
MOST CURIOUS DEPARTURE: thingyey Nutt, Arkansas State. Story goes, with three games left in the regular season, asked for a contract extension. When it was refused, he resigned with three games left. He finished two games over .500 in his 13 year career. Do the math.
BRASS BALLS AWARD: thingyey Nutt, Arkansas State.....for asking for the extension after the Indians seventh straight loss.
MOST CURIOUS HIRE: John Brady, Arkansas State. Brady brings a reputation for being a bit surly. Wonder how that will play out in Jonesboro.
COACH I (STILL) WANT TO HAVE A BEER WITH: Sergio Rouco, Florida International. Dude cracks me up.
COACH I'D LOVE TO HAVE DINNER WITH: Mary Taylor Cowles, Western Kentucky. And, Mr. Cowles can join us if he wants.
BEST COACHING ADJUSTMENT: Kermit Davis, Middle Tennessee. With bench decorum a point of emphasis, Kermit managed to stay in every game this year. My guess is, it wasn't easy.
BEST ADVERTISMENT FOR THE SUN BELT: Ty Rogers' buzzer beater.
CLAIRVOYANCE AWARD: ULM fans. They opened Sun Belt play at home with their "archrival" Louisiana. Fewer than 1000 people showed up. Maybe they knew it was gonna be a long season.
MOST CURIOUS SENIOR DAY: Arkansas State. They drew their largest crowd of the season in their final home game. They all left after the retirement ceremony of the Indian Family Mascot at halftime. After watching the family stand and do nothing, they figured, what the heck. They saw that from their team all year.
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR: After four years with no NCAA appearances, many Hilltopper fans wished that Darrin Horn would go away. Those same fans are now casting a wary eye toward Columbia, SC among other places.
BEST RIVALRY: Western Kentucky vs. Middle Tennessee. You know, they really don't like each other much.
WARMEST/FUZZIEST RIVALRY: Middle Tennessee vs. Louisiana. It can't be a real rivalry when the fans of both schools have a group hug and sing "Kumbaya" after the games.
BEST IDEA FOR A SLOGAN: Arkansas State has changed their mascot to the Red Wolves. They've hired John Brady. I can see the billboards now: ASU Basketball.....Jowls and Howls
BEST LOOKING DANCE TEAM: Florida International. Muy caliente. So are their outfits.
BEST INDIVIDUAL DANCER: Kyle Lavergne, Louisiana. Say what you want. No one dances better.
BEST LOOKING INDIVIDUAL DANCER: Don't know her name, but if I lived in New Orleans, I'd buy season tickets.
BEST LOOKING CHEERLEADERS: Louisiana. If you like em tiny.
JOHN LOCKE AWARD: Lacey Henderson, Denver. In a flashback episode on "Lost," Locke yells at a travel guide, "Don't tell me what I can't do!" Ms. Henderson, who lost a leg all the way to the hip as a result of cancer, is a Denver cheerleader who does everything her teammates do. We could all learn something from her.
BEST BAND: Troy. Again
BEST MUSICAL SELECTIONS BY A BAND: FIU. If you heard those songs on the radio, you'd say "Oh, wow!"
LAWRENCE WELK AWARD: Denver, who has an accordion player in their band. LET'S POLKA!!!!!!!
BEST FACILITY: Jack Stephens Center, Little Rock. They got a lot of bang for their buck. And, at 5600 seats, it's a perfect size for most Sun Belt Schools.
WORST FACILITY: Troy/FAU. Think Howard might part with a couple of million to help the Owls out? Probably not.
HOME SWEET HOME (NOT): The Chamber of Horrors was only a horror for the home team this year.
BIGGEST CROWD: Over 30,000 showed up at the 7500 seat Magness Arena to hear Barack Obama speak. The crowd in the arena and the crowd turned away both had something in common. Neither heard the candidate say anything of substance.
BEST EATS AT A SBC GAME: The grilled burgers at Pharmed Arena at FIU.
BEST CHEAP BREAKFAST: Judy's Castle, Bowling Green. Two eggs, meat, taters and toast or biscuits. Three bucks.
BEST PLATE LUNCH: Well, KAjunRaider says it's in Murfreesboro. But he has yet to take me there. He'll get another chance next week.
MOST BELOVED MASCOT: Big Red, Western Kentucky. They like the lovable blob more than they like their coaches.
MOST HATED MASCOT: Cayenne, Louisiana. Cajun fans would rather have Jerry Baldwin as their football coach.
MOST EXPENSIVE LEAGUE CITY TO VISIT: Boca Raton, Florida. Lodging is out of sight. So are restaurants. Even the fast food combos are an extra two bucks.
BEST LEAGUE CITY TO VISIT: Boca Raton, Florida. At any price.
MOST FUN POSTER ON A MESSAGE BOARD: Mr. the Dude, dude. Will hammer his team......and yours. And, you'll probably laugh.
MOST DISAPPOINTING PART OF A MESSAGE BOARD: Whether it was the job, the kids, or too much firewater, we didn't hear nearly enough from dahbeed this year.
IRON MAN AWARD: Mike Wagenheim, UNO. The voice of the Privateers did the play by play for all fourteen games at the SBC tournament for the webcast. And sounded as fresh in the men's final as he did in the women's quarters. No one prepares harder than Wags. And as soon as he realizes how good he is, he won't be in the Belt.
BEST TIMING AWARD: Randy Lee, Western Kentucky. Got to ride with the Toppers to the Sweet 16 in his first season as their play by play man.
BEST LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP: Denver assistant SID Celya McCullah and Western Kentucky assistant SID Chris Glowacki got engaged in February. The wedding will be on a lacrosse field, Big Red will be the Best Man, and the bachelor party will be at Uncle Sam's.
MOST ANTICIPATED AWARDS: The Birdys. But I'll be d**ned if I know why.
