Outside Oberlin:

Millennium approaches and Mooch doesn't care

The Millennium approacheth... and I don't give a damn!

It was tempting, but I decided to avoid the current trend in sportswriting - not to mention everywhere else - to create lists or dwell heavily on the best and worst of, the most exciting games of and the stupidest trades of the century or millennium. I almost feel as if I'm letting the profession down.

Instead, I'll use another trick of the trade - short newsbriefs with attached commentary tied together by wiseass headlines:

That bad taste in the back of your mouth? It's Wolverine...

Despite professional basketball not having the same depth of young talent in a farm system like baseball or hockey have, developing young talent remains a high priority for everyone in the NBA...with the possible exception of the Washington Wizards. In the three drafts between 1996 and '98, Washington did not have a single first round pick before drafting Connecticut's Richard Hamilton in '99. True, Hamilton's a stand-up player, but he's a guard on a team whose dictionary does not seem to include "post-play" or "rebound."

This lack of balance resulted partly from three years with no top prospects joining Washington's roster through the draft. The reason for that is the University of Michigan. More specifically two of their "Fab Five" from the early 90s: Washington's picks in '96 and '98 were gone due to a trade that brought Chris Webber over from Golden State. In 1997 the pick was forfeited as a penalty for re-signing Juwan Howard after Miami temporarily signed him.

Now, this is not to say there was much to draft from in any of those years with the slots Washington had, but it does illustrate an interesting point that pushing to bring former college teammates together shouldn't come at the expense of the long-term health of the organization. Of course, who nowadays actually looks out for the long term health of their organization?

It has begun...

Injuries, that perennial chink in the Miami Heat's armor, are beginning to show up less than a quarter of the way into the season. The current big name stuck on the bench is point guard Tim Hardaway. Hardaway and Jamal Mashburn have demonstrated that they can hold the team together even if Alonzo Mourning goes down, and now Mash and 'Zo will have to do the same. They'll probably succeed, but without all three stars healthy as much as possible, we know Riley won't be able to get the chemistry he needs from the team to pull out any big wins against the West.

Elsewhere in the East, you have to give a nod to the Knicks for not folding more than they have with Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson and now Marcus Camby all sitting out. On the other hand, that does show you how weak the East has gotten. Most of the injury analysis you'll hear this season will likely have that footnote: it won't hurt them too much - until they face the West.

Yes folks, he does this for a living...

In Tuesday's game between the surging Phoenix Suns and the shaky Houston Rockets, a jump ball was tipped to Suns' rookie Shawn Marion. Marion promptly charged toward the wrong basket, stopping only at the last minute because the crowd and his teammates were yelling at him. I'll let the record stand on that one.

Presidential candidate, billionaire, sports fan...

Forbes magazine recently reported that the New York Knicks are the most valuable team in the NBA while the New York Rangers are the most valuable in the NHL.

Team value, calculated from revenue and expenditures, is not necessarily a reflection of the team's performance. For example, the Milwaukee Bucks have the second lowest worth of all NBA teams, yet sit atop the Central Division.

On the other hand, the least valuable team is listed as being the L.A. Clippers...

The least valuable NHL franchise is the Carolina Hurricanes. That is, of course, until Columbus gets their team next season.

Hockey imitates football...

Speaking of the Rangers, the New Jersey Devils defeated them 3-2 on Wednesday to continue their unbeaten streak over New York at 15 games. Remember when these two teams played an overtime game seven to decide who went to the Stanley Cup finals?

Many of the great rivalries in hockey are barely garnering TV coverage with former powerhouses struggling, and injuries to stars making everything less interesting. A brief holiday wish list: that the Mighty Ducks put SOMEthing together, that Dominik Hasek recovers before season's end so he can have the sendoff season he deserves and that a Stars/Flames matchup has some spark to it by season's end.

And now, a cleverly worded segue into the NFL...

Chicago Bears QB Jim Miller was suspended for four games, effectively the rest of the season, and forfeited a quarter of his $400,000 salary when he tested positive for a banned steroid. Of course, you say, what else should I expect out of a bunch of overgrown kids with salaries larger than the GNP of some small countries?

Miller's case is different for two reasons. First, he and his agent say the drug was taken accidentally. I for one, and many of his teammates, his coach and several other players, believe him. He didn't read the label on a diet supplement and it was an unfortunate mistake.

Secondly, Miller has announced he will not file an appeal since, in the words of his agent, "we don't believe in lying and making up excuses." He has announced that he takes full responsibility, and understands that the league can't waver on the drug policy regardless of mitigating circumstances. The Bears' own relatively improbable success is personified by Miller, the man who was signed as a third stringer this season, won the starting spot and then threw for the most yards in the last 30 years of team history. Character and hard work paid off for Miller this season, and hopefully will be remembered when he's eligible to play again.

Game of the week/ physics lesson of the year...

Minnesota travels to Tampa Bay on Monday for a battle of unstoppable offense against the immovable defense.

The Buc's strength really lies in their line, not their secondary, a clear problem when you're facing the juggernut that is the Vikings' receiver's corps. But if the line can put enough pressure on Jeff George, and since Moss, Carter and Reed may have some difficulties on the grass in Tampa when they're used to the turf back home, things might even back out. The arguments keep seesawing back and forth in this one, including the fact that Buc's coach Tony Dungy was Vikings' coach Dennis Green's defensive coordinator for four years, making this game a toss-up from the coin toss on.

So that was my two cents, give or take a buck. But that means I'm fresh out of ideas. As such, I offer you, my good reader, this proposal: e-mail me a question about sports you'd like answered, a sports topic you'd like covered,or a view on any non-OC sport you'd like published. Include your name and number and send them over to aaron.mucciolo@oberlin.edu. And, as Bartyles and James once said, thank you for your support!