Game On: Last Minute Sports Halloween Costumes

So it’s All Hallows Eve. It’s around 1 p.m., you don’t have a Halloween costume and you’re heading out tonight with no idea of what do wear. Here’s an idea: You’re really into athletics, so why not go as something based around competitive sports. This is my new list (back by popular demand) of last minute sports costumes that will really crank up your Halloween spirit. At the very least it will really bubble your Halloween brew.

If you’re going out trick or treating with a friend who’s a Rutgers football fan it might be fun to go out as Inconsistent Mike Teel. It’s a perfect setup. When you knock on the door and the lovely household owner asks who you are and you say, “Well, I’m suited up on this spooky evening as an Inconsistent Mike Teel.” Then when the lady boos you like most Rutgers fans boo Mike Teel (prior to the Pitt game) you can slap your friend who, guess what, happens to be dressed as RU defensive back Glen Lee’s helmet.

If you’re a Yankees or Mets fan you could make fun of your current situation at second base if you go trick or treating. If you go as Robinson Cano when someone gives you candy you can short arm the candy or miss throwing it into the pillow case much like the lazy Yankee. If you go as Luis Castillo you can ring the doorbell, back up 10 feet and then take a long time to walk to the door. Then say, “I have bad knees and am the oldest 33-year-old player you’ll ever see play, I’m Luis Castillo.”

It’s easy to dress up as Knicks guard Stephon Marbury. Everything on his Steve and Barry’s clothing line is about 10 dollars, and you could look just like him. If you head to Philadelphia for tonight’s Knicks game dressed as Starbury, you might even have as good of a chance to play as Marbury himself. (Yes, I know I’ve used this joke before, but it was too tempting. By the way, I have two pairs of Starbury shoes.)

On a side note, my friend and former colleague Mike New once went as Unshaven Luke Longley (former Bulls forward) to a Halloween party. No one got it.

If you have a big group of friends who are Rutgers basketball fans, you could go as all the players who’ve transferred away from the Banks over the past 10 years. But I think only Paris Hilton has that many friends.

Can someone please go to the Phillies Parade today dressed as Joe Carter just to see what happens. Although a parade on Broad Street might be interesting enough.

I always thought it would be funny if you dressed up as a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim fan and a friend dressed up as a rally monkey. People might get the wrong idea, heck that they will definitely get the wrong idea, but isn’t that what Halloween is all about.,, This might be unrealistic, not because it’s hard to find a monkey costume, but because it’s hard to find an Angels shirt.

Happy Halloween!

LINKS:
Classic horror film
A good list to find a scary movie to watch tonight

The Morning Run

Happy Halloween! Hopefully Mischief Night did not leave too much toilet paper on your front lawn or yolk stains on your house, and if they did here are some links to cheer you up:

Remember that conversation about which was the worse conference in football this year? Well the answer is here and it's not even close.

The NHl is already on thin ice (sorry had to use that pun) but now former NY Ranger Jaromir Jagr says that it could be worse after the league missed out on a big chance to go global

The story just keeps getting worse for Isiah Thomas

Have you heard all those stories about how Barack Obama plays basketball? He might not be the best in the family

New Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni won some fans over with his opening night win, but it looks like the love isn't mutual

That little school down in Durham, NC is retooling and after a few down years, it may be back to its old winning ways

Have you heard the one about the NFL coach that dropped his pants at halftime

Hansbrough Out Indefinitely

North Carolina senior, All-American post-player Tyler Hansbrough is out for an extended period of time with what the Tar Heels are calling a "stress reaction in his leg." According to team medical staff, the injury could result in a stress fracture if not treated properly.

UNC was named in the No. 1 team in the nation yesterday in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, garnering 775 points and all 31 first-place votes.

The Tar Heels have a tough early schedule, as they face Kentucky on Nov. 18 and are a part of the late November Maui Invitational.

Rutgers squares off against North Carolina on Dec. 28 in Chapel Hill.

New Jersey's Team

Let's face it, New Jersey needs an NBA team. Yeah, the Nets play out in East Rutherford, but they get no love from Garden State citizens. One of the league's worst arenas combined with one of its most listless fan bases, makes for a general lack of excitement for the team from Hoboken to Atlantic City. Any given day, you can buy a ticket to a Nets game and two quarters later probably end up spitting your lame rap of Jay-z's lyrics to Hova himself. The organization regularly ranks among the NBA's worst in attendance. Even during the 2002-03 season when they were defending Eastern Conference Champs (give Nets fans a break for the year prior, nobody saw that run coming so there was not enough time to jump on the bandwagon) they were 23rd in fans drawn. Needless to say that in the state of NJ the Nets are the old philosophical question, if they played in an arena and nobody was there to see them, should anyone care? Or something like that.
Conversely the state of New Jersey has long been a haven for prep basketball stars. The list is a long one: Hall of Famers Tommy Heinson, Willis Reed and Rick Bary, current NBA players Tim Thomas, JR Smith, Andrew Bynum and Al Harrington. Don't forget the guys who were born in NJ but bred elsewhere: Cherry Hill's Mike Bibby and Newark's Shaquille O'Neal. New Jersey is boon to basketball, just ask Coach K down in Durham, where it seems he brings in a Garden Stater every year.
But the irony of course is that the Nets never caught on and now they're trying to move out. So let 'em. I am officially announcing that the state should let them go to Brooklyn and become a step-dad to another team: the Sacramento Kings.
The Kings are a veritable who's who of NJ basketball. Quincy Douby, the former Rutgers star and still Scarlet Knight icon, was their first round pick a few years back. Sure he hasn't panned out yet but those 34 points against the Lakers last April is hope.
Jason Thompson was the team's first round pick this past June from Rider, where he tore up the MAAC. Then he tore up the NBA too, dropping 18 and 10 in his debut.
But wait, there's more! John Salmons is from nearby Philadelphia, a city so close half of the state thinks it resides there. Mikki Moore played for the Nets and became a fan favorite. Francisco Garcia is from the Bronx, a short ride away from North Jersey. And don't forget Bobby Brown. Ok so its not THE Bobby Brown, who used to live in NJ after becoming a star for New Edition, but it's our team team and it's our prerogative!
So good bye Nets, hello Kings. I hope you like your arenas quiet and empty.

Bynum to Remain a Laker for Four More Years

It is not often that one gets to mention a graduated Middlesex County basketball player getting a lucrative deal in the NBA.

Today, the Los Angeles Lakers extended former St. Joseph's (Metuchen) center Andrew Bynum through the 2012-2013 season at a price tag of $58 million.

The much-improved, 7-foot center will earn $2.8 million this season before the new terms go into effect.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3673083

The Morning Run

It's time for another morning run around the world wide web and bring you some good reads:

Jerry Carino on Rutgers media day

An interesting study showing that rebounding is the most likely basketball activity to lead to injury. This still doesn't explain why Eddy Curry misses so many games.

A great site for all those that love the NBA and have a sense of humor. Oh, and like Canadians

A blog covering Villanova basketball and the Big East, and does a damn good job of it

Hardship waivers will have a big sway on how the Big East season might progress this year, just ask Seton Hall, and ESPN’s Dana O’Neil has a story on how coaches need to take an Advil when dealing with one

SI’s Luke Winn profiles how former Marquette coach Tom Crean is adjusting to Indiana. Despite however Crean has been doing in Bloomington so far, it will be an uphill climb for him. The Hoosiers lost their two best players from last year as DJ White graduated and Eric Gordon left for the NBA. This passage sums up how bad it is:

“When the Hoosiers' assistant coaches, Tim Buckley, Bennie Seltzer and Roshown McLeod, joined us, Crean announced that "we just lost one of our best players" -- and then pointed to McLeod's broken wrist, which was in a brace after a collision with freshman shooting guard Matt Roth. One has to assume that McLeod, who starred at Duke and played four seasons in the NBA from 1998-2002, was by far the Hoosiers' best player in practice.”

The NY Daily News’ Dick Weiss has a quick preview of the MAAC and a good story on one of its coaches

Things are definitely bigger out in Texas, but this is the story of how one Longhorn got smaller

The Washington Post’s Michael Wilbon gives a few reasons to look forward to the new NBA season

Breaking News: Official ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll Released

If there was any doubt that North Carolina is the perceived No. 1 team in the nation or that the Big East will be dominant, today's ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll confirmed both assumptions.

UNC garnered all 31 first-place votes, claiming the top spot with 775 points.

Two Big East teams, Connecticut (707) and Louisville (694), check in at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively and are the only two squads within 100 points of the Tar Heels in the poll.

Another duo of Big East squads are in the Top 10, with Pittsburgh at No. 6 and Notre Dame rolling in at No. 9.

Other teams from the 16-team conference in the Top 25 are: Marquette at No. 17, Georgetown at No. 18 and Villanova at No. 25.

Syracuse and West Virginia were in the "others receiving votes" category.

So, in case you didn't realize it, that's seven Big East teams in the Top 25 and nine in the Top 40... a pretty intimidating fact for the other seven schools with the season just 15 days away.

Dominic Cheek Update

Word has it that St. Anthony's star Dominic Cheek will be visiting Rutgers and soon. Cheek reportedly has a visit to the New Brunswick campus scheduled for November 7. There is no word of whether it will be for the day or if he will stay for the game vs. Syracuse the following day. That obviously means he still has Rutgers on his list of possible college destinations but he has kept the order under wraps.

Knicks Run In Opener, Curry And Starbury Do Not

Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni made a statement last night on and off the court in his debut. First off, the Knicks looked great for 95 percent of the game in their 120-115 win over the Heat, and secondly, neither Eddy Curry or Stephon Marbury saw the floor.

D’Antoni’s offense worked like a charm in his first look at the Garden as head coach. The team moved the ball great compiling 27 assists and looked energized.
After a dreadful preseason, Jamal Crawford scored 13 of his 29 points in the first quarter and looked solid. Zach Randolph and David Lee both looked comfortable in the new style of play and both passed the ball well.

Wilson Chandler (former DePaul forward) can really be an exciting NBA player — especially in this system. He also has a knack for posterizing dunks and a great nose for the basketball (by the way The Knack were an underrated rock band).

The Knicks did let the Heat get back in it late in the game after being up by as many as 23 points. As Knicks color commentator Walt Clyde Frazier pointed out, “the Knicks don’t have a killer instinct.”

But Knicks fans will take any signs of hope and last night they got it. But no need to get too crazy, the Heat looked awful and the Knickerbockers will now have to travel to Philadelphia to face a very talented Sixers team Friday.

GAME NOTES:
— When asked why he didn’t play Marbury in the post-game press conference, D’Antoni didn’t really give an answer, which is classic. Instead, he said, “I would be mad too.”
— Knicks rookie Danilo Gallinari saw his first NBA action after missing the entire preseason. He played only four minutes and went 0-for-2 from the floor. But he played more than Curry and Marbury, which isn’t saying much being Phil Collins (who was sitting courtside) saw as much time as Starbury and Mr. Softy.
— Heat rookie Michael Beasley looked shaky in his NBA debut

LINKS:
Wilson Chandler dunk from the preseason
Mitch Lawrence's column on King James possibly playing in New York in 2010

Early Evening Run

After a busy day at Rutgers men’s basketball media day, here are your tidbits in and around college sports:

The Lute Olson situation at Arizona is only getting worse for the Wildcats. After losing three 2009 commitments following his departure, one of them has landed at another PAC 10 school. Abdul Gaady, the No. 2 point guard in the nation according to the ESPNU 100 has given Lorenzo Romar’s University of Washington squad a verbal.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3670502

The North Carolina Tar Heels are the undisputed No. 1 team in the nation heading into the 2008-2009 campaign. Friday night they had their first inter-squad scrimmage of the year. 7-foot freshman Tyler Zeller shined with an unofficial double-double.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3662886

On the football end of things, the Cincinnati Enquirer put out an interesting story today about the development of the Bearcats’ program and the cost of becoming big-time.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20081029/COL03/310290086

The Charlotte Observer has a unique take on the effect that the emergence of the Big East as the nation’s premier basketball conference has had on the ACC. ESPN’s Jay Bilas comments on how the NCAA rejected the ACC’s conference RPI proposal.

http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1977906/

For video of Fred Hill’s media day press conference, go to http://www.scarletknights.com/ and click on the video link on the right side of the page. More to come later…

Interview with the Commissioner of the Big East

I got the chance to speak one-on-one with Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese last week and here it is. It's a little long but well worth it for Rutgers and Big East fans.

Mike Vorkunov: What do you think of how Rutgers has progressed as a program in men’s basketball, women’s basketball, football… what do you think of where the program has come?
Mike Tranghese: “When Rutgers came into our league, I told our people they were a sleeping giant. They’re the state university of New Jersey… that means a lot… a great educational institution to have them and I think that Greg by what he did with the football program has made people believe that Rutgers can be very special not only academically which they already are but athletically and I think we’re beginning to see that. Now the football team is struggling this year, but that’s cyclical stuff… Greg’s got the football team on very sound footing… Fred’s getting better players and Vivian has had great teams and everyone tells me that her recruiting class is terrific so I think if you’re a Rutgers fan… good things ahead.”

MV: The football team is struggling this year on the field and had some problems with the stadium expansion in terms of reaction to it from the fans and alumni, do you look as this as a blip on the screen or a problem due to the finicky nature of New Jersey sports fans and Rutgers fans?
MT: I don’t know enough about the stadium issue and how fans feel about but Greg’s just taken this program to a whole new level. Knowing Greg the way I do, he’s such a hard worker that he’s going to win. If you’re trying to compete at the highest level, you need facilities. If you don’t have facilities, it’ll eventually come back to bite you. It’s just the way it is, the nature of what college football is. I think Bob Mulcahy and Greg have pushed hard on the stadium because there’s kind of interest in the program now, so I look at the stadium expansion as a positive thing. Now, whether New Jersey voters are going to support it, that’s up to them to decide.

MV: What do you see in the future for the entire athletic department at Rutgers?
MT: Success… more than they’re having now. They’re having a lot of it now, but I think they have even more ahead of them. I think Greg someday will get Rutgers into the BCS, a major bowl game. Vivian’s come so close to winning the national championship… nothing would please me more to see her finally win one and Fred’s got the men’s program heading in the right direction.

MV: What was it like at the beginning of the Big East when it was formed? Is the job harder now or was it harder back then because you were starting from the ground up trying to fight your way to becoming one of the major conferences?
MT: I think it’s significantly harder now. Pressures are greater… you’re operating in the limelight. Back then when we formed in 1979, we were just scratching to get somebody to write about us, just a different time. It’s much more challenging now. It’s harder to stay on top than to get to the top. We’re there now, we just have to keep fighting to make certain we stay there.

MV: Why did you decide to step down as commissioner?
MT: Done it for 19 years… that’s a long time. Fear of flying… I have a terrible fear of flying. Just I’d had it… just didn’t want to fly anymore to be quite candid with you.

MV: Any plans for the future? Just going to kick back?
MT: No, I’m going to work… I just don’t want to fly. Looking at doing some things… teaching or consulting… things like that. No, I feel good and I still have a high energy level so I want to continue working. I just want to stay off airplanes.

MV: You talked about how great the Big East Tournament is in March. If you could just describe it in one single way, how would you try to describe it to non-fans?
MT: It’s like chaos and bedlam and noise and frenzy and the fans are frenetic in their support. It’s crazy, it’s wild, you gotta be there to experience it. If you love college basketball, you have to get to New York either for Friday or Saturday night. They’re the two most special nights of the year for college basketball in my perspective.

Rutgers vs. the MAAC

The Scarlet Knights men's basketball team's out-of-conference schedule for 2008-2009 has been deemed "filled with cupcakes" prior to the Dec. 28 tilt at North Carolina.

Rutgers, which went 1-2 last season against the local MAAC (losses to Rider and Saint Peter's and a win over Manhattan), will get three more shots at the conference in the first two months of its slate.

RU takes on Marist in its opener on Nov. 14 at the RAC, squares off against Saint Peter's at the RAC on Nov. 30 and travels to Trenton to face off against Rider on Dec. 6.

The MAAC preseason polls have been released for the 10-team league, with Rider at No. 3, Saint Peter's at No. 9 and Marist at the bottom at No. 10.

Rider forward Ryan Thompson, the brother of 2008 NBA first-round pick Jason Thompson, made Preseason First Team All-MAAC.

Siena was picked to win the league, just seven months removed from stunning Vanderbilt in an opening round 4-seed vs. 13-seed match-up in the NCAA Tournament.

NBA Preview

With the NBA season set to get underway this week, we thought it was appropriate to give a little preview. This post will have my and Brian Johnson's picks for the playoffs, the awards and some sleepers. Later on we'll go a step further and explain what to expect this year in more depth.

Brian Johnson:
East Champions: Boston Celtics
Atlantic Division Champions: Boston Celtics
Central Division Champions: Cleveland Cavaliers
Southeast Division Champions: Orlando Magic
Playoff Teams:
1.Boston Celtics
2.Cleveland Cavaliers
3.Philadelphia 76ers
4.Orlando Magic
5.Toronto Raptors
6.Detroit Pistons
7.Chicago Bulls
8.Miami Heat

West Champions: New Orleans Hornets
Northwest Division Champions: Utah Jazz
Southwest Division Champions: New Orleans Hornets
Pacific Division Champions: Los Angeles Lakers
Playoff Teams:
1.New Orleans Hornets
2.Los Angeles Lakers
3.Utah Jazz
4.San Antonio Spurs
5.Dallas Mavericks
6.Houston Rockets
7.Portland Trail Blazers
8.Phoenix Suns

Mike Vorkunov:
East Champions: Cleveland Cavaliers
Atlantic: Boston Celtics
Central: Detroit Pistons
Southeast: Orlando Magic
Playoff Teams:
1. Boston Celtics
2. Detroit Pistons
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Orlando Magic
5. Toronto Raptors
6. Philadelphia 76ers
7. Miami Heat
8. Charlotte Bobcats

West Champions: Los Angeles Lakers
Pacific: Lakers
Northwest: Utah
Southwest: New Orleans
Playoff Teams:
1. New Orleans Hornets
2. Los Angeles Lakers
3. Utah Jazz
4. Pheonix Suns
5. Houston Rockets
6. San Antonio Spurs
7. Dallas Mavericks
8. Portland Trailblazers

NBA Champions: Boston Celtics (Brian Johnson), Los Angeles Lakers (Mike Vorkunov)

The Awards
Brian Johnson:
MVP: Chris Paul (Hornets), Sleeper: Dwight Howard (Magic)
Rookie of the Year: Greg Oden (Trail Blazers), Sleeper: D.J. Augustine (Bobcats)
Comeback Player: Dwayne Wade (Heat), Sleeper: Elton Brand (Sixers)
Most Improved Player: Jose Calderon (Raptors), Jeff Green (Thunder)
Defensive Player of the Year: Kobe Bryant (Lakers, Sleeper: Ron Artest (Rockets),
Breakout Player: Lou Williams (Sixers), Sleeper: Wilson Chandler (Knicks)

Mike Vorkunov:
MVP: LeBron James (Cavaliers), Sleeper pick: Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks)
ROY: Michael Beasley (Heat), Sleeper pick: Eric Gordon (Clippers)
MIP: Luol Deng (Bulls), Sleeper: Jeff Green (The Team Formerly Named as the Sonics), Ray Felton (Bobcats)
COY: Dwyane Wade (Heat), Sleeper: Sean May (Bobcats)
Breakout player: Kevin Durant (The Team Formerly Named as the Sonics)


All-NBA First Team:
Brian Johnson:
Guard: Chris Paul (Hornets)
Guard: Kobe Bryant (Lakers)
Forward: LeBron James (Cavs)
Forward: Tim Duncan (Spurs)
Center: Dwight Howard (Magic)

Mike Vorkunov:
Guard: Kobe Bryant
Guard: Chris Paul
Forward: Amare Stoudemire (Suns)
Forward: LeBron James
Center: Dwight Howard

The Morning Run

On the first run of stories this surprisingly snowy morning (who had Oct. 28 as the first day they would look outside in New Brunswick and decide they need to call Mr. Plow?), there are a few interesting piece of news:

Georgetown alum Patrick Ewing Jr. learned yesterday that he did not make the final cut to make the NY Knicks roster. So another Ewing let go by the Knicks, and this time they didn't even manage to get an over-the-hill Glen Rice

Remember all that talk about the NJ Nets leaving East Rutherford for beautiful Brooklyn. Whoops. No work has started on that arena, and owner Bruce Ratner is finding it hard to find investors in a $900 million development in the middle of a semi-recession. And the NY Daily News reports that Ratner may have tried to sell the team. Could things get any worse for Nets fans? Yes, the first time Vince Carter is out 2-4 weeks.

Dick Vitale released his top 40 team back in September, it just wasn't found till now, but Dicky V is only another among a line of pundits showing the Big East some love. Three teams in the top six, seven in the top 16, and nine overall.

SI's Arash Markazi was able to catch breakfast with John Wooden, and it produced a great reader for those wondering what the Wizard of Westwood is doing in his retired days

Looks like former Marquette coach Tom Crean is making good in his first months at Indiana

The Washington Post has a story on the beginning of Midnight Madness

Player to Watch: Dar Tucker

Nobody is talking about DePaul.

They were picked to finish 15th out of 16 in the loaded Big East and Jerry Wainwright’s crew isn’t being given even the slightest chance of challenging for a middle-of-the-pack spot.

While the days of Wilson Chandler and Sammy Mejia are over, the Blue Demons now have a very talented sophomore forward with a dynamic skill set—6-foot-4, 210-pound Dar Tucker.

Tucker, a Saginaw, Michigan native, made the All-Big East Rookie Team is 2007-2008, while garnering weekly conference honors in the first week of January.

It’d be easy to give all his single-game scoring statistics and let them speak for his play, as he averaged nearly 14 points and 5 rebounds per game on an 11-19 squad.

However, the fact that two of his dunks were highlighted on Sportscenter’s “Top 10 Plays of the Day” gives you a little insight into the finishing ability of a player undersized for his position.

The southpaw can put the ball on the floor, has strong moves to the lane, jumps out of the gym and is certainly a player to look out for as the season gets underway.

The pundits can sleep on DePaul, but if opponents get complacent and forget about Dar Tucker, they’re making a huge mistake.

NOTE: Dar’s birth name is Darquavis


-- Image courtesy of http://www.draftexpress.com/