Poor Richard's Scorecard

For Villanova and Temple--Along With the Rest of Sports-Loving America--the Wait Is Just About Over

IN A few hours we'll be among the very best two days in sports, the opening round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Thirty-two games in about as many hours, with, one hopes, upsets galore, unlikely heroism, and excellent play. For the local boys, it's a chance to get their feet wet against lower-seeded opponents and move into the second round over the weekend.

Being No. 1 Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Guy; Congrats, Herb Magee

THIS WEEK, Philadelphia University's Herb Magee became college basketball's all-time winningest NCAA coach. Yay for a Philly guy of course, but there's the added bonus that the coach he passed is Bobby Knight.

Iverson Offers Up a Sadly Familiar Answer

Writing in today's Daily Dime column on ESPN.com, J.A. Adande offers an interesting take on our old pal Allen Iverson's kvetching that he'd rather retire than become a full-time bench player. Adande buys into the Answer's previous statement that he'd hang up his Reeboks when he was no longer among the NBA's elite. And, of course, aging sixth (or seventh or eighth) men are hardly considered elite players. "[I]t's a question of what has the greatest tug on Iverson's heart," writes Adande. "[H]is love of the game, or his love of the way he's used to playing it."

Oh, please. (Or, as it has become fashionable, if more profane, to say: I call bullshit.)

The Meaningless Spectacle of December Games in the Wachovia Center

The Flyers have shaken off a rough start and are tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers are scuffling a bit but not so far down that they can't reasonably harbor playoff aspirations. Yet their respective seasons are so, so long, and so damn many teams make the postseason in each sport that it's about impossible to invest any emotional capital in either squad.

I enjoy hockey well enough to watch an individual Flyres game for the sheer pleasure of it, but cannot discern any long-term meaning or satisfaction; it's merely a discrete event with little connection to the meaningful games in the springtime. As for the Sixers, pro hoops is such an ugly thing to see that I all but refuse to involve myself until the games count. The bad shooting, nonexistent defense, and indifferent play are just so opposite the precision and passion of the college game that I have no choice but to wait for the playoffs. The prospect of a Philadelphia-Charlotte tilt, say, in mid-December is simply too painful to contemplate.

Yes, Allen, We Are Talking About Practice

Any of this sound familiar?

Detroit Pistons guard Allen Iverson missed practice Thursday and will be levied a "hefty" fine, coach Michael Curry said.

We are seriously still having this discussion? The discussion about practice helping everyone? The discussion about how Michael Jordan practiced?

Iverson, an incandescent talent who has exactly zero championship rings on his fingers, likely will find himself in the NBA Hall of Fame someday. His legacy will be a simple one: Great player, shitty teammate. | PRS

A Last Lick for Wilt?

Council call for Chamberlain stamp raises important question

Yesterday Philadelphia's City Council unanimously approved a resolution calling for a postage stamp commemorating Wilt Chamberlain. From the Inquirer's Heard in the Hall blog:

Council urged the United States Postal Service and its advisory commission on stamps to honor the legend, who played for the Philadelphia Warriors, among other teams, after a stellar career in basketball and track and field at Overbrook High School.

Given the entertaining if improbable claims the Stilt made about his sexual prowess in his 1991 autobiography, allow me to be the first to say that I hope the stamp, should it be approved, is self-adhesive. The last place I want to put my tongue is on Wilt's behind. | PRS