It was a busy sports week for the Critic.

On Wednesday, through the magic of Syracuse Orange Pack gurus Joe Manhertz and Lisa Sinopoli, the Critic had lunch with Jim Boeheim. The Cuse was in Boston for their matchup with Boston College (more on that later) and we met at the team’s hotel.

At first Boeheim seemed liked he would have rather been watching replays of the 1987 National Championship Game against Indiana than breaking bread with some random alum like the Critic. But the Coach warmed up and revealed himself to be a bright, articulate individual.

Some interesting thoughts that Boeheim shared.

*Syracuse is lucky to be where they are right now with a 19-4 record (it was 18-3 at lunch). Boeheim said that his club could easily be 13-8, citing wins against Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and North Carolina St. as games they should have lost. He said they had not been playing well as of late and would be in for a long night against Boston College if they didn’t play significantly better. He referred to BC’s Troy Bell as one of the top ten players in the country.
*Boeheim said that Preston Shumpert will be a high pick in the NBA draft after next season because the NBA likes guys who can shoot from the outside. However Boeheim said that for Shumpert to be a good pro, he needs to “improve his ability to score off of the dribble a lot and learn how to create his own offense.”
*Boeheim said Damone Brown “has a chance” to play in the NBA.
*Especially considering the individual, the Coach is downright giddy over Syracuse’s recruiting class for next year.
*Boeheim stressed how important it is for players to work in the offseason and questioned Deshawn Williams’ work in that regard and how much he would improve as a result. He said that Billy Owens never reached his potential because he did not work hard in the offseason.

When the Critic asked Boeheim to name the hardest working players he had ever coached, he immediately responded with Jason Hart and Allen Griffin. When asked to name the players who did not work hard, Boeheim responded with LeRon Ellis’ name just as quickly and opined that Ellis didn’t like playing the game.

*Boeheim said that wherever Rick Pitino ends up coaching next, he will likely be in the Final Four within 4 years. He attributed Pitino’s problems with the Celtics to the fact that “he can’t evaluate talent.”
*Boeheim sympathizes with Bob Knight because the Indiana administration let Knight get away with whatever he wanted for decades and then changed the rules overnight. When asked why Knight’s teams declined in the nineties, he said it was because Knight “did not recruit for the last 7-8 years.”
*Boeheim expressed his excitement for the cancer fundraiser he and his wife are planning and revealed that Neil Sedaka would be the featured entertainer.

Boston College’s win over SU that night was a well-played and exciting battle. Both teams played well and BC hit numerous clutch free throws down the stretch. The keys to the game were the Eagles’ domination on the offensive boards and the Orange’s inability to take care of the ball down the stretch. The crowd was as pumped as any BC basketball crowd that the Critic can recall and when the buzzer sounded the students rushed the floor like BC had won the Final Four.

SU had no business beating Seton Hall on Saturday. Eddie Griffin could have scored 30 if Tommy Amaker had directed his guards (and Griffin) to stop hoisting ill advised three pointers. Regardless Griffin is a stud and whenever he comes out will be a high lottery pick.

On Friday night the Critic co-hosted “The Sportsbrothers” on WELI in New Haven (950 on your AM dial) with regular co-host and Connecticut legal eagle Erik Kuselias, he of the Mel Kiper Jr. Draft Expert hair. Kuselias is better than anyone on WFAN, save for Mike and the Mad Dog. The show was aired live from the Walter Camp All-American Fan Festival and the Critic and Kuselias interviewed a number of the All-Americans. Some observations.

*Leonard Davis, the massive offensive lineman from Texas, would not take the bait when the Critic asked him who was the better quarterback between Chris Simms and Major Applewhite, a question that has been a source of controversy in Austin for the past two years. With the NFL draft approaching, Davis did say that the Patriots have contacted him at least three times, as many in the Boston media have speculated.
*Freddy Mitchell of UCLA is more than happy to tell you that he is the best receiver in the country but his confidence does not come across as arrogance and he will be easy to root for.
*Akron’s defensive back Dwight Smith wants to play for Detroit. No, that is not a misprint. Matt Millen take note.
*Cal-Berkeley’s defensive lineman Andre Carter is supposed to be a top ten pick, and he certainly looks the part. Additionally, the kid is a class act.
*Dan Morgan, the great linebacker out of Miami, answered questions with the personality of a more boring Al Gore. All cliches and prepared material. Crash Davis would have been proud. But much like Carter and Georgia’s Richard Seymour, Morgan does not look like he could be in better physical condition. Seymour, by the way, was not aware that Georgia legend Vince Dooley announced his retirement effective 2003.
*Florida State’s offensive lineman Tarlos Thomas admitted that he believes that offensive coordinator Mark Richt looking forward to his new job at Georgia contributed to FSU’s loss to Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. He also said that the stories about Bobby Bowden delegating all the work to his assistants are in large part true.
*In light of all the bad news and behavior we hear about in the sports world, it was refreshing to talk to so many pleasant and articulate kids, with Damian Anderson of Northwestern, Mitchell, Smith, Carter and Thomas standing out in those respects. We can only hope that their attitudes do not change when they reach the next level.

Chris Slade of the Patriots also stopped by the show. Slade admitted that he did not feel bad that Bill Parcells was not elected to the Hall of Fame, but opined that Parcells is deserving and will get in eventually. He said that it would be a mistake for the Patriots to trade Drew Bledsoe for the opportunity to draft Michael Vick, and called Bledsoe the toughest and among the best QBs in the league.

The Walter Camp fanfest is a great event. For $7, kids can meet both college and pro players and get autographs, punt, pass, kick, shoot hoops and answer trivia questions for prizes, as well as purchase memorabilia.

Fortunately, Mark Chmura was not on hand to sign autographs for those young co-eds willing to join him in a jacuzzi.

It is fun and somewhat gratuitous to bash the NBA, but this year’s All-Star Game was its best mid-season contest since Magic Johnson’s magical one game return. Allen Iverson’s switch hands alley-oop was reminiscent of Larry Bird’s famous move off of his own rebound in the 1981 Finals. Kobe Bryant and Stephon Marbury’s shootout was fantastic, as were Bryant and Kevin Garnett’s dunks. But what made the game a classic was the East’s remarkable comeback. Who would have thought that there would actually be some defense played in an NBA All-Star Game?

Conversely Frank Lickliter’s choke job in the Buick Open was painful to watch. After Phil Mickelson hit his drive out of bounds on the third playoff hole, all Lickliter needed to do was go three iron seven iron and three putt for a bogey and the win. Instead Lickliter went with his driver and joined Mickelson in the woods. Still, Lickliter had a 9 footer to win, but instead proceeded to three putt and lose.

So Mr. Lickliter, I take it you have met Mr. Norman and Mr. Hoch?

And how lucky was Mickelson when he again drove the ball into the trees, only to have it bounce into the relatively light rough?

The Vikings seem to have been completely devastated by their bitchslapping in the NFC championship game at the hands of the Giants. First there was crybaby Randy Moss, declaring he would win a Super Bowl someday but not with Minnesota. When Moss stops taking plays off, he can complain. Then there was John Randle, he of the simulating a dog urinating fame, demanding to be traded because the Vikings defense isn’t good enough. Hey John, you play defense, maybe you are a big part of the problem.

And then pretty boy Robert Smith retires at the ripe age of 28.

The Critic can only hope that after all these hideous developments Dennis Green does not resemble the cop in the original Diehard.

In Massachusetts, Governor Paul Cellucci will apparently leave the Bay State to become Ambassador to Canada. Cellucci only accepted the gig after he was convinced that there is no such position as Ambassador to Saratoga.

Cellucci’s replacement will be Monica Lewinsky lookalike Lieutenant Governor Jane Swift. If you believe G.W. Bush is unqualified for his gig, well, Monica makes W look like FDR.

So now Jennifer Lopez is calling herself Jlo? How about Nota, for No Talent?

Good to see O.J. back in the news again, wasn’t it?

By: Scott Shuster