For me, the memory of the NBA’s greatest season in recent history will always be marred by the drama surrounding the theft of Seattle’s basketball team.  And how the commissioner’s office stood by and did nothing about it.  And I’m not even a Sonics fan.  I can’t even imagine how they’re feeling.

For those who haven’t been following, let me offer this brief timeline to summarize:

Nov. 4, 1995: Sonics play their first game at KeyArena. NBA commissioner David Stern attends the game and says that KeyArena “is very special to me,” and that everyone in Seattle should be proud of the “beautiful building.”

2005-2006: The New Orleans Hornets, relocated by Hurricane Katrina, play half their home games in Oklahoma City, which develops a taste for NBA hoops.

July 18, 2006: Clay Bennett and a group of Oklahoma businessmen buy the Sonics from Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz for $350 million, pledging a “good-faith” effort to keep the team in Seattle.

April 2007: The state Legislature rejects the Sonics’ proposal to build a $500 million arena in Renton, paid for mostly with an extension of taxes currently paying off Safeco and Qwest fields. In response, Bennett threatens to relocate the Sonics.

August 2007: Sonics part-owner Aubrey McClendon confirms the suspicions of many Sonics fans when he tells an Oklahoma newspaper, “We didn’t buy the team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come here.” The NBA later fined McClendon $250,000 for the remark.

Sept. 10, 2007: The Seattle City Council votes 8-0 to strictly enforce the Sonics’ KeyArena lease, rejecting any early buyout.

Sept. 21, 2007: Sonics owners file for arbitration on KeyArena, seeking approval to pay a cash settlement instead of playing out the final two years on the team’s lease.

Sept. 24, 2007: Seattle files a lawsuit seeking to hold the Sonics to their KeyArena lease through 2010.

Nov. 2, 2007: Bennett announces he is seeking NBA permission to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City.

April 18, 2008: NBA approves the Sonics’ move to Oklahoma City.

June 16-26, 2008: U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman listens to testimony during a six-day bench trial to settle the issue of the Sonics’ lease.

July 2, 2008: The Sonics owners reach an agreement with the city, buying out the last two years of the lease at KeyArena for $45 million. The team will play in Oklahoma City next season.  The Sonics logo and team history are, for all intents and purposes, dead.

And that’s what it must feel like for Sonics fans this week.  The untimely death of a loved one feels like their soul has been stolen from you.  And the Sonics were soul of Seattle, the city’s first and most successul pro sports franchise.  This is the ugly side of sports as a big business.

Meanwhile, David Stern showed his true colors.  Merely a dozen years after calling Key Arena something “to be proud of”, he supported Clay Bennett holding the city hostage for a new arena, and granted him permission to leave when they didn’t pony up the cash.  Forget John Gotti, David Stern is the most successful mafia don of our time - with his arena extortion rackets and gambling referees it’s a wonder more people around him haven’t been whacked.

I’m ashamed of the league I love for treating its fans so poorly.  Who knows which team is going to be held hostage next?  It could be yours.

The NBA: Where dicking over a loyal fanbase happens.

Perennial powerhouse France was bounced unceremoniously in group play in this year’s Euro.  Which means French players like Thierry Henry, who thought they would be playing deep into the tournament, will have to find other things to do with their time.

Luckily for me and a few hundred other New Yorkers, Henry had dinner with Steve Nash last week, where Nash reportedly asked Henry to play in his upcoming charity soccer game.  And luckily for us, Henry said yes.

Nike Field in Sara D. Roosevelt Park is one of 15 soccer fields that Nike and FieldTurf have created in communities across the country to give pickup soccer players a place to play in urban areas.  On Wednesday, the park was host to a joint effort between Steve Nash’s foundation and Claudio Reyna’s foundation.  Billed as “The Showdown in Chinatown”, the match pitted superstars, from the worlds of both basketball and soccer, and even a couple of members of the media, in an 8-on-8 match. 

Nash and Reyna were joined by players who have represented the United States at the international level (Jozy Altidore and Gregg Berhalter), a handful of former and current players from the English Premier League and MLS (Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler and Salomon Kalou, Juan Pablo Angel) and a few current NBA players (Jason Kidd, Baron Davis, Leandro Barbosa, and Raja Bell).  And yes, your faithful correspondent was there, starstruck but still on the job.  A few thoughts:

• This is soccer in its purest form.  Two goals, one ball, no hands.  The beauty of the game is in its simplicity, and never have I ever seen it on display like this, with professional athletes playing like we played in our backyards as children.
• I guess they underestimated the kind of crowd they would draw.  Even though it was a weekday afternoon, throngs of fans showed up, some climbing fences and trees to get better views of the action.  And although some of the crowd were just rubberneckers joining the crowd just because there was a crowd, there were plenty of soccer diehards.  If they do this again, I’d love to see it in a bigger venue.  It’d also be great if I could get press credentials, hint hint.
• Thierry Henry is absolute poetry in motion.  We’ve watched him lead his teams to victory in the Champions League and the World Cup, so we know he’s good.  But seeing him perform his magic from such a short distance away is an experience in and of itself.  He orchestrated the Team Nash 9-4 victory, and included a healthy dose of showmanship by balancing the ball on his head, or firing in volleys from long distance.
• Steve Kerr must have been shitting bricks.  Three of the top 7 players on his roster were playing and exposing themselves to injury.
• Props to Baron Davis for keeping things light.  He brought his beard, his horn-rimmed glasses, and his jokes with him, since he had no prior experience playing soccer.  Unfortunately, his antics earned him two yellow cards that resulted in penalty kicks taken by Team Nash.
• I knew Nash plays regularly in the offseason, and Barbosa is Brazilian so it has to be in his DNA somewhere.  But the shocker to me and most of my crew in attendance was how well Jason Kidd played.  I know, I know, you’re thinking “Jesus, when is this SK guy going to get off J-Kidd’s nuts?”  But he managed to notch two assists on Team Reyna’s four goals, and I think it’s safe to say that nearly everyone was as pleasantly surprised as I was.
• Three words.  Hot sideline chicks.  I need to go to these charity things more often.
• I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that ESPN’s Marc Stein and NBA TV’s Simone Sandri not only managed to keep up with the professional athletes, they played pretty well.  Way to represent the weekend warriors, guys!

All in all, I got to watch world-class athletes play soccer up close for an hour before walking over to Chinatown and stuffing myself with dumplings.  For a random Wednesday evening, I don’t think it gets much better than that.  Want to see pics?

People found seats wherever they could:

Baron Davis, before the game:

From left to right, Raja Bell, Jason Kidd, Steve McManaman, Salomon Kalou, and Steve Nash:

Thierry Henry and Jason Kidd:

“Baseball is a nineteenth-century pastoral game.
Football is a twentieth-century technological struggle.

Baseball is played on a diamond, in a park.The baseball park!
Football is played on a gridiron, in a stadium, sometimes called Soldier Field or War Memorial Stadium.

Baseball begins in the spring, the season of new life.
Football begins in the fall, when everything’s dying.

In football you wear a helmet.
In baseball you wear a cap.

Football is concerned with downs - what down is it?
Baseball is concerned with ups - who’s up?

In football you receive a penalty.
In baseball you make an error.

In football the specialist comes in to kick.
In baseball the specialist comes in to relieve somebody.

Football has hitting, clipping, spearing, piling on, personal fouls, late hitting and unnecessary roughness.
Baseball has the sacrifice.

Football is played in any kind of weather: rain, snow, sleet, hail, fog…
In baseball, if it rains, we don’t go out to play.

Baseball has the seventh inning stretch.
Football has the two minute warning.

Baseball has no time limit: we don’t know when it’s gonna end - might have extra innings.
Football is rigidly timed, and it will end even if we’ve got to go to sudden death.

In baseball, during the game, in the stands, there’s kind of a picnic feeling; emotions may run high or low, but there’s not too much unpleasantness.
In football, during the game in the stands, you can be sure that at least twenty-seven times you’re capable of taking the life of a fellow human being.

And finally, the objectives of the two games are completely different:

In football the object is for the quarterback, also known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his receivers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy’s defensive line.

In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! - I hope I’ll be safe at home!”

The Celtics had always won titles with a “Big 3″.  So last offseason, GM Danny Ainge assembled a new Big 3.  The 2007-2008 incarnation blew through the regular season, winning 66 games.  But the final goal was the same as Russell, Heinsohn and Cousy, or Bird, McHale, and Parrish.  And Garnett, Pierce, and Allen did not disappoint. 

Not since the 1996 Chicago Bulls has the old adage has come to fruition with such vengeance - offense wins games, but defense wins championships.  Game 6 last night was the epitome of this.  Boston won because of its quick, swarming, and committed defense played by all five players on the court.  Not only did they out-rebound the Lakers 48-29, they forced 19 turnovers leading to 32 points.  The real key to playing defense in the NBA is desire - being quick to rotate on double teams, contest shots, and stop drives to the basket.  Tracy McGrady and Dywane Wade have both said that after facing the 2007-2008 incarnation of the Celtics, that it was the best defense they’ve ever played against.

Fitting that after a 21-year absence from basketball in June, that the matchup in The Finals would be against their old foil the Lakers, whom they’ve faced 11 times now.  This series had everything - Willis Reed moments from Paul Pierce and Ray Allen; a 24-point comeback in Game 4, and a near 24-point comeback in Game 5; Kobe playing for his first title without Shaq; KG, Pierce, and Allen playing for their first titles period; Phil Jackson coaching to pass Red Auerbach.  The clinching game was capped off by the first basketball court Gatorade bath I’ve ever seen, and KG screaming to the heavens before collapsing in tears.

So congrats to the Celtics.  I guess this means more gushing from Bill Simmons.  But that’s a small price to pay for the most entertaining NBA regular season, playoffs, and championship in recent memory.  If David Stern was in fact the one pulling the strings behind this all, then mission accomplished.

PS: Sorry for the hiatus, faithful readers… but I’m back, fully rested and better than ever.

Steroids?  Nope. 

Bloated salaries and ticket prices?  Not really.  After all, anyone that paid attention in Econ 101 will tell you that’s simple supply and demand. 

Roger Clemens hooking up with 15 year-old girls?  Yea, that bothers me, but I’m guessing (hoping) that pedophilia isn’t a league-wide issue.

No, what bothers me about baseball has deep roots in the history of our fair national pastime.

This week, Hall of Fame pitcher Goose Gossage told reporters that “There is no place in the game” for Joba Chamberlain’s expressive strikeout celebrations.  Apparently, what Joba does falls under the banner of “showing up your opponent”.

That’s what really bothers me about baseball.  This whole idea that you can’t “show up” your opponent by celebrating on the field.  No “slow trots” or jumping up and down when you hit a walk-off homerun, no fist-pumping after a strikeout.  High fives were only judged to be acceptable recently.  And if the opposing pitcher even feels like you’re “showing up” his team, then apparently the unwritten rule is that he can try to hit you with a pitch the next time you come to the plate.

So let me get this straight.  If I do something that’s judged to be “showing up” the other team, whether I mean to or not, then I run the risk of a 90 mph fastball colliding with my head?

What the hell?

I mean, you can be penalized for excessive celebration in football and basketball, but you don’t risk death.  And what would soccer be without its fist-pumping, arm-raising, shirt-ripping, grass-sliding goal celebrations?

So Joba drew attention again this week after he celebrated after striking out David Delucci of the Indians last Thursday.  Delucci later said that if he did something like that, it would be considered “bush league”.  Well, here’s a tip, David.  If you don’t want someone celebrating after they strike you out?  Don’t strike out.  And if a pitcher doesn’t want a hitter celebrating after they hit a homer?  Well, not giving up the home run is a good start.

I enjoy watching athletes bare all their emotions when they play.  After Lastings Milledge hit his first big league homerun for the Mets last year, he high-fived fans on his way out to right field.  I loved it - the kid was 22 and he hit a big league home run - put me in that situation and I’d do the same thing.  When KG dunks, hangs on the rim, and screams?  I get chills.  When Ray Lewis busts through the line for a sack and screams?  I think “Wow, that guy was arrested in a murder investigation.”  No, just kidding, I love it.  It pumps me up, and I’m not even a Ravens fan.

Now, some people may ask about those guys that hit a double and point to the sky when their team is already up by 10 runs, or the guy that does a sack dance even though his team is losing by 20.  Well yes, they look ridiculous.  But they sure as hell don’t deserve a fastball to the noggin.

Gossage needs to take a harder look at what he said.  It has “no place in the game”.  Well Goose, at the end of the day, that’s what it is - a game.  I see nothing wrong with showing emotion.  Baseball players and fans need to pull their heads out of their asses and embrace this instead of putting it down.

I’m definitely not the first to complain about this, and I’m not going to be the last.  But in no other sport is the national champion decided by a polls and a computer, rather than on the field.  It’s ridiculous and it needs to stop.  The athletes put their sweat and hard work into a season of football, leaving it all on the field and risking injury while only getting a college scholarship in return (in theory).  Meanwhile, some fat sportswriter sitting at a desk and a computer programmer are the ones who decide the champion.

Horseshit, horseshit, horseshit.

At the BCS meetings this week, the SEC’s Mike Silve proposed a “plus one” format to determine the national champion.  It called for the No. 1-seeded BCS team to play the No. 4-seeded team, and the No. 2 to play the No. 3 in a pair of semifinal games.  The two winners would play for the national championship.  You know, like a football version of the Final Four.

The other 10 conference commissioners shot down that proposal down quicker than Amy Winehouse downs shots.

If there is a logical reason behind wanting to keep this antiquated system, I have yet to hear it.  Everyone clings to the reason that “a playoff would cheapen the value of the regular season”.  So is the NFL regular season cheapened by a playoff?  Or the regular seasons in every other NCAA sport? 

And I have a hard time seeing the “value” of a game like Oklahoma pounding North Texas 79-10 or Texas Tech beating Northwestern State 75-7.  Having a playoff system would not cheapen the regular season as much as these teams running up the score trying to gain a larger point differential.

But no matter how much I complain, we’re stuck with the BCS until 2014.  So I’m done with college football until then.  Pardon me if I take the money I would normally spend on the office College Bowl pool and use it on something else.

Like downing shots.  Move over, Amy!

Photograph: Martin Godwin

• Tim Duncan’s improbable 3-pointer will be one of those plays where you say “I remember where I was when…”  Holy shit.  Not only did it effectively win the Spurs the game, it could have broken the Suns back for the entire series IN GAME ONE.   It also could put Steve Kerr’s GM job in jeopardy for gambling on Shaq.  It may be one of those backbreaking moments that puts a franchise in a tailspin that could take years to recover from.  Think the Mavs collapsing in the first round last year, or Dan Marino’s “fake spike” on the Jets.  Actually, now that I think about it, a list like this warrants it’s own post.  Look for that soon.
• Too much is being made of the Josh Howard marijuana admission.  And I’m not just saying that as a Mavs fan.  Look, if you’re naive enough to think that NBA players don’t partake in a little weed during the offseason, then I have some mortgage-backed securities I’d like to sell you.
• Philadelphia taking it to the Pistons.  Wow.  Who saw that coming?
• If the NBA really wants NBA TV to succeed, they’ll take a page out of the NFL’s book and put better playoff games on there than the Orlando-Toronto series.  The whole reason there’s such a huge demand for the NFL Network is because the NFL has the testicles to put a late season Green Bay at Dallas matchup on it’s own network.  Yeah it pisses people off, but it’s increased the demand and virtually ensured that the NFL Network will succeed.
• Here it is if you were looking for it: Kobe jumping the Aston Martin.  After a freeze-frame analysis it looks like the Aston Martin is driving slightly to Kobe’s right.  So he’s not dumb enough to risk his career and his life pulling a stunt like that.  But he still jumps high enough to clear the car.  And for the record, I still think he’s a douche and definitely not my favorite guy in the world.  But that clip is still cool, real or not.

• Commissioner Goodell and Matt Walsh have agreed to terms so that Walsh can finally show us any “damaging” evidence he has against Bill Bellichick and the Patriots regarding Spygate.  They’ll be meeting on May 13th.  Which is fine, and hopefully this thing comes to a resolution one way or another.  Either Bellichick gets suspended for cheating or he doesn’t.  Either way, I hope that the Arlen Specter decides to butt out, but I have a feeling he won’t.  Eagles fans never know when to shut up.

• The forecast for Dallas today is rain.  The second trade longest negotiation involving a Dallas team concluded today, as a deal was completed to bring Pacman Jones and his meteorogical skills to the Cowboys.  Dallas gives up a fourth rounder, and based on playing time the Titans could get another pick next year.   If Pacman isn’t reinstated, the Cowboys get the Titans fourth rounder next year.  Typical Jerry Jones low risk-high upside move for a player of questionable character.  Lets just hope that the ample number of er, “gentlemens establishments” in the Dallas/Fort Worth area doesn’t hamper Pacman’s ability to deliver on the field.

KG.  CP3.  KB24.  LBJ.  We really love to acronymize our athletes.  But only one acronym matters for the purpose of this article: MVP.

So who wins it?  All four have had seasons worthy of the award, and would have run away with it in any other year.  It’s fitting that the most exciting finish in the Association’s recent memory should yield one of the most exciting MVP races.  The last one I remember being this close was in the early 90’s, when Jordan, Barkley, and Olajuwon were all in their prime.  So how am I determining my (imaginary) vote?

LeBron James averaged 30 points per game, 7.9 rebounds and 7.2 assists.  The Cavaliers are a lottery-bound team without him, but with him they’re the 4 seed in the East.  And he’s just 24.  In fact, he sat out a couple games last week because of back pains because HE’S STILL GROWING!  He’s going to dominate this league for years to come, but he’s not winning MVP this year.

Kobe Bryant?  This year he averaged 28.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists.  Statistically, that’s actually a worse season than the past two, when he also singlehandedly led an otherwise lottery-bound team to the playoffs.  And yet he never got higher than fourth in MVP balloting in either of the past two years.  Kobe suffers from Barry Bonds syndrome.  To the voters, his accomplishments on the court are diminished by the fact that he’s a drama queen primadonna, an asshole to his teammates and the media, and an accused rapist.  The voters won’t forget that before the season, he wanted to be traded from this team he “led” to the #1 seed in the West.  So he’s not winning it.

Chris Paul had a season for the ages for a point guard.  In fact, at 21.1 points and 11.6 assists, he’s had a better season than Steve Nash the both times that Nash won the award.  He’s been called the savior of basketball in New Orleans, leading the Hornets from 39 wins a year ago to 56 wins this year.  He turned David West into an All-Star and helped turn Byron Scott into a Coach of the Year candidate.  The fans love him, his teammates love him, and the media loves him.  I wouldn’t be surpised if Paul does win MVP this year.  But he doesn’t get my (imaginary) vote.

No, my (imaginary) vote goes to Kevin Garnett.  At 18.8 points and 9.2 rebounds, he’s had a decent year.  But his stats aren’t the reason.  First, he satisfies the whole “best player on the best team” argument.  And the Celtics just haven’t been winning, they’ve been steamrolling through the regular season this year, winning by an average of 10.2 points per game.  Second, and most importantly, the Celtics went from 24 wins to 66 in one year.  And some may argue that it’s not all him, and that he plays with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.  Now, Pierce was already there (on the 24-win team) but I would argue that the whole reason other veteran free agents  wanted to play in Boston in the first place was because of KG.  So just like back in 2004, I’m saying that Garnett hoists the MVP trophy.

My (imaginary) votes for the other NBA awards:

Rookie: Kevin Durant

Coach: Byron Scott

6th Man: Manu Ginobili

Most Improved: Hedo Turkoglu

Defensive Player: Marcus Camby

The 2008 Olympic Torch relay began inconspicuously enough.  The torch was lit in Olympia, Greece, as always, and went to Beijing, China on March 31st to begin its five month journey around the world and back.  And that’s when the madness began.

Ever since they were awarded the Olympics, China has been planning on using them as an economic and political springboard.  When I was in China in 2002, workers were starting to lay down the stadiums and infrastructure that will be on display this year.  The longest torch relay in history, scaling the Himalayas at one point and retracing the silk road, will be followed by the grandest Opening Ceremony in history, with the largest contingent of foreign dignitaries ever invited to such a ceremony.  The plan is to make it a coming out party for China, and to do it in a big way.

Unfortunately for this year’s host, the global reaction to many of the Chinese government’s policies are going to turn this debutante’s ball into a disaster.  The torch has been attacked by fire extinguishers in London, was moved on to a bus in Paris, and met with protesters on the Golden Gate Bridge.  And lord knows what will happen on Thursday when the torch goes through the streets of New Delhi, where over 100,000 ethnic Tibetans live.

Personally, I don’t know how they didn’t see this coming.  It’s not like China has endeared itself to anyone with it’s support of the Sudanese government, with its occupation and oppression of Tibet, and with it’s blatant disregard for the environment.  But the protesters are calling on the dignitaries to boycott the opening ceremonies, or on their entire national teams to boycott the entire olympics.  Well, I’m calling horseshit on two fronts here.

First off, after the majority of people out there are done protesting the torch and calling for a boycott of the Olympics, they’ll go home to appliances and clothing made in China.  If you really want to make a statement?  Call for a boycott of those TV’s that they’re selling for half price at Wal-Mart.  Of course, that will never happen because the dollar is so weak now that trade with China is basically propping up the US economy after the double whammy of high oil prices and the subprime lending fiasco.

But second, and more importantly, how much of a statement does a full boycott of the Olympics actually make?  The US boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, and the Warsaw Pact countries returned the favor when Los Angeles hosted the games in 1984.  The only thing that did?  It made it easier for the host country to win medals.  That’s it.  The 1984 Olympics bring to my mind the sheer dominance of Michael Jordan, Carl Lewis, and Mary Lou Retton.  Would they have been so dominant against a full field of competition?  Well, raising that question is the only thing a full boycott of the Olympics ever accomplished.

Not only is the Chinese government cracking down on vocal protests and demonstrations under the overarching banner of “security”, it is also enforcing a dress code for spectators.  A “no politically inappropriate clothing” policy is forcing some activists to call for protesters to wear orange.  

But someone besides the Dalai Lama does have to say something.  So it falls upon the athletes to make a real statement.  And fortunately, the Olympics provides a global stage to make a statement with magnitude.  Think Jesse Owens crushing Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy in 1936.  Or Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their fists in the black power salute in 1968.  These political statements were made by athletes who competed and won.  A full boycott of the Olympics will never accomplish what these men have etched into our collective consciousness by competing, winning, and then saying what they had to say.

So if any members of the US Olympic Team are reading this, I propose an anti-boycott.  Everyone participates in their events and competes to their full abilities.  Win a medal, get up on the podium and THEN make your statement.  Wave a miniature Tibetan flag.  Or rip off your warm-ups to reveal a “Free Tibet” t-shirt, a la Axl Rose back in the day.  There isn’t any free speech in China, but when you medal, you’ll have the time it takes to play your national anthem to make whatever statement you want.

It would be the perfect time to show the Chinese government that not only can the Olympic flame light the way across the world, but it can burn them as well.

First off, congrats to the KU Jayhawks for their improbable victory last night.  The game was close, but Memphis still appeared to have it in hand throughout the night.  This sports fan actually contemplated going to bed with about 5 minutes left in the game, because it actually wasn’t all that exciting until the last two minutes.  Of course, that was when the entire Memphis team, up by nine points, decided to simultaneously choke from the free throw line.  And then that, of course, was followed by Mario Chalmers and his ginormous testicles of steel coming through and hitting that ridiculous 3-pointer at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime.

The first Kansas title in 20 years also marked the first time in the history of the 64-team bracket that all 4 regional #1 seeds made it to the Final Four.  Stephen Curry and Davidson almost made it interesting, but this year there were no major upsets to be had in the Sweet 16.  And in our little experiment, Hasan H walked away the victor, even though all he did was pick the higher seed in each matchup.  Hey H-Dub, congratulations.  You’re what I’d like to call a loathsome, front-running tool. 

Luckily, none of us actually put money in this pool.

So as the college hoops season has come to a close, it’s now time to put the brackets and highlighters away until next year.  After the initial madness of the Monday after Selection Sunday, photocopiers and printers in offices across the country have gone back to their normal workloads.  And so will we. 

We’ll definitely run an expanded and more intricate version of this experiment again next year.  Will H-Dub repeat?  Will Kansas repeat?  Will Bill Self leave for his alma mater just like Roy Williams did?  We’ll have to wait until March of 2009 to figure out the answer to those questions.