Bad Losses

Maryland’s MSU Heartbreaker: Still Not Over It

On March 22, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

I just spent the morning responding to all those consoling e-mails and texts and Facebook notes people sent me in the wake of Maryland’s gut-wrenching buzzer beater loss to Michigan State. I just couldn’t find the desire to answer them yesterday. I know it’s only a game, but having your season end so short of the Sweet 16 — basically everyone’s benchmark for a successful season this year — and then saying good-bye to three valiant seniors who won’t get another chance, well, it’s just about as debilitating as a sports loss can be.

So yeah…it’s gonna take me more than one news cycle to get over this one.

And yet the news cycle doesn’t stop, and plenty of media types are taking this rather juicy opportunity to wax philosophical on What It All Meant. Kevin Cowherd said the team lost with honor because they didn’t give up and made a great comeback, etc. (I feel like it would have been even more honorable to not have waited to play well until you were sure it would give me a heart attack, but whatever.) ESPN’s Ted Miller said it would have been one of the greatest comebacks in NCAA tournament history. Thanks, Ted Miller. I agree.

This column from the Post’s Mike Wise, who has been writing good Terps stuff all year, posits that the drama-laden Greivis Vasquez era couldn’t have ended any other, less-dramatic way. I’ll only disagree with Mr. Wise in one specific area — that “all that stood between the winner of this game and the Elite Eight was Northern Iowa.” Technically true of course, but to be honest I didn’t see the Terps winning that one. Maybe it’s just a rationalization on my part to make myself feel less bad. And so what if it is?

At this point, it’s just whatever gets you through the day. Until you hurt a little less, and a little less. Then before you know it, it’s Midnight Madness again. Vasquez and Milbourne will be in the NBA (let me have this one!), Eric Hayes will have a position on a nice team in Spain or Israel, and Gary Williams will be saddled up again for another turn at the windmill. Can’t wait. Go Terps.

(Photo credit: The Baltimore Sun)

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That Was Gut-Wrenching

On March 21, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Maryland lost to Michigan State on a buzzer beater, 85-83. Just a terrible, gut-wrenching loss, and a miserable way to end a season and three great collegiate careers. We’ll have more on this later, of course. But for now I’m just going to wander aimlessly around my house.

(Photo credit: John McDonnell/The Washington Post)

Tagged with: Bad Losses • Basketball • March Madness • postseasons

A Maryland-Clemson Basketball Recap in Ten Easily Digestible Bullet Points

On February 1, 2010, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Ugggh. Must. Purge. Game. From. Body. Please pass the ipecac, leeches, portable sauna, and electroshock nodes. After Maryland lost to Clemson 62-53 in one of the sloppiest games in recent memory, I need a reset. To the points:

Maryland played excellent team defense on Trevor Booker (10 points on 2-16 shooting). Too bad, though, that the focus on Booker meant Jerai Grant was wide open and free to score a career-high 18 points, many of which came on dunks.
By and large, Maryland’s strategy of collapsing in the middle and making a Demontez Stitt-less Clemson team beat them from the perimeter was effective. After all, they did hold the Tigers to 62 points, including 22 percent shooting beyond the arc. It’s just unfortunate that Maryland only managed 53 points and 20 percent shooting from three. Kind of a slight problem there.
This was the sloppiest game of Maryland’s season. Twenty-six turnovers, 22 fouls. What’s the holdup on the ipecac?!?!
Clemson repeatedly — repeatedly — shredded Maryland’s press, which I suppose coach Williams decided to use because Stitt was out. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I do not like the press.
I have a question. What good is a “veteran presence” and “senior leadership” if it goes away in big spots? Landon Milbourne (3 points, 5 rebounds) gets something of a pass because he’s not really a natural post player and struggles against physical bigs like Booker and Grant. Eric Hayes (11 pts on 4-7 shooting, 2 assts, 5 turnovers, 4 fouls) and Mr. Greivis Vasquez (10 pts on 3-11 shooting, 2 assts, 3 rebs, 4 fouls, NINE turnovers) have no such excuse.
The That-Sums-It-All-Up Play of the game came at about the 14-minute mark in the second half. With Tanner Smith in his shorts (and credit where it’s due: Smith did a great job on Vasquez all evening), Vasquez tries a completely unnecessary behind-the-back dribble, which skitters off his foot and rolls toward the out-of-bounds line. Smith, who was hustling, dives toward the ball. Vasquez decides that simply falling on Smith is the best way to make something happen. Third personal foul.
Which brings me to today’s rant. There’s a good Vasquez and a bad Vasquez. A Gollum and a Smeagol, if you will. And last night we had a big-time Gollum sighting. Vasquez has had a great season, no question. And sure, a guy who gets 15 points, 5 boards, and 6 assists per game is valuable. But again, how valuable is it really if it evaporates when the pressure is on? When he wasn’t sitting on the bench with foul trouble, how many times last night did Vasquez drive into the lane, leap into the air, and lob a wrap-around pass out of bounds? How many times did he (and Hayes) dribble directly into the teeth of the Clemson press? Where was the Vasquez Shimmy last night? This all clearly had a trickle-down effect for his teammates; Adrian Bowie and Dino Gregory, in particular, were basket cases out there. Don’t you think they could have benefited from some of that Vasquez fearlessness? Or does that fearlessness only exist against the Miamis and Boston Colleges of the world? Bottom line: Vasquez has some decidedly A-Roddian tendencies. If Maryland is up 15, he’s raining threes and shimmying around like he’s in a Rihanna video. And don’t talk to me about North Carolina last year…great game, but they were the underdogs. Thus, no pressure. If Maryland is going to fulfill its potential, which is considerable, Vasquez needs to put the cape on and deliver when his team needs him the most. Isn’t that what being a senior leader and All-ACC candidate is all about?
Obviously, every game is important, and blah blah blah, but this one was a particularly good barometer for how this Maryland team will perform against legit opponents. Because of their tendency to get overwound in big games like this one, I believe there’s a ceiling on what this group can do.
Enough bad stuff. Hey, what about Jordan Williams? A career game for the ever-improving freshman. In addition to some outstanding defense on Booker, he got 13 points and 13 rebounds, including some authoritative finishes at the rim.
We’ll see if Maryland can get back on the horse this Thursday in Tallahassee against a Florida State team that would love to even the season series with the Terps.

Tagged with: Bad Losses • Basketball • Clemson • Eric Hayes • Jerai Grant • Jordan Williams • Landon Milbourne • Trevor Booker • Vasquez

Maryland loses to William and Mary. Also, AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

On December 31, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Scene: A nondescript dive in downtown Washington, D.C. Two guys sit at the bar, sipping glasses of beer.

Scott: What day is it? Friday?
Friend: Wednesday.
Scott: Huh. I really think it’s Friday.
Friend: Nope. Hey, how’s your blog going?
Scott: Kind of in a dead zone right now, but it’ll pick up again after the holidays when Ian and I are back from our vacations.
Friend: But doesn’t Maryland have a game tonight?
Scott: Nah, that’s not for another, like, three days.
Friend: (Pulls out iPhone) Nope. No, they played William and Mary tonight.
Scott: Oh, crap. That’s a serious trap game for us. They beat Wake Forest, you know.
Friend: Uh oh…wait. Hold on a sec.
Scott: What?
Friend: Uhhhh….
Scott: What is it? WHAT?!?! For baby Jesus’ sake, tell me!
Friend: (Shows iPhone screen. William and Mary 83, Maryland 77. Scott looks for the little “F” near the score, hoping not to find it. He finds it.)
Scott: no
Friend:   My condolences, man.
Scott:   So it begins. (Hand begins to shake.)
Friend: Come again?
Scott:   The cycle…it begins anew. (Beer glass shatters in Scott’s hand.) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friend: Dude, you should really have that vein on your forehead looked at. Seriously. That’s gonna rupture.
Scott:  SMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSHHHHH!!!!!!!!
(Rips clothes, goes on rampage.)

Now that I’m back to normal size, let me congratulate Maryland on this terrific, almost exquisite loss. Maryland swore it saw the trap game potential here. They lost anyway.

On the court, the Tribe followed the model that Cincinnati, Wisconsin, and others have previously executed with success. Continuing a major theme, in the first half the Tribe easily solved Maryland’s press, possibly because the press is easily solved. On the other side, W&M packed the lane and dared the Terps to shoot. The Terps obliged. Unfortunately, top shooters and senior leaders Vasquez and Eric Hayes each went 2-9 from three. Here’s what Coach Williams said after the game:

“We didn’t have the patience or the toughness to go inside with the basketball, so it turned into a shooting contest and they won.”

Doesn’t this kind of situation call for, what’s the word I’m looking for, coaching? Aw, shucks, looks like the guys aren’t up for pounding it inside tonight against freaking William and Mary. So let’s just start chucking instead. That game plan was kinda optional anyway.

This is where the Gary/Vasquez relationship is so vexing. It’s not all their fault – Jordan Williams, Dino Gregory, Adrian Bowie, Cliff Tucker, and Hayes were all non-factors. But those two are the clear leaders. They love each other — they have made that painfully, almost awkwardly clear. But Gary seems to treat Greivis like an overindulgent father whose kid runs wild through the neighborhood. Obviously, none of the players are comfortable asking Vasquez to stop going one on five. So they just watch or join in, letting bad decisions lead to more desperation to more bad decisions ad infinitum. The post-game player comments reflected that, being of the usual, Eeyoresque “I dunno what happened, we shoulda had more energy, mumble mumble mumble” variety. Fantastic.

I’m a long way from the Fire Gary camp. But where was all that great in-game coaching? Why do we need to be in mid-February with our backs against the wall before he becomes able to lead his team? Why do we keep having these letdowns? Why do we seem incapable of learning from our mistakes? What the fuck is wrong with this fucking team? SMAAAAAASSSSSSHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay, okay. I’m calm. But the sad fact is, this season looks like the same old tired story. They’re gonna start slow in the ACC. Florida State will be an ass-whoopin — mark that down. We’ll be left for dead. Then we’ll pull out just enough upsets to get on the bubble, with the ACC tournament deciding our final fate. We’ll probably make it and lose again in the second round. Can we just fast-forward to next season? I’ve seen this movie before.

Tagged with: Adrian Bowie • Bad Losses • Basketball • Cliff Tucker • Dino Gregory • Eric Hayes • Gary Williams • Jordan Williams • Vasquez

Final Thoughts on 2009 Maryland Football Season

On November 30, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

It sucked.

Tagged with: Bad Losses • Football • Ralph Friedgen

Maryland football team loses to Duke, hits rock bottom, sucks

On October 24, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

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I want to congratulate the Maryand football team, with every sarcastic fiber in my being, for losing to Duke 17-13 today. That’s the same Duke team that hasn’t made a bowl game since 1994. The same Duke team that, between the 1999 season and this very game, has gone 19-101. Seriously.

Not to go over the cliff too much, but I think it’s safe to say we’re currently the worst-performing team in the ACC.

There’s no single remedy for Maryland. We won the turnover battle 4-3 (yay, only three turnovers!) but couldn’t capitalize. Didn’t score a TD until late in the third quarter, and it was our only one. 67 total rush yards, 182 pass yards to Duke’s 23 and 371. At least we stopped their running game. Not that that was a “key to victory” or anything. It’s like saying we stopped a cat from barking.

Questionable coaching calls everywhere. Another too-little, too-late, stat-padding comeback attempt. The Terps actually ended this one themselves by coughing it up twice in the final five minutes. Torrey Smith caught a grand total of two balls for 13 yards. 38% third down conversion rate. What else do you need to know? Thanks to good old ESPN360, I didn’t actually watch the game. But judging by the various updates and discussion boards, that is a good thing. Thanks, ESPN360! I never thought your evil would pay dividends.

Oh, were you thinking Duke is up this year? Bzzzzt. No they’re not. They’re still Duke. Duke sucks. Fu*k Duke. If they make a bowl game then I’m Shirley Chisholm.

As for Maryland, I’m just searching for a phrase right now. What’s the phrase I’m looking for…noodle dicks? No, that’s too mean. I wouldn’t want to call these guys noodle dicks in a forum that is at least technically public. If I were to call them noodle dicks, which they are, that would be an insult to The Kids. You gotta respect The Kids. Especially the kind of kids that bench 250 and run 4.5 forties.

Oh, wait, I’ve got the phrase now. Losers.

It’s nice down here with us losers, isn’t it? Sometimes, they drop a bucket of fish heads on us. That’s when we party!

At 2-6, the absolute best-case scenario is a 6-6, .500 finish. Raise your hand if you think they can do that. If you have your hand raised, please keep it up while I come around and collect your wallets. After all, I have a bridge I need to sell you. I’m going to assume you’re interested and just take your money. Your raised arms enhance the convenience of my doing so.

The best thing we can do is just move on as a people. Loitering only contaminates the crime scene. Let’s do the decent American thing and just pretend the rest of the season isn’t happening. Deal? Deal.

Tagged with: Bad Losses • ESPN360 • Football • fu*k Duke • Ralph Friedgen • The Media • Torrey Smith

I accept the fact that the football team stinks

On October 13, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

After a long action- (but not so much sports) packed weekend, I finally got a chance to watch a DVR’d replay of the Terps game from Comcast SportsNet. This was another one on ESPN360, which as I’ve said before, will not be receiving a subscription from me regardless of my Internet carrier.

I’m not gonna go over the game in detail, because it happened a while ago and you know what happened. The defense gave up 516 yards and 42 points, and their susceptibility to big plays reared up again. You know how teams like to go to the run to set up the play-action pass for later in the game? That’s what Wake did to Maryland, only they set up the pass for the rest of their season. Oh, and the Terps lost Demetrius Hartsfield for at least three weeks. The offense was equally dismal before some meaningless (and shameless) stat-padding in garbage time.

As of this post, I am officially accepting that this football team is not going to be good this year. Sure, they might beat Virginia next week, but the default is still stuck in suck. Everyone wants to say “hey, the division is still wide open!!!” after any win, and so forth, but it’s not wide open. At least it’s not open to the Terps. They have UVA at home, they’re at Duke and N.C. State, then home for Va. Tech, at Florida State, and end at home against B.C. They’re 2-4 right now. What’s the best-case scenario? 5-6? 6-5? Blech. That’s not even EagleBank Bowl territory. It’s just a matter of seeing whether our final record is enough to make the deciders buy out Ralph Friedgen. That’s the real drama for the rest of the season.

Tagged with: Bad Losses • Demetrius Hartsfield • Football • Ralph Friedgen

After 1-3 start, time to move the goalposts

On September 27, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Let me just state the obvious. Forget about contending. Forget about a bowl game. Forget about respectability. After a 34-13 drubbing at home to Rutgers, maybe the Terps need some new, slightly more modest goals. How about mediocrity?

But before that, the game. At this point, it’s clear this is not a good team. I know, I know…this limb’s gonna snap!!! But seriously, their problems seem more intractable each week. Saying this team would be good “if they just stopped committing turnovers” is like saying the alcoholic would get better if he just stopped drinking; it’s obvious there are deeper demons after five more giveaways yesterday. Da’Rel Scott, for whatever reason, suddenly can’t hold on to the football. Chris Turner made some horrific decisions. And of course, there’s the pitiful O-line, which caused the almost comically awful play in the Terp end zone when Turner tried to throw it away to avoid a safety but instead just dribbled it onto the turf. Touchdown Rutgers.

The defense just plain sucks right now. Alex Wujciak, the unit’s leader, got 17 tackles and played well, but made no tackles for loss and forced no turnovers. That sums up the unit: they just don’t make plays. Just the opposite, in fact; they’re extraordinarily susceptible to big plays, as evidenced by Joe Martinek’s late TD runs of 29 and 61 yards to ice the game.

Torrey “Darrius Heyward-Bey” Smith continued his great but baffling play, finishing with 237 total yards but fading out of the offense in the second half. They’ve gotta get him the ball. I repeat: they have got to get him the ball. Don’t overthink it. Ride him into the ground.

I’ll stop there with the criticisms. Now, back to the goals. Since, for all intents and purposes, we’re playing for pride now, let’s do just that. Here’s a bold new goal: let’s try to not be the ACC’s worst team. The conference is weak. Duke and UVA should be Ws, right? Right? Bueller?

Final thought: it looks bleak, but I’m not taking up the torch and pitchfork yet. We’ve still got some eminently beatable teams on the schedule, and in the weak-as-my-grandmama ACC, much is possible. If the Terps, knowing they’re not gonna contend, can just keep their heads up and claw their way back to the pack, it won’t be a lost season. If nothing else, they’ve gotta beat Duke. It’s so important to have goals! Even if you have to change them all the time.

Tagged with: Bad Losses • Da'Rel Scott • Football • Ralph Friedgen • Torrey Smith

Middle Tennessee Freaking State Freaking Owns Freaking Maryland

On September 20, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Look at this photo. Look at it!

They beat us in their house last year. Now they’ve beaten us in our house this year. All this talk about revenge game, and this and that, and this is what happens. Another year, another group of Blue Raiders jubilant at Maryland’s expense. Gah. I’m gagging. Need air. I need to breathe!

Okay. Get a hold of yourself, man. Whew. So I should probably mention that I didn’t actually watch the game, mainly because it will be a cold wet day in Hades before I cough up any money to the Evil Sports Programming Network for ESPN360.com. They could put the Super Bowl on there and I still wouldn’t pony up. Fuck them. That’s right. Fuck you, ESPN. Fuck ESPN360.com. And fuck this fucked up ACC TV deal. You want my wallet, you pry it out of my dead hand.

Whoa. Okay. Breathe. I’m a little angry. The morning after and I’m still upset. I may be misdirecting a bit but I’m still salty with ESPN for doing this. Anyway, a bunch of us were getting updates from a friend via cellphone, and it looked like we had it in the bag. That is, until Middle Tennessee State drove the length of Byrd Stadium in the final moments to kick a game-winning field goal. Read that sentence again. Guess what the key play was on the drive. Cameron Chism – Nolan Carroll’s replacement — was burned for 35 yards. What was a team strength — secondary — is now a glaring weakness. Jamari McCulloch can’t come back fast enough.

Other problems: Poor tackling. Missed field goals. Turnovers, including one by backup QB Jamarr Robinson, who played a whopping three snaps but somehow managed to lose a fumble. Again, the lines were porous. And in general, the offense and defense don’t seem to be, what’s the word, functioning.

Bright spots: 287 all-purpose yards from Torrey Smith. To be fair, Chism had two interceptions. Chris Turner had 288, 2 TDs, 1 INT, although he was sacked four times. Travis Baltz had a 40.6 punting average. Rock solid!

Bottom line: Two consecutive losses to Middle Tennessee State = unacceptable. Period. Ralph Friedgen has a lot of work to do. Everyone says his job is safe because the assumption is he’s going to fulfill his contract (this season then two more) and then fade into the sunset. Fine. But right now, there’s a playing-out-the-string feel to all of this that can’t continue. Fridge seemed angry after the game. Good. I think the team can round into form during the ACC season, but it’s not gonna happen automatically. Get to work, guys. This is humiliating.

(Photo credit: AP photo/Murfreesboro Daily News Journal)

Tagged with: Bad Losses • Da'Rel Scott • ESPN • Football • Jamarr Robinson • Middle Tennessee State • Ralph Friedgen • The Media • Torrey Smith • Travis Baltz

Maryland doesn't need a new coach, they need an exorcist

On January 27, 2009, In Maryland sports, By Scott

Maryland coughed up a 16-point lead against BC tonight for yet another collapse. By my count, that’s three losses this year that came after they held a double-digit lead. Not to mention the Duke debacle.

I really feel for these guys. I’m no Vasquez apologist, but it wasn’t easy seeing him in tears on the sideline toward the end of the game. It’s not good when you’re genuinely concerned for your team’s mental well-being. And make no mistake, this season’s team has become a basket case. The real question now is, how does it compare to the great basket cases of recent memory? Have a look and judge for yourself. Fun times…and get well soon, guys. We kid because we love.

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WORLD SKATING

Is it just me, or does he look a little like Gary?

Tagged with: Bad Losses • Basketball • Gary Williams • Vasquez