Could Murray State be this year's Butler?

In each of the last four years, at least two teams have made the Sweet 16 that aren’t from one of the “Power 6″ conferences (SEC, ACC, Big East, Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-12).

This year, there are a slew of programs that have a chance to keep that streak going. In all honesty, there are almost a dozen schools that I could see in the Sweet 16 as Mid-Majors in March, but I’m not going to bore you with 1,500 words covering all of those teams.

More: This week’s ACC Power Rankings

So to get you educated on the smaller schools that may make a big splash, here are the five teams that I’m giving the best chance to make a run in the NCAA Tournament, as it stands right now.

No. 11 Murray State Racers (20-0, 8-0 Ohio Valley)

With just eight games left in their regular season, the Racers have a very good chance to enter the NCAA Tournament undefeated. They are the only team left in the country without a loss, and in my opinion, that has a lot to do with the makeup of their team. Of their nine-player rotation, they have just one freshman — bucking the trend of the one-and-done players that come to college for just one season and move on. Murray State is walking proof that a team that sticks together for several years can still be very good. They could be seeded as high as No. 4 or No. 5 if they win out, and that would allow them to do some damage in the Big Dance.

No. 13 San Diego State Aztecs (18-2, 4-0 Mountain West)

There’s nothing wrong with the season the Aztecs are having. Their only losses of the season came at No. 12 Baylor and to No. 22 Creighton, who you’ll be reading more about shortly. They beat California, Arizona and UNLV (who you’ll read more about shortly), and all three held rankings at the time they lost to San Diego State. Led by head coach Steve Fisher who led Michigan’s Fab Five in the early 1990s, they have the leadership to make it through a postseason tournament with a couple of wins.

No. 15 Creighton Blue Jays (19-2, 9-1 Missouri Valley)

Creighton may be the best team on this list, as they are tied atop the MVC with Wichita State (who you’ll hear more about shortly). The Blue Jays are led by sophomore Doug McDermott (23.5 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game), and they have a long list of impressive victories. They’ve beaten Tulsa by 19 points, Northwestern and Wichita State, and their losses to St Joseph’s and Missouri State aren’t bad losses. They’ll get another shot at Wichita State Feb. 11, and that could tell us more about both teams.

Wichita State Shockers (18-3, 9-1 Missouri Valley)

The aforementioned Shockers were called “the best Mid-Major in the nation” by Jay Bilas on College Gameday this morning. And as he says, real recognize real. So who are we to doubt Wichita State? The Shockers only have three losses — one to previously mentioned Creighton, one to No. 15 Alabama and one to Temple. Those are all strong teams, so no problems there. And their wins over No. 20 UNLV, Tulsa and Pac-12 leader Colorado prove they can beat good teams in March. Look out for WSU, because Mr. Bilas may know what he’s talking about.

No. 12 UNLV Rebels (19-3, 3-1 Mountain West)

UNLV’s three losses — Wichita State, San Diego State and No. 16 Wisconsin. Their big wins — No. 19 Illinois and No. 1 North Carolina. I think that will get them some respect, don’t you? They’ll get another shot at San Diego State on Feb. 11, this time at home. If sophomore forward Mike Moser (14.2 points per game, 11.7 rebounds per game) can have a great game, they can get another key victory and have plenty of confidence going into the tourney.

Did I miss anyone? Leave me a comment and let me know who I snubbed!

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One of this week’s biggest stories in the world of sports was that Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano departed for Tampa Bay to coach the Buccaneers. This seems like an everyday coaching change, but if you peel back the layers, it’s really not.

Here’s what I mean — Schiano was changing Rutgers Football. He was pulling in the best recruiting class of his tenure in New Jersey, and expectations were being raised. Keep in mind that this was a program that was widely regarded as one of the worst (if not the worst) in major college football.

More: Schiano’s great idea (in June) to improve college football

But I can see both sides of the argument, so I’m going to present both sides and let you decide if Schiano’s departure to the NFL was done the right or wrong way. And please weigh in below in the comments after you’ve read both sides, because I’d love to know where you stand on this issue!

Yes, Greg Schiano screwed Rutgers over

Look at the calendar. It’s less than a week before Signing Day. The Penn State scandal allowed Schiano to go into Pennsylvania and take several great recruits from right under the Nittany Lions’ noses. He’s putting together the best class since he took the job at Rutgers, and while high-school players’ ratings don’t mean everything, it sure helps to know you have a lot of talent joining the program.

Schiano had that, but then he vanished in the middle of the night. How did the coaches know he was gone? He didn’t show up for a key recruiting visit. How did the players know he was gone? They turned on Sportscenter and found out.

That’s shady.

Coaches should be allowed to leave any job for a better opportunity. But when you do it like this, it can ruin the program. There is no worse time to lose your head coach than right before Signing Day, because the recruits will jump ship. Think about it — if you were a kid who had several good options, would you roll with the program who just lost its leader? I didn’t think you would.

The most ironic thing is that these kids are crucified when they de-commit from a school. They’re called cowards, quitters and traitors, but what happens when a coach has a change of heart in the middle of the night and bolts? People understand, because he has to get his money.

That’s crap.

Schiano bailed on these kids, the fans and even his fellow coaches that he brought in to build the program. Now, none of the above have anything. But Schiano has his millions, so I guess it’s all fine and dandy with him.

No, Greg Schiano didn’t screw Rutgers over

Look, Schiano is a man with bigger goals than coaching Rutgers Football, and just because he didn’t leave them for the vacant Miami head coaching job last year didn’t mean he was the RU head coach for the rest of his career. He seems like he’s always wanted the NFL, so why shouldn’t he go get that job in Tampa?

Not once did he win the Big East during his stint in Piscataway, so maybe he reached the ceiling of his potential at Rutgers. Maybe, with their limited resources and Big East status, Schiano built the winningest team he could. Why should he turn down millions to continue 7-5 seasons in New Jersey? If he’s really a coach on the rise, why not go get that job when it’s offered to you?

And what does Schiano owe those recruits? They waver on what school they want to attend with the changing of the wind, so why should a coach make a life-changing decision to stay with them when they might not even stay with him? Again — go get the money when it’s offered.

What do you think about Schiano’s decision? Leave me a comment below!

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Maybe I don't have this venue to deliver my speech, but BreslinSports.com is the next-best thing!

With President Obama delivering the annual State of the Union address last night, I figured this would be the best time to deliver my Sports State of the Union. I am going to be strict on the state of sports in 2012, so if it isn’t all good news and high-fives, you’ll have to excuse me. And if you disagree with anything I say, leave me a note and tell me why.

Here we go … there better be a standing ovation at the end of each of my points.

The State of the Sports Union is not very strong. We live in a country that is absolutely infatuated with sports, and seemingly everyone — man or woman, child or adult — has at least one team that they support, no matter what. Yet it seems every time I turn on my television, there is a sporting event being played in a half-empty stadium.

Major League Baseball, once the nation’s pastime, seems to be more of a punchline during the long, hot summers. The Florida Marlins play in front of less than 10,000 fans on a regular basis, and only the most die-hard baseball cities regularly sell out their games. Either the stadiums are too big or tickets are too expensive these days. Or maybe there’s too many games. Whatever the reason, it’s sad to see empty baseball stadiums.

College football is marred with scandal these days. Let’s not mention the Jerry Sandusky issues, because that was not directly related to college football even though it was a football coach and the allegations occurred in a locker room. I’m talking about the dirtiness of the sport these days — multiple programs are under investigation or are currently being punished for improper benefits or other rules being broken. The NCAA has no idea how they’ll clean up the problems, but there’s always the option of paying the players. And don’t even get me started on the problem of schools jumping from conference to conference.

College basketball isn’t much better. The scandals don’t seem to be as rampant, but the sport is slowly being destroyed by players being forced to come to college for one year before they can declare for the NBA Draft. All these one-and-dones are killing the image of a team building toward something after years of jelling. Instead, the best teams seem to be reloading every year because they have to. Imagine if players like LeBron James and Derrick Rose had to attend college for four years? NCAA Basketball would be so great.

The NBA is a race to establish four or five “super teams.” Every superstar seems to have some grand plan to team up with one or two other superstars in a major media market to win a championship the easy way. It worked with Kobe and Shaq in the 2000s. It hasn’t worked yet for the Miami Heat, but I’m sure it will. You have Chris Paul and Blake Griffin with the L.A. Clippers. Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony with the Knicks. Will Dwight Howard be joining any of those duos? Who cares! Meanwhile, you have about 18 franchises playing in front of virtually nobody, because they know they have no chance at landing one of these superstars or winning anything worthwhile. Wasn’t the lockout supposed to put a stop to that? Who knows.

American soccer is on the rise, but until USA Soccer makes a move in a World Cup, I fear there won’t be much attention from the American sports fan. Hockey is still in trouble, except for the traditional hockey towns. American tennis is also not looking great. Just look at how few Americans are left in the Australian Open — this country needs a star that’s more like Pete Sampras and less like the whiny Serena Williams, who threatens umpires and line judges, sometimes with violence. What a role model for the young boys and girls of the nation.

OK, I saved the best for last — the NFL. There’s little doubt about what sport is king in America these days; all you have to do is look at nearly all of the jam-packed stadiums on Sundays to know that pro football is this nation’s passion in 2012. Even after a long lockout over the summer, the fans all came back to the NFL immediately. And why wouldn’t they? It’s the best sport on the planet.

These are our sports leagues. Clearly, some of them need to step their game up.

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That $214 million is enough to make anyone smile!

The Detroit Tigers have ended the Prince Fielder sweepstakes, signing the first baseman to a nine-year, $214 million deal Tuesday afternoon. There were multiple reports in past weeks as to where he would end up and which team was the front-runner for Fielder’s services.

I hadn’t heard the Detroit Tigers mentioned once.

But in the end, all that matters is which team lands the All-Star. It doesn’t matter that the Washington Nationals were in the market for his services. Or the Texas Rangers. Or the Seattle Mariners. The Tigers won, and Fielder is bound for Motown.

The most intriguing part of this deal to me is the fact that Prince is off to the franchise that was a home for so many years to his estranged father, Cecil. From 1990-1996, Cecil was a big star in Detroit, and he never had a longer stint with any franchise in his 14-year career. It’s going to be weird to see a “Fielder” jersey again in the Detroit dugout.

Here's Prince Fielder in 1993, in front of his dad's locker at the 1993 All-Star game: http://t.co/r9et9iel

—
Andy Gray (@si_vault) January 24, 2012

Apparently Cecil is shocked his son signed with the Tigers as well, telling MLB Radio on SiriusXM he was surprised, but confident Prince would be very comfortable in his new surroundings.

This deal is also interesting in that the Tigers already have a very, very good first baseman — Miguel Cabrera. Since losing designated hitter Victor Martinez to a torn ACL last Tuesday, maybe Detroit felt they needed to make a move to get someone who can replace Cabrera at first base when he moves to DH. I can’t imagine they were in the Fielder sweepstakes when Martinez was healthy, because there wouldn’t have been a starting spot for everyone.

Fielder is just 27 years old, and he will bring 230 career home runs with him to a lineup that is quite strong already. He has batted .282 in his 998-game career and he’s notched 656 RBIs in that span.

Last season, he played all 162 games, batting .299 with 38 home runs and 120 RBI. The scary thought is that he may get better in the American League if he and Cabrera are switched between first base and designated hitter.

In my opinion, this is the best news possible for Braves fans. One of the most dangerous power hitters in the National League is no longer in the league. Even better, he won’t be playing for a team in our division any time soon, after hearing for weeks that he may be playing for the Nationals in 2012.

Hopefully, the investment pays off for Detroit. They usually nail it with their investments.

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Duke may have stumbled against Florida State, but they're still near the top of my power rankings

We’ve made it deep into the college basketball season, and it’s time to start looking at this year’s contenders and pretenders in the Atlantic Coast Conference. This is nearly as deep a conference as it used to be, but there are still a few good teams at the top and a few teams that may get into the NCAA Tournament in the middle. So let’s take a look at where each team ranks in the ACC.

1. North Carolina Tar Heels

Did they lose to Florida State by 33? Yes. Should they be held accountable for that? Yes. But does it mean everything? Of course not. The Tar Heels have beaten their other three ACC opponents easily, and they have quality wins over Michigan State and No. 7 Wisconsin. We’ll see where they stand after Thursday’s game against NC State.

2. Duke Blue Devils

I don’t think Duke is far behind UNC in my rankings, but they’ve left some things to be desired. For one, they’ve only played four true road games, and they’ve lost two of those games. A road game against Maryland Wednesday will tell us more about the Blue Devils, and even though they lost to Florida State on Saturday, I have to be objective here.

3. Florida State Seminoles

Florida State has played the best 8-day stretch of games of any team in the country this year. Beating No. 3 UNC and No. 4 Duke (and Maryland in between) isn’t something that should ever be overlooked, even if it’s a Kentucky or an Ohio State that does it. But that was still only eight days, and I need to see more before I do something as bold as declaring FSU to be a better team than Duke or UNC. They’re on the right track, though — ACC Players of the Week two weeks in a row (Deividas Dulkys and Michael Snaer) isn’t a bad start.

Pretty stunned that FSU is unranked in this week's Coaches' Poll. No. 23 Louisville has lost 5 of 8. Best win in that span was St. John's...

—
Josh Parcell (@JoshParcell) January 23, 2012

4. Virginia Cavaliers

Virginia could be legit. But I watched a little bit of their game against Virginia Tech last night, and the Cavs lost 47-45 at home to the Hokies. After that, I’m not going to give them a shining recommendation for the top three of my power rankings. It was just one game, and UVA looks like they’re building something, but they’ve lost two of their last three games after winning 12 games in a row.

5. NC State Wolfpack

NC State has won three consecutive games and nine of their last 10. Mark Gottfried’s system seems to be taking shape in his first season as head coach, but this is going to be a team that is squarely on the bubble for the rest of the season. Their ugliest loss was an 82-71 defeat at the hands of Georgia Tech, but they need a good win to have a shot at making the Big Dance. Games against UNC and Virginia this week will be very tough tests, but two good opportunities to get a quality win.

6. Maryland Terrapins

Maryland is a weird team. You’d think they’d be a little better than they are — six losses so far, including three in their last five games. They don’t do anything particularly well, and they rank near the bottom in assists per game (10.8 per game is worse than 307 teams). They play Virginia, UNC and Duke twice each the rest of the way, so they have the ability to make moves. But based on what I’ve seen so far this year, the chance to pull off multiple upsets seems unlikely.

7. Virginia Tech Hokies

The Hokies started ACC play with four consecutive losses before beating Virginia Sunday night. That win over the Cavs may be the only reason why I have them ranked so high. Head coach Seth Greenberg appears to be on the hot seat again, even though I’m not sure he could do much better with the resources he’s been given.

8. Clemson Tigers

Clemson’s schedule isn’t very tough the rest of the way. They got their one game against Duke out of the way, have two games against Virginia left, a game at UNC (where they haven’t won in like 50 years) and a season-finale at Florida State. At 2-3 in the ACC, I don’t think they’re going to make any moves, but they could reasonably win 18 or 19 games this season.

9. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Wake is that school that is going to pull off a crazy upset at some point this season. They seem like that kind of team, don’t they? FSU fans are hoping that won’t be happening Wednesday night in Tallahassee.

10. Miami Hurricanes

Miami actually impressed me a little in their 78-73 loss to NC State on Sunday. They were getting abused on their home floor, but they fought back and had a shot to finish the comeback toward the end of the game. They lost, but for a team whose biggest win was Rutgers, they showed guts.

11. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech has a couple of decent pieces. But let’s face it, they’ve lost three games in a row and seven of their last eight. The Yellow Jackets are about as powerful as a butterfly right about now.

12. Boston College Eagles

BC is just straight-up awful. I don’t know how to explain their wins over Clemson and Virginia Tech. That’s how bad they are.

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Even Austin Rivers can't believe the incredible turnaround of FSU Basketball

Two weeks ago, I was clinging to hope.

Storming out of Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum, I was completely baffled by what I saw on the court as Florida State was handed a horrific loss. They lost a game to Princeton days before that, and in that game, they played what was statistically the worst first half in program history.

I had no idea what to think, but I thought back to last year when the Seminoles lost an inexplicable game at Auburn. They had been ruled out before, and I hoped this season would turn around as quickly as it did last year.

You know the story after that — close win at Virginia Tech, 33-point blowout against No. 3 UNC, then big win against Maryland.

But they couldn’t possibly beat No. 4 Duke and end the Blue Devils’ 45-game home winning streak.

Well, they did the unthinkable.

Again.

#Duke falls to #Florida State...1st home loss by Blue Devils to unranked opponent since 2007...vs Florida State.

—
ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 22, 2012

Two years ago, I went with some buddies to an FSU-Duke game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, right in the middle of that 45-game streak. There’s just a certain arrogance that permeates that building, and it’s not necessarily their fault. They go to every game expecting to see their team win easily.

Wouldn’t you?

Nonetheless, I hope you’ll excuse me if I find an excess amount of pleasure from the video below. I saw, firsthand, the Dukies’ expectations that their team would win, so I imagine those students had a cold night in their tents last night.

RT @_TomBlock: Just found this on YouTube. Home video from inside Cameron of the Snaer shot. Must see TV. youtube.com/watch?v=u2VX4a…

—
Rick J (@RickJones64) January 22, 2012

I did the math this morning — Duke has lost to 24 different schools since I started as an undergrad at FSU in 2005. Of those programs, UNC has beaten Duke seven times in that span. Florida State is second with four wins.

Florida. State.

My only regret was that I’ve only seen one of those four wins in person. I love watching it on tv, but there is nothing like being there to see it go down.

I’ve seen us lose to Duke four times in person, but that one time I saw us knock them off made it all worth it.

FSU is 2-2 in their last 4 visits to Cameron Indoor Stadium. The rest of the basketball playing world is 0-43 in that span. #chewonthatabit

—
Eric Luallen (@EricLuallen) January 22, 2012

But this isn’t about me … I’m just along for the ride. Every time FSU wins one of these games, I see someone on tv celebrating that absolutely deserves it. Whether it’s a random fan behind the bench that I’ve seen on road trips or a good friend of mine who was fortunate to make the trip and see the win in person when I couldn’t go or a player that has had ups and downs and finally gets to celebrate — that’s who these wins are about. And it’s the reason why I love this program, even when so many people jump off the ship when it seems hopeless to be aboard.

Don’t doubt them, folks.

I’m happy for Leonard Hamilton and Company, who went into Cameron Indoor Stadium and did exactly what they set out to do.

Can the NCAA Tournament start tomorrow?

#FSUsystem > #kobesystem

—
Shane Foster (@shanecfoster) January 22, 2012

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That was Dec. 10, 2011. No. 8 Xavier stomped cross-town rival Cincinnati 76-53, and bad blood came out. A massive fight erupted, and the Bearcats looked awful — on and off the court.

At that time, Cincy was just 5-3 early in the year with bad losses to Presbyterian and Marshall (not basketball schools, as you guessed). They never showed up for their game against Xavier; they only showed up for the fight.

More: Can Florida State beat Duke today?

Usually, the team that loses a game and goes down fighting doesn’t come back. It’s normally a sign that the wheels have fallen off the bus and the program is in shambles.

That wasn’t the case for Cincinnati.

Mick Cronin has Cincinnati near the top of the Big East

After that blowout, Cincinnati rolled off seven consecutive wins, starting 2-0 in their Big East schedule. They beat Oklahoma, Pittsburgh (ranked No. 22 at the time) and Notre Dame, one after another.

They’ve won 10 of the 11 games since the brawl. Their only loss was to St. John’s on Jan. 7, a two-point loss against a more than capable team. After that loss, they beat No. 11 Georgetown on the road, Villanova at home and No. 11 Connecticut on the road.

Not bad for a team that seemed down and out.

At 5-1 in Big East play, the Bearcats are just a game and a half behind the top-ranked team in the nation, Syracuse. Nobody else in the Big East is above them in the standings. Today, they have West Virginia in another tough road test. After that, they host No. 1 Syracuse on Monday.

All the credit in this situation has to go to Cincinnati head coach Mick Cronin. I’ve always been a fan of his; I think he is a solid coach who is doing the most he can with a program that is no longer in its hey days.

After the Xavier brawl, he said all the right things. His postgame press conference was firm and unforgiving — he told the media that he would assess the damage, but he wasn’t sure those who were involved in starting the fight would ever wear the program’s jersey again.

He suspended some of his best players for multiple games, which many writers said was too lenient. They thought he should have booted a player or two off the team to prove his point.

I disagreed, because only Cronin and his players know what was happening behind closed doors. Maybe the kids who were involved in the fight showed their regret for what happened, and I have very little doubt they ran more suicides and stadiums than some of us have ever run in our lives. I wanted to give Cronin a chance to prove that his decisions after the brawl were the right ones.

His players have played harder for him than ever, and they’ve kept their head down and played basketball. No fighting, no trash-talking — just winning. Right now, Cincinnati is one of the hottest teams in basketball after being left for dead by just about everyone.

Including me.

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Can Leonard Hamilton channel more magic against Duke on Saturday?

I haven’t jumped into college basketball on BreslinSports.com quite the way I did with college football, but that’s all about to change. We have a full month until pitchers and catchers report for another Major League Baseball season, and there’s one sport that will keep my attention more than all the others.

Sorry, hockey, I’m not referring to you.

College basketball is in full swing, as the conference schedules are underway and the big names are starting to square off.

Like Florida State and Duke?

Believe it. Two weekends ago, the Seminoles were getting it handed to them on Clemson’s court. I would know — I was there. It was brutal.

But now, FSU is on a three-game winning streak with wins over Virginia Tech, UNC and Maryland as they prepare to take on Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Two weeks ago, I was thinking this wouldn’t be a game I’d even turn on.

Now, it’s a game I think we can win.

The ‘Noles’ win over North Carolina didn’t show me much — the Tar Heels quit, and that was evident on the court. They didn’t want to attempt a comeback, so we really weren’t tested much once we pinned them down and showed them that we wanted a fight. But the other two wins were back-and-forth battles. They could have lost both of those games late, but they relied on tough defense and timely shooting to prolong the streak.

And isn’t that what it takes to be a good team?

FSU is 19-7 in their last 26 ACC games. Imagine that! In that stretch, they’ve only had to play Duke once, and it was a win in Tallahassee.

As usual, the Dukies are undefeated at home and haven’t lost an ACC game. That’s usually the norm this time of year. So how can FSU end both streaks?

Just like they did against UNC — they have to play incredible basketball.

Is it possible? Sure it is. In the last month, FSU has proven that absolutely anything is possible (a 3-overtime loss to Princeton was a low point, but it was quickly healed by that 33-point win over UNC). If guard Deividas Dulkys can score 20 points or more and keep his hot hand while the defense locks down on Duke’s perimeter shooters, I’ll boldly predict a Seminole victory.

There’s good news, even if FSU doesn’t win: they get to play Duke in Tallahassee on Feb. 23. They’ll also get to play Virginia twice, even though they won’t get another shot at North Carolina. If the Seminoles can split the four games against Duke and Virginia, they’re going to be in really good shape come March.

Beating the Blue Devils on Saturday will get that started on the right foot.

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Was Jose Reyes playing on a broken leg here?

The New York Mets may have some serious issues on their hands.

Adam Rubin is a beat writer for ESPN New York, and he covered the Mets for the New York Daily News for years before that. Let’s just say that he’s very familiar with the Mets and how their franchise is run.

Lately, it hasn’t exactly been run on the same level as the best businesses in sports. To call the last few years a “circus” may actually be a slight to the brothers Barnum and Bailey, since their venture was actually successful. A popular phrase among other Major League Baseball fans has been, “Yeah, but at least we aren’t the Mets.”

I’m complaining about that or anything.

Enter Rubin, who must have been irritated about something the Mets did to him, because he took to Twitter for a rant that exposed the franchise for many of their shortcomings in past years.

Specifically, their negligence of serious injuries sustained over the course of several seasons.

The tweets are eye-opening, albeit unconfirmed by those who work for the Mets. But Rubin is a writer who has had run-ins with Mets employees before, and he has some serious connections to the inner workings of this team. If anyone would be right about posting behind-closed-doors secrets, it’s Rubin.

Here are some of the tweets posted last night and today, and you can judge them for yourself. What do you think — was it sour grapes or is this evidence of a serious problem in the franchise?

Sandy Alderson is quoted in Newsday re: Ike Davis as saying: "The treatment was correct and the recovery was just longer than we expected."

—
Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) January 18, 2012

Except for the fact diagnosis of cartilage damage originally was missed and a boot Ike then wore constricted circulation and stalled healing

—
Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) January 18, 2012

One person begged me not to write Ike may have fracture as 2nd test approached. Turned out cartilage damage, not fracture, was missed.

—
Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) January 18, 2012

Ike aside, historically most of Mets medical issues involve disregarding medical advice of team doctors and telling players to be tougher.

—
Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) January 18, 2012

Doctors advised J.J. Putz to have bone chips removed from elbow, which would've cost 6 weeks. Mets said shoot him w/ cortisone. He tore UCL.

—
Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) January 18, 2012

Ryan Church says to Brian Schneider, 'Your knee looks swollen. Go see trainer.' Schneider to Church: 'They don't want to hear it.'

—
Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) January 18, 2012

Mets exec calling Billy Wagner a wimp for complaining of elbow discomfort during sim game in Pittsburgh. Wagner needed Tommy John surgery.

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Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) January 18, 2012

Thanks for reminding me about Ryan Church flying from Atlanta to Colorado with concussion. He said he felt like boater bobbing on Bering Sea

—
Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) January 18, 2012

Found oldie: Early in Reyes career, Mets wanted him tougher. They had Art Howe tell him "spit on it" to injury. Had undiagnosed fibula break

—
Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) January 18, 2012

I've told all these stories before, by the way. Plenty of them appeared in this NY Daily News story in 2009: bit.ly/xWMDET

—
Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) January 18, 2012

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Two days after hiring Dirk Koetter as their new offensive coordinator, the Atlanta Falcons announced Tuesday that they were going with Mike Nolan to fill their vacant defensive coordinator position. One of the league’s longest-serving defensive coordinators, Nolan will bring experience and a packed resume of successful defenses to the table in Atlanta.

I saw the words “notoriously good” being used to describe Nolan’s past defenses, and that seems to be an accurate phrase. With a fairly young defense to mold, Nolan will continue to use the 4-3 defense (even though he is a 3-4 guy) brought in by Brian VanGorder , who recently took the same position at Auburn University.

A product of the Dan Reeves Coaching Tree, Nolan was the defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins this season. His defense allowed just 19.6 points per game (only five teams allowed fewer points), and they were especially good at stopping the run, a strength of the Falcons’ defense in 2011.

But there is reason to believe the Falcons’ passing defense will improve under Nolan as well. Before coaching the Dolphins for the last two years, Nolan led Denver’s third-ranked passing defense for the 2009 season — they allowed just 186.3 passing yards per game in that season.

Hopefully, Nolan can lead the Falcons to the same success on defense, because there are a lot of really good passers in the NFC. Without a doubt, the Falcons’ defense has to get stronger in the passing game, or else they won’t see improved results on that side of the ball.

Nolan and Falcons head coach Mike Smith worked together in Baltimore as members of Brian Billick’s staff when the Ravens enjoyed great success as one of the most dominant defenses the league has ever seen. That should make Falcons fans happy — rest assured that this is one of the best hires the Falcons could have made for this vacant position.

But since I said the other day, with the hire of Koetter, that you shouldn’t get too excited or down on a hire based on their past body of work, here is a smattering of the opinions voiced on Twitter today when the hiring was announced. It should be noted that I didn’t see a single negative comment about Nolan or the hire.

Falcons announce they've hired Mike Nolan, formerly of Miami, as the D Coordinator. Like that move a lot.

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Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 17, 2012

Dan Reeves on new #Falcons DC Mike Nolan, "He’s a great football coach."

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D. Orlando Ledbetter (@AJCFalcons) January 17, 2012

If you want to know how good the Nolan hire was for #Falcons look at reax from Miami. I've seen "free fall" "huge loss" and others

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Knox Bardeen (@knoxbardeen) January 17, 2012

“@jburnett36: Coach, Mike Nolan a great hire in Atlanta on the Defensive side?”Huge! Big loss for Miami #EpicSunday

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Jimmy Johnson (@JimmyJohnson) January 17, 2012

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