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Blog: The Greene Room

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By Ryan Greene

December 26, 2006

-A real man can admit his mistakes, and I think I made one Saturday afternoon, calling KU's [84-66 triumph over Boston College][1] a 'good' win instead of a 'great' win simply because the Jayhawks let the Eagles slip back a bit after leading the game by nearly 30 points.Russell Robinson said something after the game about 'killer instinct,' and that has been a supposed shortcoming for this team all season. As it was pointed out in The Greene Room [a few weeks back][2], that's not something that's coached, but rather something you come into this world equipped with.OK, so this year's KU team might not have it as a whole, but that could wind up meaning very little when it comes to its overall success at season's end.That's because enough guys on this team have it. Darrell Arthur showed it against Florida. So did Julian Wright. Brandon Rush has shown flashes of it against the Jayhawks' top-level competition. Saturday it was Mario Chalmers. Every time Sean Williams or Tyrese Rice tried to push Boston College back into the game late, Chalmers smoothly and silently pushed back harder.The point is, ask yourself this question: Boston College got back within 13 points, but was there ever a doubt as to who would win that game after halftime?No. There was never as much as a smidge of doubt.-There's three reasons, in my book, that led to KU's emphatic success Saturday. And if these three factors all are implemented each time the Jayhawks take the floor, they certainly won't lose to the likes of Oral Roberts or DePaul.1) Brandon Rush needs to be aggressive on both ends of the floor right from go. In the game's first 6:46, the sophomore wing had seven of KU's 11 points, a rebound and one personal foul. Now the second two of those three numbers might not pop out at you, but he was intense defensively, continuing his trend of late as being an aggressive take-it-to-the-basket-at-all-costs type and flowing well within the offense. There's a reason he was a preseason All-American. It wasn's a typo. Saturday was why.2) Mario Chalmers took over as KU's floor general. While he's still not the most vocal of guys on the floor, who really cares? He scored 22 points in maybe the smoothest fashion of any KU guard in recent memory. He stroked the three-point shot at a 50-percent clip, was flawless in transition and, at the right moments, showed emotion to get the crowd even more into it, whether it was flexing his upper body or waving his arms.3) The Jayhawks in the first half defended the ball as if they were down 15-14 in a ones and twos, play to 15, gotta win by two pickup game. Anyone who has played ball anywhere knows what defending in that situation is like. True, it's hard to do that for an entire 40 minutes, just as it's tough to play with fire when you're up 30 points. But it's not that hard to play like that for the game's first 20 minutes, building a big enough lead to where you can call off the dogs a bit in the second half and sail home with win after win.-Random thought, but feel free to throw your opinion my way on this one. While talking about Darrell Arthur and how long he'd be staying at KU with a buddy before Saturday's game, here's the question I posed: Take Darrell Arthur as a freshman, [Wayne Simien][3] as a senior, [Nick Collison][4] as a senior and [Drew Gooden][5] as a junior, line them all up five feet in front of us, and who looks, physically, the most like an NBA-ready player? (Yours truly answered Arthur No. 1, and Gooden No. 1a).-Two more things from over the Christmas break.1) I had a chance to watch [Glory Road][6] during all of my free time, and any KU fan would be interested in the scene featuring the 1966 national semifinal game between Texas Western and Kansas, which the now-UTEP Miners won 81-80 in double overtime. Of course, as most of you know, it ended when JoJo White's game-winning shot for the Jayhawks at the end of the second OT stanza was waived off by a ref, who said he stepped out of bounds.But on top of that, it sparked my curiosity to head down to the Lawrence Public Library, dig up the old microfilm of the Journal-World from March 14, 1966 and see how it was covered. If you ever get the chance head down to the library (on the southwest corner of seventh and Vermont) to check it out.That scene also drew another thought: If message boards were around in 1966, what would they have looked like after that game? Yeesh.2) Congratulations to [Tom Keegan's][7]boy [Colt Brennan][8] for setting the NCAA record for touchdown passes in a single season with 58, throwing five second-half scores in a [][9] in the Hawaii Bowl (Sorry, I just wanted a reason to type the name 'Colt').-For the grand finale this week in The Greene Room, let us take time for a quick disclaimer: If you have not seen the final installation of the Rocky franchise, which arrived at last in theatres roughly a week ago, and you plan on doing so, the following segment will not ruin the movie for you, but it will spoil little bits and pieces. Sorry.On a personal note, if you plan on reading beyond this point to simply rip on the fact that so much space has been devoted to writing about the Rocky movies, stop reading now (It's the holidays and nothing else is going on, so why not have some fun?). If that's the case, see you next week and thanks for reading.Now, on with the show.As somewhat of a tribute to [The Keegan Ratings][10], which can be found on KUSports.com after every KU hoops contest, having waited roughly two years for the final installation of Rocky inspired me to do the same with the greatest sports movie franchise every made.Here's how the ratings will go: The final rating will be an average based on five sub-ratings. The five sub-sets are...1) Overall initial rating 2) Fight scene 3) Training montage 4) Opponent 5) Other stuffHere we go.Overall initial ranking 1. Rocky - What does Stallone's original flick have that all the others don't? A Best Picture academy award. Enough said.2. Rocky II - He wins the title for the first time, but the movie was so slow for the first hour or so. That's fine if it's as brilliant as the first one, but it just wasn't.3. Rocky IV - OK, many are going to disagree here, but ask yourself something really quick: Which Rocky movie is the biggest cult classic? Here's your answer, and that's worth something in these rankings.4. Rocky Balboa - Other than the original, this was probably the best written movie in the Rocky franchise. Plus, no one can argue that it was a much better movie than they had expected. It's the right way to end the Rocky era.5. Rocky III - Granted it happened a little bit at the beginning of Rocky II, but this was really where Stallone's character fell into all of the monetary pitfalls of an over-adored heavyweight champ. Plus his brother, Frank Stallone, was in the movie as the singer of a band performing at his training session for the first fight with Clubber Lang. Lame.6. Rocky V - Self explanatory.Fight Scene 1. Rocky IV - Maybe it's just a child of the 80s ranking the Drago fight here, but honestly, when Rocky knocked him down, was there ever a more improbable moment in fictional sports history? I think not (well, other than hitting hundreds of game-winning, last-second threes from the corner on the driveway as a 12-year-old).2. Rocky - Many still squirm upon hearing the words 'Cut me, Mick.' Picturing the gush of blood can just make most cringe. But the birth of 'Adrian!' is simply a moment of movie royalty.3. Rocky II - Again, Rocky wins his first title. While the end of the fight is completely Hollywood, it still has you on the edge of your seat more than any other Rocky moment.4. Rocky III - Well, there were three fights in this movie, so it wins in the quantity department, but one being an exhibition against Hulk Hogan, a.k.a. "Thunderlips," calls for a point deduction.5. Rocky Balboa - The end left a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling, though it's still tough to believe that a 50-something boxer could ever, ever stand toe-to-toe with Antonio Tarver. But it's weird that Stallone looked more ripped up in this movie than ever before.6. Rocky V - Didn't take place in a ring, doesn't count. Though how one of those guys didn't die in the fight is still beyond me.Training Montage 1. [Rocky][11] - There's nothing like an original, and this movie had all of them - the run up the steps, punching in the meat locker and the eggs, which were earlier in the movie but count towards the montage in these eyes.2. [Rocky IV][12] - Other than the promotion of steroid use on Drago's part, this one was great. Rocky runs up a mountain, chops up wood, trudges through snow in barren Russian terrain and, most impressively, does situps while his torso hangs off the ledge of the second floor of a barn.3. [Rocky II][13] - The montage had Rocky chasing and finally capturing a chicken in a back alley, which was taking a chance, but I can respect that. How the montage was phenomenal, with Adrian lying in her hospital bed, saying one simple word to her husband - 'Win.' And cue the epic music...4. Rocky Balboa - The meat locker takes on new stature with the blood seen flying from the hanging slabs of bovine. Plus, the eggs are back. Though running up the steps loses some flair with Rocky bringing his dog along. Plus, honestly, some of the training just looks painful given Rocky's age and such.5. Rocky V - Rocky didn't even have a training montage in this one, but it still ranks ahead of...6. [Rocky III][14] - The first one doesn't count because it took place in a rented out hotel convention room. The second one, though, made up for it all the way up until Rocky and Apollo Creed danced around together, in super-slow motion, in the Pacific, gently embracing each other. I've never been so uncomfortable watching a sports movie scene.Opponent 1. Rocky III - Clubber Lang wins for being the first opponent in the Rocky series to inflict fear upon everyone watching at home. Seriously.2. Rocky IV - Drago killed a man with his hands. Just his hands. T-3. Rocky I T-3. Rocky II - Same opponent in Apollo Creed, same solid performance, though he was never as intimidating as Clubber and Drago (yes, for you younger readers, Apollo Creed is also Chubbs Peterson, Happy Gilmore's mentor).5. Rocky Balboa - This one should rank last because of Antonio Tarver's horrendous character name - Mason 'The Line' Dixon. But he plays a good modern-day Creed.6. Rocky V - Honestly, are you at all surprised?Other Stuff 1. Rocky - Best-written movie of the bunch, won the hardware, introduced the Rocky theme song which is probably the most recognizeable in movie history and, on a personal level, featured a dog names 'Butkus.' Go Bears.2. Rocky IV - If you're a guy, you probably consider this the best soundtrack ever produced. Plus it was USA v. Russia during the most tumultuous of times. Apollo Creed dying was not pleasant, but the James Brown scene made anyone proud to be an American. That was almost negated by the introduction of a robot maid. Pure 80s, baby.3. Rocky II - Rocky buys himself a bracelet to match his dog's collar, buys an amazing jacket with a tiger on the back and a car which he doesn't know how to drive. What's not to love?4. Rocky Balboa - What's great about this movie is that it transitioned well to be with the current times. The restaurant Rocky owns adds so much to this movie, Rocky's opponent's character has depth for the first time since Rocky II, and the role of 'Little Marie" brings some nostalgia. The home footage of random folks running the steps during the credits is smart, too.5. Rocky III - The problem with this movie is that it just had too much other stuff. But two things saved this movie from the cellar: Mr. T in the defining role of his career, and the introduction of 'Eye of the Tiger.'6. Rocky V - Tommy Gunn is driving around South Philly in a brand new LeBaron with the top down on Christmas Eve when you can see his breath. That speaks volumes of this movie's intelligence. Plus, Rocky giving his son the boot from the basement at the beginning to make room for Tommy is still a Bush League maneuver.Cumulative Rankings 1. Rocky - 1.6 2. Rocky IV - 2.0 3. Rocky II - 2.8 4. Rocky III - 4.2 5. Rocky Balboa - 4.4 6. Rocky V - 5.8And now that we've confirmed that I'm far too much of a Rocky nerd for my own good, goodbye until next week.KUSports.com editor Ryan Greene can be reached at rgreene@ljworld.com, or by phone at (785) 832-6357. [1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2006/dec/24/danger_zone/?mens_basketball [2]: http://www2.kusports.com/blogs/greene_room/2006/dec/03/florida_who/ [3]: http://www.nba.com/playerfile/wayne_simien/index.html [4]: http://www.nba.com/playerfile/nick_collison/index.html [5]: http://www.nba.com/playerfile/drew_gooden/index.html [6]: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0385726/ [7]: http://www2.kusports.com/staff/tom_keegan/ [8]: http://uhathletics.hawaii.edu/Player/player.html?pid=3&aid=13279 [9]: http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/recap?gid=200612240091&prov=ap"41-24 win over Arizona State [10]: http://www2.kusports.com/blogs/keegan_ratings/ [11]: http://youtube.com/watch?v=cavFoyYJwPQ [12]: http://youtube.com/watch?v=FJOEA56y7qA [13]: http://youtube.com/watch?v=dzKdZEhwJe4 [14]: http://youtube.com/watch?v=YfFvKyLrGYc

Comments

kevbo (anonymous) says...

You forgot Rocky sountrack rankings...

December 26, 2006 at 8:10 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

KUFan90 (anonymous) says...

"made drew another thought"?
"you can see his breathe"?
"Busch League"?

Greene - love ya man, but these typos are "bush" league. What...is the editor still out on vacation? Oh wait.. ; )

December 26, 2006 at 10:32 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhawklifer (anonymous) says...

RE: the "bus" test (they look good getting off the bus):

1. Wayne. The guy looked like an absolute rock by the time his senior season rolled around. Too bad his body belies his injury-prone nature. (I mean, salmonella?!)

1a. Darrell. I still think he might come back for one more season a la Rush if we go anything less than the Final 4. Besides, it was a strong run in the tournament that made Tyrus Thomas's draft stock soar, to name one recently player who needed a good March to guarantee the lottery. But obviously your point is that he's ahead of these guys as a freshman.

2. Gooden. Always though he was too skinny, but he looks worse now with the bald thing he's got going.

December 27, 2006 at 10:15 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

rgreene Ryan Greene says...

Kevbo - I considered it, but is there really any competition for Rocky IV in that department? I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

KUFan90 - My bad(s). What can I say, it was a long weekend. But good lookin out. I really do appreciate it.

jhawklifer - I like the name the 'bus' test. Might have to implement that. I've heard it called the 'suit' test and the 'airport' test as well - looks good in a suit, or looks good in the airport.

Yeah, Wayne's tough to argue, but where I was thinking was just how Darrell's long but strong frame translates into the uptempo NBA game. That's another department where Gooden would hang with him. But you're right, Wayne physically was at his peak as a senior.

December 27, 2006 at 10:27 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

actorman (anonymous) says...

Got to work on those English skills, Ryan:

"There's three reasons ..."

"... no one can argue that it was a much better movie than they had expected." Okay, I won't argue that it was better than I expected.

As for your comments about Rush being an All-American: I simply don't see it. Yes, he shows for about 5 minutes a game that he's an All-American. The rest of the time he usually disappears. It's chalmers who should be getting All-American attention.

December 27, 2006 at 12:58 p.m. ( | suggest removal )