Duke Basketball

This isn't a piece on whether Gerald Henderson's elbow was intentional or not. For anyone to suggest it was flagrant or accidental is kidding himself, it was way too close to tell. What this is, though, is a piece on Duke basketball on the whole.

It seems everyone hates Duke for one reason or another. But first off, let me clarify one thing, Duke is not my team. But I do respect Duke. And unless you are a fan of North Carolina I don't see why you wouldn't also.

They play good, fundamental basketball and for the most part their players play all four years. They have very stringent academic requirements that severely limit their available recruiting pool. Yet despite all of this, Duke continues to win.

But despite all their good points people still hate them. Nevermind that these same people lament the fact that today's athlete is all about himself. Or doesn't play hard like athletes used to. Instead, critics say Duke wins too much. Well, that is the name of the game, right? What if your team won that much? You'd be ecstatic. Others will say they're too white or their crowd is spoiled yuppies. Well go to any "smart" school. Their students are identical to Duke's student body. Most likely white, affluent families and preppy. At least they know how to wear the pants right.

But consider this. Take everything that you might consider "wrong" with today's players and you'll notice Duke's players are the opposite. Allen Iverson not practicing? Duke's guys practice consistently and go to class. Pacman Jones? You won't see Duke players carrying guns or dealing drugs. You also won't see them destroying team chemistry, whining about playing time, or anything else you hate.

Yet it seems an overwhelming number of fans still hate Duke. And like I said, unless you root for North Carolina you have no reason to do so. But if UNC isn't your team you need to ask yourself. Why hate a team that does it the right way? Because if you want, Duke can recruit the turds you probably have at your school right now. So please, open your eyes and appreciate Duke for what it is. A remarkable team that wins the right why.

NFL Free Agency

The Texans started the Free Agency period off with a well, a dud. They haven't signed anyone as of today. Their big target, Jake Plummer, was dealt to Tampa Bay because the Texans didn't want to part with a draft pick. I think this logic was a big sign in the Texans new maturity. The old Texans would have done whatever to get the guy and overpaid. But the new Texans realize that Plummer isn't worth more than a late round pick. He's not much better than what they already have. Apparently though, he's said he doesn't want to compete for a job and at Tampa Bay he'll do just that. I have a funny feeling he'll either retire or they will trade him. Definitely watch this one.

I think the only big addition they could have made to the team was Nate Clements. But the shut down corner went to the 49'ers for record money for a DB. While it's debatable if he's worth it, he undoubtedly would have added so much to the team. He would have given us 2 turnover producers on D and covered up some of our deficiencies at Safety.

But look for the Texans to sign mid level free agents. I believe this is the most prudent thing to do. We're so far away from competing at this point and the only way we'll be able to is by allowing our young players to perform. No free agent is going to do this. By signing some mid level guys like Ahman Green or Ashley Lelie, Houston is hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. If they don't, it's no big deal, we didn't back up the Brinks truck.

The main thing is to add depth. We have very little depth at virtually every position. We desperately need to add a veteran to the OL. A veteran RB like Green would be perfect to put in the mix at RB. Another DB would help out youngsters out, especially if we draft one next month.

Most importantly, the Texans need to be smart. Add players that may be overlooked or underpriced. We have less cap room than most teams and a worst reputation. We aren't going to get anyone of note unless we overspend. I'd urge the Texans to go the Moneyball route and try and find value. LB's are frequently looked at as disposable. So are interior offensive lineman. And with our talent level a good Punter is a must. As are good special teams.

As long as the Texans play it smart, they can build the right way, through the draft. The loss of Antwan Peek won't hurt us much since he doesn't fit our system well but I see him making some big plays for the Ravens. Remeber how Steve Foley left Houston and had 10 sacks the next year? Well Peek could do very similar in Baltimore's pressure D.

We Should Praise Hardaway, Not Criticize

Sure I'm a little late on this article but I've been busy. Real busy. But I'll try to stay on topic.

Hardaway.

Actually Tim Hardaway and his comments.

In case you were under a rock, Hardaway went off on how he hates gay people, he's homophobic, wouldn't be on the same team as a gay player and (the best one) gay people "shouldn't be in the world or in the United States". I particularly like how he differentiates between the two, in case you didn't already think jocks were morons.

Of course, everyone now agrees that a) he's truly ignorant, b) he should be used to it because all black people are on the "down low" (just kidding) and c) he should have at the very least not mentioned his comments in public because he'd be lynched by the media.

But this is exactly the reason why I think we should praise Hardaway. Sure he had no preconceived notion what he was doing but by coming out against a possible gay teammate he has helped further the discussion of gays in male team sports. Without his admission, the "I'd be okay with it" public admissions by players would continue being commonplace even though privately they'd totally be against it.

It's like the AA meetings that start with people admitting they have a problem. Well Tim Hardaway was the first athlete to stand up. And he's admitted his problem. Now is the time when discussions take place on how to help him (and athletes in general) on coping with a potentially gay player.

And that is precisely what is happening. People are rationally discussing playing with gay players and all of their fears in playing alongside them. They are admitting their ignorant beliefs and others are educating them. Soon (theory goes) they realize that gay people are pretty normal people like themselves. Most of us know this, but I guarantee locker rooms everywhere are having these conversations. And they're slowly realizing that it's okay to have a gay player as a teammate. Of course, it will still be a long while before a players outs himself before retiring but it will happen sometime (Jeff Garcia you can do it!).

So everyone, take a deep breath and stop throwing rocks at Tim Hardaway. Thank him for broaching the subject and making athletes and non-athletes talk about it. Because the more it's out of our minds the more it's out of our sights. But now that the topic is in our minds, the possibility of one coming out is in our sights.