This Is Not Over

---

---

Life was hard enough when we were told that, even though there were those among us who wished to harm us in some way, there were certain people — teachers, coaches, pastors, doctors and police officers — we should always respect, and we should never question anything they told us. It was an article of faith.

It must be even more difficult when people are also instructed — as another article of faith — that there are places where one is always safe and that, even in those places that are not generally safe, there will be designated safe zones.

The more innocent we are, the more inclined we are to believe such things — and, consequently, the more vulnerable we are because there are always those who are eager to violate that trust.

Larry Nassar is such a person. The now–infamous gymnastics doctor violated more than the trust of more than 100 girls and young women.

And I have the deepest respect and admiration for those women who faced Nasser in court.

But it is important to remember that this is not done. It is not finished. It is not over. There is more that must be done.

For someone like Nassar to get away with so much over such a long period requires the cooperation of others. To be sure, there were enablers — at Michigan State, in USA Gymnastics, in the Olympics — who knew what was happening and looked the other way.

Their inaction, when the list of victims was still comparatively short, permitted countless others to be victimized by a pedophile who grew brazen enough to carry out his assaults in the presence of some of his victims' parents.

The judge was correct when she said she had signed Nassar's "death warrant" with her 40– to 175–year prison term.

He will never see the outside of a prison again, but this chapter won't be closed until everyone who allowed this to continue — like the folks who permitted the atrocities at Penn State to continue — are brought to justice.

The First Chapter in the Bird-Magic Rivalry

---

---

I find it ironic that the college basketball national championship game in 1979 is still, 35 years later, the highest–rated college basketball game ever televised.

Because I didn't see it. I've never seen it — only highlights.

In those days, I was working at a self–serve gas station, and I had to work that night. I remember listening to the game on the radio at the station, but I didn't see any of it. I could only imagine what was happening in the host town, Salt Lake City, based on what I heard.

It was between Michigan State and Indiana State, the first matchup of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in what became a classic NBA rivalry. As USA Today observed five years ago, it was the start of something special.

But that is the sort of observation that can be made in hindsight. Those are easy.

For example, it is easy now to say that Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana were destined to be four–time Super Bowl champs, but I remember when they both broke into the NFL. All eyes were on others, but, in the course of their careers, Bradshaw and Montana turned struggling franchises into winners.

The same is true of Magic and Bird. At the end of the '80s, it was possible to look back at their epic postseason confrontations and realize that their rivalry had been the kind of thing you rarely find in team sports — a rivalry between two individuals. There were other players who played, of course, but Magic and Bird got the attention.

I guess every NBA team has been a rival of the Celtics since the days of Bill Russell, and every NBA team has been a rival of the Lakers for nearly as long, going back to the days of Wilt Chamberlain. Likewise, fans have to choose sides when the two teams meet, and most of them are likely cheering for a team they never support during the regular season.

I'm not an NBA fan — in fact, I'm really not much of a basketball fan — so I was spared having to make that choice and could simply enjoy watching them play.

You know, it is kind of amusing when I think back on that first encounter between Magic and Bird 35 years ago.

I don't recall the hype that preceded the game. I'm sure it was marketed as some kind of duel between future NBA legends, the kind of hype that accompanies many collegiate confrontations.

That kind of buildup doesn't always prove to be true. At the time, of course, it probably doesn't matter, and few probably remember it years later. Potential doesn't always coincide with reality.

But, in this case, it did.

The Letdown of the Century

---

---

Over the years, many games in many sports have been called — in anticipation, rarely in retrospect — "the game of the century."

The latest, of course, was the LSU–Alabama game earlier this month.

But, even if there is such a game every year for the next 100 years, there will never be another game that will end like the one that was played 45 years ago.

On this day in 1966, such a game was played in East Lansing, Mich., between the undefeated Michigan State Spartans and the also undefeated Notre Dame Fightin' Irish. Notre Dame was ranked #1 in both polls. Defending UPI national champion Michigan State was ranked #2 in both polls.

It was ironic, really, that the teams played each other at all that season. The top two teams in the polls had not faced each other in 20 years, since the 1946 Army–Notre Dame game (which featured three past or future Heisman Trophy winners and, perhaps even more ironically, ended in a 0–0 tie), which made it a rarity to begin with.

But that is only the beginning of the story.

On the original 1966 schedule, which had been released several years earlier, Michigan State had only nine games slated, even though a team was allowed to play as many as 10 regular–season games. Notre Dame, meanwhile, did have10 games scheduled, but one of its opponents, Iowa, dropped the Irish.

Since Michigan State had an open spot, the Spartans agreed to play the Irish, setting the stage for their showdown — even though no one knew at the time that it would be a #1–#2 clash.

In those pre–cable days, NCAA rules and regulations permitted college football teams to play in only one nationally televised and two regionally televised games during the regular season. The postseason was an entirely different matter, but, again, the times were different. There were far fewer bowl games — and no conference championship games.

Notre Dame had already played its nationally televised game, and ABC's executives didn't want to show the game outside the schools' region, but interest was so high elsewhere that they gave in and agreed to show it on a delayed basis to non–regional viewers.

Whether they saw it live or on tape, those viewers witnessed what had to be the letdown of the century.

Looking at the final score from the perspective of 45 years later — 10–10 — I suppose one's initial conclusion would be that it was an edge–of–your–seat, nail–biting finish, an old–fashioned defensive struggle.

To an extent, I suppose that is true. But not entirely.

Michigan State scored all its points in the first half, and Notre Dame managed to cut the deficit to 10–7 by intermission. The Irish then tied the game with a field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Michigan State had a chance to take the lead on a deep pass, but the receiver outran the pass and had to double back. Notre Dame intercepted the pass, but then missed a field goal that would have given the Irish the lead for the first time.

So far, so good. Then the game of the century became the letdown of the century.

With a little more than a minute remaining in the game, Notre Dame had the ball at its 30 and needed to reach Michigan State's 30 to be in field goal range. Most viewers probably figured the Irish would take a stab at it. In those days, there was no overtime in college football.

But Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian chose not to make the attempt and ran out the clock. It was a controversial decision, to say the least.

"We'd fought hard to come back and tie it up," Parseghian said. "After all that, I didn't want to risk giving it to them cheap. They get reckless, and it could cost them the game. I wasn't going to do a jackass thing like that at this point."

The Irish crushed Southern California the following week but did not accept bowl bids at the time, thus ending the 1966 season at 9–0–1 and clinging to the top ranking. That didn't go over well at all with Alabama fans, whose team had a perfect record. Even after 45 years, it's still a sore point for older Crimson Tide supporters.

Michigan State also finished 9–0–1 and did not play in a bowl but because of conference rules, not school policy.

At that time, the Big Ten did not allow a school to represent it in the Rose Bowl in consecutive years, and Big Ten teams were not allowed to play in any bowl game other than the Rose Bowl so the Spartans stayed home for the holidays.

And the question of who was really the best college football team in 1966 remained unanswered for many college football fans.

Going Out on a Limb

---

---

I know what the conventional wisdom says.

And I know North Carolina crushed Michigan State when they met a few months ago.

The Tar Heels have long been considered the favorites to be this season's champions.

But we're down to the championship game. It's been 30 years since Magic Johnson took the Spartans to what was, for many, an improbable title game victory over Larry Bird and Indiana State. And the 2009 championship game is being played in Detroit, less than 100 miles from the Michigan State campus.

Logic — or, perhaps, more significantly, statistics — suggests that North Carolina has the edge.

Each team has individual standouts. They just stand out in different things.

• North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough is 13th in the country in free throw percentage, and


• Ty Lawson is tied for 17th in three–pointer percentage.

On the other side, Michigan State's Raymar Morgan is 14th in field goal percentage.

But they both have top 20 national performers in at least one category. In assists, North Carolina's Lawson is tied for 10th in the nation. Michigan State's Kalin Lucas is tied for 16th.

And North Carolina seems to have a decisive edge in team statistics.

• North Carolina led the nation in field goals per game (Michigan State is 95th).


• The Tar Heels are second in points per game (Michigan State is 100th).


• North Carolina is second in rebounds (Michigan State is 34th).


• North Carolina is second in assists (Michigan State is 18th).


• The Tar Heels are fourth in free throws per game (Michigan State is 57th).


• North Carolina is 16th in blocks (Michigan State is not in the top 100).


• North Carolina is 29th in steals (Michigan State isn't in the top 100).

Common sense tells me that North Carolina will win the game.

But I feel this is one of those moments when the underdog is going to deliver.

Like the U.S. hockey team against the Russians at the Lake Placid Olympics in 1980.

Detroit — and the state of Michigan — have been knocked down a few times. Unemployment is well into double digits there now. The car industry is wobbling on the edge of a cliff.

The Spartans can give Michigan and Detroit the kind of psychological lift the 1980 U.S. hockey team gave a battered America.

I think this may be one of those moments that transcend the playing field. It will do you no good to analyze the numbers and apply logic to your prediction. This one will be played from the heart.

I predict Michigan State 79, North Carolina 77.

Look for a Pair of No. 1s in the Final

This is the part of the NCAA Tournament where it gets interesting for me.

We're down to the Final Four and, for the most part, the seedings have held up pretty well. We've got two No. 1s, a No. 2 and a No. 3 in the Final Four. There have been a few upsets but nothing earth–shattering.

It seems to me that the numbers favor the two No. 1s.

The first game, at 5:07 p.m. (Central) tomorrow, matches No. 2 seed Michigan State and No. 1 seed Connecticut.

UConn's Hasheem Thabeet is second in the nation in blocked shots, averaging 4.3 a game. UConn leads the nation in blocks and rebounding and is ninth in free throws made, 16th in points per game, 23rd in field goals and 25th in field goal percentage. Michigan State is 20th in assists (but UConn is 21st).

The second game, which starts about 30 minutes after the first game wraps up, will match No. 3 seed Villanova against No. 1 seed North Carolina.

The Tar Heels lead the nation in field goals per game, and they are second in points per game, rebounding and assists, fourth in free throws made, 11th in field goal percentage, 16th in blocks and 24th in steals

Villanova is eighth in free throws made, but the Wildcats won't get enough free throw opportunities to outlast North Carolina. Besides, the Tar Heels are 10th in free throw percentage while Villanova is 19th.

Three–pointers haven't been a big part of the equation for the Final Four teams so I wouldn't expect a lot from outside.

And, unless something really shocking happens in the semifinals, I expect North Carolina to play Connecticut for the title. From that match, I predict that North Carolina, the preseason favorite, will capture the title on Monday night.