The TSF has been on hiatus due to emotional trauma resulting from a manic Zags' season of soaring heights and pitifully desperate lows, and a team mired in a confidence and identity crisis.
The Zags are fresh off the heels of a near meltdown in Moraga, luckily winning in spite of horrific free-throw shooting. They basically choked, and are beyond fortunate to remain undefeated in the WCC. TSF argues, and many will likely disagree, that with a healthy Patty Mills, the Gaels would have taken both games. The Gaels' inside combo of Sanham (the Gaels' incumbent douche /slash/ turd) and Simpson dominate the Zags on the boards, and when they have a healthy Mills, they easily match the Zags talent and crush them in hustle points. To give the Bulldogs credit, they did manage to pull out a tough one on the road over a great team, in spite of the fact they got absolutely embarrassed by Memphis on national television on Sunday.
The tragedy of the Zags failures against Memphis are too great to discuss and their successes against St. Mary's (injured Patty Mills), San Diego (injured Brandon Johnson) and Portland (best player a Raivio) are too meek to mention. The Zags have a long way to go if they want to make it deep into the tourney. Their confidence is rattled, and none of the WCC teams are going to provide the kind of game that gives the Zags the confidence that they can finish off good teams.
Perhaps the most frustrating /slash/ enraging thing about this season, is that for the first time ever, no one is questioning the Zags talent. It's their heart and confidence that is in question, and that goes against the very definition of what it means to be a Zag. TSF could get into some specifics like Austin's ever present pouty-face and Pargo's utter lack of confidence, but TSF thinks that there isn't merit in pointing out individual performances when this is a team game we're talking about. Therefore the changes that need to be made, need to come from the ground up, the team as a whole needs to refocus, retool and redefine themselves. That's no short order, but the Zags have the talent and discipline to pull it off. Let's just hope they can get it together by March.
Go Zags.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
...And We're Back
The Zags obliterated their opponent in each of the last four games by an average of 30.7 points. Not much to comment on other than the Bulldogs have regained their confidence by beating up on a series of really crappy teams (SCU, USF, Pepperdine, and LMU). The Zags are starting to shoot the ball really well (weird how that happens when you are getting wide-open looks), and are starting to come together as a team (meaning that Pargo has begun to realize that he has teammates down the stretch).
The Zags take on their hated rival St. Mary's on Thursday, which will be their first true conference test. Brought to TSF's attention was the following comment that St. Mary's biggest turdbag, Omar Samhan, posted on a fellow Zags blog:
"Just remember that you have to wake up, eat, and sleep, everyday in the worst f@#king part of our country. Spokane f@#king washington, whatever inspired you to go to that school honestly makes you a terrible person, your gym sucks, your chicks are ugly, and worst of all you have to live in spokane. suck one"
While clearly Samhan deserves a severe and thorough beating, I'm not convinced he is going to get his comeuppance from either Heytvelt or Foster. Neither guy can deliver the UFC-style pummeling that this guy has coming, so I guess we'll have to wait until Sacre is healthy. TSF, for one, is tired of seeing Sacre on the bench, beating up on the redshirt who looks like he should be the team's trainer. It is therefore upon the Kennel Club to humiliate, demean and destroy that heaping pile of douche baggery. It shouldn't be that hard, the guy is a complete toolish moron.
Go Zags.
The Zags take on their hated rival St. Mary's on Thursday, which will be their first true conference test. Brought to TSF's attention was the following comment that St. Mary's biggest turdbag, Omar Samhan, posted on a fellow Zags blog:
"Just remember that you have to wake up, eat, and sleep, everyday in the worst f@#king part of our country. Spokane f@#king washington, whatever inspired you to go to that school honestly makes you a terrible person, your gym sucks, your chicks are ugly, and worst of all you have to live in spokane. suck one"
While clearly Samhan deserves a severe and thorough beating, I'm not convinced he is going to get his comeuppance from either Heytvelt or Foster. Neither guy can deliver the UFC-style pummeling that this guy has coming, so I guess we'll have to wait until Sacre is healthy. TSF, for one, is tired of seeing Sacre on the bench, beating up on the redshirt who looks like he should be the team's trainer. It is therefore upon the Kennel Club to humiliate, demean and destroy that heaping pile of douche baggery. It shouldn't be that hard, the guy is a complete toolish moron.
Go Zags.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Zags Battle Broncos
The Zags are in for a slugfest tonight as they duke it out with Santa Clara in the McCarthey Athletic Center. The Broncos play the Zags tough, and are a better team than their record suggests. Big John Bryant is a formidable foe, and one that has made Heytvelt look like McLovin in previous match ups. The Bulldogs are going to have to play tough D, limit good looks from beyond the arc, and crash the boards like never before. Look for Will Foster to get some quality PT tonight as he will undoubtedly be put on Bryant duty, and while he is not a physical match for Big John, he will disrupt his shots and hopefully snag a few boards.
Go Zags.
Go Zags.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Zags Punish Pilots
You see....this is what was supposed to happen to Portland State as well, instead...well...you know what happened.
This was a yawner of a game, with the Zags holding the Pilots to their second lowest point total (50) of the season. That's right...their second lowest....they scored 43 in a victory (really...?) over Air Force.
The Zags spread the ball around pretty well...blah blah blah. Not to under-sell the glory of the Zags victory Saturday, but TSF is looking forward to the match up with Shrek and the Santa Clara Broncos. I'm guessing the reason behind previous link was because someone clearly mistook him for an ogre.
Go Zags
This was a yawner of a game, with the Zags holding the Pilots to their second lowest point total (50) of the season. That's right...their second lowest....they scored 43 in a victory (really...?) over Air Force.
The Zags spread the ball around pretty well...blah blah blah. Not to under-sell the glory of the Zags victory Saturday, but TSF is looking forward to the match up with Shrek and the Santa Clara Broncos. I'm guessing the reason behind previous link was because someone clearly mistook him for an ogre.
Go Zags
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Here's To Eating Crow
Just when I thought you couldn't get any dumber, you go and do something like this... and totally redeem yourself!
There was a moment there, Wednesday night in Knoxville, where it looked like the heartless, pants-dumping version of Zags showed up again. By about 12 minutes into the game, the Zags had fully showcased their every flaw, bricking their way to a double digit deficit. The Slipper Fits was cursing the Zags every way to East Sprague. Except, surprisingly, of all people, Matt Bouldin, who basically carried the Zags single-handledly back into the game. Bouldin had the kind of game that everyone has been hoping for /slash/ expecting of him. He took control of the game when no one else would or could. The Zags, without question, owe the game to Bouldin. And Will Foster. Foster big-boy'd the Vols when Josh clearly couldn't. Foster came up HUGE with a number of crucial blocks and rebounds. Well, come to think of it, Matt couldn't have done it without Steven or Austin. Steven Gray is the truth. His play was inspiring, and restored TSF's hope for these confidence-starved Bulldogs. Austin Daye played well in the second half, and finally looked like he wanted the ball. He gets pushed around and completely burned on defense, but he picks up a lot of (cheap) blocks and is the offensive threat. He just needs to start taking the ball to the hole like a man, getting fouled and shooting 20 free throws a night like Adam. That is how he is going to take over games, and hopefully he'll stick around another year to learn how to do just that.
At their worst Wednesday the Zags were horrible, but at their best they played really, really well. If the Vols hadn't imploded, however, TSF isn't sure the Zags could have pulled out that game, particularly given their awful, awful first half. Things certainly were not looking good when Tatum was doing his best Dominguez impression. The Zags did, however, turn things around and manage to pick up a huge road win, in spite of TSF's certainty they were going to choke.
Pargo is clearly at an all time low, confidence wise, so TSF, rather than point out his many, many mistakes, is going to give him the benefit of the doubt and trust that he is going to turn things around. To give him credit, TSF was impressed with his play down the stretch. He didn't try to take the game over by himself, instead giving the reins to the red-hot Bouldin.
While the Zags have every reason to be proud of their solid victory in Knoxville, snapping the Vols 37-game home win streak, they still have a lot of work to do. For starters, free throws. The Zags were beyond abysmal from the charity stripe, pitiful really. Had they even shot Shaq numbers from the line, they wouldn't have had to put the Vols away in overtime. TSF believes that the Zags are going to turn that around after they've had a few conference games to get them used to watching the ball go through the net. The other thing the Zags have to improve on, immediately, is rebounding. You can't expect to win games consistently when you get beat on the boards night after night. If they can turn around these two aspects of their game the Zags will be a different team, a team that not many others can compete with.
Go Zags.
There was a moment there, Wednesday night in Knoxville, where it looked like the heartless, pants-dumping version of Zags showed up again. By about 12 minutes into the game, the Zags had fully showcased their every flaw, bricking their way to a double digit deficit. The Slipper Fits was cursing the Zags every way to East Sprague. Except, surprisingly, of all people, Matt Bouldin, who basically carried the Zags single-handledly back into the game. Bouldin had the kind of game that everyone has been hoping for /slash/ expecting of him. He took control of the game when no one else would or could. The Zags, without question, owe the game to Bouldin. And Will Foster. Foster big-boy'd the Vols when Josh clearly couldn't. Foster came up HUGE with a number of crucial blocks and rebounds. Well, come to think of it, Matt couldn't have done it without Steven or Austin. Steven Gray is the truth. His play was inspiring, and restored TSF's hope for these confidence-starved Bulldogs. Austin Daye played well in the second half, and finally looked like he wanted the ball. He gets pushed around and completely burned on defense, but he picks up a lot of (cheap) blocks and is the offensive threat. He just needs to start taking the ball to the hole like a man, getting fouled and shooting 20 free throws a night like Adam. That is how he is going to take over games, and hopefully he'll stick around another year to learn how to do just that.
At their worst Wednesday the Zags were horrible, but at their best they played really, really well. If the Vols hadn't imploded, however, TSF isn't sure the Zags could have pulled out that game, particularly given their awful, awful first half. Things certainly were not looking good when Tatum was doing his best Dominguez impression. The Zags did, however, turn things around and manage to pick up a huge road win, in spite of TSF's certainty they were going to choke.
Pargo is clearly at an all time low, confidence wise, so TSF, rather than point out his many, many mistakes, is going to give him the benefit of the doubt and trust that he is going to turn things around. To give him credit, TSF was impressed with his play down the stretch. He didn't try to take the game over by himself, instead giving the reins to the red-hot Bouldin.
While the Zags have every reason to be proud of their solid victory in Knoxville, snapping the Vols 37-game home win streak, they still have a lot of work to do. For starters, free throws. The Zags were beyond abysmal from the charity stripe, pitiful really. Had they even shot Shaq numbers from the line, they wouldn't have had to put the Vols away in overtime. TSF believes that the Zags are going to turn that around after they've had a few conference games to get them used to watching the ball go through the net. The other thing the Zags have to improve on, immediately, is rebounding. You can't expect to win games consistently when you get beat on the boards night after night. If they can turn around these two aspects of their game the Zags will be a different team, a team that not many others can compete with.
Go Zags.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Doesn't Get Much Crappier Than This
Despite The Slipper Fits' vow of silence in response to the Zags heartless play...we're back...and with tons to complain about. First of all, the Zags have dropped 4 of 5, three of which came to unranked teams, one of which basically came at the hands of high school team. The Zags have every reason to be ashamed of themselves. If they had gone the distance in each of their losses and just got unlucky in the end, it would be an entirely different story altogether. But that's not what happened now is it? Instead, the Zags deserved to lose because they played without heart or composure. They botched each game down the stretch. TSF has been pretty hard on Jeremy, but he has given us every reason to be. He has been playing like a freshman down the stretch--turning the ball over, committing stupid fouls, and chucking up shots that he couldn't even make in practice. The problem is that he plays great for about 32 minutes of each game--looking to dish, driving to the bucket for easy looks, tomahawk dunking in transition--and then he starts to try to take over the game. In so doing, he puts the blinders on and fails in his one and only responsibility: GET AUSTIN THE BALL.
TSF gets furious when Few starts talking about how the Zags don't have a game winner like they did with Morrison because they do, and his name is Austin Daye. Get him the ball. Please. Instead Jeremy has been trying to take the game on his shoulders, with catastrophic results. Perhaps it's because he doesn't want to be upstaged by a sophomore in this year's draft. Whatever the reason, Jeremy needs to step up his play. And in a hurry, or the Zags, currently ranked 37th, might, gasp, not even make the tournament. St. Mary's is a much better team right now, and absent clinching the WCC tourney, the Zags are no shoe-in for the dance.
Bottom-line: The Zags suck. The get out-rebounded every game. They are constantly missing free throws and literally can't buy a bucket from 3. Micah is a wuss, disappointment; Heytvelt is the worst player the Zags have ever had (when factoring in all the hype); Bouldin is rattled and only shows up part-time; Austin isn't getting the looks he needs and whines every time he gets bumped; and Pargo is the least clutch player EVER. The only good things the Zags have going for them are Gray and Goodson, and sadly, that's not saying much.
Tennessee is a much better team than they were when we stole one from them in Florida. If the Zags play like they did against Utah, look for the Vols to win this game by 15. If the Zags can somehow regain their confidence and start playing with a little heart, they just might steal another win. Sadly, maybe for the first time ever, TSF is not hopeful for a Zags win.
Please send in your comments and concerns as TSF is struggling to keep hope alive.
TSF gets furious when Few starts talking about how the Zags don't have a game winner like they did with Morrison because they do, and his name is Austin Daye. Get him the ball. Please. Instead Jeremy has been trying to take the game on his shoulders, with catastrophic results. Perhaps it's because he doesn't want to be upstaged by a sophomore in this year's draft. Whatever the reason, Jeremy needs to step up his play. And in a hurry, or the Zags, currently ranked 37th, might, gasp, not even make the tournament. St. Mary's is a much better team right now, and absent clinching the WCC tourney, the Zags are no shoe-in for the dance.
Bottom-line: The Zags suck. The get out-rebounded every game. They are constantly missing free throws and literally can't buy a bucket from 3. Micah is a wuss, disappointment; Heytvelt is the worst player the Zags have ever had (when factoring in all the hype); Bouldin is rattled and only shows up part-time; Austin isn't getting the looks he needs and whines every time he gets bumped; and Pargo is the least clutch player EVER. The only good things the Zags have going for them are Gray and Goodson, and sadly, that's not saying much.
Tennessee is a much better team than they were when we stole one from them in Florida. If the Zags play like they did against Utah, look for the Vols to win this game by 15. If the Zags can somehow regain their confidence and start playing with a little heart, they just might steal another win. Sadly, maybe for the first time ever, TSF is not hopeful for a Zags win.
Please send in your comments and concerns as TSF is struggling to keep hope alive.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Zags Dig Out, Bury Tigers
The Zags shoveled themselves out from under two feet of snow and a lousy last game to completely thunder Texas Southern in their first return to the Kennel in over a month. Texas Southern looked like the Washington Generals to the Zags Globetrotters. It was a 'kick the dog' performance from the Zags, and man did it feel good to double-up a team (84-42), even if it was just Texas Southern.
The Bulldogs are going to have to step up their game if they are going to upset #2 UCONN. The Zags have had the Huskies number in the past, but this UCONN team is their best in years. Heytvelt is going to have hands full with Thabeet, but again, if he plays like he did against Hansbrough, he can definitely get the better of this match up. The Zags are going to need HUGE performances from their role players. Micah is going to have to play lock down defense and find a way to score in double digits. Bouldin is going to have to find easy buckets for himself and create opportunities for Austin and Steven Gray. Jeremy has to redeem himself and not commit stupid mistakes. Austin needs to take this game over, Morrison-style.
The X-factor in this game is going to be the crowd. Look for this to be a tight game down the stretch with the crowd cheering the Zags to victory. The Zags really need the crowd to get fired up.
Go Zags.
The Bulldogs are going to have to step up their game if they are going to upset #2 UCONN. The Zags have had the Huskies number in the past, but this UCONN team is their best in years. Heytvelt is going to have hands full with Thabeet, but again, if he plays like he did against Hansbrough, he can definitely get the better of this match up. The Zags are going to need HUGE performances from their role players. Micah is going to have to play lock down defense and find a way to score in double digits. Bouldin is going to have to find easy buckets for himself and create opportunities for Austin and Steven Gray. Jeremy has to redeem himself and not commit stupid mistakes. Austin needs to take this game over, Morrison-style.
The X-factor in this game is going to be the crowd. Look for this to be a tight game down the stretch with the crowd cheering the Zags to victory. The Zags really need the crowd to get fired up.
Go Zags.
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