Remembering Pat Summerall

It will be hard to describe the greatness of Pat Summerall in just one article, but I will try. For people who group in my era, the 1990s, Summerall basically WAS the NFL. The tandem of him and John Madden is arguably the most famous announcing duo in not just NFL history, but sports history. When you woke up on Sunday mornings and come home from church and turn on the television set, if you heard Summerall, you knew it was a big game.

Summerall announced 16 Super Bowls, 26 Masters Tournaments and 21 U.S. Opens. He and Madden announced eight Super Bowls together, including five while with CBS. The final Super Bowl the tandem announced was one of the most memorable in NFL history, a New England Patriots 20-17 upset over the the heavily favored St. Louis Rams. Of those Super Bowls he announced, he and Madden called Super Bowl XXXI, a victory for the Green Bay Packers against the Patriots.

Summerall and Madden went together like peanut butter and jelly. Upon hearing about Summerall's death, Madden called his longtime friend and announcing partner 'The Voice of Football.' It is hard to argue with him. He was the Keith Jackson of the NFL.

Jackson announced college football for 41 seasons for ABC, including 16 Sugar Bowls and 15 Rose Bowls. He also was credited with nicknaming the Rose Bowl, 'The Granddaddy of them all.' Coincidentally, Jackson's final game was also a memorable one, as Vince Young led the Texas Longhorns to an upset win over Southern California, ending the 34-game winning streak of the Trojans.

Both Summerall and Jackson have more than just that in common, though. They both had that calm announcing voice that made you want to tune in. It was like "Edward R. Murrow reporting on World War II." They both did not need to go over the top to be noticed like Gus Johnson. They both had their style and both were darn good at it.

As a fan of the Packers, I have very fond memories of Summerall announcing games, as the Packers were just beginning their dominance when Summerall and Madden switched over to FOX following the 1993 season. It does not seem like that long ago when he announced the Packers/Patriots Super Bowl. I still can hear Summerall's call of Desmond Howard's 99-yard kickoff return in my head.

For fans of the 90s and even the 80s, if you think of the NFL, one of the first things you think of, right along with the 49ers, Packers and Cowboys, is the tandem of Summerall and Madden. They worked brilliantly together and we can only hope a tandem half as good as that one will emerge in the future.

Griner in the NBA would be a joke

There has been talk about whether Brittney Griner, one of the most dominant women's college basketball players of all-time, should try to go into the NBA. That would be an absolute joke if an NBA team picked Griner in this June's NBA Draft. The only reason a team would pick Griner is to try and sell more seats because of the media circus that would go on by the team that drafts her.

Griner, who averaged 23.6 points and nine rebounds per game, led her Baylor Lady Bears to three straight No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Baylor won the championship during the 2011-12 season with a perfect 40-0 record. Her Bears had a record of 135-15 in Griner's four years and went 108-5 in the last three.

But that is women's basketball, where Griner towers over the competition. In the NBA, or even boys high school or men's college basketball, she would not have that advantage. The tallest opposition for Griner is shorter than the shortest NBA center.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has recently stated he may draft Griner. But that just be to get people talking. After all, this isn't the first time Cuban has been involved in controversy.

At 6-8, she would not only not have the size advantage, but she also would have be at a disadvantage in terms of strength, speed and quickness. In women's college basketball, she would have a natural position of center because she is naturally just bigger than everyone else. However, in the NBA, she would have to play small forward. The problem with that is the fact that she does not have the quickness to do that. Imagine her trying to defend LeBron James or Kevin Durant, or even reserves like Chase Budinger or Matt Barnes.She would stand no chance. None at all.

If she were to be a power forward, the big men would have an easy time getting into the paint against her. She would not stand a chance against players like Reggie Evans, let alone players like Kevin Love and LaMarcus Aldridge. There is just too big of a strength differential.

She also would have a hard time getting past defenders and getting to the rim as well. In women's college basketball, her shots stand little chance of being blocked. In the NBA, if she were to not reach the paint, she would have to do a mid-range shot or try to do a hook shot, and players like Dwight Howard and Serge Ibaka would eat that shot for dinner.

Not to discount what she has done in women's college basketball because she is perhaps the greatest women's college basketball player ever, but she just does not stand a chance in the NBA. The players are too big, too fast and too strong. She would not be able to compete. It would be a mistake for any team to draft her. She would not even be able to compete in the NBA Developmental League. She has the potential to be one of the greatest WNBA players, though.

Indiana receiving "Back-to-back Sweet 16" rings

Last season, Indiana head coach Tom Crean handed out rings to all the members of the Hoosiers commemorating their turnaround season. They finished 27-9 and won two games in the NCAA Tournament before being bounced in the Sweet 16 by the eventual National Champion, Kentucky Wildcats. On the rings, they featured wins over No. 1 Kentucky, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 5 Michigan State.

This year, Indiana, despite being a No. 1 seed and the heavy favorite to go to Atlanta, was upset in the Sweet 16 by Syracuse. But Crean was so proud of his players that he once again has had rings made in honor of their accomplishments. They will have "No. 1" on them, commemorating the Hoosiers being No. 1 in the country 10 weeks this season in the Associated Press rankings. They will also have a Michigan State logo on them with a line through it because of Indiana's impressive two wins over the Spartans on the year.

"Last year, we announced to the world that Indiana basketball is back," Crean said. "Now, this second consecutive Sweet 16 appearance announces to the world that Indiana basketball is really, really back."

When reporters asked Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim what he thought of the rings, Boeheim thought the rings should show Indiana big man Cody Zeller getting his shot blocked against his Orange in Indiana's loss to Syracuse in the Sweet 16.

"Did Zeller even score any points that game," Boeheim asked. All I remember about that game is Zeller getting his shot rejected every single time he shot it. I asked my assistants if we had signed Dikembe Mutombo."

In addition to the rings, Indiana will be selling "Back-to-back" Sweet 16 T-shirts. All proceeds will be set aside for the 2013-14 Sweet 16 rings, assuming the Hoosiers get back there.

"This probably is not the end of giving out rings," Crean said. "I am just so proud of this group of players that they deserve everything given to them."

Crean went onto say there will most certainly be rings given out to the Hoosier team that finally beats the University of Wisconsin. The Badgers have not lost to Indiana since the 2006-07 season and Crean has yet to beat Wisconsin as the coach of the Hoosiers.

"I cannot wait to hand out those rings," Crean said. "Unfortunately, we might have to wait another 10 years for that to happen."