Antoine's Award
Here's a picture of Antoine Cason with his Jim Thorpe Award trophy. Lookin' good, right? You know what else looks good, finally having another name added to this list.
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In Saturday's Arizona Daily Star, Patrick Finley wrote that, to Wildcat fans, Illinois has become "an Algonquian curse word." Apt description, especially when you consider that 2005 game. But today, it was the Illini who were cursing.
Arizona had every reason to lose that game. They could have succumbed to the excuses at any point. Not this Saturday, not this season. With MJ in the audience, Jordan resembled a natural disaster. With the not-so neutral United Center rocking, Wise broke out. KO helped everyone forget the Olson situation, if only for today. And most importantly, with Budinger hanging out on the side of a milk carton, Bayless went bonkers. It wasn't as jaw dropping as his A&M performance but, with 17 second half points, it's hard to believe this kid was in high school a year ago.
Given the distractions, every win is sweet. But I have a feeling this one will brighten my days for sometime. Mr. Blue Bird's on my shoulder...
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Brangelina, Eat Your Heart Out!Arizona had every reason to lose that game. They could have succumbed to the excuses at any point. Not this Saturday, not this season. With MJ in the audience, Jordan resembled a natural disaster. With the not-so neutral United Center rocking, Wise broke out. KO helped everyone forget the Olson situation, if only for today. And most importantly, with Budinger hanging out on the side of a milk carton, Bayless went bonkers. It wasn't as jaw dropping as his A&M performance but, with 17 second half points, it's hard to believe this kid was in high school a year ago.
Given the distractions, every win is sweet. But I have a feeling this one will brighten my days for sometime. Mr. Blue Bird's on my shoulder...
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Step aside, Bennifer. Get in the back seat, Tom Kat. There's a new celebrity marriage on the rocks. Alert the paparazzi! Lutestine has arrived.
(Or should it be Christute?)
Ok, is it just us or is this divorce not worthy of ESPN.com headlines and Sports Center segments. Yes, Lute's leave of absence is national news. And if you want to mention the divorce in the body of the story, fine. But c'mon, ESPN is supposed to be a dude-friendly sanctuary from the celeb relationship rumor mill. Today, the Worldwide Leader decided to become E!-SPN (insert Rachel Nichols joke here) and, in our opinion, that ain't right.
Are we overreacting. Probably... Regardless, let's just hope the 'Cats beat Illinois tomorrow so we can start remembering Arizona for its basketball, not its tabloid fodder.
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But "see you soon." When a 73-year old man takes a one year leave of absence, speculators are bound to speculate. But here at RauRaur.com, we're confident that Lute Olson will return in 2008, riding a white horse and carrying a bazooka.
Consider yourself warned, college basketball...
Is it possible for a school to have a better representative than Antoine Cason? Forget the 71 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 5 interceptions, 14 passes defended, and 2 defensive touchdowns. The above video is only further proof that a player with his level of humility, generosity, and leadership is irreplaceable both on the field and in the community. We look forward to seeing Antoine in our 'Cats in the NFL section and are happy to know that the Thorpe Award now resides in its rightful spot. Rau Raur!!
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36 for JeffersonDiscuss in Cat Chat
As you probably saw in our 'Cats in the Pros section, Richard Jefferson scored a season high 36 points last night. That means RJ is averaging 25.4 point per contest and could join Andre Iguodala on the Eastern Conference All Star team (which would be a first for both). Too bad Gil got hurt because it would be fun to watch all three run the floor together.
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Well, sort of... The Cust0mize edition of the GilIIZeros come with a dry erase marker so you write whatever you want on 'em. Seriously. We'd suggest writing something like "RauRaur.com" or "get well soon." But that's only because "Arizona would have won their second national title in 2001 if Gilbert didn't injure his shoulder against Michigan State, causing him to go only 4 for 17 against Duke... oh, and the referees blew that game" probably won't fit.
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Jerryd Turns 40Discuss in Cat Chat
With 6:24 left in the first half of last night's game, Jerry D. Bayless became a man. He turned forty. And while the Salim comparisons may be premature, there's no denying that young Jerryd isn't happy about his Wildcats being labeled "soft" or "one year away."
According to Greg Hansen's article in today's Star, Jerryd considers himself a "soldier" on Kevin O'Neill's team. And he surely wasn't the only one to enlist. Brielmaier, McClellan, Wise, Hill, Horne, and Budinger all deserve medals of honor for their gutsy performance. Even Walters, in his limited but vital 8 minutes of "space taking", should be mentioned. But the night doubtlessly belonged to Bayless.
I don't care what his birth certificate says, Jerryd Bayless is a man. He's forty. It's time for his name to join the (already long-winded) Mayo/Love/Beasley/Singler/Rose/Gordon conversation.
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This is not how Spencer Larson's career was supposed to end. This is not how Antoine Cason's career was supposed to end. And obviously, this is not how the 2007 season was supposed to unfold. But, alas, here we stand.
Was the season "murdered" by the Sun Devils? Not exactly, the Lobos and the Cardinal are probably the prime suspects in that case. But hearing Sparky sound the death knell for the collegiate careers of Cason and Larson is a pain beyond compare.
So now, before we reluctantly shuffle into the mindset of "next year..." and "it's ok, we're a basketball softball school", let's do our best to remember Larson and Cason in same way we recall the careers of Lance Briggs, Syndric Steptoe, and all the great Wildcats from the last decade who deserved better.
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Antoine Carson?Was the season "murdered" by the Sun Devils? Not exactly, the Lobos and the Cardinal are probably the prime suspects in that case. But hearing Sparky sound the death knell for the collegiate careers of Cason and Larson is a pain beyond compare.
So now, before we reluctantly shuffle into the mindset of "next year..." and "it's ok, we're a basketball softball school", let's do our best to remember Larson and Cason in same way we recall the careers of Lance Briggs, Syndric Steptoe, and all the great Wildcats from the last decade who deserved better.
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Despite the fact that ESPN can't even get his name right, Antoine Cason needs our help. Obviously, he's the best defensive back in the nation, so vote now. And remember, everyone... he cares. So should you.
When Texas A&M visit Tucson this weekend, they'll bring a familiar face along the way. Former Wildcat walk-on, Beau Muhlbach is now a member of the Aggies and although he's unlikely to play a huge part in Sunday's game, he'll always be remember as that zany frosh who entertained the crowd with a spot-on rendition of that Sprite commercial. Or so he'll tell you...
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Obscure Sports WeeklyDiscuss in Cat Chat
Soren Hansen and Obscure Sports Weekly are back!! In this week's Fall Recap Edition, catch up on everything you may have missed this semester while following Stoops and Co. [Read Article]
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Countdown to Arizona-ASU ApocalypseDiscuss in Cat Chat
After watching this video, I immediately did my Chuck Cecil 106-yard interception return imitation, running through three brick walls and a barbed wire fence in the process. I feel like I'm on PCP!
Thanks to Ryan Finley from the Arizona Daily Star for linking this in his blog.
It's official, rauraur.com loves Kevin O'Neill. Sure, it sounds crazy to sing his praises after his team (and yes, at least for the time being, this is his team) disposed of a somewhat lousy Cal State Fullerton squad. But considering the potentially disastrous mixture of youth and uncertainty regarding the Lute situation, the Wildcats were surprisingly methodical in their win last night.
And as if that weren't enough, he's rich! Well, at least that's what he told foxsports.com:
"I'm a different guy than Lute. I'm good looking, he's not. I'm rich, he's not," O'Neill said, laughing.
It's that kind of levity, combined with the undeniable impact of his infectious mental toughness, that makes us HUGE fans of KO. As always, we can't wait for Lute to return but when he does, Arizona fans should be thankful for the luxury of having this kind of impact from an assistant coaching role.(And note to the Cal State Fullerton Titans: You might want to change your team name)
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Huzzah! Huzzah! We might see Lute Olson back on the sidelines as soon as Wednesday's game against Cal State Fullerton. Who else would you rather have leading your troops into battle than the Hall of Fame Floor General... The Silver Haired Basketball Sergeant... The Commander in Chief of McKale's, um, Army...
Wait, comparing athletic competition to warfare is looked down upon? Since when!?!
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Moral victories are for losers. Still, it's a lot easier to get excited about this team's future when you're told that Robin William's knuckles Kirk Walters will be part of it. Was it a Naismith Award winning performance? No. But, considering Jordan Hill's constant battle with the infoulenza bug (clever, no?), I'd hate to know the outcome of last night's game without late John Lennon's Kirk Walters' inside presence. Oh, and his beard looks sweet...
That one hurt. So many positives to take from Sunday's overtime loss to fourth-ranked Kansas but despite Chase's pseudo-breakout game, Kevin O'Neill and Jerryd Bayless' hard nosed influence, and the much anticipated return of Captain Kirk Walters (3 boards, 1 block, and - most importantly - 19 semi-solid minutes!), we're all left wanting just a bit more. I will say that, despite the senior leadership, I don't think last year's squad takes that game to overtime. Where do we go now? Only Axl Rose knows...
(Oh, and Jerry D's arms look huge in that photo)
Rivalry Game?(Oh, and Jerry D's arms look huge in that photo)
The Arizona-Kansas series has become quite a memorable one over the years. In 1996, the Jayhawks knocked the 'Cats out of the Sweet Sixteen. Then in 1997, Arizona answered back by taking down the one loss, top seeded Kansas en route to the National Championship. This Sunday will mark the tenth match up between these two powerhouses, with the 'Cats winners of the last meeting at the Maui Invatational in 2005. Interesting thing to note, Kirk Walters performed quite well in his last outing against the Jayhawks.
Cookin' With GilNeed help preparing your turkey? Well, unless you're pretty handy with the hibachi, Gilbert Arenas probably can't help you (sweet shoes though). From everyone at RauRaur.com, we wish you a happy Thanksgiving. Bear Down, Rau Raur, and go Trojans.
It's almost time to take our minds off the huge win over Oregon and concentrate on ASU (ok, not quite yet, look who's number one). And because the word that starts with "B" and ends with "owl" is on everyone's mind these days, here's a link to the Tucson Citizen's great break down of the convoluted-yet-plausable route Arizona needs to take to reach the post season. Obviously, beating the Sun Devils is the only thing that matters but what else is new?
Upset Lived Here
