Cleaning Up The Mess...

If I were a clever newspaper columnist like Bianchi, I would call this "Running Off At The Computer," as opposed to something mundane (yet accurate) like "here's a few completely unrelated things I wanted to blog about."

Not sure if anyone has responded to Shaquille O'Neal's comments about the new ball in play this season in the NBA - and not sure if anyone really cares but me - but he's spot-on correct.

In case you missed it: The Daddy don't like it.

"Feels like one of those cheap balls that you buy at the toy store, indoor-outdoor balls," O'Neal said. "I look for shooting percentages to be way down and turnovers to be way up, because when the ball gets wet you can't really control it. Whoever did that needs to be fired. It was terrible, a terrible decision."

What's the difference? According to Spalding, the new ball "is a microfiber composite with moisture management that provides superior grip and feel throughout the course of a game." In addition, it's constructed of two interlocking, cross-shaped panels - for an image, lock your hands together as if you're giving someone a boost to climb a wall - as opposed to the old version, which was comprised of eight interlocking leather panels stitched into a sphere.

What's the problem? It kinda sucks:



I tried out the new rock at the Magic's media day last week. First impression, one echoed by many players: it's tacky. As in grippy. As in, like The Diesel points out, a toy-store indoor-outdoor ball. Rubbery. I can just about palm it, and my hands are standard issue for a 5'9" rec-league player.

For what it's worth, NBA vice president Stu Jackson claimed in response to the Shaq Attaq that over the course of 100-odd D-League and summer-league games, the new ball produced better shooting percentages across the board - from three, from two, and from the line. Turnovers, he said, were even against the old ball.

He also mentioned that nobody was getting fired over it. Sorry, Shaq.

O'Neal thinks the new, grippier ball will produce lower shooting percentages and more turnovers, especially when it gets wet - which it will do when caressed by 330-pound centers after 40 minutes of game action. In my informal test - dribbling and shooting foul shots while wearing a wireless microphone - I could not replicate those conditions.

However, I did notice that the additional grip caused a lot of free throws to pull left and long. Too much adhesion in a ball can cause that, which is why, when I was working as an intern for the Magic back in the Jurassic Age, the morning pickup crew loved to sweet-talk Magic equipment manager Rodney "Sid" Powell into rolling out some well-worn NBA balls. There's something about the leather that compels one to shoot. This new ball doesn't generate the same vibe - not even close.

If anything, I think turnovers will go down, thanks to the increased tackiness. Guards and forwards with large hands should be afforded even more control over the ball than before. As for shooting, well, players adjust.

Magic rookie JJ Redick shrugged off the new rock when I asked him about it. "Still round," he said. Head coach Brian Hill noted the playground-style rubber feel. Don't be surprised if this turns into a New Coke episode, and the new NBA ball gets a quick and silent do-over after this season.

* * *

Can't believe that this didn't generate more of a response, but on last week's "Tailgate Overtime" show on Sun Sports, we responded to an e-mail from a viewer who had compiled his own personal list of the five greatest Gators, Seminoles, and Hurricanes ever to play football. The note was in response to UF's "Ring of Honor" ceremony prior to the Alabama game, wherein Jack Youngblood, Danny Wuerffel, Steve Spurrier, and Emmitt Smith had their names enshrined in a rather odd-looking font around the upper deck of the Swamp.

Naturally, I compiled a list. My only criteria: the player was great in college, not necessarily in the pros. In no particular order, here's what I wrote down:

Florida: To the four names listed above, I would add Wilber Marshall, Shane Matthews, John Reaves, Lomas Brown, Carlos Alvarez, Wes Chandler, Ray Criswell, and any number of wide receivers that played under Spurrier (Nintendo-level numbers for several of them).

Florida State: Deion Sanders (my vote for the best on this list), Charlie Ward, Chris Weinke, Warrick Dunn, Fred Biletnikoff, Rohn Stark (gotta spread the love to special teams), Derrick Brooks, Terrell Buckley, Peter Boulware.

Miami: The quarterback troika of Testaverde, Kosar, and Kelly, plus Ted Hendricks, Edgerrin James, Ray Lewis, Sean Taylor, Warren Sapp, Michael Irvin, Jerome Brown, Rubin Carter, George Mira, and Jim Otto.

Incomplete? Definitely. Additional thoughts are welcomed. You may see this topic again on a future show.

Oh, yeah: add Chris Doering, William Floyd, and Steve Walsh to my list. Because that's how we roll in the studio: