Shanoff’s Wake-Up Call: Superman, Newman, More!

By Dan Shanoff
Today’s Calls: Dwight Howard vs. Chris Paul, Ryan Newman (and Kurt Busch) vs. Tony Stewart, Wake Forest vs. Duke, Bill Belichick vs. Reality, LeBron James vs. Ray Allen, Kelvin Sampson vs. Syracuse fans, Andy Pettitte vs. Mark Prior and More!
The Opening Pitch: Where Renaissance Happens.

There were rumors from hard-core NBA fans that The League this season was better than it has been in a long time, heralding a new Golden Age.
Casual fans could be forgiven for doubting: The NBA was coming off the least-watched Finals ever (involving the league’s biggest star, no less), and there was the Tim Donaghy scandal; the NBA desperately needed a change in mojo.
This weekend symbolized one:
* Dwight Howard became Superman.
* Ray Allen went from Sub to Star.
* LeBron affirmed his MVP status.
* Rookies flashed their brilliance.
* Big trades were in the air.
* Chris Paul wowed his home crowd.
That last one was the key: Commissioner David Stern took a risk when he assigned New Orleans the All-Star Game, but it was an event -- for the sport and the community -- that was as memorable as it absolutely had to be. (More All-Star coverage below.)
Daytona 500: Ryan Newman FTW! No. 12 slipped past Tony Stewart on the last lap, thanks to an instantly legendary “push from heaven” from his Penske teammate Kurt Busch, helping their owner secure a 1-2 finish and capping some thrilling final laps in Daytona.
Wake Forest shocks No. 2 Duke: This was one of those just-when-you-think-you-have-a-handle-on-the-season-in-the-final-two-weeks-before -March kind of results.
Does it indicate Duke is vulnerable? Or was Wake simply inspired? It’s not like Wake overpowered Duke; the Deacons out-played the Devils at their own game: Spread-the-court small-ball.
(Star of the Game: Nationally unheralded freshman Jeff Teague, who had 26. Yet another memorable performance from a first-year player in this Year of the Freshman.)
Belichick on Cheating: “In my entire coaching career, I have never seen another team’s practice film prior to playing that team. I have never authorized, or heard of, or even seen in any way, shape or form any other team’s walkthrough.” (h/t: Boston Globe)
The Genius doth protest too much, methinks. Given that he acknowledges the cheating that happened against the Jets (calling it a mere “misinterpretation”), he instantly has no credibility in his denials: Why shouldn’t we assume there have been other “misinterpretations?”
NBA All-Star Game: The Sub was the star. Earning his place in the game late last week, only after Caron Butler couldn’t play, Ray Allen scored a game-high 28 (including 5 3s) to lead the East past the West.
Given that unlikely contribution, I would have given Allen the game MVP; as it was, LeBron won the award (27 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds, 1 insane poster dunk). Fittingly, the West’s MVP was New Orleans’ own Chris Paul (16 pts, 14 ast.).
All-Star Craziness: Howard as Superman. Dwight Howard reinvented the Dunk Contest, joining Vince Carter with the best dunk routine of the contest’s post-Jordan Era. The fact that Howard did what he did at 6-foot-11 only makes it more astonishing.

NBA Trade Talk: Kidd to Dallas a go? Sounds like it is, under generally the same terms as before. The Mavs needed to keep pace with the Suns and Lakers (not to mention Spurs), but will adding a PG -- even a lock Hall of Famer -- matter in the paint against Shaq, Pau Gasol or Tim Duncan?
More hot trade action: Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford, Marvin Williams: Well, when you put it like that, the Hawks suddenly have a great young nucleus.
CBB Weekend Wrap: Scoreboard!
Kelvin Sampson says “Scoreboard!” to his detractors ...
Syracuse fans say “Scoreboard!” to an otherwise underachieving season ...
Stanford says “Scoreboard!” to irate Arizona fans ...
Kevin Love (13/11) says “Scoreboard!” to O.J. Mayo, evening their season series ...
Finally, Memphis says “Scoreboard!” to disappointed UAB fans after the Blazers near-upset, but C-USA is investigating possible altercations between Tigers players and Blazers fans.
CBB Tonight: Texas A&M at Texas. Nearly three weeks ago in College Station, the Aggies handed the Longhorns their worst loss of the season; Texas hasn’t lost since, and payback will be vicious.
Women’s CBB: Congrats to Maryland coach Brenda Frese on the birth of her twins, Markus and Tyler. Her Terps gave her the best present she could ever want: Beating ACC rival Duke in Durham.
Hoops Hall finalists named: Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing are locks. Dream debate: I contend Hakeem’s Rockets could have beaten MJ’s Bulls.
Spring Training Storyline to Watch: Andy Pettitte arrives. First question: “Andy, what did you think of Roger Clemens basically calling you a liar in front of Congress last week?” Repeat. Smartly, Pettitte is holding a news conference this afternoon to discuss.
(Meanwhile, who gave Pettitte’s dad the HGH that got his son in so much trouble? One of Andy’s high school classmates.)
Mark Prior throws 31 pain-free pitches: His attempt to bounce back, with the Padres, is one of the more intriguing sub-plots of the season. “Pain-free” is just about as good as he (or the team) could ask for.
Are the Marlins staying in Miami, in a spanking new $515M stadium at the Orange Bowl? They might regret having given their team away.
The Sonics leaving Seattle is “inevitable” (per Stern), so get over it, Sonics fans.
The Last Word: It’s Combine Week for the NFL, when Draft Mania really ramps up (despite the draft being more than 2 months away), and when “Workout Warrior” labels are earned. Let’s all breathlessly await size measurements, 40 times and bench-press totals, all of which can earn (or cost) a player millions in draft position.
Dan Shanoff writes The Wake-Up Call every weekday morning for SportingNews.com and blogs daily at DanShanoff.com. Got any comments, questions or feedback? Email Dan at shanofftsn-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com.
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