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Shanoff’s W.U.C.: CFB Signing Day Thrills

Feb 4, 2009, 1:25 PM UTC

Today’s Calls: National Signing Day vs. the NFL Draft, Ray Allen vs. Jameer Nelson, Tom Cable vs. Todd Haley, Purdue vs. Kentucky, Derek Jeter vs. Citigroup and More.â†µâ†µThe Opening Pitch: National Signing Day may be the most important day of the college football year.â†µ

â†µâ†µRecruiting is the lifeblood of college football. (How did Florida win the national title last year AND position itself as preseason No. 1 for next season? Among other things, Urban Meyer’s relentless approach to recruiting.)â†µ

â†µâ†µBut it has become a passion for fans, too. You can find them on message boards, all year round — but especially in the last few weeks — trading gossip about commitments, leans, “strong leans,” visits (both to your school and rivals) and general mind-reading of a bunch of mercurial 18-year-olds.â†µ

â†µâ†µ“NSD” has become for college football what the NFL draft and NBA draft have become for those professional leagues — the signature moment of the offseason. In the case of college football: Something to cling to in the months between the end of bowls and the start of spring practice.â†µ

â†µâ†µBut NSD is way more critical than professional drafts. The strength of a recruiting class can make or break a program for years.â†µ

â†µâ†µDo the actual rankings matter? USC, Florida, Texas, LSU and Ohio State (this season’s No. 1 class?) might say they do. Coach-em-up overachievers like unbeaten Utah or, say, nine-win Northwestern might disagree.â†µ

â†µâ†µBut for sheer blind enthusiasm and hope for fans, you can’t beat the annual tradition of importing 20 new players and announcing, “This is the future.” â†µ

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â†µâ†µBonds Watch: How does diving into hundreds of pages of unsealed court documents sound to you? No? How about the headline: The Feds claim they have an HGH-tainted urine sample from Bonds. Should be an interesting day.â†µ

â†µâ†µNBA Instant History: Was it just a month ago that we were talking about the Celtics being derailed? This latest 12-game streak shows they are as good as ever this season. (They didn’t even need KG last night to beat the 76ers; they did, however, need a buzzer-beating 3 from Ray Allen.)â†µ

â†µâ†µWith news that Jameer Nelson may miss the rest of the season with that shoulder injury — nevermind the hit to the hopes of a deep playoff run for Magic fans — his All-Star spot may be up for grabs; Allen’s game-winner is a nice reminder that perhaps Boston also earned the three All-Stars that Orlando got. Will Allen get the nod? “All-Star injury fill-in” seems to be his thing.â†µ

â†µâ†µ2010 Watch: Chris Bosh may very well leave Toronto when he is a free agent (I certainly think he will). But he insists he hasn’t actually said that to anyone. It is like saying LeBron has SAID he is leaving Cleveland; you suspect he probably will — it’s not like he has said it out loud.â†µ

â†µâ†µPrediction: LeBron will NOT score 61 points tonight at the Garden.â†µ

â†µâ†µCBB Mania: How legit is Purdue? Only as legit as Robbie Hummel’s back issues will let them be. (See last night’s OT loss to Ohio State.)â†µ

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â†µMeanwhile: What was that about Kentucky being the best of a tepid field in the SEC? ... Pay no attention to Marquette's unblemished Big East record until they reach their end-of-season gauntlet. ... Tonight's Must-Track Games: West Virginia at Syracuse and Duke at Clemson.â†µ

â†µâ†µSuper Bowl Hangover: Unlike that final play of the Cardinals’ season, the Super Bowl’s TV ratings got a fair review — and it turns out that, indeed, Super Bowl 43 was the most-watched ever, topping the Giants-Pats game from last year. The myth of small participating markets hurting audience is imploded.â†µ

â†µâ†µNFL Coaching Carousel: As expected, the Raiders are keeping Tom Cable as head coach. Umm ...congratulations? (What else do you say for what is arguably the worst job in the NFL? How about: “This won’t end well.”)â†µ

â†µâ†µMeanwhile, the Chiefs got permission to talk with Cardinals O.C. Todd Haley. Needless to say, I don’t think they will be trying to trade for Anquan Boldin.â†µ

â†µâ†µ2009: If it’s two days after the Super Bowl, then it must be time for next season’s Power Rankings.â†µ

â†µâ†µTorre Book Fallout, Cont’d: Hey, Jeter — Mr. “Captain” — instead of whining, how about at least acknowledging you are being hounded with questions about A-Rod because your beloved ex-manager decided to write a book that rips him (and, by extension, your team). Derek Jeter: What a “leader.”â†µ

â†µâ†µEconomy: Citigroup still paying Mets? It’s not just that Citi should work to get out of their $400 million naming-rights agreement; it’s that the Mets should be pressured to let them out of it. The whole thing is absurd — even more so now that Citi says it is still committed to pay.â†µ

â†µâ†µMust-Read: As Kobe’s 61 and National Signing Day reflect, the end of the NFL season doesn’t mean that there isn’t a ton to keep up with in sports between now and, say, the NFL Draft. (Chris Mottram even leaves out the usual NBA All-Star Weekend insanity.)â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Last Word: “I would welcome the opportunity to coach Brett again.” — Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer.â†µ

â†µâ†µWhy do people indulge Favre’s diva-ish behavior by turning his insufferable will-he-or-won’t-he offseason saga into daily drip-drip-drip torture?â†µ

â†µâ†µDan 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. â†µ

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