Because I'm usually an insufferable asshole, I thought I'd buck that trend and link this article from ESPN's Page 2 by Tim Keown about John Calipari, who I eviscerated on this blog yesterday. Keown writes about Calipari's graciousness after his team's collapse on Monday night. Money quote:

There was a perspective at work that isn't always on display from a winner, much less a loser. He talked about the missed free throws without blaming his players. He saw the bigger picture -- the pressure of the game, the youth of his players, the intensity of the moment. He discussed the situation late in the game -- up nine with less than three minutes, up three with less than five seconds left -- and took his share of the blame.

And to be totally fair, he's right. Nobody wants to lose, but guess what? Everybody does, at one point or another, and there's nothing wrong with giving your opponent their due, lamenting what you could have done differently, and then moving on. There's something to be said for losing graciously, and Calipari deserves credit for that.

Postscript: The real enemy here is Billy Packer, who either needs to retire or be forcibly removed. I don't think he said even one thing that made sense Monday night. Not one. I'd write one of his more ridiculous statements (there's one in the article), but I'm usually white with fury while listening to him, so it's hard to remember exactly what he says. Maybe next year, I'll keep a pen and paper by my side.

Thus endeth NCAA finals coverage.

Labels: Billy Packer, ESPN, John Calipari, NCAA basketball