Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez, who became the Kansas City Chiefs' all-time leader in pass receptions by a TE way back in 2000 en route to an NFL-best at that position by the time he joined the Falcons, had a successful farewell appearance at K.C. in the season opener. The NFL's all-time runner-up in receptions (behind WR Jerry Rice) caught a TD pass for the Falcons, adding to his all-time leadership in yards from scrimmage by a TE.

Gonzalez, who averaged 6.4 ppg and 4.3 rpg from 1994-95 through 1996-97 as a California Bear hoopster, promptly displayed his trademark dunking of the football over the goal post. Back in the day, he scored a career-high 29 points against Washington State en route to setting a Cal basketball freshman record by shooting 64% from the floor. Rising to the occasion, he averaged 18 points and shot 61% from the floor in the Bears' first two NCAA playoff games in 1997.

Gonzalez is one of several prominent tight ends in the NFL who previously played major-college basketball including Antonio Gates (Kent State/San Diego Chargers), Jimmy Graham (Miami/New Orleans Saints) and Todd Heap (Arizona State/Phoenix Cardinals). Graham also caught a TD pass in the Saints' season opener. For those all-round sports fans interested in dual-sport athletes, check out CollegeHoopedia.com's extensive research on college hoopsters who made a bigger name for themselves on the football field. You'll find previous standout tight ends who were regulars in basketball at the NCAA Division I level such as Mike Ditka (Pittsburgh), Rickey Dudley (Ohio State), Andrew Glover (Grambling), Ron Howard (Seattle), Marcus Pollard (Bradley), Pat Richter (Wisconsin) and Joe Senser (West Chester State).

There is doubt we will ever know a lot of the precise details regarding how on earth a mediocre college player had the out-of-this-world fiscal wherewithal to make a down payment of $30,000 and go in debt for $67,800 to purchase custom jewelry in New York in the middle of an eventual NCAA championship season. But Lance Thomas, a senior forward who averaged 4.8 ppg for Duke in 2009-10, sure(ty) has a lot of questions to answer regarding an escapade that could be dubbed "Diamonds Are Forever" (at least finishing payments for them until settling lawsuit in mid-September).

Thomas likely will leave inquiring minds wanting a lot more much like he did on the court. Rather than striving for bling to look like a tall rapper, he should have been more concerned about the tall order of living up to his billing as a McDonald's All-American in 2006.

There is no doubt the Blue Devils have a history of dealing in bulk when it comes to McDonald's Unhappy Deals. While observers sift through Thomas' train-wreck transaction adding to a woeful offseason for power conference schools, following is a list including him among 10 McDonald's All-Americans who averaged fewer than 5 ppg in their Duke careers:

NOTE: Beard (Boston University), Boateng (Arizona State), Burgess (Utah), Palmer (Dartmouth) and Thompson (Northwestern) transferred to other schools to finish their college careers.

With a striking number of power conference members bogged down by an assortment of controversies, the scene is set for mid-major schools to thrive in 2012-13. Creighton All-American forward Doug McDermott is a leading national player of the year candidate, Murray State guard Isaiah Canaan will strive to move up from second- to first-team All-American and versatile guards C.J. McCollum (Lehigh) and Nate Wolters (South Dakota State) aspire to lead their teams back to the NCAA playoffs via pacing their squads in scoring and rebounding again.

Canaan, McCollum, McDermott and Wolters combined to average 28 1/2 wins last season in sparking each of their schools to all-time highs in victory totals. One of the biggest questions entering this campaign is whether they will be able to duplicate or surpass last year's success.

Schools setting records for most triumphs in a single Division I season last year with winning marks included Kentucky (38-2/coached by John Calipari), Syracuse (34-3/Jim Boeheim), Murray State (31-2/Steve Prohm), Baylor (30-8/Scott Drew), Creighton (29-6/Greg McDermott), Drexel (29-7/Bruiser Flint), Virginia Commonwealth (29-7/Shaka Smart), Ohio University (29-8/John Groce), Middle Tennessee State (27-7/Kermit Davis), Oral Roberts (27-7/Scott Sutton), Lehigh (27-8/Brett Reed), South Dakota State (27-8/Scott Nagy), Mercer (27-11/Bob Hoffman), Harvard (26-5/Tommy Amaker), Norfolk State (26-10/Anthony Evans), Robert Morris (26-11/Andy Toole), Wagner (25-6/Danny Hurley), Southern Mississippi (25-9/Larry Eustachy), Loyola, Md. (24-9/Jimmy Patsos), Texas-Arlington (24-9/Scott Cross), UNC Asheville (24-10/Eddie Biedenbach), Colorado (24-12/Tad Boyle), Stony Brook (22-10/Steve Pikiell), Savannah State (21-12/Horace Broadnax), SC Upstate (21-13/Eddie Payne) and North Carolina Central (17-15/LeVelle Moton).

Colorado and fellow power league members Georgia, Miami (Fla.), Northwestern and Southern California never have won as many as 25 games in a single season. If the Pac-12 isn't significantly better than last season, Colorado probably boasts the best chance among this group to finally crack the 25-win plateau.

Although schedules include significantly more games than several decades ago, seven Pac-12 members are among the 15 power league members who first set their existing single-season record for victories before the NCAA playoffs expanded to at least 32 teams in 1975. Following is a school-by-school look at the scoring and rebounding leaders for teams when they posted a school's winningest season at the DI level:

Many high school player ratings need to be printed on toilet paper so they can be flushed down the commode. If you seek the latest evidence of their actual worth, simply assess the prep senior class of 2009/college senior class of 2013.

Two of the biggest busts in multiple ways were Renardo Sidney (Mississippi State) and Lance Stephenson (Cincinnati). Have the genius analysts who acknowledged these colossal cancer-causing clowns among the 2009 top 10 recruits on their manifestos gone to confession to deal with their selection sins? In retrospect, it seems inconceivable that Sidney and Stephenson were rated so far ahead of Arizona All-American Derrick Williams.

This critique also extends to rush-to-judgment plaudits from announcers who rely on these lists to hype recruits beyond reason before the impressionable teenagers set foot on a major-college court. There should be a "Duds Not Studs" web site devoted to so-called expert hyperventilating proclamations detailing the seemingly endless sizzle that wound up becoming little more than fizzle.

For instance, the following total of 11 McDonald's All-Americans from 2009 enter this season with college career scoring averages of less than eight points per game: Dominic Cheek (Villanova/7.6 ppg), Abdul Gaddy (Washington/6.4), Milton Jennings (Clemson/7), Wally Judge (Kansas State & Rutgers/4), Ryan Kelly (Duke/6.3), Alex Oriakhi (Connecticut & Missouri/7.2), Mason Plumlee (Duke/7.3), Dexter Strickland (North Carolina/6.7), Dante Taylor (Pittsburgh/5), David Wear (North Carolina & UCLA/6.8) and Travis Wear (North Carolina & UCLA/7.4).

This mistake-ridden mess isn't exactly a new trend. To their credit, at least the current underachievers all have higher scoring averages than McDonald's All-Americans since 1977 such as Darryl Barnes (1989/Georgia Tech/1.5 ppg), Bret Bearup (1980/Kentucky/3.6), Barry Bekkedam (1986/Villanova/2.1), Milton Bell (1988/Georgetown/3.7), Jimmy Braddock (1979/North Carolina/3.7), Pete Budko (1977/North Carolina/1.9), Vasco Evtimov (1996/North Carolina/2.8), Neil Fingleton (2000/North Carolina & Holy Cross/2.6), Bobby Frasor (2005/North Carolina/3.7), Shaun Golden (1989/Georgia/3.2), Bill Heppner (1987/DePaul/0.9), Pete Holbert (1980/Maryland/3), Reggie Jackson (1978/Maryland/3.9), Cedric Jenkins (1984/Kentucky/2.5), James Keefe (2006/UCLA/2.2), Dan Larson (1978/Utah and Santa Clara/3.6), Majestic Mapp (1999/Virginia/3.4), Glenn Mayers (1980/Wake Forest/3.5), Lonnie McFarlan (1980/St. Joseph's/3.7), Raymond McKoy (1979/San Francisco and DePaul/1.5), Martin Nessley (1983/Duke/2.4), Calvin Rayford (1991/Kansas/1.5), Casey Sanders (1999/Duke/2.7), Rodney Walker (1985/Syracuse and Maryland/2.3), Kevin Walls (1984/Louisville/2.7) and Matt Wenstrom (1989/North Carolina/1.6).

Ironic or not, all claims against fast-living Bekkedam and his former Radnor, Pa.-based investment firm were dismissed by investors last winter. He was CEO of Ballamor Capital Management, an integral feeder, funneling $100 million, into what turned out to be a Florida Ponzi scheme. Scott Rothstein, a Fort Lauderdale lawyer, enticed investors by promising a 15% return to invest in confidential settlements that his law firm had supposedly negotiated for plaintiffs.

"I sympathize completely with my fellow victims in this terrible deception," said Bekkedam, who had a reputation for using a private jet to visit clients in out-of-the-way places. "All of us were cruelly swindled by Rothstein (convicted of fraud and serving a 50-year prison sentence)." Seems to resemble the hoax being lured into putting too much stock into high school basketball player ratings!

Meanwhile, the following college seniors-to-be virtually overlooked when they left high school have had just as much, if not significantly more, impact on the sport: Murray State's Isaiah Canaan, Montana's Will Cherry, Central Florida's Keith Clanton, Notre Dame's Jack Cooley, Ohio's D.J. Cooper, BYU's Brandon Davies, Penn State's Tim Frazier, Baylor's Pierre Jackson, Lehigh's C.J. McCollum, Kansas State's Rodney McGruder, San Diego State's Chase Tapley and South Dakota State's Nate Wolters.

When will the myriad of breathless recruiting services and gurus playing loose and fast with the truth invest time issuing "corrections" after all of the returns are in? Errick McCollum Jr., C.J.'s dad, probably summed up the debilitating dialogue best when he told espn.com: "All those coaches and scouts don't know what they're doing. They have jobs to scout talent, but they don't know what they're doing. A plain eye can see that."

If they comprehend accountability, any overdue apologies from the recruiting services can simply lift phrases from Bekkdam's press release about "this terrible deception" and "all of us were cruelly swindled."

"We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does." - Air Force honor code

College presidents finally seem to be paying at least a little more than just lip service to proposals for upright athletic programs. But the well-worn cliche "cheaters never prosper" isn't quite valid for coaches who didn't exactly abide by the aforementioned Air Force honor code.

Fool me once, shame on thee; fool me twice, shame on me. Shouldn't the three coaches who were in charge of two different schools when they were forced to vacate NCAA Tournament records be viewed as damaged goods rather than being canonized as they are in some quarters?

One man's trash is another man's treasure. It shouldn't be any surprise that John Calipari and Jim Valvano have a significant number of suspect characters among the list of "Bad Boys of College Basketball" assembled by CollegeHoopedia.com although their contributions to men behaving badly pales in comparison to the coddling of college cons by Jerry Tarkanian.

Six of Calipari's UMass players each reportedly received $12,000 to settle invasion-of-privacy complaints when their "alarming" grades were leaked to the media. After all, we can't have a serious discussion regarding scholastic standards; now can we? If the NCAA is indeed serious about draining the swamp, the governing body should embrace academic standards forcing the NBA to establish a reform school division in its developmental league. Studies have shown that a college education does not appear to diminish the probability of an eventual pro player getting in trouble with the law.

Rattling skeletons, following is the short but dubious list of repeat offenders among coaches who probably have support from shills thinking any transgression was worth it because they each won an NCAA championship during their careers:

Amid at least 20 schools switching alliances the coming season and next year, dominoes seem to fall every time a school seeks greener pastures. The Ivy League is the only Division I conference to remain intact since the late 1980s.

It's beginning to be difficult to keep track of annulment schools reneging on a pledge to align with a new league and then pursuing a more attractive option. Comedic comes to mind when Boise State simultaneously is a member of the Big East (in football) and Big West (in basketball).

Oddly, some schools such as Boise State (Big West), Charlotte (C-USA), Georgia State (Sun Belt), Pacific (West Coast) and San Diego State (Big West) are going full circle and returning to leagues where they previously were members. Next year, Abilene Christian (TX) will join the following institutions re-enlisting with a conference after leaving for various durations:

Depending upon your political persuasion, it was taking care of business or meddling in your business when the U.S. gave Nigeria the business, 156-73, in Group A Olympic men's basketball competition.

Although NBA MVP LeBron James scored only nine points and didn't play the second half with fellow A-lister Kobe Bryant, the African Sun Times had a pity party, calling the U.S. contingent a "show-off" team. Do those opposed to American exceptionalism think the U.S. was a "terrorist" for attacking Nigeria's self-esteem? Should the hardwood carnage be called "a man-made disaster?"

U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski bristled over suggestions that the 83-point drubbing represented the Americans going too far running up the score when it wasn't necessary. There was an element of showmanship, but a subsequent 99-94 decision over Lithuania clearly conveyed there is never a reason not to always put the pedal to the metal.

Krzyzewski, similar to the overwhelming majority of Army graduates, has forgotten more about ethics, fair play, honor, integrity and patriotism than any clueless clown detractor ever will know. And he has a great memory! Did Coach K whine after Duke was demolished by UNLV in the 1990 NCAA Tournament championship game? No, he came back the next year to defeat the same team at the Final Four.

Nonetheless, ESPN analyst Kurt Rambis said it seemed as if the U.S. ran up the score because it was "trying to look for three-point shots (made 29)" rather than "trying to attack the basket." It appears as if Left Coast product Rambis agrees with the 25% of voters who thought the U.S. either "looked like a bully" or took "a lot of 3s" in a USA Today poll inquiring whether observers had "any problem with USA Basketball score vs. Nigeria."

"Wake up and smell the Commie!" The percentage of in-your-face folks concerned about the disparity is essentially the same as self-professed liberals in America according to a Gallup poll. Of course, progressive tenets support the government taking responsibility for fixing social injustice because it is the only force strong enough to bring fairness to the masses.

So, the big, bad corporation (U.S.) with all of the assets handed to them took advantage of the middle class (Nigeria) incapable of prospering without foreign aid. Well, Nigeria probably should at least be deemed upper middle class insofar as the country has supplied numerous college basketball notables over the years such as All-American Akeem Olajuwon (Houston) and all-conference selections Akin Akin-Otiko (Oral Roberts), Peter Aluma (Liberty), Tunji Awojobi (Boston University), Yinka Dare (George Washington), Benson Egemonye (Niagara), Festus Ezeli (Vanderbilt), Andrew Lovedale (Davidson), Uche Nsonwu-Amadi (Wyoming), Julius Nwosu (Liberty), Dinma Odiakosa (Illinois State), Ime Oduok (Loyola Marymount), Ugonna Onyekwe (Penn) and Ugo Udezue (Wyoming).

Never underestimate the me generation gimme-gimme-gimme throng. If reduced to a class-warfare argument by the intellectually impoverished, what does the U.S. need to do to appease the undefined "fair share" standard? In the aftermath of the hoop humiliation the U.S. handed Nigeria, the West African nation's citizens (1/2 Christian and 1/2 Muslim) might be entitled to the following "Head Start" reparations and "collective salvation" damages to make them whole even if the "Peace Corps" contributions help bankrupt our nation: Right to vote in U.S. election (especially if a felon or illegal immigrant; military concession not so much), subsidizing illegitimacy if their "Fluke" freebie condoms fail to work properly, ability to become "clean and articulate" by accessing Obamacare, free cell phone upgrade (Obamaphone), food allowance to spend on whatever organic-only goodies they want, bonus if they say they believe global warming isn't junk science or don't use the word "terrorist", private beach vacation on Gulf Coast (timed when "Bay of Rigs" tar balls aren't there), free copies of Rev. Wrong sermons blessing America, enhanced wardrobe including jewelry to match latest gangsta rapper bling, free business consultations with ex-ACORN employees as part of a "shovel-ready" stimulus to get them back to "work," etc., etc., etc. Amid the "hope and change," maybe the U.S. could also underwrite them securing access to a transgender Indonesian nanny like President Obama had prior to him moving to Hawaii and subsequently becoming a JV basketball player for Occidental (Calif.) before community organizing, serving as a U.S. Senator from Illinois and attaining POTUS status while moonlighting as ESPN's Bracketology Czar under Joe Lunardi (with spinmeister Andy Katz filling the role of a perpetually-perplexed Jay Carney wannabee distorting the riot-causing impact of some feckless film).

Bleeding-heart libs probably want the U.S. to show some heart or else they'll eventually conduct stench-filled protests at basketball offices resembling the ill-conceived Wall Street occupation. Is the U.S. supposed to return to competing with collegians? But the collegians could also win by too wide of a margin. If so, is the U.S. then supposed to deploy high schoolers and keep working its way down to a squad full of minimum-age 15-year-olds?

What if the U.S., embracing collective salvation, gave Nigeria the ultimate hoop handout - Carmelo Anthony welfare? It's an all-time record payment of 37 points that could be added to Nigeria's output while being subtracted from the U.S. team. Would winning by nine points be acceptable to the shameless tax-and-spend crowd? Will they ever include b-u-d-g-e-t and v-i-c-t-o-r-y in their lexicon? At what point would soaking the rich (U.S.) be enough?

Heaven only knows the outrage in some disturbed quarters if the U.S., shackled by white guilt, had clobbered Kenya (native country of Obama's deadbeat dad) rather than Nigeria. Leading rebounder Kevin Love, the lone white player on the U.S. roster, would have promptly been branded a racist along with the majority of the coaching staff by Al "Not So" Sharpton of MSNBC (More Socialist Nonsense By Cablecasters). Perhaps they would have been summoned to the White House by AG Eric Holdout to conduct a beer summit after an ill-informed politico "acted stupidly" by getting "all wee wee'd up" prejudging the result by "feeling" the facts instead of "knowing" the facts.

At what juncture would nanny state advocates be mollifed, anyway? If the U.S. was ahead by 50 points with 10 or more minutes remaining, should they simply halt competition as if it was some grade school game? Should the superior U.S. players go without sneakers and/or with one hand tied behind their back to play fair? Should they be forced to shoot free throws blindfolded to allow the trailing team more of a chance to catch up? Exactly what is the Left's Fairness Doctrine?

Maybe their tired old ideology would force the U.S. to play an Old Timers' squad comprised of Krzyzewski and his Olympic coaching staff/aides - Jim Boeheim, Chris Collins, Mike D'Antoni, Johnny Dawkins, Nate McMillan, Rudy Tomjanovich and Steve Wojciechowski - if their regular players were too far in front. However, the geriatric group might have been fired up for one last hurrah after Olympic organizers didn't allow them to march with the U.S. delegation at the opening ceremony to try to reduce the number of people involved.

And involved is the key word even if you have a myopic motto such as "Resist We Much!" Self-reliant multi-tasking Americans will lean forward in their TV chairs the remainder of the Games hoping the U.S. hoopsters win a basketball contest by 100 points while eating Chick-fil-A with a supersized Big Gulp (at least 83% larger drink than 16 ounces) and make an Olympian donation to a right-thinking organization that would alienate parasites practicing the soft racism of low expectations.

It might not be in our lifetime, but Nigeria will eventually defeat the U.S. in basketball; especially if there is an escalation of a dumbing-down decline of America. Conservatively, the milestone will occur after Nigeria does the business of hard work on its own via personal sweat equity; not in the midst of accepting any pity or handout from spread-the-wealth leeches. When Nigeria's players cross that threshold, they shouldn't listen to any self-absorbed individual saying: "You didn't build that!" In the meantime, they should refuse to accept any pink(o) certificate acknowledging participation and dream only of "earning " bronze/silver/gold.

The NCAA is not the only organization that should be sensitive to doing what it can to helping modify a culture contributing to the glamorization of untested athletes and suspect characters in college sports. ESPN frequently exploits teenagers beyond reason before they graduate from high school and the Worldwide Leader hypes hoops with endless hours of analysis, promotion and games. The know-it-all network, playing the blame game by a different set of rules, pays obscene amounts of cash to power conferences for TV rights and gives outrageous forums to questionable individuals. By any measure, ESPN is as much, or perhaps more, at fault as the NCAA for entirely abdicating any obligation to protecting the interests of academic and moral integrity.

Shouldn't ESPN be forced to replay all the gushing comments on its network about Joe Paterno since the late 1990s and then offer a retraction for false advertising? As much as many observers abhor Paterno's arrogance and ill-intentioned loyalty to himself and his image, the public should do likewise to other entitled coaches, academic institutions and media outlets with similar warped values.

Jerry Sandusky, previously Paterno's defensive coordinator, was convicted of 45 counts related to sexually assaulting 10 young boys over a period of 15 years. It pales in comparison, but ESPN has sullied its reputation by being Jim Valvano's defense coordinator for an even longer span molesting academic integrity (735 average SAT score for his ACC players in mid-1980s). Do any of its holier-than-thou employees now pillorying Paterno have second thoughts cashing their checks from an Extra Sensitive Pious Network still fawning over a basketball coach who was in charge when two schools were forced to vacate their NCAA playoff participation (Iona and North Carolina State)?

Unlike Paterno's pristine graduation rate, the academic progress of Valvano's players at N.C. State was dismal. In an affront to numbers that never lie, there are times when ESPN sycophants shamelessly enhance Valvano's credentials as a strategist, perpetuating a myth he was a late-game genius. Intense slobbering aside, you can't cover-up the cold hard facts that Valvano posted a modest .500 record in close contests decided by fewer than five points, a mark failing to rank among the top 250 DI coaches in such an illuminating category.

ESPN will have zero credibility in regard to "success with honor" until it quits playing the dutiful role of a son resembling Jay Paterno and takes down its basketball "statue." JoePa raised money for Penn State's library and ESPN raised money for cancer in Valvano's name (V Foundation). But Paterno and ESPN both are outside-the-lines enablers seemingly accountable to no one. They each have a legacy but failed their constituency in regard to providing genuine role models.

Pardon the interruption, but ESPN's sanctimonious indifference to eroding values is further exhibited when they hire disgraced ex-Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl as a full-time analyst and part-time interior decorator. How can a viewer trust anything the former Boston College mascot says while winging it when the virtuous Volunteer can't remember what his home looks like inside? ESPN, rather than finding someone with less baggage, feels compelled to "force" Pearl and his highly questionable ethics into the homes of SportsNation. Portraying Seth Greenberg as an expert despite a grand total of one NCAA playoff victory in more than 20 years to possibly replace Digger Phelps is "one" thing. Accepting Bruce-On-the-Loose's pearls of wisdom as the next Valvano variation is quite another.

Going around the horn, ESPN tried to preempt Doug Gottlieb's announcement about him leaving for CBS. But as long as Gottlieb isn't trying to position himself to become coach at UCLA or Southern California, there is no comparison between his veteran TV/radio work and rookie additions Greenberg/Pearl.

Pondering the price of ESPN's unprecedented hero worship, the network continued bringing in the clowns by foisting journalistic jewel Jalen Rose on the College GameDay panel to replace Hubert Davis. Was astute Stephen Bardo considered insofar as he is as savvy a college broadcaster as anyone could find and would also duplicate Davis' dignity? Surely, ESPN didn't put cultural diversity (Rose over Gottlieb) ahead of authoritative knowledge of the college game because Gottlieb dwarfs Rose in that category. Rose's masquerading as a journalist surfaced when he seemed overly protective of UM's 20-year-old moniker when he said he's not a fan of the gold-medal winning U.S. women's gymnastics squad being known as the "Fab Five."

"To use the nickname just points and screams of lazy journalism by the national media," Rose said. Is this the vast expertise we can look forward to from him as a "lazy" central figure in ESPN's college basketball coverage? It seems Rose's amateurish historical knowledge doesn't include him acknowledging "Fabulous Five" basketball squads at Kentucky in the late 1940s and Iowa in the mid-1950s. But give Rose some credit. By mid-season, he apparently was conducting wee-hours-of-the-morning GameDay research on what ex-Iowa State coach Larry Eustachy went through partying with college students while on the road (after his alma mater's defeat at Indiana).

Rose is certainly an expert at adding fuel to a simmering fire. Early in 2012, he expressed his displeasure about Michigan's school president adamantly reaffirming her opposition to retrieving the Wolverines' 1992 and 1993 Final Four banners from storage and rehanging them at Crisler Arena.

Rose must not have taken a logic class while in college. Resembling an egomaniac extorter, Rose distributed a classless tweet implying he might ask for a $250,000 donation back from his alma mater. But rather than smugly humiliating ESPN colleague Skip Bayless for embellishing his Oklahoma H.S. playing career with "water-Pistol whipping" drive-by ridicule, Cracklin' Rose (a genuine #1 hit at same time frame in early 1970s) should get on board by focusing more on restoring his own credibility after he was pulled from the air briefly by the Worldwide Leader following a knucklehead move failing to disclose a DUI arrest. Right as Rose commenced his college analyst duties this fall, he was immersed in a he-said, he-said war of words with NBA coach Sam Mitchell, who didn't speak highly of him.

Rose could call an authentic "timeout" on his self-absorbed commentary similar to the documentary glorifying Michigan's "Fab Five." While Rose continued to fail to comprehend there are consequences to actions disgracing a revered school, President Mary Sue Coleman was infinitely more concerned with integrity. She told the Michigan Daily: "It was a very difficult time and we were ashamed of what happened because the university has higher standards than that."

Why would grandstanding Rose want to celebrate the lower standards of losing two NCAA title games, anyway? Perhaps UM could appease him by hanging a Big Ten Conference championship banner. Oh, I forgot! The Fraud Five never achieved that feat from 1991-92 through 1994-95.

Why doesn't Rose offer to purchase the meaningless banners for an amount equal to the $616,000-plus money launderer "Uncle Ed" lent to UM players and he can hang them wherever he wants (including temporarily at arenas featuring the gaggle of GameDay gadflys)? Much like overstating Skip Baseless, the "First Take" from this corner is that Jailin' seems to be talking a better game (on and off the court) than he played, too.

The bloom has been off Rose in some quarters since the snarly social commentator affixed the unbecoming "Uncle Tom" tag on Duke's dynasty. Seemingly self-destructive Rose, whose intellectually lazy DUI concealment compromised ESPN's reputation, failed to exhibit any regret for "hating Duke" in the doltish documentary. Through his taunting Rose-colored glasses, the Mike Krzyzewski-coached Blue Devils were blasted by him for preferring to recruit "Uncle Tom" African-American student-athletes.

Despite being Rose-hosed, DI's all-time winningest coach must know more about assembling a non-gangsta winner than certainly Uncle Fester or Uncle Kracker - both definitely requiring baggy shorts. But Coach K, even without any of the fashionable Fab Five on his roster, somehow kayoed six more opponents than Michigan did during rambling Rose's overrated stint with the cultural icon Wooferines from 1991-92 through 1993-94. Duke won each of four meetings with all or part of the Fab Jive; three of them by double digits.

Perhaps Rose would have been attractive to Duke if he had adequately measured up to any of the following ethical situations:

• Maybe Rose, ESPN's basketball version of former football flunkey Michael Irvin, would have been recruited by Duke if he wasn't susceptible to finding himself in a thorny situation at a home(y) during a purported crack roundup.

• Maybe Rose would have been recruited by Coach K if he wasn't leeching to a hanger-on such as convicted bookmaker/booster Ed "Godfather" Martin for "pocket change."

• Maybe Rose would have been recruited by Duke if he assured the Blue Devils' coaching staff he could help his me-generation team keep track of timeouts at critical junctures instead of seemingly being more consumed with donning revolutionary look-at-me black socks.

It would be fab(ulous) if Rose's outrageous trash-talking prowess included divulging his ACT or SAT score for the public to discern whether Uncle Jailin' qualified academically to become a "bitch" or "pussy" for Duke as he and his bush buddies bellowed in the documentary. Rather than hatin' harangues denigrating Duke, he should also "cry uncle" and be a mite more concerned with "polishing" the punk images associated with drab-five character flaws stemming from reports of deadbeat dads, driving under the influence, herpes, marijuana possession and obstructing justice.

ESPN's obfuscation penalty against Rose never will be sufficient until the cable network assigns the documentary's co-executive producer to a pruning in front of the Cameron Crazies and allow them equal time documenting their infinitely more clever comments about stopping and smelling this regaling Rose. Odds are they'll produce a catch-phrase putting "we're bigger than the score of the game" to shame.

If Duke graduate Jay Bilas tries at all in their hoop dialogue, he'll beat Rose one-on-one in mental gymnastics every time Jailin' tries his street-cred "Uncle" Tomfoolery. Rose looks as comfortable on a dais with Bilas and Digger Phelps, let alone Bob Knight, as they would have been with him at the "home" where he was involved in incident caught hanging out with suspect characters while Fab Five member for Michigan. A lively series of Laurel and Hardy debates featuring Bilas vs. Gottlieb would have had more appeal by a mile than listening to jaded Jalen drone on and on with his fake smile. How long could it be before "the sports reporters" not linked to ESPN's payroll emulate Rose and give him a dose of his own pithy posturing by dubbing him Uncle Bomb?

Guard C.J. McCollum, in what should have been a banner season for him and other mid-major players, gave every indication that he would become Lehigh's first All-American and a three-time Patriot League MVP. But that was before the nation's leading scorer at the time incurred a broken left foot at the turn of the new year. McCollum, a Canton, Ohio, native shunned by Mid-American Conference schools, ranked among the nation's top 10 scorers the past two seasons and has averaged 6.4 rpg in his career. He is a late bloomer similar to his brother Errick McCollum III, who became the all-time leading scorer for Goshen College, an NAIA school in Indiana.

Virginia center Ralph Sampson had the lowest scoring average (17.6 points per game from 1980-81 through 1982-83) among the 29 players during spans in the last 50-plus years when they captured three or four MVP awards in a Division I conference. Sampson's average was 26.6 ppg lower than LSU guard Pete Maravich's NCAA-record mark (44.2 from 1967-68 through 1969-70).

No player from a power conference has achieved the feat since Kansas' Danny Manning in the Big Eight from 1985-86 through 1987-88. Prior to the foot injury, McCollum could have joined the following chronological list of standouts who became player of the year in a DI league three or four seasons since the early 1960s:

Former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin, inducted this weekend into baseball's Hall of Fame, has strong family connections to college basketball. His son, Shane, averaged 7.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.5 apg and 1.6 spg as a freshman last season for Miami (Fla.) after securing a scholarship release from DePaul. In high school, Shane was runner-up to Duke All-American Austin Rivers as Florida Class 6A Player of the Year. Barry's brother, Byron, was an All-American with Xavier, ranking among the nation's top 25 scorers three consecutive seasons from 1985-86 through 1987-88.

While Barry Larkin didn't compete in college basketball, the following individuals among the nearly 300 MLB Hall of Famers were indeed college hoopsters:

WALTER ALSTON, Miami (Ohio)
Managed the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers for 23 seasons (1954 through 1976), winning seven National League pennants and three World Series. In eight All-Star Game assignments, Alston was the winning manager a record seven times. He struck out in his only major league at-bat with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1936. . . . The 6-2, 195-pound Alston, a charter member of his alma mater's Athletic Hall of Fame, lettered in basketball in 1932-33, 1933-34 and 1934-35. He scored 10 of Miami's 15 points in a 32-15 defeat against Indiana in his senior season.

LOU BOUDREAU, Illinois
Infielder hit .295 in 15 seasons (1938 through 1952) with the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox. Managed Indians, Red Sox, Kansas City Athletics and Chicago Cubs, starting his managerial career at the age of 24 in 1942. As player-manager in 1948, the shortstop led Cleveland to the A.L. title and earned MVP honors by hitting .355 with 116 RBI. He hit a modest .273 in the World Series. The seven-time All-Star led the A.L. with 45 doubles on three occasions (1941, 1944 and 1947) and paced the league in batting average in 1944 (.327). . . . Played two varsity basketball seasons for Illinois (1936-37 and 1937-38) under coach Doug Mills. As a sophomore, Boudreau led the Illini in scoring with an 8.7-point average as the team shared the Big Ten Conference title. Compiled an 8.8 average the next year. After helping the Illini upset St. John's in a game at Madison Square Garden, the New York Daily News described him as "positively brilliant" and said he "set up countless plays in breathtaking fashion." . . . Averaged 8.2 points per game for Hammond (Ind.) in the National Basketball League in 1938-39.

ALBERT B. "HAPPY" CHANDLER, Transylvania (Ky.)
Twice governor of Kentucky (1935-39 and 1955-59), U.S. senator (1939-45) and commissioner of baseball (1945-51). He oversaw the initial steps toward integration of the major leagues. Democrat embraced the "Dixiecrats" in the late 1940s. . . . Captain of Transylvania's basketball team as a senior in 1920-21.

GORDON "MICKEY" COCHRANE, Boston University
Hall of Famer hit .320 (highest career mark ever for a catcher) with the Philadelphia Athletics and Detroit Tigers in 13 seasons from 1925 through 1937. Swatted three homers in a single game as a rookie. Lefthanded swinger was A.L. MVP in 1928 and 1934. Led the A.L. in on-base percentage in 1933 (.459) and ranked among the league top nine in batting average five times (1927-30-31-33-35). Participated in five World Series (1929-30-31- 34-35). . . . Five-sport athlete with BU, including basketball (class of '24).

EARLE COMBS, Eastern Kentucky
Hall of Fame outfielder hit .325 with the New York Yankees in 12 seasons from 1924 through 1935. Lefthanded swinger led the A.L. in hits with 231 in 1927 when he also paced the the league in singles and triples. Also led the A.L. in triples in 1928 and 1930. Assembled a 29-game hitting streak in 1931. Leadoff hitter and "table- setter" for the Yankees' potent "Murderer's Row" offense ranked among the A.L. top six in runs eight straight years when he became the first player in modern major league history to score at least 100 runs in his first eight full seasons. Posted a .350 batting average in four World Series (1926-27-28-32) before a pair of serious collisons shortened his productive career. Served as coach with the Yankees (1936-44), St. Louis Browns (1947), Boston Red Sox (1948-54) and Philadelphia Phillies (1955). . . . Captain of his alma mater's basketball squad for three years when the school was known as Eastern State Normal.

LARRY DOBY, Virginia Union
Outfielder hit .283 with 253 home runs and 969 RBI in a 13-year career from 1947 through 1959 with the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox. The first black player in the American League twice led the A.L. in homers (32 in 1952 and 1954). He was the first African-American to lead a league in homers (1952 and 1954) and the first to participate in the World Series (1948). Hit 20 or more round-trippers eight consecutive seasons from 1949 through 1956 while finishing among the A.L. top nine in slugging percentage each year. The seven-time All-Star drove in 100 or more runs five times, leading the A.L. with 126 in 1954 when the Indians won 111 games before being swept by the New York Giants in the World Series. Appeared in 1948 and 1954 World Series with the Indians, winning Game 4 in '48 with a homer off Braves star Johnny Sain. Doby managed the White Sox for most of 1978 (37-50 record). . . . The 6-1, 180-pounder attended LIU on a basketball scholarship but transferred to Virginia Union prior to the start of the season after Uncle Sam summoned him for World War II service. Doby was told Virginia Union had a ROTC program and he could complete his freshman season before being drafted. He became eligible the second semester of the 1942-43 season and was a reserve guard on a team that won the CIAA title.

RICK FERRELL, Guilford (N.C.)
Catcher hit over .300 five times en route to a .281 career batting average with the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox and Washington Senators in 18 years from 1929 through 1947. He set an A.L. record with 1,805 games behind the plate. Traded with his brother (pitcher Wes Ferrell) from Boston to Washington during the 1937 campaign. . . . The 5-10, 160-pounder was a basketball forward before graduating in 1928.

FRANKIE FRISCH, Fordham
Registered a run of 11 consecutive .300 seasons and set fielding records for chances and assists with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1927. As player-manager with the Cards, he instilled the rollicking all-out style of hardnosed play that prompted a team nickname of "The Gashouse Gang." His season strikeout total topped 20 only twice en route to a .316 average in his 19-year career, which also included a stint with the New York Giants. . . . According to his bio in Total Baseball, "The Fordham Flash" captained the Rams' basketball squad. In 1925, Frisch officiated the first-ever game played in the Rose Hill Gym (the oldest NCAA Division I facility in the nation).

BOB GIBSON, Creighton
Compiled a 251-174 pitching record with 3,117 strikeouts and 2.91 ERA in 17 seasons (1959 through 1975) with the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1968, he pitched 13 shutouts en route to a 1.12 ERA, the second-lowest since 1893 in 300 innings. Gibson notched a 7-2 mark and 1.89 ERA in nine games in the 1964, 1967 and 1968 World Series (92 strikeouts in 81 innings). He set a World Series record with 17 strikeouts against the Detroit Tigers on October 2, 1968. . . . First Creighton player to average 20 points per game for his career (20.2). Led the school in scoring in 1955-56 (40th in the country with 22 ppg) and 1956-57 and was second-leading scorer in 1954-55 before playing one season (1957-58) with the Harlem Globetrotters. Sketch from school brochure: "Possesses outstanding jump shot and for height (6-1) is a terrific rebounder."

TONY GWYNN, San Diego State
Padres outfielder hit .338 in 20 seasons (1982 through 2001), winning eight N.L. batting titles--1984, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997. Played in 15th All-Star Game in 1999 before topping the 3,000-hit plateau later in the year. Holds N.L. record for most years leading league in singles (six). Won a Gold Glove five times (1986-87-89-90-91). He hit .368 in the 1984 N.L. Championship Series to help San Diego reach the World Series against the Detroit Tigers. Also participated in the 1998 World Series against the New York Yankees. Became baseball coach at his alma mater after retiring from the major leagues. . . . Averaged 8.6 ppg and 5.5 apg in 107 games with the Aztecs in four seasons (1977-78 through 1980-81). The 5-11, 170-pound guard was named second-team All-Western Athletic Conference as both a junior and senior. Led the WAC in assists as both a sophomore and junior and was third as a senior. Paced San Diego State in steals each of his last three seasons. Selected in the 10th round of 1981 NBA draft by the San Diego Clippers.

MONTE IRVIN, Lincoln (Pa.)
Outfielder-first baseman hit .293 with 99 home runs and 443 RBI in eight major league years (1949 through 1956) with the New York Giants and Chicago Cubs. Irvin led the N.L. in RBI with 121 in 1951, the same year he led the World Series in hitting (.458 vs. crosstown Yankees) after collecting seven hits in the first two contests of the six-game set. He was a member of the Giants' squad that swept the Cleveland Indians in the 1954 World Series. The 6-1, 195-pounder was one of the first black players signed after baseball's color line was broken in 1947. Among the brightest stars in the Negro Leagues, he registered league highs of .422 in 1940 and .396 in 1941 before spending three years in the Army. . . . His athletic career was nearly prematurely ended when an infection from a scratched hand in a basketball game kept him close to death for seven weeks. Irvin participated in basketball for 1 1/2 years in the late 1930s for Lincoln, an all-black university in Oxford, Pa., before dropping out of school.

SANDY KOUFAX, Cincinnati
Compiled a 165-87 record and 2.76 ERA in 12 seasons as a lefthanded pitcher with the Brooklyn (1955 through 1957) and Los Angeles (1958 through 1966) Dodgers. Led the N.L. in ERA in each of his last five seasons, going 25-5 in 1963 (MVP), 26-8 in 1965 and 27-9 in 1966 (Cy Young Award). Pitched four no-hitters and had 98 games with at least 20 strikeouts. Notched a 4-3 record and 0.95 ERA in eight World Series games in 1959, 1963 (MVP), 1965 (MVP) and 1966. . . . The Brooklyn native attended Cincinnati one year on a combination baseball/basketball scholarship before signing a pro baseball contract for a reported $20,000 bonus. He was the third-leading scorer with a 9.7-point average as a 6-2, 195-pound forward for the Bearcats' 12-2 freshman team in 1953-54. Koufax compiled a 3-1 pitching record in his lone college baseball campaign, averaging 14.3 strikeouts and 8.4 bases on balls per game when his statistics are converted to a nine-inning game ratio. . . . Ed Jucker, coach of Cincinnati's NCAA titlists in 1961 and 1962, coached the Bearcats' baseball squad and freshman basketball team in 1953-54. Jucker said of Koufax's basketball ability: "He could jump extremely well, was a strong kid and a good driver. He would have made a fine varsity player. We certainly could have used him." If viewers pay attention to CBS acknowledging celebrities in the stands during telecasts with crowd shots, they've probably noticed that Koufax regularly attends the Final Four.

TED LYONS, Baylor
Spent his entire 21-year career with the Chicago White Sox (1923 through 1942 and 1946) after never playing in the minors. Managed the White Sox from 1946 through 1948. Three-time 20-game winner compiled a 260-230 record and 3.67 ERA in 594 games. He pitched a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox in 1926. In 1939, Lyons hurled 42 consecutive innings without issuing a walk. . . . Earned four basketball letters at Baylor from 1919-20 through 1922-23. Consensus first-team selection on All-Southwest Conference squad as a sophomore and senior.

CHRISTY MATHEWSON, Bucknell
Often regarded as baseball's greatest pitcher, the righthander compiled a 372-188 record and 2.13 ERA with 79 shutouts for the New York Giants in 17 years from 1900 to 1916 before winning his lone start with Cincinnati in 1916. Led the N.L. in ERA five times (1905-08-09-11-13). Hall of Famer ranked among the N.L. top five in victories 12 years in a row from 1903 through 1914. Paced the N.L. in strikeouts on five occasions in a six-year span from 1903 through 1908. Won 30 games or more in three consecutive seasons, leading the Giants in their 1905 World Series victory over the Philadelphia Athletics by hurling three shutouts in six days. Also appeared in three straight World Series from 1911 through 1913. . . . The 6-2 Mathewson also played football and basketball at the turn of the 20th Century for Bucknell (class of '02).

CUM POSEY, Penn State/Duquesne
Founder and co-owner of the Homestead Greys professional baseball team that won eight consecutive National Negro League titles. . . . Posey was the first African American to complete in intercollegiate athletics for Penn State in 1910-11. He later attended Duquesne. A legend in Pittsburgh sports history was owner/player for the famed Leondi Club, an independent basketball team that was the National Negro Championship team for many years.

EPPA RIXEY JR., Virginia
Compiled a 266-251 record with 3.15 ERA in 21 seasons (1912 through 1917 and 1919 through 1933) with the Philadelphia Phillies and Cincinnati Reds. He never played a minor league game and appeared in the 1915 World Series with the Phillies. Missed the 1918 campaign while serving overseas with an Army chemical-warfare division. Rixey won 19 or more games six years, including 1922 when he led the N.L. with 25 victories with the Reds. In his next to last season, he pitched a string of 27 consecutive scoreless innings at age 42. The N.L.'s winningest lefthanded pitcher until Warren Spahn broke his record was selected to the Hall of Fame in 1963. . . . The 6-5, 210-pound Rixey, who also played golf at Virginia, earned basketball letters in 1911-12 and 1913-14.

ROBIN ROBERTS, Michigan State
Compiled a 286-245 record in 19 seasons (1948 through 1966) with the Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs. He was a twenty-game winner for six consecutive seasons with the Phillies (1950 through 1955), leading the N.L. in victories the last four years in that span. The seven-time All-Star lost his only World Series start in 1950, 2-1, when the Yankees' Joe DiMaggio homered off him in the 10th inning. . . . Roberts played three seasons of basketball with the Spartans (1944-45 through 1946-47). He averaged 10.6 points per game as a freshman (team's third-leading scorer as he was eligible because of WWII), 9.8 as a sophomore (second-leading scorer) and 9.0 as a junior (second-leading scorer). The 6-0, 190-pound forward led the team in field-goal percentage as a junior captain. Sketch from school basketball guide: "Regarded by newsmen as one of the greatest players today in college basketball. A poll by Detroit Free Press named him the `most valuable' collegiate player in Michigan. He is not especially fast, but he's extremely well-coordinated, passes exceptionally well, and is a beautiful one-hand shot artist."

JACKIE ROBINSON, UCLA
Infielder hit .311 with 137 homers as a regular on six N.L. pennant winners with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 10 seasons (1947 through 1956). After becoming Rookie of the Year in 1947, Robinson was named MVP in 1949 when he led the N.L. with a .342 batting average and 37 stolen bases. The six-time All-Star homered in the 1952 All-Star Game. He had two homers and seven doubles in World Series competition. . . . Football, basketball and track standout at Pasadena City College in 1937-38 and 1938-39. Named to All-Southern California Junior College Conference Western Division all-star basketball team both years, a span in which UCLA was winless in league competition. First athlete in UCLA history to letter in football, basketball, baseball and track. Forward compiled the highest scoring average in the Pacific Coast Conference both of his seasons at UCLA (12.3 points per league game in 1939-40 as an all-league second-team selection and 11.1 in 1940-41). In his last UCLA athletic contest, he accounted for more than half of the Bruins' output with 20 points in a 52-37 loss to Southern California.

DAVE WINFIELD, Minnesota
Outfielder hit .283 with 465 home runs, 1,833 RBI and 3,110 hits in 22 seasons (1973 through 1988 and 1990 through 1995) with the San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, California Angels, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians. Appeared in 12 All-Star Games after never playing in the minors. Participated in the World Series with the Yankees (1981) and Blue Jays (1992). . . . Played two seasons of varsity basketball as a 6-6, 220-pound forward with the Gophers, averaging 6.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a junior in 1971-72 and 10.5 points and 6.1 rebounds as a senior in 1972-73. He played the entire game in Minnesota's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1972 under coach Bill Musselman. . . . Selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the fifth round of the 1973 NBA draft and the Utah Stars in the sixth round of the 1973 ABA draft. Didn't play college football, but was chosen in the 17th round of the 1973 NFL draft by the Minnesota Vikings. Excerpt from school guide: "Recruited out of intramural ranks to lend depth, became a starter and was a giant in the stretch drive. Amazing athlete leaps like a man catapulted. Soft touch from medium range."

Nothing is more amazing in NCAA history than UCLA's 88-game winning streak. The string ended at Notre Dame, 71-70, on January 19, 1974, when guard Dwight Clay's fallaway jump shot from the right baseline with 29 seconds remaining climaxed a 12-0 spurt in the last three minutes for the Irish.

Bruins All-American center Bill Walton, who had injured his back two weeks earlier, hadn't played in 12 days but still went 12 for 13 from the floor. UCLA coach John Wooden, believing his squad was more prepared, didn't like to call timeouts and five consecutive turnovers by his team let Notre Dame back into the game.

UCLA compiled a 149-2 record at Pauley Pavilion under Wooden, but its streak of Pacific-8 Conference victories ended at 50 when the Bruins bowed at Oregon State, 61-57. It was OSU's lone victory over UCLA in a 26-game stretch of their series from 1967 through 1979. The Bruins then succumbed at Oregon, 56-51, to give them back-to-back defeats for the first time since 1966. They seemed to be afflicted somewhat by the dreaded disease known as "senioritis" in coaching circles.

"When you have the same group for three years, they're a little more difficult to work with. They don't mean to be, but they are," Wooden said of the Walton Gang. "I can't find fault with my team, but I failed to motivate them. And I'm not talking about won-lost record. In many games we won, I didn't think we displayed intensity and didn't play up to our potential."

The last undefeated squad was Indiana in 1975-76. It's almost inconceivable that a school could go 2 1/2 consecutive seasons without a loss. What are other untouchable team and individual standards of excellence that will be almost impossible to duplicate let alone exceed? Records were made to be broken, but perhaps not always in our lifetime. UCLA dominates the most illustrious of the following assessment of the 10 records most likely never to be broken:

1. UCLA's 88-game winning streak (under coach John Wooden from Jan. 30, 1971, to Jan. 19, 1974).

UCLA sandwiched 88 consecutive victories between January defeats at Notre Dame (89-82 in 1971 and 71-70 at 1974). The streak began inauspiciously when five of the first eight triumphs were by fewer than five points. Then, the Bruins went ballistic and finished the streak with an average margin of victory of 23.4 points, including an NCAA single-season record of 30.3 in 1971-72.

They won 49 home games by 29.6 points per game, 25 road games by 23.4 ppg and 14 neutral contests by 13.6 ppg. Here is a further breakdown of UCLA's winning margins during the streak: 0-10 points - 17 games; 11-20 points - 25 games; 21-30 points - 20 games; 31-40 points - 17 games; 41-50 points - four games, and more than 50 points - five games.

Twelve different UCLA players led the Bruins in scoring during the following streak, including 45 times by All-American center Bill Walton. Women's basketball doesn't boast anywhere close to the parity exhibited in the men's game. Following is a men's mark that will never be toppled in a transient era for players: