R-C Sports Notebook: Now we know .. kind of

I wrote last week that last weekend's Manogue-Douglas boys' game was going to tell us a lot about where the Tigers actually stand this year.

And in a way, it did.

A 23-point loss usually says it all. But you have to get into "how" the game ended up that way to understand that the Tigers really aren't that far off from being a legitimate regional title contender this year.

Disclaimer: I wasn't at the game.

But, from all accounts, Manogue didn't have an answer for Douglas' interior offense (It's been true for most Tiger opponents this year). That's big for one major reason.

Interior offense, particularly post play, is what is going to carry a team - any team - through the playoffs. Eliminate that from the equation and it doesn't matter what other facet you excel in, you are not going to be able to go the distance.

Solid post play tends to work as long as you're willing to stick with it and as long as you have either a) Solid dribble penetration from the wings or b) One or two outside threats to keep the defense from packing in to the paint.

The encouraging thing all season has been that Douglas is solid in transition, relentless on defense, tough with its slashers and timely from outside the arc.

But now they also know with little doubt that their frontcourt can carry the load after the unit put up more than half of the team's points against Manogue on Saturday.

With the wide array of front court weapons the Tigers present this year (6-6 Jorey Scott, Garrett Getty, Matt Thomas, Hunter Myers and Kameron VanWinkle) it's a fair bet that someone is going to find a rhythm on any given night. That's a huge advantage to see it in action now, rather than in the first round of the playoffs, when it's too late to capitalize on it.

So what did we really learn?

Douglas and Manogue, all told, are on fairly even terms heading down the stretch in Sierra League play. Prior to the outside outburst from Manogue, Douglas led the game by two with three minutes left in the third quarter. The Tigers led by as much as nine in the game.

The biggest difference is that Manogue is working largely with a veteran squad and Douglas is currently not starting a single senior and has only five full years of varsity experience on its roster.

For all intents and purposes this was the first "big" varsity game for seven of 12 guys on the Tiger roster. There were bound to be some lapses, but considering the game was back-and-forth for a large majority, things are shaping up for a barnburner matchup in Minden Feb. 5.

They probably aren't going to wind up in the Sierra Nevada top 10 with the way the dual season is playing out, but it's fair to say the Douglas wrestling team is doing more with less than anyone else in the region right now.

They've got 10 guys competing, so dual matches are out of the question as the Tigers are automatically giving up 24 points due to forfeits.

But, in two tournaments over the past two weeks, the Tigers have placed the majority of those 10.

Heading into regionals in about three weeks, Douglas has seven guys that - with the right breaks and some good draws - could lay claims to a state berth.

Granted, everything would have to go spectacularly their way, but when you qualify seven guys, that's when you start talking about regional team title implications. We'll just have to wait and see.

Here's the top positive to take out of a tough situation last week:

Even with a two-point loss to Manogue on Saturday, the Douglas girls' basketball team came away with what might have been the milestone game that helps the program to get back on its feet.

There are still some tough stretches ahead - most notably Carson on Friday - but there are very winable games out there for the Tigers down the stretch.

They are already easily one of the most athletic teams in region, if not the state. As such they boast a stingy defense that can, at times, be downright stifling.

It's the offense that they are waiting on to come around. As any coach will tell you, that's something that simply takes more time.

The playoffs may be a bit of a longshot at this point, but Damonte, Galena, Carson, South Tahoe and Manogue all still have to come to Minden at this point. Those are crucial games to have at home late in the season. Don't be surprised to see the Tigers take a couple of those.

And even if the playoffs don't happen this year, this team is learning a lot of important lessons along the way - lessons that will help build a strong foundation for the future.

I'm planning to be at these games this week, so check online for updates (Cover It Live is the tool we use to post automatic updates during games and also allows for comments and questions from fans during the game, so be sure to check out our Web site if you can't make it to the games I will be posting from.):

Friday: Basketball vs. Carson, 5:15 p.m. (girls), 7 p.m. (boys)

- At this point of the season last year, the Douglas boys' squad was 3-3 in league play and heading into what would be a loss at Carson. This year they've preserved all three wins and reversed two of the three losses. We'll see what happens Friday night.

- Friday's boys' game could be a potential instant classic. Douglas is better ranked that Carson right now, but Carson has the better overall record. Their league records are identical. Carson is always well-prepared and well-coached. Time will tell.

- The Douglas boys have lost just once to Carson over the past five seasons. They have 10 wins during the same stretch with deficits as big as 32 points and as small as two in overtime.

- I've been asked a couple of times in the last week what I think about the whole Mark McGwire steroid saga and whether or not he deserves to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Here's my honest thinking on this, and I'm not trying to side-step the question. Hall of Fames, in my opinion, are great for high schools and colleges. It helps stoke the tradition of the school and the history of the area. It means a lot to the inductees and their famililes, to be able to return to the campus and see their family name enshrined.

I don't see much point in professional hall of fames as a function of athlete recognition, however. They still mean a lot to the respective families, but the greater meaning in the scope of history is lost.

Quick, name five non-skill position NFL Hall-of-Famers. See?

I'm all about preserving the history of sports. In so many words, and on a much smaller scale, it's what I do here.

But some comittee isn't going to determine what really stands out over time. Sure, they'll get some (if not most) of the important guys in there, but there are certain people you just can't tell the story of a game without (Shoeless Joe Jackson, Buck Weaver).

Mark McGwire is one of those people for me.

He cheated and on that grounds, it's my opinion he shouldn't be awarded any ceremonial distinction as a player. But, as a fan, you know his name isn't just automatically stricken from the record.

Matter of fact, his name means a lot more to the general non-sports public right now than Andre Dawson (who was just elected at the beginning of the month).

Same with Pete Rose, compared with Roberto Alomar (who probably should've been inducted this year, but wasn't).

Someone on the radio last week was saying, basically, if you say their name and in one sentence can explain their impact on the game, they belong in the Hall of Fame. If it takes any more than that, probably not.

Outside of the hall of fame argument, I agree with that to a certain extent, in that there are going to be those certain people through the history of sports that define or change the way the game is played. It's those guys that people remember, right or wrong.

40, 50 years from now, people are still going to be talking about Mark McGwire. So that's my answer.

Time for this week's installment of Edd Roush's All-Stars (Formerly "This Wacky World of Sports") - Celebrating Edd Roush, the only player ever ejected from a Major League Baseball game for sleeping in the outfield.

Philly.com reported last week that FSN Pittsburgh failed to send its camera angles of an apparent goal during a Flyers-Penguins hockey game that was wiped off the board due to inconclusive replay evidence.

Here's an excerpt:

"The NHL yesterday said it was investigating why the Pittsburgh Penguins' TV-rights holder withheld from replay officials a videotape that showed the Flyers' Simon Gagne scoring a shorthanded goal against the host Penguins last Thursday. 'At the heart of the matter is the integrity of the system,' said Gary Meagher, the NHL's senior vice president of public relations.

"Gagne appeared to score on a second-period shot that goalie Brent Johnson smothered and carried into the net. It would have given the Flyers a 6-3 lead with 2 minutes, 53 seconds left in the second period.

"The play was reviewed, and officials in Toronto said replays were inconclusive and did not count the goal.

"A few minutes later, FSN in Pittsburgh gave its viewers a replay that showed the puck across the goal line. The NHL said that replay was not sent to its review team in Toronto until after the puck was dropped following the review. Once the puck is dropped, the ruling cannot be reversed, the NHL said."

I'm posting weekly blogs at athleticmisfit.blogspot.com