Three Point Play

Props to the Patriots, again. If they aren’t officially a dynasty, there must be something in the water that’s making these journalists delusional. The Patriots won a Super Bowl with the most difficult schedule in NFL history and now have proven to the entire football world that they can win no matter the situation. I mean, who’s heard of Randall Gay? Well I have, but that’s only because he played locally. Gay was an undrafted free agent and had the task of covering Terrell Owens for most of the game and did a respectable job on him. If Randall Gay can make a huge impact in the Super Bowl, the Saints need to send spies to Patriots’ practices. The scariest thing of all is that the Patriots will be even better when the 2005 season starts, a nightmarish proposition for opponents. So much for that Saints Super Bowl victory I always predict before the season starts.

In a time when youngsters with names such as Lebron and Carmelo are stealing the headlines, it is important to remember two players who helped pave the way for the James and Anthonys of the world. Reggie Miller and Karl Malone are Hall of Famers in my book for their longevity and effectiveness over many years. I will remember Miller most for his epic battles with Michael Jordan over the years and his uncanny ability to make clutch three-pointers. Another man who deserves as much recognition is the Mailman. Malone redefined his position to become the second-leading scorer of all time. The thing I will miss most about Malone is the pick-and-roll he and John Stockton ran so perfectly for 15 years with the Utah Jazz. In an era where players are often seeking lucrative contracts from their current team, or skipping town if they don’t get it, I find it noteworthy that both Miller and Malone have played for the teams that drafted them for most of their careers.

The baseball team started the season off on the right foot behind preseason all-American Brian Bogusevic and first baseman Mark Hamilton. It was very important for the Wave to start the season well against a much less talented foe. I was especially impressed with the way Bogusevic pitched, giving up only three base runners with 13 strikeouts in eight innings. The Green Wave was into a rhythm after three innings and I began to see the marked improvement from last year’s great sophomore class. Judging from the opener, Tulane exhibited better pitching and has the same ability to hit the long ball as it did last season. The Green Wave should remain ranked in the top five for at least another week with a big series coming up against the Arizona State Sun Devils, and if they are able to win that series, Tulane is looking good for the rest of the season.

"Three-Point Play" is a weekly column that allows the “Hullabaloo” sports writers to voice their opinions on three relevant topics each week. While the topics are required to be relevant, the opinions are not. This week's writer, Chaitanya Nandipati, can be reached at cnandipa@tulane.edu.