Sunday, December 19, 2010

UConn ties UCLA men's 88-game winning streak

The other day, ESPN's Mechelle Voepel wrote a piece in which she compared John Wooden to Geno Auriemma, as UConn prepared to break the UCLA men's 88-game winning streak. The idea of comparing the two was so insulting to me that I didn't even read Voepel's piece. Today, as the Huskies beat Ohio State for win 88, there is much more copy flowing on ESPN - including comments from Auriemma himself:

"I just know there wouldn't be this many people in the room if we were chasing a woman's record," the Connecticut coach said Sunday near the end of his postgame news conference. "The reason everybody is having a heart attack the last four or five days is a bunch of women are threatening to break a men's record, and everybody is all up in arms about it.".....

"All the women are happy as hell and they can't wait to come in here and ask questions. All the guys that loved women's basketball are all excited, and all the miserable bastards that follow men's basketball and don't want us to break the record are all here because they're pissed," Auriemma said. "That's just the way it is."


I don't know if I agree with that. I see people as more indifferent than hostile. But you gotta love the way Auriemma speaks up.

Graham Hays says celebrate - don't compare - the UConn and UCLA streaks. I like that approach.

Voepel also admits that perhaps Penn State's volleyball team - who just won their fourth NCAA title yesterday - is a better team to compare the Huskies to than John Wooden's Bruins.

UConn-Ohio State game recap.

Next UConn victim: Florida State.

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