R-C Sports Notebook: Sizing up the playoff picture

With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Douglas High boys' and girls' basketball teams each have some work to do in order to get into the playoffs.

On the boys' side, Douglas has to win its remaining four games (including Tuesday night against Wooster and pulling off an upset at Manogue on Friday) and hope that either Galena, Damonte or Carson lose three of their last four. It's a slim shot, but crazier things have happened.

On the girls' side, I wrote last week that the Tigers were probably playing for the No. 3 seed, but that wasn't entirely correct. Douglas can still slip into the No. 2 seed if the Lady Tigers can win their remaining four (including Friday night at Manogue) and if one other team can top the Miners (Fallon, Damonte Ranch and Galena are the other teams remaining on Manogue's schedule), then Douglas claims the No. 2 spot.

That's important in the girls' basketball world, because a 3 or 4 seed in the Sierra League has an automatic date with either top-ranked Reno or second-ranked Reed in the first round of the playoffs.

A 2 seed still has a tough road, but getting a home game in the first-round can make all the difference in the world.

If Douglas finishes in the three seed, it's not the end of the world. The Tigers have come up with first-round shockers at Reed before (2003 anyone?). It'll all play itself out in the next two weeks, but that's where it stands for now.

I'm really irked with Michael Phelps and the way his recent "incident" is being handled by everyone.

For those that slept through the last year, Phelps is probably the greatest swimmer in the history water outside of Flipper and won eight gold medals at the Olympics in August.

For those that slept through the weekend, a picture of Michael Phelps inhaling from a marijuana pipe was printed in a London newspaper over the weekend. Phelps apologized for his "regrettable behavior" and his "youthful and inappropriate" actions.

In turn, it seems everyone, from his myraid sponsors to the International Olympic Committee, is giving him a free pass on this one.

Swiss watchmaker Omega, for example, called the situation a private matter and a "nonissue".

Ashton Kutcher, you know the genius who brought you Punk'd and the guy who on "That 70's Show" spent most of his script time doing exactly what Phelps was caught doing has this to say, "I wish the media would kill this Phelps story."

Search around the internet and you'll get all the gory details of the incident, but what troubles me about all this is that Phelps, who already has a DUI conviction to his name (which came after the 2004 Olympics), is still being played off as a role model.

Marijuana use, regardless of your opinion of it, is still against the law (particularly in South Carolina where the photo was taken " misdemeanor punishable up to six months in a jail with a $1,000 fine). It was announced Tuesday morning that Richland County may be seeking to charge Phelps in the incident.

In most professional sports, marijuana use is going to land you in suspension. College sports, more suspensions. High School sports, suspensions. Heck, even if you are lesser Olympian, you are suspended (do a quick search on Gary Hall Jr. and his three-month suspension in 1998. The argument there is apparently that you can only be suspended if you test positive for it at competition.)

Phelps could walk away from this scott-free. If this had happened to any other notable athlete (just pick one, there are plenty) there would be something more than just a public apology. Or at least you'd sure hope so.

- The Douglas boys' basketball team didn't get any points from their two leading scorers Friday night (Tim Rudnick was out after having his wisdom teeth pulled Friday morning and Parker Robertson was held scoreless) and yet stilled turned in one of their highest point totals as a team all season.

- Elko boys' basketball beats McQueen: Last week Elko shocked Hug. This week they stepped up and beat the Lancers, who seem to be up one game and down the next. Once again, Elko isn't a bad team, they are just playing in a very deep league.

- Jorey Scott. The sophomore post player has been a rebounding machine for the Tigers this year but he broke out with the best offensive game of his young career Friday night, scoring 13 points.

- Carson girls 53, Manogue 48. This is a Manogue team, remember, that had just moved into first place after beating Galena four days prior. Parity seems to be the word across the board in Northern 4A basketball this year. Outside of the Reno and Reed girls, just about everyone (and this goes on both the boys' and girls' sides) is capable of knocking off everyone else.

- No. 3 Fallon boys 52, Galena 51: I was surprised that Galena got this close. Fallon is exceptionally good, particularly in transition, and I can't figure how Galena's motion offense really gave Fallon's zone defense that much trouble. I'm assuming Galena won the battle of the boards, which would probably be the best explanation.

- Not so much: No. 6 Spanish Springs boys 59, No. 8 Hug 48: Remember, Hug was one of the top two teams in the region a little over a week or so ago. The Hawks have the individual talent, but Spanish Springs seems to have the more complete team this year.

If I had a vote for overall player of the year in the Northern 4A Regional basketball honors ballots (and I don't), this is what it would look like, based mostly on their respective performances over the last week:

Boys' Basketball

1. Austin Morgan, Reno; 2. Bobby Hunter, Manogue; 3. Keith Feutsch, Manogue; 4. Garrett Adams, Fallon; 5. Taelor Marchbanks, Spanish Springs.

Girls' Basketball

1. Jessica Waggoner, Douglas; 2. Emily Burns, Galena; 3. Ashley Armstrong, Manogue; 4. Stephanie Rovetti, Reno; 5. Erica MacKenzie, Reed

The top athletes, regardless of sport, at Douglas High determined by production during competition, overall value to their team, ability to perform with consistency in routine situations, performance compared to others at the same position throughout the state/region, ability to come up big in clutch situations, versatility, attitude, sportsmanship, overall athletic ability, heart, potential at the next level, and a host of other intangibles (emotional leadership, role-playing value, work ethic, etc.) This is all, of course, just my opinion.

Winter Sports

1. Jessica Waggoner, basketball

2. Nico Barker, wrestling

3. James McLaughlin, basketball

4. Hillary Sapp, skiing

5. Taryn Williams, basketball

6. Parker Robertson, basketball

7. Dillon Spates, wrestling

8. Tim Souza, wrestling

9. Nick Hales, basketball

10. Cale Pete, basketball

If there were more names on the list: Dany Heidt, basketball; Chris Downs, basketball; Eddie Kollar, wrestling; Wes Peterson, wrestling; Michael Sepulveda, wrestling; Justin Freeman, wrestling; Tyler Cook, wrestling; Ally Freitas, basketball; Tim Rudnick, basketball.

2008-09 School Year

1. Jessica Waggoner, volleyball/basketball

2. Tim Rudnick, football/basketball

3. Taryn Williams, volleyball/basketball

4. Nico Barker, football/wrestling

5. Parker Robertson, football/basketball

6. Dany Heidt, soccer/basketball

7. Ally Freitas, soccer/basketball

8. James McLaughlin, basketball/football

9. Luis Pina-Duarte, football/basketball

10. Niki Hamzik, tennis/basketball

Since I've been here (2003)

1. Luke Rippee, football/basketball/baseball (2003)

2. Jessica Waggoner, volleyball/basketball/track (2005-present)

3. Brittany Puzey, basketball/softball (2003-04)

4. Tim Rudnick, football/basketball/baseball (2006-present)

5. Bridget Maestretti, volleyball/basketball/softball/track (2004-08)

6. Tyson Estes, football/basketball/baseball (2003-05)

7. Ryan Pruitt, football/wrestling/baseball (2005-07)

8. Mike Gransbery, soccer/basketball (2004-07)

9. James McLaughlin, football/basketball (2006-present)

10. Kayla Dunn, volleyball/softball (2004-05)

Highlights from Super Bowl Sunday:

- Dwight Schrute wearing a Seahawks jersey for no apparent reason during the pregame show.

- Chuck's 1D commercial.

- Mrs. Potato Head's angry eyes.

- Not one, but two airings of the Larry Fitzgerald interview in the two hours leading up to the game.

- Apparently it's okay to throw a punch in the Super Bowl (Hines Ward).

- Hearing about Ben Roethlisbeger's nerves no less than 85 times in the first quarter of the game.

- Willer Parker standing on the "E" in the Steelers' end zone and announcer Al Michaels asking "Did he manage to get in?"

- The montage on Kurt Warner's clumsiness.

- My TV going on the fritz so that the game went into this weird stop-motion mode.

- MC Hammer's gold hammer. Best commercial ever.

- Super-sized Office.

- Footie pajamas have absolutely no traction whatsoever.

- I saw Walt in a commercial for Tyson frozen appetizers last week. He appears to have no recollection of being kidnapped by "The Others." He did, however, appear to really like the mozzarella sticks.