The Wire

Many of you know my love for HBO's "The Wire". Some of you have tried watching it and found it too hard to follow or too dark and depressing. Others just assumed its another 'Law and Order' and not bothered. The show is currently in its fifth and final season and to try and catch up now would require daily trips to Blockbuster renting the first four season's DVDs and starting to watch now is probably pointless but if you're curious as to what you've missed this Sunday's episode is the best in the entire series and one of the best episodes of any show I've ever watched. I'll try to set it up as best I can by going through the massive cast (or at least the ones whose stories are told on Sunday).

Mayor Thomas Carcetti is in his second year of his first term as Mayor of Baltimore a predominantly Black city with high crime, poverty and a school budget crisis that has forced him to cut other departments in the city including the police, even though he campaigned on a reduction of the crime rate.

Commissioner Ervin Burrell Commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department is responsible for that reduction in crime that has not happened. Burrell falsely reported a slight drop in crime even though there was a slight increase. Burrell was not a favorite of Carcetti before his election but he kept him in place due to the political ramifications of a white Mayor firing a Black Police Commissioner. Carcetti knows Burrell's numbers were false and has now moved to replace him.

Deputy Commissioner William Rawls a disingenuous police officer who puts more value in crime statistics than thorough police work but has savvy in working politicians and his police department but knows he can only get so high being white in Baltimore.

Colonel Cedric Daniels former Lieutenant in charge of the Major Crimes Unit in the first three seasons. His passion for quality felony arrests has caught the eye of Carcetti and sees him as a future Commissioner.

Detective Jimmy McNulty is the central character in The Wire if there is one. McNulty is a former patrol officer with a passion for solving murders at the risk of appearing insubordinate to his statistics focused superiors. His police career has taken him all over Baltimore and coincidentally or perhaps not taken him in and out of alcoholism and sex addiction. He is currently trying to stage a serial killing spree using previous homeless DOA's as a means to get the closed investigation of Marlo Stanfield reopened.



Detective Lester Freamon is McNulty's longtime colleague in Major Crimes. He too shares McNulty's itch to solve the Stanfield investigation even though he is currently on a "career case" fraud investigation of Baltimore's State Senator.

Detective Bunk Moreland is McNulty's best friend in the department and drinking buddy. He was the primary detective on the Stanfield investigation but does not agree with the serial killer plot that McNulty and Freamon are staging.

Marlo Stanfield is head of West Baltimore's drug operation after taking most corners from Avon Barksdale's crew after Avon's arrest. On his way to the top his people killed almost two dozen people and put their bodies in vacant homes which weren't discovered until the end of last season (this is the Stanfield investigation). He reluctantly joined the rest of Baltimore's drug dealers in the "New Day Co-op" but did so after being robbed at gunpoint by Omar. He is currently relying on them to launder his drug money.

Proposition Joe is the head of the "New Day Co-op" that shares premium cocaine and heroine smuggled by "The Greeks" while respecting established territories (Prop Joe represents East Baltimore). He runs a clock fixing shop and is VERY FAT. He is named "Proposition Joe" for his tendency to negotiate opportunities for him and the Co-op.

Omar Little, homosexual, sort of a "Gangster Robin Hood". He steals drugs and money from the city's drug dealers. After a tip from Prop Joe he hijacked Marlo's entire heroin stash last season before "retiring" in the Caribbean. Marlo had his friend and mentor Butchie killed as a means of bringing him back to Baltimore.

So...You're Saying there IS a Chance!

After reading Paul's post after the Syracuse-Georgetown game. I sense that Paul is prepared for SU being left out of the NCAA Tournament again this year. While things may not look so good for the Orange currently, to write them off is to ignore a lot of mediocrity that is going on nationally among teams that will be vying for the 34 At-Large bids come March. Syracuse is a great basketball team that deserves to go to the NCAA Tournament this year. Syracuse's resume is such that it could be included in the 65 team field in what many have already labeled a "rebuilding year". While nothing below will heal Eric Devendorf's ACL, make Arinze Onuaku a good free-throw shooter or make Scoop Jardine any good at all, here is a pollyanna's optimistic look at the Syracuse resume.

Wins: All SU fans know Syracuse's 22 wins were the most by a Big East Tournament to not make the tournament since the field expanded to 65 teams. The Orange currently have 13 wins with 11 games to play. Before you think to yourself "Oh shit, they have to go 10-1" Here is what this year's team has going for it that others haven't.

RPI: As of this post Syracuse's RPI is 39th nationally. In this decade 6 of 8 teams ranked 39th have made the NCAA Tournament all by way of an at-large bid. Last year when Syracuse was notoriously snubbed, their RPI was 50.

Strength of Schedule: Syracuse's strength of schedule is 4th in the country behind Arizona, Miami (OH), and Tennessee. This is expected to at least hold steady if not bump up a spot but it most likely will not drop below 10th nationally. Since 2000, no team with 19 wins or more and a Strength of Schedule in the Top 10 has missed the tournament.

Record vs. Top 50: Has actually gone up to 1-6 (The Hawk will never die) since Paul's post, but an understandable concern nonetheless. How can Syracuse expect the committee to put it in the tournament unless they prove they can beat tournament teams? Forgetting that Kevin Durant and Texas only had 2 wins against teams in the Top 50 in the RPI last year, the Orange have more than ample opportunity to change this blemish on their resume with NINE games remaining against teams currently in the RPI Top 50. Five at home (Providence, Connecticut, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Marquette) and Four on the road (Villanova, Louisville, Notre Dame, Seton Hall). While the opponent's place in the RPI Top 50 is tentative, Syracuse has a great chance to rack up wins at least against teams that will be in the bubble discussion come early March and maybe one or two "marquee" wins.

So what must Syracuse do? Considering these numbers 6-5 does it, and 5-6 with one win at Madison Square Garden may do it too. That would put them 19-13 on Selection Sunday with a Strength of Schedule likely in the Top 5. That would make them better than the one 18 win team with such a resume that got snubbed (Cincinnati in 2005). This would require marquee wins vs. two of the Top 20 teams on the Home schedule and two road wins over bubble contenders Notre Dame and Seton Hall. Not a gimme by any means but if this team gained any confidence by hanging with the Preseason favorite in the conference for 45 minutes, it is possible.

(No I don't know this all of the top of my head. Between now and March, I will be leaning on Ken Pomeroy's RPI site which is the first RPI site I found with Top 50 breakdowns and SOS stats.)