Homer's Preview the Pac-10 (for the last time ever)

Fear not, it's not the last time we'll ever talk about sports on the West Coast. Quite the contrary. This season marks the end of the Pacific 10 Conference as a pack of 10. 

The question heading into this season for the Pac-10 is whether the conference as a whole can get any worse.  Conventional wisdom suggests there is nowhere else to go from last season but up.  We'll see, but one thing is for sure, even though Oregon State is atop the conference today, they won't be at season's end.

Arizona:

So what's going on in Tucson?  Derrick Williams is no longer a secret; he was freshman player-of-the-year and is projected as a high first round draft pick.  Even with teams focusing all their defensive schemes on Williams, he is still a lock to lead the team in points and rebounds.  After that is anyone's guess--though not for lack of options.  Sean Miller runs 10 or more players out on the court every game with nearly every player not named Derrick splitting minutes at their respective positions.  However, no one besides Derrick seems poised to step up consistently.  There have been flashes of good play from Solomon Hill, Kevin Parrom, and even MoMo Jones, but each of those players enjoy disappearing acts just as frequently.  The team also lacks consistency at the point which has provided for some serious shooting woes at times--especially against 2-3 zones.  That being said, the team is far more consistent this year than last, especially on defense.  As a result Arizona wins most of the games it should and may find a top three finish in the Pac-10 and a return to the NCAA Tournament.  Until then, the recipe for success is: don't play Jimmer Fredette, and don't play against a 2-3 zone.

arizona state:

Have you ever been somewhere and thought: "that just doesn't belong there."  You know, like a golf course in the middle of the desert; a baby in a bar; or Sean Hannity at at an Obama rally.  The same holds true for basketball at ASU.  You see it and think, "that just doesn't make sense."  ASU basketball is, and always will be, mired in mediocrity.  A glass ceiling will hang perpetually over the success of that program.  Sure they have the reigning coach of the year in Herb Sendek, but the Pac-10 was so bad last year he won by default.  Besides, anyone that can coax 10+ wins out of an ASU basketball team deserves some recognition.  We'll see what the ol' Herbivore can cook up this year without his boy toy Derek Glasser.  So far the Scummies have managed to lose every game that posed a marginal challenge.  In short, don't look for this year to be the year the JV team in Arizona manages to make a Sweet 16 (or the tournament).

California:

While we need to examine Romar’s ability to coach vs. recruit, the opposite can be said for Mr. Montgomery.  This guy is a helluva coach.  No one has ever questioned that.  He won at Stanford and he won a lot.  He was winning with inferior recruiting abilities, limited by academic standards (the reason Jim Harbough should have been national coach of the football year).  But there’s just no talent on this Cal team.  When your starting point guard is Jorge Gutierrez your team is going to struggle.  The dude is a great glue guy, solid energy off the bench, and a thorn in any opponent’s side.  He’s  just not a starting guard.  Harper Kamp is a nice player but that’s about where it stops.  I loved last year’s team.  But this team has been gutted.  Monty is going to need some help beyond being Monty.  He needs some talent and that’s going to be his problem to solve. 

Oregon:

Dana Altman huddled his players up and said, "Listen, we're getting a new arena this year, so you've got one shining moment guaranteed this season."  That moment will surely shine--Uncle Phil would not have it any other way.  However, Uncle Phil can't do anything about the talent on the floor (directly)--which is lacking.  In his first season Altman will weather the storm of transfers and lack of recruits.  Fifth year senior Joevan Catron is averaging upwards of 17 points a game this season, but it gets ugly after that.  Maybe Oregon finds lightning in a bottle and surprises someone once or twice this season.  Other than that, the story in Eugene is a new basketball arena and the football team that plays down the street.  Also, lets take a moment of silence to remember the late, great, McArthur Court.

Oregon State:

Okay, so Craig Robinson is President Obama's brother in law.  President Obama even came to watch the Beavers lose to George Washington in DC.  However, Craig has had as much early season success as his brother in law did in the midterm elections.  Craig guided his Beavers to losses against Seattle, Texas Southern, Utah Valley, and Montana.  After a promising start to his tenure in Corvallis, Craig Robinson's teams have shown very little improvement, and Oregon State's resume of losses this season tend to indicate disappointment with Mr. Robinson.  He will need to turn things around during Pac-10 play otherwise his seat will become increasingly hot.  That said, no one enjoys a trip to Gill Collesium in Corvallis and that will not change anytime soon.

UCLA:

On paper, this is a good team.  In reality, it’s just good television.  Let’s talk dysfunctional.  Evidently Ben Howland has alienated all sorts of recruiting ties and hasn’t developed a talent since Darren Collison (but even he plateaued).  Tyler Honeycutt is as good as any player in the Pac but Howland can’t get anything out of him.  He went off against Kansas but why wouldn’t he?  Oh sweet external motivators.  At a certain point you need to take a look and realize the power is in the player’s court, Howland needs to get out of his own way and figure out how to win again.  The talent is there – Josh Smith, Reeves Nelson, Malcolm Lee – but grind-it-out ball doesn’t work with elite talent anymore.  Because of that talent, the Bruins are going to win some ball games, but I ask the question: is there a clock ticking on Big Ben?

USC:

He was chastised at Arizona and became the fall guy.   But the fact of the matter is that Kevin O’Neil can draw the toughness out of players.  For goodness sake he has a Euro, Nikola Vucevic, grabbing rebounds at a 9.6 per game clip.  The sanctioned heavy Trojans tout an aggressive frontline which can cause some fits for the smaller, softer Pac.  Alex Stephensen is heavy and the aforementioned Vucevic are going to win the Trojans some games.  Conversely, it’s still O’Neil ball and they’re going to no-offense themselves out of some games and lose when they shouldn’t (TCU, Bradley, Rider).  I believe the Trojan x-factor (not ribbing or flavoring) is Jio Fontan.  The touted freshman transfer will give the Trojans a backcourt scoring option, keeping teams honest and not collapsing into the paint.  Look, big things aren’t going to come out of Watts this season, but they could just leave you stunned on a couple of Thursdays or Saturdays.

Stanford:

Can a Stanford team be any good if not stocked with a pair of seven foot tall twins?  For the better part of a decade no one had to answer that question.  Alas, this Johnny Dawkins Stanford team doesn't have one seven footer on the roster, and early indications are that no one on the roster has a brother who is seven feet tall either.  However, in true to Stanford tradition, this team does have a shooter; Jeremy Green is shooting better than 46% from behind the arc.  After that, the roster is chalk full of freshman who have yet to establish themselves.  Stanford might have some success fending off a couple teams to stay out of the cellar, but don't count on much more.  This team is still a few more years away, and there is no guarantee they won't still be a few more years away in a few more years.

Washington:

I like this program.  Romar appears to be a classy guy and runs a good show.  But at what point do we call a recruiter a recruiter and a coach a coach?  He’s planted in a hot bed of hoops – it’s still a tragedy Seattle was raped of its NBA franchise – and UW consistently scoops up this talent subsequently garnering early paper-praise.  But then why don’t these teams produce?  Why are they just above competitive each year?  As for this dance, the Dawgs had pre-season rankings as high as 8^th in the country.  This has since evaporated and the Huskies find themselves heading into Pac-10 play unranked.  To be fair, they’ve lost to some good teams (Kentucky, MSU), but they still don’t seem to win the tough one.  It is encouraging to see the emergence of Matthew Bryan-Ammaning and the scoring of Justin Holiday more than double, but the team that is supposed to run away with the Pac-10 may be indicative of just how far this league has fallen.

Washington State:

Sleeper alert.  The Cougars and their Ichabod Crane looking coach, Ken Bone, have a sneaky good squad.  Reggie Moore and Klay Thomson highlight things but that’s just the surface.  Look a little further down the lineup and you’ll see a more-than-formidable big man in  DeAngelo Casto and the early front runner for Pac-10 Newcomer-of-the-Year, Faisal Aden.   Aden, a JC transfer, is scoring a cool 17 per and has helped lead the Cougs to their solid start despite missing Moore for five games.  This is a balanced attack as they can score from all three guard spots and via Casto underneath.  Thompson makes for matchup issues as his ability to shoot is the equalizer of equalizers.  I still think he’s a bit soft but the addition of Aden changes things.  Ultimately, I see the Pullman gang competing down the stretch for the Pac-10 title.  Yes, the league’s title.   

My 2010-11 'Cats V-Card Has Been Taken

Finally!  I got to watch the 'Cats play.  After a mad search for Fox Sports Pacific last Sunday that turned up unsuccessful (which is ludicrous in San Francisco in 2010 with Direct TV everywhere) I listened to the Idaho State game online via the Idaho State free radio broadcast.

But I still hadn't seen these Wildcats.

I hadn't yet seen if Derrick indeed moved his game to 17 feet and Jamelle became a leader and if Momo trimmed weight and his score-first mentality.  It was not yet clear to me if Kevin could get off the floor more explosively and if Solo was indeed the best player on the floor through one month of practices.  I didn't know if Jesse and Jordin and Daniel could play.  I know Brendon can shoot, but does he know?  I know Kyle can score, but can he regularly and at his own will?  Per usual, I am clueless as to what to expect from K-real the Deal.

But, courtesy of Pete's Tavern in San Francisco, I lost this season's V-card.  Pete took my virginity.  Ew.  While I didn't have anyone to directly analyze with (text messaging would suffice), I got to watch these 'Cats play.

And what did I see? 

Well, I saw that Derrick Williams is indeed a scorer.  That dude can put the ball in the hoop and it is not easy to stop him.  I was ecstatic to see Jamelle, late in the second half, catch an outlet pass on the wing, take a power step-and-drive toward the basket, and throw down with absolute ease in transition.  It was a move we've been waiting three years to see from Mr. Horne.  I hope there's more to come.

Momo is still a question mark and will continue to be.  As is much of the guard play.  Kyelcouldn't hit, Mayes looks raw, Lavender doesn't quite have the handles to be great, and Daniel has been non-existent.  But Momo and Kyle  made plays, combining for 12 assists and the 'Cats were able to score, score, score in the paint.  I liked that.  And on the theme of being what you are, the guards didn't do more than they could.  A very, very encouraging sign.

I think there's work to be done with perimeter and transition defense.  That NMSU (sounds ridiculous) guard had his way with whomever guarded him leading to open jumpers and penetration.  But I was surprised, not yet impressed, with the ability to understand defensive rotations.  It's much improved from last year.

K-real the Deal took a charge on a defensive rotation.  Repeat: K-real the Deal took a charge on a defensive rotation.  If you saw it, you wouldn't be impressed.  It sounds so much better in writing.

There's learning to be done.  The offense still doesn't flow like a well oiled machine but here and there it jumps into gear and it looks really good.  And there's a bench.  It's like a backup transmission. 

As I said, this team will be what it will be.  Through two showings, this team just might be pretty good. 

Hoops are nice and all, but John Wooden got "it"

John Wooden was a really good basketball coach. But I don't think his recent passing should prompt us to look at wins, losses, and championships. The man changed lives. He taught the essentials of life using athletics as his forum.

What he taught was relationships. It should come as no surprise that the five blocks creating the base of his famous "Pyramid of Success" revolve around relating to others: industriousness, friendship, loyalty, cooperation, and enthusiasm. The base of success is relating to people around us.  He was a leader by understanding not by imposing.

Take notice aspiring Donald Trump's, Gordon Gekko's, and Bernie Madoff's: success has nothing to do with being cut-throat, lying, cheating, manipulating, or stealing. Success may indeed be very simple. If nothing else, Wooden was a proponent of the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have done unto oneself. It really is simple stuff. Ask any of Wooden's teams who opened each season by learning to put their socks on properly. Treat your feet well and you wont lose preparation time to a senseless blister. Elementary my dear Watson.

So while the Wizard of Westwood in fact won a record ten NCAA titles (including seven consecutively), you should also know that he wrote his wife, Nellie, a love letter each month since she passed in 1985. And know that in his biography he wrote, "The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother." And know that he always called himself a teacher.

He wanted to improve the human condition and aren't we lucky he did just that?

A Major Cluster-Duck

University of Oregon: Get. It. Together.

On this very site, BH and I have written extensively of your successes and sang your praises. Chip Kelly did a fantastic job following the season opening disaster last year. Finally, as tardy as it was, you let Ernie Kent go. You created a baseball program. You had a top-five football team heading into next season. Oregon, you’ve been doing well...

...and then Spring 2010 arrived. FYL (that’s short for F your life):

• The series of football arrests and subsequent suspension/dismissal of Jermiah Masoli
• The leaking of the Ernie Kent firing
• The departure/firing/buyout/whatever of Mike Belotti after one year
• The coaching search

These poorly orchestrated events are not good. It doesn’t look good, it doesn’t smell good, it doesn’t taste good. In fact, it’s bad.

The arrests, while they reflect poorly, are what they are. Sometimes kids make very unfortunate decisions, but I sincerely do not believe it is due to a lack of institutional control on Kelly’s part. He created a Rose Bowl birth after the meltdown that was Boise State last September and the dude can flat out coach. By no means am I condoning the behavior of his football team, they screwed up; but this seems to happen in lots of places and is not exclusive to Oregon. As hard as it was, Kelly is instituting discipline and the offenders are paying the consequences. It looks bad, but next issue.

Leaking the Ernie Kent firing was not that big of a deal, but it was certainly not classy; especially because the eventual firing was glaringly obvious, and Kent had been a loyal Duck. Kent served as head basketball coach of his alma mater for 13 years--he deserved better than what he got. I’ve never been a huge Kent fan but I do believe he got shown the door in a less than professional manner and Belotti – or someone in his office – dropped the ball on that one.

Speaking of Belotti: what the hell happened there? My conclusion on that awkward separation is that he clearly was a figurehead, a puppet, for the long, strong arm of Phil.  Phil Knight that is.  Phil Knight of Nike that is. I know the University of Nike thing gets a bit played out, but seriously, Phil’s hand is in that Athletic Department and when Athletic Director’s are leaving with subsequent Attorney General investigations, something’s not quite right. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

So without an AD, what now of the vacant – STILL vacant – Men’s Basketball coaching position? We could also look at the question like this: who will uber-boosters Pat Kilkenny and Knight find or pay? Right now, no one. And it’s getting ugly. Numerous deadlines have come and gone and there’s seemingly been very little interest in the position. Are we looking at a Steinbrenner-esque situation imposed by Knight/Kilkenny where no one wants to be micromanaged by the hand of God? Is the Head Basketball Coach at the University of Oregon a toxic seat?

And then there’s the factor that this is a huge hire that Oregon should not screw up. The changing face of college hoops says that you can win anywhere. Just ask Brad Stevens. Yeah, yeah, the dude just got paid, but he fell in love with Butler first and, more importantly, won there. While Butler is in basketball crazy Indiana, it sure ain’t Chapel Hill or Westwood. But you know what? Butler won. UNC and UCLA didn’t.

That’s not to say that these schools will never win again; by all accounts they’ll be very good, very soon. The point I’m trying to make is that you can win anywhere and with any resources. Coaching matters. Lord Phil’s money will never make Tajuan Porter a better decision maker (he was awful) or anyone play better team defense. The longer the school waits to make this hire the more it’s going to end up settling and letting down a fan base ready to usher in a new era in a new arena that makes the Taj Mahal look like a cheap condo.

To settle would not be okay and would embarrass a University already dragging itself through an inferno of embarrassment. The right coach will do a good job and can certainly put together a perennial competitor in Eugene. It’s a good job.

On the heels of the worst Pac-10 basketball season ever, West Coast basketball can’t afford to have one if its major Universities screw this up either. The Pac-10 has not had a team in the Top 25 since December and the only positive headline it's had since November was Washington's run to the Sweet 16--as an 11 seed.

The Oregon coaching search is doing nothing to smooth the currently rocky face of West Coast hoops.

If Oregon indeed wants to compete with the likes of UCLA, Arizona, Gonzaga, or even Saint Mary’s – and it can – they need to get this right. The longer they wait, the wronger they get. The silver lining is that a troubled athletic department can come out of this smelling like roses if it makes a good hire.

It’s been 4+ weeks since the inevitable Kent firing and there’s still no one there to usher in recruits for 2010-11. The only thing keeping this “search” from becoming the laughing stock of college basketball is that no one cares about basketball on the West Coast right now; deservedly so.

Hence, Oregon needs to get the right man in there and get him soon. The Western basketball community is depending on it.

A Lovely Saturday Night in Tempe

Let me begin by saying, no, let me begin by stating, that maroon and gold are heinous. Hideous. Uch. And it’s certainly not a romantic gold. It’s not gold like Notre Dame. The ASU interpretation of “gold” is equivalent to what my urine looks like after I haven’t had a drop of water in a week and took down eleven multi-vitamins. Heinous I tell you, simply heinous.

That said, I was in Tempe Saturday evening for the Wildcats’ dismantling of the Sun Devils.

The first half was just bad basketball. Arizona shot 23% and was flustered by the vaunted Herb Sendek zone. Arizona State couldn’t buy a bucket but managed to build a 20-10 lead midway through the sloppy half. At that point – down ten with

Wells Fargo Arena uncharacteristically loud – something changed. The rest of the way, the young Wildcats outscored the Scummies 67-38. No typo.

Up in the far reaches of Wells Fargo us Wildcat faithful screamed and cheered and swore and smiled and danced. It was fantastic and it reaffirmed just how much I hate ASU. But now is not a time for hatred, so I’ll speak to love.

It was also reaffirmed for me just how much I love Sean Miller. That. Dude. Can. Coach. A team doesn’t shoot 51% (75% in the second half) on the nation’s top defense by accident. Sean Miller out-coached the ol’ Herb-ivore on Saturday. And I love that.

For quite awhile there has been a “soft” label placed on the Wildcats. No longer the case. When Kevin Parrom fouled Ty Abbot on his dunk attempt, that was hard basketball (and later ruled flagrant, weak). When Ty Abbot got in Kevin Parrom’s face and KP smiled and laughed, that was just hard. KP’s twitter status immediately post-game read, “ASwho?!?!? I’m from Tha Bronx New York .. No Easy Buckets!!!” And I love that.

The ‘Cats broke a five game slide to the Devils. Hadn’t beaten them in two seasons. Before that, Arizona had won 24 of 25 against ASU. We beat them, in their house, by 19. And I love that.

With five minutes remaining and up twenty, we took a lap around the rapidly emptying arena. You know, to make some new friends. It was glorious. And I love that.

Bronx

As we exited the usually barren Wells Fargo Arena (averages 49% of capacity) we engaged in some banter. The typically brilliant ASU “fan base” went straight to personal attacks. Adorable. But, in the midst of a game of hate ping-pong, our ASU counterpart looked right at our group and provided the line of the night, “Yeah, well our football team.” That’s it. He just stopped and then we began. And I love that.

Our post-game meal was pizza. Wildcat fans had taken over the pizza joint and then three Sun Devils arrived. Each late-twenties and bearded, the dumbest of which decided to start chirping. Well during this round of banter, my brother says, “How smart can you be? You go to ASU!” The ASU response (which I am not fabricating or embellishing in any way), “I went to Columbia.” Wow. This genius was immediately berated with Andy Bernard quotes. The three beard-os walked out with their tails between their legs. And I love that.

Our post-game drinks were at a dueling piano bar. Somehow, our group managed front row, center stage seats. When the playlist called for “Bear Down,” we killed it. For the second time that evening, a group of Wildcats owned the Sun Devils in their house. And I love that.

The ‘Cats are rebuilding, sitting at 10-9 and 4-3. It’s not a great record, but as I’ve said before, perhaps ad nauseam, this program is on track and its Conductor is doing big things. And I love that.

How bad is Pac-10 basketball this year?

I've spent my entire life trumpeting the under appreciated talent of Pac-10 athletics--especially basketball. I can't stand Digger Phelps, Dick Vitale and the rest of the East Coast cronies that go to bed before basketball gets played out west, and wake up the next day to talk it down anyway. However, even a Homer can't totally check reality at the door: this may be the weakest Pac-10 ever.

To be fair, no one thought the Pac-10 would have a great year, but no one thought it would be as weak as it is...

Two Pac-10 teams entered the season in the pre-season top 25: Cal (13) and Washington (14). By week two Cal had fallen out of the top 25 after getting run out of the 2K Sports Classic where they suffered an embarrassing loss to Syracuse (95-73) and dropped another to Ohio State (76-70). As this week began Washington was the only team in the Pac-10 still ranked in the top 25 at number 24, but fell way out after dropping consecutive 17 point losses to the Arizona schools. There was a chance that Washington State might replace Washington in the top 25 this week, but put that notion to rest after getting dropped by Arizona State 71-46.

So here we are in week nine and for the first time since 1987 not a single Pac-10 school is ranked in the top 25. In fact, both Cornell and Harvard got more votes in the AP top 25 than any team in the Pac-10. If that sounds bad, a closer look reveals that the Pac's top 25 absence is just the surface of Pac-10 futility.

Pac-10 teams have had alarmingly poor results against all levels of competition, the worst of which was Oregon State's 99-48 destruction at home to Seattle University (a sub 500 independent league team). To make matters worse, Oregon State had already lost at home to Sacramento State, at Nebraska, and at University Illinois-Chicago.

Oregon State is not the only team being embarrassed--even the perennial power UCLA is getting in on the action. UCLA opened the season with a 68-65 loss at home to Cal State Fullerton of the Big West. UCLA also managed to tick off five straight losses including a 74-47 beat down at the hands of Portland State and a 79-68 loss to Long Beach State University.

Oregon had to get in the mix as well. Not only has Oregon played their traditionally soft non-conference schedule, this year they mixed in some ugly losses: 88-81 loss to Portland; 13 point defeat to Montana; and received a 106-69 shellacking from Missouri.

Arizona was expected by no one to compete for the league title during their transition year and they have responded by getting blown out by Oklahoma (79-62) and San Diego State (63-46) and were handed their worst home loss in history by BYU (99-69)--a game in which Jimmer Fredette dropped 49 points on Arizona (a McKale Center Record).

Stanford has chipped in a loss to Oral Roberts at home, and opened the season with a with a loss to 7-9 University of San Diego team. USC has thrown in losses to Loyola Marymount and Nebraska. Outside of Pac-10 play Arizona State has only lost at Duke, at BYU and at home to a 12-1 Baylor team, but they managed to put up just 37 points against USC.

The two teams that were picked to lead the Pac this year (Cal and Washington) have won the non-conference games they were supposed to, but have dropped every game where they faced real competition. In addition to Syracuse and Ohio State, Cal was blown out by Kansas and lost to New Mexico. Moreover, they lost to a surprisingly bad UCLA team at home. Washington only lost to Gonzaga and a 13-1 Kansas State team, but their wins include Eastern Washington, Alaska Anchorage, Nicholls State, Idaho, San Diego and Air Force. Plus they laid egg in the desert last weekend.

So the Pac-10 is anyone's guess. The two teams considered the best (Cal and Washington) are currently first and last in the Pac-10 standings and almost every team has followed a puzzling loss with a win, or followed a puzzling win with an expected loss. At this rate there will be 10 Pac-10 teams at 9 and 9; probably just one team dancing and two at best*; and no one should be surprised if a sub-500 hundred team sneaks into the winner's circle at the Pac-10 Tournament.

My guess is Cal takes the Pac-10 regular season crown and has an outside shot to lock in an at large berth in the NCAA Tournament. As for the Pac-10 tournament the only team I would bet against winning it is USC, because they won't be participating in it at all.

*A Power 6 conference has never gotten just one team into the NCAA tournament since it expanded.

Why W.C. Homer

We are sports fans, outdoors enthusiasts, liberal supporters, competition junkies, ASU haters, and proponents of the left side of the country (pun intended).

A Homer is a supporter of his roots. We have roots in the West Coast. We support it. We are West Coast Homers.

We love Arizona Basketball, 10pm E.T. kickoffs, afternoon Super Bowls, shorts in November and sandals year round. We love the National League and playoffs at the lunch hour. We take our sunsets over the ocean, our highways without out tolls, and our horizons without ends. We play in National Parks, ski in the spring, and surf in the winter. We love Highway 1, Hood-to-Coast, high peaks, and hacky-sack. We love San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle. We love the Rockies, the Rose Bowl, road trips, and Rodeo Break. We love the PAC-10, west coast offenses, NCAA Softball, and Mexican food at 2am. We watch College Game Day before the sun rises, we didn't play lacrosse, and our long boards have wheels. The southwest is our home, our street names are in Spanish, and we're W.C. Homers born and bred.

The authors of this blog are Homers (A.B. Homer and B.H. Homer). Followers of this blog are Homies (you). Comment on our posts. We'll thrive off of feedback. Share this blog with Homies, haters, and friends. Become a Homie for some chuckles, to be irritated, to be inspired, moved, shocked, informed, or entertained. But most of all, become a Homie because you know greatness resides on the West side and you're a W.C. Homer too.