Ask Tony

Q: Can you tell me how far the NCAA has booked its Final Fours for the men and the women?

A: On the men's side, the next sites that have been selected are Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium (2010); Houston's Reliant Stadium (2011); New Orleans' Superdome (2012); Atlanta's Georgia Dome (2013); Dallas' Cowboys Stadium (2014); Lucas Oil again (2015); and Reliant Stadium again (2016).

As for the women's tournament, the 2010 site is the Alamodome in San Antonio, followed by Lucas Oil in 2011.

Q: Whatever happened to Dale Earnhardt Jr.?

A: Car owner Rick Hendrick said recently that he remains committed to Earnhardt and his embattled crew chief, Tony Eury Jr.

"Right now, Tony Jr. is our guy," Hendrick said in a conference call. "The thing I want to say today is that I'm 100 percent behind this group. I have no intentions of making any changes. I have all the intentions of making it better."

Earnhardt is 16th in the Sprint Cup standings.

Hendrick also said he's encouraged by recent moves by Earnhardt to improve his own performance, including a better diet and working out more frequently.

Q: What's your beef with Nancy Lieberman?

A: For the uninitiated, I recently mentioned on my blog at IlliniHQ.com that Lieberman is not a good fit for broadcasting women's college basketball on ESPN. (She also handles sideline coverage for the NBA.)

Lieberman isn't nearly as knowledgeable as advertised. She falls into hyperbole too often – a common broadcasting mistake – and doesn't hesitate to drop names. You get the impression while listening to her that she fabricates observations just to have something to say.

Q: Mel Kiper, good or evil?

A: Generally, I like Kiper. It's clear he does his homework, and that's the No. 1 task for an analyst.

Better yet, Kiper isn't shy about dropping in his opinion, which is the No. 2 task for a good analyst. He pulls no punches, unlike a lot of folks who say things they might not believe just so they don't get into trouble with any of the subjects they're covering. Not Kiper.

Q: Is Yoshi Hayasaki still retiring after this season, or is he coming back?

A: On April 25, 2008, Hayasaki announced he would retire after the conclusion of the 2008-09 men's gymnastics season, his 33rd at Illinois. Illinois announced at the same time that associate head coach Jon Valdez would take over as head coach.

In October, Valdez resigned for personal reasons. Last month, he pleaded guilty to videotaping a gymnast in a campus locker room.

The university has not announced plans for the program's future.

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