The Train is picking up steam

Whew.

Our long Cameron nightmares are finally over, and I know I feel much better.

Wojo's back.

And Lee "The Human Emotional Highlight Reel" Melchionni threw down a nasty one-handed dunk that silenced Shelden Williams and the rest of the doubters that said he couldn't.

Hold on, Alex. Are you serious? After you picked Duke to roll through the season and easily win the program's fourth national title, the team laid an absolute stinker on opening night.

Were you at the game? Did you even watch it? You have to be concerned about the way the Blue Devils played. Do you actually feel good about Duke beating Boston University by just 17? The Blue Devils made the Terriers look like the Boston Celtics. Just imagine what Texas will do to Duke if it continues to look this bad.

Are you done?

Sure.

Even the Cameron Crazies weren't great; BU head coach Dennis Wolff did a good job keeping them out of the game (But if we're being honest, the NIT Season Tip-Off ticketing rules did the best job of actually keeping them out of the game).

But negatives are so, um, negative. The Train always focuses on the positives.

Like Wojo's return and "The Human Emotional Highlight Reel" proving to the nation that he is a true slam dunk champion.

Like the Davidson brothers, who, though they didn't suit up for the game, were dressed impeccably (and almost identically) on the sidelines; Mrs. Davidson must have been proud.

Coach K was even in mid-season form with the referees-Duke shot 26 free throws; the Terriers shot four.

And Sean Dockery is continually transforming, in front of our eyes, into a Blue Devil clutch legend.

Think about it. When you were growing up, whether or not you were a Duke fan, if Jason Williams or Shane Battier took a three-pointer in a key situation, you knew it was going down.

(In the interest of full disclosure: My very own Maryland Terrapins were on the receiving end of at least 392 of those clutch shots. Remember the "Gone in 54 Seconds" game? That killed me. I almost didn't recover.)

Chris Duhon was like that too. If he took a three in a big situation, it was going in. But Duhon also knew how to run a team. He knew when to throw the lob for an alley-oop, when to look for his own shot, and even when to slap the floor.

Dockery is becoming Duhon.

Check out his stat line from Duke's win over the Terriers. Dockery was 2-for-4 from three, and scored seven points. He played his trademark tight defense and knew the right moment to pump up the Cameron crowd. Each three came in a big situation, and when the ball left his hands, you knew-just knew somehow-that it was going in.

You're talking about Sean Dockery, right? You're telling me he's on his way to being lumped in with Duhon, J-Will and Battier? The same Sean Dockery with a career 4.0 points per game average?

Yep, that Sean Dockery. And before this season is over, he'll have made more big shots than anyone else on the Blue Devil roster.

But if you're still moaning and groaning about Duke's "only" 17-point victory, check out this little snippet of historical perspective.

The last time a Duke team opened its season on Nov. 14 before last night? 2000-01.

The last time a top-ranked Duke team opened its season with a win in Cameron in the Preseason NIT before last night? 2000-01.

The last time Duke won a National Championship? 2000-01.

Hmmmmmmm.

Coach K told The Washington Post: "If we are there by March, that's when the train leaves."

You're already there, Coach; The Train left Monday night. It may have gotten off to a slow start, but the final destination is still Indy.

One down, 38 to go.