Monday, March 31, 2008

3/31 Braves, Madness on Hold, Opening Day, etc.

Here we go...

  • To wrap up the madness for a week (at least a little)....I've read more than one take (especially Dan Shanoff who claims the Final 4 is ruined) complaining about all 4 #1s being in the Final 4...I see nothing wrong with it...if anything it produces the highest level of play and some very nice matchups...Problem for CBS is there is no Cinderalla story but that should be quickly made up by the Huge mega-programs of UNC, Kansas, and UCLA....No worries here...Full predictions late in the week.....

  • Just for the record....I went back and looked at the Davidson last trip and my basketball reference point helped me to see there was no real way to get Curry the ball unless he brought it up....I can see that....and in reference, a pretty makeable shot for Davidson, just real deep....Congrats to them on a crazy run and at last word Curry is coming back....which brings an interesting debate....

  • Should Stephen Curry go pro? It brings about 2 different arguments....The first being the fact that his stock will likely never be higher...no, he's never going in the lottery because he's about 6'2, rail thin, and isn't a point guard....but he could conceivably ride this tourney run to a late 1st round pick, some guaranteed money and a better shot at staying the league....OR he could come back...play at least one more great college season, probably not have the same type of team success, improve his game and try to earn the NBA spot based on merit rather than the reputation of this tournament.....I think he should stay....but I do think it's not a ridiculous thought to leave b/c of the stock argument....Just thought this is an interesting case b/c it's not one of lottery-bound nature but rather one of NBA possibilities (for employment really) being highest potentially now....Rambling now....

And now something COMPLETELY different....


  • Baseball? What? Oh yea....My team (The Braves) opened up last night....little interest beforehand...got caught up in the game during the festivities and was let down late when latest Braves' nemesis Ryan Zimmerman (see above) bashed a walk-off HR after the Braves had set down 24 straight Nats to that point...really didn't help me with my baseball excitement level...maybe when the final 4 is over?

  • Opening day for every team in the league outside of Boston, Oakland, ATL, and Washington today....lots of first pitches and a full-slate of ESPN/ESPN2 games...I'll catch some for sure....Intriguing at least....

And back to the comfort zone...

  • The NBA is winding down and there are some huge storylines (especially out West)....the 3-way tie for the 7th/8th/9th seed is crazy...First for the fact that 45-28 gets you the 7th seed in the West while that same record would place you easily in 4th in the East with a real shot at 3rd (laughs)....2nd because it seems quite logical that Dallas has very to little shot here but I can't guarantee it b/c Denver is so wildly inconsistent and downright bad at times....Common sense tells me there's no way Dallas stays in this thing without Dirk but I could be wrong....And oh yea...5.5 games between 1 and 9 in the West...so every game in the next week or 2 until the season ends can sway homecourt...really a raucous atmosphere
  • Sunday Recap: San Antonio beats up on Houston at home by 21....I think you'd be crazy to not want to play Houston in Round 1 of the west playoffs....well, or Dallas/Denver....Miami sets a new record for least FGs in the shot-clock era with 17...they're just bad....New Orleans wins #50 with yet another impressive road win in Toronto..man they're good and my love for CP3 heightens daily....The hawks hold serve at home against New York and claim a 2.5 game lead for the East 8 spot and the right to get swept by Boston....only 3.5 behind Philly...but that seems like a pipedream.....Utah continues to show why it can't be taken seriously as a title contender...just putrid on the road in losing in Minnesota...granted they are almost unbeatable in Salt Lake but they'd have to show me the ability to win on the road for me to hitch my wagon to them in any series not involving Houston

Much more later i'm sure...

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Final 4 Set...

Wow...All 4 Number ones...crazy huh? Not really shocked by it all (As I had picked 3 number 1s and a 2 with that 2 beating the 1) but still a bit odd....Davidson did more than I thought they'd do...Missed the entire 2nd half at church but have seen full recap highlights and wow...bad possession late I thought....Pretty indefensible to me to iso Curry bringing the ball up instead of bringing him off a screen or 2, they just let him get doubled like...easily....happens? eh, couldve been avoided Id say but the look wasn't too terrible, just a bit out of his range I'd guess...Memphis just took Texas behind the woodshed basically...shooting 83% FTs and holding Texas to sub 40% FG shooting...that'll do it....I, for one, dont mind the favorites being there...makes for big-time matchups....More tomorrow

Saturday, March 29, 2008

UCLA Recap/Spotty Internet

  • UCLA just got done dominating start to finish against Xavier...ho-hum for me....Kevin Love is officially my favorite player in the college game (and my favorite non-guard since Shane Battier)...the fundementals are astounding for a big guy in this age of flash and the emphasis on dunking/flying around....I can't overstate the ridiculousness of the way he can throw an outlet 60 feet on a line with accuracy...I know, I know, anyone can throw the ball deep...but not with the accuracy that he can....sorry to break it to you
  • My internet is world-class terrible right now....Might not get another post in for tomorrow...on the record I think Texas beats Memphis in the best game of the weekend I hope...and Kansas dispatches of Davidson...I wish Bill Self would put Brandon Rush on Curry...that would be interesting to me and it's what I'd do...put a world-class athlete with length on him and see how he handles it
Enjoy all...

3/29 Madness and More

Here we are....
  • Already touched on a couple games from last night....mildly shocked by Davidson, not that they won but at the ease of the victory (and Stephen Curry looked like he wasn't trying...and still had 33)....Nothing else surprises me whatsoever as the favorites hold and do it easily...Texas just outgunned Stanford outside and the only kind of "shock" I sustained was just at the halftime score of the Mich. St/Memphis game b/c I had never seen an Izzo team killed like that...like ever
  • Games tonight! I think UCLA handles Xavier (shocking I'd have that opinion).....Louisville/UNC is the game everyone wants to see and I think it should be entertaining...the pressure won't get to Ty Lawson but UNC is fairly vulnerable to a team that can put points on the board and is capable of at least not letting them score at will....I think Louisville hangs and loses by under 10...Wouldn't shock me to see the upset
Other things....
  • Kobe hangs a ridiculous 53....and loses....back to back bad losses for the Lakers; Don't know if it's cause for concern yet but it's getting there....Phoenix wins in Philly easily....learned yesterday that PHX hasn't lost 3 in a row all year...mark of a good team....
  • More NBA: Hawks win again! Holding serve at home is critical for a team this bad on the road....another must-win at home Friday against NY at home.....1.5 game lead though, wow
  • Hadn't commented on the Greg Oden pickup fiasco....I think it's borderline hilarious to visualize him playing on 9 foot rims at some health club....Outside of that, pretty dumb..but players play man
See you at 6:40 for the madness....Go Bruins

Friday, March 28, 2008

Welp...Davidson...

Okay...well I take it all back about Davidson...that was a behind whooping from the inbounds in the 2nd half....Curry is a man in that little body....Texas cruising against Stanford and the homecourt is evident (plus Stanford has no guards) up 16 as we speak late....2 uneventful 2nd halfs for the 1st session...Gus Johnson's been tame by no fault of his

Mavs Blogging Policy


So now Mark Cuban wants to open the Mavs locker room to ANY blogger that wants access? I mean...that pretty much opens the door for chaos I'd say...but hey, maybe me and Ryan should take a trip to Dallas and have access to the Mavs players? That sounds fun....A good point was made on Around the Horn today though (shocking I know), what's to stop someone from creating a blog for the sole purpose of gaining access to the Mavs locker room and acting a straight fool? That's my only issue...In theory this should work but that is assuming that anyone blogging is credible...which is false

Gus Johnson!

Forgot to mention many of you will be getting a full slate of Gus Johnson calling games tonight on the 2nd weekend...consider yourselves honored with the energy and fire that is March Madness....I actually like what they did here giving him the region with the "downer" games (Wis/David and Kansas/Nova) because he can provide life and there's nothing he can't bring excitement too....let's hope one of the dogs can give him something to go wild on....happy madness

Fantasy Baseball!

Okay...had my Fantasy baseball Winner's league Draft on Yahoo today....Here's what I came up with

C: Kenji Johjima
1B: Carlos Pena
2B: Kelly Johnson
SS: Derek Jeter
3B: Chipper Jones
OF: Carl Crawford
OF: Alfonso Soriano
OF: Jeff Francouer
UT: Matt Kemp
BN: Yunel Escobar
BN: David Dejesus
BN: Adam Laroche

SPs: Brandon Webb, Carlos Zambrano, Roy Oswalt, Joe Blanton, Jon Lester
RPs: Huston Street, Matt Capps, Brian Wilson, Jonathan Broxton

Okay...so I hate my RPs...but 12-team league with people that know what's going on makes it kinda difficult....Was fighting-angry with Ryan Garko went the pick before I got Matt Kemp...anger...

I had my 8-team friends league draft not long ago and ended up with quite a better team....not shockingly with the smaller league, but I felt my draft strategy was better

C: Victor Martinez
1B: Garrett Atkins/Ryan Garko
2B: Dan Uggla/Yunel Escobar
SS: Derek Jeter/Escobar
3B: David Wright/Escobar
OF: Alfonso Soriano
OF: Corey Hart (love him)
OF: Jeff Francoeur/Matt Kemp
UT: Adam Dunn

SPs: Jake Peavy, CC Sabathia, Roy Halladay, Dan Haren, Adam Wainwright, Dustin McGowan
RPs: Francisco Rodriguez, Huston Street, Todd Jones

Love my lineup like passionately here....need to get another closer, but they aren't easy to come by

Not that anyone cares, but figured I'd post this to get some feedback potentially...Enjoy

Madness Recap and More...

Hurray for  my bracket....
  • UNC pounds Wazzu pretty convincingly...was wrong on this one (but right on the winner)...I thought Wazzu would hang and and they could have if Low and Weaver made shots b/c they managed to hold UNC to under 70 (a tall order) but just couldn't score....
  • Louisville beats Tennessee wire-to-wire...I was always wholly skeptical of Tennessee (had them losing to Butler, etc.) so this doesn't shock me....too much jump-shooting and I'm at a loss for words for anyone that thinks Chris Lofton is a great shooter ever or even a great player...there's no evidence to back it
  • Best game of the night went to Xavier/WV in a game I had literally no rooting interest in since this is the one game I had no one to back into my elite 8....I really like what Xavier brings with that straight-up balance across the board...and Drew Lavender has stones....
  • My UCLA Bruins (nat'l champs lol) took it to W. Kentucky for a half...then got complacent and let them back in it and put them away late...pretty ho-hum except for the foul trouble....the entire starting 3 some on the perimeter (Shipp, Westbrook, Collison) all had 4 fouls with 9 minutes to go in the 2nd half (with Collison fouling out at the 6 minute mark)....I don't know how that happens...
Onto tonight....
  • I think the Wisconsin/Davidson game will be pretty easy sailing for Wisconsin....they have the best matchup yet for Stephen Curry in Michael Flowers who has length and quickness to stay with him, and an overall team Defense that is even better than Georgetown's (and leads the country allowing 52.9 ppg)...The dream ends here for Davidson but it's been fun
  • Kansas/Nova could be interesting if Nova shoots the ball well b/c they have guard depth but there's just too much going for Kansas here....would it shock me if they laid a vintage Bill Self egg? nah....but I'll take them to cruise to the elite 8
  • Memphis/Mich. State is hard to handicap....so I won't....I really have absolutely no idea but Memphis better shoot free throws better than they have been....I think they take Drew Neitzel out of the game for what it's worth....
  • The game of the day is Texas/Stanford in Houston....I go blindly with guards and Texas has the clearly advantage here...add in the game being in Houston and that's enough for me to take Rick Barnes in the tournament (winces...)
Other sports....
  • Glenn Dorsey had a pro day...thought you should know....oh wait, I don't know who cares about this stuff....less Todd McShay please
  • NBA Stuff: Denver soundly beats Dallas to get even closer to bouncing Dallas from the playoffs and sneaking in themselves....GS keeps hold on the 8th spot with a win over Portland....oh yea, and Miami and Detroit played...yawn....I do get a kick out of Shaq calling out Chris Quinn and Ricky Davis BY NAME when dissing his old team...that's just crazy
  • Can't believe the Cowboys are upping a trade offer for a guy who can't even get on the field yet...oh yea, he hasn't played in over a year either...No idea what they could be giving up...but I hope it isn't alot
Enjoy the madness tonight!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

The Madness Update



Wanna know the key to the next 2 weeks in my opinion? See above...That, ladies and gentlemen, is a vintage "been there forever" guy Josh Shipp (I guess that's what happens when you start as a freshman and never really get any better)....The unquestioned X-factor to UCLA's chances to win this thing. He is supposed to be their best shooter since Michael Roll is out for the year, he's the veteran leader and presence to the team and.....he's playing terrible lately. That's really what it is, and since UCLA is the team I think is the best in the country when firing on all cylinders, I think Shipp is the key.

More stuff...
  • East Predictions- Wazzu hangs for all 40 against UNC...can't pull the trigger on the upset pick so I'll go UNC, but I fully expect Wazzu (who I'm rooting whole-heartedly for btw) to be in their grill throughout....I got Louisville beating Tennessee and UNC beating Louisville....

  • Midwest- The dream ends for Nova but they'll hang for a while...Kansas by 10...I think Wisconsin disposes of Davidson pretty easily...not a full-fledged blowout b/c that's not really their style, but never a real challenge....Kansas over Wisconsin in a close game but I think Wisconsin could easily win that game (I haven't heard anyone else say this)

  • South- Memphis I think gets by Michigan State who beat Pitt b/c Pitt couldn't make a jumpshot (paging Ronald Ramon...)...Michigan State will have to win with smoke and mirrors and I don't see it...Memphis by double-digits....Texas over Stanford in the game of the first 2 days, guards over bigs here and the Houston homecourt advantage is a factor....Texas over Memphis in the regional final b/c this is the first time Memphis has been matched up in the tourney with guard play and Texas can handle them athletically...that and I love DJ Augustin

  • West- UCLA disposes of W. Kentucky easily I'm sorry to say (as I'm driving the Hilltoppers bandwagon)...I'm thinking 20 point win here....Xavier/WV is the matchup I have absolutely no idea about...I'm going to go with Xavier's balance and I don't believe in West Virginia really....I've been fully ranting on Xavier getting a 3 seed (shouldn't have happened) but I still think they are good and experienced...and Drew Lavender is borderline unguardable at times

Bold MLB Predictions


Self-explanatory....
NL Wildcard: Atlanta Braves
AL Wildcard: Cleveland Indians
NL Champ: New York Mets
AL Champ: Detroit Tigers
WS Champ: Detroit Tigers (Yikes)

NL Cy Young: Dan Haren

AL Cy Young: Erik Bedard

NL MVP: Mark Teixeira (See Above)

AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera

NL ROY: Is Yunel Escobar still a rookie? I need clarification

AL ROY: Billy Butler

If I get 1 of these right...I'll be impressed...that's all I'm saying.....

Okay, I give up...MLB: NL Central and West

Okay, the MLB season starts Sunday night and with the Madness this weekend...there's no way I'm finishing 2 more divisional previews...Shortened versions GO!!


NL Central

1) Chicago Cubs- Best rotation and a solid core of bats with Soriano, Lee, Ramirez and the rest give the edge to CHC for me....X-factor is how the closer position fares (Kerry Wood gets first crack)


2) Milwaukee- Well if they hadn't lost Capuano for the year already and had Gallardo on the DL I might've gone their way...nonetheless Braun and Fielder may combine for 100 HRs and I think they'll get enough from Bill Hall, Weeks, etc. to compete for the division. Gagne and Turnbow anchor a pretty good Pen that is a strength


3) St. Louis- On the basis of shear depth in the rotation (and I think Wainwright will be spectacular), I'll go St. Louis here...Pujols will hit his 35-40 and Ankiel and Duncan should help out enough to be respectable...Need a breakout from Lohse or Looper


4) Houston- The lineup could be quite good (Berkman, Lee, Pence, Tejada, etc.) but Oswalt anchors a rotation that is thin to say the least....Valverde should be solid in the 9th but they might not have too many wins without some SP breakouts


5) Cincy- The middle of this division is so jumbled it wouldn't surprise me if this team won the entire thing...Bats everywhere with Dunn, Griffey, etc. but not much to speak of pitching-wise after Harang and Arroyo...hopefully Cordero's 4 year /46 million deal won't slow him down much


6) Pittsburgh- This spot is reserved for the bucs....This is probably the most competitive team they've fielded in years though with some legit bats and Tom Gorzelanny and Ian Snell could both be good...Still don't think they finish higher than 5th, but stranger things have happened



NL West:

1) LA Dodgers- This is another ridiculously tight division...I'll go with LAD who is the best on paper but Chad Billingsley better be good or this won't happen...Bullpen is a strength here as well


2) Arizona- Basically it comes down to Brandon Webb and Dan Haren being shut-down guys...I'll say they will be..and they better be to offset the young nature of the lineup....Alot falls on Stephen Drew and Justin Upton...


3) San Diego- There's a theme here....2 more dominant starters (Peavy and Young) over the Rockies who have exactly zero...Gotta get some production from that old-man OF of Edmonds and Giles but the corner IF's are very good and getting better


4) Colorado- Wow this seems low....Just can't get behind the pitching for long stretches...the lineup is still quite good with guys that have managed to stay underrated (except Holliday who everyone knows now); Gonna need a repeat performance from Jeff Francis and some help for him


5) San Fran- Bahhhh, this team smells...The rotation is actually very respectable with Cain, Lincecum, Lowry and Zito...but this lineup makes you cringe...Aaron Rowand and Randy Winn ladies and gentlemen..and the bullpen is a wreck....This was the easy call in the division

Bullets 3/27

Greetings all...
  • NFL Draft Prospect Heath Benedict found dead last night...crazy...kid was mad young..RIP
  • Marcus Trufant signs for 6yr/50 mill....This looks like a bargain after seeing the Asante Samuel and Deangelo Hall deals....as one seahawks fan put it.."Finally a move I like"
  • Man I wish I had seen the McD's All-American Game...Highlights tell me that Brandon Jennings was sporting an old-school Will Smith on Fresh Prince box haircut....man that needs to come back...
  • NIT Final 4 action!!! haha just kidding...
  • NBA Recap: Lakers go down...at home...to Charlotte....Kobe got tossed but still wow...Hawks win big! excitement abounds for that 4-0 sweep they look to be taking in Round 1 TO.....The Celtics, who pounded Phoenix by 20 last night (KG with 30)....Okay, Enough's enough...New Orleans is plain good...another road win against a legit team (Cleveland this time), What else do they have to do? Oh yea, and I'm now fully entrenched in CP3 for MVP campaign (making the switch from Kobe)...just thought you should know....He's rising toward Tim Duncan on my favorite player in the league scale too....20 dimes last night!!!
  • Just a note...Kevin Durant is emerging and NOONE this side of David Thorpe is talking about...Since Feb. 29th (15 games) he is shooting 53% (astoundingly better) due to better shot selection and fewer shots overall...despite this...he's averaging 22.0 PPG (higher than his season average)....He's figuring it out...and when PJ decides to take him away from the 2-guard position (WHY!??!?) he'll be even that much more effective....thought you should know he was coming.....

Rest of MLB Preview and Some Madness later....

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

MLB Preview: NL East

First of all this is ridiculous for me to try to handicap with my Braves bias...just let that be said

1) New York Mets- wow that's painful....I think this lineup is simply too much to contend with and with Johan there and Pedro supposedly healthy I don't think they can lose....That said, Pedro's never healthy for the whole year, Delgado and Alou are a thousand years old, and LoDuca is gone behind the plate replaced by Brian Schneider (who can't hit) so there are still some holes....X-Factor for the Mets is always the Bullpen and Pedro for me.....Wagner is usually pretty good and Heilman has been respectable but outside of that, there isn't alot to like...Pedro has to make 25 starts for this team...b/c the Oliver Perez/El duque duo isn't exactly consistent....I think the Mets squeak out the division IF Pedro is healthy, if not that goes to......

2) Atlanta Braves- People keep talking about the Phillies and I just don't see it....So here we are....Yes, there are some holes here (back-end of rotation and setup guy until Mike Gonzalez returns) but there are also some great strengths....First of all, This may be the 2nd best infield in baseball (behind the Yankees) if you include the catcher spot...2nd, the top end of the rotation is extremely good behind Smoltz and Hudson and there are legitimately 7 starters on this team....that said, 3 of them are significant question marks but that's where depth helps....also, it allows for Smoltz and Glavine to take an extra day between starts when need be...I really think a critical position here is Mark Kotsay in centerfield...everyone else in the lineup you pretty much know what you're getting barring injury but Kotsay is a huge ?????.....Only a couple things have to go right for the Braves to win the division and only a couple have to go wrong to end up in 3rd place

3) Philadelphia Phillies- We hear about Philly's lineup alot....but once you get outside of the Shortstop-2b-1B dominance....what else is there? Sure Rollins, Utley and Howard are great...but 3 bats do not a lineup make...Elsewhere it is pretty suspect....and the gigantic Achilles heel for Philly remains the bullpen....Brad Lidge (why!?!?) was signed to close and immediately went down to the DL and the guys before him were the ones that were dreadful last year (Tom Gordon included)...The rotation is immediately better since Brett Myers moves back there and he teams with Hamels to form a steady 1-2 but after that it's a bit dicey...Kyle Kendrick is young, Jamie Moyer is ancient, and Adam Eaton is about as up-and-down as it gets....I just see too many doubts to put Philly ahead of either NY or Atlanta and thus they land here

4) Washington Nationals- There are actually quite a few guys I like on this team (in the lineup really) with Lastings Milledge, Ryan Zimmerman, Nick Johnson, Austin Kearns....this lineup will actually be decent to good...that's where it ends...the rotation is likely the worst in the entire majors (rivaling Texas) without 1 single reliable staple guy to be seen...they also have listed a remarkable EIGHT starting pitchers on the depth chart...meaning they have no idea what's going on either...Chad Cordero can close the door when they have leads but there aren't many coming....

5) Florida Marlins- FIRE SALE!!!! That seems to be the theme for Florida...and Okay, I take it back Washington, Florida might be as bad as you in the rotation....there are definitely some brightspots for Florida in Ramirez, Willingham, Uggla and the bats...but too much youth and exactly ZERO pitching to speak of (unless Andrew Miller is already good....plausible I guess)...To be respectable, Florida will need decency from Mark Hendrickson and Scott Olsen from the rotation....Good luck fellas

MLB Preview: AL West

EDIT: I Posted this without editing it for the Lackey/Escobar injuries (I wrote this about a week ago, etc.) It could easily swing the balance to Seattle depending on how long they are out

Due to Time constraints, these will be a bit shorter going forward....

1) Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (insert laughter here for the name)- This is the closest race I've had to call yet (NL East going to be interesting too) but I'll go with Anaheim. I really like the Torii Hunter move even though he's overpaid and the rotation looks pretty solid. Top to bottom this is easily the best lineup in the division and what they give up in the rotation to Seattle (at the top mostly) is balanced out by the depth....X-Factors for me with the Angels are Jon Garland/Jared Weaver and Casey Kotchman....Garland and Weaver need to be both solid (with Weaver being possibly great) in order for them to maintain the depth they're gonna need behind Lackey....Kotchman is a former all-world prospect that picked it up a bit last year in just over 400 ABs showing the pop and ability to hit for average that they need....Improvement from him should help Vlad and Hunter....Anytime you can have Gary Matthews, Jr. as your 4th outfielder making all that money...that is some depth....I guess he will be DHing primarily...but wow...

2) Seattle Mariners- First of all, I love this team's makeup....That's what made it hard to go with the Angels...Bedard and Felix at the top of any rotation is enough to scare anyone and the rest of the rotation is better than their names might suggest...BUT the reason they will be much improved is that this lineup is actually respectable....Granted, Richie Sexson needs to be okay for the full compliment to go on...but Ibanez, Wilkerson, Johjima, Beltre all provide some pop...The weakest part I can see is the bullpen outside of slam-the-door guy JJ Putz...X-factors here are said bullpen, Sexson, and Carlos Silva/Miguel Batista....Silva and Batista at the back-end must be good b/c the rotation is the major advantage they have over LAA and this only exists with quality depth...

3) Texas Rangers- This is where this division gets ugly....this is a last place team most places...but since the A's are so bad...here we are....In actuality, this lineup is pretty good
behind Blalock, Broussard, Young, and Josh Hamilton but the rotation is an absolute trainwreck behind "Ace" Kevin Millwood (yikes)....Too many X-factors to really count here but definitely going to need better performance from Vicente Padilla and Jason Jennings who are both former solid NL pitchers that have had trouble lately....The bullpen is interesting with CJ Wilson and Eddie Guardado sharing the closer role...but both are lefties...??? no idea...Selfishly I'd like to see alot of ABs for Jarrod Saltalamacchia but he can't field his position at catcher and Ben Broussard isn't moving off 1st easily....Another year mired in the depths for Texas

4) Oakland A's- Well, they're young....You'll be hearing that alot with Oakland...the penny pinching continues out there and this time it may have gone too far...The rotation could be semi-respectable IF Harden stayed healthy (has never happened) and they get something from the backend....The left side of the infield which used to be a strength with Crosby and Chavez can't seem to stay healthy and have under-performed either way....Also, Jack Cust may break the Adam Dunn strikeout record with enough AB's....he walked, struckout or homered 59% of the time last year....my goodness....In my estimation, this could likely be the worst team in the AL so good luck A's fans!!

Mostly NBA...

  • Clay Bennett continues to draw the ire of fans everywhere....this time saying he plans to move the Sonics AND get rid of the sonics name...wow...
  • New Orleans helps the Hawks out (lol) and beats Indy on the road behind some ridiculous lines from CP3 (31 and 14) and west (35 and 16)....Mavs win without Dirk....against the awful Clippers, yawn...The Spurs are back again....Just thought you should know
  • McDonald's Game tonight! Normally this excites me dearly....but I can't watch it (someone tivo for me?) as I'll be in Atlanta this evening....anyways, I'm looking forward to seeing the next Freshman class
  • Please no more Pro day coverage....of anyone....we know Darren McFadden is fast...don't cover it for 10 minutes on SportsCenter and release exactly nothing....
  • Brandon Marshall supposedly slips on a McD's bag and puts his arm through a TV screen? Yea...I'm sure....Either way he's out 4 months....
  • And the conclusion.....C-Webb retires....anyone that knows me knows I'm really not a big fan...from the timeout to single-handedly getting the banners from the Fab Five taken down....I have no love lost for Webber and that's how it will stay....Oh yea, he never became 1/2 as good as he could've with all the ability he had (although part of that is injuries)....Good riddance sir...ride off into the sunset with that $100 million you should have

Alot of stuff coming in the next couple days...

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

NBA, Baseball in Japan? etc.

Just as an update, I'll post my picks for this weekend's games AS THEY STAND NOW probably wednesday....my bracket still includes 12 sweet 16 teams, so those are obviously who I am rooting for (with the exception of UNC, who I hope is utterly shut down by Wazzu)...moving on
  • Solid NBA night last nighted headlined by Philly winning in Boston and the Detroit OT victory over Phoenix....Philly is really surprising to me (and everyone) as they are quite hot, especially by East standards, and are taking down some quality opponents in the process (A ridiculous comeback last night too while down double-digits in the 4th)....They have a vet point guard, a "go-to" guy in Iguodala (not sold on this), a solid and athletic post in Dalembert and a collection of pu pu platter elsewhere...I don't really get it, but hey, it's working....Detroit decided to show up (a choice thing for them lately) last night in ending Phoenix's win streak...I'm taking a little of my juice back on Phoenix as at one point I thought they'd miss the playoffs...now I think it'll be Dallas...
  • More NBA: Lakers win a crazy one in Golden state....sidebar, Can I please get NBA-TV added to Charter Communications package? Thank you.....back to the task at hand, the Heat...won? Wow.....Oh yea, To update, Dirk is out "indefinitely"...danger for the Mavs as they are already falling with him...
  • This 49ers tampering scandal is funny to me....they didn't even get Lance Briggs? and they still lose a 5th rounder (and have to swap 3rd rounders) just for talking to him...makes me chuckle....Organization is in shambles...not like Oakland or Atlanta...but getting there
  • Okay, waited til the end....Why in God's heavenly name are the Red Sox and A's playing games in Japan a week before the season starts THAT COUNT in the standings....THEN having to come home and play exhibition games that don't count once they get back? Get outta here with this.....Boston steals one 6-5 this morning b/c Huston Street can't hold a save...

More later!

Monday, March 24, 2008

Monday=Weekend Recap

Well, 4 days of tourney action in the books...haven't covered pretty much anything else all weekend....with good reason IMO
  • I have 12 sweet 16 teams left (bah, Butler) but I'm more proud of drilling Villanova and Western Kentucky than anything....still don't know why I switched to Butler
  • I thought the weekend was very entertaining (obviously) but only about on par with the normal tournament proceedings
  • Now comes the longest 3 days of the sporting year...the time between the weekends of the madness.....not alot going on...yay for NIT games!
  • Gotta mention Davidson and Stephen Curry....All I got is a wow here...definitely didn't give them a shot against G-Town (gotta love Roy Hibbert going for a huge 6 points against a team as small as Davidson) but another 30 pt effort from Curry was enough
  • Couple of scares in the South region with Texas and Memphis both playing to 3 point wins (and keeping most people's brackets in tact)....Louisville very quietly pounded Oklahoma into submission (by 30 no less) and noone's talking about them b/c of the way UNC is dismantling people....I have Louisville beating Tennessee and losing to UNC, but that's one man's take
Okay...other sports...lol
  • Miguel Cabrera signs a ridiculous contract over the weekend (8 for 152)....that's....alot of money for a guy this young (especially one with weight problems) but if he can stay slim and focused...he's worth it
  • Tiger Woods is finally going to lose....you know he's good when this is actually news....he's 5 back with 7 to go at Doral....dang...was hoping he'd run the table...however unrealistic
  • Boy that Dirk Nowitski injury looked bad....2 weeks huh? I don't believe it...San Antonio with a good road win...shocking...but NOT the best NBA win of the day which goes to Golden State going to Staples and beating LA
All I got for now...

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Whew

Exhale...my nat'l champ goes to the Wire (UCLA) and pulls it out...Josh Shipp definitely got him on the arm...whistle swallowed...typical....Good games tonight especially Stanford and that UCLA game...Wazzu looks really tough...bout time

Announcing...

So even though most people don't listen to announcers as intently as I do, when you have watched/listened to as many games as I have....you start be slightly critical...(laughter)....Craig Bolerjack and Bob Wenzel did the Duke game earlier and are now doing the Purdue/Xavier game...I'm gonna say I haven't heard announcing this bad on national television in quite some time (at least in this sport, football has its share)...There has been little-to-no expert insight, a general nose for pointing out the obvious, and at times, just annoying exclamatory remarks that have either not fit or been mistimed....I wasn't going to print this mini-rant, but my friends at "Awful Announcing" (see link at the right) are the experts on announcing (and are pretty much obsessed with it) and they seem to agree....as well as list direct quotes from the games today...As a rule...just stay out of the way...thank you

EDIT: Yay for Gus Johnson being with us until the final 4!

Duke goes down....

Not necessarily surprised by the Duke loss...anyone with a basketball pulse knows that Duke couldn't afford to miss 15 straight threes against a pretty good team and have any chance to win...too much of an emphasis...As a Duke supporter, I thought they were a year away before this season with only Nelson as a senior....speaking of Demarcus Nelson, the career ends here...good riddance...Was never a fan of his and especially the knack for coming up small in big games (as well as the lack of a jumpshot, terrible FT shooter, etc.)...I could full-scale rant here but I won't...Wisconsin looking good early and Xavier battling back against Purdue as we speak...

More madness...

Okay, 2 days in the books....the afternoon session went well for me (in particular) as I somehow drilled the 12/13 2nd round matchup between W. Kentucky and San Diego (see the picks below)....And I have Nova in the sweet 16 for good measure....If only I had gone with my gut and my mouth telling Vandy to watch out for Siena, can't hit them all....Looking forward to today

Games I'm excited about watching today

  1. Kansas St./Wisconsin - clashing styles and I'm very interested to see what Bo Ryan does on Beasley
  2. Wash. St/Notre Dame- similar kind of thing....Wazzu has to try to take the 3pt barrage away from ND
  3. Kansas/UNLV- UNLV looked greatttt in round 1...but they weren't playing Kansas

Happy Watching!

Friday, March 21, 2008

It's underway!

First buzzer-beater....a crazy 28-footer at the gun by Western Kentucky for the win....absolutely crazy game from the comeback by Drake to that shot....what the madness is all about....The inner-pessimist in me says no way the rest of the day hangs with that...

Um what?

Feels like the madness as we speak....Davidson comes back from the depths behind a ridiculous explosion by Stephen Curry (40 points, 30 in 2nd half) to take out perennial fan-favorite Gonzaga.....Honestly, one of the best shooting displays I've ever seen at the college level (8/10 threes)....Drake/WKY going to OT as we speak after a crazy comeback by Drake capped by a ridiculous offensive foul call on WKY with 20 seconds to go on a bad flop...can't make that call....that said, going to OT...here we go...

Great slate...

Fantastic slate of early games today (Friday)....Even the "downer" is looking good so far with American hanging with Tennessee (currently 37-34 2nd half)...Nothing better than when there's a bunch of close games cooking..especially the possible upset....Oh the suspense!

Friday, Friday

Real short...
  • Teams that impressed me yesterday: UNLV, Wazzu, Purdue, Mich. State (or was temple that bad?)
  • Every other winner....meh....either supposed to win or didn't do that much for me....
  • That Duke game...wow...but still...a win's a win so let's just that one go...
  • For future reference, all other sports pretty much cease to exist during these tourney weekends BUT I did catch some Celtics/Mavs (anooottthhherrr Celtics road victory...smashing) and Lakers/Jazz (a throttling from the jump)....just wanted to let you guys know that during the first 2 weekends...spotty coverage elsewhere...

If you didn't take off work/school yesterday...take off today

Thursday, March 20, 2008

The Inaugural "Opening Thursday" Running Diary

  • 7:08- Coming to you live from Barnacle's! Games about to tip....
  • 7:10- Duke/Belmont tips first....Belmont leads! ummm...short-lived I'd imagine....As we speak K-State/USC tips in the highlight game of the night....
  • 7:13- 5-5 Belmont/Duke...K-State out early 6-2....The Michael Beasley/Derrick Coleman comparison has legs....but noone would ever say it if he wasn't left-handed...that's all i'm saying...
  • 7:15- This is the only game for the rest of the year that Duke will enjoy a size advantage in....let that sink in if this the team you've hitched a wagon to....
  • 7:17- Belmont plays til the first TV timeout to a draw...7-7....Bill Walker (K-State) gets lost in the Beasley hype but he can play....and this is the 2nd time he's been overshadowed (OJ Mayo in college)....K-State 8-5 early...
  • 7:19- Wazzu tipping off....In the company of Ryan who has Wazzu going to the final 4 here....pins and needles....hahaha....Enough of the Kimbo Slice commercials...he scares everyone at the table with me....as we speak, 2nd foul on Michael Beasley....uh-oh....he's sitting...interested to see how long he sits
  • 7:22- Scratch that size advantage for Duke....unless Zoubek is in....if he's out....even height...sad....Belmont's hanging...14-11....Wazzu 4-2 in a typical slow start....
  • 7:29- Quick...name someone on K-State other than Beasley and Walker............I couldn't either...Beasley's been out for a while and USC isn't making any progress....As I say that, Beasley re-enters with 2 with 12:21 to go....wow thats early.....nice throwdown by Gerald Henderson off the alley-oop by Paulus....Duke up 2...
  • 7:32- K-state up 16-11 at the under 12 timeout....Wazzu 8-8....with 12:30 to go, haha....first to 50 wins....literally...22-22 Duke/Belmont....This is the problem with Duke...can't put anyone away when you just bomb 3s with no inside game....
  • 7:37- The last tip occurs with A&M and BYU....man that was a long time....K-State still leads 18-12 on USC without alot from Beasley....10 minutes in Beasley 2, Mayo 0 points....wow
  • 7:41- Winthrop and Belmont both threatening late in the 1st....give me one game to the wire please....BYU scoreless through 4 minutes....8-0 A&M; Belmont is back-cutting Duke to death...it's just there...all day baby...35-33 Duke...Seems like a game Kyle Singler should be dominating...but he isnt
  • 7:47- USC's offense looks terribly out of sync....getting next to nothing from Mayo and not taking advantage of a subpar half from Beasley, if he turns it on here, they're in trouble....Bill Walker is crushing btw...14 points....11-0 A&M...BYU scoreless for 6 minutes.....
  • 7:51- Duke with an unacceptable 8 TO's so far...Belmont's not even pressing....Washington State game is borderline unwatchable, 19-19  with 4 min to go in the first....competitive though.....BYU is on the board! just saying....(I picked them)......3rd foul...yes 3rd...on Taj Gibson for USC....why's he on the floor?
  • 7:55- OJ Mayo is FG-less....USC somehow hanging around down 6....BYU has 4 points in 9 minutes...they're going after that points record Kent State set this afternoon.....Bill Walker has 17 points...still playin in the 1st....Texas A&M hasnt scored in 6 minutes....11-6 midway through the half
  • 7:59- Beasley awakens with a filthy spin to the right-hand floater....and 1....USC Down 10 and looking very vulnerable....but Mayo/Beasley both equally sucking....well Mayo a lil more...
  • 8:02- K-State up 10 at half...paging OJ Mayo's hype.....Winthrop/Wazzu tied at 29-29...yawn-fest thus far.....Fully focused on A&M and BYU...as it's the only game not at half-time.....Hurray! 20-10 A&M for reference...
  • 8:11- A&M and BYU on 4 screens next to each other...dunno how I feel about that....that said, 24-16 A&M...really not a very entertaining game...for the record, I think BYU has a run in them....and not just b/c I have them in my pool
  • 8:17- 26-23 A &M....here comes BYU....they look...slow....shocking right? (insert prejudicial joke here)....as we speak they knock down a triple...26-26....1:45 to go....Only a matter of time til a veteran team starts knocking down some shots
  • 8:21- The other 3 games are coming back as BYU winds down...BYU game tied going to half....Duke extends the lead to 9 at the outset of the 2nd half , this could easily get ugly or Belmont could hang around...I really can't tell
  • 8:24- Im gonna quote Ryan here and say, "Give the ball to Aron Baynes!" for Wazzu...Derek low suspiciously absent thus far too.....USC better get started quickly in the 2nd half, got a serious mountain to climb while keeping Beasley down...
  • 8:26- OJ Mayo is breathing...lead down to 6.....Washington State lengthens the lead to a robust 4 (laughter)....Man, I can't get behind USC's offensive approach so far....too early 00's NBA for me..clear-outs galore...run something.....
  • 8:28- Taj Gibson commits his FOURTH foul...for some reason he's starting the 2nd half with 3....come on Tim...you're supposed to be deep.....Beasley with the and-1 on said foul....K-State by 9.....Duke better go ahead and put Belmont away or they're gonna hang around....
  • 8:32- Mayo's keeping USC in it...down 6...Washington State slightly pulling away...lead is 9 now...huge compared to them.....Belmont to the rim...Brian Zoubek is a liability for Duke in this game...they just spread him out and drive it at him....lead cut to 3.....USC back in it, down 4....nice run capitalized with a ridiculous dunk...
  • 8:34- Belmont cuts the lead to 1....my God...please let this go to the wire...missed a 3 as we speak that woulda brought the house down....
  • 8:37- Duke's gonna get every call I have a feeling...favorites usually do...especially them....I feel like the Wazzu game has been scoreless for hours....38-29 Wazzu...lead looking insurmountable....lol.....And btw..."My Better is better than your better"...me and Ryan love this commercial...more of this please
  • 8:39- USC fighting....Beasley with 11 despite 3 fouls...I'd be taking it at him every single trip...gotta get him off the floor any way you can...big 3 as I type...45-43 K-State....Looking like it's going to the wire....Winthrop still down 9...hanging around, but not really....make sense? Does to me....
  • 8:41- OJ Mayo with a drive-and-dish showing flashes of why he could be so special if he brings his unselfishness to the forefront more....Belmont totally hanging....Just took the lead...this is semi-crazy....USC takes the lead at 48-47...Finally some excitement today....
  • 8:43- Texas A&M comes out of halftime finally....Josh Carter is running the show...he has 17...next leading scorer has 4....everyone else is just dancing around.....Excitement is building in Belmont/Duke...tied with 9 minutes left....Beasley's starting to take over vs USC.....
  • 8:46- Finally a Trent Plaisted sighting for BYU....Mountain West player of the year emerges....ties the game for BYU....Every time I look up Michael Beasley's at the line....Up 1...
  • 8:50- Tim Floyd is driving me insane.....manage your foul rotation...one time....4 on Davon Jefferson and Taj Gibson playing with 4...with 11 min left...inexcusable...K-State lengthens the lead to 6...
  • 8:54- Huge 4 point play for Jon Scheyer....Duke by 6.....Terrible sequence by OJ Mayo...shot selection lacking....K-State by 8...A&M and BYU are barely even playing it seems....stand-still
  • 8:56- Belmont still in the ballgame....So much excitement in that building right now...and it helps that the announcers are openly rooting for them...
  • 8:59- K-State trying to put USC away...lead is 7 with Beasley going to the line....need Mayo to take over....or go elsewhere...
  • 9:02- K-State keeps getting and-1 layups....still leading by 8...getting late with 5:33 to go....Trent Plaisted starting to heat up for BYU...
  • 9:05- I feel like Belmont is still in the game with 2:44 to go....oh wait, they are....down 3....Openly rooting for Belmont despite my Duke allegiance...just to see it...K-State may have just daggered USC...up 11....okay...Beasley just really daggered them...huge 3 to go up 12 with 3 to go....that should do it....
  • 9:07- Belmont binks a 3...cut to 1...2:20 to go...a ticky-tack foul and Belmont's on the line shooting for the lead...done and done...belmont up 70-69....time to start texting/calling people....
  • 9:12- Duke ball down 1 with 1:05....
  • 9:13- Big stop for Belmont...with the ball with 47.9 sec...up 1....
  • 9:14- Gerald Henderson to the rack...up 1...oh my...Belmont guard gets mugged to the rim....and a phantom jump-ball call....still belmont's ball
  • 9:16- Throws it away....game....Duke....wow...that was fun
  • 9:17- In other news, K-State put away USC about 8 minutes ago....Up 13 with 1:00 to go...the Beasley/Walker show takes it on the road again....
  • 9:20- Okay, turning our sights to BYU/A&M....A&M leads by 1 with 4:25..Not gonna lie...haven't watched this much...focused now....
  • 9:22- Paging Trent Plaisted...You're needed in the post...11 points isn't gonna cut it...
  • 9:27- Longest....game...ever....A&M up 2...I need BYU to actually run a set all the way through....
  • 9:29- Plaisted lives....and-1 with the jumphook....missed the FT though....lead is 2...A&M answers...just getting into the lane at will...Josh Carter with 26 of the 61 for TA&M....
  • 9:31- A&M lengthens the lead to 6....as I type BYU hits a gigantic 3 to stay in...under a minute to go....you can see the vets on BYU...just even keel....that said, severely out-manned and from what I've seen, out-coached....all I'm saying...
  • 9:34- Ballgame....A&M hits the dagger..and there goes my perfect bracket...dang....Well that'll wrap it up for the evening session.....Break...and then back for the late night


  • Aaaaannnnnd we're back......
  • 9:44- Notre Dame tipping off...with a monster 3....and Mason returns the favor...On the record I think ND smashes them here...no sound reasoning why...
  • 9:47- Couple of outlandish shot attempts early for ND....we're just pulling now...
  • 9:50- Harangody's gonna go off....there's no match....and he's already the Big East player of the year...he's going like 27 and 12....
  • 9:53- Offensive execution has been money so far for ND...Wisconsin is tipping...Ryan says..."Yawn"...oh yea, 17-7 ND...
  • 9:57- Arizona is tipping...definitely the game of the session....Wisconsin down 10-6...has to be the most unwatchable game of the day...can't get excited enough about it...
  • 10:00- ND up 20-7....hmmm....Hopefully we'll get one competitive game this session...it's gonna have to be Arizona....
  • 10:02- Chase Budinger just disappears...for full stretches....frustrating to watch..has all the tools....Wisconsin came out with no intensity...rare for a Bo Ryan team...look totally flat to me....Same with Arizona, but that's not new
  • 10:05- Jason Bohannon....pure stroke...oh yea, he plays for Wisconsin for those of you (all of you) that don't know....
  • 10:08- UCLA/Ms. Valley State tip....that's probably the only mention of that game you'll get...barring a random competitive environment by the Valley...I doubt it....
  • 10:09- Wisconsin takes the lead for the first time at 17-16...hurray? lol....Fullerton hanging around though...pretty ugly basketball thus far...
  • 10:11- First bad airball of the night...open spot up 3 for WV...airball short....hilarious....I'm gonna need less UCLA....
  • 10:15- Scoreless since the last Wisconsin update...17-16...it's been 4 game minutes....almost reaching unwatchable territory....as we speak, Wisconsin hits a 3...up 4...please let them pull away so I don't have to watch anymore
  • 10:21- UCLA 16-6...relegated to watching this game b/c of technical difficulties...the bar can't find the Zona game...kid you not.....At least Wisconsin is turning it on a bit....up 6 on CS-Fullerton...I have Wisconsin going to the elite 8...let's go....
  • 10:27- Mississippi Valley State shouldn't be on the same floor as UCLA...sit Love and Mbah a Moute down and let them rest...like now...at the 10 minute mark...
  • 10:30- Brian Butch gets dunked on....there's always one....he's so flat-footed and unathletic....funny
  • 10:32- 26-6 UCLA....On pace for 100+....this is absolutely unholy....CS Fullerton still hanging with Wisconsin, doesn't particularly shock me...it's a style issue for Wisconsin...and they still look a bit flat to me....Fullerton cuts it to 2....okay, let's watch this a little closer....
  • 10:34- Kevin Love is straight dominating....not a shocker....that'll happen to the best of them...yay! Zona is back...best game is available...Gonna need some Jarryd Bayless in my life....
  • 10:36- Halftime in Omaha...Wisconsin up 2....Closer than the experts think!!! haha....I'm wearing down a bit...fighting through...I need a couple close games here...namely Zona/WV because that's a nice little stylistic battle of pretty evenly matched teams....Elsewhere, ND's lead is down to 12 at half...oh you forgot that game was on? me too
  • 10:39- Chase Budinger absolutely explodes to the rim...that's that freak athleticism we keep hearing about....he's so long and sneaky quick...nice combo
  • 10:40- Ridiculous bail-out at the buzzer....Nic Wise hits one of 2 and goes to the locker room down 1....half-time! Slight break....brb
  • 10:49- K, almost died there...back in full force...most games at half...It's just really the UCLA slaughter....Not alot to comment on here...
  • 10:52- ND/Mason back on...hurray....If they'd just pound the ball to Harangody this would be over already...that's my only real observation...guy isn't the POY in the conference for nothing....
  • 10:58- CS Fullerton has a shot here...I have no idea why or how...but they do....It's tied....early 2nd...Wisconsin has never shown the ability to put anyone of substance away to me...and Fullerton is better than the Michigan's and Penn State's of the world...
  • 11:01- I got a feeling WV/Zona is going to the wire...law of averages....still no buzzer-beaters or drama (outside of Duke) all day...so it's up to Wis/CSF and Zona...or both...or none...
  • 11:06- Wisconsin game moving at a snail's pace....if I was Wisconsin I would...push the ball? sounds weird, but they are the more athletic...
  • 11:08- WV and zona openly trading buckets here....like daggers back and forth....Jordan Hill is totally outta control and charges....I think Ryan (the resident Zona fan) is shocked....except not...
  • 11:11- WV has managed to spread Zona out somehow and is attacking the middle...Joe Alexander will do that...he's monster-ing...Pretty much unguardable one-on-one in the post which allows them to spread the floor and they can't help off of him
  • 11:14- Bo Ryan must have killed Wisconsin in practice this week...it's like they have no legs...unexplainable for a veteran team....they've been there before...CS Fullerton is definitely in this thing...Able to take advantage of turnovers so far....gotta keep capitalizing
  • 11:17- Big time run from West Virginia...up 9 now after a huge 3 followed by a Zona timeout....gonna get ugly
  • 11:18- Ummm Wisconsin suddenly up 11...not sure how that just happened...but it's looking pretty much over right now....just to update...
  • 11:21- Notre Dame lead varying around 15...currently 16...no real threat coming from G-Mason that I can see...pretty much written it off until a run comes...
  • 11:23- Nic Wise hits a big 3...cuts the WV lead to 5...did not see that coming....doesn't strike me as a big shot maker....Joe Alexander is taking layups at will....I'm gonna need an adjustment by Kevin O'Neill....like...double?
  • 11:26- Umm...know I said I was going away from UCLA...but Miss. Valley St. has 19 points....with 13 minutes left in the 2nd....they might not get to 40....myyyy goodness, I'm gonna assume the dogs are called off...but if they arent...nows the time Ben Howland
  • 11:28- Wisconsin's lead is 12...Team fouls are just wow....How bout 11-2 in favor of CSF? Gotta love that....Wisconsin has decided to be more aggressive (bout time) but that's just raucous...
  • 11:31- Jerryd Bayless Sighting!!! gonna need more of that please....Zona down 7...
  • 11:34- Notre Dame up 16 with 2 to go....no repeat performance for G-Mason...shocking! lol....Pretty impressive from ND wire-to-wire but this is where the athletic advantage for them ends...they better shoot well against Wazzu...b/c it won't exactly be smooth sailing on offense....Wisconsin game is closer....Lead cut to 8...not quite over yet, CSF def. putting up a fight..i'm impressed with them
  • 11:38- Sooo many poorly run fastbreaks tonight...it's an epidemic...I need more pure PG's...all this flare out to shoot bad 3s on fastbreaks has to stop...now....rant over
  • 11:41- Ridiculous continuation call for WV....missed the FT...up 7....Wisconsin up 8 with 4 to go....Arizona stumbles into a 3 after a trainwreck possession....lead is 4...
  • 11:43- Bayless with back-to-back triples....lead is 1....no timeout for WV....Ballsy from Huggins...it pays off with a rattle-in 3 to go back up 4....TV timeout...63-59
  • 11:46- Wisconsin by 10 with 3:30 left...looking like this one is safe...barring a miracle barrage from CS Fullerton...liked the effort though...not really confident with my Wisconsin elite 8 pick now....good game with K-State Saturday though....
  • 11:47- Turnover for Arizona...down 4 with 3:28...need a couple stops here...as I say that....3 by Ruoff of West Virginia...pretty sure he's old enough to have played with Mike Gansey....
  • 11:49- Gigantic 3 by WV again....lead is 8...gotta hurry now a little for Arizona....
  • 11:50- Game ending in Omaha...Wisconsin wins pretty comfortably...
  • 11:52- Foul Budinger on a 3 while down 8....he goes to the line and makes 2 of 3...lead is 6 with under 2 to go...
  • 11:54- Huge offensive rebound by WV...ball game....WV up 10 with 47 seconds and thatll do it....Lack of close finishes late here....Signing off...will likely wrap up a bit tomorrow morning before the new slate of games....Thanks for reading

Running diary coming...

Okay, I've decided since Bill Simmons isn't doing a running diary this year...I'm trying one....Evening session tonight...right here....Hallelujah

Shortened...

Bullets...
  • Iverson's reception in Philly upon return was absolutely incredible....Absolutely incredible...
  • Miami put up a ridiculous 54 points...for the game....3rd lowest in the shot clock era...they are unwatchable...Stephen A Smith justly railed on them on NBA shootaround...
  • Bucks fire Larry Harris (their GM)....Bill Simmons is the leading candidate (kidding but he is campaigning)
Okay cutting it short....gettin ready for the madness....for the love of God, settle in and watch if you can...if you have to work....I apologize in advance

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Pryor to OSU...

Title says it all....expletive-laden tirade....Say hello to transfer Steven Threet (who happens to be a statue reportedly) to run a spread option....hello 7-5

Rockets, Matt Ryan, Pryor-Mania, etc......

  • The Win Streak ceases at 22 for Houston....darn lol.....They just ended it with a thud at home that I didn't expect but hey....Boston's pretty good (even on no rest on the road, wow)...Nice lil run...still losing in the first round of the playoffs regardless of homecourt UNLESS they draw Denver (if Houston is the 1 and Denver sneaks into the 8)....A discussion for another day.....
  • Glen Taylor (owner of the T-Wolves) calls out KG for tanking.....umm...KG is absolutely immune to tanking...guy plays harder than most people I've ever seen....get outta here....
  • NBA Recap: The Mavs still can't win a big game with Kidd (good effort to get back in this one tho) losing to LAL last night....Not a good investment by Sir Cuban.....Denver is the worst defensive team since the 80s and George Karl is the worst defensive coach since Paul Westhead (google him if necessary)....Suns looking good again...still skeptical......Bynum coming back pushed to the 1st round of the playoffs....starting to think its a facade.....Jim Dolan supposedly courting former Pacer GM Donnie Walsh to come run things....ummm finally??
  • Terrelle Pryor Watch.....will end today at noon when he picks Ohio State over my Wolverines (I assume)....but hey, if we get him...dance in the streets
  • Matt Ryan's pro day got wayyyyyy too much coverage....thank you Worldwide Leader....but that said, if he's coming to Atlanta (not a big leap) then I'll watch him....

Picks coming today!!!!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

THE PICKS!!!!

Aight here we go:

The 32: UNC, Indiana, ND, Wazzu, St. Joes, Louisville, Butler, Tennessee, Kansas, UNLV, Nova, Vandy, Southern Cal, Wisconsin, Zags, G-Town, Memphis, Oregon, Mich St., Pitt, Marquette, Stanford, St. Marys, Texas, UCLA, BYU, Western Kentucky, San Diego, Purdue, Xavier, Arizona, Duke

Sweet 16: UNC, Wazzu, Louisville, Butler, Kansas, Villanova, Wisconsin, G-Town, Memphis, Pitt, Stanford, Texas, UCLA, Western Kentucky, Xavier, Duke

Elite 8: UNC, Louisville, Kansas, Wisconsin, Memphis, Texas, UCLA, Duke

Final 4: UNC, Kansas, Texas, UCLA

Finals: UCLA, UNC

Champ: UCLA Bruins


Some insights....
  • That West regional absolutely slayed me....not a single possibility I could see of UCLA losing...don't like anyone else in the region at all

  • I was going out of my way to not put UNC in the final 4....until I saw that bracket....There are probably 10 teams I'd pick to beat them...and not one of them was in that bracket....Yes, youre all saying to yourselves "Pick Wazzu!" but I am off the bandwagon....that said, I'll be rooting for them wholeheartedly

  • Texas gets the huge benefit of the regional being in Houston....can't overstate how important that could be (same with UNC in Charlotte)....and their guard play (especially Augustin) is 2nd to none (Even Memphis who I had professed as the best backcourt in the land but Rose is a Frosh...knocks them down at tourney time)

  • Games I struggled mightily with....Butler/Tenn, Purdue/Baylor, Duke/Zona, Kansas/Wisconsin, Memphis/Pitt

Well Ladies and Gentlemen...there you have it.....Let's go Bruins!

MLB Preview: AL Central

And we're back...
1) Detroit Tigers- No homer-ism here....The talent infusion they brought in the offseason is enough to warrant mention as the likely best lineup in the entire Bigs....Miggy Cabrera (see above) and Edgar Renteria will form a top-flight left side of the diamond added to Magglio, Pudge, Curtis Granderson, Carlos Guillen, and the boys elsewhere to likely score 1000 runs....Oh yea...Gary Sheffield's still alive too...weird....They took a bit of a flyer on Dontrelle Willis (he was pretty bad in the NL last year) but honestly I would've taken the trade with Florida without him even it...that's how good Miguel Cabrera is/will be.....X-Factors are ALL pitching related....I'll go with Kenny Rogers' age, Dontrelle's adjustment, and the setup role in the bullpen.....Kenny Rogers will be pitching at the tender age of 43 (wow) and expected to bring stability and consistency to the rotation without getting hurt....I'm skeptical.....Dontrelle's adjustment to the American League could be a rough one, but if he discovers the same stuff that made him dominant early in his career....eh...maybe?.....The setup role is huge for Detroit this year with Joel Zumaya being hurt (again)....this is a former strength of the ballclub with Fernando Rodney and Zumaya at their best but with injury concerns to both....could become a weakness in a hurry....I see Mid-90s in the win column and a division title.....



2) Cleveland Indians- Another lineup I really like resides in Cleveland.....Still very young with guys like Victor Martinez, Grady Sizemore, and Ryan Garko....the best should be in front of them....I expect a repeat performance from CC Sabathia as one of the game's best Starters, but a slight dip from Fausto Carmona's ridiculous rate last year (he was exposed in the playoffs whether he had a tired arm or not)....The bottom 3/5 of the rotation is solid but unspectacular with Paul Byrd, Jake Westbrook, and Cliff Lee (if healthy) with a couple young arms waiting in the wings for injury problems....I think this rotation is the best in the division but the lineup doesn't quite compare to Detroit's and the bullpen is suspect at best behind ole' reliable Joe Borowski.....X-factors here are the entire bullpen outside of Betancourt, the corner OF's, and Cliff Lee.....The bullpen is a bunch of guys you've never heard of setting up Joe Borowski, a journeyman who stumbled into 46 saves with smoke and mirrors last year....let's just say they better be good.....The corner OF positions (currently manned by David Dellucci and Franklin Gutierrez) must provide some additional pop to help out the middle of the lineup......Cliff Lee was spectacular at times during his younger days, but has been injury-plagued of late....a healthy year with 12-15 wins from Lee could propel Cleveland to challenge Detroit.....I'm seeing upper 80s-Low 90s in wins and competing for the Wild Card....



3) Chicago White Sox- The White Sox are intriguing for more reasons than I can count....After winning the World Series, they really bottomed out last year and there was talk of Ozzie losing his job...He's back...but he won't be for long if they aren't competitive....The glaring concern I see here is the lack of a leadoff guy as well as the 4/5 starter spots in the rotation....The lineup is reasonably good with Dye, Thome, Konerko, Crede, and newly acquired Nick Swisher but there are some holes to be filled.....Former World-beating young stud pitcher Gavin Floyd occupies the fifth starter spot and I'm sure will inspire a few people to jump on the bandwagon....won't be me...never saw anything from him in Philly to inspire any confidence....The bullpen is a strength with Bobby Jenks at the backend with Octavio Dotel and Scott Linebrink.....X-factors include Jose Contreras and whoever hits leadoff.....Contreras needs to return to World Series-level form he had in years past to help out Buehrle(who pitches UnGodly innings) and right the pitching staff.....The leadoff spot is a glaring weakness and reports say Ozzie does not want to move Orlando Cabrera there so it looks like the job is going to Nick Swisher who has never hit there....good luck.....I'm seeing around a .500 record for CWS, but improved from last year....



4) Minnesota Twins- The Twins are faced with the reality of life without Johan this year for the first time in quite a while....I don't think they'll be as bad as some people do but this is not a competitive team in terms of playoff talk....Alot will depend on the health/productivity of Francisco Liriano who was looking like the best young pitcher in the majors before blowing out his elbow.....He has to anchor a rotation that is pretty suspect after him with Livan Hernandez, Boof Bonser, and the rest of the bunch...Delmon Young and Adam Everett should help the lineup that is still led by former MVP Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer and don't overlook Michael Cuddyer who is uber-consistent in Right....The bullpen could be a strength behind Joe Nathan at the backend with Juan Rincon and Pat Neshek setting up....X-Factors for the Twins are Liriano, Delmon Young, and Scott Baker.....Liriano is self-explanatory (see above) while Delmon Young is a 5-tool guy and still a top prospect in the league capable of 30-30 seasons, etc....He has to breakout ASAP to justify his acquisition and help out the M&M boys....Scott Baker is penciled in as the #1 starter and has to live up to his promise and the nod as their prospective ace until Liriano is 100%.....This is a 70-80 win team but still slightly above the basement....

5) Kansas City Royals- The bottom-feeding Royals have a new slogan..."New Blue Tradition" this season....That rings about as true as "Playoff-bound Atlanta Hawks" to me....which means none....In theory, this lineup looks to be better than usual with budding star Alex Gordon alongside David DeJesus and Jose Guillen....After that is pretty much a crapshoot with Tony Pena, Jr., the aging Mark Grudzielanek, and the rest....The rotation could almost be respectable this year with Gil Meche as the ace assisted by Zach Greinke, Brian Bannister(wildly underrated) and Kyle Davies (bleh)...That said there are too many holes in this team to count and the cellar is definitely where they are headed...X-factors are the emergence of Gordon as a 30-35 HR guy, consistency from the back-end of the rotation and the bullpen outside of Joakim Soria....Gordon has all the tools and emerged slightly last year after a rough start to his rookie campaign but he is clearly the best prospect on this team.....The back-end of the rotation could be very good, but will likely be pretty bad....Davies and Jorge De La Rosa have loads of talent but have never put it together...no reason to say they will now....The bullpen is very young with some journeymen mixed in...Soria is very good and underrated (partly because he has minimal save opportunities) but the rest of the unit is quite shaky.....This is a potential 100-loss team but I'll say something in the neighborhood of 95 to be safe.....

Rockets, Hawks in 8 spot, etc.

  • The schedule keeps setting up for Rockets (for one more night)....youre saying to yourself "they're playing the celtics!"...true...but Boston had to go to San Antonio last night and claw for every inch and now play Houston on the 2nd game of a road back-to-back....Houston may win tonight...but the ridiculousness ends later in the week when they go on the road 3 times in the Western Conference....
  • After last night I read this quote...."If I had to invest in one team's playoff future over the next 3-4 years, I would take Dwight Howard's Magic over LeBron's Cavs. And while LeBron (30/9/6) appears to already be at the top of his game, Howard (23/13) is only getting better."..........Ummm, word? I like Dwight as much as anyone does (he's an ATL boy, etc.) but I can't see this being true....maybe I'm insane...
  • WARNING: HOMER-ISM.....Hawks win 3rd straight! Including a win on the road last night in Washington (a playoff team)....Maybe this whole Bibby thing is going to work....k....back to real life
  • There is a Michigan supposed Academic scandal that I really don't understand (and I'm a pretty smart guy).....go to mgoblog.blogspot.com to read all about it...Brian Cook has it under control...
  • Women's bracket is out....do yourself a favor and catch some tourney action (at least while the guys aren't playing).....hey...it's better than the NIT....I'm going with Tennessee.....

Later today another MLB preview....and my full picks posted tomorrow for the madness...

Monday, March 17, 2008

Can't believe I forgot this...


That...ladies and gentlemen...is the inqusitive look of a man who's team just scored 116 points...and LOST BY 52!!!!!!! Denver put up an absolutely ludicrous 168 points on Seattle in regulation last night in a ridiculous rout....There are no more words here...

MLB Preview: AL East

Okay, So first of all....I don't do exact record predictions....too hard to balance it out with every other major league team and irresponsible to post records that don't add up evenly....2nd, there are some very close calls here and alot depends on injuries...but hereeeee we go

1) Boston Red Sox- Well, I had them penciled here easily to start Spring Training....then Beckett went down with back trouble (supposedly not serious) and Schilling is on the 60-day DL...hmmm......That said, I still have them narrowly over the Yankees because I have a good deal of faith in Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz and this is easily the 2nd best lineup in the division and right on the heels of NYY. The X-factors here are Dice-K, Jonathan Papelbon, and Mike Lowell...Dice-K has to bring a #1-like level (at least til Schilling gets back) to offset Beckett and bring stability with the young guys like Lester and Buchholz behind him.....Papelbon has to maintain the utter dominance he did last year (He will) and still be the best closer in the Majors to lock down a bullpen that has setup issues (including Mike Timlin who is about 125 years old)......And last but maybe least...Mike Lowell.....He's an aging power hitter that got paid for a career year last year....I have my doubts that a repeat performance is in store here...but he must be solid to protect Manny and Papi in the lineup (especially when either or both of them go down with injury, which usually happens)......Nonetheless, You can pretty much pencil Boston in for 94-98 wins and a division title...

2) New York Yankees- This team looks remarkably similar to last year's bunch outside of the youth invasion in the rotation....The linup will again be stout (how stout depends on Giambi and Abreu in contract years) but the real cause for concern with be the pitching as usual in the Big Apple....At least 2 young guys will be firmly in the rotation (Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes) and for some unexplained reason they seem content with moving Joba Chamberlain to the rotation instead of grooming him to replace the aging Mariano Rivera...That one doesn't make sense to me in any way...moving on....The advantage for Boston to New York here is that the rotation is more secure IMO than New York's featuring Chien Meng Wang, Mike Mussina (old), and Andy Pettitte (old and steroid distraction) with 2 young guys that really haven't pitched much (yes, even less than Lester/Buchholz)....That said...X-Factors here are the already mentioned Giambi/Abreu combo, the older starters (Mussina and Pettitte), and the bullpen.....Mussina and Pettitte must come to pitch and stay healthy throughout b/c of the lack of depth behind them while the setup platoon of Latroy Hawkins and Kyle Farnsworth (yikes) has to get the ball to Mariano Rivera who is poised for a significant dropoff one of these years.....I'm thinking Approx. 90-92 wins and a Wild Card battle for NYY

3) Toronto Blue Jays- I keep hearing Toronto has the pieces to make a run at the top 2....I don't see all that...but I think they are a step above the rest of the division....The thing that jumps out to me here is that there are numerous injury/age question marks....From AJ Burnett and BJ Ryan from the pitching staff to Scott Rolen in the lineup....Too many influential questions for me to seriously consider a deep run....I like what they did in the offseason picking up David Eckstein (as well as Rolen) to bolster the infield and bring experience....I still love Alex Rios even though he hasn't reached his ceiling quite yet and Vernon Wells is still a high-level player in CF....X-Factors here are BJ Ryan, AJ Burnett, and the entire infield....BJ Ryan has to come off the long rehab from last year's injury and prove he wasn't viciously overpaid in free agency.....AJ Burnett is oft-injured but can be dominant when healthy and SOMEONE has to help out Mr. Consistent Roy Halladay....When looking at this infield of Rolen, Eckstein, Aaron Hill and Lyle Overbay...I just don't see any pop...Maybe I'm wrong about Rolen but I know you pretty much get nothing in terms of pop from Eckstein and Hill (although you don't need it from your leadoff guy in Eckstein) and Overbay is still a name people recognize who has never come into his own fully.....I think this is a .500 team....79-83 wins....Enjoy your offseason

4) Tampa Bay Devil Rays- wait...The Rays...scratch the Devil.....The story here is one already told....plenty of youth and talent...a lack of a experience...and a lack of pitching....but I still think this is probably the best team this organization has ever fielded (not saying much).....The outfield looks immaculate on paper until you realize that Rocco Baldelli is out...again...Longoria is a question mark at 3B but definitely looks the part alongside Carlos Pena at the other corner who hit 46 HRs last year....The rotation is decent at the top with Scott Kazmir (very good) and James Shields (decent) but the rest of the staff (bullpen included) leaves something to be desired.....X-Factors here are Matt Garza, The Closer battle, and Carlos Pena.......The Rays paid a high price to get Matt Garza from Minnesota (trading prized OF Delmon Young) to bolster the rotation but Garza is still very raw/unproven and needs to be quite good for the Rays to compete.....The closer battle is almost comical between Al Reyes and the 80-year-old Troy Percival....whoever wins the job has to at least be okay to hold any prospective leads they may have late.....and Carlos Pena doesn't necessarily have to repeat 46 homers again...but he better be good as he is the only "reliable" power option alongside Crawford and Upton....Below .500 again for the Rays but out of the cellar!!

5) Baltimore Orioles- I have no idea what the plan is for Baltimore....they obviously want to get younger and save money...but I don't peg them as a team that penny pinches....or at least they shouldnt be.....First, this lineup isn't as bad as you might think (especially if Brian Roberts is in it)...Adam Jones should be good in CF and Nick Markakis exploded last year to be a legit star in the making in RF....The old standby's in the IF (Melvin Mora and Brian Roberts) will provide professional hitting and a little pop but question marks abound in Left and at shortstop and Kevin Millar will get the full-time look at 1B...hmmm.....The Lineup is definitely the better half of the squad however with Jeremy Guthrie anchoring the rotation and Danys Baez in the closer role....This may be the worst pitching staff in the entire league...X-factors here are Daniel Cabrera and Adam Jones....although they'll need more.....Daniel Cabrera has shown the ability to be dominant but is still wildly inconsistent....they need more here to help Guthrie (who somehow is a #1)....Adam Jones is a 5-tool guy that they felt like was enough to part with Erik Bedard so...in short, he better be good....like...now....Cellar Dwelling for Baltimore...

EDIT: I'm probably doing 1 of these a day until Wednesday, then breaking for the madness

The Madness Begins in Earnest....

Here we go...
  • First, I'll obviously let you know my entire bracket before thursday....it's just not done yet...glad we got that out of the way
  • UGA wins the SEC? I'm still laughing here....nice story after the tornadoes....but really? This is a pretty bad basketball team....The SEC has one legit elite 8 contender (Tennessee), a team that is excellent at home and so-so on the road (Vandy) and that's really it...Kentucky doesn't pose any sort of threat to me without Patrick Patterson and the rest of them...yawn.....Nonetheless, can't totally sneeze at the tourney run, congrats
  • Rick Barnes (coach of Texas) refuses to make an adjustment....This is becoming an epidemic from failing to get Kevin Durant the ball down the stretch in the NCAA's last year to letting Kansas spread them out and bomb 3's (shooting 60%) when the strength of the Texas defense is on the interior (especially considering Kansas doesn't have a go-to post scorer)....I love the roster...can't pick them to go deep here...
  • Only full-scale rant about the seedings....Xavier as a 3.....Apparently teams that aren't even like 30-2 or anything (they are 27-6) can lose in the A-10 semis and still get a 3 seed....Even if they had WON the A-10...I'd put them as a 4-5 seed....As it is here, I have them about a 6 when I ranked the teams top to bottom....inexcusable....At least the committee made up for it (slightly) by giving them UGA in the first round (better than an average 14 seed) but still...this is the biggest gap for seeding I can see (with Wazzu shortly after....not deserving of a 4).....and to make things worse...that's the worst sub-region in the whole tournament b/c Duke is so beatable due to style of play....tell me who's supposed to get out of the region with Purdue, Baylor, Xavier, WV, Arizona and Duke....don't know either? Good

Baseball preview starts later!!!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Short Rundown...

Limited time so off we go...
  • Best game of Sunday is Texas/Kansas....the only dream matchup type of game there is today (plus UCLA/Stanford yesterday)....I'm already on the hook with Texas....Of my pre-tourney picks, UCLA has already won with Texas and UNC playing today....lets go! lol
  • The SEC tournament is just surreal....fitting that it now ends up with UGA winning 2 games in one day AND Tennessee going down to pit UGA/Arkansas in the final that no one would normally watch but that might garner some interest b/c of the tornado, etc....crazy....
  • The Spurs drop another one..and I'm STILL trying to figure out why Philadelphia is even reasonably good...someone help me?
  • The Falcons reportedly trade Deangelo Hall to the Raiders for the 4th pick in the 2nd round....People are up in arms that this is all they got but noone said a word when they were going to trade him to the Giants for the 31st pick....umm...this is the 35th pick....4 picks later....breathe..
  • The countdown is in full effect (10 hours and counting from publish time) to selection show....Make sure you have your brackets ready......

Saturday, March 15, 2008

SEC Madness and NBA Recap

  • Apparently the winner of the Kentucky/UGA game is scheduled to play 2 games today (saturday)....ummm wow...suddenly this is an AAU Tournament....Pretty crazy circumstances...if Kentucky loses the 2nd game tonight, I think the selection committee should pretty much discount it for their resume b/c that's just ridiculous...Personally I think they're in as of now if they beat UGA...but I'd say it's pretty crazy that they could be playing for their tourney life in the 2nd game of a doubleheader....
  • A little NBA love: Rockets win 21st straight...I'm already on record saying it ends tomorrow vs LAL...Utah pounds Boston by 18 on the road....this one took me aback because Utah has been so bad away from Salt Lake, but they are truly a Jekyll/Hyde team....A real nice win for New Orleans at home vs LAL (CP3 with a ho-hum 27 pt, 17 dime effort...my goodness).....Denver puts 137 on Toronto at home...in regulation....crazy....
  • Props to Bruce Bowen...not my favorite player in the league by any stretch but anyone who can start 500+ games in a row deserves some respect....The way it ended was fitting however as he is one of the "dirtiest" guys in the league (He was suspended, not hurt)...but everyone's dirty...he just takes it to another level, but that's his role so I don't hate...
That's it for today....Mark down monday/tuesday/wednesday on your calendars for the long-awaited (by who i'm not sure) MLB Preview...

Conf. Tourney Updates

Well I'm down 2 conf. champ picks (Indiana goes down)....still have seen about a grand total of 10 minutes worth of games....Couple random things...
  • Looks like Clemson is playing its best ball of the year...Duke's gonna have to shoot the lights out to win....I'll go ahead and pick Clemson on the record...
  • Stanford/UCLA Pac-10 Final.....Hurray! Great matchup here...if you can catch it...please do
  • Pitt/Georgetown in another throwback Big East game (Finals no less)....this should be a very good one....I have to root for Georgetown since I'm in a picks battle with Ryan (who has Pitt who he shamelessly stole b/c I didn't know Levance Fields was playing lol)....
  • I got a text that said...word for word..."God hates SEC basketball" when the tornado hit the Georgia Dome last night.....I chuckled....Not a laughing matter b/c additional devastation could have easily been done but it's slightly fitting that the SEC of all conferences has this happen with the dreadful state of basketball in that conference....
  • Yes I'm mentioning the Atlantic 10....I'd actually watch the finals here....St. Joe's/Temple has a certain old school flair and St. Joe's is actually good...haven't seen Temple yet but Xavier was supposed to win here...so another spot up for grabs.....
  • To my Big 10....Michigan scores 34 freaking points in an entire game....laughable....2 big upsets in the late games with Purdue and Indiana going down (simultaneously ending mine and Ryan's picks back to back)....All that did was make the default final the Semi today between Mich. State and Wisconsin....I'll take the Badgers...as Bo Ryan's team slides under the radar yet again....They do what Washington State does...but better....That said, I fear that they will simply be unable to score in the tournament at some point and it doesn't help that Brian Butch gets 2 fouls in the first 5 minutes of every single meaningful game...he's gotta work on that....
Try to post later....crazy weekend...Enjoy

Friday, March 14, 2008

1 down...

Okay...so maybe Louisville will lose in their first conf. tourney game...0 for 1 picking conferences.....Couple short thoughts from last night
  • Arizona should be in the tournament...I don't care what their conf. record is...have you seen the non-conference? #1 schedule in America and they still win 19 games....In
  • Not alot of results surprised me yesterday...pretty status quo except Florida getting lit up by Alabama...but no experience for Florida=postseason letdown...go home gators
  • UCLA looked every bit the part of my title favorite in smashing Cal....I'm terrified however b/c I found out via the BS Report that Bill Simmons has apparently jumped on the bandwagon.....no chance now

On the road...updates will be short....Watch games!!!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Weekend

For a warning....There will be lighter content than usual here for the weekend...I will be out of town with spotty internet access....Take time to watch conference tourneys (avoiding the SEC whenever possible) and if anybody can get access to the Pac-10 (I certainly can't) you should do so....Enjoy the prelude to the madness.....

Rockets, Cuse, etc.


  • Okay so I was wrong about the Rockets' streak ending at Philips last night...I take full responsibility....Apparently 83 points is enough to win on the road in the NBA now....Thank you Mike Woodson......See above for what I call "The Mike Woodson Face"........... just imagine him with his arms crossed making that face....inspires confidence huh?....Back to the Rockets....I think the streak ends sunday vs LAL when Kobe decides he's not losing and goes for 40-plus...
  • CBB Roundup: Yay Portland State! Kidding.....Syracuse utterly falls apart late yesterday and is totally off the bubble...Enjoy the NIT....Arizona smokes Oregon State....Sidebar...Is any major conference team worse than Oregon State? I defy you to find me one....Good games today including the famous Noon Start at the garden....Georgetown/Nova in a throwback Big East battle...I'm excited about the slate
  • NBA Recap: Spurs get hammered in New Orleans...was shocked by this score...but the Spurs are semi-famous for taking nights off in the regular season (not to the extent of Detroit but still).....Speaking of Detroit...they lose...at home...to Philly...wow....Golden State beats Toronto at home by 11 in a game that I've been told included Jamario Moon winning the opening tip for Toronto....that shouldn't happen....
  • Warning! Baseball content....Did anyone see the "brawl" between Tampa and NYY yesterday? We're fighting in spring training now apparently....ballsy spikes-up slide at 2nd base by Shelley Duncan nonetheless....Can't hold him apparently....
Enjoy the madness!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Conf. Tourney Predictions

Guess I better pick them since I'm backing the viewing of every game possible....
ACC-UNC
Big 10- Indiana
Big 12- Texas
Big East- Louisville
Pac 10- UCLA (can't not pick them, especially in LA)
SEC- Tennessee

Auto Bids, Hansborough, Nellie, etc.

Pretty light sports day considering....


  • Watched all 3 auto-bid conference title games last night (I might be the only one)...I really like Western Kentucky....Everyone knows about Butler, but Western KY isn't a gimmick type of team from what I saw last night....not overly focused on 3-point shooting like Drake or fully perimeter-oriented like Butler....Western Kentucky matches up better with the likes of the big programs from an athletic floor standpoint....However, I don't know if this is a good thing....Teams that can beat you shooting the ball like Butler or Drake can beat teams just by shooting well even they are athletically out-gunned and this provides a significant hope of a tourney W or 2 b/c any day can be a good shooting day....a team like Western Kentucky needs a favorable matchup in order to win in the tournament b/c they matchup well on paper, but you have to figure they still would be slightly out-manned by the majority of bigger conference teams they'd see in the tournament....just a theory....I'll be rooting for them to prove me wrong

  • Tyler Hansborough wins Sporting News Player of the Year....no issue with it here....But really? We're talking about retiring his number before the conference tournament his junior year? Seems a bit outlandish to me....great college player though

  • 2 of the worst conference title games tonight....Big Sky and NEC....yikes.....I'd recommend the Major conference tourneys that begin today...all 4 Big East games on ESPN....from the "basketball mecca" of the Garden....

  • NBA Recap: Memphis is dreadful....and so is Utah...on the road....I've been picking the Bulls to rebound and make the playoffs for at least 2 months now....Seems like they are picking it up a bit....just hope they don't bounce my Hawks (the likely scenario)....The Lakers reclaim the #1 seed (for today) in the West on the same day that Andrew Bynum tests his knee....I find myself rooting for them...and I desperately want to see a Lakers/Spurs west finals....


  • Don Nelson re-ups for another year in Golden State.....the way he coaches/the athletes he inherited makes for the most entertaining brand of basketball in the league when they have it going.....Good to see Nellie back even though he's probably clinically insane (wouldn't you have to be to play 6'6-ish 2-guard Mickael Pietrus at CENTER?)

  • Larry Fitzgerald restructures for 4 years/40 million.....I read 2 different people (Mr. Shanoff included) say he was the best WR in the league....word? I've always considered myself a Fitzgerald supporter...but really? That's a bit strong for me

Go enjoy the madness.....

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

WCC, Rockets, Etc.

  • San Diego "shocks" (more on this later) Gonzaga to win the WCC and seemingly lock up THREE bids for my favorite conference (since the big 10 is terrible and Ryan claims the Pac 10 already)....2 days in a row my boy Dan Shanoff (and others) have somehow been shocked that a good San Diego team has beaten Saint Mary's and Gonzaga AT HOME in conference tourney play....um word? San Diego was the 3-seed playing at home throughout the tournament...no shock here....they've already proven to be a dangerous team (winning at Kentucky included)


  • Conf. Tourney Watch: Stephen Curry (see below) has to be the best shooter in the country....South Alabama deserves an at-large regardless of their loss to Middle Tenn. State....George Mason isn't the same George Mason as last time so don't pick them to repeat their run....Major conference tourneys start with the famous Big East Noon start-time on Wednesday....get fired up



  • Rockets win again...19 straight....this one was of the ho-hum variety as they beat a bad New Jersey team at home....but 18 point wins can't be sneezed at.....I'm going on record saying the streak ends at Philips Arena tomorrow night....Slightly homer pick...but the Hawks have the 4th best home record in the east (behind the big 3) and match up favorably with Yao-less Houston IMO


  • NBA Recap: Spurs hold serve by beating Denver....Shocker (LOL)....Lebron with yet another triple-double...he's bordering on ridiculous.....Hawks shoot 51% FG and 65% 3-point FG and.....still lose by 11....that's what happens when you give up 123 in regulation....::winces::


  • Shaun Alexander is miffed with Seattle b/c they brought in Julius Jones....umm...Shaun....remove the gigantic fork that is currently in your back before you start complaining about competition


  • Lute Olsen is back next year for Arizona....hope he got his personal stuff together...he's one of the best in the land


  • Last thing...Pat Riley is just missing scheduled NBA games that HE IS COACHING!!! to go on scouting trips of college players? um....what?.....I know your squad is awful...but it's the one that YOU put together and that YOU coach on a nightly basis.....And this isn't the first time he's bailed...inexcusable......Refer to the picture below for the figure that explains Riley's deal with the devil in Miami....Hey, at least you won that title....

Monday, March 10, 2008

2 NBA Bits


  1. The Heat shut down Dwyane Wade for the year...I've been calling for this for almost a month....we know he's unhealthy, they are totally out of it, and he needs rest before he plays in the olympics....Why not shut him down if you're Pat Riley? God knows you need him down the road and you can tank even more for the lottery without him....Bout time

  2. Bill Simmons (The Sports Guy of ESPN) is quietly just CHURNING out quality NBA material....any diehard NBA fans need to hit his stuff including his latest "Top 15 What-Ifs" article...he is in an NBA zone right now...just letting everyone know....

Enjoy your sports day

Suns/Spurs, etc.

  • Phoenix takes down the Spurs the day after I bashed them continually....shocking.....Good sign for them that they rose up here and showed what they could possibly do....The issue for me when it comes to Phoenix isn't necessarily San Antonio, they still match up pretty well with them without marion because the Spurs don't have another swingman (besides Manu who can be guarded by Raja Bell) and the spurs play as slow as Shaq does...still an impressive win
  • NBA Recap: The Lakers lose at home to Sacramento? Weird....Got nothing here......The hawks sweep the doubleheader!! (didn't mention yesterday, but yay) and the Hawks now sit in the 8th spot....yikes
  • Indiana loses to Penn State on road in the Big 10...bleh....still have no idea what to make of Indiana without Sampson
  • 6 days until selection sunday.....the madness is coming.....

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Saturday Hoops Recap and......Boxing?

No post tomorrow (i think) so a little recap on today....


  • UNC outlasts Duke in Cameron....pretty good game....Noticed a couple things....Man, Greg Paulus can shoot...and that's really about it.....I've always disliked Damarcus Nelson but today made it to a new level, I'm not sure what he does well?.....The referees swallowing their whistles coupled with the physical play made this game reminiscent of any game in the Eastern Conference Playoffs circa late 90's (I.e. the Van Gundy years)....Staggering

  • Um, the rockets win...again? 18 straight....beating a legit team this time (New Orleans) by a decent margin (10) without Yao...I have no idea how they are doing this...but the change in the way the play (faster, more energy, more threes) is suiting them thus far....still can't see it sustaining but hey, didn't see them winning the last 3 either....

  • Watched all of Georgetown's win over Louisville....First, the Big East is down at the top this year....2nd, very good game of 2 evenly matched and pretty talented teams....I still like Georgetown's chances to get deep mostly b/c of style and veteran perimeter play (my favorite tourney asset)
  • The Hawks sweep the "doubleheader" over Miami...just a weird/crazy circumstance overall....neither team scratched out a point in the first makeup game....hilarious....

  • Crazy shot by Josh Shipp of UCLA to win over Cal....Oh yea....Never saw the end of the UCLA/Stanford game from Thursday until today...um, terrible call? yes....inexcusable even

  • Okay...One boxing note....I know no one really cares...but my heart was literally saddened while watching a fight tonight....Most people don't know that I am/was a big-time boxing fan....Used to stay up ridiculously late and steal fight-time with my Dad as a kid....the absolute joke of a Heavyweight title match tonight by 2 guys pretty much no one has ever heard of was a disgrace....Thank God for the middle classifications but the Heavyweight division died years ago......Terrible

Farewell...Oh...and Check out the BS Report (Bill Simmons' Podcast) on espn.com....especially the basketball one with Ric Bucher....Enjoy