The rash of "upsets" during the regular season has continued in the various conference tournaments. Georgetown got bumped in the semi-finals, as did Indiana and Duke. Not only is there a lot of guesswork as to who is the number one team in the nation, there is no clear-cut answers as to who the four #1 seeds will be. Some say Louisville, some say Gonzaga and there are still proponents for Indiana. If Syracuse had won last night, they probably would have gotten some backing. No matter, come 7:00 PM, there will be a lot of hurt feelings.
One writer, who shall remain nameless, has listed the top ten most over rated basketball coaches. I'm not entirely sure of the criteria, but the choices were interesting. John Thompson III was the 6th most over rated, with Jim Boeheim coming in at #2. The most over rated was Rick Barnes of Texas. I'm not sure why he got the #1 spot, since I've never heard of anyone pushing to get him into the Hall of Fame.
Is there a college team with a worse name than Middle Tennessee State? I think names like South Florida or Western Kentucky are bad enough. Even Coastal Carolina has some romance involved, but "Middle" anything is as blah as you can get.
Kerry Miller is a veteran NCAA Selection Committee handicapper with a decent history of success. He only picks once, unlike more well-know bracketologists like Joe Lunardi, whose picks change on a daily basis. He thinks Syracuse is #14 in the country and should be a #4 seed in the tournament. That would remove the onus of a 12-5 matchup for the Orange.
Is this the worst collection of referees ever? Every game I watched, especially the Big East games, referees made calls that were not only questionable, but dumb. Not just wrong, but DUMB. Tied with the number of bad calls, were the ones they missed. There was a whole slew of 'ticky-tack' fouls, where the refs acted as though some players were suffering from hemophilia, and would bleed to death on the court if someone touched them. I hope the NCAA officials are better, but I have little hope.
I like Jay Bilas as a TV analyst. He doesn't root for any team, he doesn't come up with some cute phrase and then ride it to death for the whole game, and his analysis of a play or situation is brief and to the point. Plus, he's usually right. Here's another reason that he's my hero.
***FOOTBALL***
Again, there is a lot of talk about the team name for the Washington pro football team. The 'politically incorrect' reason has reared it's head again. Obviously, I have no Native American heritage, so I don't know how the term "Redskin" might affect someone with that background, but I've never seen anything at a Washington game that treats the name like anything other than a designation. However, I bow willingly to those who are offended. St. John's University changed their name from the Redmen to the Red Storm, a great name. I'm sure Washington could come up with something better, too.
***BASEBALL***
The USA has been eliminated from the WBC. I can understand why Americans are disappointed, but why do they think it's a disgrace that we don't win it all the time? Just because the Major Leagues are based in the US (and one in Canada), doesn't mean all the players are US citizens with American heritages. There are all-stars that are from Canada, Taiwan, Japan, Dominican Republic, Mexico and even The Netherlands. Plus teams from other countries seem to embrace the tournament more and have a lot more enthusiasm than the American team.
The Baseball Hall of Fame will honor Dr. Frank Jobe during the induction ceremonies this summer. You don't recognize the name? You should. He is the surgeon who performed the first "Tommy John" surgery for baseball players. I'm sure there are a great number of players who will salute this honor for Dr. Jobe, an act they probably wouldn't have been able to perform without him.
***GOLF***
I'll leave this category for my esteemed colleague, Vod Kanockers, who is much more versed than I. He also knows the correct curse words for various errant shots.
***THEY SAID IT***
"Anyone notice all the hockey injuries this season? There are so many call-ups playing, the NHL stands for Not Hospitalized Lately" -- RJ Currie
"A brawl reportedly broke out at a New Hampshire retirement centre during a bingo game. It was like a hockey fight, except with more teeth." -- RJ Currie
"Today is selection Sunday. The day when several men’s NCAA basketball teams get to complain bitterly about being denied the chance to be knocked out in the first round of March Madness." -- Janice Hough
"Starting in the nets on the all-region boys soccer team as announced by the Palo Alto (Calif.) Daily News: Gunn High School's Boot Bullwinkle.Can't confirm he also faxed his letter of intent to Wossamotta U." -- Dwight Perry
"Soft-tosser Jamie Moyer slated to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Mariners' home opener April 8. The ball should arrive at home plate sometime on April 9." -- Times reader Dale Lowey
"The Chicago Cubs are considering adding a mascot, something that would represent Cubs tradition. So far, the front-runner is “Mathematically Eliminated Guy.” -- Brad Dickson
"In the World Baseball Classic, the U.S. lost to the Dominican Republic. Because the game was in Miami, the Dominican Republic had home-field advantage" -- Brad Dickson
"Sports Headline today: Derek Jeter declares himself 100% healed. Sounds like he may have visited Ernest Angely. Someone gave me an Ernest Angely CD a while ago. It wouldn’t play because the hole in the middle kept healing itself." -- TC Chong
CP-
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