The madness continues...

As March continues, so does the tournament that attracts so much attention. I cannot help it but this is one of my favorite times of year. So much college basketball and so little time. This time of year brings out the best basketball played, an example is DeJuan Blair of Pittsburgh. He is not the tallest big man in the country but his is wide, strong, and determined. In their win against Oklahoma State he was guarded by four guys, missed the layup, got his own rebound, scored and was fouled. He then missed the free throw but the ball was loose on the ground and the 6-7 265 pound forward dove on the floor and tied up the ball, giving Pittsburgh the ball back again. This is the type of play that I would show to youth playhers as what to strive for. As I look at the first weekend there are a few things that come to mind...


1) The western bracket was ripe full of upsets the first day...Cleveland State, Arizona, Dayton, and USC. Please don't get me wrong I was tied to the screen when Siena beat Ohio State, but by no means is a #9 seed beating a #8 seed a huge update. I love that these same people are complaining that there are no upsets and that there is no cinderella story. Anyone hear of Arizona? They weren't supposed to make the tournament and now they play Louisville in the sweet 16.


2) I have listened to a lot of different sports guys and believe that they are wrong. I love the upsets and the cinderella stories but I also love the matchups that are left. Duke playing Villanova is something to watch while I am intrigued by the Oklahoma/Syracuse match up.


3) I cannot stand to watch basketball on CBS. I have long talked about writing down the little things that bother in broadcasts. Examples would be that someone is out with a hamstring and mispronouncing someones name. Is it really that hard to say injury? Noone is out with a hamstring, they are out with a hamstring injury. But the one that really gets me is the "dribble drive". Only on CBS will you hear about the dribble drive. I am sorry but anyone that has ever played basketball that you cannot run drive or pass drive. I think that most people know that when you are driving that you are dribbling...you are not just running with the ball or without it for that matter. So please, please do not say dribble drive.

4) As I live in ACC country but was born and raised a Big East guy, I just have to say that it seems that the Big East continues to be the basketball powerhouse. Yes I know that Duke and North Carolina remain to be two of the most dominant programs in NCAA history. But if you look at things past the top two teams of the conference...the Big East has 5 teams in the sweet sixteen. At the same time, 4 ACC teams lost in the first round (Clemson, FSU, Wake, BC) and only Duke and UNC won their second round game.

5) And finally it is the end of a very long streak...Ball State beat the Tennessee Lady Vols. I know that very few people actually watch women's basketball, but the Lady Vols have never lost in the first two rounds of the tournament. They were 42-0 before this season. Ball State played a great game and beat the defending champions.

I can't wait to see how this tournament ends...

Welcome to March Lionel Ritchie fans...

Last night and early this morning all I could think about was Lionel Ritchie singing "All Night Long"...as Connecticut lost to Syracuse in the Big East Tournament in 6 overtimes. I know that everyone who watches SportsCenter knows about this story but I can honestly say that I watched the game. Working at a sports bar helps, but I could not take my eyes off the screen. All the shots and opportunities and all the missed shots really show how exciting March really is. If this doesn't say March Madness I don't know what does. Let's not forget that Syracuse has to play again today. Let's see how can I sum up the game in a way that you may not know and that really shows the excitement of this time of year...

• Jonny Flynn (Syracuse) played 67 of 70 minutes, a seventy minute game is equal to more than one and a half full games
• Syracuse did not have the lead in overtime until the 6th overtime
• 8 players fouled out
• the score in overtime was 56-46 (that's 102 points)
• Paul Harris (Syracuse) had 29 points and 22 rebounds
• in 3 of the 6 overtimes the score was 6 to 6
• 6 players had double-doubles (no player had a triple double while LeBron James has had three straight triple-doubles and none of those games have gone to overtime)
• Eric Devendorf (Syracuse) hit a shot at the end of regulation that would have ended the game but it was determined that the shot left his hand after the buzzer went off
• No players on the Connecticut roster have won a Big East Tournament game

While this game is the epitome of March Madness and Championship Week, you can also look at the other games played on Thursday...

• Kansas came into the Big 12 tournament as the top seed and lost to Baylor
• Oklahoma State beat Oklahoma in the same Big 12 tournament
• Arizona lost to Arizona State, almost solidifying that they will not make the NCAA tournament...they have made every tournament since 1984
• Also in the Big East tournament, Villanova beat Marquette on a shot at the buzzer
• West Virginia beat #2 ranked Pittsburgh in the Big East tournament, and they will play Syracuse today

I look forward to watching the rest of this weekend, and on Tuesday the tournament starts...oh how I love this time of year!!!

Sixburgh...Playoff and Super Bowl Review

The NFL playoffs were fun to watch especially as a Steelers fan but as a football fan as well. I know that many people were unhappy about the Cardinals/Steelers match up but the game made it a compelling story.

Wild Card Round--

While the Colts had to travel to San Diego, they faced one of the most effective offenses. Many (including me) believe that the best teams should be the home teams. While Indianapolis had a winning record, the Chargers were 8-8 and won a weaker division. A weak division winner should not be a home team. While all teams are reseeded after the first round...they should be seeded before the wild card round. The Eagles continued their strong play beating Adrian Peterson and the Vikings, the Cardinals showed that they were not a flash in the pan despite limping into the playoffs and beat the Falcons, and the Ravens defense and offense beat the Dolphins.

Divisional Playoffs--

The Eagles and the Cardinals continued their great run in the playoffs beating the Giants and the Panthers respectively. The Giants were the odds-on favorite to get back to the Super Bowl and potentially win. I guess Plaxico Burress was more a part of their offense than most thought. The NFC was about quarterbacks proving their worth in Donovan McNabb and Kurt Warner. The AFC was about defense and strength. The Steelers and Ravens played really hard games. The Ravens defeated a tough Titans team and the Steelers beat the streaking Chargers.

Conference Championships--

Another battle between the Ravens and the Steelers...it was a great game and another in this storied rivalry. The Cardinals beat the Eagles. Another win for Kurt Warner and a tough loss for Donovan McNabb.

Super Bowl--

Great game...fun to watch. It was a nice back and forth battle that was won on a great drive by Roethlisberger and the Steelers, capped off by a terrific catch by Santonio Holmes in the endzone. I don't think that I can really elaborate on this game other than to say Sixburgh...too bad Dallas, the Steelers are now #1 in the record books alone. They have one for the other thumb.

First two months of 2009

So I guess I have not been a very good kicker lately...meaning not writing down my thoughts on the sports world in the first two months of 2009. Yes I know that it is not football season, but I still have opinions and thoughts on the sports world. So I am going to write a "series" of posts on topics that I consider important.

Thanks for reading and look for me to write more routinely.