Sports Update

The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired Dontrelle Willis from the Detroit Tigers today. In return, Detroit retains the rights to pay Dontrelle Willis the rest of his contract and receives a reminder that they got Miguel Cabrera for taking Willis off the Marlins' hands.

***BREAKING NEWS: LeBron Leaving for Florida***

Today's dose of unintentional comedy:
LeBron Leaving for Florida - Columbus Dispatch dispatch.com

Fads I Just Don't Get

I feel very old when I consider what's hot today in teenage pop culture. I just don't get it. As you can see by my list, I think our "youth culture" (another phrase that makes me look old) is very feminine-driven. When did teenage boys become pansies?? So here's my power rankings for things that I don't get (a.k.a. why I'm old).

1. Twilight - is it almost over??
2. Everything else "vampire inspired"
3. Two high school boy fashion trends - the long hair in your face and tight pants - when did looking like a girl become cool?
4. Justin Bieber - is he part of the reason for #3? How is he collaborating with Ludacris and Sean Kingston?? Does this not take away every bit of their street cred?
5. Glee - I enjoy some acapella now and then and I love hearing NPH sing, but come on
6. Twitter - again, nobody cares about your mundane everyday life
7. Teenage Mom shows - I thought that teenagers who got knocked up were outcasts. Is this because of Juno or because of Sarah Palin's daughter?
8. Dancing with the Stars - It's ballroom dancing!! There's nothing cool about ballroom dancing!!

Changes

As Stacey can attest, I don't deal with change that well. In the past six months, my office has had 5 new hires and added 3 new positions. Our office dynamic has swung so much I think I'm sea sick. I have been having to take more of a leadership position to keep things together and I'm glad I can step back now.

In regards to change I have implemented myself, I am very happy with how well painting our basement has turned out. It definitely wasn't a selling feature of the house. It is 1/3 finished, 1/3 laundry room, 1/3 crawl space. The part that is finished is modestly sized - big enough to hang out in but not enough to supplant our "family room". It has wood paneling, which gives me a "parents baseroom" vibe, even though my parents never had wood paneling. We decided to paint it an off-white color. The y-chromosome in me says it's white, but apparently it is off-white enough to appease Stacey. It brightened up the room nicely and makes the basement look a little larger than before. With the temperatures jumping past 80 recently, I could see myself spending more time down there to save a little on our energy bill. I think I want to take it one step further and add track lighting to really brighten it up. Now I need to study up on electrical maintenance.

Lost

I know neither of you watch Lost, but I am very excited for the end. How could you not be intrigued by this?? (It's not an actual promo, but was created by some fan with a lot of time on their hands).

King of the City

Chris Broussard's article on LeBron's recent MVP acceptance ceremony highlights what makes him different than a lot of other superstars (i.e., Kobe). Many people have looked for deeper meaning in his words about Akron; some say they indicate he's staying while others believe it was a farewell acknowledgement. I am not taking this either way, but I do appreciate LeBron for his attitude.

Since he gained nation-wide attention as a high school junior/senior, LeBron has been doing all the right things. He has been saying the right things, surrounding himself with the right people, and demonstrating the right balance of maturity and personality. I am not saying LeBron is a "good person". In a "post Tiger/Letterman/Roethlisberger/etc" world, nobody is willing to make strong value judgements about someone's character. But I do think he is fairly selfless, genuinely interested in his teams' success rather than his own (because he knows making his team better will lead to his own success), and is appreciative of his roots and the people who helped him get where he is. I think he appears to have better character and is a better teammate than Michael, the person who he is compared to most.

I am in the small minority of people who believe he will be returning to Cleveland. I don't think it will have anything to do with winning or losing a championship this year. I believe, through this event and many of his other actions, that he has a deep connection to Northeast Ohio. He is going to get a max contract no matter where he goes. I don't see him benefitting any more from a "marketing standpoint" by being in LA or NYC. I think he actually appreciates not having to deal with as much paparazzi in Cleveland. And, while having a good support group of teammates is necessary, I don't think he would be tempted by the opportunity of an "All Star Lineup".

I remember when he completely took over the 4th quarter series-clinching game against us in the playoffs a few years ago. He took his game to another level and everyone outside of Michigan was in awe of his performance. Now that the Pistons are in the crapper, I can appreciate LeBron a little more. I am by no means jumping on the Cavs bandwagon, but he is enjoyable to watch. I appreciate him thanking his hometown fans and acknowledging his teammates while winning an individual award.

Guess They Are Doing Something Right

NEW YORK -- U.S. viewership of the NHL playoffs increased 24 percent from 2009, the league's highest average first-round audience in 10 years.

The NHL said Friday that NBC and Versus combined to average 742,000 viewers per telecast. That's the most since ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 had 750,000 in 2000.

Versus averaged 595,000 viewers, a 35 percent increase from 2009 and the league's best showing on cable since ESPN/ESPN2 in 2001 (608,000). Versus averaged a .7 rating, up 75 percent from 2009.

NBC averaged 430,000 viewers for its four broadcasts, an 18 percent increase over 2009. Its 1.1 average rating was the best since 2006 and up 10 percent from last year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2010/news/story?id=5152366

Food Coma

For the first time in almost a month, I have a non-sports related post. I have been on an unhealthy kick lately. If someone can be a "health nut", what would an unhealth person be? A "health Milk Dud?" I'm not depressed or anything, but I definitely think I treat food as something that is comforting. I attach positive feelings towards food, which I know is bad. I think a lot of people wrestle with the same thing and that is why some people overeat or eat the wrong things. I am by no means in serious trouble at this point and I could only stand to lose 5-10 pounds. I think my main problem with health right now stems more from inactivity than from food. I am hopeful once we get our kayaks and spend more time doing yard work, I will be exercising more often (than never). So here's the items that have been giving me trouble lately - my "power rankings of junk food".

1. Doughnuts - my all-time favorite food and favorite vice. Power rankings of doughnut places - Honey Dip, Buckeye Donuts (I'm sorry guys, they're good so it's worth it), Tim Horton's TimBits (not their actual doughnuts though)

2. Taco Bell - my fourth-meal consists of the cheesy gordita crunch, steak quesadilla, fiesta potatoes, or the steak chalupa supreme

3. Cheetos - I find it humorous that on the back of the bag is a photo of corn. Is that because they want you to think that Cheetos are a natural food and aren't completely chemically produced? Because I'm fine either way - they're really good

4. City Barbeque beef brisket sandwich and mac & cheese

5. Burger King A-1 Steakhouse XT - A mix of steak sauce, fried onion strings, and beef that tastes great and leaves a bomb in my stomach to detonate 30 mins later

6. Sushi-KO rolls - doesn't necessarily sound like junk food, but the ones I like most are fried

7. Doritos - were recently bumped down the list by Cheetos - I'm a regular nacho cheese loyalist. Has anyone tried the cheeseburger ones? It tastes exactly like the different layers of a cheeseburger, but will make you vomit

8. Kid's cereal - Fruit Loops, Golden Grahams, Cinnamon Toast Crunch - I don't usually eat breakfast, but I've recently been eating cereal before I go to bed on nights where I'm still hungry

9. Potato salad

10. Smore Pop Tarts (yeah, you heard me Mike)

A Quiz and A Poll

Rank these teams in order of how important a championship run would be to you:
MSU Hockey
MSU Basketball
MSU Football
Detroit Lions
Detroit Redwings
Detroit Tigers
Detroit Pistons

The lack of the football championships in our lifetimes probably make them more meaningful. Here's my list:

1. MSU Football - College Football is my favorite sport and I am convinced this is the only one I will not see in my lifetime. Yes, that means I think the Lions are closer to winning the Super Bowl than the Spartans are to that ugly crystal football. I think college football lacks parity and offers a distinct advantage to about 15 prestigious programs. We are in that group of the other 100.

2. Detroit Lions - Again, this is artificially inflated because we're so far from it. I do believe that the roster moves in the past few years are leading us in the right direction. Then again, I remember how excited I was for "Harrington to Rogers" to light up our offense that I made it my fantasy team name one year.

3. Michigan State Basketball - I am excited for this one because I think it can, and probably should, happen next year. Yes, I am "one of those" people that are putting high expectations on them. We are returning 3 core people who have been in the Final Four the past two years, so I think it is fair to say they should win it.

4. Detroit Red Wings - Even though this is the most successful team of the group, winning the Stanley Cup doesn't ever get old to me. I have watched the entirety of almost every game (except for the one that wasn't on TV outside Detroit). I love hockey and we should win it every year.

5. Detroit Tigers - I will always contend that the baseball season is too long, but I can always get up for the Fall Classic. The lack of playoff teams in baseball makes winning the Division or Wild Card even more special. Unless you are the 90s Braves.

6. Michigan State Hockey - Hockey is my second favorite sport, but the NCAA hockey playoffs lack excitement. It doesn't get a lot of publicity, so I don't know much about the teams outside the CCHA. I was really excited when we won the championship, but it lacks the "remember when" factor in hindsight. For example, I can recall the Game 7 the Wings played against the Avs when they destroyed them (like 7-1) and Roy let in an "own goal" when he tried holding a gloved puck up high in the air. I remember the crazy goal that McCarty had while falling down against the Flyers in 97. I can't tell you who MSU played that year except for BC in the finals.

7. Detroit Pistons - I can remember sitting together leaned in close to the TV for every game when we were good. We yelled at every foul or missed free throw and celebrated every basket. I think LeBron killed my NBA spirit in 2007 with his ridiculous 4th quarter performance in the final game of the Eastern Conference Finals.

My fairweathered interest in the Pistons sparked an idea to create a quiz to see how much you really know about the team anymore. The questions are things I think you should know about "your team". My guesses and answers are in the comments. I fully anticipate that I will fail.

1. Who is the current coach of the Pistons?
2. Who lead the team in scoring?
3. Who lead the team in rebounding?
4. Where did they finish in the Division?
5. What draft pick do they have coming up in the NBA draft?
6. What is their starting 5?
7. Name the last player that they traded for.

Scars & Stitches

I've decided every post should be named after a Guster song. I had Keep it Together a few posts ago and now I'm making it a permanent trend. I have really enjoyed the Red Wings series against Phoenix, particularly the 2nd period of game 7 and the craziness of game 2.

Who's my Red Wing? Justin Abdelkader. The guy won State a National Championship and now he provides them with a great spark in our lesser lines. It was a great idea for Babcock to insert him into the lineup after game 1 to provide us with some checking and toughness. Whenever I see that number 8 come off the bench I get excited. The only think I don't like to see is the number of penalties. I didn't realize this until looking at the box scores, but he has 23 penalty minutes this series?! That's a whole game's worth of action and he didn't even play game 1!

Who's not my Red Wing? Todd Bertuzzi. He's got 4 assists, but there is just something I don't like about him. He seems to blow a lot of chances by whiffing on his shot or putting it wide of the net. (And of course 2 minutes after I typed that he scored on a rebound to make it 5-1 in game 7.)

What is going well
Scoring from Zetterberg and Datsyuk. Penalty killing in every game except 1 and 6. Crisp passing and getting the puck far up the ice in 3 passes. Jimmy Howard when the pressure isn't on him and he isn't forced to win the game for us. Scoring in the 2nd and 3rd periods. Datsyuk playing good defense and stealing pucks away. Poke checking.

What is not going well
Getting shots from in front of the net. Draw a triangle from the faceoff circles to the net - we're not seeing a lot of action in that zone. Holmstrom needs to do a better job of getting in front of the net and we need to corral rebounds better as a team. Faceoffs. Producing goals when the pucks aren't bouncing our way. Dan Cleary - he has been invisible. He's playing 15 minutes per game, has 9 shots, and 0 points. Lapses in energy to start some of the games.

Series-Altering Event Shane Doan's injury in Game 3. He had a goal and an assist in the action that he saw. Phoenix is a team with limited talent and losing their captain was a crushing blow.

How badly can it hurt you to not convert on a 5-on-3? Very early in game 6, Detroit had a powerplay, followed by a 5-3, followed by another powerplay, during which Phoenix scored a shorthanded goal. The momentum swing was very apparent. We were all over them in the beginning in what looked like a carryover from game 5. After the SHG, Phoenix was in control. Towards the end of the second period in game 7, Phoenix had a 5-on-3 for a minute followed by a powerplay. After we killed off both, Stuart came rushing out of the box, found the puck at center ice on a breakaway and scored to give us a comfortable 4-1 lead.

Looking Ahead
I predicted before the playoffs began that we would lose in the second round and I stand by that more than ever knowing that San Jose awaits. Their series was close in the beginning with Colorado taking game 1 and games 2-4 going into overtime. The Sharks found their stride and won games 5 & 6 handily. They have the advantage of rest and from traveling. This is where being in the Western Conference puts Detroit at a disadvantage. San Jose had to travel 1300 miles to Denver while Detroit's commute to Phoenix was 2000 miles. Keep in mind they played game 5 until 12:30am Saturday in Phoenix, game 6 at 2pm on Sunday in Detroit, and game 7 on Tuesday. That's traveling 4000 miles in 4 days. What did the Sharks have to do during that timeframe? Fly home to San Jose after finishing off Colorado Saturday night. I think that their defense and Nabokov's experience will be too much to handle. Outside of a wild game 2, San Jose held Colorado to 2 or less goals in every game. We allowed Phoenix to score 3 or more in 4 of the 7 games. Although we were 3-0-1 against San Jose during the regular season. Still, I predict Sharks win in 6.

WWJD - Who Would Jesus Draft?

http://jay-mariotti.fanhouse.com/2010/04/20/antidote-to-nfl-crime-tebow-in-first-round/?synd=fanhouse

Tim Tebow has certainly been a divisive personality. Many people praise his righteousness and purity and consider him a shining example of what a sports role model should look like. Others despise his evangelical ways and would like to see nothing more than Tebow to fail or to slip up and get into trouble. For Mariotti to call him "the perfect anti-toxin for what ails the NFL" is ridiculous. I know Mariotti and his "Around the Horn" cohorts are prone to exaggeration to sell themselves, but I completely disagree.

I am pretty indifferent on Tebow - he seems like a genuine, nice guy and I don't want him to fail, but I think he needs to cool it with the evangelizing. I didn't like seeing a new bible verse on his eye black every week and I think he will probably rub his a lot of his new teammates the wrong way. I also think that Roethlisberger probably got off lucky from a legal standpoint. I think a 4-6 game suspension was appropriate given that he was never charged with a crime. It was an important stance for the league because it proved they are willing to be tough with a high profile player. As one analyst said, "it's easy to suspend a Cincinnati Bengal, but what do you do with a 2 time Super Bowl winning Quarterback?"

I don't see a high draft spot for Tim Tebow erasing the Ben Roethlisberger situation from a PR standpoint for the NFL, however. Many teams have reasonable questions about Tebow, who threw from the shotgun formation, relied heavily on scrambling, was surrounded by tremendous blocking and receiving, and has recently adjusted his throwing motion. As a general manager, I wouldn't give him the benefit of the doubt on these issues just because of his character. The NFL dealt with the Roethlisberger situation appropriately for the amount of information we know. Should anything more be revealed, they should and would take more action.

Why the NHL is the Best and Worst League

First of all, let me say fuck you to the NHL for being the worst run league in professional sports.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are the best of any of the four major sports. They allow enough teams into the playoffs for it to matter to a wide variety of its fan base (unlike football and baseball) without watering down the talent level (like the NBA). For example, the first two NHL teams in each conference that missed the playoffs this year had records of 38-33-11 and 40-32-10. In my opinion, OT losses in hockey aren't the same as regular losses because of the shootout. Having player vs. goalie is a scenario that doesn't demonstrate who was the better team that night. It benefits teams that have a goalie that can exceed against better shooters or teams that have a number of better shooters/stick handlers. Some examples of the shootout records for teams this year including their spot in the overall standings:
1. Washington Capitals 5-6
2. San Jose Sharks 7-6
5. Vancouver Canucks 4-4
26. NY Islanders 8-6
29. Toronto Maple Leafs 4-4
30. Edmonton Oilers 8-6

I think I have made my point that OTL should be considered differently than regulation losses, but I don't want to get off track. If you still don't agree, I'll concede that the Montreal Canadiens technically had a losing record of 39-43 when combining losses and OT losses, but they were the only .500 or lower team.

The NBA, on the other hand, waters down the first few rounds with poor teams. This year's playoffs were a rarity because only one team (the Chicago Bulls) had a non-winning record. However, every other season since 2005 has included 3 playoff teams that ended the regular season .500 or worse (every one of which was in the Eastern Conference).

The NHL playoffs are also different in the sense that a hot goalie can propel a team deep into the bracket. Lesser teams are also more likely to pull off upsets by working harder than their opponents. In the NBA, an all-star player can disguise a lack of team effort for at least the first round or two.

Many sports writers and analysts, even those that aren't hockey fans, agree that the Stanley Cup playoffs are some of the most exciting games in sports. This year has already offered a number of close games, surprises from unexpected teams, and exciting action. The Coyotes and Wings scoring 5 goals in 5 minutes in game 2? Ridiculous. So why in the hell is the league still begging NBC (the worst run network on TV today) and Versus to play its games?

I was disappointed, but not extremely surprised, to find tonight's game 4 was not on TV here. I checked the NHL website to see if I could watch the game from my new laptop. After all, CBS is willing to stream every March Madness game online for free even though they did not make money on this year's tournament. What I found is that I can watch each of tonight's four games... for $19.95. That's not a "playoff pass" - that's just for 4 games.

The NHL has tried to regain the tremendous amount of respect, money, and fanbase that it lost with the boring "trap era" games (thanks New Jersey Devils!) and the lockout. They have instituted a number of great changes, including the rule changes to increase scoring and the Winter Classic. However they will not be able to grow any more unless they put their product out there for people to watch. ESPN will show almost anything and has made a huge push to buy the rights to more sporting events (MNF, early Masters coverage, bidding for the NCAA tournament) so why wouldn't they be willing to show the NHL playoffs. This would fill a significant void they have in a time of the year without college football or basketball. As I type, they are currently showing a movie about fantasy baseball, SportsCenter, and an NFL Draft Preview. Hockey may be a niche sport, but I can't believe their ratings wouldn't improve if they were airing the Stanley Cup playoffs right now instead.

Keep It Together

Is anyone else nervously checking the various sporting websites daily to see if Durrell Summers is going pro? I think we are going to be crazy good next year, but I think his tournament performance is going to play a big part in that.

When I saw the list of Kentucky players jumping early, I had the biggest smile on my face. I hate Calipari and this is what they deserve.

Would you like peanuts or a soft pillow?

I was up late last night when this story broke. Of course, in today's "report it now and ask questions later" environment, the story originally read "terrorist tries to light shoe bomb on Denver airplane". Well, let's give them credit that there was an airplane involved and it was headed to Denver. Those facts are close enough, right?

Once they received more information, CNN revealed that this person was a diplomat from Qatar and that he was actually smoking on the plane. They reported that when confronted, the man made a remark about a shoe bomb and the passengers responded. The topic of "diplomatic immunity" came up. Apparently, international diplomats cannot be charged with a crime in the U.S., although it can be revoked.

I was shocked when I woke up to hear that they decided not to charge this guy with a crime. The story, which had been "breaking terrorism news" at midnight had been brushed under the rug so quickly in 8 hours that it was buried on cnn.com's website (Tiger's return to Augusta, of course, was the featured article). The story evolved even more to say that he was "possibly" smoking on the plane. I was also appalled at the Embassy's reaction to the incident. In his statement, the ambassador didn't even come close to an apology. His statement was basically "Yep, he's cool. Don't worry about it - he works for me and I say he's fine." He even criticized the response and warned against "reckless judgements or speculation".

Today I expected interviews with some of the passengers, a debate on "diplomatic immunity" and a discussion on the response from Qatar. What I got was a poll on the new Tiger Woods Nike ad and a countdown until he teed off.

Say It Ain't SIzzo

Really Oregon?? Five days before we play in the Final Four and you are going to publicly announce that you are going to offer to make Izzo the highest paid coach in college basketball? Is this because we rejected Nike's proposed new logo and Phil Knight wanted revenge?

And come on Tom. This gets published and your response is "I haven't been contacted... I'm happy with the job I have"? That's like saying "I'm trying to lose weight" when asked if you want ice cream. That doesn't mean you're not going to end up eating it. We all think we know Tom Izzo. I know the arguement is "he has ties to the team and M-I-C-H-I-G-A-N is his State". He "cares more about making MSU an elite program than money". But then again, wasn't Tiger Woods the picture-perfect role model? A few years ago, wasn't Peyton Manning someone who always choked in the playoffs? And since then, wasn't he considered a sure thing?

This goes back to my age-old question: why doesn't this happen to Roy Williams and Coack K? You don't hear Mississippi State thinking they can lure one of them away from UNC or Duke.

And finally, come on MSU. Pay him $4 million a year and let's move on.

We're Final

Tom Izzo is 26-3 against teams that are seeded lower than MSU.

"I want them to tear down the statue of Sparty and put up Izzo. Forget the Spartan logo, I want Izzo's face on the 50 yard line of the football stadium too!" - Rece Davis

Our combined margin of victory, 13, is the lowest of any team to ever get to the Final Four.

Whatever we pay Izzo isn't enough. We don't just wake up the week the NCAA Tourney begins and decide to get serious. He has managed this team all year to come together at precisely the right time and has made adjustments like a skilled chemist.

I used to think, how good could we have finished if Kalin Lucas didn't get injured against Maryland? After all, he was the catalyst for our team in the first 1.5 games. Now I wonder, would they be this far if it weren't for Kalin Lucas' injury? Summers has taken his game to the next level, and a few more, and is producing arcade numbers each game. And Delvon Roe has ignored any pain his knee has given him and was a defensive force against Tennessee's taller forwards. Would Summers have risen above if it weren't absolutely required? Would Roe be playing with as much heart if Kalin wasn't on the sidelines in 100 times more pain than he is?

The field has been wide open this year. We have had to deal with a variety of playing styles and I think anyone left has a shot to win the championship. I am ecstatic about Izzo's 6th Final Four, the most of any coach in Big 10 history. But I really think this is our opportunity to win the whole thing. (Which I know I shouldn't say due to my penchant for being wrong.)

Maddening Thoughts

-There is only one region with three of the top four seeds still remaining: the South. How is it that the region that most people called "the weakest" still has Purdue, Duke, and Baylor? I still really like St. Mary's chances of making the Final Four among this group.

-On the contrary, the undisputed toughest region, our Midwest, only has 1 of the top 4 remaining (stupid Buckeyes). They now have a chance at making the Final Four without playing anyone seeded better than 6 (or at the very worst a 5).

-With West Virginia losing their point guard for the tournament as well, I propose that everyone else follow suit. No more starting PGs in the tournament.

I would rank the Sweet 16 teams in liklihood of making the Elite 8 and the Final Four as such. That means I think the top 8 will win this round and the top 4 are the Final Four. Yes, I know I am putting all of the #1 seeds left into finals. After all, they say the first weekend is about Cinderella and the second is for the top teams. I rank Cuse ahead of Kentucky because I don't think they face as tough of competition.

1. Syracuse
2. Kentucky
3. Ohio State
4. Duke
5. Baylor
6. Kansas State
7. West Virginia
8. Michigan State
9. Xavier
10. St. Mary's
11. Northern Iowa
12. Tennessee
13. Purdue
14. Cornell
15. Butler
16. Washington

-Call me crazy, but I am more concerned about losing Chris Allen against Northern Iowa than Lucas. Kalin has had some off-games and we can have other people provide the scoring (Summers, Raymar, even Lucious). All indications are that this will be a low scoring, half court offense game. Our defense, particularly keeping Fahroukmanesh in check, will be key and that falls on Allen. (Who would have written that sentence one week ago??) I'm really interested to see if Izzo comes out with the press at all. We aren't a press-team, but N. Iowa looked TERRIBLE against Kansas' full course pressure.

-My only hope for the Elite 8 is that OSU is a familiar opponent and it is tough to beat a Big 10 team twice in one year. With 2 days to prepare, I would rather have Izzo than Matta.

Get Us Some Respect
# Big 12 Teams left: 2
# Big East Teams left: 2
# Big Ten Teams left: 3

-Did anyone else think the silver lining in Lucas' injury is that there is no way he can go in the NBA Draft now?

-How many of the Sweet 16 teams would lose to UConn Women?

-Stacey asked me earlier tonight who was the last Big 10 team to win the title. Naturally, I figured MSU, but to confirm my guess I made a list of every championship team and their opponent for the past 10 years. I got every champion except for one and I correctly named the complete games from 05-09. Can you come up with this list?

Bracket Recap

Conference I've Overrated: Big 12
There's a lot of temptations with Kansas, Baylor, and Kansas State receiving high seeds. Plus, with weak South and West regions, it is easy to move several of the teams higher.

Conference I've Underrated: Mountain West
They have four teams in, but I only picked New Mexico to win in the first round. In a close second, I picked two of the A-10 teams to get upset in the first round, but I showed Xavier some love and put them into the Sweet 16.

Injuries I Just Don't Know About: Syracuse, Purdue, Notre Dame
Injuries to their key players have made them big question marks. For the most part, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and moved them on pretty far.

Team That Would Make Me Look Smart: St. Mary's
On paper, they look pretty good and I don't feel confident about their opponents.

Stats I'm Overrating: A strong center, how they finished the season, the strength of their conference

Stats I'm Underrating: Previous tournament history, defense, free throw shooting/three point percentage

Chalk Region: Midwest

Upset Region: West

Strongest Seed Number (besides #1): 3 - Pitt, Georgetown, New Mexico, Baylor

Weakest Seed Number: 4 - Maryland, Purdue, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt

Game I Would Really Want To See That Won't Happen: OSU vs. Kentucky

Giving Thanks

Thank you, Michigan State Spartans, for saving me from watching basketball all weekend by losing to Minnesota on Friday night. Your actions were generous on many levels. It allowed fans like myself more time to catch up on the Real World: DC (Will that Andrew guy ever get laid? Any why doesn't Callie get more attention from guys?) This was a prime example of "taking one for the team": their loyalty to the Big 10 lead them to give Minnesota a better shot at getting into the NCAA tournament thereby giving our conference a larger representation. Finally, they didn't want Chris Allen to feel left out. You have to follow through with the commitments you've made to your teammates, especially when it comes to including them in the victory celebration. "No man left behind," right?

Even though winning the game may have helped your chances of earning a better seed, you've been able to "turn on the switch" for the NCAA tourney. Remember last year when you, as the top seed, lost by 12 to the #5 seed Ohio State? And in 2005, you lost your first game to #7 seed Iowa! Neither of those losses prevented you from being able to make the Final Four (is what I have told myself over and over since Friday morning). And even though you watched Minnesota go on to defeat Purdue by over 20 points, that doesn't mean you would have beaten them too, right? Right?

Plus, you deserve the opportinity to take a little time off. It's been a tough season. You had difficult games against Florida, Texas, and North Carolina, all of whom were ranked in the Top 11 early in the season, and look how good those teams are now! I know you'll be successful despite your 5-5 record in the last 10 games. After all, this is the same team that made it to the National Championship game last year, except for Goran Suton who was consistently a leader on offense and defense. And having Travis Walton on the bench this year is just as good as having him on the courst last year, right?

Keep in mind, we were without Kalin Lucas for much of that time due to his foot injury. We were also without Korie Lucious for the Penn State road game due to his academic injury. And against Minnesota, we were without Chris Allen due to his teamwork injury. We also lost Durrell Summers and Derrick Nix in the second half due to their effort injuries which Tom Izzo himself diagnosed. After the game, a disappointed Nix said, “I’m mad he didn’t play me. There’s nothing I could do.” I know how left out you felt when the team was shooting 18-34 from the line. That's normally your job, Mr. 21.4%!!

So bring on Ohio, Cornell, or whichever #13 (or 12, or maybe even 11) seed the NCAA Tournament is going to throw at us first! Because at least North Carolina is in the NIT!

Sadness Revisited

On Wednesday, December 21, 2005, I wrote a post entitled "Sadness", which is copied below.


Johnny Damon is a Yankee. A little bit of my sports passion just died.
And this made me vomit a little in my mouth.

At the time, my Red Sox fandom was hurt by the fact that the lovable, cavemanesque Damon shed his trademark beard and went to the rival Yankees. Now, I don't want any part of him. Not because many label him a "traitor" for leaving the Sox, but because we traded a 24 year old, fast, outfielder who was adored by the community for one that is 36, slow, and has a poor arm. I get that we also got pitching out of the trade and the enjoyment of watching Mark Schlereth wearing the old English D everytime he shows up on Mike and Mike. And I understand that Granderson may have left us soon anyway. But I hate buying an expensive guy that is past his prime.

And in 4 months, I'm sure I'm going to be writing the third post in this series: Why I Love What Johnny Damon Brings to the Tigers.