the best day of the year returns! and other stuff ...

* YES! YES! YES!

* WOO! WOO! WOO!

* (fist pumps!) (excited fist pumps!)

* No, that wasn't to celebrate Duke reaching Indy (that's next). Or Gus Johnson calling the KSU / Xavier game. Nope, that's all me.

The preseason schedules came out today! The Chiefs open at Atlanta, then visit Tampa, and close against Green Bay.

Its the third game that has me creaming in my pants. The weekend of August 19th-21st. Against the Eagles.

Pick a day, any day, to play that game.

(steve grinning broadly ...) Because the Royals are home every day that week.

Which means ... for the first time since 2003 ... (steve hyperventilating) ... we get ... (steve reaching orgasm ...)

DOUBLE! HEADER! DAY!!!

Royals at noon! Chiefs at 7! A freaking 14 hour party at the Sports Complex! Tailgate for breakfast. Catch a few innings of the Royals vs the White Sox or Indians (depending on when the Chiefs game is scheduled). Tailgate between games. Catch the Chiefs open the all new Arrowhead against Philly. And tailgate until the cops kick us out.

Holy cow. The day I live for is going to happen. The day I drool about just wishing would occur again, is going to occur again. I feel like I'm higher than when I sit on "the couch". Seriously. This is so freaking awesome. So freaking awesome. I gotta haul The Rock voice out for this. "Finally, Double Header Day, has come back to Kansas City!!!"

So freaking sweet. (best guess) Saturday August 21st can't get here soon enough ...

* Congrats to Duke and Jon Scheyer, for navigating what ultimately turned out to be the toughest road to Indy, and reaching their first Final Four since 2004. As I texted after the win, "weakest one seed my ass".

Consider:

1. Duke is the only one seed to reach the Final Four. KU crapped its pants in the second round; Syracuse choked in the Sweet 16, and Kentucky didn't bother to show up for the first 38 1/2 minutes in the Elite 8. By flaming out, they all were weaker than Duke. At least when it mattered most.
2. Duke only faced one double digit seed, Arkansas Pine Bluff in the first round. After that, they had to go through the Pac 10 champion (Cal), the Big 10 (plus one) co-champion (Purdue), and a Baylor team that finished third in the Big XII, and (see point 3) had a huge, huge advantage over them. Pretty much the seeding held to form, as they faced a 16 / 8 / 4 / 3 on the way to Indy. Conversely, Michigan State faced a 12 / 4 / 9 / 6; Butler faced a 12 / 13 / 1 / 2; and West Virginia faced a 15 / 10 / 11 / 1.
3. Duke is the only one seed forced to play at a distinct home court disadvantage. Had KU won, they'd have been in St. Louis. While no doubt the fans of Ohio State, Tennessee, and Michigan State still would have shown up, they would have been far outnumbered by Jayhawk Nation. Syracuse and Kentucky both were playing true neutral site games against neutral site opponents. But Duke? Got to play Baylor ... in Houston. Yeah, that's not giving the three seed a huge built in crowd. And had A&M held on against Purdue, Duke would have had to face a team playing less than an hour from its campus. Yeah, that's treating the one seed like a one seed.

* I am somewhat fired up about this Final Four. Not as fired up as I'd be if KU was in it, but there's some interesting storylines in this thing:

1. Butler, the mid major that could, playing in front of its home crowd.
2. Michigan State, the only Big 10 (plus one) team that's watchable, once again reaching the Final Four. That's six times in 12 years, for those keeping track. And keeping alive the jaw-dropping "Every senior class has reached at least one Final Four under Coach Izzo" streak alive until 2013.
3. West Virginia, with last-second assassin Da'Sean Butler, reaching the Final Four for the first time in 50 years, and reaching it coached by one of its finest alumni, Bob "Huggy Bear" Huggins. You know, the class act who was one-and-done in Manhattan. The guy who was fired for getting two DUI's and crashing a school car while at Cincinnati. The guy with a 0% graduation rate at Cincinnati in the mid and late 1990s. (I'm not a Bob Huggins fan, to put it mildly).
4. and Duke, returning to the Final Four for the first time since 2004. This is anything but Coach K's best team ... and yet, you have to consider them the favorites at this point, don't you?

* For as awful as my first bracket was ... if Duke beats West Virginia but does NOT win the national title, I finish 3rd in our pool (out of 90). Not a bad recovery.

* I really, really, really want to see "Hot Tub Time Machine". It looks fun.

* Speaking of fun, I gotta give props to whoever came up with the new commercials during the NCAA toonumunt. There's easily three, four of them that never fail to make me laugh out loud. The Southwest Airlines "Bags Fly Free" ad with the painted chests is funny. The Bud Light Golden Wheat "They Hooked Up" ads are hysterical. And the new Sony TV ad with George Takei. The way he says "Oh my!", well, anyone who listens to the Howard Stern Show knows how great that line is. (Takei is a co-host, for those of you who don't listen to Stern). But in this ad, its just freaking awesome.

Really, the Bud Light "They Hooked Up" ads might be the best series of ads on TV in a long time. The whole premise is so absurd that you can't help but laugh. And the tagline song, "This is LOOOOOOOVE ... Love at first sight!" I'll put it this way -- I hate Bud Light. If my only beer choice is Bud Light, I'm not drinking. (OK, that's a lie. But I definitely would drink far less than if another beer was available). But these ads actually make me want to buy a six pack of Bud Light Golden Wheat.

"This is LOOOOOOOVE ... Love at first sight!" Freaking awesome.

* "Survivor" is turning in arguably its finest season ever. The sheer hate between Boston Rob and Russell is awesome to watch unfold every week. Plus, watching the Heroes tribe implode has been great to watch. Mainly because I hate half the folks on that tribe. Especially Rupert. You know you strongly dislike someone when a highlight of your trip to the Indy 500 every year is getting to boo Rupert in the prerace festivities. What a tool.

And yes, he gets out there in the friggin ride around truck, all decked out in his tie-dye t-shirts, looking like he hasn't bathed in five years, and lives it up like he's some freaking superstar. Its embarrassing, is what it is. Pathetic and embarrassing. Go away Rupert.

* Speaking of pathetic and embarrassing ... the Kansas Legislature everyone!

You would think that adequately funding public education would be a priority. Or closing the $400 million hole in the budget. Or dealing with unemployment, declining revenues, you know, legitimate issues facing the state.

But oh no. The top legislative priority is ... legislating adult entertainment establishments out of business.

Under a bill currently awaiting reconciliation, all nude entertainment would be outlawed. Patrons would have to maintain at least a six foot distance from the entertainment. And of course, new taxes would be imposed on the industry, and only on the adult entertainment industry, that would effectively destroy strip clubs in Kansas.

(Note: the six foot rule confuses me. Is it six feet from where the chair, or six feet based on your body? Seems to me some folks could move to within 5 feet and an inch or two if its based on body distance).

To say this bill enrages me, is an understatement. I don't frequent strip clubs, because other than military flyovers, they're the biggest waste of money imaginable. You get nothing for what you spend, outside of a need to hurry home and rub one out. And no offense, but I can get that urge quite frequently without having to drop a $20 cover, $20 for a dance, and $1 / hour for the jukebox.

And I certainly agree that adult establishment shouldn't be next to a school, or a house of worship. Hell, even the industry agrees with that, which is why they don't locate there.

So, who in the hell do these legislators think they are, to attempt to cram their outdated, ridiculous conservative views on sex down the throats of every citizen of the state of Kansas? Really? We have NO money in the state coffers. Highway projects are being cancelled right and left. The budget has a $400 million hole that has to be closed in the next 90 days. Our schools are shutting down and even going to four day class schedules because there's no money to keep them open. Yet THIS is the top priority? THIS is what you waste a week debating? Whether a 20 year old reasonably attractive chick with serious daddy and cocaine issues should wear a pasty while performing onstage?

Frank Rich wrote a great book a few years ago called "What's the Matter With Kansas". I highly recommend it to anyone. The transformation of Kansas from a forward-thinking, progressive state, to the laughing stock of the educated world, in literally just 12-15 years, is amazing. The lesson of the book is simple: when you elect religious zealots to run your state, nothing good can happen. They won't focus on the real issues facing the voters, but rather will enact the agenda they want to see pushed instead.

And you see it all over the state. A refusal to raise taxes to fund needed social services. A threat to strip the Supreme Court of its power because the Court dared to force the Legislature to adequately finance the schools. The debate over teaching evolution or creation in schools. (Note: I actually do believe in creation, but evolution must be taught in the schools, if only to prep students for future education outside the state of Kansas). An attempt to stop teaching sex ed in schools, and instead to mandate a religion course. (Of course, they claimed it would teach "all religions", but come on. Examine the source of the promise).

And now this, their latest attempt to cram their view of morality and societal standards down the throats of Kansans. Voters of Kansas, its time to let the gag reflex kick in. We've had it shoved down our throats for the final time. Boot these ass clowns out of power, return power to the moderates of both parties, and let's get Kansas back to what it was in the 1990s: a model state that attracted the nation's finest to its borders, rather than what it is today: a regressive state that is a national joke.

(And the ultimate irony is that these quacks in Topeka will wind up making the budget disaster WORSE as a result of this, because the adult industry will sue the state, and they will win, as they have everywhere else this type of bill has been passed, including in Missouri. Not just wasting their time on non-issues, they're making the real issues worse by doing this. The Kansas Legislature blows. Go back to your pews guys, and leave the governing to people who actually want to govern, and not erect a theocracy, ok? and yes, the use of "erect" was intentional).

* The BuKCs clinched a .500 record last night. Let that sink in. The WORST the BuKCs can do is finish 41-41. The BuKCs can post their first winning season in eight years with one more win. They can reach the playoffs for the first time in four years with a couple more wins, or a couple more Bulls losses.

Really, the job John Hammond did in putting this roster together is astonishing. He trades away arguably the BuKCs best player (RJ). He lets "Chuck E. Cheese" Villanueva and Ramon Sessions walk for nothing. And he rolls the dice in the biggest gamble in the draft, taking Brandon Jennings with the 10th pick. Any sane person would look at the moves made in June and July last year, and think "we're headed for a 15-67 catastrophe".

But Hammond clearly knew more than your average deer. He trusted his draft picks of Ilyasova and Luc "I am NOT your father" Mbah a Moute to fill the RJ slot. He trusted Andrew Bogut to finally develop into a dominating force in the middle. He trusted he was right on BJ. He bet the house on his hand-picked coach somehow getting all this young talent to gel.

I'd say he's won that bet. The BuKCs look set for a decade at the two key positions on the floor (center, point guard). Michael Redd's horrendous contract comes off the books this summer, allowing the BuKCs to be players in the 2011 free agent bonanza (which is every bit as good as the 2010 free-for-all upcoming). Ilyasova looks like a keeper. Mbah a Moute is the defensive stopper 29 other teams would kill to have.

And best of all, its a fun team to watch. You won't close your eyes in boredom watching these guys. As great as this season has been, and granted its not over yet ... the best is yet to come.

* I wasn't as angry, upset, disappointed, insert your adjective here, about the KU defeat as most people. For starters, as I noted in my predictions, I thought the 2nd round opponent would be our toughest out. Both UNLV and Northern Iowa are well coached teams that shoot the ball very well. Those are the teams that KU struggles against. We lost two games this year prior to the toonumunt. Tennessee and Oklahoma State. Both the same type of teams as Northern Iowa -- extremely well coached, solid jump shooters. (Plus Oklahoma State has a solid inside game).

But also, when you look back at it, you could kind of see this coming. Something just didn't feel right about this team. Namely, they really struggled at times to put inferior opponents away. Granted, they always did (all three games KU lost, they trailed big early and had to play the comeback role), but dominant teams tend to put the hammer down. The Big XII Title Game was indicative of this -- as Bob Knight kept noting in the second half, KU couldn't get the lead past 8. Granted, some of that is because KSU is a really, really well coached team, and it has probably the best guard combination in the nation to boot, but KU teams of the past in that spot pull out the tire iron and finish the deal.

I'm not going to rip on Bill Self's coaching, specifically not going to the full court press sooner, because I think he felt the same as I did most of the game -- there isn't a shot in hell they can keep shooting 75% from three land. Also, he had to be thinking, there's no way in hell Sherron Collins can keep playing this poorly. Collins, Taylor, and Morningstar combined to go 0-12 from behind the arc. As the great Jim Mora would say, "you ain't gonna beat anybody I just talked about when you play like that, anybody!"

* One thing I did want to note ... for all my bitching about the Morris twins this year (all of it justly earned), they were the two performances in that game worth remembering. They actually hit free throws (8 of 11). They shot 8 for 12 from the floor. They played under control, didn't commit stupid turnovers, and played solid defense. (Three things Sherron Collins won't be accused of doing in that game).

* The KSU / Xavier game was just epic. Man, I wish we'd had Lundquist and Raftery on the call, a game that great deserves the best. On second thought, it was played in Salt Lake City, not exactly night life central. So its probably good Bill didn't get the assignment. I'm sure he and Verne had much more fun in the Landing.

* Some NBA team is going to get a steal with Denis Clemente. He's going to be a solid backup guard in the league. I can easily see him evolving into a JJ Redick / Luke Ridnour / Derek Fisher (pre-2010) type role. And he'd be damned good at it.

* I'm still waiting for one logical explanation for why Mike Anderson didn't leave Dixon on the floor for most of the second half against West Virginia. They could have won that game. They probably should have, had Anderson left his best player that day on the floor, instead of keeping JT "George" Tiller out there to brick everything he threw up.

* As good as the KSU / Xavier game was, the game so far that's entertained me the most was Tennessee / Michigan State. Tremendous game. And yes, you're damned right Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery were up to the call. Here's why I love their pairing so much: the broadcast style, its just two good friends sitting there "discussing" the game as it unfolds. They're not looking for cliche moments (Jim Nantz), or screaming hysterically for no sensible reason (Dick Vitale), or informing us that an interview with "Rick Romo" is coming up in the postgame (Bryant Gumble).

The best announcing teams, its like listening to you and a friend react to the game on your couch. For instance, like watching a KU football game with me and Gregg. Or a KU basketball game with Gregg and Brent. Or a IndyCar or Cup race with me and Brett. The jokes are cracking, the excitement shows, you're passionate for what you're watching, and there's probably a cocktail or three being consumed. Bill and Verne exhibit that quality better than any other announcing team around.

Which brings me to my question: why is it that all the really good commentating teams are calling basketball? If I had to list my seven favorite announcer pairings, five of them are calling hoops:

Verne Lundquist / Bill Raftery, CBS
Sean McDonough / Bill Raftery / Jay Bilas, ESPN
Mike Patrick / Dick Vitale, ESPN
Doc Emrick / Ed Olczyk, NBC
Mike Breen / Mark Jackson / Jeff Van Gundy, ABC / ESPN
Gus Johnson / Clyde Frazier, MSG
Brent Musburger / Kirk Herbstreit, ABC

Only NBC's hockey guys and ABC's top team for college football make my top 7, and I don't pay attention to hockey until the playoffs start. (And yes, Emrick / Olczyk are this damned good. Rewatch the USA / Canada gold medal game. Might be the single best announced sporting event of the decade. Absolute brilliance).

All of these teams though, bring the same qualities to the table. They're passionate about the sport they cover. They're knowledgable as well. They bring the viewer into the game with their excitement. They treat the gig like its a privilege, like they're a fan lucky enough to have scored center court seats. They also seem like they're having fun, that its not a job, its a game! I could listen to those seven teams call anything.

Case in point: my sister in law, not a fan of basketball. At all. We're over at my brother's on Sunday, working on flooring, and had the Tennessee / Michigan State game on. Raftery and Lundquist had the call. And as my sister in law noted, just from standing in the room for 30 seconds, not really even paying attention to the game, "it must be a great game. The announcers sound like they're having fun".

"The announcers sound like they're having fun". What a freaking concept.

Contrast that to seven of my most hated announcing teams:

Pam Ward / Ray Bentley, ESPN (college football)
Jim Nantz / Phil Simms, CBS (pro football)
Joe Buck / Tim McCarver, FOX (baseball)
Jon Miller / Joe Morgan / Orel Hershiser, ESPN (baseball)
Mark Jones / Bob Davie, ABC / ESPN (college football)
Mike Tirico / Ron Jaworski / Jon Gruden, ESPN (pro football)
Brent Musburger / Bob Knight, ESPN (college basketball)

These teams are the exact opposite of the seven above. Pam Ward and Ray Bentley are probably why the Big 10 (plus one) formed its own network, to avoid having them broadcast their games in the 11am slot. Nantz and Tirico have the same problem: they're both extremely good at announcing golf, and very good at calling basketball. They're terrible at broadcasting football. Why? My theory is, its third on their list of enjoyable sports. Its certainly not number one. And it shows.

Buck, Miller, and Musburger have the same problem as well. They're both very good broadcasters and easy to listen to. Their partners, however, are (dusty voice) criminitely bad. Joe Morgan is just a grouchy, grumpy old man that's mad as hell about the stat revolution in the sport. Hershiser is the newbie -- he's extremely good calling college baseball with Sean McDonough, so I hope that translates well, but again, Joe Morgan is that awful. Tim McCarver, oy. Its not that he's unbearable, or even that he's a bad broadcaster. He's just completely uneducated about the game. Which is stunning, given that he's been THE play-by-play guy of the World Series since at least 1985. And Bob Knight, good God. When I agree with Kevin Kietzman on something, you know its bad. You're damned right I signed his "dump Bob Knight from the Big Monday" petition.

But in addition to the obvious problems, there's no flow to their broadcasts. Its not a couple buddies sitting on the couch reacting to what they're watching. Its over-analysis, over-use of statistics, obvious on-air chemistry issues that kill any positive vibe (really applicable in Nantz / Simms and Musburger / Knight). Its like they're just doing their job. A 9 to 5 job that nobody cares about, and that's how their broadcasts come off.

They DON'T sound like they're having fun.

What's the point? I don't know. Just that announcers that have fun on the air make for a better broadcast. And nobody does it better than Bill Raftery and Verne Lundquist ...

cuse! cats! live blog!

sk: hope this works.

my ncaa tourney picks

As always, as a public service to the gambling public, here are my NCAA Tournament predictions. This is how my bracket looks in my espn.com pool. Last year I correctly nailed exactly 0 out of the 4 Final Four teams. I argue it takes talent to be that awful at prognosticating. (In my defense, I had 14 of 16 Sweet 16 teams right. Unfortunately, Duke got rolled by Villanova, KU blew a 12 point halftime lead to Michigan State, Syracuse failed to show up against OU, and MU fell just short to UConn). This year, I'm aiming to at least get one Final Four team. Baby steps.

West Regional:
1 Syracuse over 16 Vermont. The last time these two hooked up in the tourney, Vermont not only ousted my second favorite team in overtime, 90 minutes later, Bucknell took out KU. That was not a happy St. Patrick's Day, let me tell you. Probably good I was drinking heavily.
9 Florida State over 8 Gonzaga. When your worst team in a decade is still an 8 seed, you've had a pretty solid decade.
5 Butler over 12 UTEP. Not seeing the upset. Butler's too good to lose in this spot to a decent Miners team. Plus Houston showed the world how to beat UTEP (hit the jumper from 18-22 feet). Butler's got a ton of guys that can do just that.
4 Vanderbilt over 13 Murray State. Should be a solid game, but I think Vandy finds a way to survive and advance.
11 Minnesota over 6 Xavier. Every year some team with no business being in the field finds a way to win a game or three. The Gophers are this year's team in that category. Seriously, how the hell did Minnesota and Florida get into this thing? Was the bubble really that atrocious? (Yup).
3 Pitt over 14 Oakland. Probably won't tune in for even three seconds of action in this one. On principle I cannot root for any team named "Oakland".
7 BYU over 10 Florida. Florida is the worst at-large team in the field. And they're a 10. Unbelievable. At least they'll be one and done.
2 KSU over 15 North Texas. Can't wait to see what ridiculous shots Denis Clemente nails in this snoozer of a matchup. If you haven't seen the Youtube! clip of Clemente tossing the ball off the overhead video board, having it come back, bounce off the floor, and drain nothing but net, you gotta look it up, its just sick. This kid makes me drool. And I mean that in a good way.

1 Syracuse over 9 Florida State. Tough out for the 'Cuse here though, especially if Onauku can't go. (And yes, I would have done the exact same thing that Boeheim did, and lied through my teeth regarding his availability. Especially seeing how the committee bent Purdue over with their seeding).
5 Butler over 4 Vanderbilt. Love this Bulldogs team. Highly underrated.
11 Minnesota over 3 Pitt. Two tremendous coaches with overachieving squads battle it out. Seems amazing that Tubby hasn't reached a Final Four since 1998. Some classic choke jobs at Kentucky last decade, that's for sure.
2 KSU over 7 BYU. Coin flip game. I'm guessing the crowd helps push KSU over the top in an instant classic. Can't wait to see Fredette v Clemente. And you gotta love the Abe Lincoln beard that Pullen has. Wait, why am I praising a hated rival? Dammit, this team is just too much fun to watch to hate them. Kinda like MU last year.

5 Butler over 1 Syracuse. Syracuse is the weakest of the one seeds. The key to beating the matchup zone is to hit the long range jumper. Butler would already have done that against UTEP and Vanderbilt to get to this point. No reason they can't do it again.
2 KSU over 11 Minnesota. Total coaching contrast: loud and energetic Frank Martin vs comatose, corpse-like Tubby Smith.

2 KSU over 5 Butler. Over / under on the number of cows tipped in Manhattan next Saturday night: 14,567. And I mean actual cows, not the female students that attend KSU. (ka boom boom ching).

Midwest Regional:
1 Kansas over 16 Lehigh. Probably good this is an 8:45 tipoff. Something to fall asleep to.
9 Northern Iowa over 8 UNLV. Honestly, the winner of this game will be KU's toughest out in the region. I don't want any part of Lon Kruger's team. And I don't want any part of Northern Iowa either.
5 Michigan State vs 12 New Mexico State. Izzo's worst team in a while, and they're still a 5 seed. The most underrated stat in college hoops -- every senior class Izzo has ever coached, has played in a Final Four. Call me crazy, but that's good coaching.
13 Houston over 4 Maryland. ACC Player of the Year my ass. I hate, I freaking hate, Grievis Vasquez. I can't even put into words how much I hate Grievis Vasquez.
11 San Diego State over 6 Tennessee. Just keep the shirt on this year, Bruce Pearl. That's all I ask. Well, ok, don't paint the chest either, that was even more disturbing than a head coach going shirtless in the student section.
3 Georgetown over 14 Ohio. Who exactly did Georgetown beat to get a 3 seed? Horrible overseed. But probably won't matter against whoever the hell Ohio is.
10 Georgia Tech over 7 Oklahoma State. This ... is my darkhorse. And its a huge gamble. Georgia Tech is either making a deep run, or they're losing 85-50 in round one. There's no in between with these guys. Here's hoping I guessed right.
2 Ohio State over 15 UC Santa Barbara. Another sleep-inducing Big 10 (plus one) crapfest. Really, as awesome as Evan Turner was last weekend, its such a shame he's stuck in the Big 10 (plus one). You put Turner on a Tennessee, or a Pac 10 team, or any other up-tempo squad, holy God. If only the BuKCs could win the lottery this year and get this guy ...

1 Kansas over 9 Northern Iowa. This game scares the sh*t out of me. Tough, tough out for KU. Thankfully we go last, so the Hawk fans will be liquored up in Bricktown. That, and as painful as it will be, work together, Hawk and Wildcat fans. Turn the Ford Center into a ridiculous home court advantage for both schools.
5 Michigan State over 13 Houston. Its nice to have Tom Penders fake tan and dyed blonde perm back in our lives though. Seriously, did you see Penders in that game against UTEP? Wow. I've seen more legitimate tans on a mannequin. How do you get the orangy glow like that? The Neutrogena spray-on? Tom, pal, you live in Houston. You're on the Gulf. You can actually be outside in February and not freeze your ass off. Natural is always better. Well, unless you get fake boobs, those can be better than the real thing. But tanning, dude. Lay off the day-glo.
11 San Diego State over 3 Georgetown. Not feeling this Georgetown team. Too up and down. Plus Steve Fisher is a helluva tournament coach. I'll take him over JTIII anyday of the week, and twice on whatever day these two meet.
10 Georgia Tech over 2 Ohio State. My gut says Evan Turner blew his load with the two game-winners last weekend. He can't keep pulling this stuff out of his ass can he? Please, please let the answer be no. I hate the Big 10 (plus one)'s style of play so much ...

1 Kansas over 5 Michigan State. Revenge for last year's choke job against the Spartans. And there's no other way to put it, KU whizzed that game away.
10 Georgia Tech over 11 San Diego State. Should be a really entertaining undercard.

1 Kansas over 10 Georgia Tech. Avenging the toughest, most gut-wrenching KU defeat I've ever witnessed in person.

East Regional:
1 Kentucky over 16 East Tennessee State. Smells like a 105-45 beatdown.
8 Texas over 9 Wake Forest. Battle of two underachieving squads with (at best) clueless head coaches. Texas collapsed slightly better than Wake did, so I'll go with the Horns. Although I honestly have no clue who wins this.
5 Temple over 12 Cornell. Possibly the best first round matchup on the board. I really liked how Temple played last weekend.
4 Wisconsin over 13 Wofford. Of all the Big 10 (plus one) teams, there's none I hate more than Wisconsin. They've done more to set back the game of basketball than any other program in America. Go Wofford Go!
11 Washington over 6 Marquette. Another ridiculously overseeded Big East team. Someone needs to bash some common sense into the committee. 10-8 in the Big East with only one win over a top 4 finisher (Georgetown) does not equate to a six seed.
3 New Mexico over 14 Montana. If a 3 seed can be a sleeper, then this is my sleeper in the East. This is a really, really, really good Lobos team. Gotta give some props to Montana though -- they're the Grizzlies! (grizzley bear voice) grrrrr!
10 Missouri over 7 Clemson. Oliver Purnell is 0-5 in the tournament, despite being the higher seed all five times. Make that 0 for 6 after Friday afternoon.
2 West Virginia over 15 Morgan State. They won't need Da'Sean Butler to hit a buzzer beater in this one.

1 Kentucky over 8 Texas. Think Duke / KU back in 2000. An underachieving Jayhawks squad survives a similarly underachieving DePaul team in overtime. Then KU gives Duke all it can handle, losing by one. I see a similar scenario here on Saturday.
5 Temple over 4 Wisconsin. Intriguing matchup. And by "intriguing", I mean "for the love of god, turn this crap off before I blow my brains out!" First team to 45 wins.
3 New Mexico over 11 Washington. Intriguing matchup. And by "intriguing", I mean "this is a great game on paper! Turn it on!" First team to 95 wins?
2 West Virginia over 10 Missouri. Kudos to Mike Anderson for milking a tourney berth out of a rebuilding season. Past MU coaches could never manage that. Having said that, this might be the "Bill Maas Memorial Game" of round two. So long as the Mountaineers show up and put their uniforms on, they'll roll.

5 Temple over 1 Kentucky. I am not sold on this Kentucky team at all. The first well-coached team they run into is going to make life miserable for them. Hey, Temple's that team!
3 New Mexico over 2 West Virginia. I am sold on this New Mexico team, though. This might be the best game of the tournament. Could be a UCLA / Gonzaga type showdown from a few years ago.

3 New Mexico over 5 Temple. At least one region will be a complete train wreck in the brackets by the end. I'm betting on the East.

South Regional:
1 Duke over 16 Arkansas Pine Bluff. Should not be even remotely competitive.
9 Louisville over 8 Cal. Total coin flip game. Should be fun to watch.
12 Utah State over 5 Texas A&M. Utah State is grossly underseeded. A&M is probably overseeded. Should be a fun battle between the Aggies.
13 Siena over 4 Purdue. The Boilers are done. That first half against Minnesota was worse than a disgrace. Seriously, 33-4 at one point? 11 points in the half? Against an (at best) wretchedly mediocre Gophers team? Another brutal Big 10 (plus one) team to watch "play the game". Thankfully, most should be sent packing early. Although hell, they probably pack their bags at a slow, methodical, bleed 34 seconds off the shotclock pace.
11 Old Dominion over 6 Notre Dame. How the hell are the Irish a 6 seed? How? This is ridiculous. From out of the tournament to a six seed in two weeks? Sure.
3 Baylor over 14 Sam Houston State. I'm not as sold on Baylor as most folks are, but they win this one easily.
7 Richmond over 10 St. Mary's. Richmond is capable of a deep tournament run. They're my sleeper in the East.
2 Villanova over 15 Robert Morris. This is the worst seeding crime of all. How is Villanova a 2? Based on what? Jay Wright having incriminating photos of the tourney chair bound and gagged, wearing leather ass chaps, while riding a cybian? How is Villanova a 2? How?

1 Duke over 9 Louisville. Hopefully Rick Pitino can find a decent Italian joint in Jacksonville for a pregame quickie with a waitress. What, too soon?
13 Siena over 12 Utah State. Two decent double digit seeds. Should be entertaining at least. Enjoy it while it lasts guys.
3 Baylor over 11 Old Dominion. Does the live bear Baylor keeps on campus make the trip to Houston for the regional final? And how do you transport a live bear? Do you put him in one of those haulers like they do with ponies and cows? Does he have to have an animal control person there armed with a tranquilizer gun at all times in case said bear goes on a rampage? These are the things that drive me bonkers. (Jesus, no wonder I sleep alone at night. I'm certifiably crazy.)
7 Richmond over 2 Villanova. Even a home movie of the tourney chair hooking up with three transvestites in a sleazy downtown Vegas hotel room (hello Golden Gate! Man I love that place ...), not even something as kinky as that can save Villanova from an early exit.

1 Duke over 13 Siena. It is a crime that Jon Scheyer didn't win ACC Player of the Year. A freaking crime.
7 Richmond over 3 Baylor. At least the Baylor players can come back to campus and enjoy a cold one while hooking up with a cheerleader after a tough Sweet Sixteen defeat. Oh wait, sorry guys, I forgot. Its Baylor. No drinking, no sex, no fun. No wonder their players kill each other. I'd probably go ape-sh*t crazy too if I went to school in a freaking convent. (And yes, I seriously contemplated going to Baylor. Even made an official visit there. And was totally in love with the place until they dropped the "now, we are a strict Southern Baptist college. If you are caught drinking or caught engaging in relations with a member of the opposite sex, you are subject to ..." That's all I needed to hear. There wasn't a shot in hell I was going to a religious nuthouse for the best four years of my life).

1 Duke over 7 Richmond. Hard to believe its been six years since Duke was in a regional final. Let alone the Final Four.

Final Four:
1 Kansas over 2 KSU. The prospect of beating these guys four times in one year is pretty sweet to contemplate. On the other hand, the whole "KU in 1988" counter-argument is rearing its ugly head. You know, how KU couldn't beat OU or KSU in the regular season, got dominated by both schools in all five matchups ... and KU blew out KSU in the Elite 8 (thanks again for knocking out Gene Keady's best ever Purdue team for us. All Hawk fans appreciate that nice gesture, KSU), then somehow beat a loaded OU team in the final. KSU should have beaten us in Manhattan. They hung tough for 33 minutes in Lawrence. They were never out of it in Kansas City. I'm guessing this will be another tight, hard fought game. KU 75, KSU 73.
1 Duke over 3 New Mexico. I'll take Coach K over Steve Alford every day of the week. And twice on Saturday. The key will be if Scheyer can control Darington Hobson. If they fight to a draw, Duke wins by 15. If Scheyer plays like he did against Georgia Tech last Saturday, this comes down to the wire. My guess ... Duke 81, New Mexico 66.

National Title Game:
1 Duke over 1 Kansas. I just somehow envision Scheyer, Singler, and Smith going off from three land early and often, Duke building up a solid 12 to 15 point lead, and KU chipping away, chipping away, getting close ... and then Scheyer draining a late three to seal the deal. Duke 83, Kansas 79.

saturday shorts

Its been a busy couple weeks, so I apologize for the lack of posting. Between real life stuff blowing up, work eating up my time, and my continuing four month battle against the never ending head cold from hell, I just haven’t been able to post.

So, a quick Saturday morning ramble! That should make up for it …

* The gold medal hockey game was epic. I literally could not get up off the couch while the game was underway. First, let me thank profusely NBC and more specifically its sponsors, for airing the in-game action commercial free. I think that’s what made the game even better than it already was – no delay in the action. No stoppage of play. Just continuous flow.

Secondly, how sweet was Ryan Parise’s game tying goal? You know it’s a unifying moment when I stand up and fist pump … and across the hall, my neighbor is screaming, and next door, I hear the other neighbor pounding his coffee table in joy.

Third, the Sidney Crosby winner. Its not often I’m not upset when the team I’m openly rooting for loses. I’ve detailed in the past how certain defeats, I will never be able to get over (usually those involve a certain blue-and-orange clad squad from denver). But seeing the eruption of emotion at Canada Hockey Place when Crosby won it, I wasn’t even upset. I just felt … I don’t know, grateful? Happy to have just been able to watch this thing unfold?

Finally, the gold medal ceremony. Again, I’m a sucker for folks who live in the moment. That was bone-chilling awesome. 18,000 plus folks singing “O Canada”, as a nation revels in (arguably) its greatest athletic achievement. Chuck Klosterman kind of hit on this in the BS Report this week, but he’s dead on accurate – it sucks that we don’t have a unifying national team like that in this country. I mean, if we’d won that game, we’d feel good as a nation for what, a week? Two weeks? And come 2014 in Suchi, we probably would be asking “wait, who’s Ryan Miller?” Congrats to Canada.

* The closing ceremonies. I won’t say anything other than screw NBC for cutting away for 90 freaking minutes to air a crappy new “reality” show, local news, and TMZ.

* The BuKCs host the LeBrons tonight. I know its one regular season game among 82. I know the BuKCs are basically a lock for the postseason at this point, and are just playing for seeding (ideally, the five, and a first round matchup against the reeling Celtics). But to me, this is a statement game. The BuKCs are on fire lately, winners of 8 of 9, fresh off a sweep of the Wizards. The only loss in the last three weeks was an overtime loss at Atlanta, nothing to be ashamed about. (Dear God, I never thought I’d type those words – there’s no shame in losing to the Hawks. I guess I should start staring at the sky expecting the Second Coming any moment now).

But every once in a while, an opportunity game presents itself. A chance to see just how good you really are. This is one of those deals for the BuKCs. A chance to beat the best, on your home court, in the push for the playoffs. It’s a statement game. Here’s hoping the BuKCs take care of business.

* KU! MU! 1pm today! At Allen Field House East! Sorry, at The Plaige! OK, ok, at Norm Stewart Center! Oh, that’s right, MU didn’t even have the decency to name their not-quite-sold-out-every-night facility after the man who put them on the map, because why do that when you can name it after a word thief in SoCal?

My prediction: MU 86, KU 84. I know all the talk in town this week is “man, I want a third KU / KSU matchup next Saturday”. Well, I don’t. I want a third KU / MU matchup. These two teams can never play enough. There’s “rivalry”, like with our farm-loving friends from Manhattan. Then there’s rivalry. Like with our cousin-loving friends from Columbia. The more KU / MU match up, the better off we all are.

* Jon Scheyer Senior Night! ESPNU has been replaying classic Duke / UNC games all morning. College GameDay live from Cameron in a little bit. Sadly, UNC’s upset win over Wake Forest ensures they will finish at worst 16-16, guaranteeing a NIT bid for them.

What I’d like to see tonight? Easy. Scheyer, early and often, just draining 3s. The Cameron Crazies blowing the roof off the joint with taunts, chants, and cheering, as Duke goes up something like 45-17 at the half, and cruises to a 105-52 victory. (Yes, I want them to double up the score on the Rat Bastard. Run! It! Up! Show no class Coach K! Show no mercy!)

What I expect to see tonight? I have a bad, bad, bad feeling about this game. I think this is going to be a “Steve has no finger nails left” from stress contest. A “Dusty is chucking sh*t at the television in frustration” contest. Duke 82, UNC 81, on a late Scheyer jumper. For some reason, I think UNC shows up and plays like they should have all season tonight. God bless it, I pray I’m wrong.

* “Lost”! If you don’t watch the show … at this point, no sense in trying to convert you. If you do watch and haven’t seen this week’s episode, feel free to skip this section. Only 12 hours and 11 episodes of television’s finest show to go. Sad. Tragic. Here’s my thoughts on this week’s Sayid centric episode:

The last five minutes were the most action packed, jaw dropping, “holy f*cking sh*t” five minutes I think the show has delivered in years. You go from the calm, revealing Sayid / Dogan conversation … to all of a sudden, a double homicide, Sayid standing on the steps to the pool with the blood dripping off the knife, and Ben rushing the room as Smokey is wreaking havoc … and Ben is scared sh*tless by Sayid. Then, the final moments, as Sayid and Crazy Claire walk out to join Fake Locke … and Kate is with them.

One thing though that I caught, or at least I think I caught – everyone has been focused on Dogan’s comment to Sayid that “you have to stab (Fake Locke) BEFORE he says a word. Once he talks, he’s won”. Fake Locke said “Hello, Sayid” right before Sayid stabbed him. Go figure, the stab didn’t work. And everyone now is like “well, Dogan lied, he knew Fake Locke couldn’t be killed and hoped that he’d kill Sayid”.

My response was the exact opposite. I think Dogan was being truthful. So go back and watch that final scene again – Fake Locke does not say ONE word to Kate. Just an expression. So if Dogan is correct, that you can take Fake Locke out before he speaks, is Kate still a candidate to end his reign of good / evil? (I still don’t think Fake Locke is “evil incarnate”, as Dogan put it).

For the first time this season, I cared more (and liked more) the on-Island action more than the flash sideways action. Not that the flash sideways wasn’t interesting – it was. But for the first time this year, I actually cared about what was going on, on the Island. Well, that’s not fair – I was intrigued with the Cave, with the Lighthouse, and with Sawyer’s drunken remembrance of Juliet. But for the first time, the Island stuff drew me in. Finally, we’re getting a point and a purpose to the on-Island stuff.

* I see si.com rated the MLB GM’s, and our guy came in dead last. In a related development, single game tickets just went on sale this morning, and I am not within 4 miles of a Ticketmaster location right now. I have zero, zip, nada, absolutely no interest in this upcoming baseball season. It’s a very strange feeling. Usually I’m counting down the minutes to baseball season. Now? The first game I attend might be my cousin’s birthday bash in Milwaukee in the middle of June.

(OK, I know, I’ll at least go for a tailgate or five in May and early June. I am ALWAYS up for a day spent in 85 degree sunshine, especially when vodka tonics, beer pong, losing yet again to DJ at washers, and/or ladder toss are involved. But actually enter the stadium? That might be mid-June. Sad, but true).

* I just saw a commercial for sugardaddie.com. Normally I’m not one to overreact to our allegedly crumbling society, because I don’t think anything is occurring today that didn’t occur 500 years ago. The only difference is in media coverage of events. But wow. Sugardaddie.com. I hope that’s some kind of a new cultural rock bottom.

* Its gonna be 60 here in KC today. Pushing 60 tomorrow. And yet, I plan to spend both days watching college hoops inside. For the first time in a long time, I really, really, really miss the deck …