Spartans, Tarheels and an aircraft carrier

I suppose it's kinda cool when we have the luxury of holding a basketball game on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. They're basically floating cities of wartime operations, hence capable of wreaking great havoc somewhere, so to have any of them parked, therefore not needed, would seem to be a good thing.

Michigan State took on North Carolina on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vincent in San Diego and kept the score reasonably close. That's about all the Spartan faithful could reasonably ask for. After all, UNC is the #1 ranked collegiate team in the country, and MSU isn't even in the top 20.

Some things seemed odd, though, while others were probably predictable.

The giant radar screen of the ship kept going round and round pinging away, but what for? Would it have mattered if it detected incoming hostile planes, missiles, UFOs, or even Roseanne having overdone the helium again and coming their way with an attitude? No. By the time they tore up the basketball floor, dismantled the bleachers, got the civilians off the ship, and started their engines (not to be confused with the Indy 500), if the boat was even still afloat, Roseanne might well be the Captain. How's that for a scary thought?

Both teams wore their own versions of "camouflage" uniforms. One word. Cheesy.

All the players had USA stitched across their backs for names. Well OK, it was Veterans' Day -- a time to show patriotism and  honor those past and present that have served in our armed forces. And ya gotta admit -- it beats the hell out of Ochocinco or He Hate Me.

President Obama showed up. No surprise there. Earlier he was at Arlington National cemetary in Virginia honoring the war dead. A few hours later he pops up on an aircraft carrier on the west coast. That dude gets around. But what was it with him wearing a flight suit? It's not like he flew in on an F-15, 16, 17, 18, whatever they are these days. I'm thinking Air Force 1.

Besides, even if I'm wrong about that, didn't another President try that stunt a while back? Coming in on a fighter plane and touching down on the deck of an aircraft carrier, then announcing "mission accomplished"? We all know how THAT worked out.

Then again, trying to land a fighter plane in the middle of a basketball game probably wouldn't be such a good idea either. Even the best team of spin-meisters would be hard-pressed to explain that little bit of "collateral damage". And unless the color settings on my TV are out of adjustment, someone might want to remind the First Lady's wardrobe department that this country's colors are red, white, and blue -- not red, white, and black.

Ah well. It was just a college basketball game. Things won't get REALLY interesting until the NCAA tournament starts in March.

The true Madness? That will come around next fall. It's called an election year.