Michigan vs Villanova

It's an interesting match-up for the national championship, and there's no doubt who the favorite will be.

Before the NCAA tournament began, few thought Michigan had much of a chance to advance all the way to the title game. Yet they've not only played well, but caught a few breaks along the way to boot.

During the five games they've played to date, UM has faced a #14, #6, #7, #9, and in the semi-final against Loyola/Chicago, a mere #11. So the best they've played so far has only, on paper, been a #6 seed, while being a #3 going in themselves.

On the other hand, UV has faced a #16, #8, #5, #3, and in their semi a #1 in Kansas. They were a #1 seed themselves going in.

Michigan looked rather ordinary in the first half against Sister Jean and her Loyola Ramblers. Indeed, they were down by 10 points well into the second half. But then something clicked either for Mich, or against Loyola, and the Wolverines would pound them by a whopping 22 points for the remainder of the game to win by 12. A comfortable margin, to be sure. But again, that was against an #11 seed.

Meanwhile, Villanova pounded Kansas from start to finish, winning by 15 points. And yet again, the Jayhawks were a #1 seed.

Now instead of Loyola being the "Cinderella", it shifts to Michigan. They'll be heavy underdogs in the championship game, and well they should be. They weren't supposed to get this far, while Villanova has been hailed as an elite team since the season started.

Will the mighty Wildcats come out Monday night and roll all over the upstart Wolverines like they did Kansas?

Maybe. Perhaps even probably.

Or might the "Blue" play like they did in the latter part of the game against Loyola for the WHOLE game against the "bluebloods" and pull off a semi-monumental upset?

The odds will certainly be against it. But ya never know.

Stranger things have happened.

Broadway Joe Namath and the "sissy" NY Jets were supposed to get pounded 270-0 by Johnny Unitas and the mighty Colts in Super Bowl III.

The late Jim Valvano's NC State team was supposed to get blistered by a far super Houston team in the NCAA finals back in 1985.

And no way was the rag-tag US hockey team ever going to defeat the steamroller Soviet Red Army squad in the 1980 Olympics.

But they all happened. Play those games again ten times and the other team probably wins all of them.

And much more recently, the latest Presidential election. Who saw THAT coming? All the "experts" were dead wrong.

In this case, every quantifiable aspect would seem to indicate Villanova will breeze through Michigan to claim another title.

And they just might.

But we'll see.

Hey, Geno's Bambino's at UConn were supposed to roll to another national championship as well. They were undefeated for the entire season. How did that work out?

Michigan hoops. Champs or chumps?

The Wolverines are a strange bunch. Just a couple months ago, they looked to be no better than average, at best. But now they seem to have an aura of invincibility -- maybe.

The team that showed up in the first half of the national semi-final against Loyola/Chicago looked like they couldn't beat anybody.

Yet the team that came out in the second half, particularly after a few minutes into it, had transformed into world beaters. Down by 10 and wind up winning by 12? That's really impressive stuff.

So now the question becomes --- which team will show up on Monday night against what looks to be Villanova at the time of this writing (they're clobbering Kansas by 15 at halftime).

If Team A shows up for the Wolverines, they'll get run out of the gym by the Wildcats (or Kansas, if they pull off a huge comeback).

But if Team B comes to play, UM's got a more than a decent shot of walking out of San Antonio as national champions.

And, as mentioned above, just a couple months ago, nobody, I mean NOBODY would have thought it possible.

Only one way to find out.

Bring it on.

More silly rants

Few would doubt that the game of baseball, particularly at the Major League level, has changed greatly over the past several years. Out have gone many of the "old ways" when things were fairly simple. In have come stats from hell, sometimes called metrics, analyzing every player in seemingly every way possible.

Basically, high-tech has taken over, and been quite successful at that. The age of the Jetsons is upon us.

So what did the Detroit Tigers do?

Went out and hired Fred Flintstone, sometimes called Ron Gardenhire as their manager.

Fittingly enough, their first game of the season was rained out. An omen of things to come? Perhaps, considering the Tigers are in full blown rebuild mode. They got rid of what talent they had.

In his first official action, Mr. G got himself tossed out of the game -- over arguing the results/decision of a replay call.

And that's just dumb. After a close play has been reviewed by the "guys in the booth" and a decision rendered, there's no way they're going to change it. It is what it is. Get over it. That's like trying to argue with a cop after he/she has given you a speeding ticket. Only a doofus would think they can talk them into taking it back. Keep flapping your gums and you might just wind up going to jail, car impounded -- all that good stuff.Was it really worth it?

Interesting article penned by one Stephanie Apstein in the latest issue of Sport Illustrated. Per today's politically correct world, dear Steph was lavish in her praise of the Los Angeles Angels' recent addition of Shohei Ohtani, a Japanese emigre trying to hit it big in the Bigs.

Per the article, you'd think this guy is the greatest pitcher/hitter combination since Babe Ruth. "He'll pitch every six days and DH two or three times between starts".

Sounds great, a can't miss prospect.

Right up until his actual performance to date is looked at.

For such a fantastic pitcher, he's given up nine runs in only two and two thirds innings. What sort of ERA is that? 35 maybe? But dammit "his delivery is clean and his slider has induced gasps", quote Ms. Apstein.

Um, yeah. Opposing hitters seem to be cleaning up on him all right. And those gasps might just be from watching him get lit up like the proverbial pinball machine.

At the plate he's "shown raw power in batting practice". Well dang, in BP who doesn't?

Yet he's got a measly two hits in twenty at bats during the games. For a batting average of .100.

This is the next Babe Ruth? Maybe she was talking about the candy bar instead of the legendary Bosox/Yankees slugger.

Regardless, maybe somebody needs to check Apstein for performance enhancing drugs. If she isn't taking them, by all means give her a healthy dose. If any scribe ever needed their performance enhanced -- it's her. Whatzamattuh you girl?

Alas, poor Frank Isola. He's a sportswriter for the New York Daily News and occasional talking head on ESPN's Around the Horn.

With no lack of conviction, FI, and those initials would seem to be appropriate, thundered Louisville would top Mississippi St. in one ladies' national semi-final, and nobody, but NOBODY was going to beat mighty UConn. Especially Notre Dame.

Then bam. DOWN went Louisville.

DOWN went UConn.

Um, Frank. Don't quit your day job. If we want predictions like that, we'll turn to Peter King, also of SI fame (or is that infamy?). He couldn't pick his nose with a power auger either.

Idle golf thoughts

After clicking over to the Golf Channel, the leaderboard of the Ana Inspiration popped up on the screen. And I was mystified. Among the first names of the contestants were an Ayako, an Albane, a Ha, Pernilla, In, Chella, Sung, Sun, Hee, Moriya, Inbee, and a Kris.

Soooooo, was this a ladie's or men's tournament?

Ah, finally a Jennifer, Paula, and Amy. Think I got it, but ya never know these days. Scary stuff.

Then back to the feature event, the Shell Open. Definitely a stag affair.

Wait a second. What's that? It's being played in a town called Humble, Texas?

Get outta here. In all my years on the planet, yours truly has yet to see or hear a single thing remotely resembling "humble" when it comes to anything Texas. That's a bit like naming a Siberian village "Toasty". It just doesn't fit.

Still, it was worth checking out for one simple reason. What's his name (El-dick?) wasn't in attendance. That meant fair coverage would be given to the players on the course instead of the never-ending blather, hero worship, and other means of zeroing in on Whozit. By the way they act, you'd think the dude has won everything in sight this year, instead of not even being in the top 100 players in the world and not winning squat in several years.

I still, and have long thought somebody needs to check behind the guy's ears for a telltale 666. I mean, the media and masses fawning all over him like he's the Second Coming just doesn't seem right somehow. That's a bit scary too.

Ah, he's probably already at Augusta getting ready for next week's Masters Tourney. And when that happens, it'll be back to full-tilt blitz coverage of him. Sigh.

Ya gotta love the irreverent wit of David Feherty, a former player himself. His interviews are a pleasure to watch, and he apparently much doesn't give a rat's behind what people think. For better or worse, I can definitely relate to the latter.

Solving the helmet-to-helmet contact problem

In its never-ending quest to cut down on head injuries, a good thing, the NFL owners have approved a new rule, a stupid thing.

In its current form, said rule would bar any player from initiating contact with his helmet to any part of an opponent's body. Those in violation would have committed a foul and be subject to penalty yardage and/or even ejection from the game.

And that presents a problem. Because at least nine guys will have committed an infraction on any given play. Think about it. At the snap of the ball, the offensive and defensive linemen roar out of their 3-point stances and, clack, crash helmets.

True, this could be solved by exempting the linemen for a period of one second after the snap. If not, they'd have to play standing upright instead of the above mentioned initial stance. No, we don't hear a lot about catastrophic injuries occurring between the colliding behemoths during the course of a game, but the documentation in certainly there showing the long-term effects of so many hundreds and thousands of routine hits over the course of careers.

Yet the new law is certainly aimed at not only tacklers, but ball carriers as well. We've all seen it on most plays. A running back or receiver will lower their head just before contact trying to get another yard or two before they go down. Conversely, would-be tacklers also use their heads as battering rams trying to knock the ball carrier to the turf.

The latter can be chalked up to lack of coaching proper technique. This goes back to the college, and perhaps even high school levels. Tacklers would rather attempt to blast a ball carrier down with their helmets and shoulder pads than wrap him up with their arms as they should. Sometimes it works spectacularly. Other times the tacklers just bounce off and the ball carrier continues.

But either way, it's a recipe for disaster. See concussions or worse.

Yet there's always been a better way, if the NFL would think out of the box. They don't need this rule or anything like it.

Simply cut the tops off the helmets.

Now before you start thinking I've gone even more bonkers than usual, consider the reality of it.

The only thing the top of the head is used for in today's football is as a battering ram, hence the injury problems. Which is precisely what the league and safety proponents are trying to eliminate,

Sure, leave the rest of the headgear intact, including the face mask and the remainder of the helmets. But cut them off at approximately the hairline of a non-balding leaving the crown of the head exposed.

Players would still be free to collide with each other at high speeds, hence big hits, but they'd be forced to the old, and proper way of tackling. Make contact, wrap the dude up, and bring him down. Ninety nine percent of the concussions go away.

If a player, be it a ball carrier or potential tackler, wants to lower his head as a battering ram, they do so at their own peril. But no foul much less an ejection. Let them have at it if they're dumb enough to go ramming their exposed heads into large objects. Yet methinks that would stop in a hurry as well.

Hey, the whole object of tackling is to bring the ball carrier to the ground, right? They do so in rugby on every play, and don't have ANY helmets.

True, the lack of a helmet on top of a player's head could result in a freak injury on occasion, if they somehow manage to land on top of their head during a play. But but even WITH the current full helmets it doesn't protect from a neck or spinal injury if it's sufficiently compressed due to impact.

So why not try it and see what happens?

What could possibly go wrong, go wrong, go wrong.........

Numbers don't lie

In less, of course, they're poll numbers for the results of presidential elections. We know how THAT worked out about a year and half ago. A "sure winner" in EVERY poll -- got trashed.

Here's one that jumped out at yours truly. Kia Nurse and Gabby Williams, both seniors on Geno Auriemma's UConn lady hoop express, have compiled a 147-2 record to date over their college careers.

But that only SECOND best in school history? Wow. Talk about high standards.

The Michigan Wolverines have, somewhat improbably, reached the Final Four. Few would have foreseen that happening. But ya never know. A team comes together, gets on a roll, and most anything's possible.

Thing is, they had a relatively easy path along the way once the tournament started. Games against a #14 seed Montana, a #6 seed Houston, a #7 seed Texas A&M, and a #9 seed Florida State wasn't exactly wading through the proverbial murderer's row.

And now they'll face a #11 seed in Loyal/Chicago in the Semi-Finals. Hey, nobody's saying it's easy, but if you can get all the way to the Finals and the highest seeded team you faced in the first five games was only a #6 seed, things have pretty well broken your way.

True, most think UM will easily dispatch L/C. But not so fast.

The Ramblers, and their beloved "godmother" Sister Jean aren't exactly pushovers. They've waded through a #6 Miami, Fl, #3 Tennessee, #7 Nevada, and a #9 Kansas St. to get there as well. A tougher road than what UM faced.

Typically, times like these are when the Maize and Blue faithful get cocky. They assume it's "in the bag". But not always so. Their mighty football team got embarrassed, at home, once upon a time by little Appalachian St. And they just knew the hoops game against North Carolina Charlotte was a gimme. Until some dude named Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell ate their lunch on the hardwood and sent them reeling to another devastating loss. So ya never know about those "little guys".

Yet it could probably be fairly said that the Michigan/Loyola match-up is considered the "undercard" at this year's Final Four.

On the other side, blue bloods and heavyweights Kansas and Villanova will be slugging it out on the same day. Whoever emerges from that battle victorious will no doubt be heavy favorites to go on and win the title a couple days later.

But this has been a very strange tournament so far. Upsets galore. Some say Michigan is as good as anybody still left, but I would disagree with that. Hey, UM was a #3 seed going in, and Kansas and Villanova were #1's.

Even if the Wolverines get past the Ramblers, no given, only then will they run into a team seeded higher than #6 for the first time. And for the first time throughout the tourney, they'd be heavy underdogs.

Sure, lots of things can happen, and sometimes do. The rag-tag 1980 USA olympic hockey team somehow managed to defeat the mighty Soviet Red Army squad in one of the greatest, or not so great, depending on who one was rooting for, upsets of all time. Chances are, they couldn't have done that again in ten tries. But they won the one that counted. So it's theoretically possible.

So is Loyola/Chicago winning it all in this year's NCAA hoops tourney.

And if THAT were to happen, it would give a whole new meaning to March Madness indeed.

Go Ramblers and love ya, Sister Jean.









 

Charles Barkley. Chucklehead

As Bugs Bunny was fond of saying of Elmer Fudd, "what a maroon".

On that note, enter one Charles Barkley. The former "round mound of rebound" has apparently morphed into the "sum of plumb dumb".

At halftime of Saturday's Florida St./Michigan game, Mr. B solemnly declared FSU was going to prevail. Down went the Noles.

In his very next breath, with even more conviction, he said Duke would knock off Kansas the following day. As we know, down went the Blue Devils.

Um, Chuck. Do you have any more pearls of wisdom to impart on the masses?

On second thought, please don't.

The commercial breaks offer up even more stupidity. See the unholy trio of Barkley, Lil Spikie, and Sammy Jack trying to sell something. What that product actually is, yours truly never noticed. He was too busy trying not to heave as the pre-kindergarten banter between those clowns went on. It's sort of like a modern day version of Larry, Moe, and Curley, without the laughs.

Idle thought. Could Barkley and his antics be whence the word "upchuck" originated?

Loyola/Chicago and Sister Jean

First things first. Kudos and congrats to the Loyala of Chicago Ramblers for having reached this year's version of the Final Four. At this point, how can anybody root against them?

Nobody, and I mean NOBODY could have seen this coming. An 11 seed that was supposed to be just cannon fodder in the tournament going to the semi-finals? Get outta here.

But ya gotta hand it to them. Four games up and four wins. Sure, they barely squeaked by in the first three. Three wins by a grand total of four points isn't exactly showing dominance. True, while they blasted Kansas St. in their South Region final to the tune of 78-62, after all, the Wildcats were only a #9 seed coming in. When's the last time you heard of a nine and an eleven seed slugging it out for a berth in the Final Four? You haven't, because its never happened before. Such is the strange nature of March Madness this time around.

Nonetheless, the Ramblers have officially punched their ticket to the Big Dance in San Antonio next weekend. They await the winner of the Florida St./Michigan game (in progress as this is written) to see who they'll face. Neither of those teams were supposed to get this far either, and they're both eminently beatable.

It's heartwarming to see Sister Jean, an elderly lady confined to a wheel chair, and officially the school/team chaplain, in attendance at the games. She was probably around when the L/C cagers last made the headlines. That was way back in 1963. Some guy named Kennedy was President. Very few homes had color TVs. Telephones typically had party lines, one a homeowner would share with a neighbor down the block somewhere. Leave It To Beaver days. How long ago was that? In other words, it's been quite a while since the small Chitown school has been in the limelight. And it's really cool how even the modern day players have shown dear Jean some serious loving in return for all her years of being the angel she apparently has long been.

Update. With about nine minutes remaining in the game, Michigan is leading Florida St. 44-38. A low scoring affair, it could go either way. At halftime, Charles Barkley boldly predicted the Seminoles would win this game. The Noles are too physical for UM and will outlast them.

Hmm. I'm gonna go watch the rest of it and finish this later. Time out.

OK, a half hour later, time back in.

The game's over and Michigan has prevailed 58-54. On to the Final Four for the Wolverines as well.

Maybe Sir Charles should get out of the prognosticating game and go work on his golf swing somewhere. Lord knows, it needs it.

Turrible, just turrible, on both counts.

The thing about brackets

It's a pretty safe bet that after just the first round of games, every NCAA hoops bracket in the world had been broken. If the Univ. Maryland @ Baltimore County (UMBC) knocking off overall #1 seed Virginia didn't do it, then Buffalo trashing Arizona surely completed the task. Huge upsets both.

The tournament would continue to get wackier and wackier. One need only look at a couple Elite Eight match-ups for proof.

In the South, #9 seed Kansas St. will face off against #11 seed Loyola of Chicago for a berth in the Final Four. Who, in their wildest dreams, could have imagined such a wacky scenario playing out?

But it did.

In the West, #3 Michigan tangles with #9 Florida St. Nary a 1 or 2 in sight. Weird.

In the East, things are a bit more orderly/normal. #1 Villanova will take on #3 Texas Tech.

And the Midwest played out rather mundanely with #1 Kansas taking on #2 Duke.

Yet for all the twists, turns, and upsets the tourney has provided thus far, another even weirder possibility still exists.

The way the bracket is set up, both Kansas and Kansas St. are two wins away from meeting each other in the --gasp -- FINALS?

Sure, those two games for each will be anything but easy. They'll have to slog through some mighty tough competition

But it's possible, and given how many strange things have already happened in this year's version of March Madness, who's to say that couldn't come about as well?

And if it did, wouldn't that be the coup de grace for the state of Kansas? Their two major universities, with apologies to Wichita St., locking horns for all the proverbial marbles down in San Antonio?

It would be just about enough to do the Jayhawkers right proud.

Michigan basketball. Wow

Who are these guys anyway? The ones that looked maybe a little bit better than average during the regular season, or the ones that have looked unbeatable since the Big 10 conference tournament started?

A #3 seed that needed a last second semi-miracle shot to slip past #6 Houston, or the beasts that just put a colossal 27 point beat down on Texas A & M in the Sweet Sixteen? The same A & M that had thrashed North Carolina by 20+ points just a few days ago?

The UM -- A & M game was effectively over by halftime when the Wolverines had maintained a 25-30 point lead throughout the first 20 minutes of action. Three pointers rained down on the Aggies heads like confetti. They had to be wondering the same thing. Who ARE these guys? Nobody can shoot like that.

But they did. Very impressive stuff.

Now UM awaits the winner of the Flor. St. -- Gonzaga game for a shot at going to the Final Four. Currently, the Seminoles are nine points ahead of the Bulldogs at halftime.

Thing is, UM capable of beating either of them, if they shoot and defend like they did against A & M. They're also capable of losing to either of them if they aren't at their best.

FSU, a mere #9 seed, has already roared by knocking off #1 seed Xavier. And in recent times, tiny little Gonzaga, a private school tucked away in Washington state, has most definitely proven they can play with the "big boys". If memory serves, they made it all the way to the Finals just last year before succumbing, barely, to the above mentioned North Carolina.

In a possible Final Four match-up, either Kentucky or Kansas St. is going to come out of the South bracket. Both are quite good, but also quiet beatable as well.

If UM can get that far. The Elite Eight match-up against either FSU or the Zags will be no pushover.

And yes, Villanova and Duke, both blue-chip programs, still lurk in other brackets. As does Purdue, for that matter, and they beat the Wolverines twice earlier this year.

But that's getting way ahead of things.

Regardless, Michigan and their fans can be right proud of what they've accomplished this year. Not long ago, few considered them to be serious contenders for the title. But sometimes a team just gets on a roll at the most opportune time.

Could they -- gasp -- win it all? Probably still not likely. But they're as good as anybody when they're playing well, so they have a decent shot.

And that's all they can ask for.

Rory storms. Tiger chokes

Birdying five of the last six holes on a course as tough as Bay Hill to win the "Arnold Palmer Invitational" is quite impressive indeed. But that's exactly what Irishman Rory McIlroy did to storm the field en route to a three stroke victory. It seemed somehow appropriate on the weekend of St. Patrick's day.

Conversely, I've never bought into the proposition that Tiger Woods was "back". Sure, he has his legions of fans, and he was at least competitive throughout this tournament. But as it wore on, I kept waiting for him to implode. And he finally did, hitting a ball into somebody's back yard and bogeying two of the last three holes to -- well -- choke.

Though dear Eldrick seems to have toned down his former boorish self on the course, replete with club pounding and expletives, it appears he'll never be able to completely tame the savage beast that evidently remains inside him. Yep, he's all smiles these days, especially when things are going semi-well, but those pesky f-bombs under his breath are still there to see. Hi-def doesn't miss much these days.

What continues to be amazing is the hero worship that is showered on Eldrick Tont Woods. The galleries in attendance go ballistic when he merely hits a drive into the fairway or taps in a two foot par putt. Neither is notable for any other player except Woods.

The TV folks can't seem to get enough of this guy. During a recent "strobe" effect on the air, I counted 42 images of Tiger. I think I saw a Rickey in there once. Maybe a Phil. Perhaps even one or two of the Justins. And 4-5 Arnie's. I mean Palmer designed the course and created the tournament, so even his memory should get a LITTLE air time, right? But 42 Eldricks? Really? When he hasn't won squat in several years? How does that compute?

From what I saw clicking back and forth from NCAA hoops, the NASCAR race, and the golf tourney, Woods has also become a painfully slow player on the course. See Tiger line up his next shot. See Tiger gaze into the gallery with a vacant stare. See Tiger toss some grass blades into the air to check the wind. See Tiger re-line up his shot. See Tiger take a few practice strokes. See Tiger chat with his caddie and change clubs. See Tiger start the whole routine all over again. Hey dude. Hit the damned ball while we're still alive. Is that asking too much? It's got to drive the other players bonkers. But the announcers love it. The better to quick, sneak in a few more Tiger highlights from earlier in the tournament. Or maybe another tournament long past. Anything to keep pounding Tiger TIGER TIGER down the throats of those who haven't clicked to something else in disgust yet. What is it with this guy? He's not even in the top 100 in the world, hasn't won a major in a decade, the betting odds these days are more about whether he makes the cut than wins a tournament, and was exposed as a serial wife-cheater not long ago.

This is the object of hero-worship? Who ARE these people that continue to faun all over him as if he's godlike?

Yet in the end, the powers of good triumphed. Nobody questions Rory McIlroy as a fine young lad. And Swede Henrik Stenson, for quite a while the leader of this tournament, has always been a gentleman's gentleman. Both quiet, unassuming, and humble. The exact opposite of Woods, who continues to play to the cameras, remains the same boor away from the cameras and microphones, and has never seen an interview (photo-op) he won't jump at and product he won't endorse.

The grotesque favoritism really is getting sickening to any impartial sports fan. Any tournament in which Woods plays will feature him on TV at least half the time, whether he's in contention or not. And even if he's NOT entered in the tournament, they'll find a way to ram a few Eldrick highlights of the past down the throats of the collective viewers. It's a phenomenon unheard of in any other sport regarding any other player. I mean, that would be like watching a game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins, and having the TV folks throw in a few highlights of Tom Brady winning a Super Bowl for the Patriots. Get outta here with that stuff. Who cares? See Tiger take a drink of water, eat a banana, scratch his backside, joke with his caddie, check that pesky wind again, and re-re-reline up his next shot -- all while play goes on all over the rest of the course, with a lot of players ahead of him on the scoreboard. What kind of kangaroo court coverage is that?

Here's an idea. Wake me up if and when this dude actually wins something. Yes, the name Trump seems to be in every news headline and story, as the Prez no doubt likes it. But at least he has a recent victory of sorts under his belt. That's far more than Eldrick Tont Woods can claim.

Some claim golf is better with Tiger Woods. I maintain quite the opposite. It is far, FAR more entertaining to watch when the coverage is spread around equally among so many good players.

This Tiger Woods show has become quite disgusting. Did I mention win something?

Thing is, in the unlikely event he actually does, lord help us. There will be no end to it.

Michigan State. Who's the goofball indeed?

A recent column by a Detroit area scribe brought a wry smile to the face of yours truly. It should be noted that said journalist was a graduate of Michigan State, way back in the day. And though he's grudgingly become a bit more objective over the years, there is no doubt whatsoever he still bleeds green.

In the column, the senior Sparty all but scoffed at Syracuse's chances of knocking off Tom Izzo's Green Machine of East Lansing. After all, he said, Jim Boeheim's Orangemen still employed a "goofball" 2-3 zone on defense. 

And let's not forget that Michigan State was ranked as high as #1 in the country earlier this season. They also won the Big Ten regular season title. True, they slipped to a mere #3 seed in their own bracket after a less than stellar performance in the conference tournament, but caught a huge break when their first two games of the NCAA tourney would be just down the road from their campus. Home court advantage, so to speak. What could go wrong?

As it turned out, plenty. Not so mighty Syracuse, which had to play it's way into the tournament by getting past Arizona St. in a qualifier, was a mere #11 seed. In an oft repeated phrase from the same columnist, the Orange should have been mere "plankton" to the whale of the Green. 

On MSU would march to another showdown with the Dukies, their nemesis in recent times, having lost 11 of the last 12 to Coach K's crew. But still, it was going to be the Sweet Sixteen, and anything could happen. The Blue Devils aren't exactly unbeatable this year. 

But then the most unthinkable thing since overall #1 Virginia got knocked off by #16 UMBC. No, I didn't know what the latter stood for either, so I looked it up. Turns out it's University of Maryland Baltimore College. Ever heard of them before? Me neither. Yet they not only defeated the mighty Cavaliers, but obliterated them by 20 points. The first time in history a #16 has defeated a #1, and very convincingly at that. Who saw THAT coming? 

Michigan State is supposed to have all these super-duper NBA lottery bound players. But the same Syracuse "goofball" 2-3 zone mentioned above absolutely stymied them. Hey, if these same supposed "locks" for the NBA look that bad against a play-in team like Syracuse, it's probably not a stretch to think the NBA scouts in attendance have to do some serious re-evaluating. Translation? Their draft stock likely took a bit of a tumble.

Nevertheless, the same scribe continues year after year during football season, to find a way to rub it into rival Michigan's blue noses the embarrassing home defeat the Wolverines suffered at the hands of upstart Appalachian State. UM was supposed to win that "patsy" game easily as well. Thing is, that was a decade ago. Definitely ancient news, but some people never get tired of rubbing it in, though it's about as relevant as "hanging chads" these days.

What yon scribe doesn't want to hear is the very same thing happened to his beloved Spartans just recently when they were supposed to be title contenders and got thrashed by Middle Tennessee State in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

And now this similar embarrassment against Syracuse? 

If a Michigan fan wanted to pile on, he/she could say they went into Michigan State's own building earlier this year and throttled the Spartans, who were supposedly so much better. Not only that, but kicked their butts again in the Big 10 conference tourney. 

And now the Wolverines are into the Sweet Sixteen, and the Spartans take a bus back home with their heads hung in shame. 

And that's not even mentioning the cloud the Michigan St. basketball and football programs remain under for alleged hanky-panky by their players and the coaches not going through the proper channels to address the matters. That's been put on the back burner while the tourney went on, but make no mistake. The NCAA and those pesky law enforcement types are still digging, investigating, and interviewing folks trying to get to the bottom of it.

In the end, just who is/are the goofball(s) indeed? 

[Idle thought. The mighty Tar Heels of North Carolina just got blasted by 20+ points by Texas A&M? 

The good news for Michigan is UNC is gone.

The bad news is their opponent, the same A&M, is evidently pretty good.]

But it's not supposed to be easy, right? 

Big 10 NCAA hoops

Actually, the Big 10 moniker itself is rather stupid when one considers the conference consists of 14 teams. But some folks catch on quicker than others. Go figure, no pun intended.

So how are they faring in the NCAA tourney madness? Well, let's see.

Down went Ohio State to those ever pesky Bulldogs of Gonzaga. A rather convincing win at that.

Down went Michigan to Hous.... what's that? The Wolverines pulled it out on a buzzer-beating miracle shot from the outskirts of "downtown"? Last I saw, the Cougars had a two point lead and were heading to the foul line for free throws, with just a few ticks left on the clock. It was over, but I guess not.

So what reward does Michigan reap for the unlikeliest of last second heroics? Probably a date with North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen. Yeah, the Maize and Blue has a shot to advance further, but not a very good one. The Tar Heels are for real. But we'll see.

Purdue, the #2 seed in the East, has the easiest route to the Elite Eight. Even assuming they get by the winner of the Texas Tech/Florida game, no gimme, they'll run smack dab into Villanova, considered the best team in the country by many. Chances of getting to the Final Four? Not good.

Michigan State, always self-hyped to the max, and not long ago deemed at worst the #3 team in the nation, needs only get by those pesky Horned Frogs of Texas Christian to meet up with -- Duke. The very same Duke that has dusted them 11 out of the last 12 times they've met.

And let's not forget, that while it's been put on the "back burner" during the NCAA tournament, MSU and in particular head basketball coach Tom Izzo and football coach Mark Dantonio remain very much the subject of investigations into the alleged hanky-panky of a few of their players in recent years. True, it may turn out to be nothing, but it might just turn out to cost them their jobs and reputations -- or something in between. We'll all find out in due time, but it ain't over yet. The proverbial jury is still quietly deliberating.

Yet all in all, unless something astounding happens -- and sometimes it does -- the Big 10 appears as if it won't fare so well in this tournament.

But like they say, that's why they play the games -- right?

Cuz ya just never know.

Regardless, yours truly remains steadfast, as he has for years.

Go Zags!!!!!

NCAA. Madness indeed

It's a shame Purdue center Isaac Haas suffered a cracked elbow/arm and will be out for the remainder of the tournament. But did anybody really think the Boilermakers were a serious title contending threat anyway? Likely not. Though Haas is 7-2, they have another guy 7-3 they can plug in. And they're talking about having to play "small ball" when a 6-8 guy steps in for relief?

Idle thought. If you're an "average" dude, say, 5-10 to 6 feet, or an average dudette, say, 5-6 to 5-8, and a 6-8 guy (or especially gal) is next to you in a check-out line, or walks into the bar you're at -- you're going to notice them -- big time, no pun intended. 7 feet and above? They're apparently out there somewhere, so how come we never see them except on basketball courts?

While it's good that so many teams get into the NCAA tournament, see cha-ching and TV exposure, in reality the vast majority of them are nothing more than cannon fodder, with no chance -- ZERO -- of winning it.

The first round of games weed out most of the plankton. By the time the Sweet Sixteen is settled, only two games worth, a whopping 52 original teams will have bit the dust. True, a wannabe, like maybe an 11 or 13 seed might sneak through. But they'll get blasted by a vastly superior team the following week.

Idle thought II. The 13 seeds seem to be having their way with the 4 seeds so far. Go figure.

In recent times, the media hype machine has trumpeted the Final Four to the heavens. Like this is some sort of monumental achievement. Hey, it's not bad making the semi-finals, like in any other team sport, but the college hoop game has taken it to a level heretofore unheard of. I mean, good grief, three of them are going to lose anyway. And nobody will remember who they were just a few weeks or months later. It doesn't matter, other than the big pile of money their schools will get for getting that far, none of which (supposedly) will find its way into the pockets of the athletes that accomplished it. Nope, it'll disappear into the school "budget", in the black hole of those ever-pesky bureaucrats/administrators. They'll find a way to blow it on something, probably giving themselves a hefty raise. Hush, hush, quietly, of course.

It's not just the schools that get a big pot of dough. Consider the various sites around the country the tournament is played in. The arenas themselves, which would likely be otherwise vacant, all of a sudden get sell-out crowds at exorbitant ticket prices. Throw in the pig slop food they call concessions that's marked up 10-20 times what it's worth, add in parking cha-chings, stir well with serious TV bucks, and they're defecating in tall cotton themselves.

Yessirree, it's quite the spectacle alright. Great for sports junkies to merrily click away back and forth between so many games. Bars love it, and so do pizza take-out joints for those viewing at home. Beer stocks likely go up a point or three during the hoops tourney. Always lots of that going around.

But in the end, though it's theoretically possible a lower seed can get there, the Final Four will consist of really good teams. This is when the last wannabe, if still there, will surely bite the dust.

For sure, hoops fans (and I'm one) get geeked for this tournament.

But looked at objectively, it's far, FAR more hype than substance.

When the field is diluted to the point of 68 original teams, and really only a handful of them had any chance of winning the championship in the first place -- well -- it can fairly be said the powers that be have sold the public the proverbial "bill of goods".

Yet it's become that way across the entire spectrum of sports. The playoffs and their formats keep expanding, because there's money to be made by the slick folks.

Where will it end, and will it someday implode upon itself?

Beats me, but I (sucker that I am) will be watching too. And my local pub and pizza joint will probably get a few of my bucks as well.

Madness indeed.

It's the America way.

Sigh.....

Pac 12 hoops. Yikes!!!

Wow. Can that be right? The #13 seeded Buffalo Bulls just kicked the snot out of the #4 seeded Arizona Wildcats in Boise? 89-68 is no fluke. It's a beatdown. If anything, the score should have been even more lop-sided, until it tightened up a bit in the last couple minutes of "garbage time".

Thing is, Arizona was the only legitimate Pac 12 representative in the entire NCAA hoops tourney. Yes, UCLA (oh my, how far the once mighty have fallen) and Arizona St. were potential "play-in" teams, but got ousted before the madness officially started. The only reason for play-in games is so the schools can get a decent cha-ching, and maybe a little TV time. They have about as much chance of reaching the Final Four as this article does of winning a Pulitzer. Somebody's gotta do it, but it's still cannon fodder.

In recent times, private little Gonzaga, tucked away in Washington state, and in a much "lesser" conference, has seemed to be the class of college hoops on the west coast.

Who ever would have believed that not so many years ago?

The once proud Pac 10, now 12, I think, should be hanging their heads in shame.

The best they had to offer just got blasted by Buffalo?

Really??

Oh my.

Joe Thomas. Not now man

Ya gotta feel for Joe Thomas. The big lug has spent the last 11 years of his life slaving away for the woeful Cleveland Browns. It probably feels more like 25 or 30. To his credit the behemoth starting left offensive tackle has always kept his nose clean, and incredibly played over 10,000 straight snaps in the NFL, thought to be the record.

And now he's apparently decided to retire. To which yours truly says -- not now, man. For the first time in eons the future of the Browns might actually be a bit rosy. They've brought in veteran running back Carlos Hyde, a workhorse himself, and are projected to take running back Saquon Barkley out of Penn State with the first overall draft pick. That would be quite the one-two punch regarding a running game, given the offensive line isn't too shabby, and they aren't.

On top of that, the Browns also hold the #4 overall pick. With a handful of "quality" quarterbacks coming out of the college ranks this year, the Browns will have their pick of at least three of them

To boot, they have over $100 million in cap space, far more than any other team, so they're likely to juice their roster even further.

It certainly appears as if they've finally -- FINALLY -- put a general manager in place that knows what he's doing. (Though why head coach Hue Jackson, given his super-pitiful record, still has a job is a mystery indeed).

But it might just be that Old Joe ain't done yet. Sure, he's said he wants to play, his head is still in it, and he hasn't complained one bit about the Browns and their losing ways. But alas, his 33 year old body just isn't up to it any more. Could be. Only he knows for sure how he feels.

Yet an intriguing possibility is out there. It just so happens that starting left tackle Nate Solder of the New England Patriots has left them to grab more dough for the NY Giants. He was the main guy protecting Tom Brady's blind side on passing downs. A very important position.

So let's just say Joe Thomas kinda-sorta retires and finds himself in the position of not being tied to any team, even the Browns.

And then Bill Bellichick of the Pats calls him up to inquire if he'd be interested in going to Foxborough to take Solder's place.

What do you think the chances are that Thomas's body would all of a sudden start feeling a few years younger and he'd jump at the chance?

Sure, at best the Browns are still a couple years away from being any sort of Super Bowl contender, and even that's a stretch. So assuming Thomas has enough dough in the bank to live comfortably forever after, maybe it wouldn't make much sense to go back there again.

But Tom Brady, now 40, and surely approaching the end of his career, might just have another year or three left in him. And you just know the Pats will be contenders, because they always are. It's astounding how many good players have came and went for the Patriots, but Bellichick and his crew keep finding ways to plug new guys in and remain excellent. There's no reason to think that's going to change, as long as said mad genius and the amazing #12 are there.

By all accounts, Joe Thomas is a good guy. Has been throughout his long career in the NFL, and even at Wisconsin before that. A model citizen and a pro's pro, that has been immune to injury. You can't ask any more of a guy.

So wouldn't it be nice if he could somehow find a way to saddle up with the Patriots and experience excellence, if only for a short time, before he rides off into the sunset?

Here's hoping.....

Patrick Reed and the latest

See Patrick Reed come charging up the leader board in the latest PGA event to tie for the lead.

See Patrick Reed choke like a chihuahua on a chicken bone on the final hole and fall back out of it.

And it couldn't have happened to a "nicer" guy.

See previous posts, 2015, February, stage right, namely "Patrick Reed and the P-whip" factor.

Three years later, it's still in full force.

Laughable sports bytes

Seen/heard on a recent sports talk show. "Is it time to start paying attention to and rooting for Tiger Woods again?"

Well dang. If the talking heads, scribes, and the announcers on the PGA tour events paid any MORE attention to him, they might as well cancel the charade of a tournament and just call it what it is.

The Tiger Woods show.

At least 80% of the air time is devoted to Eldrick already. See Tiger hit every single shot. See Tiger walking up fairways or standing on greens pondering his next play while the action of so many others on the course is ignored. And, of course, see Tiger mumble his occasional f-bomb and almost, but not quite, throw a club in frustration. Some things just aren't going to change.

And BTW, isn't this the same guy that, at last look, was ranked somewhere around #388 in the world, hasn't won a major in a decade, or anything else in the last 4-5 years? THAT guy? The serial wife-cheater?

Lo and behold, Sir Eldrick Tont finished tied for second at the Valspar tournament. Well gee. Sound the trumpets and bring on the eighty virgins for his everlasting enjoyment.

Never mind that most of the top players in the world weren't even there. No Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Rickey or Bubba. No Jason Day or Phil, who's probably still celebrating his win in the Mexican World Championship last week.

While yours truly strives to remain objective and fair-minded, he is getting so-so-so sick of Tiger this and Tiger that shoved down his throat at every turn. I woke up in the middle of the night, flipped on ESPN, and what did I see? Tiger highlights, though he didn't win anything.

This hero-worshiping stuff is out of control, I tell ya. Here's a thought. How about if da bum exactly WINS something for a change before the ignorant masses swoon at his very presence? Is that asking too much?

I can't help but chuckle when I hear or read of "experts" critiquing how the NCAA has seeded the various teams. Somebody always gets "jobbed", and somebody else always has an "easy" road.

Hey. It doesn't make any difference. Never did. If a team/school wants to be champions, they have to win six games against any and all competition. Period. All the rest is just whining and homerism. A few short weeks from now, nobody will care about what the original match-ups and seedings were. Good grief, a year from now, nobody will care who won THIS year's title. Who's kidding who?

For that matter, why has the "Final Four" become such a pillar of excellence? This, along with the "Frozen Four" of hockey (to a much lesser extent) in which making it to the semi-finals is considered having reached a pinnacle of some sort. Nonsense.

Here's the deal. Including the pitiful "play-in" games, which amounts to no more than cannon fodder for vastly superior teams to obliterate anyway, 34 of the original field will be eliminated after the first round of games. Another 16 will bite the dust a couple days later. These were all pretenders to begin with, just there so their school can send off their teams, and bands/cheerleaders to be slaughtered so said schools get a big cha-ching for having qualified.

Of the original 68 teams, at least 55 of them have no chance -- ZERO -- of competing for the title.

Many want to expand the college football playoff to eight teams, which would have included Central Florida this past go-round -- the only undefeated team -- that never got a shot. Count me among them. How does anybody know how they might have fared against eventual national champ Alabama, until and unless the Knights of UCF get a chance to prove or disprove it? One way to find out. And it would only involve one extra week of games in December. What else are college football players doing during that time? Studying for finals? Puh-leeze. Most of those guys couldn't pass a 7th grade equivalency exam given 10 tries.

But by the same token, the hoop tournament has become WAY too much about the money to the point it's been watered down to the point of being ridiculous.

Can't help but laugh at the late night hype over Scott Van Pelt. You know, the same guy that used to have a TV/radio simulcast in the afternoons. The latest schtick is "where in the world ISN'T Scott Van Pelt"?  And then they'll show one pitiful person after another trying to imitate him, or maybe even just getting caught on camera happening to look somewhat similar.

Where ISN'T dear SVP?

Well, I'm pretty sure we won't see his mug showing up on hair care commercials for shampoo and the like. Or starring in a Rambo type action movie. Or gracing the fold out of Playgirl magazine any time soon. Or actually competing in, instead of talking about, any sort of athletic contest. This dude and his late-night cohort Stanford Steve give off more glare with their chrome domes than your average ten o'clock AM glare through the windshield driving due east on a sunny day. Blinding.

Something is definitely wrong when one wakes up in the middle of the night, flips on ESPN to catch the latest sport updates, then has to scramble for their shades to watch a show.

But clicking to another channel brings us even MORE Eldrick?

It's just about enough to drive somebody to watch Congress in session, or sign on to be a presidential tweet-o-maniac follower.

And that's not one bit funny.

Scary, actually.

March. NCAA madness indeed

See Michigan State get walloped in the Big 10 (actually 14, but they're a little slow catching up with the times) tournament by their arch-rival Michigan. For the second time this season.

See the Spartans drop from #2 nationally to a mere #3 seed in the tournament. Ouch. Though always hyped to the heavens, Izzo's Whizzos in East Lansing caught a break in their first two (likely) games, hello Sweet Sixteen, but are ripe to get knocked out (again) of the tournament by the Dukies when they get there. IF they get there.

And let's not forget those pesky investigations by both the feds and the NCAA are ongoing into the alleged hanky-panky some of the MSU players committed in the past. Depending how that turns out, Tom Izzo can deflect all he wants for now, but it just might be his head will be on the chopping block when the season is over. The former Prez and athletic director of MSU are already gone in shame for their lack of oversight. Just because a head coach of a sports teams made far more money than both of his superiors combined (and how stupid is that?), doesn't mean he's immune if and when the doo-doo hits the fan. We shall see.

Of course, then there's Michigan. Hail to the Victors. Hail to the conquering heroes. Hail, hail to Michigan..... a school that continues to name its teams after an animal (wolverine) whose only existence in the entire state is in zoos.

[Idle thought. Could this be from whence the term "cager" arose when it comes to basketball players?]

[Idle thought II. The Spartans of Michigan State have nothing to crow about either. Their namesakes were crushed THOUSANDS of years ago by the Romans. Or was that the Greeks? Who cares? They lost, big time, never to be heard of again, until MSU came up with the not so bright idea of naming its teams after a colossal loser.]

So how is it that Gonzaga wound up a #4 seed when their 30-4 record is better than any of the #2s or #3s, and second only to Virginia, even among the #1s? Weren't these same Zags in the Finals not long ago, losing by a just a whisker on a last second shot for the title? What does it take to get a little long overdue respect?

You know the world has gone plum loco when....

Who was that guy on ESPN in the pork-pie hat?

This is the same hat circus barkers used to wear. "Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, and buy your tickets so see the 800 pound bearded lady. And the three-eyed man hanging by his prehensile tail."

It's even reminiscent of Oliver Hardy in slapstick of old. "This is ANOTHER fine mess you've got me into Stanley".

But wait, that guy was none other than -- drum roll please -- Lebron James.

And you just know thousands of his adoring fans are going to run right out and buy hats just like it.

Only in America.

Sigh.....

Cleveland Browns. A force?

Many would scoff at the very notion, of course. After all, the Browns have been the laughingstock of the NFL since seemingly forever.

Just last year they went 0-16, to finally give the Detroit Lions company for the all-time worst season record. To boot, they're 1-31 over the last two years. As Charles Barkley would say -- turrible, just turrible.

Yet there may indeed be the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. No, they likely won't give the Pittsburgh Steelers much competition in the AFC Central Division, much less get anywhere sniffing a Super Bowl any time soon. But at long last, there is hope. Maybe.

With draft picks galore, the Browns just traded a couple of them to get wide receiver Jarvis Landry from the Miami Dolphins. He's had over 400 catches in the last four years and is only 25. He'll join forces with Josh Gordon (if he can stay out of trouble -- no given), and former first round picks Corey Coleman and David Njoku, a pretty good tight end.

Penn State running back Saquon Barkley is generally considered the best overall player available in this year's draft, and the Browns hold the #1 pick. If, as expected, they snatch Barkley, they've got an instant feature running back to boot.

Ah, but they don't have a quarterback, you say? True enough. But the Browns also hold the 4th overall pick this year.

In no particular order, five college QBs are expected to go early in the draft. None seem to be particularly better than the other four, a stand-out if you will. They are....

Josh Rosen. UCLA

Sam Darnold  USC

Baker Mayfield  Oklahoma

Lamar Jackson  Louisville

Josh Allen  Wyoming

Wait a second. Wyoming doesn't play against stiff competition, so how did Allen get in here?

Not so fast.

Just last year many said the same thing about Carson Wentz coming out of North Dakota State. As a rookie for the Philadelphia Eagles, he was tearing it up, an MVP candidate, until he got hurt. So the really good ones don't necessarily have to come from a "power" conference.

If the Browns don't trade away either of these high picks, regardless of the teams drafting at the #2 and #3 spots, they'll still have at least three good quarterback prospects to choose from.

While not great, their defense and offensive line are decent, especially if starting left tackle (protecting the QB's "blind" side) Joe Thomas decides not to retire.

On top of all that, the Browns have over $100 million in cap space, far more than any other team. That's enough to pluck a handful of pretty good free agents off the market to bolster them elsewhere.

Taken as a whole, the future would appear to be quite rosy for the long suffering Browns and their fans.

This is in spite of head coach Hue Jackson still being there. The same guy that presided over the disasters of the last two seasons. Why in the world is he still there?

There was even talk about firing his staff but keeping him on. Which is ridiculous, of course. Wasn't Jackson the guy that hired that staff in the first place? Hello?

Yet one need only remember one thing.

It's the Browns. Like their hapless 0-16 partners in the kingdom of all-time losing -- the Lions -- Murphy's Law will likely come into play.

If there's a way to screw it up -- they'll find it.

Or something like that.

Close enough.

Ballmer, Sterling, and the Clips

It seems like a long time ago when former LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling stood accused of various shenanigans. He'd presided over the sad sack franchise for decades. Perhaps, like some other owners over the years, in his not quite infinite (but almost) wealth, he considered the pro team little more than a rich man's toy.

But the age of the dreaded "political correctness" had been coming on like gang busters. The word police were out in force and meant business. Woe be it to those that ran afoul of their mandates.

It was bad enough dear Donald, while married, had much younger "arm candy" at his disposal (one V. Stiviano) at various public functions, including his own team's games. But when he came out with some allegedly disparaging words regarding a minority or two, he'd stepped in it -- big time.

That was the last straw and, dadgumit, it wasn't going to be tolerated. Enter NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, a minority himself. Center stage, with the nation watching, the Commish thundered that he was banning Donald Sterling FOR LIFE. And then the tug-of-war, with huge political overtones, began. How could you ban a guy from seeing his own team, much less force him to sell it?

Yet that's exactly how it played out due in large part to the other owners ganging up on Sterling. Something about NBA by-laws. He had to go.

Enter Steve Ballmer, who'd made mega-bucks in the computer industry. Though at the time, the team was projected to be worth around a billion, if that, Ballmer stunned the world by offering a whopping TWO billion to buy the franchise.

Needless to say, the offer was quickly approved by the Commish and the other owners, and just like that, the deal was done. Steve was the proud new owner of the Clips.

For years, seemingly forever, the Clippers had played second fiddle to the Lakers in LA.

But then they were getting pretty good, while the Lakers were spiraling downwards. Regardless, they could never get over the top (championship), and in fact never even made it to the Western Conference finals. The Golden State Warriors were in the process of becoming a mini-dynasty, the Spurs in San Antonio remained excellent, and Oklahoma City still had the likes of Kevin Durant and James Harden (since departed). So even though they were light years better than the Lakers, the glass ceiling remained out of the reach of the Clips. Twas not to be.

Then bam. They lost all-star point guard Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets, where he teamed up with the above mentioned Harden. A definite hit. Just this season, their other star Blake Griffin found himself traded to the Detroit Pistons.

Houston got immensely better quickly. The Pistons? Still pretty much terrible.

The Clips themselves, instead of being the second or third best team in the west as before, have understandably taken a nose dive, and find themselves hovering around the cut line just to MAKE the playoffs. Even if they sneak in, as a lower seed they'll likely quickly get blown out in the first round by a far superior team (Rockets, Dubs).

So in the end, Ballmer paid double the going price and now finds himself in the unenviable position of owning a team that isn't a whole lot better than the messes Donald Sterling had for so many years.

Meanwhile, whether he/they needed it or not, Sterling (and his heirs eventually) still have the two billion dollars and none of the headaches. You can buy a lot of stuff and do a whole lot of serious partying with two billion bucks, even after taxes.

Actually, there's some irony afoot here. While Silver and the politically correcters of the world celebrated a "win" by getting rid of that dastardly and embarrassing Donald (the other one, LOL), who indeed has the last laugh?

Huh. I wonder if Ms. V has oh-so quietly returned to Sterling's side?

Stranger things have happened, I think.

Only in America.

Phil Mickelson and the Commish

Old Lefty isn't done just yet. He still got game. Serious game. How else to explain him winning the World Golf Championship in Mexico this past week? For that matter, he's been right there in several tournaments this year. Top ten finishes galore.

It's kinda neat to see the old guy beating up on the kids for a change. True, 47 isn't exactly ancient, but Mickelson was out on the PGA tour before some of the young studs he competes with were even born.

But good things happen when you keep rolling in 10-20-30 foot putts and keep the bonehead shots to a minimum.

You gotta feel for Justin Thomas. Obviously, he made the cut, no surprise there, to be playing on the weekend. Then he goes out and shoots back-to-back rounds of 62 and 64, incredible stuff, but doesn't win? Wow.

On an unrelated note, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell turned in an eye-popping performance of his own. He ran the 40 yard sprint in a time of 5.41.

On the surface that time doesn't seem particularly noteworthy. Most, but not all, lumbering linemen behemoths could probably best that time. But consider this is a 59 year old man, and he ran it in a suit and street shoes, in an office. Factor that into the equation and it's impressive stuff indeed.

Yep, the old guys did themselves right proud this week.

UConn Lady Huskies. Amazing

It almost doesn't seem fair. In a conference tournament semi-final game Geno's Bambinos not only beat Cincinnati, they obliterated them.

Cinci only scored 5 points -- FIVE?? -- in the entire first half? Good grief, they were completely shut out in the second quarter. Skunked. When's the last time you heard of a basketball team going a whole quarter and not scoring a single point?

UConn would wind up winning the game by over 50 points. And it might have been 100 had they not sat all their starters shortly after halftime for the rest of the game. How embarrassing.

It has long become apparent that UConn, at least the lady's version, has outgrown the American Athletic Conference. There's really no decent competition for them. As long as the 5-star recruits keep rolling in every year, and there appears to be no end in sight -- winning begets more winning -- elite prep players want to go there -- it's going to stay that way.

Thing is, where else could they go? They'd be a geographical fit for the ACC, but schools there likely don't want them in their midst either. Big time universities aren't exactly jumping at the possible chance for tiny little UConn to start embarrassing THEIR schools every year.

True, there are a few others around the country that can at least give them a game. Notre Dame's always pretty good. Earlier this year, the Fighting Irish ladies had UConn right where they wanted them, several points down late in the game. And then they didn't have them, as the Huskies came roaring back.

Since the untimely illness and demise of Pat Summitt, Tennessee has fallen back a bit. South Carolina won it all last year after UConn was upset in the NCAA semis by Miss State. Baylor won it all a few years back, but only because they had a freakishly tall 6'8" player on their team. After she left, Da Bears have come back to earth. Stanford seems to always be in the mix.

Others come and go, but UConn remains the standard of ridiculous excellence.

Will they win it all this year? They'll certainly be heavily favored to do so, but they were last year too. Now at 31-0 and steamrolling right along, they'd have to have a bad game, or a couple serious injuries, while an opponent played its very best.

But ya never know.

One thing appears to be a lock. If head coach Geno Auriemma stays at it for another 8-10 years, he'll set the all-time winning record by ANY coach so far out of sight it will never be approached again.

Love em or hate em, you have to tip your hat to the program. It's likely the greatest dynasty the world of sports has ever seen.

Michigan basketball and NCAA thoughts

You have to hand it to the Wolverines. Two Big 10 conference titles in a row isn't too shabby.

They entered the tournament being ranked #15 in the country. Also not bad, but hardly elite status. But after thoroughly trashing cross-state rival Michigan State (#2 nationally) in the semi-finals -- again -- then easily handling #5 Purdue in the title game, no doubt their ranking will go up a few spots.

Before the tourney, UM was projected as maybe a #3 seed in the NCAA madness, which will commence in a week or so. They may very well have improved their lot. A #1 seed? Not a chance. But a #2 is definitely a possibility. As brackets go, this could make a big difference. After the usual first patsy game, a 3 will face much stiffer competition in the round of 32 then a 2 would.

Then again -- does it really matter? If you want to win it all -- and what school doesn't? -- they're gonna have to wade through some serious competition eventually.

[Idle thought. Why is it that in college ball, especially the hoops version, the Final Four is trumpeted to the heavens? The hockey version (Frozen Four) is much the same way. Where else in what other sport are so many accolades bestowed upon a team for merely making it to the semi-finals?]

On the other hand, both Michigan State and Purdue, previously ranked far above Michigan, may see their seed slip a notch when the almighty committee convenes to determine such things. Getting smoked in Madison Square Garden by a "lesser team" with the world watching isn't exactly conducive to improving one's lot.

Nevertheless, despite Michigan owning them this year -- so far -- few would count out Tom Izzo's Spartans of MSU when the Big Dance starts. True, despite all the hype, the Green won their only title a whopping 18 years ago, and have been bounced early in the tourney more often than making a deep run. Middle Tennessee State in the first round? Really? The Sparties always have talent and toughness galore, ask anybody, and Izzo is a Hall of Fame coach -- right? Fair enough. But what they've never seemed to possess is much in the brains department.

This is not to say John Beilein's Maize in Blue squad of cagers are going to qualify for the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions or take the Mensa world by storm any time soon either.

Play hard? Check. Well coached? Roger that. Sometimes bomb away from 3-point land with amazing success? Yep.

So why is it they can't seem to do the most basic of things? Like make free throws? Watching them shoot from the charity stripe brings back not-so-good memories of Shaq or Wilt. Let's just say it isn't a pretty sight. Brick city. And if they don't correct that glaring flaw, they'll find themselves bounced out of the tourney as well.

True enough the field is wide open this year. Lots of good teams, but no super favorite. Virginia, Nova, MSU, Arizona, the Dukies, Carolina, Kansas, even Xavier, among others. All excellent but nobody a definite cut above the rest.

So yours truly will go into this tournament like I have every other in recent years, pulling for my own favorite. Big 10, ACC, Pac 10, and the usual gang of wannabes will always be there. A collective yawn to them all.

Go Zags!!!!!

Michigan State hoops. A strange animal

Those pesky investigations into past possible hanky-panky with players and coaches aside (for now -- but it's far from over), Tom Izzo's Michigan State hoopsters are a confounding bunch. Are they as good as advertised? Vastly overrated? Somewhere in between? It's impossible to tell. Just when you think one way or the other, they'll do the exact opposite.

Check out their season, to date.

After opening against the usual patsy, the Dukies put a convincing loss around their necks at a neutral site. 88-81, while Coach K's bunch was without their best player.

Down slid the Spartans in the ratings.

Yet they roared right back with 14 wins in a row. Back up went the Green into the Top 5. After all, the Blue Devils are always pretty good, so maybe that was just an anomaly.

Oops. A road trip to unranked Ohio State saw the Sparties get hammered to the tune of 80-64. a definite eye-opener. A thrashing like that can hardly go unnoticed. Back down they went.

The very next game, at home against lowly Rutgers, Izzo's boys barely squeaked out a 76-72 victory. Hmmm.

That was followed up by cross state rival Michigan coming into MSU's arena and start to finish convincingly handling MSU on route to an 82-72 thumping. The Wolverines had bragging rights. Ouch.

Down slid the Spartans in the rankings again.

But wait. They would reel off another 13 game winning streak. Back up they went. This, while other top contenders such as Virginia, Villanova, Xavier?, the above mentioned Dukies, and perennial powers such as Kansas and North Carolina were losing a few games. And those ever-lovable Bulldogs from tiny Gonzaga remain in the hunt.

With all the carnage elsewhere, Michigan State found itself #2 in the country. This was not too surprising, given there's no "super" team out there this year. Everybody's beatable on most given days/nights.

And then came the Big 10 (actually 14, but who's counting?) tournament under the bright lights in Madison Square Garden. Of course MSU was the #1 conference seed going in.

Yet while the world was watching, the Sparties wobbled against Wisconsin and were fortunate to squeak out a narrow 63-60 victory.

Then the rematch with those dastardly Michigan Wolverines in the semi-finals. It was time for Izzo's boys to make a statement and avenge the earlier loss. After all, UM was only ranked #15 in the country, and could hardly be expected to topple the then #2 Green Machine again.

But that's exactly what happened.

And it was no fluke. A thorough 75-64 beat down speaks for itself. As unlikely as it may have seemed, the Blue can rightly say they've faced that equally dastardly Green bunch twice -- and throttled them both times. Double ouch in Spartie-land.

Prior to this game, MSU was a lock for a #1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tourney. Now all bets are off. Sure, they'll get in, but the #1 seed is definitely in doubt after laying such an egg on the national stage.

The thing the Spartans have in their favor is the lack of powerhouse teams elsewhere. Everybody's been beaten a few times.

As mentioned at the top of this article, whatever the results may be concerning the ongoing investigations, it's also highly unlikely the "authorities" will bring that particular pot to a boil while the big-time hoops tournament is going on. That would definitely be bad form, not to mention various media outlets and sponsors sputtering in outrage -- see digging into their cha-chings at the worst possible time.

In the end, could Michigan State wind up winning the whole sha-bang for a second time under Izzo -- 18 years later? Sure, definitely possible. They're as good as anybody else out there.

But they also seem ripe for the picking on any given day. Especially when the competition seriously toughens up, say, in the Sweet Sixteen and afterwards.

The best possible scenario, at least for fans in the state of Michigan? Somehow the brackets match up where Michigan and Michigan State, assuming they both stay clean for a few games, get to lock horns a third time, with much more at stake.

How great of a Final Four game would THAT be?

Izzo, Dantonio, Miller, and utter arrogance

Anybody that's paid attention to the news lately knows that several college athletic programs (and their coaches) have been busted recently. The ever unctuous Rick Pitino of Louisville, as slippery as he could be, now finds himself fired. And by most accounts, justifiably so.

Michigan State found itself in big trouble in the wake of Larry Nassar's conviction and sentencing for serial sexual abuses.

[Idle thought. The dude's been sentenced three times in different courts. Add up all the years he has to spend in prison, and it's over 200. Dang. Will they still have to offer his skeleton three meals a day and an occasional shower? Seems like overkill, no pun intended.]

But MSU head basketball coach Tom Izzo is standing fast, saying now that the conference tournament, then the big NCAA party is coming up, he'll only answer basketball questions. That sounds great, but probably not very realistic. Though the various investigations into the possible wrongdoing of some of his players has gone quiet -- for now -- it's hardly over. It might well be considered the calm before the you-know-what hits the fan.

Between the NCAA probers and the "law enforcement" sleuths, few would doubt Izzo, a few the players under his watch, and the whole program are being thoroughly examined as this is written.

Where that will go is anybody's guess. But if and when it comes time for Izzo to be hauled out upon the carpet and answer some very tough and pointed questions, it's not like he's going to have a choice in the matter.

The same can be said for head football coach Mark Dantonio. Some of his players have been implicated in various hanky-panky, and that's not likely to go away either. Somebody somewhere continues digging and digging some more to find out the whole truth.

MD has stated on the record, repeatedly, that he always reported any alleged wrong doing up through the proper chain of command. But various reports have contradicted that claim. If he (and/or Izzo) indeed tried to keep it "in house" and mete out their own form of "discipline" instead of abiding by the rules -- it's only a matter of time before it all comes home to roost and they find themselves in deep doo-doo.

Let's not forget the president of Michigan State abruptly resigned in the face of this mess. And the athletic director took a convenient "retirement". Enter a former Governor of the state of Michigan -- one John Engler -- to assume command.

[This is the same guy that, once upon a time, was campaigning in the parking lot of my workplace, shaking hands, talking immediate improvement, and promising to only serve one 4 year term to get it done. Because of him and his forked-tongue ways. twelve years later, when he was still in office, the state finally got around to passing term limits on Governors. Two terms max, then out you go. Dude looked me right in the eye while shaking my hand and flat out lied. Big time. And they expect THIS guy to deal honestly? REALLY? He's found another taxpayer cha-ching bed of roses to drop into.]

Meanwhile, out in Arizona, one Sean Miller, head coach of their hoops team, is coming under some scrutiny as well. It appears the feds picked him up on a wire tap mentioning paying a recruit/player $100,000 to sign up with the program. Needless to say, you can't do that. At least not legally, let alone within the bounds of NCAA rules. One of his assistant coaches has already been busted on a few counts and finds himself jammed up every which way with the authorities.

But by thunder, dear Sean, like Tom, and Mark, vow to keep on coaching their teams. Like an ex-President of the USA was fond of saying -- "stay the course". Of course that was the same guy that kept ranting about a "thousand points of light". Nobody ever did figure out what the hell he was talking about, and he probably didn't know either. But it made for good sound bytes at the time -- among the feeble minded and gullible.

Thing is, these messes are going to come to a head someday. And when that happens, maybe any or all of these three coaches -- and the programs and players they were responsible for -- will be exonerated.

But after the entire paper trail is pored through, witness testimony subpoenaed and given (and who knows about even MORE wire-taps and snooping that could have been in play throughout and will emerge?), it might also just be that these three heroic "rocks" are turned into sniveling apologists merely trying to survive the guilt that has been thrust upon them and made public.

The moral of the story? Far be it from any objective and open-minded person to pre-assume anything until all the facts are in. But if any of them know they were anything less than, say, doing their duties and forthcoming about the same -- now is the time to own it. If it's not too late already.

Because if they ride this out and come up on the losing end, not only will they lose their jobs, but they can kiss whatever decent legacies they had built up before good-bye as well.

We shall see.....