Living The Dream.....for a little while longer

As Magic fans continue to bask in the afterglow of the stunning (to everyone except Magic fans such as myself who knew the boys in blue had flexed their muscle against Cleveland over the past 3 years) over the Cavaliers, the usual noise from bitter Celtic and Cavs fans about the bandwagon fans infiltrating Amway Arena can be heard. While I will have none of that, here's a list of things for the Magic fans who deserve an NBA title:

- If you had a life-size Shaq cut-out as a kid or bought the size 22 Shaq shoes even if you were better off wearing flippers.

- If you started wearing goggles all the time because you thought Horace Grant was awesome.

-While Kenny Smith is an integral part of the best NBA studio show, his shot against the Magic in the 1995 Finals still makes you crings (same goes for Robert Horry). Thank you TNT for having him re-create that Tuesday night.

- You remember exactly where you were when you heard Shaq skipped town....and a little part of you died that day.

- While they probably wouldn't start for most teams, Darrell Armstrong and Bo Outlaw are legends.

- Lil' Penny is the puppet Kobe and LeBron wishes they could be.

- Deep down, you still hold a little bit of resentment towards the Milwaukee Bucks for beating the Heart and Hustle team of 2000 on the final day of the season to knock them out of the playoffs.

-You know that the Magic would've beaten the Lakers in the finals once in this decade with a core of T-Mac, Grant Hill and Tim Duncan. *sigh*

- David Vaughn, Brian Evans, Johnny Taylor, Courtney Alexander, Steven Hunter, Jeryl Sasser, Curtis Borchardt, Reece Gaines are not just NBDL legends....they're first round draft picks since 1996.

- Fran Vazquez...'nuff said.

- From 2001-2003, you always got to the set for the 4th quarter to see what T-Mac was gonna do next.

- You also know that Magic management surronded him with Pat Burke, Jeryl Sasser, Olumide Oyedeji, Andrew DeClerq, Ryan Humphrey, Patrick Ewing and Shawn Kemp's bloated carcasses, Chris Whitney and Don Reid.....yet it's his fault he's never been out of the 1st round. Well, at least those three years were excusable.

- You know the rules....no touching the railings at the O-Rena.

- You caught a stub from that mini-blimp thing.

- You've been this close to catching a t-shirt at least 3 times.

- When Paul Porter says staaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnd and cheer.....you shout "YOUR ORLANDOOOOOOOOOOO MAGICCCCCCCCCCCCCC!!!!!!!!" right back at him.

- You kept watching even with John Weisbrod and Steve Francis prominently involved

- You KNEW Jameer Nelson would be a star.

- You remember that Darko Milicic wasn't half bad.

- You were thrilled when Billy Donovan took the money and ran back to mediocrity and bandwagon jumpers in Jortville.

-Most of all, you'll shed a tear when the O-Rena closes next season. Hopefully with a 2009 NBA Champions banner flying from the rafters.

This run is for those of us who know these all too well.

Preview later in the week.

Back when referees carried out the boss's orders

7 years ago today.....please no re-runs for the next 2 weeks. Genius platoon reference for Part 6 by the way

Another Best Of....

By now, you've heard everybody wax poetic about the epic 7- game series between the Bulls and Celtics and where it stands amongst the all-time list of playoff series. Without all the usual palaver, here are, in my opinion, the 10 best playoff series of the last 25 years:

10. 2005 West Semis: Phoenix over Dallas in 6

This was the year of the coming out party for The :07 Seconds or Less Era and never was it more apparent than in this series. Under then interim coach Avery Johnson, the elements of NellieBall were still in effect, as neither team scored less than 102 points in any of the 6 games.

Also in full effect was Steve Nash's F You to the Mavs for letting him walk the previous summer. He had 3 30+ point games in the series including a 48-pointer in Game 4 and 39 in the Game 6 OT clincher including a 3-pointer to force OT in the final seconds of regulation.


Unfortunate side of this series was Joe Johnson's eye injury early in the series which kept him out of the West Finals against the Spurs which the Suns would lose in 5. The 05-08 Suns rank atop the list of "What If?" teams.

9. 1989 East 1st Round: Chicago over Cleveland in 5

Each game decided by single digits, the final two decided by a combined 4 points and of course this.....



8. 2002 East Finals: New Jersey over Boston in 6

Sort of forgotten in the shuffle of the blockbuster that was the West finals, this one had some mothers too.

There was of course the Celtics' memorable 24-point 2nd half comeback in game for a 94-90 victory which, until last year, was Paul Pierce's defining moment in Boston. Two days later on Memorial Day (the day after the Lakers did nearly the same), the Celtics came back from 14 down in the 4th to tie the game, but Lucious Harris hit two free throws in the waning moments and neither Pierce nor Tony Battie could convert to tie.

The Nets would take Games 5 and 6, the latter including a mini 4th quarter rally of their own to put the bow on one of the most improbable turnarounds in NBA history.

7. 1990 West Semifinals: Portland over San Antonio in 7

As you'll see later, having a Game 7 go to overtime certainly helps your case.

The heroics of Clyde Drexler and a thin Rod Strickland doing his best Damon Jones impression for the spurs seals the win for Portland, who would advance to their first of 2 NBA Finals appearences in 3 seasons.

6. 1987 East Finals: Boston over Detroit in 7

A Game 7 decided by 3 points and of course......

"Annnnnnnd......Now there's a steal by Bird! Underneath to DJ who lays it in!!...Right at one second left!! What a play by Bird! Bird stole the inbounding pass, laid it up to DJ, and DJ laid it up and in, and Boston has a one-point lead with one second left! OH, MY, THIS PLACE IS GOING CRAZY!!!"

5. 1993 East Finals: Chicago over New York in 6

While the Knicks would get over an MJ-less Chicago bunch the next season, this was the peak of the rivalry.

The two had faced off in a 7-game semifinal the year before and the Knicks revamped the roster during the offseason solely to top the budding dynasty. They would take the first 2 games at home, including John Starks' poster of Air Jordan and Horace Grant. The Bulls returned the favor at Chicago Stadium including Jordan going off for 54 on Memorial Day in Game 4. While the series progressed, the allegations of Jordan's gambling habits made their way into the media.

Game 5 was a back and forth epic that culminated in the Bulls swatting Charles Smith several times under the basket in the final moments as the Bulls snapped the Knicks' 27-game winning streak at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks were still mathematically alive in Game 6, but for all intents and purposes, after the Bulls stunned the New York crowd 2 nights earlier, it was over.

4. 2000 West Finals: Lakers over Portland in 7

Not only a great series, but altered the fortunes of two franchises in dramatic fashion.

The Lakers took a 3-1 lead in the series, only to have the Blazers led by the veteran leadership of Scottie Pippen and the fire of Rasheed Wallace, storm back to tie the series and led 75-60 in the 4th quarter of Game 7 with just under 10 minutes to play. What happened next, changed two teams forever.

Portland went 1 for its next 18 as the Lakers outscored the Blazers 29-9 to finish.

Consider this: If Portland makes even two shots during that fatal stretch, maybe the Shaq/Kobe dynasty never happens. Instead, even Met fans consider that fourth quarter by the Blazers to be one of the purest chokes in sports history. Though I suppose Steve Smith being Shaqtastically hip-checked on the way to the hoop late and not having Dick Bavetta call it didn't help matters either.

With the exception of the '05 rebuilding and first-round losses to Phoenix in 06 (an epic series in its own regard) and '07, the Lakers have been a title contender every year of the decade. Portland has only just begun to recover.

3. 2009 East 1st Round: Boston over Chicago in 7

This series had it all: The coming out party of Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo going toe to toe with the rookie and just about anybody else wearing red, Ben Gordon and Ray Allen having their own version of Home Run derby, Joakim Noah finally earning his keep in the NBA (and thankfully losing), two teams matching shot for shot and making one big play after another, two racous crowds that didn't need gimmicks to get wild, the Celtics valiantly defending their crown with pride minus their best player AND an unexpected Game 7 hero.

Side note To Kevin Garnett: we get it, you're intense and you can drop more 4-letter bombs than the average VH1 reality show, it's looking less and less like you care that much and more and more like you have an act to uphold. And did we see you mimicking running through the phone book the other night? Quit while you're ahead.

2. 2002 West Finals: Lakers over Sacramento in 7

Games 4 through 7 all decided by 6 points or less. Game 4 decided on Robert Horry's buzzer-beater to cap a 24-point rally over the course of 2 halves. Mike Bibby made the game-winning shot with 8 seconds remaining in Game 5. That Game in a moment. The finale featured four of the best words in sports: Game Seven in overtime. Ultimately, the Lakers would flex their championship muscle and pull away in OT on the road but......

The only reason this series isn't #1 is because of Game 6. Without the alleged fix, that epic Game 7 may have never happened. If you don't believe me, check out Parts 5, (especially) 6 and 7 of The Greatest Tragedy In Sports on youtube.

1. 2006 West Semifinals; Dallas over San Antonio in 7

Game 7 going to overtime was just the icing on the cake for this series.

Game 1 was decided on a missed final shot by Dallas, the Mavs won Game 3 by 1, Game 4 in OT. Game 5 went to the Spurs by 1 and featured a scrum in which Jason Terry gave Michael Finley the business, which cost him the Game 6 defeat to the San Antone 91-86.

The deciding game saw Dallas race out to a 20-point lead, only to have the Spurs take a 104-101 lead on a Manu Ginobili lead for the first lead of the night with 32 seconds and the prospect of a double choke (a 3-1 lead and the Game 7 lead) adding to the notion that Cuban's Employees couldn't close seemed to ring truer than ever. Dirk then went hard to the hole and converted a 3-point play after Manu commited a puzzling foul( just think how close the Spurs were to a 5-peat if not for 2 freak plays). The OT was all Dallas and for for a few weeks, put the postseason demons to rest.

Honorable Mention: Phoenix-LA 2006, Indiana-New Jersey 2002, Toronto-Philadelphia 2001, New York-Miami 2000, New York-Miami 1999, Utah-Houston 1997, Indiana-New York 1994, Seattle-Phoenix 1993, Boston-Atlanta 1988 and New York-Detroit 1984.

Master of His Domain

After the Magic blew a 14-point 4th quarter lead in Game 1 and nearly did the same in a close Game 2 victory, much has been made of Stan Van Gundy's composure under pressure, considering Shaq criticized Van Gundy as a "Master of Panic" and "when it gets time for his team to go into the postseason and do certain things, he will let them down because of his panic."

While "Master of Panic" is the best nickname since Don King accused Jose Canseco of being a "practitioner of rat thinkism", you have to wonder if it is entirely justified.

Here's how Van Gundy's post-season track record goes:

2004- Led by an up and coming star named Dwyane Wade and the occasionally interested Lamar Odom, the Heat win a 7-game first round series against the Hornets that made you go (yawn). The Heat ultimately fall in the East semis in 6 games to an Indiana team that had the NBA's best record and went on to lose to the eventual champion Pistons.

2005- Led by a motivated Shaq, the Heat grab home-court advantage in the playoffs and lead the Eastern Conference Finals 3-2 when Wade suffers a ribcage injury that keeps him out of Game 6 and hinders his performance in Game 7. Also worth noting that the Heat were leading Game 7 with just over 2 minutes to play when Damon Jones reared his ugly head.

November 2005- Van Gundy is fired to spend more time with his family *cough cough* Pat Riley got the itch to coach again.

2008- Magic cruise past Toronto in the first round in 5. Lose a highly-contested 5-game set to Detroit in the East Semis.

Since he was hired in the summer of 2007 after Eddie Munster Donovan robbed Otis Smith at gunpoint, the Magic have won 52 and 59 games respectively. Before the season-ending injury to Jameer Nelson, the Magic were a very real threat to win the 1st title in franchise history and may very well still.

Since arriving in Orlando, SVG has made the Magic a much more offensive-oriented team, using the perimeter skills of Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu and (credit to Otis I must say) Courtney Lee. Gone are the 81-80 staples of the rigid Brian Hill Part II Era.

In the series against the Pistons, the Magic lost 3 games in the final minutes. Game 2 was lost partly due to a clock malfunction that would change momentum, Game 4 thanks to multiple brain-lapses by Keyon Dooling (also an assailant in Miami's Game 7 collapse) and Game 5 due to several shots by Hedo falling short. While you could argue that Stan may not have been as calm as Flip Saunders (who I argue was just plain dense), I think this particular Magic group needed to go through that experience to become the contender they are now.

As the season has gone on, the rap on SVG has been that he cannot find anything positive to say about his team, surprisingly Dwight Howard in particular. Now far be it be for me to confirm because I'm not in the timeout huddles, but when Marcin Gortat says things like "His gestures make us nervous out there,", that doesn't really help to dispel the notion now, does it? When it appears that you're a bigger complainer than yours truly, that's not good. The concern being that if he continues to grate, berate and be just irate, this team will eventually tune out whatever good he may have. This isn't exactly true beacuse Superman has it down pat....



I still contend that he was the best fit for this team. Given the weapons available, Stan has gotten the most out of this group. I fully believe that under Eddie Munster Donovan, this is at best a 43-39 team.

Don't get me wrong, Sunday night wasn't exactly Stan's finest hour, but I can't put the onus squarely on him. Firing three after three and giving the Sixers quick outlet opportunities to trim the lead didn't help matters. Not being able to secure A REBOUND on the defensive end did this them in.

With the weakened Celtics looming and the dominance the Magic have shown in recent years over Cleveland, the NBA Finals are well within reach. If they fall short, it'll be because of those things amongst others (Memphis Tigers-like FT%, anyone?) not because their coach had a cross between bitter beer face and John Mayer when he sings.

They say as a coach you should never let them see you sweat a la Phil Jackson, but to each coach his own personality. Might I remind you, this is the Van Gundy family we're talking about here. Jeff wasn't exactly Willie Randolph on the bench.

Now to say I like Stan Van, warts and all isn't fair, because that seems like an indictment on him, but it certainly wouldn't hurt him to have a Paxil and smile before Game 3.

2009 New York Mets Season Preview: It Can't Happen Again, Right? Right?

You couldn't blame Mets fans for being as cynical about the 2009 season as the American public is about the current economy. But after a winter of second-guessing, what ifs, self-loathing, trades and signings, we're ready to go.

The main issue addressed in the off-season was the downfall of the last 2 Septembers. As big as the signings of K-Rod and J.J. Putz were, the execution of Scott Schoeneweis, Aaron Heilman, Joe Smith, Duaner Sanchez and Luis Ayala were just as huge.

Now I could rehash their greatest hits and how they almost drove me to raging alcoholism, but it's a new year.

The big knock on K-Rod is that his arm is due to go Dave Dravecky after 62 saves in 76 appearences last season. I would point out however that he did not have a single 4+ out save last season. Also, it's worth noting that giving K-Rod 3 years/$37 mil at 27 is vastly different than giving Billy Wagner 4 years/$ 43 mil at 34. The fact that Omar was able to shave 2 years and $38 mil off the initial figures Rodriguez was looking at last July is quite impressive. It also makes the Putz trade even more brilliant in hindsight as they have an all-star caliber closer as a set-up man and ace in the hole should Frankie's arm fail him.

It's a little unnerving that the Mets are going into battle this season attempting to take down the lefty-heavy Phillies with just one lefty reliever, who I might add has exactly ONE pitch, but yet I do not fear. The lone bright spot in the tire fire that was the bullpen was Brian Stokes. While the term "crossover reliever" is very LaRussa-esque and makes me cringe, Stokes fits the term to a T as he was effecttive against hitters on both sides of the plate. If 2008 was more of a trend than an accident, not only does that give Jerry a reliable option against lefties (let's face it, Feliciano has been a crap shoot for a year and a half now), it also gives him their 7th inning option.

The rotation is obviously set at the top by The Left Arm Of God and potential in the spots behind him.

Mike Pelfrey showed promise in the 2nd half and become the most sure thing behind Johan and Delgado, but had a shaky spring and the big concern is how he will hold up after pitching 200 innings for the first time in his career, my gut feeling says he'll be fine. When it clicks, it clicks and Pelfrey seemed to develop a confidence last year that we hadn't seen before, the belief that he belonged as a major league starter. When you have the confidence to match the stuff, you're ready to go.

The main reason I believe the Mets signed Oliver Perez this offseason was the sole belief that better for him be on their side if/when he gets it than with somebody else. I'd say he's due to break through this year, but I said that last year too, so search me.

John Maine could be the usual solid #3 if he's healthy. It's a must that he develops his curveball in order for him to get his pitch count down, which is the only thing that has inhibited him as a starter.

Only real changes to the lineup are Luis Castillo tentaively hitting 8th and Daniel Murphy winning the starting job in left. I'm a big fan of what Murph did down the stretch last season. He won't go for a lot of power, but in this lineup, he doesn't have to. His role is to be on base to set up Wright/Delgado/Beltran, not to mention with the quality pitch selection and ability to go opposite field is a huge plus as a #2 hitter with Reyes on base.

I don't expect Carlos Delgado to unleash the '03 version of himself as he did for the final 2 and a half months last season, but a .272/27/96 shouldn't be too much of a reach.

This is David Wright's year to become the leader that we've been waiting for him to be, both on the field and in the clubhouse. True, he may have caught a little too much heat for the strikeout against the Cubs on the final Wednesday (myself included), but more than ever this team needs that Jeter-like influence and Wright has that ability, it's time for him to flex that muscle.

Of course, there is the dirty little secret that should all else fail, the small-market teams will be shedding salary like it's going out of style at the trade deadline. Damn, I feel like a Yankee fan just talking like that. Economic disaster.....catch the excitement!

The New York media has already started the rumblings of Jerry Manuel being fired if the Mets do not make the playoffs again, which to me is propestorous. If the bullpen doesn't trip over itself last year, we'd be talking about one of the greatest turnaround jobs in baseball history. Jerry was able to bring some sense of stability to a team that had been missing it for a long time. With a structured bullpen seemingly in palce (key word: seemingly), Manuel doesn't have to spend the entire game wondering how he eventually has to juggle the pen. Given the circumstances, I think Jerry handled himself quite well, which makes me all the more confident in what he'll do this season.

Prediction: uhhhhhhhhhhhh, you really don't expect me to do that?

NCAA Tournament Running Diary Day 2

8:05- Anyone else find it strange that #5 seed Florida State has to go to Boise for the 1st (and possibly 2nd) round? Perhaps it's the NCAA's way of punishing FSU for appealing the academic sanctions.

8:03- Guys like Tyrese Rice may seem like a dime a dozen, but its his ability to score in a hurry that will make him a pro.

8:00- Morehead State and ETSU continue to reinforce the belief that eventually a 16 will beat 1. Hey, there were people who never thought a mid-major would make the Final 4, right?

7:54- The only interesting thing about this BC-USC game is the eternally pissed off look Tim Floyd has.

7:37- Credit to Arziona, they've played with redass to start this one and it's the Utes who look like the last team in.

7:27- Not to sound like a contrarian, but is there a team with more pressure than Arizona to prove its merit? You don't wanna end up looking like Seton Hall did in 2006.

5:23- Good 2nd set, aside from Pitt's near chokejob, not quite as exciting as the 12:00 set. Back in an hour and a half.

5:09- There's the dagger. But don't worry Pitt fans or those with them going deep in the bracket, it's not like the last #1 seed from the Big East that struggled mightily in Round One lost unexpectedly later on.

5:08- For a team that prides itself on being physical and intimidating, Pitt sure looks timid for a 1 seed right now.

5:04- Do you think Truck Bryant ever walks into a club and says "Who wants to get trucked?" or "baby, you just got trucked!" or anything of the like.

5:01- The issue with Dayton has been that instead of being the aggressors (which they've been most of the way), they've now developed a bend don't break mentality.

4:58- Pizza run on the first Friday of the NCAA Tournament. What's better than that? Well, nothing printable.

4:21- Pitt still looking lacksadisical into the 2nd half.

4:19- Alex Ruoff picks up a huuuuuuuuuuuuuge 4th foul less than 2 minutes into the 2nd half. This could be the swing stretch for Dayton.

4:17- A questionable foul call against Christmas allows Ian Eagle to gleefully give us a "Christmas gift" blast. What? You expected Temple to play in the tourney and NOT have that happen?

4:13- Dionte Christmas doing what he's done all season. I'm pretty sure if he was in the ACC, he'd be a player of the year candidate, he's in the A-10 so America's just learning about him now.

4:00- In related news, Carrie Underwood can still get it.

3:58- OMIGODIT'STAYLOR!

3:55- Cornell's deliberate style should play right into the hands of the new 40 minutes of hell from Missouri and yet there they are down 4 at half.

3:53- The one thing that makes you think with Pitt is they haven't established themselves yet, they almost seem content to play ETSU's game. First 7-10 minutes of the 2nd half could be telling

3:48- A first for everything in the ETSU-Pitt game: Sam Young bumps into an ETSU guard who then bumps into his teammate who was going for the layup. The first billiards foul in history. ETSU only down 1 with 80 seconds left in the 1st half.

3:43- Bob Huggins was a 2-time academic all-american? That would be like A.C. Green having 6 kids.....with his wife.

3:40- If the Jordan brand ever wants to those fan victim ads for baseball.....they know who to call.

3:25- Dayton's D taking West Virginia out of its game and dictating the tempo. ASU daring Temple to take away the perimeter and the Owls have yet to do so. Still trying to get a feel for the other two mid-afternoon games.

3:11- Fun fact: Dayton did training with the school's ROTC before the season to build strength and unity. Gotta like that in a team, certainly re-affirms my belief in them in a way.

Miami football allegedly did the same thing a few years back. In fact, the Bucs new tight end really got into it.

3:06- You think Sergio Olmos ever gets any pockmark jokes? No one? It's just me?

2:58- I can name the one non-AIG employee who's making money right now: Rockwell.....he's gotta be the happiest guy alive, right?

2:48- Underrated player: Arizona State's Rihards Kuksiks. I've watched this kid since he played at my high school's archrival a few years ago. Great perimeter threat who isn't afraid to slash. Be sure to watch him after James Harden leaves.

2:40- Didn't have a chance to get to this earlier at the end of Kansas-NDSU, but there isn't more a poignant yet sad camera shot than the bench/fans of a mid-major in the last minute when the game has just become out of reach.

2:39- Is it a bad sign to be shocked that someone MAKES a big free throw at the end of a game now?

2:38- Good observation by Bob Wenzel, if Utah State's big goes straight up with that 3, tie game.

2:35- Toss-up: Whose end of game execution was worse? Clemson last night or Tennessee just now? Give me 7 seconds to screw this up.

2:30- We've got a tie game with Bill and Verne locked and loaded. This is as good as it gets right here.

2:26- Kansas by 6, OKST-UT tied, Utah State by 1, all under 3 to play. Here's what we've been waiting for.

2:24- Classic Gus as Cole Aldrich may have just put North Dakota State to sleep.

2:16- Another beauty of March Madness: Picking Kansas and yet hoping North Dakota State shocks the world.

2:14- Buzzer-beater potential in Dayton, unfortunately, it's crunch time for NDSU. They need to reel off 6 or 7 unanswered here to have any shot.

2:09- Thank you for attending, Stephen F. Austin, see you in 9 years.

2:03- Lundquist and Raftery hit on this before, but the committee got this one right with OK State and the Vols. Two evenly-matched teams and you get the sense that this game is going to come down to a crucial mistake in the final minute.

2:01- Anybody else get the feeling that should Obama win the White House pool, he'll have to give all the cash to AIG? Thank you, I'll be here all week.

1:57- Hell, I'll hit the Coke Zero guys for free without a taste test.

1:55- Gus Johnson starting to come alive. Ben Woodside as co-pilot.

1:54- Sherron Collins is going to be an outstanding 6th man someday and I mean that with the utmost respect. Love what he does on the floor.

1:51- Mellencamp? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! NOT MELLENCAMP!

1:49- Marquette and Utah State were slated to play this afternoon, but a JV game took place instead. Good lord.

1:40- Kansas starting to flex its msucle. Cole Aldrich has become much more impressive as the year has gone on. Definitely needs at least one more year of experience however.

The issue for NDSU has been absolutely no support for Ben Woodside. Even Davidson had Richards for the occasional 3-ball last year.

1:38- Tennessee's fatal flaw is starting to rear its head as they're becoming too impatient on the offensive end. 7 seconds or less works in the pros, not in the tourney. Well, not since 1990 anyway.

1:32- Here's a drinking game of sorts for you: Every time you see a commercial for the Country Music Awards, imitate your best 13 year old girl voice and shout "omigod it's taylor!".....just in case you needed to be remind of how insufferable she is.

1:30- Another favorite of mine: The sonic ad with the guy using the clipboard as a distraction.

1:15- Kansas ends the half on a 15-7 run, but NDSU has been able to withstand every Jayhawk charge so far.

1:04- Not a big fan of the drinkability campaign, but the ad where they throw the guy out the window for suggesting cutting Bud Light from the budget is money.

1:02- What do you call 12 guys watching the tournament? Florida.

12:56- Call me cynical, but why do I get the feeling a kid whose last name is Morningstar is probably soft?

12:52- There's something endearing about the intramural-style speed and recklessness of this game.

12:42- In essence a home game for NDSU, the factors I mentioned before AND Gus Johnson is on the call? Smells like an upset to me.

12:37- Boat race developing for Syracuse. OSU's Terrel Harris picks up his 2nd foul, Cowboys go 2-3 zone, let's see if the pace considerably slows.

12:32- Gotta love the end to end track meet developing in this one. Though OSU's Eaton just picked up his 2nd foul so that may put a stop to that.

12:29- In the first 3 minutes of the the OK State-Tennessee game, we've got a "MANTAMAN!" and "a little lingerie on the deck!" from Bill Raftery. March....it's a beautiful thing.

12:23- Props to Cheddar Bob from 8 Mile for overcoming his injuries and mental deficincies to become the senior leader for Syracuse. Not to mention, when did Geraldo become the coach of Stephen F. Austin?

12:10- TV feed starts with Syracuse-Stephen F. Austin, then over to Okie State- Tennessee. Best early game looks like Utah State-Marquette. Upset potential also with North Dakota State against Kansas. Bison have one of the best scorers in the country in Ben Woodside and the defending champs have lost a few games down the stretch that they have no business losing.

12:00 P.M.- Should be a full set today, ended up meeting a friend of mine last night to watch the 2nd set of the night games. Didn't miss too much other than WKU's near meltdown and UCLA beating a group of kids from Florida 2 years too late (look it up). Thank you Ben Howland for nothing.

2009 NCAA Tourmanent Running Diary Day 1

3:20- Off to my baseball gig, should be back in time for the 7 o'clock games. Late.

3:10- Did you know that Brad Greenburg's (Radford's head coach) brother is the head coach at Virginia Tech? Not only that, did you know Tyler Hansbrough plays really hard? They really should mention these things.

3:02- You gotta like the opportunistic defense of Purdue. They could be a problem for any of the 3 teams lurking ahead (I'm assuming UConn wins).

2:51- Quote from Dan Bonner in the early going of the Purdue-Northern Iowa game, "Northern Iowa has almost as many turnovers as they do field goal attempts. That's not a good way to start a game, especially the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament." In related news, Dan also believes the AIG fiasco is not a good start for President Obama's economic turnaround.

2:34- Memphis pulls away, Texas A&M cruises and LSU hangs on thanks to Marcus Thornton. Though I doubt winning a 1st round game is cause to celebrate, let's ask former Tiger Glen Davis...



Maybe I'm Wrong.

2:24- Another old song reference by Tim Brando. Tim, Chris Berman is on line 1.

2:20- Northridge cuts back it to 4 after Memphis goes on a 9-0 blitz. 3:48 to play, but with CSN's perimeter shooting today, this one is far from over.

2:09- Butler/LSU turning into a duel as well. Too bad BYU forgot they were playing at noon.

2:07- Northridge up 6 with 10 minutes to go. Might my retarded King Midas of Sports roll be continuing?

2:01- Northridge feeling it from 3. Where would Memphis be without Roburt Salie? Timeout called with the game tied at 55 and Tim Brando goes with a Sammy Hagar reference. If only Jim Nantz could see him now.

1:57- Northridge beginning to impose its will on Memphis. *gulp*

1:56- My apologies to the Double Stuff Racing League, the Windows Rookies ad takes the lead as worst of the year.

1:53- Northridge takes the lead with 13 minutes to play. Can somebody check and see if T.J. Sorentine is on the Matador staff? This is bad.

1:44- Butler takes its first lead with less than 15 minutes to play behind the excellent play of Shelvin Mack. Memphis up 4, but the KC crowd in favor of Northridge, the upset wheels be movin.

1:41- Antonio Anderson gets a layup for his "first deuce of the afternoon" according to Tim Brando. So much potential here, but I'm gonna walk away to do the same.

1:40- John Lennon's music could solve a murder in a Cold Case episode? Gee, I liked it better when it was called Helter Skelter. So long as they put up a "loosely based on a true story" disclaimer.

1:34- Shelvin Mack carrying Butler as they close the gap to 3. A lot of stupid mistakes by LSU allowing Butler to hang around as they may have found their shooting groove.

1:19- Memphis leading by 3 at half, but they do have that look on their face of "Uhhhhh, shouldn't we be up 25 right now? These guys are supposed to be happy to be here, what's going on?"

1:12- Butler gets a 3 at the buzzer to close it to 6 at half, BYU is continuing Seton Hall-like tank job and Northridge is well within range of Memphis, making those like me who picked the Tigers just a smidge nervous. No, the Vermont-Syracuse flashbacks haven;t started yet.

12:58- Butler claws their way back by slowing it down and getting a couple 3's to fall. BYU found out they've already printed the 2009 NCAA Tournament appearence banner for their gym and have checked out against Texas A&M.

12:54- Despite the word that the Big West was average this year, CS-Northridge is staying with Memphis thanks to two early fouls on Tyreke Evans and Robert Dozier. One 15 or 16 seems to make a game of it every year, we might have it here.

12:52- Matt Howard looks like the annoying kid in school that tried to be friends with everyone and yet nobody liked him.

12:42- None of us agreed to another year of Coke Zero ads. Eeeeesh.

12:34- Uncomfortable moment: Middle-age Clark Kellogg just unleashed a "do work" blast. I'm still squirming.

12:31- Butler looks completely disinterested in playing any sort of defense. SEC speed reigns supreme once again so far.

12:23- LSU in front 9-0 less than 4 minutes in. But at least Butler doesn't look like they've never seen this kind of speed before.

12:21 - Nothing against Clark Kellogg (who's a decent studio guy), but I'd much rather prefer the Lundquist/Raftery tandem being the lead duo.

12:11 - Local game for the time being (March Madness On Demand on standby) is Butler-LSU, two teams that I think got the shaft seeding wise (LSU should be a 7 and Butler is miles better than a 9). Interested to watch LSU's Marcus Thornton.

12:00 P.M.- Orlando news on here now. Apparently today is Casey Anthony's birthday behind bars which leads to the inevitable "Mike, we can asusme there will be no cake or candles?" Somewhere, Nancy Grace is tapdancing.