Talk about statements...

With the first set of games in the books tonight both teams, North Carolina and Kansas, not only won, but won with authority.  I didn't watch much of the Kansas game so I can't comment much on the game, but I can comment on the days leading up to it.  Bill Self did his best to be politically correct when asked about playing double digit seeds.  From the looks of the highlights and the score Richmond played like a double digit seeded team.  But like he said you can't prepare for them that way.  This Richmond team is a very dangerous team, and has a reputation as a giant killer.  If overlooked could make for a long night for Kansas.  Well, Richmond sealed their fate before the game even tipped off.  The two teams "exchanged words" in the tunnel before coming onto the floor.  You don't piss of a giant.  Apparently this did and KU came out firing.  When KU is hot and playing their game no other team stands a chance, and Richmond just added fuel to the fire.  KU has by far the easiest path to the final four, the highest seed they play will be Illinois as a 9 seed.  Not to take anything away from those teams, but they are seeded like that for a reason.  They are seeded because of the entire body of work.  KU is the #2 overall seed for a reason.  As VCU is an #11 seed for a reason.  Kansas fans can downplay it as much as they want to, saying these teams are better than they seem.  But, would you rather be Ohio State and have to play George Mason, Kentucky, and possibly North Carolina?  Or would you rather play Illinois, Richmond, and VCU/FSU??  I think Duke, Pittsburgh, Ohio State, etc would LOVE to be in KU's position over theirs.
North Carolina played their best game of the tournament tonight.  To say the first half was a clinic would be an understatement.  After the first few minutes, the Tarheels went on a tear, ripping Marquette a new one.  Marquette switched to a zone in the second half and fought as hard as they could, but still couldn't get within 15 points.  Both teams advanced with ease, and await the games being played right now.  North Carolina plays the winner of the giants.  Kentucky wants to show they are for real.  If they were in any of the other 3 regionals they would be a final 4 team for sure.  I'm interested to see what happens in the VCU v FSU.  VCU has been riding that underdog role.  Us against the world.  Coaches love that attitude and it makes for great pre game and post game speeches.  But, after a few games, they talk about these teams and they start getting respect.  Then they aren't the underdogs any more, and when that happens, their dream run usually comes to an end.  One team that comes to mind is the Colorado Rockies of a few years ago.  They had to win a playin game to reach the post season and went on a tear until they ran into the Red Sox in the World Series.  VCU has gained publicity and respect and analysts and writers are giving them a chance now, and that diminishes the impact of a game.  Can VCU be like Butler and still play to that standard now that they are respected, or will reality catch up to them?
I've made comments on my facebook about Charles Barkley.  He joined the CBS crew this year when they added Turner Sports into the mix.  He covers mostly NBA games and many thought he wouldn't know much about the college game.  Well, so far in this tournament he has embarrased the "know it all's" of college basketball.  Seth Davis covers college basketball for Sports Illustrated and CBS sports.  Seth Davis has got as many picks wrong as Barkley's got right.  If he predicted and upset, there wasn't.  If he predicted there wasn't an upset, there was.  So, an interesting factoid going into that game, Charles Barkley, who has been consistantly right picked FSU to win this game, and Seth Davis, who has been consistantly wrong picked VCU.  I wonder who I'd side with on that one...
Another thing I find funny is Rick Pitino.  After his team lost in the first round, he joined the CBS crew.  Sunday evening after most of the Big East teams were illiminated Pitino was trying to defend the Big East and Barkley didn't hold anything back, stood up to him, and basically told him off.  Now Rick Pitino has moved to ESPN where no one has the balls to stand up to him the way Barkley did.  He didn't like being put in his place so he went to ESPN where they will kiss his ass.
In the past week, as well as throughout the season I have heard a lot of criticism about KSU's coach, Frank Martin.  He is widely known for his yelling on the sidelines.  What coach doesn't yell??  You show me a coach that doesn't yell at their players at some point, whether it be practice, half time, during the game, whatever.  I watch Roy Williams, one of the greatest coaches of our time throw a temper tantrum and put in 5 walk-ons in an ACC tournament game.  Coach K can yell with the best of them.  I don't care who the coach is, you can't tell me he doesn't yell at some point or another.  Frank Martin is criticized because he does it with such intensity.  A comment was made in the middle of the season about his players being tired of being yelled at, and that they quit on him.  Well, they went on a tear in the Big XII and became one of the hottest teams going into the tournament.  If that's quitting on your coach, then basketball has really changed.  Frank Martin's players a very loyal to their coach.  Despite how he yells during the games, they still love and support him.  Off the court he is one of the classiest coaches in the Big XII.  Before the KSU-KU game in BRAMLAGE COLISEUM he grabbed the microphone and asked the fans to donate to Thomas Robinson's sister's college fund.  That's class, to ask your home fans to donate to a fierce rival.  Frank Martin is also VERY loyal to his players.  Rick Pitino is probably one of the best coaches of our time, up there with Roy Williams, Coach K, and Bill Self.  After their first round loss to Moorehead State, he basically threw a few of his players under the bus.  Frank Martin would NEVER do what Pitino did.  He may chew a kids ass for something they did, but he will NOT blame a loss on a player.  He will defend that player like a coach is SUPPOSED to do.  If I had the opportunity and the choice, I would send my kids to play for Frank Martin over Rick Pitino or Bill Self.  Frank Martin is one of the best recruiters in college basketball.  For him to still be able to land players like Jacob Pullen, Will Spradling, Rodney McGruder he's doing something right.  If he were the mean hard-ass everyone makes him out to be, these players wouldn't be there.  Frank Martin demands your best and nothing less.  More coaches should be like Frank Martin.

Here we go...

Over the past several months I'm sure you've all seen the Bud Light commercials with their slogan, "Here we go..."  It signals the beginning of a good time.  But could also signal the beginning of something special.  I think this NCAA tournament is turning out to be something special.  You have the "feel good story" in BYU.  You have one region with 3 of the 4 remaining teams as double digit seeds and the #1 seed a team with a history of choking.  You have 2 teams from the city of Richmond VA in the sweet 16.  There are plenty of storylines in this years tournament.  Yet certain analysts would like for you to think the field of competition is deminishing.  I addressed this issue the other night, but failed to mention the most important issue.  When talking about NCAA athletes we forget the most important part of that title.  They are STUDENT athletes.  They are given something that many people would love to have.  Whether it be basketball, football, baseball  these athletes are basically given a free education because of their gifts or talents.  When they leave school early to play professionally most of them give up on something more important that many people would cherish.  They take for granted something that others would give anything for.  They use the school to improve their draft stock.  In these arguments they state how bad the "one and done" rule is.  They want these college athletes to play for more than just one season.  While the concept is right, they never talk about the most important part.  They never mention anything about the person's education.  They never say he should stay to get an education.  They want them to stay so they can improve ratings.  That's the bottom line in this.  They care more about ratings than a young man or woman's education.  I would cherish the opportunity to get a free education, but I've accepted that I don't have the opportunity as well as many other working class people.  It's just disgusting that such a great gift is used and taken for granted.
Switching gears, back to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament.  All season long the talk has been concentrated on the "Big 3" conferences.  The Big 10, Big XII, and mostly the Big East has dominated the discussions.  Most of the top 5 teams throughout the season have been from those 3 conferences.  With all the talk about these three conferences the Sweet 16 should consist of at least 75 %, meaning 12 of the 16 teams should consist of the "Big 3" and the precious Big East getting 6 to 8 of those teams.  All season long we heard about how dominating the Big East was.  They got a record 11 teams into the tournament.  Of these 11 teams, only 2 remain still, and those two finished in the bottom half of the conference.  2 of the 16 teams still playing probably wouldn't have even made the field if it were still 65 teams.  Marquette was supposedly one of the last teams in, and we all know VCU wouldn't have made the field of 65.  After the first weekend of the tournament we learned that maybe the selection committee isn't as stupid as we all thought.  The Big East probably did deserve  to have 11 teams in the field, but the tournament, as it usually does, exploits the weaknesses of these power conferences.  When the tournament comes around we separate the men from the boys.  This year is no exception.  I said coming into this tournament to watch out for teams outside of the "Big 3".  Meaning, watch out for teams like Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, and Kentucky.  All 4 of those are still playing.  The Big 3 has 5 teams remaining in the field of 16.  That's just of 25%.  The Big XII has 1, Big Ten and Big East with 2 each.  Those 5 teams are hardly being talked about coming into this weekend.  We've talked all season about the Pac 10, SEC, and ACC as being "Mid-Major" to the other half of the Power 6.  Yet these conferences consist of more teams in the Sweet 16 with 6 teams.  Then you have the remaining 5 teams coming from "Mid Major" conferences.  Richmond and Butler are debatable, but they might not have been included in the field without their run in their conference tournaments.  I don't see how anyone can claim the NCAA tournament is on a downhill slide when it's still one of the biggest sporting events in our country.
ESPN calls itself "The worldwide leader in sports."  I think that title is not deserved.  ESPN should be embarrased.  If my team were playing in the NIT, or if I were a women's college basketball fan, I would be FURIOUS with them.  I was very mad with ESPN over the fact that they only broadcasted a total of 3 Big XII tournament games, yet didn't miss a single game of the Big East tournament.  They always criticezed CBS' coverage of the NCAA tournament with only one network.  That is probably more jealousy than anything, but how can they claim this?  They have 5 networks, 6 if you include ABC.  They have the rights to the NIT and the NCAA Women's basketball tournament.  Tuesday night there were 4 teams playing at one time, and only 2 games on TV.  Of the 3 quarterfinal matches of the NIT last night, they only showed 2.  They have practically unlimited resources, and there is not reason at all they can't show every game of the women's tournament and men's NIT.  But hey, we would have missed the opportunity to watch a rebroadcast of the 1988 Championship game between Kansas and Oklahoma.  We might miss something if they put a game on ESPN News over Sportscenter.  It's unfair, but the women's tournament always takes a back door to the men's tournament.  But ESPN just makes it worse.  It's hard enough for these women to get some face time, and ESPN just slaps them in the face.
I want to give a shout out to a team that wasn't included in the field of 68.  There are a few Mid Major conferences that are better than average.  Conference USA put 2 teams in the field.  The CAA (Colonial Athletic Association) Mountain West and Atlantic 10 put 3 teams each in.  The Missouri Valley is a conference that could claim discrimination.  Indiana State finished 3rd in the regular season standings, below Missouri State and Wichita State.  Missouri State won the regular season conference title outright over Wichita State, yet neither of these teams got in.  The regular season champs of the above mentioned conferences did not win the conference tournament, yet got in for their regular season accomplishments.  The selection committee said they wanted to reward the "entire body of work."  You don't get a more entire body of work then winning the regular season conference title.  So, what's left for those two teams?  There is no shame in playing in the NIT.  For teams like Virginia Tech, Boston College, Colorado, and Alabama it's like a slap in the face.  And they often play like it.  Teams like that often feel they are too good for the NIT and shouldn't be there and forget to show up.  St Mary's lost their first game.   But, for teams like Wichita State, Missouri State, Cleveland State, Kent State this is like the NCAA tournament.  They embrace it and play hard.  Kent State took Colorado to the very end the other night.  Wichita State was given a 4 seed.   They have probably had a tougher road to the NIT final 4 than the other three teams.  They beat a hot Nebraska team, Virginia Tech, and another hot team in College of Charleston.  The NIT Final 4 consists of Alabama v Colorado, and Washington State v Wichita State.  I've always like Wichita State.  I watched Mark Turgeon succeed at something many of his predecessors failed in doing in building Wichita State into a perennial contender for the Missouri Valley Conference title.  I enjoyed watching them make a run deep into the NCAA tournament.  When Turgeon left for greener pastures many, myself included wondered what would become of what Turgeon built.  WSU went out and hired Greg Marshall, and he stepped in and hasn't missed a beat.  They were contenders for the Mo Valley title down to the final game against MSU.  I am happy for Greg Marshall and Wichita State's success and I will be rooting for them next week in NYC.  They, along with Colorado will be playing in one of the most famous sports venues in America next week.  How great would it be to have a Colorado v Wichita State NIT final??  I think it would be pretty great and I will be rooting for that next week.  GO SHOCKERS!! 

Better watch out...

Now that the first weekend of the NCAA tournament is winding to a close, there are a few teams who have squeaked through into the Sweet 16 and there are others who have advanced with authority.  There are also a few disappointments.
Probably one of the biggest stories of the weekend is the Southwest Region.  Of the four teams left, 3 are double digit seeds.  This was said by many to be the easiest region in the tournament.  In the first round 5 of the 8 games were won by lower seeds.  I am not surprised at how poorly the Big East teams are performing in this tournament.  I have felt all along the Big East was over rated.  Marquette, the supposed last big east team in just beat Syracuse who finished #4 in the Big East.  Pittsburgh went down early as they did in the Big East tournament.  Louisville dropped their first game to Moorehead State.  St John's was considered the hottest team in the Big East, but dropped their first game to an average Gonzaga team.  The Big East may have deserved to get 11 teams into the field, but they are clearly not as good as everyone claims them to be.  The Big East has 2 of those 11 teams in the Sweet 16, and both teams finished the regular season in the bottom of the conference.  The way everyone talks of the Big East they should have at least 6 or 8 teams still playing.  Yet the so called "best teams in the country" are preparing for next season.
There are teams that are still playing that are under rated because of all the talk about the Big East teams.  North Carolina, Arizona, Kentucky, Florida, Wisconsin are a few of the teams still playing that haven't got near enough consideration all year long.  Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Georgetown, have been in the top 10 for most of the season, yet they are all eliminated early.
Jay Bilas started the week off by commenting on how much the level of play in the NCAA tournament has decreased over the years.  I disagreed with him at the time, and after the first weekend of this years tournament, disagree with him more.  This tournament is one of the biggest sporting events in the country.  It's right up there with the Super Bowl.  Most of America, whether they know anything or not probably fills out a bracket.  One of his problems is the "one and done" players.  I disagree with that theory.  I think that's what's wrong with the NBA.  Take the New York Knicks and Miami Heat for example.  They have loaded up with stars, yet are struggling to win.  When you get 3 or 4 stars on a team they all want to be in the spotlight, fight over it, and it destroys the team.  That's one of the greatest things about college basketball is the team play.  Basketball is a TEAM sport, and in the NBA it's an individual sport.  K-State had a "one and done" player in Michael Beasley a few years ago.  They barely made it into the NCAA tournament.  Beasley is the ONLY reason that team got in.  The next season, minus Beasley and Bill Walker had one of the best seasons in K-State history, loosing to Butler in the Elite 8.  Those guys only have one thing on their mind and that's playing in the NBA and getting rich.  Let them go.  With that attitude they are better off there anyway.
One of the big changes with the tournament this year was adding Turner sports to the network.  In years past it was only CBS and they chose wich game you watched, and often switched from it for something else.  Under that format I wouldn't have been able to watch KSU v USU thursday night.  When the NCAA announced that Turner sports would join CBS, instead of the sports giant ESPN many people, mostly with ties to ESPN were outraged.  Personally I was in favor of it.  I don't care much for ESPN.  Their "Championship Week" was the biggest load of crap I've ever seen.  They have rights to 5 of the 6 power conference tournaments.  ESPN has 5 networks, 6 if you include ABC.  Only 2 of those networks broadcasted conference tournament games and ESPN was dedicated to the precious Big East.  They only had 3 Big XII tournament games on ESPN and one was the championship game.  There's no excuse for that.  With 6 networks and 5 conference tournaments there's no reason every tournament game shouldn't be televised.  One of the arguements against Turner sports doing the NCAA tournament is their supposed lack of knowledge of college basketball.  Turner does NBA games, so they figured guys like Charles Barkley and Marv Albert wouldn't know anything about college basketball.  Well, I am impressed with how well they've done this weekend.  I think Charles Barkley has done a better job the Seth Davis, and that's all he does is follow college basketball!!  I was particularly impressed earlier when he voiced his opinion about the Big East being over rated with Rick Pitino on the set.  I couldn't imagine Doug Gottlieb or Jay Bilas saying what Barkley did.  I personally would MUCH rather listen to Marv Albert call a game than Dick Vitale.  I still found myself switching games much like CBS to watch the end of certain games, but i was nice to have control over that.  When they started that god-awful chant, I could change the channel.  I didn't have to watch Purdue's tank job.
I am looking forward to the Sweet 16 round.  Matchups like Butler/Wisconsin and BYU/Florida will be fun to watch.  After watching the last few Kansas games, they are very similar to last year.  They wait until the last 10 minutes or so of the game to turn it on, and like it did last year against Northern Iowa, it's going to catch up with them.  Just becuase every other team left is a double digit seed doesn't give them a yellow brick road pass to Houston.  Richmond is a giant killer, VCU is riding that "underdog" roll, and Florida State is peaking at the right time and have one of the better defenses they will face this season.  They very well might make the Final 4 just to spite me, but it won't be an easy road.
As far as teams that are headed home, I have no sympathy for.  It's easy to make excuses, but ultimately you put yourself in that situation in the first place.  Kansas State was matched against an underseeded Wisconsin team.  Purdue coach Matt Painter suspended one of his key players.  Well, KSU put themselves as a 5 seed with their mid-season struggles.  Had they played to their potential all year, they'd be a #1 or #2 seed.  Purdue had an opportunity at a 1 seed but lost to Iowa to close the season and the first game of the conference tournament against MSU.  Texas fans are complaining about the 5 second call, but they put themselves in that situation.  They trailed most of the game.  If they're that good, they should have been leading.  I am very bummed that my 2 favorite teams got eliminated this round, but there's no point in dwelling on it.  A million different things could have been done differently, but you can't go back in time to change it.  At the risk of sounding like my father, there are more important things to worry about.  The sun will still come up tomorrow.  Time marches on.  The world is still turning.  Onward and upward...

Heartbreak today

This has been an interesting day to say the least.  I haven't commented much on the NCAA tournament yet, and I apologize for that.  I'm going to make up for that tonight.  We started the week criticizing the selection committee for letting VCU (Virginia Commenwealth University) and UAB (University Alabama-Birmingham) into the field while leaving out teams like Virginia Tech and Colorado.  I personaly had no problem with this.  We are talking about the 67th and 68th team in the field, not the top 1 or 2.  Virginia Tech followed their defeat of Duke with losses to Boston College and Clemson.  Colorado, I feel, is the only team with a beef, beating KSU 3 times, and Texas, but those are really only their quality wins.  Ultimately the ball is in your court as the saying goes.  Tad Boyle mad a remarkable turnaround in his first season in Boulder and has the Buffs going places for sure.  But there are things they could have done differently or better and wouldn't have been on the bubble in the first place.  Lets face it, Colorado or Virginia Tech are not going to win it all, so what's the problem??  I blame this on the expansion from 65 to 68.  What everyone had a problem with was UAB and VCU getting in place of other schools.  If we stayed with the 65 team fomat these teams wouldn't be in either, and I think most would be happy with the field of teams.  But, we would still find something to complain about, I'm sure.  We live in a society where nothing is ever good enough.  VCU played a tougher non-conference schedule, and the Colonial is a very tough conference.  Of the "Mid-Major" conferences, hands down the toughest.  UAB won the Conference USA regular season title outright.  Memphis got the auto bid winning the conference tournament as the #4 seed.  Again, if this were a 65 team field like last year, minus UAB, VCU, and Clemson, there would be nothing to complain about.
I hesitated filling out a bracket, but I couldn't resist.  This year I've actually followed CBB quite a bit, so I was curious how well I could do with more knowledge than usual.  Midway through the second round, not much different.  I did, however, correctly pick a few upsets.  I did have Marquette over Xavier and Richmond over Vanderbilt.  For the first time in a VERY long time all 4 of my final four teams made it past the first round.
My Final 4 teams are North Carolina, Arizona, Purdue and Florida.  I don't see any of the #1 seeds making it to the Final 4.  The NCAA tournament is all about matchups.  All week we heard about how easy the southeast region was and Pittsburgh had the easiest road to Houston.  Yet, like Kansas of a year ago, are done on the first weekend.  Seth Davis predicted mostly upsets in the first round in this region.  The only upset until this afternoon was one they didn't even talk about, Gonzaga knocking off St Johns.  Butler beating Pittsburgh today will probably go down as one of the best games in NCAA tournament history.  But this was not a tank job from Pittsburgh like Kansas did last year against Northern Iowa.  Butler is a very good team, and lets not forget has many returning players from last years team that played in the championship game.  Many have said Florida is overseeded as a 2.  They won the SEC regular season title.  The four teams, Butler v Wisconsin, Florida v BYU, two games from this region are probably the most watchable games of the Sweet 16 round.  I have Florida advancing from this region,  but I am personally rooting for BYU.  For what they did, deserve that trophy more than any other school.  I would love to see a Butler v BYU regional final.
Moving to the other end of this bracket, the Southwest is probably the easiest.  Kansas complains every year that they get the toughest region.  Well, they can't complain this year.  Kansas, Notre Dame, and Purdue, and that's it.  I have Purdue advancing to the Final 4 out of this one.  Kansas and Bill Self are famous for tanking.  They struggled for most of the game yesterday against a 16 seed.  They face an Illinois team tomorrow that apparently found it's offense yesterday.  I felt Michigan State, Penn State, and Illinois were very similar teams that were backing their way into the tournament.  I was not at all surprised at Penn State and MSU loosing, but the way Illinois played yesterday surprised me big time.  I have watched them play many times this season, and that was the best I've seen them play.  If they play like that again, Kansas will be in for a good fight.  On a different note, if Illinois wins tomorrow they will have beaten their previous coaches in consecutive games.  Bill Self left for Kansas after replacing Lon Kruger who left of the the NBA and is now with UNLV.  With the exception of Purdue, I would love nothing more than to see the Big 10 fail, but I've always believed in supporting team before conference.  I feel the same way on the other end of the spectrum.  I hate it when someone roots for a team they dislike because "They're in the Big XII."  That is one of my biggest pet peeves.  Kansas and Oklahoma are 2 teams that I will never root for regardless of conference affiliations.  So, probably in a loosing cause, I will be rooting for Illinois tomorrow for two reasons.  Notre Dame relies too much on outside shooting, much like Duke, and the NCAA tournament is one and done.  One bad shooting night and it's all over.  Between that and Kansas' history for tanking, I think Purdue is the best team in this region.  My two favorite teams, Kansas State and Purdue, are VERY similar teams, most notably their defense.  I was hoping for a KSU v Purdue matchup in the Final 4 but that dream got crushed tonight.  KSU lost to Wisconsin tonight, but how cool would it be to have a rematch of last year's elite 8 game against Butler, then BYU, then Purdue.  Back to being realistic, with Ohio State playing George Mason, Michigan against Duke, and afformentioned Kansas v Illinois I think it's pretty safe to say that another #1 will go down tomorrow.  I don't have much faith in Duke for the same reason as Notre Dame, they live and die by the 3.  I feel pretty confident in Purdue and Florida, not so much with North Carolina and Arizona.  If the right UNC team shows up, no one stands a chance.  They looked good yesterday, but fought from behind in the ACC tournament games.  They have the potential to be the best, and if they live up to that, will make my prediction correct.  Arizona in my opinion is one of the most underrated teams this year.  They got stuck as a #5 seed in the toughest regional but with Derrick Williams I think they can get through it.
I have North Carolina beating Arizona, and Purdue beating Florida in the Final 4, and North Carolina winning a close one against Purdue in the championship game.  Not very likely to happen, but it's March Madness.  The only sure thing is that there is no sure thing and anything is possible.

Political for a day

I don't like politics, and I try to avoid it at all costs.  But the reality is that there are politics in every aspect of our lives.  From a small town school board member who resigns her position standing up for what's right, to what is occupying most peoples viewing and time right now, the NCAA selection committee choosing the teams we are now watching.  It's whenever you turn around, in school, in the workplace, and even in families.  Everything we do or say is probably related to politics in some way or another.  We all say we don't like politicians, but, in some way or another every one of us are.  Yes, I realize this is usually in reference to people in public office.  I have been an "Independent" most of my life because I didn't want to associate myself with a certain party because I had problems and issues with both Democrats and Republicans.  But over the past several years I guess you would say I've become a Republican.  I was always a big supporter of President Bush, and defended him in whatever he did.  I don't believe he was the selfish, bad president everyone made him out to be.  He was dealt a bad hand with September 11.  The state we are in now is because of that, not because of presidential policies.  I don't care if Bill Clinton was president then, we'd still be in this situation.  But, what President Bush was most criticized for was his invasion of Iraq.  Sadaam Hussein was a cruel dictator who killed MANY of his own people.  He needed to go.
The news of the day is the current situation in Libya.  I watched President Obama's press conference this afternoon.  I have never, not once, been an Obama supporter.  We are no better off now, going on his 3rd year in office than we were when he took over.  His policies have done nothing whatsoever.  But, what upsets me most after today is the hypocrisy.  While running for President he spoke out against the "opression" in Iraq on a regular basis and how wrong we were for doing what we did, and needed to get out.  His press conference this afternoon basically gave warning to the American people that we are about to enter another war.  The UN has given the Libyan dictator warning to stop the violence or military force will be used.  From the sound of things, the Libyan dictator is as likely to back down as Sadaam Hussein was in Iraq.  There's only one way this situation is going to be resolved peacefully, and that's with force.  If nothing is done, the violence and oppression will continue.
Comparing the two "conflicts" I think military action is much less needed in this case.  The Libyan dictator is doing the same thing to his people that Hussein did with his.  But, the difference is a threat to us.  Whether you believe there were weapons of mass destruction or not, Sadaam Hussein was always going to be a threat to America.  Libya is no threat to us.  If you ask me, and it's just my opinion, but I think military force was much more justified in Iraq than it is in Libya.  Oh, wait...  there is one more thing.  The other thing many Democrats accused Bush for going into Iraq was oil.  Whether we like it or not, we are not about to break our dependancy on foreign oil.  Ethanol is a joke.  There is no way we can raise enough corn to fuel America's cars, let alone heat homes, etc.  All the ethanol boom did was jack up the price of corn so much that farmers couldn't afford to feed their livestock.  I almost lost my job because of it.  Libya is responsible for 3% of the world's oil production, so that could have a pretty big effect on oil prices.  So, there are many similarities here.  Obama is just as big, if not a bigger hypocrite than any other politician.  Maybe he should worry more about the important issues than being the president being on the most tv talk shows.  There's a reason president's don't go on Leno or Letterman.  They have better things to do.
But there's one other issue that I believe needs mentioning.  For this I give credit to someone I have indirectly criticized in the past few weeks.  For those that know me as a sports fanatic, you also know I love history.  My career direction after high school was to be a history teacher.  One of the things I learned in history in high school was the impact of a war.  After every depression or recession in the American economy there has been a war to bring us out of it.  Franklin Delano Roosevelt, probably one of our favorite and most loved presidents implimented MANY different programs and policies to try to get us out of the Great Depression, but what actually got us out of the Great Depression was World War II.  The Cold War under Raegan was very similar, even though there was never a shot fired.  While I don't believe it was a major reason for it, I do believe it played a small part in the war in Iraq.  September 11 was a crippling blow to our economy and this is turning into the biggest recession we've seen, and not far from a depression.  I believe this is also in play today with the situation in Libya.  Obama's programs and policies are not helping at all.
But I just can't get over how a man that criticized his predecessor for the war in Iraq, saying all the service men and women that died was not necessary and not justified is about to go and do the exact same thing.  IF there was any chance of him getting my vote or support, he lost it today.  He will NEVER get my vote.  EVER.  I pray for all the troops because they are about to get put in harms way once again.  I have friends and family serving our country and hope for their sake this is resolved peacefully and all this is for nothing.

Ratings

I read an article on MLB.com the other day that peaked my interest.  MLB and the MLBPA are starting talks for their CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement).  It is set to expire at the end of this season.  I have to give Bud Selig props on this one.  Baseball is in a better situation than their counterparts in the NFL and NBA.  Those two are coming to a head, with threatening work stoppages.  Selig remembers how devistating the players strike was in 1994/1995 and wants to do anything possible to avoid it.  He feels the owners and players have a much better relationship than his counterparts.  While the NFL will probably not suffer much from a work stoppage, that's a chance the MLB can't take.  I took a home run race between Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa to bring fans back to baseball.  I won't go into the "steroid" area, but baseball is in a pretty good place right now.  There were a few other issues addressed by the commissioner.
There has been speculation in the past few years about contraction.  He basically put that rumor to bed.  There will be no talk of contration with this CBA.  For Royals, Twins, Rockies, etc. fans that's pretty relieving.  The Royals may be a small market team, but Kansas City would not be the same without them.  Same goes for the Twin Cities, Denver, etc.  I will have more on this subject in a little bit.
He was also asked about the loan to the Mets and why he turned down a loan to the Dodgers.  I don't know much about either situation, so I'm not going into that.  But there is a big difference in $25 million and $200 million.  But there is more to this than any of us know, and as Selig said, each situation is unique.
Another issue addressed was revenue sharing.  This is a very touchy subject with owners.  Teams like the Royals, Twins, A's, Rockies, etc. with a small market often don't have the resources to sign all the big players like the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, White Sox, etc. have.  The NFL is a good example of how revenue sharing works.  I don't think Jerry Jones and other owners with large revenue get much sympathy from anyone.  The NFL is a very even league.  Teams have down years, then up years.  Almost every team has done this.  The Chiefs were up in the 90's and early 2000 years.  They hired an idiot for a coach who dismantled the team and had a few down years.  Now they are back up.  The Buccaneers, Saints, Bengals, and even the World Champion Packers had a few down years.  I think it would balance out the league a little more.  The Royals have traded away countless great players that they brought up through their organization.  Zack Greinke being the most recent.  They know these players will not resign as free agents, so they trade them off to get at least a little something for them.  As a Royals fan it's VERY frustrating, but you can't blame them.  The days of George Brett and Mike Sweeney who wanted to retire in KC are gone.  Now, it's "Show me the money."  The Royals, and other small market teams don't stand a chance at landing stars like Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriquiz, Cliff Lee, and so on.  But this will not change over night, and owners like Hank Steinbrenner and John Henry (who was fined $500,000 for comments on revenue sharing) aren't helping matters any.
The other subject addressed was the record low ratings from the World Series last season.  The Giants v Rangers World Series drew record low ratings on Fox last season.  Selig said he had a few ideas and has been talking to Turner (the other network with post-season broadcasting rights) and Fox about this.  I find it kind of ironic.  People are always saying they want to see a different team in the Series, or SuperBowl, or NBA Finals.  Everybody loves an underdog story, right??  Well, apparently not.  We don't want to see the Phillies v Yankees, Cardinals v Red Sox, Braves v White Sox.  Yet these are the matchups that draw the ratings.  Well, if we all want to see different teams in the World Series, why didn't we tune in to watch it?  I wanted the Rangers over the Yankees for that reason.  They haven't been relevent since the Nolan Ryan days.  We all love the small market teams like the Royals, Twins, A's, Mariners, but we do not support them.  You can go to Kauffman Stadium on a Friday or Saturday night and get a ticket behind the dugout at the gate.  A half empty stadium is not a very good way to support your team.  It all starts with the fans.  The fans decide what happens.  Teams like the Cardinals, Yankees, Red Sox, White Sox, pack the house EVERY night.  I went to a Royals v White Sox game a few years ago at Kauffman Stadium and the White Sox fans were louder than the hometown Royals fans.  That is NO way to support your team.  Frankly, it's rather embarrasing.  If we want to see more of these small market teams succeed, we, the fans, have to support our teams.  We have to go to the park.  Watch them on TV.  If you don't like the Cardinals, Yankees, Red Sox, etc making the rules, then do something about it...

This won't go away.

The BYU and Brandon Davies saga just won't go away.  Davies is now getting support from a few famous athletes.  Tim Tebow voiced his support in a diplomatic matter, saying that everyone deserves a second chance.  He told the Orlando Sentinel that "There should be a punishment, but I don't know that he should maybe ... I don't know. I don't even know the situation, but I just always think about giving people a second chance. Maybe he deserves one, but I don't know the situation."   It appears to me that Tebow started to comment and say that he didn't deserve the punishment he got, then thought twice about it before he finished his sentence.  Then tried to cover his tracks by saying he didn't know the situation.  Come on, seriously??  If you have a TV or get a newspaper, you know the situation.  This has been all over ever news outlet in America, how can you not know about it?  And IF you don't know about it, you shouldn't be commenting on it in the first place.  But it gets better!  Amare Stoudemire goes on to play the race card, posting this on Twtter: "Don't ever go to BYU, they kick a Young Educated (Black)Brother OUT OF SCHOOL. The kid had premarital sex. Not suspended, Not Release. Wow!"  Do your homework before you speak dude.  He was not kicked out of school.  He was just suspended from the team.  And why does it have to be about race?  BYU is a "Christian" school.  This is one place I would never expect someone to use RACE for a reason to do anything.
This just goes reiterates what i've been blogging about for the past few weeks.  This is why things have got so far out of control as it is.  We all put winning on a higher pedistal.  We are willing to lie, cheat, compromise our moral values just to win.  Far worse than this goes on at probably every institution in America.  From grade school, to the professional level.  Sports and winning is everything.  I grew up in a community that put sports above all else.  During my Senior year in High school, we played a sub-state championship at Little River in a blizzard, and Sub-State basketball championship at St John with similar weather.  They were willing to risk everyone on that bus' life for a football or basketball game.  I remember riding home from St John that night.  My aunt Donita was driving the bus, and could not see anything.  She had to open the window and look outside the window several times to see where she was at.  What if that bus had went off in a ditch or something?  Both nights we had NO business being on the roads.  Some things are important, but NOTHING is so important that we should risk a human life.  This "honor code" violation used to be more than an honor code at a school.  It used to be a way of life for most people.  Not in my, or probably my parents lifetime, but there used to be a time when pre-marital sex was forbidden.  No one even thought about it until they were married, not engaged, married.  I, along with anyone who reads this would be a hypocrite if they said they didn't break this "code".
The United States of America is the greatest country in the world.  But what I wonder is this: "What would America be like if more learning institutions in this country had BYU's honor code, and actually had the balls to stick to it?"  It's one thing to have it, but it's another thing to actually stick to it.  As I said last night, it would have been very easy for the coach, athletic director, or someone else to "look the other way" until after their "dream season" was over.  But they put honor ABOVE winning and did the right thing.  And several days and games later are still sticking to their guns.  They have not succumbed to puplic speculation and criticism and gave him a pass and let him back on the team.  BYU and their coach should be commended for this.  I bet there is not 1 single coach in college basketball that has not broken a rule, looked the other way, etc.  You get my point.
I know it seems like I pick on KU a lot.  It's not a matter of picking on them.  Every college in America has done something wrong.  Tom Creen inherited a mess that Kelvin Sampson left him at Indiana.  5 Ohio State football players will start next sason on the bench.  I am just most familiar with KU's situation is all.  What would the landscape of Kansas basketball be like if Bill Self was an honest man?  One of the key contributors in the National Championship season shouldn't have even been on that team.  They faked a HS transcript to make him elligible to play college basketball.  This season, Josh Selby was suspended for half the season for "recruiting violations."  Would KU be contending for a national championship if Bill Self and Kansas University had done the right thing and removed those 3 players from the team?  I'm betting no.  They put winning above morals.  Again, I'm not picking on KU.  There are other universities that have done similar acts, and FAR more that we don't know about or hear about.  Let me ask you this question.  "If you were a student at BYU, what would you want them to do?"  Would you want them to do what they did, or would you want them to look the other way so your team could win a national championship?
As far as Davies' violation is concerned, he knows the rules.  Every student and student athlete at BYU knows the rules.  BYU takes everything on their honor code very seriously.  It's what makes them who they are.  To them this is just as serious as beating on a woman.  He could and probably would receive the same punishment for having a cup of coffee or skipping church.  It does sound a bit frivelous and extreme, but that's what BYU is all about.  That's what makes them who they are.  And if you do not like it, then there are tons of other schools in the country.  If you don't like their honor code, play ball somewhere else.  By him making a commitment to that team, he made a commitment to the honor code as well, and he knew it from the beginning.  He knew once he started his "act" that he was breaking the rules.  No one made him do it.
What impresses me about this whole situation how well Davies has taken all of this.  He could be all over the press, claiming he was treated unfairly, trying to make BYU look bad.  Look at Amare's comment.  What would he have done if this had happened to him?  He'd be all over the news, playing the race card, "dissing" BYU, playing the "pitty card".  Davies has not made a peep.  He has acknowledged his violation, apologized for it, and accepted his punishment.  He's not playing the race or pitty card.  He's taking responisbility for what he did and accepting his punishment and handling the whole thing with dignity.  Amare Stoudemire and Tim Tebow could learn something from this.  If he wanted pitty and support, he'd be asking for it.  He is making the best of the situation and moving on.
I have not been a BYU fan this season.  I have believed all along that they were overrated.  As far as the team is concerned, one player should not make that much difference.  Did KU loose without Little or Taylor? Did Purdue loose without Robbie Hummel?  Did Duke loose without Irving?  Those teams may not be as strong without them, but they are still winning.  All three of those teams are in the discussion for a #1 seed.  Davies suspension clearly weakened BYU's lineup.  New Mexico came into Provo and crushed the Cougars.  I think BYU is a good team, but that's all.  I didn't think before, and definately don't now that they should be in the discussion with the great teams this season, such as Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Kansas, Texas, Purdue, or Duke.
I'm not saying North Carolina is perfect by any means.  But I have always been a Roy Williams fan.  Yes, even when he was at Kansas.  I think he is a great coach, and has been very successful.  I like watching his teams play.  His style of basketball is fun to watch.  Coach K made a comment in his post-game press conference about UNC's fast break offense and how they were unable to stop it.  This is what made him so successful at Kansas as well.  But, that's not what got my attention.  At the beginning of the game CBS noted that North Carolina pays tribute to their seniors by letting them start.  All 4 Seniors of North Carolina's roster, 3 of whom are walk-ons got to start the game.  Not just the 1 that's played all year, ALL 4.  He didn't even call a timeout right away, he let them play until the first break in the action, which was a foul several minutes into the game.  When Williams was at Kansas, he did the same thing.  And this wasn't an average team like Texas A&M, this was the #4 team in the country.  That's the least a coach can do to show their appreciation and support for those kids support, loyalty, and hard work they put in for 4 years.
But, back on track, how great of a story would it be if BYU did make a run to the Final Four?  This plot is the thing that movies and fairy tales are made of.  In a fairy tale would, the person does the right thing, then in the end is rewarded for it.  After what's transpired over the past week, there is not a more deserving team than BYU.  They should be rewarded for doing the right thing and what better reward would it be to cut down the nets at the Final Four in Houston?  Will it happen, probably not.  This is not a fairy tale world.  People who do the right thing in this world get screwed.  People who lie, cheat, and basically break every code in BYU's honor code win national championships, play for NFL or NBA teams, have success and get everything they've ever wanted in life.  People are willing to compromise their morals and everything they believe in to get what they want.  That's the REAL world we live in.

Giving props...

As the regular season winds to a close 5 of the 6 power conferences have declared their regular season champ, with the outcome of Duke vs North Carolina still pending.  Their are a few teams that stand out, but the tournament field in general seems pretty even.
Pittsburgh has claimed the Big East regular season title outright.  The Big East has been claimed by many to be the best conference in college basketball this season.  While I'm not in complete agreement with that, to have the best record in this conference deserves some mention.  Should Duke faulter against North Carolina tonight and with Iowa upsetting Purdue, it's very possible that Pittsburgh could be looking at a #1 seed.  But is Pittsburgh the best team in the Big East?  Notre Dame would like to say that they are, but their only claim to that is when they play in South Bend.  When they leave South Bend, they struggle.  When it comes to the hottest team in the conference, there's no doubt who that is.  St Johns came from no where and probably has more upsets than any team in the country.  All they do is beat good teams.  This is one team I would NOT want to see in my regional come tournament time.
Florida beat Vanderbilt today to claim their right to the SEC regular season title.  If there is an award for teams that improve the most throughout the season, Florida would be well deserving of this award.  They are clearly the best team in the SEC with Kentucky's inability to win away from Rupp Arena.
Arizona won the Pac 10 title despite stumbling in Los Angeles last week, loosing to USC and UCLA.  I think Arizona is a team that will surprise a few people.  They will be my "sleeper" team.  UCLA is also a very dangerous team, but also unpredictable.  They can look like a completely different team from game to game.
The Big 10 champ was decided today, but it may not have mattered what happened today.  Purdue, coming into today, was one of the hottest teams in the NCAA.  I can't count the number of times I've heard in the last few days that Purdue could claim a share of the Big 10 title with a win against Iowa.  Not only did they loose to Iowa, but the outcome of the Big 10 was not in Purdue's hands to begin with.  For that to happen, Ohio State would have to loose to Wisconsin, at home.  Ohio State is one of the best teams in the country and winning in Columbus will be no easy task for Wisconsin, almost impossible.  But, anything is possible.  Iowa proved that today, beating the hottest team in the country.  Some have claimed the Big 10 to be the best conference, but when the #4 team's conference record is 8-8.  Even in the weaker Pac 10 you don't reach .500 until the 6 spot, and the ACC in the 6 or 7 spot.  But, because of idiots like that teams with an 8-8 conference record like Illinois and Michigan State will still end up in the field of 68.  After seeing several Big 10 teams play down the stretch, I don't think I would even rank them in the top 3 any more.
Kansas claimed their 7 regular season Big XII title in a row today holding on the beat Missouri in Columbia this afternoon.  Many people were writing them off as Kansas State beat KU in Manhattan and Texas appeared to be running away with the conference.  I remember blogging after that game and making the comment that in the big picture, KU had nothing to worry about after that loss, and saying that it is still very possible they would still win the conference, and here they are.  The hottest team in the conference is Kansas State.  They began the season as the favorites to win the Big XII and struggled through the middle of the season.  But Frank Martin has rallied his troops to finish winning 8 of their last 9, including wins over Kansas, Missouri, and Texas to finish 4th in the conference after starting conference play 2-5.
As I am writing this Duke and North Carolina are battling for the ACC.  This one is simple.  Winner take all.  Duke appears headed for a 1 seed, yet may not even win their conference title.  That's about as fair as Nebraska playing for a national championship after not winning the Big XII Conference in football.  But with no one seeming to want that coveted #1 seed, is it possible that North Carolina could end up with a number 1 seed as well?  If UNC wins tonight, and wins the ACC tournament, I think it's very likely they will be a #1.  UNC is the better overall.  Duke lives and dies by the 3 ball.  If the 3's aren't falling, Duke is going down.
As far as I'm concerned I put more weight on the regular season than the conference tournament.  The regular season includes 16 to 18 games.  The conference tournament is only 3 or 4 games if you win it all.  It is much more difficult to win a regular season conference title than a tournament title.  If KSU or Missouri wins the Big XII tournament, are they the conference champs?  If MSU or Illinois wins the Big 10 tournament, are they the conference champs? All the conference tournament is for is for teams like Baylor, Michigan State, Illinois, Virginia Tech to mount a last stand to try and save their season and make it to the NCAA tournament, to probably loose in the first or second round anyway.
I am first going to give props to BYU.  This story has been widely publicized all week.  One of their key players was suspended for violations to BYU's honor code.  It was later learned that this violation was sleeping with his girlfriend.  BYU may be the only school in the country with that clause in the honor code, but rules are rules.  I applaud BYU for doing the right thing and sticking to it, despite the fact they are playing for a national championship.  I've believed all season long the BYU was overrated as a team and not as good as they have been made out to be.  I am not a big fan of Mike and Mike in the morning on ESPNRadio, but they made a few very good points the other day.  There are violations much more serious than this that are overlooked and turned a blind eye to.  I feel safe in saying that there are VERY few teams that will be playing in the NCAA tournament that have not violated at least one NCAA rule.  It happens everywhere.  Golic asked Greenberg if Northwestern was in the position BYU was in and he saw a star playing driving a VERY nice car, would he report it? Greenberg honestly answered no.  The other good point Golic made was, how different would the landscape of college football have been if Cam Newton had admited guilt from the beginning?  It would have been very easy for this to "go away" until after the season was over.  But they did the right thing, and the kid admitted his guilt and apologized for it.  Kansas has had 3 players suspended this season.  Freshman Josh Selby was suspended for recruiting violations.  Mario Little was suspended for beating on a woman.  Tyshawn Taylor was suspended for "team violations".  All 3 finished the season on KU's active roster.  BYU literally put honor before winning.  How many other schools can say that? I bet you could count them on one hand.
I also give props to Roy Williams and North Carolina.  His team has 4 Seniors, 3 of whom are walk-ons.  North Carolina started ALL 4 seniors and let them play until the first break in action against the #4 team in the country.
On a different note, one of the final games of the Big XII Conference will feature the "Battle of Traitors."  Colorado and Nebraska tip off at 9:00 Eastern time.  As most know, both teams will be leaving the Big XII after this spring, Nebraska headed for the Big 10, and Colorado for the new "Pac 12".  While I don't care for either team, their leaving will hurt the Big XII as both teams appear to be headed for success.  Headed for weaker conferences, both teams could see immediate success as well.  But, there are more immediate implications in this game.  Both teams are on the bubble, and probably the wrong side of the bubble, but the looser of this game is probably in essence eliminated from the field of 68.  Reguardless of what happens tonight, Tad Boyle and Doc Sadler have their teams headed in the right direction, just wish it was the Big XII way.
As I finish up, North Carolina has just beat Duke to claim the ACC regular season title.  Those 6 teams are the real conference champs, I don't care what happens in the conference tournaments.
I would like to think the Big XII will be the most dangerous in the NCAA tournament.  You have Kansas and Texas at the top.  Despite Texas' recent struggles are still a VERY solid team and want to make a statement after the way they finished last season.  Next you have Texas A&M and their danger is their coach.  Mark Turgeon is a VERY good post season coach.  He always prepares and has his teams ready when it counts.  Then you have the hottest team in the conference in Kansas State.  They can be very dangerous if the right team shows up.  Your bubble teams are Nebraska and Colorado who have several big wins.  But the Big East beating each other up all season may benifit them as well.  Only time will tell.

Best Rotation?

The biggest buzz of the MLB off season was the "beefing up" of the Philadelphia Phillies starting (pitching) rotation.  Cliff Lee was probably to most wanted free agent this off season.  It was publicized that he would end up back with the Rangers and if not the Yankees would outbid everyone to land him.  In a surprise move, he signed with his former team, the Philadelphia Phillies.  This made the starting rotation pretty formidable.  He joins an already impressive rotation consisting of Roy Halladay, Cole Hammels, Roy Oswalt, and Joe Blanton.  A lot of the prognosticators are already putting the Phillies back to the World Series with this rotation.  Well, things can happen.  Just ask the St Louis Cardinals.  They just lost star pitcher Adam Wainwright for the entire season.  He will undergoe Tommy John surgery next week.  There have been several reports and features done about the Phillies rotation, but is there a better one out there?  I think so.  Let's find out who.
One of the more impressive rotations isn't just in the National league, but in their very own division.  The Atlanta Braves already have a very good rotation.  It's nothing like Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine, and Neagle but it's still pretty good.  Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens, Tim Hudson, and Mike Minor make up the Braves rotation.  What I think makes the Braves rotation better is the supporting cast.  You can have the best pitcher in the league, but if you can't put runs on the board, or a defense to support them, it's pointless.  Just ask Zack Greinke.  He had a VERY good year last year, but had a worthless bullpen, errors in the field, and no run support from the Royals.  The Braves have several key players that can help out the starting rotation.  They of course have the legend and face of the Braves organization, Chipper Jones.  They also have the second best catcher in the major league in Brian McCann and outfielders Nate McCouth and Jason Heyward, who hit a homerun in his very first major league at bat.
I think those two rotations are considerably better in the National League, but I wonder what could have been.  By this I mean with the St Louis Cardinals.  They are the Yankees of the National League.  They are the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Lakers of Baseball.  All they do is win.  This is not the first time the Cardinals have been without a starting star pitcher.  In fact it seems pretty regular.  Loosing Adam Wainwright would seem pretty devistating to the Cardinals.  Their 5-man rotation as of today consists of Chris Carpenter, Jake Westbrook, Jaime Garcia, Kyle Lohse, and Kyle McClellan.  But if I were a Cardinals fan, I would not be worried at all.  Manager Tony LaRussa has been in this situation before, and yes, they were still a factor in the race for the pennant.  I have no doubt in saying that the Pujols, Holliday, Molina, and Cardinals will still be in contention, if not leading the NL Central going into September.
I don't think we can rule out the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants.  Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathon Sanchez, Madison Bumgarner, and Barry Zito is a rotation that could easily give them back to back NL West titles, but I don't see that happening.
Let's switch leagues.  The Boston Red Sox have built an impressive rotation trying to compete with the New York Yankees.  This fued has got personal and has led to a few World Series wins.  Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, John Lackey, Clay Buccholz, and Daisuke Matsuzaka will start the season in the rotation, but that's not all they have.  They have the best closer in the American League, and they brought in another closer, Bobby Jenks, after the White Sox cut him loose.  Along with Tim Wakefield should make a pretty impressive bullpen as well.
The Minnesota Twins have a good rotation.  Francisco Liriano, Carl Pavano, Scott Baker, Brian Duensing, and Nick Blackburn should make a pretty good rotation and with stars Michael Cuddyer, Delmon Young, Denard Span, Justin Morneau, and Jow Mauer add a supporting cast that should have them in the pennant race at the end of the season.
But, as is the case in the NL East, the same goes for the AL Central.  The Twinkies aren't even the best in their own division.  The White Sox spent the offseason beefing up their roster.  Their rotation includes Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd, John Denks, Jake Peavy, and Edwin Jackson.  They have made a few off season acquisitions, making news by adding slugger Adam Dunn to their lineup.  He joins Paul Konerko, A.J. Pierzynski, Gordon Beckham, and Carlos Quentin.  This should make the AL Central one of the more exciting races going into the playoffs.
Usually the wild card is projected to come out of the East, between the Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays.  The Rays made things interesting by adding Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez, but I think in the end they won't live up to expectations.  The Yankees have too much "drama" in their clubhouse.  Hank Steinbrenner is throwing around shots, trying to motivate his team, but I think some players take them a little more personally than people are making it out to be.  The Yankee pride was also hurt this offseason when they got out-bid on a few key free agents.  This could spell disaster for the Pinstripes.  I think the wild card will be in the NL Central this year.  It's hard for me to decide which is better between the White Sox and the Twins.  The White Sox have the better starting rotation, hands down.  But the Twinkies might have the better supporting cast.  But will the key off season acquisitions of the White Sox give them the upper hand? I think it will.
I think the White Sox have the makings of a World Series run.  But I think the American League will be primarily a 2 or 3 team league.  The National League is much tougher to call.  The Cincinnati Reds won the NL Central last season.  They have mostly the same roster returning this season, choosing to be quiet this off season.  The Milwaukee Brewers tried to keep pace by trading for Cy Young pitcher Zack Greinke from the Royals.  You have to figure in the Cardinals no matter what.  Then you have the Phillies and the Braves in the East.  I'm going to give the upper hand to the Cardinals because of history, experience, and leadership, and the Braves for their pitching and supporting cast.  As is the case with the BYU basketball team, I think the Phillies rotation is overrated.  I think the Cardinals and Braves will battle for the right to represent the National League in the World Series against the Chicago White Sox.  But, it's only Spring Training.  A LOT can happen!

Senior Night my @$$

I turned to ESPN a few minutes ago to watch some college basketball.  On the ticker on the bottom of the screen I saw the KU in blue but only caught the tail end of the headline, "the Kansas City Star reports."  So I went to the Star's website to check it out and see what was up.  I was not surprised to see that coach Bill Self has reinstated point guard Tyshawn Taylor.  He was suspended indefinately a few games ago for "team violations."  I read on further to find out that he, nor his replacement, Elijah Johnson will start tonight.  Senior Mario Little will start in his final home game at Allen Fieldhouse.  I think most of you know where I'm going with this.  For those that don't, I'm referring to my blog about violence in sports.
My personal opinion on the subject is, "on the fence."  While I don't agree with it, and in a perfect world all the athletes would be perfect role models, we don't live in a perfect world.  I don't agree with the fact that these people should be role models for our young kids.  Charles Barkley said when he was playing that he did not want to be a role model, and shouldn't.  While in principle, I agree with him, he doesn't have a choice in the matter.  My role model is my father.  But there are many kids that choose to look up to stars or athletes.  Ben Roethlisberger is probably a role model to a young Pittsburgh kid that has aspirations of playing in the NFL.  Whether we like it or not, stars like Kanye West, Charlie Sheen, Ben Roethlisberger, Chad Johnson (Ochocinco) are role models to young kids.  The reality is, these people do this and get away with it.  They are given a slap on the wrist, and elevated right back to that star status.  How many times has Charlie Sheen been in this situation.  This is not a perfect world.  We, myself included, are all responsible for this.  "Senior Night" in college basketball is a big tradition.  Just like "Parents Night" in high school, I think every coach should start their seniors, reguardless of their talent or status.  I remember watching KU in my younger years, and the "walk-on's" were the favorite guys on the team.  Allen Fieldhouse erupted when these guys came on the floor.  These guys deserve to be honored more than the 4 year starters do.  These guys have had a harder road to this night than the stars that will be honored.  These guys put in all the sweat and hard work and get nothing for it.  Most of them don't even get a scholarship for their hard work.  I don't know much about Connor Teahan, but he would be more of a role model for me than Mario Little or Tyshawn Taylor.  I don't know his scholarship status either, but I bet he works just as hard, if not harder than anyone on that team.  Senior Night should be about honoring ALL your seniors, not just the ones that have played.  Bill Self is a top coach.  His resume is very impressive everywhere he's been.  Granted he's taken over good programs.  He hasn't had to "build" a program, but he has sustained them.  He took over for Lon Kruger at Illinois, and Roy Williams at Kansas.  But in both cases he maintained, if not improved both programs.  His national championship at Kansas was with his own players, including one that SHOULD have been ineligible.  He is loved in Lawrence.  He made the best of a nasty situation, embraced it and never looked back.  Just how he handled that situation was impressive in it's own right.  He made a few minor changes, but was careful not to change KU tradition.  We have seen a few other instances in the Big XII alone where coaches without "school ties" are brought in, made too many changes and didn't last.  I am referring to Nebraska hiring Bill Calahan, and K-State hiring Ron Prince.  Both were fired and their replacements both had "school ties" and have already improved in just a few seasons.  I will be honest and say that I figured Bill Self would suffer the same fate.  His coaching style was completely different.  When Roy Williams resigned, I hoped that KU would hire Mark Turgeon, a young up and coming coach with KU ties.  I would probably be a KU fan if they had.  But they chose to go with Bill Self, and looking back, made a good decision.  I have not been a Bill Self fan from the beginning, and his decision yesterday didn't help matters any.  His starting lineup tonight against Texas A&M will consist of Mario Little, Tyrell Reed, Brady Morningstar, and the Morris twins.  Senior Connor Teahan gets honored for his contribution to Kansas basketball by starting on the bench while Mario Little, who was suspended earlier in the season for beating on a woman gets to start.  He deserves to hear his name called in the starting lineup.  That is the least they can do for his dedication to Kansas basketball.  It's not like he has to play the full game.  Hell, call a timeout right away.  I'm sure just hearing his name called as a starter, and being on the floor for the opening tip would mean the world to this kid, and make all that sweat and hard work worth it.  What little respect I had for Bill Self is gone now.  He showed that he is no different than anyone else.  This just proves how little violence in sports is taken seriously.  We just slap them on the wrist, then honor them.
After Kansas State beat Texas the other night, I hoped that Kansas would win out, helping K-State with seeding in the conference tournament.  After reading this, I will be the biggest A&M and Missouri fans in the country the next two games.  Yes, KU will probably win both, but will not have my support.  And I don't EVER want to be lectured on this subject by a Kansas and Bill Self fan.   GIG EM AGGIES!!