Sad day for Indiana

I have only lived in Indiana for a little over a year, so I still consider myself an outsider, but I am probably just as upset at the days news as native Hoosiers.  Jim Irsay and the Indianapolis colts made official today, what many have feared since the Colts finished with the NFL worst 2-14 record, and earned the top pick in the draft.  But this isn't just a story that effects Hoosiers alone, it has affected people all over the country.  That is fitting, considering Peyton Manning is much bigger than the Indianapolis Colts.  There are, of course, mixed feelings on the issue.  Most are upset with Irsay, and rightfully so.  But there are a few who feel that Peyton Manning isn't as big or important as people have built him up to be.  I disagree VERY much with the last statement, and share the sentiments of most Peyton Manning fans.  I remember the debate before the 1998 NFL draft.  Will the Colts use the #1 pick to select Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf?  Both were reguarded as the top QB's to come out of college in several years, and the type of QB you could build a franchise around.  The Colts selected Manning, and the rest is history.  And as of today, that's exactly what it is.  History.  The question is, what kind of history.  Peyton Manning was not just another person to wear a Colts uniform.  Since moving to Indianapolis is 1984 and before Manning came to Indy, they were mediocre at best.  After drafting Manning, 14 years ago, they have had 2 loosing seasons.  That means 12 years of winning records, playoff appearances, 2 Super Bowls in 4 years, winning one of them.  And 1 of those loosing seasons was this year, where he sat out because of injury.  As a starter, he was 12 out of 13.  Even John Elway, Joe Montana, and Dan Marino had loosing seasons.  Manning has been dubbed, rightfully so, as one of the greatest QB's to play the game.  His biggest threat is not his physical abilities, but his mind.  Oh, and lets not forget the 4 MVP awards, more than any other QB in NFL history.  I became a believer when they Colts came to Kansas City following the 2003 season.  I watched in awe, as Manning single handedly picked apart the Chiefs defense.  I knew after that game, he would be one of the greatest ever.  So needless to say, Colts fans have become accustomed to winning.  That made this past season especially tough for Colts fans.  But winning is not his legacy in Indianapolis.  Ask yourself this, what would the Colts be had they selected Ryan Leaf with that draft pick??  What would the Indianapolis landscape be like if the Colts had been mediocre over the last 14 years??  He has been nothing but classy since he came into the league.  Indianapolis, and the new Lucas Oil Stadium is only a month removed from hosting one of the greatest Super Bowls in history.  The Colts have played indoors since moving to Indianapolis, so why did it take 28 years for Indy to host a Super Bowl?  Would the Colts have this new, magnificent stadium without all the winning Manning has brought them?  And without this new stadium, Indy would not have even been considered to host a super bowl.  So, the greatest event in Indiana history would not have even been a dream, had Manning not brought his winning ways and class to Indianapolis.  And if you watched any of the Super Bowl coverage, you would see that I am not the only one that shares this mentality.  Some one brought up the point of Dan Marino in Miami, asking if the Dolphins had the #1 pick in that draft, should they pass on Manning because they already have Marino.  That brings me to my next point.  I don't see how you could pass on a proven winner like Manning or Marino for a college player with no experience what so ever.  You have no idea what you're getting.  Not only that, but why did the Dolphins not have that #1 pick?  Because Marino was playing and they were winning.  Had Manning played this season, and the Colts won their division again, this would not be an issue at all.  Manning would be getting his bonus tomorrow and life would be good for all Colts fans.  And don't even try to mention the Favre/Rogers mess.  Rogers was drafted several years before the Packers traded Favre and Rogers had several years to prepare.  Here you are cutting loose a proven winner and throwing a rookie into the fire with no training what so ever.  Manning started and played in every single game for 13 years.  That is very unprecidented, specially in recent years.  It's almost unheard of for someone to make it through 1 season injury free, let alone 13 years.  Irsay and the Colts learned absolutely nothing from last year.  They are going to take Manning's money and give it to Andrew Luck.  There will be nothing different than the past 14 years, except that Luck is no Peyton Manning.  Irsay thinks he can do better, but he is sorely mistaken.  I almost feel bad for Colts fans, because this is only the beginning of a rough patch.  IU fans know all too well, from experience.  After many years of winning and championships under Bob Knight, they fell to average.  Kelvin Sampson was supposed to be the savior.  He was supposed to bring the Hoosiers back to championship form.  How did that work out??  They are just now getting to average, and are still a few years away from championship form.  I guess another way to look at it is, all that prepared them for what the Colts are getting ready to go through.  All jabs aside, Colts fans have every right to be upset with this decision.  Peyton Manning has been a class act his entire time in the league.  He has done more for one city and state than anyone could have ever dreamed when they drafted him.  My feelings are that for everything Manning has done for his (Irsay) orginization, that Manning deserved to leave on his own terms, when and how he wanted.  Manning even handled the press conference with class, trying to defend Irsay.  He (Irsay) tried to cushion the blow and save face by saying "the #18 will never be worn again."  You think that makes up for this??  I think most Colts fans would MUCH rather see the #18 on the field, than hanging from the rafters in the stadium that HE helped build.  Colts fans aren't fooled by any of this.  They see Irsay for what he is, a back-stabbing, selfish, classless, idiot, just like his father was.  Those that know me, know that I will be sitting back, waiting for this to backfire and laugh my @$$ off when it does.  I am a firm believer in, if you're a fan, you're a fan for life, through good times and bad.  Chiefs fans grew accustomed to winning under Marty Schottenheimer in the 90's.  With the exception of a few years under Dick Vermeil sandwiched in between loosing, the Chiefs haven't been the same.  They traded Trent Green to the Miamai Dolphins and haven't recovered since.  I didn't agree with that decision, but I stayed loyal to my team, as most Colts fans will.  Reguardless of where "Luck" falls with the Colts, this will go down as one of the saddest days in Colts history, and possibly even Indiana history.  I personally am looking forward to see where he ends up.  With all that's transpired over the last several months, that team will be getting a very fired up and motivated Manning on his way to winning the "Comeback Player of the Year" award, and his 5th MVP trophy.  Reguardless of where he ends up, I will always be a fan and supporter of Peyton Manning.

SHAME on you...

This is a great time of year for baseball fans such as myself.  Teams are reporting for spring training, which means Opening Day will be here before we know it.  It's like training camp for NFL fans and midnight madness for college basketball fans.  It's the anticipation of great and exciting things to come.  Well, today's news put a huge damper on that mood.  Last fall, only a few days after announcing Ryan Braun won the National League MVP award, it was announced that he tested positive for performance enhancing drugs (PED's).  This vioation carries a 50 game suspension, since it was his first offense.  Many fans, myself included, felt that MLB should have stripped Braun of the MVP award, and they dropped the ball.  Braun also announced that he would not give up the award, which would be the respectful thing to do if you cheated to win that award.  He also said that he was going to appeal the results of the test.  Well, as bad as MLB botched that, they made it FAR worse today.  MLB announced today that they sided with Braun.  Now, to clarify, Braun's appeal was not based on the results of the test, but with the handling of the "sample".  He did not despute the results of the test, he said that his sample was mishandled.  So he got off on a technicality.  As an avid baseball fan, it pains me to say this, but MLB should be ashamed of themself.  What message are we sending here??  How often are people upset that someone gets away with murder because a detective didn't handle the evidence properly, even though that evidence proves their guilt??  The trial of Jim Williams, was one of the first murder trials that actually tried the evidence, not the defendant.  He was aquitted on a technicality.  The movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" is an excellent movie and tells this story more in depth.  But perhaps the most famous trial of evidence was the aquittal of OJ Simpson.  Whether it's murder, or PED's, bottom line is, it's cheating.  So, basically we are telling our young kids it's ok to cheat, just make sure there's a way to get around it.  I am so disgusted with this decision.  Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were condemned by fans and abandoned my MLB and they didn't even have physical proof, i.e. a UA test.  They have physical proof of Braun's cheating and he's not even getting a slap on the wrist.  He gets to keep his MVP award, not serve his 50 game ban, and gets to go on playing ball as if nothing happened.  There is no question there is a difference in the game since they "suposedly" cracked down on PED's.  The most obivous stat, the homerun, has been down.  I'm not sure of the exact stat, I'd have to look it up, but I don't think anyone even hit 50 HR's last year.  Even if it's not right, there hasn't been anyone even close to challenging the HR record.  There's no arguing that the stats have been down the last few years, and I'm sure MLB doesn't like that.  They are probably afraid they will loose fans if that doesn't change.  What MLB should be more concerned with is what will result from this decision.  Several years ago when the PED subject came to light, MLB had no choice but to do something and start enforcing it.  Well, much like Mr. Braun, they have found a way to get around the system.  It appears to me, they want to see baseball return to what it was several years ago, and this decision just opened that door.  They have found a way to allow players to "juice up" and still maintain they are fighting the problem.  Just pick on a few players that no one likes from time to time, i.e. Manny Ramirez, and it looks like they are holding up their end of the bargain.  I am a huge baseball fan and my feelings are that PED's are ruining the game.  My grandfather was one of the best pitchers southwest Kansas has ever known, and he never used any kind of drug to assist him.  He used good old fashioned hard work and effort, plain and simple.  People today have become lazy.  They want to be the best, with as little effort as possible.  They don't want to put in the effort and hard work past players, who made the game what it is today, did.  Then how do they respect the hard work of those players?  By cheating to demolish their records.  Today's decision says the MLB is ok with that.  I don't think I've said enough how upset I am by this decision!  It is wrong on so many different levels.  Then there's the ever famous, special treatment of athletes.  What would happen if my employer made me take a drug test tomorrow and it somehow tested positive, even though I've never had an illegal drug in my life?  I'd be fired and probably never able to get a descent job again in my life, as it would always be with me.  How much luck would I have if I tried to protest the results of that test?  Absolutely none.
I love baseball and always will.  I hope other baseball fans share the same disgust that I do over this decision.  I don't want to see people boycott the game or anything drastic like that, but I really hope the fans express their discontent to MLB in some way.  While this decision is embarrassing to the sport of baseball, we should be much more concerned with the message we are sending our young athletes.  Go ahead and cheat, just don't get caught.  And if you get caught, figure out a way around it.  I'm sorry, but that is just wrong.

Big happenings in Indiana

The state of Indiana is buzzing right now.  If you're a sports fan, it's the place to be.  This weekend in particular.  The obivous attraction right now is Super Bowl XLVI.  Downtown Indianapolis has been a buzz with the Super Bowl Village, and NFL Experience leading up to Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium.  We went to dowtown Indianapolis Tuesday to check it out.  It was definately the experience of a lifetime.  I got within 5 feet of several ESPN personalities.  Indianapolis went all out for this.  They closed of several streets downtown for the Super Bowl Village.  They put down artificial turf over one street.  They have a zip line set up next to the convention center that goes over the street of turf.  The convention center is the host to the NFL Experience, and the NFL shop.  ESPN took over the Pan Am plaza, and the Lids Locker Room inside the Pan Am building.  I have heard nothing but good things about how great the city of Indianapolis has done.  I talked to someone today who has been to 3 super bowls, and never had near as much fun as he had the last two nights in downtown Indy, and was headed down there again tonight.  Nothing is guarranteed, but if all the reviews are a sign, it's very possible the big game could be back.  But, local people are not surprised at all by this.  They have hosted multiple Final Fours, the Big 10 tournament, as well as the Big 10 championship game in football.  Indy knows how to put on a party.  Then you have the Indiana Pacers, who are playing much better basketball this season, riding a 4 game win streak into tonight, hosting the Orlando Magic.  But for most of the population of Indiana, there was something much bigger going on today.  The in-state rivalry between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Indiana Hoosiers tipped off at 7 pm tonight.  The Super Bowl may be tomorrow, but tonight belonged to college basketball.  I have been a Purdue fan since I was a little kid.  Their coach, Gene Keady was from Larned Kansas, a few towns over from where I grew up.  I always thought it was pretty awesome that someone from a small town in western Kansas could be a successful head coach like that.  I also had a tremendous amount of respect for Bob Knight and the success that he had.  I always liked Purdue more, but didn't really dislike IU.  I moved to Indiana a little over a year ago.  I have been able to follow Purdue a lot more since moving here.  This year I have been able to go to Mackey Arena and watch a few games.  Needless to say, I'm hooked.  I will always be a KSU Wildcat fan, but Purdue is a close second.  But my attitude towards the Indiana Hoosiers has changed drastically.  The main reason for this is their fans and the IU bias.  Tonights game illustrates why I dislike IU as much, if not more than I do the Kansas Jayhawks.  Those of you who know me, know how much I dislike the Jayhawks.  Their fans are very arrogant and self absorbed.  They had two big wins, at home, and all the IU fans winning it all.  They have only won 2 games on the road in the Big 10.  Assembly Hall is one of the most "home town biased" arenas in the country.  Even on the road, they get more calls than most of the home teams.  The officials did not determine the outcome of the game tonight, but they certainly gave the edge to the Hoosiers.  When comments are made about the officiating IU fans are quick to criticize the comments, yet when they loose, they are just as quick to criticize the officials.  I guess when you get all the calls, you expect nothing less.  I was unable to get tickets to attend the game, so I had to watch it on Big Ten Network.  TV analysts are supposed to be unbiased.  Yet, watching this game was just like watching Dick Vitale call a Kansas Jayhawk game.  They were slobbering all over the Hoosiers all night.  Then there is the media bias.  Purdue is not a spectacular team.  They are an average team.  They are in the middle of the Big 1o, where they belong.  They are inconsistant.  I have no issue with admitting that.  But, Purdue and Indiana have similar records and Purdue is actually ahead of Indiana in the Big 10 standings.  Yet, Indiana is ranked #22 in the country.  I don't believe Purdue should be ranked, but Indiana does not deserve to be either.  IU fans insist that they are the best team in the Big 10.  They WAY over-hype the Hoosiers.  As I said earlier, after one win over Kentucky, there automatically put them in the NCAA tournament and talked like they were the best team in the country.  Indiana is way over rated, yet according to their fans, they are under rated.  They are no worse, or no better than Purdue.  Indiana may have won tonight, but that does not mean they are the better team.  There is no doubt they have more talent.  They have more talent and more potential, yet they are still behind Purdue in the standings.  They can not win outside the home town bias of Assembly Hall.  I would say that they are under achieving this year.  With the weapons they have, they SHOULD be one of the top teams in the Big 10, yet they are 6th in the standings, tied with Purdue.  So, IU fans will continue to run their mouths, and my dislike for them will continue to grow.  Every team has good years and bad years.  Every team has ups and downs.  You can't win them all.  IU may have won tonight, and may win when they meet again in March, but the future is very bright for Purdue.  Next years recruiting class is supposed to be better then the class that included Moore, Johnson, and Hummell.  So, enjoy it while it last IU fans, because it won't last long.  Boiler Up!!

No loyalty

Loyalty in sports is a topic that stretches between different sports.  So the topic can be discussed pretty much year round.  We often see athletes that move on from somewhere for better money, benefits, etc.  There are a few big names that have done this in recent years.  The top 2 that probably come to mind is Lebron James and Albert Pujols.  Both are the top players in their respective sports.  Albert Pujols recently signed a long term deal with the Los Angeles Angels, after spending his entire career in St Louis.  He wanted a long term deal that would keep him in STL for the remainder of his career.  He wanted to be a Cardinal for life and was willing to take less money to stay there.  His demands were more based on years than money.  He wanted a 10 year deal, which would allow him to retire with the same team that brought him up after the retirement of Mark McGwire.  The Cardinals orginization dropped the ball, and only offered him a 5 year deal.  Pujols handled the handled the whole contract negotiation admirably, I think.  He refused to let it be a distraction to his team.  He said, with emphasis that if a deal wasn't reached before the beginning of last season, it would not be addressed again until after the offseason.  And he and the Cardinals maintained that agreement.  He entered free agency after the Cardinals would not meet his 10 year demand.  He flirted with a few teams.  I figured he would end up in Miami.  After it appeared another team would meet his demands, STL retracted their original offer and offered him the 10 years, but it was too late.  The damage had already been done.  He reached a deal, and will now retire and LA Angel.  At the time, I thought this had to be one of the biggest botch jobs in sports history.  You have the best player in baseball who wanted, and would take less money to remain in your city, with your orginization through his entire career, and you let him go.  It wouldn't take long for this to be upstaged, which I will get to in a moment.  The other athlete, Lebron James, turned his back on the city of Cleveland after carrying the Cavaliers to the Eastern Conference Finals.  He took his services to the Miami Heat for better money and a ligitimate shot at an NBA title.  He was the only man in Cleveland and single handedly carried the franchise the whole time he was there.  In Miami, he has help.  Teamed with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh, the Heat made the NBA Finals in his first year, despite a slow start to the season.  The biggest drama is starting to unfold now in the NFL.  Peyton Manning was unable to play a single down this season, having to undergoe neck surgery for the third time.  The Colts would find out just how valuable Manning was to them, after finishing the season with the worst record in the NFL at 2-14.  Manning has carried the Colts for most of his career, much like Lebron James did in Cleveland.  Manning is the best quarterback in the NFL, and possibly one of the best of all time.  There will always be a comparison between the Manning brothers about who is better, Eli or Peyton.  What makes this comparison unfare is the difference between the Giants and Colts orginizations.  The Giants have given Eli weapons to work with, like a good running game, many tight ends and receivers to throw to and a defense to back it up.  Peyton has had none of that, with the exception of Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.  I'm sure it was tempting to him to go somewhere else, with some weapons, yet he remained loyal to the city of Indianapolis.  Living where I do, less than an hour from Indy, I've heard a lot more about this.  He wants to remain loyal and retire a Colt, but the decision may be out of his hands.  At first, it appeared that the Colts had learned their lesson.  But as time went on, it appeared maybe they hadn't.  Jim Irsay, team owner, cleaned house, including firing the Polians, Bill, the teams President, and Chris, the team's General Manager.  The new general manager decided it was best for the coach, Jim Caldwell to go as well.  Last week, Manning made a few comments about the Colts facility, saying it is "not a good environment to be around."  This and other comments ticked off Irsay.  Now, the newest development is saying that Manning's fate has already been decided.  It appears the Colts are ready to hitch their wagon (no pun intended) to Andrew Luck.  To me, this is a VERY risky move.  Everyone has made Luck to be the Next Peyton Manning.  He hasn't even played a down in the NFL yet!!  I remember when the Colts drafted Manning, there was another QB that was supposed to be better than Manning.  The Colts drafted Manning and passed on Ryan Leaf.  Ask the San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys how Ryan Leaf turned out.  Ask the Arizona Cardinals how well Matt Leinert worked out.  Carson Palmer has been successful, but hasn't lived up to the hype of his draft expectations.  Opposing coaches in the Pac 12 have said that USC QB Matt Barkley is a better QB than Luck.  I would put more stock in their opinion than an biased analyst.  My point is, a #1 pick is just likely to be a bust, as a success.  I don't understand why, when you have a loyal, proven winner, with at least 5 years left in his career, you would want to take this gamble.  Manning has made it know that he wants to remain a Colt.  Irsay apparently wants to part ways with Manning.  My blood runs Chiefs red, so I'm not a Colts fan, so I can say this.  Because of the way this has all been handled, I hope Luck is a bust, and this backfires on Irsay and the Colts.  Even if Irsay does a 180 and decides to keep Manning, it shows that they didn't learn a single thing from the last year.  If they keep Manning, you will be devoting almost all of your salary to 2 quarterbacks.  They will have to pay Luck, a #1 draft pick's salary.  So, this will prevent them from signing anyone to help out on offense, or defense.  So, Manning will continue to carry the team on his shoulders, then pass that on to Luck when he retires.  I am not, and never will be a general manager.  But, if I were the Colts GM, I would realize I have the best QB in the NFL and try to get someone to help him out.  I would use the #1 pick to draft either Justin Blackmon (WR) of Trent Richardson (RB).  It is possible to draft a good franchise QB late in the draft.  The #2 QB in the league (Tom Brady) was a late round draft choice.  I have wondered a little from the topic at hand, but it does tie into it.  People always say that there is no loyalty in sports anymore.  The days of a player staying with one organization their entire career are over.  Most of the time these comments are directed at the players who are going somewhere else for better money.  An interesting sidenote to this, pitcher Cliff Lee left the Texas Rangers for the Philadelphia Phillies for more money and to be a part of the "dream team" pitching staff.  He wanted to win a World Series.  Well, the Phillies were eliminated early by the eventual World Series champs, the St Louis Cardinals.  Meanwhile, the team he left was one game away from a World Series title.  These are the type of players usually refered to in these comments.  But there are organizations like the Colts and Cardinals who treat these few remaining players who want to be loyal like a stray and kick them to the curb.  A person gives most of their career to them.  Wins them a championship or two, and it means nothing to the owners and management.  Who can blame the players for moving on.  There is no loyalty in sports any more, but it's just as much the fault of the organizations as it is the players.

Back on the horse...

It's been a while since my lost blog.  I had to do wheat harvest this summer and never had the time.  When I got home I found a job doing fall harvest here at home.  It has been busy most of the time.  We've got some rain the last few days, giving me some much needed time off.  There have been several issues the last few weeks that have peaked my interest, and as expected I have a few opinions on.  So, I decided I would get back on the horse and try it again.  With my busy work schedule, it might not be as often, but I will as much as I can.
There have been a few issues the last few weeks that I have been pretty vocal about.  The main two that I am going to blog about are the almost collapse of the Big XII, again.  The other is the Philadelphia Eagles "Dream Team" and Michael Vick.  I am going to talk about the Big XII tonight, and will visit the Eagles issue tomorrow night if I have time.
As most of you have seen or heard about the last few weeks is for the second time in a year, the Big XII almost collapsed.  When this happened last year, the league was kept together basically by commissioner Dan Beebe kissing Texas' ass and giving what they wanted to keep them in the Big XII and keep them together.  I blogged about this issue when it happened before and said that if they sit back and do nothing, this would not be the end of it.  Since that time there has been no talk at all about expanding the Big XII.  During this time there was also a new television contract with Fox Sports.  But as I expected, the Big XII sat back and did nothing.  This summer, the story broke that Texas A&M was going to leave the Big XII for the SEC.  They were tired of everyone bowing to Texas' every command.  The deal may have kept the Big XII together, but it also offended a lot of schools.  Then, to no one's surprise, the expansion issue came up again.  Oklahoma figured Texas A&M can do it, so can we.  They announced that they were going to look into joining that Pac 12.  The only problem with that was that the Pac 12, and probably any other conference as well, wouldn't take Oklahoma without Texas.  Soon, much like last year, it was rumored that Texas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech were headed west to join the Pac 12.  This time the move didn't happen because Texas and the Pac 12 couldn't agree on terms, so the Pac 12 said, "Thanks, but no thanks."  Of course this is no big deal to the Longhorns because they have the Big XII to fall back on.  Texas has been considered the "bully" of the Big XII, and rightfully so.  But what does that make Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Colorado??  This is much like a grade school playground.  Texas is not playing fair, so Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Colorado get their feelings hurt, so they run away crying like little babies instead of standing up for themselves and against Texas.  Texas doesn't care because they know they will get what they want.  They have no reason to panic.  Pat Forde posted a blog on ESPN.com the other day that I really enjoyed reading.  It was very truthful to the point, reality.  Everybody is blaming Texas for all the happenings, but is it really their fault?  Nebraska is the one that started all this by going to the Big 10 because they didn't like the way everyone treating Texas.  You don't see KU, K-State, or Iowa State crying like little babies and going to the Big 10 or ACC.  The talks with the Big East were a result of the others headed for the Pac 12.  It's all a matter of reality.  The Big XII and commissioner Dan Beebe kissed Texas' backside to keep them in the conference together in one piece.  So, Texas is the one holding the cards and the last few weeks have proved that.  The Pac 12 doesn't want to expand if Texas isn't involved.  The Big XII's hands are tied because of the deal they made.  So, as is usually the case, the big get bigger and the small get crapped on.  It drives me nuts when everyone talks about this "fairy tale" world in which everyone is nice, there are no bullies, peace on earth, etc.  While that would be an AWESOME thing, it's not reality.  The reality is that stuff happens.  Most of the time there is nothing we can do about it.  We just have to accept it and deal with it and move on.  These schools may not like what Texas has become, but the reality of the situation is, nothing is about to change. Texas is going to continue being a bully and getting their way because they are holding the cards right now.  So the best thing to do is just accept it and move on.  The Big XII is the best conference in college sports.  The SEC is a football conference, the ACC, Big East, and Big Ten are basketball conferences.  The Big XII has both.  As I said before, this is not the last we're going to hear about the expansion issue.  Only days after thinking the conference was stable again, rumors of Missouri headed to the SEC surface.  Expansion is going to happen eventually.  There will be a 16 team super-conference eventually.  Other conferences want to raid the Big XII because of it's so deep and talented throughout.  Let's say Texas, OU, OSU, and Texas Tech headed west, the Big East was going to take KU, K-State, Missouri, Iowa State, and Baylor, as well as TCU who was already scheduled to join next year.  This would be a win win for the Big East.  They could gain some respect in football, and imagine what basketball would be like with KU, KSU, and Mizzou added to that.  As I said before, it's all a matter of reality.  We hate to see the Big XII go, but it's only a matter of time and it's gonna happen.  They keep patching things up, but it's no permanent solution.  In my blog then, I said that there will be a 16 team super conference, and if the Big XII didn't do something about it and make themselves that super conference, they were going to be raided for someone else.  Their lack of action over the past year addressing the expansion issue and the hard feelings with Texas have brought the issue back to the surface, as it will again.  It's getting a little old at this point.  Texas A&M wants to leave, Oklahoma wants to leave, Missouri wants to leave.  In a perfect world, the new commissioner would make things better, everyone could hug and kiss and make up, and everything would be ok.  This is not a perfect world.  I remember when the Big 8 merged with the old Southwest Conference.  The critics of this said that letting those Texas schools into the conference would ruin the conference.  Turns out they were right!!  But the Big XII is not going to collapse and dissolve because of Texas being a bully.  The Big XII will fall because the other schools in the conference want to cry and run like chickens instead of standing up to the bully.  They are now down to 9 schools, and who in their right mind would want to join a conference that may not be here in a few years??  It's a matter of reality, and the reality is, the way things are now, we are just postponing the inevitable.  I really hate to see the Big XII go, but it's only a matter of time before it happens. It's time to accept reality and move on.  Since booting Texas from the conference is not going to happen, let Texas take their swollen heads to the west coast and let it be someone else's problem.  But if I were KU, KSU, ISU, and Mizzou, I think I would apply for membership in the Big 10 before the Big East.  That conference already has 14 schools.  Also, if you join the Big East, your closest road game, with the exception of TCU would be Cincinnati, Louisville, and West Virginia.  If you move to the Big Ten, you are still staying in the midwest where you belong.  What I'm curious about though is, what would Texas' attitude be if those schools did such a move leaving them scrambling for somewhere to go.  The Pac 12 would not accept Texas' demands, and neither is the SEC, Big 10, ACC, etc.  They'd have no choice but to give up some of their demands, or become independent.  But that's not about to happen either.  Interim commissioner Neinas thinks he can mend the fences and keep the Big XII together, and possibly even keep Texas A&M from leaving.  I really do hope he's right.  I hope he can keep it together, but he's inheriting a stalemate in which neither side is going to budge.  Texas isn't going to give any ground, causing more hard feelings and just making things worse.  The other issue that needs to be addressed to save the conference is expansion.  They need to be agressive in this matter, getting the conference back to 12 teams, ASAP.  But, as I said earlier, who in their right mind would join this mess??  The only school to express any interest at all in the last year is SMU.  There are several schools that would make good additions in my opinion.  SMU, BYU, Tulsa, or Boise State would not replace Texas A&M or Nebraska, but realisticly that's the best you're going to get.  Those are even a stretch considering there is no stability in the conference right now.  I just don't see this ending well for the Big XII.  Texas is the bully, yes, but they are not solely to blame for this.  As is the case with most disagreements there are several fingers to be pointed.  When the Big XII falls, and it will fall eventually, Texas will be blamed, but it's not all their fault.  Another thing I'd like to know is that if the Big XII came to Nebraska, Oklahoma, or Texas A&M and offered them the same things they offered Texas, would they take the high road and say, "We don't think it's fair to the other schools in the conference, so no thank you."??  I don't think so...

Unfamiliar Territory

I don't touch on the NBA much.  The main reason for that being, I really don't care much for it.  I attended two Indiana Pacers games, and I was not impressed with the kind of play.  One of the biggest things in basketball is TEAMwork.  In the NBA, there is no team.  I watched Carmelo Anthony battle with Amr'e Stoudemire for the star role, or to be the hero that brought them back from behind.  The Knicks trailed by double digits by most of the game to an inferior Pacers team.  Had they played together like they should, they would have beat down the Pacers from the very beginning like they should have.  They were too concerned about being in the spotlight, and lost to a last second shot by Danny Granger.  My other problem with the NBA is making too much of a show of it.  The game takes twice as long as it should because of TV time outs, Pacemate performances, Mascot performances, etc.  What should be a 30 or 60 second time out turns into about 5 minutes.
I have not gone out of my way, or made an effort to cover the NBA much because I don't care for it.  I don't have the passion for it like I do football, college basketball, or baseball.  The playoffs are in the middle of the second round, and there are a few things I wanted to point out.  I haven't watched any of the games, just caught highlights and analysis on ESPN and TNT.  During the season I didn't follow enough to know much about the teams, again going by what the "know it all's" say.  As the playoffs are well underway, we are seeing that these "know it all's" don't really know what they're talking about again.  The biggest headline of the season was the Carmelo Anthony trade to the Knicks.  Some people were putting them in the NBA finals before they even played a game.  Well, post-carmelo trade, things happened a little differently.  The Knicks got worse, and the Nuggets actually improved without Anthony.  But, the most popular topic was how the Miami Heat were performing with the "Big 3".  They had a hard team beating teams with a winning record.  So these guys rushed to the conclusion that the Heat would get bounced from the playoffs early, if not immediately.  The San Antonio Spurs didn't get the coverage that the Lakers got, but had the best record in the NBA all season long.  But the Lakers and Spurs were by far the "Best in the West."  They put the Spurs and Lakers in the western conference finals.  Then, lastly, the Boston Celtics, who happen to be the defending champs, kind of limped their way into the playoffs.  They did the same thing last year, and won it all, yet they still wanted to advance the Knicks over the Celtics in round one.  Here we are, well into the second round, and let's follow up with these "headlines".  The defending champs swept the Knicks right out of the playoffs.  The Knicks didn't win a single playoff game.  The overall #1 seed Spurs were bounced in the first round by the #8 seed Memphis Grizzlies.  The Lakers managed to get by the first round, but the Dallas Mavericks made them look like they didn't belong in the playoffs at all, getting out the brooms and sweeping them back to LA LA land, ending the Phil Jackson era in LA.  Now, let's see how the Miami Heat, the team that couldn't beat a team with a winning record have fared thus far.  They beat the 76ers in 5 games.  That's no big accomplishment.  They Celtics would be a bit more of a test.  Or would they??  Well, the Heat just beat the defending champion Celtics in game 5 tonight.  So the team that couldn't beat a team with a winning record has won 8 games and lost 2.  They lost more than the #1 overall seed Spurs won!  The "best in the west" are sitting at home watching on TV, and the team they predicted to be watching is pretty hot right now.  But, this is good for the NBA.  There are several positive aspects with the remaining teams that people will enjoy.  Everyone likes to see something new.  We are guarranteed two new teams in the Finals.  Everybody loves an underdog.  There are several teams that can claim this title.  The Mavericks have been under rated all season long.  The OKC Thunder are proof that small market teams can succeed, and the Memphis Grizzlies are the #8 seed.  Then you have a villain in LeBron James and the Miami Heat.  Then you have the real best team in the NBA, in the Chicago Bulls.  After Jordan retired (the second time) and Jackson left, ownership stripped down the team and started a LONG rebuilding process.  Well, they are back.  I might actually find myself watching the conference finals, and probably the NBA finals as well.  I could not say that if it were going to be the Knicks, Celtics, Lakers, Spurs, etc.  OKC v Dallas starting an NBA version of the Red River Rivalry perhaps??  MVP Derrick Rose and the Bulls against the "Big 3" and the Miami Heat.  Both very appealing matchups I think.  Half of those matchups are set, the other half still in limbo.  But that's something I would really enjoy watching.  I think...

Congratulations

We all thought college basketball was over with until next fall.  We've heard of a few star playings signing letters of intent, but that's about it.  Well, last week there was some pretty big news developing, that Gary Williams was retiring at the University of Maryland.  Gary Williams built that program into something special.  It's not Duke, Kansas, Kentucky, or North Carolina, but it's right up there with it.  But what's more important is that it's in a very talent rich part of the country.  This job could be a win win for both Maryland and the next head coach.  Maryland would have the luxury of being able to choose a good quality coach, and for a coach that's established himself at a good school that's not a national powerhouse, to take that next step up.  And let's face it, Coach K, Bill Self, John Calipari and Roy Williams aren't going anywhere any time soon.  Most schools like a Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Missouri, etc. look to a mid major coach, such as Brad Stevens or Mark Few to revive their program.  Well, as we saw with Kansas hiring Bill Self from Illinois, Maryland would be in the same position.  They could afford to look at those coaches and give them a shot at the big time.  Well, I was very suprised, and very happy to see that Maryland was considering someone who was also rumored to be Williams replacement at Kansas.  I don't know for sure, but I imagine a big part of the reason Mark Turgeon wasn't picked at Kansas was because he hadn't yet coached at a bigger school, in a power conference.  He was the Missouri Valley Coach of the Year in 2006 then took the Wichita State Shockers to the Sweet 16.  I was really pulling for him to get the Kansas job, and if he had, I'd probably be one of the biggest Jayhawk fans in the country.  Yes, you could say I have a "man crush" on Mark Turgeon.  He comes from basketball royalty.  He played for Larry Brown at Kansas, and was an assistant for Roy Williams at Kansas.  He did at Wichita State what many before him failed doing, resurrecting their basketball program, making them a powerhouse in the Missouri Valley.  He would ultimately leave WSU for Texas A&M to replace Billie Gilespie.  At the time, I was skeptical.  I thought he could do much better than Texas A&M.  But at the same time, I knew he wouldn't be there forever.  I figured this would be a stepping stone to something better.  A&M is a football school, and I wasn't sure if he could succeed.  Well, bottom line, he did.  His accomplishment at A&M is similar to what he did at WSU.  This year had to be one of his best coaching seasons after the way it started.  Just before the season, his top recruit was killed in a car accident.  To be able to take a football school and make it relevant in basketball is quite an accomplishment, and was unfortunately one of the contributing factors to him taking the job at Maryland.  A&M's football program is coming back, which means more competition for him.  I was VERY happy to read last night that Turgeon got the job at Maryland.  As I said earlier, this is a win-win for both parties.  Turgeon gets his shot at a big-time, tradition rich school, and Maryland gets a proven, winning coach.  He is taking over at a good time too, with the ACC being down.  He will be able to make a run at the ACC title almost immediately.  Another factor is the respective conferences.  The Big XII is headed for major changes next year.  They will be going from 12 teams to 10, and play a round robin format, playing each team twice, home and away.  It's not know how this will work out.  It's not known if this will help or hurt the Big XII's status as a power conference.  The Big XII isn't going anywhere, but they may not be a top 3 like they have been the last few years.  The (old) Big XII was also football conference.  Now he goes to the ACC, who is down, but on the way back up.  The ACC is a basketball conference.  They tried to make themselves relevant in football by adding Miami and Virginia Tech several years ago, but since have been even more irrelevant in football.  Bottom line is, Turgeon WILL succeed at Maryland.  As one of Turgeon's biggest fans, I am extremely happy for him, and hope this works out for him.  I am confident that he will succeed, but nothing is guarranteed.  Matt Doherty (another one of my favorite coaches) got his dream job in North Carolina, and that didn't work out.  I still think it had nothing to do with him, but I won't go into that.  I am excited to see this, and it's already got me looking forward to next season.  Good luck Mark, and I wish you the best of luck in your new job.

Back on track...

I've been a little off track the last few weeks.  But I'm gonna try and right the ship and get back on topic.  The baseball season is well underway, and I would much rather talk about that than politics.
I have been very annoyed lately with the media, mainly ESPN.  If you've been following my blog, you know of my feelings about ESPN.  To say I don't care for them is an understatement.  But unfortunately they have a monopoly on the sports market.  Fox sports tried to compete, but couldn't quite make it work.  Recent events lead me to believe that they are trying to make another run at it.  I was watching their Saturday baseball when I saw a commercial where they brag about the events they have.  They of course have the baseball all star game and world series.  But they also have the new Pac 12 and Big 10 (football) championship games.  They Big 12 also recently signed a tv deal with Fox Sports so that every Big XII football and basketball game will be televised.  Their current agreement with ESPN expires in a few years and reports are the Fox will get ALL the Big XII games after that.  ESPN has become too corporate.  They have no real competition, and they know it, so they do whatever they want.  Hopefully Fox Sports can "take them down a notch."
My biggest problem with ESPN is they only cover certain teams.  All you hear about on Sportscenter and Baseball Tonight is the Philadelphia Phillies and they starting rotation.  They are off to a good start, but there are 29 other teams in MLB.  Several of which have just as impressive starting rotations as the Phillies.  Two of those teams are in the same division.  The Florida Marlins are just 2 games behing the Phillies in the very tough NL East.  Every time Josh Johnson or Anibal Sanchez take the mound they are flirting with a no-hitter.  They talk about this pitcher and that pitcher coming close, but that's only once in a while.  Anibal Sanchez is the #4 guy in the rotation.  Those two guys do it every time they go out.  The Marlins have the second best record in the National League.  The other team in their division is the team most famous for awesome starting rotations, the Atlanta Braves.  The Braves have Tim Hudson, Derek Lowe, Tommy Hanson, Jair Jurrjens and Brandon Beachy.  They are just a few games behind the Marlins.  Switching divisions, you have the St Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds.  Let's not forget the defending champs, the San Francisco Giants.  The American League has a few rotations worthy of mention, but haven't put up the numbers.  Sunday night baseball is an ESPN tradition.  They've broadbasted a Sunday night game for as long as I can remember I think.  I have noticed this year especially that there are always one of three teams playing.  If you want to be on Sunday night baseball, not only do you have to be good or respectable, you have to play either the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, or the Philadelphia Phillies.  The Phillies are on tonight for the second week in a row.  Fox Saturday baseball is similar to NFL where they broadcast several games, and give you the game closest to your market.  I.e. yesterday's game here was the Reds at the Cubs.  I think it's safe to say that people outside of those team's markets could care less to watch the Mets v Phillies, or the Red Sox v Yankees.  Those people in those markets that would want to watch them would be able to anyway on their regular networks.  I guess I don't see why they can't do what Fox does with Saturday baseball.  They have more resources to work with than Fox.  Why can't they offer several games and offer the game in your market.  Let people out west watch a game they want to see, like the Giants and Rockies, instead of forcing them to watch the same team they could care less about week after week.  I've been watching the Braves at Phillies for about 20 minutes and these announcers remind me of watching Dick Vitale call a KU-K-State game.  They act like they have a "man crush" on the Phillies.  Being a Royals fan in Indiana is tough.  Even though I get Fox Sports Midwest and Kansas City, the Royals and Cardinals are blacked out here.  As I've said before, the market here will only allow us to watch the Reds, Cubs, and White Sox.  This game (Sunday Night Baseball) is nationally televised and the blackout restrictions do not apply.  ESPN could broadcast other games, still good teams or competitive games.  This weekend alone, you also have the Giants v Rockies for the west market.  You have the Cardinals v Brewers for the Midwest, Marlins v Nats for the south, and you could offer the Phillies v Braves for the northeast.
I would love to see an interactive channel where you could pick any one out-of-market game to watch.  You would only be allowed to pick one game per day.  Once you picked it, that's final and the only game you could watch for that day.  So, if the Royals are not playing, or playing someone I could care less to watch, I could watch the Marlins, or the Braves, or the Rays, or the Rockies.  I am not the only out of market fan in the country.  My brother is a Cardinals fan.  My dad likes the Giants.  There are Cardinals fans all across the midwest.  There are a few teams, like the Braves, Cubs, and Yankees that have fans nationwide who would love the opportunity to watch and follow their teams.  I remember growing up, watching the Cubs on WGN and the Braves on TBS.  That is probably a big reason these teams have fans all over the country.  I remember when the Cubs played the Braves, my brother and I used to fight over watching the game on WGN or TBS.  Now the new tv deals have ruined that.  If you are an out of market fan and want to follow your team, you are forced to shell out big bucks to get a tv or internet package, just to watch your team.  ESPN could help this a little, but they choose not to.  But, ESPN is like the government.  They think they are bigger and better than anyone else, and don't have to listen to anyone.  They simply don't care about the viewer's opinion.

What it's like

One of my favorite songs of all time is "What it's like" by Everlast.  If you haven't heard this song, I strongly recommend you listen to it.  The basic moral of the song is, you do not know what the other person is truely thinking unless you've walked in their shoes.  It starts by talking about a homeless man begging for change.  Someone replies, "get a job you f*(#ing slob."  The next part is a teenage girl getting pregnant, and her boyfriend abandons her, so she decides to get an abortion, being called all kinds of hateful names as she goes into the clinic.  Then he makes the point that no one is perfect.  Everyone has flaws.  "I've seen a rich man beg, seen a good man sin, seen a tough man cry, seen a looser win, seen a sad man grin, seen an honest man lie."  Then he goes back to the original point about a man that's got himself caught up in the gang life.  He gets in a fight, looses his cool, spouts off, pulls a gun, and gets shot.  "Now his wife and kids are caught in the midst of all his pain.  People say that's what you get when you play the game."  These situations are a bit of an extreme for most people, but look back in your life and tell me you haven't judged someone before thinking about what THEY're going through.
This song has made me who I am today.  For those of you who know me, you think i'm an antagonist that's always negative and starting arguments.  Stop and think about it for a moment.  I've always followed the belief that there are 2 sides to every arguement.  We all have our sides that we like to take, and we stick to that.  We never look at it from the other person's perspective.  I call my approach a "Devil's advocate" approach.  I am not trying to be an antagonist, or start an argument.  I also believe in fairness.  People often look at things with goggles on, so to speak.  They only see what they want to see, hear what they want to hear, and believe what they want to believe.  That attitude really irritates me.
The last week or two, I've had a pretty intense discussion with someone that all started with our president's response to the rising gas prices.  As I said in my last blog, his response was, deal with it, and if you don't like it, get a more fuel efficient vehicle.  I was told that my responses were critical and insulting.  Well, if you ask me, I think it's pretty insulting to tell the people that put him in that office to "deal with it."  In this case, I was trying to defend the normal, working class americans who do not have the ability to do that.  MOST Americans either live paycheck to paycheck, or require government assistance just to pay their bills.  It's easy for someone who has always made good money, never had to struggle to make a living to sit their and offer advice like that.  These people make a very comfortable salary, probably have good credit, and can afford to trade their vehicles as soon as it's due for an oil change.  A person living paycheck to paycheck has a very fixed and limited income and can't afford to give up just a few extra dollars, let alone a car payment.  If I were that person living paycheck to paycheck, trying to support a family, etc. and someone told me that, I'd be pretty insulted.  For people living the "good life" they can afford that extra money a week to compensate for the rising prices.  For someone on a fixed budget like that, they have to make sacrifices to make up for that.  In my case, we had to give up a very nice house and move because I couldn't afford to drive to work.  I was very fortunate that my employer had another house for me to move to.  If not for that, I don't know what we would have done.  I know there are people out there who had it a lot worse than we did.  I am thankful that I had an employer that would work with me and help me out.  I was told my responses were critical and insulting, and that I should be more positive.
Criticism, insults, and negativity is all a matter of perspective.  You can take the same comment said by myself, and a positive person, and I guarantee you will take it two completely different ways.  I don't mean for my comments to be insulting or critical, that's just how they come across.  I am not starting an argument, merely defending the common person from people who don't take their situation into account.  I don't care how positive and optomistic you are, there is no avoiding criticism.  If someone needs to improve, let's say a musical competition, there is NO way you can give that person advice on how to improve without it being criticism.  It's how we improve.
Then today I was told that if I didn't like it, get a different job.  One should REALLY think before they make that comment.  A job is something that should be cherished right now.  With the economy the way it is right now, unemployment being so high, there are MANY unemployed people that would give anything to have that job.  It is not something that should be taken for granted and traded in for something better.  Every employer gets a stack of applications over an inch thick for a job.  There are litterally hundreds of people out there who would LOVE and give anything to have that job you are taking for granted.  It would be nice to move to a different job that makes more money etc., but realistically, how often does that happen??  I would say 1 in 10 times is pretty optomistic.  Then you have your "tenure" factor.  As you work at a job, you get raises, accumulate vacation, sick leave, etc.  To leave would be starting all over.  During that 10 years, you've probably got several raises during that time.  Most places let you accumulate your sick leave and don't loose it like vacation.  So, at 5 days a year, for 10 years, that's 50 days of sick leave.  Most places also award you more vacation time for the longer you've been there.  For example, 1 week for the first 5 years, 2 weeks up to 10 years, and 3 weeks after 10 years.  In that scenario, you have thrown away 50 days of sick leave, which is almost equal to two materinty leaves, and 3 weeks of paid vacation, and several dollars an hour, all that took you 10 years to work for.  If you started your job making say $10 an hour, and after 10 years you're probably making $15 + an hour.  Tell me how you would better yourself by giving all that up, finding another job that literally hundreds of people are also trying to get.  I'm sure any unemployed person would be VERY insulted that you think jobs are expendable and easy to come by.
As I said in the beginning, people have a hard time with empathy and thinking objectively.  People need to be more open minded and remember that song.  You don't know what it's like until you've been in that situation.  You don't know what it's like to not be able to afford to put gas in your vehicle unless you've been in that situation.
Another thing that has been bugging me is Obama getting so much credit for doing something that any president would do.  Let me say first that I support the end result completely.  I am glad that SOB is dead and gone.  The seals that did that should be the ones praised.  Obama merely gave an order that any president would do.  But, let's look at this from a christian perspective.  The bible says that when someone slaps you, do not seek revenge, but turn the other cheek.  So, that christian person is supporting someone seeking retribution??  That sounds like quite a contradiction to me.  A few weeks ago people defended Obama about the possible government shut down, and gas prices, saying it's not his fault, and he has no control over it.  So, you want to praise him and give him credit for taking out Obama, when all he did was merely give the ok.  But when there's criticism, it's not his fault.  That sounds a little unfair, and one sided.  Those are perfect examples of what I've been talking about.  My comments were not meant to be insults, but were taken that way.  They were taken that way because that person is being stubborn and refuses to be open minded and look at it from both sides.  Every one has an opinion about everything, and sometimes we agree, and sometimes we don't.  My opinions might be a little one sided, but I ALWAYS try and do my best to look at it from both sides.  You don't know what it's like, until you've been in that situation.  You don't know what it's like until you've been that homeless guy, the pregnant girl, or the family who lost a husband/father.  If more people would look at it that way, and do this, it would be a much more peaceful and understanding world.

"The Don" for president...

I have never been this involved, outspoken, and infuriated in politics in 31 years.  When Obama ran for president, I did not support him.  I voted for McCain.  Obama won, good for him.  There was nothing I could do to change that, so I decided I would give him the benefit of the doubt and see what happens.  His healthcare bill turned out to be a joke.  Ok, no big deal.  No one's perfect.  But the last few months I just get more and more outraged by him.  A few weeks ago, in response to the rising gas prices, his comment was, "Just deal with it, and if you don't like it trade in your gas guzzler for a more fuel efficient vehicle."  I've been in this situation before.  When I lived in Elk City, I had 17 miles one way to work.  We ended up having to give up a perfectly good house and move closer to work because it was costing me $10 a day just to drive to work.  For arguement sake, let's test Obama's suggestion here.  I had a 1985 Chevy pickup that got about 10 mpg.  It was definately a gas guzzler.  But, it was mine, free and clear.  My only expense was very low property taxes, liability only insurance that was about $20 a month, and the gas to get to work.  So, for a normal person working 5 days a week, that's $50 a week, $200 a month.  Now, say I decided to get a more fuel efficient car.  First of all, there's going to be a lein payment, and $300 a month would be the lowest you're gonna get.  Then you add full coverage insurance and much higher property taxes.  When all that's over, you STILL have to put gas in the car!  So you're talking $400-$500 a month now.  How is that saving money??  It's that kind of thinking that's made this country what it is today.  With unemployment what it is now, what is someone without a job supposed to do??  USA is the greatest country in the world, but we are not very well liked with the rest of the world.  Other countries HATE us.  I can't say that I blame them right now.  The healthcare system in this country is an embarrasment.  Most of you know what happened last summer with a very dear friend of mine.  Getting hit by that train probably cost millions upon millions of dollars to get him fixed up.  Had that happened in Canada, it wouldn't have cost a dime.  You can go to Canada, break both arms and legs and get fixed up for FREE.  It's getting to the point where someone has to take out a second mortgage on their home just for a damn doctor's visit.  Crime and violence is at an all time high.  This is the greatest country in the world, and it's getting flushed down the toilet right now.  Obama claimed he could fix it.  Well, he's finding out that he is no different than any of his predecessors.  Then there is the "birth certificate" issue.  Everyone knows that to be president you have to be a natural born citizen.  There was speculation during his campaign about his birthplace, first raised by the Clinton's.  More recently, Donald Trump has gotten involved.  At first, I didn't like the idea that Trump was getting involved in politics.  But, since that time, I have been convinced.  He wanted to put this issue to rest, and since Obama was reluctant to provide proof, he sent people on a mission to uncover the truth.  Today, he told Oprah Winfrey that he asked the Hawaiian government to release his birth records.  Why, after all this time is he finally doing it now?  If he had nothing to hide, why not disclose it way back when the Clinton's wanted to see it?  He called this issue "silliness" and that "we need to get to more important things".  This silliness would not be an issue if he had shown it when it was first asked for.  He created this "silliness" by hiding it for so long.  If there is something about me, in this case where I was born, I was born in Dodge City Kansas.  And if anyone wants to dispute that, I have no problem whatsoever with providing proof of that.  Look at this from a law perspective.  If a criminal is withholding evidence in a court case, doesn't that make him appear more guilty?  If he has nothing to hide, he would provide the evidence.  Concealing information, wether true of not, only makes you look more guilty.  If this document is real, then why did he wait for so long to release it?  Why didn't he release it from the beginning, and we wouldn't be talking about this!!  "We need to get to more important things" is right.  Since the birthright issue was taken on by Donald Trump, he has voiced his interest in running for president.  I was skeptical at first, but since then, I'm becoming more and more convinced that he is exactly what this country needs.  In his official response to the issue today, he made the comment that "we can talk about oil, we can talk about gas prices, we can talk about China ripping off this country, we can talk about OPEC doing numbers in this country like no one's ever done before."  Do you think Obama would make a bold statement like that?  NO, he would NOT.  He's going to try to be too political and keep the peace.  Keeping the peace is what got us into this mess in the first place.  The president of the United States is supposed to be a representative of the people.  He's supposed to support the people.  When an issue comes up that troubles the people, he's supposed to resolve the issue.  Instead of telling us to deal with rising gas prices, he should be doing something to fix it and bring gas prices back down.  This country will never survive on $4 a gallon gas.  This country needs someone in that office who will fight for this country and the people in it, not trying to kiss China's ass, or make nice with other countries.  China is one of the biggest human rights violators in the world, more than Iraq or Lybia.  You don't see Obama going in there and trying to fix that...  I was terrified at the idea of having Donald Trump as president at the beginning, but over the past few weeks, it has become clear to me that this country needs a drastic change, and Trump could be just the person to do that.  He's got the arrogance it takes to stand up to bullies like China and Russia.  He's got his own empire, so there is no need for him to support "special interests".  That may be a scary thought to some of you, but if we continue down the path we are now, it's going to be the end of us, and that is a MUCH scarier thought to me.  So, I hope Trump decides to run for president in 2012, and I will be one of his biggest supporters... 

We've only just begun...

We are already a month into the baseball season.  It seems to be flying by again, as usual.  There are a few surprises thus far into the season, but can they hold onto the magic, or will they go in the tank, making way for the traditional powerhouses to come in a clean up the mess.  Most years I would say that to be the case, but this season has a different feel to it.
But before I get into my analysis of the first month of the season, I want to bring up somthing I forgot to mention in my last blog about my experience on opening day.  I can't believe I left out probably the most thrilling experience of the game.  I feel embarrassed and ashamed that I left this part out, so I want to mention it now.  As I said, there was a flyover at the end of the national anthem.  The jets were from an airbase in Homestead, which is just outside of Miami.  Later in the game, they brought the pilots who flew the jets onto the field in between innings.  We all hear about the people who speak out against the wars, but we don't always hear the stories of how we support our troops.  The people of Miami showed their support in an extraordinary way.  When they showed the pilots on the screen and announced them as the pilots for the flyover, that stadium erupted.  They gave them a 5 minute standing ovation.  They cheered louder and harder for those pilots then they did when John Buck hit his grand slam home run.  I can't explain how amazing that was.  Goosebumps doesn't even come close.  It was by far, hands down, unequivocally the best experience of the night.  We don't express our thanks and gratitude to the men and women in uniform enough.  The people of Miami have been criticized for not supporting their teams, Marlins included, but one things for sure, they support our troops.
Now, on with business.  Probably the biggest surprise so far is the American League Central.  It is completely flopped from the way we, myself included, expected it to be.  With the changes the White Sox made in the off season to an already good team, we expected them to be on top, with Minnesota trailing closely behind.  I expected the standings to be Chicago, Minnesota, Detroit, Kansas City, then Cleveland.  Well, one month into the season, just flip those around.  Who would have thought Cleveland would be leading with Kansas City and Detroit trailing closely behind, and Minnesota and Chicago at the bottom of the division.  Another surprise is the slow starts of a few teams we expected to start at the top and never look back.  Tampa Bay, St Louis, and most notably the Boston Red Sox, got off to a very slow start, but as of the last week or so, all 3 of those teams have returned to the form we expected from them, getting back into the thick of things.  Another that is a surprise to most people, but not to me is the Florida Marlins.  The Marlins are winning the old fashioned way, with solid pitching and good defense.  Each time Josh Johnson and Anibal Sanchez take the mound, they flirt with a no no.  Sanchez took a no hitter into the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies, one of the hottest hitting teams in baseball.  The game I saw on opening day, Johnson took a no hitter into the seventh inning.  They don't have the power hitters like Pujols, Fielder, Howard, or Tulowitzki, but with pitching like that, you can win without them.  This team will be in the thick of things, come September.  There are a few things we are sure of.  Come September, the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies will be in playoff contention.  What I wonder though, is can the Cleveland Indians, and Kansas City Royals keep their early season magic going, or will they go in the tank as they do every other year and make way for the Twins and White Sox to battle for the division as they usually do?  I don't know anything about the Indians this far.  I have not seen them play, or even followed them much, other than looking at the box score.  I am not as familiar with the Royals this season as I usually am, but I have followed them as much as I can.  I don't know about anyone else, maybe it's the fact that I'm a third party observer this season, but the Royals have a different feel this year.  Midway through last season the Royals canned manager Trey Hillman, and promoted long time Brewers manager Ned Yost as the skipper.  His firing in Milwaukee was somewhat controversial as he had the Brewers, who were the Royals of the NL Central, finishing in the basement most seasons, in playoff contention.  It caught people off guard to say the least.  Yost has plenty of experience as a manager, and he was a good choice for the position.  Dayton Moore, the Royals general manager is hoping this move is successful, or it could be his final as manager of the Royals.  The problem in KC hasn't been lack of talent.  The Royals have THE best farm system in the major leagues.  You can watch almost any game and see someone who has at one point in their career, wore a Royals uniform.  Their two main problems have been lack of leadership at the Manager position, and the tight wad of an owner, David Glass.  He expects the Royals to win with the lowest payroll in baseball.  But Ned Yost, as he was forced to do in Milwaukee, is making the best of the situation.  The Royals have had solid starts in the past, and faultered, so what makes this solid start different from the others, you ask?  Well, I could be wrong, and the Royals may go in the tank as usual, but there are a few stats that stand out for me.  The biggest one is the fact that the Royals went 10 games without allowing a single homerun.  Considering the pitching woes the Royals have had in recent years, that's a pretty impressive stat.  10 games and not a single homerun.  Another stat is the fact that, the first series loss comes in the final weekend of April, to the AL West leading Rangers.  Until this weekend they had no lost a series, either winning or tieing every series so far this season, against teams like the Indians, White Sox, Twins, Tigers and Angels.  Most managers will tell you that if you win series at home and play .500 ball on the road and you will be in playoff contention 95% of the time, and in the wide open AL Central that is a very likely possibility.  Alex Gordon, whose status as a Royal was very much in question last season, spending most of it in the minor leagues, has started the season on fire and currently has an 18 game hitting streak going.  The Royals fan inside of me wants this to be for real.  But the Royals fan inside of me has put up walls of defense as people do with the opposite sex.  They have repeatedly broke your heart, so you come to expect nothing but that, not getting your hopes up in hopes of not getting hurt again.  The hopeful, or hopeless romantic Royals fan in me wants this to be for real and wants to see them in the playoffs, but the realistic Royals fan inside me is expecting them to go into the tank any day now. They may not finish in playoff contention, but I do believe they have shown more improvement in these first few weeks than they have shown in the past several years.  It may not be the finish we all want, but I do believe we will get something we haven't had in a very long time, the concept of "looking forward to next year."  From what I've seen so far makes me believe the Royals do have a positive future.  The Rays of a few seasons ago, going from worst to first, doesn't happen very often, so the playoffs may be wishful thinking, but if they can get through the month of May, and still be where they are, it may go from wishful thinking to a slight possibility.  Go Royals...

Finally, the real fun begins...

This is the time of year I've been waiting for.  For those that know me, know of my passion for baseball.  As far as I'm concerned, it's the best sport.  Everyone has their preference, some like basketball or football better, and I respect that.  But for me, it's baseball.  Opening day is like a holiday for me.  There is nothing I love more than to go to a game.  It's something that I love, and as many times as I've been, everytime is like my first time.  I've been to see the Royals play in Kauffman Stadium many times.  The first game I ever saw was the Royals V White Sox.  Over the years I've seen the Royals play the Chicago White Sox, Oakland A's, New York Yankees, Anaheim Angels, and most recently the Minnesota Twins.  I saw an extra inning game last season at the NEW "K".  They have made some pretty impressive improvements and I urge you all to check them out if you have the opportunity.  I've also had the opportunity to see the San Francisco Giants take on the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver.
But none of that would even compare to what I got to experience a few weeks ago.  Opening Day is like a holiday for me.  Its always been a dream of mine to see an opening day game in person.  I figured that many years down the road I might get to, and probably at Kauffman Stadium.  I never imagined the opportunity I would be presented with this spring.  I got the opportunity of a lifetime for me, to see that Florida Marlins host the New York Mets at Sun Life Stadium in Miami.  Sun Life Stadium has had many names over the years, but has been the home of the Marlins since their inception in 1993.  When Joe Robbie built the stadium for the Dolphins he figured it was inevitable that Miami would get a baseball team, so he ensured it would be able to host baseball games as well.  The stadium is also the home for the Miami Dolphins, Miami Hurricanes, as well as the Orange Bowl game.  It is an excellent venue for football.  It doesn't have the ora of Wrigley Field or Fenway Park, but it was kind of humbling to think of all the history in that Stadium.  Some of college and professional football greats have played in that stadium.  The Ring of Honor speaks for itself, boasting names like Don Shula, Dan Marino, and other greats in Dolphin history.  Robbie's intentions were good, making it able to host baseball games as well, but I would find out later that it's not perfect for baseball.  The Marlins have been trying to get a new, baseball-only stadium for years, and after many years of lawsuits and injunctions, they finally got approved for a stadium on the site of the old Orange Bowl Stadium.  The Marlins will move into their new home next season.  They will also change from Florida, to the Miami Marlins.  So, this would be the final Opening Day game at Sun Life Stadium for the Marlins.
They started the night by honoring one of the greats in Florida Marlins history, Mike Lowell.  The National Anthem was different from what you would expect.  Clarence Clemons was the saxophone player in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.  When they brought him out, I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out.  I've heard instrumental versions of the National Anthem before, but nothing like this.  To say that it was amazing and gave me goosebumps would be an understatement.  It was definately in the top 10 I've ever heard, and you all know how critical I am of the national anthem.  Then to top that off, they had fighter jets from Homestead FL do a flyover.  I've seen flyovers on TV before, but never experienced one it person.  TV doesn't do it justice.  I can't put into words, the feeling I got as the jets flew over.  Then came the first pitch.  As part of the pregame ceremony to honor Mike Lowell, the had Lowell throw out the first pitch to Mr. Marlin, Jeff Conine.  Then came the starting lineups.  Most regular season games they kinda fast forward through some of the pre game festivities.  It was nice to see them do it all, and do it right.  The game featured the "Ace's" of the respective teams, Mike Pelphrey for the Mets, and Josh Johnson for the Marlins.  And most of the game was a pitching battle.  But the highlight of the night came in the fourth inning as, former Royal, John Buck hit a grand slam to right center field.  Josh Johnson had a no hitter going until the top of the 7th inning.  Later in the game Buck came a few feet from another homerun, hitting one off the boards in left center field.  Logan Morrison finished the scoring with a homerun to the same spot as Buck's grand slam.  It was pretty awesome to see a grand slam, in person.  Also pretty awesome it was by a formal Royal.  The biggest adjustment for me in that game was the massive turnout.  I'm used to going to Kauffman Stadium where you can buy a ticket behind the dugout the night of the game, and have plenty of room.  Needless to say, it was a full house, as one might expect on Opening Day.  The Marlins definately did justice to the final Opening Day game in Sun Life Stadium's great history.  To finish off the night, they had a maginificent fireworks display.  We almost didn't stay for it, and I'm glad we did.  Also one of the best I've ever seen.  My only complaint from the game was the view of the feild.  Our seats were along the 1st base side behind the dugout.  I never thought about the angle of the seats in a stadium until that night.  The newer stadiums have the seats angled slightly toward home plate.  It's kind of hard to explain in a blog, but the seats faced center field, instead of left center.  The person next to me would lean forward a little, so I had to lean forward more to see.  It was a minor inconvenience, that you would expect anyway when a crowd actually turns out to support their team.  Overall it was an amazing experience that I will never forget.  It was an awesome way to kick off a new season of baseball.  

SHAME on college basketball

Ok, so I lied.  I said the other night I was going to move on from college basketball to the real sport of baseball.  Well, I've been checking once a day or so to see if Frank Martin is headed home.  The University of Miami is looking for a coach to replace Frank Haith, who left for Missouri last week.  The appeared to be after Tommy Amacker from Harvard, but yesterday he turned them down.  I know it's hard to say no to home, but if someone wants to stay at Harvard, a school that has never made the NCAA tournament, instead of taking a job in the weaker ACC, that can't be good for Miami.  But I wondered if him turning them down, might get them to pursue Martin.  As of the other day, no contact has been made, but that may all change now.  FAU's Mike Jarvis, formerly of St. Johns is being rumored next, and would be a better fit, but only time will tell.  My website of choice for this is the Kansas City Star's website, as they will be the first to know and publish any developments.  ESPN would report if Martin takes the job, but talks won't make the "mother ship's" website.  Today, while checking for developments I saw something that absolutely infuriated me.  And even that is an understatement.  There was an article about an idea for them to do with some of the money that college basketball generates.  All through and after the tournament analysts were critical of "talent" level of the field.  Their reference, of course was to the players leaving early for the NBA.  I blogged about this a while back.  These players have one thing and one thing only on their minds, and that's getting to the NBA ASAP.  It's like being forced to do something.  If it's done voluntarily, it's more willingly, but you try to force someone to do something, they are going to fight you the whole way.  Forcing someone to do something is not the way to go about it.  They think forcing them to stay is going to help college basketball, but it's only going to make it worse, and I wish these idiots would see that.  I made reference in that blog to the KSU team with Michael Beasley and Bill Walker.  Both were VERY talented players and have done well for themselves in the NBA.  But the college team (KSU) barely made the tournament field, and if not for Beasley, probably wouldn't have even been in.  The same team, minus Beasley and Walker, the next season, went to the Elite 8.  These guys want to go, let them go.  While looking in the Star, I found another article that illustrates my point as well.  Josh Selby has been MIA since the season ended, missing a team luncheon, while in Vegas trying to decide whether he wants to go pro.  These guys don't care about their school, teammates, etc.  Who would you rather have on your team, Josh Selby, or Tyler Hansbrough?   Selby has left his team and coach hanging, while Hansbrough, while at UNC was the ultimate team player.  If they want to go, LET THEM GO.  But no, they want to take the money college basketball makes and offer the students, such as Selby, a no interest loan to stay in school.  The amount would depend on their draft stock.  This would also be on top of their FULL RIDE scholarship.  These guys are offered a free education, room and board, etc. while at school.  That is something that MANY people would cherish and not take for granted like these guys do.  But that's not good enough, they want to pay them now.  They would be allowed to spend the loan on whatever they wanted.  So, in Selby's case for instance, he would be offered a $30,000 loan to remain at Kansas for another season.  Oh, the things I could do with a full ride scholarship and $30,000.  Here's what will happen in 90% of the cases.  They will blow it on something, like a car, jewelry, etc. and within a few days of getting it, be complaining again about being broke.  As if that's not bad enough, wait for the repayment options.  If they make the NBA, they pay back the loan with their big signing contract, and if they don't make the NBA, they don't owe a dime.  It's wrote off as an investment in the person's future.  Really??  Seriously??  That is just asinine.  There are SO many people out there that could benefit way more from this.  If they want to get athletes to stay in college, here's my suggestion.  Talk to Roy Williams.  In his tenure at Kansas, the ONLY player to leave early for the NBA was Paul Pierce.  Hansbrough stayed and graduated at UNC, and their stars who would easily be first round choices have already announced that they are staying in school.  How many Kansas players, under Bill Self, that are currently PLAYING in the NBA have played all 4 years??  And SHAME on Bill Self for supporting this plan.  If you want guys to stay in school, talk to the coaches.  Why can't these idiots see what will happen to college basketball when they start paying players.  It will be exactly like the Yankees and Red Sox are in baseball.  The Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, UCLA, etc. will be bigger and better.  How are schools like Butler and VCU supposed to compete with that?  All that shamefulness aside, you can not tell me these players are not getting anything for what they do?  EVERY school does it, I don't care who it is.  These boosters find ways to get these athletes compensation.  Everyone does it, it's just a matter of not getting caught, like KSU and O(Ohio)SU did.  These guys are doing just fine, there is no need to compensate them more than they already are.  Shame on Bill Self, and anyone else who supports this idea.  This, not players leaving early will ruin college basketball.

I am going to do one more blog about college basketball before I start concentrating on the real sport, America's Pasttime, baseball.  As most of you know, Butler has made the championship game the past two seasons.  But, what most of you don't know much about is where Butler University plays their home games at.  So, I am going to give you a bit of a history lesson.  But before I do, I'd like to propose something I think would be absolutely amazing for college basketball.  Most of you know of my dislike and anamosity towards the Kansas Jayhawks, and their home arena, Allen Fieldhouse.  But, I would love to see the University of Kansas, and Butler university play a home and home series.  Most peole wouldn't even give this a second look.  Butler and KU, whoop-d-do.  Just another non-conference game, right??  That very well may be, but what would make this such a good and intriguing matchup has nothing to do with the teams and their recent success.  Brad Stevens has put Butler on the map with consecutive appearances in the title game, and KU is a perennial contender.  But what would make this such an amazing series is the venues they call home.  Most of you know of the history and lure of Allen Fieldhouse, from the "Rock Chock, Jayhawk" chant at the end of games, to the banner reading "Pay Heed, All Who Enter.  Beware the Phog."  Not to mention the court named after the inventor of basketball, and Kansas' first coach, Dr. James Naismith.  The building is names after their legendary coach of 39 years, Dr. Forrest C. (Phog) Allen.  I have never personally attended a game their, and honestly don't care to.  I can't stand to hear that chant on TV, so I really don't want to hear it in person.  But to KU fans and impartial fans, it's one of the greatest feelings to be around.  It is one of the most historic venues in college basketball.
But there is one arena that tops it, and that's Hinkle Fieldhouse, home of the Butler Bulldogs.  There is so much history in this arena I can't fit it all into one blog.  It doesn't get the attention of Allen Fieldhouse because Butler is a smaller school in the Horizon League.  "Butler Fieldhouse" as it was called in the beginning opened in 1928.  It was renamed in 1966 to honor long time coach, Paul D. "Tony" Hinkle who coached at Butler for 41 seasons.  When it opened the court ran east to west, but in 1933 they reconfigured it to run north to south because most of the seats were on the ends of the floor.  So the floor was placed at a 90 degree angle to the "arch" of the roof.  Another way to describe it would be looking across the arena with arches of the roof, and the court going from side to side.  It's a little odd looking at first, they pull it off.  It hosted the Indiana state basketball tournament from 1928 to 1971, including the "Milan Miracle."  I'm sure most of you have seen the movie "Hoosiers."  In that era, Indiana only had one state tournament for every school in Indiana.  So, a small school with an enrollment of less than a hundred students had to play against the much larger powerhouses in the same tournament.  In lamen's terms, it was David v Goliath.  And in the case, David beat all odds and the "Goliaths" and won the state tournament.  So, it was host to one of the greatest underdog basketball achievements all time.  The tournament scenes of the movie "Hoosiers" were also filmed at Hinkle.  It was featured in a documentary on ESPN in 2006 entitled, "Indiana's Basketball Cathedral."  In 1983 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in '87 was designated as a National Historic Landmark for it's role in college basketball.  The Indiana Pacers use it as their practice facility, and along that note it was the inspiration for Conseco Fieldhouse, where the Pacers call home.  It's also been the host of many other sporting events, including olympic basketball trials, and the first USSR v USA basketball game, as well as hosting US Presidents.  This venue has contibuted a lot for the history of basketball.
Those that know me know that I have two big passions, history and sports.  These two historic arenas give a person like me the best of both worlds.  I've always been interested in historic sports venues.  Some, like Ebbott's field in Brooklyn, and the Polo Grounds in Washington Heights (NY) are long gone, and some, like (old) Yankee stadium more recently.  Some, such as Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Lambeau Field, and Soldier Field.  I wish I had the opportunity to attend a game at the venues I mentioned that have been raized, and hope that I get an opportunity to visit the ones that are still with us.  Well, to see these two teams match up at both venues would be the event of a lifetime.  The storyline for this matchup would feature the venues more than the teams.  But with Butler's recent rise to prominence would surely make it a good and entertaining game as well.  I for one would LOVE to see it, even if it means listening to that god-awful chant at Allen Fieldhouse.  It would be the event of a lifetime for an enthusiast like me.

Looking Forward...

Well, the NCAA Tournament is over, and a very entertaining one it was.  There have been many viewpoints on the tournament and the championship game between Butler and UCONN.  Most of the viewpoints have been critical.  As soon as the game was over analysts were quick to call the game the worst championship game in tournament history.  I think that is a little unfair.  One of my role models in high school had a philosophy that most coaches live by.  "Offense wins games, defense wins championships."  There's no question it was a defensive game.  The analysts are just upset because there was no big storylines involved in this game.  No coaching controversies.  It was just another game for both teams.  The only BIG name in this game was Kemba Walker.  They didn't have several star players to go on and on about.  All the television people care about are the ratings.  As far as the game is concerned, it was a close game until the final 5 minutes.  It was a very defensive game, but that doesn't make it a bad one.  Some even went so far as to say that it tarnished the entire tournament.  You can't judge an entire tournament on one game.  On this I go again to the analysts being unhappy.  They are unhappy there were no #1 or #2 seeds in the final four.  Plus the fact that the precious Big East they all talked SO highly about going into the tournament failed to live up to their hype and expectations.  Writers and analysts don't want to admit they were wrong about something so they will go to any length to make themselves right, and when they can't do that, point the finger at someone else.  They didn't get what they wanted in a championship game so they try to cover that by saying it was a bad game and ruined the tournament.  What happened to trying to cover something and make it a positive feel good story.  What should be talked about is Jim Calhoun winning his 3rd title, and being undefeated in tournament play this season.  (including the Maui Invitational, Big East, and NCAA tournament.)  But what they wanted to talk about was his impending suspension and whether his legacy would be tarnished.  On the other side, you have Butler.  Butler has several good stories.  First they have a very young and talented coach.  Brad Stevens appears to have a very bright future.  He has taken Butler from a mid major, to the chamionship game in consecutive seasons.  The job he has done at Butler is more impressive than most give him credit for.  Butler is not Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, or Duke.  Some coaches have taken over programs and after a few years of success are called great.  When you go on a recruiting trip, it helps to have that prestigious school attached to your name.  "Hi, I'm Bill Self, coach of the Kansas Jayhawks.  Or Hi, I'm John Calipari, coach of the Kentucky Wildcats." sounds a LOT more impressive than, "Hi, I'm Greg Marshall, coach of the Wichita State Shockers, or Hi, I'm Brad Stevens, coach of the Butler Bulldogs."  Anyone could take over at Kansas or Kentucky and recruit simply because of the school's name.  Calipari did take Memphis from nothingness to the championship game, but Bill Self has been handed good programs in great hands.  I would be interested to see if Bill Self could take a program like Butler or VCU and bring them to the stage that Brad Stevens and Shaka Smart have done.  While at ORU (Oral Roberts University) a mid major very similar to Butler, his best accomplishment was the NIT in his third year.  What did Brad Stevens do in his third year at Butler? Just made it to the championship game.  There are SO many good stories about Butler, yet all they wanted to talk about is how Butler apparently tanked in the final game.  Some went as far as to say Stevens was responsible for Butler playing the way they did.  They all wanted to focus on the negativity instead of taking something good away from it all.
Then you have the sore losers.  The fans of teams that didn't make it and don't want to accept that their team got beat.  Kansas and Ohio State may have been the best teams, but didn't even make the Final 4.  These were very talented teams, but sometimes it's hard to beat a team on a mission.  Everyone wants that spot in the final game.  Some teams just want it more than others.  VCU is a perfect example of that.  They took the "Us against the world" thing and rode it to the final four, beating powerhouses Purdue and Kansas along the way.  If Kansas and VCU were to play 5 games, Kansas would probably win 4 of the 5 games.  But when it counts, all bets are off.  All season long I've talked about how good those teams were, but knew none of them would make the Final 4.  These good teams coasted through the regular season meeting little resistance.  When they did meet resistance they failed.  Again I'm only using Kansas as an example because I am most familiar with them.  What happened to Thomas Robinson was truely tragic.  He lost both grandparents and his mother within a matter of months.  Texas came calling that weekend and the Jayhawks were quick to use that as an excuse for the loss.  A few weeks later they received the #1 ranking, and only a few hours later Kansas State wiped the floor with them.  For Kansas it's just another game they should win.  It means a lot more to KSU than Kansas.  In the NCAA tournament these teams run into the same thing.  These games mean a lot more to VCU, Butler, and Morehead State than Kansas, Pittsburgh and Louisville.
Now that all the hype and drama of the tournament are over, as usual we are looking forward to next season.  My prediction for next season is a changing of the guard.  There are some major changes that will have more impact that most people realize.  Most of it revolves around the Big XII.  First of all two up-and-coming teams will be leaving the conference.  Colorado has a very impressive tournaround, and got snubbed by the selection committee, to make it to the NIT final 4.  Next season Tad Boyle and the improved Buffaloes will be taking their play to the newly formed Pac-12.  Nebraska's turnaround wasn't quite as impressive or noticed, but still deserve some attenion.  And they will be taking their game to the new Big 10.  More recent developments involve the Missouri head coaching position.  Missouri lost the bidding war for Mike Anderson to Arkansas.  They hired Frank Haith from the U of Miami.  Along with the mediocrity Haith will bring to Missouri, he will be loosing two of his star players to the draft, so Missouri will be pretty much irrelevent in the Big XII next year.  Then Kansas State could be collateral damage from this.  Frank Martin is originally from the Miami area.  His biggest and best characteristic is his loyalty.  But, it's hard to say no to home.  We in Kansas are familiar with that, loosing Roy Williams and Bob Huggins to their home.  I want to think that his loyalty and appreciation for KSU will win out, but there is hope with Frank Martin.  If there is someone that will choose loyalty and appreciation over home, it is Frank Martin.  But, if Frank Martin were to go home to Miami, that would put KSU in the same position as Missouri.  Then you have Oklahoma and Texas Tech, in the basement and going through a coaching change.  Both coaches, Billy Gilespie at Texas Tech and Lon Kruger at Oklahoma have definate potential and will get those programs turned around, but not instantly.  So, it's a possibility that 4 of the 10 schools will be dealing with coaching changes.  The way it's looking right now the Big XII will be no better than a mid major.  My rambling has a point, and I will get to it.  The problem with Duke this year was the weak ACC.  They played a weak non conference schedule and their conference play was sub par compared to the Big East, Big 10 and Big XII.  Kansas will be this next year.  They will not be as good as this year's team but will look better because of the weaker Big XII.  The Big East will probably be the same as this year.  Built up to be the best, but no better than average.  The Big 10 will not be as good either.  Ohio State will be in the consideration because of Sullinger returning.  Purdue is loosing 2 of their stars, but will have Robbie Hummel back.  The SEC and ACC are improving, while the Big XII and Big 10 are going in the wrong direction.  Then you have the Pac 10 becoming the Pac 12.  Arizona and UCLA suprised a lot of people this season, proving that they are back, while Washington put everyone on notice.  They will be gaining Colorado and Utah which should only help them.  The teams I will be interested in watching next season will be Kentucky and North Carolina.  They both have tremendous returning talent capable of finishing what they started this year.  Florida should be considered in the mix and Duke will be because of who they are, much like Kansas and Texas.  Preseason rankings put too much weight on past and tradition.  When the dust cleared at the end of the season, the Big East was humbled, and Florida, North Carolina, Arizona, and Kentucky proved that they were under rated all season long.  Everyone was too busy talking about the Big East and filling the rankings with those teams, that they overlooked these better teams.  How many Big East teams made the Elite 8??  Yet all 4 of the above mentioned teams were there.  Now before you rush to discredit me and say I don't know what I'm talking about, I want to point out a few things.  I said all season the top 4 teams would not make the Final 4.  None of them did.  Only one made the Elite 8.  I'm going to do a little more bragging and talk about my bracket.  3 of my final 4 teams were in the elite 8.  My bracket finished in the top 5% of the thousands submitted.  I gave these teams the credit they deserved and they didn't let me down.  I'm hoping they don't next year either.  I do hope I'm wrong about the Big XII though.  But there's no question, Kansas and Texas will carry them.  If any of you are close with Kansas State or Frank Martin, PLEASE beg him to stay.  This means a lot on many levels.  College basketball is better off with him at KSU.