You will see scores here when I am away from the computer Gonzaga 65 NORTH CAROLINA 71 North Carolina came from behind with a 9-2 run. To become your 2017 NCAA MENS BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS !! This is number 6 for the Tarheels. And number 3 under Coach Roy Williams. Congratulations to the LADIES of South Carolina on becoming the 2017 NCAA Womens Basketball CHAMPIONS !!! The table is set. Two number One Seeds will face off tor the 2017 version of the NCCA 2017 Campionship Jump ball set to begin at 9pm (EST), Monday April 3rd, On CBS As I pointed out earlier; this will be GONZAGA’S 19th,consecutive tournament appearance. (It will be their 20th appearance counting their one and done, in 1995). Could this be their year? As I previously pointed out If they could score more than 62 points in that crucial (for them), 4th game. They would have a really good chance of winning their FIRST EVER Men’s NCAA BASKETBAL TITLE. I must admit the Gonzaga Bulldogs, if not considered a Cinderella team ; THEY have to be a SENTIMENTAL favorite. Good luck to both teams. Although I will be rooting for my sentimental favorite and SPIKES Favorite, GONZAGA. (For those of you who didn’t know, SPIKE is the name of Gonzaga’s mascot). North Carolina ended Oregon’s run, edging them out by a single point 77-76. Gonzaga, (a mid major college), withstood a 16-0 charge by South Carolina to eliminate South by 4 points. 77-73 Does it say anything that both finalist scored the same (77), number of points. In their respective Semi-Final games, Wouldn’t it be a great game if after 40 minutes the two teams were tied 77-77. WOW! USA Today appeared a mite bias today. I counted four headlines regarding the North Carolina game and zero regarding Gonzagas game. If they had any I missed them. HOW about those Musketeers! From an eleven seed to Elite Eight berth. Of course I will still root for my TEAM, or any of its fellow conference members, as long as they last. It would be nice to see an eleven seed win it all. Gonzaga is a sentimental favorite. Having made the tournament EVERY year sine 1999. Amassing 25 wins in the prior 17 year span. Their best years were 1999 and 2015 with 3 wins advancing to to the Regional Final. In 1999 they were ousted 67-62 by UCONN. 2015 saw the Zags Return to the regional final only to be defeated 66-62 by Duke. Seems if they reach the Regional Final again and can score more than 62 points, They just might win their region. I really hate to add this item at this time. But I Think it is relevant. The Biggest Tourney the NCAA has. is now going on. The NCAA is trying to exert their power of FINANCIAL GAIN to the CITIES, and STATES. Example is the threat to North Carolina. Change your STATE LAW: regarding restroom use OR…ELSE !! No hosting of NCAA Events. They did this with College mascots…and got by with it. NOW! They are pressuring States to… DO AS WE TELL YOU. NOT WHAT YOUR RESIDENTS WANT. It seems to me the NCAA has outgrown their britches and either needs to be ousted or NEW leadership that does what the organization was set up to do, and not overstep their bounds. I don’t know how to fight this. We could boycott all NCAA events. But that would also hurt the Schools, its Athlete, and punish the FAN BASE. The only real answer is for the colleges,and universities to withdraw from the NCAA and set up a new organization to oversee the SPORTS, and leave it at that. But that will never happen. They apparently can not see where the NCAA is leading them. It appears North Carolinians have bowed to the almighty dollar. NCAA money apparently speaks louder than the citizens voice. North Carolina ceded to the GIANT NCAA to repeal their bathroom bill. While I am on my stump. There is all this talk of “Student Athletes” being paid to play. THEY ARE BEING PAID, They are getting an education, for all intents and purposes FREE. ONE other thing I will inject here, (like it or not). Enough of these athletes going to school, (basically free), then abandoning their education, for the big bucks of PROFESSIONAL SPORTS. I have no problem with them jumping for the big money they are offered. BUT!!! They have taken scholarship money from students who really need it to get an education. I PROPOSE. Any student athlete, not completing school, (to go pro), should REPAY the scholarship money. OR The Professional Team/Organization, employing them should Repay the scholarship. These Professional teams USE College/Universities as a “MINOR LEAGUE” to develop players. Not so much Baseball, Hockey, or other sports, HOWEVER, it seems FOOTBALL, and Basketball are the big offenders of this use. As always this is just my opinion. That Is The Way I See It. NORTHWESTERN WINS FIRST NCAA MARCH MADNESS GAME EVER. Defeating Vanderbilt 68 to 66. Congratulations NORTHWESTERN WELCOME TO OUR 2017 MARCH MADNESS. I am not sure How many years we have been doing this. I will have to look it up. I do know all totaled I have been having this same POOL since, 1991. Just not sure how many years I have posted on this blog. Two years in a row I had a female player win my pool. When I asked her method that made this result possible , her reply was, “I just pick the team with the best looking coach”. So everybody has their own way and reasoning of picking the winner. This is where you can print your “OFFICE POOL” Bracket, Check the scores, etc. I will have these… “MASTER BRACKET”, “What if you chose all HIGH PICKS” for each game. An “UPSET BRACKET” (if the favored team wins it will be in Green, if it is an… Continue reading NCAA MARCH MADNESS 2017
Category: Basketball
NCAA March Madness 2016
What a thrilling ending to the 2016 edition of MARCH MADNESS. North Carolina probably wishing the could have waited a couple of seconds for their final shot. I didn’t do so well. I DID however pick a number two seed to win (Michigan State); BUT it was a number two seed which won. So I have to give myself a half credit (?). It has been FUN. I plan to do this again next year. Despite my troubles with CHROME. It gave me fits in updating. I would spend sometimes an hour updating just one bracket sheet. Finally learned I had to clear my cache every time before I attempted to update anything. Be sure to check back regularly. I don’t have any idea what I will write about….. NO! wait I have some idea. Maybe some racing history. (If I can find the notes I made a couple years ago. Also…. who knows. WELCOME TO OUR 2016 MARCH MADNESS. I am not sure How many years we have been doing this. I will have to look it up. This is where you can print your “OFFICE POOL” Bracket, Check the scores, etc. I will have this “MASTER BRACKET”, “WHAT IF YOU CHOSE THE HIGH PICKS” for each game. An “UPSET BRACKET” (if the favored team wins it will be in Green, if it is an upset it will be listed in RED”. And, Yes I will have my picks so you can compare your picks to mine. (And Laugh or Cry) What is a seed? Merely a starting place. Although unlikely, IT is possible for two 16 seeds to meet in the final game. Would lets say Michigan St were to be seeded as a number 16. They would still have to win all games to be CHAMPION ! SEEDING attempts to give a more favored team an easier path to the CHAMPIONSHIP. Seeding should lead to the best 2 teams playing in the final game. However there is always that upset minded team; or the chance that the favored team has a bad game, a stand out player is sick or injured. I am reminded of one year in our STATE High School WRESTLING Tournament. The Athletic Assn. decided to go with a draw, rather than seeding. The Result? Two wrestlers with one defeat each faced each other in the first match. Loser of a first round match goes home. It was a 3 OT match. One of these wrestlers went home, while wrestlers with more losses during the season advanced. The winner of this match had no competition left. Easy wins. He won the CHAMPIONSHIP that first match. Not much excitement. Reportedly there is a TEENAGE GIRL in Indiana who has only missed 3 games in this years bracket. She picked Texas over Northern Iowa. California over Hawaii. Final game she had Syracuse over North Carolina. Her Champion pick is……VILLANOVA. She says she does not follow Basketball regularly and has only attended a game or two at her high school. Maybe this is proof the rest of us over think some things To print BRACKET: Click on PRINT PDF button at top and select page with the bracket you want to print. ( If you do not see the “PRINT PDF” button. Please go to the The Title “NCAA March Madness 2016” and click to advance to the full post). MASTER BRACKET [pdf-embedder url=”https://fromthemiddle.blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/2016-march-madness-MASTER-bracket.pdf”] ALL HIGH PICKS [pdf-embedder url=”https://fromthemiddle.blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/2016-march-madness-ALL-HIGH-PICKS-bracket.pdf”] UPSETS [pdf-embedder url=”https://fromthemiddle.blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/2016-march-madness-UPSETS-bracket.pdf”] MY PICKS [pdf-embedder url=”https://fromthemiddle.blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/2016-march-madness-MY-PICKS-bracket.pdf”] Views: 110
This That and the Other Thing
Today I will be talking about a few things. Football, Politics, Basketbal, and anything else that pops into my mind. FOOTBALL: Questions. Will Peyton Retire? YES! I believe he will retire. But follow the lead of Jeff Saturday and retire as a COLT. Will Johnny Manziel find a home? Despite his intolerable behavior….I believe someone will find a spot for him. JAMESIS WINSTON found a home, DIDN’T he. What about Robert Griffin III ? I think he will land some where. BUT as I wrote before his, Russel Wilson, and Andrew Luck’s drafting. R.G.III needs to play behind a veteran for at least one or two years. Then I think he will be ready. POLITICS: Same old thing. people will elect another MULTI-MILLIONAIRE, who has no interest in the working people. Right now it looks like our choice will be Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. Before I move on let me remind you I do not affiliate with any party. It is my belief THERE IS NO ROOM IN GOVERNMENT FOR PARTIES. That said; Donald Trump has set a precedent as one who will, if things get a little tough he will bail. Just look how many times he has bailed out of businesses using BANKRUPTCY!!!! Hillary Clinton: Don’t forget Who’s name was on NAFTA which sent and continues to send AMERICAN JOBS to another country. CLINTON. She has been caught in so many LIES already. Yes I know LYING is a politician’s pre-requisite. As an INDEPENT VOTER I must say our choices get worse every election. Lastly. BASKETBALL: Thank goodness we have something to look forward to. I will have your printable brackets, and updates for the NCAA Tournament. This year is the first time in many years the Tournament looks wide open. Every week we see I would say about 5 upsets. Who will peak at just the right time, or have an outstanding game: or the worst game of their season. Yes I will have my selections, how you would do if you had picked the favored team, AND the upset sheet which will highlight every upset for the Tourney. Time to go now. Talk to again. Be sure to check back for my coverage of MARCH MADNESS. PS: I almost forgot. The Oscars. As usual most all awards go to the least deserving. I usually go to one movie a week, and the movies I watched were MUCH better than the winners. I truly believe the pre-reqisite for an Oscar is a bad job which needs the “MAGICAL ACADEMY AWARD” to get a push. I won’t go through every award. Let me just say BEST ACTOR: DiCaprio???? Are you kidding. He was a terrible actor as a child, and is still terrible. The best movie he even came close to giving a really good performance was 14 years ago. CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. Sorry but that is truly the only movie I could call him creditable. THE REVENANT was an interesting story. But really a Chimpanzee could have turned in as good a performance. So as you can see they should have made a special category to score him as Oscar. The category should have been PARTICIPATION OSCAR. Just as the little soccer players win or lose get a Participation trophy. PSS: I forgot I wanted to mention the threat of the Louisiana Governor to do away with LSU Football. We all know that LSU brings in a massive amount of money to the state for their football games. To take away the financing would be a bigger blow to Louisiana’s economy than the program costs. That Is How I See It. Views: 118
NCAA Rule Changes For 2015 Season
This post will be short and to the point. Maybe too short to get anyone’s attention. The NCAA is excited about their rule changes. One change is the elimination of the 5 second closely guarded rule. I am not sure when they added the closely guarded rule. But in the days of REAL BASKETBALL. There was no such rule. Another change is the no touch rule. EXCUSE me but that was a rule many years ago. BASKETBALL, was meant to be a no contact sport. I am not sure if they made a rule saying it was okay to grab and/or keep a hand on your opponent. Or if they just decided not to enforce that rule. Some of the rules they don’t enforce are PALMING THE BALL, TRAVEL, and I cannot tell you how many times I have seen DOUBLE DRIBBLES. They talk of how much more control the players have of the ball as they come down the court. Let me explain as many of you don’t know how the rules WERE. Palming the ball is when the player puts his hand under the ball and turns it over as he dribbles. Watch. See how many times you see the players do this. You will see this when the ball handler is coming down the court, or executing a turn. Travel is anytime you make 2 steps while holding the ball. You are (or should I say were) allowed to move one foot as long as your pivot foot stayed anchored. If, for any reason your pivot foot moved, even a little slide. YOU TRAVELED. Double Dribble, Is anytime you either use both hands on the ball at the same time to dribble, or stop your dribble and then resume to dribble. This infraction you will see most often when a player chases down a ball and may dribble it, until he clears the opposition. He then will begin to dribble again. NOW, if only we could get them to enforce the GOAL TENDING rule. For those of you who do not know the definition of GOAL TENDING, this is it. GOAL TENDING: When a players hand or any body part enters the extended area directly above the rim. (As far as I know there is no height limit here it extends higher than any player could reach. AS YOU can see a DUNK is a direct violation of this rule. Any DUNK you will see the players hand is inside this extended area. Now not only is this a violation of the rule, It gives the OFFENSIVE DUNKER an unfair advantage. You see as a defender CANNOT put his hand in the area. Besides how much skill does it take for these 6’10” – over 7′ players to achieve this, They either don’t have to jump, or maybe a little hop. IF they want to allow this it should only be worth a single point. Due to the low skill level to accomplish this shot. Maybe less, perhaps a half point. After all it takes more skill to sink a free throw which only gets 1 point. I know the thrill I felt when I dunked the ball, I never got called for it because if they watch me in warm up I could not touch the rim, (lead feet), but with the adrenaline flowing during a close game, I could dunk the ball. Go figure. That Is How I See It. Views: 108
NCAA 2015 MARCH MADNESS
NCAA MARCH MADNESS TOURNAMENT. Right now it appears that Kentucky will receive the overall number one seed. Which guarantees them the easiest path to the final four. Here is where I make many of you mad. Might just as well get it out of the way right now. After careful consideration I predict KENTUCKY will be the first NUMBER ONE seed out. Kentucky is a good team and appears as of now they will go undefeated in regular season. But if you look at their schedule…..WHO have they played. A few teams that may be in the Tournament. But looking at their overall schedule, it has been pretty much of a soft schedule. In other years it could have been a tough schedule. But this year, well it was a disappointment. All teams have these years….maybe. But it may work out for them. While they have pretty much coasting, and other teams have been going toe to toe. They may be the most rested team entering the Tournament. Is it possible for a team with a losing record be in the BIG DANCE? Just ask MEAC Tournament Champion Hampton Pirates. With a 16-17 record. The answer is yes. Can they wear the Glass Slipper? What is a seed? Merely a starting place. Although unlikely, IT is possible for two 16 seeds to meet in the final game. Would lets say Kentucky were to be seeded as a number 16. They would still have to win all games to be CHAMPION ! OKAY. so I was wrong Villanova was first number 1 out. So That makes Kentucky 2nd Number 1 seed out. I called it right the second time!! Kentucky was the second number 1 out. They did play well. But their weak regular season schedule did not prepare them for the stronger teams. It took a last second desperation shot to overcome Notre Dame. But Wisconsin’s tough season made them ready. The behavior of the Kentucky “FANS” back in Kentucky I am sure did not reflect the feelings of the Wildcat Coaches and Players. However their acts do reflect back to them, the University, and The STATE. I still do not understand this type of childish behavior. It does not change the outcome of the game. Maybe “TOO Much ALCOHOL” is an excuse. But that would be all it was. NOT A REASON! Kentucky did make it a lot farther than I expected. Hats off to Kentucky Team for not quitting. Maybe next year (for a change) they will return with experienced players, and not have to rely on Freshmen. Here is to next year Kentucky. Season is over. Congratulations to DUKE. It is hard to say one bad call changes the outcome of a game. However a couple of bad calls and NO CALLS. Can alter a game. In what I saw was DUKE get more than their share the last 3 minutes of the game. I saw them commit charges that were mis -called BLOCKS. I saw Duke throw up there forearms to clear space. I really think the REFS let the game get out of control. Of course You can make the excuse that they were letting the teams play. HOWEVER, the Most Questionable Non Call was with about 2 minutes +/-. It was plenty obvious the Ball went out last touched by DUKE’s Winslow I think. I am not really good with names. But no one can say for sure if that really made a big difference, DOWN by 5. It would have given the BADGERS a chance to score and cut the lead by 2 or 3, (if they scored). This could have changed the momentum, or not. Who can say? But it is over no going back. I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT UNLIKE KENTUCKY, I SAW NO BEHAVIOR ON THE PART OF EITHER TEAMS FANS. (hope I’m not speaking too soon). But Hats off to them for showing maturity. Well THAT IS HOW I SEE IT. Check back for other articles throughout the year. Maybe some Public Service Announcements, or who knows what may strike my fancy. Maybe a few sports articles. but I Just have not been able to get into baseball since the strike which brought about the PED thing when they allowed Mark McGuire to hit those home runs to generate interest in the game. Just like the NBA let MJ get by with making his own rules to create interest in their arena. I can’t really call them sports any more. But will be back with our usual Football coverage. ACTUAL / RESULTS https://fromthemiddle.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-MM-Brackett-Actual.pdf ALL-High-Picks. https://fromthemiddle.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-MM-Bracket-ALL-High-Picks1.pdf UPSETS https://fromthemiddle.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-MM-Brackett-Upsets1.pdf MY PICKS https://fromthemiddle.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-MM-Brackett-My-Picks.pdf Views: 120
SUPER BOWL XLIX FEB. 01, 2015
UPDATE: NFL has found 11 of the 12 balls used Sunday against the Colts, were indeed under inflated. I guess the Patriots were afraid of the Colts beating them. Not that they had to as it turned out. What punishment would be appropriate? We know the answer. FORFEIT TO THE COLTS. But they won’t go that far. Any thing less will be merely a slap on the wrist. After all the MARKETING MONIES, and PUBLICITY for advancing to the Super Bowl will way out weigh any other punishment. Suspension of William Stephen “Bill” Belichick. No problem. Given the teams history, they will most likely find a way for him to watch and get plays to the other coaches. Speaking of the other coaches, who have been with Belichick long enough to know how he would call the game any way. Maybe suspending QB Tom Brady, TE Rob Gronkowski, Place Kicker Stephen Gostkowski, Punter Ryan Allen, and of course RB LaGarrette Blount. But suspending players would not really be fair to those players or the rest of the team. What ever punishment handed should have a HUGE impact on the Patriots bottom line. HOW ABOUT Forfeiture of all income springing from their advancement to and including Their SUPER BOWL appearance. (excluding the players pay. Of Course). Plus any sanctions NFL chooses to place on Future Draft Picks, etc.etc. We all know MONEY is what PROFESSIONAL SPORTS IS ALL ABOUT! We have now reached the BIGGEST game of the season….. “SUPER BOWL” !!!!!. Two great teams, Two great Quarter Backs, with a great supporting cast. Yes the QB’s usually take the praise when his team wins. But he is also called upon to bear the burden when his team gets beat. Just like the Pitcher on a Baseball team. BUT, in FOOTBALL. There are many teams. Offense, Defense, Special Teams, Back up Player, Practice Teams, Coaching Team, and lets not forget that all important team……the 12 th man team. Everyone of these teams are just as important as the other. The OFFENSE, plays its game to MOVE the ball down field, and SCORE points. The DEFENSE, plays its game to STOP the movement down the field, and if the opportunity arises, STEAL the ball away. (Just like in Basketball). Then in semi-rare occasions SCORE points. Kind of makes it seem like the DEFENSE does most of the work and gets a passing note of praise, for a win. The SPECIAL TEAMS. Are a combination of OFFENSE and DEFENSE. They are the SPECIALISTS, as the name implies. They can return kickoffs, or receive punts, or play for the onside kick. They include the KICKERS, SETTERS, RETURNERS, and anything else they may be asked to do. The PRACTICE TEAM, is that unknown group, which plays one of the most important roles on the team. They don’t make the big money, the game time players make. (Perhaps $100,000.00 a a year). What many people don’t realize is the Practice Team must mimic every opponent their team may face in a season. After all, how would the Patriots practice against the Seahawks, and vice-versa. If you think that is easy, try being a different team every week. The BACK UP Team. The Subs, the Bench warmers. The men who sit on the sidelines hoping to someday get into a real game. They must be ready at any moment to enter the game and play up to the same standards as the starters. While on the sidelines they must be cheerleaders, spirit lifters, if you will. It can’t be easy waiting to get in a game, (most likely; even if un-concioiusly hoping for something to happen to the starter to afford them their chance), to be that support group. The Coaching Team. Held together by the HEAD COACH. Each coach has his speciality. They are the ones who decides the plays, trains the players, and inspires them to succeed. Of course if you ask any one of them HIS job is the most important coaching position on the team. But the Head coach is the one who acts as referee, and maintains the peace among this group. I’m sure the Offensive Co-ordinator, makes most of the offensive play calls, just as the Defensive Co-Ordinator, makes the decisions on defensive plays. Etc.Etc. on down the line. But the Head Coach is the ultimate decision maker. NOW. We come to that all important 12 th MAN TEAM. They are sometimes called the “Boosters”, because that is what they do. They give the team that extra BOOST. Cheering them on to work harder, Applauding them when they make good plays. Supporting the team by buying the game tickets, concessions, and the various souvenirs, and Team apparel. They make noise to drown out the opposing teams signals, and hush up so their team can be heard and on the same wavelength. On one hand you have the seasoned veteran, TOM BRADY. On the other hand you have that “undersized” QB, RUSSEL WILSON, who is in his THRD year. BUT…. by the way already has one Super Bowl Championship under his belt. HUH? Can that be right. The QB most teams thought was to short to play that position effectively? YEP. That be him. (Not to brag or anything. But if you check my post of Jan. 13, 2012. Colts 1st Round Draft Pick Is…. I had Wilson as a TOP 3 Pick: in my eyes the most capable of the three). Can he be the QB with 2 Super Bowl Championships in a career of 3 years. This should be the BEST Super Bowl in MANY years. But there is always that unknown phantom that can come in and just make the game a blow out. As my Dad, always said. “HOPE FOR THE BEST, AND EXPECT THE WORSE”. As of this writing the odds makers in Las Vegas, have made no move as to odds and who they think will win. Right now it is just… Continue reading SUPER BOWL XLIX FEB. 01, 2015
MARCH MADNESS IS HERE 2014
Finally it is MARCH MADNESS!!!!!. FOR SCORES GO TO UPSET BRACKET Who will be the Number One team this year? Who will be the CINDERELLA team? Could this be the year a 16 seed upsets a number 1 seed? Who will be the most upset minded team? Could we see a one Conference final game. Maybe even a one Conference FINAL FOUR. Will SOMEONE Come Up with a PERFECT PICK SHEET? This year Warren Buffett is offering a $1,000,000,000 (that is one billion dollars) to whoever picks the perfect bracket.Below you will find a link to enter (at least I think it is). https://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/ WOW! Lots of possibilities waiting for us. Maybe your favorite School Will WIN First we have to have our 68 teams. So Knowing you can’t account for the NCAA’s Committee, THEY have an altogether sometimes strange reasoning for their picks. One thing I really don’t like is this. The committee has decided to add 4 teams they would not have included in the original 64. They may take one of these teams to play into a 12 seed spot. They may have 2 of these teams play into the same SET OF 16. The way I see it they should have these teams play in by having them play the 16 seeds. That way you have one play in, in each block of 16. Views: 144
Belated Super Bowl Wrap-up
I know it is rather late. I have been busy doing some consulting work. Then discovered had an issue with connection upon my return. So this will be short and sweet. YES!!! Seattle Seahawks with Russell Wilson WON! I wish we had a better game. With the top OFFENSE Vs. The top DEFENSE : We should have had a GREAT game. However as I predicted the difference was the Defensive effort. The Denver Broncos had that one blunder in the opening seconds of the game, which threw them in a tizzy. Between that awkward start and the smothering defense of the Seahawks, The Broncos could not recover. I do wish we had seen better showings by both Peyton Manning, and Montee Ball. But neither got much chance to show their skills. Seahawks defense all over them and every Bronco. Now the question is will we see key players from both or either team take advantage of their success this year, to enhance their PAYCHECK. Unfortunately the day of loyalty is long past. Few players have it. I think Peyton Manning would have taken a pay cut to stay with the Indianapolis Colts. Just one of the few LOYAL players around. Speaking of Mr. Manning: I think he may have another year in him. The question is this: Is the desire still beating in his heart. Little brother, has the Super Bowl bragging rights, but Peyton has all those records. I suppose we will just have to wait and see how this all unfolds. Congratulations to both teams for the exceptional season they put together That Is How I See It. P.S. I know the Daytona NASCAR race is coming up. But After all these years I could care less. I usually just flip through the channels and catch glimpses of it. Mike Helton and the powers behind him have ruined it for me. But we will be having our MARCH MADNESS posts. Look for them. Views: 108
The Final Four
APRIL 9, 2013 We have come to the conclusion of this year’s installment of MARCH MADNESS. The new Champion is LOUISVILLE! From what I could tell from the bits and pieces i was able wake up and catch it seemed to be a truly good competition. Michigan started out strong. Then Louisville made their charge. Nip and tuck til the end. The game could have gone anyway. But it was Michigan which found itself on the short end in the closing minutes. Which meant they were forced to foul to extend the game. As happens in this situation, more often than not, The team trying to catch up gets beat, and that is what happened here. Per my definition of being beat or losing. I see no loser here. I see a strong team that got BEAT. NO LOSERS. We should have also learned a valuable lesson. Kevin Ware, who proved during the season to be a star player for the Cardinals was unfortunately injured during tournament play, could only supply moral support to his team most of the tournament games. The players rallyed around his injury. But as good as Kevin Ware is, the team from Louisville proved they were not a one man team. Many teams would have been lost without a player of his caliber. But they showed that they could all, every player, be a key member to the team. When I was coaching I always told the boys ‘Be ready. We have no set starting team. It depends on the team we are playing, what skills are needed. Each player has a different set of skills”. As a player I preferred not to start. As this took pressure off me. (Everyone expects more out of starters than subs). I usually sat for the first minute. Then finished the game. Great tournament, many upsets, and the overalll number one seed emerges the victor. Although not as bad as many the celebrating fans tarnished the schools win with their irresponsible after game behavior. That is all I have to say about this. See your newspapers for details. If they dare to put the story in without whitewashing it. PROGRAM NOTE: APRIL 8,2013 As Much as we would love to see the game tonight. We will be unable to BECAUSE of the lateness of the start time. You see we live in the Central Time Zone. However our illustrious state leadership has decided in its INFINITE wisdom we must observe ATLANTIC TIME, They call it Daylight Saving Time. But there is just so much daylight in a 24 hour day. So no one has been able to save any. Putting us TWO hours ahead of the sun. So The game should be on at 7 pm instead of 10 pm. So to all of you lucky people who get to see the game ENJOY. 4 am comes pretty early when you are two hours ahead of the sun. UPDATE APRIL 7, 2013 And then there were TWO. LOUISVILLE, and MICHIGAN. The stage is set..I am looking for a close game. One that will keep all fans on the edge of their seats. As you know I have said Michigan will be the new NCAA Basketball Champion. Good Luck to both teams. I must hope that the end of this game and season is not marred by in inappropriate action by the ones who consider themselves fan, yet take away from the the pride of their teams by rioting and tearing things up. Both teams deserve better. These outlaw demonstrations SUBTRACT. from the dignity of the respected teams. REJOICE IN THEIR FEATS. UPDATE: We nearly had another upset. A well played game by both Witchita St. and Louisville. Now we must see if Michigan can overcome the Syracuse Press. Usually I give a lot of trivia here but this year I won’t. Suffice it to say this has been one heck of a tournament. So many upsets. Made a tournament season worthy of watching. I Still stand by my original conviction that all four final teams should have come from the Big Ten. Regardless of what my old NEMESIS Sir Charles thinks. (which was always a little far out). The Big Ten had its best shot at an ALL FINAL FOUR shootout. Only team that really let me down was WISCONSIN. They truly had the best shot bur as noted they also have the spells of non-concentration, of which they fell victim. Did they get beat by a better team? NO! They LOST because they did not give their all. As I have said before and will say again. You only get BEAT if you give it all you have and and still end up on the short end of the score. But you LOSE if you don’t leave it all on the court. Granted somedays you may not have as much to give as other days. But Wisconsin just completely melted down. I really don’t feel they respected their opponent. ENOUGH. Locally I find we have one person who had 4 of the final 8. And believe it or not has 2 of the final four. Some of you may have done better. I don’t see how. As much as I would like to see another upset. Odds are really against it so as it stands I see Louisville Vs Michigan in the final game with MICHIGAN the Champions. Both teams are really good. But it will come to MENTAL and PHYSICAL Toughness. I think both team are pretty equal in the MENTAL toughness…. But Physical toughness? Again you have to go back to their conferences. Big Ten definitely the most physical Conference in the country. Michigan has proved they have this PHYSICAL toughness throughout the Big Ten season. Scale tips to Michigan. RESULTS FAVORITES MY PICKS WHY? Because…. I really don’t know. Just a glutton for punishment, I guess Views: 118
NCAA MARCH MADNESS BEGINS
Will Duke upset Louisville? Will there be no number one seeds in the final four? Although I am not a Duke fan. and I don’t have a favorite in this game, I kind of would like to see the UPSET. Well I said I look forward to UPSETS (except in my bracketss). But how about this 16 UPSETS 3 number 1’s and 3 number 2’s. This has to be one heck of a bracket busting season. I wonder, if any of you have a perfect bracket now. The least Busted brasket appears to be the Midewest. Let the games begin: Yes folks it is here, and again this year I will be posting a RESULTS BRACKET , IF FAVORED TEAMS WIN, and MY PICKS. Check here to see how the the teams advance, If the favored teams win, and if you can out pick me. GOOD LUCK ! MAY YOUR TEAM WIN ! I am looking forward to many upsets. (I love seeing brackets turned upside down). RESULTS BRACKET FAVORED BRACKET I think we now have 16 upsets. Including 3 number 1 seeds and 3 number 2 seeds. How is your bracket looking. MY PICKS YES !! I know I have an improbable FINAL FOUR. But remember I said earlier I thought these teams would have won ANY CONFERENCE they may have been in. Thus I have this FINAL FOUR. However let me say this ALL have had Multi-minute scoring lapses. So anything can happen. Any of these teams could be CHAMPION. WISCONSIN should have had enough of these through out the season they will not fall into that slump again. (Although they may fall asleep during the game just as they did during the Purdue LOSS. I am hoping they have matured since that game, and that will not happen again). WISCONSIN Looked like the same team that showed up that played Purdue earlier. Very DOWN. What can I say..YOU HAVE TO BRING YOUR GAME. Everytime you set foot on the floor. PRACTICE included. Views: 117
