As I sit here watching the UNC-Gonzaga game, I've come to realize that Ty Lawson is a pretty good ball player. And by good, I mean the best I've seen at the college level in a few years. When that kid is in the line-up, I can't see anyone beating the Tar Heels.
Regardless of how good they are, the fact is Carolina is leading by 22 right now, yet CBS is opting to show this game rather than Michigan State-Kansas, a two-point game with under 20 seconds left. I can't stand the regional strangle-hold that teams like Carolina and Duke have on this state.
What's the big deal with showing the last 20 seconds of a great game before showing the last five minutes of a blow-out. After all, that's what March Madness is all about. Great basketball. Sure, there will be some lop-sided games. But once they reach that point, let's be content with checking in every now and then so we can watch some competitive basketball.
As good as Ty Lawson is, I don't care about him scoring his 30th point in a 20-point win as much as I do seeing a game-winning shot in a less regionally important game.
So get it together CBS. Show us the truly important moments of the big dance.
*In an additional note, my dark horse for The Masters, Bubba Watson, failed to make the cut this week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (shot a poor +7... internal "uh oh"). Let's hope he can get his game together in the next two weeks.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
It's the most wonderful time of the year...
It has begun.
This stretch of days from mid-March to mid-April serves as my favorite time of the sports year. In the next month, we will experience all the drama that makes the sporting world so great. Underdogs will rise, miracles will come to fruition, and champions will be crowned.
It all started half an hour ago with the tip-off of Butler and LSU to signal the start of the big dance. The NCAA basketball tourney is without question one of the most dramatic events in all of sports. Anybody can beat anybody and the little minnows are given a chance to take their shots at the whales of college basketball. Forget the NBA, those overpaid babies don't know what it's all about. This is basketball at its best. The passion displayed by these 64 teams over the next 3 weeks will be enough to last the pros for the next 10 years. Of course, like the rest of the world, I've filled out my bracket and North Carolina is my national champion. I don't really care for the Heels too much, but as long as Ty Lawson doesn't miss more than the first weekend, it's their tournament to lose.
But hey who knows? Nobody. Who called little George Mason going to the Final Four 3 years ago? Provide me that bracket and I'll eat my words.
*My dark horse for the tournament: Michigan State. Tom Izzo has the Spartans playing some good ball right now. But they're not getting much love. I've got them in the championship, falling to Carolina.
In perfect form, the end of the NCAA tournament leads right into my favorite yearly sporting event: The Masters. I say yearly because I must confess the World Cup is my undisputed favorite, but I have to wait 4 years for that one. But there's nothing that beats The Masters. Golf at its highest form. Everyone knows the course, the holes. I can tell you the ins and outs of every single fairway and green at Augusta National. It's the most dramatic golf tournament in the world and it seems to always come down to the back 9 on Sunday. If I could, I would plop myself on the couch and watch The Masters from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and honestly not feel like I'd wasted a second of my day. For me, there's nothing better. Plus, Tiger's back and Phil Mickelson is playing out of his skull right now. The stage is set.
*My dark horse for The Masters: Bubba Watson, the big hitting lefty (and my favorite player... I'm also a south paw) has started 2009 well and performed well last year in his first Masters. If it comes down to the back nine on Sunday, Bubba's got the power to drop two eagles. I'd love to see him in the top 10. If he wins, I'm a prophet and the golf channel needs to get me on the air!
This stretch of days from mid-March to mid-April serves as my favorite time of the sports year. In the next month, we will experience all the drama that makes the sporting world so great. Underdogs will rise, miracles will come to fruition, and champions will be crowned.
It all started half an hour ago with the tip-off of Butler and LSU to signal the start of the big dance. The NCAA basketball tourney is without question one of the most dramatic events in all of sports. Anybody can beat anybody and the little minnows are given a chance to take their shots at the whales of college basketball. Forget the NBA, those overpaid babies don't know what it's all about. This is basketball at its best. The passion displayed by these 64 teams over the next 3 weeks will be enough to last the pros for the next 10 years. Of course, like the rest of the world, I've filled out my bracket and North Carolina is my national champion. I don't really care for the Heels too much, but as long as Ty Lawson doesn't miss more than the first weekend, it's their tournament to lose.
But hey who knows? Nobody. Who called little George Mason going to the Final Four 3 years ago? Provide me that bracket and I'll eat my words.
*My dark horse for the tournament: Michigan State. Tom Izzo has the Spartans playing some good ball right now. But they're not getting much love. I've got them in the championship, falling to Carolina.
In perfect form, the end of the NCAA tournament leads right into my favorite yearly sporting event: The Masters. I say yearly because I must confess the World Cup is my undisputed favorite, but I have to wait 4 years for that one. But there's nothing that beats The Masters. Golf at its highest form. Everyone knows the course, the holes. I can tell you the ins and outs of every single fairway and green at Augusta National. It's the most dramatic golf tournament in the world and it seems to always come down to the back 9 on Sunday. If I could, I would plop myself on the couch and watch The Masters from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and honestly not feel like I'd wasted a second of my day. For me, there's nothing better. Plus, Tiger's back and Phil Mickelson is playing out of his skull right now. The stage is set.
*My dark horse for The Masters: Bubba Watson, the big hitting lefty (and my favorite player... I'm also a south paw) has started 2009 well and performed well last year in his first Masters. If it comes down to the back nine on Sunday, Bubba's got the power to drop two eagles. I'd love to see him in the top 10. If he wins, I'm a prophet and the golf channel needs to get me on the air!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
No Mo T.O.!
When I woke up this morning and flicked on the early Sportscenter, I heard the best news I've heard in a while: the Cowboys released Terrell Owens! I've long been an anti-T.O. guy so the notion that Dallas finally grew a pair and told him to get the hell out just tickles me.
I'll be the first to admit the guy's a hell of a ball player. He's definitely one of the most talented wide receivers I've seen in my lifetime. But that doesn't even come close to making up for his childlike attitude and selfishness. The man is a cancer. He has somehow managed to successfully ruin every franchise he's ever been a part of. Let's examine...
49ers- T.O. bursts onto the scene with a game winning catch as time expired to beat the Packers in the playoffs. He's the golden boy of San Fran. But wait, he doesn't like his quarterback, so he whines and mopes until he's dished out to another team.
Eagles- Arrives in Philly to catch balls from superstar QB Donovan McNabb, seems perfect. But after a short honeymoon period, T.O. doesn't like his quarterback anymore. Imagine that. So he demands an exit, acts like a brat and tries to tear down the organization. Philly is still paying for the locker room drama that baby caused.
Cowboys- Of course Jerry Jones would take a chance on T.O. regardless of his track record. It even seemed like he finally found a QB in Tony Romo that he could go the distance with. He almost had me convinced when he sat in front of the press bawling big crocodile tears defending Romo, who was getting ripped in the media. But of course, it was another one of his acts. The next season comes around, surprise surprise, T.O. doesn't like his quarterback.
T.O.'s main reason for whining in Dallas was that he doesn't get thrown to enough when in fact he gets thrown to more than most players in the league. The guy sincerely thinks the ball should be thrown to him on every single play. Some ego. Sorry T.O., the only way you're getting a catch every play is if you clone yourself to play quarterback and throw to you. Hell, he'd be the only person on the planet who loves you as much as you do.
So Props to the Cowboys for bucking up and taking a stand against this child of a football player. I can only hope that he'll fall into relative obscurity and waste the rest of his life doing nothing with Barry Bonds. But it's pretty unlikely. There are plenty of stupid owners out there who would gladly risk the health of their team for the chance to pay this idiot millions of dollars.
I'll be the first to admit the guy's a hell of a ball player. He's definitely one of the most talented wide receivers I've seen in my lifetime. But that doesn't even come close to making up for his childlike attitude and selfishness. The man is a cancer. He has somehow managed to successfully ruin every franchise he's ever been a part of. Let's examine...
49ers- T.O. bursts onto the scene with a game winning catch as time expired to beat the Packers in the playoffs. He's the golden boy of San Fran. But wait, he doesn't like his quarterback, so he whines and mopes until he's dished out to another team.
Eagles- Arrives in Philly to catch balls from superstar QB Donovan McNabb, seems perfect. But after a short honeymoon period, T.O. doesn't like his quarterback anymore. Imagine that. So he demands an exit, acts like a brat and tries to tear down the organization. Philly is still paying for the locker room drama that baby caused.
Cowboys- Of course Jerry Jones would take a chance on T.O. regardless of his track record. It even seemed like he finally found a QB in Tony Romo that he could go the distance with. He almost had me convinced when he sat in front of the press bawling big crocodile tears defending Romo, who was getting ripped in the media. But of course, it was another one of his acts. The next season comes around, surprise surprise, T.O. doesn't like his quarterback.
T.O.'s main reason for whining in Dallas was that he doesn't get thrown to enough when in fact he gets thrown to more than most players in the league. The guy sincerely thinks the ball should be thrown to him on every single play. Some ego. Sorry T.O., the only way you're getting a catch every play is if you clone yourself to play quarterback and throw to you. Hell, he'd be the only person on the planet who loves you as much as you do.
So Props to the Cowboys for bucking up and taking a stand against this child of a football player. I can only hope that he'll fall into relative obscurity and waste the rest of his life doing nothing with Barry Bonds. But it's pretty unlikely. There are plenty of stupid owners out there who would gladly risk the health of their team for the chance to pay this idiot millions of dollars.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
He's baaaaaaaack!
After seven months twiddling his thumbs on the sidelines, Tiger Woods, the man responsible for the survival of golf in America finally announced his return this past week at the World Golf Championships Match-Play event. This was without question the highlight of my sports week as I wanted to know what would be different about the 65-time PGA Tour event winner.
Coming out of his extended layoff due to torn knee tendons and fractured leg bones, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who was betting on Tiger actually winning this week. But at the same time, it'd be even harder to find someone betting that he wouldn't win it.
The guy walks around a golf course with this vibe that if he has a club and a ball, he always has a chance. If he was forced to play an entire week with just his 7-iron, I would still find him lifting the trophy on Sunday plausible. I've seen him do nearly everything, so who's to say he won't take one more step towards impossible.
So standing on the first tee Wednesday, I gave Tiger a chance for a win in his first event back. Imagine how good I felt when he birdied the first and went 1-up right out of the gate. Imagine how elated I was when he birdied the second to go 2-up. A few holes later, all I could do was shake my head as he eagled and went 3-up on the front nine. "Here we go again!"
Tiger ended up winning that first match handily but was topped the next day by a dangerous #8 seed in Tim Clark. The rustiness ended up biting Tiger, but in those two days, he showed the world why he's the best.
Ever since the golf season started in January I've been listening to people say that Tiger won't win a major this year. After watching his first few holes back, I'm saying he won't not win a major.
Coming out of his extended layoff due to torn knee tendons and fractured leg bones, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who was betting on Tiger actually winning this week. But at the same time, it'd be even harder to find someone betting that he wouldn't win it.
The guy walks around a golf course with this vibe that if he has a club and a ball, he always has a chance. If he was forced to play an entire week with just his 7-iron, I would still find him lifting the trophy on Sunday plausible. I've seen him do nearly everything, so who's to say he won't take one more step towards impossible.
So standing on the first tee Wednesday, I gave Tiger a chance for a win in his first event back. Imagine how good I felt when he birdied the first and went 1-up right out of the gate. Imagine how elated I was when he birdied the second to go 2-up. A few holes later, all I could do was shake my head as he eagled and went 3-up on the front nine. "Here we go again!"
Tiger ended up winning that first match handily but was topped the next day by a dangerous #8 seed in Tim Clark. The rustiness ended up biting Tiger, but in those two days, he showed the world why he's the best.
Ever since the golf season started in January I've been listening to people say that Tiger won't win a major this year. After watching his first few holes back, I'm saying he won't not win a major.
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