I'm back.....Thanks for your patience

Well, it's good to be back. Sorry I've been away for all this time. With our weekend show done with for the season, I now have more time to devote to the blog, which really couldn't come at a better time. I say this, because, as everyone knows, the Madness is finally upon us. And it is within that light, I'd like to bring out a few things that are really bugging me about this tournament.
One, and we go through this one every year: Who got snubbed, who got in that shouldn't be in, etc., etc, etc. Syracuse will cry to anyone who will listen that they should be in. Listen to any interview with their coach, and he sounds like a sports information dude on a three-day Red Bull trip. He can quote strength of schedule, who won where, why his team should be in, and why his team is better than some teams that actually got in. But, press him on one key issue, and he goes into Fred Astaire mode. `Ask him about his big non-conference road game, and I swear to you, he'll bring up Canisius. I'll pause here to let everyone's jaw return to its original upright position. He uses Canisius as his big road game, even though it was played in Buffalo. OK, road games in college aren't like road games in high school, Coach. Then, keep pressing him about his choice of scheduling, and he'll finally say that things "just didn't work out". Well, guess what: Syracuse didn't work out either, and they'll miss the NCAA Tournament. Bravo to the committee for their stance on that.
Two, now, I'll shame the committee for leaving out the Drexel Dragons. That's right, I'm defending Drexel. They did all they had to do. They went on the road to play tough teams. They went into Syracuse and got a win. They went into Creighton (tournament team), and got a win. They went into Villanova (tournament team), and got a win. So, they did everything asked of them by the committee, and still got left out in the cold. I guess that fourth place finish in the Colonial Athletic Conference had something to do with it. So, one can say that the little guy got hosed again. However, the committee is, for all intents and purposes, putting on a TV event. The tournament will take up some prime time slots, knocking some pretty big shows off of CBS for a few weeks. They don't want something that's not going to get ratings. Everyone says they love the underdog, but the ratings say otherwise. I'm not saying it's a fair decision, I'm saying that if the NCAA and CBS are business partners in this venture, then don't look for Cinderella on any kind of prime viewing slot.
Three, and I told everyone this one long before it ever came to pass. Clemson does not deserve a spot in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT-Not Invited Tournament). Yes, they were 17-0 at one point, but when the schedule includes mostly teams from the Southern Conference, then that's really nothing to be bragging about. Clemson does not committ to basketball, period. It's why Rick Barnes left, it's why Larry Shyatt was able to stay as long as he did, and it's why they are not relavent in ACC talk when it comes to baketball season. And this is all coming from someone who went to school there. In 1990, Tate George hit an improbable shot to knock Clemson out of the tournament. That team had Elden Campbell and Dale Davis. The TIgers haven't had any team that could even come close to that team. Heck, they even lost to Elon College just last season in a game that was supposed to be a tune-up for the ACC season. I can just imagine the Elon people now: Wow, let's see, we went on the road to Littlejohn Coliseum, beat a school from a major conference, and asked for a check on the way out the door. Sounds like a winner to me. This season, Clemson had too many excuses and not enough wins when it counted. They blame a clock error for a loss at Duke. Do you really think, as a visiting team to Cameron Indoor, that you're going to get sympathy? The very next game, they forget to score in the last six and a half minutes of the game to lose to Virginia. Feel free to put the ball in the bucket any time, boys. After that, they just mail it in. Want more proof? OK, try this: Why would a senior point guard, in his conference tournament, knowing that his team has to have that game to even be considered for an NCAA bid, committ a backcourt violation in the closing seconds? Don't give me the argument that the refs blew the call. I saw the play, and no, there wasn't a foul.....it was an all ball block. But, the bottom line is this: Clemson should have never let Florida State be that close to begin with. Clemson basketball will always be synonymous with mediocrity, and sometimes, even that is giving them too much credit.
Bottom line for everyone complaining how they didn't get in the tournament: Win some more games. Toughen your schedule. Playing the Nevada Culinary Institute will no longer count as a good win. And, while we're on the subject, consider this for all the teams that are going to the NIT: Since the NCAA now owns the NIT, did anyone really think they were going to fill it with teams that had no real compelling stroyline? Again, business decisions trump everything else, and the NCAA is protecting its investment.
Baseball is right around the corner, and for the life of me, I'm still trying to figure out why the Braves still have Mike Hampton. I'm also trying to figure out how A-Rod is still with the Yankees. Nobody comes out in the press in New York, rips Derek Jeter, and keeps their spot in the Yankee lineup. Jeter brought championships to the Yanks, A-Rod has brought nothing but problems. I've actually met the guy before, for about thirty seconds in the Rangers locker room. Remember that saying about first impressions? It's all true. He's a bonafide, certified, stuck-on-himself jerk. I'm also trying to figure out why San Francisco re-signed Barry Bonds. I know it's all about the home run chase, but even if he breaks the record, does anyone really think he'll be recognized as the true home run king?
Well, that's about it for now. I'll do a better job of posting since I now have more time. Hopefully, we'll have a website for the weekend show coming this summer. With all this talk about basketball and baseball, just remember this: Spring practice is right around the corner, then it will be on to the 7-on-7 season. After a short break, it will be time for 2-a-days once again. Gotta love the sports calendar, don't you? Till next time................


Patrick