The Final Four

If you had took odds on Duke being the one and only number one seed that would make it to the Final Four the odds would have been long indeed.

For me personally I have just one of my teams still in it, West Virginia. However, I find myself having no problem with any of the remaining reams winning except West Virginia. I surely find myself not wanting Bob Huggins to win. There is no question he is a very good coach, however his actions leaving Kansas St to go to West Virginia were less than honorable. Mostly however I do not think the track suit wardrobe should be rewarded. Do you think Bob could put on a suit.

Butler is a great story and actually might be the favorite against Michigan State. I can think of no greater ending than Butler winning this tournament. Could it happen, clearly based on their victories thus far it could. They have proven they can play with anyone.

Michigan State without their best player has now issued another demonstration of how GREAT their coach is. Tom Izzo may not be a name you think about when you think of great coaches like Coach K, Roy Williams, etc but clearly he needs to be. Michigan State has now made six of twelve Final Four. This is, in modern college basketball a huge achievement of consistency.

Duke is a team we always root for. We like to think Duke does things right, their teams are more cerebral and have a higher percentage of four year players. This is true. Over the last few years it has become the norm to cheer against Duke. What this means in our fans is hard to know. Is it because they are the antithesis of cool. No matter, for me this means that we want Duke to win. Coach K and his approach should be validated.

However, as a realist I expect West Virginia to win. It is not the outcome we want, bracket or not. I would rather not be right in this case.

It is Fantasy Time

We had our fantasy baseball draft yesterday. It is always a great afternoon for all of us. As we have had the same league for quite sometime with just a few changes it is a day that we look forward to. This year we had a few folks who have moved or were away so we to facilitate this did a live draft on ESPN. Traditionally we have done a manual draft so this was a difference. i have come to the conclusion I am against live drafts. Not a fan of time limits, and with a time limit we do not have as much time to talk and joke in between picks that everyone makes.

For us half the fun was telling our friend Andy ( isn't there one guy in every league that gets abused the most) that all of his picks are " less than good."

So that is a lesson learned for next year. We do not do the regular ESPN leagues, too many players, but instead go with a league that has just 9 offensive players in the lineup at a time.

I won our league last year, drafting King Felix and Zach Grienke as my fourth and fifth starting pitchers did not hurt. As keepers I chose to keep Longoria, Kemp and Utley but had to release Adrian Gonzales, Jimmy Rollins, Pablo Sandoval, Mariano Rivera among others. So how did the draft go. Our league, to me, looks very balanced. One never knows how these things will work out.

A couple of fellows went with the pitching now strategy, one ended up with Verlander, Grienke and Lester, that will be tough to beat. I tend to think that I am good at identifying pitchers and matchups during the season so I decided to draft pitching a little later. I took Felix again in the first round but then waited a bit. However pre draft I had mapped out several pitchers I thought would be undervalued in the draft that I could pick up late. I did well getting those pitchers for the most part. The danger in that however is these are pitchers I specifically believe will carry me to value from my pitchers, if this does not work it will be prep work that did not work. Of course injuries and a multitude of other factors can change the game. However Tommy Hansen, Ricky Nolasco, Gavin Floyd and Matt Garza all had peripherals that indicate that they can be strong this year. Lets hope so. I took Aroldis Chapman in the 24th round, I am not sure if he will be good this year, but on the off chance he is as good as he " could " be he was worth a shot.

Hopefully this season will go well..we shall see

Tiger Woods Scheduled Return

So Tiger Woods is set to return a couple of weeks from now at the Masters. It was to be expected that he would choose this event as the Masters has always been a good course for him. It is ironic that this bastion of exclusivity that had some growing pains with Tiger Woods ethnicity when he began his career, remember the Fuzzy Zoeller comment, should prove now to be a safe place for him to return.

Whatever you think about Tiger Wood's personal shortcomings one cannot deny that he is news. For me personally, i like to watch Tiger Woods before the events of this last fall and winter and will continue to do so. However, even last year, I was disturbed by his demeanor on the course, we see so few examples in modern sports of good sportsmanship, and rarely if ever from Tiger. I will be interested to see if indeed his demeanor and " respect for the game" does improve. This will matter to me.

Those who want to judge Tiger will do so. Eventually if he and his wife Elin do reconcile there will be those that call it a sham marriage and attribute their being together to money reasons. It is not my place to judge Tiger Woods.

That said the comparison between him cheating on his wife , often pregnant at the time and Phil Mickelson leaving the tour to be with his wife stricken with cancer is an obvious one. It is not one I can ignore and not one I think I am obligated to ignore. I will find myself cheering more for Phil this year, but I expect Tiger to do well and play well.

Crash, Thud, Down goes Kansas, Down goes Kansas

ESPN advises that 40 percent of the brackets completed on it's Website had Kansas as the eventual National Champion. We had been out for dinner Saturday evening and upon returning to the house we noted that Kansas was in a desperate position in the last minute against Northern Iowa. I texted my son who was out with friends and he could not believe it. Being older I know anything is possible, I remember Depaul losing I think two years in a row in the first round as a Number 1 seed, I think Mark Acguire is still crying.

This however was a shock and in todays world of everyone doing a bracket this one hurts. I now have lost my National Champion in my bracket. I am not alone.

So let's talk about the story no one is really talking about. Northern Iowa beat this team. Northern Iowa was a number nine seed, not as low as some of the upsets we have seen already. This is a team that earlier in the year had a significant article about them in Sports Illustrated. This team was known. They shoot well, make few mistakes and play a very smart game. This is a GREAT story. I am sad for my bracket but i am thrilled for this team.

With all the upsets so far one might wonder why. I believe that with the best players cycling through the best schools in one and two year increments that at times it becomes difficult for these teams to have any presence of continuity. Mid major teams however rarely have the freshman that will go pro after a year, most of their best players have to play the full four years to gain the notice to have a potential career in the NBA and this helps the teams become a well functioning unit.

Of course for every theory there is a reason that is not right. North Carolina this year is the example of the talented team with little experience to guide them, but thus far that does not seem to be stopping Kentucky. Before yesterday my example of the team that got great recruits but had some continuity was Kansas ( Cole Aldrich and Sherrod Collins) but you can see where that got them against Northern Iowa.

So the truth is no one knows anything. My bracket is busted as my son and daughter said. So I am now changing my allegiance.

Go Duke!!! I always root for Duke. For my theory to be correct they need to win. But more importantly we always WANT Duke to win. Sometimes maybe you get what you want, not what you need

March 18th...March Madness..Here We go

Well it is that time of year. A smorgasbord of college basketball. College Basketball being that rare event in which the prelude to the end may be better than the end. While some great games occur at the end of the tournament these two days and to some extent Saturday and Sunday when 48 games take place in 4 days and those dedicated to doing so can see almost all of the games is a time that cannot be matched.

I suspect by now that we have all done our brackets. In our house we follow the one bracket per person rule disavowing the new practice of filling out multiple brackets. The next time I hear someone say in response to an upset " I had that in one of my brackets" is one time too many. This is much like a weatherman saying the next day that in one of his forecasts he predicted rain. You either pick a team or you do not. In our house we have my oldest son who follows the game more than any of us, my 12 year old who knows the major teams but does not have a wide knowledge, my wife who just knows we love the Irish and the " smart schools" like Duke and Vandy. It is a shame by the way that Northwestern could not get in,,,we had hopes early. My 10 year old daughter who knows enough to know more than most just by hearing what is going on in the house and knows that we always root for Duke. And me. We all did our brackets independently, and yet in the end my wife and I ended up with Duke and Kansas with Kansas winning, my middle son has Kansas over Syracuse, my elder as Syracuse over West Virginia and me..well I have Kansas over West Virginia. So 4 out of 5 take Kansas and the one with the most knowledge takes Syracuse. We shall see.

It is a wonderful event, I love it. I do not see the need for 96 teams however, despite feeling that Mississippi St and Illinois should have made it do we really need 32 more teams so the 6th and 7th best teams in the SEC and Big 10 can get in. If you are the sixth best team in your conference and you make it you are lucky, but if you do not you are not snubbed. You blew it,,win more games. Lets keep it at 64. That is my vote anyway.

Just One Pitch Away- Ask Joe Nathan

The next time you begrudge a pitcher a desire for a contract for as much money as they can get think of Joe Nathan. Or better yet think of Mark Prior. All athletes are to some extent just one injury away from being retired but few are as close as a major league pitcher. As we all know the human arm is not designed to throw a ball overhand. And certainly not at the speed and torque that major league pitchers do. However many do and many more dream of it.

Joe Nathan felt a tightness when he pitched his first spring training game last Saturday against the Red Sox. Nathan has since gone home to Minnesota, been diagnosed with a torn ligament in his elbow and is facing the liklihood of Tommy John surgery. One pitch away is truly where all pitchers are.

My son is 14 and has pitched since thru little league. He has had some great highlights and now as puberty has taken hold of him he is a 6 foot 2 145 pound kid. His motion has never been as clean as we would like and he has each year at the start of the year had tendinitis in his elbow. Last year consulting his doctor who is quite expert at sports medicine we were told that whole exercises could make him stronger, and when his growth stopped his tendons would get stronger and tougher. By July his season was a success and his arm was not hurting, of course it was 90 degrees then, and he was only pitching once every 6 to 7 days. However at the end of the season at a game I got to late his coach pitched him on just 3 days rest and his arm was sore and he, not as importantly, got blown up. What I have told him is he needs to be more vocal, know his limits and know that no one game is more important than his health.

I have also told him that he is unlikely to ever be a professional baseball player, not because he is not good, but because the percentages are not in his favor and because he does have arm trouble all ready. Today in fact with high school tryouts looming, we went outside and did our first toss of the ball. Just 25 soft tosses from a short distance. We have time go slow and he is nervous. Soon enough he will be throwing too hard and with too much torque. Eventually I fear he will throw a pitch and grab his elbow. And that will be it. As a parent what can you do besides love that your kids love the game, support them and if they get hurt pick them up.

Joe Nathan threw that one pitch today. I hope that my son does not throw his " one pitch" anytime soon

Strasburg and Heyward

Every year there are prospects that we hear are going to be the next big thing. This year at spring training we are hearing it again. This year however it seems like it might be different, there may be two players that are actually likely to be the next big thing. The next " really " big thing.

Stephen Strasburg was the first pick in the major league draft last year and the most dominant pitcher in college baseball. This year the Nationals have made clear that they intend to start Strasburg in the minors and not rush him. It is likely that they will do this. However, early reports from spring training indicate that this might not be needed. A composure rare in one so young, combined with a 98-99 mph fastball, a changeup at 90-91 and a curveball that falls off the table on a 3 and 2 count indicate that he can compete now. Now, playing for a team that may lose games behind him, in front of a bullpen that will blow leads for him and in front of fans that will have unrealistic expectations no matter how good he is; these are things that he will have to contend with and might indeed struggle. The talent, that appears to be ready and impressive. This young man may well be the next great pitcher.

Jason Heyward is a 20 ear old strapping outfield prospect for the Atlanta Braves. Like the Nats the Braves have every intention of keeping Hayward in the minors for at least the start of the year. He too, however. is trying to make that a hard decision. Heyard is described as Pujols like, quick bat, strong, fast. I saw a couple swings he took yesterday including one that deposited a ball over 450 feet away. Heyward too looks like the real deal, and like he may hit be well on his way before he is old enough to have a drink to celebrate it.

One could do worse than to start a team with either of these players. Lets hope they develop as well as young men as they seem to be on the verge of doing as players.

Olympic Hockey

What a hockey game yesterday! For those of us who love hockey this was a final present in a weeklong procession of gifts. Canada fulfilled their goal and won the gold while the United States proved that their preliminary victory over Canada was no fluke. This was a game for the ages. The United States as the youngest team in the tournament should feel good about the the 2014 Olympics as well.

Can the NHL capitalize on this goodwill and increase the league's visibility. It is unlikely. Hockey in the United States is primarily a regional sport. And that is OK. Very few sports transcend the entire country in all geographic areas. That said hockey is a fast moving, aggressive sport which should have appeal to the masses in this country.

Ryan Miller in goal, Zak Parisi scoring, and others might well inspire young boys across the country. However there is no way for the NHL to market its players affectively to the masses.

There are reasons that hockey is the number 1 sport of most of its audience. I would believe that for those who follow hockey closely the percentage of number 1 sport is higher than any other.

I love hockey. I love playoff hockey. The Olympics was playoff hockey with all star teams involved and nationalistic pride added. It was AMAZING