Boooooring!

Both college basketball tournaments this year were the most exciting tournaments that fans have seen in a long time. Arizona, a 12 seed got all the way to the Sweet Sixteen, number one seed Tennessee Lady Vols were upset by 16 seed Ball State, seven teams from the Big East made the mens tournament, and Oklahoma superstars put their scholarships on the line. Even Sister Wendy could not make these tournaments seem uninteresting. But the womens final last night concluded the most boring set of final games. Undefeated UConn beat Louisville by 22 and the night before, Tyler Hansbrough and his Tarheels pounded on the home team Michigan State, tacking on nearly 90 points and winning by 17. Plus, everyone was rooting for the Spartans and the city of Detroit. North Carolina's beatdown told everyone in Michigan that you better book your tickets for the Red Wings. UConn's thrashing victory gave the people in New England their "perfect season". But what are you gonna do? I could not ask for more than the nail biting excitement that went down this year. I had to watch each game standing up.

Damned Yankees

I went to school today like most Mets fans, ecstatic and enthusiastic. I left baseball practice and came into an empty house and saw the papers on the table and picked up the New York Post see Johan Santana or Danny Murphy dwarfing the Yankees headlines on the back page. What I found instead horrified me. Alright horrified is a bit extreme even for me, but it still upset me. Even though the Mets won their Opening Day game, and the Yankees lost, the Post still put C.C. Sabathia on the cover. Okay sure, I know Yankee fans are more than upset that such an investment as C.C. got rocked in his first game as a Yankee, but give me a break. The Mets got a save for goodness sake; something that became a bit of an issue last year. Put Frankie Rodriguez on the cover with something like, "Finally", or "Save Some for Later". Whoever is in charge of back page headlines, take your Yankee jersey off and get a little respect for the boys from Flushing.

Opening Day Baby Whoooooo!

Take it in baby, take it all in. Yesterday was Opening Day and the beginning of the rest of summer. This is the part of the year that matters, the half of the year where baseball hermits come out of their shells and come out to the ballpark. Where fathers and sons converge on the front lawn to have a catch, where little leaguers put on their uniforms six hours early, just because they like the look, where wooden bats echo through our ears. Even as a Met fan, I had to watch my two least favorite teams play on Opening Night, and I loved it. I could have turned the picture off and just listened to Jon Miller's voice announcing the game, the iconic voice of baseball. When I got home from school yesterday, I immediately turned on the Met game. It might not have been the best baseball weather, but I could still smell the Cincinatti grass and could taste the hot dogs being sold. A 2-1 victory for the Mets was pine tar on my cap; it was a game that they would not have won last year. Johan Santana got into trouble in the sixth, and they took him out, understandbly. But just going through the motions was excitement enough for me. My eyes were glued, and they will be glued for the rest of the season..... Baaaaatter Up!

Let's Go L'ville

Girls basketball is usually overlooked; there was nobody at the Oklahoma game yesterday, which really demoralizes women's basketball, and it shouldn't. The Louisville Oklahoma game last night was great, the Oklahoma senior is going to return her scholarship; that really mixed it up. Plus, no one is dunking over anybody, no one has absolute command over the game in that sense; they play real basketball. So on Tuesday, root for the underdog Louisville to upset undefeated UConn. Don't forget to tune in because it will be a great game, guaranteed.

Michigan State is Green Too

After Notre Dame's disappointing loss in the NIT (Not In the tournament Tournament) semi-final, I was forced to turn back to the NCAA Tournament.
When you are paying attention so much to your bracket and the non-calls on Tyler Hansbrough, it's easy to miss the overall effect sports has on the rest of the country. The poor slipping economic health of Detroit slipped my mind in all the Final Four hype, and now that Michigan State is in the finals, the city is experiencing a shock wave of energy. The whole city is electrified and college basketball might be able to lift the hearts of the Motor City. The Spartans might be the ones bailing people out tomorrow, and for the city's sake, I hope State can pull out over the favored Tar Heels. A college has the chance to re-vitalize a city just as the Saints had attempted to do to New Orleans after Katrina. Coach Izzo, America is pulling for you, make it happen tomorrow.

Bad Luck

I am still teary-eyed after Notre Dame lost the NIT semi-final to Penn State. I haven't been to the Garden in a long time and I probably won't see as many white shirts in one place ever again. As the Baylor game came to a close, I noticed that Leprechaun Legion had not shown up, which I was especially angry about because they were half the reason I went to the game. But Baylor left the court and a chant started to echo throughout the legendary arena, and it was not "Let's go Irish". "We are... Penn State!" rang through my ears more intensely than anything I had ever heard in my life. I guess it was more frustrating for me because no one in the stands was as enthusiastic for the Irish as I was, and Penn State crazies drowned me out like a row boat in a hurricane. The Penn State crazies simply came to play, and Leprechaun Legion had not. Where were you guys! We needed you! I guess I'll hope to see you next year at the Big East Tournament or if they play Seton Hall, or some other local team. And good luck to A.J. Pollock and the baseball team. You don't come to Jersey this year, but I am sure that you will go far in the NCAA tournament, hopefully I will have to blog soon about Omaha.