Sport Ramblings with a hint of Pop Culture

The First Bracket: Obama's Includes Few Upsets

2009-03-18T16:57:00.000-07:00

Analyzing Obama’s Bracket

President Obama took a relatively conservative approach when he filled out his bracket, picking relatively few upsets. He picked North Carolina, Louisville, Pittsburgh and Memphis to make it to the Final Four. Obama has North Carolina defeating Louisville to win the 2009 National Championship.

* Obama picked two No. 11 seeds to win in the first round (Virginia Commonwealth University and Temple).
* Obama did not pick McCain's home state teams to win in the first round (Arizona and Arizona State).
* Obama, the former Senator of Illinois, has Illinois losing in the second round to Gonzaga
* He picked North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Louisville and Memphis to make it the Final Four. He has North Carolina defeating Louisville in the National Championship game.
* UConn was the only No. 1 seed that Obama did not pick to make the Final Four. He was not exactly going out on a limb when he made his picks.

To read about why Obama chose No. 11 Temple over No.6 Arizona State and No.11 VCU over UCLA go to HoopWriters.com

UConn is Still Suffering From the Curse of George Mason

2009-03-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

UConn is Still Suffering From the Curse of George Mason

When the final buzzer sounded on March 26th, 2006, sometime after 5PM, eleventh-seeded George Mason out of the Colonial Athletic Association, had pulled off the improbable, defeating a UConn team, which would later fill NBA rosters, 86 to 84 in overtime for a trip to the 2006 Final Four.

Since that dreaded moment, UConn has seemingly been cursed in the postseason, failing to win a game. Even in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament last year, fourth-seeded UConn lost thirteenth-seeded San Diego 70 to 69 in overtime.

The only hardware members of this UConn team can claim are 2005 Maui Invitational, the 2006 Big East regular season and the 2008 Paradise Jam championships. All of these trophies have one thing in common, besides rust and that is none were awarded in postseason play.

The only regular players left from the 2005 Maui Invitational and 2006 Big East champs are Craig Austrie and Jeff Adrien. Adrien and Austrie were role players that year. Yet, Jeff Adrien missed a clutch free throw in overtime versus George Mason, a sign of things to come in his career.

To read the Full Story go to HoopWriters.com

It Turns out Watching the Game From Your Coach isn't too Bad

2009-03-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

The least of my worries last night occurred not because my alma matter lost in the 2009 Big East Championship game to Louisville 76-66, but the lengths I attempted to go in order to watch it in relative peace.

The story is that, I was invited to attend a birthday party at Koji’s on Aslyum Street in Hartford. Concerned because it was some sort of Japanese Restaurant/Bar ,I contacted them in advance to see if they would have the game on.

So I arrived in Hartford around 8:45 PM and I parked in the Pro Park lot across from Koji’s. Initially I was surprised because it was full, usually the parking lots in downtown Hartford do not fill until after 11 PM on a Saturday night. My first thought was that maybe there was a Hartford Wolfpack game going on. I quickly realized this could not be the case because who really cares about the Harford Wolfpack?

It turns out there was a Wolf Pack game, but this was not the reason why the lots were full.
After ten seconds of walking through the Pro Park lot, I realized that there had been some sort of St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parking lot and sidewalks were littered with empty beer bottles, it was a pretty disgusting site.

Well, it was not as disgusting as what was in store for me next – A Japanese restaurant/bar decorated in green, blaring techno music. Not only was the bar blaring techno, but the floor was littered with napkins and other trash -making a relatively nice establishment look trashy.

Luckily for me, the television above the bar was tuned to ESPN.

When I ordered my beer, out of the corner of my eye I observed two drunks making out. Immediately I came to a conclusion, down my beer as fast as I can and head to Coach’s.

Coach’s is located on Ann Street next to the XL Center (the former Hartford Civic Center), it is a sports bar that UConn coach Jim Calhoun used to have some sort of stake in. It is known as a place to watch the game, an enclave for those who are not up for bar hopping, grinding and binge drinking.

The walk to Coach’s took less than five minutes, but it seemed like an eternity because the game had probably already started and I had to navigate through streets mobbed with drunks.

I entered Coach’s and I was immediately confused, it turns out that they had changed locations and I was in the new, much smaller one.

Like Koji’s, Coach’s was also taking part in the St. Patrick’s Day festivities, but minus the techno music, which at first made the experience seem not too bad.

When I ordered my Coor’s Light draft I asked the bartender if they were going to put the volume of the game on and turn down the music. He came back to me a minute later and said, “Maybe a little bit later.”

Lucky for me it turns out that Coach’s now serves beer in plastic cups, reminiscent of the house party days on Euclid Avenue in Syracuse. It was also surefire sign that Coach’s had regressed.

When I observed the bartender grabbing me a plastic cup, I said to him “are you kidding me, can I please get that in a pint glass.”

He responded, “We have been serving drinks in plastic cups all day because of the parade.”

I grabbed my beer in anger and my next move was to find the quietest place in the bar. So I chose the back corner area near the pool table, which at the time was vacant and also because the music was barely audible.
Well ten minutes later, it was apparent that I was never going to hear Dan Schulman and Jay Bilas’ play-by-play of the game, as Coach’s began blaring loud 80’s music throughout the bar.

I decided to give the bar another chance, as I really wanted to watch the game. Focused intently on the game, I did not notice the group of four guys in their mid-thirties show up near me and start playing pool.

As Syracuse stormed back to take the lead near the end of the half, my head was nearly dislodged by a pool cue. Apparently these guys tried to shoot around me or through me, they did not even bother to say excuse me.

As the buzzer sounded and halftime began, I paid my tab and headed for the next location which happened to be Mayor Mike’s. My spirits were somewhat better as Syracuse held a 38-30 halftime lead, but I was still pretty irritated that I was not home watching the game on my couch.

It turns out that Mayor Mike’s was nearly a pit stop, a place to use the bathroom, as it was also filled with St. Patty’s day revelers.

As I turned right I noticed a Tapa’s bar less than a block away, surely a Tapa’s bar would not be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day? Then again, a Japanese bar had been, so I should not have been surprised to see the temporary green décor.

The décor did not matter because I had reached my spot. There were only a handful of patrons in the bar and there was no music blaring. The one television in the bar was roughly 17 inches at most, but it was tuned to ESPN.

It turns out that the most exciting part about the second half of the game, was not the game itself, but the two fights that broke out on the street. I am not sure who won, as the one fight that I saw turned into a wrestling match, basically in the middle of the street.

So, with less than four minutes to go and Cuse’s trailing by double-digits, I finally decided to cut my losses short and head back to Pro Park to get my car and drive back home.

Sam, I am: Young Leads Pitt Over UConn

2009-03-08T08:13:00.000-07:00

I just finished publishing my story about the Pitt and UConn game on HoopWriters. Here is a brief synopsis of the game:
In the hype before the game, everyone focused on Hasheem Thabeet and DeJuan Blair, the Big East’s top two heavyweights, but it was unheralded Sam Young that provided the marquee performance. On Senior Day at the Petersen Events Center, Young scored 31 points and added 10 rebounds as No.4 Pitt defeated No.1 UConn for the second time this year 70-60.

Young may be Pitt’s leading scorer on the year, the conference’s reigning Most Improved Player, a preseason All Conference Selection and last year’s Most Outstanding Player in the Big East Tournament, but it is his teammate, DeJuan Blair, that has been receiving the attention of late.

“Recently it seems that when I see a UConn jersey, my eyes start to light up,” Sam Young who scored 25 points against UConn on Feb. 16th said. “ I was very focused on this game. I got some good rest last night after getting a few shots up, and just came ready to play today.”

Pitt led by ten going into intermission 38-28. They survived a UConn run which cut Pitt’s lead to two, 52-50 with less than eight minutes to go. The Huskies, including Thabeet seemed to run out of energy, as Pitt scored at will in transition.

Jerry Wainwright

2009-03-05T14:46:00.002-08:00

The Big East needs to learn from its mistake and not allow every team the opportunity to go to the Big East Tournament. Yes, I am assuming it is going to be a mistake to allow Rutgers and Depaul into the Madison Square Garden.

Think about it, is Jerry Wainwright going to be happy to have his team play another Big East game? I mean they are already about to go 0-18, haven’t they been embarrassed enough?

There season was already looking bleak, then as a one-point favorite in their last home game of the year last Saturday, they lost to St. Johns by 21.

It is pathetic for me to say this, but I could not name one current Depaul player without googling ‘Depaul Basketball.’ Googling ‘Depaul Basketball’ does yield at least one interesting result. The No.5 hit is a story about Depaul Women’s coach Doug Bruno taking a polar-plunge into Lake Michigan.

The irony of this is that I am sure, there are thousands of donors and alumni who wish Jerry Wainwright would take that plunge. I mean, what is worse taking a dip in frigid Lake Michigan or going 0-19 in the Big East.

I mean earlier this year versus instate rival Northwestern, Depaul managed to score just 36 points. Yes, Northwestern the same team that lost an exhibition game versus NAIA school Robert Morris to start the year.

If Depaul can not win at Georgetown on Saturday, they will then face Cincinnati in the opening round of the Big East Tournament. Depaul lost to Cincinnati at home 59-55 on Jan. 17th.

Alas, my google search yields a hit on Depaul's leading scorer, Dar Tucker. Tucker averages 18.5 points per game, but shoots just 29 percent from three point range. Amazingly at 29 percent, he is second on his team in three-point shooting.

Jerry Wainwright has not posted a blog entry since Nov. 3rd, I wonder how many times he has used the excuse that he has a young team.

Here is the text of what he said, or you can click here to read it on his website.

“I am looking forward to the start of the season. Practice has been exciting especially with all the new faces, and I couldn’t be happier with the effort of all of our players. Also, our returning kids have done a great job leading and mentoring our new players and our chemistry has never been better. We obviously are a very young team, but we will never use our age as an excuse for not competing to win every game in the toughest conference in the country.”

For more go to HoopWriters.com

Jerry Wainwright

2009-03-05T14:46:00.001-08:00

No.2 UConn WIll Win Big Over Notre Dame

2009-02-28T06:52:00.001-08:00

I like UConn over Notre Dame 81-66. The only way I see Notre Dame having a chance is if Ryan Ayers and Kyle McAlrney catch fire and finish the day 12 of 26 from behind the arc. In UConn's 69-61 win over Notre Dame at the Joyce Center, McAlrney had a terrible game going 3-8 from behind the arc and 3-15 from the field. Notre Dame only shot 30 percent on the game, while UConn shot 40 percent.

One thing is certain is that UConn will win but will they be able to cover the 11.5 points? The safe bet is the under at 149.5 points total. I personally think UConn will continue its dominance at Gampel and really take control of this game midway through the second half. Look for Jeff Adrien to bounce-back with 16 points and 11 rebounds

Harangody will get his 20 plus points and get the best of Thabeet inside on the offensive end. Thabeet will block seven shots. Johnnie Bird will miss a three pointer as the students go crazy. Stanley Robinson will be a non-factor ( I am thinking 8 points and 6 rebounds). I can see Kemba Walker scoring 16 to 20 points in this one.

For more on this game check out my website http://www.hoopwriters.com

Political Activist Confronts Jim Calhoun

2009-02-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

Ken Krayeske interrupted the UConn vs. South Florida post game press conference in order to ask Jim Calhoun about his salary, contract with Comcast and the state budget crisis.

The questioning, which was reminiscent of the Iraqi Shoe Thrower, incident received national media attention.

Krayeske is a political activist, who received his Bachelor's degree in Magazine Journalism from Syracuse University in 1994. He currently runs his own website (http://wwww.the40yearplan.com) and is enrolled in law school at UConn.

To check out more on this story you can go to http://www.hoopwriters.com

Close Predictions: Pitt Upsets UConn

2009-02-17T05:03:00.000-08:00

Maybe I had a premonition, maybe I had been to the game in a previous life. I am thinking, maybe not to the above assertions.

On my website: http://www.hoopwriters.com I predicted that No. 4 Pitt would upset No. 1 UConn 74-68. The actual score to the game was 76-68.

I also said that DeJuan Blair would own Hasheem Thabeet. Even I did not know how one sided that match up would be. Blair finished the game with 22 points and 23 rebounds.

Even more surprising was Pitt's overall dominance on the boards.

http://www.hoopwriters.com

Michigan Looks to Pittsnogle No .1 UConn

2009-02-04T15:23:00.000-08:00

Before playing No. 1 UConn, Michigan will play gay-pioneer John Amaechi’s alma-matter, Penn State, in Ann Arbor tonight. Amaechi was in and out (HAHA) of the NBA from 1995 to 2003 before dropping the soap on his career. In reference tomore than just the fact that he once turned down a 17-million dollar contract with the Lakers to play for 600K with the Magic.

To read more of this article go to:

Hoopwriters.com

New Websites

2009-01-04T06:36:00.001-08:00

Sportstalk.mobi .. . . I really like this domain name and maybe one day I can develop it. I would not mind making a quick buck from it if anyone is interested.

trustnat.com . . . . Could be used for a bank website 'Trust National Bank"

Links

2009-01-03T13:04:00.000-08:00

http://www.dosequis.net
http://www.dosequis.info
http://www.femsacerveza.com
http://www.femsabeer.com
http://www.cervejagold.com
http://www.kaisergold.com
http://www.mphelps.info

website links

2009-01-02T15:59:00.001-08:00

www.flyfromeurope.com
www.bluraymp3.com
www.domesticwives.com
www.mp3bluray.com
www.landpredator.com
www.parlorsports.com
www.markteixeira.com
www.mark-teixeira.mobi
www.jackpotcounter.com
www.jackpotcounters.com
www.itunesdownloader.com
www.itunesplayer.com
www.franchiseleagues.com
www.enterlater.com
www.diamondwires.com
www.1fighter.com
www.1fight.com

Mike Macenko

2008-06-27T05:13:00.000-07:00

I did a youtube search for Connecticut Sportsplex yesterday, which is where my softball team plays. I found a video of softball legend, Mike Macenko hitting 400 foot plus bombs.

To check out the legends website, which he also offers tips . . . . .

http://www.bigcat844.com/

NBA DRAFT

2008-06-27T05:05:00.000-07:00

The NBA Draft was last night, I hate to say I did not watch it. I was suprised that the Knicks did not select Eric Gordon. Gordon, although undersized, will be a star in the league. Danilo Gallinari, at best will be a guy that scores 18 per game, grabs 7 rebounds, and gets 3 assists. He probably won't play defense and he will hang out on the perimeter.

Some of the bigger suprises I noticed from the draft are Jerryd Bayless slipping to late in the lottery, Donte Green going near the end of the first round and Texas A&M center DeAndre Jordan going in the second round. Jordan should have stayed in school.

Great Golf Book Then Tragedy

2008-06-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

First of all, I want to say that I am having trouble generating traffic to my http://1fighter.blogspot.com blog, aka the 1fight.com blog. I just compiled the rankings of the 33 greatest MMA fighters of all time. I posted the rankings on Bleacher Report also. The rankings were controversial, as expected.

Secondly, I just finished reading a book I picked up at the local library for 50 cents called Bud, Sweat ant Tears. The books chronicles the lives of Steve Duplantis and Rich Beem. Duplantis is a PGA tour caddie and Beem is an up and coming golf pro in the book.

The book was great and I would recommend it to the 18-40 year old crowd. After I finished the book, I did a search of Steve Duplantis on the Internet and found out that Duplantis had been killed when he was hit by a car earlier this year. I was pretty bummed out to find this out and I hope Duplantis' daughter is well taken care of.

Duplantis, in the book, is portrayed as a young single father struggling with personal demons and juggling his home and golf life. Beem, is the late 20's bachelor who finally makes it on the PGA tour and garners some success when he wins the Kemper Open in his rookie year. The early taste of success is then meant by Beem's struggles on the tracks.

Mad over Max Scherzer

2008-06-19T15:06:00.001-07:00

I followed the plight of Max Scherzer on yahoo prior to the Arizona Diamondbacks calling him up to the bigs.

I listened to all the hype and I initially was very satisfied with his performance. That was until, Bob Melvin inserted Doug Davis back into the rotation. After that move, Scherzer's fantasy value declined. He was nothing more than a long reliever that pitched every 5 games. I hung on to Mad Max until he was optioned to Triple A . . . I am still mad about Max Scherzer and this happened nearly a week ago. Isn't a phenom like Max Scherzer a better option than Doug Davis? It must be these stupid pitch counts. I would much rather see a pitcher retire at age 33 because he pitched 160 pitches a game then teams continue to coddle young arms.

I have solved the Barry Zito problem. I think Zito and the Giants should not hire Rick Peterson. Zito is getting paid 126 million dollars to throw 85mph batting practice fastball. The Giants investment seems like our country's investment in the war on terror: too much money for little return value.

I think Zito and the Giants should part ways and dump the 126 million dollars into the war in Iraq. It will only have a marginal impact on us taxpayers but we will get more in return.

The price of gas is absolutely killing me and my 55 mile commute to work. I am thinking about renting a room closer by and coming home on the weekends. This economy is absolutely pathetic and the outlook is bleak.

I have recently joined facebook and it is paying some dividends in terms of making contact with long lost friends. I am happy to report I have 2 friends that are not long or lost.

Top MMA FIGHTERS of ALL TIME

2008-06-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

I have been working the past couple of days on compiling a list of the top MMA fighters of all time. I will post my rankings on my other blog which can be viewed at the following URL:

http://1fighter.blogspot.com

Linda Hogan's New Boyfriend

2008-06-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

I am very concerned for the situation developing with Hulk Hogan's wife, Linda Bollea. She is dating a 19 year old by the name Charley Hill.

Here is a picture of the couple.

http://nachofoto.com/photo-of-Charley-Hill-boyfrie-4e068e7f8695

Come to find out Charley was was a classmate of Brooke and Nick, apparently in the grade below Brooke and the grade above Nick.

There is a 29 years age difference between the two which is disturbing.

Charley sort of looks like a younger Hulk. Linda has lost some pounds since the divorce.

Check out this pic and see what you think.

http://nachofoto.com/photo-of-Linda-hogan-daughter-43cba9476849

Worth Mutant

2008-06-13T14:17:00.001-07:00

The summer slow pitch softball season began on Tuesday. We led most of the game by one run, the other team came back in the top of the 7th and took the lead. We were unable to get the bats going in the bottom of the 7th and lost.

We tried out our new bat today the Worth Mutant. We were using the juggernaut. The juggernaut is a good bat but something started rattling in the barrel after we first bought it. We are returning it for a new one.

The Worth Mutant is a great bat it had a lot of pop. The bat we got is 34 inch 28.5 oz. The juggernaut was 33inches 27 oz. I prefer the heavier bat.

Here is a link which shows the bat.

http://www.hq4sports.com/worth-mutant-mut98-slowpitch-softball-bat-asa.html

My website I am working-well I would not call working on it- 1fight.com is looking pretty shoddy. My 1fighter.blogspot.com has several posts on it. I have covered several big events because of it (Elite XC in Newark and Showtime boxing at the Mohegan Sun Arena).

I am trying to generate more traffic to it by registering it on Google Blog Search.

Slow Pitch Softball Spring Results

2008-06-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

On the Slow Pitch Softball front we won 2 out of our last 3 games to finish 3 and 7. I believe we avoided last place. Not a bad year considering how it started out by losing 20-0 to Walt's Auto in 3 innings.

We had several ringers play for our team down the stretch. One guy, Scott Meyer, had recently been cut from the Chicago Cubs Single A team Daytona Beach. Meyer crushed 2 homeruns in the 2 games he played and finished as the team leader in that category.

We actually went up on Walt's Auto our next meeting 10-2 in the first inning only to be down 14-10 after two innings. Eventually we were mercy ruled 31-15 in 5 innings.

Our final game of the year, we lost to Walt's 16-0 in 5 innings. Getting shut out in slow pitch softball, is well, priceless of course.

1Fight.com

2008-06-10T13:52:00.000-07:00

I have not posted on here for a while and there are several reasons for this. Most importantly, I have been working on a new blog called 1fight.com.

http://1fighter.blogspot.com

I have also been trying to develop a website called http://www.1fight.com

I have been posting about mixed martial arts and boxing. I recently went to the Elite XC event in Newark New Jersey and the Showtime Boxing Event at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.

I also have an article I wrote posted on http://www.insidectsports.com

I have also been posting about MMA and boxing on http://www.bleacherreport.com

Nice guys finish last

2008-05-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Everyone I talked to over the past week told me Frank Latina is such a nice guy. I even knew this because I have known him - well known of him and seen him - for a long time.

Going into the fight John Franchi was the villian - a guy that had frustrated me during my interview of him on Tuesday night. I was frustrated because Franchi was a man of few words. He also was a tad bit irritating, the way he told me that he only trains and does not work.

Frank Latina has a full time job and works third shift. He sleeps during the day and trains during the night, then works while John Franchi is sleeping.

Latina deserved to win the fight, then again John Franchi never gave him the chance. The fight was one-sided for the 2 minutes and 19 seconds that it lasted.

I came out of this fight knowing one thing, that John Franchi is going to be a force in the 145 pound division. Last night, Franchi was fighting at 155 pounds, 10 pounds above his normal weight.

Brad Imes vs. Roy Nelson

2008-05-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

This is the main event of the evening featuring Brad Imes vs. current IFL Heavyweight champion Roy Nelson.

Nelson is a very deceiving fighter as he appears 30 pounds over the weight, but he is supposed to be quick on his feet.

Imes was the runner up on season 2 of the Ultimate Figher . . . he is a Miletich fighter.

Imes is a former college football player who looks more like a member of a biker gang than a fighter. He is one intimidating guy at 6 foot 7. He enters the ring sporting a black cowboy hat, you got to love the Hillbilly Hearththrob. He is my pick to win thefight.

Nelson stuns Imes wiht a hard right sending Imes stumbling backwards. Imes looks visibly shaken and needs to take the fight to the ground.

Imes gets hit by three straight rights from Nelson. He nearly falls out of the ring at one point. This is a fight that you do not want to look away from. Nelson connects with another right. Not a good night so far for the Miletich fighters.

Nelson connects with a right Imes falls to the mat. Nelson gets on top and the fight is stopped via the referee.

Nelson retains his heavyweight belt via TKO in the first round.

Deividas Taurosevicius vs. Ryan Schultz

2008-05-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

The attendance at the IFL Mohegan Sun event is 4530.

Deividas Taurosevicius vs. Ryan Schultz for the lightweight championship. Schultz is the current lightweight champion.

The fight starts off with both fighters trading punches in the stand up. Deividas misses a high leg kick which gets the crowd going.

Deividas lands knees to Schultz's inner thighs that looked like they did some damage. Early on Deividas seems to be winning this one. Round 1 would have to go to Deividas.

Deividas lands a strong left hand to open the round then gets Schultz to the head with a long leg kick.

Deividas controls the fight from the guard. He gets Schultz in a half triangle. Schultz lands some hard strikes while in the guard. The 2nd round is too close to call.

Schultz scores a nice takedown to start the 3rd round. Schultz gets Deividas in guillotine choke.

Schultz is dominating the ground game punishing Deividas with strikes. Round three goes to Schultz.

Deividas gets Schultz in a rm bar. It looks pretty tight. Schultz picks up Deividas and drops him escaping the arm bar attempt. He then punishes Deividas with strikes as the fight stays on the ground.

Schultz gets Deividas in the mount and lands some hard strikes . . . Deividas gets out. Schultz then gets Deivdias in a rear naked choke but can secure it before the round ends. Schultz takes round 4.

Schultz in control of the ground game again round 5. Deividas needs to do something quick to win the round.

The fighters receive a standing ovation. Schultz retains the title via a unanimous judges decision 38-37.

Dan Miller vs. Ryan McGivern

2008-05-16T18:29:00.001-07:00

Dan Milller vs. Ryan McGivern in a middleweight championship bout.

McGivern is landing some shots on Dan Miller who is know more for his jui jitsu.

Miller lands a take down on McGivern a Miletich fighter. Miller gets McGivern into an ankle lock but McGivern escapes.

Dan Miller then gets McGivern in a kneebar. McGivern taps.

McGivern dominated the standup, once Miller scored the take down he controlled the fight.

Dan Miller wins and is the new IFL Middleweight Champion.

Danillo Villefort vs. Mike Massenzio

2008-05-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

A middleweight bout (185 pounds) between Villefort (6-2) and Mike Massenzio (10-1).

Villefort has former Pride fighter Bustamante in his corner.

Villefort misses with a leg kick to start the fight. Villefort is more comfortable on the ground and will not leave the ground position. Massenzio looks more comfortable on his feet. Massenzio get out of Villefort's guard. Villefort then attempts a knee bar, which Massenzio escapes.

Villefort get Massenzio a knee bar and Massenzio taps out.

Josh Souder vs. Zach George

2008-05-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

A Lightweight bout (155 pounds). Hopefully the Souder vs. George fight will be better than the Horwich vs. Guel fight.

The fighters trade blows early . . . Souder gets George in the corner after landing a hard right hand and pummels him with a series of strikes . . . the ref stops the fight. George is visually frustrated after the fight he hangs his head in the corner.

Joey Guel vs. Matt Horwich

2008-05-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

HDNet is now broadcasting the fights live. This is the first of the live fights.

Horwich has a long unkempt mohawk with a beard. He does not look like a fighter he looks like he should be touring with Rancid. Both Fighers are wearing white Premier fighter shorts. The fight starts off with the crowd booing as not much is happening as the fighters are in the clinch standing up.

Horwich gets on top of Guel before the rounds end and lands a couple of strikes. The crowd boos.

In the second round Horwich connects with a high left leg kick. Still the fighters fight to a series of boos . . . One guy in the crowd yells "come on for christ sakes your on live tv do something."

Horwich scores a take down and once again starts hitting Guel with a series of weak strikes.

Horwich once again takes control of the third round. Horwich once again gets into top position and hits Guel with a series of weak strikes.

The crowd seems very unimpressed with the fight as Horwich is just doing what he has to do to win. Lackluster . . . the fight goes to the scorecards Horwich should win easily.

Horwich wins the fight unanimously via judge's scorecard 30 to 27.

IFL Mohegan Sun

2008-05-16T17:23:00.000-07:00

In the 2nd fight Aaron Stark defeated Lamont Lister via judge's decision 30-27.

Third fight was the most exciting thus far as John Howard fought Nick Calandrino. Calandrino took the first round but the next two rounds were dominated by Howard who damaged Calandrino with strikes.

The fight was stopped in the third round after Calandrino was unable to defend against Howard's strikes. Calandrino was a bloody mess after the fight.

Latina falls to Franchi

2008-05-16T17:17:00.000-07:00

Frank Latina entered the ring and was outmatched from the start against Franchi .
Early in the first round Latina gave his back to Franchi who immediately got Latina into a rear naked choke. Latina got out of the choke initially but Franchi still had his back. Franchi got Latina into his clasps and tightened his position. Latina tapped out.

Franchi wins via tap out 2:19 into the first round.

Bas Rutten

2008-05-16T16:15:00.000-07:00

I am at the IFL event at the Mohegan Sun Arena covering the Frank Latina vs. John Franchi fight for insidectsports.com.

I met Bas Rutten which was really cool. Bas Rutten is probably my favorite person in MMA. He is a great announcer and he was also a great fighter. I really hope Bas Rutten fights again.

The fight is going to start in 10 minutes I am pretty pumped, hopefully I get a decent photo with my digital camera.

Frank Latina

2008-05-15T12:55:00.000-07:00

I have recently been covering a local Connecticut fighter by the name of Frank 'El Soldato' Latina for his upcoming fight versus John Franchi in the International Fight League.

Latina is a guy that I met eight years ago at WOW Fitness in Middletown, Conn.

Frank and I later worked together at a residential program for at-risk youth in Cromwell, Conn.

He trains with Team Dog Pound Full Contact in Southington, Conn under his coach Elias Rivera.

Latina has also had some training sessions in Las Vegas with Xtreme Couture and former professional boxer John Scully in at LA Boxing in Glastonbury, Conn.

Some of Latina's favorite fighters are Randy Couture and Wanderlei Silva.

Latina will be fighting in the IFL event on May 16th at the Mohegan Sun.

His opponent, John Franchi fights out of Cortland, NY for Team Bomb Squad. Franchi is a dangerous opponent knocking out two out of his three opponents since he turned professional.

He has a background in wrestling, kickboxing, Jui Jitsu and boxing. Franchi's favorite fighter is BJ Penn.

For the story I wrote for insidectsports.com, I contacted Tamdan McRory a former member of Team Bomb Squad who now fights in the UFC. Tamdan reported to me that his UFC contract had been extended and he will be fighting later this summer. He could not name his opponent but he said to keep an eye out for it.

McRory said that he is friend of Franchi and the two used to train together.

"He has good stand up, he is an excellent wrester and he is slick off his back," McRory said. "He is a pretty well round fighter you know. He is not going to be a pushover for anybody that is for sure.”

A myspace video I found about Frank:

http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=33082190

A Little Motivation

2008-04-27T17:19:00.000-07:00

To the team:

Walt's Auto thinks we are joke somewhere between the
1996  Tigers who went 53-109 and the 2003 Tigers who
went 43-119.   A close second would be the 1988
Baltimore Orioles who lost 21 straight games, eerily
similar to the 20-0 loss we had at the hand of Walt's
Auto. 

Do you remember that feeling you had after we lost
20-0 in the bottom of the third inning?  Remember when
they were up 19-0 and tagging up and going from first
to second on fly balls? Remember when they were
laughing at us and making fun of us?

I do not know about you guys but  . . .  I wanted to
knock their heads off with closest bat. 

Trust me they will not be ready for us on Tuesday.  A)
they think we are an absolute joke.  B) we have a
better bat C) We are much improved defensively and
offensively D) We have developed good team chemistry

I am not saying that we are going to beat them but we
should make it a close game. They will be on their
heels and they will not be taking us seriously.  The
surprise factor is our best bet.  We will jump on them
early. 

The defensive show they put on us seemed like an
aberration when Gary and I witnessed them making 4-5
errors vs. Total Fence LLC. 

The bats were on fire today during batting practice.
Gary, Robby and Matt Calderone were all sending the
ball over the fence or off of it ( The fence is
roughly 315 to 325 at Jarvis). 

Those that did not make it to practice should spend
some time swinging a bat at the cages before the game.


If we do defeat Walt's Auto it will go down in
CTSportsplex folklore.  It will be remembered by all
of us as our Chaminade (Division 2) defeating number
one Virginia and Ralph Sampson in the 1982-1983
season.  Or our Miracle on Ice (1980 Olympics USA over
Russia- Hockey). 

Stay focused and remember that we can win.

Jager Bombs

2008-04-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

My softball team, the Jager Bombs, lost our first game of the season 20-0 to Walt's Auto last Tuesday.

Pathetically, we managed only 2 hits in three innings. Yeah, we only played three innings because of the mercy rule.

I had not felt so humiliated since I tripped over my trombone and ripped my pants while running to get on the school bus in middle school. My jeans had a big tear but the worst part was getting on the bus to a chorus of laughter.

Unfortunately I was the last bus stop, so 30 to 40 teenagers witnessed my utter humiliation.

This past Tuesday I also got a similar taste of humiliation.

It did not help that when the other team was up 18 to 0 they were tagging up on fly balls and advancing to the next base.

It did not help that I was the pitcher for our team. I had no clue until after the game where the strike zone was. The last time I had pitched in my fraternity league in college I just had to hit the mat behind the plate.

Then after we were walloped we checked our schedule, only to see that out of our seven remaining games we played Walt's Auto four more times.

Unfair.

Walt's Auto had played a game earlier that night and beat their opponent by a score of 16 to 1, so I knew we were over matched in our first game as a team.

I left the field thinking that maybe this was the best team in our league. Maybe they should be playing in the next higher league and we should be playing in a lower league.

I was dead wrong in my assertion.

Thursday things got a little worse. I went with my buddy Gary to watch Walt's Auto play in the Thursday night league vs. Total Fence LLC.

I was told by several members of Total Fence that Walt's Auto is a mediocre D-League team.

My bottom lip nearly dropped to the ground.

Total Fence defeated Walt's Auto fairly easily 18 to 12.

If Walt's Auto is a mediocre team in our league then will we lose 20-0 in the first inning next game?

WAFL (What a fucking Loser) I am.

My Andy Rooney Moment

2008-03-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

So, the blogging has taken a nose-dive.

The main reason is that things are changing in my life.

UConn lost on Friday, which caused me to lose my flair.

I started a new work schedule on Sunday. I now work 6 AM to 2 PM.

I get up at 4:15 AM, instead of 9:30 AM. Ok, I was actually getting up after 10:00 AM, 9:30 sounded more respectable.

This just sounds like a list of excuses, then again this is a list of excuses.

What my point is that I was more inspired to write before work, especially after I had my morning coffee.

You know, the morning cup of coffee after you slept for 8 hours without being awakened by an alarm clock.

The alarm clock noise is possibly the most hated sound in America.

Yes, this is supposed to be about sports and popular culture.

The Red Sox defeated the Oakland Athletics this morning. Yes, this morning.

The game was in Japan.

Major League Baseball in Japan, is almost as bad as baseball in March. Better yet, baseball in the morning, when you are getting ready to work and you are absolutely miserable. Miserable because you could use two more hours of sleep.

Today we had all three components. The game was over around 9:00 AM. It was played in Japan in the month of March.

Baseball in the morning should be relegated to highlights on ESPN and Yankee replays on the Yes Network.

I believe I am starting to sound like Andy Rooney. Except my eyebrows are not unkempt.
Please, take care of those Mr. Rooney.

All and all it was a pretty difficult weekend. My confidence waned, until I successfully utilized the word onus in a sentence and had to explain its meaning.

How to Read My Blog?

2008-03-21T21:28:00.000-07:00

When I read my writing I often hear someone else's voice.

In my Mystic Pizza and Bracketology commentary I hear Will Ferrell or Norm Macdonald.

Just picture Norm Macdonald reading the last five lines as if he was reading the news on Saturday Night Live.

Trust me, it makes it more interesting, a bit funnier.

THE BIG LOSS

2008-03-21T21:14:00.001-07:00

What a day! The UConn game tipped-off around 3:30pm, the boozing began around 2:45pm. By 7:00pm I was drunk and emotionless.

Feeling like a big loser, I ate dinner at the 99 Restaurant, knowing before hand what I was in for- mediocre food.

UConn lost for the first time in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament during the Jim Calhoun era.

The Huskies finished the season 8-8 outside of Gampel Pavilion and the XL Center. They were just 1-4 when playing on neutral courts.

A 24-9 season when it began 11-5 does not seem terrible on the surface. The fact of the matter is that the Huskies lost four out of their last seven games.

The Huskies peaked at the wrong during the season.

Since the big loss, I have been the big blob. I spent the last five hours watching Lost, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and Bizarre Foods on DVR.

The depression of UConn losing made it very difficult to watch another basketball game.

The Big East goes 7-1 in the NCAA Tournament. The lone loser, the UConn Huskies.

Isn't funny how boring this reads, it is because I have no emotion right now.

NCAA.com

2008-03-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

I am going to give a free plug to NCAA.com. You can view all the tournament games from this site. The only problem is there is a delay of 45 to 60 seconds.

Not a bad option if you are at work and want to hear or see the games.

Bill Raftery is announcing the American/Tennessee game. This is a big plus.

Tennessee is not impressing me much. They are only up 5 points in the second half.

American has been sloppy with the ball throughout the game, but they are dominating Tennessee on the boards.

American head coach Jeff Jones should get serious consideration for another big time D-1 head coaching job. Jones had been one of the more successful coaches at Virginia.

He has spent his last eight years at American. Sorry, American you are not exactly a basketball power house. You could not swing it in the Colonial Athletic.

Another word on Jeff Jones, he was the point guard for Virginia along side the legendary Ralph Sampson, when the Cavaliers lost to Chaminade. It was the biggest upset in college basketball history.

American just hit back to back threes and they have tied the game at 40, with 11 minutes to go.

And Boom, goes the Dynamite! (Famous YouTube reference)

All locked up in a tight one. (Quigs from ESPN Dream Job).

Albany Redux

2008-03-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

As I prepare for the NCAA Tournament games (my preparation includes drinking coffee and talking on the AIM), I am thinking back to the 2006 NCAA Tournament.

The Albany Great Danes. Yes, Albany the team that stayed close with UConn for the entire game during the First Round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. The problem when you play one of these Cinderellas is when it is your team playing them.

I am sure Duke fans know what I am talking about. The entire crowd turns on your team. Suddenly you get a feeling throughout your body, this is called shock.

Today I am hoping the San Diego Toreros are not able to keep it close. Then again, I know it will be a game that is too close for comfort.

I am looking forward to watching my cousin's school and brother's alma matter, American University, take on Tennessee.

Mystic Pizza and Bracketology

2008-03-20T22:13:00.000-07:00

Alas, home from work drinking a Corona with lime and heating up some Mystic Pizza. The funny part about Mystic Pizza is the frozen variety is much better than what is served at the restaurant made famous in the 1988 movie entitled, you guessed it, Mystic Pizza. You may recall the movie because Julie Roberts starred in it.

I never saw the movie but I sampled their pizza last year on a weekend trip with my girlfriend. It was nothing special.

If they ever make a movie about pizza place in Connecticut again, hopefully it will be called Pepe’s. Pepe’s is the infamous New Haven, Conn. pizza establishment.

If you ever go to Pepe’s I recommend their bacon pizza, just expect a very long line on a Friday or Saturday night.

Oh yeah, there were some college basketball games today.

Xavier helped my cause by coming back to defeat Georgia. Georgia was one tornado away of winning this one.

Michigan State ousted Temple. I pretty much guaranteed a Temple victory, so much for researching RPI’s and momentum. Temple had won seven straight, Michigan State was just 5-5 over their last 10 games. Yes, I am an idiot.

I would not call it an upset, but the 11^th seed Kansas State defeated 6^th seeded USC. Beasley out shined fellow phenomenon O.J. ‘hold the’ Mayo.

Hopefully O.J. Mayo will not follow the same path as fellow Trojan. O.J. ‘the double murder’ Simpson.

By the way, whatever happened to the story about O.J. Simpson committing the Las Vegas robbery?

The Belmont/Duke game was the obvious game of the day. Belmont should have won the game, sending millions of people and their brackets into purgatory.

Luke Harangody and the Fighting Irish defeated Mr. George Mason. After the game, Harangody and his teammates drank green beer, which they thought was Gatorade.

Bob Huggins’ West Virginia Mountaineers knocked off Kevin O’Neil’s Arizona Wildcats. After the game, everyone on Arizona declared for the NBA Draft. Bob Huggins also expressed his interest in the Arizona head coaching job, continuing his trend of one and done.

My Gardner Webb Rant

2008-03-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

It is barely half time and I already want to tear apart my bracket and go hiding in a bomb shelter. The problem is I do not have access to a bomb shelter and the games are not even over.

I had Temple defeating Michigan State in my 12 vs. 5 upset. So far Michigan State is in control. I pretty much guaranteed a Temple win. I feel like a WAFL (short for What A Fucking Loser).

I did not think Georgia could ride their momentum against Xavier. So far I am wrong as Georgia is in control of this one. I still think the SEC is weak with the exception of Tennessee and Vanderbilt. How could Kentucky do so well in that conference after losing to Gardner Webb?

Remember Gardner-Webb the early season Cinderella which put a 84-68 thwacking on Kentucky at the Rupp arena in November? Remember Grayson Flitnner, the other guy on 2006 Indiana's All State Basketball Team with Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Luke Harangody and Eric Gordon? Sure you do?

Better yet, the 6-foot-4 Thomas Sanders won the Atlantic Sun Player of the Year? He averaged a double-double (points and rebounds). He is 6-foot-4! He is not tall enough to start at forward at my high school.

Gardner Webb proceeded to vanish into the winter, losing to USC Upstate and Florida Gulf Coast. Yeah, they lost to USC Upstate on the road, but they beat Kentucky at Rupp Arena.

Gardner Webb ended the year 16-16 overall and 9-7 in the Atlantic Sun.

Thoughts from the Quarterfinals

2008-03-20T09:35:00.001-07:00

As, I write this I am watching Notre Dame vs. Marquette from like an arm’s reach away from the court. I hate braggers, when I am not doing the bragging.

I wonder how many times ESPN’s Bill Raftery said ‘onions,’ ‘send it in Jerome,’ and ‘man to man’ during the first two games of the Quarterfinals today? That is about the only thing I missed while sitting in the stands and press area in my first trip to basketball’s Mecca, The Madison Square Garden.

I got a media credential, but much to my surprise it was a technical, no seating pass. That met that I was restricted to the media work area. Well, I still watched the games. I sat in the stands for the Nova game, snuck into the press area for the UConn game. I did not watch the Louisville vs. Pitt game, as I was writing my article about the UConn/West Virginia foul fest. Of course the Louisville/Pitt game turned out to be the game of the day.

Rick Pitino and Jim Calhoun were obviously not too happy after losing. Pitino went after one reporter., questioning how much basketball he watches? The reporters question was not insulting. He asked, “Does it concern you that you have lost two straight games before NCAA TOURNEY?” Pitino went after him told him he should watch more basketball and that he will not be losing sleep thinking about it, but the reporter will probably lose sleep. Those were good teams Georgetown and Pittsburgh that Louisville lost too, he explained.

Trust me, I am sure Pitino is concerned his team lost two straight games. I am also sure that reporter that asked him the question will lose sleep, waking up intermittently from his Rick Pitino nightmare.

I also felt the wrath, but from Jim Calhoun. I asked Jim Calhoun about how is team is 6-7 away ( I didn’t include the non-conference wins vs. Central Florida and Indiana) and 1-3 at Neutral Courts. He said it was a myth, but I must know what I am talking about because I said it.

Sorry Jim, you are 8-7 away from Connecticut this year . . . 5-4 in Big East, 1-3 in Neutral Courts, 2-0 out of conference. Not an impressive resume.

I wish I could have clarified myself or even finished my sentence, but Jim Calhoun did not me a chance. Heck, Jim I am not even getting paid for this! I am like Mother Teresa of basketball writing. Well, my grammar would make you think, otherwise.

Chalk up another reporter, that received a verbal lashing from Jim Calhoun. For UConn reporters, it is like a coming of age.

The highlight of the press conference, though, was when Pitino started commenting on Pitt assistant coach Orlando Anitigua’s wardrobe during Pitt‘s Wednesday night game vs. Cincinnati. . Pitino’ seats were right behind the Pitt bench that game. He knows his fashion, so I am sure Antigua was a ‘sharp dressed man’ ‘(little ZZ Top reference).

Yuck, I am starting to feel a little metro-sexual right now talking about men‘s fashion, but then again this is New York City.

It could be worse, I could be like Luke Winn of Sports Illustrated and write about my Scrabble match with Hasheem Thabeet. Luke gets the last laugh because he got paid to write about that. I also could be writing about Billy Crystal’s Yankees debut, but I did not watch that.

McAlarney just a hit 3, like that is anything to write about it. He hits threes like a fellow, Mc . . .Namara (The Syracuse/Scranton legend). Yeah, I bet your girlfriend or wife thinks McAlarney is cute also?

Ok guys, I will talk about something more manly, the cheerleaders. Villanova has the worst cheerleaders of the Big East Quarterfinals. Nothing to write home about it. I will give the nod to best cheerleaders to UConn (I did not get to check out the Louisville or Pitt cheerleaders very closely).

It is funny how if you are a Villanova or Notre Dame male cheerleader a prerequisite must be to look like Seth from the movie Superbad. The students in the pep bands were in better condition. Sorry ladies, cheerleaders are for guys to look at.

I am not exactly a picky eater, but let me tell you about the $8 dinner I paid for in the media area. Turkey, stuffing, corn on the cob. . . .sounds good , right? Well, the stuffing tasted like cat food. Yeah, if you have to know I am the youngest of three brothers and I might have had a taste when I was eight-years old. Hopefully the stuffing was not Mike Dolan’s mother’s secret recipe. Then again her son has a good recipe for disaster, it is called the New York Knicks.

Why is Maurice Acker of Marquette putting away Notre Dame with daggers down the stretch? Watching Aker, McNeal and James run around with the other players on the court is like watching an episode of TLC’s Little People Big World: three little one’s and a lot of taller ones.

When will it finally be reported that Gary Busey is Luke Harangody’s biological father. I can not get over the resemblance. Could I at least get a side by side picture? Harangody is sporting a new crew cut for the game. I would like to see someone make the You Tube video, my new haircut, Luke Harangody edition.

Speaking of the current Big East Player of the Year, Luke Harangody, he was not the same player he was all season for Notre Dame against Marquette. He struggled, fouling out of the game with 1:14 to go. He had just 13 points and 4 rebounds.

Joe Alexander is my early candidate for Big East Player of the Year in 2009. Over the past five games the 6-foot-8 forward averaged nearly 30 points. He scored over 30 points four times during that stretch . He scored 66 points in two games vs. UConn.

It is hard for a seven-footer to get lost in a garden. Today playing in Madison Square Garden, Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert and UConn’s Hasheem Thabeet, looked lost. Hibbert scored zero points in 14 foul-plagued/uneventful minutes. Thabeet, also struggled with foul trouble finishing with just six points for UConn. There will be no Hibbert vs. Thabeet III tomorrow. I was looking forward to that match-up, as Thabeet is much improved even from their earlier face-off this season. Hibbert made Thabeet look silly in that one.

Maybe Thabeet should not have spent so much time before the Big East Tournament playing Scrabble with Luke Winn.

See you later Villanova ! You will be one of the last teams left out of the NCAA Tournament. Nova’ rallied against the Hoyas, but came up short losing 63-82.

Ranking the Big East Quarterfinal Coaches:

1) Rick Pitino 2) Jim Calhoun 3) Bob Huggins (No Personality) 4) John Thompson III 5) Tom Crean 6) Jay Wright 7) Jamie Dixon 8) Mike Brey

At least, former New York Governor, Elliot Spitzer, is not ninth in this order (HAHA- you were supposed to laugh at my Client number nine reference).

Picking that order, especially Wright, Dixon and Brey, is like trying to decide which Bubble team belongs in the NCAA Tournament and which does not. Coaches one through three can definitely back up their egos with their resumes. Four through eight are a lot friendlier to reporters, but harder to rank.

I think they should start serving alcohol to reporters. If I had six to eight beers in me, my beer muscles would have not tolerated Calhoun’s sarcastic tirade. Then again, maybe it is a good thing they do not serve beer to reporters.

My trip to basketball’s Mecca was cut short by UConn’s early exit. I was looking forward to the train and subway rides into MSG for at least another day. Thanks UConn, for ending my dream.

Looking at it from the glass is half full perspective, at I least will be able to hear all the ‘We got a little Nickle-Dimer here’ and other Raftery colloquialisms tomorrow while I watch the game on ESPN.

Ok, it is time for a beer!

Georgia Bulldogs

2008-03-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

Something about the Georgia Bulldogs that does not intrigue me. Yes, they won their conference tournament. Yes, they won two games in one day of their conference tournament. Yes, they won two games in overtime. Guess what, I would rather see Central Arkansas State Baptist College playing in this game, not Georgia. The Bulldogs should be in Athens attending class.

I hope Xavier takes care of business here.

Magical Moment

2008-03-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

The countdown has begun, it is less than an hour away from tip-off. Every March I look forward to the first day of the NCAA Tournament. In middle school and high school, I could not wait to get home from school to watch the games.

Hopefully, I do not miss one of those moments, a Bryce Drew game winning shot for Valpo.

I know I am corny, one of my favorite songs is the "March Madness Song."

One of the most exciting days I ever had was traveling to Worcester, Mass to see UConn and Syracuse in the opening round. My excitement soon turned to sadness when my Orange lost to Vermont.

Today, I have that same enthusiasm for March Madness. Except, I am working 2nd shift. That means I will be able to view the first set of games that start at 1230pm. I contemplated calling out sick, but I have decided to tough it out.

Hopefully, work will not be so dreadful. Then again, work is always dreadful when it is March Madness. I will be sitting in front of my computer refreshing the scores every chance I get.

I still think Temple has a chance to pull of the upset today. Drew Neitzel of Michigan State is a good player.

Can there be a magical moment or three today?

Jay Bilas

2008-03-19T22:06:00.001-07:00

I believe Jay Bilas emailed me today. I will not give out his email address but he told me he thought my blog was hilarious (Study finds Chimps Beat Bracketologists).

I am glad Mr. Bilas has a good sense of humor, as I was pretty rough on him.

After writing the blog, I discovered that Bilas is a very intriguing person. He has been in a movie (Dark Angel) and television show (The White Shadow).

He co-starred in Dark Angel, also known as I Come in Peace, with Dolph Lundgren. The movie was corny, but I still remember Lundgren’s catchy line “I come in peace you go in pieces.”

Study Finds: Chimps Defeat Bracketologists

2008-03-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

I found a study in the Bracketology Journal (Volume 2, Issue 7) entitled “Chimpanzees or Bracketologists?” Oddly, the same researchers that conducted this study also published a study that showed HGH does not increase athletic performance. Intrigued, I began to read the study.

The panel of college basketball experts were: Billy Packer (CBS), Bill Raftery (CBS/ESPN), Dick Vitale (ESPN Deportes), Andy Katz (ESPNU), Luke Winn (CNN/SI), Jay Bilas (ESPN ACC), Bob Knight (Coaches' Union), John Wooden (Elder Statesmen), Jim Boheim (Syracuse-Should-Be-In Society), and Joe Lunardi (Self-Proclaimed Bracketologist).

The chimpanzees looked completely over matched in this contest. Then again, the chimps seemed to have a chance.

Packer of course picked his ACC stalwarts to make the Final Four (Clemson, North Carolina, Duke, Miami).

Winn, riding his Scrabble victory over Hasheem Thabeet, felt so confident that he picked Mount Saint Mary’s over North Carolina. He had UConn making the Final Four over UCLA.

The chimps quickly found out that if they picked the higher seeded team over the lower seeded team, they would be rewarded with a banana.

Boheim tore up his bracket, still insisting Syracuse was snubbed. He proceeded to burn a picture of the Villanova mascot.

A hobbling Wooden, fresh out of the hospital picked UCLA to win it all. Wooden did not even bother to finish filling out the rest of his bracket.

Knight started an argument with Packer over whether the field should be expanded to include Texas Tech. Knight threw a chair at Packer, Packer screeched saying something about the ACC.

In the midst of the chaos, the chimps scratched their heads, ate their bananas and made their picks.

Katz, disgruntled about his gig with ESPNU decided to talk about how Syracuse has the best shot at winning the NIT Title. Katz was ignored by the rest of panel. His face turned completely red, as he clenched his fists looking at Bilas.

Speaking of Bilas, Bilas began talking about how great he is. He told Katz to check his Wikipedia page to see that he not only had a law degree from Duke University, but he was a four-year starter on the basketball team.

When Vitale learned that HGH does not increase athletic performance, he was outraged. He demanded another study, saying that he used HGH to repair his damaged vocal cords. Vitale then uttered, “Diaper-Dandy” as he saw a picture of Michael Beasley on the wall.

A shouting match ensued between Vitale and Raftery. Not one of them uttered a normal phrase. Raftery accused Vitale of “Nickle-Diming” him on their restaurant bill.

Lunardi, well, he quietly observed the behavior of the chimps and how they decided to pick their brackets. Lunardi would quickly look down at his calculator and punch in numbers, trying to figure out Mount Saint Mary’s RPI.

In the end, the panel was stumped when they found out that the chimps had defeated everyone on the panel, with the exception of Lunardi. Overwhelmingly, the chimps had defeated the panel of experts, much to their chagrin.

Angered by the result, the entire panel stormed upon Lunardi, who crumpled his bracket up and stuffed it in his mouth.

Filling out the Bracket

2008-03-19T08:36:00.001-07:00

So I decided to get a pool going. It is hard to call it a pool when no one wins money, but it is still a pool in the technical sense.

Take the Zags +2, everyone is doubting them. Pargo is the WCC Player of the Year. Sorry Stephen Curry
American +19.5
Morgan State +17.5 NIT
Arizona +2 (Buddinger and Bayless over Alexander the Great). West Virginia wins by 1.
Temple +6.5

Temple will upset Michigan State

2008-03-18T08:52:00.000-07:00

It is time to fill out a bracket. Filling-out a bracket becomes increasingly difficult with the more knowledge of college basketball you have. For example, a 12 seed typically knocks off a 5 seed. This year the 12 vs. 5 match-ups seem like toss-ups.

(12) Villanova vs. (5) Clemson
(12)George Mason vs. (5) Notre Dame
(12) Western Kentucky vs (5) Drake
(12) Temple vs. (5) Michigan State

Judging these match-ups based on pure instinct I would have to say that Temple is most likely to upset Michigan State. Temple plays in the Atlantic 10 Conference, they are no longer coached by John Chaney (that has nothing to do with it). Temple won their conference tournament in a fairly strong league. The Temple Owls have won seven straight games, while Michigan State is 5-5 over their last 10 games.

My next possible upset would be Villanova over Clemson. Clemson was runner ups in the 2007 NIT and they are the more experienced of the two teams.

Villanova, though, played in a tougher conference this year, the Big East. Nova is 7-8 vs. the RPI top 50 and 2-4 vs. the top 25. One statistic that jumps off the page is the fact that Nova is 4-1 when playing in Neutral Courts.

Clemson is 0-3 vs. the Top 25 and 2-5 vs. the RPI top 50. Clemson is 1-1 when playing in Neutral Courts.

Temple is 3-5 vs the RPI Top 50 and 1-3 vs. the RPI Top 25. Temple is ranked 47th in the RPI. Their opponent, Michigan State is 16th in the RPI. The Spartans are 4-5 vs. the RPI Top 50 and 4-4 vs. the RPI Top 25. Michigan State is 7-7 in games played on the road and on neutral courts. Temple is 8-8 overall in games played on the road and neutral courts.

Drake is the least likely of all five seeds to get upset. Drake has a high RPI, an undefeated record on neutral courts and a 6-1 recored vs. the RPI Top 50.

I have identified what I believe to be the most important factors for determining upset: road record, neutral record, record vs. RPI Top 50, record vs. RPI Top 25 and Strength of Schedule (SOS) and Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).

RPI SOS Top 25 Top 50 Road Neutral

TU 47 42 1-3 3-5 7-5 1-3

MS 16 50 4-4 4-5 4-6 3-1

GM 61 126 1-1 2-1 5-7 5-2

ND 26 83 2-4 6-5 5-4 2-2

Nova 51 52 2-4 7-8 4-7 4-1

Clem 19 34 0-3 2-5 7-5 1-1

Drake 10 64 1-0 6-1 10-3 4-0

WKU 39 142 0-2 1-4 10-3 4-1

WKU- Western Kentucky
Drake-Drake
Clem- Clemson
Nova- Villanova
MS- Michigan State
ND- Notre Dame
GM- George Mason
TU- Temple

2008-03-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

Getting to Know the San Diego Toreros

2008-03-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

Looking ahead to Friday when UConn plays San Diego Toreros (21-13 overall, 11-3 in WCC play) in Tampa, Florida. San Diego has an RPI ranking of 94th and a strength of schedule of 100th.

On paper San Diego does not appear to be a good three-point shooting team at 34 percent. They make an average of 4.9 three pointers per game on 14.5 attempts. The 4.9 threes per game ranked San Diego last in WCC conference play.

They average 65.6 points per game while giving up 63.4 (+2.2 point margin). San Diego ranked 5th in scoring offense and 4th in scoring defense. They average 33.7 rebounds, while opponents average 31.9 (+1.8 margin).

San Diego appears sloppy with the ball as they have more turnovers (510) then assists (452) for a (-58 margin). Opponents, though have committed 520 turnovers on the year or 15.29 per game.

Versus Other Tournament Teams (4 wins 7 losses)
55-66 loss to UNLV
71-77 loss at Boise State
50-60 loss to USC
55-77 loss to South Alabama
81-72 win at Kentucky
70-80 loss at Gonzaga
63-55 win over Saint Mary's
55-59 loss to Gonzaga
54-61 loss to Saint Mary's
75-69 win over Saint Mary's
69-62 win over Gonzaga

San Diego is peaking at the right time of the year, winning five-straight games. They are 7-6 on the road and 1-2 on neutral courts.

Top scorers for San Diego: Brandon Johnson 16.9 ppg (3rd in conference in scoring), Gyno Pomare 13.9ppg.
Pomare a 6-foot-8 forward is a two-time All WCC First Team Selection.
Johnson a 6-f00t guard was named to the First Team for the first time this year. Johnson led the league in steals at 2.24 per game. Johnson shoots 37.4 percent from beyond the arc and led the WCC with 2.24 makes per game.
Rob Jones a 6-foot-6 freshman was named to the All-Freshmen Team.

San Diego is 2-1 vs. the Top 25, 3-4 against the RPI 1-50, 13-2 vs. RPI 200+, they are 8-2 in games decided by less than 6 points.
Interesting Fact, San Diego's home attendance is 2,770 per game on the year at the Jenny Craig Pavilion.
The University of San Diego campus is used for several scenes for the movie Almost Famous.
This is the first time the WCC is sending three teams to NCAA Tourney (Saint Mary's, Gonzaga)
A Torero is a bullfighter.
First NCAA berth since the 2003 season
Head Coach Bill Grier was an assistant coach at Gonzaga. This is his first year as head coach.
San Diego had lost 13 straight games to Gonzaga.

Notable Alumni:
Theo Epstein (GM of Red Sox)
Bill Bavasi (GM of Seattle Mariners)
Bernie Bickerstaff (Charlotte Bobcats GM)
Mike Brown- head coach of Cleveland Cavaliers
Eric Mussellman -former NBA head coach

Dream 1 Results: Cro Cop Wins

2008-03-16T22:35:00.000-07:00

I am glad to see Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic is out of the octagon and back in the ring. Cro Cop fought Tatsuya Mizuno last night in DREAM 1 (DREAM Heiwa). Cro Cop knocked out Mizuno early in the fight.

It looked like the Cro Cop we were used to watching in Pride. He quickly pounced on Mizuno using an arsenal of leg kicks to Mizuno’s body, knees strikes to the head and a barrage of punches which ultimately led to Mizuno’s demise.

The fight can be seen on youtube.com, check it out you will see (I put the link on the bottom of the article.

From the information I gathered, Mizuno is a relatively new to mixed martial arts, previously fighting in Pancrase. He lost in Pancrase to Thiago Silva and Assuerio Silva.

The rest of the DREAM card featured a lightweight grand prix. I did not view the lightweight fights as I prefer fights in the middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight weight classes.

Cro Cop was originally supposed to fight Yoshihiro Nakao, but the opponent was changed to Mizuno, only days before the event took place.

Eventhough Mizuno is not the caliber of fighter Cro Cop is used to facing it was nice to see him just dominate his opponent. Cro Cop most likely gained confidence fighting in familiar territory, in front of a Japanese crowd.

Sherdog.com is reporting that HDNet is close to signing a deal with Fight Entertainment Group to air six of their events on HDNet. The DREAM 1 debut, which was held yesterday will be one of the reported events that is scheduled to broadcast on HDNet. The next DREAM which is purportedly may be broadcast on HDNet is scheduled for April 29^th.

Eddie Alvarez

American fighter, Eddie Alvarez continued his MMA dominance by defeating Andre Amade by TKO in the DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix opening round. Alvarez is now 13-1 overall, with his only loss coming to Nick Thompson. Alvarez will fight Japanese fighter Tatsuya Kawajiri in the second round. The second round of the grandprix is rumored to take place May 11^th at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

DREAM 1 RESULTS

Shinya Aoki vs Gesias Calvancante ruled a NO CONTEST due to an illegal elbow strike by Calvancante to the back of Aoki’s head
Tatsuya Kawajiri defeats Kultar Gill via Unanimous Decision in round 2
Mitsuhiro Ishida defeats Jung Bu-Kyung via Unanimous Decision
Katsuhiko Nagata defeats Artur Oumakhanov via Unanimous Decision
Luiz Firmino defeats Kazuyuki Miyata via Submission in round 1
Joachim Hansen defeats Koutetsu Boku via Unanimous Decision
Hayato Sakurai defeats Hidetaka Monmn via TKO in round 1 Ikuhisa Minowa defeats Lee Gwan via Submission in round 1

http://www.sherdog.com/news/news.asp?n_id=11815

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGoscyCqjFQ (CroCop Fight)

What is a Torero?

2008-03-16T22:06:00.001-07:00

UConn received the 4th seed in the West Region of the NCAA Tournament. They have a pretty tough opening round game, playing the 13th seeded University of San Diego.

Earlier this year, I saw UConn lose to Gonzaga at the TDBANKNORTH Boston Garden. Where am I going with this? The answer, somewhere. Gonzaga lost to San Diego in the West Coast Conference Championship game. The win over Gonzaga gave the San Diego Toreros an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Trust me, this is the only way the Toreros would get invited to the 'Big Dance.'

Also, if you feel stupid because you do not know what a Torero is, you are not alone. I also have no clue what a Torero is? Is it a newly discovered species that lives in the Amazon? Is it a car made by Isuzu?

All my assumptions are apparently wrong as I just looked Torero up and found that it is a bull fighter (bull handler). Apparently there are three types of Toreros: Matador, Picador and Banderillero.
-A matador, lit. killer, (from late Latin "matare," to subdue or kill) is considered to be both an artist and an athlete; possessing great agility, grace, and coordination (from wikipedia.org).
-A picador is a bullfighter who uses a lance while on horseback to test the bull's strength and to provide clues to the matador on which side the bull is favoring.
-The banderillero is a torero who sets the banderillas. These are colorful sticks with a barbed point which are placed in the top of the bull's shoulder.

The best movie ever made about Torero's, that would have to be Matador starring Greg Kinear and Pierce Brosnan. I am not being sarcastic when I say Matador is one of my favorite movies. I really enjoyed the humor and dynamic betweek Kinear's character and Brosnan's character.

Well, at the very least I learned something new today.

Pitt's Tournament Win from Another Perspective

2008-03-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

The Seventh seeded Pitt Panthers won the Big East Tournament by defeating Georgetown 74-65 at the Madison Square Garden. Although I did not expect them to win, I am certainly not surprised. This is a Pitt team they defeated Duke at MSG back in December.

Pittsburgh then lost Mike Cook for the season and their point guard, Levance Field broke his foot. Fields is now back and the Panthers will be in the AP Top 25 this week. They will garner a four or a five seed in the NCAA TOURNAMENT.

Someone should show Pitt how to shoot free throws. It was painstaking watching Pitt miss 22 of them last night.

Pete Thamel of the New York Times compared the Panthers title run to the New York Giants unlikely Super Bowl win over the Patriots.

Desmond Conner of The Hartford Courant wanted to take Mike Brey's Big East Coach of the Year award and give it to Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon.

Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe fell in love with Levance Fields. I am not even joking.
Just read the excerpt from his story on Pitt:

"Fields is just returning to action after missing a bunch of games with a foot fracture, and after watching him play you wonder how he has managed to get this far in his career without breaking half the bones in his body, plus a few of his opponents'. He comes at you hard on every possession. You can feel his presence on the floor, even if you're sitting in the cheapest of the cheap seats".

For some reason I do not think Bob Ryan has ever sat in the cheap seats.

Luke Winn of Sports Illustrated now wants to challenge Sam Young to Scrabble. He defeated Hasheem Thabeet earlier this week. Then wrote a story about it. He included pictures in his story that looked like they came from a 1.5 mega pixel camera phone.

The roof nearly blew off the Georgia Dome Friday night, a crane fell off a roof in Manhattan yesterday.

The SEC closed the SEC Tournament to everybody except the pep bands, cheerleaders and journalists. The tournament was moved to Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Not exactly an ideal venue or situation.

I am sure the large contingent of Kentucky fans protested this news.

The Georgia Bulldogs did not seem to mind the new venue. They won an unlikely doubleheader yesterday. Doubleheaders are for baseball and AAU basketball.

It must have been pretty stressful having to move a tournament from one venue to another. I wonder who was in charge of the logistics?

Speaking of moving and logistics, the Pitt Panthers should seriously think of moving their home games to the Madison Square Garden. They were 5-0 at the Garden this year. They are 23-8 there since 2001.

2008-03-15T12:17:00.000-07:00