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Lonely
at the Top Does anybody want to be the #1 team in college basketball? Ohio State?...Kansas?...Texas?...Pitt? How about Duke? Anybody? Last week saw the nation's Top 10 get smacked around as 7 of the Top 10 teams lost, including the top four teams in the rankings. The only teams in the Top 10 that found a way to survive were Duke and a pair of MWC teams in BYU and San Diego State (they play each other on Saturday). It would be safe to assume that last week, Kansas...Texas....Ohio State and Pitt were probably the top four projected seeds for the upcoming NCAA Tourney. They all lost...and none of the outcomes were flukes. That's the nature of the beast right now, in college hoops....nobody is dominant, especially on the road. It's also a precursor for what we can expect next month. Nobody is safe, and nothing is guaranteed....even though I'm not convinced that we'll see a 16-seed knock off one of the big boys in the opening round. Not only is it shaky at the top, but the "Muddle Madness" that is affecting each conference is crazy, too. All of these .500'ish teams and nobody wants to distinguish itself. Just pick any of the big BCS leagues and stare at the middle, and you will be amazed at how many teams are still playing for their post-season lives. The next couple of weeks are going to be insane and impossible to figure out. But it's going to be a blast to watch everybody squirm...and if you want to talk about it, I'll be hosting College Basketball Today, every Monday and Friday from 12-3pm on the College Sports Nation, Sirius 122 / XM 143. Anybody get Trevor Bayne in your NASCAR office pool and immediately throw the slip of paper in the trash? Who am I kidding? Nobody has NASCAR office pools.....nor had anybody ever heard of Trevor Bayne, before he made history on Sunday during the 53rd edition of the Daytona 500. The race was nuts, as usual....this time, we had 74 lead changes among 22 drivers. One of those drivers was Trevor Bayne....a recently-turned 20 year old kid that has now captured the fascination of the racing world. The ending of the race was so dramatic that it even overshadowed Darrell Waltrip's incessant rooting for Dale, Jr....and that's saying something. I love the way FOX Sports captures NASCAR.....they know their stuff and they present the sport better than any other network. But I loved Waltrip at the end of the telecast displaying a blank sheet of paper when describing what he knew about Bayne's bio. It was also entertaining to hear Bayne tell his crew that he had no idea where Victory Lane was located as he sped by the entrance with all of his new endearing fans waiting to get a glimpse of the new champ of the high banks of Daytona. The story is great for the sport.....it was the kid's second Cup start of his career, and he now has a Daytona 500 win to his credit. Awesome stuff. I still can't believe the story of Harvey Almorn Updyke, Jr. He is the 62 year old jackass that poisoned the famed 130 year-old oaks that frame Toomer's Corner at Auburn University. He also happens to be a big Alabama fan....in case you couldn't figure it out. This moron had the smarts to call Paul Finebaum's syndicated radio show and deliver his name, hometown and his intentions. Roll Tide. I can't remember an instance where I've heard of a dumber guy carrying out such an absolutely ridiculous act. I know the rivalry runs deep....there is nothing quite like it. It's one thing when fans don't like each other or the other team, but Bama-Auburn borders on insanity. I love "hate-fests" in college athletics....but sometimes this state gets so carried away that it becomes embarrassing. This is one of those times. Even Bama fans are disgusted by the actions of this punk, and they should be. And if the state of Alabama and its fanatical fanbase gets the impression that the rest of the country is laughing at you, not with you....then you would be correct. I hate it for everybody involved. I love going to Tuscaloosa and Auburn for football games....the fans know their football, their tailgating, their traditions.....but sometimes they lose all sense of decency over the outcome of a football game. In Alabama.....it's personal. And right now, both the Tide and the Tigers are badasses on the college football landscape....and it has created an unhealthy situation. As an outsider, I sit back and watch (and listen) with interest....if only the fans in the state could do the same. I've seen bitterness over games played on Tobacco Road by teams that have won multiple national titles....it's intense, but not insane. I've seen the Palmetto state do the same thing on a smaller scale....it's intense, but not insane. In the end, I just hope Harvey Updyke, Jr. gets a dose of his own medicine.....he deserves it. I really like Michael Wilbon. He is the resident NBA insider and daily co-host with Tony Kornheiser on the popular "PTI" show. He's also smart, well read and well spoken.....or at least I thought so, until I heard his comments leading into the NBA All-Star weekend. Wilbon called the festivities "Black Thanksgiving". Are you serious, Wilbon? I know the league rosters are made up of 72% African-Americans...but come on. Can you imagine if Darrell Waltrip called the Daytona 500 weekend on FOX "White Thanksgiving" or if Jim Nantz whispered during Masters week on CBS that this is "White Christmas"? Those guys would be fired or suspended on the spot. I expected more from Michael Wilbon.....he's smarter than that. I watched both broadcasts of the NBA festivities and the NASCAR race from Daytona....and neither time did I worry or wonder aloud about race.....it's all about being entertained. I saw an interesting stat this weekend....and this is guaranteed to win you a bar bet: In the last twenty years, there have been only two teams in the NFC that have not been to the Super Bowl. One team resides in Detroit.....no surprise, that the Lions have come up short. The other one is the Minnesota Vikings. Be sure to tip your bartender. Finally, I knew there was a reason I loved and admired Hank Aaron. Not only did he handle the breaking of Babe Ruth's home run record with class and dignity, but he also knows his baseball. When he was asked this week to predict which two teams would make it to the World Series, he claimed that the Boston Red Sox would represent the American League and the San Francisco Giants would be back as the National League champs. God, I love being a San Francisco Giants fan. Way to go, Hank.....I hope you're right. |
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