Kobe Bryant is finally DA MAN!!!

Kobe Bryant is finally happy....after years of playing second fiddle to Shaq, Kobe is now Da Man in Los Angeles.....
On Friday, Kobe scored 50 or more points for the fourth straight game – a mark that only Wilt Chamberlain accomplished....
Kobe has three World Championship rings....so he is in no rush to try and chase after an elusive title like that of Kevin Garnett, Steve Nash, or Jason Kidd....its all about Kobe – 24/7/365....for now, I believe Kobe is more concerned about getting his name in the record books.....

The Houston Texans made a good move by trading for Atlanta back-up quarterback Matt Schaub.....nothing against former Houston quarterback David Carr....Carr is still young and could be successful if on a more experienced team with an actual offensive line to protect him....
Maybe Carr accepts a role as a back-up for a year or two and then take over as the starter....a team that might fit that bill is Carolina....Jake Delhomme is the starter, but he is on the backside of his career....and as was evident late last season, the Panthers need a quality back-up if Delhomme should suffer an injury....

It was time for Tubby Smith to move on from Kentucky.....he was never truly accepted as the head coach in Basketball Capital USA.....Smith had to always defend his coaching ability while at Kentucky.....if he could turn around the dismal Minnesota basketball program, Smith will no longer have to answer any of his critics....

Some names mentioned to replace Tommy Amaker as the head coach of Michigan are Sean Miller of Xavier and Bruce Pearl of Tennessee.....both are good coaches, but I would be hesitant to have them lead Michigan basketball after both coaches could not seal the deal against Ohio State in the tournament.....Michigan already has enough experience with coaches who play Ohio State tough, but somehow always come up short.....

I am also hesitant about Miller after he was not vocal about the blatant no-intentional foul call last Saturday against Greg Oden......maybe Miller did not want to grandstand his mentor, Thad Matta.....but I am sorry, he needed to be more vocal about the official’s poor call....basically, Michigan needs a coach who flat-out hates Ohio State....

Elite 8 Call
Ohio State -3 vs. Memphis - the Buckeyes are fortunate to be in this situation after two lucky victories....I don’t see them "lucking out" again....Memphis plays in a weak Conference USA....Buckeyes win by at least 8 points today....

Kansas -2 vs. UCLA - like OSU, Kansas is also fortunate to be playing after their lackluster effort against Southern Illinois.....even though Kansas is the higher seed, UCLA is basically playing in their backyard in San Jose.....I just think Kansas is due to make the Final Four under Bill Self.....it will be a close game, but Kansas wins by 5.....

Is it 2002 again?

Have I been asleep for the past five years???....

I thought it's 2007, but after watching the last two games Ohio State played in the basketball tournament, I swear it is 2002....

Ohio State fans know 2002 pretty well.....that is the year their football team undeservingly won the BCS title....

That is the year when they won 7 games by 7 points or less.....the season when they would convert of fourth down when they had to, but their opponent couldn’t....

Another similarity is that an official played a role in one of their victories....Buckeye fans, you know that was not pass interference in the Fiesta Bowl and that was an intentional foul by Oden....

If this is a 2002 season all over again, God played a major role in it after his inspirational speech in January....
Maybe....just maybe this team is destined to win it....sometimes the best team does not always win....

God Spoke to Brother Thad's Team

Back in January after Ohio State lost to Wisconsin, head basketball coach Thad Matta was befuddled about his team....the Buckeyes had three losses on the season and was preparing to host nationally ranked Tennessee in the "mecca of basketball" - Columbus, Ohio....
After much gut wrenching thought and prayer, an idea came to Brother Thad....."let me ask God to intervene"....
So Brother Thad scurried to the gates of heaven at the Hayes Football Complex....there he fell to his knees and ask God himself if he would be kind enough to speak to his feeble basketball team.....after saying 20 Hail Tressels, God smiled and agreed to assist Brother Thad in his dilemma....
God pulled on his grey sweatervest and adjusted the American flag pin on his shirt and away he went as he walked across the Olentangy River to meet with the basketball team...
Brother Thad’s prayers were answered....as God spoke to the Goliath-like players, not a dry eye could be found in the Buckeye lockers....before his eyes, he saw his young men become enlightened and strengthened to the point of where they broke out in song -- Carmen, Ohio....
Brother Thad has proclaimed that the speech was one of the greatest talks he has ever heard.....
Since then, Ohio State has not lost a basketball game....they have risen to the heights of number 1 in the nation....just last week, God’s work came through again as a referee suddenly, and mysteriously, was unable to move his arms in the position of an intentional foul....
Yes all non-believers.....God is here on earth -- and he resides in Columbus....

Why March is Magical

Each year CBS concludes its coverage of the tournament with its traditional "One Shining Moment" clip of highlights from March Madness....
However, right before the clip begins, to me, the best part of the entire tournament is when CBS takes a few minutes to roll its credits while showing the winning team cutting down the nets....the raw emotion and excitement from not only the players, but also the cheerleaders, fans, and parents is unmatched....
What makes this also a special moment is that each player, no matter if he is the star or a walk-on 12th man, climbs the ladder and gets his opportunity to cut a piece of the nets....that is every kid’s dream from the time they are shooting baskets in their driveway or in a park....for that one moment, they get to take those few steps up the ladder and be acknowledged for their contribution....all the hard work and sacrifice was worth it....
This is best shown in a clip I found on Youtube from the 1987 tournament when Indiana beat Syracuse.....back then, even the losing team remained on the floor and awaited the presentation of the runner-up trophy....when watching this clip, just look at the contrasting emotions between Syracuse and Indiana....look at their eyes....look at the excitement....look at their faces...
This is why March Madness is great

One Shining Moment 1987

Ranking the Sweet 16

1. Kansas - the Jayhawks are playing the best ball....they are kinda like on the same roll Florida was last season....
2. North Carolina - Tyler Hansbrough (photo) may "will" this team to the title...he has been a monster...
3. Georgetown - I still believe the Hoyas will win it all....Roy Hibbert and Jeff Green can take over a game....
4. UCLA - they almost blew the Indiana game....the Bruins have the experience of making it to the finals last year....
5. Florida - this is flat-out the most talented team left, but it seems like they have a lack of focus at times.....they need to step it up....
6. Tennessee - the Vols will beat Ohio State....they are a seasoned team who played in a tough conference....Lofton is a legit leader...
7. Ohio State - over-rated!!!.....they played in a weak conference and lucked out against Xavier....
8. Texas A&M - the Aggies proved something to me by beating Louisville in Lexington....
9. UNLV - the Rebels impressed me with Kruger and Umoh running the show...plus head coach Lon Kruger has been to the Final Four before....
10. Memphis - the Tigers have the impressive numbers - 30+ wins....but the competitions gets tougher now....
11. Pitt - the Panthers are capable of beating UCLA....but then I could see them getting smoked by Kansas.....plus, they could not close the door on VCU the other day....
12. Southern Illinois - Tatum and Falker have been impressive this season....
13. Butler - A.J. Graves baby!!!....if the Bulldogs have the lead late in the game, Graves is the best free throw shooter in the land...
14. Vanderbilt - Derrick Byars (photo) is the best player no one has heard of....Byars, not Noah, Horford, Lofton, etc, was the SEC Player of the Year....
15. Oregon - the Ducks stop quacking....
16. Southern Cal - the Trojans have made a nice run....but it ends now....

Tournament Quick Hits

Now that the first two rounds are done, here are some tournament thoughts....
The tournament committee made a massive error by putting Arkansas and Stanford in the tournament....both teams were not competitive in their first round losses....
Syracuse, Kansas State, or even Akron should have been selected before Arkansas and Stanford....
It seemed as if Florida was not playing hard in their win over Purdue....
Just like in football, the Big 10 was the most over-rated conference....Wisconsin and Ohio State were ranked in the top 5 most of the year because the conference lacked strong teams who were consistent throughout the year....
Wisconsin got bounced yesterday by UNLV and by rights, they should have lost on Friday to Texas A&M Corpus-Christi....
I wonder what Jerry Tarkanian is doing?....
Ohio State needed help from a referee’s no-call to survive against Xavier....
Tennessee will beat Ohio State on Thursday night....
Greg Oden reminds of Robert Parrish....
Kansas has been the most impressive team so far....
There are no double-digit seeded teams left...
For the first time, all number 5 seeds survived their first round game against the 12 seed...
Tyler Hansbrough is the best center in college basketball this year....