Morning Walk-thru - Coming back to you, Omaha

Danagate hits home...Matt Perrault, an Omaha radio host whose blog I quite enjoy and link to in my "blogroll" (what an awful word), has had quite the go of it with the Altman departure/return.

First, he had a reliable source tell him that Dana was not going to Iowa, only to "flip" when Perrault said the same on the air. Then, he quoted an ESPN.com report that said Creighton AD Bruce Rasmussen could follow Altman to Arkansas and eventually replace the lame duck Frank Broyles.

Following an interview with Rasmussen, posted on Perrault's blog, the AD himself e-mailed Matt to express displeasure with his opinion of the situation. Next, Omaha City Weekly Media Watch jumped on the story, and the comments accusing Perrault's of irresponsible journalism followed, both on that site and Perrault's own.

Personally, I'm shocked that Rasmussen took such offense to Perrault's take. Isn't that what radio hosts are supposed to do? Have a take? I haven't heard a second of the radio broadcasts that covered this topic in depth, simply looked at the blogtrail (another awful word), but I have a hard time saying this was totally mishandled. Maybe it wasn't perfect, but it was far from irresponsible...in my opinion.

For what it's worth, Perrault doused the coals as best he could in a follow-up post by admitting that he was "wrong."

Is baseball over already?...Second day of the MLB season and, after a day full of games on Monday, there wasn't a single one on the tube last night. No Sox, not even the Braves. But the women's national title game got the Full Circle treatment on the "ESPN family of networks." Great.

With few other options, I was left to witness the oddest hour of television that I've seen in at least a year. It was part of the Sundance Channel's "Iconoclast" series which puts two celebrities together and gives them the opportunity to mutually fluff one another.

Pretty ho-hum concept, but the episode last night featured Quentin Tarantino and Fiona Apple which was an interesting pairing because Apple is, for all intents and purposes, a reclusive misanthrope while Tarantino is a 6-year-old boy. Tarantino continually compared filmmaking to male arousal and Apple giggled uncomfortably...for an entire hour.

Honestly, it was fascinating. If you have 44 minutes or so, you can find the whole series in five parts here. Or you can just watch the the final segment, where Fiona reveals her unhealthy amusement with bats.

The best thing I can say about K-State...For whatever reason (partially the above reason), I've found myself watching two Kansas State home baseball games over the past four days and there's something strange going on in Manhattan.

As a Nebraska fan, I have a lot of reasons to hate KSU--their hideous purple and black baseball hats, the ridiculous "powercat" logo, Josh Freeman--but I will give them credit for one thing: being the first school I've ever seen use George Jones' music at an athletic event.

In both of the games I've seen, KSU has used Jones' "A Picture of Me Without You" to herald an opposing team's pitching change, which is odd for a couple of reasons.

1) It's a painful, slow, 100% whiny country song (also known as "great" to me), that seems entirely out of place at an athletic event.

2) It doesn't seem particularly effective as a taunt, which is all to customary in baseball stadiums throughout the country. I suppose that you could consider KSU to be the "me" in the song and the unsuccessful pitcher to be the "you" since he's now leaving. Additionally, because he was yanked, it remains feasible that the Wildcats could want, nay yearn, for him to remain in the game but now we're stretching. Why wouldn't they just use "Hit the Road Jack" or "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" like everyone else?

Because they're K-State that's why and, for once, I'm okay with that. Long live even the misappropriated Possum!

(And if I may make one more music related note, the song "Knocked Up" off the new Kings of Leon album, released yesterday, is phenomenal, as is the first single "On Call", which you can watch below.)

Good to see ya...again...Dana

Yesterday, Dana Altman broke up with me (and Creighton).

Today, he called and said he wanted to get back together according to FOXSports.com in a story that just broke. I guess the difference between relationship analogies and college coaching is that former lovers never do this so forgive me if I'm not quite sure how to respond.

I had actually become excited about finding a new coach. As much as I respected Altman, the chance that Creighton might experience a little bump from some new blood was enough for me to allow for the growing pains that were sure to follow.

But the fact that Altman is back doesn't necessarily mean that that won't be the case. It would be foolish to assume that he would just come back as if nothing ever happened. On a day that saw the opening of the baseball season and Florida win their second straight national title, this Altman story held its own. Creighton (via Altman) was a national story.

And they are again today. Make no mistake, Dana dogged the Hawgs. Returning to CU after doing the whole press conference/break it to the players bit, won't be easy and it's going to bring some heightened expectations. Will 20 wins and a tournament berth still be good enough in Omaha? Probably.

But by returning after the whole rigmarole yesterday there's an implied vote of confidence in the program from the man who built it. Throw in the proven track record and the likelihood that Altman will be there for a loooooong time (i.e. the rest of his career, whether he likes it or not) and, just like yesterday, we have a pivotal moment in the history of CU hoops.

Is that good or bad? Will Creighton grow or wilt? Nobody knows, but I'm expecting a renewed vigor on behalf of Altman.

His pride is on the line.

So Long, Dana

Altman to Arkansas...The deal is done and Creighton's most successful basketball coach ever is joining the Hawgs.

First off, congratulations to Dana for turning the Bluejays--that other Nebraska school--into a perennial tournament team and being one of the major reasons mid-majors are so en vogue these days. Can't deny the guy his reward (or chance at major conference retribution, see: Kansas State). I think the thing Creighton will miss most is Altman's utter domination of Arch Madness and, of course, his honest, Wilbur-bred demeanor. We like that in the Good Life.

That said, I don't feel nearly as bad about this as I thought I would a week ago. Aside from the initial sinking of my gut when I saw an email entitled simply "Dana Altman" from the Yun' Ball Coach, I think I've handled it pretty well.

Two months ago, with the Jays in a funk, I questioned if the program had reached it's apex. Winning 20-games a year is still an achievement for any team in any conference, but with each year it became more alarming that the Jays still seemed grounded in terms of recruiting and tournament success. Maybe a new coach with new ideas can help give the program a nudge over the hump. It seems feasible, the hated Salukis have gone through three coaches and remained as the class of the MVC, why not Creighton?

I'm not trying to discount what Altman has built in North Omaha. Rather, because of his success, I think the expectations for his successor will be on improving the Jays standing. Creighton has been getting top-25 attendance figures for the past two years, now it's time for them to become a top-25 team.

And exactly who that successor will be is one of two questions that I think are vitally important for the future of Creighton basketball. Who the Jays are able to lure to Omaha will be a good barometer of their current standing in the basketball pecking order. Andy Katz lists Scott Sutton of ORU, son of Eddie Sutton, who, ironically, left Creighton for Arkansas in the 70s, as one of the leading candidates. Fine by me. It's an odd symmetry but I like it nonetheless. Otherwise, the Omaha World Herald lists some intriguing candidates, particularly John Groce of Ohio State. He's young and he's experienced success with Thad Motta which could prove to be the perfect mix.

The other big question is, what happens to Creighton's current crop of recruits? The Bluejays have reportedly reeled in some quality players for 07-08, now the trick is getting them to stay even though Altman is gone. Who knows how important his presence was in their verbal commitments.

Is it a great day to be a Jay? Not entirely. Is it a great day to be Dana Altman? Undoubtedly, and I think he deserves that.

Morning Walk-thru - Who Sewed the Sole?

Shoe Feud!...LeBron James doesn't like Stephon Marbury's cheap kicks. Before Tuesday night's game against the Knicks, which Marbury won with a three-pointer with 8 seconds left, King James said he couldn't imagine endorsing a sneaker that retails for $15--like Marbury does--because Nike "hold(s) their standard high."

For a guy who wants to become the first billionaire baller, I'd expect a slightly sharper business acumen out of LeBron. How much do you think your shoes cost to manufacture? I'm positive that there isn't a difference of more than two dollars between the Starbury's and LeBron's shoe. Retail, however, James' shoes cost 10-times as much.

How can you dog a guy for trying to do something good and offering a shoe that anyone can afford? (Especially when you consider it's Marbury who's not normally known for his magnanimosity.) Hakeem Olajuwon did this with the preeminent K-Mart brand, Spalding, back during the dream shake days, but Marbury went out and actively tried to promote it, so give the guy credit.

Sorry, LeBron, you're wrong here. Regardless, Ralph Nader doesn't like either option.

The Good Ole Running Back Committee...Last year Nebraska used a four-person running back by committee to surprising success and nobody thought they'd be able to keep all four happy again in 2007. Now, I'm just hoping the Cornhuskers have somebody who can line up behind the quarterback.

First, Brandon Jackson left for the NFL. Then Marlon Lucky overdosed on something. Physically, he's fine now but mentally I'm concerned. Cody Glenn is still recovering from a foot injury and out for spring practice, and Kenny Wilson was also missing practice due to a staph infection in his knee.

But now he's out for THE YEAR, after snapping his femur moving a television. Two questions: 1) What kind of TV was that?! Had to be a 6-year-old Sony Wega bigger than 50-inches. I moved one once and it was a bitch. 2) Don't we pay our players enough that they can afford slimmer, better picture, less femur-snapping flat screens? Can we start?

Nebraska has pie in the sky BCS hopes coming in to 07, but the off season has been pretty awful. This is not setting up well for Mr. Keller.

Thank you, ESPN...Let's be honest, unless your team is playing, the Final Four isn't that interesting. If you had a choice between watching the first two rounds of the Tournament or the last two, which would you choose? Anyone who tells you the latter is lying.

The N.C.A.A Tournament has become all about the first four days. Upsets and live look-ins, that's what we want! Days full of basketball not three paltry games.

But just when I had consigned myself to watching the Final Four passively, ESPN went and did something great: they sent Chuck Klosterman to Atlanta.

Due to his increasing popularity and the inherent vanity of his writing, it's probably not cool to like Chuck but I do. I've read everything he's ever written and even attended a reading of his. He's doing a blog for Page 2 which is interesting because, based on everything I'd ever read or heard from Klosterman, I always assumed he hated blogs. Not like Dan Shaughnessy hates blogs, but Chuck sort of represented the generation break in terms of blogging: a guy who'd cut his teeth doing "real" journalism who might have a reason to despise instant journalism. And, in his first entryy, he took a backhanded swipe at the format, writing:

I will reciprocate by writing sporadic e-mail posts throughout the entire weekend. This is a very popular art form among affluent American young people, especially those who are fans of James Walcott and/or profoundly interested in unauthorized photographs of Nicole Richie's rib cage. I believe there is even a name for this journalistic practice, but I can't remember what it is; normally, I use the Internet only to discuss math principles via CompuServe.

Nevertheless, blogging he is and I urge you to check it out. It will be as randomly referenced and philosophically sound as anything you'll read this weekend.

The Morning Walk-thru - Ma'am, You Cannot be Serious

Air Transparent...Page 2's Jemele Hill is claiming that "Kobe Bryant is better than Michael Jordan." This is precisely the sort of sports writing that drives me crazy. Consciously contrarian and specifically written to make a splash if not a convincing point.

I won't even go into the 1,000 plus reasons this is wrong and just say this: win a title without Shaq, Kobe.

The primary difference here, and one Hill uses as support but fails to elaborate on in her column, is that Jordan went through his growing pains in the early part of his career. Kobe is scoring at will, dominating play and generally seeming like a jerk (all Jordanisms circa 1988), but he's doing it in the peak of his career. Jordan was winning titles then with Bill Cartwright and B.J. Armstrong.

Someday I may have to admit that Jordan wasn't the be all, end all, but I'll be damned if that time is now in deference to Kobe Bryant.

Good God...I stopped off at the local public house on the way home from work last night and, being a Monday, the only thing on was the women's N.C.A.A. Tournament. Forced to watch it, I drew one conclusion: these girls are RIPPED!

It was almost disgusting, in that self-conscious male sort of way, how defined these girls' arms were. I have no doubt they could out bench me and that should bother me but it doesn't.

Aramis owns the Cactus League...Interesting little recap here of the Cubs spring training stats. I know March ball means nothing, and that's why I pay little to no attention to it, but it's nice to hear that DLee, Barrett and Ramirez are all raking right now. Last year, Aramis was a bomb until the All-Star break so let's hope he can keep it up.

Outside of the big bats, Ryan Theriot has performed nicely and, while PriorWood have continued to be PriorWood (which is really an apt description of the feeling many Cubs fans had for the dynamic duo four years ago in comparison to now), the rest of the pitching staff has put up admirable numbers.

I haven't seen any of the new additions (Lily, Marquis) or reclamation projects (Miller, Hill) pitch, but I can tell you one thing: I threw a slurve with Ted Lily that broke 22 inches on MLB 2K7 and that should account for something, right?

I'm thinking 'bout crankin' this ragged old truck up and haulin' myself into town...There's a poll going on right now over on The Wizard of Odds ranking the best equipment trucks in college football and this feels like the best idea I've heard in the past three weeks. Of course, I urge you to vote for the Nebraska truck, but should you be doubtful allow me to provide appropriate reasoning for dismissing the rest of the contenders...

--Cal: Boring and any school with the academic reputation of Cal is automatically exempt from any college football pissing matches.

--Iowa: Too colloquial. Mel Allen owns that phrase and it seems to insinuate some surprise. What's surprising about the Hawkeyes? They failed to live up to the hype again? Shocking.

--LSU: As Jason from Eleven Warriors brilliantly commented, this truck looks like a Duran Duran cover, which is never a good comparison when it comes to footbaw.

--Michigan: Pretty ho-hum until you get to the tractor which looks like the winged helmet. Nice touch, but until you admit that squeaking by Ryan Leaf and Wazzu in 1997 is no comparison to dominating Peyton Manning, the preeminent NFL QB and stellar SNL host, I'm not conceding anything.

--NC State: We have mascots because realistic representation of animals isn't very interesting. Write it down. (And where is Harrison Beck? Shouldn't he be prominently featured?)

--THE Ohio State University: The buckeye stickers are a nice touch, but it's still Ohio State and a bit plain to boot.

--Oklahoma: A freakin' Nike truck??!! C'mon. I feel bad for the guy who has to go into the Bosselman and talk about his Nike Air Max Brake while some dude with a Peterbilt hat on takes the biscuits and gravy right off his plate.

--Penn State: I don't care what Deadspin says, my high school had a better mascot costume than that and we didn't have nothin' except a walk to school that was up hill both ways.

--Texas Ag. & Mech.: I like A&M. They have more traditions on their own than the rest of the Big XII combined, but this rig invokes none of them.

--Texas Tech: My pick to place. Most of the truck is utterly forgettable, but the red and black cow skull is inherently Texan and undeniably bad ass.

Thanks...the Hi-Plains Hall of Fame is still awaiting a final tally, but yesterday may have been the best yet for this site in terms of visits. We still have a long way to go, so keep telling your friends (and foes) and thank you for your patronage.

Writing a post a day is harder than I thought, but if people keep coming, I'll keep writing.

The Morning Walk-thru - Hoya Saxa!

Ladies and Gentlemen, your Final Four...You can be forgiven if you're excitement isn't quite what it should be. With two 2-seeds and two 1-seeds surviving, it looks like the quiet dude who doesn't like sports and took the chalk out of ignorance is getting the last laugh.

I'm glad Georgetown won as they're the only rooting interest I have left. Don't like Florida, loathe Ohio State and UCLA...well...if Bill Walton wasn't like some crazed skeletal cheerleader I could probably stomach the Bruins. Alas, Bill is a crazed skeletal cheerleader so Go Hoyas!

Put the whistles away?...Speaking of the Hoyas, Tyler Hansbrough got absolutely mugged in overtime going up for a shot that was partially blocked while Tyler's arm was partially severed and, in an alarming trend, the refs did nothing. But that's just the latest example.

Georgetown was still playing and able to dismember Hansbrough because, apparently, traveling is not a rules violation in the last minute of close N.C.A.A. Tournament games. I believe both of the above examples fall under an old, little-known referee's code known as the "I Have no Balls Exception."

I understand the value of letting the boys play a bit, hell, we've come to expect it. It's masculine. It's American. It allows us to say "survive and advance" and mean it literally. But it seems to have gotten out of hand in this year's tournament.

The old adage is, if you don't notice the officials then they've done their job, but at this point they've become conspicuous in their absence. Somebody needs to step up and just make the call that they would've made in the first two minutes of the game, otherwise we might as well play basketball for 32 minutes and, say, jai alai for the last eight because that's almost what we're getting now.

I imagine Chris Webber must be torn up watching these games because, if it had been this way in 1993, his plea for a timeout wouldn't be a technical. The refs would all just look at each other, then at him, and let them play on.

See, a technical would influence the outcome of the game and that's not for them to decide, it's for the players.

Don't Tread on US...Landon Donovan scored a hat trick and the US MNT is 3-0 in international play. It's probably too early to get too excited but we do have snazzy new blue pinstriped jerseys that remind me of Ron Santo's Cubs.

Check out the goals below. Landon absolutely laces that last one...




Peyton exposes SNL...After two and a half seasons full of Manning commercials, we know that Peyton is a droll, if not convincing, actor. So seeing him on SNL this weekend was kind of like watching him play quarterback: not very flashy but deadly efficient.

What was surprising, however, is how Peyton's lack of range was totally overshadowed by the utter awfulness of the writing on the show. For some reason, I still watch SNL pretty regularly and I would say the vast majority of the skits fall totally flat. They're seven minute torture sessions that hammer one joke into oblivion. Peyton's chops looked pretty good by comparison. How did that happen?

Imagine if Tina Fey went on Pros vs. Joes and totally dominated Peyton Manning in a football challenge, reading his eyes, baiting him into poor throws and picking him off four times. That's what Saturday night was like. Peyton was funnier than 10 or 15 people who are paid to be funny.

This was good, though...

The Morning Walk-thru - Not So Fast, Pap

What's worse than Memphis' crooked-stripe jerseys?...Seeing Joey Dorsey, after fouling out, spend the last six or so minutes of the game wearing only an adidas wife-beater. Figures that it was a Calipari coached team where this would happen.

I'm not some hard-ass traditionalist when it comes to basketball, but have some respect. I know that Hustle & Flow was set in Memphis, but adopting the Terence Howard look on the sidelines is a pretty desperate attempt for attitude and attention.

Get back in your pen...So Johnathan Papelbon is headed back out to the cage in right field for the Red Sox. I have to agree with the blogger Morisato, who I linked above because there's no real value in a random AP report, and say that while Boston presumably solved their closer conundrum they may have seriously weakened their starting rotation.

Who's taking Papelbon's place, Julian Tavarez?! Despite the fact that Julian likes fighting, foreign substances, had one of his best seasons as a Cub and once kicked a ball over to first to record an out, I've never really liked the guy. I'm all for "mercurial" but for some reason Tavarez takes it too far and now he could be the fifth starter in the Fens.

The good news is, Papelbon just became a proven commodity on my fantasy team rather than a slight gamble.

Footbaw!...It's easy to overlook the fact that college football is up and running again with the Tournament madness and the promise of baseball and the Masters to distract us, but it is officially on and so begins the Sam Keller era at Nebraska.

Sure, Coach Callahan is saying that it's a wide open race for the starting quarterback spot, but we all know it's Keller's to lose. You don't move to Lincoln, Nebraska with an NFL career in the balance to sit behind Joe Ganz, I don't care how complicated the offense.

Now all Keller has to do is learn the offense, play like a legitimate Heisman candidate and be good enough to back up the brash attitude that should go over about as well as hailstones in the Cornhusker State.

Personally, I like the cockiness. After his first practice Keller was quoted in the Omaha World-Herald as saying, "(The offense) isn't too fast. I've been around football too long for it to be too fast."

Good. We need a little Tim Riggins on this team, but Keller better come out firing like the gunslinger he's making himself out to be because the tide will turn quick. In a season without the traditional cupcakes early on (Nevada, @Wake Forest, USC) it could be a disaster if The Keller underwhelms.

But that's a few months off. For now, Sam, keep the quotes coming.

The Morning Walk-thru - That was fun, now what?

Is the Madness over at this point?...Despite much rabble-rousing after the first two days of the N.C.A.A. Tournament, it actually ended up being a pretty decent first round. The bracket is covered in chalk, but, for the later rounds, isn't that a good thing?

The all-day basketball buffets are over, the upsets, in most cases, never happened and Cinderella can't even get a job mopping floors. Now's the time for big time games between big time programs, right?

Or is the tournament solely about the first round? I'll still be watching come Thursday and Friday but will the random office dude who's winning the pool right now? Will he stick around for the Final Four? Will I?

Last year I didn't. I couldn't have cared less about Florida-UCLA. I watched baseball.

It's starting to feel like March Madness is one glorious four-day feast followed by another two weeks of indigestion. People felt cheated after Thursday produced none of the miraculous finishes we were entitled to, and maybe we're in over our heads.

The unexpected is expected. Nothing surprises us anymore, the tournament can only fulfill, and that seems like a loss.

Speaking of losing...Gregg Doyel isn't enjoying the tournament either, but for a much different reason.

Doyel's column points out how hard it is to be a fan which seems a bit whiny, but I agreed with that sentiment 100% after Creighton fell to Nevada. I didn't want to watch any games after that, but I did.. That's what you do and now I'm back to just enjoying the games.

Gregg isn't because CBS made him fill out a bracket. All I can say is: I told you so. My first year without pride on the line is going swimmingly. I thought it would be maddening, but it's not. I watch the games, develop a rooting interest and shrug at the result either way.

This has made me a lot more sane, but also much more boring.

You Fought All the Way, Hey Reb, Hey Reb

And the best dressed team in the tournament is moving on!

As my de facto team for the rest of the tournament, I couldn't be happier. I'll never get tired of those red uniforms the Rebels are sporting this year. In fact, everything about the school just might be perfect. Some of the many reasons to love the Rebels:

--Their simple black letters flush against the red, no outline. It smacks you in the teeth and says, "this is who we are and we're serious."

--UNLV's mascot has the greatest mustache alive.

--Silver numbers. Really nice touch.

--They're from Vegas? When else would you enjoy rooting for the house?

They were right...it is about fundamentals

Gotta make your free throws fellas!

After two days of an N.C.A.A. Tournament by the books, today has finally delivered drama with close games across the board.

But one thing has been conspicuous this Saturday: free throws, and I don't mean makes.

Xavier had the worst miss from the charity stripe of the tournament thus far, but the final minute of the A&M-L'vuhl game was enough to drive junior high coaches across the country crazy.

Trailing by one, the Cardinals' Edgar Sosa missed two free throws after after shooting 15-15 on freebies up to that point. Perhaps even more shocking in terms of hoops karma, it didn't hurt because the Aggies missed two of their own on the other end but survived in the end by forcing Sosa into taking a 24-footer with five seconds left...after Louisville had just called a timeout!

Somewhere Rick Barry weeps...

UPDATE: Add to the list of ignominy Levance Fields of Pitt. He just missed two throws with 2 seconds left in a tie game. Pitt lead VCU by 2o at one point.

Musketeers Misfire

They had it.

XU was one free throw and three seconds away from beating Ohio State and making me feel a whole lot better about Creighton's loss yesterday.

But they misfired and Ron Lewis did not, hitting a 25-footer to tie it and that's it. The difference between success and failure in March is that small.

While it was definitely the best game of the tournament thus far, I still feel shorted. It was a classic near upset which is becoming the worst part of this annual Madness.

You start out wondering how Xavier, who was the source of much controversy for their inclusion, could stick with the "mighty" Ohio State. But after they survive a half and they're still in the game, you start to think this just might happen, and then in the final couple of minutes you start to believe it and then it doesn't.

Look at the bracket and it looks just like it should. Xavier left behind, THE OSU moving on. It doesn't show any of the past two hours' emotion or how XU had it or really anything except the truth: the Buckeyes are moving on.

The bracket is a cold, heartless bastard.

But the good news is, Thad Motta and Sean Miller are still the best of friends. At least if you ask Thad Motta.

Alas, there's barely any time for reflection. A&M and Luh-vuhl are set to tip off and I've got high hopes for this one.

The bracket is also briskly paced...

Alton Brown cures almost all Tournament hangovers

What do you do after your team has just lost (in overtime) in the N.C.A.A. Tournament and you're seriously considering not watching another game all night? (Also in play, the 90 minute break between afternoon and evening sessions.)

I recommend the Food Network. Seeing Alton Brown's passion for the pomegranate, almost makes me forget about the last 10 minutes of the Creighton game I saw after driving way too fast through a Nor'easter.

You see, Alton doesn't care that Creighton led for much of the second half or or that they got the key turnover with less than 30 seconds left after giving up three offensive rebounds and allowing the Wolfpack to hold the ball for 90 of the last 110 seconds in regulation or that the Bluejays didn't have to face Fazekas for 85% of the overtime period. He's too busy poking and prodding a giant foam pomegranate model and dropping knowledge. (A loose Latin translation reveals that pomegranate means "many-seeded apple", which, for me, is entirely relevant right now.)

Alton loves to eat pomegranate seeds with yogurt and his indifference towards the national maelstrom brewing on CBS right now makes me...well...still inconsolable.

Creighton has been to 7 of the last 9 N.C.A.A. tournaments, but they've only got two wins to show for it and none since their 2002 stunner against Florida. Dana Altman has had numerous opportunities to leave for "greener pastures," but he hasn't and it's increasingly frustrating that this hasn't translated into visible growth.

The Bluejays were receiving a ton of national respect again in the tournament build-up, but, again, they just came close and what does that mean?

Not much when you're on a perennial tourney run for the past decade and you keep losing. I'm tired of being dangerous. I want to be good.

Damn.

Anyway, on to other tournament thoughts...

Best Uniforms of the Tournament: UNLV. Now that the Jays are done they're officially my rooting interest. Love the way they don't have any piping around the letters on their jerseys and, hey, it's Vegas.

Worst Uniforms of the Tournament: Memphis. What's with the stripe running from shoulder to shin? They're like a 70s throwback except they're not even remotely cool. Watching North Texas play well for 15 minutes then simply get out-athleticismed was definitely the second most depressing moment of my tournament so far.

Down goes Duke: This made me happy yesterday but I have to admit that I was seriously expecting Duke to regroup and make a deep tourney run. I thought it was all set up for Coach K to overachieve, but VCU totally exposed Duke and that's always enjoyable.

Due to the 6-inches of snow we've already gotten in the Boston area and the promise of another 2-3 inches of freezing rain, I'll be holed up all weekend with nothing but basketball to do, so check back for weekend updates.

War Jay

No morning walk-thru today, no more love and loathing. Rather, just an inspirational video...

War Jay!

Love and Loathing in the Midwest Regional

Note: As a wholly obsessive supplement to my latest FOXSports.com column, welcome to Love and Loathing in the NCAA Tournament. The fourth in a four part series that will provide my totally biased and baseless evaluation of each team in the tournament.

Also known as: "The Last Tournament Breakdown you Need."

Check back daily as I'll be revelaing a new quarter of the bracket in the days leading up to Thursday's tip-off.

MIDWEST

1. Florida – Loathe - As defending champs and the closest thing we have to a favorite, it’s easy to loathe the Gators unless they’re your team. In fact, I don’t see how you could root for UF otherwise. They’ve got talent, painful balance (four players averaging between 12 and 13 points) and braggin’ rights (both football AND basketball). Who likes that?

16. Jackson State – Loathe – See my inverse reasoning for North Texas. I think it’s time we honor Walter.

8. Arizona – Love – Ever since learning that Lute Olson insists upon having a cactus at mid-court, my respect for the Wildcats has grown. It’s all in the details.

9. Purdue - Loathe - Even the memory of Gene Keady scares the hell out of me.

5. Butler – Love – As I noted in the column, Butler and Hoosiers are forever linked. Is it too much to ask for them to run the picket fence at some point during the tournament?

12. Old Dominion - Love - I'm not sure what it means, but this is the most romantic sounding name in the tournament. I shall never refer to my hometown again. Henceforth, it will be my old dominion.

4. Maryland – Love – I like turtles and I like yellow and black stripes. Maryland provides both.

13. Davidson – Loathe – Another school, another honor code. Does anyone remember laughter?

6. Notre Dame – Loathe – If I had gone to Notre Dame, I’d be the biggest, fightinest Irish fan you’d ever seen. I didn’t.

11. Winthrop – Loathe – If not for Winthrop, I never would’ve known that Rock Hill, SC is part of an area known as “Metrolina.” I’m not 100% sure what that means but it sounds a lot like urban sprawl and, as we all know, urban sprawl is responsible for everything evil today. I imagine the campus is located between an Applebees and a Wal-Mart.

3. Oregon – Love – This isn’t so much a school as a means for product roll-out for UO alum and Nike founder Phil Knight. From psychedelic football uniforms to official school colors that incorporate the words “Thunder” (Green) and “Lightning” (Yellow) into the mix, I’m somehow fine will all of this.

14. Miami (Not the one you think) – Loathe – This school has been making a mockery of ESPN’s Bottom Line since the feature debuted, necessitating differentiation between “The U” and, well, “Not The U.” In fact, why not let the Redhawks have “Miami” all to themselves and make the Hurricanes go by Miami (The one you care about) on all tickers?

7. UNLV – Love – Not realizing that I could’ve gone to college in Las Vegas is probably the worst oversight of my life. Thus, I’ve always lived vicariously through the Runnin’ Rebels (or Hustlin’ Rebels, as they’re known on the diamond).

10. Georgia Tech - Love - A school capable of "clean, old-fashioned hate" is a school after my own heart.

2. Wisconsin – Love - Back in 1999 I went to Minneapolis to catch the first round of tournament games in the Metrodome and sat directly in front of a Badger fan who, after UW won one of their traditional 48-44 masterpieces, said “That’s Wisconsin. An offensive juggernaut.” They’re not fun to watch but they’re still lovable in their ugliness.

16. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – Love – This school is located on its own island! One of only two schools to make the claim and they’re both on the Gulf Coast. The body of Christ? Amen. That was once a Final Jeopardy question and I got it. Loved Corpus ever since.

Previous Entries: the South, the West, and the East.

The Only Headline Manny Gakou is Likely to Get

Self-aggrandizement is so sexy.

When you are offered the opportunity to contribute to the best new sports blog on the phonelines (never became the electronic version of "airwaves" like I thought it would and now dial-up is dead...sigh), you say "YES." When the man doing the tapping is NGS 1 winner, Ty Hildenbrandt, and he's asking you to write about your team's chances in the Big Dance, well, you pour your heart and soul into it.

I did that, or at least I tried to, with a post on Creighton's chances against Nevada for QuickSlants.com.

In a startling bit of coincidence, I used to turn 3-yard quick slants into long touchdowns in high school all the time. I was the Jerry Rice of Nebraska Class C-1 football for four years, so just typing in the address for Ty's site is as joyous as caressing the leather sleeves of my letterman's jacket.

If you have no such delusional word association, just check out the site for the quality writing like this piece about the annoying nature of ESPN's Tournament Challenge set-up.

Love and Loathing in the South Regional

Note: As a wholly obsessive supplement to my latest FOXSports.com column, welcome to Love and Loathing in the NCAA Tournament. The third in a four part series that will provide my totally biased and baseless evaluation of each team in the tournament.

Also known as: "The Last Tournament Breakdown you Need."

Check back daily as I'll be revelaing a new quarter of the bracket in the days leading up to Thursday's tip-off.

SOUTH

1. Ohio State – Loathe - If I was more of a man I wouldn’t let my football biases get in the way, but the most ridiculous definite article in sport clouds everything. Battle lines are clearly drawn with the inclusion of the word “THE”. If you are/were a Buckeye, I understand your insistence upon using it. I’d do the same thing. But I’m not a Buckeye and it just sounds pompous to everyone else.

16. Central Connecticut State – Loathe – I know one thing about the other Blue Devils: I once saw a male cheerleader of theirs, who was shaped like a D2 tackle, pick up two cheerleaders, extend both arms and spin in a circle while holding them both in the air. Despite that, I find nothing more to recommend CCSU.

8. BYU - Loathe - Back in the 90s I found myself in Fort Collins during the WAC tournament and we ended up at a BYU-CSU game. Now the only compelling reason to watch BYU back then was Shawn Bradley. Not having followed the squad, I thought I was going to see the tallest man I could imagine live and in person. He was on his mission. I've never forgotten.

9. Xavier - Love - Besides Quinnipiac, no school dominates the alphabet like XU. Just look at that, XU, it's perfect. They have a giant X on their court and somehow this makes them entirely badass.

5. Tennessee – Love – More schools should reference moonshine in their fight songs. As long as Bruce Pearl and Pat Summitt stay on their respective sidelines, there’s nothing stopping me from enjoying the Vols in March.

12. Long Beach State – Love – Along with sleazeball, dirtbag is a relatively mild slur that I don’t utter often enough and it is the unofficial nickname of the school’s baseball team. While the basketball team is known simply as the 49ers, I think there’s enough residual good will from the local nine’s name to enable me to support The Beach.

4. Virginia – Love – Just a totally intriguing school, from Thomas Jefferson’s influence to “taking” degrees to secret societies. If I had former or future lives I’d definitely matriculate at Charlottesville in one of them.

13. UAlbany – Love – This one is easy. I love Post-it notes and we have an Albany alum to thank for their existence. Additionally, Great Danes, and its Scrappy-Doo rendering, is hands down the best mascot in the tournament.

6. Louisville – Love – I should probably hate this team for making me think I had a shot back in 2005, but there’s just something about the Old English ‘L’ that has me mesmerized. That and watching Pitino age.

11. Stanford - Loathe - I'm tired of that tree and that's all there is to it. With all honesty, I can't say I've considred Stanford once this college basketball season. They could've canceled the season and I wouldn't have known.

3. Texas Ag. & Mech. – Love - I’m genetically predisposed to love any team called the “Aggies.” Add that to the fact that A&M provides a nice counterpoint to the Longhorns and they’ve never really been here before and you have a pretty simple Cinderella story as a three-seed.

14. Penn – Love – It’s pretty tough to hate whatever team comes out of the Ivy League. They just quietly do their own thing, don’t get a Championship Week spotlight because they don’t have a tournament, show up for a round and go back to preparing to run the rest of the world. Maybe it’s not “tough” to hate these guys, rather, it’s not advisable.

7. Nevada – Loathe – What give you the right to insist upon being called “Nevada”? You’re the University of Nevada-Reno. I know it and you know it.

10. Creighton – Love – The only school in the tournament that I actually attended, albeit for only a year, but what a year it was. I threw an alley-oop to future Heat/Sixer/Grizzlie/King/Net Rodney Buford and was personally told by Dana Altman that I’d never make it as a walk-on. Fair enough. My true rooting interest in the tournament.

2. Memphis – Love – There’s just something slimy about a team helmed by John Calipari, but I’m foregoing any ill will on behalf of Wink Martindale. In addition to hosting High Rollers and Tic Tac Dough, Martindale recorded a version of Frankie Miller’s immortal “Black Land Farmer” which is enough for me to hope the Tigers make the Final Four.

15. North Texas – Love – Definitely the only school to name their football team after a famous former player’s nickname. But if it’s good enough for “Mean” Joe Greene, why don’t more schools do the same? I think the Jackson State Sweetness might be the best nickname nobody’s thought of yet.

Up Next: the Midwest.

Previous: the East, the West.

The Best Tourney Piece I've Read Thus Far...

...Comes courtesy of Gene Wojciechowski, or Columnist W for short I guess, at ESPN.com. He spent Selection Sunday with the brains behind the betting line, Las Vegas Sports Consultants. Pretty fascinating peek behind the curtain.

Of particular not for me? Creighton-Nevada was one of the seven games where the brain trust was split on who should be the favorite. Good news for the Jays.

Love and Loathing in the East Regional

Note: As a wholly obsessive supplement to my latest FOXSports.com column, welcome to Love and Loathing in the NCAA Tournament. The second in a four part series that will provide my totally biased and baseless evaluation of each team in the tournament.

Also known as: "The Last Tournament Breakdown you Need."

Check back daily as I'll be revelaing a new quarter of the bracket in the days leading up to Thursday's tip-off.

EAST

1. North Carolina – Love - I’ve had a soft spot for the Heels since they were still sporting the tar-on-heel logo due to the Jordan factor, but it’s tough to loathe a team that is the heaven to Blue Devil hell. Roy Williams’ arrival made things a bit more difficult, but still, they’re not Duke and that’s the ultimate recommendation.

16. Eastern Kentucky – Love – When Colonel Sanders is your mascot, and the Six Million Dollar Man went to your school, well, what’s not to love?

8. Marquette - Loathe - Have we decided on an official nickname for this team yet?

9. Michigan State - Loathe - It's not your fault MSU. Everyone on ESPN calls you Sparty and, for some reason, that drives me crazy.

5. USC – Loathe – As hard as it is to spurn the Song Girls, I cannot approve of their recent level of success in all sports. Nobody likes a winner.

12. Arkansas - Loathe - I've got nothing against Arkansas. 40 minutes of Hell was way more fun to watch than it sounds, but then you went and put "Hogs" across your rumps, ruining a perfectly fine uniform.

4. Texas – Loathe – Much like Notre Dame and THE OSU, I understand the allure. If I was from Texas I’d probably drive a burnt-orange pick-up. I’m not and I don’t. Like Georgetown, I have a feeling that they’ll be spent after their deep conference tourney.

13. New Mexico State – Love – Reggie Theus has done an amazing job with the Aggies, but it’s really nothing compared to his work with the Deering Tornadoes on Saturday mornings. I mean, they had a girl on the boys varsity team…in Indiana. Talk about tough.

6. Vanderbilt – Love – Another school on my second-life shortlist. Where was my guidance councilor when it came time to choose a school?

11. George Washington – Love – Another “the” school, I’m willing to overlook it due to the fact that the school’s official colors are Buff & Blue? All this time I thought they were gold, but it turns out that’s actually the color of buffalo leather. “Hail to the Buff & Blue” indeed.

3. Washington State – Love – Forget Wisconsin, Wazzu has their own creamery and produces their own brand of cheese: Cougar Gold. Mmmm.

14. Oral Roberts – Loathe – I often wonder what it must be like to be a student athlete at ORU. The school was founded by a televangelist and the students aren’t allowed to lie, curse, steal, gamble or “engage in illicit sex acts,” all things that are virtual requirements for athletes at any other school. Maybe if it was Fulton J. Sheen University I could get behind them, but not here. I’m holding out for Joel Osteen.

7. Boston College – Loathe – If you want major college athletics in Boston, the Eagles are your only bet and I don’t like that. This is probably another football reflection, but I don’t care. One thing in BC’s favor, they’re definitely the only school to have their fight song covered by the Dropkick Murphys.

10. Texas Tech - Love - Anything that results in a Bobby Knight press conference is definitely worth supporting. Break out the whips!

2. Georgetown – Love – Even the University doesn’t know what a Hoya is and somehow that’s reassuring. The most likely explanation is that it’s a combination of Greek and Latin terms, making the word “hoya” the most recognizable term in the Greekin language which, for the record, is second only to Spanglish in terms of linguistic mutts. Love those grey jerseys, but I have a feeling they may have peaked in the Big East tourney.

15. Belmont – Loathe – I don’t want to say that Belmont University has single-handedly ruined country music, but the school’s College of Entertainment and Music Business is probably one of the bloodiest. While Mike Curb didn’t attend, he is one of the university’s primary patrons and anyone who signed Nemesis Rising to a recording contract simply cannot receive my support.

Up Next: the South

Earlier: the West

The Most Valuable Website of the Tournament

Is it just a coincidence that it was this week that I heard my first ad for MyExcusedAbsence.com? Probably, but what timing.

For the low, low price of $24.95 you can get five templates for things like jury duty and doctor's appointments. Will your boss become suspicious that it's signed by "Dr. Sicknote?" Absolutely not. Trust me and try it.

Of course, just like The BeerBelly and tournament pools themselves, MyExcusedAbsence.com is "for entertainment purposes only."

See what you do is, give your boss a funeral note (do they really have those?) for Thursday and your jury duty notice for Friday and he'll be totally convinced that you're having the worst week ever. Meanwhile, you spend all weekend eating DiGiorno's and watching hoops.

When you come back on Monday, bloated and puffy, there will probably be flowers on your desk. At that point, you prance into your boss' office, slap him on the back and tell him the truth.

That's entertainment.

Love and Loathing in the West Regional

Note: As a wholly obsessive supplement to my latest FOXSports.com column, welcome to Love and Loathing in the NCAA Tournament. The first in a four part series that will provide my totally biased and baseless evaluation of each team in the tournament.

Also known as: "The Last Tournament Breakdown you'll ever need."

Check back daily as I'll be revelaing a new quarter of the bracket in the days leading up to Thursday's tip-off.

WEST

1. Kansas – Loathe - When I was a stupid high school kid, I really wanted to go to Kansas and I can’t quite remember why, but they didn’t offer me anything in terms of money so Creighton it was. That simply cemented my hatred towards the Jayhawks because I already loathed their success and dominance over the Big 8/12. Whether it’s true or not, I’ve always convinced myself that the Sunflower state is full of Jaycats: KU basketball fans and KSU football fans and that simply will not stand.

16. The Play-in Game – Loathe – I really hate this. It just seems cruel to make one of those little guys, making their only nationally televised appearance during Championship week, win their tournament and then celebrate like they’re going to the tournament, only to find out that they have to win one more game for anyone to pay attention.

So sorry...

16A. Niagara – Love – Follow me. Without Niagara there would be no Frank Layden and without Frank Layden there would be no witty repartee with Marv Albert and without witty repartee with Marv Albert there would be no Dazzling Dunks and Basketball Bloopers. Can you live with that? I can’t.

and...

16B. Florida A&M – Love – Whenever there’s a question as to whether the true athletes at the school are on the court or in the band, well, that’s a team for me. Go Rattlers!

8. Kentucky – Love – I love the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Bourbon, burgoo, thoroughbreds, the Rexclamation Point. How could you not?

7. Villanova – Love – See Pitt corollary below. Nova!

5. Virginia Tech – Loathe – If a Hokie sounds ridiculous to you, imagine being a member of the VT swim team, which actually goes by H20kies. The only good thing about VT? Smoked turkey legs.

12. Illinois - Loathe - I'll never forget you Chief Illiniwek.

4. Southern Illinois – Loathe – As Creighton’s primary rival and a team that’s dominated the Jays in the regular season, I have no choice here. But it’s not that hard when you take a look at a saluki and realize it’s one of the ugliest dogs you’ve ever seen. Only thing uglier is SIU’s brand of basketball.

13. College of the Holy Cross – Loathe – Between Shaughnessy and Simmons, both alumni, perhaps no schools has had as much impact on the way an entire region reads about sports than Collegium Sanctae Crucis. With that said, Worcester just doesn’t seem like a very fun place to be.

6. Duke – Loathe – When there’s an entire book, and a great one at that, devoted to Duke hatred, I’m not sure how much more there is to say. That dirty elbow that Coach K tried to cover up is going to derail Carolina, just you watch. Hansbrough didn’t look the same in the ACC tourney.

11. Virginia Commonwealth – Loathe – As I noted last week, aside from their stellar medical school, VCU is perhaps most notable for hosting the largest French Film Festival in the U.S. Is there anything less intimidating than that? Let’s make a deal: if the Rams make it to the Sweet 16 I won’t watch a second of any of the games from that round. Instead, I’ll spend my Thursday and Friday night gagging down surrealist slop.

3. Pitt – Love – I like teams that are better known as abbreviations of their actual name. Simple, short, powerful.

14. Wright State – Love – I was never cool enough to truly like Guided by Voices but I was always impressed by their prolific ability to pump out albums. In 17 years they released somewhere in the neighborhood of 16 albums and as many EPs, making Ryan Adams look even more like a slacker than he already does. The creative leader behind GBV, Robert Pollard, is not only a Wright State alum, he also threw the school’s first no-hitter.

7. Indiana – Love – Two words: striped pants.

10. Gonzaga – Loathe – As a fan of a mid-major, I suppose I should delight in the Zags recent success, but I don’t. I’m just jealous.

2. UCLA – Loathe – Simply a reflection of Bill Walton’s undying affection for the school. Really, if I have to hear one more story about how far out you were back then, I may take action.

15. Weber State – Loathe – In a world full of Wildcats, I can only support one team with that moniker and this one ain’t it. Sorry Harold Arceneaux.

Up Next: the East.