.... have inquired about my baseball betting contest over the last few days. If you want to be in it please let me know by Friday, April 3rd. I've had a few other people say they would like to be in the contest but don't want to go head-to-head against Bennett. Very understandable. When you face off with a legend, you might get embarrassed. All I can say is you have to suck it up and just do your best. (Although there is literally no chance that it will be enough so you might as well just take your ball and go home before it gets ugly.) I also had one person tell me he wanted to be in the contest but wouldn't be able to go to Florida to start his blog in time. I have no idea what that means.
Here are some baseball thoughts from me, a guy who knows nothing about the sport:
* The mocks are flying now that Justin Douche looks like he will be starting the season on the DL. Can anyone name a trendy team from last year whose #1 starter began the season on the DL? They did pretty well.
* The more I read about the Matt Wieters situation, the less I understand it. He's the consensus #1 prospect in baseball and he is the property of an Orioles franchise that hasn't seen the post season in a decade. They must be thrilled and eager to debut their new star, right? Actually, no, they are going to ship him down to Triple-A Norfolk for the start of the season. Apparently if Wieters spends a few weeks in the minors this year, he won't become a free agent until 2015, whereas he would become a free agent in 2014 if he started the season with the big club. So, the Orioles have decided they would prefer an extra year of Wieters in 6 years than an extra couple months of him now?
It seems logical enough when you put it like that but what are the chances that current Orioles Manager Dave Trembley and General Manager Andy MacPhail will still be with the team in 2015? Is it even 50%? I say no. I guess I always thought the point of scouting and drafting and the whole minor league system was to put together the best possible club at the major league level. And now this team is willingly leaving one of its best players in the minor leagues so that they could conceivably be better 6 years from now? Shouldn't the Orioles at least be trying to compete this season? I think one Baltimore Sun writer put it best when he asked why doesn't the whole team just stay down in spring training until Wieters is eligible to play.
* Japan beat South Korea the other night to win their second consecutive WBC. They might not have as any Major Leaguers as the USA, DR, and a few other nations but perhaps these Asian nations are just ridiculously good at baseball, anyways. Obviously, the Japanese and Korean leagues are much better than most people thought. Through the first two WBC's Japan is the only champion and Korea has only lost to one team: Japan.
* I'm feeling confident about the fantasy baseball team Austin and I will be putting out there this summer. Although, I did find it odd that the guy who finished last in the football league was questioning some of my picks. I'm also a little annoyed with Ed and Chris for not telling me it was a keeper league. Should be a fun season.
And now some basketball thoughts:
* Either North Carolina -6.5 vs. Oklahoma is the biggest handout in sports betting history, or the books know something I don't. Let's assume it's the latter seeing as how it always is. I don't know what the Sooners proved by beating Michigan (A bubble team all year that finished 8th in the Big 10) and Syracuse (Who finished 6th in the Big East and was projected as a 5 or 6 seed until their Big East Tournament run) but clearly the oddsmakers are very impressed. And seeing as how I'd play UNC -6.5 until the end of time, Oklahoma has to be a human lock. My one concern for the Sooners is that the refs will call Blake Griffin for breathing near Tyler Hansbrough and stick him on the bench so that the Tar Heels can move on to the Final Four. Not that Carolina ever gets every call or anything....
* No conference had ever put 5 teams into the Sweet Sixteen until the Big East did it this year. No conference had ever put 4 teams into the Elite Eight until the Big East did it this year. Unfortunately, the Big East can't set records for most teams in the Final Four or the national championship game. The 1985 Big East already put 3 teams into the Final Four and produced a Georgetown-Villanova title game. But I can see why Ed and his people think the ACC is the best conference. 1 out of 8 ain't bad.
* There's a phrase that Chris and the rest of MENSA use to describe running bad. They call it negative variance instead of bad luck. It means literally the exact same thing but smart people think it makes them sound like they aren't bitching if they call it negative variance. Well, I've had some negative variance lately and last night was a prime example. I had action on 2 of the regional semifinal games and was feeling very confident. I booked Chad's bet in one of the early games and a I pickrode Billy in a late game. Fading Chad and copying Billy? That's got to be a recipe for a 2-0 night. Worst case scenario there's a fluke loss and you go 1-1, right? Wrong. Chad won and Billy lost and I went 0-2 and lost money for the millionth day in a row.
If that isn't a sign I should stop gambling, I don't know what is.
Get at me about the baseball contest.
Enjoy the Elite Eight.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Three weeks ago today
.... I was in the stands at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Shelby 427. Bennett was two seats to my right making it basically impossible for us to talk to each other due to the noise from the track. So I texted him the following important message: "Boogity, boogity, boogity." I felt my phone vibrate and saw that he had replied. I was expecting his response to be an enthusiastic "Let's go racing, boys!" but instead I was horrified to find that he had texted me "Gay." With all his ridiculously high levels of education that was the best response he could come up with?
Chris is a very smart guy so his reaction to the race got me thinking: Is it possible that NASCAR isn't as cool as I think it is? I'm from Virignia. From a redneck town full of trailers, double-wide trailers, and, well, more trailers. I grew up with this stuff. It's all I've ever known. When I was a kid, my Dad wasn't teaching me about Joe Theismann or Doug Williams, he was talking about The King and The Intimidator. That's just how it is in the South. That's how it's always been and it's the only way I've ever wanted it to be.
So this recent beating I've taken betting NASCAR has been harder on me than anyone. This isn't just another sport for people like Chris to humiliate the bookmakers on. This is my sport. These are my people. And I really hope I can start to turn it around starting with today's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway aka Thunder Valley. To that end, I have structured my bets so that even if I lose every bet I made on today's race, it will still be my best non-restrictor plate race of the season so far. What a sport.
I'll briefly talk some hoops:
* My girls, the Lady Huskies of Connecticut, took care of business this morning, with a 104-65 victory over Vermont. Funny thing is that the Lady Catamounts actually covered the spread. I have to admit that I am a little relieved seeing as how I vowed to kill myself if Connecticut lost. On to the 2nd round Tuesday against either Florida or Temple.
* Syracuse is moments away from becoming the 3rd Big East team (And the 4th team Georgetown beat this season) to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The win gives the Big East a record of 9-1 so far in the Tournament. Long term good news for the Syracuse players - They look sharp in orange.
* That Duke game last night was hilarious. As soon as Texas made it too close for comfort, the refs intervened and made sure that nothing was left to chance as the Blue Devils moved on to the next round. Must be nice.
* The ACC did manage to get 2 of their 7 teams through to the Sweet 16. A 1 seed and a team that has 8 guys on the floor at all times. Nicely done.
* The kids have had entirely too much fun betting this tournament. You know that part in Knocked Up when Paul Rudd is talking about how he could never love anything as much as his kids love bubbles? I don't think I could ever be as excited about anything as our kids are about the NCAA Tournament. I'll hear these thunderous "OOOOOOHs" and "AAAAAAHS" and look at the scoreboard and it'll be 12-8 in the first half.
* C-Jack got absolutely murdered last night. I cringed every time I saw the line he had to deal with. And every person in his line had a million questions and no idea what the hell they were doing. Don't these people have anything better to do than bet every single game? I haven't seen a ticket writing display that impressive since the last time Jorgie was in the chair. Give that man a raise.
I want to briefly touch on my upcoming baseball contest. To be in it all you need to do is start your own blog and post whatever baseball bets you make during the season. Whoever finishes up the most "Units" at the end of the season is the winner. What does the winner get, you ask? He gets money. There will be a prize pool and I'm encouraging side bets. I don't think I'll be able to get the pool up to $1 Million so I guess that means Jeff won't be interested but I hope some of the rest of you are. If you have any more specific questions just let me know.
People who are interested in being it just need to either tell me or simply link me to their blog. I am also willing to make a side bet with anyone that I will finish with a higher number of "Units" than they will. (Well anyone other than Chris. Obviously. I wouldn't challenge Tiger Woods to a one-on-one game of golf, either. I like to gamble but I'm not an idiot.) I'm not saying that I'll bet anyone because I'm cocky or anything. I just love the action.
I'm gonna watch this Cup race.
Enjoy.
Chris is a very smart guy so his reaction to the race got me thinking: Is it possible that NASCAR isn't as cool as I think it is? I'm from Virignia. From a redneck town full of trailers, double-wide trailers, and, well, more trailers. I grew up with this stuff. It's all I've ever known. When I was a kid, my Dad wasn't teaching me about Joe Theismann or Doug Williams, he was talking about The King and The Intimidator. That's just how it is in the South. That's how it's always been and it's the only way I've ever wanted it to be.
So this recent beating I've taken betting NASCAR has been harder on me than anyone. This isn't just another sport for people like Chris to humiliate the bookmakers on. This is my sport. These are my people. And I really hope I can start to turn it around starting with today's Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway aka Thunder Valley. To that end, I have structured my bets so that even if I lose every bet I made on today's race, it will still be my best non-restrictor plate race of the season so far. What a sport.
I'll briefly talk some hoops:
* My girls, the Lady Huskies of Connecticut, took care of business this morning, with a 104-65 victory over Vermont. Funny thing is that the Lady Catamounts actually covered the spread. I have to admit that I am a little relieved seeing as how I vowed to kill myself if Connecticut lost. On to the 2nd round Tuesday against either Florida or Temple.
* Syracuse is moments away from becoming the 3rd Big East team (And the 4th team Georgetown beat this season) to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The win gives the Big East a record of 9-1 so far in the Tournament. Long term good news for the Syracuse players - They look sharp in orange.
* That Duke game last night was hilarious. As soon as Texas made it too close for comfort, the refs intervened and made sure that nothing was left to chance as the Blue Devils moved on to the next round. Must be nice.
* The ACC did manage to get 2 of their 7 teams through to the Sweet 16. A 1 seed and a team that has 8 guys on the floor at all times. Nicely done.
* The kids have had entirely too much fun betting this tournament. You know that part in Knocked Up when Paul Rudd is talking about how he could never love anything as much as his kids love bubbles? I don't think I could ever be as excited about anything as our kids are about the NCAA Tournament. I'll hear these thunderous "OOOOOOHs" and "AAAAAAHS" and look at the scoreboard and it'll be 12-8 in the first half.
* C-Jack got absolutely murdered last night. I cringed every time I saw the line he had to deal with. And every person in his line had a million questions and no idea what the hell they were doing. Don't these people have anything better to do than bet every single game? I haven't seen a ticket writing display that impressive since the last time Jorgie was in the chair. Give that man a raise.
I want to briefly touch on my upcoming baseball contest. To be in it all you need to do is start your own blog and post whatever baseball bets you make during the season. Whoever finishes up the most "Units" at the end of the season is the winner. What does the winner get, you ask? He gets money. There will be a prize pool and I'm encouraging side bets. I don't think I'll be able to get the pool up to $1 Million so I guess that means Jeff won't be interested but I hope some of the rest of you are. If you have any more specific questions just let me know.
People who are interested in being it just need to either tell me or simply link me to their blog. I am also willing to make a side bet with anyone that I will finish with a higher number of "Units" than they will. (Well anyone other than Chris. Obviously. I wouldn't challenge Tiger Woods to a one-on-one game of golf, either. I like to gamble but I'm not an idiot.) I'm not saying that I'll bet anyone because I'm cocky or anything. I just love the action.
I'm gonna watch this Cup race.
Enjoy.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
I finally realized why my blogs
.... have been so few and far between lately - I'm just not interested in sports right now. The only reason I have even been watching this dumb tournament is because I feel like I'm under some sort of obligation to at least act like I'm enjoying it. It's like every heterosexual male age 18-to-49 has to be excited this time of year about college basketball and filling out brackets and telling everyone whose going to win. My problem is I already know who is going to win. The team that I bet against. So there's just not much suspense involved.
As I watch Maryland and Memphis (Two teams Georgetown beat) battle it out for a spot in the Sweet Sixteen hours after watching Villanova (Another team Georgetown beat) advance to the next round, I will throw out a few NCAA Tourney thoughts:
* There's been a lot of talk about how overrated the Big 10 is and how they did not deserve 7 NCAA bids. While I still don't think they deserved as many bids as they got, I have to admit that I was impressed with them going 4-3 in the first round. The Pac 10 went 5-1 and the Big 12 went an incredible 6-0 in a performance that only Austin saw coming. So where are all the losses coming from? The ACC went an embarrassing 3-4 in Round 1. 7 seed Boston College lost to 10 seed USC. 7 seed Clemson lost to 10 seed Michigan. 5 seed Florida St lost to 12 seed Wisconsin. And 4 seed Wake Forest got run out of the gym by 13 seed Cleveland St. But this is nothing new for the ACC. They are overseeded every season.
In 2008: #5 Clemson lost to #12 Villanova and #2 Duke lost to #7 West Virginia. Big East basketball.
In 2007: #6 Duke lost to #11 VCU, #4 Maryland lost to #5 Butler, #4 Virginia lost to #5 Tennessee and #1 UNC lost to #2 Georgetown in an East Regional Final that feels like it was about 20 years ago.
- That Duke team really bothered me. They went .500 in the ACC and lost in the first round of the ACC Tournament and they got a 6 seed? This was the same year that Syracuse finished 5th or 6th in the Big East and didn't even make the field.
In 2006: #1 Duke lost to #4 LSU and #3 UNC lost to #11 George Mason.
In 2005: #2 Wake Forest lost to #7 West Virginia and #1 Duke lost to #5 Michigan St.
Feels like Duke was on that list a lot. Watch out for the Longhorns tonight.
Now I should mention that in 2005, a 10th seeded NC State team made a run to the Sweet Sixteen and UNC won the national championship, so it's not like every ACC team chokes out of this tournament. And there are always upsets in March and no conference is immune to it. But the fact of the matter is no conference gets as much blind credit from the committee year after year as the ACC does. Their teams ALWAYS get the benefit of the doubt. Look at Maryland who finished 7-9 in the ACC and lost to Georgetown by about 40 points on a neutral floor but still got an at large bid. They're really giving Memphis a run for their money today.
The funny thing is that next year in late February - early March, the Eds of the world will all be rushing to tell us how great the ACC is yet again. And I'll be saying just wait until March, just wait until March, exactly like I did this year. Ed will then mock me and say over and over that the ACC is the best like all the talking heads do just because they have "UNC" and "Duke" on their jerseys. Meanwhile, Dick Vitale will be wetting himself talking about how great whichever white guy the ACC refs are bailing out all season is. You could set your watch to this crap. Maybe the ACC is that good. Maybe they are as good as the Big East. I just think that perhaps they should actually have to prove it for once.
* I took my life into my own hands and bet head-to-head with The Great Chris Bennett on a couple conference wins props. I'm such a stubborn asshole that I somehow ended up with Big 10 Under 6 and Under 6.5 wins. That one has to favor TGCB at this point. However, I am looking very good on my SEC Under 1.5 wins bet with him. I mean unless LSU beats UNC today. It would be very out of character for an ACC team to choke in this thing.... Let's move on.
* What does it say about the strength of the Big East that they went 6-1 in the first round and people are acting like they disappointed because one of their teams actually lost a game? Villanova is already through to the next round making the Big East 7-1 and Connecticut is crushing Texas A&M as I type this.
* What does it say about this tournament that I would rather watch the Busch race than the Connecticut-Texas A&M game even though I don't have any action on the race?
* What does it say about me that I really hate the little kid who creates the slideshow in that Windows commercial? The kid's like 7 years old and he bothers me. Big deal - You made a slide show. Let's see you start a blog.... Adam.
I am a terrible person. That's what it says about me.
* Speaking of commercials, watch for the one where the Dad is a U of Washington fan and he hates his daughter's boyfriend who went to UConn because UConn beat them on a buzzer beater by Richard Hamilton. 11 years ago. Holding grudges over petty sports-related things sounds like my family. Very funny.
* I want to switch gears for a minute and talk about someone who has really impressed me lately. He's razor sharp. He's feared by every bookmaker in this town. And he's a member of "The Group." No, I'm not talking about Jeff Sherman. I'm talking of course about "The Big Guy" aka Matt Metcalf. To fully appreciate that kid, you really need to be familiar with the 2000 movie Bully which is based on the true story of the murder of Bobby Kent.
Bully is actually a really good movie featuring Nick Stahl, the late Brad Renfro, and the kid who played Bubbles' friend who overdoses during Season 3. (I'm not explaining that any further. If you don't get it, you don't get it.) Apparently, the murder of Bobby Kent took place in Matt's hometown. Based on that movie, I find the fact that Matt can even read and write to be shocking. To think that he was actually admitted to and graduated from a respected university is downright stunning. The kid is a real inspiration. From what I can tell, Matt is the only person from that town who has ever even worn a shirt, let alone a sweater. Nice job, bro. Like a flower that grew from a pot of dirt.
* Speaking of backwoods, redneck hometowns - I was in Virginia a couple weeks ago over my birthday. The old trailer home is holding up pretty well. Ed asked for a few stories about my Mom. Poor woman. She did have a few quirky moments I suppose I could share:
- This one isn't even funny - She turned my old bedroom into a guest room. It's not that big of a deal because it's not like I'm ever going to live full time in that house again but it still bothers me for some reason. My old TV was given to my sister. Reason being - She broke her own TV by dropping it while she was attempting to move it. Idiot. My old stereo was thrown away. Reason being - My mom said she didn't think it worked any more. Why I asked? Because she "Never heard anyone listening to it any more." Think about that one. Any old clothes I had left behind? Given to charity without asking me. Old pictures, trophies, etc....? All stored away.
The room is completely empty. I asked my brother why my Mom did this. Apparently she wanted to have a full time guest room. I'm going to ignore the fact that we already have a guest room in the basement of our house and focus more on the fact that we don't really any have GUESTS. My brother said the only times anyone has even slept in the "Guest room" is when my sister has gone out with a friend to a place near our house and the friend has passed out there instead of driving home. So basically instead of me having my old room to go home to every year or so, we have a vacant room for my sister's dumb friends to pass out in.
- My Mom has taken her spoiling of the dogs to new heights. She's on the verge of becoming one of those crazy cat ladies. Except with dogs. And children. And a husband. Anyways, she was slicing an apple and dropped a piece of it on the floor. So she reasoned that no person would want to eat a piece of apple that had been on the floor and therefore she should just give it to the dogs. She cuts it in half and gives half to the boy and half to the girl. Except the girl doesn't really have functional teeth and she was struggling to eat her half. So what does my Mom do? She picks it up off the floor, chews it herself and gives it back to the dog. I can't say I have never spoiled my dog. But I can say that I have never chewed his food for him.
- My family did take me out to dinner while I was home and for the most part it was an enjoyable night. For the most part. My Mom did manage to annoy me by calling a hostess over to inform her that they were celebrating my birthday that night despite me repeatedly asking her not to. What ensued was an awkward moment for everyone as a bunch of uncomfortable waiters sang "Happy Birthday," while an even more uncomfortable me sat there pretending to find it funny, while my father, brother, and sister really did find it funny and openly laughed at me and my Mom sat there grinning like a maniac. And then my brother ate the majority of the piece of cake. I hate that guy.
Before I go, I'll touch on a few other sporting-related events I am keeping my eyes on:
* While I've had enough college basketball for one year, I am keeping an eye on the NBA. Cleveland's win over Atlanta this morning has the Cavaliers 4.5 games ahead of the Boston Celtics in the race for home court in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They are also 1.5 games up on The Fightin' Shermans for home court throughout the NBA Playoffs.
Cleveland seems to play in and win a lot of close games. That's not a coincidence. Whenever the games are close and the Cavs need a late basket, they clear out for LeBron James aka "The L-Train" and he blows by his defender and scores. There is literally nothing the other team can do to stop him. Not since Michael Jordan have I seen a basketball player who can just say "Fuck it - I'm scoring right now" and make it happen. And even Michael had to work harder for his points than LeBron does. James is so big and strong that he makes it look easy.
Man.
Crush.
* Mens college basketball is boring. Personally, I prefer the womens game. Specifically, my beloved Lady Huskies who open up their quest for an NCAA Championship tomorrow morning at 9 AM PT against the Lady Catamounts of Vermont. That game will be coming to you live on ESPN2. Go Lady Huskies Go!
* If I was running the Detroit Lions, I'd offer the Broncos my 2nd round pick (Obviously the first pick of the 2nd round) and a pick next year for Jay Cutler and see what they do. There's no telling how desperate Josh McDaniels is to get rid of Cutler and the Lions would then have a starting caliber QB and two first round picks to fill the many other holes on their roster. It doesn't seem like Matthew Stafford is the answer and that NFC North is pretty wide open right now. Worst thing the Broncos could do is say no.
* If I was running the Washington Redskins, I'd sit tight at #13 and draft whichever offensive tackle I had graded highest that was left on the board. I wouldn't do anything fancy. I wouldn't try to make any headlines. I would just wait for my turn to pick and draft an offensive tackle. Please. For the love of God. Just do the smart thing for once.
* I'm not sure if Syracuse has what it takes to beat James Harden and the Sun Devils in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament tomorrow but I am pretty sure that they will be dominating games in the prison yard for the next decade if they keep the nucleus of Eric Devendorf, Arinze Onuaku, Rick Jackson, and Mookie Harris together.
* Would it be racist of me if I wrote a letter to Devendorf informing him that he is, in fact, a white person? I just feel like someone needs to let him know. Chances are he'll be in prison a few years from now and he needs to know where he stands before he gets there.
* Would it be racist of me to say that I really don't give a shit who Barack Obama is picking to win the NCAA Championship?
Now Chris Bennett's bracket.... That's something I would've liked to have got my hands on before the tournament started.
That seems like plenty for one day. The ACC just sparkled again with Maryland staying within 20 points of Memphis. Connecticut is rolling into the Sweet 16 as we speak.
Oh, yeah - Georgetown beat them, too.
Enjoy the Dance.
As I watch Maryland and Memphis (Two teams Georgetown beat) battle it out for a spot in the Sweet Sixteen hours after watching Villanova (Another team Georgetown beat) advance to the next round, I will throw out a few NCAA Tourney thoughts:
* There's been a lot of talk about how overrated the Big 10 is and how they did not deserve 7 NCAA bids. While I still don't think they deserved as many bids as they got, I have to admit that I was impressed with them going 4-3 in the first round. The Pac 10 went 5-1 and the Big 12 went an incredible 6-0 in a performance that only Austin saw coming. So where are all the losses coming from? The ACC went an embarrassing 3-4 in Round 1. 7 seed Boston College lost to 10 seed USC. 7 seed Clemson lost to 10 seed Michigan. 5 seed Florida St lost to 12 seed Wisconsin. And 4 seed Wake Forest got run out of the gym by 13 seed Cleveland St. But this is nothing new for the ACC. They are overseeded every season.
In 2008: #5 Clemson lost to #12 Villanova and #2 Duke lost to #7 West Virginia. Big East basketball.
In 2007: #6 Duke lost to #11 VCU, #4 Maryland lost to #5 Butler, #4 Virginia lost to #5 Tennessee and #1 UNC lost to #2 Georgetown in an East Regional Final that feels like it was about 20 years ago.
- That Duke team really bothered me. They went .500 in the ACC and lost in the first round of the ACC Tournament and they got a 6 seed? This was the same year that Syracuse finished 5th or 6th in the Big East and didn't even make the field.
In 2006: #1 Duke lost to #4 LSU and #3 UNC lost to #11 George Mason.
In 2005: #2 Wake Forest lost to #7 West Virginia and #1 Duke lost to #5 Michigan St.
Feels like Duke was on that list a lot. Watch out for the Longhorns tonight.
Now I should mention that in 2005, a 10th seeded NC State team made a run to the Sweet Sixteen and UNC won the national championship, so it's not like every ACC team chokes out of this tournament. And there are always upsets in March and no conference is immune to it. But the fact of the matter is no conference gets as much blind credit from the committee year after year as the ACC does. Their teams ALWAYS get the benefit of the doubt. Look at Maryland who finished 7-9 in the ACC and lost to Georgetown by about 40 points on a neutral floor but still got an at large bid. They're really giving Memphis a run for their money today.
The funny thing is that next year in late February - early March, the Eds of the world will all be rushing to tell us how great the ACC is yet again. And I'll be saying just wait until March, just wait until March, exactly like I did this year. Ed will then mock me and say over and over that the ACC is the best like all the talking heads do just because they have "UNC" and "Duke" on their jerseys. Meanwhile, Dick Vitale will be wetting himself talking about how great whichever white guy the ACC refs are bailing out all season is. You could set your watch to this crap. Maybe the ACC is that good. Maybe they are as good as the Big East. I just think that perhaps they should actually have to prove it for once.
* I took my life into my own hands and bet head-to-head with The Great Chris Bennett on a couple conference wins props. I'm such a stubborn asshole that I somehow ended up with Big 10 Under 6 and Under 6.5 wins. That one has to favor TGCB at this point. However, I am looking very good on my SEC Under 1.5 wins bet with him. I mean unless LSU beats UNC today. It would be very out of character for an ACC team to choke in this thing.... Let's move on.
* What does it say about the strength of the Big East that they went 6-1 in the first round and people are acting like they disappointed because one of their teams actually lost a game? Villanova is already through to the next round making the Big East 7-1 and Connecticut is crushing Texas A&M as I type this.
* What does it say about this tournament that I would rather watch the Busch race than the Connecticut-Texas A&M game even though I don't have any action on the race?
* What does it say about me that I really hate the little kid who creates the slideshow in that Windows commercial? The kid's like 7 years old and he bothers me. Big deal - You made a slide show. Let's see you start a blog.... Adam.
I am a terrible person. That's what it says about me.
* Speaking of commercials, watch for the one where the Dad is a U of Washington fan and he hates his daughter's boyfriend who went to UConn because UConn beat them on a buzzer beater by Richard Hamilton. 11 years ago. Holding grudges over petty sports-related things sounds like my family. Very funny.
* I want to switch gears for a minute and talk about someone who has really impressed me lately. He's razor sharp. He's feared by every bookmaker in this town. And he's a member of "The Group." No, I'm not talking about Jeff Sherman. I'm talking of course about "The Big Guy" aka Matt Metcalf. To fully appreciate that kid, you really need to be familiar with the 2000 movie Bully which is based on the true story of the murder of Bobby Kent.
Bully is actually a really good movie featuring Nick Stahl, the late Brad Renfro, and the kid who played Bubbles' friend who overdoses during Season 3. (I'm not explaining that any further. If you don't get it, you don't get it.) Apparently, the murder of Bobby Kent took place in Matt's hometown. Based on that movie, I find the fact that Matt can even read and write to be shocking. To think that he was actually admitted to and graduated from a respected university is downright stunning. The kid is a real inspiration. From what I can tell, Matt is the only person from that town who has ever even worn a shirt, let alone a sweater. Nice job, bro. Like a flower that grew from a pot of dirt.
* Speaking of backwoods, redneck hometowns - I was in Virginia a couple weeks ago over my birthday. The old trailer home is holding up pretty well. Ed asked for a few stories about my Mom. Poor woman. She did have a few quirky moments I suppose I could share:
- This one isn't even funny - She turned my old bedroom into a guest room. It's not that big of a deal because it's not like I'm ever going to live full time in that house again but it still bothers me for some reason. My old TV was given to my sister. Reason being - She broke her own TV by dropping it while she was attempting to move it. Idiot. My old stereo was thrown away. Reason being - My mom said she didn't think it worked any more. Why I asked? Because she "Never heard anyone listening to it any more." Think about that one. Any old clothes I had left behind? Given to charity without asking me. Old pictures, trophies, etc....? All stored away.
The room is completely empty. I asked my brother why my Mom did this. Apparently she wanted to have a full time guest room. I'm going to ignore the fact that we already have a guest room in the basement of our house and focus more on the fact that we don't really any have GUESTS. My brother said the only times anyone has even slept in the "Guest room" is when my sister has gone out with a friend to a place near our house and the friend has passed out there instead of driving home. So basically instead of me having my old room to go home to every year or so, we have a vacant room for my sister's dumb friends to pass out in.
- My Mom has taken her spoiling of the dogs to new heights. She's on the verge of becoming one of those crazy cat ladies. Except with dogs. And children. And a husband. Anyways, she was slicing an apple and dropped a piece of it on the floor. So she reasoned that no person would want to eat a piece of apple that had been on the floor and therefore she should just give it to the dogs. She cuts it in half and gives half to the boy and half to the girl. Except the girl doesn't really have functional teeth and she was struggling to eat her half. So what does my Mom do? She picks it up off the floor, chews it herself and gives it back to the dog. I can't say I have never spoiled my dog. But I can say that I have never chewed his food for him.
- My family did take me out to dinner while I was home and for the most part it was an enjoyable night. For the most part. My Mom did manage to annoy me by calling a hostess over to inform her that they were celebrating my birthday that night despite me repeatedly asking her not to. What ensued was an awkward moment for everyone as a bunch of uncomfortable waiters sang "Happy Birthday," while an even more uncomfortable me sat there pretending to find it funny, while my father, brother, and sister really did find it funny and openly laughed at me and my Mom sat there grinning like a maniac. And then my brother ate the majority of the piece of cake. I hate that guy.
Before I go, I'll touch on a few other sporting-related events I am keeping my eyes on:
* While I've had enough college basketball for one year, I am keeping an eye on the NBA. Cleveland's win over Atlanta this morning has the Cavaliers 4.5 games ahead of the Boston Celtics in the race for home court in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They are also 1.5 games up on The Fightin' Shermans for home court throughout the NBA Playoffs.
Cleveland seems to play in and win a lot of close games. That's not a coincidence. Whenever the games are close and the Cavs need a late basket, they clear out for LeBron James aka "The L-Train" and he blows by his defender and scores. There is literally nothing the other team can do to stop him. Not since Michael Jordan have I seen a basketball player who can just say "Fuck it - I'm scoring right now" and make it happen. And even Michael had to work harder for his points than LeBron does. James is so big and strong that he makes it look easy.
Man.
Crush.
* Mens college basketball is boring. Personally, I prefer the womens game. Specifically, my beloved Lady Huskies who open up their quest for an NCAA Championship tomorrow morning at 9 AM PT against the Lady Catamounts of Vermont. That game will be coming to you live on ESPN2. Go Lady Huskies Go!
* If I was running the Detroit Lions, I'd offer the Broncos my 2nd round pick (Obviously the first pick of the 2nd round) and a pick next year for Jay Cutler and see what they do. There's no telling how desperate Josh McDaniels is to get rid of Cutler and the Lions would then have a starting caliber QB and two first round picks to fill the many other holes on their roster. It doesn't seem like Matthew Stafford is the answer and that NFC North is pretty wide open right now. Worst thing the Broncos could do is say no.
* If I was running the Washington Redskins, I'd sit tight at #13 and draft whichever offensive tackle I had graded highest that was left on the board. I wouldn't do anything fancy. I wouldn't try to make any headlines. I would just wait for my turn to pick and draft an offensive tackle. Please. For the love of God. Just do the smart thing for once.
* I'm not sure if Syracuse has what it takes to beat James Harden and the Sun Devils in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament tomorrow but I am pretty sure that they will be dominating games in the prison yard for the next decade if they keep the nucleus of Eric Devendorf, Arinze Onuaku, Rick Jackson, and Mookie Harris together.
* Would it be racist of me if I wrote a letter to Devendorf informing him that he is, in fact, a white person? I just feel like someone needs to let him know. Chances are he'll be in prison a few years from now and he needs to know where he stands before he gets there.
* Would it be racist of me to say that I really don't give a shit who Barack Obama is picking to win the NCAA Championship?
Now Chris Bennett's bracket.... That's something I would've liked to have got my hands on before the tournament started.
That seems like plenty for one day. The ACC just sparkled again with Maryland staying within 20 points of Memphis. Connecticut is rolling into the Sweet 16 as we speak.
Oh, yeah - Georgetown beat them, too.
Enjoy the Dance.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
I'm only watching college basketball
.... this morning because there's no Busch race this week. UConn and Pitt both look really good. Not Oklahoma good but good. I couldn't help but notice that in the latest edition of Joe Lunardi's Bracketology, the Big Ten had the most teams in the NCAA field. Not the Big East, not the ACC, not even the Big 12. The Big Ten gets 8 bids, more than anyone else. Mediocre (at best) seasons from Michigan, Penn State, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio State? What the hell - Let's just let them ALL into the tournament and see how they do! Other than Michigan beating Duke and UCLA, does even one of those teams have a quality non-conference win this season? (I'm really asking. I'm way too lazy to look that up.) Michigan St is the only team in that conference that would definitely finish in the top half of the Big East. Purdue could be the biggest fraud in the country this year. Let's give them a 5 seed. I hate college basketball.
I definitely won't be watching college basketball tomorrow with the Cup series in Atlanta for the Kobalt Tools 500. My goal for that race is not to win money but to have at least one guy I bet finish the race on the lead lap. I don't think that's unreasonable at all but it's basically 'Pick' whether or not I'll be able to pull that off.
I actually went to the Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last Sunday. Here's what I took away from that debacle:
* Had a bet on Kenseth to win the race. His car blew up on the 7th lap. That was a day after the guy I bet to win the Busch race (Kyle Busch) crashed out on the 22nd lap. Kyle, of course, won the Cup race. At least I got my money's worth for those first 7 laps.
* It appeared as if my favorite driver, Carl Edwards, aka The Cousin, was a lock to win the race when he took a late lead but he had to go back to pit row due to a loose lugnut. Of course he did.
* I did catch one break when that moron Dale Jr. was forced to go a lap down due to a speeding penalty on pit row. However, the guy I had him against ran a terrible race and somehow managed to lose to the 88 car, anyway. Of course he did.
A few more notes from my first race:
* Ross was easily the MVP of the tailgate. Not only did he go out to Wal-Mart the night before the race and buy everything, he assembled the grill and had food cooking before I was done with my first beer. Only questionable decision by him - Refusing suntan lotion. Dude - it's the freakin' desert. They don't call the people at those race's REDnecks because of their Native American ancestry.
* Bennett was the hero of the day for remembering to bring suntan lotion. He also put down several beers, whether he admits it or not. However, he did prove to be the most delicate member of our group (In a shocking upset of The Hoff) when I handed him the bottle and he complained that were was a small amount of lotion on the lid. Instead of just wiping it off and putting it on his legs or arms like a normal person, he handed the bottle back to me and made me clean it off before taking it back. I didn't realize my mom was going to be at the race.
* Our tailgate was briefly graced by the presence of two members of the infamous "Group" who stopped by after their helicopter dropped them off in the parking and before they were carried to their luxury suite by NASCAR officials.
* I may have been the most overdressed person at the race in my outfit of polo shirt and khaki shorts. At least I was the most overdressed person at the race until Metcalf showed up in a sweater.
* Some guy mocked Hoffman for drinking light beer while we were walking into the stadium. (Is that what they call it? Or is it a track? Speedway?) How about - Some guy mocked him on our way into the building where cars turn left at phenomenal speeds and rednecks cheer for reasons that are unclear even to themselves.
* Beers were only $5 at the race. Pretty reasonable when you consider that a beer at a Redskins game costs more than I make in one day at the SuperBook.
* Funny story about Hoffman - He makes little faces and gets very annoyed any time a person repeats the same thing twice in a one month period. But he mentioned to me that the people at the track reminded him of the people from his hometown approximately 8 million times during the 3 hours we were at the race. This is the same kid who once scolded me for accidentally introducing him to the same buddy of mine twice about 6 months apart even though he has "Introduced me" to his friend Courtney (at least) 5 times. I love The Hoff.
* Incidentally, the people at the race didn't remind me of the people from my hometown. At all.
* Bottom line - The race was an experience but if I go again I'm going to want to either go to a night race at a track that allows you to bring in your own booze or, failing that, I'd want to sit in the luxury suite with the big boys. Provided that said luxury suite has an open bar of course.
My dad went to Georgetown and he raised my brother and I on Hoyas basketball from the time we were little kids. My brother Peter takes Georgeown basketball pretty seriously and he was very upset when a high school recruit named DaShonte Riley changed his mind about becoming a Hoya and decided to go to Syracuse. In this age of technology where young kids like my brother (And slightly older people like Scott) are all on Facebook, Pete was able to communicate directly with Riley and let him know how upset he was. Here is their actual exchange:
Peter Murray: Way to go man. Biggest mistake of your life. JT3 turns 7 footers into millionaires Boeheim turns them into convicts. Whatever man. Good Luck. You are going to need it in the Big East
Dashonte Riley: That's cool but you can kiss my ass
Peter Murray: Whatever man. I think you fucked it up. You had it right and you switched. Maybe Boeheim just made a better... offer. I just think you made a mistake.Georgetown is the place big man go to succeed. Cuse you will just be another athlete. I'm sorry for being a dick but you messed up.
Good Luck man.
Dashonte Riley: U know man,I slept on it a lot and I been thinking a lot and I came to the realization after reading this over and over again that......U CAN STILL KISS MY MUTHAFUCKIN ASS!!!!!
Peter Murray: Haha. Alright man sounds good. You definitely aren't Hoya material anyway man. You'll fit right in in Cuse.
What a bastard.
Talking about my brother, of course.
I'm going to go watch the USA-Canadia game.
Enjoy.
I definitely won't be watching college basketball tomorrow with the Cup series in Atlanta for the Kobalt Tools 500. My goal for that race is not to win money but to have at least one guy I bet finish the race on the lead lap. I don't think that's unreasonable at all but it's basically 'Pick' whether or not I'll be able to pull that off.
I actually went to the Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last Sunday. Here's what I took away from that debacle:
* Had a bet on Kenseth to win the race. His car blew up on the 7th lap. That was a day after the guy I bet to win the Busch race (Kyle Busch) crashed out on the 22nd lap. Kyle, of course, won the Cup race. At least I got my money's worth for those first 7 laps.
* It appeared as if my favorite driver, Carl Edwards, aka The Cousin, was a lock to win the race when he took a late lead but he had to go back to pit row due to a loose lugnut. Of course he did.
* I did catch one break when that moron Dale Jr. was forced to go a lap down due to a speeding penalty on pit row. However, the guy I had him against ran a terrible race and somehow managed to lose to the 88 car, anyway. Of course he did.
A few more notes from my first race:
* Ross was easily the MVP of the tailgate. Not only did he go out to Wal-Mart the night before the race and buy everything, he assembled the grill and had food cooking before I was done with my first beer. Only questionable decision by him - Refusing suntan lotion. Dude - it's the freakin' desert. They don't call the people at those race's REDnecks because of their Native American ancestry.
* Bennett was the hero of the day for remembering to bring suntan lotion. He also put down several beers, whether he admits it or not. However, he did prove to be the most delicate member of our group (In a shocking upset of The Hoff) when I handed him the bottle and he complained that were was a small amount of lotion on the lid. Instead of just wiping it off and putting it on his legs or arms like a normal person, he handed the bottle back to me and made me clean it off before taking it back. I didn't realize my mom was going to be at the race.
* Our tailgate was briefly graced by the presence of two members of the infamous "Group" who stopped by after their helicopter dropped them off in the parking and before they were carried to their luxury suite by NASCAR officials.
* I may have been the most overdressed person at the race in my outfit of polo shirt and khaki shorts. At least I was the most overdressed person at the race until Metcalf showed up in a sweater.
* Some guy mocked Hoffman for drinking light beer while we were walking into the stadium. (Is that what they call it? Or is it a track? Speedway?) How about - Some guy mocked him on our way into the building where cars turn left at phenomenal speeds and rednecks cheer for reasons that are unclear even to themselves.
* Beers were only $5 at the race. Pretty reasonable when you consider that a beer at a Redskins game costs more than I make in one day at the SuperBook.
* Funny story about Hoffman - He makes little faces and gets very annoyed any time a person repeats the same thing twice in a one month period. But he mentioned to me that the people at the track reminded him of the people from his hometown approximately 8 million times during the 3 hours we were at the race. This is the same kid who once scolded me for accidentally introducing him to the same buddy of mine twice about 6 months apart even though he has "Introduced me" to his friend Courtney (at least) 5 times. I love The Hoff.
* Incidentally, the people at the race didn't remind me of the people from my hometown. At all.
* Bottom line - The race was an experience but if I go again I'm going to want to either go to a night race at a track that allows you to bring in your own booze or, failing that, I'd want to sit in the luxury suite with the big boys. Provided that said luxury suite has an open bar of course.
My dad went to Georgetown and he raised my brother and I on Hoyas basketball from the time we were little kids. My brother Peter takes Georgeown basketball pretty seriously and he was very upset when a high school recruit named DaShonte Riley changed his mind about becoming a Hoya and decided to go to Syracuse. In this age of technology where young kids like my brother (And slightly older people like Scott) are all on Facebook, Pete was able to communicate directly with Riley and let him know how upset he was. Here is their actual exchange:
Peter Murray: Way to go man. Biggest mistake of your life. JT3 turns 7 footers into millionaires Boeheim turns them into convicts. Whatever man. Good Luck. You are going to need it in the Big East
Dashonte Riley: That's cool but you can kiss my ass
Peter Murray: Whatever man. I think you fucked it up. You had it right and you switched. Maybe Boeheim just made a better... offer. I just think you made a mistake.Georgetown is the place big man go to succeed. Cuse you will just be another athlete. I'm sorry for being a dick but you messed up.
Good Luck man.
Dashonte Riley: U know man,I slept on it a lot and I been thinking a lot and I came to the realization after reading this over and over again that......U CAN STILL KISS MY MUTHAFUCKIN ASS!!!!!
Peter Murray: Haha. Alright man sounds good. You definitely aren't Hoya material anyway man. You'll fit right in in Cuse.
What a bastard.
Talking about my brother, of course.
I'm going to go watch the USA-Canadia game.
Enjoy.
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