Random Thought

Why do I continue to watch the American Idol? It is not funny anymore since they weeded out all the William Hungs and now, its like watching a pretty good karaoke show except Paula Abdul is there and no one is getting drunk. But yet I can't stop watching and feeling uncomfortable.

I revived my basketball career over the weekend with my debut for Team Discovery Channel over at the Sportsgarden. To get pumped up, I watched Hakim Warrick score 36 and then Louie McCrowskey score 12 points in the last 80 seconds of a SU blowout. What the hell was that guy thinking, dunking on Providences third stringers, pushing the ball up the court when they were up 20+? Just a classless performance, he should have started fouling the Friars to get the ball back. We won the game by the way, a solid 5 point victory. I went 1-7 from the field, including my first 3 point basket in over 7 years.

Right now I am watching the Pitt Panthers destroy BC @ BC....I hope Pitt's parents and coaching staff rush the court and then cut down the nets.

UNC @ Maryland was the exact opposite of the Duke/UNC game a couple weeks ago. I only caught the last 2 minutes unfortunately due to a indoor soccer game (11-4 loss, 0-2 for the session), but basically what happend was Maryland gave up an uncontested layup to the best point guard in the country, and then the best power forward in the country, Sean May, blocked a game-tying effort by the Terrapins to ice the game. What a finish!

On to the Academy Awards:
My best joke of the night came during the Best Documentary presentation when I posed the question "Did you guys know that "The Story of the Weeping Camel" is loosely based on my life?" I guess its funnier if you are on your fifth glass of wine.

The Oscar's are fixed, plain and simple. Nothing suprising or even remotely entertaining happened...although it was incredibly uncomfortable for everyone involved when Santana teamed up with Antonio Banderas to perform the Oscar-winning "Al Otro Lado Del Río" which I am pretty sure is Spanish for "My hair is incredibly greasy and I love it".

Thats pretty much all I got tonight....

Sarcastic Clapping

That's what I am doing this morning after Dan's 3-1 performance yesterday. Even a blind squirrel eats nuts or something to that effect. Let me explain my absence yesterday...after a pathetic 1-8 gambling day, I decided to drink alot Saturday night and then Sunday, I hung out with my girlfriend, Nicole, all day as we tried to cram in as much Oscar-oriented activities as possible. More on my weekend, UNC's big win, and the Oscars later as, unfortunately, I have to work all day.

Arrasian Foolishness - Running Diary: SU v. Prov

At 9:53 to go in the 1st half, I decided this would be fun. It's 22-15 SU

9:19 - Well, the 10 point lead has evaporated. We could use the settling factor of an old-school point guard. I vaguely remember having one in 2003, and even at points in this season. Meanwhile on the bench, Billy Edelin could use the settling factor of an old-school kick to the brain.

8:37 - Woohoo! Josh Wright time! I saw this kid play in high school. Fast, can shoot, can score. Just needs time.

8:00 - It's never a good sign when Dan Schulman says "And Randel Hanke has taken over this game at both ends!" I'm not sure who it's not a good sign for...

7:44 - In other news, Warrick is the tallest thing on the face of the planet. Paradoxically, I think D-Nic has 1/4" on him. 24-21

3:55 - Gomes ties the game at 33 with a 3. I think Gomes is the Elton Brand of college basketball: a winner who can't do anything but lose. He has so many strengths, and he can hit big shots. But he just can't quite take over big games to carry his team. Even last year, he stunk in the Big East tourney, then Providence underachieved in the NCAA. Mark it down: Ryan Gomes' teams will never win anything of any importance.

1:30 - Louie McCrosky knocks over a press table. Josh Pace and Terrance Roberts stare open-mouthed as though they've never seen a table knocked over before. Go to class, kids! History will make you feel the same way!

:27 - Terrance made the leap back around the 1st UConn game. I love that he's starting now.


Halftime: 40-36. Quite simply, it'd be 40-26 if not for the press. We got these noodle-brains.


17:00 - 48-41 Hak dunk. I just got back from a run to buy tea. Yes. This SU team is so frustratingly brilliant (Hak just dunked again to make it 50-43, he has 21) that I've been driven to tea. I'm drinking tea, here. (Louie scores and one to make it 52-43 with the FT coming.) Tea! Sweet Jeremy McNeil, tea!

On the plus side, the delay in line at P&C allowed me the chance to hear Jean Waldron doing some radio color. Everyone needs to listen to a game on the radio with Jean. How do I describe him...it's like SU went back in time to the 70s and picked the most stereotypical black basketball player they can find. I've never seen him, but if he doesn't have a 2-foot fro, I'll be severely crushed. He's like a characature of every ex-bball player who has ever failed miserably in the booth...and that's why he succeeds. Your assignment: listen to the radio feed for the UConn game next week.

15:20 - 54-45. If Hak keeps playing like he has in the past 2 games, no one can stop us until the sweet 16. After that, we'll need some help.

13:04 - 60-53. Really pretty play by Gomes. It's a shame he's a parasite. And yes, I know I'm setting myself up for a 10 point burst by Gomes in the last 1:30 lifting the Friars to a one-point win. Where's that tea...

9:43 - Louie throws down a monster dunk! LOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUIE! 68-57

8:45 - 71-60 after a 3 from Pride of Scranton. Why didn't I go to the dome today? Money. Also comfort. They don't have tea in the dome. Mmm...blueberry!

7:25 - 76-60 Pride of Scranton is hotter than his girlfriend.

7:20 - OK, they definitely did something on ESPN to muffle "Fuck em Up, Fuck em Up" from the student section. No way that shouldn't have been audible just then.

4:16 - 82-62 Craig Forth alley-oop from Pride of Scranton!!!! YEAAAAAAH! Underrated defender and rebounder, good passer off the def reb, criticized by fans for his offense, but no one ever looks at his FG% (57% this year, and it's gone up every year). Jimmy knows his uses, even if SU fans don't.

2:22 - 82-66 I'm about 10 miles from campus. If Providence gave him space, Hak would try to dunk it from here right now. He might be able to do it.

1:23 - Ha ha! This is fun. I think Gerry just tried to throw an oop for Craig, but Craig would've had to reverse dunk it. He just left it for Hak to clean up. And Warrick has a career high 36. He's done. What a freak! He is special.

43.4 - Forth comes out. If Pace had hit that early dunk, we'd have had dunks by Hak, Forth, Louie, and Terrance. Providence sucks.

End of Game - PS, Jimmy gets 700.

Picks of the Day 2/26

Since I have stopped betting on sports, I am going to post my daily picks and track how I am doing over the course of the year.

I am now 7-2 in the Ivy League on Friday nights. The 7 wins accounts for roughly 40% of my correct bets, while the 2 losses represents 5% of incorrect bets. Thats one of those worthless stats that you always see in sports now, like Wake Forest is 12-1 after leading at half on even number days. But I am trying my best to put a positive spin on my losing streak so you can all kiss my ass if you have a problem with it. Anyways, a lot of games to pick from today so I am hoping to hit 6 out of 9 tonight and make a dent in the debt.

COLLEGE HOOPS
Providence (+10) @ Syracuse...do the bookies know something I don't or have they not been watching the last two weeks of Big East play? My guess is they know something I don't (see: red number on the bottom of post).
Missouri (+11) @ Texas...this just in Texas still sucks
Alabama (-3) v Kentucky
Wich. St (+6) @ SIU
Pitt (-2) v UConn...could I lose yet another bet against the Huskies? I think the count is 8 and running.
Ga Tech (-2) @ Miami...if Tech loses they are out of the NCAA tourney, which is unfortunate because I am pretty sure they have all 5 starters returning from last year's Final Four team.
Tex Tech (+3) @ Tex A&M
Arizona (+5) @ Washington
Memphis (+4) v Lousville

Recap: I am taking a lot of road dogs today, hoping the last week of conference play inspires some close games. We will see how it works out...my guess is that it will work out "not good".

YESTERDAY 3-2 WEEK TO DATE 18-24-0 YEAR 31-42-3 MONEY -1520

Picks of the Day 2/25

Since I have stopped betting on sports, I am going to post my daily picks and track how I am doing over the course of the year.

The worst night of betting yesterday, I am going to go against my first instincts in all of my bets tonight although last Friday I went 4-1 in the Ivy League so maybe I will wait til tomorrow to do my reverse psychology bets.

COLLEGE HOOPS
Harvard (-2.5) v Yale
Princeton (-4) @ Columbia
Boise St (PK) v SMU
Cornell (+6.5) v Penn
Dartmouth (-1) v Brown

YESTERDAY 1-5 WEEK TO DATE 15-22-0 YEAR 28-40-3 MONEY -1600

Random Thought 2/25

Instead of calling it dress-down day at work, they should call it "feel free to go out the night before and get shit-faced, then roll out of bed, throw a hat and some cargo pants on and go to work" day

I try to say "shoot me an email" at least 12 times a day at work........its a fun game, you should try it.

I hate it when I ask people how their day is going and they say "It's going......" What's the appropriate follow-up to that remark? I usually say somethign to the effect of "It sure is" followed by an ackward silence.

Picks of the Day 2/24

Since I have stopped betting on sports, I am going to post my daily picks and track how I am doing over the course of the year.

A winning night yesterday! Fantastic!

COLLEGE HOOPS
Wisc (+7.5) @ MSU
Wash St. (+7) v. Arizona
Cincy (-16) v Marq
San Fran (+1) v St. Marys
Wash (-14) v Az. St
Portland (+7) v Gonzaga

YESTERDAY 4-3 WEEK TO DATE 14-17-0 YEAR 27-35-3 MONEY -1150

Random Thought 2/24

Heres my quick rant of the day..I was going to say my quick tirade of the day but I dont think its escalated to that point yet:

Do you think that in 3-4 years the Big Ten will be considered a mid-major in college hoops? Obviously Illinois has a pretty decent team seeing as how they havent lost a game, but after that I think that the Big Ten conference is very weak. Mich. St is in the top 10 with approximately zero good wins (top 25 RPI wins) and only two top 50 RPI victories against Stanford (neutral court) and at home vs UCLA. Tell me that is a resume for a top 10 team and I will slap in you in the face with my dueling glove.

Wisconsin, 20th in the country, may actually be better than MSU having beaten them, Maryland and Bama. Should be a great game tonight as those two face off in East Lansing tonight. And by great, i mean the final score will be 52-46. Seriously, have you watched a Big Ten game this year and not wanted the last two hours of your life back? I am a huge Michigan fan and I can't even watch their games...partly because they suck and are never shown on tv, and partly because when they are shown on tv they lose.

Can anyone name me 3 top tier players from the Big Ten that are not guards from Illinois? I can try.....Bracey Wright from Indiana is pretty good, even though he is a 7th year senior...i think he might have played against Ray Jackson and Jimmy King when they were seniors. Ummmm, Dion Harris is solid at Michigan...does Brian Cardinal still play for Purdue? There are too many white guys on Wisconsin for me to remember which is the really good one. Pierre Pierce and Daniel Horton could be a solid backcourt combo in their prison league this summer though. Thats it pretty much all I got. No big name players, no great teams (aside from Illinois).

My prediction is that only the three teams mentioned above get in the tourney as well as Minnesota possibly. Minny will lose in the first round with Wisconsin and Mich St. getting upset as usual in the second round. Illinois will have a bad game against a solid team and lose in the Elite Eight. And Michigan will lose to Creighton in the first round of the NIT's.

Picks of the Day 2/23

Since I have stopped betting on sports, I am going to post my daily picks and track how I am doing over the course of the year.
I broke even yesterday, and by even I mean I only lost the rake to the fake bookie of 30 bucks. Could be worse? I am pretty sure I have only had one winning night since I started.

COLLEGE HOOPS
Charlotte (-5.5) v Memphis...EA's Lock of the Week!!!
Buffalo (-2) @ Marshall
Ga Tech (PK) v Duke
St.Johns (+16 @ Syracuse...if I lose the bet that means the boys played well, its a win-win situation...well technically it is a win-lose situation any way you look at it...unless SU wins by 16, then its a win-push situation...I've said too much.
Prov (+2.5) @ Seton Hall
SIU (-6.5) v North Illinois
BC (+5) @ Villanova...I hope Nova actually wins and their fans rush the court, then stop and just stand there wondering why they are so excited that beat a team they should have beaten........

YESTERDAY 3-3 WEEK TO DATE 10-13-0 YEAR 23-32-3 MONEY -1220

Random Thought 2/23

A couple thoughts after watching "Million Dollar Baby" last night:

I'm convinced that if Morgan Freeman narrated Gigli, it would have been up for a best picture.

Great quote from Nicole last night "doesnt Clint Eastwood look like Lord Voldemort?" ...you know at the end of the first Harry Potter movie when he comes out the back of professor quirrels head...Clint looks just like him, its hilarious.

The movie itself was pretty good, although it was difficult to get over just how old Clint and Freeman looked. I also had a tough time getting past the preview of "Beauty Shop" featuring Queen Latifah and Djimon Hounsou, whom you might remember from his Golden Globe nominated performace as a slave in Amistad back in 97. Oh how the mighty have fallen! This could top Welcome to Mooseport on my "films that make me want to kill myself" list.

Back to the movie, it was nice to see "Papa Doc" from 8 Mile landing a small role as the cocky black guy with the deadly left hook who thinks he is the shit....type cast much?

I have seen Aviator and Sideways along with MDB, Ray and Finding Neverland are still on my list but my guess is the MDB takes the best picture down if only because of the aforementioned Morgan Freeman narration. Only Kiefer Sutherland has a more profitable voice then Freeman, see 24, Phone Booth, MCI commercials.

I also think that they should have ended the movie with the whole cast meeting at a bar on the beach of Zihautenjo with Tim Robbins serving drinks and calling people 'Red'. Maybe it will be under the alternate endings section on the dvd.

Picks of the Day 2/22

Since I have stopped betting on sports, I am going to post my daily picks and track how I am doing over the course of the year.
You know its a bad betting night when Wofford can't cover at home, i mean come on!

COLLEGE HOOPS
Dayton (-10) @ St. Bonaventure...always bet against the bonnies.....always.
T.Tech (5.5) vs Texas...this just in, Texas sucks.
UNC (-6.5) @ NC State...believe it or not, I am actually going to see Million Dollar Baby tonight. its kind of a non-violent protest against ESPN for not airing the game.
Iowa St (+2) @ Tx A&M...theoretically Iowa St should never lose a Big 12 game again. (7-0 after an 0-5 start).
LSU (-1) vs Alabama...LSU is 12-1 at home this year, one would think that they will win, wouldn't one?
Eastern Kentucky (-4) @ Morehead St...always bet against morehead....always.

YESTERDAY 2-3 WEEK TO DATE 7-10-0 YEAR 20-29-3 MONEY -1190

Random Thought 2/22

If you are a heterosexual man, you never really want to say the phrase "Boy, this caramel latte is to die for!" at work. People might get the wrong idea. Also, its best not to comment on "how great the Bachelorette was last night". Just a couple tips.

Arrasian Foolishness - Micturation

What a difference in the blog since I posted a week ago! I clearly emphasized the "thoughts" moments before Kevin would lead us down the trail to "random." Boy, do I feel like an ass.

Kinda like the feeling I get when I miss the toilet while peeing. I'm standing there, comparing the Colonial Athletic Association to the Horizon league (I'll take the Horizon), and all of the sudden, I've got urine all over the seat and/or my feet. It's a real bummer.

And I'm not talking about UWI (urination while intoxicated). Nothing you can do about that. I'm talking about plain old lack of concentration. Even when I'm doing it, peeing is not the number one thing on my mind. You know what I mean?

And I really don't think that I'm the only guy with this problem. I mean, I could be alone; I've got all sorts of great knowledge buzzing around my brain (proper use of semi-colons and parentheses for example) that force the "focus on yo' biz-ness" command to the back of my brain. But if every other guy has no problem hitting the cylinder, then why were urinals invented? You can NOT miss a urinal. That's why it's so great when sports bars post clippings from the sports section at eye level. They ENCOURAGE me to think about how good Wisc. Milwaukee is. Speaking of which, have you ever noticed how Wisc. Milwaukee is always spelled the same? They don't mess around with the postal abbreviation. But no way in HELL are they going to spell out "Wisconsin!" Oho, no!

See? See how easily I'm distracted? Anyway, I've gotten a little better about my pee-pee woes thanks to a little self-discipline triggered by a post-it note placed strategically above my toilet. It has a couple tips on it to help steady my aim.

-Relaxed breathing
-Slightly open stance
-Keep your head down
-Straight left arm
-Follow through towards the target
-Minimal waggle
-Don't over-swing

Wait. What were we talking about again?

Anyway, I guess I'll continue to try to balance out Kevin's "random" with more "thoughts." Here's a final thought to finish with:

The great J.J. Redick got his first tattoo last summer at the same time his 79-year-old grandmother got hers.

For The Record

Let me say for the record, I am a huge Syracuse basketball fan. UNC and Michigan aside, SU is my team. I have loved them ever since Billy Owens, Sherman Douglas and D.C graced the court back in the 80's. I cried when they won the title if only because they covered the spread and I could keep my legs unbroken. But for some reason, I feel that this Cuse team may not be able to get the job done. Maybe its because they have lost 4 out of the last 6. Maybe its because opponents have slowly started to realize how to shut down Warrick and G-Mac. Or maybe it’s because UNC is actually good this year and I am focusing all of my positive energy on them. Whatever the reason, I think the Orange may be in trouble this year come tournament time. Unless..........

-Warrick and G-Mac need to drop for at least 20 pts a game each.
-McCroskey and Roberts need to realize they are playing organized hoops and take better shots.
-Edelin needs to play at least 20 minutes a game giving G-Mac and Pace the much needed rest. Saturday against UConn those two guys along with Warrick played the entire game and we all saw the result.
-Craig Forth needs to get more touches inside the paint. I can’t stress this point enough.
-Syracuse needs to get lucky and draw a weak region. Then they need to hope for upsets and play higher seeds until the elite eight. Then they need to pray.

Bottom line, my prediction is a second round exit to a mid-major conference champ like Gonzaga, SIU, or Utah.

Other thoughts on the past weekend:

Was there a funnier scene than Boston College fans storming the court after beating Syracuse? Apparently, no one told them that their Eagles were actually favored in the game and had the higher national ranking. Its almost like they didn’t expect to win the game. Maybe B.C has decided to rush the court after every Big East game knowing that next year they will be in the ACC and won’t have to worry about the revenge factor.

Did Coach K and Dick Vitale break up? I can’t remember a week long stretch of seeing nationally televised Duke games without Dickie V on the sidelines. Maybe they got into an argument after Maryland swept them last weekend. Someone should check into that.

Speaking of Duke, J.J. Reddick is awesome. I hate him so much but his performance last night reminded me of when I dropped for 33 points in a freshmen basketball tourney 10 years ago. I went 13-52 from the field and we played a team that started a girl but still 33 points is 33 points. True story. Like Paul pointed out earlier, Reddick is just much better than any other white guy in college hoops. I can’t even mention G-Mac in the same sentence. Wake Forest is a great team and J.J. dropped for 71 in two games against them. He might be the best player to come out of Duke since Loul Deng.

A white guy will never win the Slam Dunk contest, and after Chris Anderson’s performance Saturday I doubt there will ever be a Caucasian invited to participate.

Speaking of the dunk contest, J.R. Smith’s first dunk where he went behind the back in mid-air and threw it down was the best dunk I have ever seen. And it only got a 45 from the judges. Can’t the NBA afford fractional score cards for these judges? Didn’t old-school dunk contests have scores like 95.7 to 94.8? I will never watch the dunk contest again.

My indoor soccer team played a man down for a half and lost 8-0 last night. And there is nothing funny about that.

Do you remember when Michigan v Indiana was a huge game that everyone would talk about? Neither do I.

Picks of the Day 2/21

Since I have stopped betting on sports, I am going to post my daily picks and track how I am doing over the course of the year.

I am actually going to post later this evening about this past weekend's sporting events, including but not limited to the Cuse game, NBA dunk contest, and my indoor soccer team's disappointing 8-0 loss last night.

COLLEGE HOOPS
Wofford (-2.5) vs GA Southern...what a great first pick!
ND (+7) @ UConn...i think 7 of my 24 losses this year happened when i bet against the Huskies, lets make it 8.
Oklahoma (+1.5) vs Kansas...both teams lost over the weekend, one of them has to win tonight...or do they? yes, they do.
Hawaii (-2) vs UTEP...I like betting on teams named The Rainbows...does that make me gay?
N.M. (+1.5) vs Utah...insert your own funny comment here, thanks.

YESTERDAY 2-3 WEEK TO DATE 5-8-0 YEAR 18-26-3 MONEY -1060

Random Thought 2-21

You know that show Amazing Race. Is that about white people?
- Zach Galifianakis

Picks of the Day 2/20

Since I have stopped betting on sports, I am going to post my daily picks and track how I am doing over the course of the year.

I am a bit worried about Syracuse and its inability to win big games. See: UConn, Pitt, BC. The Tar Heels looked impressive yesterday and I would have done a review of the game but ABC decided mid-way through the second half to switch over the Kansas/Iowa St. game so I lost interest. Huge game in the ACC tonight with Wake traveling to Duke. I really hate Duke but I am going to be rooting for them tonight as a Wake loss means UNC has sole possesion of first place. Another rough night of sports gaming last night as you can clearly see. Those UB Bulls always cover, I will never bet against them again.

COLLEGE HOOPS
Duke (-4) vs WF
Michigan (+1) vs Indiana
G'Town (-2) @ St. Johns
Arizona (-15) vs Oregon St.
Louisville (-22) vs St Louis

YESTERDAY 3-5 WEEK TO DATE 3-5-0 YEAR 16-23-3 MONEY -930

Random Thought 2/19

Could there be a better cast ensemble than that of the classic movie "Drumline"? Seriously, what do you think happened during casting discussions? Here is my guess.

Producer: "We need to get a really tough black guy to be the band's conductor. A real hardass that will be intimidating with a true screen presence. He needs to demand respect AND bring in the audiences. I am thinking maybe Samuel L. Jackson or Laurence Fishburne?"

Casting Director: "We could try and get Morgan Freeman, he was great in "Lean On Me"...or maybe Denzel, he won an Oscar for his lead in "Training Day".

Director: "Guy, guys, guys....enough already! This is the most important role of the film, we need someone special. Get me that real funny guy from the 7UP commercials."

Picks of the Day 2/19

Since I have stopped betting on sports, I am going to post my daily picks and track how I am doing over the course of the year.

What a great night yesterday! I hit 3 out of 4 of my Ivy League picks and assuming I bet 100 on each game, I only lost 680 bucks overall. Today the week starts anew and with such great games this weekend I am going to find it hard not to bet on all of them. So here we go.

COLLEGE HOOPS
UNC (-22) vs Clemson
Miami of Ohio (-2) vs Wichita St.
Maryland (-3.5) @ UVA
St. Joes (-23) vs the Bonnies
Rutgers (+7) vs UConn
Syracuse (+2.5) @ BC
Fresno St (-2.5) vs Buffalo
Pacific (-6.5) vs UTEP


YESTERDAY 3-1 WEEK TO DATE 13-18-3 YEAR 13-18-3 MONEY -680

Good Stuff

Wow, what a first week of blogging! For someone with no experience and limited writing talent, I have built quite the impressive following. Which is why, as many of you have noticed, I have added to my ‘blog team”. This will give the site a little variety and by variety, I mean four white males in their mid-20’s with the exact same sense of dry witty humor that only a small percentage of the population appreciates, writing about sports and gambling.

Nevertheless, I see from my counter that there are literally ten’s of new readers that are checking my site each day and returning visitors that number in the high twenties! Hopefully, with these new team members and the spreading of the site’s popularity through word-of-mouth and instant message, these figures could reach triple digits.

I hope to make solid posts each day but please understand that it is extremely difficult to make entertaining, humorous posts on a constant basis. I hope that my random thoughts and pathetic sports picks can be good enough on days when the creative juices aren’t flowing. And if its not good enough, then you can go straight to hell. But seriously, my cousins Paul and eventually Dan will be making weekly editions to “Random Thoughts” that will prove to be funny, insightful or at the very least, not boring. Also, my old college roommate Kevin aka S_K_Y will be making constant contributions to the site about the little things in life we sometimes take for granted...like the today's review of the classic Nintendo Game "Mike Tyson's Punchout".

So, in conclusion, I ask for patience while we get this site running on all cylinders. I encourage everyone to make comments, suggest ideas for posts, spread our popularity and continue to enjoy “Random Thoughts”. Coming Saturday: "Is ESPN turning into MTV?"

Picks of the Day 2/18

Since I have stopped betting on sports, I am going to post my daily picks and track how I am doing over the course of the year.

Back to sub-500 numbers last night, Duke did lose though so the night wasn't all that bad. Did anyone give Dickie V a call and let him know that his Dukies were playing last night? As soon as I realized he wasn't commentating, I knew Duke couldn't cover. Last night of the week, need to make a run in the Ivy League to stop the bleeding.

College Hoops
Princeton (-1.5) @ Yale
Penn (-7.5) @ Brown
Harvard (-4.5) vs Columbia
Dartmouth (+1) vs Cornell

YESTERDAY 2-3 WEEK TO DATE 10-17-3 YEAR 10-17-3

Random Thought 2/18

I know there are some people out there who really dislike the movie "Cool Runnings". I just don't want to be associated with those types of people.

Picks of the Day 2/17

Since I have stopped betting on sports, I am going to post my daily picks and track how I am doing over the course of the year.

Finally a solid betting session, I was starting to feel like William H. Macy in "The Cooler" these past couple of days with my losing streak. Last night I went 3-1-2, and should have gone 4-1-1 had Canisius covered. How do you lose by 12 points in overtime?

COLLEGE HOOPS
Marquette (-7.5) vs Lousville
Coll. of Charleston (+1) @ Wofford
Duke (-12) @ Va. Tech
East. Kentucky (-3) vs SE Missouri St
Portland (-4) vs San Franscisco

YESTERDAY 3-1-2 WEEK TO DATE 8-14-3 YEAR 8-14-3

Random Thought 2/17

I wonder if jean shorts will ever come back in style.

UNC vs Virginia

UNC vs UVA

I am going to be doing my reviews of UNC hoops on a game-by-game basis. This will help me post more on my blog as well as keep the memories fresh in my readers’ heads assuming they actually watch the game too.

ESPN decided to run this game as an ESPN Classic, complete with old school graffics, Doris Burke dressed in 70’s garb reporting from the sidelines, a digitally simulated Afro on Roy Williams and even the occasional “colored boy” reference by commentator Mike Patrick. I got so caught up in the nostalgia that I actually channel-surfed for Empty Nest and Alf at half time.

My favorite quote of the night was “The more shots you take in perfect form, the better your form will be in game situations, that’s all about practice makes perfect, no…perfect practice makes perfect. “ Was George Bush guest-commentating this game?

That quote was from Len Elmore who actually had a fake Afro on, a fact I was unaware of when I wrote the Roy Williams/Afro comment earlier so I decided to keep that in my post.

As for the actually game itself, Carolina led 39-24 at the half which is no surprise seeing as how they beat Virginia by 74 points at UVA. If my math is correct they should win 78-48 covering the spread (-23) and giving me the much needed fictional “win” in my dismal picks of the day.

Quote of the second half, again by Len Elmore…”the last thing you want to do if you are a scholarship player is have a walk-on dunk on you”.

Ladies and Gentlemen we have our first Caucasian sighting of the night with 3 minutes left in the game. That has to be a good sign for my bet…….3 minutes later, final score 85-61 proving once again how incredibly accurate the Vegas odds makers are.

Next up Clemson on Saturday.

Arrasian Foolishness - A Look at the Mid-Majors

First off, thanks to my dear, dear Cousin for allowing me a weekly chance to grace his small, yet brilliant corner of the Internet. I am eternally grateful. May God bless your life with many healthy sons!

OK, since the theme of the moment seems to be college basketball, and I consider myself something of a mid-major fan, or even, dare I say, a guru, let's have a look at the little guys in what might be their best year yet.

Note: if you read Bracketology and Bubble Watch, I got nothing for you. Read no further. And if you don't read Bracketology, I have no respect for you, and don't want you to read this. Press the restart button on your computer immediately! (I'd swear at you, but I haven't noticed EA swearing too much, and I don't think it's my role to set any obscenity precedents on this blog.)

Another note: Those of you who have watched any March Madness with me know about my Archives. Unfortunately, I think they're at Old Home right now, so all my historical references will be random, undated, and probably incorrect.

MAC
Anyway, I was at the Buffalo - Kent State game last night. (Sounds like the opening line of a bad joke, but I'm serious. I love the mid-majors.) The MAC is as good as ever, and once again underrated. The MVC is solid, but the MAC is a great conference with unbelievable parity. Once again, they're beating up on each other and what should always be at least a two-bid conference is, as always, at most a two-bid conference. Buffalo is a deep team with a star (Turner Battle), a couple glue guys (Calvin Cage and Danny "Hustle" Gilbert) and some big white guys who can make lay-ups. You would not want to play this team in the first round. But they won't be getting an at-large unless they win out and beat some teams in the MAC tourney. Meanwhile, Kent State is solid as usual. They've got a couple Chevon Troutman* clones who play VERY physical. Almost Big East like. We're talking more physical than the finesse game of the ACC. And in this league, everybody except the big white guys and the bruisers can shoot the ball. Actually, half the big guys can hit a 3. Miami, with a 25 RPI, has to be in, right? Miami v. Wichita St = MUST SEE bracket buster.

MVC
Ah, my old favorite, ever since the great run by SW Missouri St to the Elite Eight (a guess, I won't even try the year. See note above). Southern Illinois is the conference's best program. Fear the Salukis. Wichita St gets the other bid, but watch out for Northern Iowa or Creighton if they win the conference tournament.

WCC
With the downswing of the PAC-10, Gonzaga is the best team on the west coast, and Ronny Turiaf is the best player. Seattle Chris tells me Gonzaga owns the state of Washington for recruiting now. They are here to stay. And they are bringing their conference with them. The WCC is to the west coast what the MAC is to the northeast and the MVC is to the midwest.

Big West
Utah St had a little cinderella run a few years back, then got screwed by the committee last year. They'll be tough if they win the conference bid. Pacific = sweet 16, at least.

Others
Vermont - Coppenrath = Szcerbiak, perhaps? Opened season with a loss by only 7 in Kansas. Always keep an eye on teams that shred their conference. Any conference.

Holy Cross - Patriot league often sends a 15 or 16 seed, but they aren't too bad this year. Holy Cross is running away from Bucknell, who beat St. Joe's in Philly and Pitt in Pitt.

Old Dominion - Beat Kent State. Beat St. Joe's (outside of the A-10, who hasn't?). Great conference record. Remember Coach Dukie Capel and VCU's gutsy first round effort last year? Same conference.

Western Kentucky - You have to like the Hilltopper's cameos in This is Sportscenter a few years back.

Wisc-Milwaukee - Horizon league is always tough. Butler is one of my favorites, but after 4 great years, they've dropped off and Wisc-Mil is back to take their place.

Texas Southern - Haha! Gotcha! They suck!


Boy! What a waste of time that was! For both of us!


*Chevon Troutman's mother's name is Gayanne. So is his sister's.

Picks of the Day

Since I have stopped betting on sports, I am going to post my daily picks and track how I am doing over the course of the year.

You know its a bad gambling week when the Bulls of the University of Buffalo account for 40% of your correct picks.

College Hoops
UNC (-23) vs UVA
SIU (-2) @ Ill. St
Penn St. (+20) vs Illinois
Canisius (+12) @ Niagara

NBA
Indiana (-4.5) vs Portland
Sacramento (PK) @ NJ.

YESTERDAY 1-2-1 WEEK TO DATE 5-13-1 YEAR 5-13-1

Random Thought 2/16

Do you think the resurgence of Kiefer Sutherland as a superstar actor could lead to the possible "Young Guns III" movie being released? I would cast John Stamos as the deadly sidekick with an alcohol problem and have John Woo direct. If that isn't a recipe for success I don't know what is.

Picks of the Day 2/15

Since I have stopped betting on sports, I am going to post my daily picks and track how I am doing over the course of the year.

Take my bets and bet the opposite...another rough night. I am undefeated (1-0) in the Southern conference...so I got that going for me, which is nice.

COLLEGE HOOPS
Providence (+3) vs Uconn
Buffalo (-4) vs Kent St.
Kentucky (-4) @ South Car.


NBA
Denver (-4) @ Atlanta

YESTERDAY 1-4-0 WEEK TO DATE 4-11-0 YEAR 4-11-0

Random Thought 2/15

Do you think people who type "rofl" in IM conversations are actually rolling on the floor while laughing? That would have to be a pretty funny joke.

Random Thought 2/14

I think the phrase "balls to the wall" is under-utilized.

Picks of the Day 2/14

Since I have stopped betting on sports, I am going to post my daily picks and track how I am doing over the course of the year.

Boy did I take it on the chin last night.....

COLLEGE HOOPS
Kansas (-3) @ Texas Tech
Cuse (-6) vs Pitt
App. St (-6) vs Fulman
Elon (-1) vs Wofford

NBA
Wash (-5) @ NO


YESTERDAY 1-4-0 WEEK TO DATE 3-7-0 YEAR 3-7-0

Retirement Party

Stockton and Malone. Could they possibly be the most boring Hall of Fame combination in the history of the NBA?

Seriously, ESPN should take an insta-poll and ask fans which HOF duo was the most exciting to ever play together? I would be suprised if they got more than 2% of the votes. Jordan-Pippen, Magic-Kareem, Kobe-Shaq and Malone-Stockton. One of these pairs does not belong.

Have you ever met a huge Karl Malone fan? I haven't. I have also never heard the question "Wow, did you catch that exciting Jazz game last night?".

I don't really have a point to this message by the way, I just think that the popularity of Malone will always be followed by the mention of Stockton and this will always remind me of how monotonous and un-spectacular their play was.

I like Reggie Miller, but he is in the same category as Malone. The category is "future hall of famers that you would have to pay me to watch".

UNC Week in Review

UNC WEEK IN REVIEW

Game # 1 UNC @ Duke

I really hate Duke. I can’t stand them. Nothing makes me happier to see them lose. The problem is, they rarely do. So when UNC opened up as 3.5 point favorites, I was elated. Could this be the year that my boys take down the Dukies at Cameron indoor stadium? Of course not.

On the plus side I did win my special prop bet on the game. I took the over (12) on “the number of times Dickie V. refers to Ray Felton as ‘Everyone loves Raymond’ Felton”.

The game itself was not that exciting except for the last few minutes which will haunt me for years to come. 29 points in the first half, 23 turnovers and only 10 assists the whole game, former leading scorer Jawad Williams with a powerful 2 pts, 3 boards, 2 assists line and Carolina still had the ball down 1 with time on the clock. Duke teams in the past would have been up 20 at this point but the Tar Heals hung in there and kept it close with solid performances by Felton and Sean May.

The final play was perhaps the worst 18 seconds of my life. It was designed for Rashad McCants (3-13 from the floor, 1-8 from 3 pt range by the way) to come off a screen and shoot a 3 for the win. What actually happened was JJ “token white guy on Duke that everyone hates” Reddick cut off the pass from Felton, who decided to pick up his dribble on top of the key and pass to David Noel who proceeded to dribble out of bounds without getting a shot off. Duke 71, UNC 70. It was like watching the Washington Generals lose their 1200th straight to the Globetrotters. So painful, yet so expected.

Now, I am not a basketball expert and have no coaching experience, but why go for a three pointer when you are only down one point? Why set up a play for someone who is having a terrible shooting night? How can Noel (4.8 pts/game) even be on the floor at this critical point in the game? Felton was driving with ease, May was dominating down low……….you know what? I am just going to stop right now. The game is over, there is nothing I can do about it. Technically even if the game wasn’t over, I couldn’t do anything about it either but lets move on.

Couple quick questions/thoughts I had after the game.
Do you think Steve Wojciechowski slaps the floor after he hooks up with chicks? Kind of like a victory celebration? That would be hilarious if he does.
How large is Sheldon Williams forehead? Very large would be my answer.
Has there ever been a likeable white guy on Duke? Cherokee Parks was close, although I think he might have been Native American.
I think a Dick Vitale Bobble-head night would be pretty cool.


Game #2 UNC @ Uconn.

Without leading scorer Rashad Anderson, UConn didn’t really have a chance in this one. Hence, UNC was favored by a ridiculous 10-point margin, a bet that as you can see from my fictional picks of the day column, I lost. The game itself was relatively entertaining although the Heels began to dominate as the Huskies lack of depth started to show…I think I even saw Jake Voskul on the court for a few minutes. Final score, UNC 77, UConn 70.

Some good signs from Carolina in this game: Jawad Williams finally showed up for the game at one point scoring 8 straight, finishing with a game high 17. Felton stepped it up as well with 10 dimes and only 2 turnovers. David Noel hit his one and only shot of the game, proving that he is capable of actually throwing the ball towards the rim and making it.

Overall, the Heels went 1-1 but with Duke losing to Maryland Saturday, Carolina can win out and hopefully take the #1 seed for the ACC tourney. (Wake would need to lose @ Duke for this to happen).

Up this week, Virginia and Clemson at home.

Tomorrow, I will have my take on the upcoming Karl Malone/Reggie Miller retirements.

Random Thought of the Day 2/13

Hell for me would be playing a never-ending game of "Catch Phrase" with Carrot Top, Landon from Real World Philadelphia, and the entire cast of those "Gellin' commercials.

Picks of the Day 2/13

Since I have stopped betting on sports, I am going to post my daily picks and track how I am doing over the course of the year.

College Hoops
UNC -10 @ UConn
Georgia Tech -7 vs NC State
Rutgers +7 @ Providence

NBA
Sacramento PK @ Boston
Phoenix -10 @ Golden State

YESTERDAY 2-3-0
LAST WEEK 0-0-0
YEAR 0-0-0

Random Thought of the Day 2/12

I think cockfights should be legal.

I just tried to hyphenate cock-fights…but Microsoft Word’s automatic spell check told me that I was wrong. That is awesome. It is good to see that the company recognizes the lost art of rooster fighting.

(Ed. Note- if you type in Cock-fights are illegal, Word will underline cock-fights with a green line indicating a grammatical error not spelling error.)

Picks of the Day 2/12

Since I have stopped betting on sports, I am going to post my daily picks and track how I am doing over the course of the year.

College Hoops

Michigan +9.5 vs Mich. State
Buffalo -5.5 vs Ball State
Syracuse +4 @ Villanova
Duke -2.5 @ Maryland

NBA

Washington +8 @ Detroit


YESTERDAY 0-0-0
LAST WEEK 0-0-0
YEAR 0-0-0

First Post

This is my first post on my blog. I have set this site up so that others might enjoy my random thoughts, views and opinions. I am currently hungover from last night's activities so therefore this first post will not be funny, entertaining or interesting. And for that I apologize.