Deliverance

Opening thought: Deliverance has no special meaning, it's the song I'm currently listening to, courtesy of Bubba Sparxx. The best part of the song is definitely the beginning with the guitar introduction. Actually, the best parts of Bubba's songs are the beginning, which usually isn't a good thing. I guess it makes you listen. Deliverance is his best song from start to finish, if you don't count each of the rhymes he came up with for College Gameday not this year but the year before. I was disappointed when he only had a generic version that was used every week.

Tonight, I'm in one of those moods to go through my playlist and hear some music I haven't heard in awhile, awhile being like a month. Radio play actually hasn't been too bad lately, including the Top 15 stations (c'mon, they're not Top 40 because they play the same 15 songs all day, which is why you're able to hear your favorite Mario song at least 5 times a day). But, in my opinion, my playlist, as does probably yours, blows the radio out of the water. Tomorrow is Friday, and thank goodness it is, but the work doesn't stop. The first exam of the new year looms next Friday, so this weekend it will be time to start preparing. Add that to an exam the Tuesday after next Friday, an oral report, and other research that has to be done, let the fun begin!!!!

Let's talk hoops:

• Michigan St. 64, Michigan 53. The Spartans will get their shot at Illinois next week in front of the Izzone (which is the most overrated student section in the country; where were they before Tom Izzo???). Michigan is in trouble, and are looking at the NIT unless they turn it around.
• Cleveland St. 77, Butler 57. What has happened to Butler??? Ever since they thrashed Miami to go 3-0, they've fallen off the face of the Earth. The stat of the night would be when was the last time Butler lost to Cleveland St.???
• Georgia Tech 102, Wake Forest 101. Maryland last night and Georgia Tech tonight have rescued their respective seasons. 30 for Will Bynum, 23 for Jarrett Jack, and 17 for Isma'il Muhammad, and only 8 for Chris Paul. This game wasn't televised in my local area, so I missed the offensive fireworks. Tech was due for a breakout offensive game and they got it shooting 54% from the floor, 43% from 3. When B.J. Elder comes back, and if he's 100%, this team is a national championship contender. The question for Wake Forest remains, can they play consistent, intense defense?
• Arizona 91, Washington 82. This game was televised, and I'm glad it was. Both teams played hard and showed they are quality teams. Arizona is not the immature, inconsistent bunch they were last year. They play together and their turnaround is signified by Salim Stoudamire's going from a pouter to a leader. Channing Frye gets his touches inside, and offensively they are quite a bit better than they were earlier in the year. Washington showed they are much more than their leader, Nate Robinson. I love watching him play. He gets as high off the floor as centers do that are a foot taller than him. If his shot can come around, he'll be a one man wrecking crew. But the Huskies get after it, they have balance, they rebound with abandon, and they may be the best transition team in all of college basketball. They get the ball up the floor and finish. I can't wait for the rematch.
• Virginia Tech 79, Virginia 73. Just as they did in football, Virginia Tech is making some noise in basketball. Like The U, they were Big East doormats that now suddenly find themselves in the top half of the ACC. 4-2 in the conference, they get a chance to prove their worth Sunday night at Cameron Indoor.

In The Apprentice, the collegians came back with a resounding victory over the high schoolers. Despite losing Verna to exhaustion and who knows what else was going on with her, their refurnishing of a Seaside Heights, NJ motel drew better reviews from consumers than the high schoolers. Brian, the project manager for the high schoolers, had no budget, decided to get rid of good, servicable toilets, yelled at everyone, and got fired.

Again, I don't think I'll be staying up for tennis tonight, even though it's Roddick v. Hewitt in the men's semifinals. Hewitt will have the Aussies rocking, and the two don't get along too well. They've had some great matches in the past. If it's anything like Federer/Safin last night, it'll be a classic. Marat Safin, the high strung Russian, played the match of his life and beat Federer in 5 sets that took more than 4 hours. Federer had won his last 26 matches, but Safin, who recently has been more famous for throwing his tennis racket than for winning big matches, had his big backhand working and outlasted the #1 player in the world. Tomorrow night, it's an All-American women's final with Serena Williams taking on Lindsay Davenport, who had no business winning her semifinal last night, coming back to win in 3 sets after playing 2 3-set matches the day before in the grueling heat.

Current song: Bon Jovi, "You Give Love A Bad Name"