Bring on the May flowers

I apologize to all my fans and avid readers out there for not posting in awhile. It's been a busy week, but to make up for it, I'm bringing the meat today!!!

• First, here are some of the long awaited NCAA Tournament pictures, and other pics I found: community.webshots.com/user/mz343
• Ok, reality TV. The Contender is down to 6 as the 2nd round is underway. Sergio and Alfonso won two good fights, defeating Ishe and Ahmed "Hollywood", who was voted back after young Juan quit. The only good thing about Hollywood coming back was seeing his ultra hot girlfriend. The Apprentice is down to 3 as Alex was on the losing side for the 5th straight task. Next week are the interviews, in which I think Kendra and Tana will survive. I don't see Craig doing well in the interview setting. By the way, who charges $53 for a t-shirt???? Survivor is down to 6 as Stefenie got voted off. The other tribe members were DUMB for not voting Tom off. I don't see him losing another immunity challenge. The Amazing Race is down to 4 as the old folks, Gretchen and Meredith are hanging in there with the youngins. I'm rooting for them, as is everyone most likely.
  
• Last Saturday was one of the better days in recent years. First, my boys came over for the NFL Draft where we camped out in front of the TV, played some risk, snacked, drank, and enjoyed one another's company. It's been great becoming friends with everyone in the Econ program, but I've really enjoyed hanging out with the fellas, so Noah, John, Jason, and Randy, thank you for a great year, and here's to a great summer.
• Part 2 of Saturday was reuniting with my Symmes staff from two years ago. Honestly, of all the staffs I've been on, this is the staff where we keep in touch the most and, I believe, are truly there for one another. This isn't a knock on the other staffs I've served on, I love you all, but thank you Symmes Shadies for being there, always. Loveland, Michelle, Mackenzie, and Rachel especially, you 4 I consider best friends, thank you for reciprocating those same feelings back, I am very grateful.
  
• Tuesday night was the get-together with some of the Econ professors uptown at Steinkeller and oh boy what a night. Where do I begin? There was Prof. Even getting drunk and coming up with funny license plate combinations. Then there was the debate between Prof. Dunleavy, John, Noah, and I on what constitued a sport. Prof. Dunleavy tried to argue that buying penny stocks was equivalent to playing golf, I really don't see that. Then, there was John just going off and trying to get Dunleavy and Even to understand his joke. There was me, eating my grilled porkchop and 7-layer chocolate cake. Not as good as Macchiano's, but I'm not complaining. And, there was Prof. Granderson, "Umm, yeah, this is what I ordered basically." In true Granderson fashion, haha.
• Today after micro class, Prof. Sullivan showed his musical side by playing his guitar and singing about health care, Chrysler, and economics. Highlights include, "I get a little help from my graphs"and "I have the utility-interdependence blues". What other professor sings on the last day of class? This is why economics is the best.
• I'm trying really hard to get into the NBA playoffs, but it's just not the same as March Madness. The series are too long, the officiating is absolutely horrendous, and the fans have no idea what's going on.
• A certain team that will be hoisting the Super Bowl trophy had a good draft by getting Cedric Benson, Mark Bradley, and Kyle Orton in the 4th round, a team known as DAAAA BEARS, and coached by a certain Coach DITKAAAAA (well in spirit).
• Before I forget, congratulations to all of my old Reid residents who will be graduating next weekend. Best of luck to you all and continue to keep in touch.
• Nothing new to report on the job search, I'll keep you posted.
• Katie Holmes is now #1 on my hot list, edging out Keri Russell since she's now romantically linked to Tom Cruise. Let's just say Katie looks gooooood in her Jackie O sunglasses. I can't wait to get a job and move so I can start anew, meet some new people and look to start dating again. Not that there's anything wrong with the old, but the joy of single life is starting to get old. You can only live on stares and smiles from other girls while you run or while you're out and about for so long.
  
• 2 more pounds were lost and could not be found last week, so I'm down to 210, which makes 10 pounds in 6 weeks, 15 since Winter Break. Running outside, in the elements, up and down the hills does the trick.
  

If you're curious, most of the drama of finals week has taken place for me. All that remains for me is a paper due Monday and macro final on Tuesday. Then, it's just the exit paper and whatever else may remain out there.

Song of the Night: "Automatic" Pointer Sisters (seen them in concert)

He has tremendous upside.

Get ready to hear that sentence repeated time and time again this weekend as the NFL Draft is quickly closing in. This is Mel Kiper's Super Bowl as for this weekend 40 times, shuttle cone drills, vertical leaps and other physical attributes become more important than how someone plays football. The NFL are actually much better evaluators of talent than the NBA (the word of the month of June is "potential). These characteristics are important, but if you can play, know how to play and know how to win, that's more important in my book than if you benched 225 pounds 2 more times than the other guy. But, as I said earlier, this is a welcome distraction from baseball boredom and I'm looking forward to it. I just don't want to hear the words, "The Chicago Bears select Cadillac Williams from Auburn University." A running back or wide receiver, preferably Ronnie Brown/Braylon Edwards. I'd be happy with Mike Williams, I'd be ok with Cedric Benson.

Anyway, what else is going on:

• Last night, I joined up with some friends and went to the Reds/Pirates game. We got some club level tickets off the street for $15 each ($50 face value). It was nice, let me tell ya. We had food orders taken for us, we were right behind home plate and it was a beautiful evening, couldn't beat it. I don't mind going to baseball games, it's fun to chill and be outside. It just doesn't make me jump out of my seat like Illinois's comeback vs. Arizona, Ted Ginn's Alamo Bowl run, or Tiger Woods chip. Baseball lacks that sense of urgency that is present in other sports, and I love feeling the sense of urgency when I'm watching a game.
• Tonight's Reality TV recap begins with Janu's quitting Survivor, allowing Stephenie to stay alive. Here's a question: Why do you give up a 1 in 8 shot of winning a million dollars??? Did Janu already have her own tv show/book deal lined up??? I'm not a big fan of people like that, people who say "I'm satisfied" when they realistically could've done more. If you give it everything you've got and there's nothing else you can do, then you can say, "I'm satisfied." But she was going to be kept in the game, Stephenie was gone, but she still quit. Stephenie did a good job of persuading her, evidenced by the little look she gave Coby afterwards. You've gotta do what you gotta do. She lives, what else can you say. The other three girls are deadweight, they really don't deserve to win.
• We're down to the Final 4 in the Apprentice after Bren got the can. Again, Alex and Bren got taken to school in how you meet the consumer's needs. The boys didn't go meet with the Staples people, then Bren didn't know how to form a focus group. You think they would've learned by now. It's going to be tough for Alex to beat Craig, Tana, and Kendra, who are all 2-0 as project managers I believe. Craig is sneaky smart. He's not very communicative, but he's very calculating and shrewd.

Along with the NFL Draft this weekend, I've got some old friends coming back to Oxford this weekend, specifically from our Symmes Shady staff of a couple of years ago. In honor of that, here are some grand RA stories:

• Reid Hall, Spring 2002, Staff Development. The idea of a Staff Development is to go somewhere and learn something. Well, we didn't really feel like learning anything that night, so after dinner at T.G.I Friday's we went and saw "The Sweetest Thing" featuring Cameron Diaz. You had to have been there to enjoy it as much as we did. That movie holds a special place in my heart.
• Symmes Hall, 2003. Oh goodness, after this semester you would've thought I was a communist RA, writing people up left and right for underage drinking. But, it took longer than usual for the residents to wise up and not get caught. There was the night we had our "hat-trick", 3 alcohol writeups involving more than 80 cans of beer. I made two trips to the hospital. One night, I decided to take a bullhorn on duty and scare everyone. It was a good time. There was the night we went to 105 W. Central's 80s party and Mackenzie, drunk, had her head out the window, yelling as we went by a cop. In addition, the high school kid walking, or more like wobbling down the hall and into the girls' bathroom while holding a bottle of Bud Light. When asked why he was holding the bottle of Bud Light, he replied "I'm just holding it, this is my Bud Light, you can't take it away from me."
  
• Emerson Hall, 2004. Ahhh, my Pit boys, a great bunch of guys. Let's see, we played mud football and I let them make a mess of the 1st floor, getting mud everywhere. But they showered and cleaned it up, so it was all good. We had our bonding moment. There were the nights at McDonalds when Beth became obsessed with my enunciation of the word, "luscious". Then there was the drag race to Columbus for Rent, and on the way Katie Dutton decides to stop in the exit ramp in downtown Columbus, on the interstate. That same day, I decided to dance in a downtown parking lot as we waited for some parent to pick up their kid, so it was my way of relieving stress. Then, that same night, I was caught dancing to some song while I was driving by another resident. There was also the slaying of the stuffed dolphin that got the stuffing everywhere and yours truly had to clean it up. And finally, there was one of my guys, passed out on the basement couch, who once walking back to his room, started rapping out of nowhere. Another one that you had to be there for.

If anyone knows of any other good stories I've left out, please let me know, this is all the memory can conjure up as of now.

"What's more important, the announcement of the new Pope or the NFL Draft?" Response: NFL Draft

That was the question posed on Pardon the Interruption today, and I must say, I can't argue with the response. Does that make me a bad Catholic??? I mean, at least for me, I never looked to the Pope that much or considered him a centerpiece of my faith. So, yeah I'm excited for this new guy, but for me personally, it doesn't dramatically alter or change anything in my life. The NFL Draft, when measured on the grand significance scale, doesn't register with the new Pope, but it is a day I circle on my sports calendar every year. It allows me to forget about the boredom of baseball and pro basketball, while talking college and pro football (and Chris Berman). Considering this is the most important day of football until the Hall of Fame Game in early August, this is a big deal. So, I don't know, but the new Pope is in my prayers, and I hope he doesn't try to become a big political figure. I don't see how politics and the Pope can mix. I see the Pope's job as to provide guidance for us Catholics and to strengthen our faith, not to be an activist.

Anyway, it's been awhile since I've been posted, what can I talk about:

• I went home for the weekend to relax and do a little work, which I accomplished. Friday night was the Miami Spring Game, another nice distraction from baseball boredom. Even though he threw 2 TD passes, thanks to a couple of spectacular catches by Ryne Robinson, I didn't see the improvement from Josh Betts I was looking for. He's still throwing off of his back foot too much and he has no touch on the ball whatsoever. I also purchased my ticket for the Miami/Ohio St. game Sept. 3rd, so no matter where I end up, I'll be finding a way to get to Columbus for the game.
• That provides a nice transition into the job search. Nothing substantial has happened, but the list of cities where I've applied now includes: Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia, Cleveland, New York, and Boston. No East Coast bias, there just isn't anything on the West Coast as of yet.
• It was a good night of reality TV for me last Thursday. First, in Survivor, everyone came together and Coby was the first to go. Mr. Know-It-All was getting on my nerves. Then, young, rich, talented, but obnoxious Chris was fired after he and his boys created a very boring Pontiac Ad. He, Alex, and Bren were all terrible in some aspect, but Chris had been in the boardroom 7 straight times. There's no getting around that. Chris was arrested last week for disorderly conduct when he refused to pay a cover fee to get into a casino. In typical Chris fashion, he got in an argument with the bouncer and lost his cool. I'm not jealous of his money whatsoever, at least I have class and a temper. Props to Kendra for pulling the all-nighter and getting the win. I'm really rooting for her to win. Tana regressed in my book for going to bed, then trying to steal Kendra's thunder. I'm not a fan of that.
• Continuing with The Apprentice, the reward was getting to go to Madison Square Garden, meet Isiah Thomas and some of the Knicks, and play some ball. I would give anything for that, seriously. Just 1 3-man weave, and I'd die happy. This led me into thinking my Top 10 places I'd like to see a sporting event before I die.
• 2008 U.S. Open at Bethpage (rent an RV, spend the night, play the course, then come back and watch the Open)
• U.S. Open tennis night match at Arthur Ashe stadium
• Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University
• Madison Square Garden, Big East Tournament (maybe this can happen if I get that NYC job hehe)
• Wrigley Field
• Soldier Field (Daaaaa Bears)
• Yankee Stadium (no Fenway because I don't think I can deal with Red Sox fans right now)
• Orange Bowl, The U vs. Florida St., I swear there's no louder stadium in the country when it's full for a primetime game, I hope it never gets torn down
• Army/Navy, wherever it is, the Greatest rivalry in sports
• Alpe D'Huez, Tour De France, the Super Bowl of cycling, camp out and party with the natives, then claim a switchback, paint ARMSTRONG on the road (even though he'll be retired) and watch the epic battle on the mountain take place
• Speaking of the man, Lance announced his retirement from cycling, which will happen after this year's Tour. I think this is a good move for him. It will take him somewhat out of the public eye, allow him to be a father and the cancer spokesman I think he wants to be. It's a sad day when one of your heroes announces he's retiring, but for him, I hope he kicks butt in the Tour to give everyone a nice goodbye present. You know that's what he's thinking. We'll see how his training is going from his performance in the upcoming Tour of Georgia.
• Maybe the most exciting news is that I've dropped 8 pounds in the last 5 weeks, 13 pounds since Winter break. As part of my interview strategy, in order to "dress to impress", it wouldn't hurt if I trimmed down as much as possible. The warmer weather and running outside is really going to help the cause. And to show how serious I am about this, I've gone back to crackers and now have Sugar Free Kool-Aid. There is no pop in my apartment currently and I'm reading nutrition labels like its my job. So, watch out!!!
• I played 9 holes at Hueston Woods, where again the wind was up. My long and iron game were ragged at best with my short game saving me. Let's just say my golf swing had the rhythm of an average dancing white boy (of course, not including me haha).
• And, in tonight's Amazing Race, Lynn and Alex were eliminated as they went to the wrong palace, which allowed Meredith and Gretchen to stay alive. I love it that the elderly are still alive and are one of the Final 4. I also love it that Lynn and Alex are gone and I don't have to hear them complain about Rob and Amber anymore. You guys weren't much better yourselves.

Alrighty, I think that's it, have a good one everybody.

"Sooner or later, love is going to get ya...."

Tonight's title is the song of the day as well. I definitely you recommend you downloading it (legally, of course). I believe the song is sung by The Monsters.

Here are some random thoughts (since that's pretty much all I've got):

• I've gotten back into Jeopardy as the 2nd round of the Ultimate Tournament of Champions began tonight. Eventually, the 2 who survive this tournament of 135 past winners get their shot at Ken Jennings, Jeopardy God. I used to be a frequent watcher of Jeopardy as I did Academic Challenge/Quiz Bowl in high school. I was pretty good I guess. My strengths were in math, geography, history, current events, pop culture, and sports. I played up on Varsity my last two years, the last helping winning a league championship and a semifinal apperance in the WHIO-TV High Q competition. Yes, yours truly came into your living room Sunday mornings 4 times during my senior year. In our first game, we got a Rapid Fire (try to answer 15 questions in 1 minute) on Sports Coaches. So, yes, I ran the category until the last question was said incorrectly so I didn't get it. But yeah, Jeopardy is back in the daily routine and I've done ok on it so far, I think I could be competitive with some of these people.
• Tonight, as I finished some grading I had to do, I found an Internet Radio Station out of St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada that maybe the best Oldies station I've heard in awhile. Locally, Mojo 94.9 and Oldies 103.5 suffice, but this station played some songs I hadn't heard for a long time. This station does a great job of blending pop, Motown, and classic rock, mixing it up nicely. I'm still listening currently and honestly, it has only played maybe 2 bad songs at most in the last 3 hours with NO REPEATS!!!!!
  
• The first 2 resumes went out today and more will keep going out the next couple of days. I won't list where until something actually happens, but I will keep you posted as I start the process for real. I actually have time to do some hardcore searching since my micro paper is in pretty good shape for next Wed.
• I will be participating in the Red Brick Run 5K Sunday morning. My workouts have been going really well, so I'm going to throw myself in the fire. This will be a good test to see where I am because my worst runs are usually in the morning, so subjecting myself to race pace when I don't want to will be interesting.
• Friday night is the Spring Game here at Miami. It's not like spring games at Ohio St., Florida, etc., but it draws a nice crowd, and it's something to look forward to during baseball season. I will be purchasing my Ohio St./Miami tickets (Sat., Sept. 3rd), which is also very exciting. In addition, Miami's football schedule was released today. Besides Ohio St., the Battle for the Victory Bell in Oxford between Miami and Cincinnati will be a Wed. night tilt on ESPN2, followed by a Tues. road game at Northern Illinois. ESPN2 will also return for a weekday game Nov. 15th when Bowling Green comes to town. I will never forget ESPN2's first 2 trips to Oxford 2 years ago. The first TV game was vs. BG, ranked 19th at the time. It was 70 degrees on a November night, a sell-out, the student sections filled 90 min. before gametime, and yours truly was helping leading the cheering. The next week, it was Marshall in high winds that threatened to blow the portable light towers down. Those who stayed the whole game will never forget that first division championship in 18 years as beat up on those terds from Huntington.
• Jermaine O'Neal's assertions that an age limit for the NBA are racist are groundless and ignorant. The NBA and the game of basketball NEED this age limit. As successful as LeBron James, Amare Stoudamire, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, and Kevin Garnett have been, there are the guys you haven't heard of for good reason, because they weren't ready. Players like Kendrick Perkins, J.R. Smith, Korelone Young, Omar Cook, Chris Washburn, William Avery, and countless others could have used more or at least some college. Basketball can only benefit with the institution of the age requirement.
• Did you catch what happened in Italy during the ACMilan/InterMilan soccer game??? In a UEFA Champions Cup quarterfinal, AC Milan was on its way to victory when the opposing fans tried to take matters into their own hands. They started throwing lit flares, yes, flares at AC Milan's goalie, one striking him in the shoulder, burning him. The game had to be suspended. First of all, who brings flares to a sporting event???? I can't recall ever seeing flares at an American sporting event. European soccer and the passion behind it is something I, and most Americans will never understand.
  
• Britney Spears is pregnant; god help her kid. Hopefully, somehow, someway, that child turns out ok.

By the way, I could listen to this radio station all night. Canada is good for something I guess.

"I only learned sign language for this competition."

Tonight was the annual Miss USA pageant, held in Baltimore this time around. I've watched this, honestly, since I was 6. If you know me, anything to do with geography I liked, so that's why I watched first. Plus, it used to be on during a Friday night in the fall so my mom and I watched, waiting for the following high school football scoreboard to see if my dad's team won or not. This was back in the day when Bob Barker used to host, another reason why I got into it. I'm a sucker for interesting things and to see the guy that hosts the Price Is Right in the morning come back and host a beauty pageant in the evening, the beauty pageant must be big. I don't like to miss big events, so I watched.

So, here's a recap of tonight's pageant:

• My Miss USA predictions were better than my bowl game picks and NCAA bracket. 8 of my Top 15 made it to the 2nd round. Sadly, my #1, Virginia, didn't even make it that far. Brunette, gorgeous, she was robbed. The biggest surprise was Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, if you look up the word "anorexia", her picture is next to it. She was as thin as a rail, and wasn't attractive at all. She made it to the Top 10 as did hometown favorite Maryland, but even being the hometown pick wasn't enough to save her from her the horrid evening gown she wore. Arkansas and West Virginia didn't make it to the Top 10, even though I had them in my top 10 in the evening gown.
  
• 3 of my Top 5 made it to the final round (Florida, Kentucky, Illinois). I liked North Carolina, but she looked uncomfortable in her swimsuit, so I thought that would drop her down. California was a ditz, sorry. She didn't impress me at all. When asked a question about her knowing sign language, her response was, "I don't know sign language that well, I only learned it for this competiton." SHE MIGHT AS WELL HAVE BEEN A DUMB BLONDE!!! She admits that she only learned sign language to look good for the judges. PLLLLLLLLEASE!!! Then comes Illinois, who is smoking hot and is asked about her experience with alligators. "Umm, yeah, we went on this boat, ummm, and there were alligators, umm, yeah, in the water all around us, yeah, and, umm, they were scary, hahahaha." Borrowing from my good friend, "How many blow jobs did she have to give to get this far?"
  
• So my Top 5 was Florida (started her own business, intelligent, likes football, and gorgeous), North Carolina (smart, kind, basketball fan, girl next door cuteness), Kentucky (beautiful, average intelligence), Illinois (all looks, no brains), and California (how is she in the last 5). The actual finishing order was North Carolina, California, Kentucky, Illinois, Florida. How Florida finished behind California and Illinois, I'll never know. Florida, if you come up to Oxford, I'll marry you right now.
  

And, some other pageant notes:

• There were 3 18-year olds, yikes!
  
• In the opening dance number (where there was no real dancing), Hawaii had trouble executing a simple spin.
• Delaware had the worst camera presence. I didn't know you could bob your head that many times in 5 seconds.
• Wisconsin's hair was the worst. Maybe that's why she won Miss Congeniality; the other girls felt sorry for her and her hair.
• Oklahoma is a student at Francis Tuttle Vo-Tech, whatever that is. I don't think they have much of an athletic program, that's just a hunch.
  
• The reigning Miss USA is HOTTTTT
• Bob Barker needs to come back and be the host.
• The pageant as a whole is no longer much of a pageant. The interview competition is gone, there's just the final question. And there were 10 judges?!?!?! I was glad to see Raj from the last Apprentice though, I like his charisma.

Let's see, since I last posted, Tiger Woods won his 4th Masters. His chip in on 16 was unbelievable, and you knew with his sense of history, he wasn't missing that birdie putt in the playoff since that was the same putt Sandy Lyle and Phil Mickelson had in previous years. He'll win at St. Andrews later this year since he can get away with wild drives. I think he'll contend at Pinehurst, but I like my man Phil to win since he came oh so close there 6 years ago. Kudos to Chris DiMarco for competing as hard as he did and providing the drama on the Back Nine. Seriously, Augusta's Good Ol' Boys need to start the TV coverage earlier. 2 of the most exciting hours of golf were unseen.

Finally, on a more serious note, I'd like to send my prayers to the family and friends of the victims of the house fire here in Oxford. That's not the way someone's life should come to an end, especially for the 2 seniors who were a month from graduating. I couldn't imagine losing a friend, whom I'd known for the past 4 years, and not be with them at graduation. So please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

"You know this is your gala day?" "Well, I can only handle one gal a day, two would be too much!"

The above quote is taken from "Duck Soup", which features the Marx Brothers. The Marx Brothers define comedy. Before Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, John Belushi, even Bob Hope, there were the Marx Brothers. They didn't have to be rude, crude, or over the top, they were just funny being themselves. Yes, I realize their heyday was the 1930s, but classics never die.

Last night in Survivor, Ulong was reduced to one as Stephanie beat Bobby Jon in an immunity challenge at tribal council. Ulong should be added to ESPN's list of the 25 Worst Teams in the last 25 years. In the Apprentice, Net Worth lost for the 6th consecutive time as they failed to effectivelly market their new line of American Eagle clothing. Chris lost the credit card, but Angie got the boot as her presentation sounded like something you would hear in a high school speech class. 6 remain, and I have to say Tana is the favorite. She's 2-0 as a project manager, knows how to lead and be a team player.

In the Masters, first-round play was barely completed before the threat of lightning suspended play for the rest of the day. Chris DiMarco and David Howell lead, Vijay Singh is one back, Phil Mickelson (go Phil!!!) is three back, while Tiger Woods is seven back after running into some bad luck in his 1st round. The forecast looks good for the weekend, so the tournament should finish on Sunday.

That's all I got tonight. Any subject requests for future posts, let me know.

I like that sweet music

Tonight, I'm going to dive into my interesting and differing tastes for music. I'm going to try and come up with different moods that I find myself in and match them with the appropriate song.

Best Day Ever: "Oh Happy Day", Sister Act 2. When all is right in the world, what better way to celebrate life and be thankful for it is to listen to a little gospel.

Get Happy: "I Can't Help Myself", Four Tops. If you find yourself kinda down, listen to this or any Four Tops/Temptations song and you'll find yourself smiling and forgetting about what's getting you down.

When You're Falling in Love: "My Boo", Usher and Alicia Keys. This song emphasizes the little things in life. When you're with someone, all that matters is that awesome feeling that fills you up inside when you're around them or just thinking about them.

When You're Frustrated With a Relationship: "Set Me Free", the Supremes. Perfect song for releasing all your frustrations that have built up inside. It makes you feel stronger that you're doing the right thing and there's something better out there for you.

Ultimate Slow Dance Song: "I'll Make Love To You", Boyz II Men. As this song plays, you find yourself trading off dancing for cuddling, holding, and eventually kissing. It leads to one of those Teddy P moments, "close the door, dim the lights...."

Dance In Your Chair Song: "The Way You Move", Outkast. You start stomping your feet, then the rhythm enters your hands and you start clapping to the beat. Then you find yourself bobbing your head. Before you know it, you're dancing and moving every part of your body possible, while still in your chair.

Get Pumped/Ready to Go Out Song: "Shut Up", Black Eyed Peas. By the time this song is over, you feel like you're out already. In addition, this song has to appear somewhere since I have some history with it. Those who know me know what I'm talking about. If you don't, I'll fill you in.

Stress-Reliever Song: "I Hate Myself For Lovin' You", Joan Jett. Think of the commercial with the frog with only the drums playing in the background. If you're stressed, just bang something or hit something really hard that goes the drum rhythm. You'll feel better afterward, trust me.

Roll Down Your Window/Turn Up the Bass Song: "Disco Inferno", 50 Cent. I don't think I need to explain why, it's that type of song.

That Song You Don't Like But You Still Listen To: "2 Legit 2 Quit", M.C. Hammer. Oh come on, you know you liked Hammer when you were in elementary school, don't deny it.

When You're Outside Just Relaxing: "My Cherie Amour", Stevie Wonder. If only I had a little porch, these last couple of days I would have sat outside and listened to Stevie Wonder. No other artist relaxes me more.

Ok, so that's just a sample. If you hadn't already guessed, I prefer Motown because of its smoothness and soul, Disco because of its funk and quick beats, 80s music because it's original, old-school hip-hop because of the beat and the flow to it, and some rap/pop if it's good quality, creative, and doesn't have that bubble gum sound to it if it's pop, or if it's too gangsta rap.

I like some alternative, but not a lot because as I've found, I like music that's got that underlying bass to it that keeps it altogether. With a lot of alternative, it's just a guitar and the guy singing; I need a little more. Country music doesn't fly either with me. The songs tell the dumbest stories in my opinion. Of course, I can't really relate to a lot of the things country music talks about, so that doesn't help either.

Now, this is just my opinion. Don't take it as right or wrong, just my personal taste in music. Maybe we'll talk movies next time.

Much better

Today, it got up to 78 degrees in Oxford, with gorgeous sunshine and a light breeze. It was a good day for me personally as well getting 3 hours of work done with an added bonus. Orange tanktop, blue running shorts, brown hair, 2 hellos and a blush. Thank you, girl we ran past today, for adding extra sunshine to the day. It's safe to say my workout was a good one.

In The Amazing Race, the brothers, Brian and Greg, couldn't overcome being in last and were eliminated. I liked the brothers. They were charismatic, fun-loving, didn't take things too seriously, they were all about having a good time. Rob and Amber won another leg, beating Ron and Kelly in a foot race. I don't know why Kelly thought she had reason to gripe at Ron; Ron did everything today.

Well, today is Day 1 Post College Hoops, but that doesn't mean we can't talk about it. Here's my Preseason Top 10 for next season:

1. Connecticut. The Huskies will be #1 in most, if not all, of the preseason polls next year. Despite losing Charlie Villaneuva to the NBA, UConn still returns Josh Boone, Hilton Armstrong, and Ed Nelson on their front line. Rudy Gay, Denham Brown, and Rashard Anderson return on the wings along with Marcus Williams at the point. Add A.J. Price into the mix, who sat out the year with an injury, and UConn is loaded. They have the experience, the talent, and the depth to win it all. The key will be the continuing development of the young guns and how assertive Armstrong can be inside.

2. Kentucky. Chuck Hayes is gone, and Kelenna Azibuike may be going to the NBA, but the nation's top freshman class from this year is coming back, led by Rajon Rondo at the point. Kentucky will have 9 of their top 11 players back, including Patrick Sparks, who now has a year of SEC basketball under his belt. Tubby Smith will have these guys ready, and they'll be hungry. UK hasn't been to the Final 4 since 1998, a long time for them.

3. Villanova. Seven of Nova's top 8 come back from a team that was, literally, one step from a possible trip to the Elite 8. The shooting of Allen Ray and Randy Foye, the playmaking of Mike Nardi, and the inside play of Curtis Sumpter and Jason Fraser will make Nova a threat to win it all, especially now that they have some confidence and aren't overburdened by the hype surrounding them when they came to Philadelphia.

4. North Carolina. This ranking is based on the assumption that Rashard McCants and either Sean May/Raymond Felton are going pro. Right now, all signs point to Marvin Williams coming back where he would join the other young talent recruited by Roy Williams. Tyler Hansbrough could be Freshman of the Year next year.

5. Duke. It appears that J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams will return for their senior seasons. Sean Dockery and Shavlik Randolph will be healthy, DeMarcus Nelson will be more experienced, and there's already a buzz surrounding incoming freshmen Josh McRoberts. If Duke was a Top 5 team this year with their lack of talent, certainly they will be contending again next year.

6. Oklahoma. Six of Oklahoma's top 7 return from a team that won the Big 12 regular season title. This will be a very experienced bunch, especially now that Taj Gray has a year of major college basketball under his belt.

7. Texas. All-freshman Daniel Gibson returns along with Brad Buckman inside. LaMarcus Aldridge will be healthy, and word is P.J. Tucker will be academically eligible next year. Gibson is good enough by himself to make any team better, but couple that with Buckman finally playing to his potential, Texas will give the Sooners a run in the Big 12.

8. Wake Forest. Will Chris Paul return??? If he does, this team becomes a contender with Justin Gray, Eric Williams, Trent Strickland, and Chris Ellis returning.

9. Michigan St. The Spartans will be preseason Big 10 favorites, with Paul Davis, Shannon Brown, Maurice Ager, and Drew Neitzel returning. Matt Trannon and Delco Rowley give MSU some depth inside and some added experience.

10. West Virginia. Kevin Pittsnogle, Patrick Beilein, J.D. Collins, Joe Herber, Mike Gansey and Frank Young all return for John Beilein, who now will get some of the respect he deserves as a coach. As everyone saw in March, if these guys get hot, they're tough to beat.

Tar Heel Blue and White

So in one calendar year, starting from the 2nd weekend in April last year with Phil Mickelson winning the Masters continuing in October with the Boston Red Sox winning the World Series, and ending with Roy Williams coaching North Carolina to the National Championship, the unlucky losers all won. The Chicago Cubs, Buffalo Bills, and Minnesota Vikings all missed out.

Well, college hoops is done until Midnight Madness in October, let's recap the final game:

North Carolina 75, Illinois 70. As I said last night, if I weren't able to watch the game and the first thing I could look at would be the box score, Raymond Felton's stat line would tell me who won the game. Raymond Felton, 17 points, 7 assists, 4 fouls, 3 rebounds, 2 turnovers, good for a 3.5/1 assist/turnover ratio. By taking care of the ball, Sean May was able to dominate inside at both ends. The big fella had 26 points and 10 rebounds, but it was his presence in the lane that forced Illinois to stay outside and chuck 40 3s. 40 3s?!?!?!?! Whenever Illinois got within 12 feet of the basket, they got scared, which led to the play of the game. Down 2 with 35 sec. left, Luther Head beat his man, but when he got into the lane, he didn't look to score because May was there waiting for him. Instead, he looked to kick out to Dee Brown when Felton stole the pass and drew a foul.

In the 1st half, the most amazing thing happened: Illinois didn't come ready to play. They were flat, showed no emotion, and displayed their worst shot selection of the year. 19 of their 31 field goal attempts were 3s. They didn't even try and go inside. And when they did, James Augustine, Roger Powell, Jack Ingram, and Nick Smith couldn't finish. It was the beginning of a terrible night for Augustine, who looked like the "Wuss" doll in real life. 8 minutes, 5 fouls, 2 rebounds; he didn't look like he wanted to be out there. After May scored on him a couple of times, beating him down the floor somehow and Augustine missed a lefty hook, you could see he was mentally done for the night. Illinois also got outhustled in the 1st half, getting beat to loose balls and not playing the tight perimeter defense they played all year. This allowed Carolina to get their fast break going and be efficient on offense.

Going into the 2nd half, you wondered if Illinois could make one more run and get back in it. The answer was of course: Yes. Illinois was more into it, hitting perimeter shots, stepping up their defense, eventually tying the game. It appeared they were going to find yet another way to pull out a game. But May was too much inside, scoring at will everytime he got the ball in the post. Marvin Williams, the freshman, again made a big play with the go-ahead tip-in with 90 sec. left. And Felton sealed it with his defense and foul shooting in the last minute.

It was a gritty effort by Illinois to come back in the 2nd half the way they did, but their lack of inside production hurt. Yes, Roger Powell played his heart out. The severly undersized power forward scored 9 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. Jack Ingram played well off the bench in an extended role, scoring 11 and grabbing 7 boards. But with no consistent back-to-the-basket threat, Illinois was reduced to relying on the 3 ball, making them one-dimensional and easy to guard. They still almost pulled it off. For North Carolina, they played a pretty complete game, even though they had a couple of lapses. Illinois made their 2nd half runs whenever Sean May didn't get any touches. UNC also survived a pointless 2nd half by Rashard McCants, which usually doesn't happen. Now the question is, how many of UNC's players will go pro??? If they come back, UNC is the odds-on favorite to repeat next year. If they don't, it's wide-open again.

So "One Shining Moment" has played and we're left with major league baseball and pro basketball, ugh. At least the final we all hoped for didn't disappoint. Thank you college hoops for another great season.

Now, my sports focus shifts to the Masters, where it appears Lefty is going to make a run at repeating. Phil Mickelson won his 3rd tournament of the year, winning the BellSouth on the 4th playoff hole.

And yes, it's time for another patented academic comeback by yours truly. It wouldn't be a semester at Miami without one.

The seasons are changing

We have come to that weekend in April I always dread, the end of the college basketball season and the beginning of major league baseball. Why don't I like baseball, after all, it's America's Pasttime. I've been thinking about it too, so let me explain. Yes, my Little League baseball career doesn't even come close to my Future Bolt basketball career. Yes, basketball came a lot easier to me and I had better basketball coaches growing up. But I think I figured out the main reason why I don't like baseball.

Passion, sense of urgency, raw emotion. These are things that are lacking in baseball in my opinion. If I'm playing or watching, the game doesn't become a "great" game unless you find yourself getting caught up in the emotion and the energy of the moment. I get caught up in basketball, football, playoff hockey, tennis, golf, even cycling, but rarely do I find myself getting caught up in a baseball game. I like seeing the struggle on the players' faces, the constant effort and intensity they give, and the heartbreak/enthusiasm they show after the game. You don't see that in baseball until the playoffs whereas in all of the other sports I listed, you can find it on a more regular basis. I love going to baseball games. You can sit out in the sun, chill with your friends and have a good time, but as far as action goes, baseball lacks. When ESPN did their Top 25 games of the past 25 years, how many were baseball games??? I don't think there were anymore than 3 (correct me if I'm wrong, Mets/Red Sox '86, Dodgers/A's '88, Yankees/Red Sox '03). How many football games? (Cal/Stanford '82, Browns/Broncos '87, Miami/Boston College '84, Bills/Giants '91, Rams/Titans '00, Pats/Panthers '04???)

I respect everyone's opinion on the matter; for me, baseball just lacks in so many areas.

In the Contender, the West won the challenge, giving Anthony Bonsante the chance to pick Brent Carroll, not Jimmy Lange, which didn't follow the plan both teams had hammered out. Anthony went with what's best for him, and he TKO'ed Brent in the 3rd round, the first fight not to go the distance. Although I agree with the decision Anthony made, when you agree to something with your teammates, you've gotta let them know right away you're going in another direction. It's fine to go your own way, but you've gotta be a team player and let them know what you're planning on doing.

Well, there's one more game left to play, let's preview it:

• Illinois has won 37 games, tying the record set by Duke in 1986 and 1999 and UNLV in 1987. Ironically enough, none of those three teams won a national championship (Duke lost in the finals in both years, to Louisville and UConn respectively while UNLV lost to eventual champ Indiana in the Final 4) North Carolina may be the most talented team since that 1999 Duke team with at least 5 potential NBA players, 4 of them being potential lottery picks. This is the first final featuring 2 #1 seeds since Duke/UConn in 1999 and the first time #1 in the polls has played #2 since 1975 when #1 UCLA beat #2 Kentucky in John Wooden's last game. In its storied basketball history, North Carolina has only won 3 National Championships ('57, '82, '93). Illinois, playing its 100th year of college basketball, is in the National Championship for the 1st time in their history.
• Now that you have your history lesson, let's talk more about the game itself.
  
• When Illinois has the ball: If you want to stop Illinois offensively, you must make them become a 1-on-1 team. They want to pass the ball and get people involved. Louisville made it easy on them by playing zone, allowing them to penetrate gaps and kick to open shooters. North Carolina must stop dribble penetration and force Illinois to shoot step-back 3s. The Illini guards, when the possession starts and they get their first touch look to dribble 1st, pass 2nd, shoot 3rd. UNC must make them shoot 1st. If they can stop dribble penetration, UNC effectively takes Roger Powell and James Augustine out of the game. If you're Illinois, you can't settle for 3s like you did in the 1st half last night. Bruce Weber did a great job at halftime of telling his guys to force their way inside the Louisville zone to get better shots. Illinois got layups and mid-range jumpers early in the 2nd half, setting up the 3-point blitz later in the half that put the game away. It is imperative that Powell not get into foul trouble if you're Illinois.
• When Carolina has the ball: I think the biggest tell-tale sign of who will win this game is Raymond Felton's stat line afterward. If he has less than a 2:1 assist/turnover ratio, UNC loses, without a doubt. In big games, as he did in the 1st half, Felton has a tendency to play too fast, which leads to careless turnovers. When he's had to play against physical guards who are just as good as he is (Chris Paul, Daniel Ewing, Jarret Jack), UNC is 2-3. All 3 of Illinois's guards will be able to match up with his quickness, although Dee Brown and Luther Head will guard him more. Felton must take care of the ball, because if he doesn't, the Carolina offense will not get into the kind of flow they had going in the 2nd half last night. Look for Deron Williams to guard Rashard McCants, which should be another great matchup. Williams has shut down Salim Stoudamire and Francisco Garcia, so McCants better bring his A game. The potential lack of production from McCants means Felton, Sean May, and the Williamses must step up their offensive production. The Tar Heels can dominate inside if they want to, but just because they're bigger and stronger than Illinois inside won't automatically hand UNC the inside advantage. The interior of UNC must play like they did in the 2nd half against Michigan St, especially Jawad Williams. If he can knock down some 3s in the secondary break, that will be huge for UNC.
• Final Analysis: What wins national championships? Guard play. Yes, you need someone who can finish and rebound inside, but that finisher doesn't get the ball unless you have guards that can get you the ball. Who has had the best guard play in the nation all year? Illinois. I said it in January after Wake beat UNC, I said it in February after Duke beat UNC, and I'll say it again now, the Illinois guards will control the game and force Raymond Felton to play out-of-control. Illinois will run with UNC, but be smart about it, unlike Michigan St. They won't turn the ball over carelessly, which Carolina has a tendency to do. As good as Carolina is talent-wise, Illinois has won 37 games, and the one they lost was by 1 on an NBA 3 in the final seconds to a team that literally had nothing to lose. Roy Williams is going to have to wait at least one more year. Luther Head will be named Most Outstanding player.
• Illinois 74 N. Carolina 70

It's so sad that basketball is ending and baseball is beginning. At least it's Masters week......

Well, we got what we wanted.

Thank goodness for the Final 4 because otherwise, this day was pretty dreary all the way around, especially with the Pope losing his life. Hopefully, the sun will come out tomorrow. And, we spring ahead time wise tomorrow, who knew?

Alright, only 2 teams remain. Thanks to Jason for being great company tonight:

• Illinois 72, Louisville 57. In a game that was close for 30 minutes, Illinois did what they do best in the last 10 minutes, which is hit big, timely shots while playing stingy defense. Yes, I didn't agree with Louisville playing zone, which hasn't worked against Illinois all year. I think it was one of the reasons why they lost, but not the sole reason. I believe you stick with what got you there, and for Louisville, that's pressure man-to-man defense. Illinois did a great job in the 2nd half of finding open seams to penetrate through and spot up for open shots. Deron Williams and Dee Brown got into the lane, finding Roger Powell, Jack Ingram, and Luther Head for open looks. You can't play zone against a team that shares the ball so well. Illinois had 21 assists on their 27 field goals, an incredible number. Powell was the sparkplug in the 2nd half, when he scored 18 of his 20 after being in foul trouble in the 1st half. The Illini also got it done on the boards. Who would've thought James Augustine would have as many rebounds as Ellis Myles and Juan Palacios combined??? Another reason Louisville was the disappearance of Francisco Garcia. Illinois did a great job defensively on him, sticking Luther Head or Deron Williams on him, with the other guarding the player screening for Garcia, making it easier for Head or Williams to switch out on him. Garcia should've looked for his shot more in the 2nd half. He only attempted 2 shots in the 2nd, just 10 for the game. Illinois did a great job of never letting Louisville get comfortable on the perimeter, which prevented them from that one hot streak of shooting they've had every game in March. As I've said before, if you don't play your best game against Illinois for 40 minutes, you will lose.
• North Carolina 87, Michigan St. 71. After trailing 38-33 at halftime, the Tar Heels came out smoking in the 2nd half, outscoring the Spartans 34-14 in the first 10 minutes of the 2nd. In a quality 1st half by both teams, MSU ran with UNC, getting open looks and beating them down the floor for layups. But in the 2nd, UNC found that 5th gear they only have, which frustrated MSU offensively, forcing them to play too quickly and take some ill-advised shots. Carolina's perimeter defense in the 2nd half was the difference in this one. It wasn't bad in the 1st half, but they did allow MSU to penetrate into the lane and allow their shooters to catch and shoot in rhythm. The 2nd half, the intensity was noticeably greater, forcing MSU out of their rhythm offensively, while also cutting down on the number of offensive rebounds they allowed. Basketball doesn't get any better, than when a Roy Williams coached team is in flight on the fast break. Guys filling their lanes, or everyone getting a touch, reversing the ball to the open shooter, it's so pretty. Sean May had 18 of his 22 in the 2nd half, and Jawad Williams scored 18, matching the number of points he had in the first four games of the Tourney combined. He's the X-factor on this team, and he showed why tonight. When he's productive, scoring inside and making the perimeter shot as the 5th option on UNC's secondary break, UNC is even more dangerous. Raymond Felton also played a much cleaner 2nd half. He was a little out of control at the beginning of the game, but after halftime, he ran the break to perfection, while knocking down his fair share of perimeter shots. MSU played a great 1st half, but got ran out of the building in the 2nd. UNC had a lot to do with that, but MSU relied too much on the perimeter shot, not getting the ball inside enough. When they did get the ball inside, despite 14 points and 15 rebounds, Paul Davis often settled for turnaround and fadeaway jump shots, not going after Sean May, especially after he could've picked up 2 fouls early and been a nonfactor the rest of the way.
  

I will preview the championship tomorrow night, but I will say, I'm not backing down from the statement I've made all year. If it was going to be Illinois/Carolina in the finals, I would take Illinois.

Well, I guess I need to get to bed since we lose an hour of sleep tomorrow.

Happy April Fool's Day

No, I didn't come up with an April Fool's Day prank, I've been too lazy today. I was in the mood to do nothing again, since I haven't had many "do nothing" days lately.

Andre Agassi went down to Roger Federer for the 7th straight time, losing 6-4, 6-3. The A-Train actually played really well, but Federer was his usual brilliant self. Of all the tennis I've ever watched, he by far has the best forehand I've ever seen. He comes with the big serve when he needs to, like Pete Sampras, and he has the court savvy of a Stefan Edberg. He's simply untouchable when he's on his game.

Ok, tomorrow is Semifinal Saturday, and it should be a good one, let's preview it:

• Louisville vs. Illinois. Louisville is the team playing the best basketball of the 4 currently; Illinois simply refuses to lose. When either team makes 3s, they are unstoppable. Louisville doesn't need to shoot the 3 as well as Illinois does though to be successful. Louisville's trio of perimeter players can fall back on their respective mid-range games whereas Illinois's trio can't. The 3 ball opens up the offense for Illinois, allowing Augustine, Powell, and Ingram open 15 foot jump shots or layups off the pick and roll. Both teams play intense perimeter defense, so it will be interesting who will get more open and better looks from the outside. If it comes down to inside play, the advantage goes to Louisville. The Cardinals may not have the size, but they have the toughness that can give Illinois fits. Palacios, Miles, and George will send messages to the Illinois frontcourt early and often, saying "Come strong or don't come at all." Louisville is probably the more talented team, but there's something about this Illinois team. The Dome will be made up of predominantly Illinois supporters, which as we saw in Chicago, will push them on and not allow them to lose. How can you pick against a team who has only lost one game, that coming on an NBA 3 with time running out? The difference could be Illinois's big men scoring off the pick and roll, either on jumpers or slipping the screen, which they do really well. By slipping the screen, I mean as, say Augustine comes out to set the screen, before he sets himself, he "slips" to the basket, taking advantage of the defender playing behind him, waiting for the guard to use the screen so the defender can hedge and trap him. Louisville's big men were terrible defending West Virginia's guys on the perimeter, giving them open looks. They'll have to be really on their toes against Illinois's big people.
  
• Illinois 74 Louisville 68
• Michigan St. vs. North Carolina. These maybe the 2 most athletic teams in college basketball. Carolina may have the most talent, but the Spartans have more overall Tournament experience. This game will come down to who wants it more inside. After being a mediocre rebounding team all year, MSU has been very solid on the boards in March. Now, can they rebound with Sean May, Jawad and Marvin Williams and Rashard McCants inside? This question is specifically directed to Paul Davis, who needs to play with the same degree of toughness he showed in Austin. If Davis can hold his own against May, the game will be close throughout. The other matchup will be at point guard. Who will play more under control, Drew Neitzel or Raymond Felton, and if left open, can Chris Hill knock down some shots for MSU??? You've got to believe Roy Williams and his staff will let Hill shoot until the cows come home, while playing Maurice Ager and Shannon Brown tight on the perimeter. Another question is, can the Tar Heels play a 40 minute game and avoid the mental lapses they exhibit during games??? I think as the stage gets bigger, they will play better. I think May & Co. will be too much for MSU inside. The Spartans will make outside shots, but too many 2nd chance points and free throws will be the downfall of Tom Izzo's team
• N. Carolina 82 Michigan St. 75

In other news, it appears the Pope's health has taken a turn for the worse. His organs are starting to fail him and he is reportedly unconscious. This is obviously sad for us Catholics, but I will say I haven't agreed with some of the stances he's taken on some issues in recent years. While I think he's done a lot of good for the Church, I think it's time for some new blood.