THE MADNESS: Vol. 2

SHPLA-DOW!

McGhee, Dixon and the boys held it down. Pitt is usually one of the teams having a 'Nova/Bobby Mo-like finish during this first weekend. Now they look like they might be right up there with the 'Cuse and WVU as the class of the Big East.

As of dinnertime, no huge surprises today. For the first time that I can remember, I have at least one full perfect bracket thus far (the East), and my Thursday game record was better than Dan Patrick's, so that's something. Cornell over Temple, okay, but if half of us bracketeers have that game going to Cornell, is it really an upset?

For the evening games, I don't really have any upsets, except by seeding... I like Louisville and Georgia Tech. How can you not like Louisville, especially on the experience end? I swear, that Sosa kid has been a Cardinal for like, seven years now.

THE MADNESS: Vol. 1

"Feel the sting... of the Monarch's wiiiiiing!"

Thus far...

• Mike Bray should have kept a tighter lid on the Guinness consumption last night... OLD DOM, BABY! GO MONARCHS! It's not often that I get one of the first-round upsets correct, so I can't help but think this is a good omen to kick off my bracket.

• (2:35 p.m.) Bobby Mo... about to ruin EVERYONE'S bracket, though it's still way too early to call... (2:48 p.m.) Didn't think 'Nova was going to stay down the entire game. Scottie Reynolds is turning it on now, but it's surprising how bad the Wildcats have looked... still, can't discount Bobby Mo keeping the pressure on 'em... (2:51 p.m.) Ohh, OT. Nice.... (2:55 p.m.) 3:06 left in overtime... this game is over. It's all 'Nova... (3:13 p.m.) Okay, so once again I've spoken too soon... but Scottie Reynolds just stroked another free throw... lookin' rough... (3:15 p.m.) Aaaaand it's all sewn up.

• How can there be a channel called CBS College... AND IT ISN'T SHOWING ANY NCAA GAMES? Oh, wait... they're gonna show the Butler/UTEP game... then it's back to "NCAA March Madness Central," a.k.a. The Wally Sczerbiak Show (more on that in Friday's podcast)

• Favorite moment of the first round of games: Bill Raftery, making a pointed observation about 'Nova's Yaphtou Marou at the free-throw line... "He has stroked it admirably."



Why is ESPN Racist?

Eat it, ESPN...


So multiple personalities on ESPN have taken the opportunity to ridicule Michael Vick's decision to announce he wants to play for the Carolina Panthers on the Gangsta Grillz radio show, with Dan LeBatard making fun of the name and Cryin' Bob Ryan basically just being a bigot on "Around the Horn" about it, acting like it's not a legitimate radio show. As if Mike & Mike are anything but the most boring, vanilla, take-no-interesting-position toolbox pair of talking heads on morning sports radio.

Look, ESPN, I know you get pissy when someone decides they don't want to give their exclusive to John Clayton and his rat-tail, but do you have to be tacitly racist about it?

On the Road in Orlando: Day 3

That's right... there are live ducks at the bar in my hotel. They may even be treated better than the guests, which would be pretty impressive, considering the level of service here...

A few interesting scenes from the last day or so:

• The chairman for my committee trying desperately to keep himself awake (unsuccessfully) throughout the course of Tuesday afternoon, topped by the journalist sleep-drooling on his conference badge in the middle of the press room.
• The reporter who wanted a new "Media" ribbon because she got food on hers. Say it with me now: "Maybe next time you could perhaps be less of a slob."
• The massive, seven-foot "Lego woman" mascot for ThermoFisher, who was walking through their press-conference line touching people's backs and generally creeping out the foreign journalists.
• The PR lady who just can't understand why things aren't exactly the way she wants, when she wants, despite her terminally-vague "instructions."

More to come...

On the Road in Orlando, Pt. 1

So I've made it sunny Florida, although at present it's not exactly sunny and warm. It's been in the low 60s, which is a little chilly for this time of year, but I'll definitely take it over dirty snow piles and 30-degree weather back up north.

Met a very nice lady on the plane and our chat helped distract me from the brat a dozen rows behind us, who had to have screamed "I DON'T WANT TO!" about six bazillion times between Philly and Florida. I now have a strong feeling that children should be stowed with the luggage.

For anyone who doesn't know, I am down here as part of the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy. But fret not, Faithful Listeners. I won't be trading in the podcast microphone for a pocket protector anytime soon. My father has been one of the conference organizers since '93, so I get to tag along, volunteer for a few hours a day and then spend the rest of my time doing whatever I want...

...which yesterday included watching the US/Canada gold-medal hockey game...

I gotta say, all in all, it was a fantastic game. When the US was down 2-0, I was taking comfort in the knowledge that, if Canada lost, the entire nation would crumble, but if the US lost, I would feel bad for about 10 minutes and then forget all about it as I look forward to NCAA conference tourneys and March Madness. But then Zach Parise had to go and tie it with 23 seconds left, and of course I jumped up off the couch screaming and clapping.

So it was a real letdown when Crosby slipped the game-winner past Ryan Miller. And even though it's rolled off my back by now, it was great to see the US boosting their international hockey profile and giving the Canadians a real run for their money.

I'll also say that it was kind of liberating to be able to hate on Sidney Crosby for a couple of weeks. I defend him to just about every NHL fan, but to be perfectly honest, if he wasn't on the Penguins, I'd probably be on the "whiner" bandwagon as well. However, it's hard to by anything but happy for Sid the Kid, having lifted the weight of an entire nation on his squad's collective shoulders. But just as I was starting to feel good for him, the post-game interview came on:

"It wasn't as easy as we had expected."

Why you gotta be a dick about it, Crosby?