Baseball 2010

Twins Spring Training Outlook:

Its time to get into what this blog is most likely going to be about: Baseball. I am planning on doing a live blog of Opening Day, that is going to hopefully be way better than my attempt at a live blog for the NCAA tournament. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I have had a lot of time to watch Spring Training baseball, both on ESPN and on MLB.TV on the internet.

Most interesting things of the day today: Albert Pujols catching a throw to first barehanded...Francisco Liriano not looking dominating, but showing his nasty slider...and Jacque Jones looking at three straight curve ball strikes from David Price (that said, he is a .230 hitter lifetime against lefties and striking out 1/4 at bats against lefties. I'm more surprised at him not taking the bat off his shoulders.)

The Twins roster is beginning to take some shape. Danny Valencia, the Twins possible 3rd baseman of the future, obviously had no chance whatsoever to make the roster out of spring. I didn't see him play, but based on stats, he hit .273, 2 home runs in 22 at bats, but only walked once. That's not a bad spring for a rookie, but the fact that he hit a home run off Johan Santana and then got sent down THAT SAME DAY says to me he needed to hit .350 to think about making the club.

I know the Twins have some great promising arms in the rotation, but have you seen the ERA's on these guys this year?

Baker 0.64
Slowey 0.56
Pavano 2.00
Liriano 2.70

And I could keep going. I know the majority of people reading this already know my stance on Liriano, but here it is again. This guy has to start. He's still young, still has a lot of promise, and if you move him to the bullpen, that's it for him.. No more moving him back to being a starter. You have a guy in the minors in Wilson Ramos that Baseball Prospectus names the best catching prospect. If you aren't sure about your bullpen or closer, trade him to San Diego and pick up Heath Bell. I have also been stressing the need to not pick up Jarred Washburn. He is the reason the Tigers didn't make the playoffs last year. He is overrated and will be terrible in any uniform. We don't need starting pitching. If we get Washburn, that makes Liriano the closer, and insanity will begin.

Fun With Props

So sportsbetting.com has some interesting prop bets for the opening night game with the Yankees and Red Sox..

(Quick sidebar...Why is this game being played in Boston? The Yankees won the World Series, and they get to celebrate game 1 of 2010 in Boston? How is this possible?)

Right now, there are no odds listed for any of these, but I will update this list when they come out with them....My predicted odds will be in bold.

Will they show a replay of A-Rod slapping the ball out of Bronson Arroyos glove? 1/1

How many times will they show the Aaron Boone’s Series ending Home Run from the 2003 AL Championship Series? 1 (-200)

Will there be a bench-clearing brawl? 100/1

Will a Fan be shown with a sign saying A-Roid on it? 1.5/1

Will a Fan be shown with a derogatory sign that has a picture of a syringe on it? 1/4

Number of crotch adjustments made by all batters while at bat(crotch adjustments must be shown on ESPN broadcast) 2.5

Total number of times a Pitcher will be shown spitting on camera while on the mound (any projectile hurled from the mouth is considered a spit) 3.5

Total number of times a Batter will be shown spitting on camera while at bat (any projectile hurled from the mouth is considered a spit) 3.5

They also have several prop bets involving Derek Jeter's fiance Minka Kelly and how Jeter will do, but right now, they don't make any sense, so I will wait on those.

I'm probably way off on these, but they are fun nonetheless

Fantasy Analysis

It could just be me, but it seems like this years Fantasy Baseball draft is very deep. I'm deathly afraid of rounds 10-20, but am very confident in those late draft steals. On top of all the rookies prospects that are out there, there are plenty of veterans that can easily make a nice comeback. Here are a few of my steals this year:

Grady Sizemore: Probably a second round pick, maybe even into the third. Ill take a guy like that considering one year ago today, he was a first rounder.

Jose Reyes: Same as Sizemore. But with his latest injury, he might slip into round 4 but probably even later with his thyroid problem... If you can wait him out to get 100% healthy, its a nice risk. Remember, a steroid problem will cost him more then a thyroid problem.

Josh Hamilton: A season he had in 2008 cant be a fluke.. If healthy, he will be great.. Granted, that's another big IF. Already this spring, he hurt his hand colliding into the wall and he just had an infected root canal.

Brandon Webb and Johan Santana: Again all health related.. Santana looks fantastic though.

Alex Rios and Vernon Wells: I combine these guys because they are both low risk high reward guys.. Unfortunately, one more bad season might be the end for both as fantasy players go.

Joba Chamberlain: Ill keep buying. With Phillip Hughes getting the 5th starter nod, Joba might actually start grooming full time for his closer roll once Rivera leaves.

Colby Rasmus: I love number 28.. Colby's fire burning in the outfield.. Wooo oh!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI8l87uyDXM

Corey Hart & JJ Hardy: Hart is back, Hardy's new team each should do just fine.

Daisuke Matsuzaka & Chin Meng Wang: Both could be considered in the mix for comeback pitchers of the year

Prospects: Then you have these guys..
Neftali Feliz
David Freeze
Scott Sizemore
Travis Snyder
Matt Laporta
Cameron Mayben
Drew Stubbs

I really love all these guys and you can get them in rounds 20-25, or for close to $1.

ESPN Baseball Commercial Analysis:

I HATE the ESPN Fantasy Baseball commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I189NQ3UZD8

The guy is picking between Raul Ibanez and Carlos Pena, then panics and takes Vicente Padilla? Its not even believable.

Padilla wont be drafted.. and he takes him in like round 10? ESPN, you can do better than that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL7bEougedk

(Hands down, my favorite ESPN spot of all time)

ESPN did do something right with their Sunday night baseball kickoff.. Look who is back!! Adam Scott! How the hell did ESPN think of this one.. Lets get Bucholtz, Swisher, and Griff from Boy Meets World. Kudos, ESPN!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk-5aYRNLUo

Picks

10-5 yesterday ATS.. Ill take that.. didnt make a pick for the Texas A and M between round game...
16-14-1 Over all.. Breaking even in looks like.. Actually, if you take out the two early sessions from Thursday, Im 15-7-1

Nova -4.5 Over St. Marys... Villanova better figure this thing out sooner than later.
Ohio +8 Over Tennessee... No reason, just because I have the Ohio shirt.
Butler -4.5 Over Murray.. The Murray Dream ends against the stronger mid-major team.
Kansas -11.5 over Northern Iowa... Because I would get yelled at if I didnt
Baylor -5 over Old Dominian.. Baylor is going to blow out a team in one of these games
New Mexico +2.5 over Washington.. Maybe one of the weirdest lines ever in a tournament game.. The 11 seed is favored over the 3 seed.. Somebody knows something.
BYU +4.5 over K-State.. Because I would get yelled at if I didnt
Kentucky -9.5 over Wake.. Kentucky is great

(8:32)

Vermont +18 over Syracuse
Louisville Pickem over Cal
Gouchos +17.5 over Ohio State
Maryland -9.5 over Houston

Sorry Guys... Done blogging.. Ill update my ATS tomorrow and will continue those throughout.

(6:10)

Really slacking on the blog at this point..

Gonzaga +1 over Florida State
Duke -23 over Pine Bluff
OK State Pickem over Ga Tech
NM State +12.5 Over Mich. State

(1:25)

Disappointing down the stetch...Down 6 with 1:12 left..

Next picks:
Purdue: -4.5 over Siena... No Hummel, but Purdue is still decent
Missouri- +1.5 over Clemson... Clemson really had a let down last year.. It continues.
Pitt -10 over Oakland
Wofford +10 over Wisconsin.. OVer under is 113.5 on that game.. Could be the ugliest game of the tournament

(12:45)

That Xavier three pointer to make it a six point game felt like an Ohio State pullaway shot from last week.. I thought we were done, and Devoe Joesph came back and hit the and one.. That was a must make shot there and we got it done.

(11:52)

Gophers down 15-7, and immediately go on a 10-0 run... Is it possible that Iverson is our less tame version of the Bird Man Chris Anderson? Exciting things happen when he is out there.

I have also been riding Westbrook most of the year, saying we are a better team without him... Well, apparently he heard this and is going to score 25 today..

11:30

Well, we are banking in three pointers already... Thats one of my favorite faces. Westbrook banks in the three pointer, then casually skips back with that "Yeah, I called that shot" look on his face. Great face if he's on your team, but if its the other team, well, words will be exchanged.

6 All

Friday (10:53)

I wake up to words that Tubby Smith is likely to leave Minnesota for Auburn.. What? This had better be a money situation because there is no reason to make that jump.. Its not even a good jump. If Tubby leaves and ever comes back to Minnesota, Im guessing he will be treated a lot worse than Chuck Knoblauch. Unless we can bring in another name to replace him, this organization is going to be a nightmare. That said, Come on Tubby! Win us a game today!!

Picks:

West Virginia -18.5 Over Morgan State (WVU is pissed they didnt get a 1 seed, and unfortunately, Morgan is going to feel the grunt of that.)

Gophers +1 over Xavier (I feel this is yet another Vegas pick that wants you to take Xavier.. Unless, they are doing the reverse and feel people will take the Gophers because of their run in the Big 10 tournament.. That said, this is the appropriate line.)

Temple -3.5 over Cornell. (Im not buying all this Cornell bandwagon stuff.. Yes, this is the team they would most want to play, but in the end, its still an Ivy League team that will get run in this game. Randy Whitman's kid is on the team and was on my favorite show, First Take yesterday. Here is what he had to say:

How has Cornell been planning for this game?
Whitman: Well, we have been playing Super Smash Brothers a lot on N64, and we constantly have Lost parties.

Theres you have it. Bill Cosby kicks the shit out of Andy Bernard this afternoon.

ATS= 6-9-1 (Kind of need a comeback.. I have two locks later today.. Louisville in a pickem and Gonzaga +1... Make fun of those picks......Now.

(12:20)

So I hit the wall a little bit.. I get some company over and everything changes.. I will do my best tomorrow.. Looking forward to that Gopher game tomorrow morning..

(8:50)

Washington and Marquette in a tight one...Huge 3 from Washington.. I dont want to say how much Im happy to have this upset right, since Ryan Guild might throw a jenga piece at me..

Great game though.. 80-78 Washington..Sorry, kind of struggling.. We may need to start some sort of a mail bag tomorrow to keep the converation going.

On another note, Elliot finally got home.. I think he finally stopped talking.

(8:11)

Late game picks:

Lehigh +25.5 over ROCK CHALK
Texas -5 over Wake
New Mexic0 -8.5 over Montana
Tennessee-3 over SD State (The token Vegas wants you to pick Tennessee, and I will fall for it)

(7:48)

This Northern Iowa team has an answer for everything..I watched them in their bracket buster game earlier this year against Old Dominian... Whatever it is, you cant leave these short white guys on mid major teams open for a three because they are going to hit it every time.

(7:24)

This kiss of death for any team with a halftime lead? UNLV is 19-0 when leading at the half...They are up by 1 at the half.. Dum Dum Dummmmmmmmmmmmm

(7:12)

Big two points for Georgetown to end a terrible half..Ohio up 12, and I will take credit for that, doning the t-shirt all day long.

I havent got to see much of that game, but from what I did see, Ohio is going right at them, although Georgetown is starting to lock down on the offensive rebounding.. Again, not a great anaylsis due to 5 minutes watching, but there you go.

(6:36)

Quick Dinner break... The Apartment is heating up right now.. We are up to 7 including my niece.

We are getting UNI UNLV.. Pretty good early on. Got a great tip from Elhard earlier. They showed theUNLV cheerleaders looking pretty good, and immediately went to the nastiest Northern Iowa Cheerleader.. Well, we are in the heartland.

Northern Iowa hit a 3 pointer to end a big run to cut the lead to five, and right now UNLV holdsa four point lead.

(5:45)

Well, 1-6 ATS right now.. Soon to be 1-7 after Butler disposes of UTEP.

No. Iowa Pickem Over UNLV
Kentucky -18.5 over E. Tennessee State
Washington +1.5 over Marquette
Ohio +13.5 over Georgetown ( I am wearing an Ohio Bobcats T-shirt to match the pants I recently put on)

I think two of these games can be really close, No. Iowa and Washington games. I feel bad about not picking Marquette since our Marquette buddy Ryan loves them, but I needed some more upsets in my bracket. So theres my picks.. Aaron, pick against them and clean up at your own will. Im going to be 1-7.. Buzzkill.

More updates now that we will be getting games on TV again soon.

(4:40)

North Texas does not cover.. Im glad I havent been bankrolling this tournament. Watching that K-State North Texas game, The Mean Green played a typical game as a 15 seed...hanging for 10 minutes of the game, then down by 16 at half, and losing by 20 at the end.. thats what you expect from a 15 seed..

Another great quote from dumb and dumber:

Samhan comes back in the game and gets a rebound...
Rafferty: He comes right back in the game and immediately gets his double double.
Lundquist: That is his 12th rebound.
Rafferty: Well, yeah.. He already had his double double.

(4:35)

Lame ending to a great first and second sessions to the tournament.. We are playing for North Texas to Cover 16 against K-State.. No money on the line, but its about the pride.. 79-60 K-State. 2 min left.

(4:19)

Putting pants on for the first time today...Always a good day when you can wait that long. These later games have slowed down a touch.. Thats fine though..

(4:03)

Blockbuster day at CBS.. Apparently Vern Lundquist brought in his personal CD collection, because they just gave a stat that today is the first time ever, Mr. Sandman has been used in an NCAA tournament. Ill always know where I was....

(3:50)

From one nail biter to the next..

Baylor looks to try to pull away against Sam Houston.. Up 4 with a buck 30 left..

UTEP Butler getting ready to tip off...I liked this Butler team, Gophers beat them, no big deal... But I needed a 5-12 upset.. That said, I like UTEP going two rounds. The 0-3 record against ranked opponents is kind of scary. I probably should have looked at that before making that pick..

I like UTEP +2.5 but Im scared Vegas is going to be wrong about his one..

(3:43)

These games keep getting better.. Murray State buzzer beater!!!!! Rediculous!!
Wheres Gus Johnson!

Vegas must be loving everything that is happening today.. Sucker bets with Vandy and Notre Dame! What a great win

(3:21)

Why does this keep happening! So many times in the conference tournaments I have seen teams getting burned by the fake countdown to end the game or to end the shot clock... Clemente just got fooled. Its a neutral court, and North Texas must have 8 fans at this game, and he gets burned by the fake countdown? Clemente has a long way to go before becomming his second cousin.

(3:18)

People have their own way of picking brackets..My brother might take the cake this year for the most random way of doing it.

So he's looking for upsets, and strictly used the Yahoo! Sports sleeper watch article. So far, he is 1-2 in his picks...Maybe he should use Google Sleeper next year... Or perhaps he should have asked Jeeves.

(3:10)

North Texas on fire right now.. Shooting 4-23 so far.. They are lucky to only be down 14

(2:56)

Taking a quick look at the Kyle Singler is a Vampire ESPN Group, a couple of interesting things..

1.. Theres some heavy hitters sitting at 3-0..
2.. Kristi Elhard falling behind early.. If I recall, after the first and second round last year, wasnt she cleaning up?
3.. 48 people? We couldnt get 3 more in this group so we can have 2 pages? It was always exciting who would fall to that second page.. I believe Fake Brent and Laura battled it out last year for that distinction.
4.. Elliot's teams are probably still blowing leads. If it wasnt for lead changing, Elliot would be the greatest....person....ever.

(2:50)

K-States Denis Clemente is the 2nd cousin to Roberto Clemente.. Isnt that a big age difference in second cousins? All of my second cousins are within 10 years of me.. Roberto is 51 years older than him.. This seems odd to me..

(2:44)

So Im watching the selection show with Gibby last weekend and when North Texas popped up on the screen, I immediately said, Ahh, the Mean Green.. And thats what Gumbel to Gumbel said too.. I dont think Ive ever heard them called the North Texas Mean Green.. Its always, The Mean Green of North Texas. I wonder if this upsets them. I LOVE The mean Green! K-State does not.

(2:42)

This double OT game, and even the single OT game really though off the times of all these games.. Usually they are pretty close, but we have one game that hasnt started, one game that is 5 minutes in, another at halftime, and another one that just started the second half..This is going to be fantastic timing of games down the wire.

Well, theres your jinx.. Every game will now be decided by 10 points.

(2:40)

Non-Basketball related post (But still writing about it to prep myself for the opening day live blog)

A's closer Andrew Bailey out 1 week. (Tennis Elbow)

(2:28)

So I might have to appologize to Obama... He might have been on to something with Murray State.. Still dont think they get it done, but I guess not reworking health care reform was ok if he picks the 4-13 upset... Murray up 4 at half..

St. Marys tips off in about 15 minutes.. And Im pretty sure Aaron during his midnight madness kickoff blog explained the hatred I have for the St. Marys Gaels. They were playing Gonzaga at home, and this is a great Gonzaga team..1 point favorites. At this point the Zags hadnt been beaten in conference play in like 2 years...so I even call Aaron for assurance, and get his blessing. Well, then the kid from St. Marys wearing an XXL T-shirt starting draining 3's and Gonzaga falls.. Buzzkill.. Ever since then, I HATE the Gaels. Now Im pissed again.

(2:23)

Sam Houston putting up an early fight against Baylor.. They look a little different than the last time I saw Sam Houston..

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzumAiUBsHQ
(forward to the 4 minute mark)

(2:14)

A stupid last play by Robert Morris, and Nova hangs on.. It brought us another great quote, this time by Bill Rafferty...

"Robert Morris only lost on the scoreboard."

(2:10)

Worst decision of the tournament hands down! Give him the trophey already.. Nova up 3, gets the steal, but chooses to pull up a break away with a wide open layup, gets fouled, only hits 1 free throw..Morris pounds the 3 to cut it within 1!

There better have been somebody on the bench yelling at him to pull up, because that was terrible!

RM ball with 10 seconds left down 3.

(2:01)

BYU gets it done in 2OT, Nova, hanging on in OT against Robert (Phillip) Morris...

I finish the early games 1-2 ATS...I cant give much insight for the second games yet until Villanova finishes..Baylor is down early 10-3... it looks like Ill be getting the K-State as the main game

(1:53)

The Mohawk guy for BYU just made the last sequence for One Shining Moment with kissing that basketball..He knew where that camera was

(1:46)

The first F-U moment from CBS...

Im screaming at CBS to switch over to Villanova with 25 seconds left... They finally do, right in time for a commercial. Gumbel, I bet you are just sitting there with a shit eating grin on your face right now..

(1:38)

Florida had 20 seconds to get any shot off and apparently Billy Donovan drew up the NC State airball ally-oop, which failed misarably.. Double Overtime.. Nova's making a late run too, down 2 with 2 minutes left...

If this is a sign to come for the games this tournament, this is going to be great!

BYU hitting the early 3, another bucket and Florida is in trouble

(1:34)

Fear the Mo-Hawk! How many people in the history of BYU has ever donned a Mo-hawk? Like 4 people ever? Great spinning layup.. All tied up BYU and Florida!

(1:24)

Great finishes...See ya Harangody.. Im glad you got 2 last points when you needed 3 with 2 seconds left.. OD has some pretty good defense..They arent getting passed Baylor though.

Florida and BYU in OT... This might favor Florida a little more I think with coaching experience, and momentum coming back.

Next round of games:

Vandy -4.5 over Murray State (Obama loves Murray State.. Not sure why)
North Texas +16 over K-State (I love me some Mean Green!)
Baylor -10.5 over Sam Houston State
Richmond +1.5 over St. Marys (I HATE the Gaels!)

(1:10)

My finnish boy Gerald Lee.. His dad is American and he played professionally in Finland until the age of 48!

I forgot about the Finnish and their St. Urhos Day.. Already discussed between Elliot and myself, St. Urhos is the day before St. Patricks Day, in which St. Urho was pissed at all these grasshoppers in their fields (or something)...So he said some Finnish Jibberish, and there are no more grasshoppers in Finland (allegidly). I once did a TV News report on that, but there might be a good chance I made up some of it.. Some lady taught me some Finnish words, which could have been swear words for all I know. This picture is a statue in Minnagha, MN

(1:07)

Wow, 3 really close games down the stetch in the early games.. Villanova has to be in serious trouble, down 7 with 11:00 to play..

I still dont know what to think of Old Dominion.. It just seems like Notre Dame is off, not OD playing well.. Harangody has done nothing. 0-7 shooting right now.

(1:00)

Harangody 0-6 so far.. Maybe he isnt as healthy as everyone thought.. Or in Aarons case, hes not as good as everyone thinks..

Tied up 43 all with 4:30 left.. Good think Grand Master B Hansbrough brought hispoints

(12:51)

Im surprising myself right now.. I am alcohol free so far.. Granted, I know its 12:51, but this time a year ago, I was already 4 deep and it was only 10:51 California time. I still didnt believe you guys actually ran 4 miles after drinking all morning.. I repsect that, but never want to do that again.

(12:44)

The Notre Dame mascott officially had too many Shamrock Shakes last night.

(12:37)

How early is it to start rooting for top seeds to lose.. There are probably a lot of people that have Nova beating Baylor.. I think I will take an early hit so Baylor has an easier run.

Just found out.. Old Dominion's Finnish player Gerald Lee is a black guy. Cant find the demographics, but that has to be rare

(12:31)

Elliot, Everybody knows Aarons favorite Adam Sandler movie is "Going Overboard"



Now thats a hilarious Premise..Always in the $3 bin at Best Buy.

The real OD is making a nice push getting within one of Notre Dame

(12:20)

Everytime CBS changes games or goes back to the studio, everything is blurry for like 5 seconds.. Does anyone else have this problem? I think I remember this happening last year too. They only had a year to work out these bugs, so I guess Im not surprised.

(12:15)

Highlight of the tournament so far...

CBS cuts to a graphic for the Census..

Vern Lundquist: Heres a reminder.. Fill out the Census, and send it back.
(Long Pause)
Vern: (starts laughing) I dont know.. Thats all it says!

(12:10) Halftime of early games

BYU up 2
Notre Dame up 6
Nova Down 7 So far!

I have a feeling if this Nova score remains close, they are going to switch it around. Lets say Villanova loses this game.. I know Reynolds came back almost right away, but does the school OK that decision? Im sure there is no coralation because he gets his minutes, but that cant sit well with the Athletic Director.

(11:55)

Time for commercial Chat.. Aaron, when I first saw the Ivan Brothers commercials, I was excited for it. It had a lot of promise, but didnt deliver at all. And Im not going to sit through the 6 minute youtube video of the long version. Granted, I should be the last one to comment on a commercial, since I just got canned from a marketing and advertising company.
First of all, Seth Davis is terrible in it. West Eastern State? Thats just not even trying.

Is that going to be the Ax spray commercial of last year?

Also, Wild Wings must have a lot of advertising dollars.. But can they please have more than just 2 commercials? We have to keep putting up with the flashbulb guy all the time?

Notre Dame is actually trying to tell me last night they didnt go drinking... In New Olreans no less! How is it possible that noone went out, or missed curfew? If this was College Football, they would be down a few players.. Especially if they were Michigan State.. Sorry Strong.

(11:45)

Its a game of runs in the Notre Dame Old Dominion game...A couple of Five point games in the early going.. Sorry about the long pause.. Had a chat with Ryan Guild. I think he called to inform me he was sitting by the pool in Memphis in 70 degree weather.. But Ill take my 55 degree Minnesota day right now. I feel bad I will never probably step foot outside the next 2 days.

So Gary Gaetti was called the rat.. His son, Riverbat Alumn Joe Gaetti was called the mouse.. What does Ben Hansbrough go by? I would hope its Grand Master B.. I can see Grand Master B and Physco T being a force for the Indiana Pacers for many years to come.

(11:25)

There werent many people in Oklahoma for the BYU game.. There is even less in New Orleans for the tip of Old Dirty Bast.... I mean Old Dominian vs. Notre Dame. Interesting note.. Old Dominion has a guy from Finland (Gerald Lee), and a guy named Ben Finney From?????? Portsmouth Virginia obviously

Before the game switch, I did find out Jimmer Fredette is a white guy.. Someone call Sports Guy and nominate him for the Reggie Cleveland All-Stars

(11:20)

We start with coverage from BYU and Florida..

Always great to hear Kevin Harlen.. I dont know if Nationally people like him too much, but us Minnesota guys were spoiled with him calling Timberwolves games for the first 10 years of existance. Especially in the early years when that team was terrible, at least he would make things exciting. Basically, the Gus Johnson before Gus Johnson. I would always remember him doing this in game promo the first year for the Wolves.. It would be the 3rd quarter, Wolves down 18 and he would say, "If the Timberwolves win, head in to Burger King and say, 'the other team is out of luck, Whoppers for a buck'"... Well, apparently Whoppers were $1 about 15 times that season..

Sloppy game a few turnovers the first few possessions, by we are tied up at 4.

(11:07) Pregame Final

So Im not like those rich kids lawyers out in California, so I wont be having the March Madness on Demand deal on cable, so we will be rolling with the punches for whatever game Mason City, Iowa wants to give me. Theres already a great commercial for Rochester lapidary jewelers.. It features some guy putting together a ring with completely dirty soiled fingers.. Seriously, it looks like he was actually out in the mines finding these diamonds. You have a crappy local TV commercial, but at least wash your hands.

Wow, Reynolds and Fisher not starting today for Nova...Something like conduct detramental to the team...My guess is Nova fouls early, and they are back in there with 19:48 to play..

It looks like Southern Minnesota will be getting the majority O.D. Vs. Notre Dame

(10:37) CBS Right Now

This has nothing to do with basketball, but it should be known that there is a contestant on the Price is Right who is wearing a Tavaris Jackson jersey. This has the makings to be a great day!

(9:45) Early game picks

First of all, quote of the day from Ron Washington, manager of the Texas Rangers who tested positive for cocaine yesterday:

"The Rangers love Ron Washington...and I love Ron Washington." Rickey Henderson would be so proud. Again, Im sure a 55 year old guy tried cocaine just one time.

Lines based on Sportsbetting.com

(10) Florida +5.5 over (7) BYU
This was a late change to my bracket, so Ill take Florida getting five and a half points. They have some nice wins against Michigan State and Tennessee, but lose against teams they have to beat. Im very surprised they got seeded higher than the Gophers because I didnt think they would even get in.

BYU hasnt beaten a ranked opponent this year, and lost to a great New Mexico team by 2.. Jimmer Fredette is the guy to watch, basically the only person scoring points in their conference tournament games. I dont know much about BYU, so I will take them to win but not cover.

(11) Old Dominion +3 over (6) Notre Dame
I dont know anything about Old Dominion, and I guess Im surprised they are an 11 seed, but this is a game Vegas wants you to take Notre Dame because they know Old Dominion is going to win or at least cover. The Irish have Harangody back and are looking really good right now, but lets face it.. Yesterday was St. Patricks Day...Several players on Notre Dame are Irish (Im assuming). And the NCAA awards them with the early game the day after St. Patricks Day.. B-R-U-T-A-L, Brutal. Stick in Vegas, Im not getting suckered in by your 3 point line.. Old Dominion to cover, Notre Dame to win.

Old Dominion has beaten an 11th ranked Georgetown team and lost to a ranked Northern Iowa team...On paper, it looks like a defensive team, giving up 57 points per game.. Notre Dame scores 76 per game.. What does that mean? Probably Notre Dame scores 67 (now thats quick math!)

(2) Villanova -18 over (15) Robert Morris

I was drinking the Nova Kool-Aid all year.. I love Scottie Reynolds. I thought they would get a 1 seed half way through the year, but they really struggled down the stretch. This team was 22-2 at one point, and ended 24-7, losing to four tournament teams in a row.. Thats not really a whole lot of confidence.

Robert Morris sounds more like a cigarette company than a Division-1 basketball school. I guess their signature win would be against Ohio (sorry Brent). Looking at their stat, one guy averages 13, then five guys averaging anywhere from 7 to 10. This isnt going to get it done, and Villanova covers easy.

(9:18 CST) Pregame thoughts

Right around two hours before tipoff and for some God forsaken reason, Im watching First Take on ESPN. I am amazed this show has been on for five years already. A couple of insights from the first 24 minutes..

Skip Bayless saying these first two days of the tournament isnt that big of a deal, saying the Superbowl is by far the best day in sports and the tournament is basically overrated.

The guy he is debating, no idea who it is, came up with this little nugget..."What is more American than a bracket?"

I feel the need to jam my q-tip a little too far in my ear this morning after listening to these idiots.

Heres a couple of late changes to my bracket..Doug Gotlieb convinced me to forget about my (minor) upset of Florida over BYU, and Ohio State making a big run to the finals. Im not sure how often it happens that the two best players in the country face off in the championship game, but Im going for it.

First round games Im not confident about:

Temple over Cornell
Washington over Marquette (Sorry Ryan)
Missouri over Clemson
Richmond over St. Marys (which I will get into later)
Notre Dame over Old Dominion (Again, discussing later)

Wow, Tim Tebow looked great at his pro day.. If only football were that easy.. No pads, no center, no pass rush, and wide open receivers. Common Man on KFAN had a take a few years ago about basketball players and their workouts. Wow, (Insert crappy center) had a great workout.. He dominated that chair he was trying to post up on.

Everyone loves the NCAA Tournament...Few people love the NIT.

Maybe I got spoiled as a kid. I was 12, and I thought the Gopher basketball team was pretty good. Voshon leonard was AWESOME. That year, in 1993, that Gopher team went on a run that I thought was something special. No NCAA tournament birth, but who cares.. The NIT is just as good (I wasnt the smartest kid.. I took kindergarten twice).

The Gophers ran through the NIT field of Florida, Oklahoma, USC, and Providence to get to the finals (Apparently, Mid-majors weren't invented until Andy Katz joined ESPN). After watching Minnesota take down Georgetown in the finals at Grandpa Verns house, I thought the Gophers were the greatest team ever. I loved the NIT.

My mind might be a little off, but even in the internet era, mid 1990's, it was impossible to find NIT schedules or brackets, so maybe they didnt even exist.. It just seemed like you played your first round game, then eventually someone will tell you who you play next. Even before a full bracket they have now, there were still play-in games to the NIT.. How lame is that. Im surprised it took them that long to develop a full bracket like they do now.

Then again, this years NIT is pretty interesting. We have already seen two cock-punches that Elliot Mann would be proud of, and Illinois playing a road game as a one seed against Stoney Brook, the eight seed.. Apparently, Cirque De Soleli didnt want to give up their Assembly Hall reservation. Also, the most feared place to play an NIT game? Fed Ex Forum in Memphis.. Memphis has won 9 straight home NIT games! Take that Brent Schoeb!

Official Kickoff of "Don't Call Him Joey" (Because "Dont call me Joey" is already taken)

So Ive kind of always wanted to start a blog...I didnt start reading blogs until probably a little over a year ago. Yes, Gibart, you were the first one to tell me about Deadspin. Then I found the Awful Announcing site that had a great run... Its always great reading the Pam Ward Chronicles... And who can forget Its a Manns World, 2 Pillows, tip of your tongue, and... (Sorry Strong, I dont remember the name of your blog, since I had to give up my laptop and dont have it saved on this computer)

So, I guess Ill see how much I actually will use this.. I want to, but I just get really lazy.

Coming off Aarons magical 24 hour live blog of the NCAA Basketball kickoff marathon, I have essentially stolen the idea and will be doing so during the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Im probably sitting out tonights play-in game, since Chief Kickingstallionsisms will not be playing, but expect a few previews until then.