Tom Davis of Saturday Night Live's writing team of Franken and Davis has written possibly the worst book of the year

"Thirty-nine Years of Short-Term Memory Loss" is not to be missed, if one is a fan of train wrecks and/or acid trips by formerly talented writers.

Tom Davis, as mentioned in the Amazon customer reviews of his horribe book, has "written" a doozy of a loser tome. I couldn't get past page 50, as I have better things to do, usually, than listen to a man discuss this acid trip and that drunken excursion. The title page advertised inside knowledge of SNL, but man, there ain't nothin' here.

Having read an obviously paid for review of this book when it was first published last year, I was looking forward to reading it. Be careful what you wish for America. You might get stuck listening to the disjointed ramblings of a former famous person who doesn't realize he has nothing interesting to say.

The Best Unknown Coach in America: Villanova's Jay Wright

I think that Nova will pick off a less than dominant one seeded Pitt team today and join UConn in the Final Four. Part of the reason is their dynamic and dynamite 47 year old coach, Jay Wright. Known for his stellar suits and for always seeming to have three or four terrific guards, Wright has built the most underrated program in America. This is his second trip to the Elite Eight in the last five years, and Nova seems to be a constant in the round of 16.

Good for him and good for Villanova, a small school located in Philadelphia without a big time football team to syphen revenue from. Now that St. Johns is a lower echelon Big East program, Nova is the best of the old school basketball programs in the conference.

And with a terrific recruiting class coming in next year to replace one of the best senior classes in school history, Villanova and Jay Wright should continue their roll.

"The Onion" Video: Some Funny Stuff

See here.

Love the deadpan delivery. I've always wondered about folks who laugh at their own jokes. Great stuff, as usual, from the good folks at The Onion.

Gerald Henderson Sr's Contribution to Celtics Title #15: The Single Most Significant Play in Boston History

With the NCAA East Regional coming to Boston this weekend and Duke, one of the favorites, having the son of former Celtics guard Gerald Henderson on their roster, I was reminded of a play that Henderson Sr. made in 1984 against the Los Angeles Fakers that prevented the C's from going down 2-0 in the NBA Finals. Henderson's key steal with about 15 seconds left in Game 2 tied up the game, which Boston won in overtime. The Celtics would go on to win one of the great NBA Champioinship series in seven games, the only time that Larry Bird beat Magic Johnson in a championship contest.

Harvey Araton of the New York Times feels that Henderson's steal is the most important play in the C's long and glorious history and I don't see how anyone can argue. Excellent article by Araton.

Henderson Sr. was a delight on the court and in interviews. He will always be remembered fondly by true Celtics fans for his contributions, though he still seems stung by the trade the following season by Red Auerbach to the Sonics for their first round draft pick. He remains annoyed, but any knowledgeable fans knows that, had Len Bias not killed himself through cocaine use, Henderson for potential Hall of Fame forward Len Bias would have gone down as one of the three or four most lopsided trades in the history of the NBA.

Henderson Jr. is a much more talented player than his Dad. Junior is 6-5, can shoot with range and has amazingly explosive athletic ability. He is a surefire lottery pick when he goes pro, which is expected to be this offseason. If he has any of his Dad's charisma and intelligence, and I suspect he does, he will do very well for himself in the NBA.

Thanks for the memories Gerald Sr., and good luck to Gerald Jr. this weekend.

The Frustrations of Real Life: "The Class"

See the Boston Globe's review here.

"The Class" is a film about one school year in a classroom at a French junior high school, where fourteen year olds from a working class neighborhood in Paris are taught language by an engaging, bright, and not overly talented teacher. I saw this fine though disheartening French film in Portland yesterday and admired its patience and craftmanship, feeling engrossed by every minute of the two hour running time. But as someone who once thought of becoming a teacher of young adults, I became even more convinced that by NOT entering the classroom I had made the right decison: what a tough gig it is to hold the attention of thirty or so youngsters for one hour each day. The pressure I felt inherent in the job is representated in a pivotal scene in the movie when the teacher lets a slip of the tongue allow the students to unleash their fury at him, at France, at the world. Frustrations at their awareness that life may not get any better than it already is cause tensions to boil over. Very much like real life in its disdain of easy answers.

Well worth seeing but don't expect to leave the theater skipping and humming a happy tune.

NBA Draft Talk: Seven players who have helped their status with excellent play in the first two rounds of the tourney

Blake Griffin of Oklahoma has solidified his status at easily the best player available in the 2009 NBA Draft with an outstanding first two games. I still feel he is a Tim Duncan type of center/power forward hybrid who should be an incredible pro. The only question about him is how good he will be at the next level: Hall of Famer or simply All Star?

Cole Aldrich, an awkward looking center for defending national champion Kansas had a triple double against Dayton on Sunday, and looks like a lottery lock whenever he decides to come out. The sophomore appears ungainly at first glance, but he is a terrificly coordinated big man with excellent foul shooting skill and the ability to block a ton of shots. The best center Kansas has had since Wilt Chamberlain.

Terrance Williams saved his top seeded Louisville team yesterday afternoon against underdog Siena by scoring 25 points and leading his team to a close win. Williams is someone who has gotten better each year in school and now, as a senior, appears to be draftable in the late teens or early 20's of the draft. He has enough size to a play small forward at the next level, which is important because I don't see him being able to defend quicker shooting guards. Louisville remains the favorite to win the title, largely due to T-Will.

Tyreke Evans looked completely lost on Memphis squad early in the year. This 6-7 perimeter hybrid came in as the most sought after recruit in the country, but left me scratching my head after watching him play a few games on the wing for the Tigers. John Calipari moved Evans to the point midseason and he and Memphis have not lost since. Evans has moved into lottery territory as a near Magic-sized point guard who still needs to define his jump shot. It's awkward: held high, behind the head, with a release point that needs refinement, but everything else is there for this great young talent. I see him going in the top six or seven in the draft.

Sam Young is clearly the best NBA prospect on the East's number one seeded Pitt Panthers. He is small forward sized at about 6-6, but may need to play the 2 guard at the NBA level. What he can do is catch and shoot as well as anyone in college right now, and is also a great finisher on the break. Has a great athletic body whose only question mark concerns his ability to handle the ball. I love this player, though he may have to wait until #15 or so to hear his name called.

Gerald Henderson has gone from a possible late first rounder to a lottery lock this year. He has gotten better in each of his three years at Duke, and now looks like a certain top ten pick should he leave. Clearly, the youngster can create off the dribble, a requisite skill for any NBA two guard. A skilled shooter and passer with great size and wingspan. There is absolutely nothing to dislike about his game and pedigree, as he is the offspring of former NBAer Gerald Henderson (who back in 1984 allowed the Celtics to win their 15th NBA title with a late game steal of a James Worthy pass in the Finals at the old Boston Garden). It is possible that, in the years to come, that Henderson may be known as the second best player in the NBA Draft of 2009.

Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn is the best and most irreplaceable player on my pick to reach the championship game out of the East/South bracket. The Cuse has two of everything except at the point, where Flynn plays the entire game sometimes. As he goes, so goes Syracuse. Flynn's NBA potential is held back by his short stature. He is only about 6 feet tall, though solidly built. I look at him going later that the 15th pick, but he can shoot and score at the NBA level. A very good prospect.

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James Harden of Arizona State may have killed off any chance he had of being the second player taken, as had been rumored for a while. He was passive against Syracuse zone defense, and played poorly in A-St's first rounder against Temple. He has the size and skill to be a star at the next level, but when a great player defers to less talented teammates in his team's two biggest games of the year, red flags should be going up around the league. I still see him as a lottery pick, but like Duke's Henderson and Memphis' Evans a lot more at this point at the guard position.

With Wake Forest's collapse and first round exit, it looks like there is no possibility of their guard, 6-2 Jeff Teague, going in the lottery. His teammate, Al-Farouq Aminu, is also an excellent prospect. The problem with these lottery type talents is Wake's head coach Dino Guadio, who is clearly in over his head as head man of the most talented team in the country. Wake reached number one midseason after winning their first 16 games, went into a foreseeable slump, and then Gaudio panicked, taking the ball and point guard responsibilities out of super talent Teague's hands and giving them to a far inferior teammate. Wake remained in a slump for the rest of the year. I thought that Teague might possibly be the second player taken in the draft when he was tearing it up at midseason, as Derrick Rose's number one selection last year showed how valuable point guards are in the NBA. It may be best, though, with the situation at Wake, for both Teague and Aminu to go pro and take their lumps and less money, rather than go back to a deteriorating situation at Wake.

DeJaun Blair, center for Pitt, may be the best rebounder in the college game, but he is not a top flight NBA player right now and probably ever with his lack of perimeter game. The man just can't shoot the ball outside of three feet away from the basket, and any team that selects him better have a lot of shooters to make up for him. I love him as a college player, and he may lead Pitt to a national championship, but I would avoid him in the NBA Draft whenever he declares.

Greg Monroe played on the worst Georgetown team in some time this year. At 6-10 and highly skilled, the lefthander was looked at as a lottery lock at midseason, but now, due to the Hoyas collapse, he faces a tough decision: stay or go. John Thompson III put junior Jeff Green into the lottery three years ago after a Final Four run so if I were advising Monroe I'd tell him to stay a year or two more if he can financially, and see if he can regain his status. He, despite a thin frame and narrow shoulders, has the ability if he can add 20 pounds of muscle, to be Chris Both playalike at the next level, which would be worth a top five pick in 2010.

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Intriguing Talents No One Is Talking About --

Danny Green, wing player for North Carolina, has a future in the NBA in my opinion. It is said that the last man to hold Michael Jordan under 20 was Coach Dean Smith, and I wonder if a similar thing will be said about Roy Williams when Green's name comes up ten years from now. Green is about 6-7 with a good body, can shoot with range, handles the ball well, and has, I think, a lot more NBA potential than his teammate Tyler Hansbrough. Well worth a late first round pick.

Josh Heytvelt, Gonzaga's 6-10 talent, possesses all the skills of a top notch NBA power forward. If his head is screwed on right, Heytvelt can be a player at the next level and worth a 20-something pick. The question about him, of course, remains his head: what will money and fame do to a guy with a history of drug abuse and indiscretions? Inside knowledge and interviews with the young man will be key as to where he gets drafted. If he is honest and appears mature, he can make a lot of money, especially if Gonazaga can beat North Carolina in the sub-regionals this week. Green, Hansbrough, Heytvelt, and Gonzaga soph big man Austin Daye going at it will be closely followed by NBA scouts.

Tyler Hansbrough of UNC is a former NCAA POY, but absolutely no one thinks he can be a star at the next level. Count me in on that. I wrote a post at midseason saying Hansbrough is a better bet than the likes of BJ Mullens of Ohio State to be a good pro, but I have seen the light and admit I was wrong: Mullens is a far superior talent AT THE NEXT LEVEL. Mullens disappears at times but is highly skilled and athletic. Hansbrough is a beast at the college level and plays with constant intensity, but he is rooted to the floor at all times and will have his shot blocked next year so many times he will probably develop a complex. I have a ton of respect for how hard he works, but the man just does not get up in the air. His only hope is to watch a lot of film of New Orleans Hornet David West, another former NCAA POY who went from post player to perimeter shooter at the next level, quite successfully.

Jerel McNeal, shooting guard for Marquetter, put up extraordinary numbers for a terrific program, but it doesn't look like scouts are in love with his game. I am not sure. He is about 6-3, so he's not real big. He shoots well but doesn't appear adept at creating his shot off the dribble, as he takes a lot of catch and shoots. This guy could be a star or a bust. Well worth a look in the later stages of the first round.

Hasheem Thabeet will be among the most talked about NBA prospects when he declares following the college season. He is 7 foot but has narrow shoulders. He is a great athlete but one who plays on the floor a lot. He does not possess a go to move right now, but will that continue? Hard to know where to stand on this great shotblocker. The obvious comparison is Dikembe Motumbo, who has had a great though not Hall of Fame worthy NBA career. I don't see Thabeet being that good because of his frame and his lack of offensive polish after three years at the preeminent program for developing NBA players. He is a better version of Samuel Dalembert, and that is not worthy of a top ten pick. He will go early in the lottery as UConn may just win the whole thing, but I don't see him being a great pro. In fact UConn may not have a top notch NBA talent on their entire roster despite being one of the three or four best teams.

Required Reading: Frank Rich of the Times

See here.

He hits the nail on the head. In my mind, President Obama's leadership seems stilted and a bit behind the curve in his first months in office. The man is brilliant, but some of his choices for leadership positions in his administration remind one that the "old guard" is still very much in power.

What lies in store for the country is anyone's guess, but I think that it will get worse before it gets better (at least for some of us).

This week's Sports Illustrated: Great stuff about "real" people

Why do athletes go broke? Here's an excellent article about that subject. The short answer is because most of them come from nothing and have no idea how to spend or save their wealth. Here's some pictures of tricked out jocks cars. What a joke: according to the SI story, most of the guys who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on these "investments" (yeah, a car as an investment. great idea!) will be broke before they are into their 40s.

Do your kid a favor and give them an allowance and teach them how to use a checkbook as soon as they can handle a bit of responsibility. Because you never know... they may grow up to be a professional athlete.

Thoughts on the First Round of the NCAA Tourney: No Real Cinderella Yet

I am 24 out of 32 in my sister's office pool. Not bad, not great. I only filled out one bracket this year, as it seems silly to fill out multiple ones; sorta like buying 20 lottery tickets. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be.

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Midwest Region -

I had West Virginia making it to the Elite Eight, and they lost to Dayton and Chris Wright. No idea why I liked WV other than they're being from the Big East and made it that far last year. Apparently Wright is, now that he is finally healthy, one of the nation's best small forwards. Look for him to consider going to the NBA if Dayton makes it to the Sweet Sixteen, as he is a clear cut pro prospect.

Siena's win over Ohio State in double OT last night is the game of the tournament thus far.

Boston College seemed to lack a real spark against USC in their loss. BC has a history under coach Al Skinner of underachieving in the NCAA's, and I have no idea why. He is a terrific coach and well respected. Maybe he just lacks a certain fire to get the troops motivated come true crunch time.

The Wake Forest vs Cleveland State game was not on here in Portland, but it's hard to see how a team as talented as Wake could get blown out by a mid-major. Wake has been number one in the nation not that long ago. It appears head coach Dino Gaudio's decision to take the ball out of former point man Jeff Teague's hands midseason doomed Wake to mediocrity. I get the feeling that Gaudio is in over his head and won't last more than a few season down in Winston-Salem.


West Region -

UConn and Memphis won their first rounders in different ways: UConn in a blowout and Memphis in a tightly contested game against Cal State - Northridge. Only time will tell if these two terrific clubs benefitted from their respective performances.

No upset specials left in this region as all remaining teams are from power conferences.


East Region -

Pitt looked simply horrible yesterday against the 16th seeded East Tennessee State ballclub. No way they beat a fine Oklahoma State team tomorrow if they play that way. I remember during the selection show on CBS last Sunday showing a bored bunch of Panthers appearing to be in a daze when their team's name was read: they are going to pay for that arrogance on Sunday to young Travis Ford and his hustling bunch of overachievers. Ok St's rotund senior point guard Byron Eaton has gone from someone who, in my eyes, looked like he didn't belong on the court at first glance to being one of my favorite players. His bucket and free throw led to the defeat yesterday of a distracted Tennessee team. Look for Oklahoma State to advance and make it as far as the Elite Eight.

Duke surprised me with how well they played against an overmatched Binghamton team Thursday. Though I predicted at midseason that Coach K wouldn't make it out of the first weekend, I see Duke beating a talented but tempermental Texas team on Sunday.

I don't really like any of the teams left in this region, as they all have flaws. If I had to pick one team to make it to Detriot, I'd take the Big East's Villanova Wildcats because of their stellar guard play.


South Region -

North Carolina's best player, leader, and its key component, point guard Ty Lawson has not played in a week and a half with an apparent case of turf toe. Anyone picking UNC to win it all, and that includes you, President Obama, is crazy! Carolina need Lawson, and toe injuries are long term things. UNC may make it another round or two, but they aren't the same team that pushes the ball up without Lawson. Anyone else on the team is replaceable, but not Lawson. Look for UNC to fall soon.

Syracuse played well in the first half against their overmatched first round opponent, but the final score was not impressive. CBS did not show the later stages of the game, so I do not know if the 'Cuse was bored, tired, or both. Not a good sign.

Clemson continues their history of early round flameouts. They had one of the best teams in school history this year and finished the year staggering. Not sure what is wrong with coach Oliver Purnell's coaching or roster, but it is aggravating to be impressed during the year with the Tigers only to be disappointed every year with the end results.


Final Four Picks, Revised -

I'm sticking with Syracuse in the South, Memphis in the West, and Louisville in the Midwest. But after their debacle against ETSU, I can't pick Pitt to make it to Ford Field in Detriot. I'll say Villanova only because I don't trust Duke's reliance on outside shooting.

I bet it's the funniest movie of the year thus far: "Knowing"

To think that the gloriously unhinged Nic Cage used to be a real actor. Remember "Moonstruck?" "Vampire's Kiss?" "Valley Girl?" He was one hell of an actor back in the day. In fact, to study his track record, one comes to the conclusion that he is one of the very best actors of his generation.

The Times eviscerates his new one, the sure to be terrible "Knowing." Whatever happened to Cage? When did he cross that line from fascinating, intense actor to first class nutcase and laughter inducing leading man?

At least we'll always have "Matchstick Men" (seriously: I enjoyed that one)

How sad for both Cage and us...

Bristol and Sarah Palin: Not Exactly Role Models

See here

Not every teenage mom has a wealthy and famous parent to bail them out of their self induced situation. Just as Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich, with their six combined marraiges, have no right to lecture Americans about family values, the Palin's should not hold themselves up as examples of what is right and moral.

How many young women will be having children before they are ready, using the justification that "the Palins did it, why can't I?"

The fallacy of abstinence education is self evident, but the wealth of the Palin family gives young Bristol plenty of bucks to fall back on as she begins her path through motherhood (without the father of the baby).

Role models? Hardly.

CBS Coverage of the First Day of the NCAA Tourney: March Maddening

Oh, the days when ESPN would whiparound to the best game.

CBS, with the multi-billion dollar contract with the NCAA, continues to exasperate this viewer. Yesterday was a great example: they stuck with a boring 8/9 game while Memphis was struggling mightily with underdog Cal State - Northridge. We here in Maine were watching a rather meaningnless game while a potentially historic upset was happening with the second seeded Tigers of John Calipari. Why not switch to the more meaningful game? The biggest story of the day would have been the upset of Memphis by a 16 seed. And CBS would have missed most of it. Not good.

Last night CBS struck again, sticking with the dull and predictable Binghamton vs Duke blowout while better games were going on.

Does the Tiffany network still think that viewers would rather watch a "name" team such as Duke rather than the more compelling and potentially bracket busting games going on elsewhere? If so, I completely disagree.

Viewers can watch any game they want on their computers nowadays, but the picture and sound suffer for folks like me. CBS needs to do a better job of bringing the home viewer the most compelling game, regardless of who is involved.

Just wait till next year: Memphis Basketball

The University of Memphis and Head Coach John Calipari have a great chance at landing the top three high school basketball players in the country for next season.

Wow! I don't think that has ever come close to happening. It would be tough to expect anything less than a national title in 2010 with the talent they will have on hand. And they have a great chance at winning THIS year, with their defense and the rapidly improving Tyreke Evans at the point.

Wow....

How Big of a Red Fucking Flag Did Investors Need?

New York Times article about the TWO PERSON ACCOUNTING FIRM that "audited" Bernie Madoff's books while he ran the biggest Ponzi scheme in history.

TWO MOFO PEOPLE auditing a $50b dollar operation?

Come on, American investors. If your money was with Madoff and you were getting incredible and consistent returns every year, YOU KNOW SOMETHING WAS UP.

All the people playing dumb and crying poor because Madoff ripped them off should think about their part in all this.

Funny story about ex-major leaguer Lenny Dykstra in GQ

Here.

Anyone who takes this stuff too seriously needs their heads examined: Yesterday am I was listening to Boston sports talk radio hosts John Dennis and Gerry Callahan go on and on about how Dykstra was phony and racist and all around horrible person.

Please! He just got caught up in the collapse of the stock market. The guy is a crude exballplayer. What did we expect? A saint?

Folks who revel in the pleasure of seeing others fail are not folks I want to hang out with. So to the guy who wrote the story for GQ and Dennis and Callahan at WEEI in Boston I say "grow up."

Hilarious Stuff from Shaq

The man is seriously funny. Here's some Twitter info from SonsofSamHorn that cracked me up. Don't ever retire Shaq!

Nice Story From SI.com on Father/Son: The Dayes

Darren Daye played a few years with the Celtics, and for some reason I had the impression that he was another in the line of Sidney Wicks/Curtis Rowe boneheads that had previously plagued the team. But the man has his head on straight, and he has apparently done a very good job of raising his son Austin, a nice player for Gonzaga this year.

Though talk that the younger Daye could be a lottery pick seems premature (he only averages 13 points a game and is exceedingly thin), I hope he makes it. It is nice to see pros who won't blow through their money is just few years and who seem to have some intelligence about them.

Good for the Dayes and good for Gonzaga.

""Rachel Getting Married" -- A Movie to delight in

"Rachel Getting Married" is Jonathan Demme's finest work in some time. About a flawed and frayed women returning home from drug and alcohol rehab for her sister's wedding, I can't recommend this great film strongly enough.

Altman-esque in its nuances and intricacies, "Rachel" invites the viewer into this particular family's life headfirst. Anne Hathaway is incredible as the main character; brave yet fearful, disclosing painful truths while still holding ontu old lies, she is a brute force object that carries the film from beginning to end.

The rest of the cast is first rate.

Simply one of the best movies of 2008.

Great Stuff from The NYT's Frank Rich

See here

Projected Winner of NCAA Tournament, as of Sunday, March 15

Gonna go with Louisville, though I am not crazy about anyone in the field this year.

North Carolina has a major injury problem with Ty Lawson's bad foot. UConn really misses guard Jerome Dyson. Pitt is just not that talented, imo. Duke is just a bunch of perimeter shooters. Oklahoma is up and down and relies too much on Blake Griffin. Wake is incredibly talented but has a problem now, imo, by taking the ball out of Jeff Teague's hands.

I pick Louisville because I love Terrance Williams as the senior leader, a great defender and passer, and a charismatic young man capable of handling the chore of leading a team to six wins. Samuels and Clark are lottery picks, potentially, when they come out. The backcourt has several defenders and shooters. The team has a bunch of NBA capable players and very good college players, along with a proven big game coach in Rick Pitino.

One of the downsides to the Ville is winning the Big East tourney: winning three games in three days may take a bit out of them. And they rely on jump shooting, so there is the danger of going cold for a half.

Go with Louisville going to D-town to win six. But don't bet the house.

Bernie Madoff takes one for the team

It is clear to my eyes that Mr. Madoff is pleading guilty in order to spare his family. This is not right.

If the government accepts his guilty plea, they must not stop looking for other guilty folks.

Do you really think that ONE MAN can run this gigantic Ponzi scheme?

That is unthinkable. There were at minimum dozens of folks who knew exactly what was going on. They should all be held accountable!

Jocks having babies: Nine kids by nine different moms

For ex-NFLer Travis Henry, the term "keep it in your pants" meant nothing. After a short career in the league in which he made many millions of dollars and a criminal career of cocaine use and distribution, he finds himself in a lot of trouble with the nine moms.

See here

Who is to blame? Who do you feel sorry for? Do you get angry, or just get sad?

I know the world has nine more babies to take care of, to parents (both mom AND dad) who seem like fairly awful people, with little intelligence or thought for others.

What chance do these nine kids have of growing up to be responsible, mature, contributing adults in our society?

It seems like the odds are long.

Guns Don't Kill People...

Crazy people with access to their father's gun "collection" kill 15 people.

See here

2008 "One Shining Moment" CBS Video

Last year I was under the weather and missed the NCAA Championship game between Kansas and Memphis, and subsequently missed my favorite three minutes of the tourney: CBS "One Shining Moment" video that they have been playing for decades at the conclusion of Monday night's festivities.

See here

Tennessee Football Coach Lane Kiffin is becoming a national joke

See here.

Just because you are young and very bright and have a good pedigree does not mean you will meet with success in life. Kiffin, hopefully will find some humility somewhere along the line.

Looks like he'll have to lose his job with UT and maybe several others before that happens, though.

Expectations for the NCAA Basketball Tournament

My number one seeds, pre-conference tourneys, are UConn, Pitt, UNC, and......the hard pick...Louisville.

Dark horses are: Siena for a possible Sweet Sixteen bid, Wake Forest as a potential Elite Eight nod.

First weekend flameouts could be Duke (bunch of perimeter players with no rebounding, shotblocking, or inside scoring), Oklahoma (over reliance on one great player), Syracuse, and the Pac Ten (no team worthy of a Sweet Sixteen bid).

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The first weekend of the NCAA's is my favorite sports weekend of the year, in that Thursday and Friday, when the games run from noon to 6pm, then 7:30 until after midnight are awesome, and the weekend is terrific, too, with eight games each day. Great fun, though I still remember with fondness the way ESPN, back in the 80s, would switch from game to game. Today, we have the benefit of being able to watch each game at NCAA.com in realtime.

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My predicted champion is........

The University of North Carolina...

though as a Big East fan I will be rooting for a repeat of the 1985 Final Four when three BE teams reached Rupp Arena and Villanova won the whole enchilada.

Guns Don't Kill People...

...Crazy people with easy access to guns kill people.... Eleven people.

See here.

Gun control is a good thing. Any questions?