Sure, March Madness is upon us.  But… it’s not just the Men’s tournament you should take note of.  While the #1 seeds in the Men’s tourney all seem beatable, the UCONN Huskies women’s team is essentially unstoppable.  They have a perfect 33-0 record, and every single team in the Women’s tourney will be gunning for them.  However, UCONN’s women’s head coach, Geno Auriemma is staying modest about the whole thing, saying “we’re just going to take it one game at a time”.  In other words, if the UCONN women’s team doesn’t win the whole thing, it will be a huge upset.

NFL

In the NFL, the drama between Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels and starting quarterback Jay Cutler continues to escalate.  Cutler was insulted that McDaniels went after Patriots QB Matt Cassel, basically sending Cutler a message that he doesn’t believe in him.  McDaniels tried to explain the misunderstanding — that, yes, he did want Cassel, but only because he has been working directly with him in New England the past couple seasons.  McDaniels was upfront and honest about his intentions, but this excuse just wasn’t enough for Cutler.  And yesterday, he said he wanted to be traded.  This… is a stupid move on Cutler’s part.  He’s the starting QB in a major football city, and he wants out?  The Detroit Lions have expressed some interest in him, and they hold the rights to the #1 pick in the draft, but McDaniels has said he doesn’t want the #1 pick, and isn’t interested in trading Cutler.  We’ll have to see how this develops, but as of right now… it’s pretty messy.

Elsewhere in the NFL, the end of a 4-year experiment.  Matt Jones was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars to be an all around player.  He was a phenom in college, and the Jags thought he could step in at QB, Wide Receiver, or even defense.  He was that talented.  They picked Wide Receiver for him, but he just never panned out.  Plus, he had a lot of ‘off-the-field’ issues with the law (specifically marijuana problems).  Well, last week Matt Jones was arrested on another drug charge, and placed in jail.  That was all she wrote for the Matt Jones era in Jacksonville, as the Jags decided to part ways with the former college stand-out.  He will probably get another chance somewhere, but based on his experience in Jacksonville, teams know what they’re getting into, and most would agree — he’s just not worth it.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Finally, in some rare college FOOTBALL news this time of year, the #1 blue-chip running-back prospect in the country, Bryce Brown, has officially decided where he will spend his college football career.  His answer:  The Tennessee Volunteers.  This is very exciting for Tennessee, and will be a great start for new head coach for Lane Kiffin.  Brown was considering other major football programs (Miami & Oregon), but heading to Tennessee could breathe new life into their program.  The Volunteers are usually always in the Top 10 in college football, but have fallen off a bit in the last few seasons (with Florida taking the reigns as the dominant SEC team).  With this new recruit, expect to see Tennessee back in a major bowl next season.

Well, it’s officially here — March Madness.  The field of 64 was unveiled yesterday, and this year is going to be extremely difficult to pick.  Last year, all four #1 seeds went to the final four, but this year all but one of the #1 seeds lost in their conference tournaments.  Basically, every team this year is fallible, and you shouldn’t feel comfortable picking ANYBODY to win it all.

In the Midwest, the #1 seed belongs to Louisville, the only team to win its conference championship.  The experts say that out of all the regions, Louisville has the easiest path to the Final Four.  However, a surging Michigan State lingers down in the #2 spot, as are the #3 Kansas Jayhawks, last year’s defending champs.  Sure, they’re not the same team, but that team is well coached by Bill Self, and do have some remnants of last year’s championship team.  You can see why this is a tough region to pick.

In the West, the #1 seed goes to UCONN — a team that was fantastic all season, but slipped over the past week, losing to Pitt and getting upset in the conference tournament in a 6OT game against Syracuse.  However, UCONN is a very well rounded team, and has Hasheem Thabeet, a 7’2 defensive powerhouse in the middle.  Come tourney time, it’s defense that gets you to the next round, and UCONN has some of the best defense in the league.  They might be the pick in this round.  However, beware of #2 seed Memphis, a team who feels they deserved a #1 seed.  That kind of slight can motivate the heck out of a team, and we could see those two teams facing off in the Elite 8.

In the East, Pitt gets the top spot.  Pitt looked good down the stretch, beating UCONN as mentioned above.  However, the knock against Pitt… they’re a one-man team behind forward DeJuan Blair.  If he gets into foul trouble, they’re not the same team.  They might be an early out.  But down at the #2 spot:  Duke.  Duke struggled earlier in the season, but they just won the ACC tournament, and have been on fire lately.  Oddly enough, they might be an underdog pick this year to win it all.  They are playing very well right now, and have some chemistry from last year as well led by Gerald Henderson.  Look to them to possibly come out of this division.

Finally, in the South — North Carolina takes the #1 seed.  UNC has basically the same team in place as last season, led by their senior Tyler Hansborough and point guard Ty Lawson.  These guys have the experience and the coaching (Roy Williams) to win this whole thing.  They know how play under stressful situations, and have something to prove after being upset by Kansas in last year’s final four.  Then again, Oklahoma is the #2 seed in this region, and they play host to the best player in college basketball — Blake Griffin.  He can totally take over a game, and could give us a Carmelo Anthony type tournament performance and win this whole thing with ease.  For those who don’t remember, Carmelo Anthony led a #3 seed Syracuse to a championship in 2003 as if he was a man playing against boys.  Griffin has that same ability.

It’s going to be a very exciting and unpredictable tournament.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

March Madness has begun.  Okay, not the 64-team tournament, but the conference tourneys are now in full spring.  And we’ve already seen some incredible upsets.   Here were a few from last night.

Oklahoma, loaded with their incredible superstar, Blake Griffin, took on the Oklahoma State Cowboys.  And the game took place in the new Oklahoma City Thunder stadium.  And while both teams played well, Oklahoma didn’t play like the juggernaut they’re supposed to be.  The game came down to the final play when James Anderson got fouled with the Cowboys down by one.  Then — he hit both clutch free throws to give Oklahoma State a one point lead, and seal the victory. Wow, huge upset.  Oklahoma State 71, Oklahoma 70.

Next — it was the Kansas Jayhawks turn to fall.  They took on an unranked Baylor team that looked feisty as ever.  The Baylor Bears were led by what might be the coolest name in sports right now.  That’s right, LaceDarius Dunn had 24 points to beat the Jayhawks last night.  LaceDarius — now that’s a name.  With this win, Baylor improved their overall wins against Kansas in school history to… two.  The Bears need to essentially win this conference tourney if they want a birth in the big show. Baylor 71, Kansas 64.

The #2 Pitt Panthers — they weren’t safe either.  This team is good, but also one of those teams that really struggles when their best player goes out of the game.  In this case, it’s DeJaun Blair.  Pitt isn’t a high-scoring team, and there’s a lot of concern that they just won’t score enough points to go deep in the tournament.  DeJuan Blair puts up the points, but not many other contribute in a big way.  And in March Madness, you need to score at will, or else you are prime to be upset by a team that gets the hot shooting hand.  Well, last night Pitt got crushed by West Virginia (who looks great by the way).  Now, Pitt will have a chance to rest up and refocus before the tournament begins.  They could be ripe to be upset early.

Finally, an amazing game in Madison Square Garden between #4 UCONN and #20 Syracuse. Eric Devendorf hit a three pointer with 0.01 seconds on the clock to give Syracuse the lead.  But, um, no — the officials ruled that he didn’t get the shot off in time, and we were headed to overtime.   And they just couldn’t settle it in one overtime.  Or two.  Or three.  Not even four.  Five?  Nope.  They need six OVERTIMES to decide a winner.  And at the end, Syracuse prevailed.   Jonny Flynn led Syracuse with 34 points, and Syracuse advanced in the Big East tourney.  As for UCONN, they need to follow Pitt’s lead and figure out what they want to accomplish come tournament time.  Syracuse 127, UCONN 117.

NBA

The Utah Jazz were defending a 12 game winning streak.  And when a team goes on a streak late in the season, that means something — that they’re hot at the right time.  However, Utah had its hands full in Atlanta taking on the Hawks.  Joe Johnson had 31 points for the Hawks, and another unlikely hero stepped up — Flip Murray.  He had 11 points in the 4th quarter to help the Hawks secure the win and end the Jazz’s winning streak.  And, by the way, the Hawks looked GREAT.  If they make the playoffs, they could pull an early round upset.  Hey, they’re better than they were last season, and last season they almost ousted the #1 Celtics.  It went to seven games.  Atlanta 100, Utah 93.

Elsewhere in the NBA, Chris Paul continues to do what Chris Paul does.  He is absolutely incredible!  And while he does get some good media attention, he still doesn’t get the credit he’s due.  Against a lowly Wizards team, he put up his 6th triple double of the season (30 points, 10 Rebounds, and 13 assists).  It’s a shame he doesn’t have another marquee player there to push the team to another level.  David West is good, but CP3 (Chris Paul) needs someone that can help him earn a title.  They should make a bold move in the off-season.  Also, you can watch his highlights here — they’re electrifying.  New Orleans 109, Washington 98.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Another team punched their ticket to March Madness.  A team that hasn’t been to the tourney since 1992.  But to win, they needed to beat two time defending NEC Conference Champ Mount St. Marys.  The game was a back and forth battle, but with just 2.5 seconds left on the clock, Robert Morris’ Dallas Green hit his only field goal of the game to give R-Morris a two point lead and the victory.  The fans stormed the court, and Robert Morris is definitely on their way to get killed by a #2 seed.  Robert Morris 48, Mount St. Mary’s 46.

World Baseball Classic

Venezuela avenged their loss to the United States.  Derek Jeter and Ryan Braun had a nice game for the U.S., but the game belonged to Venezuela’s Gregor Blanco.  He combined for six hits on the night, which included two doubles, a triple, and a home run.  Now, Venezuela advances to the 2nd Round just like the U.S.  Don’t count them out.  This tournament is actually getting pretty exciting.  Venezuela 5, United States 3.

World Baseball Classic

Another gigantic surprise.  The Dominican Republic, one of the most dominant teams in the tournament, fell to the Netherlands a few days ago.  To put this in perspective, the players on the Dominican Republic earn a total of over $80 million per year, while the players on Holland earn 0.4 million per year.   Plus, the Dominican Roster has 23 Major League Baseball players, the Dutch have two.  Baseball is just not Holland’s sport.  But, last night, they beat the Dominicans AGAIN to knock them out of the tournament.  That’s why we play the games.  This is practically the baseball equivalent right now of a college team like Gonzaga knocking off the Lakers. It’s just unreal.  Netherlands 2, Dominican Republic 1.

NFL

The situation in Denver just keeps getting worse.  Earlier this month, Denver tried to initiate trade talks to get Matt Cassel from the Patriots.  No big deal, except, how did they think it would make their quarterback feel?  He was offended, and yesterday, in a conference between the Broncos execs and Cutler, Cutler apparently got even more frustrated — especially at new head coach Josh McDaniels.  It’s possible that the Broncos might deal Cutler just to be rid of this thing, because you don’t want an agitated QB at the beginning of the season, and Cutler wouldn’t want to play his heart out for a team that doesn’t want him.  We’ll see how this progresses.

Elsewhere in the NFL, the St. Louis Rams have cut their former #1 draft pick Orlando Pace.  Pace represents the true essence of how the league should work.  The Rams drafted him with the #1 pick in 1997, and over the subsequent 11 seasons, he put in his best effort and nabbed 7 Pro Bowl appearances.  He was also a HUGE component in the “Greatest Show On Turf”, allowing Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger to bomb passes without much defensive interruption.  And lets not forget about Marshall Faulk’s success.  Yep, Pace was a big deal there too.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

And finally, a bit of a feel good story in college basketball.  If you compete in NCAA tourney pools, you notice you see some of the same “teams you’ve never heard of” every year.  The reason for this, however, is that those teams are reigning terror over their conferences, winning every year.  And the only way for another team to get in that tourney — beat goliath.  Well one of those teams is Butler.  And last night, they were knocked off by Cleveland State, who hasn’t been in the tourny in 23 years.  Cedric Jackson led the way with 19 points, and the Vikings get a ticket to the big dance.  However, Butler gets to go too as they are a ranked  team. Don’t pencil in Cleveland State to go too far though.
Cleveland State 57, Butler 54.

In the NBA, it was Dwayne Wade’s night.  He looked like the Dwayne Wade that America went gaga over back in 2003.  Dunking everywhere, fooling opponents, and yep, hitting buzzer beaters.  Taking on the Chicago Bulls, The Heat wore jerseys that read, “El Heat” as a salute to their Latino fan base, and Wade was out of control.  He had 48 points and 12 assists on the night, and not only hit one buzzer beater shot to send them into overtime, but also had an amazing steal and swished a floater shot with just one second to spare in Double OT to give Miami the win.  Ben Gordon had a superb 43 points for the Bulls, but the night belonged to D-Wade.  Miami 130, Chicago 127.

In college basketball, the G-boys are back in the big dance yet again.  No, not Georgetown… Gonzaga.  They took on a pretty good Saint Mary’s team that needed to win this game to get in the tourney and validate their 25-5 record.  However, it wasn’t their night, and they even got a technical foul before the game for dunking in pre-game warmups.  That’s 1-point awarded to Gonzaga before the game even started.  But, the Zags wouldn’t need that favor, as they wiped the floor with St. Marys.  Josh Heytfeit led the way for the Zags with 17 points.  Gonzaga 83, St. Marys 58.

Elsewhere in college basketball, North Carolina regained the top spot in the rankings.  They vacated the space for quite awhile, renting it out to UCONN and Pitt.  But they took it back when it mattered… right before the tournament begins.  Furthermore, their star forward, Tyler Hansbrough set an ACC record by being unanimously selected to the conference all-star team 4 years in a row.  Hansborough definitely earned it, and the primary reason for this benchmark is probably because many ACC stars of the past would leave before their senior season.  The 4-year college player is quickly becomming a rare breed.

Finally, in the NFL, the Chargers have offered LaDanian Tomlinson a restructured contract to try to keep him in San Diego.  Tomlinson suffered from a host of injuries last season, and has pretty much lost a lot of the workload to Darren Sproles this coming season.  However, there is definitely a chance that Tomlinson will recover and resume being the stud back he’s always been.  And if Tomlinson doesn’t like the offer from San Diego, he does have the option to be released.  Can you imagine Tomlinson on the market?   Forget about the injuries — teams would be drooling.

NFL

The big news:  Terrell Owens didn’t remain ‘team-less’ for very long.  And he’s actually going to a team that makes sense:  The Buffalo Bills.  They signed Terrell to a one year contract that seems to be a good fit for everybody.  Terrell comes to a team that didn’t have a big-name star.  So… he will be ‘the man’ there (which he loves).  For the Bills, they get a playmaker to open up their running game, and also give them some options in the passing game.  For the last few seasons, Lee Evans has been the #1 receiver in Buffalo, but teams would just double-team him and take that option away.  Now, with Owens, the Bills passing game becomes very serious.   Plus, now we get two games next season pitting Owens and Randy Moss against each other.   A good move for both Owens and the Bills.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

North Carolina defeated Duke yesterday to claim the #1 seed in the ACC tournament this week.  Both teams have been good this season, but UNC was just a little better, and in front of their always raucous fan base, Tyler Hansbrough and the Tar Heels knocked off the Blue Devils in Hansbrough’s final home game of his college career.  He had 17 points and 8 rebounds, while Jon Scheyer led the way for the Blue Devils with 24.  It should be an exciting ACC tourney this week.  Expect some upsets.  UNC 79, Duke 71.

BASEBALL

It’s the World Baseball Classic.  A new event that takes place every four years.  And the United States is off to a good start, as they beat Venezuela to advance to the 2nd Round.  Kevin Youkilis was the hero blasting a two-run homer, and Ryan Braun and Adam Dunn crushed single-run home runs.  However, the U.S. shouldn’t get too comfortable just yet, as they’ve got a long way to go if they expect to win this game.  Then again, the always dominant Dominican Republic lost this weekend to The Netherlands.  THE NETHERLANDS!!!  Who plays baseball in The Netherlands??!!  U.S. 15, Venezuela 6.

SOCCER

It appears that while pretty boy (and superstar) David Beckham is leaving the U.S. — he’s not leaving for good.  In soccer, teams lend players to each other (which is quite strange to American fans accustomed to all-or-nothing loyalty), and Beckham will play for the Italian juggernaut AC Milan for the next few months.  However, he will be returning to the Los Angeles Galaxy in July.  Basically, Beckham said he wanted to play for Italy, and you have to assume that the LA deal is just for money.   Unfortunately, the MLS is thought of as an inferior league around the world.  If this is ever going to change, a World Cup win would be a nice start.

NBA

The Detroit Pistons have made a decision that normally wouldn’t be very popular with a superstar, but oddly enough, one superstar has changed his tune.  Allen Iverson has publicly stated that he will do “whatever it takes” to help the Pistons win.   Even if that means coming off the bench.  For someone of Allen Iverson’s stature, coming off the bench would previously been ‘out of the question’.  However, Iverson has suffered some injuries as of late, and depending on him as a starter might not be in the Pistons best interest.  They’ve opted to bench him, and oddly enough, it makes Detroit better.

Elsewhere in the NBA, the New Orleans Hornets have been hot and cold this year, but when they jell, they’re still a very tough team to beat.  Well, it seems like they might have found their groove again, as they’re on a 5-game winning streak.  And last night they defended their streak against the Dallas Mavericks.  Chris Paul ran a muck with 27 points and 15 assists, and even did one of his beautiful trick moves, dribbling the ball directly through the Mavericks Jason Terry on a fast break.  The Hornets could potentially be a scary team to play in the first round of the playoffs.

MLB

The LA Dodgers have officially signed their slugger (and best player) Manny Ramirez to a two year deal worth $45 million.   And Manny being relaxed Manny addressed the media in a press conference as such, “Why such a big deal?  I played here before”.  Obviously, he took the situation with a degree of levity, but it’s still funny to hear Manny make light of a story that sports fanatics have been glued to for the past two weeks.

NFL

Vince Young, once drafted to be the franchise quarterback in Tennessee, has said that he wants his job back.  Last season, Young was benched due to injury, and Kerry Collins came in and ignited a 10-0 start.  Collins has been told that the starting job is his next season, but after sitting on the bench for a year, Young is ready to retake his throne.  And lets not forget, that this guy was amazing to watch in college.  Now, with a strong running game in place with LenDale White and Chris Johnson, the Titans become a very versatile team next season.  A healthy, MOTIVATED Vince Young could truly be exciting to watch.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

A lesson to never sleep when playing a ‘slightly’ inferior opponent.  #5 Oklahoma and Blake Griffin traveled to Missouri to play the #12 Tigers.  The game was expected to be close, but Griffin is so dominant that any game in which he’s featured and healthy is, in theory, a win for the Sooners.  Well… not last night, as the Tigers came out strong behind DeMarre Carroll.  He had 15 points and 10 rebounds in a game that saw Mizzou taking advantage of all Oklahoma’s careless turnovers.  Blake Griffin had 16 points and 21 rebounds on the night, but also… 6 turnovers.  Missouri 73, Oklahoma 64.

NFL

The Arizona Cardinals have officially decided to keep Kurt Warner.  He cost them a pretty penny, as $19 million of his contract is guaranteed money, but the Cardinals figure that… hey, he knows the offense, we can win with him, and maybe he will lead us to another Super Bowl.  And at the very least, the Cards will be relevant coming into next season, which will definitely improve their previously horrid ticket sales.  At the same time, the 49ers are bummed today, as they were hoping that Warner might suit up for them next year.  Now, they will have to look to a stable of average QBs or the draft for an answer.

At the same time, Edgerrin James, the Cardinals running back, called up the general manager yesterday and pleaded to be released.  He was benched midway through last season in favor of rookie Tim Hightower, and he stated earlier in the season, “I didn’t come here to block”.  Only thing is, there aren’t many open positions in the NFL.  Cedric Benson locked up the starting job in Cincy.  Derrick Ward took a job with Tampa Bay, and Fred Taylor signed with New England as an offensive option.  So it will be interesting to see where James lands.  Someone has to have use for him.  But he’s entering the final stages of his career.

Finally, the biggest news of the day — Terrell Owens was released by the Dallas Cowboys.  The primary reason… he’s a chemistry-killer.  In the locker room, he has been known to become enraged and throw tantrums.  He attracts drama, and always puts the Cowboys in a bad light.  Releasing him cost them a lot of money, but Jerry Jones thought it was for the overall good of the team.  Now they can focus on being a cohesive unit.  So two questions remain.  (1) Where does T.O. go now?  Who wants to absorb the headache?  (2) Whom will the Cowboys get to replace Owens, because Romo is going to need somebody to throw to deep? For Owens, the problem is that no serious contender will pick him up because they don’t want the trouble. He’s more likely to end up on a team like the Raiders, who will do anything to give their team a new look.

NBA

It was the battle of the Superman.  Not quite literally, but certainly close.  “Superman” is the nickname of the Orlando Magic’s all-star center Dwight Howard, earned when he put on a red cape during the slam dunk contest and slammed it home from the foul line.  However, the original “Superman” moniker was that of Shaq.  He even called Howard out publicly saying that Howard was a good player, but that Shaq did it all first.  (And to Shaq’s credit, he has a point.  Shaq pulled down 2 backboards in his day, and won 3 championships).  Shaq followed this up by saying, “Once he gets out of the second round of the playoffs, then he can call himself Superman.”  Needless to say, Shaq’s pretty funny.

The game was a battle between the two big men, but the show really belonged to the Magic’s power-forward Rashard Lewis.  He was a beast out there with 29 points and 12 rebounds.  Shaq and Howard tussled a lot down low, but the prettier player (albeit much younger) was Howard.  He even hit an amazing bank-shot over Shaq while drawing the foul.  Shaq had nothing but amazement on his face.  The new best center in the league is born.  Orlando 111, Phoenix 99.

NFL

Kurt Warner has stated that he would like to be an Arizona Cardinal next season.  However, that jersey will come with a very high price tag.  After Warner stepped in this season and led the Cards to a Super Bowl (an achievement absolutely nobody saw coming), he would love to try and do it again.  That opportunity, that… chance will cost Arizona $23 million dollars over two years.  If you’re Arizona, you know Warner gives you the best chance to win, especially because he jells with that offense.  At the same time, Warner is old and injury prone, and that money could sit on the sidelines for the next two years.  When all is said and done, however, if you’re the Cardinals and have been completely irrelevant for the last 30 years, you take on Warner and hope for the best.  Hey… the fans are coming.

Finally, it appears that the Coast Guard has called off its search for missing NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith.  The families have been overcome with grief during these past two days.  Unfortunately, they are in the Gulf of Mexico, which is a very cold body of water, and survival is quite difficult if you’re just lingering in the water.  The coast guard said if they were on top of the waters, they would have found them.  This is a very sad moment for their families, and we can only hope for a miracle.