WATERCOOLER CHAT: BRYCE WILL TAKE OVER FOR FATHER, ASTROS NEW MANAGMENT, MAZZARO A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
BASKETBALL
With no basketball playoff action yesterday, it was a very slow day in the sports world. However, still some interesting items of note:
In college basketball, with the rise and recent successes of Butler, VCU, and George Mason, mid-majors everywhere are no longer just thinking about getting into the NCAA Tournament. They think they can win the whole thing.  Valparaiso, a successful mid-major in the 1990s under head Homer Drew, was responsible for one of the highlights you always see during the NCAA tournament when Homer’s son, Bryce, caught an amazing cross-court pass and hit a three to upset Ole Miss in the last second. It’s the highlight where he hits the three and then dives on the court. Bryce will now take over for his father as head coach of Valpo and hopefully get them back to the glory days. And, for fun, here is that highlight.
BASEBALL
First, the Houston Astros, who have been pretty terrible since their World Series appearance a few years ago against the Chicago White Sox, will be under new ownership. The Astros were purchased by Houston businessman Jim Crane. Crane had been in the market to buy a team for quite a while now. He tried to nab the Texas Rangers, but it didn’t work out. Then he tried to get the Chicago Cubs — didn’t happen. But, while bad now, the Houston Astros are still in a large U.S. sports market, and if he can help them turn into a powerhouse in the National League, they could become a very lucrative franchise.
Finally, in baseball, the Cleveland Indians have been rocking this season. They’ve exceeded all expectations and sit in first place in the AL Central. And they gave Kansas City Royals pitcher Vin Mazzaro a night to remember. They put up, count ’em, 14 runs against Mazzaro (10 runs in the 4th inning alone) putting him in the record books as the the most runs let up by a Kansas City Royal in franchise history. Now, Kansas City is actually having their best season in years, but a shellacking like this certainly doesn’t help your fan base’s confidence. Mazzaro’s ERA will certainly suffer all season, but hopefully he gets to keep his job and have another go on the mound. Cleveland 19, Kansas City 1.
