OPINION —
SO IS THERE any better sporting weekend than the one we’re facing this week?
Yeah, Super Bowl weekend is awesome and Daytona 500 is cool for the NASCAR fans out there, but the first weekend of the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament tops any and all comers.
I know many a sports fan that uses sick and/or vacation days on the first Thursday and Friday of the tourney, so they can watch college hoops all day.
Back in college, I just didn’t go to class those days. I’d make sure I had enough beverages in my room and would order a pizza when I was hungry.
I definitely didn’t emerge from my room between Thursday afternoon and Sunday night with the exception of bathroom breaks and to shower.
With no clear stud teams out there, this year’s tournament could rank among the best ever in terms of upsets.
I plan to be apart of it this year once again.
I’m hoping to watch some games Thursday afternoon while at work -- provided the kids at George Junior want to behave -- and I’m off all day Friday.
So you can guess what I’ll be doing.
ä Speaking of the NCAA tournament and upsets, my initial bracket only features two ‘upsets’ — No. 12 seed Oregon edging Oklahoma State and and No. 11 seed Minnesota clipping UCLA.
I know I said earlier I’m expecting a bunch of upsets, but aside from Oregon and Minnesota, I’ve been way too busy this winter to really get into college basketball, so I don’t really have a clue as to who’s due to be upset or who could pull off the upset.
I can tell you this much, I have Kansas (South), Louisville (Midwest), Miami (East) and New Mexico (West) in the Final Four with Louisville and Kansas meeting in the finals.
The crazy thing is I could see Georgetown (South), Michigan State (Midwest), Indiana (East) or Ohio State (West) also reach the Final Four.
That’s what I mean about how crazy this tournament could be.
No one knows who’s gonna do what.
ä The Big East Tournament happened for the final time in its current make up last weekend and I, for one, am going to miss it.
I never made it to New York City to watch the tourney during my life and I know I’ve missed out.
There’s no bigger tournament in the world and college basketball will be missing a little something next March when many former Big East teams are competing in the American 12 Conference tourney whereever it’s held or in the ACC tourney.
As a college basketball fan and a non-college football fan, I wish there was a way to avoid the mega-conference format college athletics are drifting towards, so that we could save the greatest college basketball conference ever.
I can only hope that the ACC tourney — I’m a Pitt hoops fan — will be as much fun to watch in the years to come as the Big East tournament has been.
Sports
RANDOM THOUGHTS: March Madness is best time of year for sports fanatics
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STAIRWAY TO SEVEN: Mike Adams is an example about making good decisions
ANOTHER OFFSEASON AND another Pittsburgh Steeler in the news for all the wrong reasons.
This time, it was second-year offensive tackle Mike Adams, who was stabbed in the stomach and forearm last weekend during a reported carjacking.
According to police reports, a witness flagged down police around 3 a.m. near Carson Street in Pittsburgh and Adams was found bleeding in a nearby restaurant. -
EXTRA INNINGS: Nobody hit home runs like Willie Stargell
THE MOST IMPORTANT fact about Garrett Jones’ monster two-run home run Sunday is that it tied the Reds-Pirates game at 4 in the eighth inning. But the most historic fact about the achievement is that the shot made him the first Pirate in the 13-year history of PNC Park to hit a ball on the fly into the Allegheny River.
Before Sunday, the only other player to reach the water on the fly was Houston’s Darryl Ward, when he connected off Kip Wells in July 2002. -
THE CHECKERED FLAG: Holtgraver doubles up at Mercer
LAST FRIDAY I planned on taking in the World of Outlaw Sprint Car show at Attica (OH) Raceway Park, but Mother Nature had other ideas washing out the event for the second straight year. Storms were all throughout the Buckeye State that washed out just about every venue including the first ever Patriot 360 Sprint Car event at Raceway 7.
The weather though was clear at Lernerville Speedway and I finally made my first visit of the season to the Sarver oval. -
NCAA Football: Rock 6-1 after 17-3 win over Cal U
Slippery Rock University rode a length-of-the-field scoring drive by its offense and a goal-line stand by its No. 1-ranked defense late in the first half of action Saturday to a 17-3 win over 14th-ranked visiting California (Pa.).
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NFL: Steelers top Jags as Mendenhall makes return
Mike Tomlin isn’t ready to say the Pittsburgh Steelers are back. Not after watching his team sleepwalk through the second half against Jacksonville on Sunday.
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IndyCar Racing: Crash takes Wheldon’s life
Every race car driver heads onto the track understanding this race could be the last and hoping it won’t be. On Sunday, IndyCar drivers got a harsh reminder when the worst happened to one of their own.
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NHL: Sabres beat Penguins 3-2
The Buffalo Sabres have had trouble with the Pittsburgh Penguins whether Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin play or not.
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NHL Quick glance: Montreal at Pittsburgh
A breakdown of the National Hockey League game Thursday night between the Pittsburgh Penguins and visiting Montreal Canadiens.
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High School Highlights: Oct. 19, 2011
A look at the last few days in local high school fall sports action.
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Leading Off: Oct. 19, 2011
News and notes from the local, regional and national sports scene.
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