Sportsmen of the Month: Armando Galarraga and Jim Joyce

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So I must be weird or something. When I first saw the realtime replay (meaning no slo-mo) of Jason Donald's foot meeting the bag at roughly the same time as that of Armando Galarraga, I thought it was a close play. Probably out, but a close play. However, first-base umpire Jim Joyce extended his arms to signal a safe runner.

Subsequently, the Detroit Tigers raised their arms and opened their mouths in bitter shock. Jim Leyland was apoplectic. The Tigers radio announcers went berzerk. The fans at Comerica booed effusively. The boys in Bristol cued up the replay to be reshown 3,000 times from 28 different angles. The nation's columnists and talking heads prepared their outrage, and so did the nation's sports fans.

And Armando Galarraga smiled.

He just stood their and smiled. Out of disappointment, out of frustration, out of hard luck, out of whatever emotion he was feeling, who knows. But the point was, he acted in such a foreign manner that 99.9 percent of us could never fathom expressing under the circumstances.

In the aftermath of Galarraga being, well, cheated out of joining the elusive MLB perfect game club, he never said an ill word toward Joyce, toward the umpires, toward Miguel Cabrera (who had tossed Galarraga the ball perhaps a tad casually), toward God, toward karma, toward anyone. He just took life as it happened, like a gentleman.

In the aftermath of Joyce's bang-bang call cheating Galarraga's perfection, he never uttered an excuse. Never got on the defensive. Never tried to stammer some half-baked reason for his call. He simply saw the replay, knew he screwed up, and dug into his internal resources for something that way, WAY too many people in this world don't comprehend.

He was accountable. He made a mistake, he owned up to it, and he apologized.

Isn't that what sports is all about? Nay ... isn't that what LIFE is all about???

I'm also weird for thinking that this story was completely overblown. If Joyce had made a bad call in the 12th inning of Game 7 of the World Series, I'd be screaming for universal instant replay like everyone else. But this, to me, doesn't fit the bill. Wins and losses and championships count more than personal achievements.

I'm also weird for thinking that Bud Selig did the right thing by upholding the call and not reversing Joyce's decision, thus officially keeping Galarraga out of the archives as a perfect-game pitcher. Talk about opening a can of worms the size of Mongolia if Selig had done that (and I'm not a Selig fan by any means).

So this was a story that filled the airspace for a good week or two. But what's splendid is, it only lives on not in a negative light by Joyce's mistake or the instant replay controversy.

It lives on because of the sportsmanship, the integrity, and the high character two men showed on and after June 2. Armando Galarraga and Jim Joyce had a beautiful story written about them by Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci in June.

Wouldn't surprise me if there was another story penned in 6 months. One of the SOTY variety.

-AJ

News and Views

I could sit here and just pretend I have been a terrible co-blogger, but that would be disrespectful to AJ. I have failed you all, but I offer you this post and hope you will forgive me.

Germany smothers England | Refs miss goal
If you only read the first three words, you may get flashbacks to 1941. God Bless the World Cup, one of the only sporting events where headlines could be misinterpreted as describing a war.

Disputed goal helps Argentina upend Mexico
Its true, Tevez was wayyyy offsides, and Mexico fell apart after that goal. But come on... Argentina is far and away the better team and I'm pumped to see them against Germany.

Sources: Nets to court Wade, Bosh after LeBron
Nets to court Wade... because they have no shot at Chicago bound Bosh and Lebron. Got this from Bill Simmons: "48 hours ago sportsbook.com had Lebron at _125 and Bosh at +300 to sign with the Bulls. Now? Both are -500." VEGAS NEVER LIES

Rays' Longoria: Spat with Upton is over with
Nobody cares. The Rays are falling faster than BP's stock.

Johnson uses force to win in Loudon | Blount
Nascar.... blah blah blah.... Nascar.... blah blah... speed... blah... cars.

Red Sox KO Lincecum | Martinez breaks thumb
BOSox are playing some great baseball but Pedroia and Martinez injuries could be costly in that division.

U.S. scatters from WCup | Kobe proud of effort
I'm so glad Kobe is proud of our World Cup effort. Maybe if he was on the pitch we would have gotten some calls.

Nadal says knee feels OK after practice session
Yikes... hate to see him hurting. Tennis is only fun when Federer and Nadal are running at near 100%

Branyan returning to Seattle in M's-Indians deal
Who? And its the Mariners... they stink.

Lakers' Jackson weighs Karl's illness in decision

Would love to see Jackson leave LA behind and go coach Lebron or something. I just like change. Too bad that wont happen.

Other notes:
As of writing this, my Texas Rangers have closed into 1/2 of a game of the Yankees for the best record in baseball. Oh and the Yankees are losing in the 8th right now. I'm just saying.... well I dont know what I'm saying. The Rangers have great team chemistry and are playing great... great baseball.
I'm rooting for Argentina in the World Cup, because they are incredible to watch. If they dont win it, it would be awesome to see a team from outside of South America and Europe win it. Never happened before. Ghana... Japan? Would be cool, probably not happening but I'll root for the underdog.

Stay Classy,

B-Dubs.

Sportsman of the Month: UUUUUUUUUU

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Just, uh, so you know, Bango was April's Sportsman of the Month. Sure, why not. He was my end-of-April blog post, so we'll go with the Bucks crazy, possibly psycho mascot.

May's pick is a little more worthy. And a little more awesome.


Ubaldo Jimenez officially yanked the title of "Best Pitcher in the NL West" from Timmmmmaaaaaay Lincecum on Memorial Day with his complete-game shutout of the Giants. Yes, it was the Giants batting against UUUUU, but still. That brings Ubaldo's April/May line in 11 starts to the following:

10-1, 0.78 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 2 complete game shutouts, 1 no-hitter, 1 HR against (1!), 26 walks and 70 strikeouts in 80.1 innings

Hey, look at that. I didn't pass out from excitement that time thinking about that line. Chalk that up in the win column, otherwise known as Ubaldo's home.

Do you people realize...

- Ubaldo's own batting average (.097), with just three hits at the plate, is 19 points higher than his ERA? Who's ever HEARD of that before?

- Ubaldo has left 6 games this season with a big fat zero on the opponent's side of the scoreboard? 6 scoreless starts. But hey, let's be fair to Timmy, the man who led the NL in that category in 2009. Of course, he had 7. The entire year. Not just April and May.

- Ubaldo is good at saying "No! No!" and not just against Atlanta? Think how hard it is to string together, say, 10 scoreless innings. Now think about doing 20 in a row. Not quite enough? Okay, let's settle in at 25. Twenty-five consecutive innings - 75 outs in succession - without allowing a run. Now imagine doing it twice. In the same season. Ubaldo's done it. Again, in April and May.

- Ubaldo needs just one more win to equal the Rockies record for wins before the All-Star Break? Feel free to take your time, UUUUUUUUUU, since that won't be for another seven starts or so. (Actually, no, please, don't take your time. The Rox are 17-23 with you in the dugout wearing a Starter jacket.)

- That speaking of which, in UUUUUUUUUU's 11 starts, the Rockies have spotted him 5, 4, 4, 2, 12, 5, 0, 6, 4, 7, and 4 runs? Take out the outlying 12-1 win over Arizona, and the Rox are giving UUUUUUUUUU 4.1 runs per start. Not exactly the '27 Yankees slugging him to cheap victories.

- Only three pitchers in the last 100 years (since ERA was created) have won 10 of their first 11 starts with lower than a 1.00 ERA? Juan Marichal, in 1966, is the only other man besides U to do it since the Great Depression.

- Ubaldo became the sixth pitcher in the last 20 years to win 10 games in April and May? Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens and John Smoltz are three others. They're pretty good. They went on to win this thing called the Cy Young Award.

- That in 5 career head-to-head matchups, the scoreboard reads Ubaldo Jimenez 4, Tim Lincecum 1?

- That Jim Tracy, usually a well-spoken man, said the following after Monday: "I am beginning to run out of words, really, to describe not only the excellence, but the dominance in which this guy is pitching up to this point. This is just another fabulous start ... what else can I say? Enough said."?

- That Ubaldo will probably still not get that thing called the Cy Young Award because of a certain Colorado native pitching in Philadelphia? East-coast bias is an ugly thing. Of course, the cruel injustice in such a situation would be all those years of national writers making excuses for explosive Rockies hitters playing in Coors Field being swept abruptly under the rug.

Frankly, I wouldn't care. Really, I wouldn't. These have been two months for the ages, and I can't wait to see how much longer UUUUUUUUUU can keep this UUUUUUUUUUp.

FEAR THE DEER. No, seriously. I'm scared.

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First, let me say the following blog post is in jest. I've got mad respect for the Bucks, and I actually can't wait to watch the Hawks-Bucks game tomorrow. The Bradley should be rocking.

But ... I mean, have you seen this video?



Time to recap this masterpiece, mini-Bill Simmons/Ben Voelkel running diary-style:

0:06: Already, six seconds in, and your mouth is already dropping. Why are cartoony deer leaping out of nowhere (well, not nowhere. Bango was clearly standing on that rock beach in clear daylight, and for some reason this Hawks jersey-clad kid couldn't see what horrible collison he was about to incur) to tackle innocent bike-riders? And did Bango consider if there were young children around to witness this potentially life-scarring incident? I demand to speak with the Milwaukee Parks and Recreation Department this instant.

0:17: I think Bango's been watching a little too much of that Monday Night Raw stuff. A wonderful clothesline there. Nicely done on the whole backflip thing by whichever stuntman the Bucks paid 300 dollars to put on an Al Horford uni and get the crap kicked out of him by a goofy-looking team mascot.

0:22: Bango totally ripped that cake-in-the-face thing from clowns everywhere. Well, so did Rocky, the Nuggets mascot. Takes one to know one, I guess.

0:26: Love the other guy's thinking: "omigod, if I don't hastily rip this Hawks hat off my head and sit on it, I run the risk of having delicious dessert thrown in my face as well! I must act at once!"

0:29: Our first "did they just ACTUALLY do that?" moment. Where did Bango find a giant basketball like that? (Toys-R-Us?) And hey man, isn't this crossing the line? The guy's just trying to burn some cals. Maybe Bango was simply teaching him a lesson. Remember kids, never forget to attach the emergency clip to your shorts, or you might get giant toy balls hurled in your face by angry mascots who don't share your support of a particular NBA franchise. It's hazardous to your health.

0:32: And the flex afterward. Wow. Look at you, Bango. That ball probably weighs about three pounds. Muscle man, fo sho.

0:35: This part kills me. This frumpy Hawks fan approaches the Porta John with that "igottas---, igottas---, IGOTTAS--- RIGHT NOW!!!" walk. Then, for just a split second, she considers the notion of, "should I actually lower and defile myself by slapping my buttcheeks down on plastic that's touched God-knows-what and been God-knows-where?" before deciding that yes, yes it's worth it. It is nothing short of unbelievable that the Bucks hired the director from Superbad to oversee this production.

0:38: So the girl goes in there, and even before Bango comes into the screen, I think to myself: there's an 87 percent chance this Porta John is going to end up on its side in a matter of seconds. Let's see if I'm right.

0:43: Sure, Bango. I'll be vewwy, vewwy quiet. You're hunting Hawks fans.

0:46: More shenanigans from Bango: "Should I do it? Should I do it?" The operative answer, as always, Bango, is: duh.

0:51: DOWN IT GOES!! And there's the flex again. Clearly, Bango is a male.

0:53: OKAY, WAS THE S--T-COVERED JERSEY REALLY NECESSARY?!?!?!?! Are they ACTUALLY going to show this at the Bradley Center? Dear lord. I have a feeling this is going to end up on Pardon the Interruption on Monday.

0:55: Next scene: A good ol' beer softball league. Actually, it's just softball. I'm merely assuming there's beer in the dugout. It's Milwaukee. Guy gets a hit, and Bango immediately springs out of his catcher's stance into a full sprint toward center field. Pretty sure that's against the rules, Bango. I'll give him a free pass; it's not like they have a professional baseball team in Milwaukee.

1:02: Perfect takedown. E-8. This Hawks fan has got to be feeling the pain by now. Or if it's multiple Hawks fans...well, why the hell would there be multiple Hawks fans in Milwaukee.

(Is that two potshots in a row at the great city of Milwaukee? Yeah, I'm saying 'go fornicate yourself Brenner', too. Let's just move on.)

1:05: A seemingly harmless drink at the water cooler becomes disastrous for this backwards-cap-wearing chap. Bango makes sure to fly out of nowhere, tackling the guy and also taking out the water cooler in the process.

1:10: Man, I miss roller blading. I should buy a new pair of skates, just cruise around Davenport. But I digress.

1:12: Once again, Bango executes a perfect Ultimate Fighting move, rising into a flying kick to knock another fan out. What if the UFC or MMA leagues had bad-ass mascots like Bango? Would that enhance the experience, or just be really weird? I'm not sure.

1:18: Douchebag Hawks fan with a white hat three sizes too big with an arm slewn around his girl? Fine. The fact that a serial-abusing mascot like Bango is walking in his direction, with his right hand hiding behind his back? Slightly more alarming. This might be a good time to say, "uh, sweetie, maybe we should cross here." "But there's traffic coming." "JUST DO IT! CROSS NOW!"

1:22: Bango reveals a red Hulk-like fist on his right arm, punches the guy over the railing, where he lands in the river below. Because landing on the street would have been too violent for this video.

1:29: FEAR. THE. DEER.

(I do now.)

Have a good one.

AB

Mile High Musings: 11 Denver Points to Ponder

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A banner day in the 303, if I do say so myself. Here are 11 notes from a truly Super Saturday:

1) Ubaldo for Cy. Ya heard it here first. I can't wait to buy his jersey in June (and name my firstborn son/daugher Ubaldo/a Champ Brenner in 2018). Throw in the fact that his No. 38 jersey makes it impossible for me to blow a bucket of money on the roulette tables, and my man-love for UUUUUUUUU is pretty much complete.

2) I've watched the 7th-inning replay about 20 times. And I'm still absolutely befuddled as to how in the world Dexter Fowler caught that baseball. Not quite DeWayne-esque, but pretty damn close.

3) A few friends from here in Davenport and from afar have commented on the somewhat-unfortunate timing of Ubaldo's no-hitter in regards to national coverage, since Saturday was the opening act for the NBA playoffs and featured that 20-inning offensive crapfest in St. Louis. Yeah, too bad he couldn't have the show all to himself. But since I dig on ESPN all the time, I must commend both the Worldwide Leader as well as MLB.com for giving Ubaldo his fair due.

Special shoutout to MLB.com for providing free live look-ins on big baseball happenings such as a no-hitter or walk-off situation. In Paris Hilton talk, "that's hot."

4) Yeah, Ubaldo walked six guys. Big whoop. Wanna fight about it?

Look at it this way: let's say you often frequent the same steakhouse, and you're rarely disappointed. Then one time, you go in there and your waiter presents you with THE PERFECT PORTERHOUSE. This baby is the way steak is supposed to be made; it's the chef's finest moment. Now let's say the mashed potatoes are a little mushy; the asparagus was a touch undercooked; your water was a little too lemony and the waterboy spilled ice cubes all over the table because those damn pitchers don't know how to store ice cubes properly.

You gonna remember ANY of that secondary stuff? Of course not. You're remembering THE steak. That's why the six walks don't matter much to me. Nor does the fact that Ubaldo needed 128 pitches to get through nine. This was his shining moment.

5) One final note: anyone notice who was behind the plate for the no-no? That's right: Miguel Olivo. He's also caught the Rockies to a 4-2 record with a .348 average. Meanwhile, the Rox are 2-3 with Chris Iannetta behind the plate, who sports a .190 average. I nominate the new guy for full-time catcher. My patience with CI is wearing thin.


6) Welcome back to the Roller Coaster Otherwise Known As The Denver Nuggets.

Is this what it's like to date a schizophrenic girlfriend? Can't this team just decide whether it wants to be great or terrible and get on with it? Simmons writes the other day in his ESPN.com NBA playoff column that Utah has a better team, and in light of the San Antonio/Phoenix debacles, I completely agreed at that time. Now I think he couldn't be more wrong after the Game 1 victory. That Utah team cannot score with Denver.

7) Melo offered to Holly Rowe a parcel of the following postgame quote: "...we passed, we played defense..." I only heard those five words. Didn't need to hear any more.

This is an official request to the Nuggets' video coordinator to clip those five words, copy and paste together 100 times in one of those remix tapes, and show it to the Nuggets in their next team meeting until they get sick of hearing it. HAMMER THOSE WORDS INTO THEIR FREAKING HEADS. Pass. Play defense. Pass. Play defense. Pass. Play defense. They do those two things, they CAN and WILL beat any team on the planet. They don't, and they lose to the Knicks, the 76ers, and perhaps even the Butler Bulldogs. That's how these things work. After a nifty give-and-go with Afflalo and Chauncey that resulted in a Double-A 3-ball, Doris Burke (who did a wonderful color job on the game, by the way) pointed out perfectly on cue that in the Nuggets' wins, they average 23 assists; in their losses, 16.

This isn't rocket science, fellas. Pass. Play defense. Win.


8) The fourth quarter spurt is exactly why we're never trading JR Smith. We're stuck with him, or better or worse, through sickness and in health, until death do us part (a couple of 28 percent shooting seasons would do it too)

9) I have zero expectations for these playoffs. And it is pretty darn liberating. A lot less stressful. I wish I could feel more excited about the Nuggets' chances to put it together for six weeks and make a fantastic playoff run. But without George Karl at full pace, we're screwed. This spring of 2010 has completely, 180-degree reshaped my beliefs that NBA coaches don't matter.




10) So the 8th-seeded Avs were 32 seconds away from taking a 2-0 lead back to Pepsi Center. Expect nothing less from those playoff-underachieving Sharks. Either way, it's a great time to be a Denver fan. The proud Avalanche tradition is looking up.


11) Buh-bye, B-Marsh. We hardly knew ye. Don't let the door hit you on your egotistical ass on the way out. Anyone wanna start a "How Long Until Marshall Gets Suspended For Being Shenaniganalicious In South Beach" Pool? I'm in for Week 10 of the 2010 season.



Have a good one.

-AJ

2010 MLB Preview, Part II (AJ's picks)

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You Play to Win The Game! Divisional and Playoff picks

AL East: Yankees.......................................................NL East: Phillies
AL Central: Twins.....................................................NL Central: Cardinals
AL West: Athletics.....................................................NL West: Rockies
AL Wild Card: Red Sox..............................................NL Wild Card: Braves

AL Penthouse (best record): Yankees....................NL Penthouse: Phillies
AL Outhouse (worst record): Jays.........................NL Outhouse: Nationals

ALCS: Twins def. Yankees
NLCS: Cardinals def. Rockies

World Series: Cardinals def. Twins



Hardware heroes

AL MVP (ranked 1 through 5):
1) Mark Teixeira, Yankees. Impressive first year in the Bronx, and might only get better.
2) Carl Crawford, Rays
3) Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox
4) Joe Mauer, Twins
5) Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners

NL MVP:
1) Albert Pujols, Cardinals. Until he shows us otherwise.
2) Ryan Braun, Brewers
3) Ryan Howard, Phillies
4) Troy Tulowitzki, Rockies
5) Matt Holliday, Cardinals

AL Cy Young:
1) Justin Verlander, Tigers. The guy’s so good, he’s gotta win one sometime.
2) Jon Lester, Red Sox
3) CC Sabathia, Yankees

NL Cy Young:
1) Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies. You heard me. Call me a homer. I’ll be the one laughing in October.
2) Roy Halladay, Phillies
3) Ricky Nolasco, Marlins

AL Rookie of the Year: Neftali Feliz, Rangers
NL Rookie of the Year: Alcides Escobar, Brewers

Best shot to win a Triple Crown, AL: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
Best shot to win a Triple Crown, NL: Albert Pujols, Cardinals. Duh.

Other random crap we’ll try to predict

Most underrated team: White Sox. Nice overall hitting and pitching balance.
Most overrated team: Brewers. I dig that lineup. What Milwaukee calls a rotation or bullpen? Not so much.

Bring out the boobirds (top-10 salary team to stumble): Angels
Livin’ on a budget (bottom-10 salary team to thrive): Athletics

2010 Fantasy Baseball MVP: Albert Pujols, Cardinals. Until he shows us otherwise.
2010 Fantasy Baseball LVP: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees. Another year removed from, well, the ‘roids, and a lot of guys get fat and happy after winning the big prize for the first time. Is it out of the question to see a big step back for A-Rod?

Household name by September (currently unknown player ready for breakout year): Alexei Ramirez, White Sox (and, of course, CarGo)
60-day Disabled List by July (currently high-expectations player likely to miss 100 games): Josh Beckett, Red Sox. Dude has logged a ton of innings.

Biggest name to surface in 2010 season involving steroids (active players only): Miguel Cabrera, Tigers
Biggest name to retire during or at end of 2010 season: Ken Griffey, Jr., Mariners. Could also see Pudge, Damon and Hoffman here too.
Is this the year the National League wins the All-Star Game? Yes. They’re due.
Is this the year Aaron clears the runner-up hump and wins his first fantasy hardball league? I friggin hope so. I killed the Roided Up! Auction.

2010 MLB Preview, Part I (B-dubs picks)

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You Play to Win The Game! Divisional and Playoff picks

AL East: Yankees...................................................NL East: Phillies
AL Central: White Sox...........................................NL Central: Cardinals
AL West: Rangers...................................................NL West: Dodgers
AL Wild Card: Red Sox...........................................NL Wild Card: Braves

AL Penthouse (best record): Yankees..................NL Penthouse: Phillies
AL Outhouse (worst record): Athletics............NL Outhouse: Nationals

ALCS champ: Yankees
NLCS champ: Phillies

World Series: Yankees over Phillies

Hardware heroes

AL MVP (ranked 1 through 5):
1) A-Rod RETURNS
2) Mark Teixeira
3) Joe Mauer
4) Grady Sizemore
5) Who cares

NL MVP:
1) Albert Pujols
2) Chase Utley
3) Ryan Braun
4) Matt Holliday
5) Ryan Howard

AL Cy Young:
1) CC Sabathia
2) Felix Hernandez
3) Zack Greinke

NL Cy Young:
1) Roy Halladay
2) Tim Lincecum
3) Adam Wainwright

AL Rookie of the Year: NEFTALI FELIZZZZZZ
NL Rookie of the Year: Stephen Strasburg

Best shot to win a Triple Crown, AL: Texeira
Best shot to win a Triple Crown, NL: Pujols

Other random crap we’ll try to predict

Most underrated team: Braves
Most overrated team: Mariners

Bring out the boobirds (top-10 salary team to stumble): Tigers
Livin’ on a budget (bottom-10 salary team to thrive): Rangers

2010 Fantasy Baseball MVP: Tex

2010 Fantasy Baseball LVP: Milton Bradley

Household name by September (currently unknown player ready for breakout year): Neftali Feliz

60-day Disabled List by July (currently high-expectations player likely to miss 100 games): Josh Hamilton

Biggest name to surface in 2010 season involving steroids (active players only): Andruw Jones

Biggest name to retire during or at end of 2010 season: Tim Wakefield

Is this the year the National League wins the All-Star Game? No

Is this the year Aaron clears the runner-up hump and wins his first fantasy hardball league? No

NCAA Second-Round Predictions ... In 16 Words a Piece

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SATURDAY, Mar. 20

10 St. Mary’s vs. 2 Villanova;11:05 a.m. Providence (South)
The 'Cats almost were saying Noooooooo!(va) against Robert Morris; can they recollect themselves in Round 2?

13 Murray State vs. 5 Butler; 1:20 p.m. San Jose (West)
The slipper fit against Vandy. It won't against a better team with its own Cinderella experience

14 Ohio vs. 6 Tennessee; 1:25 p.m. Providence (Midwest)
Had G'town here, so I'll go with Vols. If Ohio's on fire again, could be interesting

9 Northern Iowa vs. 1 Kansas; 3:40 p.m. Oklahoma City (Midwest)
All of the Hawkeye state is watching. But those Jayhawks are too strong and too deep

11 Old Dominion vs. 3 Baylor; 3:45 p.m. New Orleans (South)
The Irish slayers get a shot at the Bears. So much Cinderella potential on Super Saturday

11 Washington vs. 3 New Mexico; 3:50 p.m. San Jose (East)
Interesting how traditionally-powerhouse conference team is big underdog in this one. Lobos will keep rolling

7 BYU vs. 2 Kansas State; 6 p.m. Oklahoma City (West)
Jimmer Fredette, this is your big Stephen Curry time. K-State will be a physical brute, though

9 Wake Forest vs. 1 Kentucky; 6:05 p.m. New Orleans (East)
This one's easy. Demon Deacons are still struggling, while Wildcats flexed 'em large in Round 1

SUNDAY, Mar. 21

8 Gonzaga vs. 1 Syracuse; 11:10 p.m. Buffalo (West)
Gee whiz, did the Orange look good Friday night. Zags don't have enough firepower to match

10 Georgia Tech vs. 2 Ohio State; 1:10 p.m. Milwaukee (Midwest)
Nice little win for the Yellow Jackets, but Mr. Evan Turner is just getting heated up

5 Michigan State vs. 4 Maryland; 1:30 p.m. Spokane (Midwest)
This pick no longer feels good. "The Lane Violation" has undoubtedly angered the Basketball Tournament Gods

10 Missouri vs. 2 West Virginia; 1:40 p.m. Buffalo (East)
"Hello, Officer? There's a fight breaking out at Perry Hill. Room 203. Friendly rivalry turned ugly."

12 Cornell vs. 4 Wisconsin; 1:50 p.m. Jacksonville (East)
Big Red versus Let's Go Red. Two interesting styles will clash; can Bucky's experience win out?

6 Xavier vs. 3 Pittsburgh; 3:50 p.m. Milwaukee (West)
Pitt one of the few top seeds to come out firing, start to finish against Oakland

5 Texas A&M vs. 4 Purdue; 4 p.m. Spokane (South)
Boilers still have many talented players. But tough second-rounder is where Hummel will be missed

8 California vs. 1 Duke; 4:15 p.m. Jacksonville (South)
Golden Bears looked awesome at times against L'ville; awful at others. Won't fly vs. Coach K

NCAA First-Round Predictions ... In 16 Words a Piece

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Here are the matchups, in order of tipoff time. I've boldened my pick for the winner; to make it easy, the only first-round upsets I have are Old Diminion over Notre Dame, St. Mary's over Richmond, Northern Iowa over UNLV, and Mizzou over Clemson. All start times are Central.

Now excuse me while I wash this chalk off my fingers before MARCH MADNESS commences. -AJ

THURSDAY, Mar. 18

10 Florida vs. 7 BYU; 11:20 a.m. Oklahoma City (West regional)
Stormin' Mormons have one heck of a player in Jimmer Fredette; Gators nearly missed the NCAAs

11 Old Dominion vs. 6 Notre Dame; 11:25 a.m. New Orleans (South)
Don't trust the Fighting Irish; can't forget they were nowhere near tourney contention before hot streak

15 Robert Morris vs. 2 Villanova; 11:30 a.m. Providence (South)
Robert Morris is a hockey school. And an 18th-century financier. Looked it up on Wikipedia

13 Murray State vs. 4 Vanderbilt; 1:30 p.m. San Jose (West)
I don't pick teams to win if I have no idea where its campus is located

15 North Texas vs. 2 Kansas State; 1:40 p.m. Oklahoma City (West)
I do know where North Texas is located; Texas. North part of the state. But still

14 Sam Houston State vs. 3 Baylor; 1:45 p.m. New Orleans (South)
Gotta love those intrastate matchups. Could be start of a long run for the Waco kids

10 St. Mary’s vs. 7 Richmond; 1:50 p.m. Providence (South)
Wait, the Gaels are flying cross-country? Yuck ... this pick might have been a mistake. Whoops

12 UTEP vs. 5 Butler; 3:45 p.m. San Jose (West)
I'm not sucking the El Paso popsicle. Butler's the one used to busting brackets via wins

9 Northern Iowa vs. 8 UNLV; 6:10 p.m. Oklahoma City (Midwest)
Runnin' Rebels aren't what they used to be; Ben Jacobson's Panthers feel disrespected by their seed

16 East Tennessee State vs. 1 Kentucky; 6:15 p.m. New Orleans (East)
Take out the "East" and "State", and we've got a great rivalry! Anyone wanna bite? Anyone?

11 Washington vs. 6 Marquette; 6:20 p.m. San Jose (East)
Battle-tested Big East team versus Pac-10 dreg lucky to be dancing. Take those Golden Eagles

14 Ohio vs. 3 Georgetown; 6:25 p.m. Providence (Midwest)
Still can't believe the Hoyas were just an 8-seed in conference tournament. That league is loaded

16 Lehigh vs. 1 Kansas; 8:30 p.m. Oklahoma City (Midwest)
You're gonna make me write 16 words about this? Really? Are ya? PUNK?!?! There. 16 words

9 Wake Forest vs. 8 Texas; 8:35 p.m. New Orleans (East)
Longhorns have been in freefall for awhile. But Demon Deacons are proning to throwing in towel

14 Montana vs. 3 New Mexico; 8:40 p.m. San Jose (East)
Ya think Iowa fans are wishing Steve Alford were still around? Lobos are glad he's there

11 San Diego State vs. 6 Tennessee; 8:45 p.m. Providence (Midwest)
Aztecs are another trendy option, but I'll go with the big-conference tourney-experienced team, thanks

THURSDAY RESULTS: 12-4

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FRIDAY, Mar. 19

15 Morgan State vs. 2 West Virginia; 11:15 p.m. Buffalo (East)
Now I know why Huggins always wears jumpsuits. His team makes him sweat waaaaaaay too much

11 Minnesota vs. 6 Xavier; 11:25 p.m. Milwaukee (West)
Gophers, honestly, shouldn't be in this position. Illinois belongs in the tournament, not necessarily Tubby's crew

12 Cornell vs. 5 Temple; 11:30 p.m. Jacksonville (East)
Big Red could be a tough matchup, but Owls have played solidly from wire to wire

13 Siena vs. 4 Purdue; 1:30 p.m. Spokane (South)
Robbie Hummel does not a full team make. Moore, Johnson, Kramer, Grant, Jackson also fairly decent

10 Missouri vs. 7 Clemson; 1:35 p.m. Buffalo (East)
Clash of the Tigers; haven't picked many upsets, so I'll go with the little bro's school

14 Oakland vs. 3 Pittsburgh; 1:45 p.m. Milwaukee (West)
Big East has laid giant stinker in this tournament. Bad news for my Final Four Panthers?

13 Wofford vs. 4 Wisconsin; 1:50 p.m. Jacksonville (East)
Terriers might nip at Badger heels, but Bo Ryan rarely loses to those underdogs in March

12 Utah State vs. 5 Texas A&M; 3:45 p.m. Spokane (South)
Clash of the Aggies: USU was last team in, why so quick to undermine Big XII?

9 Florida State vs. 8 Gonzaga; 6:10 p.m. Buffalo (West)
Zags, Noles from opposite sides of the country. Part of what makes March Madness so mad

10 Georgia Tech vs. 7 Oklahoma State; 6:15 p.m. Milwaukee (Midwest)
Yellow Jackets gave da Dukies a run in ACC tournament, but Cowboys' James Anderson is legit

12 New Mexico State vs. 5 Michigan State; 6:20 p.m. Spokane (Midwest)
And so begins Izzo's quiet dominance following Big Ten tourney flameout; Sparty could make extended run

16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. 1 Duke; 6:25 p.m. Jacksonville (South)
Probably wouldn't believe me if I said I have Arkansas-Pine Bluff making Final Four, huh?

16 Vermont vs. 1 Syracuse; 8:30 p.m. Buffalo (West)
Ditto the above statement, only insert Vermont. Time for 'Cuse to get rid of inconsistent play

15 UC-Santa Barbara vs. 2 Ohio State; 8:35 p.m. Milwaukee (Midwest)
By the way, all five Big Ten teams are playing Friday. Over/under on winners: 3.5

13 Houston vs. 4 Maryland; 8:40 p.m. Spokane (Midwest)
Maryland's Greivis Vazquez, meet Houston's Aubrey Coleman. The country expects a wonderful, SportsCenter-caliber scoring duel

9 Louisville vs. 8 California; 8:45 p.m. Jacksonville (South)
Big East caps an unholy, nightmarish first round. Pac-10 caps a best-case scenario opening slate

FRIDAY RESULTS: 14-2
FIRST-ROUND RESULTS: 26-of-32; 15 of Sweet 16, entire Elite 8 in tact

Big Ten Tournament Picks

. FIRST ROUND
Thursday, March 11

Game 1: No. 8 Michigan vs. No. 9 Iowa, ESPN2, 1:30 p.m.

First meeting: The Wolverines’ one-two punch of Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims enjoyed some 20/20 vision, each scoring that much in a systematic 60-46 home victory.

Second meeting: The fans at Carver-Hawkeye were given a rare thriller, but went home disappointed as Sims’ 27 points lifted Michigan to a 80-78 overtime win to spoil 30 points and 13 rebounds for Iowa’s Aaron Fuller.

AB's take: This is not a vote of confidence in Michigan. This is facing the facts against an Iowa team that has kicked off March Madness with losses of 27 and 35 points. Looks like some people are ready for the season to end.

AB's Pick: Wolverines

Game 2: No. 7 Northwestern vs. No. 10 Indiana, ESPN2, 4 p.m.

First meeting: All five Northwestern starters scored in double digits, and Verdell Jones III scored 28 fruitless points in a 78-16 Wildcat win in Welsh-Ryan.

Second meeting: Indiana recorded a conference season-high in points, holding off NU in overtime 88-80 behind 24 points by Jordan Hulls. John Shurna had 31 points and 12 boards for the Wildcats.

AB's take: The ‘Cats better hope they have nine lives, because every time Northwestern seemed primed to lock up that coveted NCAA bid, it laid a giant stinker of a loss to set its chances back. Perhaps a 20th victory could help sweeten the deal for bracketologists.

AB's Pick: Wildcats

Game 3: No. 6 Minnesota vs. No. 11 Penn State, BTN, 6 p.m.

First meeting: Lawrence Westbrook went off for 29 points and the Golden Gophers opened Big Ten play with a 75-70 win at the Barn.

Second meeting: Westbrook nailed a game-winning, buzzer-beating jumper and Ralph Sampson III (13 and 10) had a double-double to help Minnesota squeak past Penn State 66-64 in State College.

AB's take: Actually, the Nittany Lions are finally starting to pick up their game. And the Gophers have been somewhat of an enigma this year. But Minnesota remains too deep to allow an undermanned team like Penn State indignify the Gophers in Thursday’s finale.

AB's Pick: Golden Gophers

QUARTERFINALS
Friday, March 12

Game 4: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 8 Michigan, ESPN, 11 a.m.

First meeting: This was part of Ohio State’s snag to open the conference season, dropping its second straight Big Ten game due to DeShawn Sims’ 28 points and nine boards. Manny Harris chipped in 24 in Michigan’s 73-64 home victory.

Second meeting: The Buckeyes turned the tables back at Value City Arena, getting by 66-55 on another stellar Evan Turner night (18 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists) and William Buford scoring 24 of his own.

AB's take: Let’s not waste too much time on this one. ESPN is getting a dud to kick off its Friday coverage, whether Iowa or Michigan wins the tournament opener Thursday.

AB's Pick: Buckeyes

Game 5: No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 5 Illinois, ESPN, 1:30 p.m.

First meeting: Wisconsin fans, cover your ears. Bruce Weber continued to wave a magic wand in the Kohl Center and the Illini became the only team to beat the Badgers on their home floor, winning 63-56 behind Demetri McCamey’s 27 points and seven helpers.

Second meeting: The Badgers garnered a measure of revenge, crippling Illinois’ NCAA tournament hopes and receiving 20 points a piece from Jon Leuer and Jordan Taylor in a 72-57 victory.

AB's take: If the Illini needed Sunday’s regular season finale, they desperate need Friday’s rematch. Problem is, their trusty and vociferous Orange Krush won’t be behind them in Indianapolis. If Trevon Hughes’ ankle is a serious injury, the Badgers could be trouble; but he wasn’t terribly effective Sunday anyway when UW got by just fine.

AB's Pick: Badgers

Game 6: No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 7 Northwestern, BTN, 5:30 p.m.

Only meeting: Would you believe the only Big Ten team Purdue didn’t beat this year is … Northwestern? That’s right, in the teams’ lone date this year, the Wildcats did their upset thang at Welsh-Ryan, taking 20 points from Michael Thompson and a double-double from Luka Mirkovic – that’s right, Luka Mirkovic – to stun the Boilers 72-64.

AB's take: Purdue’s loss of Robbie Hummel is crippling to its home-state title hopes. In fact, it’s not good for any Big Ten Tournament desires they’re after. Call this my upset special of the weekend, as the hot-and-cold Wildcats decide to reach for the left-hand nozzle and turn up the heat on undermanned Purdue.

AB's Pick: Wildcats

Game 7: No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 6 Minnesota, BTN, 8 p.m.

First meeting: Durrell Summers provided 13 big points off the bench to complement Kalin Lucas’ 14 points, and the 36-percent-shooting Spartans came up with one of those ugly-but-effective Breslin Center wins, 60-53.

Second meeting: Minnesota was in control early, but Lucas (22 points) was just good enough down the stretch to lead the Spartans to a nail-biting 65-64 win at the Barn.

AB's take: MSU hasn’t always made it look pretty this year, but now it’s March, which is when Tom Izzo-coached teams tend to turn on the afterburners. It’s not like the Gophers are the type to haul in big fish like the defending national runners-up in primetime.

AB's Pick: Spartans

SEMIFINALS
Saturday, March 13

Game 8: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Wisconsin, CBS, 12:40 p.m.

First meeting: This was one of those games when Evan Turner looked fly on the Kohl Center bench in street clothes and Ohio State looked fried without him. Trevon Hughes recorded team-highs with 16 points and seven boards to help UW cruise 65-43.

Second meeting: Yeah, that fellow wearing No. 21 in scarlet makes a difference. Turner scored 15 as he was still shaking off the rust, but David Lighty led the way with 18 points and the Buckeyes shot 52 percent en route to a 60-51 win at Value City Arena.
AB's take: Ohio State dismissed Wisconsin in last year’s 4-versus-5 BTT quarterfinals, when the Badgers couldn’t hold on to a 7-point lead in the final six minutes. This year’s UW team is much wiser and arguably more talented. But alas, so is Ohio State’s 2010 version.

AB's Pick: Buckeyes

Game 9: No. 7 Northwestern vs. No. 3 Michigan State, CBS, 3:10 p.m.

First meeting: MSU opened Big Ten play with its most explosive road offensive game of the year, enjoying 40 bench points and soaring past host Northwestern 91-70.

Second meeting: Durrell Summers and Kalin Lucas combined for 47 points on 15-of-24 shooting, and NU’s John Shurna saw a 31-point outburst go for naught when Michigan State prevailed 79-70.

AB's take: This is where the fairy tale ends for NU. Michigan State has scored 50 and 49 second-half points in its two games against Northwestern, which tells you a little bit about how its superior athleticism wears down the plucky-but-overmatched Wildcats.

AB's Pick: Spartans

CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday, March 14

Game 10: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Michigan State, CBS, 2:30 p.m.

Only meeting: The schedule was in Michigan State’s favor as the Spartans did not have to travel to Columbus. But the Buckeyes quite enjoyed themselves up in East Lansing, as Evan Turner set aside a head cold to drop 20 points (16 in the second half), 10 rebounds and six assists on the Spartans in a pivotal 74-67 victory just three weeks ago. Turner, William Buford, Jon Diebler and David Lighty played the entire game.

AB's take: There has to be somewhat of a confidence boost gained by that win in Breslin for the Buckeyes – especially since it was won by a veteran group of just six players that checked into the game. Don’t be surprised to see MSU come out firing with all intents of roaring into the NCAA tournament with a bang. But Evan Turner knows this is the time to show NBA scouts why he should be the No. 1 pick – not to mention his last chance to satisfy his beloved OSU fans with some March heroics.

AB's Pick: Buckeyes

-AB