Reassuring Villanova Coach Jay Wright

Dear Jay Wright,
Relax.......my bracket is in tact but I've repudiated the Louisville pick...if, God forbid, Villanova cannot secure the 2009 NCAA Championship but I win my pool I will hold true to my word: that $45 will go to a Villanova endorsed charitable endeavor or the Wildcat booster program. I'm in it for the long haul.....my 'Nova Nation T-shirt should be arriving on Monday.

What!? This guy's bracket is only going to net us $45 bucks!

What an awesome game. Big East basketball is a battle and boy is it fun to watch.

Next Stop - Final Four; Villanova Defeats Pittsburgh, 78-76

The Wildcats return to the Final Four for the first time since 1985.

March 28, 2009

BOSTON, Mass. (AP) - Scottie Reynolds made a half-court dash for the game-winning shot with 0.5 seconds left, leading Villanova over Pittsburgh 78-76 Saturday night and back to the Final Four for the first time since its shocking run to the 1985 championship.[Read On]

An open letter to 'Nova Nation

Now that I've annexed myself to the Villanova Nation and renounced my Louisville pick I have a couple bones of contention. As part of the family I shall now take this opportunity to opine:

• Not enough Wildcat Cheerleader photos available to the general public. This must be addressed and as such a new member of The Nation I don't know if I can act as the ombudsmen on this one. The 'Nova website is hardly a viable option so I made due with what I scavenged...

4:05 pm Tip-off Saturday
I'm goin' with 'Nova...don't call me a Homer!

• One of Villanova's most notable alums is Howie Long. I have long since forgiven his Raider-ness and his indelible charisma that some how made mullets acceptable to '80s youths...

• ......as I said.......I can live with the aforementioned indiscretions (even the fact that he's a Native Masshole), but I must, at some point, draw a line in the sand and say,
  

"Enough is enough.
At the risk of Excommunication before even the most informal of Baptisms,
I make my stand here!
Influential Villanova alum, I say!
Your fine institution is being tarnished by Howie Long
and his........I can't even say it.......just watch...



.....by Howie Long and his dick-headed-ness!"

Seriously, if a guy started grilling me in the parking lot of a Costco with such condescension, there's no doubt he'd be getting the, "Fuck Off!", of his life......even if it WAS a giant of a man who attended Villanova University.....that's Villanova....my new team.

Yer bein' a dick, Howie. It's making me want to buy Ford or Dodge. Please stop this man and his commercial enterprises, honorable Villanova alumni......

Editor's Note:
Currently I am up by seven points on the Commander-in-Chief

The Renunciation Of My 2009 NCAA Champion Pick: Go 'Nova!

I am no expert on college basketball but this is what I do know:

• I needed Memphis to beat Missouri tonight.... but I was sure they were in for a long night when I saw the Mo. starting line-up: Three guard set- no player shorter than 6'5". That's all I needed to be certain that one of my Final Four picks was FUCT!
• Duke is an absolute SHAM! Every year they rely so much on the three that the shooter's touch eventually wears off. They have no inside game at all and they play like castrated bulls because of it.....I bet Blue Devil fans wish it were 1992 and they had big man Cherokee Parks. What a Joke! Taking Villanova was the safest pick of my bracket.....and now they get a Pitt team they handled by 10pts during the regular season.

• I also know that this guy.... .....,guard Greg Paulus should payback his scholarship for embarrassing Duke University so badly....dribbling off his knee, firing passes out of bounds, desperation fouls due to a lack of athleticism..... He is in fact the worse player in the United States.

.....and there is one more thing I know: This is how I say, "Go 'Nova!"

Go 'Nova!

Damn my Louisville selection over the Wildcats!

I pick 'Nova each and every year for a couple wins (dating back to the ill-fated busted bracket of 1995: Final Four pick of a Kerry Kittles led Villanova team...ouch! Curse Old Dominion!) and now I'm claiming 'Nova Nation as safe haven......they have now become the only team outside of San Diego that I support and I don't feel bad about saying it based on the loose kinship of Augustinian Friars and The San Diego Friars.......having rationalized my new found allegiance, I officially renounce my 2009 March Madness Bracket. If victorious I shall donate all proceeds to the Roman Catholic Church or a Villanova approved charity...

Veritas, Unitas, Caritas

Bring It Home 'Brotherly Love'

Eagle Cheerleader is how I say, "Go 'Nova!".

Villanova must crush Duke tonight to keep my bracket viable...to begin eliminating all of these Jags who went straight Chalk with their picks.

So as I was reading an article about Jay Wright's contribution to the city university along with the 'Nova athletic department's infusion of cold cash I noticed the sidebar story placed in the philly.com website..........Philadelphia Eagle Cheerleading tryouts.

Once again, this is how I say, "Go 'Nova!".

This Is The End: March 22nd Round-up

"What, you don't think I know?!! My bracket would have been Fu#ked too!"

Purdue, Gonzaga and Duke eked out games on Saturday and the Bracket stayed a clean 8 for 8. There were only 5 chances for the bracket to score points today and after a 2 for 2 morning the afternoon saw extraordinarily close games with the Missouri, Michigan State and Louisville picks. It was excruciating to sit through the Spartans/Trojans game and watch the Louisville/Sienna score ticker in the upper corner of the TV....but when it was all said and done we went 5 for 8 on the day with a solid 13/16 Sweet Sixteen teams in play.....still only missing one Elite Eight-er (Mountaineers of W.Va).

This is the year where scores are high as people who are clueless tend to pick according to high seeds which equals a plus rate of success in '09. The Sweet Sixteen is almost perfectly seeded outside of #12 Arizona and #5 Purdue crashing the party. Obama edged us by 1 game in Round 2 but we still hold a 3 point lead on the Leader of the Free World.

President Obama's Bracket
[ESPN Tournament Challenge]

San Diego State had a big basketball week (women win and men advance to NIT Quarters against either Davidson or St. Mary's) and a shaky baseball week. State squandered a 15 strikeout performance by Stephen Strasburg on Friday but salvaged the series by getting the win today.
[619 Sports]

For those who hold out hope.....we bring you radio interviews with Postgame's Bob Scanlan, MLB Padre beat writer Corey Brock and GM Kevin Towers. This is your opportunity to say,

`"Hey, I stuck with 'em during the darkest days of '08 and '09!"

Listen up and get a read on the new names on the back of the Jerseys.
Bob Scanlan with John Kentera
[xx1090-The Coach 3/17]
Corey Brock with John Kentera
[xx1090-The Coach 3/17]
Kevin Towers with Darren Smith
[xx1090-Darren Smith 3/19]

The drive-time show fired Jordan and we kept eating pizza from Chicago on a bun. What's changed? There's a lot less screaming and the pizza is still good.
After line-up changes, it's Brown's Boring Bozos
[UT-Jay Posner 3/20]

We can't even win our own game on our own turf. Japan beats the US in WBC Semifinals.
Japan rips USA, rolls into WBC final
[Si.Com]

The Legend with the weaker arm gives his 2 cents.....we don't believe that John called Jay, "...a little bitch", but we're sure he thinks it.
Elway weighs in on Cutler Crisis
[Denver Post]

What better way to end your week than to take a gander at perhaps the greatest Top Ten List in the history of Top Ten Lists. If you know of a better compilation let us know.....if your place of business blocks YouTube, so sorry you'll have to wait...."Top Ten" found through SI.com's Extra Mustard.
[Sand & Cotton]

Since you can never have too much Bad Religion in one week....This is not Armageddon... only the week's End...

My Bracket Versus President Obama's

Commander-In-Chief sez Carolina in '09-a

Unbearably close calls with both 'Nova and Memphis!!!

With the Wildcats meeting Louisville in my final and the Tigers in the F4 that would have destroyed my 2009 bracket. Survived and advanced......that's all you have to do. Just barely squeaked out the Western Kentucky game over Illinois--Hilltoppers tried to blow it--but they survived and advanced.

Finishing day one with 14 wins and 2 losses, I'm up two games on President Obama. I missed the Clemson/Michigan game by a nose and was really off with my Mississippi State choice over Washington. As far as the Michigan game goes, I stand by it....The Big Ten is junk. I thought that MSU was an undervalued 13 seed and the perfect storm was in place against a team from The Pac-Ten in the midst of a down conference year (see....anyone can talk out of their ass and make it believable! 14/16 on day one Whaddup!!?? Bring it on Barry!). On to day two...

Check out the following links below:

The first one is a site dedicated to the objective analysis of polling data to try and predict the outcomes of elections. The writer's name is Nate Silver and he also writes for Baseball Prospectus (see 619 Sports for a look at SABR-metrics on MLB network as analyzed by morons earlier this week). The FiveThirtyEight article is interesting (see: ridiculous) in that actual statistical regressions were performed on Obama's bracket.....were his picks kickbacks to those crucial states that got him elected? You be the judge.....

The Cherry Picker in Chief
Obama NCAA Bracket Suggests Bias Toward Schools From Swing States
[FiveThirtyEight.com]

The second link is obviously from YouTube. Watch Obama go step by step in filling out his bracket. I just think its funny that this was turned into a special...... and then after #44 announced his Carolina 2009 champion pick he proceeded to put them on blast for busting his bracket last year. That's funny.....and what's funnier you ask? Mike Krzyzewski's reaction.

Obama's Bracket Analysis with ESPN's Andy Katz
[YouTube]