Thoughts on a Tuesday

Just To Clarify...

ESPN/USA Today's College Basketball Top 25 Coaches Poll started in 1998 (long enough title). In the 13 years of ranking college basketball teams, they have successfully or unsuccessfully, depending on your view, not ranked three (3!!!) teams in their preseason poll that have gone on to win the NCAA National Championship. The three teams they missed out on were Syracuse, Florida (2005), and UConn (2011).

If one starts to do the math, this breaks down fairly easily. The last non-power conference to win the NCAA Championship in basketball was UNLV in 1990 (they were so good, everyone saw that coming), so one can effectively take all mid-majors out of the poll ("power conferences" include the SEC, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-10, Big East, and ACC). Using the six power conferences, take four teams from each conference, you're at 24 teams. One can mix and match a couple of teams from each conference, factor in returning players from the previous season's teams along with the incoming recruiting class, and throw in a mid-major team like Gonzaga (you're 25th team); if you thought that was a huge oversight on my part previously. Now how hard is it to guess 24 pre-season teams and not leave off the eventual national champion? Especially if you're supposed to be experts in this field!

ESPN, once again, has shown they do not know much about their product.

Think coaching doesn't matter? Ask the Utah Jazz fans what life is like without Jerry Sloan. Not enough? Ask the Orioles about life with Buck Showalter. Still not enough? Ask every John Calipari talent latent team what a good coach would've done.

Ouch!!! After winning her first LPGA tournament, Stacey Lewis breaks her mom's leg during the victory celebration... well kind of. Tradition has it that the winner of the tournament at Dinah Shore jumps into Poppie's Pond on the 18th hole along with whomever they wish to join them. Amongst the pond hopping Lewis party members was her mom, a marathon runner in training. Lewis warned her mom about the shallow waters around the edge. "Mom" jumped into the pond and broke her fibula in the process bringing up the old Fresh Prince/DJ Jazzy Jeff adage, Parents Just Don't Understand.

How is this for a party lineup??? A self proclaimed pimp/gangster, a former heroin addict, a former meth addict, and a model with a porn movie are just a few attending a party (sounds like a setup for a joke right?). Who is this party for? If you guessed Charlie Sheen, shame on all of you. No, this party is for... wait for it... Nickelodeon's 24th Annual Kid's Choice Awards. Among the other Kid's Choice attendees were Snop Dogg, Russell Brand, Fergie, and Paris Hilton. I can kind of understand the first three but Paris Hilton? Really? What has she done for today's youth? World, hell, in Snookie's hand bag!!!

Speaking of a clean Sheen party. Charlie's second show was a "win" in Chicago after a huge opening night failure in Detroit. The format has changed to a Q&A show rather than a straight stand-up performance given to his Detroit fans. His Chicago audience responded with a standing ovation. I know most of you are over Charlie Sheen and his antics; I hope his show continues to do well. I'm not sure why? I guess it's because he stuck up for "Lucas" during my formative years. Either way, here's to you Charlie, keep on winning.

Someone please help Taylor Momsen! I don't know who she is but I saw a picture of her earlier. Blonde haired Goth chic in 6 inch platform shoes. Uhh, what???

"Bossy Pants" comes out today. I really like Tina Fey thus I hope her book is not too preachy about how hard it was for her on her way up; men vs. women in comedy and the workplace. If the tone reflects more comedy than a "how great Tina is movement, poor me, and now I'm great", I look forward to reading it.

17 years ago today I was watching MTV when Kurt Loder, of MTV News, informed me that Kurt Cobain had died; I remember I was sitting on my friend's couch in Biloxi, Mississippi. Two things to take from this, and nothing to do with Biloxi or Mississippi. 1) For those of you that remember all the air play "Smells Like Teen Spirit" got, and still gets and you can take no more, YES it's been 17 years since Cobain's death! 17 YEARS!!! 2) MTV was relevant enough for me to be watching it at the time to receive the breaking news that he had died. Where have you gone MTV? I miss you. Not on par with the Baby Boomer's "where were you when JFK was shot" but come on. Each generation has to have their Cobain's, JFK's, or JR's.

Anything you wish to clarify?