The NCAA's Sour 16- Ain't Nothing Sweet About It: SOUTH

SOUTH Region:

Duke: On an annual basis, Mike Krzyzewski somehow defies the stereotype that white men can no longer keep up with the superior genetics of African-American athletes, especially in basketball. With the exception of talented guard Nolan Smith, every one of the Blue Devils’ significant contributors are white: Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, Brian Zoubek, the Plumlee brothers, the list goes on from years past (JJ Redick anyone?). Despite that unique anecdote, the predominant race of a given team is completely irrelevant in the NCAA tournament. Duke is a talented, balanced team that can dominate the offensive glass and give its sharpshooters multiple opportunities on a given possession. I expect them to eventually fall to Baylor next round, but at the same time, Duke very well has the the personnel capable of winning the National Championship.

Purdue: By no means did I ever expect the Boilermakers to reach the Sweet 16 after their star player, Robbie Hummel went down with a season ending ACL tear. But Chris Kramer has established himself as the new leader of this team. His defense in particular has set the tone for Matt Painter's club during the tournament, and played a decisive role in securing their second round win over Texas A&M. Purdue is a particularly athletic team, and that is exactly the type of team Duke has traditionally struggled against. So if Purdue can set the tone of the game: run, and wear out the Blue Devils, the Boilermakers have a good shot of reaching the Elite Eight, if not the Final Four.

Baylor: I hopped on the Bears bandwagon early in the season and have followed them all this way to the Sweet 16. Their core, guard duo Tweety Carter and LaceDarius Dunn, along with forward Ekpe Udoh have propelled Baylor to competitive play in conference games, going 11-5 against the rest of the Big 12. That phenomenal play has carried into the tourney, and I believe they have the talent to reach the Final Four. The overall athleticism of this team is exactly what is needed to get by the cocky slow giant Omar Samhan of St. Mary’s, and then most likely the extremely talented but un-athletic Duke Blue Devils. If the Bears get consistent scoring from Dunn and Carter, and Udoh controls the paint on defense as he has all season, Baylor could be booking a trip to Indy.

St. Mary’s: The world seemed to be introduced to Omar Samhan for the first time when St. Mary’s put Richmond to shame in round one. But it was his 32-point dominating performance against heavy favorite 2 seed Villanova that put Samhan on the map. It seems everyone likes the big guy’s running mouth as much as his slow, but fluid post play (except for Villanova fans of course). Against Baylor, Samhan is going to have to stay out of foul trouble, and be able to run the floor to keep up with the speedy Bears. If that happens, and if Aussie guards Matthew Dellavedova and Mickey McConnell rain jumpers as well as they did in rounds one and two, the Gaels have a decent chance against Baylor.

The NCAA's Sour 16- Ain't Nothing Sweet About It: WEST

WEST Region:

Syracuse: The Orange are a tough bunch to figure out. Their biggest and best low post presence, Arinze Onuaku, could be out for the rest of the tournament, or, he could be back for the Elite Eight. But Jim Boeheim is preparing his boys for the worst. And Wes Johnson, Andy Rautins, and Scoop Jardine are going to bring their A-game regardless of whether or not their premier big man suits up. Johnson took over Cuse’s round two game against Gonzaga, going off for 31 points, 14 rebounds, and zero turnovers. In round one against Vermont, the balanced attack of the Orange put away the Catamounts early. Nonetheless, If Syracuse wants Onuaku to play again this season, they first have to take care of a pesky mid major Butler team. But if the big man comes back strong, look for the Orange to make a serious run at the National Championship.

Butler: In his third season as head coach of the Bulldogs, 33 year old Brad Stevens has already left his mark on the college game. Over a three year young coaching career, Stevens has achieved a record of 84-14, a .86 winning percentage. The two-time Horizon league tournament champ has taken his dog and pony show to the big stage, and with star forward Gordon Hayward leading the way, Stevens has his sights set on Indianapolis. But first the Bulldogs have to get by Syracuse, and despite a convincing win over UTEP in round one, unknown Murray State gave Butler a run for its money before losing by two. Assuming Arinze Onuaku does not play, Stevens’s squad has a shot. But they are going to have to penetrate Cuse’s zone defense to perfection to have a chance at the Elite Eight, let alone the Final Four.

Xavier: This will be Xavier’s third consecutive trip to the round of sixteen, and after a convincing win versus Minnesota and a strong showing against Big East beast Pittsburgh, they showed they belong. 27 points from Jordan Crawford (who is best known for dunking over LeBron James this summer), along with the 14 points and 8 rebounds from center Jason Love proved the underwhelming power of the Atlantic 10 Conference and propelled the Musketeers to the Sweet 16 once again. The question remains, is Xavier ready to show that they can match up with the nation’s elite teams?

Kansas State: The chinstrap is back my friends, thanks to Wildcats Junior point guard Jacob Pullen. K-State’s scoring leader at almost 19 a game, Pullen is an extension of Coach Frank Martin on the court, as a true floor leader. Along with fellow guard Denis Clemente, the Wildcats have a very talented backcourt to go along with powerful forward and Bronx native Curtis Kelly. If Pullen and Clemente’s shots are falling, Kansas State is an extremely dangerous opponent. They have a very good chance of reaching Indianapolis if they can get by the Musketeers first.

The NCAA's Sour 16- Ain't Nothing Sweet About It: EAST

EAST Region:

Kentucky: In two tournament games so far, Kentucky has beaten Eastern Tennessee State and Wake Forest by 29 and 30 points, respectively. The foursome of John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, and Patrick Patterson have sent the Wildcats cruising into the Sweet 16 with great momentum, and a chance to knock of the Einstein of Cinderellas, Cornell. In the end, I doubt Big Red will have much of an answer to Cousins’s brute force down low, and Wall’s uncanny ability to take anyone off the dribble. Look for Kentucky to make it to AT LEAST the Elite Eight, if not further, with a team consisting of four potential lottery picks in the NBA Draft. John Calipari, exporting superstars once again.

Cornell: Two very impressive wins to open tournament play made Cornell the talk of the sports world this weekend along with fellow bracket buster Northern Iowa. But this is going to be Big Red’s first ever appearance in the Sweet 16, and in going against a Goliath in Kentucky, I wouldn’t expect much. Swingman Ryan Wittman is an amazing shooter, and may eventually get drafted in the second round. And Jeff Foote has an impressive skill set in the paint, but neither player will be able to match the pure talent of John Calipari’s Wildcats. This admirable Ivy League run will end fairly soon.

Washington: As an 11 seed, Washington is definitely viewed as an underdog against #2 West Virginia, but don’t let that double digit number fool you. Despite the fact that the Pac-10 had an off year, sending only two teams to the tournament (California being the other), the Huskies are a talented team from a major conference. The duo of Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with come tournament time after upsets of Marquette and New Mexico so far. West Virginia better bring its A-game.

West Virginia: The disparity between the college game and pro game is so massive. For proof, all you need to do is look at West Virginia. As a college player, very few others have the ability to take over a game in the closing moments the way Da’Sean Butler does. But, by no means is he the Mountaineer with the best chance of shaking David Stern’s hand come draft night. That honor goes to Devin Ebanks, who despite an up and down sophomore campaign, still projects as a firs tround pick should he declare for the draft this year. Nonetheless, both players will attempt to lead West Virginia to an inevitable Elite Eight showdown with Kentucky—if they can get past Washington. Despite losing starting point guard Darryl "Truck" Bryant for the rest of the tournament to a broken right foot, Bob Huggins has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. With Butler and Ebanks to go along with forwards Deniz Kilicli and Kevin Jones, The Mountaineers look ready for Indianapolis.

The NCAA's Sour 16- Ain't Nothing Sweet About It: MIDWEST

Every year, I go into tournament play with a great deal of confidence that only a small select group of teams will have a chance to make the Final Four. This year’s tournament has flipped that theory on its head. With the overwhelming favorite Kansas being knocked out by the newly minted Cinderella Northern Iowa, it seems that after a wild first round of play, we still have no idea what could happen in the coming weeks. Let’s take a look at the remaining teams, region by region, to see how they got here, and how they plan on reaching the 2010 Final Four in Indianapolis.

MIDWEST Region:

Northern Iowa: After taking down Mountain West powerhouse UNLV in round one, UNI’s shocking upset of top seeded Kansas has been by far the most impressive win of this tournament so far. Sharpshooter Ali Farokhmanesh nailed a 3-point dagger in the Jayhawks heart that buried the national title favorite. Out of nearly 5 million brackets filled out on ESPN.com, 48% chose KU to win it all. No more Rock Chalk Jayhawk. If these guys duplicate their shooting efforts and intensity against Michigan State, they have a very good chance of reaching the Elite Eight.

Michigan State: Kalin Lucas carried Michigan State with a career high 25 points in the Spartans 70-67 win over New Mexico State in the first round. But after going down with a ruptured Achilles tendon in Michigan State’s win against Maryland, Tom Izzo’s club is going to need Raymar Morgan, Durrell Summers, and round two hero Korie Lucious to step up and carry MSU’s scoring load against UNI if they want a chance at the Elite Eight.

Tennessee: Despite only squeaking by first round opponent San Diego State, Tennessee proved they belonged with the major conference big dogs in a 83-68 win against upset-minded Ohio, who took out 3 seed Georgetown in the first round. Bruce Pearl’s Volunteers have demonstrated elite athleticism night in and night out. However, it is a question of their maturity, poise, and demeanor-- particularly from seniors, Wayne Chism and JP Prince-- that have people second-guessing an upset bid against second ranked Ohio State in the Sweet 16.

Ohio State: Evan Turner is the heavy favorite to win National Player of the year. It’s not a frequent occurrence that the Player of the Year also win the National Championship, but I think there’s a damn good chance of it happening in 2010. Regardless of his no show in round one against UC Santa Barbara (which his teammates picked up the slack for), Turner decided to completely take over Ohio State’s second round matchup with Georgia Tech. Playing the entire 40 minutes, he finished with 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. Now that heavily favored Kansas is out of the picture, the Buckeyes become the natural favorite to emerge from the Midwest bracket and reach the Final Four. But there’s no doubt OSU’s got a big target on their back now, and its up to Turner to shoulder the load and lead his team to national prominence once again. With David Lighty, Jon Diebler, and William Buford anchoring the wings, and Dallas Lauderdale down low, Thad Matta’s boys look well poised to make a run at Indianapolis and the National Title.

MSG Already Preparing Fans for 2010-2011

As of March 9, the Knicks had already sold new season tickets for next season at a record pace. About 1,800 season ticket subscriptions have already been placed. According to MSG Sports president Scott O’Neil, “We didn’t hit this number until about August 15 of last year, which was a record year.” Needless to say, the pure speculation of who could be playing for the Knicks next season has paid great dividends to James Dolan’s wallet.

That number is quite impressive not only for the Knicks, but in terms of the NBA as a whole. LeBron’s current team, the Cavaliers, and the reigning NBA champions, the Lakers, are both members of the elite club of teams with 2,000 season ticket holders, and both tout a 90% retention rate of their season tickets. That means that in not too long, for next season, the Knicks, in the biggest media market in the world, will have more or less an equal number of season ticket subscribers as the two of the very best teams in basketball.

The question remains, will Knicks fans get their money’s worth come next season? It appears the dominoes will only start falling once LeBron makes his decision. So, come July 1, whatever LeBron does will inevitably determine whether or not Knicks fans cash in on their massive investment. In this economy, such a financial risk doesn’t necessarily seem like a wise monetary choice.

However, as a Knicks fan, simply thinking about the possibility of having the chance to see LeBron, and his sidekick of choosing tear up the league night in and night out makes me wanna throw money right at MSG itself. But, should Donnie Walsh’s ultimate 2010 Free Agency plan fail, then all those who invested huge chunks of change into the ‘Bockers will be pretty disheartened to watch nothing more than a re-signed David Lee play alongside some lower-tier free agent for the next half-decade.

Regardless, the Knicks are still making a strong marketing push to engage new and old fans regardless of team members. Using the sole moniker “DECLARE”, the Knicks are urging fans to declare their pride for the team. Whether a child only beginning to follow the game, or an old fan who had lost touch, MSG’s new campaign has proven quite successful already. Teaming up with CBS Outdoor’s text messaging platform ‘txt2go’, the Knicks launched an out-of-home media campaign. The campaign featured posters all over NYC subways, buses, and taxis urging fans to text in for a chance to win Knicks season tickets.

There were several other promotional offers included in texts, such as “digital couponing, sweepstakes, and customer loyalty” that were changed periodically during the month-long early season campaign, according to Howard Jacobs, senior vice president of marketing and ticket sales for MSG Sports.  In that month, over 3,300 consumers texted in to receive the promotional offers. Whether or not LeBron is a Knick next season, the organization is reeling in fans at an astonishing rate, and considering the current lack of success by the Knicks, that’s saying something.

Mets Spring Training Report from Port St. Lucie

Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series. That was legitimately the last time the Mets have even sniffed the World Series. There's been plenty of hope since then, but ZERO results. The following year, in 2007, the playoff odor was in the air, up until the very last day of the season when we coughed up the NL East division crown to the Phillies. Of course, this was the culmination of blowing a 7 game lead with 17 games remaining in the season. That offseason, we pulled off a miraculous steal of a trade to obtain Johan Santana, the best pitcher on the planet at the time. Everyone was sure the 2008 season was bound to be the one to finally get us to the mountaintop, until...the entire organization suffered the worst case of deja vu in modern history by losing 6 of the last 9 games in that season only to lose out on the NL Wild Card by one game on the last day of the season, once again. After the 2008 season, I contemplated never watching baseball again because of all the pain I personally suffered. It was getting unbearable. But the 2009 season came and once again, there was hope when Spring Training rolled around. But it didn't last very long. I'd like to call the 2009 Mets season, the year of the injury bug. The only important player on the roster not to spend time on the disabled list last season was our prize of the offseason of winter 2008, closer Francisco Rodriguez. Every core member of the team other than K-Rod: Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Delgado, Santana, and JJ Putz (the then hopeful set up man for K-Rod who is now long gone), all spent a significant time on the DL, many of whose injuries put their seasons to an end. Needless to say, we sucked. Trotting out new lineups every day, hoping one would click-- none did. The season was wasted away on the injury bug. Obviously, something needed to be done to put a little juice back into this team.

This winter, Mets fans expected to sign at least one of the top three free agents on the market: Outfielders Jason Bay and Matt Holliday, and Pitcher John Lackey. I'm glad we did end up getting Bay, but the bottom line is that we needed more. I wouldn't expect Holliday as well, another big bat, but Lackey, who was a #1 with the Angels, would provide a much needed #2 punch in our pitching lineup. A 1-2 combo of Johan and Lackey? We could be the favorites to win the division right now had that happened. Now, we're looking at either Mike Pelfrey or Oliver Perez filling the void, which I'm not exactly excited about (although Perez has supposedly reported to spring training in the best shape of his life, and has been getting tips from Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax). Maybe the most puzzling move of the offseason was taking on former Gold Glove outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. Matthews had fallen out of favor in LA, and has $23 million left on his contract, but it seems the Angels paid us to take him off their hands, since they plan on paying $21 of the $23 mill. As a once reliable defender, he's potentially a good utility man to have, but is a liability at the plate. And even though it seemed inevitable that we were bound to grab slugging catcher Bengie Molina to make up for Matthews inability to hit, but instead he declined our offer in order to stay in San Francisco... go figure. So we were left with the last available option at catcher in Rod Barajas, who we signed just this past week. That appeared to be the only alternative to doing nothing and leaving Omir Santos as our everyday catcher, which manager Jerry Manuel apparently wasn't okay with.

Needless to say, I'm not heading into the 2010 season expecting to win the World Series. But, with the addition of Bay, and one year of playing at Citi Field under the belt of most present Mets, I can hope. Of course, this all depends on the overall team health. If we've got some 2009 deja vu going on come June, I'm gonna start focusing on football season early this year. But, if we stay healthy and Wright, Reyes, Beltran, and even Bay are hitting circa 2006, things could get interesting in the NL East.

It seems like everyone knows that staying on the field is a key concern because last years team health was so well chronicled. That being said, Carlos Beltran will be out until late May... great start to the season, and Opening Day hasn't even come yet. Ok, so other than Beltran, we're looking good. After missing most of last year, Jose Reyes has come into camp looking and acting like the veteran presence the Mets need in this clubhouse, along with David Wright, who the face of this franchise, taking a more vocal role as well. But if that talk doesn't turn into productivity on the diamond, heads will roll. GM Omar Minaya and Manuel are on very short leashes this year due to not only scrutiny from the fans, but the expectations of the Mets owners, the Wilpon family. Who despite spending $66 million on Bay, a fraction of the spending of the World Champions, still expect to bring some rings to Queens. In a market such as New York, where revenue is easier to come by for a sports team than in any other city on earth, the Wilpon's decided to only take one pinch out of their pockets this winter to grab Bay. After the Yankees just bought themselves a World Series this past year by spending HALF A BILLION DOLLARS ON ONLY THREE PLAYERS, the Mets decide to sign one top tier free agent, while countless others were available. Among the free agents we passed on: Holliday, Lackey, Ben Sheets, Randy Wolf, Joel Pineiro, Jason Marquis, Orlando Hudson, Bengie Molina. Just to name a few. To Fred and Jeff Wilpon- throw me a freaking bone here.

That being said, I still think this team has the pure talent in their lineup to reach the postseason for the first time since 2006. At full health, with all our bats performing to the best of their abilities, the Wilpon's expectations could come to fruition, and the rest of NL East should at least have some concern about facing the Mets. If we can trade for a big name #2 starter midseason (Dan Haren anybody?),  the Metropolitans can make some noise. Our lineup at full strength should look something like this:
1. SS Jose Reyes
2. 2B Luis Castillo
3. 3B David Wright
4. LF Jason Bay
5. CF Carlos Beltran
6. RF Jeff Francoeur
7. 1B Daniel Murphy
8. C Rod Barajas
9. SP Johan Santana

Now there's been some talk out of Port St. Lucie that in the wake of Beltran's injury, Jerry Manuel is considering plugging Reyes into the 3 hole to have some more pop in the middle of the lineup in Beltran's absence. Beltran's replacement during that time will be either Angel Pagan or newly acquired Gary Matthews Jr.. Whoever it is will most likely bat first or second, with Castillo filling one of those spots as well. So even without Beltran, this team could still provide some serious firepower. We're gonna have to live without him for the first two months of the season, and no way will a slow start out of the gate be acceptable. The boys of summer are back again, and I've never been so unsure of their future.

Players to watch at the NFL Combine (Part 3)

Who Will the Giants Take?

Rolando McClain

Middle Linebacker- Alabama

McClain is in fact the very best linebacker prospect in the 2010 draft class. At 6'4" 260 lbs, he has a monstrous presence on the field. A disruptive blitzer, McClain can also be effective in zone coverage, while simultaneously making calls for the whole defensive from his middle linebacker position. He was the primary leader of the Alabama Crimson Tide 2009 championship defense. While he needs work on his man coverage skills, McClain still projects to be the first linebacker taken in the draft. If he falls to the Giants at pick number 15, they would be foolish not to take him considering the fact that ever since former Giants defensive captain Antonio Pierce was released, middle linebacker is one of the Giants most glaring weaknesses. McClain would be a steal for New York should he drop that far. If anything, I almost hope McClain falters at the combine so that less teams may be inclined to take him (other than the Giants of course). But I don't see such an athletic specimen such as McClain faltering very much in Indy. 

Earl Thomas

Strong Safety- Texas

Thomas is widely regarded as the second best safety in this year's draft after Eric Berry. But because Berry is expected to be drafted in the top 3 picks perhaps, Thomas's projected draft stock is noticeably lower, yet still in the first round. But the Giants pick at number 15 seems like a fair spot for Thomas to be selected. Like Berry, Thomas is undersized, but an outstanding tackler with an great eye for the ball. A wonderful player in coverage, if he ever picks you off, he has great big play potential. If Thomas shines at the combine, the Giants could warrant selecting him at pick 15.