If Albert Pujols can put up the numbers that he has, with a torn ligament and bone spurs in his right elbow, really, how great of a hitter is he? My thought, if I’m Pujols, I have Tommy John surgery now. I don’t think the Cardinals have a shot at the World Series this year. However, if Pujols can put up numbers similar to last year with, again, a torn ligament in his elbow and bone spurs, is it worth it for him to continue playing? Or, should he try to preserve the years he has down the line? It’s an interesting question and my only thought is that if we lose Pujols too early, it will be sad, as I think he is on the path to becoming the greatest hitter of all-time. I sincerely mean that.

Last night’s UCLA/Stanford game was by all accounts, an epic one. I will admit that I fell asleep, not because of boredom, at the ten minute mark of the first half. Here is what I saw and what I understand happened from that game:

Saw:
-Robin Lopez outshine everybody on the court including his future lottery pick brother and a guy who I think should be a lottery pick in Kevin Love.
-When UCLA is cold shooting the ball(as they were in the first half of the first half) they’re not very good. That’s sort of the case for everybody, except UCLA is already slightly offensively challenged in my opinion. I think this might be their fatal flaw.
-Lorenzo Mata-Real actually impress me. Mata-Real, who I’ve previously criticized in this space, neutralized the brothers Lopez with his solid defense. I’ve said before, I think he’s the key to this team’s success. If he can give a low-post defensive effort in the tournament, like he did last night, UCLA will have a fighter’s chance against UNC and Memphis.

Understood Happened:
-UCLA got a ton of bad calls against them down the stretch.
-Stanford got an enormously bad call against them with 2.5 seconds left that led to UCLA’s tying the game and sending it to OT.
-UCLA dominated the OT period.
-Darren Collison stepped his game up in the second half/OT.

Darren Collison, taking into account his ability and potential, may be the most inconsistent player in the Pac-10, not named Chase Budinger.

Conclusion: As much as I like watching UCLA and I do root for them, I’m beginning to rethink their making it to the final four. In my bracket from earlier this week, I think the only team in their region that can beat them is Georgetown. However, I sadly do not make the brackets, and if you look at a potential second round upset, a number 8/9 seed that scares me, if I’m UCLA, would be a team like Saint Mary’s that has size and can push the ball. I’m just saying, I’m a little concerned about UCLA.

Duke and Carolina play tomorrow night. 9 p.m. You know what you should be doing.

I asked for a comment from any reader in yesterday’s post and got nothing, therefore you will not get my Top 5 QBs heading into the NFL draft. Sad too, because it was a good list.

Here, though, are my top 5 running backs in the NFL Draft, based on who I believe will have the most success in the NFL. Starting at number 5:

5. Justin Forsett (Cal)- Forsett isn’t going to blow anyone away with his size (5’8” 190 LB). It’s unlikely that he’ll be an every down back in the NFL, however, he could be a huge help in the screen game to a team that likes to throw the ball to backs on screen plays. He catches the ball very well and could also contribute on special teams. Ideal Team: Seattle Seahawks. The ‘Hawks throw the ball a ton and don’t have a particularly good pass catching back on their team. I think Forsett would fit in well.

4. Jamaal Charles (Texas)- Elusive (ran a 4.37-40). Good size (6’1” 200+). Very underrated blocker at Texas. The big concerns about Charles are his ball handling skills. That’s easily fixed in the NFL. Ask Tiki Barber. Is Charles a feature back in all systems? Probably not. Would he be one of the best 3rd down backs in the NFL? I absolutely believe so. He would be a great backfield piece for a team with a bruiser as a feature back, like Allen Bradshaw is with the Giants. Ideal Team: San Francisco 49ers. I think matching him with Frank Gore would do wonders for the Niners running game. He would also be good camp competition for the newly acquired DeShaun Foster.

3. Mike Hart (Michigan)
2. Ray Rice (Rutgers)- They’re so similar, they belong together. They’re both shorter, broad backs. (Both are 5’9”, 200 LB). They were both workhorses in college. They were both insanely productive in college. Most scouts believe that they’re both too small and too “beat up” from all the work they did in college. They also lack “breakaway speed.” I never buy into that talk. The one thing that seperates Hart and Rice from guys ranked higher, like Rashard Mendenhall and Jonathan Stewart is that they’ve done it at the highest level for years. I think both have better game speed than scouts give them credit for and I think both will be very good backs in the NFL. Ideal Team: The Patriots. Veteran guys on a veteran team who could spell Laurence Maroney and fill in if he got hurt. They’ll both be 3rd or 4th round picks. They’ll both be steals.

You’re probably thinking, “Wait, you said that Darren McFadden wasn’t going to be ranked number 1.” I know.

1. Felix Jones (Arkansas)-Jones was McFadden’s teammate at Arkansas and unlike the combo of Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams at Auburn from a few years back, Jones and McFadden didn’t split carries, so Jones is fresh. He also runs a 4.4 40-yard dash. Scouts say he doesn’t have the power to push the line and while he can set himself well and pick up blitzes that he may not be strong enough to block NFL linebackers. Here’s why I think he’s the best running back prospect in this draft: He’s a young, seasoned runner, without a lot of wear and tear with breakaway speed who doesn’t have character issues (like McFadden). He can put on the weight that scouts think he needs to add some power to his game. Jones will be an early second round steal for the teams that passed on McFadden. Most prognosticators see him as a late first round pick, but I have a feeling that he’s going to be looked over because he wasn’t a feature back. Ideal Team: Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons would be wise to pass on McFadden if he’s available, which I think he will be, and draft his college teammate in the second round at pick 37.

Game O’ The Day: Utah @ Phoenix. The Suns really need to get on track and this would be the time to do it and the team to do it against, because I think the Jazz are a contender in the West. A Suns victory tonight would do wonders for their confidence. Another loss and they’ll slip further down the Western Conference standings, which they can’t afford to do.

In case you missed it, LeBron James won the NBA Championship last night. No? Well, made it to the finals? Won the MVP? Clinched a playoff spot? Beat the Knicks in a regular season game in early March? Oh, that’s it.

While we clean up the, ehem, mess that is spilling over from ESPN after LeBron put up fifty points and 11 assists, allow me to be a voice of reason as I usually am. MARCH! KNICKS! ISIAH THOMAS! LEBRON! Put that together and you get this: LeBron James should have good games against the Isiah Thomas coached Knicks in March. The Knicks are putrid. Putrid doesn’t even work for the Knicks. If I had to pick two players from the Knicks to start an NBA franchise, I’d take David Lee and shoot myself in the eye. LeBron got a hand job, er, standing ovation from the MSG crowd and called the game “a dream come true.” Hey, Bron Bron, is an NBA title a dream of yours? Or are you just worried about looking good on March 5 against a team whose only shot at the playoffs will come when they buy some tickets in Orlando, Boston, Detroit, and Cleveland. Are we done cleaning up the mess?

The Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks are slipping off the surface of the Western Conference playoffs. I watched the Suns fourth quarter against the Nuggets last night and they looked, well, slow, like everyone has been saying. Shaq is less a help than he is an albatross around Steve Nash’s neck. And the Suns are drowning. They do not look good. And then there’s the Mavericks who have resorted to moving Dirk Nowitzki from forward to ultimate fighter. I’m not saying that they’re both going to miss the playoffs, but keep an eye on the situation.

Warren Sapp retired. It’s the only thing that he’s ever done quietly since being born. Kudos Warren.

On to the 3 winners and losers of the NFL Free Agency period. I’m much more excited about tomorrow when I will give you my top 5 running back (and quarterback if one person comments on this post. 5 comments would be great, but I’ll I’m asking for is 1. I don’t care what you write. You could write the letter “C.” Just something). On to this segment that, frankly, bores me a little bit:

Trying to find 3 winners is pretty difficult. Not a lot of teams made a splash, never mind a good splash.

WINNERS

3. John Clayton- Because we got to see your skeletal image. Don’t worry Matt, you don’t look like John Clayton. I would say you more closely resemble a combination of Todd McShay and Mark Schlereth.

2. Cleveland Browns- Cleveland is everyone’s number one team on these lists, except mine. Re-Signing Derek Anderson didn’t make my heart explode with joy like it did everyone else. Jamal Lewis is coming back? Wow. How old is he? Donte’ Stallworth? Eh. I like him, no one else does. That’s not exactly a good argument in an athlete’s defense. I do like the Corey Williams signing which is why they find themselves here. Shaun Rogers is a whale.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars- Contrary to popular belief, this team actually exists and quietly did well to rebuild and restock areas of need. The number one area of need was wideout. They signed Jerry Porter who has a ton of speed and a lot of untapped potential after years playing in the black hole (I don’t mean that lovingly). They also picked up an underused young DT in Jimmy Kennedy, resigned OT Maurice Williams, grabbed a good complementary CB in Drayton Florence. None of these guys will make the analysts do what they did for LeBron last night, but I like these signings. Good under the radar signings in a very week class.

(Real Number 3 is the Patriots for getting Moss back. Otherwise, they’d be number 1 below. Still, sign a LB, maybe?)

LOSERS

3. Us.

2. Atlanta- A team that could have used Derek Anderson instead decided to release Byron Leftwich and Joey Harrington, and just have a go at it with Chris Redman. Good planning there. He’s been great. At running back they alienated Warrick Dunn by signing Michael Turner to a huge contract, and subsequently released Dunn, because Jerrious Norwood is a great back up, apparently. Maybe Michael Vick can play running back when he comes out of jail. My favorite Falcons move, however, was releasing Alge Crumpler and replacing him with a man named Ben Hartstock, who couldn’t make an impact with the Titans terrible offense. Good.

1. Oakland- The Raiders were very active. First the good, they franchised Nnamdi Asomugha, a quietly great corner. The bad? Giving insane dollars to Gibril Wilson, a middle of the road safety and then making Tommy Kelly (yea, you know, him) the highest paid DT in NFL history. More money than Vince Wilfork. More money than Jamaal Williams. More money than Warren Sapp ever got paid. Etc. Etc. They’re well set up now to not be able to sign their first round draft pick. That’s not a joke. There are questions whether they’ll be able to sign the unfortunate fool who falls to them. Oh, they also lost Josh McCown, a capable backup quarterback. So it’s JaMarcus Russel or bust. I’m voting bust.

(We are still losers in the NFL Free Agency Period. But really, so are the Patriots, who lost Asante Samuel, but signed the immortal Sam Aiken and Jason Webster. Perhaps the recently resigned Larry Izzo can start at linebacker).

Game O’ The Day: HUGE GAME ALERT!!! HUGE GAME ALERT!!! Stanford @ UCLA. It’s one of those games that I shouldn’t need to hype. Number 7 at Number 2. The best conference’s two best teams. I think UCLA is great and Stanford is slightly overhyped. However, Brook Lopez and his floppy haired brother Robin (their parents really wanted girls apparently) have been great offensively and defensively respectively and I’m exploding with excitement to see Kevin Love up against Brook Lopez. The game is on your locals FSN or CSN channel at (sigh) 11 P.M. You won’t, but you should stay up.

Below this post, you will find my first guest post. It is composed by reader Matthew Minton, a devout fan of all things UNH, who has a much more accurate analysis of the upcoming America East tournament than mine.

Today’s post is going to be super short. The multiple posts yesterday took a lot out of me and I’ve already provided my thoughts on Favre’s retirement. Tomorrow, I will have the winners/losers of NFL Free Agency. Friday, I will have for you my top 5 running backs in the 2008 NFL Draft (and no, Darren McFadden is not number 1). So, you have that to look forward to.

Today’s quick housecleaning items:

1.) Do you see what I mean? No game of the day yesterday. I have nothing to talk about.

2.) The title of today’s post is a reference to the immortal Chris Andersen, “The Birdman.” He was suspended two years ago for violating the NBA’s drug policy with any combination of cocaine, meth, LSD, or heroin. He is famous for this video from the NBA Slam Dunk Contest a few years ago: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VcddO9KH-N4

Glad to have him back. I hope he and Bonzi Wells become good friends and stay the hell away from CP3, David West, Tyson Chandler, Peja.

3.) That’s all I’ve got for you today. The Birdman.

Game O’ The Day: Detroit @ Boston (NBA). The biggest game at the Garden in a long, long time. Bigger than the Game 7 debacle in 2005. A Celtics win clinches a playoff spot for the team. A loss is much more than a loss. It’s a huge momentum swing for the Pistons. If you think that either of these teams cares about any other eastern conference teams, you’re mistaken. These are the two best teams in the East and this will be the best game of the season, to date, in the Eastern Conference. The Garden will be rocking. I, however, will be watching Big Brother and the Project Runway finale, because I am stuck with the Magic and Wizards. Oh, Washington.

Back tomorrow with a full post. Continue below to Matt’s analysis of the AE tourney.

Oh Boy, Jason’s blog has gotten so huge that he’s getting guest posters now. In fairness, I felt compelled to write an America East Preview for the upcoming tournament, for all the adoring fans.

In being honest, there are any of seven teams in the America East capable of winning the autobid to the NCAA tournament, though only one will be avoiding the play-in game, I would suspect, and that’s UMBC. Albany, Vermont, BU and Hartford could also potentially avoid it, but their odds are not very good.

Maine is a much better team than Stony Brook, with more quality depth and more quality talent. Mark Socoby is slightly better than Ricky Lucas, and I like guys like Jordan Cook, Brian Andre, Kaimondre Owes and Junior Bernal more than I like Mitchell Beautford, Manny Neto, Demetrius Young (the most unheralded player in the America East) and Michael Tyree. Should be a close one, but Socoby will will (heh) Maine to a loss at UMBC the next day. Interestingly, Maine beat UMBC this season, but I don’t see it happening twice.

I already alluded to it, but yes, I like UMBC over Maine in the first quarterfinals game. Maine has no answer for stud PG Jay Greene or the inside presence of Cavell Johnson and Daryll Proctor (both are face-up guys more than low-post guys, but I don’t think Cook, Andre, PT Bofia, Troy Barnies or the like can match up). If Ray Barbosa or Brian Hodges get hot, this game will be a blowout.

UMBC will face the winner of the Vermont/Binghamton clash. I’m going to disagree with Jason here and go with Bing, though with a caveat: Laz “Tunabitch” Trifunovich will have to play in this one. Laz is a top three America East player, along with Marqus Blakely and Corey Lowe, and he is unstoppable in the post. He will neutralize Blakely and his 6’5 frame, though Blakely’s tough. I think Mike Trimloverrated will have a lousy game, and Mike Gordon and Richie Forbes will shine. Doesn’t hurt that this game is at home, either.

In the UMBC/Bing matchup, I still like UMBC, though it will be awfully close. Bing has a little bit more depth, with Dwayne Jackson, Reggie Fuller and Brandon Herbert coming off the bench (in comparison to Spadafora and Fry for UMBC), but I don’t think Bing has the size to deal with Hodges and Barbosa on the wings. I think Hodges is going to abuse Chretien Lukusa, if in fact that’s the match up. I like Reggie Fuller’s chances of shutting down Cavell Johnson, and Proctor/Laz is a similar matchup. Binghamton hasn’t been playing well lately, though, and I think that seniors Barbosa, Johnson and Hodges will not let this team fall in this way. They can’t be happy to see Bing in their half of the bracket, though.

In the other half of the bracket, BU and Albany square off in the best quarterfinal game. I really, really like BU, and it’s no surprise that I’m going to pick them to win this one. Corey Lowe is an America East stud, and John Holland is the best second option in the AE (sorry Trimblowsi). Tyler Morris (if healthy), Carlos Strong, Scott Brittain and Matt Wolff are all very good, too. Marques Johnson is a good change of pace guy, and between Gotzler, Sirutis and Konate, they should have enough backup size to compete. Albany does cause matchup problems, as Lillis is a big SF, and Wilson and Connolly are big guys at PF and C. Wilson is mostly perimeter oriented, and has had a difficult season, but this team is playoff tested. They miss Jamar Wilson, obviously, and have lacked that bunch, but Lillis and Wilson could win this game for them. I like Corey Lowe winning this game on the last possession for BU, prolonging his inevitable transfer to UMass.

In the only upset of the quarterfinals, UNH will knock Hartford off. Hartford is a solid team, don’t get me wrong, and Zeglinski is the best player on either team. Gibbs is going to have to shut him down, and he is a fantastic perimeter defender, so I’m excited about that matchup. I don’t think Hartford can deal with the athleticism of the other UNH guards, however. Alvin Abreu has been playing possessed of late, and if Michael Turner has to guard him, then either Eric Gilchrese or Tyrone Conley is going to have an advantage going against Jaret Von Rosenberg. Come to think of it, Turner (6-4) will likely be on Gibbs (a big 6-2/6-3). Zeglinski and Von Rosenberg will have their hands full. I think Christensen and Sabia are a wash, so it’s going to come down to how Dane Diliegro handles Anthony Minor and the occasional Warren Mclendon siting. If Mclendon has a big game, UNH will lose, but if not, I think they’ll put it out. These two have split during the regular season, both in lopsided ways, so anything can happen. However, UNH is playing their best basketball of the season at the right time.

BU will knock UNH out. UNH cannot stop Corey Lowe, period. Scott Brittain dominated Dane Diliegro in both matchups, and they have the athletic answers to deal with Abreu and Conley. The only hope for UNH is for Mike Christensen to use his size advantage on Matt Wolff or John Holland, but it surely hasn’t happened to this juncture.

UMBC and BU in the finals, at UMBC. I think BU is the best team in the conference, and I think they’ll win. To me, skill wise, Morris and Greene are a wash, Lowe/Strong/Wolff and Hodges/Barbosa are a wash, Johnson/Brittain are mostly a wash. I think John Holland will be able to outquick Daryll Proctor repeatedly, and maybe go for 30 in a win.

BU (if Lowe doesn’t transfer), Vermont and UNH are my 2008-2009 Top 3.

-Matt-

I have prepared (and let me tell you…it’s not a short process) an entire current bracket for the NCAA tournament. Accordingly, I was not going to write anything besides the Game O’ The Day and my Super-Bracket. However, when Brett Favre finally retires, it deserves a paragraph.

Brett Favre is not and never was, to me, a great quarterback. He was, by all accounts, a good guy who had saved himself from drug addiction and turned himself into a very successful NFL Quarterback. Favre will forever be linked to Green Bay, Wisconsin, ironic because he is a Southern Mississippi native. For no other NFL Quarterback did the term “gunslinger” apply more poetically. Favre’s arm was always more cannon than arm. He was notorious for throwing with such force that receivers fingers would literally break or sprain. Favre had those Hollywood moments, like the Monday Night Football game a few years ago where he threw 4 TD the day after his father died. He never played with an elite receiver. He never really had an elite running back. And he played forever.

Brett Favre is the owner of most of the important career passing records in the NFL. This is because he played forever, on one team, and, essentially ran it. Favre had more control over not just the Packers, but the city of Green Bay and perhaps the state of Wisconsin than any other athlete. More than Jordan did on Chicago. Or Magic in LA. Marino in Miami. Even Bird in Boston. If you are from Wisconsin, whether you like football or not, Brett Favre is your hero. This is made even more apparent when Favre retires a week after the free agency period began, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the Green Bay Packers had more to do than worry about what Brett Favre was doing.

In a crucial situation, Brett Favre would inevitably throw an interception by trying too hard. Look at the Giants game this postseason. Or the 4th and 26 game against the Eagles when he threw a floating balloon up in the air for the Eagles’ secondary. Favre threw 288 interceptions in his career. To this point, Tom Brady, in 7 years as a starting quarterback has 86. If you took Brett Favre’s best 7 seasons (lowest interception total), you still end up with 83 INT. Take his first 7 years starting and he complies a total of 116 INT.

My point in this interception talk and the comparison to Tom Brady is because Favre and Brady are the two most revered quarterbacks of my generation. No one talked about Dan Marino as much because he never won a Super Bowl and only played in one, very early in his career. Joe Montana won, but those who really follow sports know that Joe Montana isn’t exactly a heart-warming person. Peyton Manning is hated as much as he’s revered. But Brady and Favre are the glamour quarterbacks and couldn’t be any more different. Brady is a well-spoken California boy, who played big-time college football, and won 3 Super Bowls in his first 5 years. On the other hand you have Favre, a spokesman for Wrangler Jeans who speaks with a southern drawl, played college football in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and won only one Super Bowl in his career in a town tucked away in lower Canada.

The sports world will weep today at the loss of Favre. I will not. My conception that Favre was a jerk was struck down a few years ago when I met a former teammate of Favre’s in Green Bay and he told me that he had feared the same before meeting him, but that he was a great guy and a great teammate, very family focused and very focused on winning. I will never criticize Favre for his drug problem at the beginning of his career. I will criticize him for being undeservedly heralded as a big-game quarterback (1 Super Bowl victory, 2 appearances), for his statement when the Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers that he was not there to teach Rodgers anything, and his constant drawn out, “will I retire?” show every offseason the past half decade.

I guess Favre gets more than just a paragraph. He will be remembered, incorrectly, as the greatest quarterback of all time. He was this: A quarterback, who played for a long time, and built up huge career numbers, all across the board, including the bad stats, while only winning one Super Bowl. If he wasn’t a good story for white people, he would have been forgotten long ago. I guess the moral of the story is that, if you’re white, and you have an “every man” way about you, you will be loved by the American media, so long as you live cleanly and admit your mistakes.

Perhaps Roger Clemens should read my blog.

Game O’ The Day: There isn’t one today. However, Sidney Crosby is scheduled to return to the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup. This is good news if you love hockey. And, yes, I was dead wrong on yesterday’s Game O’ The Day pick.

Continue to the next post for my Bracket.

East plays Midwest in the Final Four. West plays South. Onto the bracket. There will be no explanation of why teams are where they are. That’s asking a little too much. If I could get it into bracket form, I would.

EAST REGION

1. TENNESSEE
16. ROBERT MORRIS

8. BAYLOR
9. USC

5. NOTRE DAME
12. ILLINOIS ST.

4. STANFORD
13. AKRON

6. PURDUE
11. MASSACHUSETTS

3. LOUISVILLE
14. CORNELL

7. ARIZONA
10. OKLAHOMA

2. DUKE
15. BELMONT

SOUTH REGION

1. NORTH CAROLINA
16. RIDER

8. SAINT MARY’S
9. ARKANSAS

5. CLEMSON
12. ARIZONA ST.

4. VANDERBILT
13. NEW MEXICO

6. BUTLER
11. KENTUCKY

3. XAVIER
14. BOISE STATE

7. PITTSBURGH
10. SOUTH ALABAMA

2. KANSAS
15. AMERICAN

MIDWEST REGION

1. MEMPHIS
16. (play-in game: MORGAN STATE vs. ALABAMA STATE)

8. MIAMI (FL)
9. KENT STATE

5. WASHINGTON STATE
12. WESTERN KENTUCKY

4. MICHIGAN STATE
13. ORAL ROBERTS

6. DRAKE
11. VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH

3. WISCONSIN
14. UMBC

7. WEST VIRGINIA
10. DAVIDSON

2. TEXAS
15. LAMAR

WEST REGION

1. UCLA
16. PORTLAND STATE

8. UNLV
9. MISSISSIPPI STATE

5. MARQUETTE
12. UAB

4. INDIANA
13. CAL-STATE NORTHRIDGE

6. BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIV.
11. TEXAS A&M

3. CONNECTICUT
14. AUSTIN PEAY

7. GONZAGA
10. KANSAS STATE

2. GEORGETOWN
15. WINTHROP

The Pittsburgh Steelers have decided that they want to invest a lot of money into Ben Roethlisberger. Somewhere, Charlie Batch is thinking, “Wow, if someone who is only marginally better than me just got a 100 million dollar contract, I must be worth at least half that.” No Charlie, you’re not. Neither is Ben.

Some notes to recap a busy sports weekend:

1. If not for Jeff Gordon, I would have hit on my Matt Kenseth prediction yesterday, because he had a much faster car than Carl Edwards. Full disclosure: I was looking at the starting grid, wanted to pick Kenseth, asked Amanda to pick a number 1-43, she picked the number that Kenseth was starting at, so I assumed it was destiny.

2. UCLA narrowly escaped Tucson with a victory over Arizona yesterday. If the Wildcats played like they did yesterday against everyone, they wouldn’t be a bubble team. Though, I don’t think they’re a bubble team; I think they’re in.

3. The Lakers (the little bit that I saw yesterday) looked as good as advertised, with Kobe putting fiddy-plus on the Mavericks in an OT victory.

4. The Houston Rockets will not lose. This baffles me. They haven’t lost a game since January. Conversely, the Denver Nuggets are embarrassing. If you’re starting Allen Iverson and the “great” Carmelo Anthony, with JR Smith, Linas Kleiza, Marcus Camby, and a HEALTHY Kenyon Martin, you should not be on the outside looking in (and not even looking very hard) of the playoffs.

5. Note to those who are a little too excited about the Cleveland Browns: It’s March, so they’re not technically in the Super Bowl yet. Donte’ Stallworth, while good, is not Randy Moss. Derek Anderson is not the second coming of Steve Young (Steve Bono perhaps). Jamal Lewis, while not currently in jail, is always up for some prison and they’re not very deep behind him in the backfield. They’re defense is mediocre at best. The addition of Corey Williams is a good one at DT, assuming that the also newly acquired Shaun Rogers doesn’t try to eat him. So relax everyone. The Cleveland Browns will not win the Super Bowl next year, nor will they contend.

6. North Carolina overtook Tennessee, expectedly, in this week’s new Top 25 college basketball poll. UCLA moved up to number 2, while Memphis stayed at number 3. The Vols fell to number 4 (more on this in a second), and the Duke Blue Devils (I’m currently wearing my “Cameron Crazies” T-shirt) rounded out the top 5. Here’s my issue: Tennessee beat Memphis at home. Therefore, they should be ranked ahead of them, even if they lost to Vanderbilt this week. Nothing has changed since Saturday the 23rd. Tennessee is still better than Memphis. Unlike college football though, this will all be settled in the next month.

7. Gonzaga beat Saint Mary’s. That’s all. I just wanted to share that.

8. If BC guard Tyrese Rice (currently a junior) doesn’t start moving up draft boards, my head is going to explode. I don’t care what his size is, what position he plays and how well he fits that position, etc. He scored nearly 50 against the North Carolina Tar Heels Saturday. He is carrying a team that without him might have 7 wins this year. Someone, please, get this young man some credit.

Without further ado, as I know some (one) reader is waiting anxiously for this, here is how I think the America East Tournament is going to breakdown. I know I focus a lot on the Big conferences, but trust me, I’ll be excited for the mid and low-majors to begin their conference tournaments in the coming two weeks. Here goes:

Keep in mind, no team comes in having won more than 2 games in a row. It’s going to be a dogfight.

Play-in game: Maine v. Stony Brook (for the right to get obliterated by UMBC). Maine has lost 6 in a row overall. Head-to-head, Stony Brook took both regular season games. They’ll take the play in as well. STONY BROOK advances.

(sidebar: I just dripped water onto my keyboard. We might have the end of Mid-Atlantic Bias sooner than I expected)

Here are your matchups for round 1:

1. UMBC
9. Stony Brook

4. Vermont
5. Binghamton

3. Albany
6. Boston Univ.

2. Hartford
7. THE University of New Hampshire

Breakdown:
UMBC v. Stony Brook: Please. UMBC won both regular season games and despite yesterday’s loss to Hartford, they’re still the best team in this league. UMBC advances.

Vermont v. Binghamton: The Bearcats (the host for the AE tourney) would be looked at as more of a contender if not for a four game losing streak a month ago. The Catamounts though are no sure-fire winner here, despite taking both regular season contests. Vermont was only 7-9 on the road this season (including a loss to doormat Stony Brook) while the Bearcats are tough at home (including a win over UMBC). Despite this, I like Vermont to knock Binghamton out of the tournament in a close game. VERMONT advances.

Albany v. Boston University: Very simple. Albany beat BU in January, then beat them yesterday. BU also allows more points on average than they score. That’s never good. Albany will beat the Terriers by at double digits. ALBANY advances.

Hartford v. New Hampshire: First things first. Both teams suck away from home. They split their regular season matchups, with both teams winning in their own gyms (of course). With the exception of their loss to the Hawks, the Wildcats have played everyone tight in their last six games, including a win on Senior Night against Vermont in their regular season finale. The Hawks, after losing two in a row, are coming off a win over UMBC (though don’t put much stock in that win as I’m sure the Retrievers were looking ahead to the conference tourney). Hartford, for what it’s worth, also played an insane non-conference schedule, including games against Villanova, BYU, and Louisville. This UNH team has a tough draw here. Look for them to challenge next season in the America East. HARTFORD advances.

UMBC v. Vermont: Please. Despite playing the Retrievers close at home, Vermont got blown out in Baltimore. This game is not going to be played in Burlington, and accordingly, Vermont has no shot. UMBC advances.

Albany v. Hartford: This will be the game of the tournament. Both teams won in the other’s gym in the regular season. Albany would like to keep the game slower than Hartford, so it will be a tempo matchup. Despite different styles, these two teams are closely matched. I think the difference here is that Albany will be coming off an easy victory over BU, while Hartford will not be able to push the ball as much as they want to after a tough fight from the Wildcats. Albany wins this game close. Decided in the final minute. ALBANY advances.

Our America East final:

UMBC v. Albany: They played two 4 point games in the regular season, with UMBC winning both. Much like with their previous game, though with the tables turned this time, the Great Danes will be tired from a challenging game against Hartford. Meanwhile, the Retrievers will have pushed aside both Stony Brook and Vermont in their previous two games with ease. I don’t think it’ll be a four point game this time, as UMBC wins the game and the America East tournament, taking with it, a ticket to the Big Dance. UMBC wins.

If any of my readers have any other conference tournament breakdowns they’d like to see, perhaps the SOCON or the Big West, please, send along your request. Look for a full bracket at some point this week, as I stated yesterday. Maybe even tomorrow, as we’re supposed to get hammered with rain here in D.C.

Game O’ The Day: Rutgers @ UConn (women’s basketball). Apologies to my readers who will not watch a women’s basketball game, but beyond today’s slate being very weak, this is a mega game. The nappy-head….er, Scarlet Knights game UConn their only blemish of the year, in Piscataway nearly a month ago. UConn is coming off of a fight with DePaul Saturday, while the Scarlet Knights are perfect since losing to Tennessee. Rutgers is on a mission since losing to the Volunteers and will continue that mission with a win tonight over UConn, 68-61.

I nearly hit the Kansas/Kansas State game. I’m getting good at this.

I missed the Marquette/Georgetown game. A really good road win for the Hoyas, who I think have begun to fix whatever problem was ailing them a few weeks back. For Marquette, this isn’t a huge loss. They were competitive and really, I don’t think the loss puts them any lower in seeding. Look for a big Big East game this week when Georgetown and Louisville tangle down the road from me.

Stanford continued to surprise me (though I did pick them to win) by topping Washington State (who is also continuing to surprise me, by playing like crap down the stretch). Stanford has solidified itself as the second best team in the Pac-10. Yes, I like USC to make a run, but for now, Stanford is hot. Thursday night, Stanford travels to LA to play UCLA. An even bigger game than the Georgetown/Louisville matchup (Though not the biggest of the week. More coming on that in a few days).

The great news of the day, for me, was Texas’ loss, which helps Tennessee be closer assured of having a number one seed. It also silences, at least temporarily, those people who thought Texas was a better team than Kansas. Texas’ loss also gives Patrick Knight another in a long line of illustrious wins in his long and fulfilling coaching career.

Matthew has asked for my breakdown of the America East tournament. Ask and you shall receive. That’s just how we do. Tomorrow, after all AE teams have completed their seasons today, you will have my breakdown of the conference tournament.

I also intend to give my readers a preliminary bracket this week, though my better judgment may take over.

John Henry is approaching genius status. He has enrolled Hank “I’m a HUGE loser” Steinbrenner into Red Sox Nation.

Game O’ The Day: There is a big part of me that wants to show my bias, and no, not the one for which this blog is named, as that doesn’t actually exist. My intention was to have UCLA @ Arizona be the game of the day. However, it really isn’t. I also don’t want to give credit to the Big-10 and acknowledge that Indiana and Michigan State is a big game. Also, Tennessee hosting Kentucky is not a monumental game. And the Lakers/Mavericks game isn’t a great game because the Lakers are clearly the better team. Therefore, my game of the day is the NASCAR race at Las Vegas today. I’ll take Matt Kenseth. Please don’t stop reading my blog.

The weekend edition of Mid-Atlantic Bias will occur tomorrow, when I’ll have an entire slate of games to discuss.

Game O’ Today: Kansas State @ Kansas. There’s a slate of pretty good games today (no great ones). Both teams need a win for different reasons. Kansas cannot really afford to lose another game against a mediocre conference opponent if they want a number 1 seed in the tourney. Kansas State needs a win to solidify their status as a tourney team. Rock Chalk Jayhawk. Kansas wins by 15. Look also for Marquette to win over Georgetown and Stanford to beat Washington State in the day’s other key matchups.

Back tomorrow with a full post. Enjoy your Saturday.