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.

I had to stray away from the standard fake athlete biography today for Hank Steinbrenner. Hank probably doesn’t read my blog. That’s because he’s a fat loser who can’t read and rides the coattails of his successful father.
While the previous statement may be inaccurate, it would only be so if Hank Steinbrenner actually knew how to read. If he does know how to do that, than I apologize. He is, then, just a fat loser who rides the coattails of his successful father.

I’ve never linked before, but: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3271124

Keep in mind, please, that I don’t even like the Red Sox. I don’t like Red Sox Nation. However, Hank Steinbrenner, if only for one day, is the person/thing/entity that I hate the most.

I could continue talking about how much of a loser Hank Steinbrenner is, and how he is just sad because his days of being a high school athlete are long past him and he’ll never be as successful as, say, Mike Lowell or Kevin Youkilis, or even Julio Lugo. That of course, is hinging on whether Hank had any athletic talent to begin with that would have led him to play high school sports.

On to the actual post today. Hank Steinbrenner sucks.

Some quick hits before the meat of the post (The Western Conference Power Rankings):

The Patriots have lost Asante Samuel to the Eagles. And have subsequently lost next season. Allow me to be the first person to say this: Bill Bellichick needs to be fired. Allow your indignation and outrage to settle, then think about what I just said. He has tarnished the face of this franchise, that, yes, he helped to build. However, his head has gotten much too big and he thinks HE is going to win the games. He is not. His players, if he has any left, are going to win games. And there may not be many to win next year without Asante and others.

I’m mad today. I don’t know why.

I nearly hit on my Game O’ The Day prediction yesterday. There’s no explanation for that.

The NFL makes no sense to me. Jonathan Vilma is only worth a fourth-round pick? I need to just get on to the teams in that I think can represent the Western Conference:

(We’re only going with the teams that I think can win the championship)

5. (brace yourself)

(seriously)

(are you ready?)

Golden State Warriors- I am completely serious. First, I think there are 5 teams that can win the West. There are obstacles to their progress. Everyone has them. Here’s why I think the Warriors are legit: They’re a great series team. Night to night, they’re going to lose some games. They’re not going to finish any higher than 6th in the west. And that’s fine. They proved it last year. In a 7 game series, the Warriors can wear out teams like the Spurs and the Mavericks. They’re so deep. They’re super fun to watch. I’d love it if they could get something out of Patrick O’Bryant (he’s black. I don’t know why he has that name). I don’t think they’re going to win the West, but they can.

4. San Antonio Spurs- I’d put them higher, but I don’t think that they’re as good as last year. Manu Ginobili has been playing out of his mind since his All-Star snub, but Tony Parker has been back-and-forth as far as health this year and they lost depth when they traded Francisco Elson and Brent Barry for 57 year old Kurt Thomas. I don’t buy into this whole “they’ll turn it on come playoff time talk.” With those criticisms said, they’re still the Spurs and they pose a real threat. People will be caught off-guard by the Warriors. That won’t happen with the Spurs. They’re supposed to be here and I think they belong here. Though no higher.

3. Utah Jazz- I like this team a lot and I think they’ve finally learned how to play together. They’re also deep, like the Warriors. They have the second best point guard in the NBA in Deron Williams (more on number 1 in a bit). They also have a very good front line with Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur. I loved the Kyle Korver addition, as did everyone, because it made perfect sense for them. They needed a shooter, so they got one of the best shooters in the NBA. As long as the Jazz keep the defense at least modestly decent, I think they can run the table in the West. I don’t know if they can do that for 3 straight series though.

2. New Orleans Hornets- I really don’t think that this is just my affection for this team. Chris Paul is the best point guard in the NBA. Period. If he doesn’t win the MVP, there will be a great injustice as no one is as deserving. David West is an all-star for a reason. Because he’s great, every night. Bonzi Wells does provide them with some depth, as long as he stays out of police cars. Throw in Jannero Pargo, Peja Stojakovic, Mo-Pete, Tyson Chandler, Mike James, and, heck, even Hilton Armstrong is playing. This team defends well. They score. They do everything right. The names don’t jump out at you. They’re going to jump out at a lot of teams. Just not the next one…

1. Los Angeles Lakers- They’ll lose, MAX, 5 more games this season. Nearly flawless. If Bynum comes back healthy, I don’t see how they’re going to lose in the playoffs. Kobe, Gasol, Odom, Farmar, Fisher, Walton, and the list goes on. Oh, and they’re coach has 9 championship rings. 9.

Game O’ The Day: Utah @ New Orleans. Hey! Look at that! Number 3 and Number 2. Number 3 is really hot right now. They’re 18-5 in their last 23 games. Strangely enough, those losses are to Minnesota, Denver, Sacramento, Portland, and the Clippers. Some of the 18 wins came against: Phoenix, San Antonio, Golden State, Houston, and, oh, New Orleans. They get another win tonight over the Hornets. 108-90 (Keep Reading)

If you pay attention, you might be thinking, “Wait, you don’t think that Dallas and Phoenix can win the West?” Uh, no. I don’t. Dallas looks old. Phoenix looks disjointed. I don’t think either will fix those problems. Neither can run with Utah or Golden State and there’s no way either beats the Lakers.

And Hank Steinbrenner is, as always, still a loser.

Besides sports, where else can you go from nearly fired to making over 5 million dollars a year, all within one calendar? Prediction: Tom Coughlin will not make it through his new 4 year deal.

There isn’t a whole hell of a lot to cover today. I feel like we get one of these super slow sports news days a week. And while I feel bad not giving you a list of some form, I feel like I’ve covered my college basketball lists. (And don’t think I’ve forgotten about my very early statement that I was going to rank the running backs entering this NFL’s Draft. It’s still February though. A lot can happen. Perhaps Darren McFadden will impregnate another woman. Who knows???)

The Celtics managed a really big win last night against the LeBrons, who they have had previous difficulty with this season. And the Hawks won a game. With that said, I have a list for you. My conference power rankings. I’ll do the Eastern Conference today and keep you in suspense all night waiting for tomorrow’s Western Conference rankings. (This is a list of the teams with the best chance to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, in my estimation. And no, the Hawks will not be #3.) In descending order:

15. Miami Heat- This team give terrible a new definition. I thought that picking up Shawn Marion (less so Marcus Banks) would rejuvenate them. They’re still 1-9 in their last 10 games. This is proof positive to NBA GMs that you don’t need just one good player to win. The Heat have a top 5 player in Dwyane Wade and now have a stat machine in Shawn Marion, yet they’re atrocious. They’ll get the top pick in the draft and probably waste it on Michael Beasley.

14. Indiana- I have nothing to add. Another terrible team. Too many white guys who aren’t good.

13. Charlotte- Eventually, they’ll be good. I’m just not sure when.

12….

You know what? The Eastern Conference sucks. Everyone knows this. I’d be better off ranking the lottery teams from the Eastern Conference and who they should draft. There are 3 teams that can win the Eastern Conference. They are ranked as follows:

3. Cleveland- I think they did a lot to improve last week. Ben Wallace and Wally are better than Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes in my estimation, not as players, but as far as filling a role. Larry Hughes was often unaware that he was playing with the best player in the NBA. Larry is not, never was, and never will be a star and shouldn’t have taken so many terrible shots in Cleveland. If he gets any playing time, Delonte will be the best get in the trade because of his ability to defend. I think what holds this team back is the lack of another scorer to play second fiddle to LeBron. Wally will inevitably get hurt. Daniel Gibson is streakier than store-brand window cleaner. And Zydrunas Illgauskus is the poor man’s Rik Smits.

2. Boston- Plain and simple, they don’t have enough guys on defense to stop the number 1 team. I wish they did. But they don’t.

1. Detroit- As much as this pick and team bores me (and probably you) they’re the best team in the East. I don’t see how you can argue it. The rise of Jason Maxiell has really helped this team. Chauncey continues to be a good to great player, Tayshaun Prince will shut down Paul Pierce in a 7 game series, and I think they have enough inside to neutralize KG. Detroit, as of today, is my pick to win the East, if I had to put my life on a team.

Tomorrow, I’ll countdown the Western Conference, where real teams play (I think I’d put Orlando at #4, but I don’t think they can win the East).

Game O’ The Day: Vermont @ UNH (men’s basketball). It’s senior night in Durham and the Wildcats will avenge 3 consecutive tough losses to the Catamounts with a hard 69-65 win. Also, Louisville and Notre Dame are playing tonight. But really, it’s all about the America East conference.

Police in California are seeking out St. Louis Cardinals blowhard Scott Spiezio on six criminal charges. Really, when you can’t trust a man with a red dyed soulpatch who plays in a band called Sand Frog and is a below average utility player for the St. Louis Cardinals, who can you trust?

The highlight of my day is listening to The Tony Kornheiser Show on D.C.’s 3WT (WWWT) radio from 2-4. Listen online. It’s great. Unless you have a job. Which you probably do.

I usually (okay, all the time) hate being wrong. Last night was an exception. I really wanted to be wrong about the Tennessee/Vanderbilt game. However, I wasn’t. Tennessee didn’t have “it” (as ESPN Color Commentator and fantastic singer Jimmy Dykes refers to their aura) last night. Their poor free throw shooting, combined with Romar Smith’s insistence on being a one-man team late in the game, and Shan Foster’s unconscious shooting did the Volunteers in last night. If you can’t tell, I really like this team. They’ve officially moved ahead of West Virginia into the number 2 spot of college basketball teams I root for, for no other reason than I love their coach and hate the Mountaineers’ coach (Bob Huggins). Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl (who I understand some readers (Matthew) probably dislike because his UW-Milwaukee team eliminated Boston College in the tournament a few years back) is such a lovable man. His grabbing of Erin Andrews Saturday night was genius. And he truly loves his kids. You don’t see that from most coaches. You see it from Roy Williams at North Carolina and Coach K at Duke, but you don’t see it from the masses of mediocre college basketball coaches. Pearl is a great personality and a great coach and I still think Tennessee is one of the 4 best teams in college hoops.

As for Vanderbilt, look, if they’re making 3’s, they’re the best team in the country. I mean that. The problem with Vandy is that outside of Memorial Gymnasium, they’re not the same team. Shan Foster isn’t the same shooter. If he can get right on the road, the Commodores are a legit sleeper. As it stands, I don’t think that they’re getting past the Sweet 16. But the potential is definitely there.

Some questions about my Power 16 from yesterday. The first being Drake. It took 10 hours since I published yesterday’s post for me to look foolish, as they lost at Missouri State. I thought that Drake had, again, righted the ship, after winning at Hinckle Saturday against a very good Butler team. Then they came out and had a close lose to a .500 Missouri Valley team. My argument for keeping the Bulldogs as a 4 seed is who else should be a 4. After I posted yesterday, I looked at ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s current bracket. His 4 seeds: UConn, Purdue, Indiana, Notre Dame. My 4 seeds: UConn, Drake, Marquette, Purdue. While Indiana has won since Kelvin Sampson’s “resignation,” it hasn’t been pretty and I’ve fallen off of the Eric Gordon love-mobile. In regards to Notre Dame, I think Marquette is a better team, though not by much. The two split their two games this season (both winning on the road). Notre Dame’s best non-conference victory was at home against Kansas State. Marquette’s was against Wisconsin in Madison and only lost by 4 at Duke. Notre Dame is hotter right now. Both teams have big matchups this week (Notre Dame against Louiville; Marquette against Georgetown). We’ll see.

Scott Kazmir is going to be on the shelf for 2 weeks. I feel like this won’t be the only time he’s shut down this year. Excuse me while I pray to the god of David Price.

Yao Ming has a stress fracture in his foot. So now, instead of being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, they just won’t make them. Tracy McGrady is so insanely overrated. He’s never won anything in his career, looks like an idiot, and takes idiot-like shots.

If you’re looking for a backup quarterback, David Carr is available. And will hopefully remain available. David Carr has to be considered one of the biggest failures in NFL history. While he had no O-Line help in Houston, allow me to point out that he’s also played with two of the NFL’s best wide receivers in Andre Johnson and Steve Smith. Apparently the NFL isn’t the Western Athletic Conference.

Finally, the owner of the Chicago Cubs has announced that he is willing to sell the naming rights to Wrigley Field. Get ready, baseball purists, for Pizzeria Uno Park.

Game O’ The Day: YEEESH! A poor slate of college games tonight. We turn to the NBA, where there is a huge slate of big games to choose from. I’m going to go with the Cavs/Celtics game, though I can’t see any of the big games because my local team is the Washington Wizards. Hooray. I’ll be watching Big Brother and Project Runway. And hopefully getting a testosterone injection.

According to the Daily News, a former teammate of Roger Clemens (presumably Chili Davis) has come forward and stated that Roger Clemens frequently told an anecdote about the famed Jose Canseco party (It must have been a blast) where his wife and Canseco’s wife argued over who had the better pair of surgically altered breasts. This is the part where we all stop paying attention to this story. Right?

So, I was close on last night’s Game O’ The Day, at least as far as the final score is concerned. Texas, of course, came out on top which will inevitably continue this slue of banter about how they are a National Title contender. Please, take my advice now, THEY ARE NOT! I don’t think DJ Augustin is as good as the POY talk that comes his way. AJ Abrams is too streaky. And Connor Atchley is not good. Yes, Texas has beaten Tennessee, UCLA, and Kansas, all of whom I believe are Final Four teams. Texas has also lost games to Michigan State, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Texas A&M, none of whom are going to win any championships this season. They’ll win their next 3 games against inferior teams (Texas Tech, Nebraska, and Oklahoma State) and enter the conference tournament as the Number 1 team in college basketball, with everyone talking big about them. Then they’ll lose in the conference semifinals, still get a number 1 seed and be done by the Sweet 16. Please, I beg you, follow up on this prediction.

As for BracketBusters, I neglected to give you my final standings for my weekend picks. I went a respectable (in my eyes) 10-4. The biggest win of the weekend (not for me, as it counted for a loss) other than Tennessee’s, belonged to Kent State who traveled to NorCal and beat a very good Saint Mary’s team.

The NHL Trade Deadline is today. Get prepared to say goodbye to your favorite player as he will be traded today. “The NHL: Where Even We Don’t Know Where Yesterday’s Stars Are Playing.” They need another lockout. By the way, give me a few months when I get stupid excited about the playoffs and start writing daily about how I think the Penguins can win the cup this year.

The Celtics are still capable of winning a basketball game, it just has to be against the Clippers, who did not enjoy being semi-respectable and have instead gone into late-1990’s mode.

I know what you’re saying: “Jason, why haven’t you given us your Power 16 yet?” Because I’ve been waiting for this very moment, that’s why.

For those of you who are unaware, the Power 16 is the 16 best teams in the country divided up into 4 groups (like the tournament). You could just list the top 16, but it looks nicer this way. Without further ado, MY Power 16 (the cities you see are the cities that are hosting the regional semi-finals and finals in March):

HOUSTON REGION
1. North Carolina
2. Kansas
3. Michigan State
4. UConn

DETROIT REGION
1. Memphis
2. Duke
3. Georgetown
4. Drake

PHOENIX REGION
1. Texas (Here for now because they are playing better today than UCLA)
2. UCLA
3. Vanderbilt
4. Marquette

CHARLOTTE REGION
1. Tennessee
2. Xavier
3. Louisville
4. Purdue

I reserve the right to change this weekly. I have Tennessee as the number one seed, hence them playing in Charlotte (close to home) in the weakest region 2-4. I’d take Tennessee, UCLA, Memphis, and Kansas to advance….oh, I’ve had that all year haven’t I? Weird.

Game O’ The Day: Tennessee @ Vanderbilt. As much as I want the Vols to win, I don’t see how they can. They’re coming off of a brutal game Saturday night in Memphis. They didn’t get back to Knoxville until early Sunday morning. Then had to travel yesterday back west, to Nashville. Meanwhile, the Commodores have spent the last 3 nights in Nashville in their own beds and are near impossible to beat in their gym. If Tennessee wins tonight, there is no debate that they are the best team in the country. This is a huge challenge for them. I think Shan (prnounced Shane…I don’t know) Foster shoots the lights out and Vandy wins 85-75 against a tired Volunteer team.

Apologies to my loyal readership for the tardiness of this post. I spent most of the afternoon between a walk-in clinic and a dentist’s office, then had to travel cross-town, which is impossible during rush hour. So here I sit, at 8 pm over a bowl of clam chowder, offering you a possibly brief post about this weekend.

First, Oscar got it right. Needless to say, I was a tad nervous that Juno was going to win Best Picture or worse, Ellen Page Best Actress. Neither of those things happened. I finally saw Michael Clayton prior to the ceremony and was shocked that Tilda Swinton won Best Supporting Actress. In the clip that they showed when reading the nominations, George Clooney steals the scene, presumably her best. I thought Amy Ryan was great in the underrated Gone Baby Gone. While her character, a coke-head mother from Southie, probably didn’t resonate with audiences because she was so hate-able, she played it well. Also, to the woman from “La Vie en Rose, ” (which I won’t even pretend to have seen or know anything about) kudos. Also, Jon Stewart was very funny; more hit than miss. A good show all-around.

Saturday’s Memphis/Tennessee game was more worthy of the title of “Heavyweight Fight” than the actual fight taking place at Madison Square Garden. The first four minutes of that game have no parallel this year in college (or pro, but that’s a given) basketball. Shot-for-shot. JaJuan Smith’s 26 foot three, instantly matched by Antonio Anderson’s 3. The game slowed down; it had to. The first half was controlled well by Memphis, who kept Tennessee playing at a slightly slower pace and kept Chris Lofton in absolute check. The second half became the most compelling war of attrition I have maybe ever seen in a basketball game. Late in the half, at every whistle, you had a player hobbling to the bench. Just a classic game. Sadly, it came down to Memphis’ lack of free throw shooting prowess, which I fear will inevitably do them in. I have never liked Memphis, however, I finally respect them and hope they stick around for a little while in the tournament because they’re such a tough matchup for every team in D-I basketball.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge Memphis freshman Derrick Rose’s game. At one point in the second half, Rose looked like he was going to die on the court (only a slight exaggeration). However, Rose carried Memphis in the second half and kept them in the game with great pull-up jumpers and senior-decision making, from a freshman no less. I haven’t been impressed with Michael Beasley and OJ Mayo and Eric Gordon nearly as much as I was with Derrick Rose’s second half Saturday night. That said, I think he should still stay at Memphis for another year to better season himself and develop some type of personality (as I don’t think he has any). But for now, kudos.

Cutting it short today. I’ll be back in solid form tomorrow.

Game O’ The Day: Texas @ Kansas State. Huge game for the Wildcats. Must win in fact. They’ve fallen off the radar in the Big 12, especially with the Baylor loss Saturday. Texas is wildly overrated in my eyes and not deserving of a 1 seed as some prognosticators have indicated. K-State gets the win they need tonight, behind a 30+ point performance from Beasley. Wildcats beat the ‘Horns 78-66.