Sun Devils Impaled By Pitchfork

The NCAA brackets came out today and there is one HUGE question I have...How can you leave the Arizona State Sun Devils out? They finished 5th in the Pac-10, arguably the hardest conference top to bottom in the country. ASU beat Xavier (#3 tournament seed), Stanford (#3 tournament seed), USC (#6 tournament seed), Oregon (#9 tournament seed), Coppin State (they aren't a big boost, but they are in the play-in game) and cross-town rival Arizona twice (#10 tournament seed). The Sun Devils have seven wins against teams in the Big Dance, yet they are still waiting in line. Sure they were given a number 1 seed in the NIT, but come on, thats like getting an invitation to a party only after you have mentioned it to the host. I realize the Sun Devils ended the season with a 5-10 record, but in my mind that means they move from a possible 5 seed down to a 12 seed. I simply cannot justify allowing an Arizona team, who finished with a worse record both in conference and overall and were swept by ASU, into the tourney without also allowing their rivals in. Leaving the Sun Devils to burn in the NIT has got to be hell for anyone who supports them. My sincere apologies.

HOMETOWN COOKING BY A CRAPPY CHEF

This weeks Cal-UCLA mens basketball game was one of the worst examples of refereeing I have ever seen. There were two calls that were rather obvious to most viewers at home yet seem to have slipped the minds of the refs at the game. The first was the out of bounds call when Cal's Ryan Anderson had the ball hacked out of his hands. How do two players swing with a downward motion and cleanly get all ball? In my mind, it isn't possible. But some how, the referees didn't see this and they ruled no foul and furthermore gave the ball to UCLA (replays seem to show that UCLA's Josh Shipp touched the ball last).

As bad as this play was, it probably wasn't the worst call of the game. For that, we have to fast forward a few seconds to UCLA's final shot. There are 6 seconds left and Cal is up 80-79. UCLA gets the ball underneath Cal's basket, and are looking for an inbound pass. The ball goes to Josh Shipp, he is defended out on the wing. He drives baseline and is forced underneath the hoop by some surprisingly decent defense by Cal. With time winding down, Shipp throws up a horse-like prayer and somehow it goes in. It was an amazing shot, hit nothing but net and was absolutely clutch...but there is one problem. According to Rule 7, Section 1, Article 3 of the 2008 NCAA basketball rules, "The ball shall be out of bounds when it passes the backboard from any direction." Notice the final line..."any direction." This means that if the ball goes over the side of the backboard, or hits the top of the backboard or anything of that nature, it is OUT OF BOUNDS. The replay clearly shows the ball went over the side corner of the backboard and it might have even gone over the back. I don't know if it was the pressure of being in the house that Wooden built, or not wanting to face thousands of upset college students, or maybe hating hippies, but somehow the referees blew this call and they have yet to admit it. It turns out bad Pac-10 officiating isn't just in football...it has infiltrated the basketball game also.

LOSING A CLASS ACT

Brett Favre, the Green Bay Packers' QB for the past 17 years, made his retirement official today when he held a press conference at Lambeau Field. After watching his presser, I was blown away at how genuine this legendary football player was. Favre sat in front of the mike and basically broke down. This tough, burly man who for years has entertained fans with his unbelievable skills and out-of-the-ordinary style, was emotionally unstable in front of the cameras and it was refreshing to see. I have watched players deliver their retirement speeches, yet no one has ever appeared so vulnerable and honest. Favre talked about how he will have days where he regrets his decision and on Sunday he might just think he made a mistake in retiring. Favre doesn't shy away from the fact that he can still play (which we witnessed this last season), he simply says that he doesn't want to play anymore. Isn't that exactly what your not suppossed to say in your retirement speech. Aren't you supposed to say I have no regrets, I have done all I can in this game, my skills have left me and I know I will be glad I finally retired. But Favre did exactly the opposite and in some weird way, it was refreshing to hear.

Ronaldinho...a wizard with the ball!

I came across this jewel of a goal from Brazilian national and FC Barcelona midfielder, Ronaldinho.

LISTEN TO THE COMMENTATOR...HE IS PRICELESS!
"As electrifying as a hair dryer thrown into a hot tub, my friend"

Who do you think is better? (i.e. Who takes their job too seriously?)

Um, Kevin Borseth, the Head Coach at University of Michigan Women's basketball team,wasn't very pleased with his teams "offensive rebounding." Needless to say, this is priceless!




And of course, Mike Gundy, the Head Coach of Oklahoma State football team also was upset with the media and how they treated his player.

THIS WAS A NASTY HIT IN THE LA KINGS VS COLORADO AVALANCHE GAME ON MARCH 1. RYAN SMYTH GETS TATTOOED BY JACK JOHNSON!