Stone Cold Lock - My 2021 NCAA Bracket

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Well, here's my 2021 NCAA Tournament bracket.

If you win big money betting on this, I get 50%.

If you lose big money betting on this, I never heard of you.

If you just use this for comic relief ... you're very smart.

(Click on the image if you actually want to see it.)

Some upsets in there because, well, ya gotta. Rutgers in the Sweet 16. San Diego State and Oregon in the Elite 8. And UConn in my Final Four.

What the heck, right?

In the end, I have the Fighting Illini cutting down the nets for the first time ever thanks to an exciting win over the Zags.

One thing I didn't pick were any 12s to upset any 5s. Everybody loves picking 12s, and three 12s did win in the last pre-COVID tourney. But in the previous four tournaments, 12s went 3-13 -- including 0-fers in 2015 and 2018. I'm feelin' another 0-fer coming. (So now watch the 12s go 4-0.) 

Anyhoo ...

Good luck, everybody, and may your March be as Mad as yiou want it to be.

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Mike's March Madness Mulligan

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Those who golf with me know I'm not a big mulligan taker. I mean, if I shank my drive into the woods, re-tee, hit one down the middle and make a birdie, who am I fooling? I know I didn't really get a birdie. So why bother? I'd much rather scramble after a horrendous drive and hack my way to a "good bogey" than pretend I got a birdie. But hey, maybe that's just me.

So even if I go 15-0 with the March Madness Mulligan I'm about to take, I promise I won't pretend I did anything special.

Before getting to the MMM, I'll allow myself a couple of back-pats ... but only a couple: Nice job on N.C. State and Wichita State. OK, that was quick. I'd have had more success with my bracket if I had let my pooch Simmie make predictions with tail-thumps.

Now, here goes ...

MIDWEST

Kentucky easily over West Virginia ... Notre Dame's luck runs out against Wichita State ... The Wildcats chew up overmatched Wichita State.

WEST

Wisconsin survives a challenge from North Carolina ... Arizona crushes Xavier ... Bucky Badger beats Arizona in a thriller.

EAST

N.C. State pulls off another upset, this time against Louisville ... Michigan State keeps getting better and beats Oklahoma ... Sparty goes to another Final Four after a narrow win over N.C. State.

SOUTH

Duke struggles but holds off Utah ... Gonzaga finally gets a second-weekend win, beating UCLA ... The Dookies have too much firepower for the Zags.

+++

So our new, improved Final Four is Kentucky, Wisconsin, Duke and Michigan State. Three No. 1 seeds and a No. 7 ... but not your run-of-the-mill No. 7. It's kind of funny that Michigan State is suddenly an underdog darling, no?

+++

In one national semifinal, Kentucky and Wisconsin put on a sensational show, with Kentucky's superior interior defense prevailing. In the other, Duke has too much offensive balance for Michigan State.

One thing hasn't changed from my original bracket: Kentucky still ends up 40-0.

Translation: "Bet everything you have on West Virginia to beat Kentucky on Thursday night."
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NCAA hoops pick: Don't do as I say, do as I dont!

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I've been busy vacationing with my family in Vegas and Arizona. A lot more fun than blogging for free!

My NCAA bracket, like pretty much everybody else's, blew up a long time ago.

For the Final Four, I'm saying Florida handles UConn fairly easily while Wisconsin beats Kentucky in a close game featuring teams of contrasting styles. Then, Florida takes down Bucky Badger to win another title for Billy Donovan, the best coach (regardless of sport) that just about nobody talks about.

In other words, bet everything you have on UConn!
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Perfect end to spectacular college hoops season

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How fitting.

An incredibly entertaining title game capped a fantastic Final Four which capped a sensational NCAA tournament which capped a ridiculously competitive, enormously fun season.

Yes, I'd have been happier if Marquette was the team cutting down the nets at the end, but otherwise, I can't imagine enjoying a season more than I enjoyed this one.

From that five-week stretch in December and January in which five consecutive No. 1 teams were defeated to the monumental upsets in the first couple of tournament rounds to the emotionally draining championship game, really, who could have asked for anything more?

How about that first-half stretch Monday night in which Spike Albrecht -- an unknown Michigan freshman who came in averaging 1.8 points -- scored 17 in about 17 seconds (OK, I'm exaggerating) to give the Wolverines a 12-point lead ... only to be upstaged by Luke Hancock, who came off of Louisville's bench to score 14 straight points and totally swing momentum to his team?

"Amazing" is one of the most overused words in the English language these days, but that truly was amazing.

Were I building a college roster, I'd steal Rick Pitino's blueprint and build one just like Louisville's. A shot-blocking center who worked hard to become a fine all-around big man. Two cheetah-quick guards who can get into the lane at will and produce in the clutch. A tough, talented power forward. Several nice role players, including Hancock, who can get into the kind of 3-point zone that can carry a team.

A lot was made of the gruesome injury suffered by Kevin Ware serving as a rallying cry for Louisville. Maybe, but I say to heck with that. If I'm Pitino, I'd have much rather had Ware's services as the first guard off the bench. And yet the Cardinals overcame the absence of a very important player to prevail in two knock-down, drag-out Final Four games. Kudos to them for a championship well-deserved.

Year after year after year, the NCAA tournament is the one sporting showcase that never, ever disappoints. The Final Four always was one of my favorite things to cover, and this year's edition reminded me why.

At one point near the end of the first half Monday, just after Hancock's flurry had singlehandedly rallied Louisville, Peyton Siva threw an alley-oop pass that Montrezl Harrell slammed home for a one-point Cardinals lead.

The "l" in Montrezl is silent, but I wasn't.

Sitting alone in our family room -- my poor wife has to work in the morning and couldn't stay up to watch a game that didn't end until about midnight -- I leapt out of my La-Z-Boy and hollered, "Wow!"

Think about how many times you've watched a sporting event alone in a room and think about how many times something has happened that actually made you get up and cheer. I've been in that situation thousands of times. And this might have been the third or fourth time I've reacted that way.

That's how good that moment was.

How fitting.
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Marquette -- and Nadels -- Sweet 16 bound!

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1. Last weekend was among the most thrilling 3-day stretches I have enjoyed/endured in my 35 years as a Marquette fan.

The win over Davidson in the NCAA opener was -- in the understatement of the year -- fortunate. There obviously was skill in the way Vander Blue and Jamil Wilson suddenly started draining 3-pointers and then in Blue's game-winning drive, but Marquette received so many breaks along the way we officially gave up any right to complain about not getting breaks the rest of the tournament.

Two nights later, Marquette and Butler went at it in a spectacular college basketball game, the kind of sporting event that makes this time of year my absolute favorite. My lads again got a lucky bounce or three but mostly they imposed their will in the second half and thoroughly deserved the victory. Again, Blue was the star.

So it's back to the Sweet 16 for the third straight year. Among the schools that can't make that claim: Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Indiana, UCLA, Wisconsin, Illinois, Syracuse, Michigan State, Arizona, UConn and Louisville.

In other words, it's a pretty special accomplishment.

Roberta and I have decided to celebrate the achievement by making the 6-hour drive to Washington to watch Marquette take on Miami in the Sweet 16. Just bought our tickets and booked our hotel. It was a spontaneous decision, the kind I rarely make, but what the heck? Maybe with us cheering them on from the nosebleed section of the Verizon Center, the Golden Warriors will advance on to the Elite Eight and the Final Four.

Whatever happens, it's been an amazing ride.

2. One of the linebackers the Bears signed to replace the departed Brian Urlacher was James Anderson, formerly of the Panthers. At this stage of their careers, Anderson is a better player. Also, less likely to get hurt. And less likely to say something idiotic.

3. Tiger Woods still has to win a major to prove he's TIGER WOODS! again, but he looks as good now as he did the last time he was great, 2008.

4. It's strange to be totally isolated from baseball. Spring training used to be one of my favorite assignments, especially after I became a columnist and could call my own shots. I doubt I could name 10 players on either the Cubs or White Sox now.

5. Marquette has authored just one of several crazy stories so far in the NCAAs. Top teams such as Indiana, Duke, Kansas, Ohio State and Miami have struggled to win ... but at least they did win. The same can't be said for Georgetown, New Mexico and St. Louis, each among the darlings of the supposed experts who try to forecast Final Four teams. Gonzaga, as usual, was proven a fraud from a weak conference. Oregon and Arizona have given the supposedly pathetic Pac-12 as many Sweet 16 representatives as the SEC and Big 12 combined. Either LaSalle or Wichita State will make the Elite Eight. Wow.

And Florida Gulf Coast ... are you kidding me? Have you seen this team play? Entertaining, athletic, fast-paced, high-flying and, most importantly at this time of year, victorious.

Here's a squad that has lost to Maine, Mercer, East Tennessee State, Stetson and Lipscomb -- twice! --  yet it absolutely destroyed Georgetown and handily beat San Diego State to be one of the 16 teams still standing. Ridiculous.

Can the Eagles beat Florida? Logic would say not a chance. But since when has logic meant anything in the NCAA tournament, especially this year?
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Reason No. 864 why NCAA hoops tourney is so much better than BCS B.S.

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When the NCAA basketball tournament has one of those wacky years filled with incredible upsets and capped by surprise teams in the Final Four, that's one example of why the hoops tourney is so much more exciting and satisfying than football's BCS.

Fairly often, though, the team that was the best in November, December, January and February also excels in March and early April. When that happens, it's even better proof.

So it was with Kentucky, certainly the best team in college hoops all season and a most deserving national champion after Monday's gritty win over game but overmatched Kansas.

"OK," the half-dozen or so BCS proponents might ask, "does it really matter how the best team gets to be the best? After all, few would deny that Alabama was a worthy national football champion."

Well, I might deny it, but that's besides the point.

Kentucky played a nonconference schedule featuring games against some of the nation's best teams. The Wildcats then dominated their conference, wrapping up the NCAA tourney's overall No. 1 seed. Finally, they went 6-0 in the tournament, with victories over one fine team after another, beating opponents of different styles, sizes and strengths.

That, my friends, is how you win a national championship.

You truly earn it.

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Once "killed" by Weber, Self back for more

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One of my favorite memories of Bruce Weber's first season as Illinois coach was when he tried to get his players' attention by telling them "Bill Self is dead" and staging a mock funeral for the guy who had recruited the players to Champaign.

Weber meant it was a new era, but his crassness caught guff from many media mopes and wasn't easily accepted by the players.

Still, led by Deron Williams, Self's recruits eventually bought into Weber's system. The following season, the Illini were in the national championship game and Weber was celebrated as a fine game coach.

Things steadily went downhill after that title loss to North Carolina, though, and Weber finally was fired a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, Self won the 2008 title with Kansas.

Saturday, the same day Self was leading Kansas back to another championship game, Weber was introduced as the new coach at Kansas State. Enthusiasm for Weber's hire was, shall we say, less than full throttle.

I got to know Weber fairly well and consider him a good man. However, his brutal honesty, screechy voice and decided uncoolness are sure to turn off K-State players the same way those traits turned off Illini players.

Of course, compared to in-your-face screamer Frank Martin, Weber probably will be received well in the near term by the players.

At the very least, he probably won't need to stage Martin's mock funeral.

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Speaking of the national title game ...

I simply can't imagine Kansas beating Kentucky, which is superior at every position and has more depth.

I'm calling it Wildcats 72, Jayhawks 59, with freakish Anthony Davis getting most-outstanding-player honors.

Yeah, I'm really going out on the limb there.

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It was great that CBS and the other networks involved employed the remarkable Marv Albert (with the extremely knowledgeable Steve Kerr) during the tournament. I wish Albert had been allowed to do the Final Four, too.

Jim Nantz is a solid pro, and Kerr is back along with superb Clark Kellogg. But Marv is simply the best basketball announcer ever to walk the earth.

As for Kellogg, he did an outstanding job calling games involving both his alma mater (Ohio State) and his son (who plays for Ohio). His restraint was admirable.

Plus, he occasionally invents a word, such as when he called a less-heralded Kentucky player "undersung."

Gotta love that.

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Today's High 5: Weekend Recap Edition

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5. Kentucky, Kansas, Louisville, Ohio State reach the Final Four.

So nice to see these downtrodden programs finally succeed on the national stage. Everybody loves an underdog.

4. Family members, black leaders, athletes, entertainers and millions of regular folks seek justice in the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Come on, people ... lighten up. Had vigilante shooter George Zimmerman been black and had the innocent, unarmed victim been white, I'm sure Zimmerman still would be free today to calmly explain his actions as self-defense. Right? Right?

3. James Cameron takes his personal submarine to the Mariana Trench, traveling 35,756 feet below sea level in a plunge of historic proportions.

The Titanic director admits that the tremendous water pressure exerted on the sub "is in the back of your mind." No doubt. The Associated Press said the pressure was "the equivalent of having three SUVs sitting on your toe." Mitt Romney's summer-home valet certainly can attest to the discomfort of that situation.

2. Tiger Woods wins a tournament at long last.

Thank goodness. Now he'll be able to pay the rent.

1. Dick Cheney gets a new heart.

Insert your own punchline here.

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Baldy's Bracket

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No time to go into my thought processes. Then again, delving too deep inside my brain is dangerous for man or beast, so let's get right to my NCAA hoops predictions now that the play-in preliminaries have been played. (Legitimate upset picks are in italics.)

SOUTH

Kentucky over Western Kentucky
UConn over Iowa St.
Wichita St. over VCU
Indiana over New Mexico St.
Colorado over UNLV (11-6 upset)
Baylor over S. Dakota St.
Xavier over Notre Dame
Duke over Lehigh

Kentucky over UConn
Wichita St. over Indiana
Baylor over Colorado
Duke over Xavier

Kentucky over Wichita St.
Baylor over Duke

Kentucky over Baylor

WEST

Michigan St. over Long Island
Memphis over St. Louis
Long Beach St. over New Mexico (12-5 upset)
Louisville over Davidson
Colorado St. over Murray St. (11-6 upset)
Marquette over BYU
Florida over Virginia
Missouri over Norfolk St.

Memphis over Michigan St. (8-1 upset)
Long Beach St. over Louisville (12-4 upset)
Marquette over Colorado St.
Missouri over Florida

Memphis over Long Beach St.
Marquette over Missouri

Marquette over Memphis

EAST

Syracuse over UNC-Asheville
Kansas St. over S. Mississippi
Vanderbilt over Harvard
Wisconsin over Montana
Cincinnati over Texas
Florida St. over St. Bonaventure
West Virginia over Gonzaga
Ohio St. over Loyola Md.

Syracuse over Kansas St.
Vanderbilt over Wisconsin
Florida St. over Cincinnati
Ohio St. over West Virginia

Vanderbilt over Syracuse (5-1 upset)
Florida St. over Ohio St.

Vanderbilt over Florida State

MIDWEST

North Carolina over Vermont
Creighton over Alabama
Temple over S. Florida
Michigan over Ohio
N.C. State over San Diego St. (11-6 upset)
Georgetown over Belmont
St. Mary's over Purdue
Kansas over Detroit

North Carolina over Creighton
Temple over Michigan
Georgetown over N.C. State
Kansas over St. Mary's

North Carolina over Temple
Kansas over Georgetown

Kansas over North Carolina

FINAL FOUR

Marquette over Kentucky
Kansas over Vanderbilt

CHAMPIONSHIP

Marquette over Kansas

I didn't start out meaning to sound like the Marquette alum and fan that I am. But as I went along, I legitimately believed my Golden Warriors were good enough to win every game ... so what am I supposed to do? Pick against them?

The last time I picked them to reach the Final Four was 2003, and they did.

Ipso fatso, cash in those 401ks and IRAs and bet it all on Marquette, kiddies!

(Having said that, I hope my lads don't lose their first game to BYU!!!!)
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Obviously broken, NCAA tourney needs a fix

A few thoughts from a wild sports Monday:

++ A great championship game caps a great tournament. Yep, the NCAA surely needs to fix this thing by adding dozens more teams and making it every bit as compelling as the BCS.

++ You know what would have been crazy? If Gordon Hayward would have made that desperation heave at the buzzer only to have the refs wave it off for the obvious, nearly injurious moving screen set by Butler teammate Matt Howard.

++ Here's the main difference between the BCS and the NCAA hoops tournament: The first tries to secure a matchup of the "best" teams as determined by voters and computers; the second seeks to crown a worthy champion as determined by actual competition.

++ It's fun to root for the underdog, yes. It's also proper to admit that the Dookies had one hell of a tournament.

++ A few days before the season opener against the Braves, Carlos Zambrano said: "They're a very good team but I think we're better. Let's rock and roll." Well, consider Cra-Z rocked and the Cubbies rolled.

++ I was at the White Sox opener and witnessed what probably will be the best fielding play of the entire season: HERE IT IS. Oh, and by the way ... Mark Buehrle also turned in the day's best pitching performance. Forget all the Cubbie pretenders and give this guy props for being by far Chicago's best pitcher this past decade.

++ It says something about something that, within seconds of each other, White Sox fans booed video highlights of Barack Obama throwing the first pitch for the Nationals and then cheered the Sox debut of has-been Andruw Jones.

++ Were I at the Tiger Woods press conference, I would have asked only one question: "Why is anybody even bothering to ask a confirmed, notorious liar to tell the truth about anything?"

High 5s

Just remember when you're doing your brackets next year, kids:

Despite what the "experts" say, the 12s don't always beat the 5s.

Sometimes the 5s not only win, but two of the suckers go all the way to the Final Four.

On another note, I was glad Duke won. There should always one overdog in any tournament, one team you want to root against.

So now we've got three pretty darned good underdog stories ... and the effen Dookies!

If you can stand it, another "expert's" bracket guess

A Preliminary Four things before I start:

1. If your alma mater has a legitimate chance (as mine does this year), pick them.

2. Despite what everyone says, 12s don't "always" beat 5s. Contrarian that I am, I'm picking all four 5s.

3. Just about nobody has seen Northern Iowa or BYU or Richmond or Cornell play. So when folks do accidentally get an upset right, it means they were lucky, not smart. That goes for Yours Baldly, too.

4. Don't be so generous calling things upsets. 9 beating 8 isn't an upset. Neither is 10 over 7. Most 11s are as good as the 6s. 12-over-5 is an upset, of course, but also a cliche. 13 over 4? Now that's an upset. (And I pick one of 'em just for the giggles and yucks.)

OK, here goes:

MIDWEST

First Round

1-Kansas over 16-Lehigh ... Jayhawks make 'em look like Le-Junior-High.

9-Northern Iowa over 8-UNLV ... That's right: picking a team that lost to DePaul.

5-Michigan State over 12-New Mexico State ... Tempted, but no.

4-Maryland over 13-Houston ... No Phi Slamma Jamma this time.

11-San Diego State over 6-Tennessee ... Bruce Pearl implodes.

3-Georgetown over 14-Ohio ... MAC daddies sent packin'.

10-Georgia Tech over 7-Oklahoma State ... Ah, but Cowboys will always have win over Kansas.

2-Ohio State over UC-Santa Barbara ... But I'd sure rather be in Santa Barbara than Columbus in March.

Second Round

1-Kansas over 9-Northern Iowa ... Sherron Collins played against my son when both were in 8th grade, and Ben obviously got him ready for the big time.

4-Maryland over 5-Michigan State ... Not one of Izzo's great teams.

3-Georgetown over 11-San Diego State ... Hoya Paranoia is back.

2-Ohio State over 10-Georgia Tech ... Evan Turner = best player in country.

Regional Semifinals

1-Kansas over 4-Maryland ... Greivis Vasquez keeps it close.

3-Georgetown over 2-Ohio State ... G-Town playing as well as anyone in country.

Regional Final

1-Kansas over 3-Georgetown ... I see too many Hoya fouls trying to keep up with KU talent.

WEST

First Round

1-Syracuse over 16-Vermont ... Beware the Catamounts!

8-Gonzaga over Florida State ... No longer darlings; just a solid team.

5-Butler over 12-Texas-El Paso ... Because everybody and their uncles are picking UTEP.

13-Murray State over 4-Vanderbilt ... Because I loved Murray the Cop on The Odd Couple.

6-Xavier over 11-Minnesota ... Hey announcers: It's "zavier," not "ex-avier"!!!

3-Pitt over 14-Oakland ... Just like the AFC in the 1970s.

7-BYU over 10-Florida ... Gotta go with a star named "Jimmer."

2-Kansas State over 15-North Texas ... No love for Mean Green on day after St. Pat's.

Second Round

1-Syracuse over 8-Gonzaga ... Almost picked under-the-radar Zags.

5-Butler over 13-Murray State ... What? I'm gonna pick Murray State twice?

3-Pitt over 6-Xavier ... Panthers are as tough as the hammer and the nails.

2-Kansas State over 7-BYU ... Can't go with a star named "Jimmer."

Regional Semifinals

1-Syracuse over 5-Butler ... Bulldogs bite against 2-3 zone.

2-Kansas State over 3-Pitt ... The better team wins.

Regional Final

2-Kansas State over 1-Syracuse ... The spit'll be flyin' out of Frank Martin's mouth.

EAST

First Round

1-Kentucky over 16-East Tennessee State ... Didn't even know there was an Atlantic Sun Conference.

8-Texas over 9-Wake Forest ... Don't like either, but Texas is better.

5-Temple over 12-Cornell ... Ivy Leaguers are fashionable pick, but Temple's good.

4-Wisconsin over 13-Wofford ... This won't be pretty.

6-Marquette over 11-Washington ... True story: My Sun-Times buddy, Cubs beat writer Gordon Wittenmyer, is a Washington alum. He and I have spent the better part of two weeks talking about our alma maters and we often said (though not in unison): "Wouldn't it be crazy if they met in the first round?" And here they are. I hate this matchup because UW has lots of skilled players, and I can see why people would pick the Huskies. But my boys have come through over and over again in tough games like this, so I won't abandon them now. The winner of this game could have quite a run in the tourney.

3-New Mexico over 14-Montana ... Grizzlies give Lobos a scare before bowing.

10-Missouri over 7-Clemson ... Clemson hasn't won tourney game in 13 years; why start now?

2-West Virginia over 15-Morgan State ... Name your score.

Second Round

1-Kentucky over 8-Texas ... A scary second-round matchup for the mighty Wildcats.

5-Temple over 4-Wisconsin ... The more athletic team wins defensive war.

6-Marquette over 3-New Mexico ... Buzz Williams over Steve Alford every time.

2-West Virginia over 10-Missouri ... There aren't five players better than Da'Sean Butler.

Regional Semifinals

1-Kentucky over 5-Temple ... Tempted to pick Temple to set up a battle between my alma mater and my brother's school, but can't do it.

6-Marquette over 2-West Virginia ... My lads lost by 1 at West Virginia this season. This time, it's on a neutral court and my guys will make their free throws down the stretch.

Regional Final

6-Marquette over 1-Kentucky ... I don't pick Marquette to get to the Final Four every year. Honest. In fact, the last time I did - in 2003 - they beat Kentucky to get there. My Golden Warrior Eagles might have to shoot 60 percent from 3-point range to do it this time, but they've done that before. So why the heck not pick 'em?!?!

SOUTH

First Round

1-Duke over 16-Arkansas-Pine Bluff ... Still, you gotta respect a team that gets to the NCAAs after starting the season 0-11.

9-Louisville over 8-California ... Cardinals can beat anybody.

5-Texas A&M over 12-Utah State ... The 12-5 upset I'd pick if I were picking one.

13-Siena over 4-Purdue ... Wounded Boilers fall to dangerous Saints in my upset special.

6-Notre Dame over 11-Old Dominion ... Will be a close game.

3-Baylor over 14-Sam Houston State ... Sam they am not gonna win.

7-Richmond over 10-Saint Mary's ... Everyone's afraid of Spiders.

2-Villanova over 15-Robert Morris ... R. Morris reminds me of cats, and I hate cats.

Second Round

1-Duke over 9-Louisville ... Cardinals can lose to anybody, and Duke's not just any anybody.

13-Siena over 5-Texas A&M ... Why? Like I used to tell my kids: Because I said so.

3-Baylor over 6-Notre Dame ... It pained me enough to pick ND to win once.

7-Richmond over 2-Villanova ... Nova's not playing very well lately.

Regional Semifinals

1-Duke over 13-Siena ... Well, it was fun while it lasted.

3-Baylor over 7-Richmond ... How can a guy pick against the backcourt of Tweety Carter and LaceDarius Dunn?

Regional Final

1-Duke over 3-Baylor ... I guess a guy can pick against Tweety and LaceDarius if the other team has Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith.

FINAL FOUR

Kansas over Kansas State ... The only team in America with no weakness will win a wild one against its archrival.

Marquette over Duke ... You were expecting a different prediction? Of course, this will look pretty dopey if my guys lose to Washington in the first round. Damn you, Gordon Wittenmyer!

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Kansas over Marquette ... Fanatic, but not insane.

Hoping Erin Andrews gets justice

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The Bald Truth

I am disgusted by the pervert lowlife who videotaped a naked Erin Andrews through the peephole in her hotel room and then posted the crapola on the Internet last week.

Although I wrote a column about the ESPN reporter last year that caused quite a stir in the blogosphere - if you google my name, dozens of posts relate to that column and its aftermath - I have no animosity toward her and certainly wouldn't have wished this upon her or anybody else.

Through her attorney, Andrews has said she will bring civil and criminal charges against this sick creep, if he (or she?) is ever identified. Here's hoping this scumbag gets caught and goes to jail, because this is nothing short of sexual assault. 

Unfortunately, one of the major downsides of the Internet is the damage that nameless, faceless idiots can cause.

By the way, I haven't seen this video and I don't intend to try to find it.

The List

In honor of the 10-year anniversary of Jean Van de Velde's epic choke (and the one-day anniversary of a somewhat less epic gag job by Tom Watson), here are the five biggest chokes I've covered during my 27-year sportswriting career:

5. The University of Minnesota football team blows a 31-0 second-quarter lead and loses 41-37 to Ohio State in 1989.

4. After Scottie Pippen tells him, "Remember, the Mailman doesn't deliver on Sundays," Karl Malone misses two free throws with 9 seconds to go in a tie game. The Bulls go on to win Game 1 of the 1997 NBA Finals (and, eventually, the series).

3. The 2004 Cubs, preseason World Series favorites, lose seven of eight games down the stretch - including five by one run - turning a 2 1/2-game lead over Houston in the wild-card race to a 3-game deficit.

2. Arizona blows a 15-point lead with 4 minutes to go and loses to Illinois in the NCAA Regional Final. Bruce Weber's Illini do just about everything right ... thanks in great part to the utter panic of Lute Olson's Wildcats.

1. Five outs away from their first World Series appearance in 58 years, the Cubs throw away a 3-0 lead over the Florida Marlins in Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS. It's known as "the Bartman game," but the choking Cubs players - not any fan - conspired to create the most amazing, surreal half-hour of sports I've ever witnessed.

THE BALDEST TRUTH

And speaking of the Cubs, they're not playing the Nationals any more ... and so their four-game winning streak is history.

This is looking like a team that's nowhere near good enough to be in position to choke away a playoff spot at the end of the season.

Then again, is there any NL Central team good enough to win this thing?

Hoops + Hardball = Heaven

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The List

What a great day, when the NCAA crowned a national basketball champion (without even needing computer geeks to choose the combatants) and most MLB teams played their season-openers.

Eight not-so-elite thoughts from a fun Monday so chock full of sports stuff I had to record "24" to watch later in the week:

1. I guess homecourt advantage doesn't mean all that much when the visitor has a better player - make that a significantly better player - at every position.

2. And how 'bout the day Michael Jordan had? Early on, he learned he was voted into the Hall of Fame on his first time on the ballot - shocking! - and before the day was through, his beloved Tar Heels throttled Sparty to win the national title. Oh, and between those events, just to make himself feel really good, he counted his money.

3. So, Cubbieland, what happens first: Milton Bradley missing a game due to injury or Kosuke Fukudome getting a base hit? 

4. OK, I get why Lou Piniella subbed Joey Gathright for Fukudome in center field for the ninth inning. But why not just move K-Fu over to right, where he is infinitely better than Bradley? Luckily for the Cubs, the ball Bradley botched that inning didn't cost Carlos Zambrano a well-deserved victory.

5. No matter how hard they wish it to be true, Cardinals fans can't make catcher-turned-closer Jason Motte into a game-saving stud. The bullpen killed the Cards last season, and 2009 might be more of the same.

6. Come October, it looks like it will be Pirates vs. Orioles in a rematch of the '79 We Are Family World Series. Just like we all predicted.

7. First, out-of-nowhere 2008 AL Cy Young winner Cliff Lee compiled a 12.46 spring-training ERA. Then, he got shelled by the Rangers in Cleveland's opener, giving him a 12.60 ERA. Can you say "fluke"? I knew you could.

8. So what if CC Sabathia got rocked in his Yankees debut? He looked mahvelous, dahling. And just wait until he gets to wear those home pinstripes. Very slimming!

Cubs: "We'll have the usual, thank you"

^

The Bald Truth

Gee, is spring training over already? Why, it seems as though pitchers and catchers reported only a few millennia ago. 

I think Octo-Mom popped out a half-dozen more kids - and Madonna adopted them - since spring training started ... and yet Rich Harden still looks like he needs another month to get ready for the 20 or so starts he'll make this season for the Cubbies.

Anyway, the season has started with Sunday night's Phillies-Braves game (not to mention the White Sox's announcement that Monday's scheduled opener already has been rained/snowed/sleeted/frozen out), so let's finish the official BTB baseball predictions for 2009.

I'm already on record with my division winners: Both Chicago teams as well as the Phillies, Diamondbacks, Red Sox and Angels. The postseason field also will include the wild-card-winning Yankees and Dodgers.

In the first round of the playoffs: Red Sox over White Sox; Yankees over Angels; Phillies over Dodgers and Diamondbacks over Cubs in (of course) a three-game sweep. Because what is a Cubs postseason under Lou Piniella without a demoralizing, humiliating broom job at the hands of the NL West champion?

The Red Sox will top the Yankees in the ALCS while the Phillies handle the D-Backs to win another NL pennant. 

And for the third time in six years since becoming un-cursed, Boston wins the World Series.

Now for some individual awards:

AL MVP: Mark Teixeira, Yankees.

NL MVP: Albert Pujols, Cardinals.

AL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Blue Jays.

NL Cy Young: Derek Lowe, Braves. (I wrote this before he humbled the Phillies on Sunday - honest!)

AL First Manager Fired: Ron Washington, Rangers (but Joe Girardi had better not have another lousy April in the Bronx).

NL First Manager Fired: Cecil Cooper, Astros (but Dusty Baker has to watch his back with Walt Jocketty now running the Reds).

The Balder Truth

After Michigan State impressively thrashed his UConn Huskies, it was interesting to hear Jim Calhoun get all introspective when it comes to his career. He might keep coaching, he might not, he'll let us know later.

Well, if he was going to get all deep and metaphysical, maybe he should think about his team not taking part in the time-honored tradition of cutting down the nets after it advanced to the Final Four by winning the West Regional. He said he and his lads simply wanted to wait until they got to cut down the nets after the national championship game.

That would have been like the Tampa Bay Rays not celebrating following each postseason round last season because they wanted to keep the champagne on ice until after the World Series.

One of baseball's fun traditions is the celebration after the clinching of a playoff berth and then again after each round. The champion gets to celebrate four times in a month. How cool! Cutting down the nets - after winning a conference title, a regional title and/or a national title - is every bit as cool.

The UConn players might never get another chance. And the way Calhoun was talking, he might have cut down his last net five years ago when he could have experienced the thrill again just last week. What a shame.

THE BALDEST TRUTH

What was that I said a few days ago? UConn vs. Villanova for the NCAA title? Ugh. Don't remind me.

Time for yet another mulligan!

First, I have to ask myself a question: How could I have picked anybody to beat North Carolina, clearly the best team in college basketball?

Sorry Tar Heels ... it's kiss-of-death time:

North Carolina 83, Michigan State 74.

Kentucky has tradition - but not the best job

^

Sunday's final four:

1. Why, why, why on earth would Tom Izzo, John Calipari, Billy Donovan or any other coach who already has built a top-tier program be even the least bit interested in going to Kentucky now that another good coach has been driven away from Bluegrass country?

Izzo is back in the Final Four with Michigan State, which for the last decade has established itself as the premier program in the Big Ten and one of the very best in the country - far better than Kentucky, in fact.

Calipari is worshipped in Memphis, where he is king of Conference USA and where he successfully recruits some of the very best players in the land.  According to several ratings services, he is bringing the No. 1 class of 2009 to Memphis. At Kentucky, the alums and other hard-core fans probably would expect him to do better than No. 1. Who needs it?

Donovan has won two national titles at Florida and continues to bring top talent to Gainesville, where he is revered for having already given the thumbs down to Kentucky once.

As a bonus - a huge, enormous, gigandulous bonus - none of these guys faces the kind of scrutiny and pressure in his current job as he would at Kentucky. As an extra bonus, all are paid the same kind of outrageous salaries they'd get from the Bluegrass boyz.

There are a handful of traditional powerhouse programs and Kentucky is one of them. (Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Indiana and UCLA also leap to mind.) But I'd say that many others, including Michigan State, Memphis and UConn, have pulled alongside - and, in many cases, surpassed - those traditional powers. 

Funny thing about tradition in sports: It guarantees nothing. Just ask the Cowboys how much tradition has been worth on the playing field the last few years. New traditions get established all the time in sports; witness the Red Sox now being clutch winners while the Yankees have become chokers.

Tom Crean left Marquette for Indiana, saying it was a slam-dunk decision because "Indiana is Indiana." Well, Indiana hasn't been Indiana for awhile now, including Bobby Knight's last half-dozen years there, and Marquette - thanks in great part to Crean - has surpassed Indiana by miles. Crean is counting on tradition helping him recruit better players to Indiana than he did to Marquette, but most ratings services say his Marquette replacement, Buzz Williams, will be bringing in a group as good as or better than Crean will to Hoosierland.

Of course, once upon an Al McGuire time, Marquette was one of those traditional powerhouses. 

Yes, Kentucky has tradition out the ying-yang. But so do many other places where the pressure isn't so great a coach feels like killing himself 50 times a year. There are too many other fantastic schools at which a coach can win big without putting himself through the torture.

2. Saturday's Villanova-Pitt game was so good, I found myself actually cheering several plays - something I very rarely do because I'm more of a detached appreciator of excellence than I am of a fan. I must admit: It was pretty darn fun.

3. As usual, the "experts" couldn't stop talking about the distractions facing UConn after word of possible NCAA recruiting violations surfaced before the weekend. Ridiculous. Why would UConn players be even the slightest bit distracted by this? Turns out, they weren't, as the Huskies took down Purdue and Missouri to get to the Final Four.

4. In honor of  Tiger Woods officially being back, it's time to take a mulligan on my Final Four picks. What other choice do I have, since I managed to go a sterling 0-for-4?

As much as I appreciate Izzo's Spartans, UConn can play whatever game Michigan State wants to play - and play it just a tad better. On the other side of the bracket, I'm going with the upset: Villanova's tough, talented perimeter players, augmented by vastly underrated Dante Cunningham, making Carolina blue.

And in the all-Big East title game ... UConn 80, 'Nova 74.

Call your bookies and pull out those wallets, folks. I mean, I haven't steered you wrong yet!