What's New and What's to Come

Just in case you're wondering, I hate Kansas. Passionately. But it's my own dumb fault. I knew better than to trust them. Anyway, my weekend wrap will be available at the Houston Press website Tuesday morning. Thanks to all those who posted comments over the weekend. Also, look for Mock Draft version 4.0 Wednesday. You've been warned!

J.C.F.

This Better Work

There's a New #8 in Town

Well, you know I had to sound off on the Texans' big trade. You can read my response on the Houston Press website here. Obviously, David Carr had to go. But it's a damn shame things didn't work out with him here in H-Town. He was always a stand-up guy and he took FAR more heat than he ever deserved. Seems so long ago that this city was in love with the guy when he became the franchise cornerstone. Hell, I wore his jersey proudly for years. I just hope he ends up with a team like Detroit, where he'd have a shot at success with Mike Martz and company, as opposed to a "Welcome to hell" franchise like Oakland. By the way, this paragraph was brought to you by Tiffany and her heartbreaking rendition of "Could've Been".

As for tonight's NCAA games, I think the chalk will continue to thrive, with one exception: Texas A&M is going to knock off the Tigers from Memphis. But is that even an upset at this point? Considering Memphis may be without its best player, I say no. Looking ahead to tomorrow's tilts, I'll take Georgetown, Florida, UNLV and... man, I want to pick USC, I really do. But I have to stick with my bracket. So Tar Heels survive in a squeaker.

J.C.F.

Update

For those of you wondering where I've been, fear not, everything is just peachy and I'm not going anywhere. Well, actually, that's not exactly true. I'm now sports blogging for the Houston Press and my initial offering should be up Wednesday morning. I cordially invite you to check it out (frequently) here. There are three of us posting, so there should be some interesting back and forth and I'd love for you guys (and girls) to jump in and sound off. As for my beloved Clutch City Chronicles, I fully expect it to stay operational and active as well.

As always, thanks for reading!

J.C.F.

Wow!

From Any Angle, Steve Nash is Still the MVP

I really hope everyone stayed up late and watched the Dallas-Phoenix instant classic. I'd be willing to bet the house that no game in the NCAA tournament will come close to matching the drama in this one. A few quick hits on the Suns 129-127 double OT win:

• The biggest development of this game was Dirk Nowitzki's disappearing act that began in the final minutes of regulation and continued throughout both overtime periods. First, Dirk went one of two from the line twice in the game's final minutes. Then, he proceeded to do his best Karl Malone crunch-time impression the rest of the way. Coming on the heels of last June's choke job, this has to be a major concern for Mavs' fans. Yes, Dirk is the team's best player. But in the clutch, Jason Terry is their go-to guy. And I'm not sure that's a good thing.

• Can we go ahead and just hand Steve Nash the MVP trohpy? 10 points in the final 55 seconds of regulation? 32 points, 16 assists and 8 boards? Hitting the game-tying trey? Throw in the fact that the Suns are winless without Nash in the line-up and you've got all the ingredients necessary for a third straight most valuable player award.

• I don't think this game means much, if anything, come playoff time. Both teams are who we thought they were. The real key is the race to claim the West's #1 seed. As much as I love Phoenix, I really question whether or not they have the depth to beat both San Antonio and Dallas in seven game series. And if they can't overtake the Mavs (they're currently 2 1/2 games back), that's their path to the title.
  

• How great is it to see Amare Stoudemire back to 100%? Six months ago, I wondered whether NBA fans were going to be robbed of seeing this force of nature fully develop, due to his seemingly slow recovery from microfracture surgery. And while he still has a way to go in fulfilling his potential, he's back to being one of the most dynamic players to watch on a daily basis.

• Classic game from Shawn Marion. Made a ton of little plays like the rebound and subsequent pass leading to Nash's game-tying three, as well as superior defense on Dirk in overtime. Marion has a tendency to be a shrinking violet come playoff time, so no doubt Phoenix is praying this is the Matrix that shows up in May and June.
  

I Hate My Bracket

If you read Monday's column, you already know my braketology theory. If you didn't, here's all you need to know: Knowledge and expertise don't mean jack. Now having said that, I like to think I'm fairly competent when it comes time to fill out my bracket. Have I ever won an office pool? No. But I usually finish in the top ten and I've correctly picked the tournament champion five out of the last seven years. That has to count for something, right?

But this year, I'm utterly clueless. In fact, I thoroughly despise my bracket. I've got plenty of upsets and (what I believe to be) a fairly solid Final Four, so that's good. But too many people like the teams I'm backing and my predicted national champion leaves me feeling about as confident as Peyton Manning on Prom night (speaking of which, can you believe this guy is married?!? It's true, check it out. I'm telling you, this has shaken my world to the very core). But hey, since knowledge is decidedly NOT power during March Madness, perhaps my relative unease is a good thing. Anyway, on with the picks:

Sweet 16

1. Florida: duh
2. Davidson: I told you I went with some underdogs
3. Winthrop: See above. Although Notre Dame and Oregon are good enough to reach the Elite 8
4. Georgia Tech: Does anyone trust Wisconsin right now?
5. Kansas: But watch out for Scottie Reynolds and Villanova as a possible stumbling block in round 2
   
6. Virginia Tech: These guys are FUN to watch
7. Duke: I know, I know. I hate this pick and they're terrible this year. But NO ONE thinks they'll even win one game. So I'm gonna play the contrarian and take them. Just please, whatever you do, don't take Pitt past the Sweet 16. They're NOT good. Trust me. One other thing: beware picking against teams who have been taking a beating from critics this week. Everyone is knocking Arkansas, Stanford and Illinois for receiving invites and everyone thinks Duke is a one and done. But I'm here to tell you, at least one of these teams is going to make some noise this weekend.
   
8. UCLA: Pretty much a lock to reach the Elite 8
9. North Carolina: #1 seeds are generally locks to make the Sweet 16
10. Texas: Here comes Kevin Durant
11. Oral Roberts: Hey, they beat Kansas this year
    
12. Georgetown: I've already stated my man-crush for this team
13. Ohio State: Could get tested in round two, but will prevail
14. Tennessee: Not an easy pick. First round game against Long Beach State will be an absolute shoot-out and could be one of the most entertaining games of the weekend
15. Texas A&M: Acie Law IV is ready
16. Memphis: No one knows what to expect from these guys

Elite 8

1. Florida: Ho hum
2. Winthop: I'm crazy, I know. But you've got to have a Cinderella somewhere
3. Kansas: I can't tell you how tempted I was to put Virginia Tech here
4. UCLA: Easy path, so far
5. North Carolina: Sorry, this is where the Kevin Durant show ends. Don't be surprised if Rick Barnes takes a lot of heat for this loss because the 'Horns coughed up another big lead thanks to his complete lack of creativity when it comes to getting KD the ball down the stretch in tight games
6. Georgetown: I used to HATE the Hoyas. My, how times have changed
7. Ohio State: No way Durant AND Oden both bow out in the round of 16
8. Texas A&M: "... I'm steppin' tall, y'all and just like Humpty Dumpty, you're gonna fall when the stereos pump me..."

Final Four (You know these already, so I'll just post them again and move on)

1. Florida
2. Kansas (Gulp)
   
3. Georgetown
4. Texas A&M

Championship Game

Kansas (what am I thinking!??!?!) vs. Georgetown

Ok, so... on Monday I explained my problem with Florida. Best starting five in the land with the highest ceiling. I just think they're due for a clunker at some point and Kansas is one of the few teams that can actually match up with them. Of course, the Jayhawks gag more often than the Olsen twins, so it wouldn't surprise me at all to see them eliminated before April rolls around. But once upon a time, the Gators wore the choker label, too, so I guess these curses have to be broken sometime.

As for the Aggies, there's just no way two Big 12 teams are going to face off for the title. And let's face it, this is Texas A&M for Pete's sake. The Aggies can't just stroll into the college basketball spotlight and steal a national title. Take a look at the list of NCAA men's champions and tell me when a non-traditional college basketball school last won the whole enchilada. It just doesn't happen. Yes, Billy Gillispie has A&M pointed in the right direction. But they're not ready just yet.

National Champ

Kansas 75 - Georgetown 72

Like I said, I hate my bracket.

Paying Homage to the 'Hoff

Who Else Could Pull This Off but the 'Hoff, Himself?

Love him or hate him, you gotta respect the 'Hoff. I mean, who else in the history of mankind has done more with less? Somehow, the guy managed to parlay slightly above average looks (ummm, so I've been told) with minimal acting and singing skills into an extraordinarily successful career in TV and music. You don't know how he did it, and it sure doesn't seem fair, but you can't argue with the results.

And that, my friends, is why David Hasselhoff is my patron saint of March Madness. Look, I don't consider myself a college basketball expert. Odds are, I'm probably just like you. I don't really start paying close attention to college hoops until football season is over. I check out the box scores, watch bits and pieces of certain games during the week and then start cranking it up when the conference tournaments rolls around. But that's the beautiful thing about filling out a bracket; none of that information really helps you, anyway. That's why the office secretary who's more interested in a peanut buster parfait than a bracket buster walks away with the cash every year. So who cares about skill and expertise? It never got in the way of the 'Hoff. And it shouldn't be a roadblock for you either.

So with Mr. Baywatch as our guide, there's no reason to go into intricate detail of each and every match-up. Instead, I'll provide a few helpful dos and don'ts, as well as my own personal Final Four.

DON'T place too much stock into what happened last year: Last season, not a single #1 seed made it to the Final Four. There's a reason that's never happened before. It was a fluke occurrence made possible by the near absence of truly elite teams. Outside of Connecticut, no club really possessed a roster that struck fear in the hearts of opponents. And while Florida, North Carolina, Kansas and Ohio State won't all make the trip to Atlanta, I guarantee at least one (and probably two) will be there.

DO believe in the power of Kevin Durant. I imagine I'm probably preaching to the choir here, but there's no way KD will allow his team to fall short of the Sweet 16. Yes, the Longhorns play matador defense and, yes, you'll want to strangle Rick Barnes for his strategy at times, but the NCAA wants its marquee player to showcase his stuff for a couple games at least, and I have no doubt Durant will happily oblige them.

DON'T use "up" as a suffix anymore. It was bad enough when the Red Sox turned the term "cowboy-up" into a national phenomenon in 2004. Now, similar words are being coined on a seemingly daily basis. In the last 24 hours alone, I've heard "orange-up", "bracket-up" and "lawyer-up". Seriously, people, this has got to stop. It's just as annoying, unoriginal and ubiquitous as the whole "first letter of first name, first three letters of last name" nickname craze (like A-Rod, K-Rod, F-Rod, etc.). Are we that devoid of creative ideas that this is what we're left with? I refuse to believe it. So from now on, let's make an effort to vocab-up and figure out a better way to express ourselves.

DO feel free to laugh at the Knicks for handing Isiah Thomas a multi-year contract extension. I know this has nothing to do with March Madness, but I had to work it in somehow. I just love the fact Knicks' brass thinks a 29-34 record in the pathetic Eastern Conference is a sign of "evident progress". Has the bar been lowered that far in the Big Apple? Sure, New York is better this year, but how hard is it to improve upon the 23 win season of a year ago? I hate the Knicks, yet even I feel sorry for the fans who are now destined to live in basketball purgatory for a few more years (at least). Actually, check that. I don't feel sorry for them at all. As far as I'm concerned, this is what they deserve for cheering on Pat Riley, Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, John Starks and Anthony Mason when the Knicks' version of thugball nearly brought the NBA to its knees. Losers.

DON'T believe in a Florida repeat. There will obviously be many who disagree with me. I don't blame them. When the Gators are playing their best ball, NOBODY can beat them. And certainly, this past weekend saw them round into form much the same way they did at this time last year. But something's not quite right in the Swamp. Some will brush it aside saying they've just been a little bit bored waiting for the "real" games to begin. Maybe so. But I think there's something larger at work here. The Gators are vulnerable. And someone is going to unseat the champs.

DO believe in Acie Law IV. This guy is lugging around stones the size of Dick Vitale's mouth these days (Awful mix of imagery, I know. My bad). If you're playing against the Aggies, you better pray he doesn't have the ball in his hands with a chance to win. Because if he does, you're going home. Plus, he looks more like Humpty Hump than even Scottie Pippen does. So he's got that going for him, which is nice.

He's Spunky and Likes His Oatmeal Lumpy

Fearless Final Four Forecast:

• Florida: Yes, they're going down, but not before they reach Atlanta. No team in their region has what it takes to knock off the champs.
  

• Georgetown: I've been on their bandwagon for awhile and it pains me to see so many others hopping on after their impressive showing at the Big East Tourney. That's not a good sign. But they have tons of size, experience and big game players. Plus, they play great defense and do a fabulous job of dictating tempo. In the bracket's toughest region, the Hoyas are my pick to survive.
  

• Texas A&M: All the things I just wrote about Georgetown are also true of the Aggies. Plus, I think they match up very well with Ohio State (the South region's #1 seed).

• Kansas: Two teams from the Big 12? Hey, nobody's more frightened than I am with this pick. Not only would it be wild to see a pair of Big 12 clubs in the Final Four, but the Jayhawks are notorious for choking when the stakes are raised. Yet, they've got as much talent as anyone and, yes, I think they're the team to take out the big, bad Gators.
  

As for the champ? That answer comes later this week. Until then, peace, love and Humptiness forever.

Thursday's Newsmakers

Some reading before we get to the day's big news:

• Have to start with this unbelievable story. I never thought the Houston astronaut tale would be topped, much less bested, within a matter of weeks. This is just too good to be true.

• On a more serious note, John Hollinger explains the logic behind ranking Bill Russell 7th on his all-time NBA centers ballot. I would never put Boston's big man that low, but he does make some good points. For what it's worth, here's my top ten:

1. Wilt Chamberlain
2. Kareem Abdul Jabar
3. Bill Russell
4. Shaq
5. Hakeem Olajuwon
6. Moses Malone
7. George Mikan
8. Bill Walton
9. David Robinson
10. Patrick Ewing

Big story of the day is Willis McGahee's move to Baltimore. Funny, I remember being crestfallen when Willis blew out his knee in the Fiesta Bowl because I thought he's be perfect in the Texans' backfield (Houston had the 3rd overall pick in the draft that year). Of course, he's largely underachieved in his professional career thus far and his surly attitude has rubbed pretty much everyone the wrong way, which is exactly why Buffalo couldn't wait to get rid of him. By the way, this is exactly why I had the Bills taking Marshawn Lynch in the draft. Looks pretty good right now.

Can't blame Baltimore for bringing him in, McGahee is certainly a huge upgrade over the now-departed Jamal Lewis. And I suspect his fellow Hurricanes (Ed Reed and Ray Lewis) will keep in line, at least for the first year. Good move for the Ravens, when you consider this team is built to win NOW and the cost was two third rounders and a seventh. Of course, it won't mean anything until the Baltimore offense can finally put more than ten points on the board consistently. Steve McNair is D-O-N-E, so you know what that means. That's right, the Ravens ultimately will still live and die with the development of Kyle Boller. Good luck with that, Baltimore.

As for the aforementioned Jamal Lewis, I hear people saying this precludes them from taking Adrian Peterson at the three spot. Ummm, why? Again, there's nothing wrong with a two-back system, especially when Jamal Lewis has two good years left AT THE MOST. To me, this is exactly the same as the Texans signing Ahman Green. It helps to shore up a position of need for one year, two at the max. Which means that position is still fair game come draft day. That's why you ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS either take the best player available, or do your best to trade down.