For the first time ever, all four No. 1
seeds advanced to the Final Four. For
CBS’ sake, as the sole television carrier
of March Madness, this lucky draw is
an entertainment jackpot.
Sure, the pure shock value of seeing
a team like Davidson in the national
semifinals would’ve been great barber
shop fodder, but it wouldn’t have translated
onto the court. UNC would’ve had
its way with Davidson as the Wildcats’
dance couldn’t last forever. There’s only
so many times Stephen Curry can put
the team on his back.
Now we’ll get the chance to see the
unquestioned best teams in the country
– that earned the right in the regular
season and postseason – duke it out.
All four schools were regular season and
postseason champions of their respective
conferences.
Ratings should be very high for these
three games in San Antonio. Not only
does each school have a high general
and alumni fan base, but the casual fan
will be eager to watch such high-profile
programs, which have a combined 49
all-time Final Four appearances, battle
for supremacy.
Capital gains
Along with the rest of this hemisphere,
your attention probably hasn’t been on
the homestretch of the NHL regular
season. Whether it be on the foxy lady
in the adjacent cubicle or another sport
such as court hockey (or “basketball”) or
field hockey (aka “field hockey”), your
focus hasn’t been ice hockey.
But that’s OK.
There’s still plenty of room and a little
bit of time to jump on the Washington
Capitals bandwagon. It’s been a long
time since the Caps played a game that
mattered 80 games into their season, and
they’ve been ascending the standings
now for months.
A 4-1 win Tuesday against Carolina
pulled Washington even for first place in
the division with Carolina. Somehow, the
Caps are closer to clinching the division
than they are to snagging the Eastern
Conference’s final wild-card spot. And
because of a suddenly pleasant loophole,
they can have the home-ice advantage
in the first round over a team with
more points than them. What makes
this so significant is that the Caps are
a team that had been all but cast aside
last Thanksgiving. They went week
after week as the team with the fewest
points in the league and went through
an unanticipated coaching change.
Now, they rest on the crest of a
division title with Alexander Ovechkin
as the face of the franchise. Ovechkin
has been the primary catalyst to bring
the team up from nothing to being the
hottest team since the all-star break.
They’re 9-1-0 in their last 10 games and
Ovechkin scored his 63rd goal of the
season Tuesday-13 more than any other
player. He undoubtedly should be named
league MVP regardless of whether
Washington makes the playoffs.
If they do make it, let the rest of the
league be on notice.
Barack’s bowl-o
Some people say presidential hopeful
Sen. Barack Obama lacks the experience
in foreign policy necessary to be commander
in chief. And you know, I can
live with that.
But what I can’t live with is a president
who can’t bowl.
Obama, 46, bowled a frightful 37 at
a photo op last weekend at a bowling
alley in Altoona, Pa. If you can’t pass
your age with your score on the lane, it’s
only natural for one to call into question
your ability to lead the free world. (I
suppose there would be a more elaborate
equation that would take on a parabolic
shape once you’re about 65.)
Obama’s score shouldn’t even have
been as high as it was. He was obviously
in violation of rule 5a of the United States
Bowling Congress, which states, “A foul
occurs when a part of the player’s body
encroaches on or goes beyond the foul
line and touches any part of the lane,
equipment or building during or after
a delivery.”
Just take a look at the pictures of his
hand crossing the foul line before the
point of releasing the ball. The pictures
don’t lie.
“When a foul is recorded the delivery
counts, but the player is not credited
with any pins knocked down by that
delivery.” Factoring that in and without
watching him bowl in person, I’d guess
Obama’s score should be knocked down
to maybe 24.
So, before you ask me who I’ll cast
my vote for in November, I’m going to
have to see if Sens. Hillary Clinton or
John McCain can break 100.