Needless to say, the past two days have devastated my brackets (damn Fighting Irish). I will admit, most of my upsets came out right, but the upsets I didn’t predict have created headaches. I am now staring at a dismal 21-11 record in the first round: easily considered the worst opening round I’ve ever had (I didn’t even reach .750). But there is some good news: my NIT and CBI brackets are 14-2 and 7-1, respectively.

So a breakdown of the brackets, after the jump…

HITS

All #1 seeds survived, and Duke narrowly defeated Belmont (although, imagine the conflict with my schadenfreude as I watched the game). All the #2’s stayed as well, and I correctly called victories for UNLV, Western Kentucky, A&M, and Marquette. I also called Arkansas catching Indiana as it’s run wore out, but who knew Sonny Weems would have a career night? Good news: I didn’t lose a Final Four team like last year.

In the NIT, among my hits were Cal, UAB, Maryland, and Dayton. In the CBI, I correctly predicted Houston over Nevada, Virginia over Richmond, Dominion over Rider, and an obvious Ohio over Brown.

MISSES

The losses of George Mason, USC, UConn, Georgia, and Oral Roberts upset my brackets into the regionals. My picks for Cal State Fullerton and South Alabama did not come, and never saw Notre Dame beating George Mason.

In the NIT, my only losses were Florida State beating Akron and Southern Illinois beating Oklahoma State. In the CBI, I only failed to predict Valparaiso beating Washington.

Now to the less-spectacular second round, where Arkansas will be cannibalized by UNC. Unless, Stephen Hill strikes fear in their hearts...

The final part of the NCAA Tournament Breakdown, the only time we really care after that first weekend. We now have the four best teams facing off in three days, and it’s so nice and sunny outside we don’t want to go out.

So the four teams will be stuck in playing in San Antonio this year, and that bodes well for one team…

FINAL FOUR

Tourney #1 UNC will have a tough battle with Georgetown, but will be victorious in the end. Texas and Duke will slug it out all night, but the Longhorns will move on to the championship round.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Another tough battle, Texas will ultimately defeat UNC, and all their base are belong to them.

Yes, I’m picking Texas to win it all. I will now drown myself in liquor, hoping to stop the pain…

This is part four of a five part preview of the NCAA tournament, in which I will expose my brackets for all the world to laugh at.

Next, we’ll go to the South Region, where the first round will begin in great Southern cities such as….Anaheim. Season-long favorite Memphis is here, as well as Stanford and Pittsburgh. Also here is Texas, who could be playing in Houston’s regional. Mean anything? Find out after the jump.

FIRST ROUND

Top Dogs: Memphis, Mississippi State, Stanford, and Marquette will make quick work of their opponents. Texas will absolutely kill Austin Peay.

Upset Specials: Oral Roberts will have the only real upset in the opening round.

SECOND ROUND

Top Dogs: Memphis and Texas will both move on past their opponents. Stanford will also move past Marquette.

Upset Specials: Oral Roberts will surprise Mississippi State.

REGIONALS

Memphis will have no trouble with Oral Roberts, and Stanford will be no match for Texas. Texas will also not struggle against Memphis, and will move on to the Final Four.

Again, the bracket…

This is part three of a five part preview of the NCAA tournament, in which I will expose my brackets for all the world to laugh at.

Next, we’ll go to the West Region, where the first round will begin in great Western cities such as….Washington, DC. Here, Duke and UCLA reside, as well as the SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs, who survived a tornado last weekend, so who’s sweating this pink prison jumpsuit B.S.? Western picks, after the jump.

FIRST ROUND

Top Dogs: UCLA, UConn, Purdue will move on in their brackets. Duke will flex their muscle against Belmont, which I thought was a horse race.

Upset Specials: Texas A&M will sneak pass Bring’em Young, and Western Kentucky will upset Drake. Also, Georgia will show they’re not finished with an upset of Xavier. Arizona will try to prove they do deserve to be in the tournament….

SECOND ROUND

Top Dogs: …but will lose to Duke in the next round. UCLA will move past A&M, and UConn will end WKU’s party as well.

Upset Specials: Georgia will again surprise with an upset of Purdue.

REGIONALS

UCLA will not make it past UConn, and Georgia’s hot streak ends against Duke. Duke will then handle the Huskies with no troubles in Phoenix.

Again, to reset:

This is part two of a five part preview of the NCAA tournament, in which I will expose my brackets for all the world to laugh at.

Now, we’ll go to the Midwest Region, where the first round will begin in great Midwestern cities such as….Raleigh and Tampa. Kansas never really made a sound all season, so imagine my surprise to find them as a #1 seed. This really seems like a bracket perfect to end in Detroit, so my picks after the jump.

FIRST ROUND

Top Dogs: Kansas, UNLV, Vandy, and Clemson will move on. Gonzaga will again move on in the tournament, and perhaps the real top seed, Georgetown, will move on to face them in the second. USC will continue on as well, and I’m interested to see OJ Mayo in what he’s planning as his NBA audition.

Upset Specials: Cal St. Fullerton will upset Wisconsin.

SECOND ROUND

Top Dogs: Kansas will pass by UNLV, and USC will defeat Cal St. Fullerton. The Zags will lose to Georgetown, shutting down that recent tourney juggernaut. Vandy will move past Clemson.

Upset Special: None, which is surprising…

REGIONALS

Kansas will stop Vandy’s run, and Georgetown will end the OJ Mayo tour. Kansas and Georgetown will duke it out until Georgetown is found victorious.

So, to review:

This is part one of a five part preview of the NCAA tournament, in which I will expose my brackets for all the world to laugh at.

First, we’ll go to the East Region, where the first round will begin in great Eastern cities such as….Denver. The East Bracket is pretty loaded, considering it contains UNC, Tennessee, and Louisville. Mt. St. Mary’s will begin after beating Coppin State, but they also covered and the total went over (thanks, refs). The picks after the jump.

FIRST ROUND

Top Dogs: UNC, Tennessee, Louisville, and Oklahoma will come out of the gates strong, proving they are worthy of their high seeds.

Upset Specials: Illinois is doing great since the loss of Kelvin Sampson, but it’s got to stop at some point, and I think Arkansas, on a little hot streak, can squeeze by the Hoosiers. Although you can’t judge a team by last year’s success, I think George Mason has a little left in them, and they can upset Notre Dame. Also, South Alabama will shock Butler.

SECOND ROUND

Top Dogs: Whoever would’ve won Arkansas/Illinois would’ve gotten beat by UNC anyway, so that’s an easy pick. Louisville will move past Oklahoma, and Tennessee will make quick work of South Alabama.

Upset Specials: George Mason will continue to move up as Washington State falls.

REGIONALS

George Mason’s streak will end against UNC, and Tennessee will win a tight game against Louisville. In the regional final, UNC will beat Tennessee to go to the Final Four.

So, to recap:

OK, so everyone considers the NIT the real Battle for the 65th best team in America (although wouldn‘t that be the Play-In game?). But allow me to defend the NIT for a second. There are 31 conferences in Division I basketball, and they all get one automatic bid. So that leaves 34 at-large bids. While the UNC’s and UCLA’s do get their bids, lets admit that the further down the line, they’re picking teams that travel well, or are great draws in the regional area. So, to be honest, the NIT might be more of a battle for maybe 35th, or 45th, depending on your point of view. Also, the NIT started one year before the NCAA, and for years was the more prestigious tournament, since they chose at-large teams while the NCAA took automatic conference bids. But as more rounds were added, and more at-large teams were selected, the NCAA passed the NIT sometime in the 60’s, and the unfortunate stigma of 65th best started to develop.

Either way, the NIT kicks off tonight., with 32 teams instead of the 40 teams using first round byes. Among the “jilted” are Arizona State, who defeated Arizona twice this season and was jobbed against UCLA. Other teams that many are citing as left out are Cal, Va Tech, and even Dayton. I, myself, want to know why UALR was left out while Cleveland State and Stephen F. Austin get to play around, but I digress.

So, I will now unveil my entire bracket for the National Invitation Tournament.

FIRST ROUND

Top Dogs: Ohio State, Cal, Va Tech, and Arizona State all have something to prove after being left out of the NCAA tourney. At least OSU will go up against UNC: UNC Asheville, that is. I really would like to pick against Florida, believing that Donovan’s tough love might backfire (although I love it), but San Diego State is no match for SEC talent. I expect to see Ole Miss start a run in their bracket, and no chance Cal gets defeated by New Mexico. And avert your eyes as Arizona State will slaughter Alabama State.

Upset Specials: I can’t believe Oklahoma State is seeded lower than the Salukis, so that will go quickly to OSU. I see UAB with the most upset potential in the NIT, including an easy first round defeat of VCU. Maryland will also pass Tubby Smith and Minnesota at home.

SECOND ROUND

Top Dogs: Mississippi will move on past Nebraska, and Arizona State will easily manhandle OSU. I still think Florida can survive to make it to the next round.

Upset Specials: The big surprise is Cal upsetting Ohio State, and UAB will prove themselves as a bracket buster with a victory over Va Tech. Florida State will surprise with an upset of UMass.  Maryland will upset Syracuse, and Dayton will defeat Illinois State in a close victory.

QUARTERFINALS

Top Dogs: Dayton and UAB’s runs will stop here against Cal and Ole Miss respectively, and Arizona State should defeat Florida strongly.

Upset Special: Maryland will defeat FSU to make it to the other Final Four.

FINAL FOUR AND CHAMPIONSHIP

Cal will have a nice run, but Ole Miss will swoop in and spoil their NIT hopes. Arizona State will show their might against Maryland, and will move on to the championship game.

In the end, Arizona State will defeat Ole Miss to show they deserved a little piece of NCAA pie.

I have included my brackets below for your consideration.

It's the middle of March again, that time of year that idiots like us sit down to a printout from CBSSportsline.com, and start filling out an outline of the NCAA Basketball tourney like we're freakin' Nostradamus. Let's face it: we really have no idea what the heck we're doing, and we're even lucky if we can get one Final Four team right. It's another reason to gamble like degenerates, pitting our prognosticating skills against the slow kid from the mail room and the pretty blonde who picks by mascot just as the stereotype says. And for the first four days, we’re ecstatic, watching the computer and sneaking looks at the TV, hoping to put a check next to that victory we predicted correctly.

By the Sweet 16, the excitement’s wore off, our brackets are as busted as Eliot Spitzer’s presidential hopes, and you‘re not even checking the sheet. You might look to see if your Final Four was anywhere close, but you know it isn’t, and you really couldn’t care less.

But of all the playoffs in sports, this is the only one where we try this. The NBA and NHL spend five years through their brackets, and the NFL and MLB just don’t jive for some reason. Of course, it’s hard to have upsets with 8 or 12 teams, even though who would’ve ever chosen the Giants to sweep their bracket and win their tourney?

So, over the next two days, I will expose my brackets to you. I'll also be playing with the spread and totals, but it's just for added picks. I ain't betting a cent, so I suggest you don't, either. It’ll all be dust in two weeks, but until then, it’s all gits and shiggles…

NOT QUITE FIRST ROUND - PLAY-IN GAME

The winner of Coppin State and Mt. St. Mary’s will move on to be slaughtered like a newborn lamb by UNC, so basically this is “The Fight for #64.” Coppin State is on a run right now, defeating Morgan State 62-60 in the MEAC tournament. However, Coppin State is 16-20, and the first 20-loss team to make the tourney. And Mt. St. Mary’s is not happy with winning the NEC and winding up in the “Fight for #64” bracket. But they're still 7-point favorites, and the total's sitting at 127.5.

In the end, I’m taking Mt. St. Mary’s.  They’ll defeat the 20-loss team, but because of Coppin State’s late run, mixed in with a negative attitude on their part, they won’t cover the 7 points, and I’ll take the under.

#65 Coppin State (+7)
#64 Mt. St. Mary’s (-7), 127.5
Won't cover, taking the under.

I am about ready to punch a hole in the wall as ESPN is now turning John Daly into their own little Britney Spears. Look, let me go ahead and say I agree that Daly should look into his vices a little more seriously. That said, there’s no reason to declare John Daly as the role model of out-of-control behavior, akin to the John Belushi of the PGA Tour. And where it really gets out of line is when they hold Butch Harmon up as Mother Teresa because he cut ties with Daly.

Sure, when you keep trying with someone who won’t help themselves, that’s a good reason to cut and run. But did Harmon ever tell Daly to his face? And why throw him under the bus like this? And did Harmon ever try to get Daly off the booze, or did he just stand there on a pedestal? Those are legitimate questions, but ESPN can’t make a story out of that. So John Daly is now Amy Winehouse.

ESPN has this thing where when anyone gets out of line, it's a national disgrace. Tony Stewart had to live with it earlier this week. Randy Moss, Don Imus, and Terrell Owens have started off more SportsCenters than any game winner. Bobby Knight was crucified nightly, but now, only after he joined the network, is he celebrated. Hell, you would've thought it was James Naismith setting foot in Bristol tonight.

I know you really cannot call a media outlet out for morals, but considering they have their own issues with using drugs and sexual harassment, why is John Daly the worst person in all of sports for his drinking? And it wouldn’t be so infuriating if I hadn’t heard Colin Cowherd from his glass house this morning. I appreciate opinion as much as the next guy, but it's nice when someone at Bristol has their own.

• If we ever needed proof that new Yankee’s manager Joe Girardi is wrapped too tight, it’s the fact that the team brawled with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In Grapefruit League play.
  
  First, Yanks pitcher Heath Phillips nearly grazed Ray Evan Longoria’s navel in the first inning. This after Saturday’s game, where Girardi was furious after his catcher Francisco Cervelli was injured when Tampa Bay’s Evan Johnson collided with him at the plate. Later, Yank Shelley Duncan collided with Ray’s Akinori Iwamura on a single to left, and the benches cleared.
  
  It’s only March, and Girardi’s fighting the Rays. I guess we now know why the Marlins cut him; he was trying too hard….

• A lot of people sing the praises of David Stern, but who can really approve of Saturday night’s “doubleheader?” The Miami Heat challenged the 117-111 OT loss to the Atlanta Hawks, basically because Shaq was credited for a foul he didn’t commit, and was fouled out. So they played the final 51.9 seconds before a regularly scheduled game.
  
  And the whole reason the game was replayed, Shaquille O’Neal, wasn’t with the team because he was traded to Phoenix. And the result was the same, 114-111. Neither team scored.

• I’m happy to say, Chris Mortenson finally shaved that goat.

Okay, I’ve had to listen to people griping about Tony Stewart griping for two days now. Tony was unhappy with Goodyear’s rubber on Sunday (which he has been for a while now), and made sure everyone knew it. He might have overreacted, but everyone has focused in, completely ignoring the fact that history should be celebrated as Toyota has entered Victory Lane for the first time. ESPN, in all their worldwide-leading glory, have made it the only story in NASCAR right now.

Again, I’ll admit his reaction might be a little overzealous, but we do need to remember that Stewart’s tail is on the line out there. If we’re going to declare a national emergency because Jeff Gordon just happened to hit the inside wall in just the wrong place, we need to at least recognize a driver’s complaint if a tire doesn’t meet specs. Remember, if the tire is too hard, it won’t wear like it needs to, and the heat will just build up until the tire pops. And Goodyear has had a couple of races a year in which the tires tend to have problems, and there was even a near-shortage a few years back at Charlotte.

And no, there shouldn’t be a second tire. The companies will then just soften up the tires, sacrificing safety for speed. If Hoosier or Firestone want in, they’ll have to outbid Goodyear.

• Before ESPN was screaming over Tony Stewart, they were screaming over Carl Edwards and his oil tank cover. I’m very interested in the backlash the team has received, especially considering the team is now co-owned by Fenway Sports Group. Anything Boston is open game nowadays, with Massholes doing their best to make us hate them. Everyone hates the Pats and Sox, and we loved seeing the Celtics lose the lottery after they purposely tanked last season for it.
  
  But what makes Roush Fenway’s mixup so embarrassing is the fact that a couple of Nationwide teams were busted for it the weekend before. So why try something that’s already been discovered?
  
  And if Sirius Speedway is correct, Roush really embarrassed himself when he declared he would take a polygraph test. Because, as they always do, when ESPN called his bluff, he folded.
• We really have to celebrate the first victory by Toyota. They’ve really done their homework, and showed what a difference it makes when you align yourself with a quality team. And Joe Gibbs deserves the accolades, after being the third-teir Chevy team for years after being the top Pontiac. As a matter of fact, I personally believe the main reason Pontaic left was because Gibbs switched.
  
  And now they’ve given Toyota their first victory. A lot better result than riding around the back selling auto parts and used furniture….
• Can I see more of Rusty Wallace drawing pictures of race track walls? That’s great television. Oh, and for God’s sake, quit yelling.

Back in 2006, the All-American Football League was announced in New York City. Plans were to have spring ball played in college towns, relying on college fans to drive the sport. Players would be required to have a four-year college degree to play, and would have ties to the area of the team they’re playing for. In January, they held their inaugural draft. They had a ten-game season set up to debut in April with six teams.

Like I said, plans.

Apparently, the AAFL might not make it to kickoff. After postponing last season, the AAFL claims if they can’t find funds, they might have to postpone this season as well.

Which, pretty much, equals shutdown.

Of course, the investors and players don’t want anyone thinking that, but let’s face it:  Who’s buying into a league that’s twice decided to wait to kickoff?

The league’s a disaster. First, the premise of having each team limited to whoever played for an area college. So recruiting from ten years ago is supposed to decide which team gets talent? Why couldn’t the professional team recruit talent for their team just like the college guys? It’d be a lot less creepy than fifty scouts watching one junior high school player with binoculars while the ESPN 150 ranks them and tears them apart like a 15-year NFL vet.

Another bad idea? No mascots. No names whatsoever. I’m supposed to get jacked up for Team Arkansas? How well will Team Florida do against Team Michigan? And don’t get me started on the logos. They‘re basically the state flags. Hopefully, they’re not expecting us to pay $20 for t-shirts with our state flags on them. I can probably get some for six bucks from the Visitor Center at a rest area or the closest Stuckey’s.

The team has no national television package. Oh, there are rumors, but right now, the best television package is a regional deal with Cox Sports, available only in Louisiana. And isn’t available on a dish. The NHL, a well-established league, is struggling on The Guns and Bikes Channel. No one is buying into a league that can’t get on mainstream television.

Probably the best idea the league has, the idea of college grads getting a chance to play pro, is laughable. These guys, although eventually released from the NFL, probably got so many breaks in college they still have to spell out a stop sign to read it. And any player that stayed through his fourth year wasn’t staying to help his draft status. So that gem they’ve heralded so proudly really isn’t so special.

It’s worth mentioning that 25 years ago today, the USFL played their first game, and the last USFL player to play in the NFL retired….

• I’ll try to keep myself out of the Farve love-fest from ESPN and SI, so allow me to mention that an Army officer currently owns the last football Brett Farve ever caressed. Lt. Col. Greg Gadson was given the football by NY Giant Corey Webster, who was given the ball by Brett Farve himself. Gadson lost his legs to a roadside bomb in Iraq, and was an inspirational figure for the Giants during their drive for Super Bowl XLII. Gadson himself played football for West Point in the late 80’s.


• Will someone kindly tell Chris Mortenson to please shave that damn thing off his face?


• I am happy to report that Wikipedia, after marking the page for deletion, has decided the article for “You’re With Me, Leather” was worth keeping for future generations to learn from.

So the talk all week has been the story that ESPN broke about California Speedway (pay me) considering a move to restrictor plate racing. According to ESPN, it’s a done deal, and according to Fox, it’s the insane ramblings of a homeless man.
 
Either way, I like the idea. Although I’m currently cringing at the thought of agreeing with Michael Waltrip, something has to be done. Look, I don’t know what race Hammond and McReynolds were watching, but that was just as boring a race as there’s ever been at that speedway. And California is focusing on their main problem; this is the first problem with weepers since the track opened (by the way, who scheduled the race in the middle of monsoon season in SoCal?). When I think of California, I picture one car by itself bouncing down the backstretch for twenty seconds. That’s it.
 
Penske tried building a new Michigan, but it turned out horribly more timid. He probably lopped off those four degrees because then-IndyCars were so much more faster. But it’s made the track horribly slow. Unlike Michigan, cars are not running from top to bottom in the turns. As a matter of fact, not even the open-wheel races have been that good, despite awesome races in Brooklyn.

And now Bruton Smith is trying to get a date switch with his Atlanta Motor Speedway. I’m all for it.
 
But as far as the track is concerned, either go to Irwindale or turn up the banking.

• I guess I should go ahead and eat crow for doubting the 574th report by Speed Channel that ChampCar and IndyCar were getting back together. The report, however, was still incorrect: they didn’t merge. ChampCar eventually went under.
  
  Sponsorship is already tough in all racing, and sponsors really don’t care about two new road course races in Europe. They want to be on ESPN, they want to be at Indy, and no team in ChampCar was willing to even spend the money on a separate IRL chassis for a one-off race.
  
  What disappoints me is the fact that ChampCar and IRL really haven’t made a solid plan for “consolidation.” The weird way they’re going to give credit for one ChampCar race is ridiculous, and where they‘re going to race this season is still up in the air. Hopefully, next season, we’ll be looking at a serious racing series with twenty races and twenty-five cars, and all this talk of two series ruining open-wheel racing will disappear.


• Oh, and let’s not mourn the death of Forsythe Racing. I’m almost certain it was ritual suicide. Forsythe fought to keep ChampCar on life support for four more years, and he’d rather be dead than show up at Indianapolis after it folds.


• Look, I don’t know what’s going on at BDR, but why they couldn’t make things work with Jacques Villeneuve is just too strange. I originally killed them for letting him go after just one race, but now that their new drivers are pulling in sponsors, it makes you wonder if something’s wrong with Villeneuve. Montoya worked because he’s charming and was still at the top of his game when he left. But Villeneuve was already on the downslope, and by the looks of things, perhaps he still has that famous F1 Ego.


• Oh, and memo to Fox Sports: just because someone writes and sings a song about you, doesn’t mean you get to play it going into and coming out of every commercial break. Monday Night Football does not play Hank Williams every down for a reason.

Okay, so we all know by now about Kelvin Sampson’s troubles with the NCAA. He was hired to Indiana amid violations over calling recruits too frequently at Oklahoma. Now, just a few years later, he gets busted again for calling recruits too frequently. He was fired from Indiana, and no doubt his stock is falling constantly. Indiana went on to barely win their game against Northwestern, who are winless in the Big 10.

And Sampson texted them.

Dude, you’re obsessed.

Seriously, this isn’t a common mistake. This has to be Obsession-Compulsive Disorder. I already said it’s so stupid, it makes you feel stupid. But how do you text students when you’ve been busted twice for phone violations? And now you’ve violated the agreement you had with Indiana concerning your resignation. Over a win for Northwestern.

There are 14-year-olds that show better control over their mobile than you do.

• It looks more and more likely Barry Bonds may be in Tampa Bay next season, but there’s another option available: the Japanese leagues.
  
  My schadenfreude is tingling.
  
  If there’s anything better than the Devil Rays offering Bonds league minimum, it’s him playing ball for the Nippon Ham Fighters.
  
  It’s even more interesting when, as a member of the first generation who watched Power Rangers, and as someone who watched Godzilla movies as a kid, you imagine Barry Bonds walking down the streets of Tokyo….
• Darren McFadden recently made news at the NFL Combine when it was discovered he was starting his own race. One paternity suit, and two on the way. So Mom can buy herself an Escalade, but her son cannot afford an $8 box of love gloves…
• I guess you can tell there’s nothing going on when ESPN leads off every quarter-hour with a discussion of whether or not Tiger Woods is the most dominant athlete ever.