Moving Right Along

Michigan State. Thank God. This tournament had nothing. Nothing interrupted every 5 minutes by 2 minutes of commercials. And half the action consisted of foul shots. I kept thinking, “Give me a friggin’ break”! And the network complied. Again and again.

Almost anything could compete with that for my time and attention. Miss Marple, golf, watching grass grow…

But it was nice to see a real live upset. Not that I watched the entire thing, but it was fantastic to see those fellas in green hit shot after shot to absolutely bury the Cardinals. It was sad really, not unlike watching my team, Memphis, get totally overwhelmed by Missouri the other night. Both teams had absolutely not one chance in hell of coming back. The gods of the bounce had abandoned them. And the whistles fell in line nicely.

These running teams are all the same. Well, not really, but it seems that way. All this pressing and scurrying around like madmen, which usually results in a zillion turnovers, thus contributing nicely to their cause. But against a team with guards who can handle all their on-court hijinks, the game reverts to basketball again and they almost invariably lose.

Memphis, Missouri, Minnesota, Louisville, it would seem maybe they should slow down. They might have better luck. It reminds me of our own New Jersey Nets team of yesteryear, a team that pushed the ball all the time very successfully all season long but succumbed in the playoffs to the teams that could play the half-court game.

Of course, the men with the whistles (I didn’t see any female refs) drive me crazy too. (By now you may have guessed that it doesn’t take much to upset my equilibrium). There are always several to many totally inexplicable calls, usually involving the charge vs. the foul but often involving drives to the basket. Sometimes the driver gets totally clobbered with no call and then a touch yields the 3-point play.

I won’t dwell on it but the game itself is flawed. There is too much officiating, but it is by necessity. If not for officials, the Memphises of the world would win every game. So now it’s down to the teams that really play basketball, Connecticut, Villanova, North Carolina and Michigan State. And, if the gentlemen in my bracket know anything at all, North Carolina will win two more games.

It’s somewhat of a mystery to me, too, as to how the Connecticuts and North Carolinas of the world keep accumulating talent year after year. I watched a TV interview with Jim Calhoun, who was asked about his team’s chances (and success) without his star guard, Ty Lawson. He pointed out that they play a little differently but they’re still a very good team, and their replacement guard had more than a little to do with that. Where do they get the bodies?

Now would probably be a good time to point out that U Conn has been accused of some recruiting violation. But that’s not why they recruit as well as they do. It has more to do with the fact that they are who they are. And that is Connecticut. And N. Carolina is who they are. And it’s not much of a step down to Villanova and Pittsburgh, and maybe then the Michigan States of the world.

And what about Duke, one may ask? Well, that’s a real poser, WHAT ABOUT DUKE? Surely Duke should be able to be who they are and get the same athletes these other teams get or even better? Apparently not though. Maybe it’s the academic standards? That’s actually somewhat heartening.

The thought that a university would be that first and foremost and only secondarily be a bastion of hoop-dom makes me think there is justice and integrity in the world, if not necessarily on the basketball courts of America.

If it weren’t for gambling, I have to think the popularity of this tournament would fade a bit. And there would be fewer commercials. But it’s nice to have a diversion in March besides spring skiing, exhibition baseball and even those delightful crocuses.

So it’ll be one more week of hype before the Final Four. I won’t read much of it, of course, but it’ll be nice to read some about Izzo and his Spartans, and hope that they can get by their next game. They surely played some very good basketball Sunday.

Of course some baseball news did manage to find its way to the local sports pages, and most of the news was good for New Yorkers.

The Mets may have all their ducks in a row, but you wouldn’t know it by talking to a lot of their fans. It’ll take some time to get used to the idea of keeping Luis Castillo, not acquiring that big bat, and giving Daniel Murphy a shot. And it’s nice to watch new blood get a shot, this year in the persons of a pitcher named Gee and maybe a utility guy named Malo. I can see the headlines now, “OH GEE”!

And there isn’t much credibility given to Livan Hernandez as the fifth starter. But he’s had success in at least three places before, and he’s looked very good this spring. The relievers have looked pretty good too, and not just K-Rod and Putz…. just about everybody.

The Yankees are way more likeable with Arod off in Vail. It’s been nice to hear from the likes of Jeter and Matsui and Damon rather than some contrivance about Arod. Sometimes stories take a life of their own, and he really has taken a lot of heat when you think about it, not so much for his use of steroids but more for the manner in which he admitted it. And, when you think about it, that’s totally ridiculous.

And, if you can believe reports, there may even be some fannies in those over-priced seats at both new stadiums. So let’s play ball !