It's a Marathon, not a Sprint...

For the next 25 hours or so, yours truly will be attempting the seemingly impossible task of watching and blogging about the college basketball marathon tipoff.  Games every two hours, sometimes every hour for the next two days...shouldn't be too difficult for a die hard like me right?  Only time and the shot clock will tell...see you all on the other side!

Hour Zero:  A game of note that is not being televised is the Stanford Cardinal vs. the University of San Diego Torero's. At the half, Stanford is up 35-19 with 10 points from both Andrew Zimmerman and Josh Owens, whose return to the game has been anxiously awaited by Cardinal fans everywhere. Fear the Tree.

Stanford cruises to victory over San Diego, 64-48.

Hour 1-2: Miami (FL) vs. number 19 ranked Memphis....both strong, big, fast teams. One of the better match-ups in my opinion...will come down to who can prevent the penetration. Half time score reflects this at 38-37, Memphis with the lead.  Memphis is looking significantly stronger in the paint, but Miami is looking quicker on the break.


On another note, there has already been a big surprise upset in the ACC...Georgia Tech was defeated 63-80 to the Kennesaw State Owls, a small school only 21 miles from GT...they are in the Atlantic Sun conference and this is this first win over a Power 6 school EVER. The Owls shot 47% over GT for the win. Back to the drawing board for Georgia Tech....


Miami's Reggie Johnson was key on both offense and defense for the Hurricanes.
Memphis's shooting is key in this game; being able to throw down outside the 3 point line and then full court press, causing Miami to burn a time out is really impressive.  Memphis head coach, Josh Pastner, only 33 years old and the 7th youngest coach in NCAA history, runs a slightly different system then his predecessor, the great John Calipari; Pastner incorporates more screenplay.  Good, close game; little preview of how tough this March to madness is going to be, but ultimately Memphis comes out with the "W", which stands for WORK, of the hard variety.  Oh and some clutch free throws.  17 pts for the frosh Jackson..very impressive.  On to the next one...


Hour 3-4: St. Johns vs. Saint Marys Gaels (my old alma mater)...most exciting thing about this game is the return of Steve Lavin to collegiate coaching after a 7 year absence.  St. John's playing the zone in the first half trying to force SMC to try to penetrate and at the same time stretching out their offense.  This game is fast and loud thanks to two very athletic teams and a small, hometown gym.  St. John's up 31-28 at half.
2nd half remained close...both young'ins and vets stepping up big for SMC.  Lavin loves that matchup zone. And SMC loves that inside out pass to Clint Steindel.  Is Saint Mary's australian for recruiting? Maybe, maybe not but Gaels win 76-71 over St. John...and they do it with excellent free throw shooting and not much else.


Hour 5-6: Central MIchigan vs. Hawaii.  Fatigue and mild delusion starting to kick in a bit...time to fire down a red bull and get after it, in the words of the great Brian Wilson.  Might sneak in a quick nap during these few down time games...shhhhhhhh!


So as predicted...I sacked out for a tiny bit...missed a few games but am updating myself on what has gone down now.
Central Michigan fell to Hawaii by 3...65-62...another tough, hard fought game.
Stony Brook rolls over Monmouth 51-49.
Kent State squeaks by Robert Morris, 62-59.
And Northeastern ousts Southern Illinois in OT,  63-62.
Pretty close games all around....now back to the grind....

9 Hours Later.... Oral Roberts vs. Tulsa....heavy shooting game...Tulsa breezes by Oral Roberts, 83-68.
LaSalle vs. Baylor is up next...and this is a great game to watch, as the 17th ranked Baylor is a team to keep an eye on...with their lanky length and quickness.  Baylor beats up LaSalle by 10, 74-64.


Now on to one of my personal favorites, the number 3 ranked Kansas State Wildcats...they are facing off against the number 25 ranked Virginia Tech.  This is truly one of the best matchups thus far...K-State looking to be one of the final four left standing.  This game is going to be very very fast.  K- State has a formidable foundation on returning guard Jacob Pullen, who is supported by forwards Curtis Kelly and Jamar Samuels.

Take me out of the friend zone (bullpen)....

…..pick me up for your team! I’ll buy you some dinner and drinks after that, I don’t care if you never call back, cause its root, root, root for the nice guy and if he doesn’t win it’s my gain, because its one, two, three strikes your out in the dating game!

The Giants win the World Series.  Fact.  They defeated the Texas Rangers 4 games to 1.  And while most thought this an unimaginable feat for our team of “Freaks”, true Giants fans kept the faith.  While most people who watch baseball credit the offense and the homeruns (Renteria!) with wins, the overlooked aspect of the game lies not only in the rotation of the hitters, but in the depth and rotation of a team’s bullpen. 

On any given Major League baseball team, there are 11 to 12 pitchers on their roster.  On the Giants, we have 11.  The pitchers are divided into 3 roles: the starting lineup (Lincecum, Cain, Sanchez, Bumgarner, Zito, who ended up being benched for the post season), the middle-relief or relievers (Affeldt, Casilla, Lopez, Mota, Rameriez, Romo), and the closers (Brian “Fear the Beard” Wilson).  As with the hitters, pitchers can be substituted at any time by another pitcher, and if pitcher is replaced, he cannot then return to the game.  Let’s break down the Giants pen with a different but familiar scenario shall we?

Let’s say you are on a group date. A bunch of your girl friends convinced you to come with the promise of good food, cocktails and a multitude of good-looking, well-versed guys and although the concept seems a little “middle school”, you accept.  There you are, happily ensconced in a corner booth with your friends and a drink, when you turn to your right and are immediately engaged in a conversation with you friend’s friend Tim.  Tim is a fast talker, with steady delivery and doesn’t seem the least bit nervous.  He asks all the right questions with a precision to detail like no guy you have ever met.  He refills your glass often and he refills it quickly.  After several interesting conversation topics, you notice that you are now carrying the conversation, doing that thing where you talk about yourself too much, while Tim is slumped over in the booth, a glazed look in his eyes.  He’s spent.  You excuse yourself to the restroom.

When you return, Javier is waiting with an inviting smile and a wicked twinkle in his eye. Your sense of hope is renewed and you quickly sidle up to him and loop your arm through his.  Javier manages to hold your attention for a while with his curveball questions and cutting remarks about society and the like.  But you soon find yourself tired of conversation and scan the group for a more physical, direct option. 

Enter Brian.  His hand on the small of your back and his eyes locked on yours, fire dancing beneath the surface of his smirk, offer you just the right amount of danger and drama you are looking for.  Although you know that several of the girls in your circle have been charmed by Brian in much the same way and you are acutely aware of their jealous stares as he leads you outside and hails a cab, this direct approach is exactly what need after all the teasing conversation.

That, ladies, is why the Giants pitching and bullpen rosters are so valuable.

Ins and Time Outs, Ups and 4th Downs.

(Based on ESPN and BCS rankings from the past several weeks and one humble sports writer’s opinion.)

Ok girls, here is what you need to understand: Watching college football is the same as watching your favorite romantic comedy.  All the elements are there; the plays that make you laugh, that make you cry, that make you say “awwww” and that fill your heart with the longing to start a love story of your own.  All you need to do is follow the equation, namely break down each guy’s role in the movie using yourself as the girl character and then superimpose the guy with the correctly corresponding football team. It’s easy.

First, pick your favorite romantic comedy.  For me, it is He’s Just Not That Into You. 

Let’s start at the beginning; opening scene with the drop-dead gorgeous, obviously over-confident but still trying to be sweet (Ahem…Bradley Cooper).  This is Alabama. They are the clear winner, the obvious front-runner for your affection and in college football’s case you are the BCS bowl, which is the national championship game between the number one and number two ranked teams. Now this Alabama team has a lot going for them, strength, speed, the ability to pick up the check on the first date, but just because they do everything right from the get go, doesn’t mean they have the longevity to keep you happy. Also, they come with a smarmy, sleazy dad (Nick Saben) who will most likely hit on you when his son’s head is turned the other way. Ew. So even though they have a Heisman winner (think academy award for sports performance) in Mark Ingram, they are most likely not going to be the guy for you.

Every Mr. Perfect in the movies has an equally perfect best friend with less screen time that he not so secretly competes with.  This best friend is Ohio State. And Alabama and Ohio State both open car doors for you and offer you their jacket when you are cold, but will lose interest in you once there is something else to compete over, because it is never really about you; its about them.

Now, in every Rom-Com, there is the “good guy; the underdog,” the one you are rooting for, but who never seems like they will end up with the right girl. In college football this guy is Nebraska.  His southern charm combined with his strong, rippling biceps makes him a likely candidate for your affection.  Probably not right away, but after a few games you begin to take notice. Not to mention their freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez is putting up good numbers and calling all the right plays, he is even being talked about for that Heisman award I mentioned.  Don’t count out plucky Nebraska just yet.

Then we have the douchebag.  Every rom-com has one.  The guy who goes out with you for one reason only and once he gets it, never calls you again.  Or even if you don’t give him what he wants, he tells everyone you did anyway.  This guy is Oregon.  Slanderous, petty, dirty but devastatingly good at what he does.  His dad (Chip Kelly) makes Alabama’s dad look like a saint.  He will yell at his son in public, bash anyone that gets in his way and even make lewd gestures at you.  Steer clear and watch out because the only thing slicker than the quarter backs hand offs are their onside kicks.

We can’t forget about the “Bad boy.”  Rugged exterior, cuddlier on the inside.  He will pretend he doesn’t care in public, but is all whispered words and furtive, longing glances in private.  This is Boise State.  They never go anywhere without their signature “bad-boy” black, or in this case, royal blue.  They have been in several notable skirmishes, one even in the national spotlight (a fistfight of sorts with the aforementioned Oregon).  They even have the longest “winning” streak, 19 games to date, and trust me ladies, you do not want to be lucky number 20.

Lastly, we have The Nerd.  Stanford.  The team you and others often overlook due to their quite nature, their lack of trash talking and opponent bashing.  The guy you didn’t even believe could be a contender for your heart, until he up and knocked out several of the bully’s friends and classmates (other teams from the pac-10 like USC and UCLA) for you, defending your honor.  Lead by the aptly named quarterback Andrew Luck, Stanford boasts a strong O-line with wide receiver Ryan Whalen and his sure hands.  Also, Stanford has the only player in the BCS to play both offense and defense, Owen Marecic.  Stanford is the old-fashioned guy, steeped in tradition, and though his personal hero may be a goofy looking redwood tree, there is nothing more honorable than bleeding Cardinal.