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      TSR’s running diary of March Madness: Let’s play in the Sandbox

      March 28, 2009 /

      These March Madness diaries have turned into something of a tour of the sports bars of Orange County. Last Thursday it was Rudy’s in Newport Beach (still my favorite), yesterday it was the Costa Mesa Hooters, and tonight it’s Sandbox, a relatively new sports bar/lounge on Beach Blvd in Huntington Beach. The setup is nice – but no wifi, so this diary is going up in one fell swoop – with a number of HD flatscreens positioned around the restaurant. At night, it turns into more of a lounge/dance club for the well-dressed. Our server’s name is Jessie and she’s looking sharp in her little black dress. We’ll see if I can get a picture of her for you.

      I’m watching the games with LaRusso and his co-worker/buddy Kevin, who is from Foxboro, so he’s a big Patriots, Celtics and Red Sox fan. We got into a minor spat last year over whether or not the Celtics would have beat the Lakers had Andrew Bynum been healthy – he thought a Boston win would have been a sure thing while I thought it would have thrown the series on its ear, but we’re way past that now.

      5:14 PM: Louisville is spanking Arizona (not a huge surprise) and Oklahoma is up eight or ten on Syracuse (a bit of a surprise). I think the Orangemen have a shot at pulling this one out, though it’s not looking particularly good right now.

      5:20 PM: What is the deal with these Howie Long commercials where he mocks anyone who has a truck that’s not a Chevy? This probably brings back memories of high school for Howie. Is there any chance that he wasn’t stuffing freshman in lockers on a regular basis? He reminds me of a meaner “Big John” from “Can’t Buy Me Love.” He was the one who stuck his butt out the window of a house party and farted in the face of a young Seth Green. For those that haven’t seen the flick, it’s one of my favorites from the ’80s — McDreamy plays a McLoser who pays a girl to date him so he can be popular. Hilarity (and surprisingly touching social commentary) ensues. Anyway, I’m waiting for one of these guys in these commercials to tell Howie to go f*ck himself. Do we really need a washed up NFLer mocking a fellow truck owner because it has a convenient “man step” or gets two fewer miles to the gallon? Give me a break.

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      College Basketball, March Madness

      Friday MMA Review 3/27

      March 27, 2009 /

      Bobby LashleyHere’s a weekly rundown of MMA content from Ben Goldstein of CagePotato.com:

      – Former WWE star Bobby Lashley picked up his second MMA victory at last weekend’s “March Badness” event, winning a decision against palooka Jason Guida, but proved that he’s not quite ready for prime time.

      – What’s more embarrassing: The revelation that Lyoto Machida drinks his own urine, Bob Sapp’s starring role in Frankenhood, or Keith Jardine being named the 82nd-ugliest man in the world by a major news outlet?

      – Legendary referee “Big” John McCarthy shared some stories about the gory, Wild West days of the UFC.

      – Despite all evidence to the contrary, Chuck Liddell thinks he can become the UFC light-heavyweight champion again.

      – Two exciting up-and-comers with cool nicknames who have been screwed over by referees in the past will be fighting each other in June.

      – Junie Browning explained that his insane behavior on The Ultimate Fighter was all part of a master plan. Amazingly, it worked.

      – Swing by CagePotato.com next Wednesday evening for our live coverage of UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann, and remember to watch the premiere of The Ultimate Fighter: Team U.S. vs. Team U.K., directly after at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

      Mixed Martial Arts

      2009 MLB Preview: #4 Chicago Cubs

      March 27, 2009 /

      Click Here to see Previews of all 30 MLB Teams

      Offseason Movement: The Cubs were seemingly hosed by the Indians in a trade that sent ultra-utility player Mark DeRosa to Cleveland in exchange for minor league pitching prospects Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer and John Gaub, none of which were viewed as top 10 prospects in the Tribe’s organization. But maybe one of those youngsters will emerge as a quality arm down the road and DeRosa’s contract does expire at the end of the season so at least the Cubs got something for him. Chicago also added volatile outfielder Milton Bradley, reliever Kevin Gregg and pitcher Aaron Heilman, who will move to the bullpen after losing out to Sean Marshall this spring for the Cubs’ fifth spot in the rotation.

      Top Prospect: Josh Vitters, 3B
      This club is loaded with quality prospects, including reliever Jeff Samardzija, shortstop Ryan Flaherty and outfielder Tyler Colvin. But Vitters appears to be the best of group, with his excellent plate approach, outstanding hand-eye coordination and natural swing. Thus far in Single-A, Vitters is hitting .357 and slugging .529 in 70 at bats. At only 19, he still has a ways to go before he’ll make his big league debut, but Vitters appears to have quite a future ahead of him.

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      MLB

      Kentucky fires Billy Gillispie

      March 27, 2009 /

      I wrote earlier today about Billy Gillispie being in limbo, and now he’s not. He’s just been fired.

      Billy Gillispie is out as coach of Kentucky in his second season at the helm, and the school has called a 4:30 p.m. news conference to announce the change.

      School officials had been quiet about Gillispie’s job status after the Wildcats tumbled through the second half of the season to finish 22-14, tied for the second-most losses in the program’s 106-year history.

      When something like this happens, I wonder if his fate was sealed after the team missed the NCAA tournament or if a NIT championship would have been enough to buy him another season.

      Let the rumor mill begin…Billy Donovan? Rick Pitino?

      You have to think that UK wouldn’t make this move unless they had a plan in place.

      College Basketball, March Madness, Rumors & Gossip

      Elite Eight Preview & Picks: UConn/Mizzou, Pitt/Nova

      March 27, 2009 /

      #3-seed Missouri vs. #1-seed UConn
      Tip-Off: 4:40 PM ET
      Sagarin Ratings: UConn (94.21), Mizzou (91.04)
      Line: UConn -5.5
      Missouri’s strength is their forward duo of Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll, but guard J.T. Tiller scored a season-high 23 points against Memphis. Mizzou got Memphis to play at its pace, but I don’t think that the Tigers are going to find the Huskies as willing to run with them. UConn plays its best defense when Hasheem Thabeet is planted firmly in the lane. They don’t foul (Memphis sent Mizzou to the line 45 times on Thursday) and they are pretty efficient offensively, which one of the flaws of John Calipari’s team. If UConn gets into an up-and-down affair, Thabeet is far more likely to find himself in sitting on the bench in foul trouble. I’d expect UConn to push when they have the advantage but otherwise slow the tempo down. Mizzou’s run has been great, but UConn is playing as well as anyone in the tournament and given the Huskies’ balance of talent, that’s a pretty scary proposition. But 5.5 points is a lot to give the Tigers, who are playing the best basketball of their season right now. I think I’d stay away from this one wager-wise, but UConn is my pick to win it.

      #3-seed Villanova vs. #1-seed Pittsburgh
      Tip-Off: 7:05 PM ET
      Sagarin Ratings: Pittsburgh (91.97), Villanova (89.59)
      Line: Pittsburgh -2
      I picked Pitt to win the whole thing and every game they love to scare the ever-loving crap out of me. Needless to say, I’m not as optimistic about the Panthers making it to the Final Four much less win the whole thing. The one thing that they’re doing better than anyone else this in this tournament is keeping their poise in the clutch. They have three of the best players in the college game in Sam Young, DeJuan Blair and Levance Fields, but they aren’t getting much offensive help from any of their other players. In each of the three tournament games, they’ve kept it in about second or third gear for much of the game before flipping a switch in the waning minutes. This is a dangerous game to be playing, especially against a Villanova squad that looks so good right now. The Wildcats have blown out two pretty good teams (UCLA and Duke) and they beat Pitt by 10 at home in the two teams’ only meeting this season. In that game, Blair was saddled with foul trouble, so Pitt should fare better if he’s able to play his usual minutes. So with the Panthers favored by two, we have a team that isn’t playing very well (but is winning) favored by a bucket over a team that is as hot as a pistol and already won the previous meeting. If I were a betting man and you put a gun to my head, I think I’d take the Wildcats and the points, though if the game is tied or within one with two minutes to play, Pitt probably covers (if that makes any sense). The thing that really worries me about laying any money on Nova is the fact that Panthers have already lost to the Wildcats and they know they have to take them seriously. I’d stay away from this one too. My brain is saying Nova and my gut is saying Pitt, but my pick is Pitt. I think they play better and win a tight one.

      College Basketball, March Madness

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