A man tries to take a stand against March Madness, but finds there are forces at work greater than himself. Let this video be a warning for anyone who doesn’t want to participate in their office’s March Madness pool this year.
Page 1813 of 2956
Last week, the San Diego Chargers ended the LaDainian Tomlinson controversy by signing him to a new restructured three-year deal…or did they postpone an inevitable confrontation with their marquee star until next year.
Under the new terms of his contract, LT will receive $6.75 million as his base salary for next season, with a large roster-bonus payment being owed in March of 2010. At that time, the Chargers will have to decide if they want to pay him for another year of service.
Team President Dean Spanos played a large role in completing this contract agreement, as he couldn’t bear to see LT playing in another uniform this upcoming season. GM AJ Smith advised management that the team needed immediate salary cap relief in order to sign several key players (QB Philip Rivers, TE Antonio Gates, CB Antonio Cromartie) to future contracts, and felt they should zero in on Tomlinson’s contract.
Smith hoped to use his abrasive managerial style to negotiate a restructured deal with Tomlinson. In a newspaper article (click here to read), he mocked LT’s wishes to remain in San Diego. Spanos had to step in and remove Smith from the negotiating team in order to complete this deal. Tomlinson publicly thanked him for his role in smoothing out their relationship during the process and also for their personal friendship.
Tomlinson turns 30 this summer and is eager to prove his explosive running style has not left him just yet. Defensive coordinators from opposing teams would agree, as they still respect LT’s running ability enough to employ an eight-man front on first and second down last season. This allowed Rivers to blossom into an upper-echelon passer, as he exploited single coverage for over 4000 yards and 34 touchdowns last season. And Rivers did this without a legit # 1 receiver on the roster.
The reports of LT’s demise are a bit premature, as he has only missed one regular season game in his career. Unfortunately, Tomlinson’s last two post-seasons have been cut short due to injuries. The uncertainty of his health raised the question if he would continue his career as a Charger. But the alternative is unthinkable for Charger fans…in their minds, he belongs in San Diego forever.
It’s only March, but pitcher Julian Tavrez already has baseball’s quote of the year all locked up.
Julian Tavarez, the combustible 35-year old pitcher showing his less-than-perfect-punching-form above, recently signed a non-guaranteed minor league contract with the Washington Nationals following a good performance for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. This deal comes months after the Nationals had originally offered Tavarez a contract. So why say yes now, after saying no thanks in November? Beer goggles, obviously.
“Why did I sign with the Nationals?” Tavarez said told a group of reporters. “When you go to a club at 4 in the morning, and you’re just waiting, waiting, a 600-pounder looks like J. Lo. And to me this is Jennifer Lopez right here. It’s 4 in the morning. Too much to drink. So, Nationals: Jennifer Lopez to me.”
His J-Lo metaphor continued when asked if he’d like be to a starter or come out of the bullpen (he’s played both roles during his 16-year career).
“I would like to be a starter, but it’s like my father said: ‘You want Jennifer Lopez, but does she want you? No.’ You just take whatever she is giving to you. So I just take whatever they give to me.”
If you’re the Nationals, what do you say to that? “Gee, thanks Julian – we’re glad that we could be the fat girl that you take home after having too much to drink and can’t land anyone better. We’re real honored.”
If this was Randy Johnson that said this, the Nationals could probably laugh it off knowing that they’d still get 10-12 wins out of the Big Unit. But this is Julian Tavarez! Julian…Tavarez…!
1. Louisville is a class above the rest, but they have a serious flaw.
No major conference team comes into the tournament hotter than Louisville. They have won 10 straight games, including wins over Providence (twice), Marquette, West Virginia and Villanova. They even beat a red-hot Syracuse team to win the Big East Championship. They have the country’s second-best adjusted defensive efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions, adjusted for strength of schedule), and aren’t too shabby offensively, either. But the conventional wisdom is that you need strong guard play to win a title, and the Cardinals don’t have a guard that averages more than 7.8 points per game. However, Louisville’s little guys can really defend, and that might be enough.
2. There are some live dogs.
I doubt there were any coaches out there hoping to get a first round matchup with Arizona this week. With future NBA’ers Chase Budinger, Nic Wise and Jordan Hill in the lineup, the Wildcats can play with anyone. But will they show up? #10-seed USC is hot as a pistol right now and the Trojans actually might be the favorite in their matchup with #7-seed Boston College. Freshman phenom DeMar DeRozan has averaged 19.8 points over the last five games, all USC wins. #13-seed Cleveland State is 29th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. What does this mean? The Vikings can really defend. That’s bad news for the Demon Deacons, who shot just 30% in their ACC tourney matchup with Maryland last week.
3. That Kansas/WVU pick is a tough one.
Not only is this a great matchup between two very good teams, but with the winner’s date with the vulnerable Michigan State Spartans in the next round, this one might have huge bracket implications as well. Should we pick the Mountaineers, who recently beat Pittsburgh and Villanova, and lost by five to a hot Syracuse team in the Big East semis? Or do we pick the Jayhawks, who beat Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas before laying an egg against Baylor in the Big 12 tournament? Maybe the best plan to enter two pools so we can pick both.
4. The longshots can shoot the long ball.
The three-point shot is the great equalizer, and the favorites in the Midwest better not fall asleep on the perimeter, or they might be in for a long day. #14-seed North Dakota State has a four-pack of players that make an average of 6.2 three-pointers a game, highlighted by leading scorer Ben Woodside’s 22.8 points per game and 43% accuracy from long range. #15-seed Robert Morris has Jeremy Chappell (2.5 3pg, 41% 3PT) and Jimmy Langhurst (1.9 3pg, 43% 3PT), who can both really light it up. So, Kansas and Michigan State — don’t say you weren’t warned…
Click Here to see Previews of all 30 MLB Teams
Offseason Movement: In typical Pittsburgh fashion, the Bucs didn’t make much of a splash in free agency this year. They did sign infielder Ramon Vazquez, who is coming off a career year with the Rangers, but he’s more of a utility man than a regular. The Pirates also signed outfielder Eric Hinske, who could wind up starting in left field as long as his bruised left ribcage heals in time for Opening Day, but will more likely be the club’s fourth outfielder.
Top Prospect: Pedro Alvarez, 3B
The Pirates finally drafted the best player available in 2008 and bucked the trend of staying away from prospects that command big signing bonuses. Contract negotiations between the club and Alvarez didn’t go smoothly, but all of that can be put in the rearview mirror if breezes through the minors. He was a 2007 Baseball America First Team All-American and was also a Golden Spikes Award Finalist in ’07, as well. He has outstanding hitting ability and rarely chases pitches out of the strike zone. If he stays healthy, Alvarez could be a young superstar in the making.
FOLLOW US!
CATEGORIES
© 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑