March Madness?!...Not So Fast My Friend.

 Living the life of an uber sports fan can be hard to juggle at certain times of the year. Right now I'm doing all I can to balance this juggling act.

Sports is no different than any other aspect of everyday life in that events unfold at an always increasing pace. As in any other aspect of everyday life, there are four very distinct and very different seasons a la Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.

The new year begins with a bang as the NFL gets things going in January with the arrival of its playoff journey to crown the ultimate champion.

February continues on the natural leisurely path with the world's most watched television of the year at the beginning of the month.  You may have heard of it.  Advertisers call it the big game because that's what the league tells them to call it.  They have to do this because whatever the shield wants the shield gets.  If advertisers stray from this doctrine, you better believe they are going to be hearing from the almighty Commissioner Goodell and his cronies.  We fans call it what it is...THE SUPER BOWL!

Once March rolls around, the sports dialogue gets ratcheted up EVEN MORE to an insanely high volume.  As Nigel Tufnel in Spinal Tap put it so eloquently in perhaps the film's most memorable scene, the sports speakers are pushed to eleven as we reach the end of yearly cycle's first quarter pole.

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia and

Ucla90024 under CC BY-SA 3.0 License

This is when brackets are busted, spring training signals the dawn of the 7 month marathon that is the Major League Baseball season and the march, (no pun intended), to the NBA and the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs hits full bore! When you put it those various ingredients all together simultaneously, it is enough to drive the senses crazy.  

This is where I am right now.  I just need to remember to and remind myself from time to time to adjust adjust my internal head noise when needed. Right now the speakers are at eleven.  Level five would certainly be nice.  Not too loud and not too soft...JUUUUUUUUUST Right!

Photo Courtesy of: Wikimedia and

Frederick Dennstedt from Los Angeles, USA under CC BY-SA 2.0 License

At least I can find solace in knowing that a new baseball season is so close I can almost taste it. BRING ON THE 7 MONTH LOVE AFFAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tim Musick
Copyright 2015
All Rights Reserved.

Tim's Two Cents-March 29

The Final Four is Set.  Many brackets have been busted leading up to the Final Four this Saturday in Indianapolis.  My pick of Syracuse to win the whole thing is no more.  The overall favorite Kansas was upset by Northern Iowa.  Kentucky is also gone after losing to West Virginia.

The resulting Final Four is Duke, West Virginia, Butler and Michigan State.  Looking at these teams, I'll take Coach K and Duke to win it all. 

Tim's Two Cents-March 18

Jim Boeheim

March Madness is Here!  Let's skip the pomp and circumstance and go straight to my Final Four picks:

Midwest Region-#1 Kansas Jayhawks

West Region-#1 Syracuse Orange

East Region-#1 Kentucky Wildcats

South Region-#2 Vilanova Wildcats

National Semifinals:

#1 Kansas Jayhawks Vs. #1 Kentucky Wildcats.  My pick: Bill Self and Kansas.

#1 Syracuse Orange Vs. #2 Vilanova Wildcats.  My pick: Jim Boeheim and Syracuse.

National Championship:

#1 Kansas Jayhawks Vs. #1 Syracuse Orange.  My pick: It's an upset special as Jim Boeheim and the Orange are my 2010 National Champions.

So there you have it.  We shall see how it all turns out in a few weeks' time.  It was also exciting to see a couple of upsets already as Old Dominion beat Notre Dame in an 11 versus 6 matchup and Murray State topping Vanderbilt in a 13 versus 4 tilt.  Let's keep the madness going!

Photo courtesy:
Wikimedia Commons and Darry2385 under CC-SA 3.0 License 

Tim's Two Cents December 17-Bonus Edition

With Christmas nearly upon us, tis the season of giving and give I shall.  In this special bonus edition of Tim's Two Cents, I discuss a couple stories from college sports in Division I as well as more on Tiger Woods.

1. The Big Ten Conference Adding Another Football Team?  Word is that the Big Ten, which currently has 11 teams, is exploring the possibility of adding another team.  First, explain to me how a conference with 11 teams is still called the Big Ten?  Second, the discussion of further expansion shows that the conference is only interested in one thing: making money.  Rumor is Rutgers is the early favorite to join.  This is not the only issue college football has.  Need I remind you about the joke that is the BCS system.  Overall, this is not a good idea for a conference that already has enough exposure right now.

2. NCAA March Madness Expanding?  The NCAA could also be looking into expanding March Madness from 65 teams to 96.  The proposed plan would give the top 32 teams a bye and add an additional weekend to the event.  March Madness is a great event which involves many teams from across the country.  It is the true definition of a playoff system in college sports.  So NCAA, please don't fix what isn't broken.  There are already enough schools involved to begin with.  In addition, most of those new schools who would get in would probably lose in the first round anyway.  Leave the tournament as it is.

3. Tiger Woods Update.  The Tiger Woods story continues to unravel.  In the midst of being named AP Athlete of the Decade, we continue to learn more about Tiger Woods personal life.  Woods has now reportedly been connected with Canadian doctor Anthony Galea, who specializes in sports medicine.  Galea, who treated many high profile patients, including Woods, was formally charged yesterday over unapproved drug sales, including human growth hormone and conspiring to export and smuggle them out of the country.  Sources also are now saying that Tiger's wife, Elin Nordegren is going to file for a divorce.  As the saga unfolds, the one thing I keep thinking about is how far Tiger has fallen in the past few weeks.