It's finally time for the NCAA tournament! Or, as it's know at my house, a national holiday for Las Vegas! Some of you may know that I usually don't follow college basketball, not because I hate college, but that it's sometimes too fluky when a team wins. But I always watch the tourney, and here are ten reasons why:

10. Because you know the fans really care: You need an example of NBA fans not caring whether their team wins or loses? Ask the L.A. Clippers fans (all three of them!)! College fans are ten times greater than pro fans, and I always marvel at their ferocity.

9. Because you don't have Stephen A. Smith being inquired about it!: This reason should speak for itself. I'd almost take Billy "Crusty" Packer over Screaming A.! ESPN2's FirstTake, please don't book him until April!

8. Upsets are more frequent: If you tried to say that the Wizards would kick the tar out of the Lakers (unless it's their bench!) or the Grizzlies would stomp the Cavaliers, you'd be full of stuff! But it's not only possible for a #13 seed to win a game, it's expected! That's what gives the tourney its flavor, and that's great for ratings, despite what know-it-alls say!

7. Because playoffs are fun: Isn't that right, Jim Mora Sr.? You really test your worthiness in a playoff, as opposed to a game of chance and luck (we'll get to that later).

6. Because Allen Iverson never won an NCAA title: So he's been consistent at all levels lol! I just had to rib AI here; please, Allen, stay home!

5. It's the only time that people care about women's basketball: The women's tourney isn't as big as the men's, obviously, but it's carved its niche into the landscape. ESPN and its family of networks televise it, and people genuinely care about it. By comaprison, the WNBA Finals is a non-event, to say the least, and will probably remain so (now I've alienated the ladies on Fox blogs. I'm sorry, ladies!).

4. Because you don't have to hear about free agency in 2010: What will LeBron do? How about D-Wade? Chris Bosh? Here's a better question; who cares? Here, it's all about who wins, and that's what I love.

3. Basketball all day early on, baby!: What sports fan would NOT like to watch hard-fought basketball all day? Get the chips and pop, and a comfy seat, and just watch b-ball until you go to sleep! My idea of a great day!

2. Because the NBA season has been rather dull this year: There hasn't been any really compelling stories this year, at least not much that's blog-worthy. It's L.A., Boston, LeBron and Cleveland, and other usual suspects. In the NCAA tourney, there's new stories all the time, and probably something that will be blog-worthy.

And now for...

1. Because college basketball's title system is better than college football: The BS, er, BCS is as flawed as it's ridiculous; we'll choose our title game contenders from a computer, plus other metrics, reward "style points" to teams like Oklahoma for beating Cass Technical High School by a score of 112-0, and then play 12,496 bowl games that mean nothing until we play our title game! Meanwhile, college basketball decides it on the court, has 65 teams, not 2, contending for the title, eliminates any computer stuff, has important games from start to finish, and can be done without worrying about players academics (a weak BCS excuse, anyway), or about making the regular season worth nothing (another weak excuse). Isn't it obvious which system is better?

That's my list. What makes you watch the tourney (or do you watch?)? Leave a comment; I'll respond to it sometime today! Until then, may the people who like the BCS be banished to Neptune!

After having such a tender moment in my last post, I decided... to forget about being tender today! That makes this the perfect time for (you guessed it) Random Sports Thoughts!

Lamar Odom of the Lakers will be suspended after leaving the bench during an altercation during last night's loss to Portland. Nice to see he still has his Lamar Odom-esque moments!

Adding insult to injury, ESPN replayed a clip of Odom taking down Brandon Roy last year similarly to how Trevor Ariza took down Rudy Fernandez last night. At least he's showing some consistency!

A-Roid had hip surgery and will be out 6-9 weeks. Yankees fans are mad because... it isn't during October.

The Pistons beat Orlando again last night, running their record against them this year to 3-0. I think we'll see how Shaq's words play out now.

There are rumblings that the NHL is being pressured to outlaw fighting. The NHL's five remaining fans resign in protest.

I love Joker's recent posts about us bloggers playing the Detroit Lions. And I've thrown a TD! Not bad for a former offensive lineman with no ability.

What's my biggest sports nightmare? Being in a room by myself... and having Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith talking for any length of time. AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Saint Mary's got a technical foul by dunking during the layup drill and trailed 1-0 before the game officially started. Just like the Lions did all last year.

What's worse about that is they (St. Mary's) play another regular season game after losing the conference tournament to Gonzaga! What in the heck are the schedule makers thinking?

Heard this on the radio this morning; 94.7 FM mistakenly referred to NBA commish David Stern as Daniel Stern. In a related story, Stern fell down the stairs after stepping on a nail.

Question; if the World Baseball Classic is, well, a classic, then how come nobody cares?

And finally...

Dwayne Wade scored 48 points, had 12 rebounds and made a game-winning three to beat the Bulls last night in double-overtime. In all seriousness, why isn't he getting more MVP consideration? In all sillyness, second should be Allen Iverson... for willingly not playing and letting the Pistons win! (longest random thought ever! Yay!)

That's it for today. See you all next time for some more Random Sports Thoughts!

In my personal blog, I often attempt to discuss sports topics with good humor. I feel humor is the best way to express my opinion without sounding like a complete homer or a nonsensical hack. But sometimes, I can do thought-provoking material. Tonight, I write this post in tribute to a guy who really made a huge impact for a franchise without putting on a uniform. A guy who made a good team great. And a genuinely good man off the court as well. And a great leader of men.

What exactly makes a great leader of man? Is it having the respect of the team around him? Is it laying down the law when necessary? Is it massaging egos and having those egos put "team" ahead of "I"? If those are the criteria, then former Pistons coach Chuck Daly fits the bill. Daly is the standard by which the Pistons coaches who followed him will be measured. He won better than 46 games each year. But the wins cover only part of the story. He turned what was a sad-sack franchise, the only NBA team that began play prior to 1949 (the year the Basketball Association of America became the NBA) not to win a title, into a champion. Most importantly, he turned what was a finesse, offense-only, defenseless team into the "Bad Boys", the most loathed team in the league, but also the most successful (and ahead of its time) team in the late 80s and early 90s.

Many people today tend to discount what the Pistons did during that time; they followed the Magic/Bird rivalry which the league craved, and then were replaced by the Jordan-led Bulls in the 1990s. But what they did deserves mention; they became the blueprint for what today's successful teams do to win; shut down your opponent, and be physical. But they could also finesse when necessary, and the backcourt of Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Vinnie Johnson was unmatched in the league at the time. Daly made that team possible. Who else could deal with personalities like Bill Laimbeer, Zeke, Dennis Rodman and John Salley, among others, and win two NBA titles? Daly was a great coach, and he proved himself over the long haul here as well as in New Jersey and Orlando. Small wonder he's in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

So it saddened me when today, the local news station reported that Daly has pancreatic cancer that has spread to his liver, which means he likely has less than 5 years to live. It is a truly sad day for the NBA, and it sent chills down my spine. I have had pancreatitis (inflammed pancreas) four times, and the combo of that and high triglycerides nearly killed me in 2003. So I know that anything involving the pancreas is serious business. That it is happening to Daly (who is in remarkable shape for a 78 year old man) shows it can happen to anybody. It's just sad that it's happening to such a good guy, a guy who still makes his summer home in Michigan and who works tirelessly at whatever he does.

So, I close this post with a heartfelt plea; may everybody who loves the NBA keep Chuck Daly in your thoughts as he goes into a difficult phase of his life. No matter what your feelings are on the Bad Boys, he needs the help now more than ever. Thank you.

It's time for the weekly drivel that is thought-provoking at its best and mind-numbing at its worst. It's time for another batch of Random Sports Thoughts!

Terrell Owens was released by the Cowboys last night. The only way this could turn into a bigger circus is if he's a contestant on Michael Irvin's upcoming Cowboys reality show!

Where will TO go? I hope he goes to Cincinnati just so he and Chad whateverhisnameis can battle over who is more disruptive.

Allen Iverson is out two weeks with his back injury. I speak for all Pistons fans when I sincerely say... stay home!

Stan Van Gundy questioned Shaquille O'Neal's manhood after he flopped against the Magic. With his Ron Jeremy look, who is Van Gundy to question manliness?

Jay Cutler is mad at his new coach, Josh McDaniels. That's what you get when he's young enough to be your brother!

The Lions signed former Buccaneers CB Phillip Buchanon. That's proof that old habits never go away with these losers.

The Cavaliers and the Celtics clinched playoff berths last night. That's from the dpeartment of "Duh!".

Manny Ramirez 'settled' for the Dodgers' two year, $45 million contract. I'd do anything to settle for half of that.

Stephon Marbury had another bad game last night against the Nets. And it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.

Did every ESPN personality come on last night to give an opinion on TO? I half expected them to ask President Obama what he thought about it!

Speaking of ESPN personailties; both Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon have been challeneged by pro bowlers who didn't like getting slighted about their games. The winner gets to butcher, er, do Monday Night Football!

Funniest sports-related phrase? That's easy; "Pistons head coach Michael Curry". It always makes me laugh.

Is it me, or does watching the Phoenix Suns play defense (or the version they call defense) akin to the Polish army using horses against the German tanks in World War II?

And finally...

Barry Bonds want to play baseball in 2009. That's about as likely as Greg Anderson testifying against him; nil!

That's all my thoughts today. Take care, and see you next time for more Random Sports Thoughts!

First off, I'd like to thank the ryanfield blog for putting the topic of this blog out before me, but I need to make a comment about the situation, nonetheless. Being one of the voices of Pistons basketball among the non-professionals on these blogs, I watched in amazement as the Pistons beat the defending NBA champion Celtics 105-95 on the road. The victory was their second straight impressive victory (following another road win in Orlando) following an eight game losing streak. The offense has improved dramatically, as Richard Hamilton has thrived since returning to the starting lineup, scoring better than 20 PPG each game. The team has even looked like the old Pistons against Boston and Orlando. So, after all of that, what do you do with the elephant in the room? What do you do about the question that is the Answer, Allen Iverson?

I am not going to pat myself on the back, but I said in January that AI should have been coming off the bench when it became clear that Rodney Stuckey (for better or worse) needed to be developed as a starter. As we all have seen, Pistons coach Michael Curry (must...contain...uncontrollable...laughter! I'll try.) tried starting both, and that failed. He then went with AI over Hamilton...and that failed. Will he go with AI as a reserve? Let's look at it from both his and Iverson's perspectives.

If you're Curry, you must show that you have more backbone than you have shown so far as a coach. Curry's willingness to allow Iverson to be the face of your team torpedoed them earlier this year. Plain and simple. Curry has to have learned that the old ingredients worked just fine, and Iverson would be great if he were used in a scoring-only role as a reserve. Then, the Pistons might be a threat (mildly) in the East.

If you're Iverson, you have no rope to jerk the Pistons around. The offense clearly stagnated around him as everybody on the court stood around as AI roved around looking for his shot and saying "To hell with all y'all!". Iverson is the classic player who needs to be #1 to feel happy and be effective. The Pistons aren't that team. So, he won't be back next year, and I don't see where he could go to be himself. He isn't a winner, and yesterday was a two hour indictment of why he has never won an NBA title.

In summation, if the Pistons could Keyshawn or TO Iverson (they can't, unless they want to hear his mouth), they probably would be thrilled. Short of that, I think that AI will sulk to the bench and play his style, and the Pistons will (hopefully) roll right along. The end of this season will be the best thing to happen to the Answer, because the question will be erased, and we'll get that money to use on a team player! Do the right thing, Michael Curry! Keep Hamilton in the lineup... if you want to win.