Here's what's been popping into my little brain the past few days.

1a) CBB-NBA  - Kansas had the rep as the white bread college basketball program.  A while back a daily sports show lead-in mentioned a NBA rookie and ganja.  Immediately, I thought I'd won the 'Beasley busted for pot' lottery!  Nope, it was a couple NBA rooks from Kansas.  Gasp!  The reason the Wizard of Oz didn't want us to pull back the curtain was because a big pile of fatties was back there.  Party on Wayne!   Hey, these guys weren't even caught WITH maryjane!  They were merely suspected.  Of course, running into the can and flushing several times is normal for a couple dudes to do together, isn't it?  The team that shares together, stays together.

1b) NCAA FB -  Beanie will play, won't play, will play, won't play...excuse me while I throw up.  Is this 3rd grade?   What's up with too darn many of the 'everyones'** calling Ohio State ,OSU, all over the place.  While growing up, OSU meant Oklahoma State.  To others it means Oregon State.  At the same time, we know the 'U' means home of gun toting felons.

2) NBA - Kobe posts in the Blog NBA section.  Good god, does anyone else play in the NBA?  The legion of Kobe's sycophant, wannabe friends is scary.  For the record, Mamba did NOT jump over the sports car in the YOUTUBE video; Kobe did attempt to jump a Colorado concierge.

3) MLB - Cy Young Award.  Cliff Lee!  We talkin' Cliff Lee?  His first name is really Cy, but goes by he Cliff.  Playing for a losing team and still cranking out +20 wins against two losses is amazing!  Guess who has the lowest ERA, too.    Sorry K-Rod, you're a reliever on a team that plays too many close games.  That's how you've been in so many save situations.  

4) Kansas @ South Florida -    This morning a South Florida graduate/friend called to ask about hurricane Ike in Texas and Friday night's game.  Man, how the CFB landscape is changing.  Warm weather, high population states are starting to take over CFB.  (When asked about his South Florida jersey, the response was, "I don't have any South Florida clothes."  It figures.)

5) CFB-NFL  - Austin, Texas...don't drink the water.  What's up with the stud Texas players once in the pros?  The over-reporting on Vince Young may show a troubled young man.  The recent sports lead-ins mention suicide and a handgun.  Yikes.  This story is just getting fired up.   Ricky Williams and his ganja soap opera has slowed; his recent play had Miami give him a contract extension.  Ced Benson.  Remember him?  This Chicago Bear was busted for BUI-Boating Under the Influence.  T-sip loyalists came out and made rude, lewd, crude and abusive comments at anyone who questioned Ced's actions.  "It was a set-up."  Add the following DUI and poof, Cedric is gone from the NFL and so are the blind bloggers who loved the dude.

6) Tom Brady's Knee. - How has this not been an ESPN sports ticker category.  He's out for the season, so it's like he's dead.  Shaddup already!

7) CFB Predict The Score Blogs - No, the blogs are great subjects.  The homer responses are too predictable.  Go to an Ohio State blogger's blog and you'll see it loaded with Ohio State fans who all predict a win.  What, you guys think mini-Ditka is suiting up for the nuts?

That's it.  I'm out of time.   Lisa H and the USC song girls will now lead us in My Sharona.

 **Per the B&O/JokersWild/SteveoInHTown spelling class, I may make schizznit words up where needed...because I'm an artist.

Tonight's Finals matchup lived up to expectations as Kansas took Mempis to OT.

This game was well officiated and featured great play on both sides of the ball.  Few ticky tack calls were made and no one was gyped on their ticket price.  (Memphis fans will disagree.)

Here's why the game went to Overtime...Fun With Statistics:

.527 & .933 VS. .403 &.632

That's field goal percentage and free throw percentage. 

Kansas is the former and Memphis the latter.  Field goal percentage was my predictor for the game winner.  Strangely, Kansas trailed by nine late in the game, yet came back strong.

 Memphis blew it at the charity stripe when it mattered most, late in the game.  That doomed the gents from Memphis. (repeat) 4 of 5 inside two minutes set up the Kansas comeback.

Goat Award:  Memphis, your coach didn't teach you well.  With seven seconds and a three point lead, Memphis didn't foul a Kansas inbound to end the game!  WHAT WEREN'T YOU THINKING!!!!  We all saw a  penetration and kickout for a three to tie the game with 2.1 in regulation.  This needs to be at the top of a Top 20 Countdown Show.  Knucklehead.

Overtime was all Kansas as Memphis went cold.

The end, game over, thanks for playing, here's your Greyhound pass back to Graceland.

75-68...first since 1988

'THE' Ohio State mens basketball team took home the NIT trophy last night.  That's exactly what they did, took it home.  The trophy wasn't necessarily won, since the NIT Champion is now officially the 66th best team in the country and will crow, "See, we should have been in March Madness." 

It was like watching Bowling on ESPN Classic...why?

Apparently the Buckeyes defeated a UMASS team that was depleted by graduation and Ivy League candidates.  Congratulations on your 'trophy', Buckeyes.  Don't hate on me.  My guys won it in '96, yet I felt empty and happy to have seen a few more games on ESPN7.

The NIT tourney winner receives the equivalent of a 4th grader's participation trophy and an Eric Cartman doll.  Why is there a NIT tournament anyway?  One fourth of all NCAA Division I teams are in the tourney, so why dumb it down. (ok more exist, but are really bad.)

Even worse is an unnamed tournament that picks teams AFTER the NIT field.  Yes sports fans, this bottom feeding tournament exists.

113 teams play in post-season tournaments.

Unfortunately college basketball is too watered down to enjoy anything but March Madness.  There's greed and then there's the 66th seed.  Stop the insanity.  The NIT has been a non-event since the NCAA tourney expanded to 64+ teams.

Hey Ohio State, there better not be a parade or t-shirts celebrating this great achievement.  I hope your mamas come up and slap you for embarrassing them on semi-national-regional-PBS television. "My baby plays point guard for Syracuse...oh, your child won the NIT.  I'm so sorry for you.  Oh, the shame!"   The kid who dots the 'i' has more to be proud of than this big win.

I do have a suggestion; put that NIT trophy in a dark, athletic department closet, right next to Tom Cruise.

Arkansas Dissed: Dana Altman, basketball coach of Creighton, backed out of his hiring at Arkansas.

After the introductory  press conference, Altman announced he's returning to Creighton.

This turnaround occurred after Altman told the Hog crowd, "I hope to retire here."  Apparently he didn't like the hotties or the Arkansas lottery payouts.

The official reason:  "It was a family decision."

This is a smoke screen.

My source in the NCAA, Eric Cartman, has told me Creighton University, a fine Jesuit-Catholic Institution, didn't like the thought of Altman leaving and appealed to a higher power.

I checked in with Sister Mary of the Our Lady of the Perpetual Jump Shot and she led me right to the Vatican.

If you were in Rome last night, you saw the light on all night in the Pope's residence.  It is now reported that Pope-a-palooza IX is a big Creighton fan.  His Vatican name is Biggie P and he's rumored to have mad skillz on the Vatican hardwood.

When queried by the Italian media, Pope-a-palooza said,

"I was a Notre Dame fan until they hired Gary Moeller.  I've been a BlueJay ever since, boy-ee!  Besides, have you seen Notre Dame play.  Holy Cross is my backup school.  Hell, I cheer for Rutgers, too.  Big ups for their football and ladies basketball this year!"

Altman will meet with the Pope upon returning to Creighton.

Arkansas will now focus on hiring Pokey Chatman, former LSU womens Basketball coach. 

Frank Broyles said, "By hiring her, we're guaranteed media coverage."

Altman's reversal is a laughing irony for Nebraskans, Creighton's home state.  (Since no one knows where the heck Creighton is.)

Four years ago, a University of Nebraska jet sat on the Fayetville runway, waiting to pick up Houston Nutt and announce the Razorbacks Football coach as the new Husker coach.  Hey Nutt, I bet you wish you made the move now.

We now resume our regular news cast, covering Anna Nicole, 24/7.