Thursday 04/05 A.M. Quickie:MLB Preview Continues: Awards!

Continuing our belated MLB Season Preview...

Today: Awards Picks!

NL MVP: Carlos Beltran
NL Cy: Ben Sheets
NL Rookie: Tim Lincecum
NL Manager: Willie Randolph

AL MVP: Grady Sizemore
AL Cy: Daisuke Matsuzaka
AL Rookie: Alex Gordon
AL Manager: Eric Wedge

* - Why not Matsuzaka for AL ROY? I predict AL award voters age-discriminate against Matsuzaka (particularly factoring in a backlash after they must give him the Cy).

Give out your own awards in the Comments.

MLB Wrap: Break up the Nats! 9th-inninng rally gives DC their first win of the season (in a season where wins are expected to be few and far between).

Crushing the Cards (again) may not be much solace for the Mets from last year's NLCS disappointment, but it might foreshadow better times for the Mets THIS season.

Stud (hitter): Grady Sizemore
Stud (pitcher): Ted Lilly

Bonds hits HR No. 1 of '07. 'Nuff said.

Extra Innings to stay on cable: Fans win! Fans win! In a nice bit of common sense in action, MLB will keep "Extra Innings" available to cable subscribers. (Now: All those fans who were griping BETTER pony up and buy the thing.)

Kudos to Ken Griffey for planning to wear Jackie Robinson's 42 jersey on the anniversary of Robinson's entry into the majors. And kudos to MLB for extending the offer to every team. Which players will step up? (At least one MANAGER will: Willie Randolph will wear 42, too.)

Via sports-media guru Richard Deitsch of SI.com, TBS has signed Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn to be part of their broadcast team. This is a fantastic move -- star power AND solid analysis. I'm totally curious how Ripken will do.

Masters: As usual, the key question is "Tiger or the Field?"

The pick: Usually, I take "The Field" (with no dis meant against Tiger), but given Tiger's pending fatherhood and his imminent Varsity Dad status, I think this year I'm going to go with the dad-to-be.

(Wow: Was it really 10 years ago that Tiger won his first Masters in that dominating style? I would argue that golf's current era began that weekend, even though Tiger was a pro before.)

NBA: Gilbert Arenas injures knee in the ultimate karmic boomerang. Any season that began as stunningly well as his did would HAVE to end miserably, right? It's just the Wizards Way. Given the fact it suddenly looks like the Wiz won't get out of the first round of the playoffs, can they trade their playoff spot to a Lottery team in the East in exchange for a better draft pick?

(Meanwhile, promising Blazers rookie LaMarcus Aldridge is out indefinitely with some weird kind of heart issue. He was looking really good in March; let's hope he's OK for the long-term.)

NBA Draft Watch: In what might have been called "The Durant Game," the Celtics proved more interested in their draft status than winning the game against their bottom-feeding rival, the Bucks. More power (and Ping-Pong balls) to Boston. In a head-to-head matchup of the dregs, with perhaps Kevin Durant on the line, winning is losing.

Billy Donovan Watch: He wants some time to "decompress" before making his decision. That doesn't sound like someone who seems 100 percent committed to his current gig. But he hasn't heard Florida's pitch yet. (Or Kentucky's, for that matter.)

More coaching carousel: Is Bob Huggins going to jump from Kansas State to West Virginia? If he did, he sure would be screwing over the players he connived into going there. (Of course, top prepster Michael Beasley would be able to get out of his commitment and, say, re-commit to WVU.)

Women's Hoops: Candace Parker didn't enter the WNBA Draft, and you have to install defending champ Tennessee as the team to beat next season. Will women's hoops get a repeat of their own to rival the men's?

Eddie Robinson, R.I.P.: Hope you've been enjoying all of the columns in appreciation of late Grambling coach Eddie Robinson. After reading everything, I can't believe he wouldn't make everyone's all-time college coach Top 5.

Finally: Reggie Bush is apparently NOT banned from the Playboy Mansion. I'm sure you'll all sleep better. (h/t: Fanhouse)

Bonus! Just saw this in today's NYT Op-Ed section. Does it woozily remind you how this blog sometimes works?

-- D.S.

Wednesday 04/04 A.M. Quickie:MLB Preview Begins (Belatedly)

With college hoops behind us, I'm thrilled to transition back to the usual shallow analysis -- and to the start of the baseball season this week.

(Yesterday's MLB "Studs and Duds" in the Comments showed everyone is back in Morning Quickie form. Hope to see everyone chime in daily on that topic.)

UPDATE: Speaking of baseball, that's the theme of the next Varsity Letters Reading Series TONIGHT at Happy Ending in NYC (302 Broome on the L.E.S.). Great lineup: BP folks, Jonah Keri and more, including haiku(!) After March's wild event, it's THE must-attend event of the month.

Since I have completely blown any shot at a reasonable MLB preview, I'm going to limit it to three specific topics over the next three days. (Today: Top Storylines. Thursday: Awards Picks. Friday: Playoff Picks.)

So let's start with the season's Top MLB Storylines. Feel free to offer up your own in the Comments section. These happen to be the ones that I personally think will be most fascinating or intriguing:

1. Bonds passes Aaron. Yes, everyone hates Bonds and half the fans don't even want to see him do it. But it's so momentous that it commands our attention.

2. New Cubs ownership. Technically, this won't really become an issue until AFTER the 2007 season, but expect rumors to run wild over the next six months. It is, after all, the biggest brand name in the National League (and probably Top 2 in MLB, behind the Yankees).

3. Curt Schilling's blog. Have you been following 38Pitches? It's quite ground-breaking, in terms of the real-time self-analysis he's willing to engage in. It's sort of like Cuban's BlogMaverick, but to get the unfiltered p.o.v. of a star PLAYER in mid-season seems unprecedented. Disintermediating the mainstream media? Advantage: Schilling. (And keep in mind: I used to really dislike Schilling. But this feels different from his usual media whoredom. He has reinvented himself as baseball's leading independent voice.)

4. Yankees-Red Sox rivalry. Wow, how I wish this wasn't the dominant rivalry in baseball. But it is. Suddenly, the Yankees are thrifty and the Red Sox are panic-spending. All the while, the Mets are about to eclipse the Yankees as the city's best team (if it hasn't happened already).

5. Surprises. The REAL intrigue of any season are the things you can't possibly predict. The breakouts. The sensations. The unexpected successes (or failures). And, of course, the steroid allegations.

Women's NCAA Tournament: Vols crush Rutgers. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't exciting. Just more Summitt, one more reason why the debate over "Best Basketball Coach on the Planet" isn't one -- Summitt has ended any argument. (Think about that for a second: A women's basketball coach is the inarguable, consensus pick as the best basketball coach, male or female. In a college hoops world dominated by the men's side, this is pretty impressive.)

CBB Coaching Carousel: Dana Altman humiliates Arkansas. A day after taking the job, Altman quits and returns to Creighton. Of course, the last time we saw something like this, Bill Belichick was quitting the Jets to coach the Pats, and that turned out OK for him.

Billy Packer is a Jackass, Cont'd: "You always fag out." Caught on tape, no less. On Charlie Rose, no less.

Look: Either Packer intentionally used the word "fag" or didn't realize that using the word "fag" is wrong. Either way, it's a pretty good pretense to dump him. Who wouldn't want to see, say, Bill Raftery calling the Final Four? Bring a little joy back to the game, that's for sure.

(This isn't Packer's first pejorative. There was that "tough monkey" comment a decade ago. If that had happened in 2007, I guarantee you he would have been fired the next day. Hopefully, this latest slur will remind people of that other one; no statute of limitations on his stupidity.)

More: Gail Goestenkors leaves Duke for Texas, realizing that the massive-state-school life is more conducive to winning championships.

(In the middle of this Billy Donovan-Kentucky discussion, I'd love to hear what people would have told Coach K to do in April 1992 if he had been offered the job at, say, Kentucky or Indiana or UCLA. At that point, he would have been at Duke roughly the same amount of time as Donovan has been at Florida, with roughly the same success. And, at that point, Duke wasn't "Duke" yet. Would all of the analysts and experts still be telling him to bolt for the "name" program?)

MLB Wrap: The Pirates (and Xavier Nady!) continue to baffle the Astros in the late innings. Lidge, Wheeler: It doesn't matter... Marlins Mania: Florida is 2-0 for only the second time in 15 seasons... Hitting Stud: Ian Kinsler, Vlad Guerrero; pitching Stud: El Duque... Bud Selig earned $14.5 million last year? That actually seems reasonable for a major sport commissioner.

NBA Wrap: Heat beat the Raptors. As Toronto is the sexy pick in the East (and Miami the stodgy), it was revealing to see the Heat (still without Wade) beat the Raptors. Again, my NBA playoffs mantra: "Heat Repeat."

NFL: Will Roger Goodell be able to ban players for life for off-field criminal offenses that are bad enough? That's what he wants. And I'm not sure fans will mind he has that power, though "for life" is a hell of a punishment to wield. I thought "banned for the season" is pretty rough. Hell, even the Soup Nazi only banned Elaine for one year.

WNBA: Rare mention for the WNBA! But I'd say that if you're going to have league intrigue, why not have it be that your draft is the day after the college national title game, where the star player – sophomore Candace Parker – had roughly 12 hours to figure out if she wanted to go pro early through a draft-rules loophole and set a milestone in her sport. She would be the No. 1 overall pick. Her decision comes at 10; the draft is at 1. Talk about "on the clock!"

Wish I Thought of It: Rookiepedia, an all-in-one reference for NFL Draft prospects. Kudos to creator Brian Bassett. Definitely something not only to check out throughout the month, but to contribute to.

06/07 Florida vs. 91/92 Duke: The Offseason Debate of the Year. Feel free to wander over to yesterday's Comments section to read more about this. But at least one other blogger, The Big Lead, would take UF, too. Maybe we both smoke the same brand of crack.

Rest in peace, Eddie Robinson. One of the greatest college football coaches of all time. Would he go in the All-Time Top 5? (Wow, what a great question. Who's in contention? Paterno, Bryant, Osborne, Wilkinson, Bowden? I'd put Robinson up with any of those guys.)

Here are a bunch of great supporting stats about Robinson (via Cold Hard Football Facts). Win that argument!

-- D.S.

Tuesday 04/03 A.M. Quickie:Florida's Finale and MLB Openings

Florida beats Ohio State for back-to-back NCAA titles. For the sake of keeping things on this post more free-flowing, I'll point you to the post directly below to make your comments about the NCAA title game and to argue about Florida's place historically.

I personally would rank this Florida as the best team of the post-'85 era and certainly as the best starting five of all time. (It's hard to argue they aren't, given they are the first complete starting five to win two straight titles.) I'll be interested to see how fans, bloggers, media and "experts" come down on this topic, both now and as history allows for more perspective.

(That post below's third comment down ended up as my additional commentary on what I see as the main argument over the best team of the "modern" (post-'85) era of college hoops: '91-92 Duke vs. '06-07 Florida. You could make the case that '90-91 UNLV was a better team than both, but (a) the Rebels weren't a repeat champ and (b) Duke beat them head-to-head in '91. I think this Florida team is better than both.)

But the larger point is probably worth making, and the Orlando Sentinel's Mike Bianchi beat me to it: You won't see this again in college hoops -- three NBA Lottery-bound stars all putting off the pros to stick around to repeat as champs. You can dislike the team for a lot of reasons, but at least appreciate that kind of novelty.

Tournament M.O.P.: Corey Brewer was the most outstanding player on the winning team, but it's hard to disagree that Greg Oden wasn't the most outstanding overall. His last college game was his best college game in his biggest college game. (Does beating back the most talented college center of the last 20 years having his best game ever improve the Gators' "all-time-best" argument?)

NBA Draft Futures: Oden locked himself in at No. 1. Horford is locked in the Top 5. I think Joakim slipped a little (3-10). Corey Brewer improved his stock (from 15-22 to 10-16). Taurean Green would go undrafted; if he came out Mike Conley would be a mid-first-round pick. And I think that Gators 6th man Chris Richard could be a surprise first-round pick.

Tournament Challenge: The post below also includes the final results of the Daily Quickie Readers group, including this year's champ (C. Mills) and an 18th-place performance (out of 1,200!) by my 10-month-old. Congrats to everyone who placed higher than the National Bracket of 83.3 percentile (ironically, the same percentile I ended up in).

2007 Name of the Year Bracket: Vanilla Dong wins.

MLB Opening Day: Here's what I want to know – who had Gil Meche outdueling Curt Schilling and the Royals beating the living snot out of the Red Sox? For one day: "Gil Meche, Best Free Agent Signing Ever."

Again, put your NCAA Tournament comments in the post below. In THIS post, let's revive the old Morning Quickie tradition of MLB "Studs" and "Duds." Can't wait for your nominations. (Let me throw a few out there: Adam Dunn, Ben Sheets, King Felix.)

College Hoops Coaching Carousel: Dana Altman to Arkansas. That's a big step up from Creighton. Iowa hires Todd Lickliter. Butler obviously has an awesome track record at developing big-time coaches. They'll both do well. (And, as expected, WVU's John Beilein is bringing his complex offense and gimmicky defense to Michigan. Big Ten coaches' tape-work just got a lot harder.)

OK, so what happens to Billy Donovan NOW? I think he'll politely listen to Kentucky's offer, then let Florida not only match it financially, but exceed it, making him the highest-paid coach in college basketball. (Of course, it's not like he doesn't deserve to be.)

Women's Tournament: What's the chance that Tennessee's Candace Parker has as dominating a performance as Greg Oden? Without a strong rooting interest, I have to go with the novelty of Rutgers over yet another affirmation that Pat Summitt is the world's best basketball coach.

NBA: Dwyane Wade practices pain-free. Your best-bet is to join me on the "Heat Repeat" bandwagon now, before it gets too crowded in mid-May.

OK, so men's college hoops season is over. I'm happy with how college hoops' "post-Oden Era" worked out -- the regular season was filled with parity, freshmen DID turn out to be pretty good for the game and the tournament, while lacking sustained drama or Cinderellas, ended with the rare combination of dominance AND novelty. But it's time to move on.

Baseball has started. Around the corner is the NFL Draft and the NBA Playoffs, with perhaps a little spring college football for good measure. Welcome to the spring.

-- D.S.

Florida: Best. Team. Ever.(But I'll Settle for "Best of '07")

Florida beats Ohio State to win back-to-back NCAA Tournament titles, staking its claim as one of the best college teams ever. (Perhaps THE best. At least they're in the argument.)

And certainly this starting five should go down as college hoops' greatest ever. (Not to diminish the efforts of having a spectacular bench. Chris Richard will play in the NBA.)

I think what makes it most special is the era they did it in: Bridging the gap between the "post-KG Era" of NBA early-entry and the new "post-Oden Era" of mandatory college P.T.

Florida's three biggest stars all could have gone pro a year ago after the first title; they gave up the NBA millions in the short term for the chance to come back to school and make history. And they did.

You can hate Joakim. You can hate Florida. You can hate UF's run of titles in hoops and football. But if you love college hoops, you have to appreciate what this group chose to do -- and did.

The stars can go pro knowing they have created a new standard not just for Florida or the NCAA Tournament, but in the sport. The seniors can move on to whatever is next for them. The remaining players have learned how champions perform. Billy Donovan can do whatever he wants (though I'll sincerely be surprised if he leaves for Kentucky). This unique mini-dynasty ends particularly neatly.

Meanwhile, in the Daily Quickie Readers pool, congrats to J. Mills, who won the Daily Quickie Readers group this year. (I finished in the respectable 83.3st percentile, ironically exactly the same as if I'd used the National Bracket.)

My 10-month-old finished in sole possession of 18th -- out of more than 1,200. I'm not sure I'll ever be more proud.

In the end, what a great night for the Gators -- and Gators fans. Beaming as "One Shining Moment" ended, my wife reminded me that while it's nice I've been a Florida fan for the five years I've known her, she's been a Gators fan for her entire life -- basketball even more than football. I like to boast that my fandom today is as strong as any lifer's, but I found myself envious of her lifetime of passion for the team and pride for what they just accomplished. It DID mean more to her.

And she's right: It's more than a title this time. It's history.

-- D.S.

Florida vs. Ohio State:National Championship Live-Comment

Let's get your final pre-game (plus in-game and post-game) analysis of the national title game between Florida and Ohio State.

I've got one final Florida-related post on Deadspin: "What a win would mean for Florida." Be sure to check it out! (It includes a dig at both Joakim Noah AND Duke... something for everyone!)

Want to re-live the Florida-Ohio State live-comment from the football championship game? Here's the link to that post.

Again: I am picking Florida to win (and if they lose, I will be devastated).

Monday 04/02 A.M. Quickie:Why Florida Will Beat Ohio State (Hint: Again)

Tonight's NCAA title game is about history. Either Florida repeats as champs or they are denied.

(The Ohio State-winning angle is great, too: OSU winning would be the absolute affirmation of the NBA age limit, at least in terms of proving that NBA-quality 18-year-olds can dominate college hoops. Whee!)

I want to refine a few points inspired by Saturday night's post:

Florida's 26-point beatdown of OSU back in December is important. Yes, the game was in Gainesville, OSU was green and, yes, Greg Oden wasn't nearly the player he is now. Two points: (1) Oden still has to contend with Florida's impossibly deep three-headed post monster, and (2) Oden isn't 26 points better (and neither is moving the game to a neutral court).

Remember how when Oden went out against Georgetown with foul trouble, the Hoyas couldn't figure out how to stop the smaller Buckeyes lineup? Florida has already seen that lineup, back in December. And they dominated it. So don't expect Florida to be befuddled like Georgetown was if/when Oden sits with his inevitable foul trouble against the parade of Gators big men.

In short: The match-ups remain difficult for OSU. But here's one in their favor: Mike Conley is playing out of his mind right now; UF's Taurean Green is playing like ass. So OSU's X-factor is Conley -- at both ends.

Florida's X-factor? Their collective sense of... what do you call it? Destiny? Entitlement? Accomplishment? History? Motivation? This game is why they came back, and they won't be denied. Pick: Florida.

Tournament Challenge: In the uber-competitive, 1,200-player "Daily Quickie Readers" group, it's down to two guys. If Florida wins, "C. Mills" is the winner; if OSU wins, "C. West" is the winner.

If you used the National Bracket to make your picks, you would be beating 91 percent of the other competitors right now. (But you would have had to root for Ohio State to win the title.)

I'm currently running in the 68th percentile, with a chance to move up slightly if Florida wins. Another weak showing.

(Amazingly, my 10-month-old son's entry -- filled out by his mom -- is in the 96th percentile, 49th overall out of more than 1,200. That's not as good as his in utero finish last year, when he came in tied for 30th out of more than 10,000 entries, but this year's finish ain't bad.)

MLB Opening Night: Mets thump Cards, 6-1, reminding everyone that regular-season "rematches" of deciding playoff games are not the same thing.

I'd like to know from Mets fans (or a fan of any team ever in the Mets position): Is there ANY extra meaning to the win? Or does it make the previous season's ending even more bittersweet?

(I will say this: As an indication of what's to come THIS season, it looks like the Mets offense is ready to carry what seems like shaky pitching – though not so shaky last night.)

MLB Opening Day! I'm going to put up a standalone post later this morning beginning my belated MLB preview coverage. Needless to say, if you're in a fantasy league, there's no instant history like the first day, when unclaimed FA's suddenly get snatched up off of great Game 1 performances.

MLB: Cubs to be sold after '07 season. Given the brand value and simply the cachet of owning this team, forget the astronomical number. Who will be the buyer? Mark Cuban? Somone more local? This will be one of the Top 5 biggest intrigues of the season.

Women's Final Four: Rutgers ends the LSU run, meaning that LSU now has to face the mess of its program's situation. Meanwhile, Tennessee vanquishes UNC, in one of the great Tar Heel choke-jobs since... well, since last weekend. Looking ahead: Given the Lady Vols' dominance over the decades, how can you not root for li'l ol' Rutgers?

College Hoops Coaching Carousel: Michigan wants WVU's John Beilein, and I love the hire. He's less about marquee recruits (which Michigan can't land anymore) and more about brilliant Xs and Os scheming. (Meanwhile, Southern Illinois is going to keep Chris Lowery... for now.)

NBA Injury Good: Dwyane Wade will return to practice with the Heat today. Given the Heat's secure playoff position, if I was him I would focus on rehab until Miami faces a playoff elimination game, then come back -- healed enough -- and lead them to a repeat title.

NBA Injury Bad: Well, that's the end of the Wizards. A team that was already faltering down the stretch lost All-Star "Robin" Caron Butler to a broken hand. Longtime Bullets/Wiz fans knew this was bound to happen.

NBA Sunday Wrap: How lame and worthless is the end of the NBA regular season? So lame that a game between the Mavs and Suns was an off-the-radar snoozer.

Is there any sport where the two biggest contenders in the league can play in the final stretch of the regular season and have it be a complete non-event?

(Between this year and last year, the Suns will have a healthy Amare and the Mavs will have an unretired Kevin Willis. Given that, who do YOU give the nod to in the playoffs between them?)

Michael Phelps Watch: The final tally? Seven gold medals. Five world records. Ridiculous. Bring on Beijing.

LPGA: Morgan Pressel is the new Michelle Wie. The 18-year-old Pressel became the youngest winner ever of an LPGA major, and I expect her status to skyrocket.

(A few years ago, I remember watching her as an amateur in the hunt at the 2005 US Women's Open, and I just remember she was so freaking competitive, she made Tiger look tame. Oh, and with this win, she takes over as the greatest active Jewish athlete.)

Speaking of MLB, the blog Rumors and Rants had a thing where they asked people for their favorite all-time MLB player. My answer: Ryne Sandberg.

It was interesting that I immediately filtered the question as my favorite CHILDHOOD player, as if your favorite player back during your formative years of fanhood (ages 10-14 or thereabouts) have greater weight than a player you may develop a love for as an adult.

So, obviously, I want to know who was YOUR favorite MLB player? (Or "is," if that's the case.)

Big Picture's "Would You Do?" Tournament reaches title game: It's 1-seed Erin Andrews vs. 6-seed Stacey Dales. I expect yet another title for the Gators. Vote here.

Ballhype.com launches! Another great site for Jason Gurney, impresario of the lowpost.net- striketwo.net-faircatch.net empire. Ballhype.com tracks the action on more than 1,600 sports blogs, and I highly recommend as a bookmark and regular stop in your rotation. Congrats on another terrific product, Jason and Co.

Happy Passover to those of you who are celebrating tonight. It goes without saying that we're having a mellifluously nicknamed "Gator Seder."

-- D.S.

I Renounce My Florida Fandom

(Wait: What day is it again?)

Florida vs. Ohio State:Haven't We Seen This Before?

Yes, both this past January, when Florida football beat the stink out of the Buckyes. And this past December, when Florida basketball beat the stink out of the Buckeyes.

But this is a different Ohio State team: (1) On a neutral court, not Gainesville; (2) seasoned, healthy Oden; (3) playing as confidently as they have all season; (4) the powerful arrogance of youth. They are much, much better than that OSU team that got their asses kicked back then.

All that said, Florida didn't win by 26 back in December because of a fluke. The same matchups from back then will create problems for Ohio State, and here's the biggest: How will Oden manage Florida's three-headed post monster of Horford, Noah and Richard?

Granted, I blew my pick of Georgetown over OSU; I'm happy to 'fess up to not giving OSU enough credit (or perhaps giving G'town just a bit too much). But I'm sticking with my original, pre-Tournament (hell: pre-SEASON) pick:

Florida to win its second straight national title, fulfilling a destiny worthy of a champ whose starting five postponed NBA millions to come back together, enjoy college basketball and stake their place as part of the very short list of the best teams in college basketball history.

-- D.S.

Final Four Live-Comment

If you're up for it, let's talk about the Final Four -- before, during and after the games. I'll try to jump in, too.

(I've been watching CBS' Final Four preview all afternoon. Ironically, the best piece of the day had nothing to do with college hoops, but instead was about that women's coach of the boys' high school team at Boys and Girls High in Brooklyn. If Long Island University was smart, they would hire her as the men's coach tomorrow. The piece about the late UNC mascot Jason Ray was really touching, too. I'm usually not a fan of the Dick Enberg sappy pieces, but this one was a good one.)

Billy Donovan Isn't Going to Kentucky

Cripes, this Billy Donovan story is now ticking me off. Here's the news flash: He's not jumping to Kentucky.

No, I don't have some inside scoop. I simply have common sense plus several years of closely following Donovan's situation. That's all anyone needs to dismiss the rumors of why he'd leave for UK.

(1) Kentucky is going to offer him a $1 million a year raise? I'm sorry: Since when can't Florida match (or exceed) any other offer? They'll make him the highest paid coach in college hoops without blinking.

(2) Kentucky is a better job than Florida? I'm sorry: I'd argue not right now -- but I'll even give you that one. But here's the thing: It's not a better job FOR DONOVAN, not after he has built up Florida into what it is today -- a program superior to UK's... and HIS program.

(3) Donovan hasn't quashed the UK rumors? I'm sorry: What would you like him to do – stop concentrating on the Final Four so he can interview with Kentucky? Or sign an extension with Florida? He has always said he'd handle it during this offseason; he's sticking to his plan.

Let's review: (1) Money isn't an object. (2) The UK job isn't what it used to be as compared to Florida's. (3) Silence is not implicit interest but explicit focus.

At the risk of applying a Quickie jinx: Billy ain't going to Kentucky. He'll either stay at Florida or go to the NBA. (But even if the NBA offers him $5-6 million a year, do not be shocked if Florida offers to match it, putting Billy at roughly twice what Coach K makes. Hey: Market rate. But at that point, it would be about the new challenge, not the money. But I'm even starting to believe that Donovan doesn't REALLY want to coach in the NBA as much as he is intrigued by the idea of coaching in the NBA.)

Now, I'm going to return to nervously waiting for the game. Feel free to continue putting your favorite Simpsons characters, episodes and quotes in the Comments of the post below.

-- D.S.

Friday 03/30 A.M. Quickie:Breaking Down the Final Four

Final Four Weekend: Say what you want about the lack of a Cinderella factor in the Final Four (and I have), but these are some tremendous games and tremendous teams.

How weird is it that both are rematches from last year's Tournament? This Florida team is as close to last year's team of the foursome. Then UCLA (which swaps PG Farmar for then-backup Collison – they're actually better for it). Then Georgetown. Then Ohio State, which – of course – picked up two unknowns named Oden and Conley.

I'm sticking with my original bracket picks: Florida over UCLA (my original pick, both teams) and Georgetown over Ohio State (though I had Texas A&M losing, rather than OSU).

Be sure to leave your predictions for Saturday's semifinals in the Comments section (if you enjoy that sort of thing), perhaps with a pithy bit of analysis as to why.

Florida over UCLA: Yes, "revenge factor" scares me, but even if this UCLA team is slightly better than last year's team (a dubious claim, given that in the title game, now-NBA PG Jordan Farmar was the only player who did any damage offensively), this Gators team is better than last year's team, too. And if the Bruins had so many match-up problems then that they lost by 20, how have those mismatches improved? (And have they improved by 20 points' worth?)

The X-Factor: I am intrigued by Florida's recent experience in the Georgia Dome for their three-game blitz through the SEC Tournament as a quasi-"home" advantage.

Georgetown over Ohio State: Oden might eat up Hibbert in their much-anticipated one-on-one showdown, but – as in the Florida-UCLA rematch – look to last year's Tournament game for a clue as to how this will turn out. JTIII's offensive and defensive philosophies obviously give Thad Matta fits. Maybe Matta learned from last year's second-round loss to the Hoyas. (But maybe Georgetown has gotten better, too.) And maybe Oden – and, more likely, Conley – is a huge upgrade from last year's OSU team. (But Georgetown's players have gotten better, too.)

The X-Factor: The reason I picked Georgetown to make the national title game back in early November was because of the way they heart-breakingly lost in the final seconds to Florida a year ago in the Sweet 16. No team had a bigger chip on their shoulder this season, and that sense of mission -- of entitlement – has been driving them all season. That jaw-droppingly dominant OT versus UNC? That wasn't luck; that was heart – the same heart that will beat back the Buckeyes tomorrow. Ohio State's top two players – Oden and Conley – haven't had their heart ripped out in the NCAA Tournament like these Hoyas players have. I'm not saying that they are satisfied "merely" with a Final Four, but there's no way they can want it as bad as Georgetown.

More hot topics on the sports radar today:

NCAA Tournament expansion: While they will never expand it to include all teams – as I've been advocating for a decade – but I think that expanding it to 68 teams, with four play-in games, will pass.

It's a great idea. It adds three teams to the 11/12/13 at-large pool, while ending the current play-in situation where a single team gets bounced before Thursday. Now four will!

Women's Final Four: You cannot possess any sense of irony and not be rooting for LSU.

MLB: Ria Cortesio handles her ump duties just fine, thank you very much. It's back to the minors for her, but – hey – Mark Prior is there, too.

(I know, I know: I didn't do an MLB preview this week. But we'll blow it out all next week.)

Michael Phelps does it again: Ridiculous. This makes Kobe's 50-plus point scoring binge look shallow and meaningless.

NBA: If the Grizzlies' late-season surge (two wins in a row!) costs them Greg Oden and/or Kevin Durant, they should fire everyone.

NBA Tonight: Who had tonight's Raptors-Wizards game as the East's most intriguing game of the season?

NIT: Congrats to West Virginia, who eased the disappointment of not making the NCAA Tournament with an NIT title. Was this win the team giving their coach a going-away gift? Hmm...

College Hoops Coaching Carousel: So who will be the next Michigan coach, West Virginia's John Beilein or Vanderbilt's Kevin Stallings. Vandy went further in this year's Tournament than WVU, but Beiliein's system offers the chance for much more success.

Marbury's new shoes come out Sunday: How amazing is it that the release of the next edition of a $14.98 pair of shoes will have people lined up around the block on Sunday morning? This remains one of the most intriguing sports consumer-product concepts of the last 20 years.

I think yesterday's Comments discussion about the different levels of expectations among fans of winning vs. losing teams was one of the best we've ever had here. I highly recommend you check it out.

Speaking of sports movies, it's always good to note new ones coming out. Will Ferrell's new one (does he do ANYTHING except sports movies anymore?) about the pairs ice skating is going to make a mint. He's currently working on a movie about the ABA, but maybe he'll have some interest in mine. (Though, to debunk several of the theories on yesterday's comments about the post, it isn't a Dodgeball-style comedy. There is some humor in it -- as with any good sports movie -- but having to choose between silly and not silly, I went with not silly. Of course, that could change as the demands of commercialism are satisfied.)

Fun day yesterday: Between the Ben Maller/Boston Herald mention for the Peyton Manning SNL thing and the Deadspin mention of my small business deal, it was a true "Everything's Coming Up Milhouse" type of day. Whee!

-- D.S.

Exciting News: Screenplay Optioned

Perhaps this is best tagged under "Navel-gazing," but the official announcement went out a little earlier this morning:

TeamWorks Media, a fantastic up-and-coming production company based in Chicago, has optioned an original screenplay I have written, set in the world of college basketball. The story centers around a ragtag intramural team that vaults from campus champs to the national tournament.

(So for all you sports-bloggers/writers looking for that novelty Final Four angle after a long week of wearing out the usual game storylines, there's your hook. Hey, in a Final Four devoid of Cinderella stories, this might look tempting.)

I couldn't be more thrilled to be working with TeamWorks on this, and I sincerely appreciate the confidence (and sketchy judgment!) they have shown in partnering with me on the project. (Here's the full release.)

Hey, maybe "sports blogger sells screenplay" is the new "sports blogger gets book deal." It may be a little while before you're sitting at the multiplex watching, but it's one step closer.

-- D.S.

Thursday 03/29 A.M. Quickie:The Pleasure/Pain of Expectations

It's one of my favorite philosophical sports debates:

Would you rather root for a mediocre team, for whom ANY postseason success is considered happy news? Where your managed expectations allow for the slightest success to feel as good as a national title?

Or would you rather root for a perennial national contender, racking up regular-season wins, but be so saddled by expectations that you end up essentially unsatisfied if they don't win a national championship?

When I was at Northwestern in the pre-Rose Bowl years, we would dreamily talk about "bowl eligibility" (6-5!) as ultimately satisfying. (Is that pathetic... or glorious?)

Heading into this Tournament and this Final Four, as a Florida fan, it's an opposite proposition: Given this team and its expectations, anything less than a national title would be considered failure.

How nuts is that: Making a Final Four (for a second year in a row, no less) isn't enough. It's "title or bust," literally.

I presume this is how Yankees fans feel. Or USC/Ohio State/Notre Dame football fans. Or Mavs fans, at this point. Or Pats fans, though the NFL's parity has beaten the "Super Bowl Champs or Bust" expectations out of all but the most naive fans.

This kind of perennial expectations of huge success is new to me in my mere five years of Florida fandom. As a Northwestern fan back in the early '90s, I would pity those "title or bust" fans; it left such tiny margin for error between satisfaction and disappointment.

When, like this weekend, anything less than a national title is staggeringly disappointing, I almost wish I was back in my pre-Gator-fan days, rooting for Northwestern to make the NIT field. Almost.

How do you feel about it, and how have your own experiences as a fan hit this, one way or the other?

Today's hottest topics:

Final Four: There's a lot of talk about Oden-vs-Hibbert, but if you throw in Al Horford (and, frankly, Joakim Noah and Chris Richard), when was the last time a Final Four had this many talented post players?

Wooden Award: I suppose it's fitting that in the first year of the NBA's new draft age-limit rules, a freshman like Kevin Durant would win an award named for college hoops' poster purist. Durant is a finalist.

NFL: Joe Gibbs pees a little bit on the Briggs rumor, but he does spark more gossip the Redskins want to trade up into the draft's Top 5.

MLB: Ugueth Urbina given 14 years in prison for attempted murder. That ain't gonna be easy time.

So much for Steve Swindal as the heir-apparent to George Steinbrenner to run the Yankees. The son-in-law is going to lose both the "son" and "in-law" parts as George's little girl files for divorce.

Strat for sale: OK, I think the millions of sports-blog readers should come together and buy a majority ownership stake in Strat-o-Matic.

NBA: Guess what? The Raptors are the new trendy pick to win the East (even without Bargnani and Garbajosa). They're not just this season's Clippers; they represent one of the great single-season turnaround stories in the NBA in a long time. They beat the Heat last night.

Mc'D's All-America H.S. Game: Kansas State-bound Michael Beasley showed why he's the best in the class with 23 points and 12 rebounds. Beasley will be next season's Greg Oden, if not its Kevin Durant. He might not score like crazy, but he could lead K-State to a Final Four.

Well, that's it: Micheal Ray Richardson has been uninvited from my family's Passover seder. (Sounds like he wouldn't want to be there. UPDATE: On second thought: He absolutely would.)

Another W.R. for Michael Phelps: In the 200 IM. As I said yesterday, he's the world's greatest athlete right now. You don't have to care about swimming to be impressed.

Varsity Dad/Mom x 2: Congrats to Mia and Nomar on Hamm delivering twin girls on Tuesday. So: Middle infield combo or being the "2" in a 4-4-2 soccer lineup?

Exciting news coming later this morning.

-- D.S.

Wednesday 03/28 A.M. Quickie:"Name of the Year" Picks!

Today's hottest storylines, as I leave the Billy Donovan story behind -- until Tuesday (at the latest)...

In honor of the Final Four, my Name of the Year ballot revealed!

My Final Four semis: Bulltron Region 1-seed Intelligent Infinite Botts over Sithole Region 4-seed Kyle Sackrider. Dragonwagon Region 4-seed Phyre Quickly Burns over Chrotchtangle 1-seed (and NOTY pre-tournament favorite) Vanilla Dong.

In the title match-up, I picked Phyre Quickly Burns as the 2007 NOTY champion over Intelligent Infinite Botts. As I said to the NOTY organizer to explain my pick: "Phyre Quickly Burns isn't a name. It's a narrative."

Check out other notable picks. ("Notable" used so very very loosely.)

(Slow day? Hell no!)

Michael Phelps: World's Greatest Athlete? Sets a new world record in the 200-meter freestyle. Not sure how many of you appreciate what that means. I think it's not hyperbole to say it would be like an NBA player scoring 101.

NFL Trade: Lance Briggs to the Redskins? Don't they already have two other expensive linebackers? What a classic Redskins move.

NFL Rules: Why would the Cardinals and Bengals reject the idea of making instant replay permanent? They were the only NFL teams to do it.

Meanwhile, I'm no Luddite, but defensive players having radios in their helmets defeats the entire purpose of home-field advantage. I'm glad the owners rejected that proposal.

Women's NCAA Tournament: Traditional powers UNC and Tennessee join Rutgers and LSU in the Final Four. Should be pretty intriguing.

NIT: I don't care what the name of the tournament is – a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to win a win-or-go-home semifinal is exciting. Congrats to West Virginia, which topped Mississippi State and advanced to the NIT final against Clemson, which held on against Air Force. They'll play for the coveted title of "Team 66." (Which isn't fair or accurate, but nonetheless, where we are.)

NBA: I'd like to know if Grizzlies fans are happy their woeful team beat the Lakers – or pissed because, at this point, every win takes them further from Oden or Durant at the top of the draft lottery.

Pop Culture: LeBron to host the ESPYs. I appreciate his star appeal, and his acting in his LeBron TV commercials was exceptional. I hope he gets into the host role and doesn't try to play it too cool, leaving the fun to his sidekick, the ubiquitous Jimmy Kimmel.

Media: I don't know about you, but I'm not sure I even WANT Joe Theismann to call college football games. From quotes, his heart doesn't seem into it, and don't you want a CFB analyst who loves CFB?

MLB: Mark Prior, minor-leaguer? That's looking more likely since Lou Piniella picked Wade Miller to be the Cubs' 5th starter. Go back a half-decade and try to wrap your mind around THAT.

Nats Watch: When I wrote my Nats Deadspin preview, Vegas had them at 300-to-1 shots to win the World Series, longest in baseball this season. But, per Boswell's WashPost column today, their over under is 68 wins – not the 40-something that some (me) were suggesting. It's a great time to hop on the bandwagon!

In the biggest league M&A since the NBA/ABA, the UFC will buy Pride Fighting Championships, creating a mega-MMA entity. What happens when MMA slots itself just under NFL, college football and baseball (in that order) as an increasingly rare "national sport?"

-- D.S.

Tuesday 03/27 A.M. Quickie:Donovan, Final Four, Jaworski, More

Tons of thoughts while re-watching replays of Rasheed's 60-footer...

The hot story of both the day and the week leading up to the Final Four is the fate of Florida coach Billy Donovan.

Would Donovan really leave Florida for Kentucky? AOL FanHouse has been all over this story, and here's a link with the latest gossip -- suggesting (by UK fans) it's a done deal. I say: Wrong.

First off: I don't think he'll go to UK. It won't be about money: Florida will match or exceed any Kentucky offer. And, as I've said before, I don't think Kentucky is a better program than Florida right now. Why would Billy walk from what he's built up for a rebuilding job?

More realistically: There is the idea that if Florida wins a second straight national title (or even if they don't), Donovan will have done as much as he possibly could EVER do in Gainesville. He might as well leave after that, right? There's some merit to this.

But I'd argue this would push him to a coaching job in the NBA, not another college. He has always said the NBA is intriguing to him, and it's not like he won't get offers (no matter what the sorry record of college-to-NBA coaches is). Fans can't begrudge a jump from college to the pros.

Apparently, the Heat are hot for him, which would be a great fit. He could stay in-state and enjoy the services of a Top 3 NBA superstar. (I was thinking Bobcats, because Jordan would want to make a big splash and the team is essentially a bunch of college kids anyway. But who would want to play for MJ? Worst boss ever.) Originally, I thought he was a lock for the Knicks, but as they're keeping Isiah, that seems to be a non-starter (lucky for Donovan).

From everything I understand, Donovan was going to wait all along until the end of the season to do his extension. Rather than creating uncertainty, isn't this the stand-up thing to do? After all, can you imagine the crap he'd get if he spent this week negotiating a lucrative personal contract extension, rather than focusing on the Final Four?

That would go against everything he has preached to his team; it's why he didn't sign an extension last April – he said that if his players would defer their NBA payoff to return, he'd defer his big payoff for a year, too. So his silence isn't a signal he's got a deal with UK. It simply fuels wishful thinking by Cats fans.

As for the Heat? It wouldn't surprise (or offend) me, and it shouldn't surprise (or offend) Gator Nation.

Let's move on...

My favorite stat of the Tournament (remaindered from yesterday): Nearly 162,000 people correctly predicted this year's Final Four in ESPN.com's Tournament Challenge. (Last year's total of correct Foursomes? Four.)

Thanks to the Commenters for pointing out some possible Glaring Omissions in yesterday's Top 5 CBB teams since 1985: '94-95 Arkansas and '01-02 Maryland.

Given my list, I think teams are generally given a lot more credit for following the "win a title first, then get back to the Final Four and lose" than "get to the Final Four and lose, then go back to the Final Four and win a title."

Maybe that's because defending a title is so much harder than winning a first one.

Quickie-ish College Hoops All-Americans: As the AP has released their All-America teams, most notable for putting freshmen on the first team for only the third time ever (and there were two of 'em this year, Durant and Oden).

It's time for my picks, in order of how worthy they are to be on the team:

1st team: Durant, Law, J. Green, Tucker, Hansbrough.

2nd team: Oden, Horford, Afflalo, Lofton, Dudley.

Billy Gillespie to Arkansas? I know the guy is a job-jumper, but I would have thought he would have held out for Kentucky, which would eventually trickle down to him after all the "No's" from the bigger names.

Gillespie would have Arkansas near the top of the SEC within two seasons. Just be forewarned Hogs fans: He would use that to vault to a better job by 2010.

(The latest update is that Texas A&M is going to sweeten the pot to keep him. Seriously: Given the foundation Gillespie has put in, the Aggies job is a better one than coaching at Arkansas.)

Rick Pitino not leaving Louisville for Kentucky: Yet another high-profile coach who won't go to Lexington. (Psst: Because the job ain't as good as its fans think it is. In SAT analogy terms:
Alabama:CFB::Kentucky:CBB.)

Women's Tournament: You could tell Rutgers was destined for the Final Four when they beat Duke last weekend. You could tell LSU was destined for the Final Four when their successful coach was exiled for having a romantic relationship with a player.

They play each other in the Final Four: Something's gotta give.

I'm sticking with LSU and the ironic timing of winning a national title. (It's just like Michigan and Bill Frieder in 1989, except he was exiled for having an inappropriate relationship with Arizona State, not his own player.)

MLB: Joe Torre back in '08? If the Yankees don't win the World Series this year (or at least an AL pennant), he might not get a choice.

MLB Fantasy: Did you drop Kerry Wood and Duaner Sanchez yet? How about picking up new Marlins closer Jorge Julio for a few extra saves?

MLB Know the Name: Ria Cortesio, who will become the first female ump to work an MLB game (even if it's exhibition) in 20 years. (Remember the name "Pam Postema?")

My new Nats fandom: Apparently, most of the season tickets won't be delivered in time for the season's start. Excellent customer service for a team that will be lucky to win 40 games!

NFL Trade: Eagles get LB Takeo Spikes and QB Kelly Holcomb from the Bills for DT Darwin Walker and a cond'l '08 draft pick.

NFL: The hot catchphrase of the summer will be "personal conduct policy," the new hammer that the league plans to wield to club players and coaches into not being such assholes.

Suspensions (even up to a year) and fines are nice, but when the Commish starts talking about docking teams' draft picks, he's threatening in a language they can understand.

(Man, if the new policy had been in place over the last year, the Bengals wouldn't have a draft pick.)

NFL 2007 Season Opener: Saints at Colts, by far the best possible matchup, pairing the Super Bowl champs versus the league's top feel-good story.

Ron Jaworski to MNF: He will go down as the best analyst in the history of the show. Hopefully, it will finally affirm that the average MNF viewer doesn't want more entertainment -- they want more analysis.

(And yet, the USA Today story about the switch said that Joey T was TOO much about the in-game analysis, and not enough about analysis of the other news around the league. Fair enough: Jaws would be as expert about that as anyone, and you never got the sense that Joey T was comfortable riffing on the storylines from the rest of the league -- of course, game analysts rarely are, which is what makes Jaws such a good fit here and what makes next season's development of the show so intriguing: Sounds like they want MNF to be as much a three-hour talk about the week in the NFL as it is a three-hour talk about the game at hand.)

Roids Watch: How fast will it take the transfer of customer lists from the Albany DA's office to sports leagues for the names to come out in the media? My over-under is the end of the business week.

NBA: Rasheed from 60! Yet another sign that this is the Pistons' year to win the East.

NASCAR: I'm not sure there's a more promising marketing gimmick than "Car of Tomorrow." I don't even understand what it means. It just SOUNDS interesting.

NFL PacMan Watch: Jones to face felony charges? Seems like it was only a matter of time, didn't it?

NHL: Commish Bettman says fighting is "part of the game," after critics pop off about the need to curb it. (Bettman added that safety should be the first concern. Isn't it possible those are incompatible?)

Tennis: Serena heckler booted. I appreciate clever heckling, but there's very little place for it during a tennis match. And it's totally unacceptable when the heckling is racist.

Freaky story of the day: The news that there was a device to shoot poison darts into horses embedded in the track at Happy Valley in Hong Kong. This is weird. This is wrong. This is fascinating.

(It would, of course, be much more intriguing if they surreptitiously shot poison darts into visiting football players at Happy Valley in Penn State.)

Rest in peace, Jason Ray.

-- D.S.

Monday 03/26 PM Quickie:Hoops All-Americans, Jaws and Sadness

WSJ Tournament piece.

Exclusive: Peyton slams Brady.
Monday AM Quickie.

College Hoops All-Americans: I find it staggering that Durant and Oden DOUBLE the number of freshmen who have ever been named All-American, joining Wayman Tisdale and Chris Jackson. (Um: Carmelo Anthony?!)

I suppose it's a reflection on the level of talent that has simply skipped college for the NBA, thus Durant and Oden's place on the first team validates the NBA's age-limit rule (sort of).

Pretty interesting that Durant was the only unanimous pick of the entire team. Can't complain about the rest of the 1st team. I'm sure UNC fans will wonder how Hansbrough was displaced by Arron Afflalo on the 1st team.

The second team seems to have mistakenly included "Joakim Noah" where voters should have obviously written "Al Horford" (who made the 3rd team). Noah didn't deserve 3rd team either; I would have put Horford on the 2nd team, Corey Brewer on the 3rd team and Noah nowhere. And I say that as a Florida fan.

Jeff Green should have been on the second team, too. Aaron Gray had no business being on the 3rd team. He's whatever the opposite of a "snub" is.

Ron Jaworski is an inspired pick to replace Joe Theismann on MNF. I don't think there has ever been a better game analyst on MNF, and he's a far better compliment to Tony Kornheiser than Theismann was.

Finally, but most important: Condolences to family, friends and fans of UNC student/Heels mascot Jason Ray, who died today.

New Wall Street Journal Online Piece:'Fessing Up to My Sorry Final Four

Here's the link. (And it's FREE!)

For today's Quickie, click here (or scroll down), leading with the Top 4 Final Four Storylines.

Manning Disses Brady on SNL

Here's an amazing first-hand account of Peyton's appearance on "SNL" from reader Josh from Suffern, NY:

I attended last night's SNL dress rehearsal, where Lorne Michaels decides what sketches and jokes to keep, and which to dump.

Anyway, during Peyton's monologue, Amy Poeler was dressed in a Patriots jersey and heckled Peyton, saying "What does Tom Brady and the Circus have in common? They both have two more rings than you."

Peyton stared right back and said, "That's not the ONLY thing he'll have two more of....."

CLASSIC! I'm not sure if the rest of the audience got the reference, but unfortunately they dumped it from the live broadcast.

They sure did, which was too bad. Thanks, Josh. That was fantastic scoop. (To clarify for those who are wondering: "Two more" refers to out-of-wedlock babies. Yes, I'm sure Peyton knows that Gisele isn't pregnant -- that we know of -- but it was a quality swipe nonetheless.)

-- D.S.

Monday 03/26 A.M. Quickie:Top 4 Final Four Storylines

Between holding my breath during Florida's win over Oregon and hyperventilating at the insanely awesome Georgetown win over UNC, I'm finally recovered this morning...

Ranking the Top Four Storylines of the Final Four:

(1) Florida trying to repeat. I would contend that winning a title then returning to the Final Four – with the same five starters, no less – puts this team among the Top 5 since the field expanded to 64.

1. UNLV '90-91
2. Duke '91-92
3. Florida '06-07
4. Michigan '92-93
5a. Michigan St '99-01
5b. Kentucky '96-97

(2) Ohio State's Fab Frosh. Oden and Conley have put themselves in the Pantheon of all-time Tournament freshmen alongside Carmelo Anthony, the Fab Five and Mike Bibby. But they need a title for Melo-style immortality.

PS: Not a bad victory for the "National Bracket" that the team picked by the most fans to win the title makes the Final Four. (But not nearly as impressive as the fact that nearly half of all fans projected Georgetown beating UNC.)

(3) Georgetown is back. And college hoops is SO much better for it. Thompson. Ewing. Jeff Green as the Tournament's Most Valuable Player So Far. And, my god: That "Hoya Detroya" overtime against UNC, which capped one of the greatest regional finals I can remember. Seriously: How amazing was that game? (I guess if you're a UNC fan, you might disagree.)

PS: When was the last time the trendiest pick before the Tournament actually comes through and makes the Final Four? The Fab Five in '92?

(4) UCLA returns to the Final Four. In any other year, the idea of a team repeating as a Final Four team would make them a strong contender for "Best Storyline." In this field, the Bruins are an oversight.

The idea of a re-match of the 2006 title game scares the hell out of me. Won't UCLA find extra motivation in trying to avenge last year's ass-kicking? Or will Florida rely on the fact they "owned" the Bruins?

What are your favorite storylines of the Final Four?

Recapping the Weekend:
UNC: Totally choked. Totally.
Oregon: Too much foul trouble.
Memphis: Not ready for national stage.
Kansas: Who didn't see this coming?

Tournament Challenge: Despite picking 3 of 4 Final Four teams, I'm only in the 63rd percentile in the "Daily Quickie Readers" pool. (For comparison, my 10-month-old son's bracket picks are in the 88th percentile.) If I had used the National Bracket to make my picks, I would have been in the 74th percentile.

Tomorrow, I'll be back to being able to focus on other sports. For now, just a few notes:

Kobe Watch: Scores only 43. Cripes: "Only."

I'm in the bag for Arenas, but I love the fact he makes little $10 side bets with fans sitting courtside. (And of course the NBA doesn't.)

Kentucky Watch: Izzo? I don't think so. Put him in with Donovan and Barnes in the "Wishful Thinking by Kentucky Fans" category.

Theismann booted from "Monday Night Football": Unknown who his replacement will be, but I'd vote for Ron Jaworski, who could provide an expert's eye to balance out Tony Kornheiser. (via ProFootballTalk)

Tiger is awesome. Yawn.

-- D.S.

Your 2007 Final Four:Florida, UCLA, Ohio St, Georgetown

What a huge - HUUUUGE - performance by Georgetown to beat UNC. That OT was jaw-dropping.

Florida: Defending champs return.
UCLA: Second straight FF for Bruins.
Ohio State: Call them the "Final Frosh."
Georgetown: Best team remaining?

My otherwise sorry bracket has been salvaged by picking 3 of 4 Final Four teams: Florida, UCLA and Georgetown. (Barely impressive? Consider: I picked all three to make the Final Four back in November, too.)

Much, much more on Monday. (By the way, as for Final Four predictions, I'll stick with my original bracket picks: Florida meeting Georgetown in the title game.)

-- D.S.

Sunday 03/25 (Very) Quickie:UCLA Saves the Tournament

Update: Florida is back in the Final Four. I'm curious about two things:

(1) Short-term: Does Florida's experience against UCLA in last year's title game help or hurt them? (Help: They've already proven they can beat them. Hurt: UCLA has that powerful "revenge" factor.)

(2) Long-term: With a second consecutive Final Four to pair with last year's title, it's time to consider this Gators team in its all-time-best historical context (say, post-1985).

They aren't Duke '91-92 yet. And I wouldn't put them at UNLV 90-91 yet. (Michigan State 00-01 is kind of weird, because Izzo basically took two different teams to the Final Four.)

But, regardless of how they finish in this Final Four, I'd put them among the top 5 college teams ever since '85. More on this tomorrow. Just thinking out loud for the first time on this...

As I whittle away the hours until Florida meets Oregon...

1:49 p.m.: Rationally, I know that Oregon's style is a MUCH better matchup for Florida than either Purdue or Butler. Irrationally, all this "Oregon is this year's Florida" stuff is freaking me out.

Original Post:
UCLA saved the Tournament: By beating 1-seed Kansas, the Bruins ensure that the dreaded "4-1" (4 1-seed) scenario once again is thwarted from ruining the Final Four.

I appreciated the prospect of unprecedented novelty, but if the NCAA Tournament is built on anything, it is the foundation of "all 4 1-seeds have never made the Final Four in the same year."

Ohio State looks really good: After watching them struggle through the Rounds of 32 and 16, to see the Buckeyes clock Memphis makes their Final Four appearance more intriguing.

(Oh, and OSU totally debunked the ludicrous theory that the tournament was somehow left with better games if it was 1-vs-2 in the regional final. This one was a dud.)

Today:
Florida over Oregon: As I said yesterday, this is "this year's Florida" versus last year's Florida. Ducks mighty-mite Tajuan (5-foot-6) Porter (33 pts in W over UNLV) scares me. But I'm thrilled for the Gators to finally not be playing the Purdue/Butler-style grind-it-out games.

Georgetown over UNC: By far the most highly anticipated game of the entire tournament. It's Selection Sunday's trendiest pick versus the field's most talented team. Should be a great one.

(And, yet: I'm already sick of the nostalgia for 1982. I appreciate that it's the 25th anniversary of UNC-G'town in the title game, but consider that no fan under 35 years old -- at a minimum -- has any recollection of this game beyond ESPN Classic-style highlights.)

Women's Tournament: No. 1 Duke shocked in upset by Rutgers. I hope Florida watched the game and keeps in mind today. No presumptive favorite is safe.

D2 Title Game: Barton over Winona State, in what was one of the best games/finishes you'll see.

Peyton Manning on SNL: I'm disappointed he didn't reprise Joe Montana's famous role from the show. It would have endeared him to every fan out there.

Elite Eight, Day 1 Live-Comment:UCLA Saves the Tournament!

Thank god for UCLA, whose win over Kansas ensured that the NCAA Tournament would avert its Doomsday Scenario -- all four 1-seeds making the Final Four. Saved!

For UCLA, it is affirmation of Ben Howland as one of the Top 5 coaches in the country. (Oh, you want the other two? Ask me after tomorrow.)

For Kansas, it is one more disappointing finish to end a season. But, hey, at least they made it out of the first round this time.

Ohio State thumps Memphis: Wow: Given OSU's troubles in the past two rounds, this thumping was surprising.

Tomorrow:
Florida-Oregon: If Oregon is this year's Florida, they're going to have to get through last year's Florida to claim it.

UNC-Georgetown: Perhaps the most highly anticipated game of the tournament.

More Sunday on everything.

Saturday 3/24 (Very) Quickie

Jeff Green hit the most challenging game-winner of any I have ever seen in an NCAA Tournament game. What a shot and what a player. He's a taller Dwyane Wade.

Yes, I was VERY nervous about Florida. I think I set a record for number of times one can mutter the F-word.

UNC just seemed to flip a switch, didn't they? And all of a sudden, "looking like crap" turned into "they've surged to a lead."

Say this about Oregon: At least they bring a little seed variety to the Elite Eight.

But when your lowest-remaining seed is a 3, Cinderella is dead. (Or, at least, on vacation this year.)

Again, my question of the weekend: Is it good or bad for college hoops that every regional final is 1-vs-2 (with that one exception 1-vs-3, in the region where the 2 didn't deserve a 2 anyway).

Today's Regional Finals:
West: UCLA over Kansas. My bracket says UCLA. My head says UCLA. They play Saluki-quality defense and know how to win in this game. KU has been playing with house money since they got out of Round 1.

South: Ohio State over Memphis. How many more lives can the Buckeyes have? Enough to be the best freshman-dominated team since the '92 Fab Five -- also a Final Four team?

More sports news:

Kobe goes 50+ -- AGAIN! That's four straight games. He's only the second NBA player ever to do it. If it wasn't for the Tournament, how much more attention would this streak be getting?

Wilt's record is 7 games, and I'm predicting Kobe goes for it. The next two games are against the Warriors and Grizzlies, so it's definitely within reach.

Chone Figgins: Out 5-6 weeks with broken fingers. As always: How much will this affect his fantasy stock?

Texans release David Carr: If they were just going to get rid of Carr inevitably, then their epic 2006 Draft mistake wasn't passing on Reggie Bush -- it was passing on hometown hero and 2006 Rookie of the Year Vince Young.

Knicks sign Randolph Morris: You read that right. (Short story: Draft loophole.) And so he goes from NCAA Tournament one week to NBA roster the next.

(Unlucky for the Knicks: Morris stinks. Softest big man in college in a decade. Makes Brendan Haywood look like Ben Wallace. But points to Isiah for creative player acquisition!)

Any developments in the Pat Tillman investigation reminds fans how truly tragic that story really was.

Here's hoping for a full recovery to the kid who wears the UNC mascot uniform. Thoughts and prayers with him, his family and UNC fans thinking of him.

Sweet 16, Day 2 Live-Comment

I miss Gus Johnson already, and James Brown hasn't even started talking yet. Why, CBS, why?!?

For those of you checking in, let me bring back up a question from this morning: If all four 1-seeds advance to the Final Four -- which would be unprecedented -- would that be good or bad for college hoops?

Now, I'm off to watch Florida and the rest... Enjoy the games!

-- D.S.

Previewing the NCAA Tournament:Tonight: Sweet 16 Day 2

Let's get right to tonight's games:

(A.M. Quickie below or click here.)

(1) Florida vs. (5) Butler.
A year ago, Florida's toughest game of their run to the title was at this stage – the Sweet 16 – against a vastly underrated 7-seed Georgetown. Butler is no Georgetown, but they do enough systemic things – pesky defense and lots of 3s – that I'm very nervous about the game. I think Butler may have trouble with Florida's perimeter defense. (The Gators' loss to 3-happy Tennessee earlier this season could be a template, but Butler doesn't play nearly the frantic style the Vols did, which was at least as critical to UT's win over UF as the shooting.)
Bracket/Gut Pick: Florida.

(2) Georgetown vs. (6) Vanderbilt. (East)
In the second game of the season, the Hoyas beat Vandy at Vandy. This isn't the same Vandy team, but it isn't the same Georgetown team, either. I'll be interested to see what Vandy star Derrick Byars can do against that Georgetown defense. This won't be a blowout: Having already thumped Florida earlier this season, it's not like Vanderbilt will be scared by Georgetown's size and speed.
Bracket/Gut pick: Georgetown.

(3) Oregon vs. (7) UNLV. (Midwest)
The most trendy analysis of the week is that Oregon is this year's Florida. The second-most trendy analysis of the week is that UNLV is last year's Georgetown. Keep in mind that in last year's Sweet 16 game, last year's Florida was a last-gasp basket away from losing to last year's Georgetown. Confused yet? Good.

Bracket pick: UNLV*
Gut pick: Oregon.

(* - I had Georgia Tech winning in this spot on my bracket, so I feel like the right thing to do is maintain the limited remaining integrity of my bracket and pick the team slotted to play Oregon in Georgia Tech's place.)

(1) UNC vs. (5) USC. (East)
What does it say when USC's top storyline this week is that its top recruit for next season is a huge douchebag? As with every team who has played UNC so far, the Trojans will have a hell of a time with UNC's (a) size, (b) depth and (c) speed.
Bracket/gut pick: UNC.

Sneak peek at the Regional Finals:

West: (2) UCLA over (1) Kansas. I'm still waiting for Bill Self's inevitable Tournament collapse. Seeing the trouble that KU had with SIU's defense, I think the Bruins handle the Jayhawks, similar to the way they handled a KU-like Memphis team in the Elite Eight last year.

South: (1) Ohio State over (2) Memphis. I still can't buy Memphis in the Final Four. And after watching OSU over the last two thrilling games, I think they're destined to make the Final Four.

So: Who are YOUR picks and why?

-- D.S.