MARCH MADNESS THAT SUMS IT UP ...

They call it March Madness for a reason. Rarely has the NCAA tournament been as crazy as it was this past weekend. It was absolutely nuts. The upsets and surprises were of almost Biblical proportions. I found it hard to keep up with the upsets there were so many and I usually both watch and listen to just about every game either on television or on the radio. The first day of match ups on Thursday were barely over before we had a major upset that threw everyone’s brackets into doubt. At the end of Thursday’s games there was less than 3 percent left of perfect brackets. By the time the weekend closed out on Sunday night just about every bracket I saw resembled Napoleon’s historic retreat from Russia. A burning, devastated wasteland of broken hearts and broken dreams. Included in this travesty was my own bracket which to me became nothing more by Friday then a pointless reminder that there are no certainties in college basketball and especially in the tournament. My bracketology experienced a serious beat down of mind-numbing proportions. You either win or you go home. Your record and your historic pedigree matter’s not a bit, it’s all about the here and the now.

By the end of the weekend several of the national favorites to win the title had fallen. Purdue, Kansas, Virginia and Arizona all bit the dust in the first 72 hours of competition. Purdue has now been defeated in the first round in four straight tournaments. I mentioned last week that if Purdue loses the big man Ede they lose their entire game and I was proven correct. They didn’t exactly loose him but he was man handled and held to being a non-factor. Virginia and Arizona fared no better. For the big name teams, the first weekend of the tournament was, quite frankly, a disaster. For teams that held the top spots in the national rankings all year they folded pretty easily. Yes indeed, they call it March Madness for a reason. If you don’t believe me, just take a look at my bracket, you’ll find it in the waste basket under my desk. In the end, everyone now is scrambling for “second chance” brackets hoping to rewrite their final four picks. I expect more of the same craziness as the tournament continues thru the Sweet sixteen and Elite Eight. Stay tuned!

In other sporting news, the NFL Football off season continues to burn up the wire. No one knows yet where Arron Rogers will end up if he ends up anywhere other than Green Bay. His whole saga has worn out its welcome as far as I’m concerned. Arron needs to fish or cut bait because it’s getting old. Strangely enough no one knows what is happening with Lamar Jackson who was franchised tagged. He remains quite on the subject unlike Arron Rogers who can’t seem to close his mouth for more then half a day. It’s important to note that Lamar is representing himself with no agent involved. It may be an issue that in representing himself he has bucked “the system” and made negotiations that much more difficult. Only time will tell with Lamar Jackson but as the off season progresses it look more and more likely that he will remain a Baltimore Raven.

Odell Beckham Junior continues his world wide “Hey I’m a good receiver and can still play” tour with a few nibbles but no takers. Someone needs to remind him that there are players in The XFL that are Just as good if not better.

As the free agency window came to a close there was a flurry of movement of some really good players finding new homes. Derrick Carr is now in New Orleans, Jimmy G is now a Raider and Baker Mayfield is now in Tampa Bay. Added to this was dozens of trades and resigning’s that made many teams better and some teams stronger than they already were. I’m looking for the New York Giants, The San Francisco 49ers and The New England Patriots to make a run for the title next year as they get better and stronger. Wise choices in the upcoming NFL draft will solidify their position.

Until then we still have The NCAA Tournament, The Masters, The Kentucky Derby, The NBA Finals, The Stanley Cup, The Champions League, ML Baseball and a host of other events to keep us occupied! How many more days till football season anyhow?!?!

Kev