Song of the Week

"Mama" - LunchMoneyLewis
"I'm still her baby, even though I'm grown."

Song of the Week

"Wanna Luv You" - Kofi Black
This song samples "Computer Love" by Zapp and "Only You" by 112.
It's very new, only posted on youtube 6 weeks ago and only has 2,500 views.
And he's from Staten Island, according to an old article from the Advance.

Song of the Week

"The Waiting" - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Hail-ey to the Victor

For the second time in 3 years, a small child has won our ESPN tournament challenge group. In 2015 it was Nat, Hailey triumphs in 2017, with her newborn sister in fourth. My sister-in-law Mrs. Bates finished second. You will see your beloved hero, me, in 5th place with my real, actual bracket. That seems good, but I finished 5th among 5 of us who picked North Carolina to win it all. And I would have been even worse had I not mistakenly picked Kentucky to beat Wichita State in the second round.
Mrs. Poop was the highest finisher among those who didn't pick North Carolina. Nevertheless she remains our only 2-time champion. But with this crop of young talent we have in our group, she likely won't be alone for long.

2016: Master Bates
2015: Nat
2014: Billy
2013: TON
2012: Reissberg
2011: Mrs. Poop
2010: Vacated (I forgot to keep accurate records)
2009: Mrs. Poop
2008: Pa Beers
2007: Michael

Song of the Week

"Blessed" - Jill Scott
"I went to sleep stressed,
woke up refreshed
I'm so blessed, yeah yes"

I Knew All of These

The clever clue writers for Jeopardy! like the internet attention when Alex Trebek recites song lyrics, particularly rap and hip hop songs, which is why the show recently featured a category called "90s R&B hitmakers." Alex read the lyrics, contestants had to provide the performer of the song from which the lyrics came.

I Must Be the Only Person on the Internet

Usually the internet is a place where a diverse marketplace of ideas comes together creating a robust, thoughtful, intellectual discourse.
Just kidding, of course, but I was surprised at how overwhelming the reaction was in favor of United Airlines passenger David Dao.
Yes, I agree that United's policies are foolish and unfair. Yes, I agree the airline, if it really needed the seats for its own employees, should have offered a far more generous "bump" incentive than $800.
And yes I sympathize with anyone who buys a ticket, boards a plane and is then kicked off the flight against his or he will. I think we're all in agreement up until now.
But once the airline makes it clear the Dr. Dao has to leave the plane, that the flight will not take off with on it, that he will be "re-accomodated," Dr. Dao has to behave like a human being and walk off the flight.
All the terrible things that happened to him after that, the smashing of the nose on the armrest, the two embarrassing videos (one with shirt pulled up, one with incoherent ramblings and a bloody nose), the crush of media attention, the disclosure of his previous arrest and the embarrassing personal details all come back to his decision to force security to drag him off the plane.
Because he could have avoided these unfortunate circumstances just by behaving like an adult, I think a lot of the blame falls on him.

Enough Already

Syracuse basketball fans are in for several more years of rude condescension and unbending adherence to a system that every opponent knows is coming.
That's because Jim Boeheim knifed his most loyal assistant in the back and then stepped over his grave.
Mike Hopkins waited patiently for Boeheim to retire, and when the old man finally announced he would coach for only 3 more years, 2 years ago, Hopkins was named the coach in waiting.
But suddenly, a few days after the end to a disappointing season, Mike Hopkins accepted the job to be the head coach at Washington. Almost as suddenly, Syracuse offered a new contract to Jim Boeheim, which he happily accepted.
While everyone is saying the right things, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Hopkins would not have left if he was 100% sure he was getting the job after next season as promised.
For whatever reason, he must have felt there was at least some chance he was going to get screwed so he took a head coaching job while he could get one.
Clearly, Boeheim still wanted to coach, and Hopkins knew it. Boeheim, it seems, did nothing to try to keep Hopkins, offering nothing in the way of assurances he would get the job, and he certainly wouldn't do something as noble as retiring immediately, so instead Syracuse lost its head coach in waiting and is stuck with several (many) more years of the Jim Boeheim era.

Song of the Week

"That's The Way I Feel About Cha" - Bobby Womack
"and your friend Annie Mae..."

Song of the Week

"No Problem" - Chance the Rapper featuring 2 Chainz & Lil Wayne
A lot of people seem to make this guy out to be last great hope for rap music, but I don't see it. This song isn't bad though.

2017 MLB Season Predictions

NL East: New York Mets
NL Central: Chicago Cubs
NL West: Los Angeles Dodgers
NL Wild Cards: Washington Nationals over Colorado Rockies
NLCS: Los Angeles Dodgers over Chicago Cubs

AL East: Boston Red Sox
AL Central: Cleveland Indians
AL West: Houston Astros
AL Wild Cards: Seattle Mariners over Texas Rangers
ALCS: Boston Red Sox over Cleveland Indians

World Series: Boston Red Sox over Los Angeles Dodgers

NL MVP: Kris Bryant
AL MVP: Mike Trout
NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw
AL Cy Young: Chris Sale
NL Rookie: Tyler Glasnow
AL Rookie: Andrew Benintendi
NL Manager: Bud Black
AL Manager: AJ Hinch
NL Comeback: Matt Harvey
AL Comeback: Michael Brantley

He Can Coach My Kids Anytime

I used to think of Kansas State coach Frank Martin like this:

Now I think of South Carolina coach Frank Martin like this:

It all changed for me when Martin was asked, essentially, what's wrong kids these days?

Martin responded: “You know what makes me sick to my stomach? When I hear grown people say that kids have changed. Kids haven’t changed. Kids don’t know anything about anything. We’ve changed as adults. We demand less of kids. We make their lives easier instead of preparing them for what life is truly about. We’re the ones that have changed. To blame kids is a cop out.”

Demanding, understanding, with an occasional yell. That's my kind of coach.

When kids come into this world, they don't know whether they should be spoiled or hard-working. We make them that way by the challenges we allow, and don't allow them to face.

Frank Martin has the right idea. He can coach my kids anytime.

The Search is Over

After years of looking for the best gore and scouring pictures of bull fights and the Running of the Bulls for pictures of people with bullhorns lodged in uncomfortable places.
We don't need to bother anymore. Here is the best (worst?) we should ever hope to see:

Matador Antonio Romero got an 11-inch bull horn right up the ass.
He needed full rectal reconstruction.

I guess he never saw "The Breakfast Club."

Song of the Week

"Touch of Grey" - Grateful Dead
"I will get by."

Song of the Week

"No Particular Place to Go" - Chuck Berry
"Cruisin and playing the radio, with no particular place to go"

Something That Really Cooks

Chuck Berry, who has died aged 90, was rock’n’roll’s first guitar hero and poet. Never wild, but always savvy, Berry helped define the music. His material fused insistent tunes with highly distinctive lyrics that celebrated with deft wit and loving detail the glories of 1950s US teen consumerism.

He is survived by his wife, Themetta “Toddy” Suggs, whom he married in 1948, four children, Ingrid, Chuck junior, Aloha and Melody and cousin Marvin.

Tournament Thoughts: Second Round Sunday

We finally got the good games and the upsets we wanted.

I think we have the declare the offense vs. defense a draw.

South Carolina beat Duke, Arkansas gave North Carolina a game, but UCLA beat Cincinnati easily.

One tournament is a small sample, but man the ACC had just about has bad a tournament as you can have. Not only did the 5 bottom teams lose, three of the biggest upsets so far were ACC teams. Out of 9 teams to start only 1 remains. Out of 9 teams from the ACC and SEC, 6 remain.

Joel Berry got away with a ridiculous travel. And it came at a crucial time, pushing the lead from 1 to 3.



Alex English had a busy weekend, watching his son AJ play for Iona against Oregon, and then seeing his alma mater South Carolina beat Duke. Too bad he wasn't wearing this awesome jersey though.

One of Rhode Island's best players, Hassan Martin, is from Staten Island and went to Curtis High School.

Tournament Thoughts: Second Round Saturday

So it took until the third day but finally we got the thrilling upsets and fantastic finishes for which the tournament is revered.
But let's start at the beginning.
I love Verne Lundquist but he is losing his fastball. He misread the promo for "Kevin Can Wait." Even though it was about cooking, he said Chief Kevin, instead of Chef Kevin. Then made the same mistake again today, before correcting himself. Though we liked when he suggested the West Virginia band learn how to play "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?"

When people were talking about seeing "Beauty and the Beast" this weekend I thought they meant Verne and Allie LaForce. LaForce by the way, has come a long way since we first profiled her, marrying former Mets reliever Joe Smith, and progressing nicely in her career.

We should take it easy on Verne though, poor guy got hit in the face by a basketball during warmups.



Villanova a huge disappointment in their title defense. For years they had underachieved and finally broke through, but then reverted back. They become the first #1 seed to get knocked out on the first weekend since Kansas lost that memorable game to #9 Northern Iowa in 2010.

Wisconsin probably deserved a better seed, they have a really good team.

Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, shown a lot on TV at the Northwestern game because her son Charlie Hall is on the team.

But not nearly as much as the Northwestern crying kid.

I felt terrible about how often they showed him and how they milked his anguish. Thought it was a little too much. Turns on the kid is the son of the athletic director. And he's 11 years old. And I hope he never loses that youthful passion and enthusiasm.

Now to the important part of that game: the terrible non-call on a clear goaltending. It was clear and obvious, Zach Collins's hand was through the hoop when he contested that shot. The refs blew it. Perhaps the ref on the baseline was screened by the bottom of the backboard, perhaps he was looking for body contact, I don't know how all three of them missed it.

And it was a huge play. Massive turning point. Should have been a 3 point game with 5 minutes left. Instead after the technical on Chris Collins (no relation to Zack) it was back to 7 and Northwestern couldn't climb the hill. But despite the call Chris Collins cannot come onto the floor like that during play. The ref had to tee him up, no choice.

Arizona looks really good. Even though they got pushed by a good St. Mary's team, I like their talent. They may be lacking a true point guard but they have players everywhere around the court.

Kyle Guy and his manbun made Mrs. Poop's All-Hair team.

And his teammate Ty Jerome is on my all-name team.

If Mrs. Poop had an All-Name team (she doesn't) she would choose Florida's Gorjok Gak.

Because it reminds her of the gak from Double Dare.

Thank God Virginia lost. What a boring team to watch. 39 points? Really? Glad I will never have to watch London Perrantes play again.

Check out Caleb "Biggie" Swanigan's middle school highlight reel.



He had a lot of struggles earlier in life, and seems to have overcome them. He's lost 100 pounds, maybe has more to lose. But he is a fantastic player who can shoot and pass much better than we expect for someone of his size.

We ended the night with a good one. Two good athletic teams running up and down the floor. Exciting finish to the day. Let's hope for more tomorrow.

Tournament Thoughts: First Round Friday

I am never disappointed with the NCAA tournament but this was the most underwhelming first round I can remember in years. No upsets of a top 4 seed, and only 1 12 seed won, and they were actually favored.

And the big teams that won for the most part weren't even challenged. North Carolina won by 39, Kansas by 38, Duke by 22. And the two teams that were "challenged" were UCLA and Kentucky and they still won by 17 & 9. And Kentucky's win wasn't even that close.

Hopefully, the better teams advancing means more good games in the later rounds.

And it wasn't just the top seeds, the close matchups, didn't yield any super-exciting games, none went to overtime. For the second straight day, one of the most exciting finishes was marred by bad play.

Seton Hall had so many unfortunate things happen in the final 40 seconds, the culmination of which was a questionable call, but they lost more because of their own mistakes than those of the officials.

Here's why: they led by 8 with 6 minutes left, they led by 8 with 9 minutes left. They had the lead and the ball with 80 seconds left. Then they turned it over, and allowed the go-ahead layup. They had the ball again, and turned it over on a travel. So that's two turnovers in 1 minute with the game on the line, before the officials got involved.

And then, the call happened. Seton Hall had to give a foul, trailing by 1 with the shot clock off. Desi Rodriguez tried to foul but instead he put two hands on the back of Barford and their feet got tangled simultaneously. By the letter of the law, this should have been ruled a flagrant, a clear push with no attempt to play the ball. By the spirit, no foul, it's late in the game, teams need to foul, contact wasn't excessive.

Look at it from the other side. Imagine you're Arkansas. A guy does exactly what is written in the rule book as a flagrant foul, but they give him leeway based on discretion, and you somehow lose. Wouldn't Arkansas have a much bigger case to freak out? You can't tailor the rules to the situation.

And for Seton Hall, the most likely case is ball back, down 3, 20 seconds. Not great odds. Which is why Seton Hall blew this game before the referee's call was made.

If Marquette's Andrew Rousey went on Jim Rome's show, would he call him "Ronda?"

Every time the announcers talked about Cincinnati's Troy Caupain, it sounded like they were saying cocaine.

Similarly I thought Kevin Harlan had a Freudian slip when excitedly referring to Baylor's Manu Lecomte. "Look at le cunt!"

On to round 2, hoping for some better games!

Tournament Thoughts: First Round Thursday

Sickening end to Vanderbilt vs. Northwestern. Matthew Fisher-Davis will not quite join Chris Webber, due to enormity of the situation, but certainly his blatant foul with 25 seconds left and his team LEADING by 1, will go down as one of the most boneheaded moves in tournament history.

No big upsets today. You can't really consider Middle Tennessee an upset since they were favored, and Xavier was only 2-point dogs, not exactly Cinderella stuff. All the 4 seeds won their opening round games. That's the third time that's happened in the past 4 years.

My biggest regret of the first round is that Albany lost their conference final to Vermont, and I don't get to put Dallas Ennema on my all-name team.

But at least we have Bacon.

The first member of Mrs. Poop's All-Hair team is Justin Tillman from VCU.

And his teammate Jonathan Williams would be there if Mrs. Poop liked beards.

For fundamentals no one beats Florida's Canyon Barry who shoots free throws underhand, as his father Rick used to do. Oh, and Barry set the Florida record for most consecutive free throws. For the record, Rick had sons Scooter, Brent & Jon with his first wife, Canyon is from wife #3, Rick must have been about 50 when Canyon was born.

Underhanded free throws are something Florida-Gulf Coast's Demetris Morant might want to consider.



Arizona looked good, Nevada looked fun and maybe Wisconsin can give Villanova some trouble. That's it for a very chalky day 1. Let's see if more upsets await on Day 2.