Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips may have lost a step at age 34, but he can still pick it in the field better than any other 2B around. Check out this gem from a couple nights ago.
As Reds fans know, he makes plays like that every week. Better still, Brandon has a childlike joy for the game that is contagious. And he’s great with the fans. I’ve taken my kids down to the Reds stadium many, many times over the years, and BP is out there smiling and signing autographs before every game. I wish other players would follow his example – those five minutes a day can create a new generation of lifelong fans, and baseball needs the help.
It’s Opening Day for baseball in Cincinnati, which is an unofficial civic holiday around here – a parade, kids playing hooky from school, day-drinking… and tonight is the NCAA men’s basketball finals. A feast for the sports fanatic.
The Cincinnati Reds are picked to finish last in their division this year, mainly because they fared poorly last year and lost two starters from that team via trade, while not really picking up much, other than Marlon Byrd to play left field. I think they’ll do better than the prognosticators say… or at least I hope so. There was an interesting article in the Cincinnati Enquirer recently about the diametrically opposite batting approaches favored by two of the Reds biggest stars, Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips. Joey is new school all the way, a Sabermetrics dream come true. He’d rather walk than swing at a bad pitch. Which is fine if the folks behind you in the lineup have some pop, but that’s not the case for the Reds. I prefer the Brandon Phillips approach – if there’s a dude on 3rd with less than 2 outs, your job is to get him home… and a walk isn’t going to do that. So if you’re counting votes, put me down for Team Brandon.
Now on to hoops. Turns out Kentucky was beatable after all. Sorry Ashley Judd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loUIV8qcOB0
I know some college basketball fans wanted to see a perfect season, but I wasn’t one of them, mainly because of the insufferable better-than-thou attitude of many in Big Blue Nation. Halfway through the season, I was watching a UK game on TV and saw a UK fan in the stands wearing this shirt:
That sort of hubris deserves a comeuppance, and that’s exactly what Frank the Tank and the Wisconsin Badgers delivered. Now they just need to knock off Duke, or else we’ll have another set of insufferable fans to deal with.
My Xavier Musketeers have made the Sweet 16 for the 5th time since 2008, which is great. But Scott Gleeson of USA Todayranked the 16 teams left according to their chances to cut down the nets in Indianapolis, and Xavier finished dead last. 16th out of 16. When pigs fly. Snowball’s chance in hell.
Here’s what I say to you, Mr. Scott Gleeson of USA Today:
I’m a Xavier University alum and have season tickets for their men’s basketball team, so I was thrilled that they beat Georgia State yesterday to get to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament. (It’s their 5th Sweet 16 since 2008.) But I think members of the media and casual fans of the tourney were disappointed because it ended a great story line about the Georgia State coach, Ron Hunter. While celebrating his team’s win in their conference tournament finals, he blew out his Achilles tendon…
…so he had to coach in the NCAAs while wearing a boot and sitting on a rolling chair that looked like it was straight out of the Staples catalog. When his son R.J. Hunter, a junior guard on the team, hit an amazing game-winning shot in their first round upset of Baylor, he was so excited that he fell out of his chair.
As fate would have it, another Georgia State player is Kevin Ware, who suffered a gruesome broken leg in the NCAA tourney while playing for Louisville two years ago.
And this is not the first time Ron Hunter has drawn attention to his feet. In 2008 he coached a game barefoot to encourage shoe donations and raise awareness for a charity called Samaritan’s Feet that provides shoes to poor children around the world.
Georgia State’s run was a great story. It wasn’t just about the injury but also about the joy of a father coaching his son, and both of them experiencing success together. Ron gave his son a big, teary-eyed hug when he came out of the game in the waning seconds yesterday.
And Coach Hunter had a heartwarming perspective about his team’s magical run in his post-game press conference:
What a class act! Now I almost feel bad that my beloved Musketeers beat them. Almost.
I’ve got a fever, and the only cure is more basketball.
Yep, sounds like a classic case of March Madness. I’m taking today and tomorrow off from work to binge-watch some college hoops. Setting up 2 TVs and 2 laptops in the living room so I can tune in to all the action (if only I could clone my eyeballs). And yes, I filled out a bracket for the office pool… my entry fee is my annual donation to someone who knows a lot more about the teams than I do. Yesterday one of my kid’s friends said he picked a bracket based on the mascots. And my friend Mookie suggested that the NCAA should have a separate tourney that features mascot battles ala MTV’s old Celebrity Death Matchshow. I love that idea. I’d certainly tune in to see these:
Stephen F. Austin vs. Utah = a Lumberjack against a Ute. Manifest Destiny all over again.
VCU vs. Ohio State: A Ram headbutting a tree nut (Buckeye)… classic Nutcracker scenario
Iowa State vs. UAB: a real danger (a Cyclone) against an imaginary one (a Blazer/Dragon).
San Diego State vs. St. Johns: The Aztec is no match for a Red Storm (aka smallpox)
Xavier vs. Ole Miss: a classic case of culture clash as a chivalrous Musketeer takes on a redneck Rebel.
Wichita State vs. Indiana: “Shocker” and “Hoosier” both sound like punchlines to knock-knock jokes.
Notre Dame vs. Northeastern: Just a few days after St. Patty’s, I think the Fighting Irish leprechaun might still be fighting a hangover, so this pot o’ gold goes to the Husky (hair of the dog).
Coastal Carolina vs. Wisconsin: A Chanticleer? (Honey) Badger don’t care.
Northern Iowa vs. Wyoming. A Panther is tough, but a Cowboy has more weapons.
Providence vs. Dayton: A Friar or a Flyer? Get some serious prayer or get some serious air? Advantage Dayton.
Villanova vs. Lafayette: Wildcat vs. Leopard in the mother of all catfights.
The best mascot name of the tournament, hands down, is UC-Irvine, home of the Anteaters.
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