2007 Season opener running diary

I'll try a running diary for the opening night, NBC broadcast and beer ... so ...

8:30 - Who is that chick singing the anthem? Should I know her? Why do they all try to be Whitney ... get with the song already.
8:32 - Who is the chick singing the theme song? Should I know her? Looks alright, at least she's better than Pink.
8:35 - The little promo with Manning / Bush was cute, but not quite Nicolette Sheridan
8:40 - Addai goes down on the first play of the game ... oh man, Dungy/Manning almost shat themselves.
8:43 - For the record, I hate Madden as an announcer. And I have N'Awlins to cover the 6 point spread.
8:52 - Mare misses his first kick with the Saints after they pretty much picked the D apart ... good job!
9:00 - Okay ... Harrison is a little bit of a stud ...But how do you not double team him?
9:02 - LOVE the Bud Light at the opera advert... "First time at the opera boys?" - Classic
9:06 - Eric Johnson was a great pickup, how was this not discussed more? Why does Football prospectus have NO finish dead last? Did anyone check to make sure the 2007 edition wasn't swapped with the 2002 one?
9:08 - Another good Bud Light ad... with the barking dogs. What the hell is Chuck? Is it a remake of Max Smart?
9:11 - The Visa adverts with the people paying with the card but then someone pays cash are really annoying. How is cash slower than Credit? Don't you have to sign the damn receipt? This needs to be explained.
9:15 - They need to invent a device that blocks Madden's voice and we can just have Michaels.
9:16 - Jason David - Greatest redemption ever. After being burned by Marvin on the TD he strips and runs back for 6 ... Laissez les bons temps roulez!
9:17 - The new captain emblem is huge and gaudy but why doesn't a player's past experience count? Manning only had one star, no way it's his first year as captain.
9:19 - This is ouuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr country ... didn't we retire that damn song?
9:22 - Why do I need to see a huge graphic on the field that says 2nd and 10, when it says that on the graphic at the bottom of the screen? How lazy do you have to be to not drop your eyes a few inches?
9:25 - Dammit, I want to hate Manning, why does he have to make good adverts, the MasterCard one with the advice for couples...
9:25 - Wait a minute, Visa & MasterCard? The NFL allowed this?
9:26 - Listening to the crowd during a Deuce run, it sounds like the Saints have a few fans in the dome ... the champs couldn't sell out the opener to their own fans?
9:27 - Deuce, Bush & Stecker ... Yeah, good luck stopping all 3.
9:32 - Push It, as the outro music after the Mare FG, really? Was funky Cold Medina too expensive?
9:33 - I love Heineken, but what the hell was that?
9:37 - Wait, Dungy has a daughter named Tiara? There's a joke there somewhere.
9:40 - So, according to the Pepsi ad, Wade Phillips is retarded? Nice hire Jones...
9:42 - Shouldn't someone mention that the Colts only had one good drive, after the missed FG. The Saints are killing the vaunted O of Indy...
9:47 - This is Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Country count at 5 ...
But I am excited about the John C. McGinley Miller adverts...
9:52 - Manning is 8/16 for 101, very Grossman like numbers. Any chance someone will say anything?
9:52 - NO takes a time out with 52 secs left on defense ... what a move. So the FG ties it, the Colts still have only 2 big plays ... total domination from where I sit.
9:59 - So, if the ref loses his hat, that means an illegal touch?  Uhhhh ... I'll let that one slide.
10:04 - Chris Collinsworth is the best sportscaster in the land, but you can't make a Peyton Manning being in every ad joke when he's only been in one or two. You have to look at the broadcast. Tiki's first Sunday Night game will be NYG-Dallas ... priceless!
Why the hell would NBC advertise their Monday Night line-up during a FOOTBALL game ... retards.
10:06 - I LOVE Keith Olberman ... But Bob Costas can lick my sweaty nut sack...
10:14 - Why does Andrea Kremer look so surprised when she looks at the camera?
10:24 - Was Addai flashing gang signs after the TD? Just what the commish wants to see.
10:35 - I guess Dungy gave quite the halftime pep talk, 'cause it's all Indy now. This is ugly. Good thing I won money on St-Louis earlier today.
10:44 - Why doesn't Madden just marry Bob sanders already? It's sickening...
11:23 - Quite the massacre ... I guess Indy is for real.
11:33 - Wow ... they just showed the graphic that Brees was about to set the mark for the lowest yards per completion in a game in history. One pass later and Weinke's record is safe...
11:35 - Well, Manning made Jason David his personal bitch and now the game's over. Why does NBC have a horse trailer? What is Madden doing?

4 Albums in current heavy rotation

She Wants Revenge (Eponymous)

This album is number 1 on my play count for the past 3 months.

If you like Interpol, you’ll enjoy SWR.

But that’s the easy comparison and a little unfair. SWR’s music has an aggro edge in their lyrics without being angry; it’s more subtle than that.

Top tracks are Out of Control, Tear You Apart & These Things.

There’s a hidden track as well that’s very good.

The songs make me pumped up and would be great to listen to during a workout – like that would ever happen!

The Pipettes (Eponymous)

This one’s interesting because although I got the album last year after seeing it on the list of best albums of 2006, it has since been removed from the list (the entry was blank for #20) and is no longer available for purchase.

When I bought the single for You’re Kisses Are Wasted on Me the back cover mentions the forthcoming album (in 2007). Strange indeed, but I’m just happy to have it.

The Pipettes are an English 3 piece girl group that are backed by their band called The Cassette, or as the beautiful Louise calls them: the girl’s yellow-vested bitches.

The 3 girls present different personalities yet always wear polka dots and have great choreographed routines, think the Go-Go’s meet the Supremes, but for the new millennium.

Their stage presence and look are awesome, but it’s the music that makes them stand apart. Brit pop but without being overly bubbly, which is amazing considering their live set, which is one of the best I’ve seen.

My fave tracks are One Night Stand (with the great chorus: “If you think that this is cruel you should see what my friends do”), We Are The Pipettes ("We're the prettiest girls you've ever met"), Pull Shapes (I think this is English for Voguing), Dirty Mind was their hit, I think it was on some TV show (Grey's or OC), but there are at least 5 other gems on the album, it's hard to pick just a few (in fact in a recent review in Filter Magazine, the top tracks included none of the above).

Gogol Bordello (Gypsy Punks)

This one is frustrating for me. I bought the album because I was thinking of seeing them at Bonnaroo. Because I didn't listen to them before, I decided to skip their show for something else. The thought of Gypsy Punks appealed to me, but I assumed it was going to be a watered down Bad Religion, at best. Boy was I wrong.

A couple of weeks after returning from Tennessee I went to a Uni-Watch party and then found a group on facebook dedicated to the group. So I joined and noticed a message on the group's wall that had a youtube link and a caption that it was Paul Lukas' worst fears. That's an intriguing tagline (assuming you have no idea who or what Uni-Watch or Paul Lukas are, just know he hates purple in sports).

The clip was for Gogol's Start Wearing Purple video. The guy at the start had a Borat moustache, so I thought it was a joke.

I quickly realized it was no joke and damn it, the song was awesome. This was like nothing I've ever heard, and Gypsy Punk is the only thing it can be described as.

I wanted to learn more and while listening to gems like Avenue B, Not A Crime, Immigrant Punk & the amazing Think Locally, Fuck Globally I was able to find out that they were discovered playing in a small Bulgarian Cafe in New York.

They are Russians and Israelis packed in a group that writes some of the best party music around. Their shows, from clips I saw on youtube are colourful and flamboyant, think Scissor Sisters meets traditional Russian folkloric group meets Perry Farell meets Borat. I can't get enough of these guys, and now I'm sad because I missed out on what could have been a major highlight.

Well, they released another album recently, so maybe they'll come to town.

Magnetic Fields (69 Love Songs)

Like the title of this massive recording indicates, the triple volume album is comprised of 69 tracks that deal with love and it's related fields ...

This is not a compilation, these are 69 new songs from this great Stephen Merritt (formerly of the Future Bible Heroes) fronted band from Boston. You know that I'm no romantic, but this Joy Division meets Lou Reed meets everything else, inspired music can make even the most jaded believe anything's possible.

There's so many gems that I don't even think I've gone through the entire collection yet. But Chicken with It's Head Cut Off is an early favourite.

NCAA Day 2

OMG. North Texas can shoot! They were 3 for 3 and attempted one that was deep for the pros and I thought that was it, but no. They can't miss. 6 for 6...
Memphis is 324th in the country in FT shooting this could be interesting.
Bill Raftery is awesome. Going from Billy Packer to him is like drinking Dom after a bottle of Baby Doc...
Since going 6-6 they've gone 8 for 34 ... ouch. Yet it's only a 13 point game. Memphis (as predicted by me) will get smoked in the second round by Nevada or Creighton.

Albany's great Danes came up lame against the Wahoos. Oh well, still no upset today. I do have Winthrop over ND and Holy Cross over over So. Illinois. I also think Wisconsin is vulnerable to a great story in Corpus Christi.

Billy Packer just said it's time for a UNLV player to expose himself. I ... There's just so many places to go there...
Wow. They are from Vegas, I guess.

Vegas and the Paper Tigers advance. Still no upset.

Tennessee allowed 86 and still won by 35. Crazy!

Finally an upset. Another 11 seed in Winthrop, who beats Notre Dame. So I wasn't so crazy taking a 3 of those. I got 2 right.

My upsets for tonight - Holy Cross and that's it. Not a very mad tourney by any stretch. Maybe if Syracuse, Drexel and a little more mid-majors were in then it would be better.

Allyson Hannigan is back on TV? Why wasn't I told of this? I think there should be some kind of alert system.

Finally - someone makes a Uma-Oprah joke about Umeh. On the Score, of course. CBS wouldn't do that. After someone there said how a Fred Astaire reference was too old, they countered with a more contemporary ... ready for this ... Gregory Hines!
Holy Crap! Yeah, all the kids know and love Gregory Hines...

Running Diary - 2007 Day 1

A few things to know - if I say the game has switched to another or we're switching to another game, it means the channel I'm watching has changed to some other game or highlight. If I say the word flipped, it's because I changed the channel, potentially to avoid me trying to reach through the TV and strangle Jim Nantz.

This is edited from the full version.

1138 - I have a Beaver Buzz going, some pretzels, candy and Red Bull (which may or may not be combined with some vodka later). I can't wait for the massacring of Duke and the upset of overrated Wisconsin (Okay, that one’s tomorrow).

1221 - The first game is Maryland - Davidson. Maryland is heavily favoured, but Davidson is considered a potential bracket buster.

1222 - Two sons of famous athletes in this one - Maryland has DJ Strawberry, son of Darryl and Davidson has Stephan Curry, son of Del. Big advantage for Davidson.

1225 - Apparently, DJ's stick-to-it-iveness (???) is really appreciated by all.

1237 - A Quebec reference, as Archambault makes a 3.

1238 - He makes another and now the game is tied at 17

1243 - Okay, that Jordan/Bacon underwear commercial is just creepy

1244 - Back to Davidson, now up by 3

1245 - I just got a call and the dude was pissed because I didn't know who Gina is.

1246 - Fear the turtle, they are back up by 1.

1246 - Wow! Actual question - do you think the Canadian guys play better because we're close to the border?

1248 - I get about 60 sports channels and none of them are showing the Texas Tech game. Bobby Knight is losing.

1249 - Why is Jordan in Bacon's house?

1251 - Louisville get to play 2 in Kentucky, making the A&M game (assuming they both win) really interesting. Now there's some bracket porn!

1253 - Uh, this Davidson team is pretty good. Wait, they won 29 games this year ... I feel sick.

1255 - The Score switched to the Louisville game, why not show the game we can't see ... you bastards. They're up by 13, not exactly competitive

1257 - Why is Stanford just one Cardinal, instead of Cardinals like Louisville? 10 Turnovers already for Stanford in 11 minutes

1259 - Davidson now up by 2 after a big, big 3 by Jones.

100 - 8-0 run by Maryland, tied at 35 with 4:52 left. TT is down by 4 with 3:05 left (how did that game pass us so quickly, it started later) in the half

102 - The Western feed switched to the Davidson game too. Meaning all 3 networks are covering the same game. AWESOME! TT is down by 1 now.
The clock just said there was 22 minutes left in the half in Louisville (I think there's something wrong there)

104 - Now I'm just mad, TT/BC is tied with 30 seconds to go.
Curry has 16 points already. These guys are quick. Tie game at 41 here with just over 2 minutes left.

108 - Boston College enters the half with a 41 - 39 lead over the Red Raiders. Louisville is crushing Stanford. Yeah, they belonged instead of Syracuse - no question.

109 - Davidson scores 82 a game, yikes.

112 - Andrew Lovedale (of Nigeria) blocked another big shot before the half. 44-43 Maryland at the half.
Davidson has 5 countries represented on the roster.

122 - 46-20 Louisville. I really doubt Pitino is really that worried about Stanford going on a run. They are really terrible. Why is the mascot a tree and the name Cardinal? Does the bird live in the tree?
Maybe a little less shoe painting and a little more basketball there, Lopez? Gus Johnson, who called the UCLA/Gonzaga game and almost soiled himself, must be dying inside just a little.

123 - OMG, we are actually going to get some of the BC game after the break. I feel giddy.

132 - Oh those slimy bastards ... after the longest break ever. We get the Maryland game again. CBS must die

133 - The Score has it, for now at least.

134 - And it's gone ...

137 - Curry is on fire, a great bounce pass and now Davidson is up by 8; 52-44

138 - Flip to BC/Tech, and Bobby Knight is up by 2 with 12 minutes left

139 - The Toronto Argos just got negotiating rights to Joey Harrington - why?

152 - If this game wasn't so amazing, I'd be really pissed about the other networks. But Vazquez, Jones, Curry are giving it their all. Real nice.

155 - Oh hell no. Another Ouuuurrrr Country ad ... kill me

159 - 14 lead changes in this game Maryland up 60-59 with 9:50 to go.

202 - Osby for Maryland has come off the bench and is dominating

217 - Texas Tech loses by 9. My first loss in my bracket.

219 - Curry now has 30 and the lead is 9 for the Terps according to the screen, but it's actually 5 ...

227 - 82-70 final. That was too close.

233 - Oral Roberts - Washington State. I actually have the 14 seed ORU in this one. WSU is a mediocre team from a weak conference.

241 - It's official, Louisville was able to scrape by and beat Stanford 78-58 in Pitino's return to Lexington

257 - Belmont has an early 5 point lead on Georgetown, but that won't last. ORU still has a 4 point lead. Not so shocking to me ...

259 - 11-4 now for Belmont. Patrick Ewing is now in the game... Ah, if only it was 1984.

309 - In case you didn't know Ewing won the Natl championship in '84 with Georgetown with John Thompson II as coach. Patrick Ewing, son, now plays at Georgetown for John Thompson III.

310 - Butler and Old Dominion are tied at 7 after 6:20. Not exactly the pace of Maryland/Davidson. Butler, of course, was where Hoosiers was filmed.

313 - Ooooh ... hot triplets on CSI:Miami, what a shocker - they're blonde.

315 - I was about to say how ORU is too strong on the ball for Wazzou, but then they scored 4 points in the last 2 seconds (on a steal by Weaver) to end the half 28-26 ORU.

317 - Flip to the ODU game and it's still 7-7 ...

321 - Wow ... Dickie V in that Hooter's commercial ... I'm speechless. Looked like a 3 year old lost in an amusement park.

323 - Georgetown is pulling away now. 24-15 with 7 minutes left
Does G'Town not have any white unis? They're wearing Grey, what's the away uniform? Darker Grey?

325 - Flip to A&M Vs Penn. Finally one of the players I really wanted to see (no offence to Hibbert or Green) - Acie Law IV. I have them going really deep, as in Final 4.

327 - ODU is leading in the dreaded 12 vs. 5 game. I picked Long Beach as my 12 to upset. Which was tough, because I love Bruce Pearl, or any coach willing to take off his gear and paint himself orange.

331 - Oral's leading scorers - King & Tutt ... I'm not clever enough to make this up. That is awesome!

339 - Wait, what happened to the A&M game? Dammit. I guess I'll have to wait 'til the next round to see the Law come out and dominate.

342 - The half ends with ODU leading 20-19 over Butler. Less that half the points from the previous game on this same court. Ouch.

351 - Yippee, a switch to the A&M game.

352 - Penn is missing open lay-ups, not exactly a recipe for success.

355 - A&M leads 31-18 at the half

406 - Clark and Rochestie are now in control. WSU can do no wrong. 60-47. Clark has 5 blocked shots.

408 - A 4 point play for ORU, who, I have to admit, I thought would play a whitewash. But it's the complete opposite. I wonder if Roberts if freaking out. Is he still alive?

410 - Flipped to ODU. Actual comment: The game is picking up it's pace. It's 27-24 ODU 5 minutes into the second half. What's the record for lowest ever score?

417 - WSU is much better than I expected, but one and done should be the case. GW/Vandy should be interesting...

419 - 70-54 is your final. Cougars advance. Switch to ODU/Butler. A whopping 32-29 score with 11:30 left.

430 - Campbell his another 3 for Butler. 12 Straight points now for Butler.

433 - Switch to G'Town. 60-38 Hoyas. Ouch.

437 - Switch to A&M ... what the Hell. Penn is up by 2!!!! Sweet fancy Moses!
Wow - those entourage guys (Turtle, especially) are really bad actors.

440 - Tied at 39 with 11:00 to play

445 - Canadian content - Pompey of the Aggies is from TO, born in Trinidad.

458 - Switch to ODU. 44 seconds left. Butler up 55 - 46.

500 - Butler advances to face the Turtles. Is a Terrapin a turtle? Why are they called the turtles?

506 - Zoller is on fire with 16 in the second half. But Penn is finally running out of time, down 59-47 with 2:15 to play.

513 - Once again they mention Jones, "intestinal" issues. Is this really necessary?

535 - Vandy is destroying my pick GW. 43-15, GW just made 1st basket in over 11 minutes

537 - CBS East actually switched to the News???

539 - 45-20 at the half. I need a Red Bull.

545 - We learn that the 1st half score of ODU/Butler was the 8th lowest of all time.

550 - WSU's Clarks's 5 blocks -> all against Green of ORU. Ouch.

600 - Okay ... so the Western feed has switched to the news now, instead of the second half of this game. Uh? So why broadcast it, if no one is listening? I'm actually happy to be here now.

636 - I'm numb of course, with a 71-40 Vandy lead. A whupping. Both 6-11 games so far have been blowouts. Maybe I shouldn't have picked 3 11 seeds (I did have Louisville though)

645 - David Rodriguez for Vandy (the only guy without his name on his back) scores for the first time all year, on his second free throw attempt to end the game. 77-44.

710 - We finally get a first look at a #1 - Ohio State and the Man Child. He's a freshman but looks about 45 years old (really 19).

711 - Blackwood - Central Connecticut's best player is from Toronto

715 - Oden already has 4 rebounds in less than 5 minutes. Plus he scores.

716 - Oooo ... flip to Duke / VCU. I got VCU like many others

732 - Duke is up by 11 ... I'm sad.

735 - Flip to UCLA/Weber State. We learn that the higher seeds are 8-0 and the smallest margin of victory is 9 points. I chose the wrong day for a diary ...
Where's Cinderella?

739 - Weber State is up, I refuse to get excited ...

742 - I actually have the choice of 3 games .. .I'm almost giddy

743 - Switch to Mizzou/Marquette 10 minutes in and Marquette finally scores to make it 14-3. Yikes, giving the ODU game a run for it's money. Maybe a lower seed will finally win, even if it is just a 9 over an 8.

751 - Flip to VCU and they're down by 3 with 4:50 left in the half. Okay we get it, Paulus is fatigued. Maybe HE needs a Red Bull.

753 - So Duke is not the team they usually have, blah blah blah. They did return a few starters though. Doesn't every team lose a few starters (Florida excepted)? Maybe they just suck this year. This love of Duke is unbelievable.

757 - Apparently White men can jump as Pocius slams it down on the fast break for Duke.

802 - Ohio State is up by 21 at the half (38-17) ... No upset there. Of course a number 1 has never lost in the first round.

807 - VCU is given a most bogus foul with 2.8 seconds left, a 3 point foul at that. I hate Duke so much ...
Paulus made 2 of 3 and at the half it's Duke 40-38

820 - Michigan State is up by 12 at the half, making it the best bet for our first upset. The lamest of upsets of course.

821 - Naismith Finalist ad for Hansborough, if anyone votes for him they need to have their credentials revoked.
And UCLA is up 37-19 at the half.

822 - Just lost power ... Awesome ...

823 - It's back but now everything needs to boot up (TV and Digital Box) ... Ugh . I guess this is the best time since OSU is the only game not at the half and they're up 27 early in the second half.

825 - Still no picture ... C'mon Rogers. Don't piss me off.

826 - Time for a drink. Beaver Buzz and Russian Vodka. Hmmmm ... tasty.

827 - Fuck - Power went off and on again. We have to restart.

828 - Uh, hello?

829 - This can't be happening right now. Am I missing any recordings too? I hate this place.

830 - And we're back ...
Oh Come on. It happened again...

832 - And we're back. VCU is up by 1. Oh Baby! Ohio State is only up by 16 now.

834 - We're only 3 minutes into the second half and already Duke is tired. And this is the youngest team ever for coach K. But now after 3 3s they are up by 6.

836 - Maynor has been terrorizing Paulus and just stole it from him for an easy 2

843 - Twice we're told how McRoberts is one of only 2 players in the country with his set of stats. Both times, there's no mention of who the other guy is. Great job guys!

846 - Laettner is in the stands, and we're reminded how he was on the dream team. Yes. That's right. Magic, Jordan, Bird, Barkley, Ewing, Pippen, Robinson, Malone, Stockton, Drexler, Mullin & Laettner. One of these is not like the other.

854 - Mizzou is still up by 14. But they were favoured, even as a worst seed, because of injuries to Marquette. So it's not really an upset.

857 - VCU / Duke is getting chippy as Paulus wanted a piece of Maynor.

900 - Duke went on a 9-0 run and led by 11. Now it's 61-52 with 10:27 to play

902 - VCU is shooting under 40%. If a team can shoot accurately and play the full court press, Duke could lose by more than 20.

904 - Oh. OSU won by 21 (78-57), and no one noticed the game was over.

908 - So VCU has someone named B.A. and there's no A-Team jokes? Where's the justice?

915 - 5:59 left and VCU just went up by 1. I'm officially excited now.

918 - Could the refs be more in Duke's pocket. Paulus hits someone and Pellot-Rosa is called for the foul. Karma intervenes and Paulus had missed 3 straight from the stripe and is 6/11 overall. Duke up by 2 with 4:21 left.

923 - So Arrested Development never got a chance and 2 and a half men is still on? Are Americans that dumb?

924 - VCU has tied the game with 3:40 left

925 - I had to switch to Canadian TV to find out that VCU has missed 13 lay-ups (thanks coach of the Bearcats). That's analysis we can use.

928 - VCU leads with less than 2 minutes left ... oh baby.

931 - UCLA won by 28, no one cared. Game is tied at 72 with 1:30 left ....

932 - Sheyer is the 4th player to leave the game because of bleeding. VCU up by 2. 1:20 left

934 - 21 seconds left. VCU up by 2. Foul on McRoberts.

935 - 16 seconds VCU by 1. Foul on Pellot-Rosa. A Senior shooting over 80% from the charity stripe.
He makes one. Nelson ties it at 77. 10 seconds left

936 - Maynor with 1.8 seconds left. WHAT A SHOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

937 - Anyone notice how Laettner looks like Doogie Howser now?

938 - Maynor is soooo Money.
VCU wins, VCU wins.... Finally a legit upset!!!

940 - Lost in the Madness is Mizzou's win by 12 over Marquette.

944 - BYU / Xavier with BYU up by 4. Danny Ainge's son is playing for BYU. I have Xavier to squeak by in this one.

1000 - Indiana is up by 3 in what could be a good battle with the Zags. I have the 10 seed Gonzaga here.

1008 - X-Men are now up by 2 over the Mormons. Ainge also has his son in the stands.

1025 - Some interesting games. Gonzaga down by 3 with 3 minutes left in the half.
BYU 38-32 at the half.

1028 - After taking a peak at Simmons' diary for today I know why this one is boring. You need to have other people involved. At thanksgiving I had Big Steve going back and forth with the e-mail. I need to move to a more sports-friendly city. Boston?

1034 - Indy takes a 34-29 lead into the half.

1037 - Wright State has come back from a 13-0 deficit and now are down 17-22.

1038 - And now it's tied at 22!

1044 - Apparently because VCU won, Wright State now has an advantage. How does that work? Bob was silent on that one.

1046 - Brown tried to remove the 7 footer Gray's head with a little Macho Man Savage move.

1100 - Pitt goes into the half 43-30 ... oh well.

1120 - Eastern Ky is now within 4 of UNC. That's right. Not that it matters. A 16 has never won, and maybe never will (barring multiple major injuries)

1127 - UNC up by 9 ... I thought so. Switching to BYU, down by 3 with 3 minutes left.

1130 - Duke had 9 straight Sweet 16s.

1134 - Lavender gets a 2 then a great rebound by Camard. 75 all with 35 seconds.

1137 - BYU had 2 chances. Foul on Lavender. 11.2 seconds left. 79-75. 17 for Lavender 15 in the second half.

1139 - Ainge screws up and Xavier wins 79-77. Thad Motta of OSU gets to go against his best friend Miller of Xavier.

1147 - Uh, Pardo has his name shaved into his head. Was he afraid to forget it? Who does that? Wow, holy Tyson zone Batman!

1148 - His team is down by 13 with 1:12 left to Indiana.
Okay, so an 80 year old couple gets together and this is news? Because they're still alive? Or they recognize each other? I hate Katie Couric, what happened to real reporting? Cronkite is spinning in his grave.

1150 - Indiana wins 70-57. They get to be crushed by UCLA next.

1157 - So UNC ends up crushing E Ky 86-65. And Pitt is cruising too. So no midnight drama for me.

1202 - So only one upset today. The madness has never been so tame. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Unbelievable. He said Stick-to-it-iveness again. Thank god we get Raftery tomorrow.

1207 - Pitt takes it 79-58 to end the day 12 hours after it started ... But why was Pitt running up and down with 20 seconds left, up by 20? I'd be pissed if I was Bonwell.
Even with 3 seconds left they tried for a basket...
Why didn't Harlan mention this?

Wild Card Diary Part 2...

Running diary of the 1st Wild Card game part 2 ... Colts up 9-0 over the Chiefs after the first half

6:04 Second half. Who the hell is Tom Hammond? How did he get this gig?
6:07 Manning is picked off again. Law’s 9th career pick of Manning. Marino never won, but he still played well. Manning is 3-6 and has been shitty.
6:09 Exploding man promo number 8
6:11 Who is Dini Petty and why would anyone stop her on the street to see her skin?
6:13 Another 3 and out for KC. We need to see Huard, I don’t care what Edwards says…
6:16 The NFL network is running the cheerleader playoffs. Looks like I found my picture in picture alternate feed.
6:17 5 of the 9 picks by Law vs. Manning are in the playoffs … ouch
6:27 The Colts now have more 1st downs (22) to KC total yards (21) … with 4.5 minutes to go in the 3rd…
6:28 Addai scampers... TD Horsies. 16-0
6:32 Finally a 1st down …
6:35 Scarface TD…. Was this a rope-a-dope situation where they lulled Indy to sleep
6:36 2 point conversion … 16-8
6:39 3 quarters in the books.
6:45 According to Collinsworth Manning would be great at Dance Dance Revolution. I’m not sure what that means.
6:48 While we get to see a global promo the Colts scored a TD. Love Global. Just LOVE them … I need DirecTV
6:49 The kick is good … 23-8 with just over 10 minutes to go.
6:50 Sweet Jesus on a crutch … there’s actually a Canadian this is ouuurrrrrr country. Someone stick a fork in my ear please.
6:56 Sanders picks off Green. Boy was wrong. I guess when you play this badly you can’t expect to win. Of course maybe letting the best player on the field (Grandma Johnson) touch the ball from time to time could help.
7:09 KC Fumble … Colts recovery. Why am I still watching this
7:11 2-minute warning. KC sucks and cost me money. I had them at plus 13.5 … c’mon
7:14 Hall is crushed on the punt return. Woo hoo…
7:16 Gonzalez dropped another. Herm looks confused
7:16 Another pick. Why the hell not. KC has put together the most inept offensive showing ever. The 2 starting WRs have no catches. No 1st downs in the first half. Then the TD drive and since then – 3 turnovers.
7:18 Game over … nice going Colts D. But you don’t deserve as much credit as you’ll get.

Wild Card Diary Part 1...

Here's my running diary of the first Wild Card game of the weekend ...

4:35 Kick-off … Gonzalez gave us a nice Tony Montana Impression. I approve.
4:37 Global has taken over the broadcast so you know that means: shitty ads, no cheerleaders and we will miss some plays. I hate them so much…
4:45 Apparently Peyton will show us plenty of his gyrations today … How Collinsworth is able to stay sane is unbelievable. At least NBC was smart enough to get him; he's the best color man right now.
4:49 On Cue, we get bad ads and we don't get to see the Field Goal. 3-0 Indy
4:59 I should say that I predicted a KC win. If Indy win there is no way they cover the spread of 7.5 points
5:00 Addai was stuffed on 2nd and Goal. If they don't score here they are in serious trouble.
5:01 Peyton throws it over Clark's head and he's pissed??? Uh … 6-0 Indy. This will be interesting if KC can ever get a 1st down
5:02 So, JT is an actor now. Problem is, the movie doesn't look bad. I guess he is bringing sexy back.
5:03 How do you stop an exploding man? Who cares? Just make sure he doesn't blow up anyone else. Does anyone know what that is a reference to? Does anyone care?
5:09 Wow, that Colts D is feeling frisky.
5:10 How can Global sell the rights to the 1st down line to Samsung if they aren’t operating it? Isn't that like selling someone the Brooklyn bridge?
5:16 That quasi-tackle attempt by Manning was ridiculous. There's your turning point. You know big Ben or even Favre at least tries to make a tackle instead of throwing themselves close to Ty Law's feet.
5:18 But of course Trent Green trips on his own player … and the 23 yard attempt boinks off the upright … Ugh.
5:19 Wait a minute now I'm apparently watching CH?
5:23 Seeing Manning's reaction to a Wayne dropped pass I've come to the conclusion that he is the NFL's answer to Rasheed Wallace or Paris Hilton. Just a petulant child who needs a spanking.
5:31 Still waiting for a KC first down …
5:37 2:00 minute warning. Is it just me or is this going quickly.
5:38 The ad people at Global need to be fired. This is football. Ads for an astrology service and fear of slipping in the bath … c’mon.
5:40 Exploding man promo #6. Is this the Canadian version of: This is ouuuuuuuuuuurrrrr Country
5:43 Manning picked off again. Does anyone still think he doesn’t choke in the big game?
5:48 Harrison was squeezing his left hand as if he was squeezing a golf ball? Who can squeeze a golf ball? Is it a nerf?
5:50 Even the commercials are brought to you by someone else?
5:50 Halftime. Colts go up 9-0. No first downs for KC in the half. Nice going Herm.
5:57 Miami will get the 9th overall pick. Sounds good to me.