Bill Clinton is a huge NCAA basketball fan, as well as a fan of his own words of wisdom. So it comes as no surprise that after Chris Webber’s huge gaffe in the 1993 NCAA Championship Finals (of which you can revisit below), Clinton penned a heartfelt letter to the dejected Webber a couple days after the game.
Haven’t seen The Fab Five yet, but hearing a lot of good things and some great things.
H/T to Guyism’s Isaac for finding this highly mathematical quiz that asks you to name the 66 most successful teams in NCAA tournament history in 12:00 mins.
I was going to post my best gets, worst misses, and a photo of my board. Then I realized that would be giving everyone who sees that information a decisive advantage. Just know that I got 43/66.
Go take the quiz at Sporcle.com. Here’s one free hint:
Never seen a coach get police escorted out of a game?
Bonus points to anyone who can identify the Cosby sweater who comes out on the court to rescue Floyd from himself. Is it the UTEP Athletic Director? That seemed like an AD move to me.
(H/T Quickish)
I know exactly one person from Alabama, and he happens to be a fellow sports blogger. So hopefully he’ll comment on this post an let me know interchangeable the term Roll Tide truly is.
Today, ESPN rolled out yet another hilarious commercial and the Worldwide Leader was gracious enough to put it on YouTube and Facebook before it premieres on the network tonight.
According to ESPN’s YouTube description, “Roll Tide” is a universal expression among ‘Bama Nation, versatile and applicable in nearly every situation as a greeting, farewell or standard cheer or praise.”
After seeing this, I think it clearly works best in drunken best man speeches
Props to the ad firm that cooked this up for ESPN. And check out this ESPN Facebook thread of college rally cries.
Most fellow sports bloggers are going to respond why’d you even bother? to this nonsense. Still, I’m tired of the shenanigans, so I’m going to rant.
This morning, I was anxious to read a re-cap of my alma mater Fordham’s thrilling win over St. John’s on Saturday, which I enjoyed on Regional sports TV (thanks, Yes Network, could have done with a few less Michael Kay shots however). Since I already read the in-depth report on FordhamSports.com, I decided to give the Bleacher Report post by Sam Blum a shot. Let’s just say, if you want to truly hear about the 21-point second half comeback by the Rams, read the article on FordhamSports.com.
It’s not even the ridiculous re-hashing of the unsubstantiated rumors that Bob Knight was going to take over the Fordham coaching job this past season that irked me about BR’s post, it’s this -
What I thought I was being offered here was a chance to like Fordham Men’s Basketball on Facebook, which seems appropriate considering this is the hottest the team has been since the early 90′s. Negative on that action though. What I was actually doing was liking Fordham Men’s Basketball on Bleacher Report.
Bleacher Report, you’re welcome to respond to me and let me know what the community benefits of liking Fordham Men’s Basketball on Bleacher Report are exactly. Because of the misleading nature of this, I’m not going to bother checking it out myself. Just going to unlike.
Separately, congratulations to Tom Pecora and the Fordham Rams on the already impressive season that you’re putting together. I may have to right this ship and start a Facebook group on your behalf.
(photo via FordhamSports.com)
Michigan State football players, does a $420 shopping spree at your local Best Buy make up for not going to the Rose Bowl?
This week, SportsBusiness Journal released the slate of swag that each player on participating teams will receive at each bowl game. Remember to TwitPic a photo of yourself doing the duggie in a Fossil watch and Ogio Cooper backpack in Glendale, Cam Newton.
Mostly, the rewarded will receive cool electronics (iPod touch, XBox 360, noise canceling headphones), watches, sunglasses, and then random stuff – like a Christmas ornament if you’re playing in the New Mexico bowl.
The most intriguing to me are the vaguely listed ‘gift suites,’ which Sporting News’ Chris Littmann informed me on Twitter means a bunch of vendors set-up shop and it’s a shopping spree. However, the NCAA sets a monetary limit for each player, which Littmann believes to be $500, so it’s not an all-you-can-grab buffet, apparently.
Head over to SBJ to see the complete list, here’s my Top-5 pieces of booty:
(photo via)
2010-11 Bowl Swag (Sox & Dawgs)
Yesterday I posted that some sympathetic Boise State football fans had started a group on Facebook to support senior placekicker Kyle Brotzman, it has since ballooned to 35,000 fans – enough to fill Bronco Stadium and then some.
With BSU set to play their final home game this Saturday, the Brotzman devotion efforts on Facebook gets better by the day. Today, a Brotzman devotee created an event on Facebook – Standing Ovation for Kyle Brotzman.
Win or lose we are still a team at Boise State. No matter how big any of us mess up, we still bleed orange and blue, and we can prove that we are the best fans in America by standing behind ALL of our Broncos. So let’s all support Kyle Brotzman because he’s still a Bronco just like all of us.
The best way to show our support is to bring the Boise State spirit to the final home game this Saturday, December 4, 2010 and give him the biggest standing ovation that the Big Blue can! We love our seniors and we STILL love you, Kyle Brotzman!!
Always bleed BLUE in Bronco Nation!! Go Boise State!!
290+ RSVPs thus far, with others who won’t be in attendance promising to honk their horn in their driveway when he steps out on the field.
I propose a group called Remember the Riddler! if Boise isn’t happy with their bowl selection.
(photo via)
Facebook has no clue how much I love Kemba Walker – his 30 PPG in the Maui Invitational, his visible self confidence and chest pounding, and his swagger and leadership of my UCONN Huskies Men’s Basketball team.
But they know I don’t really know him personally, despite our two mutual friends.
Do I dare? This is kind of intimidating. I could easily just resign myself to yet another fan page. But that page hasn’t been updated by the moderators since pre-Maui when Walker scored 42 vs. Vermont.
Oh well, let’s see what happens. Either way – add or ignore – you’re really awesome, Kemba. Keep shooting.
UPDATE: foiled.
Help me. Help me find a reason to hate this…
Right now – assuming that slow-motion replay indeed legitimized that Dicky V shot – I kind of like this.
Note: This is not Singler’s first time showing off his love of “getting buckets”.
We know, Singler. We know you and your brother used your phenomenal trick shot skills to go on to beat that poor local news reporter with an unfortunate developmental situation in one arm in HORSE.
Breaking: Duke Basketball Player Does Something Tolerable (Deadspin)
With the Maui Invitational a few weeks away, it bears mentioning that this College Basketball season marks the 5th anniversary of 11th seeded George Mason of the Colonial Athletic Assoc. becoming only the second double-digit seed to make the Final Four in Tournament history.
This is the underdog that broke my heart.
GMU’s historic run in 2006 was capped off by an 86-84 upset of my UCONN Huskies in the elite 8. Going into that game, I remember not taking Tony Skinn with two nn’s and his cohorts seriously at all. Then they hit six straight threes in the second half, and went 5-6 from the field in overtime.
The day after the AP wrote:
Buoyed by a partisan crowd and playing some 20 miles from their campus, 11th-seeded George Mason overcame huge disadvantages in size, athleticism and history Sunday to stun the Huskies 86-84 in overtime, ending a stranglehold that big-time programs have enjoyed for 27 years in college basketball’s biggest showcase.
Tony Skinn added that his coach, Jim Larranaga, told his team that CAA stands for ‘Connecticut Assassin Association.’”
To commemorate the occasion, DC Sports Bog reports, that GMU will be giving out one of five bobbleheads of the starting five from the 2006 team at five home games this season. Supplies are limited; only the first 1,000 fans at the Jan. 15 game vs. Georgia State will go home with a Jai “Where is Jai, anyway?” Lewis bobblehead.
Now, because I’m a glutton for punishment…
(Photo via CBSsports.com)
