Yesterday, I gave a quick rundown of some of the more unorthodox NCAA Tournament bracket pools that are going on this year. And if you care at all about the maintenance of my pork consumption, you’ll be rooting for this whole every five years UCONN gets the No. 1 seed in the West Region and takes home the trophy scenario to pan out as it has been written.

Something else cool that we’re doing this year is the newly launched March Madness Blogger Fantasy League, which I’m lucky enough to be participating in with some of the most elite sports bloggers on the interwebs.





Basically, each of us gets to pick five players whose stats we’ll tally throughout the whole tourney. After the Final Four, the blogger with the highest sum total of points, rebounds, and assists from their five players is crowned champion.

Today I woke up to learn that this thing is probably over for me before it even starts. One of my guys, North Carolina PG Ty Lawson, is out today against Radford (exact wording actually was, “huge probability” he won’t play; yeah, he’s not going play). They better win today, and Toe Stiffness Lawson better respond in game two in a big way. I’m now hedging my bets that UCONN does make that run, and A.J. Price goes buck.

Here’s A.J., Lawson, and the rest of my horses along with their stats from the regular season…

Dante Cunningham, Villanova (16.0 ppg, 7.2 reb, 1.2 ast)

Ty Lawson, North Carolina (15.9 ppg, 2.8 red, 6.5 ast)

Johnny Flynn, Syracuse (17.5 ppg, 2.8 reb. 6.7 ast)

Tyler Hanbrough, North Carolina (21.4 ppg, 8.2 reb , .9 ast)

A.J. Price, UCONN (14.0 ppg, 3.3 reb, 4.7 ast)

In my infinite wisdom, or possibly against my better judgment, that’s who I got. Wish me luck.

The Business of Sports threw up a post today championing the twitter usage of the Worldwide Leader. As much as I’d like to tear it down, and say they’re just using it as a megalo-rss feed, I can’t really do that (BLAST!) As BofS points out, ESPN is actually engaging it’s audience kindof on twitter. For example, Both the PTI and the Around The Horn twitter handles are inviting viewers to ask questions via the platform. For instance, @PTIshow put up a post yesterday asking viewers to suggest a guest for today’s show. Additionally, ESPN Regional Television created @Big12Network for fans to get updates on conference tournament happening – I badly wish The Big East was doing this.

Without letting them get off scott free, of the seven twitter IDs that Business of Sports highlights (minus the true ESPN.com feeder ID @ESPN) the follower to following ratio is about 10 to 1. And I hate, hate, hate to admit it, but Plaschke is the one doing the best job of joining in the fray (1,419 followers; following 1186). So, hop to Reali and fantasy guy Matthew Berry! (Fantasy Guy Matthew Berry gets special commendation for setting his location as Sadly, CT.)

Link: ESPN and Twitter


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Haven’t posted on here in awhile – five days, what a ball of suck and fail I’ve become.

But, I refuse to relent.

….

Moving right along, Tiger Woods gets back to crushing his competition today (2:02 p.m. EST tee time). I like this move of starting out in a Match Play tournament (all you gotta do is be better than the one guy you’re playing against). Many triumphant returns to Tiger.

Check out this clever ad from Nike Golf…

H/T to Awful Announcing for posting on this first…

NEW YORK (AP) — ESPN and the New York City Department of Education are teaming up to create a new high school focusing on the business side of sports.

The Business of Sports School, or BOSS, will open in September with 81 ninth grade students.

The school plans to emphasize real world skills through mandatory internships at companies like ESPN The Magazine, ABC Sports, and VitaminWater.

The school is part of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s push to modernize outdated vocational or trade schools. (AP)

The last few graphs could have read that B.O.S.S. is actually a Voc. Tech school, and students will have to do mandatory shifts at the ESPN Zone in Times Square.

You had me sold at B.O.S.S. (As in: Who’s the Boss?…Hugo BOSS). They’re actually naming a school B.O.S.S.

I couldn’t care less about Twilight, but you, Kristen Stewart, would make a hot Joan Jett (via Pop Candy)

Start a Facebook Group, Get on ESPN (The Legend of Cecilio Guante)
My favorite spam (9 to Fried)
Operation: Humble Kanye (NY Hoosier)
SHOCKING NEW REVELATION IN BURRESS GUN CASE (Hugging Harold Reynolds)
10 COLLEGE MASCOTS YOU’D LOVE TO SEE DRUNK (The World of Isaac)
T-Roc’s Week 15 College Football picks (Cuzoogle)

The people have spoken, and an overwhelming majority (45%) believe that Johnny Depp would be best served portraying Al Davis if he chose to delve into the sports biopic genre of cinema. (good call by Isaac on the submission)

Goodman as Madden. The dude whose playing Biggie Smalls in Notorious as Art Shell. Let’s get this thing greenlit!

Feel free to make other casting suggestions in the comments. Thanks to everyone who submitted and voted in the poll, be on the lookout for another on Friday!

Hollywood’s Top Up and Coming Actresses (Gunaxin)
If Sports Blogs were Chicks… (The Sports Dollar)
Holtz Quits ESPN, Replaces Col. Klink at Stalag 13 (Moondog Sports)
The Roots To Be Jimmy Fallon’s Band; We Are Old And Sad (via Pop Candy)
Obama Declares War on the BCS (Intentional Foul)

Unlike this guy, Natalie Gulbis doesn’t have five career hole-in-ones (she has two), but, to borrow a line from the incomparable Mitch Hedberg, she did “hit a guy.”

(via Fandome)

Gulbis showing her vindictive side with that whole, “five bucks if I hit him?” line. Hot.

Champions Tour wins Three-Tour Challenge (Times of the Internet)
TV On The Radio Visit Jay Leno (Stereogum)
BCS Doesn’t Suck For SEC, Big 12 (Moondog Sports)
Falcons thriving after extreme makeover (Fox Sports)
Anthony Kiedis’ rock memoir heading to HBO (via Pop Candy)
You’re With Me, Double-Breasted Suit (Mister Irrelevant)

Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews were ousted today as MSNBC’s anchors for election coverage, with claims being made that they were too overtly liberal on-air.

Before there was Keith the bleeding lefty, there was Keith, SportsCenter mainstay. From 1992 to 1997, Olbermann was one of the go-tos for ESPN, before he was sacked there unceremoniously.

Here’s a few of Keith’s best clips from that era, including the report on Bret Favre entering rehab (where he’s talking so fast he almost seizes) and a Boston Market commercial where he invokes the term ooie-gooey (sp.)

I’m not the first to say this. But you heard it here early, Brandon Jacobs – if he stays healthy – is going to have a monster year.

Peyton Manning, Meatloaf Mercedes, SNL Commercial (NESW Sports)
ESPN Columnist Opening for Magnetic Fields (Pitchfork)
Our Interview With Chuck Klosterman (Mouthpiece Sports)
NCAA, Newspapers Draw Blogging Battle Lines (via The Big Lead)
Wired.com Readers’ Best Geek Tattoos (via Pop Candy)

Rajon Rondo is back to his blogging ways for Yardbarker – cause he’s been doing some stuff.

Here he is at the ESPYs (…looking like the fifth top)