This is probably the best time of year in sports.
March Madness has just ended and this year it ended with a bang. A fantastic final game that came down to the last shot in regulation and then went into overtime. Unfortunately,
Memphis did not win, but all the same...a fantastic three weeks of basketball.
Baseball has just begun it's regular season and all 30 teams have hopes and dreams of playing into October. Little leagues and pony leagues and
Cal Ripken leagues have begun across the country. Young boys and girls all out in the fresh air, playing a great game and learning sportsmanship and teamwork.
The
NBA regular season is wrapping up and the playoffs begin in a week. We are not a huge fan of the NBA any longer; the game has become to much about me, me, me...but the playoffs hold an allure to see the best players in the game battling each and every evening.
The
NHL playoffs began on Wednesday. We have totally lost interest in the NHL over the last few years. Still, our
Rangers are playing well this year and we would not be unhappy if they could make a run at Lord Stanley.
We were looking at the four major sports and how their playoffs are set up. Both in the NHL and the NBA a full 53% of the teams get into the playoffs (16 out of 30 teams qualify). Is this necessary? Why have a regular season? Just let everyone in the playoffs and be done with it.
The
NFL lets 37% of their teams into the playoffs (12 of 32
teams). A number of years ago
MLB added wild-cards to their playoffs and many of the tried and true fans rebelled. In the end it has worked out pretty well and has kept many teams in the races until the last minute. But, in the end, only 26% of the teams make the playoffs (8 of 30). This is where we think the number should be.
The playoffs are for those teams that worked hard during the regular season...the teams that did their jobs the best. To allow 50%+ of the teams into the playoffs just seems, to us, to be overkill.
In
Georgia, the azaleas are blooming and 42 invited men are walking the lush green fairways of
Augusta National Golf Club. One of the hardest tickets in sports to obtain, these ducats are willed down to family members and cherished. This year marks the 51st appearance for
Mr. Gary Player. It also marks the 30th Anniversary of his last win and he is 73 years young. Think about that...he has been playing in this tournament longer than most of our readers have been alive. remarkable!
He has won three Green Jackets over those years. Unfortunately, this track can be brutal and he shot a +11 in his first round.
Trivia fact...did you know that the Green Jackets are not allowed to leave the grounds of Augusta? YUP!
The
Olympics begin in
Beijing, China on August 8th, but the repercussions of the
IOC selecting this location is causing world-wide upheavals. Protests have been held everywhere the Olympic Torch has appeared. Leaders or representatives of some countries are debating on whether they will boycott the opening ceremonies.
We understand the protests due to China's abysmal human rights records, but to physically attack normal citizens who are carrying the Torch, the symbol of these games, makes no sense.
Let's be honest folks, the Olympics have changed. Professionals are now allowed to take part in the games. they are covered in politics more so now than every before; discounting the 1936 games in
Berlin, the
US boycott in 1980 and the retaliatory boycott by the
Soviet Union in 1984. There actually was a time when politics were not part of the Olympics. When amateurs competed against amateurs and the goal was to excel against the greatest from other countries.
Now, this week, the IOC executive board disqualified and stripped the medals from the athletes who won gold with
Marion Jones in the 1,600-meter relay and bronze in the 400-meter relay.
Her teammates on the 1,600 squad were
Jearl-Miles Clark,
Monique Hennagan,
LaTasha Colander-Richardson and
Andrea Anderson (pictured above).
The 400-relay squad also had
Chryste Gaines,
Torri Edwards,
Nanceen Perry and
Passion Richardson.
We understand why Jones was asked to turn in her medals, but to chastise and stigmatize these other women is going overboard. There is no proof any of them cheated. They did their best and their team won. Some will say that they won because Jones cheated. Is the IOC now going to go back to the 60's and the 70's when the
East Germans and the Soviets were using performance enhancing drugs and strip away all of those medals?
All of us who regretted the end of
Brett Favre's career might have shed tears prematurely.
"It would be hard to pass up, I guess," he told the Biloxi (Miss.) Sun Herald.
"But three months from now, say that presents itself, I may say, you know what, I'm so glad I made that decision. I'm feel very comfortable in what I'm doing and my decision."
"Yeah, I can probably be up there doing that and playing, but again, I don't know. It's only speculating. I think the world of that team. I had a lot of fun, not only this year, but over my career."But if Aaron Rodgers went down with an injury?
"Aaron has fallen into a great situation," Favre said.
"And if that opportunity presented itself and they did call, it would be tempting. And I very well could be enticed do it."Favre did say he would be hard-pressed to accept in October and it would all depend upon if he was in shape.
C'mon folks...do you think he would NOT be in shape and would NOT say yes? Me thinks he would be on the first play to
Green Bay.
Well...maybe three of you have gotten to this point without hitting the 'close window' button and moved on to another blog...
For you three...here is some Tuneage for your weekend. Have a great one...be safe...be happy.
Live at Keystone is the re-issue an an album originally released in 1973. It was the result of a jam session at the
Keystone in
Berkeley with guitarist
Jerry Garcia,
Merl Saunders on keyboard,
John Kahn on bass, and
Bill Vitt on drums. When it was originally released in the 70's, this was record one of a two record set. With the remastered 2004 release, it was split into two separate discs; however, an additional track, "Merl's Tune" was added so that you have 55 minutes of music on volume one.
Merl Saunders was a long-time collaborator with Garcia, with the Dead, and the leader of many different bands in the Bay Area. He's also worked as a keyboardist on the Hammond organ with a long list of musicians, including
Harry Belafonte,
Frank Sinatra,
Miles Davis,
B.B. King, and
Bonnie Raitt.
Two to take you into the weekend
"It's No Use" and the aforementioned
"Merl's Tune"ENJOY...
Dr. B and Dangerous Lee welcome in sexy actress 
