Now, Cornell is from the IVY league, which may be the last bastion of Amateur Athletics and the only example of the collegiate athlete left on the planet, and it marks the first time since 1979 that the conference of big brains has put a team in the Sweet 16.
You can't help to like Cornell, though. They are a well-mannered, no flash, good basketball team. They are polite. They help old women across the street and they do their homework on-time and read Shakespeare for the gee golly garsh darn heck of it. They are a throw back to the early days of the college game. They are Wally and Beaver Cleaver. Their biggest fans are Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, and Donna Reed and Gidget are on the cheerleading squad. Their point guard is the captain of the debate team, and their TV's lose their signals at midnight with the playing of the national anthem. They are the personification of the romantic view of what college athletics in America is...But, like I said, they are easy to like. Let's face it, they play ball like Jimmy Chitwood and they are mostly white. As sad as that may be to say it's the truth. They are Duke without the smug-eastern snob attitude. Archie Bunker may have shed a tear when Lucky Luke and the Irish went packing, but those eyes dried quick when it was realized that Cornell was still in. Unfortunately, they are up against an Empire. A BIg Blue one...
It's the little engine that could vs. The Biggest Machine in the college basketball world. And, the dream is over. Kentucky will over power and run Cornell into the floor. Cornell is going to have to strike first and often and control the ball, set the tempo and not get into a marathon with the Thoroughbreds, that will spell doom.
Ultimately, the CATS are just too big, too fast, and too talented. Stranger things have happened, and they have already happened in this tournament, Northern Iowa took down Kansas and Saint Mary's bounced Nova... I don't think there is room for anymore Cinderellas. Cornell made it to epcot, but they are not getting to the castle...
I am going to say CATS by ... at least 15.
It's March. It's Lil' Blue Jesus. It's Black Kool-Aid and Boogie. It's the Big Blue Revival...It's Kentucky unleashed. Cal cut the reigns lose. The next thing they cut is the nets in Indy.
I try not to watch ESPN, and try to catch even less of the NBA, unless it's Rondo, but Michael Jordan has been making the interview rounds as the new majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. The only reason I watched was not because he was talking in circles and getting tongue tied trying to explain his way out of the Kwame Brown draft pick and the futility of the Wizards during his tenure in DC, but because he appeared to be growing a Hitler-esque 'stache in the middle of his lips. wow.
I recently seen some chatter about people complaining that CBS was rigging the NCAA games and officitaing crews were helping outcomes with biased calls to ensure that the right team from the right market advanced... That only happens for Duke and UNC and the Big East...in all seriousness, I know at times there is some very compelling evidence to support this, but this is one for Oliver Stone... It's not happening...So, Aldrich, you need to quit hitting up the internet message boards....One moronic statement in regards to this situation was made that CBS should relinquesh the broadcasting of the tournament to ESPN. If ESPN got their hands on it, if this theory were valid, could you imagine how much worse it would be?
One of the last remaining vestibles of antibellum society, the Masters, begins April the 5th. Among the things to look foward to this year alongside The Green Jacket and Amen Corner, is the return of everybody's favorite fornicator Tiger Woods. He is nervous about how the fans will react to him. He is sorry and he wants to get back to his buddhist principals...And... I don't care... Look, if we had the kind of power that Tiger had, would we have done the same thing ol' dirty dick did? Yes. Some of us have done dirtier things than that, and do them every weekend. The only difference is out closet does not have several matching green blazers in it.
Ok, so I did watch ESPN longer than I expected I would, and i did lose a considerable amount of self respect, but I actually thought it was cool that the SC anchor called WV West By God... Which more than likely means that the staff meetings in Bristol are consisting of getting used to liking Kentucky's likely opponents. Freudian slip or general affection for The land of Robert C. Byrd?? Seriously, nobody likes West Virginia that much. Sorry WSAZ, just saying.
And a special shout out to the mountain of cluster fuck Digger Phelps, for saying everything in his linguistic arsenal to not say Kentucky would pummel Cornell and WVU...He did say that the upsets are over, and at this point the Varsity is showing up. Which translates to the clock is about to strike 12 for cinderella... He finally did say Kentucky's name as he rattled off his final four, after Hubert Davis said he thought this week was going to be as crazy as the first. That translates into Davis saying that he hates Kentucky and is rooting for everybody to beat them and is going to watch the game with Eddie Sutton and BCG at his house with Bob Ryan too.
One thing is for sure, the crowd will be for Cornell in Syracuse on thursday. It is only natural to root for the underdog. But the Sea of Blue will be in force too, and I think that it is going to be Rocky IV type stuff, Kentucky will win over the hostile Northeastern crowd by the final buzzer. The next night will not get any better in the opposing fan decible level, as more than likely they will be playing Big East team WVU in a Big East arena, The Carrier Dome.
Be sure to catch Mike and Mike, either on XM or ESPN Radio or ESPN 2 this morning at 9:24 for a talking session with Coach Cal..Shit...I am have been sucked into the ESPN abyss and was not even paying attention..
That's it for this morning...
I am sure that we are getting ready to hear all about Burt's Big Midwest Adventure...
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