Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
Today's Calls: Barack Obama vs. the Bracket, Tyler Hansbrough vs. Ty Lawson, Morehead State vs. Louisville, LeBron vs. Dwight Howard, Martin Brodeur vs. History, A-Rod vs. Details, Julius Peppers vs. Jay Cutler, Scott Skiles vs. Twitter and More.
The Opening Pitch: You know the President is a huge hoops fan when his NCAA Tournament picks are being broadcast as an event in and of themselves.
The official "reveal" might not be until noon, but we already know who Barack Obama is picking to the Final Four: Louisville, Pitt, UNC and Memphis. Three 1-seeds and a near-1? That is playing it fairly safe.
His complete bracket won't be announced until noon, but — if you want a sneak peek — we already know his COMPLETE brackets from the South and East.
South 1st Round Picks: Pitt, Tennessee, Florida State, Xavier, VCU, Villanova, Texas, Duke
South 2nd Round Picks: Pitt, FSU, Nova, Duke
South Regional Final: Pitt over Duke
Analysis: The President plays it conservatively, picking only one real upset in the opening round (VCU over UCLA — which is THE popular upset pick in the South), then a minor upset with (5) FSU over (4) Xavier in the 2nd round. That's risky: FSU could lose in the classic 12-5 upset to Wisconsin.
Barack Obama's East Region:
East 1st Round Picks: UNC, Butler, Illinois, Gonzaga, Temple, Syracuse, Clemson, Oklahoma
East 2nd Round Picks: UNC, Gonzaga, Syracuse, Oklahoma
East Regional Final: UNC over Syracuse.
Analysis: I didn't expect him to pick against his home-state Illini (even though they are in the 12-5 upset slot), and you have to wonder if picking against Arizona State is a tweak against his old election rival, John McCain. Love Cuse over OU in the regional semi — the President must have been as enamored with Cuse after the 6-OT game as the rest of us.
His picks are like his governing style: Pragmatic. I would have hoped for a little more audacity, but Obama didn't win the election by going to extremes. I presume he will win the White House office pool with the same cool-headed strategy.
Play-In Game: Morehead State wins, and — after they lose to Louisville — they will exit the tournament with one more win than 32 other teams. Not a bad consolation prize. Now, what does it say that I'm already out of my office pool after last night's result? (Kidding: It's my one moment to be right!)
Who is the NCAA Tournament's most important player? Tyler Hansbrough has the most on the line — it is his legacy that rests on UNC winning a national title. If they don't, the only title he will earn is "Best Player Never to Win a Title," the first to win that title since Ralph Sampson.
So that means the most important player is the one who is most critical to Hansbrough winning that title: Tar Heels PG Ty Lawson. If Lawson is healthy (or, at least, as healthy as he was in that dominant win over Duke), UNC should be the favorite. If he is not, UNC might not even make it to the Final Four (in the same way that, without him, they didn't even make the ACC finals). And because Lawson is iffy, so are the Heels' chances.
NHL Milestones: Martin Brodeur wins No. 552, making him the winningest goalie in NHL history. You have to wonder if it's an unbreakable mark?
NBA Instant History: Cavs get the calls. When the Magic beat the Cavs in late January for their "we've arrived" win of the season, LeBron James spent most of the game complaining about the refs' no-calls. Back in Cleveland, the refs returned the favor.
Sure, LeBron hit a huge, no-denying-it clutch 3 with under a minute to play and the Cavs down 1. But when the Magic set up offensively to try to take back the lead and superstar Dwight Howard was hit with a journeyman's 3-second call, the message was clear: LeBron gets his payback.
The Magic might be even better positioned than the Celtics to beat the Cavs in the playoffs — but if the refs are so obviously going to be protecting LeBron and Co. (particularly at home, where the Cavs will have the advantage throughout the playoffs), what's the point?
Shot of the Night: Andre Iguodala's buzzer-beater to lift the Sixers over the Lakers.
Jay Cutler Watch: It's not pretty. Josh McDaniels is trying to do his best impression of Bill Belichick (and ex-Pat Jabar Gaffney was apparently deputized to send that message). Cutler doesn't appear to care much for it. The question remains: Will he go to Detroit? Tampa? D.C.? Buffalo? Elsewhere?
Julius Peppers would like to be a Pat: I hate the Patriots, but I have to say — who wouldn't want to be a Pat? They will be a popular pick to win the Super Bowl next year — with or without Peppers — and the defensive star would get to play for the most innovative mind in the NFL.
Speaking of Obama, remember his rooting interest in the Steelers for the Super Bowl? That was a direct result of the election-season support given to him by Dan Rooney, which became critical in Western Pennsylvania, where some "Steelers fans" were still skeptical of Obama. The President returned the favor by nominating Rooney to be Ambassador to Ireland.
Pop Culture: A-Rod Loves Him Some A-Rod. What idiot publicist thought it would be a good idea for A-Rod to do a photo shoot in Details? And what idiot publicist let A-Rod be photographed making sweet love to... himself? These are the most awkward pictures of the year in sports.
WBC: David Walk-Off! Team USA is into the semis, thanks to David Wright's heroics. Up until now, all you have really heard about are the multiple injuries, the "mercy rule" humiliation and — mostly — how other teams seem to care more. Fun to finally have some good news to write about this team.
Media: Scott Skiles hates Twitter. Here's what I don't get: Charlie Villanueva's "tweet" was all ABOUT concentration. Here is what he tapped out:
"In da locker room, snuck to post my twitt. We're playing the Celtics, tie ball game at da half. Coach wants more toughness. I gotta step up."
"I gotta step up": And he did. And the Bucks actually won the game. Twitter (1-0) has a better career winning percentage than Skiles.
If "CV31" had bumbled his way through the 2nd half and Milwaukee had lost the game, Skiles would have reason to be annoyed. Instead, maybe Skiles should have the entire team using Twitter at halftime, all the time.
The Last Word: Happy birthday to my lovely wife, who shows (nearly) endless patience when my early-mornings are booked solid to write this every day.
Dan Shanoff writes The Wake-Up Call every weekday morning for SportingNews.com and blogs daily at DanShanoff.com. Got any comments, questions or feedback? Email Dan at shanofftsn-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com.
This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
29 comments
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Comments
sure, that 3-seconds call was BS, but, admit it shanoff, you just hate everything ohio. the officiating was terrible all game long for both teams…lebron earned that win, yet you can’t give him any respect.
by spencer096 on Mar 18, 2009 9:18 AM EDT reply actions
brodeur’s record is attainable. he played most of his career before shootouts. A top notch goalie playing his entire career under those rules will pick up a few wins each year that would have been ties. Over a career, that could add 50 or more wins to a total.
by kn0wledgeisg00d on Mar 18, 2009 10:02 AM EDT reply actions
..but Brodeur is not done yet. He’s not walking off into the sunset. What if he gets to 650, which seems very possible.
by ChiAdam on Mar 18, 2009 10:22 AM EDT reply actions
Will the Big O be able to announce his picks without his teleprompter? – BTW picking so much chalk is like siding with the evil top 1%.
by brdavids on Mar 18, 2009 10:29 AM EDT reply actions
brdavids—that was funny. "Obama is such a great speaker" they say. Please! Maybe they should change that to reader.
Shanoff ,do you even watch basketball? The NBA has done nothing but deign to the Celtics and Lakers for the last two years and you’re complaining about officiating as an advantage for the CAVS?
You sound petty at the very least. Take the blinders off.
by ferociousjane on Mar 18, 2009 10:41 AM EDT reply actions
""Obama is such a great speaker" they say. Please! Maybe they should change that to reader."
HA, right, because he’s the only president who has ever used a teleprompter. He must just be a better reader than all the rest.
by cmottram on Mar 18, 2009 10:44 AM EDT reply actions
Maybe we have a president who can read now, but we also have one who wants to play Robin Hood, too. Wait til he and his DC cronies start telling you how high/low you can set your thermostat at and you can only drive your car three days a week. You’ll be happy you voted for them then I bet :-)
by rogtodd on Mar 18, 2009 11:16 AM EDT reply actions
Helping the working class instead of the super-rich and protecting the environment are so stupid.
by cmottram on Mar 18, 2009 11:19 AM EDT reply actions
Amazing! The guy is pretty slick. Destroying the country day by day AND filling out his NCAA brackets.
by yankeepride61 on Mar 18, 2009 12:16 PM EDT reply actions
A quote from U.S. Senator (1782-1852) Daniel Webster:
"I apprehend no danger to our country from a foreign foe…Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence, I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants, and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men, and become the instruments of their own undoing. Make them intelligent, and they will be vigilant; give them the means of detecting the wrong, and they will apply the rememdy"
by yankeepride61 on Mar 18, 2009 12:22 PM EDT reply actions
Apparently Mottram is an OZOMBIE, too…
Doesn’t Tele-bama have anything more IMPORTANT or PRODUCTIVE to do than play NCAA Pick ’Em?
Maybe he should invest a little more enegy into playing "Pick ’Em" in the Treasury Department…"Turbo Tax" Tim Geithner remains the ONLY member of the Treasury DEPARTMENT (and "department" denotes PLURAL) while our nation is faces incredible economic hardship…
Hey Barry—how about "picking" some competent people to help out in the Treasury Dept. (without the scandals attached, thank you…)
I guess even the newly-anointed Messiah needs a break now and then—stealing money from future generations (our kids’ kids) and giving it away to European banks, playing financial quid pro quo with your politcal allies/lackeys (ACORN), or flushing our collective futures down gold-plated corporate toilets and the like can be pretty damn tiring, right?
Generational THEFT is a tiring business…I guess he needs to take some time to sprinkle continued campaigning and PANDERING in there, too…
I wonder if he made his picks "LINE BY LINE"—the same way he PROMISED he was going to "SCOUR" the budget for earmarks and waste before approving it?
I guess he just "changed his mind"?
It won’t surprise me one bit if he "changes his mind" with his picks, either, once the tourney’s underway…of course, if he gets any wrong, he can always just blame it on the PREVIOUS Administration, right?
by Amishbear on Mar 18, 2009 12:31 PM EDT reply actions
We get it, you hope his bracket fails.
by Ben Matlock on Mar 18, 2009 12:33 PM EDT reply actions
Here also is a quote from Thomas Jefferson
"To take from one, because it is thought his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not excercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to everyone the free excersice of his industry and the fruits acquired by it"
by yankeepride61 on Mar 18, 2009 12:34 PM EDT reply actions
A quote from U.S. Senator (1782-1852) Daniel Webster:
"I apprehend no danger to our country from a foreign foe…Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence, I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants, and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men, and become the instruments of their own undoing. Make them intelligent, and they will be vigilant; give them the means of detecting the wrong, and they will apply the rememdy"
Amen and AMEN!!!
by Amishbear on Mar 18, 2009 12:34 PM EDT reply actions
For crying out loud. You people are truly pathetic, taking cheap shots at the President on a sports forum.
by cmw47 on Mar 18, 2009 12:41 PM EDT reply actions
BTW, every president since Eisenhower has used a teleprompter.
by cmw47 on Mar 18, 2009 12:44 PM EDT reply actions
cmw47—
Your kneejerk defensiveness is telling.
First, sports and LIFE go hand and hand, so this not JUST a "sports" forum…you can’t draw strict lines through things that are naturally inter-connected.
Second—nothing "cheap" about my "shots"…if anything, most people are so mindlessly beguiled and adoring of the Prez (thanks, mainstream media) that more people NEED to hear that there is actual opposition and criticism out there. We’re not ALL Ozombies with glazed eyes who mindlessly drone "Yes we can…" in our sleep…
3rd, you said, "BTW, every president since Eisenhower has used a teleprompter"…okay, sure—BUT TO WHAT EXTENT??
Obama’s OVER-reliance on a teleprompter in even the most CASUAL, innocuous settings is both telling AND alarming, and it’s been WELL documented by even fair-minded media outlets:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/19663
The sad thing is—Bush was accused of being a Rovian puppet, but Obama’s REALLY the one with more hands up his backside than "every president since Eisenhower"…
Typical double-standard. Typical lemmings who can’t see it.
by Amishbear on Mar 18, 2009 1:08 PM EDT reply actions
Uh, yeah—that whole last part isn’t supposed to be part of the link…
by Amishbear on Mar 18, 2009 1:11 PM EDT reply actions
Ok, Amish, we get it: You hate Obama. Enough. Seriously.
by cmottram on Mar 18, 2009 1:11 PM EDT reply actions
If I have to go to one more alleged sport site and see Obama I’m going to scream!! I don’t give a flying flip who this poser picks, I don’t care what team he likes, I don’t care about how tight he is with Dan Rooney…this is supposed to be TSN, not CNN. Hellfire and damnation, I get enough Obama worship at ESPN and their related entities without having to see it here.
Besides, I remember a certain two term president who was actually a former owner of a major league franchise and I can’t remember anyone here writing about his love fo sports. I wonder why that was. Hmm…….
by 89falcon on Mar 18, 2009 1:44 PM EDT reply actions
Let’s get back to sports. Even if Brodeur gets to 650, its a record that is still attainable. That’s a little more than 38 wins/year for 17 years, which a top goalie on a good team with no ties could reach. I’m not saying it is easily attainable, but it’s not 511 either. But to Brodeur’s greatness, in addition to playing most of his career with ties (he has 105 for his career), he also lost an entire season to the lockout. Under today’s rules with no lockout, he could easily be at 640, and still going strong.
by kn0wledgeisg00d on Mar 18, 2009 1:52 PM EDT reply actions
I know when I see a story I don’t want to read about a person I hate, I immediately click on it, read it, then write 100 words about how much I’m sick of that story and that person! Rabble Rabble Rabble…
by nonamejones on Mar 18, 2009 2:02 PM EDT reply actions
I agree with 89 Falcon. A certain sporting website hoed itself out to one candidate and didn’t really talk all that much about the other. I really liked all of the advertisement done on here for one particular candidate. Can’t seem to remember his name though. I bet if I turned on the TV I could hear his name within a minute. SN guys don’t tell us that politics isn’t something you want us discussing on here becuase you did plenty of advertising in the last campaign. Also, you brought up a President’s bracket during a time when our country is on the verge of financial collapse, fighting two wars and we are supposed to care who he has in the Sweet 16. Give me a freakin break!!! The next thing you know, we will be in the middle of WWIII and the Sporting News guys here are going to be giving us updates on President Obama’s chest workout today. "He got through 3 grueling sets of 10 with 225. He got off the bench with his pecks thoroughly worked and reminding this observer of a greek god!" I don’t care what the president thinks about the tournament right now. I’d be interested in hearing how he plans to fix illegal immigration, not what he thinks about a matchup zone defense.
I’m sorry, I usually appreciate what you guys here at Sporting News do, but honestly, stop taking up the Presidents time with this stuff. What scares me, what does it say if he pickes about 50 winners or more. Maybe less sports Mr. President and more politics.
by Hendu1976 on Mar 18, 2009 2:09 PM EDT reply actions
I’m so excited that my nipples are hard. Maybe I should turn up my heat…
Oh, nevermind… Wonder what Ernst Rohm’s picks were?
Famous quote:
"Help!"
Mary Jo Kopechne
by Halsey on Mar 18, 2009 2:40 PM EDT reply actions
Hendu:
Actually, Barry’s been working on the overhead stuff, as the bench press doesn’t increase "functional" strength. He does have his deadlift up to 330, which is pretty diesel for a guy his size. Strictly pushups and ringdips for him in the pec department.
by shall.tsn on Mar 18, 2009 3:19 PM EDT reply actions
At least Mottram was wise enough to yank his
"Enough already. This is a sports forum. No one cares about your political opinions. Take it somehwere else." post, which followed two separate poltical posts of his own…!!
(that was a paraphrase, as best as I can remember) before the sheer staggering hypocrisy of it all caused the site to crash…
However, it DOES leave MY response to that post of his looking a little silly, left out there all by its lonesome…
BTW—is that a COMMON tactic of his, I wonder?
A little cheap, given that WE don’t always have the luxury of taking back our less-than-astute comments… (not in this forum, anyway)
Ahwell—I’ll chalk it up to a moral victory and move on.
P.S. The only thing Obama’s "pressing" are his cigarette butts into the White House ashtrays…that, and socialist-agenda spending bills, of course… :-)
by Amishbear on Mar 18, 2009 5:01 PM EDT reply actions
Amishbear,
You have won no victory, moral or otherwise, unless there’s some award for inappropriate rants. I, for one, couldn’t care less what you think of the President.
by cmw47 on Mar 19, 2009 6:16 AM EDT reply actions
so, nonamejones you are a hater. even feceticious and cynical remarks are suppressed anger and hate. thanks for sharing that and telling so much about yourself with so little.
by RollingStone on May 13, 2009 2:07 AM EDT reply actions
now is where you correct my spelling nonamejones but under one of your other names ;)
by RollingStone on May 13, 2009 2:08 AM EDT reply actions
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