Just the words bring tears to my eyes. The song that has come to define college basketball is also one of the most talked about aspects of the tournament. I have to admit, I try to watch all of the championship game every year, but I make sure I see OSM. Last night’s was okay, but not classic. Someday they are going to come out with a DVD of all the OSMs and I am going to have to have it. Do you have a favorite? I really don’t, b/c the year the Hogs won OSM was fairly lame. I bought the single a couple of weeks ago and the song has been stuck in my head since.

As for the game, it was a great game. I feel bad for the Memphis players, but you have to hit your free throws. Someone said they missed 7 of 8 down the stretch. If that is true, then they have no one to blame but themselves. But KU won it as much as MU lost it. They hit shots in the last 3 minutes, made two key steals, and played solid D. While MU’s missed FT helped, KU played well enough to win. But honestly, neither team played their best. Not sure if that was b/c of defense or nerves. KU shot horribly (Bill Walton HORRRRIBLE) and looked out of sync all night. Memphis didn’t look much better. But the game was entertaining b/c they played hard. So congrats KU, enjoy. And Bill Self, you might as well take the $$$$ and run. You may not win another championship at OSU, but that kind of money is unreal. It may surprise some that I would say to make a decision based on money, but coaching is different from any other profession b/c of the number of people watching & thinking they know as much or more as you. Now, if he loves the program, the atmosphere, etc.. then stay. But if it’s not everything that you thought a top 5 program should be, then you better go to Stillwater. Or stay at KU till Lute does retire and take the AZ job.

Changing lanes, I am on a fast from Diet Coke. Our church is going through Downpour, and I asked our people to give something up for the eight weeks of the series. After praying about it, I felt like God was calling me to give up DC. Every time I crave a DC, which is often, it reminds me to pray for myself and my fellow churchmembers who are going through the series. In some ways, this has been harder than any of my 40 day fasts. Like a person who smokes, there are times of the day that I want a DC so bad. Certain restaurants trigger the craving, certain foods, and certain times. For instance, one of the more enjoyable times of my day is in the evening after dinner to pop a DC and enjoy. God has been good though, the headaches have been minimal. And the study has been good.

Do you remember where you were on April 4, 1994? I do. Vividly. On that day, in Charlotte, NC, the Arkansas Razorbacks defeated Duke 76-72 to win the NCAA Championship. It really is one of the five best days of my life. I remember watching the game from my home in North Richland Hills. I remember the friends that were there with me, how nervous I was, the joy when Scotty Thurman drained the jumper, and the elation when the clock hit 00.0. What a great feeling.

There are rumors that Billy Gillispie is out at UK whether he takes the job at OSU or not. And that is causing some nervousness among Razorback fans. Gillispie is not a good fit at UK. His skin might be a little thin and his style does not hearken back to Pitino. UK fans are never satisfied, and they think that they are the center of the basketball world. Their arrogance is only eclipsed by UT football fans. Getting off to a slow start this year was extremely damaging to his credibility, and even though he did a great job in conference (and somewhat quieted the critics), not winning a tourney game turned up the heat. Of course, no one should feel sorry for Gillispie, he brought this on himself. He left the Razorbacks at the altar last year in order to take the newest suitor, Kentucky. So he gets what he deserves.

 The reason his possible ouster from UK makes UA fans nervous is obvious. We don’t want to lose Pelphrey. Obviously if the UK job is open, he will be a candidate. I was hoping Gillispie would last 5-6 years before getting sick of UK fans, because if the ‘Cats wanted him then, it would mean that he had taken the UA program back to elite status. But if he were to leave after only one year on the job, the recruiting losses could really set us back.

 Pelphrey has done a good job his first year and appears to have a firm grip on the program. He has good discipline, seems to be bringing in a good class, and has the support of the fans. To take an underachieving, senior-laden team that had no mental toughness to the tourney and win a game is a great accomplishment. The 6 are still the most disappointing class to ever wear a Razorback uniform, and Sonny Weems is the only senior who gave his best every game, all year and got the most out of their talent. All the rest (even Charles Thomas, who played very well late) never got the most out of their talent. So we Razorback fans hope that Gillispie stays at UK for a long time. Pel looks better in Red than Blue anyway.

 On another note, our other new coach has begun spring practice. Bobby “Easy Come, Easy Go” Petrino had his first practice with the football team, and even with the rain, the excitement is palpable. In two minutes of talking about the QB’s feet, shoulder position, and hips, he showed that he pays more attention to detail than H did with his QBs passing techniques. I like H, and wish him well (except Oct 25) but it was time for him to move on. He had divided the state to the point that the damage was irreparable.

Bobby runs a tight, no nonsense, no idle talk, practice, press conference, you name it. It is all business. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. Whether it’s true or not, and I would say that it is, it feels like you get twice as much accomplished in his practices because of the pace. That is a GREAT thing. While I wish that he had handled leaving Hotlanta differently, it is a good thing for the UA to have him.

Last Word: Good job to AD Jeff Long. He has transitioned well, made good decisions, and handled the backwards politics that surrounds the UA very well. If donations continue to be strong, you can deduce that he has hit a home run. I just hope that his frustration with certain parties does not push him to look at other jobs like he did earlier this year. Jeff, well done.

“Grab A Paddle!” The slogan for Kayakers may soon be true for all of us in NWA. Yes, I know, my life must be boring to write about the weather. And it’s probably true that only old people talk about the weather. But man, did it pour today. I was afraid that the small town that I work in was going to become an island and I had no way off (which is actually possible, if it rains more). Anyway, God did promise not to destroy the earth by water again, but he didn’t say anything about a small town and a few neighborhoods in NWA. So, if you are reading this, what have you learned? That I’m old and boring. Oh well. Both are probably true.

 At least my Sweet 16 predictions came true this weekend. I am not sure what I am more excited about: My predictions were almost all right and we have all #1’s in SA or the fact that Texas lost (and they lost badly). Oh, who am I kidding, I am much more excited that the ‘horns were humiliated! It was awesome. But now we have the table set for a great Final Four. I will officially turn off the cell phone Saturday at 5 pm and plant myself in front of the TV. The two games are must see. And for those of you that think “reality TV” began with Survivor, you really do need to get a life. Real reality TV has been played out in sports for years. There are no directors, no producers, no one gets voted off (well, except for the stupid college football BCS system). If you want to see real emotion, real tragedy, real stories, then watch the games Saturday. We have lots of storylines: Can Memphis finally break thru? Will UCLA come short in it’s 3rd straight FF? Will Bill Self’ change his image of being “the best coach not to win a title” and win a big game? Will Tyler HansIdon’tknowhowtospellhislastname come through, or will he suffer another painful loss, “Oh So Close”. 

And you think Simon & Paula don’t get along? Who would want to miss Roy Williams coaching against his former team, Kansas. Don’t think there won’t be some bad feelings there. Not on Roy’s part, but, in case you have not heard, he is not well liked in Lawrence. These are real storylines that aren’t made up by a director. That is reality TV. You keep your bachelors, your idols, fat camps, houses, and islands, I’ll take the real life stories! Like watching Brett Favre saying he can’t summon the mental strength to come back again b/c the pain of losing is worse than the joy of winning. And for all of his records, his first ballot HOF career, and his being in the argument for being in the top 5 QB’s of all time, he will always have to live with this: his last pass cost his team a trip to the Super Bowl. Now, that’s reality. Get a life, Simon. Go do something relevant.

Sorry, got off on a rant. Can you tell how I feel about reality shows? Now, on to my picks. I am not feeling real good about half of this, b/c Memphis is playing so well. But, in the Semi’s I will pick UNC over KU by 10 & UCLA over Memphis (very close). On Monday night, UNC will cut down the nets and beat UCLA by a score of 79-70. “Ol’ Roy” will win his second championship. And, while I am not a UCLA fan, I am a John Wooden fan. And I wonder if this will be his last Final Four? I hope not.  Best wishes, coach Wooden, I hope you get well soon and are around for a while longer. Now, everyone go to SI.com and read Reilly’s piece on Coach Wooden. It is must reading and you will want to print it up and share it with others.

I heard a rumor that the baseball season has begun. I even saw a score that The Red Sox beat the A’s yesterday, and the A’s returned the favor today. I wouldn’t know. You know why? Because the game was in freakin’ JAPAN!!! AT 6 IN THE MORNING! What is MLB thinking? I know, I know, they say that they want to “expand the international market” and “grow the game of baseball”. Well, I have a newsflash for them – they might ought to think about growing the game here in the US. Do they realize that even though attendance figures have never been better, hardly anyone bothers to watch the MLB playoffs? They are in danger of becoming the third or fourth most popular sport, behind NASCAR & College Football.

I am a marginal baseball fan. I love sports, listen daily to ESPN radio, love the Cardinals, keep up with the baseball standings. I only listen to some of the Cards games on radio, and rarely have the opportunity to see a MLB game in person. My guess is that I am like most people.  I do enjoy Opening Day. I used to enjoy catching 3 or 4 games on ESPN throughout the day and being excited about the start. But opening day as far as I am concerned is over. They have already let the cat out of the bag. Who told Bud Selig this was a good idea? The same guy that told him that “Steroids is not a major problem” five years ago? If they are not careful, even the Red Sox – Yankees fans won’t save them. Yes, lots of fans are coming to the games. But there is not nearly the excitement about the start of the season that there used to be. They had better make sure they grow the game here, or else baseball is in danger of becoming less and less relevant.