Only 491,040 Minutes to Go...

The Madness is over [*sniff*]. Yes, I admit that there is a lot to be happy about and a lot to look forward to -- baseball season has just begun, the NFL draft is right around the corner, the Bulls are making their final push toward the playoffs, there's only a little over a week before members of the tribe are relegated to eating our corned beef on matzo -- but I cannot help but feel a little sad. The greatest four weeks of the sports calendar have officially come to an end.

No more buzzer beaters. No more assist-to-turnover references. No more shining moments. And when I next turn on CBS, I can't expect to hear Joakim Noah's name every third word (he's a great player, sure, but c'mon...)

Oh well, did I happen to mention that there are only 341 days until Selection Sunday 2007? That's only 29,462,400 seconds for those of you scoring at home. I'd better go start working on my bracket...

Let's hope that the 2007 Final Four and National Championship game are better than this year's. I suppose we shouldn't complain, though. Overall, it was a wonderful tournament and one chock-filled with lasting memories. My favorite moment? Gotta be either Northwestern State's win over Iowa and the pure joy of the Northwestern St kids (not to mention the look on Steve Alford's face) or Adam Morrison's imitation of a 4-year old boy who just had his Darth Vader doll taken away.

Last night's final? Well, let's be honest. There isn't really isn't much to say....it sucked. Florida played excellent and cemented itself as the tournament's best team. There is really no need for a breakdown (even the schmokes at ESPN are having a hard time finding anything to talk about outside of how Joakim Noah is college basketball's answer to Michael Vick), but that does not mean that there are not a few thoughts floating around my head...

* Don't say that I didn't warn you. I told you Lorenzo Mata was ugly.

* "The Wife" took interest in the fact that UCLA guard Arron Afflalo is from Compton. She really wants to know if he was a clover.

* Speaking of the Clovers...what is it about their presence in the atmosphere that makes it so dang cold?

* (If you do not understand the above two references, please check with your wife, girlfriend, or the neighborhood 15-year old girl. Either that or become a big Kirsten Dunst fan).

* Hey Chervin! Give us back Bonnie Bernstein. Suffering through Dan Bonner as a sideline reporter is like a Cubs fan reliving the Rick Aguilera years. Painful.

* Billy P-acc-ker made a big deal about the fact that Kareem, Bill Russell, Bill Walton and Bob Kurland were all present at the game. (Yes, THE Bob Kurland). He commented that it is the first time ever that the four "greatest college centers" of all time were in attendance at the same game. Now, don't get me wrong. Kurland is a two-time MVP of the NCAA Tournament and was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame in 1961, but c'mon, Billy. Ever heard of a guy named George Mikan? The guy was only voted the "Greatest Player of the First Half-Century" by the Associated Press. Billy must consider DePaul, circa 1945, a mid-major.

* Speaking of P-acc-ker...why was he so insistent on calling Florida coach Billy DONOVAN, "Billy Dunavan?"

* Can we get a few more shots of the players' parents please? Raise your hand if you had ever heard of the "great" Tito Horford before Saturday? (my hand, by the way, is raised) Sheesh, the post-production script must look like this: "Game footage (good job mentioning Noah at least eight times per minute); closeup on Noah; shot of Noah's dad reacting; shot of Horford's dad reacting to Noah's dad's reaction; shot of Green's dad reacting to Horford's dad reating to Noah's dad's reaction; game footage (increase mentions of Noah to at least one every other second); shot of Noah's dad..."

* Frankly I'm surprised that Kerry Wood's wife and Brady Quinn's sister/ A.J. Hawk's girlfriend weren't shown.

* And can we please get at least one shot of Jessica Alba? (Is watching her on TV cheating?)

And with that I put the 2006 NCAA Madness to bed. G'night.

So, the Cubs won their opener. Let's be honest here, a win is a win, but it is a dang good thing that they were playing the Bad News Bears. First, Buttermaker clearly left his starting pitcher in too long and should have brought in Amanda and second, Adam Dunn playing the outfield brings back cruel memories of Timmy Lupus. Some quickies on the first-place Cubbies...

* Cubs' hurlers walked ten Cincinnati Reds batters. And Michael Wuertz did not even pitch. Ouch.

* Fort Wayne (IN) News-Sentinel Columnist Reggie Hayes had one of the best Kerry Wood/ Mark Prior jokes I have heard in a while. Instead of promotions involving a giveaway of painters caps or magnet schedules, how about giving away limited edition X-Rays of Wood and Prior? (I sure wish I could take credit for that one, but you just never know when a Reggie Hayes is going to be reading the Random Thoughts. Anyday now, right?)

* Who, or what, is a Freddie Bynum?

* It is a good thing that Dusty is having so much difficulty determining who his everyday second baseman should be. With ringers like Jacque Jones and Ronny Cedeno in the lineup, who needs Walker's bat?

* Three-for-five, two runs scored, a three-run dinger, and a great play in the outfield? Malfoy was right. Weasley is our king.

* Trivia question (easily googled for those of you who are, according to The Wife, CHEATERS: Who did the Cubs trade for Weasley?

* Aramis Ramirez is good. He may not be a Cub, but that Albert Pujols ain't bad either, eh?

Finally, the Blackhawks played a meaningless game last night versus the Avalanche. Why do I mention this, you ask? Because, although I am barely paying attention, the Blackhawks' futility continues to amaze me. Last night, the team had a 3-2 lead with under a minute to play in the game and still lost4-3. In regulation.

Murray Craven...where are you when we need you?