The NCAA 2010 Bracket: Midwest Edition

The Midwest Division is relatively loaded with power house teams. These are 16 teams on the St. Louis bracket.


1. Kansas
2. Ohio State
3. Georgetown
4. Maryland
5. Michigan State
6. Tennessee
7. Oklahoma State
8. UNLV
9. Northern Iowa
10. Georgia Tech
11. San Diego State
12. New Mexico State
13. Houston
14. Ohio
15. UC - Santa Barbara
16. Lehigh

1-16 and 8-9 matchups are in Oklahoma City (c/o Big 12), 5-12 and 4-13 matchups are in Spokane (c/o Washington State), 6-11 and 3-14 matchups are in Providence (c/o Big East and Providence), and 7-10 and 2-15 matchups are in Milwaukee (c/o Marquette). Winners of each pod will proceed to Saint Louis (c/o Missouri Valley)

My thoughts.

1. Ridiculous top seeds. The best team in the nation in Kansas. Evan Turner. a solid Georgetown squad, Greivis Vasquez and Gary Williams, and Tom Izzo.

2. Double-digit seed that could make a difference? San Diego State. Personally a reach, but they have the best chance of being the Cinderella of the region. The architect of the Fab Five, head coach Steve Fisher, is at the helm of the Aztecs.

3. Palatable 1st rd matchup? Oklahoma State vs Georgia Tech. Two maddeningly inconsistent teams getting it on. the UNLV-UNI game also pits two really good teams. I wish they just switched opponents.

4. Assembling a quality roster.

Guards: Sherron Collins (Kansas), Kalin Lucas (Michigan State), Evan Turner (Ohio State), Chris Wright (Georgetown), Greivis Vasquez (Maryland), James Anderson (Oklahoma State), Kwadzo Ahlegbe (Northern Iowa), Aubrey Coleman (Houston), Austin Freeman (Georgetown)
Forwards: Wayne Chism (Tennessee), Gani Lawal (Georgia Tech), Derrick Favors (Georgia Tech), Xavier Henry (Kansas)
Centers: Cole Aldrich (Kansas), Greg Monroe (Georgetown)

5. Nightmare-inducing scenario: Oklahoma City is the place where a Patriot League team (Bucknell) beat Kansas. Guess who the Jayhawks are facing in Oklahoma City.


My Sweet 16 teams: Kansas, Michigan State, Georgetown, Ohio State

Commencing the NIT

Later, the NIT will be kicking off at the different campus sites, with its Final Four in a sort of perpetuity at Madison Square Garden. Unlike the NCAAs, only 32 teams are invited, all of them sort of snubbed by the 65 teams (34 at-larges, 30 conference tournament champions and the Ivy League regular season champ). In addition, all regular season conference champs are automatically in the 32-man group, if they missed out on the Big Dance.

So what is the NIT field like this year?

Illini Region: 1-Illinois vs 8-Stony Brook (Interesting twist as Bruce Weber's crew will be @ Stony Brook due to a scheduling snafu.) Winner of that game faces the 4-5 matchup of Kent State and Tulsa. Other half of that region gets 2-Cincinnati against 7-Weber State and Dayton versus Illinois State for the 3-6.

Sun Devil Region: 1-Arizona State will be facing 8-Jacksonville, with the winner facing the winner of Seton Hall and Texas Tech. On the other hand, Memphis versus St. John's and Ole Miss versus Troy complete this region.

Hokie Region: Top-seeded Virginia Tech gets to tango with Quinnipiac. The winner goes on to face the winner of Connecticut and Northeastern (Fun Fact: UConn coach Jim Calhoun was at Northeastern before being hired to coach the Huskies). 2-Rhode Island tangles with Northwestern, with the winner getting the winner of Wichita State-Nevada.

Bulldog Region: Mississippi State will be venting out its 0.1 sec away frustrations on Jackson State, while awaiting the winner of the North Carolina-William & Mary scrap. South Florida gets to face North Carolina State while UAB faces Coastal Carolina.

Personal prediction. Teams in MSG will be Cincy vs Memphis and Virginia Tech vs Mississippi State. Final will be Cincy vs Va Tech, with Lance Stephenson being on the winning end after their last visit to MSG ended abruptly via De'Sean Butler.

Breaking down the 2010 CBI / CIT Brackets.

There are two minor postseason tournaments that are out and about this weekend. The first one is the CBI. The other one is the CIT.

CBI (College Basketball Invitational). Being broadcast on HDNet (a.k.a Mark Cuban's station of choice), the CBI is the third tier tournament after the NCAA and the NIT. The main difference is that they have a best of three finals matchup.

Featuring 16 teams, including a 14-17 Oregon State squad that won the tourney last year, The CBI starts today until April 2.

The 8 matchups are the winner of Saint Louis vs Indiana State will be facing the winner of Akron vs Green Bay (Group 1), the winner of George Washington vs VCU against the winner of Eastern Kentucky vs Charleston (Group 2), the winner of Oregon State vs Boston University will face off with the winner of Morehead State and Colorado State (Group 3), and finally, the Hofstra-IUPUI winner goes up against Princeton-Duquesne winner. Each small matchup will be on March 16 or 17, with Group winners to be determined on March 22.

Group 1 winner faces Group 2 and Group 3 vs Group 4 matchups will commence on March 24. Finals (as stated earlier) will be on March 29, 31 and April 2 (if necessary). All games will be at campus sites.

Apparently, teams are still not serious with this tourney as schools like Alabama, Arizona, Charlotte, Georgia and Michigan declined invitations to participate.

Collegeinsider.com Tournament (CIT). This particular tournament does not have a set bracket, just like the old NIT format.

From March 16-18, 16 teams get to determine who goes on to the next round.

The 3/16 matchups are Fairfield vs George Mason, Western Carolina vs Marshall and South Dakota vs Creighton. The 3/17 games are Harvard vs Appalachian State, Middle Tennessee State vs Missouri State, Portland vs Northern Colorado and Pacific vs Loyola Marymount, while the lone game on 3/18 is Southern Mississippi against Louisiana Tech.

If you notice, only Oregon State is from the BCS conferences, the others coming from the mid-majors / one-bid NCAA conferences.

Blog Outsourcing: 3/15

Welcome to the Selection Sunday aftermath edition of the TMA.

Yes, I am amidst the backdrop that is the success of the National Fist over the "Hitter." The sentiment here is that we will take the win, but it left much to be desired. People wanted more action, but it is what it is, so we just had to deal with it.

Of course, when it is Selection Sunday, all sports take a back seat to the madness that is the NCAA Tournament. Come to think of it, even work takes a back seat to the Madness. I am sure you know about the Sparty and Friends Group on ESPN's Tournament Challenge. You can also opt to check that group, if you must. Oh, I presume we will have a preview of the brackets c/o the TWTWCBB peeps. I am still waiting for our NIT bracket madness.

Very well, it is time to knock yourselves out with the links.

Something was amiss with Patphish's TMA yesterday. I presume this is the one.We all know what is next for him.

Speaking of the NIT, their bracket has been released.

A trade involving Peyton and Brady went down. Meanwhile LdT moves east to be Shonn Greene's caddy.

The Celtics got really old. And you better Fear the Deer.

This is what you can see in Trey's Magic Kingdom.

Jazz got thunderstruck.

Packers fans are truly one of a kind. They will give their own blood for them.

It may be unlikely, but that would be one absolute nightmare for Mets fans.

0.1 second makes the difference between the Big Dance and the Little Dance.

Futbol news: the end of Becks?

Some things never change, like Agassi vs Sampras.

The guide people need to know regarding the schedule of the Big Dance, especially where Gus Johnson is. (Interesting that they placed him on ALL CAPS)

Video link: the March Madness edition

The NCAA Bracket before Selection Sunday

First things first, congratulations are in order for the following teams for officially punching in their tickets to the dance by winning their respective conference tournaments (except for the Ivy, who only allows their regular season champ in):

ACC: Duke or Georgia Tech
America East: Vermont
Atlantic 10: Temple or Richmond
Atlantic Sun: ETSU
Big 12: Kansas
Big East: West Virginia
Big Sky: Montana
Big South: Winthrop
Big Ten: Ohio State or Minnesota
Big West: UC - Sta. Barbara
Colonial: Old Dominion
C-USA: Houston
Horizon: Butler
Ivy: Cornell
MAAC: Siena
MAC: Ohio
MEAC: Morgan State
Missouri Valley: Northern Iowa
Mountain West: San Diego State
NEC: Robert Morris
Ohio Valley: Murray State
Pac-10: Washington
Patriot: Lehigh
SEC: Kentucky or Mississippi State
Southern: Wofford
Southland: Sam Houston State
Summit: Oakland
Sun Belt: North Texas
SWAC: Arkansas-Pine Bluff
West Coast: St. Mary's
WAC: New Mexico State

Congrats as well to the 34 other at-large selections:
Atlantic 10: Richmond, Xavier (2)
ACC: Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Wake Forest (5)
Big 12: Baylor, Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M (6)
Big East: Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Villanova (7)
Big Ten: Michigan State, Minnesota, Purdue, Wisconsin (4)
C-USA: UTEP (1)
Mountain West: BYU, UNLV, New Mexico (3)
Pac-10: Cal (1)
SEC: Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt (3)
WAC: Utah State (1)
West Coast: Gonzaga (1)

Let the March Madness begin.

The New Clipper Era (?)

I am a Clipper fan, a proud one (amidst all the ridicule that comes with being one). With this news out in the way, it is a sign that that the much maligned owner Donald Sterling has had enough of the frustrations the Clipper fans have had. Yes, we made the playoffs once, was close to another and remained perpetually atrocious all other times.

Neil Olshey is the temporary GM, but we will presume he is just there to handle things until the new GM comes in. Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski has already suggested current Nuggets GM Mark Warkentien (who is part of the FA Class of 2010) as a possible replacement. As a No. 2, he is just fine, especially with the deals he pulled off.

For me, what is exactly needed would be someone to first buy the Clippers away from Donald Sterling, then get a good quality young GM, then a good quality young coach. The Clippers have cap space and good decent players (Kaman, Griffin, Gordon).

It is frustrating though, seeing being blown out game after game. Maddening, indeed.

Blog Outsourcing 3/5

Welcome to a special edition of TMA, since I switched days with Sparty for this week only.

You are probably wondering why I switched. It is because I will be unavailable to post stuff as I will be vacationing in Singapore. After the work I have had the past few days (one of my officemates is ill and I am forced to handle some of his responsibilities), I deserve a break.

Anyhow, this will be brief since all I can think of is that frigging merlion. Time to share the link love.

The uncapped year has arrived. Means that the lockout looms closer than ever. Here is what the ESPN's resident football nerd's FYI on the uncapped year.

Revis Island has a new partner. Expect a lot of balls thrown there.

End of an era in Carolina. That would be a good thing as it ends a running punchline lasting the whole season.

One door closes, another opens for this solid veteran. Another reason why they should be drafting this guy instead of this guy.

Darren Sproles is a $7-million/yr running back. Really.

Meanwhile Da Bears taking a Redskin-like approach to FA.

Speaking of the Redskins, Sam Bradford is 1/16 Cherokee. Just saying...

The Lions make the first big move of the 2010 FA season, getting another Decepticon for Megatron.

He will make his spring training debut this Monday. Is he the missing pitching piece the Reds need?

Sparty is very happy he does not have to see Doc anytime soon. In addition, CC looked good.

Finley in Celtic green? My simple say, if he was of any help, the Spurs would have still kept him around.

Simple capsule as to what happened in the Association. But this quote will annoy GITC to no end.

(although Brad Miller did a good job on Mark Gasol)

Dallas, Atlanta, Denver: you can stop trying to coax him out of Cleveland.

Another trade deadline just passed by. Who benefited the most?

Resorting to hiding newspapers is a funny way of conducting censorship. Thank goodness for the interwebs.

20 years ago, he inspired a midmajor run. Memories run deep, After Len, Hank is a major what could have been...

Get well soon, Austin. If Adam Morrison can get it done, so can you.

This is where Manny > Floyd. Floyd got no singing chops.

She dunks. She punches. She's suspended.

Futbol update: Owen out for Glazer's New Boys. Ditto for Bosingwa.

These Giants were able to get it done. How they did it? Here is how.

To end, this is a funny take on where I will be on Monday.

Blog Outsourcing 3/1

Welcome to the 1st day of March. In the islands, that means, the first day of summer, although the El Nino phenomenon / Al Gore says it came a little bit earlier than the usual. Meanwhile, across the huge pond, the Winter Olympics just ended.

But when March comes, basketball is king.

Speaking of which, there was an interesting news item buried amidst all the otherworldly stuff going on. I found it interesting because not only does it involve a "sister school" (Xavier is a Jesuit University, like my alma mater), but also the fact that encouraging true fandom and not bandwagoneering. Back home, during the dark ages, tickets can be had and demand is close to nil. Nowadays, it is a hot ticket and people use it to be seen. Even more with a successful title defense. I can relate to Coach Mack when he wants to hear the crowd cheer instead of just sitting around and watching the game. I hope you guys are all out when you cheer, during the good times and the bad.

Btw, Xavier did win against Richmond.

Special note: I will be unavailable to post this Monday's TMA (March 8th) as I will be bonding with my family alongside this iconic figure.

Time to link love:

If there is one sport Canada would love to have a single gold, this would be it. If you want to relive that monent, go here.

Sid the Kid. From Icon to Legend. Johnny approves.

Finally, he gets credit for his play. After all, he backed up Brodeur.

The First Sportsman to pay up, eh?

Consolation prize for Ryan Miller.

Another reason why NBC (and its subsidiaries) = FAIL.

The NHL may be anxious to answer for Sochi, the coaches made their position clear.

This guy is the top-scoring player in Olympic hockey history.

What is life after Stephen Curry, Davidson?

How much Canada loves their hockey = How much my countrymen love our basketball.

Right now, the second-oldest pro league is in the finals. One team right now has a 3-0 lead on the best-of-seven finals, and this local sports blogging genius explains why.

These Patriots sealed the deal and pulled it off.

Watched this team take the #1 spot on the polls on the telly. They really earned it, even with Sparty beating KWSN.

I wonder who will Jerry and his blank check go after.

Al Jefferson suspended. Anything that ensures good things for the Minny 1st rounder that will be going to the Clippers is a good thing on my watch.

Temple is King of Philly.

2 straight for the current Sprint Cup champ. Of course, this news is merely to say Miz is a redneck.

Futbol update: Glazer's New Boys win the Carling Cup.

Guess who's coming back to Kimmel?

Video special (Today is the Shock Value II edition):
This one I wonder is what the state of Olympic hockey.


This one has the connection to the theme.

Canadian Gold!

Yes! Oh Canada! And it was the Golden Child who sealed the deal. (Photo c/o Vancouver Sun)

Blog Outsourcing 2/22

 

Today is Monday. It is technically a holiday here, but only for students. The working class hero (like me) will be plugging away at the office. Well, today back in 1986, there was a bloodless revolution that toppled a dictator four days later. I was only four years old then, so not much memories.

Speaking of Mondays, this particular day of the week is always a struggle for me. Since I work under the Eastern timezone, which is 13 hours (or 12 in certain circumstances), it equates to being at work late at night until the early morning. So if I had a great weekend, I need to compensate and readjust my clock back to where it was. Serious sluggishness ensues. But no worries. I love my job and what i do, so there.

Here are the links, after the jump.

Redemption for Salt Lake City? Mission still unfinished, though. Oh. 30 years ago, today....

NBC = FAIL. Agreed? Good thing I managed to watched it sort of (TV was on while I dozed off).

Finally. A gold he long needed for legitimacy.

In this new era of the interwebs and mobile media, bad press is really not good. Especially with this coming after the Michael Phelps mess.

Ohno makes history!!!!

Sore loser?

Here is the updated medal count.

48 for 48.

There is a reason why the Twins have a new ballpark. I am so sure Sparty wants to pry him out of J-Rod's hands.

I wonder if GITC is his main apologist.

Keep raising the Durant-e, Kevin.

Trey must be in a good mood. Sparty as well.

Again, I know John will give an arm and a leg to ensure a healthy Paul Pierce.

This video is special was inspired from the comments from yesterday.

TWTWTNBA: Breaking Down the Trade Deadline deals

And so, these are the deals that beat the deadline buzzer.

1. Dallas gets Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and Deshawn Stevenson from Washington for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, James Singleton and Quinton Ross

2. Portland gets Marcus Camby from the LA Clippers for Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake

3. New York gets Brian Cardinal from Minnesota for Darko Milicic

4. Cleveland gets Antawn Jamison and Sebastian Telfair from the LA Clippers and Washington. LA Clippers get Drew Gooden from Washington. Washington gets Zydrunas Ilgauskas, draft rights to Emir Preldzic and a 2010 1st rounder from Cleveland, as well as Al Thornton from the LA Clippers.

5. Chicago gets Hakim Warrick and Joe Alexander from Milwaukee for John Salmons, 2011 and 2012 second round picks and option to switch 2010 1st round picks (with top-10 protection for Chicago)

6. Charlotte gets Theo Ratliff from San Antonio for a future second round pick.

7. Charlotte gets Tyrus Thomas from Chicago for Acie Law, Flip Murray and a future first round pick.

8.  Milwaukee gets Royal Ivey, Primoz Brezec and a 2010 second round pick from Philadelphia for Jodie Meeks and Francisco Elson.

9. Memphis gets Ronnie Brewer from Utah for a future 1st round pick.

10. Sacramento gets Dominic McGuire from Washington for a future second round pick.

11. Boston gets Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry from New York for J.R. Giddens, Eddie House, Bill Walker and a future conditional second round pick.

12. New York gets Tracy McGrady and Sergio Rodriguez from Houston and Sacramento. Sacramento gets Larry Hughes, Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey from New York and Houston. Houston gets Kevin Martin, Jared Jeffries, Jordan Hill, Hilton Armstrong, the right exchange 2011 1st round picks and a protected 2012 first round pick from New York and Sacramento.

And let's take a look at each team who partook of the trades.

Dallas nets Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and Deshawn Stevenson. Caron represents an upgrade in scoring talent from the enigma that is Josh Howard. He would be a nice 3rd wheel to Dirk and the Jet. Haywood finally becomes the low post presence Damp was inconsistently trying to be. Stevenson will be a defensive specialist ala Trenton Hassell / Greg Buckner. We'll see if this move makes Cuban's crew worthy challengers to the Lake Show.

Washington nets Josh Howard, Quinton Ross, James Singleton, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Al Thornton, draft picks and draft rights. You can blame Agent Zero for the quick implosion of the Wizards, which will be completed by the time Gilbert is jettisoned out. Foye and Howard represent some good talent now. Javale McGee and Andray Blatche will be your low post "threats" and if they do not get John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins would be an interesting alternative.

Portland nets Marcus Camby. Had to be done because you are asking too much from Juwan Howard to play 30++ as your starting big. This hopefully also frees up minutes for Jerryd Bayless with Andre Miller now starting. In addition, also frees up minutes to be divvied up between Nicolas Batum, Rudy Fernandez and Martell Webster once Brandon Roy is healthy again.

LA Clippers nets Steve Blake, Travis Outlaw and Drew Gooden. They officially are now in play for the 2010 sweepstakes. Only 4 Clippers are not free agents (Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon, Baron Davis and DeAndre Jordan). Outlaw serves as an upgrade over Thornton and will be a key component once he is healthy again. Jordan now steps in to play major minutes now with Marcus out of the way. The potential is there to be harnessed. GM Dunleavy has an idea on how to play this offseason.

New York nets Brian Cardinal, Eddie House, J.R. Giddens, Bill Walker, Tracy McGrady, Sergio Rodriguez and a draft pick. I shudder at the thought of the Knicks not getting anything out of this year's crop of free agents.

Minnesota nets Darko Milicic. After watching Lebron vs Melo on the front end of the TNT doubleheader, I remembered the All-Star game in Jerryworld and I remembered my tweet: 5 of the top 6 picks of the 2003 draft class were in it. Darko, welcome to the frozen tundra / barren wasteland.

Cleveland nets Antawn Jamison and Sebastian Telfair. I wonder what was Danny Ferry discussing / teaching Antawn and Bassy while watching Lebron pull out a 40+, 10+, 10+ game. Last time someone pulled out a 40-15-15 was Pistol Pete in 1974. Welcome to the all-or-nothing show feat. the Lebrons.

Chicago nets Hakim Warrick, Joe Alexander, Acie Law, Flip Murray and draft picks. Bulls are stuck in the middle of a middling group of teams that are in the playoff race while retaining cap flexibility. Hakim and Tyrus are kind of the same talent. They still might not be finished as they still have to figure things out with Hinrich.

Milwaukee nets John Salmons, Royal Ivey, Primoz Brezec and draft picks. They might finally have someone who can replace Michael Redd's numbers and minutes. Like the Bulls, they also might not be finished.

Charlotte nets Theo Ratliff and Tyrus Thomas. Larry Brown is going for the stretch run to get the 'Cats a playoff berth. Ratliff plays the right way and they can be patient with Tyrus given the depth of their bigs. Priority now will be getting DJ Augustine to "play the right way" and getting a little more guard help with Felton.

San Antonio nets a draft pick. Well, this move is for cap reasons and cap reasons only.

Philadelphia nets Francisco Elson, Jodie Meeks and draft picks. Considering the circumstances, they merely tweaked their mediocre lineup. They got talent, but they really need to figure out what to f'n do to Elton Brand. They need him to produce the way he did with the Clippers and not this pedestrian guy they are overpaying. One thing for sure, Sammy Dalembert is playing inspired ball right now (although I gotta admit, he's still overpaid).

Memphis nets Ronnie Brewer. Finally, a productive piece they can use for their bench. No team is as reliant on their best five than the Grizz (Conley, Mayo, Gay, Randolph, Gasol).

Utah nets a draft pick. See my comment on the Spurs. Besides, they love Wes Matthews, Ronnie Price and Sundiata right now. Oh, and they are definitely rooting for Knick failures. Imagine if John Wall goes to Utah. Or Evan Turner.

Sacramento nets Dominic Mcguire, Larry Hughes, Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey. Relatively surprised with them dealing K-Mart, but they apparently deem him as expendable with Tyreke. I think Carl Landry will be in way over his head with this deal, but the Kings need low post offensive threats and he is one of those. I still hope the Bear Jew gets more minutes now.

Houston nets Kevin Martin, Jordan Hill, Hilton Armstrong, Jared Jeffries and draft picks. Rick Adelman coached K-Mart in Sacramento. He knows what he will be getting from him. He will be great with them right now. Even better once Yao returns next season. Daryl Morey may have definitely has outsmarted two of the smart genius GMs in the NBA (Petrie / Walsh). They added size and another Battier-like player in Jeffries to boot. Now H-Town has three defensive options (Shane, Trevor and Jared) to sick on the likes of Kobe, Melo, Roy, Dirk, etc.

Boston nets Nate Robinson and Marcus Landry. Big D has said he is pretty disappointed that this is the only move they made. But considering what Jesus Shuttlesworth pull off against the Lake Show, maybe the right thing was not trading Walter Ray. Still, this team needs a shock in the system.

TWTWTNBA: Toying with the Trade Machine

Yes, I am toying with the ESPN Trade Machine. I may be delayed with the results, but here are certain combinations I toyed with. And I expect to get rebuttals from people who will say that this deal will not happen, because again, the odds these deals ever happen are slim to none.

1. Charlotte gets Tayshaun Prince and Chucky Atkins for DJ Augustine, DeSagana Diop and Acie Law IV. You know Larry Brown needs to get guys he knows to get these 'Cats ready for the stretch run. We know DJ is not really comfy with playing "the right way," so Chucky will serve as the veteran back-up to Ray Felton.

2. Phoenix gets Tayshaun Prince, Charlie Villanueva and Chris Wilcox for Amare Stoudemire and Earl Clark. If the Pistons really want to be competitive in the new East, if they can somehow get Amare, they might get a leg up. Earl Clark will be a good fill-in. Imagine what Charlie V can do with the SSOL. Tayshaun may be a better Shaun Marion.

3. Nuggets get Ben Gordon and Ben Wallace for JR Smith, Malik Allen and Johan Petro. If the Mavs made their move with Caron, why not the Nuggets with the new Microwave. Big man insurance with Big Ben will help solve bad depth in the frontcourt. Also jettisons their big headache in JR Smith.

4. Cleveland gets Monta Ellis, Anthony Morrow and CJ Watson for Delonte West, Daniel Gibson and Daniel Green. If the Cavs really want to lock up the title, A starting five of Mo Will, Monta, Lebron, Jamison and Shaq with a bench of Anthony Parker, Sideshow Bob and JJ Hickson would be good enough.

5. Detroit gets Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes and Nathan Jawai for Charlie Villanueva, Jason Maxiell and Kwame Brown.  Al is a 20-10 guy. They can just pull that off. An Al-Stuck-Tayshaun-Rip-Gomes would work.

6. Three-team deal: Lakers gets Luke Ridnour and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Milwaukee gets Luke Walton, Kelenna Azubuike and CJ Watson, Warriors get Sasha Vujacic. The Lake Show gets a back-up PG in Ridnour and a quality home product in Mbah a Moute. Bucks now turn it over to Brandon Jennings. Who knows what Nellieball can do for the Machine.

7. New Jersey gets Rodney Stuckey, Charlie Villanueva and Jason Maxiell for Josh Boone, Devin Harris and Yi Jianlian. End the Stuckey experiment and go with the now with Devin Harris. with the state of Detroit as it is, Yi might be able to get the China factor into play.

8. Wizards get Tracy McGrady for Gilbert Arenas, Francisco Oberto and Al Thornton. Houston has been getting by without a stud, so nothing will change with Agent Zero suspended this year, but adding a big in Oberto and another forward insurance with Thornton would help Houston go up in rank.

9. Miami gets Raja Bell and Anthony Morrow for James Jones and Daequan Cook. They get a shooter and a veteran and at the same time, both Bell's and Morrow's contracts expire at the end of the season, leaving the Heat with only ONE player locked up for next year (Beasley).

10. Three-team deal. Lakers gets Kirk Hinrich and Jared Jeffries. Knicks get Adam Morrison, Jerome James and Tyrus Thomas. Bulls gets Sasha Vujacic, Luke Walton and Cuttino Mobley. More expiring contracts for the Knicks, Bulls get rid of Tyrus (and at the end of the season, Vinny del Negro). and the Lakers probably lock up another ring for Kobe.

Blog Outsourcing 2/15

Well, welcome to the post-Valentine edition of TMA. Also known as the post-All Star Weekend. About time to do an All-Star Weekend assessment.

Well, the game was what you can say was much better than the Saturday Night.

Saturday was pretty much, blah. The dunk contest is an absolute disappointment. The three-point shootout was a surprise. Skills is what it was and H.O.R.S.E. was going to be good, but the provider at home decided to cut it short due to scheduled programming.

Good thing, the game made up for it. Especially the halftime portion.

Time for the links:

Your game recap.

Let's see what the Cowboys could do to top this.

Update with the trade.

You know one thing needed to happen for the floodgates to possibly open. Well, with Caron moving, it has started.

According to John, Paul Pierce is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

He still won, but with a so-so performance.

Future is now for him. He rules H.O.R.S.E.

One month before the Event. Another good Filipino makes his move.

Jamie McMurray fans can celebrate.

Cycledan would be disappointed with this news.

Looks good for Vonn.

Video Daily Double (the halftime edition):

One-half of the NBA halftime:

And this is the other half:

Thank you, Wright Thompson

The rest of the article is in here, but here is the first paragraph of a great read on ESPN.com.

The soul of New Orleans is in a trumpet and a low-ceilinged bar. It's in the free red beans in the back. It's in the art hanging near the food that has two dogs howling at a New Orleans Saints moon. It's in the voice of Kermit Ruffins, two hours into his standing Thursday night gig at a packed club hidden in the neighborhood behind the French Quarter, the place weathered and peeling like the side of a workingman's boat.

He plays a song he wrote, "All I Want for Christmas Is the Saints in the Super Bowl," and the crowd dances and sings all the words. When he takes a break, he calls me in closer. There's something he wants to show me. He undoes his thin black tie, and the top two buttons, then pulls both his collared shirt and T-shirt down just enough so I can see. I notice the top point first, and slowly, the entire tattoo comes into view, a month old, enormous, covering his entire chest. I start laughing, and so does he. A symbol of the city adorned with a symbol of the city. Kermit Ruffins has gotten an enormous fleur-de-lis, the Saints' helmet logo, tattooed on his chest.

"Only in New Orleans," he says, winking. "I'm killing 'em when I take off my shirt at the beach. Especially at the Super Bowl."

 Reading this brought a tear to my eye. Back then, and now, in the midst of a backdrop of a New Orleans Super Bowl title.

Blog Outsourcing - 2/8/10

Yes, you are the champs!"

Congratulations, New Orleans! You did it. You have finally won it. The 9th team to win it in its first try. After all you have been through, you deserve it.

I actually missed out on the first half and halftime show. And as you all know, the Philippines does not get to see the Super Bowl commercials. Thank God for the gift of Youtube! for me to catch up. Blame it on a good time last night. I enjoyed it, maybe too much. While you guys get the CBS treatment, we here get the world feed feat. Bob Papa and Joe Theismann.

However, the 2nd half was great. Seeing two teams go at it mano-a-mano, capping off with the Tracy Porter pick 6.



And so, with that, let the link love commence.



Your mandatory Super Bowl recap.

The Onside Kickoff heard round the world. First one recovered by the kicking team outside of the 4th quarter in Super Bowl history.

Who is Tracy Porter? And what's with his hair?

In Haiti, Pierre Garcon will be a cheered by his fans wearing their shirts.

Twas quite a Brees, eh? What about Manning?

You could have had him, Jerry Jones. You could have had him.

In other news:

Johnny hates Jazz sports.

The Celtics are in deep doo-doo.

Not much news, because it is, after all, the Super Bowl.

Here's a parting picture to savor the moment.

*Thanks to the Times-Picayune for the pictures*

Surpassing the Logo

Kobe just passed by Jerry West as the all-time leading scorer of the Minneapolis / Los Angeles Lakers. Although the Lake Show lost by two, Kobe scored 44 and was a Ron Artest miss from winning the game.

He did say, that if his body would allow it, he might be able to have a crack at the hallowed mark of Kareem.

Blog Outsourcing - 2/1/10

Welcome to the first TMA of February. In days, it will be Single Awareness Day all over again for all unattached people everywhere.

I need a date. I need love. I need eternal happiness and bliss. At least all of you have a lovelife. I don't. What should I do?

Maybe I should do the ff:

1. Shape up.
2. Save.
3. Be true to myself.
4. Act like I was already worked on by the Queer Eye folks.

Anything else? Maybe Trey's advise as seen in previous posts would be a great suggestion for all desperate single guys and ladies out there.

***

Oh, I was at my sister's debut the other day. She looked like an absolute pink princess. Looking back, I felt that I should be able to be more of a responsible bro and be more of service. Also realized that man, I look so dated at my pictures. I also thought about my dad, who wanted this to happen for her. Man, time has passed. Anyway, stop being mushy.

Time for Link love:

Grade III Sprain = Torn Ligaments. Will you play, Dwight Freeney?

Will Bobby Hebert outdress Lady Gaga?

Rex always finds a way to get attention. He always does, patphish? Where was he? He was here.

Your mandatory Pro Bowl Update.
Maybe positive things in the future of H-Town.

Feel free to castigate the choices of the 00's All-Decade Team.

Ok, who wants Julius Peppers should raise their hands.

Bad juju for Nawlins? Maybe good juju for Chauncey.

Today is Lakers stole Pau Gasol day. To celebrate, they kept the C's struggling. Coming soon. JP toys with the Trade Machine.

John Lithgow vs Ron Jeremy in the All-Star Game.

Kevin Durant is awesome.

The Maple Leafs made their move. Let's see if it pays off.

NHL can't get a break with scheduling. Stanley Cup rematch gets buried on Pro Bowl Sunday, Grammys, and Boston-LA. Penguins have not lost on shootouts.

Miz > Trey. Unfortunately, no jorts on the line.

Not good news for GITC. And Carolina's struggles continue.

And the Fed Express continues. He's ahead of Tiger now.

Coming soon on May Day. But he still takes potshots at my boy. He is just envious that the writers love my boy. Ok. You win your match. We win ours then we talk. Deal?

Futbol update: Man U chasing Chelsea. Plus, I wonder what African officials would do if they were shot at by militants like the Togolese endured.

Video links. Grammy winners all.

Kings of Leon:


Taylor Swift:

Who are my All-Star Reseves

Well, like I promised last time, here are my All-Star reserves...

Picking the reserves will be this simple: 7 players will be selected, with 5 position players (2 guards, 2 forwards and a center) and 2 wildcards. You can be creative with the position designates (but it has to be feasible).

So who are they:

East: Starters (Iverson, Wade, James, Garnett, Howard)

Guards: Rajon Rondo and Joe Johnson. I really believe Rajon will be one who could pull off a quad-double. Joe Johnson has been Mr. Consistent for the Hawks.

Forwards: Gerald Wallace and Paul Pierce. Crash has earned his spot, with Charlotte in the inside track of the playoff chase. John approves of Paul Pierce getting in.

Center: Chris Bosh. If KG decides to rest instead of playing in Dallas, the Texan native is the odds-on favorite to replace him in the starting 5.

Wildcards: Josh Smith and Mo Williams. J-Smooth really improved and deserves a selection. Yes, Mo Will is going to be out, but he deserves selection as Lebron's #2. Then you can replace him with a big man (considering the team only has 2 center-eligibles).

Missin' the cut: Derrick Rose, Antawn Jamison, David Lee, Andrew Bogut, Ray Allen, Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Jamal Crawford, Stephen Jackson, Danny Granger

West: Starters (Nash, Bryant, Anthony, Duncan, Stoudemire)

Guards: Chris Paul and Deron Williams. Finally, both guards Atlanta eschewed to get Marvin Williams are in the weekend spectacle simultaneously.

Forwards: Kevin Durant and Dirk Nowitzki. Easiest position to select, because these two are slam dunk selections. Dirk as a hometown choice, and because we cannot ignore the Durantula anymore.

Center: Zach Randolph. Who knew? A trade afterthought actually panning out for the Grizzlies. One game out of 4th place in the West. Yes, Memphis.

Wildcards: Brandon Roy and Pau Gasol. Two really great players with injury issues. Their team's record speaks for themselves (especially Portland, whose MVP is their training and medical staff)

Missin' the Cut: Chris Kaman, Chauncey Billups, Jason Kidd, Carlos Boozer, Monta Ellis, Tyreke Evans, LaMarcus Aldridge, Aaron Brooks, Carl Landry

Interesting to note that 15 of 16 playoff teams (if it started today, have at least one representative) Bulls have no representative in the ASG, based on my choices.

Now what are your choices, then? Have a hack at it.

***

Meanwhile, the league has given the length of the suspension to both Javaris and Gilbert. What's the next move? Thinking about the scenario now, Will the new ownership eat the worst contract in the NBA? Because who in their right mind will trade for Gilbert? If the buyout happens, this would be another piece of an interesting offseason to come. Your move, Ernie. For Javaris, he really needs a change of scenery.  Would have liked his hometown team (Atlanta) to take a chance, but they are loaded in the backcourt (unless Joe Johnson leaves).

The Hopes of Britannia lies with him

He aims to be the first British winner of the Aussie Open since 1934. Congratulations, Andy.

(h/t David Gray of Reuters via The Guardian)

Kudos, though to Marin Cilic. He almost became the second man to make it to the Aussie Open final while surviving 3 matches that went the whole way. He played 21 hours of tennis time. Incredible.

Blog Outsourcing - 1/25/10

Welcome to the last Monday of January. Has it been that fast already that it is almost February? Yes, time flies fast when you want it to be.

I am happy with how things are going with regards to Haiti relief. Apparently, people have learned from the Katrina experience and decided to ensure help is on the way. I presume you all watched the telethon a few days ago. Efforts are still ongoing. The islands lost a few lives there, but help is on the way. It's not much, but we know the feeling, so we know what is needed.



Hope you enjoy the tunes in this playlist.

As such, here are the links:

And the Saints go marching in.

Redemption for a kicker. In a year where kicker's gaffes are the norm.

Drew Brees is awesome.

Hoping we do NOT have another Rachel Nichols stalking moment with Favre.

Another new chapter to the Purple Fail. And that does not include the Prince ode to the Purple and Gold.

Meanwhile, Kwsn prevails over Patphish. Come to think of it, Kwsn will win in the Super Bowl whether Colts or Saints win. Will probably relish a Brees vs Painter match-up, no matter how unlikely that happens.

And so, we will miss his loquaciousness.

Ok, better honorary captain: Edge or Deuce?

Here is a way-too-early preview of the Super Bowl.

This is for Jen and all feminists everywhere.

There was an obliteration in MSG and revenge 4 years too late?

Not much news, but all eyes after all were in Indy and Nawlins.

Before I go, get well soon to the Hawaiian Punch.

Video fest: The Saints are coming!


Time to stand up and get crunk!