How do you say "no respect" in Sri Lanka?

Poor Muttiah Muralitharan. Not a single vote as best cricketer despite being the greatest bowler ever. Actually, this is the greatest bowler ever:

But the main thing is that Imran Khan has been confirmed as cricket's best. Time for a new poll.

Bam-Bam Obama

He's got such a big head, what an easy target! (See picture below in Todd's post.) I think I can take him . (And people think he's a black militant, sheesh! Just look at the guy!)

I am coming around again on the basketball. I like Calipari's slicked hair. If I can't root for Pitino's hair, I might as well root for the next best thing.




Also, a Memphis win offers me some respectability (I picked them to win). I know respectability doesn't count for much amongst McDows (though at least Dodie made an effort to "marry up").

The fan and the know-nothing

Jeff will win it all as long as UCLA takes the championship. However, in order to avoid a tie with me, he needs Kansas to beat UNC. If the championship game is UNC vs. UCLA, and UCLA wins, then we tie for first.

Meanwhile, even Piers is beating Obama and Clinton. Obama scores up at 780, while Clinton's at 630.



P.S. Who the heck is the namesake of Jeff's bracket, Frank Maguire?

P.P.S. After a bit of web research, is it Frank McGuire, who recruited Jewish and Catholic players from New York to come down and whip some butt in the Carolinas?

P.P.P.S. Todd's photoshop grade: D

Piers Has a Good Point

But I wonder, was McDow Hoops ever based on an interest in basketball? -Mook

A Nice Surprise

Wow, what a nice feeling to walk in from a long evening of work at the coffee shop to find that I've jumped all the other Jenkins, and of course, the mysterious el Crawdad.

Piers, I hope your not going to let those net-heads get away with running down to Texas just because the Heels keep winning.  And some one told me that Chapel Hill was academically rigorous.  Of course, I'd probably be inclined to skip class to if my Professor kept pausing his lecture to blog about his loosing bracket.

PT News Wire: Fans Across America Lose Interest

Blogsville, USA. With the four #1 seeds in the Final Four for the first time ever, and with three perennial favorites among them, the climax to this year's college basketball season is promising to annoy the heck out of everybody who doesn't already root for those four stinking teams. Captain 'Cuse, a Blogsville resident, said, "For those of us with no money on these games, do we really give a rat's bottom if the mighty UNC beats the all-time winningest UCLA in the final, or vice versa?" He then added, speaking for many, "What we need is some good off-court shenanigans to make this interesting again. I mean, I'd root for the team that arrived in San Antonio underhanded because half their team was suspended for being caught in a strip club." Reminded that Memphis has not experienced the same level of success as the other programs, Captain 'Cuse recalled why he was for them in the first place. "But," he added, "half their players getting caught in a strip club would seal the deal."

Heartbroken for Davidson

They played well but just couldn't pull it through. Now I'm back to my bracket and hopefully in the running for some money at work with Memphis, UNC and Kansas still in it. Keep up the talkin guys! Leslie

I prefer my Curry hot

What happened on that last play??? I was *sure* that Davidson was the kind of team to have a nice play to run to get a good last shot. But Curry held the ball like he had no idea what to do. Argh!

What a heart breaker

Wow, now that was a great game. Leslie, you should be proud. I'm hoping that the lack of blog traffic is because everyone was so riveted to their televisions because that was quite a game.

Go Davidson!

I'm with Dodie, who wouldn't pull for Davidson at this point? I'm looking to Memphis for my only way to the top. I think I'm the only one towards the top of the heap that picked them to win it all. So, go Memphis!

Back in the Game

Dodie has provided me the blog by e-mail and on the way back from Smith Mountain Lake I will try to get back in the game though this may be dated.
      Piers, the vote here is to flunck all Heels fans who miss a class. Anybody unwilling to take an F for the team is unworthy of going. Give them something that will make them remember.  Nobody remembers the B's but who can forget an F. While talking about grades, there was some talk about avoiding D's.   Well, there is a good way to avoid a D and another method that I tried in high school. I don't recommend it.
      Dodie' percentage may be a bit low and that is OK so long as Silas is hitting 100 %.  Keep it up Silas.
       I am slightly hurt that no one sent a sympathy card for my bracket. I trust my team Memphis State is still alive though I have no access to the score. Mary Ann promises to have me in front of a TV when Davidson plays.  They are a wonderful story. Let's hope it gets even better.
                          Clarkson
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Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

Tigers Maul 'Horns, but will Wildcats raid the 'Hawk House?

In the past members of this blog have not gone out of their way
enough to sufficiently praise those in the lead. We have had,
looking over the course of this tournament, some excellent pickers,
even those who had percentages in the high nineties. So that we
don't overlook excellence in our midst, I would like to praise Jeff.
He was smart to marry Maggie, not just for the cute kids, but to have
a bunch of chumps that he could kick around in no-stakes sports
gambling. And though Mary Croom tried to hang with him, we all
know about the relative strength of the Big East. Jeff, I salute
your wisdom and foresight and hope that you enjoy your time at the
top of the heap.

For today's action, look for Memphis to beat Texas's feet in the
Mississippi mud, as Clarkson once famously tried to say. Once that
happens, the thicket will clear a bit and three super G's (Gumbinner,
Goff, and Goff McDow) and one other person will be first, second, and
tied for third, all separated by a mere twenty points.

In the second game, all the leaders have picked Kansas to win, so the
effect on our contest is pretty flat, regardless of what happens.
(Except for Jeff, who's asking, "What's the Matter with Kansas," cuz
he picked them to win the whole thing.) With a relatively neutral
result on our pool, we are all free to root for Leslie's alma mater.
I mean, who doesn't pull for an underdog from a Charlotte suburb?

Louisville's demise

Louisville's play last night brought to mind a different line by John Milton: "Whence and what are thou, execrable shape?" They really crapped up the joint during a crucial stretch! Now, I have to deal with emails like these from my students: "Dear Piers: As you know, the Heels just won, so they will proceed to the Final Four in San Antonio! As a member of the band, I have been invited to travel with the team to the game. This means that I will be out of town as early as Wednesday, April 2 and will not return as late as Tuesday, April 8. I realize this means I will miss up to 2 classes. I will continue to keep up with class readings and notes. If there are any make-up assignments you wish me to complete, please let me know. Also, our papers will be due the day/night I get back on Tuesday. If we go all the way to the final game, I will not return until after it is due. We will have Internet at the hotel, so I will email a copy of my paper to you before 8am on Tuesday. I will get a hardcopy to you as soon as I return to campus. I will also be able to email you throughout the week with paper questions should they arise. I hope this is okay. If there is anything else I need to do, please let me know. Thank you for your understanding and for allowing me this amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. GO HEELS! Thank you, [Name deleted to protect the excited]" I would like to mention to her that taking my class is also an amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but I'm not sure I believe it.

Not Really Perched Any More...

With Louisville's loss, looks like I should start boning up on my Cricket... (At least I'm still sitting next to Todd.) -Mook

Precariously Perched

It's an odd place to be - no one has MORE points than me (Jeff has the same number) and only two people have LESS potential points than me (though two people have the same potential points as me). What does this mean? I think I won't be enjoying this first class seat for long...

We have a new leader

I may not have the trash talk crown, but I now have the lead. MC and I (Jeff) move into first as Mr. 97% is unjustly punished for his faith in the A-10. In the late game, I have UNC and Mary Croom has Louiville, so by the end of the night one of us will be in sole possession of first place. I suppose it might not be me in first by the end of the night, but as Frank Maguire knew, and this pool is confirming, South Carolina should always defer to native New Yorkers when it comes to basketball. --Jeff

Hey Mr. 97%, How are you feeling about that Xavier pick now? I'm pulling for them because they're an A-10 team, but even at 61%, I knew enough to know that UCLA is going to take this one.

Dodie's report card

Ability to write a boring poem: A Ability to pick a decent bracket: A Getting Ole and Sarah to blog: F

On Piers Being Arrived at the Age of Thirty-Three

How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth, 

Stol'n on his wing Piers' third-and-thirtieth year!

His hasting days fly on with full career, 

But his late spring no bud or blossom shew'th.

Perhaps his bracket might deceive the truth

That he to vict'ry shan't arrive so near;

And all his thoughts doth on this blog appear, 

That some more timely-happy spirits endu'th.

Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow,

It shall be still in strictest measure loose

To that same lot, however mean or high, 

Toward which Time leads him, and the Orange of 'Cuse: 

All is, if he has grace to use it so

As ever in the great Big-Easter's eye.

(with sincere apologies to John Milton)

Stinking it up

I really needed Stanford to win, to knock out all the folks who went with Texas. Then I needed Stanford to beat Memphis. Talk about long shots, but that was my only hope for holding onto a top spot.

Along with stinking it up in the hoops bracket, I am stinking it up in the home free-throw competition. We have a diaper champ, which is where you put dirty diapers so they don't stink up the joint. It's about eight or nine feet away from where we change Silas. (This won't make sense unless you've seen how tiny and cramped our apartment is. You put things where you can.)

After changing Silas, I turn to make a free throw. My current FG percentage is 20%. The more Silas puts into the diaper, the better chance I have of sinking the shot -- the light diapers tend to hit the rim and just bounce across it. Meredith is shooting 100%. She tried it once, sunk it, and declared that she was done with the competition.

Sonnets

Piers-

You really can't come up with a phrase that rhymes with "self-promoting guy who's asking for it".  How about:  "talks a lot of smack, talks a lot of S*%t."  Or "with his taunts to the group, he's asking for it."  Or "often confuses sarcasm with whit."

 

Mook

Mr. 97th Percentile

Good thing Dodie wrote that last post, or I might not have appreciated his commanding lead in the pool. I'd write a sonnet in his honor, except I'm not sure what rhymes with "self-promoting guy who's asking for it".

Grade: he undoubtedly gets an A, but the rest of the class hates him.

Just imagine if Xavier wins the NEXT round!

Oy vey.

Grading on a Curve

I notice that I did not get a blogging grade. I have never known
this group to avoid cheap shots, so I'm waiting for both shoes to
drop. In the meantime, I'll assume that we're grading on a curve so
that my 95-point-some odd percentage next to my score can lob me into
the A range. (I recognize the slip in points remaining--those with G
last (or maiden names) who are related to McDows by marriage seem to
be leading that category.) But its the name that begins with X that
matters.

Tomorrow night, I'm looking to see Xavier oust UCLA. Cheers to the
Musketeers. All for one and one for the Final Four. I am the only
one in our pool who picked them to win through. Even Clarkson, who
backed me up on Davidson, did not have the clarity of vision to get
on the X Train. Of course if they lose, my bracket can sing, M-I-C-
see ya next year-K - E- Y- why because I suck, L-O -U-S-E.

Clarkson McDow and Jim Goff

While they're visiting with each other at the lake, maybe Clarkson can get some pointers from Jim about how to pick basketball games and Jim can get some pointers from Clarkson about how to blog. On a different note: if Davidson kids are so smart, how come it took them this long to figure out how to do well in the tournament?

PPR gone good

Love the PPR! As of right now, I'm leading in PPR with both remaining sweet 16 games and all my final 4 picks still alive. Of course, after Xavier beats UCLA I'll be eliminated so let's just say PPR is the way to go. (from Jeff)

"Mmmmm Spicy Curry"

I saw that sign in the crowd tonight. Davidson wins big-- that's what I'm talking about! A bunch of smart kids handing it to the midwest guys. I'd sacrifice my whole bracket at this point to see Davidson advance to Final Four. I'm obviously psyched! Leslie

PPR gone bad

On Thursday morning, I was feeling pretty good with a high PPR my world was all possibilities. I may not be up with the winners, but oh the possibilities. After the late games yesterday, and Wisconsin putting in a dismal performance, I'm not as optimistic. Although, I have to say, good for Davidson. It's hard to root against them. By the way, you probably won't hear much from my dad this weekend because he is visiting the Goff's at the lake, and I don't think they have very good blackberry reception there.

The 7:30 games

I'm riveted by the games. Rooting very hard for Stanford and Davidson. I won't be catching the later games... early bedtime around here, courtesy of Silas's wake-up time.

All Quiet on the Blog Front

'Todd' apparently isn't taking Raskin's bait. But everyone else is quiet too. There isn't a very exciting game on right now that might propel a McDowHoops family team to the Elite Eight, is there? Clarkson must have forgotten his Blackberry wherever he is. [As I wrote this, Maggie contributed a post. Yes, Ole and Sarah, who *are* you?]

Ole and Sarah who?

Who are Ole and Sarah? I think they may be more elusive than the Mysterious Crawford.

Thankfully

When I click on the small picture of Todd in the post below, only another small picture of Todd appears.

New Poll!

The key feature of this poll is that you should change your vote once you have become awesome (unless you're among those hopeless individuals in the third category).

Grading Todd

Effort: A- (started slowly, but has come on strong)

Smack: B+ (too easy on Raskin and fawning all over Clarkson)

Blog identity: A ("the boy from Palouse Hills")

Picker: A- (basketball and nose)

Attitude: D (nothing like repeated little cheap shots at good ol' Piers, eh?! Back atcha baby!)

Nickname: F (Unless your real name isn't Todd, in which case you get an A+)

Degree of difficulty: 10 (for a guy who doesn't follow basketball, you blog it well!)

Overall: A (but remember I'm not a math guy)

That should make you smile.

<-- Like that!

Correction

Mook, I'm not sure how I skipped over your bracket! My apologies. In my defense, I was moving fast to get my post up before the judge came in this morning. You did pick Memphis. I'm wrong to call into doubt their likelihood of making the Final Four. (The pool collectively thinks there's a 64% chance Memphis will make it.) You have Georgetown winning it all, which explains your anemic PPR ... so far Lauren hasn't crunched new numbers, but I predict that we won't be tied for long! Anyone else who wants a midterm grade should just let me know. I thought it would be pretty obnoxious to grade everyone, so I just targeted a few of you (which was only mildly obnoxious). Here is another selection of smack grades: Mook: A+ for cricket smack; A for birthday smack; A- for NCAA smack Charles Stuart: A+ for nickname (great "O or D" post!) Ole: F Sarah: F

Hello?

Todd:
I realize that I'm living in a country with ~ 1 billion people, and a city with ~ 20 million people, but I'm a little hurt to be so over-looked.  I'm tied for second place.  WITH YOU.  Not only do I have Memphis in the final game, I feel I've talked my fair share of smack.  About basketball AND cricket.

 

Wondering what it takes to get noticed around here...

Mook

 

PS - Anwar said that Tendulkar was the greatest cricketer of all time.

Lauren: please run the new numbers

Okay, UCLA has not looked particularly dominant in their latest two outings. Nevertheless I have picked them to go all the way. In my office (money) pool, where I'm in the hunt at third, I have UNC going all the way -- I'm not crazy. But in this pool, I wanted both a shot at winning and a chance to talk smack about west coast teams along the way.

So I'm still in this thing, but I wouldn't bet on myself. Lauren, what does your analysis say? Dodie has a lot of PPR, but he's banking on two upsets: Xavier and Wisconsin in the Final Four. Also, he and Lauren are the only ones in the top five who picked Memphis to make it to the final four. Will that happen? (You'll remember that Hillary has them going all the way.)

I second the call for Ole and Sarah to join the blog. Meanwhile I was psyched to see more posts from Margaret and Jeff. Clarkson maintains his A+ status for smack talk, although I'd like to correct the record to say that Piers is the one who avoided the D in Physics. I am the one who avoided a D in Evolutionary Biology. Don't ask Dodie about the courses he avoided D's in.

A brief selection of people's smack-talk grades -- this is just the midterms, so don't worry too much, folks -- might be awarded as follows:

Piers: A (for quantity)
Lauren: A (for quality)
Raskin: B+ (more posts and more insults, please)
Will: C- (narrowly avoiding a D; get with the program)
The Mysterious Crawford: F

Sitting Next to Todd

Just like I said I would be... 

 

-Mook

When Your Bracket is. In the Tank

My bracket is in the tank so now iI have the freedom to pull for alll of the underdogs.  WKU is trying to pull one of the all time major upsets. They may fall short but you have to love them. 

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Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

Vols dealt bad Cards

Looks like it's Clarkson (and Leslie) who's stewing after that awful game played by those hound-dogs.

A lesser team would be in trouble.

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Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

Watch Tennessee

   The Vols have my bracket in their hands.   I think they are getting ready to make a move
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Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

No O or D?

Am I the only one who finds it ironic that neither of Clarkson's "Offense Wins" or "Defense Wins" is doing anything worth squat in the pool?  Clearly the best teams are the ones those that play neither.

Also, Todd, hope Washington is paying you for the PR job you're doing.

(Some great new nicknames offered up by Piers, if any of the younger cousins are looking for one.)

Not exactly down and out

My team may be returning to the Palouse Hills, but fortunately I hedged by picking UNC. I am currently #1, wreaking havoc on Lauren's formula. However Dodie has moved up to #2, in support of Lauren's formula. We shall see what happens next.

Get it together UT!

Leslie, where are you? I need you to get your team in gear!

A-10 fanatacism

Jeff is on fire tonight. He wanted me to post: With Xavier's win tonight and UMass winning at Captain 'Cuse, the A-10 is no 12 and 10 against the Big 10 this year. If GW can't even make the A-10 tourney, Jeff will find his highlights wherever he can.

Let's call him Cat Stew

Or cat-baller or Stewed cat or fish balls or.... ? Dodie picked Xavier to go to the Final Four, so he is pleased. He is currently on the road to Philly, to spend the night before going to a meeting in NYC. Maybe he will inspire Ole and Sarah to join the blog during his stop-over. Cougars (and Todd) down and out.

Vote Stewballer

I voted for Stewballer but that is not his best nickname. In days gone by he went by the name of "Catfish."

Nighty Night or Mighty Mite?

I think they are better than you think. Lousville will not be playing the last game but are playing this game. When is the last time that Loserville did not fold early? Believe me Gamecock fans can smell a team about to fold. We have had much experience. The Stewballer will be stewed before this deal is over.

Let's go Xavier

That's it. I need them to win.

You mean: Nighty-night Vols!

While you you were working hard for the government, Clarkson, you must have missed Louisville's last game. Looks like Stew-Baller is running away with the poll. Rightly-so.

The Night of the Tennessee Vols

I am sorry that I have been working my day job the last few days and am actually still there trying to get caught up for a long weekend. In my absence I notice that the discussion has reached a level of intellect that is possible with my participation. I will drag the discussion to a level that will remove all doubt why SC is 49th in education. Todd avoided a D in physics but I was right proud of mine. The math of Lauren's formula was not nearly as impressive as the fact that it proved my point exactly. I least I think it did. Us D students don't exactly work the formulas. We look them over, comment on them and then take a guess at the results. Actually calculating a formula is the sign of a real nerd. Back to basketball. That is a sentence fragment so don't tell Thomas who would immediatly throw me out of the family. This is the year of the Leslie teams. Sunday we pulled out Davidson and tonight it is Tennessee's night. They have saved their stuff for the last four games. No use bringing your A game to the first and second round. Save it for the big games. I think I am the only one taking them to the Final Four. Does Leslie have an excuse for not supporting her own teams. I will miss it but UNC and Washington State should be a classic game of offense vs. defense. My bracket has UNC and they may win, but I hate betting against a team that was able to wipe the floor with Winthrop. I will check later to see how my teams are doing. I think my point about potential is valid though the better argument against it is not a formula but a reminder that only eight days ago we all had the potential to win all the points. They don't really count until your team is ahead at the final whistle. Capt. Cuse can vouch for that. Otherwise Syralose would be playing South Carolina in the Big Dance.

Jiminy Cricket! Let's get back to basketball!

Today's line-up:

7:10 PM ET
(7)West Virginia (26-10, 11-7 Big East)
(3)Xavier (29-6, 14-2 A 10)

7:27 PM ET
(4)Washington State (26-8, 11-7 Pac-10)
(1)North Carolina (34-2, 14-2 ACC)

9:40 PM ET
(12)W Kentucky (29-6, 16-2 S. Belt)
(1)UCLA (33-3, 16-2 Pac-10)

9:57 PM ET
(3)Louisville (26-8, 14-4 Big East)
(2)Tennessee (31-4, 14-2 SEC)

All excellent games that could go either way. Cougar success will depend a lot on whether Baynes can stay out of foul trouble. But Hansbrough (Psycho-T, as they call him) is good at drawing fouls. I think this means a tough night for WSU. I hope I'm wrong!

Lets Get off the Sub-Continent

As far as batsmen go, my vote has got to be for Brian Lara.  Not only did he set the record for most individual runs in an innings once, but after his first record of 375 was broken, he re-set it at 400.  The two innings both came against England, but were separated by 10 years.  He has also scored a phenomenal 20% of the West Indies runs.  And speaking of Tendulkar, Lara is tied with number of innings to reach 10,000 runs (one of only five crickiters to reach this total).  His average, over 50 runs puts him in the ranks of the great Garfield Sobers (considered by many to be the best West Indian all-rounder ever).  He also captained the Windies on many different occasions, leading them to the the semi-finals of the world cup in 1996.

Tendulkar vs. Khan

From Wikipedia, an impeccable source: Tendulkar's two tenures as captain of the Indian cricket team were not very successful. When Tendulkar took over as Captain in 1996, it was with huge hopes and expectations. However, by 1997 the team was performing poorly. Azharuddin was credited with saying "Nahin jeetega! Chote ki naseeb main jeet nahin hai!," which translates into: "He won't win! It's not in the small one's destiny." Imran Khan, on the other hand, had a "career-high as a captain and cricketer ... when he led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 ICC Cricket World Cup. Playing with a brittle batting lineup, Khan promoted himself as a batsman to provide stability in the top order together with Javed Miandad, but his contribution as a bowler was minimal. In the final match, at the age of 39, Khan scored the highest runs of all the Pakistani batsmen and took the winning last wicket himself." Arsalan wants me to point out that Imran Khan was a fine example of a captain translating his smart cricket thoughts and moves to practical execution. He was brave to take uncomfortable decisions and base his cricket on aggression. It was either playing for a win or a loss, never to draw games. Raskin, if you get a chance, you should post a photo of Morris in the Tendulkar jersey! I would love to see it.

Back to cricket

This is not a joke: coincidentally my son Morris went to nursery school today wearing a Sachin Tendulkar shirt that I got when I was in India a couple years ago. Tendulkar would get my vote for best cricket player, not to start a little India/Pakistan rivalry on sMaCkDOWn or anything. I have played cricket once, in Australia, in 1997, with Dave Leonhardt's ex-girlfriend; I found it fun but totally weird and yes, kind of slow moving. Which is probably how she found Leonhardt, come to think of it. Is he even on this blog? Can you talk smack about someone who's not here? Doesn't seem quite fair, but then that is incentive to get your picks in on time next year.

Non-math guy speaks

This is from a guy who had to talk his way out of a D in physics in college (I was taking it credit/D/fail), but isn't the problem with Lauren's calculation just this: it relies on a proportionality that evaporates in later rounds. In the early rounds, with many games at ten points each, there are many different score levels one might come in at. What I mean is, if someone got 70% right in the first round and say there were a hundred points at stake (10 games x 10 pts per game), then one got 70 points. But in later rounds, where there are fewer point slots, doesn't that 70% rating Lauren gave you just turn into 50 points in the semifinal round (because - with 2 games x 50 pts pers game - in that round one can get either 0, 50, or 100 points, and nothing else). So if someone got only 60% right in the earlier rounds, shouldn't that also slot into the 50 point slot in the semifinal round? I can't express the point well, but it seems to me that her numbers will have to be way off because of this kind of thinking. If someone can explain to me why my thinking is d-u-m dumb, or can explain it better, I'd be grateful. Of course, Lauren is still a genius... for having so magnificently stroked Dodie's ego.

Late entry into the smack talk arena Nell (not Nellie !!)

This is the not a great year for smack talk, but I was so impressed with Lauren’s formula to predict who would win the brackets that I suggest that we just start a new poll to see who can come closest to predicting who will come closest to predicting.  Surely we could be more successful at that we are at actually predicting the results of the games.  Or maybe we could have Lauren develop a formula for predicting the game scores.

Imran Khan has a mullet

By the way if you do a google image search for Todd Keithley, the 8th thing that comes up is this:





Looking good, Todd!


And, yes, if you search for Piers Turner, it doesn't take long before you get to this:




This dissertation has taken its toll!

Stew-Baller

Check out the new poll: who has the best nickname?

I'm a fan of Stew-Baller. I was curious what a Google image search on "stew baller" would find. I was kind of worried that it would get me in trouble at work, but this is what turned up:



P.S. One nickname is missing from the poll: Captain Lose.

Cricket Talk

We have seen a decent number of bollywood movies here, and one of the better ones is Lagaan. The IMDB synopsis is this: Sometime during latter half of the 19th century, a small village in North India is facing drought conditions. Captain Andrew Russell, the British captain of the nearby cantonment, demands double of the usual land tax (lagaan) from the villagers. When the villagers' representatives go to meet Captain Russell to discuss the situation, Capt. Russell challenges them to a game of cricket with his team after three months. A young villager Bhuvan accepts the challenge and starts to build his team of villagers for the showdown with their colonial rulers. The movie is fair, but as the villagers learn cricket, so does the movie audience. If anybody needs a not-so-quick primer, it's available from Netflix. And it's about 3 1/2 hours long. I'll have to check with Anwar, our driver, about cricket smack-talk. We'll see who HE thinks is the best cricketer of all time (though I can already guarantee he'll play for an Indian team). Mook

Imran Khan

Sadly, we haven't been able to make it to Thanksgiving in a long time, and Meredith's schedule this fall will be the most inflexible of her residency. But if we make it down, count us in for cricket. My co-clerk, Arsalan, is a huge cricket fan and we've actually followed it here in chambers. We're fans of Imran Khan, who, according to Arsalan, is the greatest cricketer of all time. Nowadays he's an opposition politician in Pakistan, and we were on the edge of our seats last year when he demanded the death penalty for Musharraf, was put under house arrest, and then escaped!

How 'bout we keep talking cricket until the basketball tournament resumes? Anyone have any thoughts about which stat is more important, wickets or balls bowled?

Cricket - I'm in!

CS:
If you'd like to learn cricket, that can be the activity for Thanksgiving '08.  Hell, one year you guys built Thomas's deck.  Anything's possible over a long holiday weekend.  Bring your laptop, an external hard drive, and the latest version of excel.

 

-Diego 

Cricket?

CS:

I can't pick teams for the NCAA basketball tournament.  I played basketball (in elementary school), I managed the basketball team (in junior high - no jokes Dodie about "managing") and kept score for the team in high school.  It is the only sport I enjoy watching live or on TV.  And you want me to learn CRICKET??  Are you insane?  It takes more than one day to PLAY the sport.  It's slower than baseball (you wanted smack CS, you got it!).  I don't think so...

Thanks for the "suggestion" but I'm going to pass.  In fact, in order to evade suggestions of learning about cricket, I think I'll just leave India at the end of May...

 

But I do agree with you that there has been a disappointingly low amount of smack talk.  What has happened??

 

Mook  no-freaking-way-I'm-learning-cricket  Rincon

It's a Good Thing Piers lives in Chapel Hill, not Syracuse...

If he ever wants to see his top-seeded home team win in a tournament.

Ricky Harris scored 23 points as Massachusetts rallied from 17 points behind in the final eight minutes and defeated host Syracuse, 81-77, on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament....No team had beaten Syracuse twice in the Carrier Dome in the same season until the Minutemen made their stunning rally.

Piers, sorry that there was no juice in the Orange this year.

-Dode

November 08?

Is Clarkson running for office?

It looks like this blog has turned into a fan-page.  What happened to the sharp-tongued smack-talkers of old?  What happened to the stinging criticism, once feared by all those has-been and never-were bracketeers?

I may be tied for 14th with a few others, one who's new main sport ought to be cricket. But it won't stop me from doing a bit of taunting as my final four advance onward, much to the dismay of the Hoyas, Blue Devils, and Tigers (the one's with the purple jerseys).

Loverman

I have long admired Clarkson's profile.

Do we all need to see this again?

Who is viewing Clarkson's Profile?

It could be the other members of the rap music affinity group he joined.

Clarkson's profile

I was also procrastinating on the day's work, and saw Todd's post below about Clarkson's profile. (It is funny.) As of right now, Clarkson's profile has been viewed 38 times! Who are all those people?

Happy Birthday Alison!

I realize that Alison is not an official member of McDow Hoops, but I wanted to use this forum to wish her a very happy birthday!!

-Mook

Clarkson's Profile

Procrastinating on the day's work, I checked out Clarkson's blogger profile. Take a look. It's pretty funny.

Lauren's Pool

Dodie-

I can't second your motion to just scrap the pool - I'm not ready to give up the smack-reading.  I'm pretty much out of the talking business; though I do have Memphis in the final game (unfortunately, I thought they'd be getting beat by my recently adopted Hoyas).  But we could always start a side pool...  An opportunity to see who else can predict the sMaCkDOWn winner based on current selections.

 

Just a thought...

 

Mook

Alive: Will, Davidson, Hope; Not Alive: lots of people, Duke, Piers' Bracket

It's late and I gotta go to bed. But I've been in the wilds of Southern Va for several days and then actually working for most of today. I like Lauren's predictions even though they would leave me in fifth place. Here's why: it preserves marital bliss on Urban Ave (though I guess Leslie wins the tiebreaker, Tenn & Davidson v. Duke - ouch); it allows father in law to win even though he will never know it because he can't log on to ESPN (Jim, can you read a blog yet?); and perhaps most importantly, Piers (like Hillary) does his best smack talking when on the ropes. Finally, Hillary choose ND over UNC for the Catholic vote, the Indiana vote and knew she was going to lose NC anyway. Did she pick Ark or Indiana? That'll be a measure of politics over hometown roots. Will Update: My political analysis is off: she choose Duke over Purdue. It's a case of bad-picker. Everyone knew Duke would lose to WVa.

Lauren is clearly a genius

I just read her post and I now see what an enlightened thinker she is, able to apply accurate formulae to predict the future.  This is science.  And based on her calculations, maybe we should just save ourselves some time and call it quits on this contest.  Can anyone second this?

(To say that I see in her the same thing that the President's Scholars Selection Committee did not so long ago would besmirch my honor, not to mention my relationship with my brother.  Let's just say they girl is smart.)

Backup quaterbacking

Clarkson, I agree that PPR is a very important measure, but we've all already proven our inability to land all of the possible points at each phase. Here are my projections of the final standings, based on a formula I just made up (it isn't perfect, but I think it's more accurate than simply adding current points to PPR): ((Current points divided by possible points so far which is 640; this is each person's winning proven winning percentage) x (PPR)) + Current points Dode, D. McDow 1129 Will, karma stinks, M. Gumbinner 1103 Hipster Pickster, C. McDow 1102 Jim Goff, W. McDow 1100 Will_McDow, W. McDow 1075 Leslie McDow, W. McDow 1075 Crawford 1, L. Crawford 1073 Keithley, T. Keithley 1069 Jenkins 1, M. Jenkins 1051 Frank Maguire was right!, J. Gumbinner 1051 RPI or RIP?, C. McDow 1050 Lauren's picks, L. McDow 1028 Yankee Interloper, G. Raskin 1021 Nellie, N. Jenkins 994 Turner 1, P. Turner 926 Defense Wins, C. McDow 925 Molvig 1, O. Molvig 897 Norris Turner 1, A. Norris Turner 879 Jenkins 1, N. Jenkins 840 rincon 1, m. rincon 820 Igo 1, S. Igo 713 Offense Wins, C. McDow 562 US News, A. Norris Turner 540 Maggie Lou, D. McDow 489 Franklin, D. McDow 325 Go Dodie! Cheers, Lauren

Hillary's Bracket

The Democratic establishment has spoken, asking for Hillary's bracket. It is true that the blogosphere has been extremely, perhaps unfairly, favorable to Obama. I've heard rumors that some blogs have even included subliminal pro-Obama messages toward the bottom of the posts.

Hillary scores a 390 so far. She's down there with Captain Lose. Obama has 420.

No idea what Hillary's PPR is -- Clarkson, I leave that calculation to you.

Who's "out of it", Grampa?!

Listen, Clarkson: you seem to have disregarded my chances (390 points, 880 PPR, 18th place), but who else has Louisville and Memphis in the final? Hmmm? Did you see the way Louisville played yesterday? Who will rack up all of those points? Me! ME! I come in from doing yardwork (remember the great Voltaire wrote: "we must take care of our garden") only to find this rubbish on the blog. I'm golden, I tell you, golden! And yes, Syracuse plays the UMass Minutemen tomorrow night in the NIT, in a rematch of a classic earlier this season. As many people will watch this one as the previous one, I'm sure. And yes, I also like this post-only method. Kudos to Todd!

All Blog vs. Comments

Just wanted to weigh in and say that I like this all-blog format.  MUCH better than digging through comments.  What do others think?

Mook

Monday Morning Quarterbacking

I know better than to use a football metaphor on a basketball blog but this is Monday. A review of the standings and the remaining possible points shows who is really in this game. This post did not review the method picks and some of the people who appear out of it. There are no warranties express or implied as to the accuracy of these figures, but combining points earned to date with remaining possible points shows that the potential winner is Dodie who could amass 1470 points. He is closely pursued by Maggie with 1460 possible points and in third place in the possible points derby is yours truly the no longer "sicker picker" but now touting himself as possibly the "slicker picker" with 1430 possible points. Back at 1410 is Jeff and M. Jenkins (who I believe to be the bracketologist formerly known as "Catfish." Jim Goff could get back in the race with his 1400 possible points and Will remains a possbility at 1390. The allegedly "Mysterious Mr. Crawford" remains high in the actual points but is lagging on possible points at 1360. Rumors are that he is consulting legal advice on defamation suits against some of the posters on this blog. Todd who is second in the actual standings is way back in possible points at 1330. Our current winner and only one in the pool who loves the ACC more than Billy Packer is Lauren. In remaining possbile points she has only 123o. Reports are that she is now saying, "It is the W's that count not the possbile W's." There are a couple of points that were overlooked in the excitement about the actual games. Why have the high point people been so quiet? Why does Gregg Raskin talk about pulling for the underdogs and pick Georgetown over Davidson? Why does Jeff name his bracket "Frank McGuire was right? Why did no one post Hillary's bracket? Will she disclose it when she discloses her income tax returns? Or did she not want to publish a bracket taking a stand on the Arkansas - UNC game? Who is Leslie going to pick when Tennessee comes up against the Davidson Wildcats? Is Piers following his beloved Syracuse in the NIT? The SEC has really been a bust and Tennessee is lucky to still be alive this morning. They have had four teams go home after two games and are now tied with the Southern Conference and the A-10 with one team remaining. Is there is anyone out there who will not be pulling for the Davidson Wildcats to win a couple of more games? Clarkson

Was it all a bad dream?

While it's just now late evening for you east coasters (and ealier for anyone further west), it's already morning here in smoggy Mumbai.  I slept terribly last night, tossing and turning.  Guess I must have been sleep walking when I got up to eat my Hoya-flavored crow...

 

Maggie, it's very true - you must smack talk while you can...

 

Mook - my winning-it-all team is gone already - Rincon

Elbow room

Well, earlier today I was bunched in with a number of other people, tied at 13th. But now I've separated myself from the pack, at 20th. Thank goodness for Maggie Lou and Franklin, or I'd be in last place (excepting method brackets). For once Butler didn't do it. Louisville looks like they're doing the Big East proud. Pitino was once an assistant under Jimmy Boeheim, and so I'm now fully behind them. In case you haven't appreciated Pitino before, let me help you: Georgetown, on the other hand, should take a couple of extra days before going home. Leslie had a very good day, to say the least. But I'm not spinning Rocky Top again.

Raskin on Underdogs

Raskin, you didn't get enough feedback on your underdog question. All those upsets stole your thunder. Anyway, the fact that you are now rooting for underdogs (and what was Pitt, anyway?) means that, when it comes to sports, you are an incurable and hopeless romantic. Just as you are in real life. By the way, Davidson is a small town in Oklahoma.

Oy.

Well, I may be tied for 5th place, but I don't have that many potential points remaining, so I'm going to continue my underdog rooting. Go Davidson! That Curry guy is sweet! Where is Davidson, anyway?

Moving Up to the Big Time

Dodie and I have moved in a tie for 5th with our prescient pick of the Davidson win. Dodie and I also have more possible points remaining. That will all end for me if Miss State continues to beat Memphis, who I have winning it all.  Piers' UNC team doesn't seem to know how to score but neither does Arkansas.
            Clarkson
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

I hear that they say that you should talk smack while the smack talking is good. My standing might not look so great, but I'm slowly creeping up from behind. How about Davidson!?! I didn't pick them, but I my hat is off to those brave few that did.

Onward and Upward

Just back from Philly, where I was of the off the grid, so I missed Friday's smack.

Let me be the first to congratulate Coach K and the boys for helping bring some much needed change to the coaches attire in the Sweet 16.  The rigid requirements of the coat and tie are too antiquated for the modern game of b-ball.

Sitting in the middle of the pack, but just 60 points out of the lead, and third highest points possible.  Just like an experienced jockey; right where I want to be...

Watch out... Here comes Stewball.

(don't worry mom, I'm still drinking water, no wine for me)

Davidson is King.

      How about the Davidson Wildcats?  That was quite a game.   I doubt that it gets me back in contention, but it was fun watching it  
                       Clarkson
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

The Mysterious Crawford

"L. Crawford," most likely an imaginary entity according to the poll at right, picked Butler to beat Tennessee and will pull into the lead if Butler wins. Who is this mystery man, woman, non-human animal, or figment?

Raskin Underdog

Your rooting for underdogs now that Pitt is out reveals that you have no money at stake in McDowHoops. And your pleeding to Clarkson shows you've adopted the underdog mentality even on the blog.

Hey Clarkson

Stop sending abortive half-posts to the blog! You're superseding my interesting "Underdogs" post.

Re: Davidson

I meant to include my name. Clarkson
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld


----- Original Message -----
From: McDow, Clarkson
To: 'willandleslie.mcdowhoops@blogger.com' <willandleslie.mcdowhoops@blogger.com>
Sent: Sun Mar 23 15:04:30 2008
Subject: Re: Davidson

As you may have figured, that was my post.  At least I am looking good at 14:25. Bad call it should have been a charge.
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld


----- Original Message -----
From: McDow, Clarkson
To: 'willandleslie.mcdowhoops@blogger.com' <willandleslie.mcdowhoops@blogger.com>
Sent: Sun Mar 23 14:56:07 2008
Subject: Davidson

It is going to be Davidson all of the way. 
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

Underdogs

Now that Pitt is out, I'm finding myself rooting for all the underdogs even though it could hurt my chances in the sMaCkDOWn. What do you think this means about me?

Re: Davidson

As you may have figured, that was my post.  At least I am looking good at 14:25. Bad call it should have been a charge.
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld


----- Original Message -----
From: McDow, Clarkson
To: 'willandleslie.mcdowhoops@blogger.com' <willandleslie.mcdowhoops@blogger.com>
Sent: Sun Mar 23 14:56:07 2008
Subject: Davidson

It is going to be Davidson all of the way. 
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

Davidson

It is going to be Davidson all of the way. 
--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

How's Obama Doing?

In his pool. Don't ask about Pennsylvania.

If he were in the Audacity of Hoops pool, he'd be tied for tenth with Maggie, Jenkins 1 / N. Jenkins, and Clarkson's RPI or RIP. I don't have time to work out his PPR... I leave that to someone without a five-month-old at home.

Ooo-de-lally golly what a day

After yesterday, I'm nervous about the Big East, but I think it's G'Town's game. As the Davidson fight song reveals, they play fair and square. And despite recent research that nice guys finish first (http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1723979,00.html?xid=rss-topstories), we all know better: Reminder: if you post via email, sign your name in the email-post, so we know who it's from.

Coming home to busted brackets

Happy Easter! We're on the way back from VA not only with bracket
problems but with a spare tire too. Hoping the team with the highest
GPA will make a run. That's Davidson but still hoping the Vols come
through today too.
Leslie

Sorry Dodie

Dodie:  Not only is Davidson NOT going to beat the Hoyas today, the Hoyas won't be beat for the rest of the season. ..

Mook - 1160 points to go - Rincon

 

 

(So, I didn't ever REALLY think that Georgetown would win it all.  But with BC out and Notre Dame in, I had to pick someone.  And there certainly isn't a rule that you have to believe the smack you talk, right?)

This one's for Clarkson

Since I'm apparently not out of this pool yet, I thought I should get in on the posting action.

 

So this one's for Clarkson and all the other Billy Packer haters out there...

 

http://videos.newsobserver.com/index...yer&id=1782183

 

The Real Leaders

Although Lauren, the mysterious Crawford, and I are technically in the lead going into today's Easter games, the real leaders are the ones with the highest PPR (possible points remaining, I assume). They are:

Maggie
Jeff
MC
Dodie
Jenkins 1 / N. Jenkins (Nellie, is this yours, in addition to the Nellie bracket? Is it Nell?)



The photo has no relevance to the post.

Dode Poised to Break Out of Seven-Way for 13th place; Davidson to Dominate

This may be as good as it gets for me, so I better speak up now. I'm
in a seven-way tie for 13th place, but as a close reading of the
stats will show, I'm only in a five-way tie for first in the Possible
Points Remaining category. So for a little parsing, that means that
although I am 60 points behind the current leader (Lauren Fair-
Weatherly McDow) and 50 behind the second place (C. Lindsay Crawford--
you can take our women but you can't take our pool), I can still
score 1160 points whereas they can score only 920 or 1180,
respectively. And we all know that the super delegates will line up
behind me.

So what does this mean for today? Davidson needs to beat
Georgetown. Not even Leslie, a once-loyal Davidson grad had the
chutzpah to call this one. But you can count on the boys from
suburban Charlotte to send the Hoyas packing. (Only Clarkson, as
both the Hipster Pickster and the Offense Wins, had the foresight,
wisdom, courage, and vision to stand with me in this correct choice.)

Come game time, you can watch Dell Curry light up another 40, and
watch the Georgetown retreads retreat.

-Dode

An Experiment

Per Todd's good suggestion, today let's try the post-only method. That is, if you have something to say (this means you L. Crawford), don't comment on someone else's post, but make your own post. This will make reading everyone's contributions easier. At the end of the day, let me know whether you thought this was better or worse. Clarkson, your life should be make easier, because to post you need only send an email to that special blog email address, and you shouldn't need to go to the comments section at all. We'll only know if it's better if we try it! Happy Easter!

Comments vs. Posting - A Middle Ground?

Several have suggested that checking all the comments on the blog is a bit cumbersome; that having everyone post to the blog might be too hard; and that email isn't the solution either.  Just a friendly reminder that people can email their thoughts to the blog such that they show up like a post but with the convenience of email.  Like this one.

 

-Mook

Lookin' Good

The one bad thing about WSU's dominant performance is that CBS cut away to broadcast a closer game. Oh well. Go Stanford! Two minutes left, 69-68 Marquette.

A for effort

As Lauren wrote on the previous post: "I cannot believe Duke let a team whose coach didn't have on a collared shirt and tie beat them!" Let the loathing begin.

(Of course, sorry Will.)

Siena beats Vandy, Franklin scores 10

Franklin picked Siena in the first round, and they did not disappoint. And neither did Alex Franklin, a starting forward for the Saints, who put in 10 points (6 FG, 4 FT). Now Franklin also has Siena winning in the second round. He thought they would be beating a 5-seed from the ACC (Clemson), so a 12-seed from one of the mid-majors (Villanova) should not be a problem . Once this happens, Franklin's standing in McDowHoops should revive and get him back to the high teens, low twenties.

Cadbury Eggs My A---

I am heavy into my bracket and then see something on the blog about Cadbury eggs. That has to be some Yankee invention that has nothing to do with basketball. Maybe some missguided person is trying to lure the mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving crowd. A more logical vote would be what my nom d' brackett should be. Hipster Pickster is not producing the W's. I strongly considered "sicker picker" but that sounds more like a person working with the nose rather than the bracket. My next choice was "Loser Choser." Sounds like a defeatest name. Any suggestions? That ought to give somebody the opportunity to take a shot.

Here is a picture of two girls who may be interested in Cadbury Eggs, but I am sure that they like chocolate ones better.

Who are we rooting for?

First, BC, GW, Syracuse, USC, and GTech (not to mention the Yales, Roanokes, and (ahem) Citadels of the world) didn't make the tourney this year. Second, George Mason and Winthrop have lost. That leaves: Washington State (Todd; also Pac-10 in general) Davidson (Leslie) Tennessee (Leslie (and MA?)) Duke (Fairweather Will's adopted team) Who else has team loyalties or dislikes? What am I missing? BTW, I am a Big East supporter, but no love for Notre Dame. (And I am not a UNC fan (except against Duke), despite attending Chapel Hill.)

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Time to learn a new fight song...

Winthrop-WSU Comment Thread

Tell me you aren't checking out the 'guns' on those Cougars...

Comments are open. Right now it's 16-15 WSU with 7 mins. left in the first half.

[Update: 29-29 at the half! Excitement excitement!]

[Second Update: Well it was down to the wire, but WSU squeaked out the win. Or at least that's what I assume - I flipped over to watch Duke get lucky as Belmont threw the ball away in the closing seconds.]

Obama's Bracket

Obama's campaign has released his bracket. He's picking UNC all the way.

More important, Obama's going with Winthrop! I may have to reassess my high opinion of him. (Click on the image, Raskin, to see a larger version.)

Winthrop - The Giant Killer

Here is some information off of the ESPN site on Giant Killers:

Washington State (4) vs. Winthrop (13)The GK Take: Winthrop lacks the punch of the group that beat Notre Dame last year. While they scored a perfect nine then, they only earn five points this time. The Eagles' 7.4 ppg scoring margin and .99/1 A/TO ratio are minor flaws, but they've got a low winning percentage (.667) and have won only a single game by five points or less (or in OT) all season.The Human Touch: Something tells us Winthrop is the pick here, but it's probably because Washington State is just plain boring to watch. Still, the Cougs are experienced (they start three juniors and two seniors) and tough defensively—and they actually score more per game (67.1) than do Randy Peele's slow-poke Eagles (65.6).

I have put my picture up to add authority to my posts. Thomas says that if you see me in a suit that you will take my messages much more seriously. I was also jealous of Maggie Lou who has her picture up.

Finally, I am adding one more picture to show that I am eligible to be a President's Scholar at Georgia Tech.

Maggie and Franklin's Picks

For those of you filling out last minute brackets looking for insight from some precocious prognosticators, here is a behind the scenes look at Maggie and Franklin's selection process. (They made these last night in the car on the way home from a long day of visiting new schools and a play day with some George Mason history faculty kids.)



Franklin liked Indiana, because he knew that Aunt Mook would want them to win. (She lives in India. India, Indiana, what's the difference?) They will go to the Final Four and loose to the Bears (UCLA)
Franklin also picked American, for seemingly patriotic reason. (There may be no other reasons to pick a 15 seed over Aunt Leslie's gunning Volunteers.)
Siena also earned Franklin's favor. I'm sure this has nothing to do with the fact that he met a very cute 5-year-old named Siena at one of the kindergartens he visited. She is the daughter of one of my colleagues and took an instant shine to Franklin.
Gonzaga was a shoe-in for the Final Four. Must be because it is so close to Gonzalo, one of Franklin's friends at school.
Franklin placed second as a two year old, so even if he matches his age again, he's still fourth.



Maggie Lou, it turns out, was even cagier. She had urged Franklin to pick Clemson because Hillary Clinton (Clinton, Clemson, sounds the same? Both have been divisive in South Carolina) is her candidate for President. After she had gotten through most of her bracket, however, she admitted that she had watched the Clemson-Duke game with Bibi Croom and Granpa Sandy. "Clemson was goooood," she said. That must be why they're playing Memphis for the national championship.
Maggie is also a Connecticut girl, born and (so far) raised, so she couldn't leave the Huskies out in the cold. And there is a certain logic to her picks. If Mississippi Valley State (a 15 seed) does knock off UCLA (1) and Texas A&M (9)), I agree that Connecticut could take them.
She also showed some love for George Mason, one of the few campuses besides Yale's that she has been on more than once. She'll dance the Patriots all the way to the Final Four (again, although she did not point out the GMU has more Final Four appearances than Duke in the last two years.)
Like Franklin two years ago, she matched her age (five) with her finishing (fifth), and she'd like to do better than seventh this year.

Brackets, Webcast, Schedule

See new poll! Don't forget to make a bracket! See link on upper right. Group name (McDowHoops) and password (Clarkson's hometown written with no space). If your entry doesn't say PPR is 1680, then you haven't filled it out right, I think. Games can be watched online (free and legal) here: http://ncaasports.com/mmod/?source=mktg_mmod08_vip2_lvhp&refcode=mmod08_vip2_lvhp Schedule 12:20 PM ET No. 14 Georgia at No. 3 Xavier 12:25 PM ET No. 16 Portland State at No. 1 Kansas 12:30 PM ET No. 12 Temple at No. 5 Michigan State 2:30 PM ET No. 11 Kentucky at No. 6 Marquette 2:50 PM ET No. 11 Baylor at No. 6 Purdue 2:55 PM ET No. 9 Kent State at No. 8 UNLV 3:00 PM ET No. 13 Oral Roberts at No. 4 Pittsburgh 5:00 PM ET No. 14 Cornell at No. 3 Stanford 7:10 PM ET No. 11 Kansas State at No. 6 USC 7:10 PM ET No. 15 Belmont at No. 2 Duke 7:20 PM ET No. 13 Winthrop at No. 4 Washington State 7:25 PM ET No. 9 Texas A&M at No. 8 Brigham Young 9:40 PM ET No. 14 Cal State Fullerton at No. 3 Wisconsin 9:40 PM ET No. 10 Arizona at No. 7 West Virginia 9:50 PM ET No. 12 George Mason at No. 5 Notre Dame 9:55 PM ET No. 16 Mississippi Valley State at No. 1 UCLA

"They Like What They See"

The Washington State Cougars, everybody. Next off-season maybe they should work on their shooting.

Mook's Day!

Here's what you get when you search for basketball and birthday on YouTube. Happy birthday Mary Croom!

Nobody Told Me BC was Out...

I filled in my bracket this morning in an effort to legitimize my smacktalk. This was my most un-inspired year. No one mentioned that Boston College didn't make it in... And since BC people NEVER NEVER NEVER pull for Notre Dame, I had to give my vote to Georgetown. And after Pier's pressure, I picked Winthrop over WS. But that put Winthrop against Mason. With Dodie at Mason (and my hoops knowledge so low I didn't even realize MY team wasn't in the tourny), well it was Mason. It all seemed to go downhill from there.

Best of luck to people who follow hoops. In this cyberworld, I hope to pull up a chair next to Todd Keithley and just enjoy the show.

Mook

in the Game

By popular demand I have decided to get in the game. Will is giving a course in blogging for dummies. This is my tutorial. The good stuff will come later.

IB Blogging

Will,
Maggie is no better than I am at posting to this blog. Let me know how
this works.
Clarkson

Go Cougs!

Now we can talk some smack. Go Cougars! Go Pac-10! I hear Winthrop can't shoot a free throw to save their lives.

Testing loyalties

After touting the likability of the Washington State Cougars, and after Todd sent us those nice pics of eastern Washington... I certainly wasn't expecting this: NCAA EAST, FIRST ROUND WASHINGTON ST. (4) vs. WINTHROP (13) Well, all of a sudden I like those Cougars a good deal less - as I assume any self-respecting member of McDowHoops must. Go Eagles! PS: Note new poll!

Clemson defeats Duke in ACC tourney

Has anyone checked on Will in the last 18 hours? Does ANYONE root for Clemson around here? 3 reasons to root for them: 1. They are a Carolina team, after all. 2. They are underdogs. 3. They wear orange. So, folks, what's not to like about Clemson?

Where Amazing Happens

You've probably been wondering: how does one talk smack to Todd Keithley? Does he even follow sports? Wasn't he in the competition for skinniest thighs in college? Well, tonight I highlight a less well-known team on the McDowHoops radar: the Washington State Cougars. They are on the other side of the state from where Todd grew up, I believe, but I know he is a devoted Pac-10 fan and State of Washington loyalist. UW is no good this year, so Washington's only state university representative in the Big Dance will be the Cougars. So this is the team to pin on Todd. One problem: as it happens, they are a likable team. (Which kills me, because I hate the Pac-10.) Here's some footage from their recent victory over the Oregon Ducks in the Pac-10 tourney. They managed to win despite playing at a very slow speed. I suspect they'll have to pick it up a notch against Stanford tonight, but they'll make the NCAAs regardless. Dramatic, no? But tell me I wasn't the only one at the end thinking: "Washington State... Where Amazing(ly little) Happens"

Blog

Howdo,

Just turned in my Kant paper, and am ready to get my smack talking going for this weekend.

I may be of Generation X, but its my sister who know's all about the technology.  I was wondering how I can start my own posts.

Thanks

Catfish

(Think the blog's a great idea to do the smack talk)

For Leslie... Nice job Vols

U o' South Carolina v. U Tenn

Click title to follow the scores. With 11:44 to go, Good Guys 59; Rocky Toppers 60 With 7:08 remaining: Hens 71; Hounds 75 - Come-on Cocky. I'd like bragging rights in the house this weekend. With 0:44 remaining: Men 85, boys 84 - Coach Odom - Don't retire yet!! Dad - I hope your watching. FOUL!!!! You gotta call that Mr. Ref. 1.1 secs to go. Down 2. Can they make it? Bummer!

President's Scholars are a bunch of drunks

... Or at least they should be, if you take the Georgia Tech fight song seriously. They won't make the tourney this year (it's hard to play well with a whiskey flask in your shorts), so I had to get this in before the tourney begins. It's a helluva weird fight song. Boolah boolah!

Winthrop, Do You Have What It Takes?

If the Winthrop Eagles are looking for a little inspiration, they needn't look very far. It's all about challenging yourself, teamwork, leadership, and making the most of opportunities. Who knows something about that? "We only select the highest quality candidates available." Now that's a high standard.

Syr-onara: 'Nova 83- 'Cuse 63

Villanova advances in Big East Tourney

The only thing assured from this game is that, for a second consecutive season, Syracuse will not be playing in the N.C.A.A. tournament. The Orange (19-13) looked every bit the young and inconsistent team that’s fluctuated between brilliant and baffling at different times this season.

-NYTimes

Comment Section Now Open

Some among you have complained that "Comments on this blog are restricted to team members." The benevolent administrators have listened. The Comments section is now open to all. You will still need to get access (by emailing me) to start new posts (for non-bloggers, this is a post). One way to post without signing up is to send an email to the blog. See Dodie's original email for that address, or again, email me. Remember to sign emails, since they will appear as coming from me. Will PS - 5 bonus points on your bracket for identifying who is in picture to the left and best describing why she is crying.

GMU Highlights

Dodie's new team (GMU) had a nice win to enter the NCAAs. Click on the post title for highlights. Jeff should be happy: George Washington was a mason, so rooting for GMU is almost like rooting for GW. Right, Jeff?

McDowHoops 2008: Get out your Windex and start polishing your slippers

Friends, Family, and Bracketologists of All Ages,

It's time for McDow Hoops 2008.

This is a bracket challenge that will most appeal to McDows and those who love them.  In years past, participants have received a certain amount of bracket-focused discussion emails.  Some have called it smack, some have called it spam.

This year, management has decided to use a blog to contain this conversation and make participation more appealing to those who do not like getting 15-20 emails a day about an obscure second round game.  That blog is called sMaCkDOWn: The Audacity of Hoops, and you can find it here: http://mcdowhoops.blogspot.com/

Even with this change, however, this bracket challenge is not for everyone.  You may want to take the following quiz to test your suitability:

1.  In recent years, which of the following strategies has guaranteed a winner in the McDowHoops bracket:
A) A basketball version of Billy Beane's Moneyball
B) Evaluating the appeal of each mascot to a two year old
C) A "Southern Fried Strategy," that chooses the geographically/culturally more southern of any matchup
D) Presbyterian predestination

Answer: C.  (If you answered B, and followed the strategy, you would have only placed second.)

2.   Why do McDows like Thanksgiving:

A)  The weather in Rock Hill is beautiful that time of year.
B)  It offers many their only chance to jog each year.
C)  When everyone is full, no one minds hearing the same stories each year
D)  No mashed potatoes. 

Answer: All answers are valid.

3.  Which McDow story involves Clarkson doing something outrageous in college that he now denies:

A) No. 17 (Goldfish)
B) No. 41 (Jailkeep)
C) No. 80 (Crabshells)
D) All of the above

Answer: D, though he is more likely to deny these if Thomas tells them.

4.  What is Chuckie Stew?

A)  An ill-advised product placement crossover from Campbell's Soup and Universal Studios
B)  A very cool junior at Roanoke College
C)  What John McCain made from Mike Huckabee's celebrity bodyguard
D)  A slang name for vomit

Answer: B.

5. Why fill out a bracket?

A)  It's March and you need an excuse to talk smack
B)  I like to have a dog in the fight when Jeff or Lauren's teams implode
C)  It's more fun than Todd's Oscar Pool
D)  Will told me to.

Answer: all answers are valid.

Scoring:
If you have made it this far, your persistence in reading nonsense suggests you may have a real future in McDowHoops.

If, however, you are still wondering if this bracket is right for you, you may want to consider the following email.  It was sent (with no apologies to Seuss) last year regarding an octofinal round game in the NIT (not, ahem, a tournament for which anyone on the list filled out a bracket).   

-----[name withheld to protect the ignorant],
Can you smack talk when they stink?
Can you smack talk when they sink?
Yes, you can smack talk when they've sunk.  You can smack talk when they're skunks. 
You can smack talk down by thirty. You can smack down when they are dirty.
But we do not like them ------ you are. We bet you cuss them in the car.
No one really likes to lose not even them from Syracuse.  

All right, if you have read this far and still want to take part, you can’t say that we did not warn you.

How to register:

1.  Go to the ESPN Tourney Challenge Site: http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/frontpage

2.  Sign in or open a new account

 3.  Join the group mcdowhoops.  The password is rockhill 

4.  Fill out your bracket before March 20.  The field will be announced this Sunday, and the games start March 20, a week from Thursday.

5.  If you feel the need to submit a second bracket, it must follow an arbitrary rule consistently (see Southern Fried Strategy, above) and the title should reflect this.

How to talk/read smack:

1.  Go to the site sMaCkDOWn: The Audacity of Hoops (aka http://mcdowhoops.blogspot.com/)

2.  Comment or read as you wish.  Please sign comments with at least initials so that you can get credit for your cleverness.  If you would like to be one of the group administrators so that you can create new posts, let Will know and he will add you.  (This may involve opening a Blogger account.)

3.  If you are too lazy to go to the internet to post, you can also post directly from email by getting the address from Will.  The subject of your email will be the subject of the post, and the body will be the body.  Again, please indicate authorship.  (Posts sent via email will by default appear as posted by Will, so don’t let him steal your lines.

4.  And if you would like to get the blog updates right in your browser, subscribe to the feeds by pressing the little orange box to the right of the web address.  This will allow you to bookmark the site and give you a live pulldown of everyone witticisms.

If you run into trouble or need any help figuring any of these things out, please contact Will, Piers, or me.

May Cinderella drop her shoe at your ball,
Dodie

 
P.S.  please feel free to forward to those who might be left off the list above (I know I don't have Charlie's new email)

P.P.S.  Please, please, do not respond to the whole list.  If you want to say something about it, post it to the blog.