sMaCkDOWn: The Audacity of Hoops: 03/01/2009

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Sunday, March 29, 2009

For all you latte sipping, NPR listening liberals out there trying to be the average man by pickin' your bracket and watchin' the hoops, your favorite Saturday night date went to the interlecutulal capitol of the Midwest this week. Check out Appleton on this week's Prairie Home Campanion. They even had some of those people who sing with out no muzak. I think Piers calls 'em a cup a fellas. As for me, I'm ready for some baseball.

Hopped up on Sugar Smacks

That's my excuse for losing to Dodie (and just about everyone else). Props to the whole McDow family for Maggie, who is in 34,712nd place nationally. I'd hope the smartest representative of your whole clever clan could've done better than that.

Comment to Dodie's post

Since I think it was suggested we comment as a new post: Dode, did you spend more time picking your bracket or photoshopping your picture onto the Sugar Smacks box?

Posting to a Blog Is Not Easy for Oldtimers

Last night I was home from a meeting in DC and anxious to add to the misinformation that goes on this blog, but couldn't figure it out. My bracket is so far into the toilet that my plumber can't find it. While everyone was excited about 'Nova (since being sent to 'Nam, I hate words shortened by leaving out the first syllables), I looked at the bracket and figured that UNC would win it all and either Leslie or Maggie would win depending on whether Louisville or Michigan State won today. Now that Louisville has fallen, it will be Maggie winning it all unless the UConn Huskies can salvage some of the Big East's pride. By the way where were the "over rated" cheers from Michigan State? Anyway, if Connecticut wins instead of UNC, the Birnbaum entry looks good unless it is disqualified for lack of smack support. If Pitt wins so does Cat Stew, oh I forgot they are gone. If Louisville wins Captain (ex)Cuse wins.

I am not going to win this year but my daughter Maggie will win this year and next year it will be Ella's turn so we can be the first family to have three generations win three years in a row. Ella is practicing by regularly singing the "Ramble Song."

Thomas is commended for trying to boost academics with his South Carolina Academic Picks. Only trouble is that his only final four team is Connecticut and they only graduate 23% of their African American players and 30% overall. Dodie had a point that they talk about student athletes but when was that last coach to get fired for failing to graduate the so called student athletes? I doubt if the people on the top of the blog want a lecture on values from those of us who have no bracket left. We do have to admire Maggie Lou for sticking with her loyalties though her pushy father would not let her chose her beloved Pitt. Now how anyone can love Pitt is beyond me.

My best to all of those still competing. For me and the South Carolina Gamecocks we will wait to next year. For me and The Citadel Bulldogs we are waiting for next century or is that the last century.

Clarkson

Give me a smack and I'll smack you back.

Basketball fans. My platform for smackdaliation just grew immeasurable higher when the Louisville Cardinals failed to live up to their high billing and handle Michigan State. My bread is in the oven and I am about to be toast. I am comfortably tied for 14th place and have a grand total of zero more points available. And I am not even good at losing. I'm the second highest ranking person with zero possible points left. Once again Piers is my better. But that is not what this post is about. I will wallow in self pity over on Twitter. With only 140 characters. I am here to set the record straight. Maggie Lou still wanted Pitt to win. She was disappointed with their loss, but when she heard that she was still highly ranked, she shrugged and did what any sensible person would do: she said the serentity prayer. Or at least she channelled it. Smiling with a this-is-not-what-I-wanted-but-I-guess things-might-turn-out-OK grin. And then when I told her that Louisville also lost, she looked up from the game she was playing with Franklin and said, "Oh well. I don't even like basketball anyway. Its so stupid. All you do is throw that ball through the hoop." She will think differently when she learns to type faster. On ad alma materum attacks. Please. Especially looking for the false equivalents (Georgia Tech's intramural champ vs. Lawrence's varsity). What about Georgia Tech's stoner frats? I am sure they could not hold a smoldering doobie to what LU could roll out. Or hot midwesterners with a nasal twang. Nothing. Regardless, it is pointless. Piers even goes after Chuck Stew for his crunchy college's lack of smackitude. What does one's college say about them? Not much. And certainly the athletes, er, student-athletes, don't represent the school. Even at some of the oldest and most famous universities in the country, the social and intellectual lines between the recruited athletes and the regular students is wide. And I know because Todd's roommate was one. The last point should carry over to academics too. Florida State is now getting fried for academic improprieties for their athlete-students, and I am sure that they are not any worse than the other schools in their conference and all that play at their level. (Spare me the Duke stories, Will. I smack my hands on your court.) A reliable source in Chapel Hill has informed me of the high level of intervention that comes from the athletic department for students in big time sports. And I am sure the SUC and the Big Least are as bad or worse. I realized during the election that what we hate about politics is what we hate about college sports. In politics, they pretend its about ideas but it's really about winning. In college sports, they pretend that they care about academics, but it's about winning. Principles go out the window when they help the ball go through the hoop. And those back benchers who keep complaining about the lack of smack: everyone likes talking about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. Todd called some people onto the electronic carpet, and that is good. But this is a collective venture, and unless you put your hyperbole where your common sense used to be, we're no where. Having put in my 200 cents, let me add to Todd's roll call: Clarkson, where are you? Don't tell me you don't know how to blog. You at least know how to send email, and your responsible son explained how to do it via email here. Thomas, what about you. You respond "to all" via email at a drop of a hat. Consider my backward baseball cap dropped. Looking forward to hearing from you all.

Todd - It's been too long...

... Since you've been to Rock Hill. The picture on the top of the blog is NOT Duke.

Of course, having chosen Syracuse to win it all, I wouldn't necessarily mind a change of scenery.

Mook

I agree that the smack talking has been a little disappointing this year. Maybe it is because a lot of us were in Rock Hill the first weekend. In my opinion, that is always the best time to talk smack because the possibilities are endless. I have stayed away from the smack talking because I am in first place. I have to say, I much prefer talking smack from way back in the pack. For some reason, talking smack while in first seems like it is in poor taste. Not to mention what happens when my bracket falls into oblivion with no way of recovering (thank you Villanova and I need a win from Michigan State today). This year, I have decided to put aside my distaste for UNC and picked them to win the whole thing. While I feel good about that choice, there is just something that just can't get excited about pulling for them. With that said, I thought for sure that at least one of you bozos would have taken over the lead by now. I picked my bracket in about ten minutes in the midst of packing us all up to go to SC while I had a slight fever. Surely one of you could make better picks than that!

Updates I'd like to see

After today's games are over, I'd love to see the following updates: 1. Lauren: Will you be running your predictions again this year, based on remaining available points, to tell us who is likely to win? 2. Dodie: When will you tell us how Maggie Lou responded to Pittsburgh's loss? It's a really interesting question if Louisville wins. After today's games, let us know whether Maggie Lou is an idealist, sticking to her principles no matter what, or a pragmatist, happy with a bracket that's accidentally still in the running. 3. Ron: I know you're busy with your residency, but I'm still hoping for one post out of you. 4. Erin: Our hats are off to you for wading in with a smart-alecky comment about oldsters passing as youngsters. Keep up the good work! 5. Will: Is this your blog or not? If you don't make a few more cracks, I will petition for an update of the Duke photo atop the blog, replacing it with this lovely shot of Syracuse:

6. Abby and Margaret: You can't tell me you don't know how to blog -- I read your blogs every week! Throw some posts up here. 7. Finally, Mary Ann made a comment that I thought should be aired as a post (possibly for self-serving reasons), so I'm promoting it here (along with Piers's response): Mary Ann: As a casual observer of the March Madness, I agree with some other contributors that the smack talk has very disappointing this season. I care nothing about who wins what game but I love to read the banter. This year it has been slow to say the least. Are so many of you depressed over your standing in the brackets that you cannot get up the energy to contribute some read-worthy smack? If it weren't for Piers and Todd, I would quit logging onto this site. Piers: Our basketball smack may not be so good, but our smack smack is flourishing, it seems.

Bracket = busted

But that just frees me up for more of the real purpose of this exercise, which is taking the rest of y'all down with me. So beware. Long live the Pitt Panthers!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

See ya later, Raskin!

See ya later, Greggie Boy! See ya later, Ol' Cat-Stew! Maggie Lou, you can thank your wise old dad any time you please. Even better, Meredith and I will be in California on April 4, at her dad's house, where we will actually get to watch one of these games, in a room full of 'Nova fans!

Villanova

My bracket has Duke beating Pittsburgh and going to the Final Four, so in order to get back in the running I need Villanova to beat Pittsburgh. This strategy agrees with Meredith, since her father, uncle, aunt, and cousins attended Villanova. (Her first cousins currently own and run "Kelly's," a Villanova bar/hangout.) So here's hoping that Raskin and Maggie Lou will shed some more tears tonight! I join Raskin's call for more smack. In particular, how did Leonhardt's lunatic post about Yale hockey slide through with barely a responding peep? Perhaps because most McDows were hanging out in Rock Hill that weekend, riding horses and pickup trucks instead of tending their blog. I hate to beat up on Raskin since I live in New York with him and have ample opportunity to beat up on him here. But if Villanova wins maybe I'll take another crack at him.

Friday, March 27, 2009

If there's a silver lining in this

it's that with Syracuse being so academically tough, it's important for the players to get back to their studies.

Ugh. Now I know what Duke fans feel like.

Losing by 20. Syracuse playing like they were surprised to have to play today.

halftime

and Syracuse has played one of its worst halves of the year. 0-9 on 3s. No energy. No transition game. But missing lay-ups, as usual.

Is it just me or

does the SU-Oklahoma game that we're all definitely watching right now feel weirdly low-energy? I've noticed crowds at these NCAA games are not full. Or maybe it's just the zone play. But Syracuse anyway needs a shot of adrenaline.

Flame retardant uniforms?

I was already nervous about Syracuse's game against Oklahoma, but now I worry for the Orange's safety. See video starting around 25 seconds in...

That has to be illegal.

Father Knows Best

Maggie Lou will be thanking you when Villanova beats Pittsburgh.

SuperNova?

Isn't a supernova an imploding star? I hope the shoe fits.

But from what I've seen, they'll continue to shine.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

SuperNova!

I just wanted to beat the ESPN headline writers to the punch, assuming this keeps up. And if I just jinxed Nova, then that's my gift to Will. UPDATE: Things looking very bad tonight for Clarkson. Pops picked a Memphis-Duke final. That's called love. And love hurts.

RE: Chuck Stew Called the Tiger Stew

That half court shot by Mizzou covered more distance than all of Duke's first half field goals. Let's see if Coach K earns his gold in this one. 'Nova's good, very good, but I'm still hopeful that Clarkson picked this one correctly. Go Memphis!! Where else can you beat your feet in the mississippi mud?

Chuck Stew Called the Tiger Stew

Chuck may not want to start strutting yet, but unless Memphis can get
their feet out of the mud and come a long way back (did any one see
the 60-foot shot Missouri swished at the end of the first half?),
Chuck will be the only one in the top half of our pool to have called
this one correctly.

Father Knows Best

Maggie Lou will be thanking you when Duke beats Pittsburgh.

Stressful but ultimately satisfying

Maggie Lou and I are breathing sighs of relief as our beloved Panthers squeaked by Xavier.

Maggie Lou Made Me Write This

I made a mistake. A big mistake. A mistake that made my daughter cry. What did I do? I screwed up her bracket.

Maggie put great faith in the NCAA seeding. She called few upsets. She stuck with the teams that she liked. Connecticut because she was born a Connecticut Yankee (despite her strong paternal line). Pittsburgh because her beloved second grade teacher is from Pittsburgh (they got extra credit for wearing black and gold during NFL season; a class pep rally picture was in a Pittsburgh newspaper for the Superbowl). And Louisville because of her middle name (but she would not let me name her bracket MaggieLouisville). Maybe it was this last word play, maybe it was a mis-mouse, but when I entered her bracket, I put Louisville as her champion. It was supposed to be Pittsburgh. When she found this out, talking her bracket over with Chuck, she was crestfallen. And by crestfallen, I mean awash in tears and angry. She confronted me. I wasn't sure. I dodged. But them we looked at the bracket and saw the handwriting. She was right, and I was wrong.

So, regardless of what happens tonight with Pitt or in the rest of the tournament, Maggie wants the record to show that she picked Pitt to win the championship. (She doesn't know that she should be wary of Raskin's picks.)

I will take up the philosophical problem of ad alma materum responses and Georgia Tech's high academic standards in a future post.

When is brunch?

Today's big game is Villanova-Duke. Late game though, so everybody should try to steal a nap - especially those in the 45+ range. Stew-Baller did a nice job coming to Raskin's defense. I can respect non-confrontational smack. Very Roanoke College...

I'm all for peace, love, and understanding, but I'd be more impressed by Stew-Baller's alma mater if they also learned basic information about meal-times...

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Wannabe Virginia

I'm just going to let the President respond to those "Morgansville" haters.

Not safe for kids

Thank you, Mountaineer fans.

Low quality

The quality of smack talk on this site is dismal this year. What's up with everyone? I wait all year to get abused by you people...

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Midweek Yale Hockey Recap

In case you missed the Yale hockey comeback Dave was talking about:

Monday, March 23, 2009

roster

Well, GT signed five 'top 75' (or so) recruits for next year, including the #1 recruit in the nation, so I am even more hopeful for next year than I was for this year. This year, we lost two big men, our most prolific scorer was out some for academic probation (GT is so tough academically that even the athletes get bad grades sometimes), and our best leader and defender discovered he had a congenital spinal defect and had to get surgery at the start of the season, missing the whole thing.

The only downfall for next year is that Lauren has convinced me it's not worth buying season tickets. What an awful time to come to that conclusion!

Randolph

In case you were wondering

In case you were wondering exactly what sweet lullaby Clarkson was singing to his granddaughter, The Citadel Ramble fight song goes like this:

The Citadel has a bulldog With short and grizzly hair. Carolina has a gamecock-- Now wouldn't they make a pair? And when they get together There's bound to be a scrap. Just watch that Citadel Bulldog Wipe that gamecock off the map!

CHORUS

Oh! they rambled, they rambled. They rambled all around. In and out of town, Oh! they rambled, they rambled. They rambled 'till the Bulldogs cut `em down.

Must have been hard for Clarkson when he then went to USC for law school.

Which conference will be the biggest loser?

Piers was nice to send the post about the big loser conferences. While the Big (L)east, the Big 10 or whatever, the Big 12, the PAC 10, and the ACC have all done well in the early rounds, I am willing to bet anyone who will accept a modest wager that each of these schools will lose significantly more games than the more modest SEC. It is my prediction that each of these conferences will lose twice as many games as the SEC. Without sounding too much like Thomas though we share the same genes, I will note that many of these schools have abysmal graduation rates. The fabled UConn Huskies only graduate 23% of their African American players and only do slightly better with the team as a whole, graduating 30%. When they go pro in something other than sports it may not be a pretty sight. Looking back at posts from last year, I noticed that Randolph took solace last year by noting that Georgia Tech had signed some hotshot prospect. I didn't see that helping this year, but that is beside the point. It gave him hope. This year with no teams in the tournament, I devoted my efforts in building a better future for America. I taught my grand daughter Ella The Citadel Ramble Song. She woke up in the middle of the night last night and I went to check on her. Everything was fine and she was going back to sleep and I was tiptoeing out of the room when she said, "Pops, would you sing the 'Ramble Song' before you go?" Of course I obliged her that small request. Seeing a new generation of McDows this weekend, gives me faith in the future. Now, if we can get a few W's for my bracket this coming weekend, I will have it made. If not, I still have the four best grandchildren in the history of the world. Clarkson

BigEastDream or BigEastReality?

From espn.com article:

How are conferences faring?

Conference	Teams	W-L	Sweet 16
Big East	7	11-2	5
Big Ten	7	6-5	2
ACC	7	5-5	2
Big 12	6	9-3	3
Pac-10	6	6-5	1
Atlantic 10	3	3-2	1
SEC	3	1-3	0
Horizon	2	1-2	0
Mountain West	2	0-2	0

Ugh

I'm tied with Leonhardt, losing to Maggie Lou (but she's a ringer) and my potential-points-remaining pool looks more like a motor-oil-filled puddle. My only solace is that my Pitt Panthers have managed to not choke yet. That and the fact that the view from 19th place probably looks pretty good if you're Dodie.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Hockey

Dave, if that post doesn't bring back fond memories of slapping the ol' puck across the frozen pond during South Carolina's bitter winter months, I don't know what will.

Yale Wins!

This will doubtless bring smack raining down, but on Friday night I watched one of the most exciting NCAA games I've ever seen. It just happened to be hockey. Trailing St. Lawrence 3-2 with 1:30 left in the game, Yale pulled its goalie and then scored twice in 30 seconds to win 4-3. Last night, the most common alma mater on this blog (right? or does Tech somehow have larger numbers?) trounced Cornell 5-0 for its first-ever ECAC title. Yale was ranked 7th in the country going into the tourney and may now crack the top 5. Notre Dame is #1. The NCAA tourney starts next weekend.

Yes, I'm trying to distract people from my bracket entry...

No argument here

I'll be glad to see the Tar Heels fall... so long as Duke is gone, too. (Duke's one saving grace is that Jim Boeheim seems to like Coach K, but I think it *must* be an act.) I just never could get excited about the ACC. I love the "Memphis State" reference. Those were the good old days. Keith Lee was one of my favorite all-time college hoopsters. (Limited pro career, though.) I'm jazzed today. Not because Syracuse is playing at noon. Not because I got a *great* night's sleep thanks to the McDows taking on my children for the weekend (THANK YOU!). But because Abby made a very strong pot of coffee this morning. My brain and large intestine are on edge.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Go to Hell North Carolina

I was at basketball games screaming, "Pook on Dook," before most of the people reading this were born, but when Will went to Duke for graduate school I had a change of heart. As for North Carolina, I pulled slightly for them today because our President picked them and who wants our President to look bad other than Rush Limbaugh and his band of ditto heads sometimes known as the Republican Party. North Carolina completely ruined at least a decade of basketball with its four corners. How would you like to watch a weekend or two of that? Yet no one has suggested that anyone should apologize for being one of their fans. I will admit to liking the game but I am a pragmatist. On my bracket they make it to the finals but fall to Memphis State.

If you mean, is it your

turn finally to apologize for being a Duke fan... Sure, anytime. UPDATE** -- Oh, when the previous post first appeared it had just the title and appeared to be from Will. My bad Clarkson... I'd never call you out like that.

Is it my turn yet?

I did not miss a game today but still lost ground in the pool. Captain 'Cuse remains alone in his lofty post at the top of a rather motley group of pickers. many of whom seem more a home with the nose than the bracket. Tied for second is Lauren who can pick free from sentiment because she only cares for Georgia Tech who had no chance of engaging in post season play. There is another guy in second who thinks it cute to kick the SEC while it is down, while failing to choose A-10 teams in his bracket. The most amazing feat in the history of sMaCkDOWn is Thomas, a confessed baseball fan who disdains basketball, but is tied for second after three full days of play. As we know anyone can luck up and be in second but how does one end up in second in the middle of the second round and have only 420 possible points remaining?

I may be tied for 23rd and Captain 'Cuse may be in first but my turn is coming. Today I failed to take Satchell Paige's advice. As you may recall, he said, "Don't look back. Somebody might be gaining on you." Well, today I looked back and there was no one there. But as Scarlett O'Hara said, "Tomorrow is another day."

Clarkson

Is it my turn yet?

Gonzaga

Not a good year for the West Coast. I'm now stuck rooting for Gonzaga, a team from Eastern Washington, which is more or less Idaho. Snowy, sparsely populated... and the few people who do live there vote Republican. I've been inspired by the groundswell in favor of comments, and have switched my vote from nay to yea. But if we do wind up enabling comments, I hope people don't bury a great post in a comment field.

Age Grouping

I should also be in the [15-30] age grouping. The mistake was an easy one...given the maturity of my picks.

I noticed that nobody mistakenly put in a younger age bracket has come forward...

Erin Fitzpatrick

Surrogate Smack Talker

Mook,

Thanks for talking some smack on my behalf!

Since Will suggested that we Georgians relax about basketball and just
post pictures of our kid, I'll take him up on that. Chuck, since I
snuck up on you in your age bracket, the picture is of Eston showing
off his hat from his second favorite team that is not in the tournament.

I'm not sure whether picture attachments will show up on the blog from
an email, but I'm giving it a shot.

Lauren

Age Grouping

There was a typo in the age-grouping Chuck - Lauren is also in your 15-30. And she's beating you.

A Matter of Faith

I notice that despite Jeff's lip service to the A-10 with his bracket, he couldn't even bring himself to pick the upset on West VA. Asleep Forest's loss last night really put a dent in my bracket, as did FSU and Northern Iowa's demise. As per usual, I'm sitting in the middle of the field, looking to make a late run. But I seem to have taken a commanding lead on the 15-30 age group (consisting of the two Jenkins).

Not about winning

I would try to reassure Thomas that this pool is not about winning, but when he picked FSU to win it all he showed he already knew that. There's lots to root for: the ACC's demise, for one! Randy, I'm pretty sure Lawrence is a Division III basketball squad, so I'm not sure how excited you should be that GTech has a better team than Lawrence...

Irony or upsets versus solid picks

I made some gutsy choices that won. #11 Dayton, #12 Arizona, #9 Texas A&M, #10 Maryland, #12 Western Kentucky, #10 Michigan, and #9 Sienna. I am tied for second with absolutely no chance of winning and maybe no chance of the top 90%..

Why don’t I have a chance to win? I went with two safe choices, #4 Wake Forrest and #5 Florida State and they both lost. I figured if Florida State could eliminate Georgia Tech from the ACC tournament, they must be the best team in the nation so I picked them to win it all. I notice Randolph did not follow that logic. I certainly overrated the ACC to my everlasting regret.

Lucy and I returned to baseball tonight, taking Mary Croom, Luis, and Franklin to Winthrop’s game against arch rival Coastal Carolina. Winthrop lost 7-2 but we left before Coastal scored the seventh run.

Sorry for the bitter rant but I need to get back to bridge where at least if I lose it is on my own bidding and play rather than some twenty-year-old kid.

Thomas F. McDow

Cheesehead?

Call me a cheesehead!!!!!!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Posting via Email

All

To post to the blog, send an email to: mcdowhoop[dot]mcdowhoops[at]blogger[dot]com. Where [dot] = . and [at] = @.

The subject line is the post title and the email body is the text. Be sure to sign you email.

Also, I suggest folks add an * to your real bracket. It's hard to distinquish which brackets rightfully deserve scorn.

Will

Apples to Appleton

Will, I think Tech is avoiding the NITwits and staying home to celebrate signing the nation's #1 recruit, along with four other solid kids (who will all take calculus, I'm told). Can we get the GT intramural winner to face the Lawrence men's varsity? From what I found online, Lawrence claims to have one of the finest programs in the nation. However, I'd be the 6th tallest guy on the team according to the current roster. . . .

Randolph

Don't wait

Randolph - don't wait on the smack, if you've got it. The opportunity won't last long.

How's Ga Tech doing in the NIT?

Will

Sugar Smacks

Hmmm..... Tied for first, with most points possible remaining.... Do I start talking smack now or wait a bit?

---Randolph

Here it is. My time of glory. I don't care what Clarkson says, it's going to last. This bracketosopher is ready for the next round. I can't remember the last time I was in the 97th percentile of anything. For the record, it appears Coach K was taken out of context. But he's still what his detractors say he is. (Also, Todd, I loved that photo of the University of Washington.) **UPDATE 3/20, 9:28 pm** Well that was short-lived... 87th percentile is much less exciting.

Never Fall in Love with an Underdog

As Piers ascends the lofty hieghts of first place he should have some concern about how quickly fortunes change. Last year I won with a disciplined bracket that picked some underdogs but never fell in love with them. This year I read that VCU was under rated so I picked them to go to the sweet sixteen. They lost to UCLA. Then I thought I had to pick Tennessee because Leslie went there to grad school and for Dan and Susie and all of the Rambo's. So I pick Tennessee to beat Oklahoma State. Nothing is wrong with that pick. They only lost by two. Where I went wrong is that I picked them to then beat Pittsburg, the team many think is the best in the country. Well if they can beat Pittsburg, surely they can beat Florida State, so I had them in the Elite Eight before I sobered up. I think they could have been a team of destiny but you have to win the first round first. I think the coaches talk about playing them one at a time. My bracket gets pretty bland from here and maybe I will end up on contention. Meanwhile, I will sit back and watch Captain 'Cuse. Let's hope he doesn't change to Captain Cuss after the Orangemen play. My apologies for not noticing Thomas has entered. He is ahead of me, but on the other hand, who is not ahead of me? I liked Dodie's comparison of bracktologists and and bracktometrists. I think that I am more like a parabracketier. We are looking forward to this weekend and seeing those coming to Rock Hill and reading interesting posts from the others. I have to admit that I am more comfortable with e-mail, but maybe the point was to keep us old timers from getting too comfortable. Anybody want to start another pool to see who can predict how quickly Piers is back in the middle of or at the bottom of the pack? I don't think he will last the night. Clarkson

Enjoy it now, Piers; or the Leader Board, 3/20

With 16 games down, Piers is sitting pretty atop the leader board. He correctly picked 15 outcomes yesterday. On his heels are that group from your favorite joke: a Yankee, a Liberal, a Dermatoloigst, and Rush Limbaugh walk into a bar. The punch line? "...and he answered 'Well I'm not the one who thinks gays in the military should occupy the south, Zittohead.'"

Awake?

You've got to be pulling for VCU and WKU, despite your bracket. Go underdogs!! Or go to bed.

Leslie's telling me to root for the favorites.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

First Impressions

When I was looking at colleges (in the fall of 1991), I visited Villanova on a beautiful, wintery Saturday afternoon. I hated it. I've never been able to say why, but I did. I don't have the same passionate dislike now that I did then - but I still picked American to beat Villanova tonight. With a score of 55-55 currently, it is possible that I will be right. And I'll be the only one of the currently top-ranked people who did. In fact, Erin may be the only other person who called it like this. Can't wait to see how this one turns out...

Bracketology vs. Bracketometry

It's the same old story: you have a degree in bracketology, but all the easy money seems to be going to the bracketometrists. And you studied so long. Well, welcome to McDowHoops, where anyone can win. (Let the record show that in 2006, a joke bracket won the whole thing. And a two-year-old picking by mascots came in second.) But who are all these bracketometrists? For your edification, here are all the entrants with their age groups. We do not publish weight classes. Or cholesterol levels. Please note: In order to attract a higher quality clientele, we use discretion in sharing information with third parties. I have taken the liberty of spamicizing the last names in the list so that your future employer will not be able to use Google to link you to this site. (! is i; 0 is o; = is e) Barack 0bama [45+] Brian R!chards [30-45] Chuck Jenk!ns [15-30] Clarkson McD0w [45+] David Le0nhardt [30-45] Dodie McD0w [30-45] Eddie Bl^ck [30-35] Eleanor M0lvig [1-15] Erin F!tzpatrick [30-45] Diego R!ncon [30-45] Felix Le0nhardt [1-15] Greg Rask!n [30-45] Jeff Gumb!nner [30-45] Jim G0ff [45+] Jonah Le0nhardt [1-15] Lauren McD0w [30-45] Leslie McD0w [30-45] Maggie Gumb!nner [30-45] Maggie Lou McD0w [1-15] Mary R!ncon [30-45] Nell Jenk!ns [45+] Nellie Jenk!ns [15-30] Ole Molv!g [30-45] Piers Turn=r [30-45] Randy McD0w [30-45] Ron B!rnbaum [30-45] Rush L!mbaugh [45+] Stefany D=ese [30-45] Thomas McD0w (x2) [45+] Todd Ke!thley [30-45] Will McD0w [30-45]

The Eight-Team Pool

Obviously I'm rooting for the University of Washington and, as I did last year with WSU, I now provide you all with some home-state photography (this is the UW campus). So I wound up entering four pools, which is a lot for a guy who won't watch any games at all (our TV gets no reception). The office pool, the courthouse pool, the Audacity of Hoops, and an unusual pool run by med school friends, "the eight-team pool." In the eight-team pool, you pick eight teams and every time one wins, you earn the number of points corresponding to that team's rank. So if you pick UNC, you'll probably receive 4 or 5 points total, 1 point for each win. Whereas if you picked Maryland, you already would have 10 points in the bag... but you'd have run the risk of zero points from that team. One strategy would be to try to pick the likeliest upsets (Maryland, Texas A&M, USC, Tennessee) and hope you're right on all of them and win 80 or 90 points. If you think the winner is sure to be someone who just happens to make amazingly lucky picks, then your only hope of winning is to try to be that amazingly lucky person. In other words, to generate a score high enough to win, you're forced to bet on risky outcomes. My hope is that there are not enough people in the pool for someone to get lucky on every single pick. So I went for a blended approach, with some "sure thing" bets and some stretches, hoping that some better-than-expected performances will net me an average of eight points from each of my eight teams. My picks were: Kansas, Wake Forest, West Virginia, USC, Duke, UCLA, Texas, Clemson. Thoughts? I see now that if Duke and Texas both win, they would play each other the next round, so that was a dumb move.

Blogging Ain't Easy for an Oldtimer

Each year I have to relearn this stuff. My first check of my bracket and my dream of the perfect bracket is deferred until next year. Never bet on Texas A&M because they are part military college and part civilian with the worst aspects of both. Memphis survived though Will tried to scare me. I have them going all the way because Mary Ann is from Memphis and they will be hungry to prove themselves since the Big East committee didn't favor them with a number one seed. If New Jersey ain't yankee, then why don't they serve grits for breakfast? I never got around to a specialty bracket, but had I done one it would have been entitled "The Big Least Bracket." It would have bet on no Big East team past the second round except we would give Syracuse one more win for that great game last Thursday night and also for our deep affection for Piers. They should have named this the Big East Invitational because of the NCAA's long standing prejudice in favor of the Big East which is almost but not quite matched by their love of the ACC and the Big Ten. The Big Ten no longer consists of ten teams which leads one to wonder if they have gotten around to admitting which of them is no longer big. I would also not give much weight to Big 12 schools on the theory that only conferences with a poor self image would feel compelled to include "big" in their name. We seem to have a good group entered this year but I didn't see Thomas's entry. He could have entered a bracket based on the highest average SAT score. Is there anyone out there who doesn't wish Davidson was in this year? They have a great team, a great coach and one of the best and most exciting player in college basketball. If I hear one more commentator talk about the "full body of work," as if that means anything, I may have to puke all over myself. I was trying to think of a more dignified expression but need to get back to work. Good luck and may all of your teams win unless I failed to pick them. For those on the road to Rock Hill I am looking forward to seeing you and your children. Have safe travels. Clarkson

Upset watch - Memphis

#2 seed (and one of my final four teams) is in a nail biter with Cal St Northridge late in the second half. And reports emerging that Jim Calhoun will not coach UConn today due to illness. Back to work. (Kinda.)

When idols collide

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/03/18/coack-k-disses-obamas-basketball-picks/ Where are Will's loyalties in this?

A Couple of Annotated Brackets

Liner notes on Jonah's and Felix's brackets... Wake: Nate's mom went there Duke: We're going to North Carolina for vacation Connecticut: It's close to New Hampshire Siena: We drive one. Also, it sounds like Ruben Sierra Minnesota: The Twins play there Boston College: Red Sox, baby! Maryland: Our state Also, J & F would like to engage in a little younger-generation smalk talk: "Hey, Silas, your dad is even balder than ours." (There is a back story here. It involves me selling Todd down the river.)

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Hello all

We Leonhardts are ready to go. Jonah and Felix watched 5 minutes of one game this year, in an auto dealership, while Laura, Eva and I were checking out minivans. That's the sum total of our family's 2008-9 NCAA knowledge. But we're ready to do battle nonetheless, proudly standing with our local American University Eagles (for one round, at least). Depending on how tomorrow morning goes, Jonah and Felix may be contributing their own bracket, too. Thanks for having us.

Method Brackets

Don't forget to enter a "joke" or "method" bracket if you like. I've now entered one, though relatively uninspired: BigEastDream. It picks Big East Teams, or the better Big East Team, to win -- and otherwise picks other big conference teams (from the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC, and Pac-10) to lose. Where two smaller conference teams play each other, it picks the better team to win. Where I had to pick between two evenly-matched, non-Big East but big conference teams, I let my prejudices guide me. -------- And here's a reminder of happier (and more melodramatic) times in Rock Hill:

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Gamecocks Cooked with Curry

An early (NIT) tourney split in the Durham McDow household gives the early bragging rights to Wildcat grad Leslie. While Davidson tried to give the game to USC, the 'cocks where polite hosts and insisted Davidson win.

Clarkson, on the bright side, at least now you won't be distracted from your smack talk by any affections for teams left in the Dance. Onward to Thursday.

Will

Monday, March 16, 2009

Loyalty

Boston College is at the dance (again) this year which is great for me. I can talk a whole lot of smack - for at least one round - about my school. But since I haven't seen a single basketball game since the 2007 tourny (if even then), loyalty will be the only muse I have.

I'm looking forward to seeing most of you this weekend in Rock Hill, and following the SMACKDOWN here-

Sunday, March 15, 2009

ESPN Group is Live

Despite Georgia getting no teams in the Tourney and SC only getting the Tigercubs dancing, we will hold the annual McDowHoops smack down. Those from Georgia can plead sleep deprivation and just post pictures of their kid.

I'll send a link tomorrow, but for those who can't wait, the group name McDowHoops has been created on ESPN Tourney challenge website.

The password is the McDow hometown, all lowercases, no spaces.

Will

Teams?

Can someone remind me what teams are McDowHoops ones? Here's my recollection (tell me what I'm forgetting): IN: Boston College Syracuse Duke Tennessee Pittsburgh OUT: Winthrop South Carolina George Washington George Mason Roanoke Georgia Tech Citadel Davidson Washington State Yale Does MA have a Memphis connection? What else is there? Will the South Carolinians support Clemson? :) Seems like a tough year on the school loyalty front. Personal note: this year I'll also be pulling a little bit for Ohio State (Abby and I are taking up jobs there next fall), Binghamton (central New York connection), and Portland State (they offered me a job).

Impending Madness

I'm ready for y'all. I've been studiously avoiding watching anything but Pitt games so that I will have an excuse for losing again this year. Go Panthers!

Friday, March 13, 2009

Coming soon: McDow Hoops 2009

Stay tuned...

Bracketologist	Current rank	Predicted final rank	Predicted final total
MMGumby 3, M. Gumbinner	1	1	1388.75
HarborBirnbaum 1, R. Birnbaum	2	2	1350
gte233v 1, L. McDow	3	3	1305
keithleykeithley 1, T. Keithley	5	4	1215
*SC Education Bracket, T. McDow	11	5	1155
Deese Picks Are Winners, S. Deese	8	6	1086.25
winner or whiner?, N. Jenkins	10	7	1072.5
A-10 > SEC, J. Gumbinner	12	8	1058.75
*Will.I.Am.Still.Alive, W. McDow	14	9	1031.25
*Jim Goff-PawPaw's Picks, W. McDow	16	10	1031.25
Prez_O_Picks, W. McDow	17	11	1031.25
randmcgt 1, R. McDow	20	12	1003.75
NIB (nell's impulse ), N. Jenkins	21	13	990
nbjenkins 1, N. Jenkins	26	14	921.25
Ol' Cat-Stew, M. Jenkins	6	15	900
Mr. Pick , e. black	9	16	877.5
AU is in. Mason is not., D. Leonhardt	13	17	855
BIG BAD BRIAN 53 , B. Richards	15	18	843.75
Maggie Lou Wins, D. McDow	4	19	810
Captain 'Cuse, P. Turner	7	20	790
Jonah the Whale, D. Leonhardt	18	21	740
Felix the Cat, D. Leonhardt	19	22	740
*e.fitzbasketball, E. Fitzpatrick	22	23	700
Dode Has Nose for Pickin', D. McDow	23	24	690
molvigo 1, O. Molvig	24	25	680
*Leslie, W. McDow	25	26	670
Yankee Interloper, G. Raskin	27	27	640
MookMcD 1, m. rincon	28	28	590
Pops, C. McDow	29	29	550
BigEastDream, P. Turner	30	30	550
Domable, D. Rincon	32	31	550
The Underdog, T. McDow	31	32	510
RUSHwantsO'sBRACKETtoFAIL, D. McDow	33	33	400
eleanor's mascot prefs, O. Molvig	34	34	370
googlelovesamerica, E. Fitzpatrick	35	35	300