132nd Edition - 4/06/07

132 - When counting in binary with fingers, expressing 132 as 0010000100 results in the isolation of the middle fingers of each hand, a gesture generally considered rude. The corresponding one-handed gesture is the representation of 4 ... I have no idea what this means, but I believe I just insulted computer geeks everywhere.

• Blatant Self-Promotion

Movie Review
"Grindhouse"

• BEST lazy WEEKEND EVER!

If there is a god, clearly he likes laying on the couch, sipping a beer or two, eating some chips, having the remote in one hand and the other tucked just under his belt ... I'm talking about the best lazy sports weekend of the year.

The Reasons:
1. Baseball is in full swing for the first weekend of the year. The games don't matter (still 158 to go) but you still get to check out your team and take in the new faces.

2. A tradition, unlike an other ... It's the Masters on CBS

3. Random NBA game that might matter but you don't have to start watching until the 4th quarter.

4. If your name is Mark, then you are probably spending most of the weekend gearing up for the NFL draft ... The Chicago Bears ... are on the CLOCK.

• The Masters: seriously, it's unlike anything

I was talking to a friend last night and both of us decided golf is the one sport that you really don't need/want the underdog coming through. Does anyone really want to see an unknown put on the green jacket Sunday afternoon? I want Tiger (4 shots off the lead at +1) and Phil (+4 after the first day) ... so maybe I want Sergio. So, in other words Brett Wetterich, you need to stop playing well right now.

• Cubs: too early

It's still too early to get addicted to the Cubs (1-2). But that will probably end after this weekend. Expect a Monday feature on the Cubs every week.

• Quick Hits

*Texas A&M coach Billy Gillispie is the man the Kentucky Wildcats will introduce as the head coach. I'm glad I can stop attacking like I cared about this story. I am one of the few that doesn't need Kentucky to be good to enjoy College Basketball.

*Daisuke Matsuzaka (Dice-K from now on) won his first game of the season for the Red Sox. Struck out ten.

*With Gilbert Arenas out for the season with a knee ... now I wish the Bulls would play the Wizards in the first round, whether it meant home court or not.

• Stuff

*I just wanted to thank "The Office" for coming back. I missed you so much. And I could listen to Dwight talk about heroes all day.

*Want to go to a summer festival? Rolling Stone is here to help - click here

*There is a new album of Joni Mitchell covers. You can listen to the original and the cover. Artists include Sufjan Stevens and Prince. click here

129th Edition - 4/03/07

129 - The number of wins the Cubs will not have this year.

• Cubs: Opening day

Well, it came, it went, Zambrano complained, and now I fear that I will have to come up with 162 creative to tell you that the Cubs lost ... kidding, I'm not scared. Zambrano is bad on opening day, and the bats will get better. Derrek Lee was 2-3. That's right, he's batting .667 for the season (that's good).

• NCAA Basketball: We have a winner!

Florida beat Ohio State last night, the main reason was that Florida hit a 3-pointer anytime the Buckeyes got within 6 points. Seems like a smart plan if you want to win the national title. They are the first ever to win back-to-back titles with the same starting five. Final Score 84-75.

More Toughts:
*Ohio State finishes the season at 35-4, Florida at 35-5. I wonder if the Buckeyes consider that a moral victory.
*Billy Packer LOVES Greg Oden. I know this because Packer had the chance to talk about many other players, but last night, during the telecast, talked about Oden 80% of the time (mainly praising him for not fouling other players, and at one point Packer said he doesn't think there should be a foul limit for players, just unlimited fouls). After the first 11.5 minutes, Oden had 4 points, 4 rebounds and 1 block. Packer had already given him the keys to the castle. Oden finished with a GOOD game, but at that time, he was on pace to get 15 points and 3 blocks. Also, someone needs to tell Oden he doesn't need to climb the hoop on every dunk. Don't get me wrong, I still think he's great. Just odd.
*Dick Enberg - I've got a hand for you, actually it's just a finger. I know he is a legend, but his halftime show was lame.
*I have no need for a car, but "I'm gonna buy me a Chevrolet." Bring back OUR COUNTRY!
*Joakim Noah needs another year in school to work on his basketball skills. Right now his main move is backing down over and over again, then throwing up an awkward shot. Also, no more after game speeches please.
*If office pools were legal, I would have finished 1, 2, and 3 in the ones I entered. Thank god I believe in ONE SHEET for all brackets.
*Everytime I hear "One Shining Moment," there is a moment where I realize it's an insanely dated song but does recapture thoughts of childhood. I would wait for that song, just so I could see the 1.5 seconds of the Iowa Hawkeye highlights ... Funny, I didn't see those this year.
*Everytime you hear "One Shining Moment," you should appreciate it, because at least it is not Pink's song for NBC Sunday Night Football.

• NCAA Basketball: We have another WINNER (the Hawkeyes)

The Iowa Hawkeys have a coach. True, he is defensive minded, which fits with the Big Ten, but makes it less exciting to watch, but he is also the NABC Coach of Year! Richard Lickliter (nothing funny about that name) was the coach of the Butler Bulldogs and got them to the Sweet 16 this year. Lickliter has a 131-61 record in six years at Butler. The Bulldogs have reached the NCAA Tournament in four of his six years. And in perfect Iowa tradition, the Bulldogs lost to the eventual NCAA champs, the Florida Gators. It seems Lickliter will fit right in.

• NCAA Basketball: We have yet another WINNER: Andrew Edwards

*1st Annual The Daily Score NCAA Tournament Pick'em Competition Spectacular*

AE picked 50 out of 63 games correctly. He finished with 159 points, and in the 98th percentile. He is a winner.

Other Thoughts:
*I finished second, the finacee finished third, which means we are the greatest couple in the history of picking random/semi-logical things! Destiny is OURS!
*Other couples that aren't as good as us ...
Rich & Heather (13th and 12th). Throughout the tournament, Heather was looking forward to seeing her name in print. Well Heather, here it is, you're average. wa, wah! (sad music).
DP & Liz would have been a lot higher, but Liz is clearly holding DP (4th) back. Liz picked 31 out of 63 for 55 points. The only one to pick less than half. If only there was a boobie prize.
AE and Jumbo (brothers) could have done better as a team but Jumob (Elijah) is a doctor. You don't understand how busy he is. You do NOT understand.
*Highest finish with a typo in their team name: Emily's bracekt (18th)

And now the prize:
A 2 DVD pack that includes ...
Clearly, someone should have taken this man "Hostage." Because then I would have won. His penalty for not being taken "Hostage"? Having to watch "Hostage." It will hold you "Hostage" with suspense ... Hostage.

No, Mike D, you didn't miss out on your chance for more porn. "Inside Deep Throat" is a documentary looking at the making of the most successful adult film of all time. It's a good flick. In fact, here's my review.

128th Edition - 4/02/07

128 - The total points scored in the Ohio State vs. Georgetown game ... plus one.

• Chicago Cubs - Opening Day!

Do you know what's better than opening day? Opening day and sitting in first place, with the Cardinals in last place. Yes, the St. Louis Cardinals are off to a disastrous start, losing last night to the Mets. Sure, the Cubs are tied with four other teams in the division for first, but at least the last place team is the Cardinals.

Hunches that will be wrong ... or maybe they'll be right --
Carlos Zambrano - 2nd place in Cy Young
Cubs - Division winner
Derrek Lee - 39 Home Runs
Aramis Ramierez - 47 Home Runs
Alfonso Soriano - 35 Home Runs, 39 Stolen Bases

• *1st Annual The Daily Score NCAA Tournament Pick'em Competition Spectacular*

And then there were three ...

If Florida wins, AE wins.
If Ohio State wins, it's between my fiancee and DP. I finish 2nd or 6th (plus I win money in two other brackets if Florida wins ... not that office pools are legal)

Check back tomorrow to see the winner and the prize.

• Quick Hits

*Final Four games = boring. The only reason I was excited was because I have both teams in the finals. Oden vs. Hibbard was about as lame as going to a hockey game.

*I went to a hockey game on Sunday. Blackhawks vs. Oilers. Actually, it was a good game with a Blackhawk scoring on a short-handed goal for a 2-1 win. Free tickets make close to anything good though, thanks to Bro for making it happen.

*Bulls lost in OT to the Cavs, so it looked like the #2 seed was slipping away. But then the Cavs lost to the Celtics, yes the same team that is desperately trying to lose every game they play. So the Bulls are still only .5 games out of 2nd place.

• Stuff

*Box Office Recap
1. Blades of Glory - $33 - This seems about right. I gave it a C+, which in my opinion means - there are some laughs, not tons, only one time was I in tears. It would be a good renter.
2. Meet the Robinsons - $25 - I am convinced the reason it didn't do better is because the previews COULD NOT BE WORSE - it's a good animated film.
3. 300 - $11 - $180 total.
4. TMNT - $9
5. Wild Hogs - $8 - $135 total. Yup, I just threw up in my mouth ... which is actually funnier than anything that happened in this film.

127th Edition - 3/30/07

127 - http://www.127band.com/

• Blatant Self-Promotion

Film Reviews
"Meet the Robinsons"
"Blades of Glory"

• NCAA Basketball: Final - Four - Predication!

Florida will beat UCLA. Both teams are breaking defensive records. Florida has held opponents under 60 points 10 of the last 14 games. UCLA is letting their tournament opponents score 50 point per game ... So with that in mind, look for Joakim Noah to get fouled in the closing seconds, and make one of two free throws giving the Gators the win 27-26.

Ohio State will lose to Georgetown. Even though I have picked the Buckeyes to beat Georgetown, I am now reversing it. Georgetown is a team of destiny. They were on TNT's NBA Halftime Show last night and gave Kenny Smith a jersey. These things don't happen, unless you make the finals. Otherwise, you just look foolish ... (this is an attempt at a reverse jinx - of course I am not changing my pick. As long as they get enough electricity pumping through Frankenstein (Oden) then the Buckeyes will win 73-66).

• Bulls: close AND a cigar

If the Chicago Bulls only played the 1st and 3rd quarter of each game, they would dominate. But rules state they must also show up for the 2nd and 4th ... so that's what they do, show up -- but just barely. The Bulls stunk, especially in the 2nd quarter where they shot 4 of 22 from the field and received technicals on separate instances (one by Hinrich, the other by Skiles -- also known as the team leaders).

After all that complaining, you might be surprised the Bulls won by two last night in Chicago against the Eastern Division leading Detriot Pistons (83-81).

It was a must win, and thanks to Hinrich drawing a foul with 2.8 seconds left, and hitting 2 of 3 free throws, the Bulls escaped with a victory.

Ben Wallace had 19 rebounds and Tyrus Thomas (and his oodles of energy) had 13 points and 10 rebounds.

• The shoes: Wallace's feet are worth $15

Ben Wallace is helping friend Stephon Marbury promote his new sneaker, the Starbury. It's not another story about a selfish athlete. Starbury's come out April 1, and are being sold for $14.98, and Marbury isn't making millions in this deal. http://www.starbury.com/

"Kids don't really understand what it takes to go out and buy a pair of $300 pair of shoes," Wallace said at a news conference on Tuesday. "We don't understand the pressure we put on our parents when we're growing up. This is one of the things where I think the parents will appreciate it a lot more than the kids right now because it eliminates so much stress from the parents. All parents want to see their kids have nice things."

I am looking forward to putting on a pair and seeing if they are worth it. This is the best story to come out of the NBA this season, it deserves TONS of coverage. Everyone should appreciate this ...

LeBron James doesn't appreciate this ...
James took a little shot at Marbury's $14.98 kicks, saying he couldn't imagine endorsing a sneaker that cheap. "No, I don't think so," James said. "Me being with Nike, we hold our standards high."

• Stuff

*Just a very interesting story -- http://www.friendlyatheist.com/
I just received a copy of his book - "I Sold My Soul On Ebay" and interviewed him.

*Chris Farley for an ESPN commercial - recreating the shot that Christian Laetnner had against Kentucky (while he was still alive). click here

*The best kissing cam of all time ... even if there is one scene that HAS to be staged ... make sure to stay until the end and watch Wade and Shaq. click here

*The Spider-Man 3 soundtrack will feature songs by The Flaming Lips, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Snow Patrol and more.

*April Fools is Sunday - this might help you get in the mood- http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/aprilfool/

126th Edition - 3/29/07

126 - Nerd alert. In the massive multiplayer online role-playing game RuneScape, 126 is the highest combat level achieveable.

• NCAA Tournament: The IF's and the BUT's

OK - Let's crank up the old scenario generator and take a closer look at who could win the -
*1st Annual The Daily Score NCAA Tournament Pick'em Competition Spectacular*

IF -
If Florida wins it all, AE (Andrew Edwards) wins. Period. End of story. And I come in second. Which is good, because I do NOT want to win this prize (yes, the prize is still a secret).

IF -
If UCLA beats Ohio State, Mark Lubbat comes out of nowhere and wins the whole thing.

IF -
If UCLA beats Georgetown, AE still wins. Damn, that boy is good. Good and terrible. Hmmm, it appears that line is only funny in my head or while watching "Coming to America."

IF -
If Georgetown beats Florida, good lord, it's AE again.

IF -
Ohio State beats Flordia, you'll never guess ... The fiancee wins it. Actually, she ties with DP (Dave Pohl), and the tiebracker will actually matter. This is funny on many levels, one of which is DP and I were both in dead last after Thursday/Friday first round action.

IF -
Ohio State beats UCLA, Dave (Denver Dave, Banana Hands) wins it and the fiancee comes in 2nd.

Hmmm, I guess the only BUT is ... I could write down all the senarios, BUT it would have been easier just to say AE will probably win, or maybe not.

• The Hawkeyes: Bruce Pearl doesn't like us

After not being considered for the head coaching job when Dr. Tom Davis left, after making Tennessee a winning program and after making over $1 million a year -- Bruce Pearl has decided to stay at Tennessee and not consider the Iowa coaching position. All in all, for him, it was a good choice. Though he was my top choice mainly so I could see a Big Ten team try and score lots and lots of points.

• Cubs: Prior will be great ...

For the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. Yup, that is where Mark Prior will start the season. In the minors. I am wishing that Wood and Prior were elsewhere just so I could have something else to think about this close to opening day.

Something else to thing about ... The Cubs starting outfield for opening day - Alfonso Soriano in CF, Matt Murton in LF and Jacques Jones in RF. I am happy with these decisions.

• Peyton Manning is not Peyton Manning

The Bears fan who lost a bet and was willing to legally change his name to Peyton Manning, was denied by a judge. The judge decided it would be too confusing for the real Peyton Manning. Sounds to me like it would be too confusing for people to try and understand what kind of idiot of a Bears fan (or any human being for that matter) would be something like this, and then try and follow through on the bet.

• Stuff

I finally remembered ...

*Saturday Night Live
It was a good one. Peyton Manning's United Way commercial, the dancing coach, Manning holding a rock and the NCAA Tournament Bracket sketch which reminding EVERY man about the woman in their life ... it was all good stuff.

For the season: 9-7

Funny: John C. Reily, Hugh Laurie, Alec Baldwin, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Justin Timberlake, Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Rainn Wilson

Not Funny: Dane Cook, Jaime Pressly, Matthew Fox, Annette Bening, Jeremy Piven, Forest Whitaker, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

*More SNL
I interviewed Shia LaBeouf yesterday and he was the first person I interviewed who was about to host SNL (April 14). Needless to say, we talked about sketch ideas for a couple minutes.

*Lost was great last night. It was a good stand-alone episode, and it had enough creativity will the flashbacks. LOVED the ending.

*Harry Potter - new cover

123rd Edition - 3/26/07

123 - a pretty creepy looking Web site - http://123.org/.

• NCAA Tournament: I'm not dead yet...

First off, just an amazing comeback by Georgetown. North Carolina was nailing their free-throws, but nothing else. They were 1 for 23 from the field over the last 15 minutes of the game. And I loved every minute of this simply because I had Georgetown over North Carolina in my bracket ... a brack I had left for dead, which was terribly wrong of me ... by the way Mike D - how did that feel? You still going to try and find a North Carolina National Championship hat?

I have 3 of 4 teams left, and though I can't win, when Florida meets Ohio State in the championship, I will finish in the top 5 and respectability will be MINE!!! Plus, I've seen the prize and I'm kind of glad I am not winning.

The driver's seat belongs to Andrew Edwards (AE, bad shoulder, Elijah's little brother, UFC Fan, Sondre Lerche fan). Later this week I will crank up the senario generator and get WAY too involved in over-analysis.

• NCAA Tournament: The Final Four

Georgetown vs. Ohio State. Florida vs. UCLA. Big men are the key to three of these teams.

• Quick Hits

*Kobe Bryant is off his game, only getting 43 points last night, and ending his streak of 50-point games are 4. Let the embarrassing comparisons to Ricky Davis begin, this guy has clearly lost a step.

*Tiger Woods is good. He won at Doral for the sixth time. Again, logic says to take him against the field for the Masters.

*Joe Thiesmann is gone on Monday Night Football. In all likihood, Ron Jaworski will replace him.

*Anthony Adams is a Bear. The DT from the San Francisco 49ers just signed with the Bears for 4 years. ESPN.com had him ranked 25 on the list of free-agent veterans. Until he plays I really have no feelings about this. Though I do like that Tank Johnson can now rest comfortably in jail, knowing his position is taken care of.

• Stuff

*I haven't finished watching Peyton Manning on SNL, but so far, it looks like a thumbs up. The United Way commercial was just amazing. Click here to watch

*Monday Box Office
1. TMNT - $25 million - the top three seem about right. Lots of action at the box-office.
2. 300 - $20
3. Shooter - $14 - I gave it a C-, but I am starting to think I want to watch it again ... so I can laugh at it.
4. Wild Hogs - $14 - if you people make me go see a sequel I will KILL. Stop spending money on this movie!
5. The Last Mimzy -$10

*Premiere Magazine just released their list of the best 25 movie posters of all time. And only "Silence of the Lambs" came out in my lifetime. Click here to read

122nd Edition - 3/23/07

122 - The oldest age any person is known to have lived to (Jeanne Calment was born in 1875 and died in 1997).

• Blatant Self-Promotion

Reviews of "TMNT," "Shooter," "Reign Over Me," and "Pride."
Also, an interview with Chicago's own, Bernie Mac.
All on Stuff I Wrote.

• NCAA Basketball: 3 out of 4 is good enough for me

Last night, three games game down to the final seconds. And it is starting to be standard for Ohio State to be apart of one of them.

The Buckeyes were down 20 at one point in the first half. In fact, the most important play was probably the 3-point play they got at the buzzer at the end of the first half, decreasing the lead to 17. Tennessee can look at the free-throw line to figure out where they blew this one, and Oden's big paw. Tennessee went 8-17 from the line, and Oden (only scoring 9 points) had a block on the final Tennessee shot. Ohio State won 85-84.

Southern Illinois couldn't hold on against Kansas, but as soon as I saw Jim Belushi in the crowd I knew they were a goner. Can anything this guy attaches himself to be great? So. Ill. played some amazing man-to-man defense but had to heave a half-courter to try and tie it. Kansas wins 61-58.

Memphis squeaked by Texas A&M and UCLA won pretty easy over Pitt.

• Hawkeyes: Alford out

Steve Alford is done coaching the Iowa Hawkeyes. And we didn't have to fire him (which would have cost millions). Alford is headed to New Mexico because he wants to be at a school where basketball comes first. Well, ideally academics comes first - then whatever program is winning comes next. Alford came to Iowa the same time as Kirk Ferentz. Everyone I remember thought Alford was a brilliant hire, and no one knew who Ferentz was (we were still upset about not getting Bob Stoops).

Time has shown Alford can't do anything great. He isn't a fantastic recruiter. His coaching is sub-par, and when the Hawkeyes had off-the-court problems, he never inspired.

Here's what my friends had to say about his departure -
*I'm all broken up about it. (sarcasm)
*Yeah I saw that this morning.... What a shame. (sarcasm)
*He clearly was not a fit for Iowa. If we were supposed to be bad, we were. If we showed some promise, we drastically underperformed when it mattered (e.g., biggest upset of the tourney last year).
*At least with Dr. Tom we would make it to the second round.
*I'm just happy I'm a Tarheel now. I can't wait to get my 2007 NCAA champions hat. (This last one was from Mike D - the NFL picker who moved to Chapel Hill last week)

• Chicago Bulls - Tip-Doh!

It looked ugly with seconds left last night against the Nuggets. A loose ball, a bad shot from Gordon, a tip between Deng and Carmelo Anthony, then Tyrus Thomas tips in the game winner. Anthony said he would have rather lost by 100. Twelve games left. Bulls are 40-30.

• Cubs: Prior to this...

I was almost done with Prior. Then he went and pitched 4 innings, giving up 4 hits and 1 run. It's like I'm George and he's Lizzy. I need to forget yesterday every happened. I mean, I married to a big, rich girl. I need to forget the past, and move forward even though Lizzy/Prior has been amazing before. OK, that's the last time I compare the Cubs with "Grey's Anatomy," I swear.

• Quick Hits

*Kobe Bryant - The man had 60 last night in a win over the Grizzlies. That is three 50-point games in a row, and he is one of three to have 4 or more 60-point games. I love watching this offense right now, but I find I am still in the stage of thinking half the shots (that end up going in) are bad ideas. He is the most fun train wreck to watch in sports right now.

*Coach Tubby Smith just made the Big Ten a little tougher ... I think, although he could simply be burnt out at Kentucky and looking to retire. Minnesota seems like the type of program where he could still earn his millions but not worry about pesky things like wins, and NCAA tournaments.

*Jonathan Papelbon is back as a closer for the Red Sox. He said he was losing sleep thinking about wanting to be back in the bullpen as the closer. This would have been good information before my baseball draft.

*Tony La Russa is an idiot. If you are rich, and like to drink far away from where you live ... Get someone else to drive you. It's that simple.

• Stuff

"Trapped in the Drive-Thru" - Another Weird Al gem ... 11 minutes long. Do you have what it takes to get through the whole thing? click here to watch

119th Edition - 3/20/07

119 - It is the sum of five consecutive primes (17 + 19 + 23 + 29 + 31). 1-1-9 is the emergency number in many Asian countries. The number of Division I college football teams in America.

• NCAA: A little too quick

Perhaps I was quick to award Kevin Sketch (co-worker) first place in our NCAA bracket... Even this email exchange from yesterday ...

Kevin:
I will not win. I have WI & TX in the final 4. So thanks for the love on your web site, but you're actually just rubbing in the pain of the inevitable.

j:
Good. Now I have something to write about tomorrow as well.

Kevin:
I see, this whole tournament pick thing you created is just fodder for your unimaginative musings. Can't you write some mindless drivel like other contemporaries in your business? Come on man, what's Angelina Jolie up to these days? Didn't she just adopt another baby? What's your take on Larry King's surgery? Or talk about the big exclusive story on MSNBC telling everyone how much of a diva Michael Jackson is. You know, all that really important stuff that people care so much about. Aren't you an entertainment writer?
Seriously, I am looking forward to kicking your ass in chess in a few minutes.

(We also play chess just about every day. And since he can't control what I write on this space, I am beating him 143-0-2, it's sad really. Even when I try and let him win, my subconscious takes over and still dominates. Two stale mates is all he has to show for his hard work.)

• NCAA: The other contenders

*Dave, aka Denever Dave, aka ihuc13 is sitting pretty with 7 elite 8s remaining and all his final four.
*Emily, aka Emily's bracekt (her typo, not mine) also has 7 elite 8s remaining, but her miss is Maryland, going to the finals.
*The one to watch out for seems to be AE, aka Elijah's little brother, aka Andrew Edwards, aka 'shoulder don't work' - he has all the 8 elite 8s left, and is only 3 points behind the leader.

• Greg Oden: the gentle giant

I am sick of a story being made over nothing. Greg Oden, in the closing seconds gave a hard foul in the Xavier game. Talking heads are trying to say that Oden got away with one, and that gave the Ohio State Buckeyes the game. When I was watching the game, I noticed the Xavier player fly after Oden fouled him, but I also noticed Oden touch the ball halfway through the foul. In other words, he was going for the ball. Also, just because Oden is strong, doensn't mean he has to foul light. Hard Fouls are typically the point of fouling. Tap a guy, and maybe it doesn't get called. There was 10 seconds left, potentially in the college career of Greg Oden, so he hit the guy.

• Stuff

SXSW (South by Southwest) is over. And once again, I wasn't there. Next year I will be. I 94 percent guarentee it!
Anyway, here are a few videos from the concerts.
http://2007.sxsw.com/coverage/video/
Word on the street (the street being my future sister-in-laws boyfriend) is that Ghostland Observatory is somebody to check out.
http://myspace.com/ghostlandobservatory

118th Edition - 3/19/07

118 - This is the most interesting thing I could find - 118 ways to save money for college. Wow, hope this isn't an indication of how boring today can be.

• Other things (Quick Hits)

*Kobe Bryant is good. He went for 65 points on Friday night and followed it up with 50 points last night. He and Wilt Chamberlin are the only ones to do that.

*50 is also the number of points the 76ers got beat by last night. The Rockets won 124-74.

• NCAA Basketball

*Our Leader (in the 1st Annual The Daily Score NCAA Tournament Pick'em Competition Spectacular) is Kevin Sketch (aka Plausible Deniability). He has picked 38 out of 48 for 50 points. Two girls are tied for 3rd and I am 16th.

*Of the 16 teams in the sweetness, UNLV (7) and Vanderbilt (6) are the lowest seeds remaining.

• Stuff

*Monday Box Office
People still like Sandra Bullock, but more people like blood.
1. 300 - $31 million - a solid B.
2. Wild Hogs - $19 - yup, i still hate this film.
3. Premonition - $18 - Roeper called it one of the worst endings ever.
4. Dead Silence - $8 - heard awful, awful things about this film.
5. I Think I Love My Wife - $6 - I thought this film would do better. It's not awful, but the subject isn't fun. I assume there were alot of women out there telling their men, "No, I don't want to see a movie about a man wanting to cheat on his wife."

*Saturday Night Live
Not good enough Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In fact, I can't remember laughing out loud once. The Italian sketch was OK. Never a good sign when both musical performances are the best parts (Snow Patrol). And yes, Chris Rock showed up for the opener, and then talked about black men getting hung back in the day ... not his best stuff.

For the season: 8-7
Funny: John C. Reily, Hugh Laurie, Alec Baldwin, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Justin Timberlake, Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Rainn Wilson

Not Funny: Dane Cook, Jaime Pressly, Matthew Fox, Annette Bening, Jeremy Piven, Forest Whitaker, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

*New Shows
Raines - Jeff Goldblum. It's fine. I just don't know why I would watch it. I already have enough and it didn't give me anything mindblowing.
Andy Barker, P.I. - wow, this guy is destined to be someone I always give the benefit of the doubt to ... and he NEVER delivers. The show is weak.

117th Edition -- 3/15-3/18

OK - here is the plan ... I will update this one entry (117th Edition) throughout the next 4 days. I will always put the newest entry at the top, so if you are just joining, you might want to scroll down and read that first.

Also - Movie Review - "I Think I Love My Wife"

• 6:45 p.m. - Sunday - over

The games aren't over. I am. Done. I can't believe Texas is done and I didn't get to see a dominant Durant game. Just said. Now I have to wait five years before he can dominant for a season in the NBA. Three if I am lucky.

"Cold Case." I never have seen an edisode, and now that I have been shown the same damn two seconds of someone pulling a gun on someone else -- I want the show cancelled. Tonight. Before it airs. Just awful.

Ohio State was the game of the weekend. Mainly because I found myself rooting against an underdog (which I rarely do) because they were beating up on the Buckeyes so bad. Plus, it was one of those cases where Xavier didn't blow it, Ohio State just played amazing down the stretch. Plus, it was the first really good game of the tournament and it started an amazing day of basketball.

Now I need to start preparing for my Fantasy Baseball Draft. Yes people, the REAL excitement is about to begin.

• 4:03 p.m. - Sunday - close

Virginia was close. Purdue was close. I am watching the games on tivo and it looks like I am about 45 minutes behind. Florida just pulled away and won by seven, but the game was much closer than that. I wish there was a stat to show close games during the regular season. Like, if a game is ever within 4 points with 3 minutes left, that's a close game. So far, I think every Saturday and Sunday game has qualified for that. Though Southern Illinois and Oregon are trying to erase that fact.

I had to go watch "TMNT" this morning. It's what they have decided to call "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

I still can't believe we are close to finishing four days of college ball without one buzzer beater.

Hmmm, I wonder if I get the UNLV pick right I will officially be in the top half of the bracket.

• 7:45 p.m. - Saturday - Buzzer? Beater?

Wash St vs Vandy. Tie game. 60 to 60. Damn. OOOOOvertime. Both teams are making great shots in OT. James Brown says 5, 8, 5 on the game clock, 8 on the shot clock ... then he gets it right. Vanderbilt ball, seconds remain ... I hate Mencia's Bud Light commercial. I want that little guy at the end to break the bottle over his head, and now back to the game... Our first double OT of the tourney.

Somehow VCU is tied with Pitt (the one game I was calling a blowout). Insane day. A 35-16 run by VCU to get back into it. 1:00 left. Wow, free throws. Two seconds left. Fields misses the first. The crowd is cheering. Misses them both. OT.

Wash St is slipping. Vandy up by four ... YOU GOT TO FOUL ... nope, Vandy wins by 4 and will play Georgetown. Georgetown won thanks to Patrick Ewing Jr's reverse dunk in the final minute.

Back to VCU vs. Pitt ... VCU down three with 19 seconds left because Pitt didn't want to make free throws. Damn, missed the three. Pitt should finish this off now. Argh, hate the huge comeback that doesn't produce. Still no buzzer beaters today.

• 7:05 p.m. - Saturday - Best. Day. Ever.

I'm not going to say this is the greatest day in the history of college basketball, but ... This Is The Greatest Day In College Basketball. If there is one buzzer beater then everyone else will agree with me.
Butler won. Sosa decided to miss two free throws after making his first 15 and Louisville lost. Vanderbilt and Wash St are tied late. The only game that is not amazing is Pitt killing VCU. So far, six games, all but one close. I've stood on the couch once already during the Ohio State game, and it just might happen again.

Side note - I'm really tired and only had one green beer today ... wow, writing that sentence just made me hungry for more beer ... And YES! The F is not at the grocery store yet after working out, Guinness will be MINE!

• 2:40 p.m. - Saturday - It's over

I believe I said that about six times during the Xavier/Ohio State game. Most of the times I said that I assumed Xavier was going to win. Clearly the best game of the tourney. Just an amazing comeback by the Buckeyes. I assume most of the country wanted the comeback to happen since NO ONE had them losing this early.

• 1:05 p.m. - Saturday - good morning

I have had my omelet, biscuit, homefries and french toast. And now it's halftime with Ohio State leading Xavier 29-25.

More P.O.T.T. (player of the tournament):
Reynolds from Virginia - 28 pts, 7 reb
Kemp from Nevada - 27 pts, 12 reb, 4 assists

• 8:40 p.m. - Friday - classic

Nope, I'm not talking about the games. The F (fiancee) just went to "get ready." This is after the last 20 minutes, when I kept saying, "Do you need to get ready?" And her saying, "I am ready." And yes, her bracket is killing mine.

P.O.T.T. watch - Durant - a quiet 25 points and 8 rebounds.

Illinois decided not to score in the 2nd half and lost by two. 54-52. I will make a post before I sleep. I swear.

• 6:50 p.m. - Friday - it's racial!

"Oh, yeah ... Fight the Power!"

"He's got that farmboy look."

Can you guess the color of the players that were referred to in the above quotes by the announcers? Neither can I ... neither can I.

Illinois is looking good, up by six close to the half. Listening to Billy Packer call the Kansas/Niagara game is just awful. He's picking on Niagara every chance he can get as they slowly slip away from a superior team. "Kansas makes sure Niagara falls," yup, that's going to be the headline.

OHHHHHHH!!!!!! Carter just hit a 3 for Illinois ... and was fouled. Let's see if he converts the four point play ... an it counts! Illinois up by 10. It's that easy.

• 4:40 p.m. - Friday - overtime. OVERTIME!?!

Just annoying. Creighton falls in overtime to Nevada. I had it right there, the amazing comeback was within my grasp. But now, all is lost. I will officially now just root for good games, I swear. No more thinking I have a chance.

On a side note - the Shia LaBeauf movie was pretty good. Though I had no idea what I was walking into, so I had no expectations.

At least I had Winthrop. The only thing I can currently hang my imaginary hat on.

Also - it couldn't be more disturbing to finish watching a basketball game and then be taken to a Dr. Phil, already in progress.

• 11:26 a.m. - Friday - embarrassing

So, I just went to check my bracket ... Yup, I have Albany (read below). Just embarrassing. Albany just chucks it up. I have already seen one 3 hit the side of the backboard. My other upsets sure to go wrong today ... Creighton and Winthrop.

• 11:18 a.m. - Friday - "working"

I'll do my best to keep notes and update at about 12:30 then late afternoon, then late late night. We'll see how that goes. There is a going away party tonight. Mike D (NFL picker) is moving.

I am in NCCA On Demand no problem this morning. In fact, this thing is great. Plus, next year when I get VIP status I can look down at all you people and laugh.

So - today, once again, I have to miss some afternoon games. At 2:30 I need to see a Shia LaBeauof (I try to spell his last name different every time) movie. He's the kid from "The Battle of Shaker Heights" and "Holes" and "Constantine." If you don't know him yet, you will, he also scored the (human) lead in "Transformers." I will be interviewing him in the coming weeks.

Anyway, it's Virginia 8, Albany 2. Clearly this is a version of the bigger school just being better, taller, quicker. No way Albany keeps up with them.

I'll do my best to keep notes and update at about 12:30 then late afternoon, then late late night. We'll see how that goes. There is a going away party tonight. Mike D (NFL picker) is moving.

• 9:56 a.m. - Friday - the comeback!!!

I am in last place, tied with a girl -- out of 24 people. Three individuals currently have 14 points each. My West bracket is horrendous and my East is barely holding on ... BUT there is no way I can finish last. I am the letter j! So I am on the comeback trail and my goal is to finish middle of the pack. I want to be the guy that no one pays attention to, that is just glanced over while their eyes make their way up the leaderboard.

• 10:46 p.m. - Thursday - I rue

I rue the day I picked Gonzaga based on the logic of them playing Indiana (overrated) and them playing a tough regular season and them not having good luck in previous tournaments (so I thought they were due). Rough night all around, "Scrubs" wasn't even that funny.

• 9:37 p.m. - Thursday - And we're BACK!!!!

Sorry. I "had" to go watch Shooter for "work." Am I using these "" correctly? Any way, Oh course Duke lost. My reverse logic never works. My bracket is busted, so now I can go about my business and just enjoy the games. Glad that nonsense is over with ... though, it Gonzaga could beat Indiana, UCLA and not Duke, then I'm right back in it ... sigh.

P.O.T.T. (player of the tournament) watch: Can't be Curry (scored 30) from Davidson because they lost. Greg Oden started strong with 19 pts and 10 boards. Rice from B.C. scored 26 points.

• 4:00 p.m. - Thursday - No upsets.
  

Good, god, Vanderbilt is off to a quick 7-0 lead. Is there no upsets planned today? This is unreal. It's the opposite of real.

As soon as I was done complaining about the Butler game, Old Do hits a 3 and then that is followed by Butler hitting five 3s in a row. Butler takes a big lead and doesn't look back.

Georgetown was down 11-4, then they went on a 76 - 44 run. At what amount do we have to cap a run? Perhaps when one team scores over 40 it is too much.

Some quick STUFF -
*David Duchovny will be in a sitcom on Showtime. About ten years ago I declared Duchovny would be one of the biggest comedy stars of our time ... can I still get credit for this?
*My favorite - Ben Folds - will be opening for John Mayer this summer ... So apparently, Ben doesn't want me to see him anytime soon.

• 3:20 p.m. - Thursday - slow...

It's 29-29 with 12 minutes left in the Old Dominion vs. Butler game. Apparently they are choosing to only shoot with two seconds left on the shot clock. Slow game. I have Butler, in fact I have all #5 seeds winning, which, in it's self, is an upset. Wash State ended up winning by 16, there should be a rule that teams make keep it close in the first half unless they promise to keep it close in the second. I had dreams of Oral. I wanted Oral. I could feel Oral ... winning the game and me looking super smart. But no, I'm just the moron who thought I'd get Oral all the way to the second round ... and I knew it the entire second half.

Also - I just got an interview with Molly Shannon lined up. I think this is my first SNL actor that I get to interview ... I just hope she's ready to talk about "Don't get me started, Don't EVEN get me started," for 30 minutes.

• 2:34 p.m. - Thursday - Yeah! I mean Oops... I mean YEAH!!!

OK, so I thought I had Oral Roberts beating Washington State. I was sitting here cheering like an idiot as Oral played tough and took it to half with a 28-26 lead. Well, then I was updating my bracket and noticed I have #3 Wash State winning. So, I quickly change sides, and BAM! They go on a 9-0 lead to start the half and my favorite team in the world, Washington State, is in control of the game ... Wow, nope, I am right, I did have Oral Roberts. So my positive vibes clearly have kicked me square in the arse. Is it possible to be drunk on basketball?

• 1:21 p.m. - Thursday - Wow. Ohhhh for Two.
  

Texas Tech lost by nine. Maryland hit a huge 3 with two minutes left, and held on to beat Davidson. Two games are done and I am 0-2. If this keeps up I will have the worst bracket in the history of the NCAA Tournament. Actually, I would be pretty cool to miss every single one.

On a side note, I highly recommend Lean Cuisine Brick Oven-Style Pizza (BBQ). As far as microwaved individual pizzas are concerned, this is my favorite. Lean Cuisine ... It's not just for middle aged women who pretend to eat healthy.

This afternoon I will be watching one game on TV and another on the Web.

Just got an email asking if I want to interview Jamie Kennedy for his new movie "Kickin' It Old Skool." Wow, I've got some thinking to do.

• 11:54 a.m. - Thursday - God Lord, It's WORKING!

Currently at work, watching Davidson vs Maryland (I have Davidson). This was exhausting. It wouldn't work for the last 20 minutes. I now I get to see Davidson leading by 5. Joy. I won't be updating until I get home and eat some lunch.

• 11:08 a.m. - Thursday - The Waiting Room & The Brackets

I am currently in the NCAA March Madness On Demand Waiting Room. It's as exciting as you think it is ... I started at 92,000th in line, and now I am at 35,000 ... but I've been at this number for a while and it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. On the plus side (sarcasm), if I was a VIP I would be 11,000th in line. I can't be VIP this year, but I could next year, so really they are just rubbing it in. Just like that little curtain that seperates me from first class. Wow, it just changed. Now I could be 6,300 for VIP ... and 34,800 is my current position.

And it looks like we have 24 players in the 1st Annual The Daily Score NCAA Tournament Pick'em Competition Spectacular!

I am most curious about a few of them...
1. The Sports Guy - I read him all the time and think if cat's wore pajamas, he would be those pajamas. So I read his picks and filled out a bracket for him.
2. Girls - We have 5 women participating. I watched my fiancee fill out her bracket and it was a real treat. I think she had Oregon winning because we want to live there one day. She got lucky with Kansas winning some games because she has a friend that lives there. I believe the standard woman is just as capable of picking as the standard guy, I just love the thought process.
3. Me - I really hate some of the picks I made. But I threw in some reverse logic and suddenly, Duke was winning two games.

116th Edition - 3/15/07

116 - Shakespeare's sonnet #116. Wow, hopefully that will be the last time I link to Shakespeare, I couldn't get through that whole thing.

• NCAA coverage -- I might just run continous updates throughout the next 4 amazing days ... Calling all of it 117th Edition. We'll see. Since I will be in the office until 12:45 today I have hoping to be one of the lucky ones to watch the games online.

• Special Guest

Erin Studer is a man. Most that know him call him Stu, and then after a few months on knowing him, realize in fact, his name isn't Stu, it's Erin--spelled the girl way (he's Irish). Stu runs a school out in Los Angeles, and word on the street is, he'll give you a teaching job if he likes the cut of your jib. And if you need a man to quote the speech from "Braveheart" look no further ...

Mad Marchness: 5 True Things about the NCAA Tournament

I didn’t play in high school. My official playing career in basketball ended in 8^th grade – B team. I was a guard. The highlight game of my career was on a cold January night in Spirit Lake, Iowa. The Spirit Lake Indians vs. the Emmetsburg E-Hawks. I was playing the 2 for the E-Hawks and scored four points in the closing seconds of the half (two of them off of a break away steal) to help us take the lead. I finished with a season high 8 points, 2 boards, and a technical for mouthing off to the ref while taking the ball out of bounds. For those of you who know me, the technical is no surprise, but the eight points might be. I went on in my high school career to play a little football, a little baseball, and whole lot of wrestling. My basketball career was relegated to late night games at the local park and later to the occasional pick up game in the Field House at the U of Iowa. There was a brief stint as a middle school basketball coach when I first started my teaching career, but I am sure that was because of the school’s desperation as opposed to any insight into my former middle school basketball prowess.

All that said, I have always been an avid watcher of the NCAA Tournament – a uniquely American event that celebrates democracy, parity, the little guy, and eventually some extremely well funded major basketball power house. Just makes me smile thinking about it. I can almost hear the squeak of Converse on the hardwood right now. Yes, I have been a fan of “The Tournament” for over 20 years and in that time I know these five things to be true:

1. I have never won an NCAA Tournament Bracket Pool and probably never will: It’s not that I don’t follow college basketball or don’t know the odds of a 10 seed making the Elite 8 or the fact that Indiana basketball just isn’t what it used to be. No, my brackets don’t fail because of lack of knowledge; they fail because of an excess of drama. With each passing year, with each new bracket, I create an alternate universe – a universe where David toppling Goliath isn’t just a myth but a round by round reality. I create tournament outcomes that, if they truly happened, would be the stuff of legend for generations. Sadly, the epics have yet to occur or to provide me any money in return.
Example: My final four for this year - Wisconsin, Pittsburg, OSU, and Georgetown. Finals: Wisconsin and OSU with the Badgers winning the fabulous Big Ten-homer love fest of a finale.

2. A 12 seed always beats a 5 seed:

You’ve heard this before. I’ve heard this before. It seems to happen a lot. I have no statistical evidence to support the always, yet I faithfully seek out the 12 vs. 5 upset each time I fill out a bracket. And even if it is not always true, isn’t it fabulous that year after year we get to watch a sporting event where an upset is guaranteed.
My pick: 12 seed Illinois topples 5 seed Virginia Tech. Damn my Big Ten bias!

3. Cinderella always loses.

I know this is true but ignore it habitually. There are always Cinderellas at the Big Dance. They always surprise people. No one knows who they are and there is little point in guessing (George Mason anyone? Or on a smaller more Hawkeye-centric scale Northwestern St.!). But sadly they always lose. No one lower than a five seed has ever won the tournament. Even N.C. State in their miracle march to the championship wasn’t that unheralded. So every Cinderella loses eventually, but not before utterly ruining my bracket year after year because I couldn’t guess who they’d be.
My feeble attempt to divine this year’s Cinderella: Villanova all the way to the Elite 8 before bowing out to Pitt…or wait, was Pitt the Cinderella…never mind.

4. The first weekend is the best.

This is true, though much like my first three statements, it isn’t a secret. Sixty four teams all vying for a victory, all striving to get one step closer to the National Championship. It really doesn’t matter if you are North Carolina or Holy Cross – everybody has to play a game, everybody is trying to win, and everybody knows it’s lose or go home – no exceptions. Sure, a #16 seed has never beaten a number one, but it could happen – maybe this is the year.
Most vulnerable #1 seed with the potential to make history and bow out in round one (not that I picked the upset or anything): Kansas. They got taken to the wire in the Big 12 tourney. The Big 12 isn’t that tough to begin with, and Niagara already has worked out their first game gitters. Go, Purple Eagles, Go!

5. Seeding of teams 3 and higher is irrelevant.

A #1 seed doesn’t guarantee a championship – often the opposite. Again, no one above a five has ever won. The vast majority of champions in the past ten years come from seeds 3, 2, and 1. Therefore all of this pre-tournament controversy over whether you got a 7 or 9 seed, or how a team should have been a 6 instead of a 5, is good oxygen wasted. As long as your team made it to the top 3 (even the top 4 on occasion) don’t worry. Just play your games.
Lowest seed with the biggest ego that may not make week 2: Duke. Probably lucky to be there and yet Dukies persist that a 6 seed is too low and that they are gonna play their way to the Final Four. No chance. They better focus on VCU – 11’s have beaten sixes. Happens every year!

Bonus: College Football does not need a tournament to decide its National Title.

I’m not saying that on occasion it wouldn’t be nice to have an optional “plus-one” game after the BCS to clear up confusion. But this event would be rare. Most of the time the bowl games do a more than adequate job of figuring out who was good, who was not, and who should be crowned champion. By the way, football tournament advocates, have you ever considered that the reason the B-ball tournament is exciting is that so many teams are involved (point 4) as opposed to the idea that so many teams actually have a chance to win (points 3 and 5). A Division-I college football tournament would most likely reduce post season participation from its current 32 bowl game 64 team format. Besides, have you ever noticed how the college football regular season actually matters? Can’t wait ‘till September. Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy the basketball. You should too.

115th Edition - 3/14/07

115 - Used in the title of "Bob Dylan's 115th Dream", a song from Dylan's album Bringing It All Back Home.

• NCAA: Don't forget to Dance!

The Tournament Pick'em '07 is set up with yahoo and all my readers should join. If you've already joined a yahoo group and don't feel like filling out another bracket, they will allow you to use the same one, so this should take you about 10 seconds.

The Group ID = 133325
The Group password = thedailyscore
The Group Name = The Daily Score

http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/men/group/133325

• NCAA: We're #64!

That's what Niagara gets to chant, probably for the rest of the tournament. Niagara beat Florida A&M 77-69 and now is playing Kansas in the first round. So for all of you that had Flordia A&M vs Kentucky in the 2nd round, it's not too late to change it.

• The Weekly Bull: 38-28 (13-20 on the road)

The Chicago Bulls now have a three game win streak going into tonight's game against the 76ers. Last night they beat the Celtics 95-87. Ben Wallace had 19 points and 16 rebounds, but more surprising was his 21 shot attempts (a season-high). And rookie Tyrus Thomas led the Bulls with 23 points.

The Bulls are 4 games behind the Pistons and 2 games behind the Cavs right now. Both are within reach, but clearly the most important thing should be getting home-court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. Everything else is just butter.

114th Edition - 3/13/07

114 - Stanley Kubrick frequently referenced the number in his films. That's all I could find. Boring number.

• NCAA Tournament: Dance with me!

The 1st Annual The Daily Score NCAA Tournament Pick'em Competition Spectacular has begun! And that title is awful. But anyway, I have
Tournament Pick'em '07 set up with yahoo and all my readers should join. If you've already joined a yahoo group and don't feel like filling out another bracket, they will allow you to use the same one, so this should take you about 10 seconds.

The Group ID = 133325
The Group Name = The Daily Score
The Group password = thedailyscore

OR - perhaps the link below takes you right to it.

http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/men/group/133325

There is no money involved but I am willing to look through the free DVDs I have received from reviewing movies and give a little something something to the winner.

• Quick Hits

*The Golden State Warriors ended the Dallas Mavericks' 17-game win streak. Keep in mind this is a Warrior team without Chris Mullins, Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond.

*Lance Briggs has said he has 'played his last snap' with the Bears. Again, I am holding out hope that an acceptable contract extension can be reached.

*Look back on the college basketball weekend with Bill Simmons. click here

• Stuff

The Pitchfork Music Festival is now on sale (at Union Park). More bands will be added. 3-day pass is $45 right now.
http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/event/EventListings?orgId=13100

Friday, July 13
Pitchfork Music Festival & All Tomorrow's Parties Present: Don't Look Back

Saturday, July 14
Cat Power
Clipse
Iron & Wine
Girl talk

Sunday, July 15
Of Montreal
Jamie Lidell
Ken Vandermark's Powerhouse Sound

113th Edition - 3/12/07

113 - A French hip-hop group -- http://www.113online.com/ AND an inside joke in animation movies - A113 appears in "A Bug's Life," "Cars," and "The Simpsons." It is a reference is a CalArts classroom where many animators got their education.

• NCAA - dance

Sung by Mr. David Barrett ...

The ball is tipped and there you are
you're running for your life
you're a shooting star
And all the years no one knows
just how hard you worked
but now it shows...
ONE SHINING MOMENT,
IT'S ALL ON THE LINE
ONE SHINING MOMENT,
THERE FROZEN IN TIME

OK, now I'm in the mood... with the Iowa Hawkeyes not coming close to sniffing the punch at the dance, I have no hopes and dreams at all for the NCAA tournament, except of course for close games and upsets.

The four #1 seeds are no surprise (Florida, North Carolina, Ohio State and Kansas), but Florida claimed the overall #1 even though Ohio State is #1 in both polls. The Big Ten snuck six schools into the tournament, and everyone has decided Drexel got screwed.

• The Big Ten: The Hawks stand alone

Step forward if you finished with a winning record overall AND are going to the post season ... not so fast Iowa. Iowa finished 9-7 in the Big Ten and 17-14 overall and they are done. No NCAA tourney and no NIT. Michigan at 8-8 and 21-12 got the only NIT bid. The lesson as always, the Hawkeyes need to find some community colleges to beat up on before the Big Ten season starts.

• Tennis: Federer can fall

Roger Federer's win streak of 41 straight matches came to an end against Guillermo Canas in the Pacific Life Open. More importantly listen to what he said ...

"It was just a normal loss, like I've had about 100 times on tour," Federer said. "That's normal to tennis. I have no problems. He played very well. I missed my chances. I think he played very well and I didn't think I was playing poorly at all. So it's OK."

I'm starting to like this guy.

• Stuff

*Box Office Recap
1. "300" - $70 million. Biggest March opening ever. It cost $65 million to make the film, but that doesn't take into account all the marketing.
2. "Wild Hogs" - $28 million. I am truly shocked. I figured the bad reviews would affect the box office a little bit, but mainly I assume word-of-mouth from people who saw it would kill this movie. Instead, "Zodiac" fell to $6.7 million.

*Comedian Richard Jeni was shot in the head and killed. Probably by himself, but that's not official yet. I will remember this guy for the rest of my life because of Lobster Claws. In college, before a movie would start in the theater, Richard Jeni would have this little comedy bit sponsored by Coca-cola. I probably saw the thing 40 times. It was NEVER funny, but became a running joke with my friends ... I just spent the past 10 minutes trying to find the bit. Can't.

104th Edition - 2/27/07

No idea what happened today, but my post got messed up. I had Cubs and Big Ten basketball talk - but that disappeared. Life is trying to knock me down a bit. I'm going to let it. More tomorrow...

• Update: the running diary - Oscar Style

*Here's the running diary. It (the idea) is a work in progress, it will be better next time.
click to read

*Listen to the entire Arcade Fire album here.

*Saturday Night Live
Rainn Wilson hosted. Funny. Barely. For a 1.5 hour show, there was about 30 minutes of comedy, and it was almost entirely before the news. Wilson was great to see as himself. "The Office" skit was a little too easy. The digital short was good and then there was Arcade Fire. So good. By the way, I will be seeing them in May when they are at the Chicago Theater.

For the season: 8-6
Funny: John C. Reily, Hugh Laurie, Alec Baldwin, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Justin Timberlake, Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Rainn Wilson

Not Funny: Dane Cook, Jaime Pressly, Matthew Fox, Annette Bening, Jeremy Piven, Forest Whitaker

102nd Edition - 2/21/07

• The Weekly Bull (30-25)

The Bulls held the Atlanta Hawks to ZERO FG in the 3rd quarter. The Hawks managed just eight points off of free throws. Needless to say, the Bulls went on to win 106-81 in their first game back after the All-Star break.

Speaking of the Las Vegas excursion - click here - to read about Bill Simmon's impressions.

The Bulls next three games are going to prove what the team is made of, with an away game at Cleveland, home vs. the Washington Wizards and then at Detroit. Finishing those three games 2-1 would be a great step toward climbing up the division rankings.

Chris Duhon came off the bench and led the Bulls with 17 points, he was one of six to have double digits, three of which were Malik Allen, P.J. Brown, Adrian Griffin.

• Cubs: Zambrano gets paid ... for now.

Carlos Zambrano and the Cubs agreed on a one-year, $12.4 million deal. This avoided arbitration and Zambrano has also declined to refer to himself in the third person, instead opting to call himself "me." J is sure disappointed that J doesn't get to listen to Carlos Zambrano call himself Carlos Zambrano.

• Big Ten Basketball: We're #1 ... for one day

The Michigan St. Spartans, coming off a blowout victory versus my Iowa Hawkeyes, took that momentum and went ahead and beat the Wisconsin Badgers as well. Final Score, 64-55. The Badgers shot just 36 percent from the field. Now Ohio State is in the driver seat for the Big Ten title, and will likely be the new #1 in both polls.

• Stuff

I love the muppets. Here are five reasons brought to you by "10 Zen Monkeys" that you too, should love the muppets. click here

How to win an Oscar - by Cracked. click here

Want to see the 10 Oscar-nominated shorts in a theater near you? - here's a list of locations

79th Edition - 1/10/07

• The Weekly Bull (20-15)

They beat the Pistons last week. That's all that really matters. I'll just keep telling myself that as they went 1-3 in their last four games.

Ben Gordon has been hot, Kirk Hinrich is has not.

Ben Gordon: 20.8 ppg
Kirk Hinrich: 13.8 ppg (3-22 from the floor in the last two games)

• The Big Ten: Worth Talking About

Wisconsin beat Ohio State in Madison last night 72-69. These two teams are the best chances for the NCAA title. Wisconsin has three senior starters and Ohio State has four freshmen that start.

The game turned out to be a good one, but Wisconsin had a comfortable double-digit lead until the end when Greg Oden had back-to-back dunks and eventually Jamar Butler missed a game-tying 3 at the buzzer.

I'm actually looking forward to getting into Big Ten basketball this year, mainly because I have zero expectations for the Iowa Hawkeyes ... though they are currently 1-0 in the conference.

• Hall of Fame: Ripken and Gywnn

Those two are the only ones to make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year. I would have voted for them as well as Andre Dawson and Mark McGwire, though I only liked one of those men.

• Stuff

I haven't told you this before, but I like music. Discovering a new band is even better than watching a great film, because you have that hope of more to come.

Well, I have discovered a new band.

The Format
album: Dog Problems
quick thoughts: they will remind you of your favortie indie bands, but not in a copying kind of way. Each song has layers of changing tempo.
best track: "Dog Problems"

And I have this blog to thank for discovering The Format.
http://iguessimfloating.blogspot.com/

I highly recommend checking them out, especially their December posts which include the Top 25 albums of the year.

** Mike Triplett, award winning journalist (don't know if that is true) will be with us tomorrow. Stay Tuned.

54th Edition - 11/22/06

The Big T-day Extravaganza

OK, my next update will be on Monday, November 27. So I'll make this a long one (in other words, bare with me).

We'll get to the picks (at the end), the movies, some fluff and a little self-promotion ... But since it is Wednesday that means we start with the ...

• Weekly Bull: There's truth in the title (3-8)

Things aren't going well. The good news is that the Bulls just completed their fifth game on the annual circus road trip (the circus comes to town every year and forces the Bulls to have a big road trip). Yes, five games are done, but they have failed to win any of them. 0-5. With two games left at Philly and at NY, hopefully they can manage to finish 2-5.
This trip is a set back for the Bulls who should be one of the elite teams in the East. Now they are going to have to work hard just to get to .500 by the All-Star break (about 30 games away).

Inside the numbers:
Leading scorer - Luol Deng, 17.3 ppg (43rd in league)
Ben Wallace - 10.3 rpg (11th in league)
- 4.8 offensive rpg (1st in league)
Kirk Hinrich - 6.0 apg (19th in league)

• NCAA Basketball: Still a little early

Doesn't feel right talking about college hoops, but with Marquette defeating Duke (73-62) last night maybe I should start paying attention.

Top-ranked Florida is sick (good) right now. I mean, who would have thought they would have beaten power house Prarie View A&M (94-33). After all, Prarie View A&M had already beaten South West Assembly of God (61-57). If you can beat God, shouldn't you be able to beat Florida?

• Cubs: We need a pitcher

The signing of Alfonso Soriano is great. We still need help in the pitching department. One suggestion, Tom Glavine. The Mets have declined to pick him up for next season. He was good, not great, last season. But the Cubs need good pitchers, and after all -- crafty veterans are always a plus.

By the way, the Juan Pierre era is over after lasting just one year. He is signing with the Dodgers.

Also, in an interview yesterday Cubs' GM Jim Hendry said Soriano will play the outfield, but which position is still up in the air. He will be leading off though.

• MLB: The Final Awards

Not that anyone really cares or remembers how they were earned, but here are the 2006 MLB awards.

NL MVP: Ryan Howard
AL MVP: Justin Morneau
NL Cy Young: Brandon Webb
AL Cy Young: Johan Santana
NL Rookie: Hanley Ramirez
AL Rookie: Justin Verlander
NL Manager: Joe Girardi
AL Manager: Jim Leyland
NL Comeback: Nomar Garciapara
AL Comeback: Jim Thome

• Stuff

Watching Michael Richards rant and rave on stage, showing he is capable of spewing racism is awful to watch -- click here
Watching Michael Richards attempt to apologize on the David Letterman Show is awkward to watch -- click here

• Living in a Fantasy

Fantasy Football: Right now I am one game out of the playoff race, even though I have more points than anyone else in the league. I keep telling myself I'm the best and the competition always tries to rise up against the best ... Then I realize I am wasting too much thought on fantasy football. With three games left before the playoffs I think I need to win two. It's going to be tough.

College Football Pick'em: With two weeks left, I have a three game lead, over mike d. I need this win. For the season so far I have picked 134 out of 244 (all the Top 25 games). 55 percent is pretty good in the world of gambling.

• Quick Movie Reviews

The Fountain
Hugh Jackman carries this film by Darren Aronofsky. I have never been blown away by a Jackman performance until now. "The Fountain" tells the story of one man's journey through a thousand years to try and save his love (played by Aronofsky's real-life girlfriend Rachel Weisz). There are definitely times when you won't fully understand what Aronofsky is trying to say in this film, but the feelings and visually you are left with will more than make up for it.
Grade: B
Blatant Self-Promotion
Click here to read my interview with Darren Aronofsky

Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny
Plot: Jack Black and Kyle Gass got their start on “Mr. Show with Bob and David” on HBO. Now they have a full-length film which tells the tale of JB and KG hungry for success, and trying to pay the rent. They set off on a quest for the pick of destiny, a legendary guitar pick that has helped many bands become rock legends. Black, Gass and director Liam Lynch (“Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic”) wrote the film, which also features new songs by the band.

Bottom Line: “Mr. Show” was on a decade ago, and this film feels about five years too late. Black and Gass still have good chemistry … but “Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny” hits us over the head that the chemistry is pot. And they probably have a point, the jokes would be funnier with a joint. That’s not a compliment. It starts off strong with Meat Loaf as Black’s father and that is just the beginning of cameos that include Amy Poehler, Ben Stiller, Ronnie James Dio, Tim Robbins and John C. Reilly (as sasquatch). The one truly laugh-out-loud moment came when Black and Gass discover their tattoos and name the band accordingly. The new songs don’t compare to “Tribute,” “F*ck her Gently,” and “Rock Your Socks.” Otherwise, it’s easy to watch and zips along pretty quick, but it’s not the greatest film of all time, as “The D” would have you believe. You would be much better off checking out Tenacious D in concert, buying their self-titled album, and waiting for this film on DVD … And have a burrito close by for when the munchies hit.
Grade: C+

• The Picks

Well, we learned some things last week --
1. I can still win a weekend with the NFL (I went 2-1)
2. billy z clearly learned how to make a post after the games are played (it's the only explanation for him going 3-0 last weekend)
3. mike d should stick to playing fantasy football

With the big t-day weekend upon us, we're going to add some more games to the mix...

Previous Standings:
j NCAA: (19-12-1)
billy z NCAA: (22-8-2)
j NFL: (14-18-3)
mike d NFL: (13-20-2)

j NCAA
Boston College -4 over Miami
Texas -13 over Texas A&M
LSU straight up over Arkansas
Tennesee -19 over Kentucky
Oklahoma -5.5 over Oklahoma St
USC -7 over Notre Dame

Last year, I went 3-0 on my Thanksgiving Day parlay. And since n=1, I will always go 3-0 on my Thanksgiving Day parlay. That's how gambling works, right?
j NFL
t-day games:
Dolphins -2.5 over Lions
Buccaneers +11 over Cowboys
Chiefs +1 over Broncos
Sunday games:
Steelers +3 over Ravens
Bengals -3 over Browns
Bears +3 over Patriots

That's it. That's enough to keep you full until next Monday. As always, look for billy z and mike d to add their picks in the comments section.

50th Edition - 11/15/06

• I'm 50! (50th Edition)

Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Sally O'Malley. I'm proud to say that I am 50 years old. I'm not one of those gals who's afraid to tell her real age, and I like to ... kick!, stretch!, and KICK! I'm 50! 50 years old! 50 years old. Not afraid to hide my age, 50!

• The Weekly Bull (Season Record: 3-4)

Tuesday Night: Bulls 99, Mavericks 111
There is a new starting five for the Bulls ... and it led to a loss against the Mavericks. Andres Nocioni and Chris Duhon are now starting with Ben Wallace, Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng. Ben Gordon (who has been shooting awful) and P.J. Brown now come off the bench.
Perhaps more importantly the road trip from hell has begun. The circus is in town for Chicago which means seven straight road games. Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver, Philadelphia and New York.
With the expectations high for this team, a 3-4 record for the road trip would be acceptable.

Some Numbers:
Since 1999, the Bulls are 4-42 on this annual road trip (keep in mind they went 3-3 during it last year)
Hinrich: 18.3 ppg
Deng: 18.0 ppg
Ben Wallace: 10.0 rpg
Ben Gordon: 22% from 3pt range

• NCAA Basketball: Knight Strikes!

Catchy title, boring story. Michael Prince, one of Knight's players, wasn't looking Knight in the eye during a time-out. Knight moved Prince's face quickly (a small slap) to get his attention. Here is the full story
There is really only one question I could think of asking Knight - "Why not just yell at him to get his attention?" Otherwise the story is simply a chance to bring up other Knight incidences and sell papers.

• MLB: NL Cy Young

Yup, baseball has finally gotten around to voting on the best pitcher of the regular season ... insert yawn here ...
1. Brandon Webb (only had 16 wins)
2. Trevor Hoffman
3. Chris Carpenter
4. Roy Oswalt
5. Carlos Zambrano

• Cubs: A new second baseman

Mark DeRosa had a career year with the Texas Rangers, hitting .296, 13 HR and 74 RBI. Now he is a Cub. 3 years, $13 million. I guess this means Ronny Cedeno is in trouble.

• Stuff

Every year, Jones Soda comes out with holiday flavors. It's for charity, so that makes these flavors OK ... Dinner Roll Soda, Turkey and Gravy, Sweet Potato, Green Pea, and Antacid.
Chicago folks can buy it at Cost Plus World Markets.

• Book 'um Dano, I'm 5-0!