It has been a long and winding road since we launched on Blogspot on June 22, 2009.  Those were fun days.  Ryan and I started Randall Simon's Sausages in the Summer of '09 having no blogging experience whatsoever.  I don't even know what our goals were when we started out except to have fun and write about what we love, sports.  The first few months were so exciting.  I remember freaking out getting 50 page views doing a live blog for a Saints preseason game!  

While columns and opinion articles have been the foundation of RSS, it was our list ideas that put us on the map.  Through our Decade Series, we got linked to SI's Hot Clicks multiple times (Jimmy Traina has probably been this site's best friend!) and had our crazy ideas read by thousands in mere hours.  Heck, through that I even was interviewed on a radio station in Canada for our World Cup Jersey Power Rankings, still our most popular article.  I remember thinking we made it big when our #10 Soundbyte of the Decade was linked on Awful Announcing.  Being linked to my favorite sports blog felt like winning the lottery.

After an awesome year of blogging, we had a little help from our college buddy Willy Yoder (no relation unbelievably), who helped set us up with the Bloguin network in July of last year.  At this point, it felt like we made it - we had a cool new banner and everything!  Joining Bloguin is by far the best thing to ever happen to us as bloggers.  We were connected with an amazing family of bloggers and great leadership with Ben, Derek, and Dave.  Examples of this community are the new Big Ten blog we contribute to periodically, Delany's Dozen, and Ryan's work to create the Bloguin Heisman Poll.

In November, I was floored to be asked to join the new Awful Announcing staff as a writer.  AA had been resurrected by Bloguin in the late Summer.  Not being a real athlete (does HS golf count?), this was like joining my favorite childhood team... in a nerdy, mother's basement sort of way.  I was lucky enough to be asked to join the great Brian Packey as lead editor of the site soon thereafter.  Sometimes I still can't believe that I'm writing for my same favorite site that I freaked out about getting linked to a year earlier.  Unfortunately, my time at AA has diminished the amount I've been able to write at RSS, and Ryan's growing commitments at OSU has taken him away from regular blogging... he is getting his doctorate in chemistry, so I guess we can give him a break.

Well, with that tearful retrospective behind us, it's time once again to move into a new era and reveal that huge announcement we teased on Twitter.  Today, bloguin.com relaunched with two new, outstanding sport-centric blogs that bring together the best writers from around Bloguin in one place for the first time.  Crossover Chronicles is headed up by Michael de Leon of Project Spurs and will cover the NBA.  Joe Lucia of Chop N' Change is the lead editor for our new baseball blog, The Outside Corner.  Several amazing writers are involved with both projects.  Soon, more blogs will launch on bloguin.com covering other sports as well.  We all believe that this project will take Bloguin to the next level and be central to our growth as a network.  

You may ask, what the heck does that have to do with RSS?  Good question.  I'll be helping to oversee the bloguin.com blogs as Executive Editor of the entire project along with our CEO Ben Koo.  It'll be a lot of hard work, but through being involved in all of the planning and the launch, I can tell you that this relaunch is the real deal.  What that means for RSS is that our sports articles that normally would be published here will be seen throughout the new blogs such as Crossover Chronicles, The OC, and others that will launch in the future.  

As a general sports blog, we haven't found a huge, consistent audience here over the years.  That's not surprising, but we were never going to make it big as Randall Simon's Sausages (I still can't believe I picked that name anyways).  What we always hoped to do was be able to write quality, thoughtful, funny material and pray someone took notice and appreciated our effort.  Thankfully, someone did take notice and we've been very blessed with the opportunities that have come our way.  So, with that, Randall Simon's Sausages largely belongs to the history books.  This site will always be our blogging home, and we will still update with our weekly podcasts and perhaps an article or two here and there (especially if Yohey has a Reds or Browns related rant) that may be outside the scope of the new blogs.  Most of our writing will now appear on these other great sites that we are privileged to write for, especially AA and and the Bloguin network blogs.  So, with that, we hope you come along along with us on the journey ahead... cause we ain't even started yet!

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This year's Masters produced one of the most thrilling final rounds in tournament history.  With Tiger 2.0 contending but falling short, Rory McIlroy literally bursting into flames, and largely anonymous Charl Schwartzel's victory, the 2011 Masters had a little something for everybody.  And, with a frantic final nine featuring several golfers with a chance to win, the impact on the Masters TV ratings was sure to reflect one of the most exciting tournaments in recent memory.   Sure enough, preliminary ratings for Sunday's final round placed it as the second-highest in the last 10 years, right behind Tiger's comeback tournament last year.  

Certainly, a large part of the credit goes to Mr. Woods for being the most reliable ratings draw in all of sports.  Even as the only American golfer in the Top 10 for much of the day, ratings were still high throughout as a foreign invasion battled golf's greatest force of nature.  So, the question can be asked, is Tiger alone responsible for Sunday's high rating?  Is golf healthy as long as Tiger Woods is in contention?  Do young American golfers need to start competing with the international superstars who have dominated the last four majors?

As Sports Media Watch points out, the 2011 Masters was the 3rd highest in the last 15 years among those not won by Woodrow.  Certainly Tiger being in contention helped ratings a great deal.  One only has to look at the 2010 PGA Championship, when Tiger wasn't in contention, to see how ratings can plummet without El Tigre stalking the pack.  In fact, in last year's victory by German Martin Kaymer, ratings took a 33% hit from the previous year, when Y.E. Yang upset Woods and the world hadn't been introduced to Tiger's many mistresses, a much simpler time for us all, I'm sure.  It's safe to say if it were Gary Woodland or Steve Marino making the Sunday charge at Augusta, ratings definitely wouldn't have been as high for this year's Masters.  

But, in a big picture sense, the game of golf has never been healthier, despite the lack of success by young Americans in the majors.   In fact, it seems like viewers are just as willing to pay attention to young international golfers as young American golfers.  Just look at Rory McIlroy and his mix of skill and social media savvy.   Merely hours after choking away the Masters, McIlroy was tweeting, thanking supporters for all the kind words.  His graciousness in defeat, but more importantly his understanding of how to be a star in the new media age, will shortly make him a household name.  And yet, today, Rory McIlroy is tweeting out pictures of himself with Masters champion Charl Schwartzel wearing his green jacket and being shown on PTI. 

So, while golf's ratings in the short-term will be largely dependent on where Tiger and Phil appear on the leaderboard, the long-term growth of the game is in excellent hands.  As long as viewers continue to pay attention to young stars like Rory McIlroy on the golf course and online, golf's ratings will steadily climb in the long-term future, with or without the old stalwarts at the top of the leaderboard and with or without a steady presence of American golfers slipping on green jackets.  In fact, the future of a sport without Tiger Woods might not be as bleak as many would have you believe.


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In a special Sunday edition of the RSS Podcast, we discuss the Final Round of the 2011 Masters.  We talk about Charl Schwartzel's victory, Tiger's charge up the leaderboard, and where the thrilling Final Round ranks among the great Masters tournaments of the last generation.  We also take a larger look at the international domination in the game of golf as well.  Enjoy!



***Note - This means no podcast on Tuesday (several real world commitments this week).  But, we have a HUGE announcement coming tomorrow for RSS and for Bloguin.  More very exciting stuff so stay tuned! no comments

Just like that, it's over.  Manny Ramirez's wild and wacky career that dates back to the mid 90s came to an abrupt end today when the 38 year old slugger announced his retirement.  Manny's career ended with a whimper - he was 1 for 17 with his new team, the Tampa Bay Rays, this season.  He ends his career with over 2500 hits, 555 home runs (14th all-time) and 1831 RBIs (18th all-time)... and several bloopers, blunders, and wacky things that made us laugh, cry, and scratch our head, sometimes all at once.

All in all, Manny's legacy is as complex as his "Manny being Manny" persona.  He was always a great slugger for the Indians, but he became one of baseball's biggest stars after his move to Boston.  Behind the media machine that was the Sawx, Manny's eccentric and light-hearted personality made him one of the top sports icons.  He was an integral part of the team that won the 2004 and 2007 World Series.  But, the last few years have done a lot to tarnish Manny's legacy.  There was the 50 game fertility drug suspension while he was with the Dodgers, and also rumors that both he and David Oritz tested positive during their time in Boston.  Now, it seems that Manny's "retirement" has come about because the slugger didn't want to serve a pending 100 game suspension for another violation of the MLB drug policy.

It's a fittingly embarrassing end for Manny Ramirez.  Yes, he was a great slugger.  Yes, he was probably roided up like many of the other great sluggers of his era.  But, Manny also had a persona like none other of his generation.  One has to wonder if he'll ride off into the anonymous sunset like so many of his controversy ridden compadres.  What I'll most remember from Manny's career isn't any of that though... it's the greatest defensive blooper in baseball history.  Thanks to Jimmy Traina for finally unearthing my favorite blooper of all-time - Manny Ramirez's diving cutoff of Johnny Damon.  It's at the 1:46 mark of this video amongst other Manny being Manny moments...



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In our newest installment, Ryan and I discuss Butler's historically bad national championship game performance and whether or not the lackluster title game ruined March Madness. Quick hits tackles Jim Nantz's clever puns, MLB's first week, and the UConn women's surprising loss. Finally, we wrap up the pod with a discussion about Augusta and whether or not the lack of Tiger's dominance is ultimately good or bad for the sport of golf.

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I'm back with the next installment of our 2011 NFL Draft preview series.  This is a Wide Receiver draft class deep in Juniors who are expected to go high and a year where Tight Ends are not high in demand.  Who will rise to the top in this year’s draft?  Let’s find out…

1) A.J. Green, Georgia

Pros:  Green is the top WR and possibly the top offensive skill player in this year’s draft.  At 6’4” his frame is ideal for the #1 WR teams covet and his route running is superb.  He is not seen in the same class as Calvin Johnson was coming out of Georgia Tech, but look for his results to be on par with Megatron.  Let’s just hope he holds on to the ball throughout the catching process (BA-ZING!).

Cons:  Taking a WR in the top 10 of the draft can be very costly for any team.  They are seen as players who need to be ready to make an impact in the offensive game plan right away.  For every Calvin Johnson, there are plenty of Braylon Edwards (I don’t give two sh*ts what he has done in NYJ; nothing yet to warrant the #3 selection by Phil Savage, and yes I'm a bitter Browns fan), Darrius Heyward-Beys and David Terrells to make any GM shudder.  Couple that with his NCAA trouble and some teams have to question whether they should take him or not.

Prediction:  With the questions surrounding their QB and the departure of Terrell Owens, look for A.J. to go to the Bengals, barring something surprising.

2) Julio Jones, Alabama

Pros:  His blistering 40 time at the combine has many personnel people in the NFL drooling over his potential.  Playing and putting up big numbers against the vaunted SEC defenses show that he has the potential to play with the best teams around.  Factor in his toughness by playing through injuries during the 2010 season and Jones will help any team offensively at some point this upcoming season and into the future.

Cons:  Jones is this year’s Braylon Edwards.  He has amazing athletic ability but his concentration needs work.  He drops some passes that he should easily wrangle in.  Although he does not seem to have the diva attitude, his inconsistency has to make some wonder how much it will pop up at the next level.   Although he was able to play through injuries his durability when playing at the next level will come into question.

Prediction:  Sam Bradford is hoping that Jones falls to the Rams because they are in need of a playmaker at that position, no matter what was seen from Danny Amendola and Mark Clayton last season.

3) Jon Baldwin, Pittsburgh

Pros:  The top of this draft class is filled with guys who have the frame to play WR and Baldwin is definitely one that fits in there.  He may not have had as much flair as Green and Jones due to Pitt's lack of national notoriety but Baldwin deserves the attention.  He is a guy who runs routes crisply and is not afraid to catch balls across the middle.  He also can exploit the zone and be the go to guy for a QB.  He may be a hybrid of a #1 WR and a possession receiver but Baldwin is going to help someone.

Cons:  Although his past discretions with the law were dropped (indecent conduct back in 2009) some will wonder about this as a red flag.  Also, much like Jones, he must show consistency in holding onto the football when making catches.  The questions surrounding his true classification may harm his stock somewhat since possession receivers are not taken as highly as #1 WRs.

Prediction:  Cleveland early in Round 2.  Their offense has not been the same since Joe Jurevicius left after the 2007 season and they need someone to be the safety valve for McCoy.  Baldwin’s ability to exploit the zones and run crisp routes would help Shurmur and McCoy elevate the offense’s game.

4) Torrey Smith, Maryland

Pros:  This is a guy who has limitless potential.  His athleticism is unheralded and the history of Maryland putting guys like this into the draft continues.  His catching ability is good and his straight-line speed is impressive.  Smith’s speed, athletic ability and size will make offensive coordinators grin and defensive coordinators sweat.  Not to mention the threat he will be on special teams after setting records in the ACC during his career.

Cons:  Where will he be used?  Having him pull double duty as a receiver and returner will hinder his development as a WR.  He needs to continue to work on his route-running and ability to get open to exploit defense with his speed.  His ceiling is high but being able to reach that will be the question many have.  Also, remember Darrius Heyward-Bey?  Maryland has a reputation in the league for physical freaks that maybe aren't the best football players.

Prediction:  If the Rams do not get Jones in Round 1 looks for them to go after him in Round 2.  Also, with a bevy of picks in the first three rounds, New England can’t be counted out to get a vertical threat to play alongside Wes Welker.

5) Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame

Pros:  The prototypical TE in this year’s class and in a weak class he will rise to the top of draft boards for teams that need a TE.  His size and pass-catching abilities will make many people remember Todd Heap when he came out of Arizona State.  A GM hoping for that outcome will have no qualms in taking Rudolph.

Cons:  Does any team REALLY need to take a TE this year near the top of the draft?  Me thinks not, except for Buffalo and maybe Atlanta to groom a replacement for Tony Gonzalez.  There is no team that desperately needs to open up their passing game like the Bengals last season.  Couple that with his injuries and Rudolph will be selected later than he would’ve been if he was in the draft last year.

Prediction:  I stated how Buffalo and Atlanta were needing a TE but Buffalo has more dire needs to fill, therefore look for Rudolph to do the dirty bird.  Tony Gonzalez is aging and allowing him to develop his game with Matt Ryan will make the future bright for Rudolph.

Yoder's One To Watch

Randall Cobb, Kentucky
-Cobb was a First Team All-American at Kentucky and a one man offensive gang for the Wildcats.  At a school that is routinely in the bottom half of the SEC, Cobb got the brunt of the best defenses in college football week in and week out as the only player worth defending on Kentucky's offense.  Cobb took the best of the best and leaves Lexington as the SEC's all-purpose yardage leader.  As a runner, receiver, and returner, there is simply no better multi-purpose threat in the draft.  As the NFL moves towards using more of these specialist players, Cobb could be a Reggie Bush/Dexter McCluster/Devin Hester type player for a winning team.

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We've always prided ourselves on going where very few other sports blogs are able to go in talking sports.  We've always loved global sports and been able to mix them in here at RSS occasionally - things like soccer, rugby, Australian Rules Football, and even darts!  But, we're going to go somewhere today where we've never been before and honestly, may never go again - cricket!  Yup, that funny game with the wickets and batsmen and bowlers.  The biggest event in world cricket happened to finish this weekend with the World Cup Final taking place between India and Sri Lanka in Mumbai.  

First, let's set a little groundwork.  Cricket has always fascinated me in a mysterious sort of way.  Back when Fox Soccer Channel was Fox Sports World they would show the occasional cricket match.  Like Aussie Rules or rugby, I pretty much self-learned the game just through watching.  I didn't enjoy it as much as the more physical or faster paced sports, but I was intrigued by its strategy, elegance, and old school feel... come to think of it, it is very similar to baseball after all!

Time for a little cricket primer... often, cricket matches can take days.  Those are test matches, usually played over the course of five days.  That may be the kind of cricket you hear about being made fun of, with batters  endlessly poking balls with little excitement.  The Cricket World Cup though is the more fan friendly One Day International version - each country gets 50 overs (innings) at 6 balls (pitches) an over to see how many runs they can score.  If you happen to lose all your wickets (get all but one of your batters out), then you may not make it through the entire 50 overs.  The team that bats first will set a target score in the first inning that the fielding team will then try to surpass.  Sometimes, the results can be rather one-sided (New Zealand needed a mere 8 overs to beat Kenya's total of 69 earlier in the tourney and finalist Sri Lanka beat Canada by 210 runs) or rather close (India and England tied at 338 runs a piece in the group stages).

The goal of cricket is to score as many of those runs as possible without giving up wickets.  A wicket is taken (aka you're out) when the bowler hits the wicket with his pitch (or the batter illegally blocks the wicket with his body), a batter is caught out (much like baseball), or the batter is run out when trying to score runs and not safely back to the crease and the fielding team contacts the wicket with the ball.

Runs are scored when the batter is able to successfully hit the ball where the fielders ain't and run back and forth from wicket to wicket, scoring runs with his partner.  Cricket batting is always done in partnerships with two batsmen on the field at once.  Often times, batsmen will score one or two runs with a successful strike into the field of play.  If a batsmen hits it to the boundary and out of the field of play on a bounce, it scores four runs.  A"home run" in cricket scores six runs when a ball is hit over the boundary on the fly.  

Now, if this really intrigues you and you want to learn more about the sport of cricket, and cricket in india specifically, you must check out this article by Wright Thompson at ESPN.com, which discusses cricket-mad India and the sport's biggest star, Sachin Tendulkar (caution: you'll need about 30 minutes).  India, playing in the World Cup Final at home, hasn't won a World Cup since 1983.  The nation of a billion people obsesses over cricket like Boston over the Red Sox or Green Bay over the Packers... just multiplied on a exponential scale.  Tendulkar is the nation's hero.  The 5'5" Tendulkar is India's Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth wrapped into one - he's cricket's all-time Test and ODI run scorer, but he had never led India to the sport's ultimate prize.  At 37, 22 years after his top flight debut, this was his last chance.  The pressure on Tendulkar and India, even after only a 28 year wait, would be something akin to the Cubs being in the World Series.

Everything was set up for Tendulkar's magic moment - Sri Lanka had set an impressive target score of 274 runs in the first session of the final, led by 103 from Mahela Jayawardene.  Tendulkar was to be the man to lead India to the World Cup triumph by scoring his historic 100th international century in his hometown of Mumbai.  It was all set up for a fairy tale... until Tendulkar was caught out with only 18 runs scored.  Sri Lankan hurler Lasith Malinga took down both of India's big sluggers, Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, with only 6.1 overs gone by.  India were 31/2 and in serious trouble with their national hero having to watch the rest of the way.



But then, a funny thing happened, India started to rally.  All week long, we have talked about the beauty of unscripted drama in sports with Butler and VCU's run to the Final Four in Houston.  The script called for Tendulkar to be the hero for India.  The script called for the great national hero to carry India to its destiny... but then, a different story emerged.  India battled through the adversity of losing one of the sport's great batsmen of all-time to start stacking runs on the board.  Under immense pressure, Gautam Gambhir, batting at #3, played brilliantly.  His partnership with Virat Kohli carried India from 31/2 to 114/3 when Kohli was lost.  At this point, India was ahead of where Sri Lanka was after 21 overs, but still behind the required run rate needed to match Sri Lanka's total.  

In stepped India's 29 year old captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.  Dhoni has an international reputation as being one of the coolest customers in cricket, but he is nowhere near the star of Tendulkar.  Even though Dhoni had led India to a World Cup victory in cricket's shorter 20 over version, won the Indian Premier League title, and been named ODI Player of the Year twice, the country's confidence in the captain may have been wavering.  Dhoni had only scored 140 runs in 8 World Cup matches leading up to India's march to the final, averaging a meager 17.5 runs per match.  This was well below Dhoni's career average of 50.28 (a great average for ODI cricket and 4th among active batsmen).  It was fair to say the captain was having a disappointing World Cup.  However, going into the Final, the captain moved himself up to 5th in the batting order, perhaps sensing what was required of himself.  

Dhoni stepped in to partner Gambhir, with the nation's hopes riding on the two batsmen.  India needed something special, and Gambhir and Dhoni stepped up with a 109 run partnership, including 8 4's, to carry India above the required run rate.  With 10 overs to go, India needed only 54 runs.  Gambhir was up to a personal haul of 96, while Dhoni had 59, already surpassing his previous high of the tournament by 25 runs.  Watching as it unfolded, I can't stress the tension of the moment enough - it was something to be seen to believed.  Every ball bowled, every run scored, was filled with drama as India marched towards the total of 274.  

Just as India was looking good, Gambhir was bowled out on 97, three runs shy of his century.  Now, it was up to Dhoni, the captain.  This is one of those elements in international sports that is sadly missed in American sports - the presence of a captain.  Hockey has captains, but it's different when players only spend about 1/3 of the game on the ice.  The NFL has instituted captains and fancy "C" patches, but it's really more symbolic than anything.  In sports like soccer, rugby, and cricket, the captain takes on extra meaning and significance that we may not be accustomed to in watching the NFL or NBA.  The captain takes the heat, the pressure, and the leadership mantle.  MS Dhoni had all of those things on his shoulders, as well as the hopes of a billion people.  

It was time for Dhoni to carry his legendary teammate, his team, and his country.  In the 44th over he blasted India's first 6.  In the 45th over he scored a crucial run after almost being run out.  With 4 overs to go, India needed 27 runs from only 24 balls.  This was pins and needles time for a country so desperately in search of the title for Tendulkar and the nation.  Then Dhoni struck a 4 in the 47th over.  His new batting partner Yuvraj Singh struck another 4.  Suddenly, India were in pole position, but still needing a composed finish.  Then in the 48th over, Dhoni hit another massive 4, and then did it again on back to back balls.  This was now turning into a captain's performance for the ages.  India were on the brink heading into the next to last over, only 5 runs to win.  After a Singh single, Dhoni stepped up needing a boundary to give India the World Cup.  This is what ensued...



What a remarkable ending.  Honestly, it was one of the coolest finishes to a sporting event that I've ever seen.  Dhoni, the beleaguered captain, smashed a World Cup winning 6 into the Mumbai night.  In just over two overs, Dhoni tallied 20 runs to carry India beyond the target score.  It was a moment where India's national hero, Tendulkar, was carried off the field by his peers as India's new national hero, Dhoni, stepped up to receive the World Cup trophy.  It was one of those rare and special "passing of the torch" moments that only sports can provide.  In seeing the hero of a billion people fall short, a new hero for India stepped in to lead them to the World Cup.  I may not see a cricket match for another 4 years, but the clutch performance of MS Dhoni will live on in my memory as one of the great sporting moments that I've witnessed.
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The FInal Four finally begins tonight in Houston.  As the calendar turns from March to April, the Madness also turns into something quite different as a national champion is crowned.  We previewed the games in our podcast earlier this week that you can check out below, so on the morning of the National Semifinals, here's four random observations to help you get ready for the games tonight.

1) This is the most anticipated Final Four in recent history
-The lack of a favorite and the incredible month of March has made this the most anticipated Final Four that I can ever remember.  For the first time, no 1 or 2 seed is present at the Final Four and that has made for the most wide-open and unpredictable Saturday night in tournament history.  But, it's also the four teams themselves that made it to Houston that raises the interest level.  Kentucky, after being the tournament favorite last year and losing almost an entire team of star players, has made it to their first F4 since 1998!  Think about that, Kentucky hadn't been to the F4 in 13 years!  Then there is the 9th placed team in the Big East, UConn.  They won 5 games in 5 days to win the Big East tourney, then carried that success over to the Big Dance.  Butler, the small school from Indiana, has made it back for the second straight year even after losing Gordon Hayward to the NBA!  They may be the least likely repeat appearance in history!  Finally, the team that nobody thought belonged in the tournament in the first place - VCU, who needed an extra win just to get in the field of 64.  It's been the most enjoyable, most unpredictable, most dramatic tournament in recent memory.  Every way you turn, there's a compelling, unlikely story of a team of young men who have banded together to do the unthinkable.  It really is remarkable, and hopefully the games tonight will live up to the month of action that has preceded it.

2) This Final Four shows the depth of talent in college basketball at every level
-A lot of analysts and fans complain at the overall lack of quality in college basketball, the lack of a great team, or the lack of great players.  Yes, the NBA's early entry does hurt both the college game and the professional game.  Could you imagine a Kentucky team with a Wall/Knight/Bledsoe backcourt?  Or what Ohio State could have done with their current squad joined by last year's POY Evan Turner?  But, instead of complaining about stars that have moved on... take a look at some of the stars that are in the Final Four.  Young, intelligent coaches like Brad Stevens and Shaka Smart that rose from the ranks of playing in Division III to the heights of Division I.  (Hopefully they never go the way of their other F4 coaching counterparts, ya know, the ones with the multiple NCAA violations.)  Then there's players like Butler's Matt Howard and Shelvin Mack, who may never play a second in the NBA, but are perhaps the two most clutch players in college basketball.  How about the story of Josh Harrellson?  How about the brilliance of Kemba Walker?  How about unheralded VCU stars like Bradford Burgess or Joey Rodriguez?  Or Jamie Skeen outplaying the dominant Morris twins?  If you ask me, college basketball is still in great hands.

3) Each team will win if...
*UConn: Kemba gets help.  He has been sensational in the postseason and all season long for the Huskies, but Jeremy Lamb was the key to UConn's win over Arizona.  He scored 19 points and was great with his length on defense.  Kemba will certainly get his points, but the key for the opposition will be to cut off the supply to UConn's role players.

*Kentucky: Big Blue makes threes.  Kentucky's three point shooting was their downfall in last year's tournament.  They shot an unbelievably bad 4/32 from three in last year's Elite 8 against WVU.  This year, Kentucky was 12/22 in their win over UNC.  Quite the turnaround.  They've shot 42.6% from three in the tournament and their shooting percentage from downtown is at 40% for the entire season.  The three point shot can win and lose games in college basketball, and it's here where UK can find a difference maker.

*Butler: The Bulldogs play Butler ball.  Especially in the game against VCU, Butler will need to control tempo.  They did a fantastic job of doing just that against Florida in the Elite 8, even when falling behind by double digits.  However, they did get lucky in not playing explosive high tempo teams through the first three rounds.  Butler has the poise and experience to succeed on the sport's biggest stage if they make opponents play Butler ball.

*VCU: Play with fire.  Let's face it, VCU's run to Houston has been the most unpredictable of all-time.  Their three point shooting success has came from nowhere, their fearlessness in defense and offense has been superb, and they've done it with a chip on their shoulder the size of Jay Bilas.  If VCU keeps the intensity and the motivation, there's no reason to believe they can't keep playing with the same ferocity, velocity, and success as in their previous five wins.

4) A VCU or Butler win would be the most significant in tournament history
-A mid-major championship would be the most significant ever.  Yes, Villanova won as an 8 seed in 1985, but they were members of the Big East.  A win by 8 seed Butler or 11 seed VCU would tell every team in the country that they have a chance to win a national championship when the season begins.  Every team.  That's what Bill Raftery said yesterday when I spoke to him at Awful Announcing.  That's what we love about our sports, and that is what makes March Madness the most popular and greatest event in sports.  The unscripted drama of the Rams or Bulldogs making history is the movie-making essence of why we all love sports so much.  It would be the antithesis of the elitist BCS and hopefully change college athletics across the board.  In fact, maybe a Butler or a VCU win would strike the term "mid-major" from our sporting vocabulary.  Maybe a Butler or VCU win would empower more schools and more players to greatness.  It would tell schools that are normally confined to the ridiculous, manufactured BracketBuster Saturday to being programs that are to be respected by fans and competitors alike throughout the season.  I for one hope it happens.

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Ok, so this may be the craziest article idea we've ever had, but I needed some sort of inspiration to fully delve into a baseball preview this Spring.  Maybe it's the cold Ohio weather, maybe it's the excitement of March Madness, maybe it's the depression of an NFL lockout.  Who knows.  Well, that inspiration came from a Twitter convo with Blythe over at the fabulous GuysGirl. (Blythe is also Bloguin's reigning Blogger of the Year, but I'm coming for the crown next year!)  We discovered our mutual love for the Ninja Turtles based on this awesome personality type survey.  I'm a total Mikey by the way.

Naturally, this set my mind in motion as to how to use our favorite childhood cartoon and relate it to sports.  Still with me?  Well, way back in the Fall we went with an awesome Simpsons Style NFL Preview that was loads of fun, so why not try a marriage of TMNT and MLB?  Sure there's 4 turtles and 30 MLB teams, but lots of other fun characters to work with.  I took the AL team capsules while Blythe handled the NL.  Sounds just crazy enough to work, right?  COWABUNGA DUDE!!

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Tonight's podcast takes a look at the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.  Who was the biggest winner and loser on the way to Houston?  Our Final Four picks lead off the return of Quick hits with stories from around the world of sports including the NBA, MLB, and NFL.  Finally, we'll take a look at the narrative that has emerged in the sports world that a tournament perhaps isn't the best way to crown a national champion.  Stay tuned till the end for a ferocious annihilation of the sports media you won't want to miss!

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