This Will Make You Laugh

Ok, enough doom and gloom. I'm ready for April to be over and May to start. April sucks.

This (along with a very promising phone call) put a huge smile on my face today. And made me laugh. Over and over and over and over again. Makes me wonder how bad I was after I got my wisdom teeth out:)

11 Years/Hell Week

CAUTION: This blog contains unhappy material. Read at your own discretion. Thanks:)

11 years ago today, two students at Columbine High School commited what was then the worst school shooting in American History. Even after 11 years, the impact of that fateful day still shows its effects. In fact, April 20, 1999 is the final day in what I have dubbed Hell Week. It seems to me that, regardless of the year or the incident, something tragic tends to happen between April 15 and 20. Here are some of the tragic events occuring during this disastrous week:

April 15:

4/15/1865 - President Abraham Lincoln succumbs to gunshot wound from previous evening, shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth.
4/15/1912 - The RMS Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic, resulting in 1,517 lives lost.
4/15/1989 - 96 Liverpool FC fans lost their lives in what is called a human crush.

April 16:

4/16/1947 - Texas City, Texas catches fire after a freighter in port suddenly explodes, killing almost 600.
4/16/2007 - Seung-Hui Cho goes on the worst killing spree in American History at Virginia Tech, killing 32 and injuring 23 before committing suicide.

April 18:

4/18/1906 - The SF earthquake and fire destroys most of San Fransisco.

April 19:

4/19/1993 - A 51-day siege of the Branch Davidian building in Waco, Texas ends with 81 people losing their lives in the fiery siege of the building. 20 of the deceased were children.
4/19/1995 - Timothy McVeigh commits the worst domestic terrorist attack in US History, bombing the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, killing 168 - 19 of whom were children under the age of 6 - and injuring more than 680.

April 20:

4/20/1914 - During a coal miner's strike in Colorado, the Ludlow Massacre ensued, killing 45.
4/20/1999 - Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold committed what was then the worst school shooting on US soil, killing 13 and injuring 24 before each committing suicide.
4/20/2007 - A man with a gun barricades himself in NASA's Johnson Space Center before taking a hostage's life, along with his own.

These are the many reasons why this week always sticks out in the back of my mind as the worst week of the year. Even so, there is still good that happens during Hell Week, and that's why every year, on April 20, I listen to the song The Change, by Garth Brooks. Brooks actually released this song specifically for the aftermath of the Oklahoma City Bombing. It always seems to be a good song to remind that, regardless of what evil is upon us, we can still be strong to overcome its adversity.



Here are the lyrics as well.

One hand
Reaches out
And pulls a lost soul from harm
While a thousand more go unspoken for
They say what good have you done
By saving just this one
It's like whispering a prayer
In the fury of a storm

And I hear them saying you'll never change things
And no matter what you do it's still the same thing
But it's not the world that I am changing
I do this so this world will know
That it will not change me

This heart
Still believes
The love and mercy still exist
While all the hatred rage and so many say
That love is all but pointless in madness such as this
It's like trying to stop a fire
With the moisture from a kiss

And I hear them saying you'll never change things
And no matter what you do it's still the same thing
But it's not the world that I am changing
I do this so this world will know
That it will not change me

As long as one heart still holds on
Then hope is never really gone

I hear them saying you'll never change things
And no matter what you do it's still the same thing
But it's not the world that I am changing
I do this so this world we know
Never changes me

What I do is so
This world will know
That it will not change me

SC Highlight Of The Night

SC Highlight Of The Night

First No-Hitter in Rockies history! Unfortunately I couldn't embed any of the videos of Ubaldo's historic performance, but this at least has the link. This is easily one of the most special moments I have witnessed as a die-hard Rox fan. Truly amazing, go watch!

Take a Look

The moment he met her, he understood; it was quite obvious to Chris Hunter why Eric would never shut up about his new girl. Aimee Martin was strikingly beautiful, from the way her bronze hair shimmered effortlessly with every tiny movement, to the power expertly concealed behind her electric green eyes.
"Eric!" Aimee squealed, whipping her arms around the boy she loved. "What in the hell took you two so long? And why haven't you introduced me yet?" she said, playfully scolding Eric for not properly introducing his old friend.
"If you give me about two seconds to catch my breath, I might be able to," Eric choked, seemingly suffocating from Aimee's death grip. "Not that I don't like being smothered every time I see you," he added with a smirk.
"Aimee, this is my buddy Chris. Chris, this is my girlfriend, Aimee. Me and Hunter here have known eachother for - how long's it been?"
"Pushing ten years, bud," said Chris, "how long have you two been together?" knowing full well that the answer would be...
"Three blissful months," said Aimee dreamily. Chris choked back a laugh; he couldn't help it. He had never seen his friend act so...gushy. Eric was always the kid gloating about being in control, never having to worry about being whipped. Girls would literally go crazy for him back in high school, Chris remembered, but Eric never actually had a legitimate girlfriend for more than a week. But if there was ever a girl to settle Chris's friend down, he knew it would sure as hell be this girl.
"You guys hungry? I'm in the process of cooking some wicked mac and cheese," said Aimee, beaming her brilliant smile.
"No, we're not hungry at all, are we Hunter?" said Eric sarcastically, "We just drove 300 some odd miles without stopping for food, right? Nah, we don't need to eat." That was the Eric Chris knew; Eric Palmer simply couldn't resist using his dry humor ever chance he got.
As the three were finishing up dinner - and Aimee wasn't kidding, she could make one mean macaroni and cheese - they heard a sound eerily similar to a gunshot, a sound that unearthed some haunting memories of Hell Week two years prior.
"You guys ok?" Aimee asked, feeling slightly uneasy at the way both boys' faces drained all color with one sound. "That's just my roommate, her car's a serious mess, and backfires every time she stops. It can be really annoying, actually, especially when she works late. No chance of sleeping when you hear a shotgun at two in the morning."
"Anyone ever take a look at it before?" asked Eric, the color creeping back to its normal shade of tan.
"I don't think so; I don't think she can afford taking it to a mechanic, what with having to pay for college on her own and everything."
"Palmer can probably take a look at it, he's a wizard when it comes to cars," said Chris wryly, only slightly trying to bust his buddy's ego in front of his girl.
Aimee snorted. She couldn't help but laugh at Eric's lack of expertise in the simple task of changing the oil. While his old and new friend teased eachother, Chris realized they had company.
"This a good time, Aimee? Or should I circle the block for a couple hours?" the roommate quipped.
That was effective. "Good to see you made it home without your car murdering you," said Aimee, finally breaking away from Eric. The two roommates embraced for a quick hug, and then Aimee went through introductions, predictably leaving Eric as the last to be introduced. As kind as she was, Aimee sure seemed to enjoy the spotlight, and somehow it worked well for her.
In fact, Aimee's roommate seemed to be the polar opposite of the bubbly, happy-go-lucky Aimee Martin.
Olivia Eddy was a naturalist in the way she looked and dressed. Unlike her best friend, Olivia didn't bother to dress up every time she went out, nor did she need to. Her soft olive skin, combined with her small, simple smile, was as warm as a fireplace quietly cackling in the dead of winter. And just like her Italian mother, her golden brown hair resonated in the dying sun.
But it was not Olivia's smile, nor her tanned feature, that got Chris's attention. It was merely a look shared by the two blue-eyed strangers, a look that - in less than a second's time - seemed to grab at Chris Hunter's stomach with the force of a wild thrill ride.
This was definitely something Chris was not accustomed to feeling. Yes, he had a few girlfriends back at home, but they never seemed to create the same feeling he just felt, and this was all by a coincidental look that most likely had no meaning, or feeling, behind the twinkling eyes of the girl across the kitchen table.
Yes, he was sure of it now, it was purely accidental. Now that he thought of it, he did have a few moments in high school where sparks surely seemed to fly, only to discover the sparks had rapidly turned to ash. And those were with people he knew. There just couldn't be anything behind this look, not with his luck.
Hours passed by before anyone noticed the time. The four new students at Southwestern University shared much of the same interests, talking deep into the night about whatever seemed to cross their minds. For a moment, Chris became silent. It was a favorite hobby of his to just sit back and watch his friends laugh jovially. It always reminded him how lucky he was to be sitting here, soaking it all in.
The newly acquainted friends called it a night after Olivia started dozing off on the kitchen counter. "Aims, I'm heading to bed," the roommate yawned, staggering off the counter. "Racquetball tomorrow?"
"Of course, wake me up when you get up?" Aimee asked.
"Will do. Eric, Chris, it was quite fantastic meeting you fine gentlemen," said Olivia, slightly mocking formality. "I'm sure I'll see you two a lot around here." she winked and was off.
But not before another look at Chris. He was so caught off guard that he merely stared while she stumbled down the stairs. One random look happens frequently, he knew that. But two looks? Is that still a coincidence? And there was a genuine smile there too, he was sure of that. Certainly wasn't the same smile she gave during introductions. Right? But how could he tell? He was no expert in psychology; maybe the smile was exactly the same, but just looked different to him because...why?
One thing was certain, he concluded, he sure felt something for her. The question he suddenly was dying to answer seemed an easy question, but could be maddening all the same: was the feeling mutual?

Final Defense

After three weeks of the most exciting basketball I've seen in a long time, the stage is set for the biggest show in College Athletics: the Final Four.

I can honestly say I cannot remember being more excited for the final weekend as I am this year; each team is richly sugared with inspiring side stories, two teams suffered what was thought to be crippling injuries during the tournament, one team is literally living a Hollywood dream by playing in their home town, and the only No. 1 seed left was strongly considered the weakest 1 seed.

Above all the candy-coated sweeteners, the story I love the most is how all four teams reached Indianapolis. In a world overwhelmed by a high-powered offense, it was defense that won each Regional.

Most everyone, from experts to casual fans, see the Big Ten as the most boring Power Conferences, simply because of their "inability to score." At least, that's how people portray the Big Ten. "No offense." "Too slow." "No premiere scorers." Too bad the general public can't see what really separates the Midwest Powers from the other Big Six Conferences: it's called defense. Shut-down defense. In-your-jersey, hand-in-your-face, smothering defense. The scoring's low because, yes, the defense is exceptional, but it's also low because of the unique style all eleven teams tend to play. It's a simple half-court offense, wearing the shot-clock down on every possession, playing for an efficient possession during each sequence. To the outsiders, this would be dubbed "boring basketball." But, to me, this is brilliant basketball; it's the way the game was played back in the days of Bill Russell, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlin (before Wilt went nuts and scored 100 in a game). Michigan State is a prime example of Big Ten basketball; highly ranked preseason, loses a few close games in conference, receives an undeserving seed in the tourney, shrugs off the seed and shuts down team after team with its unique style of defense. That is why Tom Izzo and the Spartys are dancing in the Final Four for the second consecutive year and the sixth time in 12 seasons.

Sparty's opponent, the Butler Bulldogs, are the darlings of the tournament, and could be argued as one of the all-time darlings in March Madness history. Why? Well, they're from the Horizon Conference, a low/mid major conference incapable of having a representative for a Regional Final, much less a Final Four appearnce. The Dogs are the 5-seed out of the West Region, which might not seem like an insurmountable feat, considering Michigan State is also a 5-seed. Take one glance at who Butler had to beat to get here, though, and it's a completely different story. Gordon Hayward and co. killed any talk of a first round upset by controlling the second half of a 77-59 beatdown on UTEP. Butler then escaped the second round on a brilliant steal by Hayward in the waning seconds to secure a 54-52 victory over 13-seed Murray State. The Bulldogs really showed up in Salt Lake, dethroning top seed Syracuse in the Sweet 16, 63-59, and shocked the world with a 63-56 upset over 2-seed Kansas State. Cuse and K-State are considered two of the top offenses in the nation, with both teams averaging at or near 80 points/game (Syracuse averages 80.7, Kansas State averages at 79.7). So, naturally, Butler's slow, methodical, yet overwhelming man-to-man defense held both teams under 60 points. That's 20 points under both teams' season averages!

When the brackets were unveiled on Selection Sunday, there was a mad uproar, including this kid, about Duke's cream-puff South Region. To draw Villanova as a 2-seed and Baylor as a 3-seed, the Blue Devils were licking their chops at the prospect of making their first Final Four since '04. While their road may not have been as taxing as the other 1-seeds, give Coach K and his Dukies much deserved credit for proving the country that Duke is still a powerhouse in basketball and can still beat anyone on any given night. The Blue Devils fully convinced me of that statement with a clutch win ove a Baylor squad basically playing at home (the Regional Final was set in Houston, a mere 180 miles from Waco). Duke also showed its toughness and power, outplaying the Big Bears down low, something Duke has been very weak at for many years. With their classic Duke Defense and the finesse of Scheyer, Singler and Smith, the Blue Devils find themselves back in the big stage.

When I tell people I'm a West Virginia fan, they look at me incredulously and ask, why? I can see why they're in shock; West Virginia's not the cleanest team in the world, the state itself is widely ridiculed as the dumbest state in the Nation, and, as ESPN's Rick Reilly so blatanly pointed out in this article, the Mountaineers are coached by Bob Huggins, the grumpiest coach in basketball, also a coach who had a 0.0 graduation rate with his Cincinnati players back in 1998, and that's usually frowned upon, especially by the NCAA. In hindsight, this is generally NOT a team I would root for, but it's for these reasons why I DO root for them. They might look like thugs on the court, but they know how to play together better than almost any team in college. The people of West Virginia are hard-nosed, stubborn people, but they are incredibly hard workers and don't care what anyone else thinks about them, which is a trait I respect, and somewhat admire. Above all, regardless of what Bob Huggins has done in the past, his ability to create a family out of his team is awe-inspiring. He doesn't do it the conventional way; he tells his players that he'll yell at them so much that they'll have no choice but to band together, even if it is sharing their dislike of his hard-ass work ethic. That's why Huggy Bear is a perfect fit in West Virginia; he is a hard-nosed, blue collar worker that you typically find in a coal mine in the 50's, and he doesn't give a damn what you think of him. When he took over the program three years ago, he flawlessly eased his gritty 1-3-1 zone into the old John Beilein Princeton offense-style of play, and it has turned out to be the perfect storm. With John Beilein, nobody could stop the Eers from scoring, but the Eers also couldn't stop the bleeding on defense. Huggy changed all that in a few short years. Although the offense isn't where it used to be, the back-door cuts are still vicious, and nobody can score on WestVa, which has turned them into - in my mind - the clear favorites of this Final Four.

The Deseret News came out with an article a week ago stating that "BYU can learn something from Butler's Final Four run." While this is indeed true, DesNews writer Mike Sorensen was way off with his explanation, as, admittedly, most journalists usually are in this situation. Sorensen thinks the schools in Utah, namely BYU, Utah and Utah State can mirror Butler's magical run by creating a tougher schedule and having a big-time coach. Ok, it's pretty easy to say that a tough schedule and a big coach will get you to the Final Four, but there's so much more involved than that; consider Siena's murderous non-conference schedule this year. They limped through to a 10-6 record, having to go 17-1 in the MAAC and eventually win their conference tourney just to make the Big Dance. You don't see them in the Final Four, do you? In fact, they bowed out in the first round to a Robbie Hummell-less Purdue squad. As all coaches will say this time a year, a big factor in making the Final Four is the draw you receive and who you play to get there. Look at Michigan State, who didn't play a seed higher than 4-seed Maryland; how about Duke, whose biggest competition didn't come until the Elite Eight in 3-seed Baylor; what about West Virginia, who didn't play a single-digit seed until they knocked out 1-seed Kentucky in the Elite Eight; Butler had the toughest road of all, but they barrelled through with their masterful man-to-man defense and methodical half-court offense. So insteaed of saying "we need better scheduling," let's focus on the coaching itself, and that includes better defense, which is precisely what created this year's Final Four.

Some good articles for tonight's games:

No superstars, no problem, Dana O'Neil wirtes.

Hometown all in for Butler, writes Mark Schlabach



Scott Powers says that Scheyer's making memories.

Draymond Green's smarts smart off bench, writes Pat Forde.

Games are about to start, it's been a pleasure watching these teams, can't wait for some great games tonight!

Expansion Video #2

Another great argument on why the NCAA should not expand to 96 teams.



It unfortunately looks like they're going to anyway. Thanks for putting loads and loads of green in front of everything else important, NCAA, now I know where your priorities are.

Delaney says expansion "probable."