Yesterday, Sunday, April 13, 2009, a date which would live in infamy...for the Applewood Ward, Golden Ward, Red Rocks Ward and Denver 2nd Ward. The Golden Stake has changed our boundaries, reducing the four Wards to three, essentially dissolving the Applewood Ward, the Ward I grew up in, the Ward I dubbed the Psyche Ward (we seemed to attract some crazy people), the Ward I called home for (almost) all 21 years of my life.
The new Ward boundaries are as follows:
CLEAR CREEK WARD: (Formerly known as Golden Ward)
-South Border: 6th Ave to I-70 to 27th/26th Ave.
-West Border: Lookout Mtn Park
-North Border: Same as before (Stake boundaries stayed in place)
-East Border: Wadsworth Blvd
FOOTHILLS WARD: (Formerly known as Red Rocks Ward)
-South Border: Same as before
-West Border: Same as before
-North Border: 6th Ave to I-70 to 27th/26th Ave.
-East Border: Wadsworth Blvd
MOUNTAIN VIEW WARD: (Formerly known as Denver 2nd Ward)
-South Border: Same as before
-West Border: Wadsworth Blvd
-North Border: Same as before
-East Border: Same as before
The strangest part about the boundary re-alignment was the fact that I'm not even in the same Ward as my Grandpa anymore. That has NEVER happened!
The meeting was more emotional than I expected it to be. I mean, I was a little sad to see the Psyche Ward be dissolved right in front of my eyes, but I didn't expect the effect it would have on everyone in the Chapel. After the boundaries were announced, the noise of sniffles steadily grew louder, until Bishop Spencer got up to bear his testimony.....that was the hardest part for me; the realization that not only will he not be my Bishop anymore, but he also is no longer in the same Ward as me! Staying on the Spencer track, the Heinys and the Spencers always sit next to eachother because the Spencer kids love to sit with my mom and me. So after the meeting, I saw James struggling through the crowd, head bent to the ground, wandering like a long forgotten son. Once he found me, he just collapsed into my arms and quietly sobbed for a solid five to ten minutes.
That did it for me. It brought back so many memories, both bad and good (but mainly good, of course!) of the good old Psyche Ward. It brought me back to the days when my childhood hero, Andrew Elldridge(sp?), left for his mission, and I thought he'd never be back. It brought me back to the days when we moved from the McIntyre Building to the new Stake Center, how sad I was to leave the only building I ever knew, but excited to be going to a refreshingly NEW building! It brought me back to the Mutual days, the Stake Dances, the Basketball Tournaments, the EFYs, and the Youth Conferences.
It reminded me of the friends I lost, especially when the Farias left and when the Archbolts left (Lance had been my best friend since the day I had been born), but it reminded me more of the friends I made. Back in my middle school/high school days, I never really thought I'd actually keep in contact with the people that I still talk to today.
Then I realized that, although all of this happened while I was in the Applewood Ward, these are typical memories that can be created at any other place and any other time. I felt strongly then that everything would work out, not for my sake, but for the sake of all the snifflers in the Chapel, especially James, the sobbing Spencer resembling me in so many ways so many years ago.
I'm saddened to see the termination of the Psyche Ward, but I'm looking forward to the new adventures my new Wards will have for me in the future. Bring on the Clear Creek Ward!
And the Ward that I'm a part of when I move out the Provo:D
Monday, April 13, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
One Down, 89 to Go/The World You Love
It's only been two games, but the 09 Rockies look good.
Really good.
Today they shut out the D-Backs, 3-0, thanks in large part to the stellar pitching by our future ace, Ubaldo Jimenez (7.0IP, 4H, 0R, 0ER, 3BB, 8K). And even with the Rox falling short in the Opening Day slugfest, there's already one crucial difference between last year and this year. They can HIT.
In the 9-8 loss on Opening Day, C Chris Ianetta, LF Seth Smith and our beloved SS Troy Tulowitzki went yard. Today, against one of the best pitchers in baseball (Dan Haren), Tulo did it again, bringing his total to 2. Hey, right now he's on pace to hit 162 HRs in a season:). This is exactly what the Rox need to be in contention this season; a healthy Tulo, a smart Tulo, and a 2007 Rookie of the Year Tulo (07 ROY was really Ryan Braun of the Brewers, but he didn't deserve it). Last year, Tulo only hit 8 home runs the entire season. He's already a quarter of the way there and we've played just 2 games!
I know. Only two games. But if we can learn anything from two games (like we have the last few years), it's that our hitting is, and will be, 125% better than last season. Pitching doesn't look too bad, either, especially if Ubaldo can come out and pitch as well as he did. Our new closer, Huston Street, looked dominant. Who knows, maybe the losses of Matt Holliday (A's) and Brian Fuentes (Angels) will actually make us a better team.
If you're still reading this post, congratulations, you can withstand my barrage of Rockies info:). If not, then I should probably start putting life updates in front of Rockies updates. Anyway, here's my life update:
-I'm leaving for Provo in exactly two weeks, and it couldn't come at a better time. While I love my job at Dick's, I'm definitely ready for a vacation. It's not like the job is hard or anything, all I have to do is be nice to customers, make sure they have a Scorecard and avoid screwing up transactions. I'm just a lazy bum who's not the biggest fan of working 5 days a week. I'm excited to get out there, look for an apartment with Mike, job search a bit, golf a bit, and relax the rest of the time!
-Speaking of golf, I'm now a Cashier AND a Golf Associate! It's loads nicer being able to at least walk around while being at work, instead of just standing at the cash register for 6-8 hours. I also get a wicked good discount through the brand, Taylor Made, which basically the best brand in golf. So with that discount, I was able to buy a new set of Irons - the 09 Burners! I can't wait to get out and hit 'em!
-I just realized that the Seattle Mariners are coming into town for a 3-game set June 12-14. That means I'll be at Coors Field from June 12-14 because this will probably be the last time Ken Griffey, Jr., my all-time favorite athlete, ever plays at Coors. My life would be complete if I found a way to get an autograph!
-Little shift towards music...I've been a fan of Jimmy Eat World for awhile now, know most, if not all, of the songs, and have seen them live. But for some reason, I couldn't really call them my favorite band (probably because I just couldn't have the same favorite band as my brother!). I remember listening to Futures when it first came out and thinking there wasn't really anything special about the album. Not too long ago, Bryan had Futures blasting on our stereo, and it started to catch my attention. So, naturally, I started listening to it...again...and it's about as good as Chase This Light. The song that caught me by surprise was The World You Love. In the span of one lunch break at work, the song turned from an afterthought to a gem of a song. It ranks among the best of them, including Always Be, If You Don't, Don't, Hear You Me and Firefight. So if you haven't heard of this song, go listen to it. Right Now. It's as good as it gets.
I got a story it's almost finished,
now all I need is someone to tell it to,
Maybe that's you.
Really good.
Today they shut out the D-Backs, 3-0, thanks in large part to the stellar pitching by our future ace, Ubaldo Jimenez (7.0IP, 4H, 0R, 0ER, 3BB, 8K). And even with the Rox falling short in the Opening Day slugfest, there's already one crucial difference between last year and this year. They can HIT.
In the 9-8 loss on Opening Day, C Chris Ianetta, LF Seth Smith and our beloved SS Troy Tulowitzki went yard. Today, against one of the best pitchers in baseball (Dan Haren), Tulo did it again, bringing his total to 2. Hey, right now he's on pace to hit 162 HRs in a season:). This is exactly what the Rox need to be in contention this season; a healthy Tulo, a smart Tulo, and a 2007 Rookie of the Year Tulo (07 ROY was really Ryan Braun of the Brewers, but he didn't deserve it). Last year, Tulo only hit 8 home runs the entire season. He's already a quarter of the way there and we've played just 2 games!
I know. Only two games. But if we can learn anything from two games (like we have the last few years), it's that our hitting is, and will be, 125% better than last season. Pitching doesn't look too bad, either, especially if Ubaldo can come out and pitch as well as he did. Our new closer, Huston Street, looked dominant. Who knows, maybe the losses of Matt Holliday (A's) and Brian Fuentes (Angels) will actually make us a better team.
If you're still reading this post, congratulations, you can withstand my barrage of Rockies info:). If not, then I should probably start putting life updates in front of Rockies updates. Anyway, here's my life update:
-I'm leaving for Provo in exactly two weeks, and it couldn't come at a better time. While I love my job at Dick's, I'm definitely ready for a vacation. It's not like the job is hard or anything, all I have to do is be nice to customers, make sure they have a Scorecard and avoid screwing up transactions. I'm just a lazy bum who's not the biggest fan of working 5 days a week. I'm excited to get out there, look for an apartment with Mike, job search a bit, golf a bit, and relax the rest of the time!
-Speaking of golf, I'm now a Cashier AND a Golf Associate! It's loads nicer being able to at least walk around while being at work, instead of just standing at the cash register for 6-8 hours. I also get a wicked good discount through the brand, Taylor Made, which basically the best brand in golf. So with that discount, I was able to buy a new set of Irons - the 09 Burners! I can't wait to get out and hit 'em!
-I just realized that the Seattle Mariners are coming into town for a 3-game set June 12-14. That means I'll be at Coors Field from June 12-14 because this will probably be the last time Ken Griffey, Jr., my all-time favorite athlete, ever plays at Coors. My life would be complete if I found a way to get an autograph!
-Little shift towards music...I've been a fan of Jimmy Eat World for awhile now, know most, if not all, of the songs, and have seen them live. But for some reason, I couldn't really call them my favorite band (probably because I just couldn't have the same favorite band as my brother!). I remember listening to Futures when it first came out and thinking there wasn't really anything special about the album. Not too long ago, Bryan had Futures blasting on our stereo, and it started to catch my attention. So, naturally, I started listening to it...again...and it's about as good as Chase This Light. The song that caught me by surprise was The World You Love. In the span of one lunch break at work, the song turned from an afterthought to a gem of a song. It ranks among the best of them, including Always Be, If You Don't, Don't, Hear You Me and Firefight. So if you haven't heard of this song, go listen to it. Right Now. It's as good as it gets.
I got a story it's almost finished,
now all I need is someone to tell it to,
Maybe that's you.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Opening Day!
With the first game of the 2009 Major League Baseball season only hours away, it's time to get out my predictions!
NL WEST:
1- Colorado Rockies (90-72)
2- Los Angeles Dodgers (88-74)*
3- Arizona Diamondbacks (85-77)
4- San Fransisco Giants (83-79)
5- San Diego Padres (67-95)
NL CENTRAL:
1- St Louis Cardinals (87-75)
2- Cincinnati Reds (86-76)
3- Chicago Cubs (86-76)
4- Houston Astros (82-80)
5- Milwaukee Brewers (73-89)
6- Pittsburgh Pirates (68-94)
NL EAST:
1- Philadelphia Phillies (93-69)
2- New York Mets (87-75)
3- Atlanta Braves (84-78)
4- Florida Marlins (79-83)
5- Washington Nationals (74-88)
AL WEST:
1- Oakland Athletics (91-71)
2- Los Angeles Angels (90-72)
3- Texas Rangers (76-86)
4- Seattle Mariners (74-88)
AL CENTRAL:
1- Minnesota Twins (89-73)
2- Cleveland Indians (85-77)
3- Chicago White Sox (80-82)
4- Kansas City Royals (78-84)
5- Detroit Tigers (75-87)
AL EAST:
1- Tampa Bay Rays (94-68)
2- New York Yankees (90-72)
3- Boston Red Sox (89-73)
4- Baltimore Orioles (72-90)
5- Toronto Blue Jays (70-92)
PLAYOFFS:
NL DIVISION SERIES:
Dodgers over Phillies (3-1)
Rockies over Cardinals (3-2)
NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES:
Rockies over Dodgers (4-3)
AL DIVISION SERIES:
Rays over Angels (3-2)
Twins over A's (3-2)
AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES:
Twins over Rays (4-3)
WORLD SERIES:
ROCKIES over TWINS (4-3)
ROCKIES ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS! Holliday seen crying in Oakland residence. Helton rides off in the sunset on his white horse with his WS ring. Took 13 years but it was worth the wait. I'm thinking these would be great headlines to see in Rocktober, as seen below:)
Ideally, this is exactly what I want to see; my two all-time favorite teams playing in the greatest World Series since '01 (D-Back's over dreaded Yankees in 7). Ok, this most likely won't happen, especially now that I've predicted it. I have a horrible curse of jinxing the teams I pick...just take a look at my March Madness bracket. Other teams that could walk away with a WS ring: (not including Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Phillies) LA Dodgers, LA Angels, Oakland A's, San Fransisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds.
NL WEST:
1- Colorado Rockies (90-72)
2- Los Angeles Dodgers (88-74)*
3- Arizona Diamondbacks (85-77)
4- San Fransisco Giants (83-79)
5- San Diego Padres (67-95)
NL CENTRAL:
1- St Louis Cardinals (87-75)
2- Cincinnati Reds (86-76)
3- Chicago Cubs (86-76)
4- Houston Astros (82-80)
5- Milwaukee Brewers (73-89)
6- Pittsburgh Pirates (68-94)
NL EAST:
1- Philadelphia Phillies (93-69)
2- New York Mets (87-75)
3- Atlanta Braves (84-78)
4- Florida Marlins (79-83)
5- Washington Nationals (74-88)
AL WEST:
1- Oakland Athletics (91-71)
2- Los Angeles Angels (90-72)
3- Texas Rangers (76-86)
4- Seattle Mariners (74-88)
AL CENTRAL:
1- Minnesota Twins (89-73)
2- Cleveland Indians (85-77)
3- Chicago White Sox (80-82)
4- Kansas City Royals (78-84)
5- Detroit Tigers (75-87)
AL EAST:
1- Tampa Bay Rays (94-68)
2- New York Yankees (90-72)
3- Boston Red Sox (89-73)
4- Baltimore Orioles (72-90)
5- Toronto Blue Jays (70-92)
PLAYOFFS:
NL DIVISION SERIES:
Dodgers over Phillies (3-1)
Rockies over Cardinals (3-2)
NL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES:
Rockies over Dodgers (4-3)
AL DIVISION SERIES:
Rays over Angels (3-2)
Twins over A's (3-2)
AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES:
Twins over Rays (4-3)
WORLD SERIES:
ROCKIES over TWINS (4-3)
ROCKIES ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS! Holliday seen crying in Oakland residence. Helton rides off in the sunset on his white horse with his WS ring. Took 13 years but it was worth the wait. I'm thinking these would be great headlines to see in Rocktober, as seen below:)
Ideally, this is exactly what I want to see; my two all-time favorite teams playing in the greatest World Series since '01 (D-Back's over dreaded Yankees in 7). Ok, this most likely won't happen, especially now that I've predicted it. I have a horrible curse of jinxing the teams I pick...just take a look at my March Madness bracket. Other teams that could walk away with a WS ring: (not including Red Sox, Yankees, Mets, Phillies) LA Dodgers, LA Angels, Oakland A's, San Fransisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Link to my weekend work
Here's the link to the Chandler Rotary Invite page. It has all the stuff that my dad and I did in Phoenix. Go check it out and let me know how we did!
Chandler Rotary Invite
Chandler Rotary Invite
Monday, March 30, 2009
Crazy Weekend
Not many times does someone actually look forward to having the weekend over and done with, but such is the case when you work for Dyestat. Granted, I am truly grateful for the best job I've ever had (so far) and was more than willing to go down to Phoenix to cover a track meet this weekend. The meet was outstanding; I've never seen that many good high school athletes at one track meet. Arizona track and Colorado track are like night and day, with infinite darkness suffocating the Rocky Mountains. The best part about the meet, though, was the fact that the director had so much passion for the sport, and his passion infected everyone that was involved, which made the meet run incredibly smoothly. If you're insanely bored, or feel the sudden need to look up track stats, go to Dyestat.com and search Chandler Rotary Invite. You'll be able to see everything that my dad and I did down in the desert!
The worst part about the meet - and the weekend, for that matter - was the inconvenient timing of my getting sick. And instead of being smart by staying home, taking remedies and getting healthy, I decided to just go with the flow, ignore the warning signs and ultimately pay the price. The AZ heat was awesome, but try breathing in any air with your sinuses filled to the brim with phlegm. So, for the first time since I started making trips to AZ, I'm actually relieved to be home, instead of working non-stop in the desert.
And during all this time, there was still March Madness going on. The current family standings have me sitting at 3rd, but neither my parents nor my brother can earn any more points, as their Championship teams are out (Duke getting knocked out early is like Christmas coming early for us Heel fans). I have two Final Four teams left (UNC and Villanova) and I will win the family pool if the Heels, at the very least, make the National Championship game. Take Note: Millions of people signed up for ESPN Tournament Challenge (one mega bracket pool), including myself and Bryan. Of those millions, only 12.1% picked Villanova to make the Final Four. It feels pretty freakin AWESOME to be a part of that 12.1%. If only the rest of my bracket worked like that:/
Anyway, Sports Key will be up soon, I promise! I blame being sick for not getting it up sooner. Oh and ROCKIES BASEBALL starts in a week!!!
The worst part about the meet - and the weekend, for that matter - was the inconvenient timing of my getting sick. And instead of being smart by staying home, taking remedies and getting healthy, I decided to just go with the flow, ignore the warning signs and ultimately pay the price. The AZ heat was awesome, but try breathing in any air with your sinuses filled to the brim with phlegm. So, for the first time since I started making trips to AZ, I'm actually relieved to be home, instead of working non-stop in the desert.
And during all this time, there was still March Madness going on. The current family standings have me sitting at 3rd, but neither my parents nor my brother can earn any more points, as their Championship teams are out (Duke getting knocked out early is like Christmas coming early for us Heel fans). I have two Final Four teams left (UNC and Villanova) and I will win the family pool if the Heels, at the very least, make the National Championship game. Take Note: Millions of people signed up for ESPN Tournament Challenge (one mega bracket pool), including myself and Bryan. Of those millions, only 12.1% picked Villanova to make the Final Four. It feels pretty freakin AWESOME to be a part of that 12.1%. If only the rest of my bracket worked like that:/
Anyway, Sports Key will be up soon, I promise! I blame being sick for not getting it up sooner. Oh and ROCKIES BASEBALL starts in a week!!!
Monday, March 23, 2009
I'm On It
So since most of the people who read my blog are family, and the rest don't know much about sports, I'm gonna make a little key for words that some people may not understand (Sarah, this is for you). This blog probably won't be all about sports, but since I'm a bit crazy about sports, alot of my blogging will be on...sports:). Anyway, let me know if the key helps at all, I'll try and have it up as soon as I can.
First Weekend Thoughts
Without warning, the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament are finished. It baffles me how it can end so ubruptly, and I'm not even affiliated with any of the teams! With that being said, however, I'm glad - in a way - that it's over; maybe I'll finally get some much-needed rest (although that might be unlikely, mainly since I'm writing this at 2:20 in the morning).
This year's opening weekend sure seemed to lack the cinderella stories that we're all so used to seeing. Yes, there were upsets. 13 Cleveland State became the '09 tourney Darlings by rocking 4 Wake Forest, 84-69, only to have their party crashed by 12 Arizona, 71-57. Yes, there is another 12 seed back in the Sweet 16, but can you really call the Arizona Wildcats an underdog? No dice. Yes, there were some memorable games: 9 Siena edging out 8 Ohio State, 74-72 in a 2OT thriller in which the Saints took their second lead of the game (first since leading 3-2) in the first OT. 12 Wisconsin hitting trey after trey to force OT against 5 Florida State, where they outlasted the Seminoles 61-59. Ironically enough, these two games, far and away the two best games of the tourney, happened at the exact same time. So much for spreading out the Madness.
It was all business for the second round, with the top 3 seeds in the entire tourney going 24-0 in the first two rounds, the first time all 3 seeds from each sub-bracket advanced since the tourney was expanded to 64 teams in 1985. However, since the upsets were non-existent in the second round, it brought my bracket back into discussion. Maybe not on ESPN, or even Facebook, for that matter, but at least I'm in the running for the family pool. The current standings after two rounds are as follows:
1) Dad - 500pts
2) Cheyne - 440pts
2) Bryan - 440pts
4) Mom - 400pts
It's going to take a minor miracle, in the form of a Lawson-Hansbrough Tar Heel, for me to actually rally and beat my dear old dad, but as long as Ty Lawson can keep that toe of his from swelling to a balloon, then I still have a chance.
This year's opening weekend sure seemed to lack the cinderella stories that we're all so used to seeing. Yes, there were upsets. 13 Cleveland State became the '09 tourney Darlings by rocking 4 Wake Forest, 84-69, only to have their party crashed by 12 Arizona, 71-57. Yes, there is another 12 seed back in the Sweet 16, but can you really call the Arizona Wildcats an underdog? No dice. Yes, there were some memorable games: 9 Siena edging out 8 Ohio State, 74-72 in a 2OT thriller in which the Saints took their second lead of the game (first since leading 3-2) in the first OT. 12 Wisconsin hitting trey after trey to force OT against 5 Florida State, where they outlasted the Seminoles 61-59. Ironically enough, these two games, far and away the two best games of the tourney, happened at the exact same time. So much for spreading out the Madness.
It was all business for the second round, with the top 3 seeds in the entire tourney going 24-0 in the first two rounds, the first time all 3 seeds from each sub-bracket advanced since the tourney was expanded to 64 teams in 1985. However, since the upsets were non-existent in the second round, it brought my bracket back into discussion. Maybe not on ESPN, or even Facebook, for that matter, but at least I'm in the running for the family pool. The current standings after two rounds are as follows:
1) Dad - 500pts
2) Cheyne - 440pts
2) Bryan - 440pts
4) Mom - 400pts
It's going to take a minor miracle, in the form of a Lawson-Hansbrough Tar Heel, for me to actually rally and beat my dear old dad, but as long as Ty Lawson can keep that toe of his from swelling to a balloon, then I still have a chance.
Friday, March 20, 2009
The 7-10/8-9 games are murder
For the first 15 games of Day 1, the tourney seemed to be missing the Madness everyone is so accustomed to seeing. It wasn't until the 16th game, the final game of the night, when the first upset was recorded. 12 seed Western Kentucky took down 5 seed Illinois, 76-72, to advance to the second round, where the Hilltoppers will face 4 seed Gonzaga.
Not only did the Hilltoppers repeat last year's feat of defeating a 5 seed in the tourney, (WKU defeated 5 Drake at the buzzer in OT) but they also kept the intensely appealing 5-12 upset trend going. Since the 64 team bracket was introduced in 1985, there have been only three years where a 12 seed has not upset a 5 seed (1988, 2000 and 2007). I chose WKU to KO the Fightin' Illini early. Tab one big RIGHT for Shiny.
And while we're keeping score, tab five big WRONGS for Shiny. Three 7-10 matchups were played today, with 10 Maryland, 7 Texas and 10 Michigan beating 7 Cal, 10 Minnesota and 7 Clemson, respectively. The significance of those three matchups? I decided to bet on 7 Cal, 10 Minnesota and 7 Clemson, having picked Clemson into the Sweet 16. Quick word of advice: Probabaly not a good idea to root for a certain team (Clemson) while wearing the opponent's hat (Michigan). This was the unusual situation I put myself in tonight; Michigan is, and always will be, one of my all-time favorite programs. Don't ask why I picked against them, especially a team I generally despise (Clemson). I guess that's what the Madness can do to you.
The other matchups that killed me were the 8-9, which, technically, isn't really a killer because the 8-9 games are always a crapshoot anyway. Of the two games played (8 BYU - 9 Texas A&M and 8 LSU - 9 Butler), I missed...both. The Butler loss might actually save me down the road because I really believe the Bulldogs could have seriously contested with a Ty Lawson-less Tar Heel squad (I picked the Heels to cut down the nets in April). The BYU game, on the other hand, was a little more painful. Bracket-wise, it wasn't a killer, either, because neither team had-or has-any kind of prayer against UCONN and the Giant (7'3" Hasheem Thabeet).
It was the simple fact that the Cougars bowed out in another first round in the NCAA Tournament. The loss to the Aggies was the second consecutive loss to A&M in the tournament (9 TAMU 67-8 BYU 62 in 2008) and extended the Cougars first round exits to seven in a row. The last time BYU actually won a game in the tournament was in 1993 when it defeated 10 SMU 80-71. Quick advice to coach Rose and the Cougs: Just WIN, baby!
That's about all I got for tonight. Tomorrow, I hope, the Madness will truly begin!
-Potential Upset Alert! 13 Portland State over 4 Xavier/ 12 Wisconsin over 5 Florida State/ 12 Arizona over 5 Utah/ 13 Cleveland State over 4 Wake Forest/ 11 Temple over 6 Arizona State/ 11 Utah State over 6 Marquette/ 14 North Dakota State over 3 Kansas.
Not only did the Hilltoppers repeat last year's feat of defeating a 5 seed in the tourney, (WKU defeated 5 Drake at the buzzer in OT) but they also kept the intensely appealing 5-12 upset trend going. Since the 64 team bracket was introduced in 1985, there have been only three years where a 12 seed has not upset a 5 seed (1988, 2000 and 2007). I chose WKU to KO the Fightin' Illini early. Tab one big RIGHT for Shiny.
And while we're keeping score, tab five big WRONGS for Shiny. Three 7-10 matchups were played today, with 10 Maryland, 7 Texas and 10 Michigan beating 7 Cal, 10 Minnesota and 7 Clemson, respectively. The significance of those three matchups? I decided to bet on 7 Cal, 10 Minnesota and 7 Clemson, having picked Clemson into the Sweet 16. Quick word of advice: Probabaly not a good idea to root for a certain team (Clemson) while wearing the opponent's hat (Michigan). This was the unusual situation I put myself in tonight; Michigan is, and always will be, one of my all-time favorite programs. Don't ask why I picked against them, especially a team I generally despise (Clemson). I guess that's what the Madness can do to you.
The other matchups that killed me were the 8-9, which, technically, isn't really a killer because the 8-9 games are always a crapshoot anyway. Of the two games played (8 BYU - 9 Texas A&M and 8 LSU - 9 Butler), I missed...both. The Butler loss might actually save me down the road because I really believe the Bulldogs could have seriously contested with a Ty Lawson-less Tar Heel squad (I picked the Heels to cut down the nets in April). The BYU game, on the other hand, was a little more painful. Bracket-wise, it wasn't a killer, either, because neither team had-or has-any kind of prayer against UCONN and the Giant (7'3" Hasheem Thabeet).
It was the simple fact that the Cougars bowed out in another first round in the NCAA Tournament. The loss to the Aggies was the second consecutive loss to A&M in the tournament (9 TAMU 67-8 BYU 62 in 2008) and extended the Cougars first round exits to seven in a row. The last time BYU actually won a game in the tournament was in 1993 when it defeated 10 SMU 80-71. Quick advice to coach Rose and the Cougs: Just WIN, baby!
That's about all I got for tonight. Tomorrow, I hope, the Madness will truly begin!
-Potential Upset Alert! 13 Portland State over 4 Xavier/ 12 Wisconsin over 5 Florida State/ 12 Arizona over 5 Utah/ 13 Cleveland State over 4 Wake Forest/ 11 Temple over 6 Arizona State/ 11 Utah State over 6 Marquette/ 14 North Dakota State over 3 Kansas.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Let the Madness Begin!
It was a long time coming, but I finally succumbed to peer pressure and created my own blog.
Ok, there wasn't really that much pressure for me to create one...actually, there wasn't any pressure at all. I actually just decided that I wanted to make a blog, so I did. Simple as that-honest.
Anyway, now that I can't really think of any amusing or interesting excuses as to why I created a blog, I'm just gonna drop the whole thing - like right now - before I start rambling...which I'm sure I'm doing...right....now.
It didn't take long for me to know the direction I wanted my blog to go. Anyone and everyone who has ever known me knows how much of a sports fan I am; in fact, you could go beyond the title of "sports fan" and use something more along the lines of "sports enthusiast," or better yet, "sports encyclopedia." Ok, that sounded extremely nerdy, but by now, when it comes to sports, I'm beyond used to being called a sports nerd.:)
I think the best way to kick off my sports blog would be to ramble on about the greatest 3 weeks in all of sports: March Madness. It's America's version of the FIFA World Cup. It's the time when one shot can change an entire athletic program, (see Bryce Drew/Valparaiso http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzOkG7t7UfI), when David can slay Goliath, (Santa Clara over Arizona in '93) again (Hampton over Iowa State in '01) and again (Northwestern State over Iowa in '06) and again (Villanova over Georgetown in '85). It's when a song as terrible as One Shining Moment can become the National Anthem. It's when a state banishes you because of one play (Christian Laettner's Kentucky Dagger in '92 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY-iq58_oz4).
March Madness is the main reason why March is my favorite month of the year. There is no better sporting event that takes place in the history of all sports. This year, however, my journey to the Madness began back in mid-December.
During the last few seasons, I've attempted to fully predict every NCAA Division 1 teams' schedule, respective conference tournament, at-large bids and the NCAA Tournament itself. Last season my laptop decided to conveniently die on me in the early days of February, basically around my conference tourney projectios.
With a much more reliable computer, I was able to complete my predictions, from non-conference games to the Big Dance, and I was generally satisfied with how my predictions turned out...so far, at least.
-Out of the 65 teams that were called to the Dance today, I projected 43 of them in January.
-I picked Louisville as the top overall seed; they became the top overall seed after the likes of Oklahoma, UNC, UCONN and Pitt lost early in their conference tourneys.
-Of the 31 automatic bids handed out (conference champions), I picked 13 in January. By comparison, a typical analyst in January games would pick about 35-40% of the auto-bids.
I'm riding on my success to lead me to greater heights for the Bracket. This will be the first year since I started obsessively following the Dance that I won't be filling out the bracket by Monday. I'm determined to research as much as I can to unearth the Madness Holy Grail: The Perfect Bracket.
Ok, there wasn't really that much pressure for me to create one...actually, there wasn't any pressure at all. I actually just decided that I wanted to make a blog, so I did. Simple as that-honest.
Anyway, now that I can't really think of any amusing or interesting excuses as to why I created a blog, I'm just gonna drop the whole thing - like right now - before I start rambling...which I'm sure I'm doing...right....now.
It didn't take long for me to know the direction I wanted my blog to go. Anyone and everyone who has ever known me knows how much of a sports fan I am; in fact, you could go beyond the title of "sports fan" and use something more along the lines of "sports enthusiast," or better yet, "sports encyclopedia." Ok, that sounded extremely nerdy, but by now, when it comes to sports, I'm beyond used to being called a sports nerd.:)
I think the best way to kick off my sports blog would be to ramble on about the greatest 3 weeks in all of sports: March Madness. It's America's version of the FIFA World Cup. It's the time when one shot can change an entire athletic program, (see Bryce Drew/Valparaiso http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzOkG7t7UfI), when David can slay Goliath, (Santa Clara over Arizona in '93) again (Hampton over Iowa State in '01) and again (Northwestern State over Iowa in '06) and again (Villanova over Georgetown in '85). It's when a song as terrible as One Shining Moment can become the National Anthem. It's when a state banishes you because of one play (Christian Laettner's Kentucky Dagger in '92 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY-iq58_oz4).
March Madness is the main reason why March is my favorite month of the year. There is no better sporting event that takes place in the history of all sports. This year, however, my journey to the Madness began back in mid-December.
During the last few seasons, I've attempted to fully predict every NCAA Division 1 teams' schedule, respective conference tournament, at-large bids and the NCAA Tournament itself. Last season my laptop decided to conveniently die on me in the early days of February, basically around my conference tourney projectios.
With a much more reliable computer, I was able to complete my predictions, from non-conference games to the Big Dance, and I was generally satisfied with how my predictions turned out...so far, at least.
-Out of the 65 teams that were called to the Dance today, I projected 43 of them in January.
-I picked Louisville as the top overall seed; they became the top overall seed after the likes of Oklahoma, UNC, UCONN and Pitt lost early in their conference tourneys.
-Of the 31 automatic bids handed out (conference champions), I picked 13 in January. By comparison, a typical analyst in January games would pick about 35-40% of the auto-bids.
I'm riding on my success to lead me to greater heights for the Bracket. This will be the first year since I started obsessively following the Dance that I won't be filling out the bracket by Monday. I'm determined to research as much as I can to unearth the Madness Holy Grail: The Perfect Bracket.
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