Why do people hate Tyler Hansborough?

It was such a beautiful spring day today. Unfortunately I was cooped up in an office for most of it. I signed up for the Umass Alumni Softball Team this morning which should be a blast. I haven't picked up a glove or bat since grade school, but I think it will be a great opportunity to network and meet new people. Plus, the team lead said there was one guy that was 72 on the team, which I would guess means it is definitely more of a social activity than a competitive one. While playing basketball tonight a couple weird things happened. In the game before us, a guy quit in the middle of the game and started yelling insults at everyone on the court. Afterward I learned that no one even knew the kid, and actually he had been the one fouling all game. I don't understand people like that. Everyone is just trying to have a good time and let off some steam after work and one guy ruins the whole game. I've always wondered how people like that don't recognize when they are being idiots. I was thinking about writing a blog on that at some point and probably will.

On to my topic of the day. I am ecstatic that UNC is in the Final 4. I will write a full analysis on the matchups Thursday or Friday but would like to talk about another topic that has always confused me. This is of course why people hate Tyler Hansborough, and why people hate individual players in general. Why would you hate a guy who maximizes his talent and ability, works his ass off every night without trash talking or whining, and is a winner. He doesn't brag, isn't flashy, just comes to play every night with 100% tenacity. I've heard that it's because he always is getting fouled or traveling. That is the dumbest reason I've ever heard. How is it his fault that he is fouled, the refs call the game! It all boils down to jealousy because he is the marquee player on a program that gets a lot of media attention. If anyone has a valid argument on why they don't like Hansborough please let me know, I'd love to hear it.

I think hating a team and hating an individual are two separate things. Maybe hate is too strong a word, because there is nothing a team or individual has done to most of us fans to warrant that. It's okay to dislike a team because as a sports fan you naturally pick teams you like and teams you dislike. But, disliking a player personally just because they are on a certain team is ridiculous. I dislike Duke and the Colts as much as anyone, but I don't have anything against their players cause I don't know them. I might not like Peyton Manning because he's the quarterback of the Colts, but I don't hold anything against him personally. The internet has made this phenomenon of personal attacks on players even more widespread. Now you have message boards everywhere with inappropriate, ridiculous and downright degrading commentary about famous athletes. It all spurns out of jealousy and immaturity. When did sport fans become so critical. Isn't sports supposed to be fun?

In other news, I think the move by Kentucky to get John Calipari was very smart. In college it is just as important to be a good recruiter as it is to be a good coach. Calipari has shown that he can turn middle of the road programs into Final 4 contenders. Hell, he even took my alma mater Umass to the Final 4 back in the mid 90s and unfortunately Umass hasn't gotten near that point since. In other news, even though I didn't watch it most of it, the Tiger Woods comeback was absolutely incredible. I don't really like golf and think for the most part it's extremely boring to watch, but I will always turn it on to see Tiger. When you think about it, their are only a handful of athletes in history you can say that about. In fact, the only one I can remember in my lifetime is Michael Jordan. Players like that come around once a generation, and we should all be aware we are witnessing history. I remember always being amazed whenever Jordan would hit a game winner, even though he did it over and over again. It is the same way with Tiger Woods and his clutch putts on the 18th green.

Hope everyone had a great weekend and thanks to all of you who have read my blog and supported me. I really wish I had more time to work on this but alas I must go to work to pay the bills. I encourage anyone who doesn't like Tyler Hansborough to tell me why, I think it would make for an interesting discussion. Time to watch some taped episodes of Law and Order. Have a great night!

UNC-Oklahoma

I had a great weekend and it could be even better if this game keeps going like it is now. Today was pretty much the perfect day, hanging out on the Potomac in 70 degree sunshine with good beer and good music. That is truly living the dream. Now to this game. I am a huge UNC fan and was extremely nervous because Oklahoma has Blake Griffin. In watching this game, it is clear to me that Oklahoma doesn't have much besides him. Basicically they have Griffin, Warren, and a bunch of inconsistent players that are one dimensional. It's funny, during the Syracuse game I was thinking, I hope they are getting all their great shooting done now, and it came true. I truly believe no team can keep up with UNC for a whole game with Lawson at full strength. In addition, UNC has played their best defense of the season, though the missed three pointers by Oklahoma have helped UNC a ton. Blake Griffin is as good as advertised though. He is the only reason this game is even remotely close. UNC at its best can beat anyone in the country and they have played great basketball all tournament. I have a man crush on Ty Lawson. The guy is injured and has dominated every game this tournament. I really hope he comes back but I have prepared myself for his departure. UNC has too many weapons for any team to stop and that is without their best on ball defender Marcus Ginyard. You just don't see teams that have 5 guys who can score 20 points or more on any given night. With Pitt and Louisville out, UNC would be the clear favorite to win it all, but anything could happen. I am so happy right now, this could go down as one of the best days I've had in awhile. Going to go watch the rest of this beat down then write my other blog later tonight. Thanks for reading!

Celtics and Magic battle for homecourt

There really is not enough time in the day, especially now that I've become addicted to blogging. I'm writing this blog on my recliner watching one of the biggest Celtics games of the year. Both the Magic and Celtics have virtually identical records and are battling for home court in the second round. In my opinion this game is much bigger for the Magic, in that they need the home court much more than the Celtics. The Magic don't really scare me. Dwight Howard is a beast, but he lacks the competitiveness and killer instinct needed to win a championship, at least at this point. Their whole offense is based on dribble penetration and kick outs for three pointers. If they aren't hitting the perimeter shot they will lose everytime which never bodes well in a 7 game series. For me, I would take Paul Pierce in a playoff series over Dwight Howard. For one, he is a forward and can create his own shot. Two, he is the reigning Finals MVP and has shown he can come up huge in the biggest moments. In all honesty, the Heat could be a tougher opponent than the Magic simply because of Dwayne Wade. The whole year I have thought Lebron should win the MVP going away but the truth is Wade does more with less and deserves it. Without Wade the Heat are definitely not a playoff team, without Lebron the Cavs probably are the 7 seed. In saying this, Lebron is the best player I've seen since Jordan and can do things no one has ever been able to do before. Either way you can't lose.
In other news, the Patriots getting Julius Pepper's seems to be slowly losing steam. Upon further reflection, I think this could be for the best for the Patriots. Signing Peppers would go against their usual philosophy of low cost free agents and building through the draft. With all the picks they have they could get another linebacker and maybe a safety. I love the pick up of Joey Galloway. He will see single coverage all year because of Moss and should be good for at least 2 big plays a game. Speaking of Moss, the guy dropped way too many passes last year, though he also was overthrown many times by Cassel.

This brings me to my next and final topic of the day, the Jay Cutler saga. Alot of people have been calling Jay Cutler a cry baby and a whiner but the honest truth is that the Broncos, specifically Josh McDaniel were unprofessional in their attempted move to get Matt Cassel. First of all, why would you want Matt Cassel over Cutler? Matt Cassel had one good year with the best wide receiving corps in the league on a team that was one miracle play away from a perfect season. Jay Cutler made the pro bowl last year and led a injury depleted Broncos team to a near playoff birth. Do I think Jay Cutler definitely will have a better career than Matt Cassel, no I really have no clue. The fact is Cutler has a better pedigree, and unless you are trying to deal for Brady or Manning, you shouldn't try to make a deal for your franchise quarterback behind his back.

I'm back to mostly sports talk in this blog because I have decided to create a separate blog chronicling my random thoughts on life. You can find that at http://kdillinger.blogspot.com/. I love writing both of the blogs, but found that my random thoughts blog could be a bit more interesting as it will touch on subjects and thoughts that aren't chronicled in the media elsewhere. At the same time, it will definitely be more of a niche blog than the sports one. Either way I don't really care cause I'm having fun and hopefully entertaining a couple of people at the same time. Time to lay on the recliner and watch the Celtics hopefully pull off a huge road win. Good night!

Boston Sports Fan Goes to Boston

I am back blogging my heart away after a crazy weekend in Massachusetts. Though it was one of the best weekends I have had in awhile, it's something I couldn't do all the time. I'm not sure how I did it in college. Friday night I visited my alma mater, Umass-Amherst. Walking around campus I was hit with a wave of nostalgia. I remembered the walks to class in the frigid New England cold, the countless basketball games at Boyden gym, the parties, the late night pizza binges at Antonios, and all the old friends I have lost touch with since graduating two years ago. Isn't it funny how you build such strong relationships with people for four years, then you gradually lose touch. I guess that is why I keep a journal so I can always remember the good times. Nothing affected me more then walking to my old apartment on the train tracks. For those of you who never had the pleasure to visit that old shack, it is truly a site to behold. It's a studio apartment essentially the size of a closet, and is located directly on the Amtrack train line. My apartment would literally shake three times a day, including every night at about 1 am. I don't really know how I lived there for two years, but then again I also don't know how I drank Busch light every weekend, you got to love college. While at the bar that night I realized that it's not the college itself that makes the experience, but rather the people at the college. The same bars and restaurants I used to see friends in are now filled with inebriated strangers. It is all kind of sad. I realized then, that while I had a good time, I was glad that part of my life was over. Everyone talks about entering the real world after college, but it's not like you can press a button and have all your old habits go away. There is that awkward stage in between the college life and the corporate life that can be hard to get through.
Saturday I spent the day in Boston and felt right at home. Everytime I go to Boston I start pronouncing words without the "r". For example, at work today I kept referring to Haymarket as Haymaaaket. It was great relaxing with my fellow Boston sports fans, where no one talks about the Patriots as cheaters and everyone hates the Yankees. I was ecstatic when my beloved Tarheels pulled out a nail biting victory against LSU. What I was even more ecstatic about was the fact that Ty Lawson had 23 points and 6 assists and essentially carried the Tarheels on his back down the stretch. For anyone who didn't think Lawson was the most important player on the Tarheels, there is your evidence.

This is a sports blog, so I should probably talk a little bit about sports in this entry, right? The Celtics had a great win against the Spurs friday night. Garnett changes this team completely and I'm fully confident that we can beat anyone with our full squad. It all really comes down to how the refs call the game. The Celtics play such a physical style that if the refs call it tight they will be in a heap of trouble. These NBA playoffs could be one of the best ever.

I know I didn't do much sports analysis in this entry, but sometimes I just like to rant about my theories in life, that is just who I am. Speaking of theories, one of my long standing beliefs was disproved this weekend. I've always believed that in every group there is one person that no one really truly likes but they accept them because it's always been that way. You know that person, that most people could do without seeing but because there's been a long history they are in the crew. With my college group of friends, there really isn't that dynamic. Everyone likes each other, and everyone brings something unique to the table. That is what friendship is all about.

I promise the next blog will be devoted more to sports, but I do want to explore the possibility of creating a new blog for just my basic thoughts on life. That one would definitely have to be edited though. Anyway, I'm going to finish watching the Celtics demolish the lowly Clippers and take a walk. Good night!

Final 4 Picks

I'm writing this entry on my recliner at halftime of the Celtics-Heat game. The Celtics have looked terrible lately. Marbury needs to go to the gym and shoot 1,000 jumpers a day before he is allowed on the court again, he is killing us. Injuries have obviously been a huge issue, but I just don't see the same passion from this Celtics team, that I saw in their championship run last year. I really think they are not only a different team talent wise without Garnett, but energy wise as well. I like Bill Walker, but the guy fouls like no other. Last night he committed 5 fouls in 6 minutes of playing time. I didn't even think that was possible. I hope my boy Leon Powe gets back on the court soon too, because Mikey Moore can't stay on the court without fouling. In saying this, the Celtics can definitely turn it on for the playoffs. I think their championship experience from a year ago will be crucial in their run to title #18.

Now to my Final 4 Picks. Even though I never feel too confident when I'm filling out my bracket, this year was especially bad. I filled out two brackets and then tore them apart. Finally, I just said screw it and went with the first team that popped in my head. I don't have any major upsets, but do have VCU knocking off UCLA in the first round. I feel like that is a very trendy upset pick though, which usually means the favorite will win. As I mentioned in a blog earlier this week, I am doomed every year because I follow my heart instead of my head when I fill out my bracket. I always pick UNC, and usually pick other games according to what would make UNC's bracket the easiest. I picked UNC this year again, but the confidence I had a few weeks ago in them has dissipated because of the Ty Lawson injury. It's kind of amusing in a way that the entire Tarheel's championship run rests on a big toe. I hope they rest him for the opening game against Radford. If we need Lawson to win that game, we don't even deserve to win the title. By the way, if Radford does win that game I wouldn't be able to show my face for weeks. Not only would it be the biggest upset in tournament history, but my friend Mike Binns, who went to Radford, would never get off my back. Anyway, I wanted to pick some crazy team to go to the Final 4, but as I was going through the matchups I just couldn't see any team higher then a 2 seed getting in. I always pick according to how many rounds a team could go if they win. It's basically a risk/reward scenario. Is the risk of picking a #14 seed over a #3 seed worth it if all they do is win that one round. I would say no, so usually I stick with the favorites. After much debate in my head about who to pick for my final 4, I finally settled on UNC,Pitt, Memphis, and Lousiville. Really boring, huh? Here is my rationalization for it. I figure at least 2 of those teams will get in and usually that is enough to at least be competitive in a pool. I really could care less about losing 5 bucks in a pool as long as UNC does well, and Duke does bad. For example, I'm going to pick Duke to go to the elite 8 but will be rooting for them to lose from round 1 on. Also, since I'm hosting the work pool this year, it will look suspicious if I win. One more random rant. Has anyone checked out the Facebook bracket application? Say what you want about facebook, but they got it right here. I don't understand why they keep changing the layout of their site though. If it aint broke, don't fix it right? My bracket will probably be destroyed by Saturday afternoon but March Madness is still the best sporting event of the year. Whether you are a diehard college hoops fan, or pick teams according to their mascot, everyone gets involved, and isn't that what sports is all about? In this ultra competitive world we live in sometimes we seem to forget that at its core sports really is supposed to be fun.

Still no followers on my blog, but I've gotten a lot of positive feedback, so I don't cry too much at night. I'm going to Boston this weekend, but will try to fit in another blog before Friday. Speaking of Boston, this weekend is going to be ridiculous. I'm hanging out with my old college friends and it is a guaranteed good time. We are even going back to visit my old college Umass-Amherst. Seems like a long time since I was in college, but it was only 2 years ago. For anyone who is still in college, cherish those moments because your life will never be the same. I actually enjoy work more than college on a whole, mainly because I hated having to choose between beer and food. However, I do miss that free time that was so abundant in college, and so scarce in the real world. One more random thought, I figured out what I want to be today, a blogger for the Boston Globe. I won't stop until I reach that goal. Time to watch the Celtics hopefully pull off this much needed win. Hope you enjoy March Madness tomorrow. Good night!

Pats and Celtics

I was going to make this an all March Madness blog, but a couple things happened. First, upon further analysis of the bracket, I am at a total loss about who I am going to pick to get to the Final 4 and win it all. As a UNC fan, I know I will ultimately pick them to cut down the nets in Detroit, but I am nervous to say the least about their region. The South region is in my opinion the toughest in the tournament. You have the nation's best player in Blake Griffin, playing for the #2 seeded Sooners. In addition, you have arguably the nations two hottest teams in Gonzaga and Syracuse. Plus, you have the ever dangerous Clemson and the talented LSU. In saying this, if Lawson is healthy I don't think there is any team that can keep up with UNC. I actually ended up filling out a bracket, then tossing it angrily into my desk drawer as I realized I have no chance of winning. That's the problem with having your team be a potential winner of the tournament. Your judgement is clouded not only about who is going to win it all, but matchups all around. For example, I will probably pick Oklahoma to lose early just because I don't want UNC to play them, rather than picking who i actually think will win. But, the fact is I could never live with myself if I didn't pick UNC and they won it all, so case closed.

On to the Patriots. Today as I was mindlessly staring at my computer screen, I received a text message from a friend simply stating "F* yeah, patriots are getting Julius peppers! A UNC baller on the pats!" Really couldn't have said it better myself. I didn't want to edit out the F word but figured Mom might not like it. Anyway, ofcourse I immediately stopped what I was doing at work to go to Boston Globe.com and see the news. Here is the article for anyone who hasn't read it: http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/reiss_pieces/2009/03/report_patriots_3.html%20ItIt's funny when I put links to articles out because I'm probably just sending them to myself. I think this potential deal, cause that is all it is right now, a potential deal, would be awesome for the Pats. For all the doubters who screamed about the Cassel trade, here proves Belichick is still a genius. By the way, check out my first blog where I comment on the trade being pretty even because it would open up cap space for Peppers. Besides being my favorite player on UNC's 98 final four team, well besides Shammond Williams, Peppers would be a great addition to the Pats defense. He is incredibly athletic and has a knack for getting to the quarterback and making big plays. Can you imagine him and Seymour coming at you? I think it will be a fairly easy transition to linebacker for him, though his pass coverage needs work. All in all I think anyone would agree, you take Peppers for Cassel any day of the week. Again, this trade is pure speculation right now, but if it happens watch out for the Patriots next year. A UNC guy on the Patriots, all he needs to do is try out for the Celtics and he replaces Larry Bird as my favorite athlete(just kidding.) I forgot to mention the pick ups of Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden. I witnessed first hand Shawn Spring on the Redskins. When healthy the guy was the best corner they had. The key for Spring has always been that health issue, but if he can play in 14 out of the 16 games it was well worth the signing. I don't know as much about Leigh Bodden as he was in purgatory(Detroit) all last season but I have heard only good things. More analysis on the Patriots later.

Unfortunately I don't have as positive an outlook on my favorite sports team, the Celtics. Clearly injuries have affected this team. and their chance at the number 1 spot in the East has all but vanished. Now they just have to hope they can hold off Orlando for that #2 spot. Marbury has had no affect on the team, maybe even a negative affect. He has been a team player but simply not a good player. He can't hit open shots and turns the ball over too much. I do like the way Leon Powe and Bill Walker have stepped in and played in the absence of Garnett. I really hope they keep Walker in the rotation instead of putting in Tony "Heart Attack" Allen. That guy is just terrible and literally makes me hold my breath everytime he has the ball. I think ultimately the Celtics will be okay with a healthy Garnett and Big Baby Davis, but it is going to be tough to beat Cleveland without homecourt.

I packed a lot of stuff into this blog. Hope I didn't bore you too much. Now time to watch some TV and chill in the recliner. Thanks for reading!

Live Blogging of the NCAA Men's Basketball Selection show

What a terrible weather weekend here in the DC area. I get so angry when it rains on weekends now, because I am cooped up in an office with little to no exposure to the outdoors five days a week. On top of that UNC lost early in the ACC tournament and Duke ended up as the champion. In saying this, I really like the decision to hold out Lawson for the tournament and hope he is full strength for the NCAA's. UNC is a totally different team without him out there leading the charge. Despite the weather and sports scores from the weekend, I can't help but smile as I lay here on my recliner watching the Selection show. There truly is no greater sporting event then March Madness.

First to analyze the Midwest Region. I like Louisville as the overrall #1 seed, though I had hoped UNC would take the spot. They won their conference tournament and the Big East is arguably the best conference in the nation. The first surprise of the bracket came with Arizona getting in. Does anyone else feel like Arizona would practically have to go winless not to make it into the tournament? If I was a fan of a bubble team I would be very upset at that choice. I like the West Virginia-Dayton matchup. That could be my upset special for that region, but we'll see.

Now to the West region. UConn looks to have a relatively easy way to the sweet sixteen. I like Northern Iowa in a 5-12 upset and Mississipi State in a 4-13 upset. I agree with Maryland getting in and think they will probably beat Cal in the first round. UConn looks to have it pretty easy up until the Memphis match up, but you never know in this tournament. This region looks to be ripe for a lot of upsets, but I see UConn and Memphis facing off in the end.

The next region to cover is the East Region. Again, I agree with Pitt being the the #1 seed even though they lost first round in the Big East. I think conference tournaments are overrated and it could actually benefit teams to lose early in those tournaments. Another questionably bubble team is Wisconsin getting in. More on my opinion on bubble teams later. Duke getting a 2 seed in Greensboro is very beneficial for Duke(kind of bitter about that.) VCU-UCLA will be an interesting matchup.

Now to the region I have most interest in because of my beloved Tarheels, the South. I don't like the fact that Oklahoma is in UNC's bracket. Oklahoma has the best player in the nation and could definitely beat UNC on a good day. Clemson is also a very dangerous team in the bracket and along with Syracuse and Gonzaga makes this probably the toughest region of all. The potential Oklahoma-Clemson secound round match up is very intriguing. This region will come down to Ty Lawson's injured toe. If he is at 90 percent or above I see UNC getting to the final 4. If not it is anyones game. I have many more opinions on this bracket that I will discuss tomorrow.

Now to my rant on the bubble teams. What needs to be made clear by the selection committee is what exactly the criteria is for the 34 at large bids in the tournament. Are they based on who is the best team, who has the best record, toughest schedule, etc. If you are looking for purely the best teams, Virginia Tech should have made the tournament. Now, admittely I am biased as my good friend goes there and I have kind of adopted them as my second team, but they almost beat UNC twice, lost countless times at the last second and had wins at Clemson and Wake Forest. In saying this I'm glad teams like St. Mary's and Penn State didn't get in because those are clearly teams that benefited from weaker schedules. The argument which will probably be made over the following days will be the lack of mid major at large bids. I would have liked to see maybe one or two more mid major teams make it in in place of Arizona and Wisconsin, but ultimately I think the selection committee was right in leaving teams like San Diego State and Creighton out.

I have a ton more to talk about and analyze concerning the NCAA tournament, but need some time to collect my thoughts and analyze the matchups. I will post my final 4 picks tomorrow, and further thoughts about who I thought should and shouldn't have been put in the tournament. What I do know for certain is that March Madness is the best sporting event of the year by a wide margin. I will be spending the first weekend of the tournament in Boston with college friends, conveniently taking off Thursday and Friday to watch the games. Let the Madness begin!