Cover Story: The Final Four

The games have been played and finally we have our Final Four teams. Butler, West Virginia, Duke, and Michigan State. Here is how the newspapers in those towns covered the events.

The Herald Dispatch (West Virgina)

They're no Cinderella

OK lets put a stop to this before it start, Butler is not a Cinderella. If you call them a Cinderella then you know nothing about college basketball. This is a good team. During the regular season they beat UCLA, Ohio State, Xavier, and Siena. So during the regular season the Bulldogs beat two teams that where in the Sweet 16. Then in the tournament add Syracuse and Kansas State. Now those are quality wins. Hey when was the last time a top 10 team was considered a Cinderella.

Coming a long way

A couple of years ago, when former UNLV guard Greg Anthony made his debut on TV all I could think was ""Wow he is terrible,'' but that thought does not run through my mind any more. During this years NCAA Tournament Anthony has been at the front of CBS's desk coverage of the event.

After retiring from the NBA, Anthony joined ESPN as an analyst for NBA coverage on ESPN and ABC. On Dec. 13, 2008, Anthony made his debut as a college basketball analyst for CBS Sports, replacing Clark Kellogg, who was promoted to lead commentator.

Facebook here we come

After months of debating the brain trust of Only Time Will Tell has decided to start their own facebook fan page. You can become a fan of the site and post your thoughts and interest. It was a big step and we are happy that we made it.

The Tournament has lost something

On Sunday night the Big Ten Network was showing the Regional Final between St. Johns and Ohio State from a bunch of years ago. While it was fun seeing Scoonie Penn, Michael Redd, Eric Barclay, and Ron Artest play again in college something really stood out to me.

The game was played at Thomspon Boling Arena at the University of Tennessee and you knew this because the court was orange and had all of its marking. But this weekend while watching the games, I kept forgetting what venue the games I was watching was being played at.

A couple of years ago one of the highlights of tournament was seeing all of the different colored courts. Like the one at the Huntsman Center in Utah and Boises State. The one thing that having those different courts was that everyone knew what site they were at , now its hard to tell where they are unless you read the baseline. A couple of years ago the NCAA decided to introduce universal court designs to the tournament and the blue and black courts are kind of cookie cutter and lack any character. That move started to take a little fun away from the tournament.

It seems that a little of the character of the tournament has been taken away by going to these standard courts.
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When a catcher is the biggest story in the state

Few people think that the position of catcher is he most glamours position in baseball, but in Minnesota that is all that they care about. Yesterday the state of Minnesota celebrated when favorite son Joe Mauer agreed to sign a new eight year deal with the Twins. The story was such a big story that it appeared on the front page of four of the five major state newspapers.
Mauer is as such a part of Minnesota as the twins. Mauer played football, basketball, and baseball for Saint Paul's Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders. During his senior year he became the only athlete ever to be selected as the USA Today High School Player of the Year in two sports (football in 2000 as a quarterback and baseball in 2001 as a catcher. Mauer averaged more than 20 points a game as a point guard for Cretin-Derham Hall. He was also named to the All-State team during his final two years on Cretin-Derham's basketball team. In football Mauer was a such a good quarter back that Florida State decided that he was a future, but he spurred the Seminoles and head to play for the hometown Twins.

As a Twin he has been become the poster child for both the state and the baseball. Getting Mauer signed to a new deal was more important then getting a new ball park for the Twins.

Everyone get on board the Jimmer Train

He's as pale as snow, white as you could possiby be and he plays in an area of the country that no one cares about. But he may also be the best player in the tournament that no one has heard of.
BYU's Jimmer Fredette is one of the best players in the tournament and his perfomance against Florida was something to be hold. Fredette scored 37 points leading the Mormons to victory. During the game, Fredette showed his trash talking skills by going after Gators forward Chandler Parsons. The BYU star told Parsons, the only Gators player to ever hit two true buzzer-beaters to clinch victories, "no game winning shots tonight."


After having a solid first two years with the Cougars, Fredette has broken out this year. On December 28, 2009 Fredette scored 49 points against the Arizona Wildcats, setting a new BYU record and a new McKale Center record for points scored in a single game. On March 11, 2010, Fredette scored 45 points, shooting 10-for-23 from the field, and making an 23-of-24 free throws, in his team's 95-85 win over TCU. His scoring broke the Mountain West Conference tournament and tournament single-game records. His free throw shooting broke the MWC tournament free throws in a single game. On March 18, 2010, Fredette helped secure BYU's first round win in the the NCAA tournament. He went on to score 37 points and hit two 3-pointers in double overtime to seal the Cougars' 99-92 win over 10th-seeded Florida, the first time they've reached the second round of the tournament in 17 years.

During the year, I have fallen in love with Fredette and his old school game. He might not be the fasted and most atheletic player in the world but he always gets the job done by getting to the rim and hitting jumpers.

The Gang is all here

The Big Dance tips off tomorrow and the NCAA Shop has a great shirt that shows all of the logos of all that teams that are taking part in it. I would order one but since North Carolina is not there is no reason to.

The Front Pages: Selection Sunday

The bids have been handed out and some teams are happy while others are not. Here is how some newspapers around the country covered Selection Sunday.

OTWT: Bracketology

The Committee has made their choices and the games will start later this week. For the last week, the OTWT Bracketology Department has been breaking down the teams and the numbers. So here we go:

• Early estimates on Nike Basketball teams by Region: South: 10, Midwest: 12, West: 16, East: 13. 51 of 65, according to Nike Basketball's twitter. They should just rename this the Nike Invitational.
• I have this feeling that this more double digits seeds will win first rounds ground then any other years. Look at some of the double digits seeds: San Diego State, Florida, Georgia Tech, Cornell, Siena. All have good match ups.
• For the last team in the tournament UTEP has a really good match up in Butler. Has the makings of a 5-12 upset.
• What must Kentucky be thinking. Sure a number one seed in the East but a possible second round match up with a team that might be as talented as them in Texas, not what Coach Cal wanted to see.
• The bottom half of the South Regional sets up perfectly for Villanova and Baylor. There are not that many good teams in that half of the bracket.
• I have to agree with Jay Bilas on this one, this might be the weakest year for at large teams in the last decade. People can not bitch about Illinois and Mississippi State they have to get more quality wins and they will be in. It's that simple.
• I was a big fan of them at the start of the season and I will stick with them during the tournament. The biggest upset of the tournament will come when Texas beats Kentucky in the second round in New Orleans.

I get it the World Cup is coming

So I have been doing what every good college basketball fans has been doing for the last week, watching Championship Week on ESPN. Sure the basketball has been good, but one thing has stood out. At every break, the self proclaimed world wide leader in sports has decided to drill it into our heads that the World Cup is coming the networks this summer.

I get that ESPN is trying to get as many people as they can to watch the event, I know that I will but I'm a fan of the beautiful game. Everytime I turn around, even during college basketball games, the commercial is running. It starting to get annoying and if you continue to show it all of the time its just going to drive people away from the event. Maybe ESPN can drop it down a bit and show the spot once a half or something like that. But please ESPN make it stop.

Money can't buy you.....

A ton of money can not buy you happiness or win you the Champions League title. Real Madrid learned that yesterday as they were dumped up of the Big Ears Cup by Lyon and the Spanish newspapers are not happy.

Sending them off

The World Cup is almost here and OTWT will be sending the national team in style. The tailgating gang has gotten ticket to see the United States Men National Team vs Turkey May 29 in Philly, it will be their final game before they head to South Africa.
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27 Pitches of Hope

So 27 pitches and I'm off my rocker all ready. Stephen Strasburg made his much awaited debut in spring training yesterday and I could not be happier. Two scoreless innings in spring training is not the stuff of stars but for Nationals this might have been the two must important innings in the history of the franchise. Strasburg threw 15 of his 27 pitches for strikes and allowed two hits, successive two-out singles by Don Kelly and Alex Avila in the second. But the right-hander finished off Brent Dlugach with a bending, 81 mph breaking ball for an inning-ending strikeout.

Strasburg gives us hope and with a team that has had back to back 100 loss season. He makes watching a spring training game on a nice March day appointment TV. He does one thing that Nick Johnson could never do give National fans a sense of excitement.

The thing that was weird was about the game yesterday was the guy pitching for the Tigers, Rick Porcello. Porcello is what I want Strasburg to be and what he could be. If Strasburg turned out to be as good as the former Seton Hall Prep star, I would be through the moon.

Champions League Playoff = 39th game?

A bunch of months back the Premier League floated the idea of adding an extra fixture and then playing the game outside of England. That idea was met with anger from many throughout England. Fast forward a couple of months and another idea has come out, this time the Premier League would have a playoff for its final Champions League spot. The plan would call for clubs finishing fourth to seventh playing a mini-knockout competition in order to the get the leagues final spot in the Champions League. This too was met with the same anger and voted down. Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore admitted there was 'not enough support' for the proposal.'The main topic of discussion was the Champions League play-off for that fourth qualifying place,'' he told Sky Sports News. "We gave a lot of discussion, a lot of detail, a lot of data. But there was not enough support to take the idea forward, so we won't be discussing that proposal any further,'' according to the Daily Mail.

Maybe two failed ideas can make a good one. How about having a mini tournament for the final Champions League spot in a foreign country. This would require the four teams traveling to lets just say New York and then take a week and play the first round of games on Saturday and Sunday and then play the final on Sunday. This could be a gold mind for the Premier League, imagine a event that meant something coming to United States or Asian. The money raised from the event would be incredible, some of the supporters of the club would make the trip to for the tournament.

This almost makes too much sense for it to happen and that is why it would never happen.

Its really been 20 years

20 years ago, I was a young kid watching sportscenter and remember them breaking in to tell us that LMU star Hank Gathers had died during a WCC semifinal. The news shocked the college basketball work. Gathers and his childhood friend Bo Kimble lite the college basketball world on fire. I just can not believe that it has been that long. Rest in Peace Hank..

An ode to the alma mater

I know its not national sports news but to me its a big deal and since its my site I will continue. My alma mater is heading to the big dance, the Division 3 big dance that is.

William Paterson defeated Stockton to win the New Jersey Athletic Conference Championship today and the automatic bid for the tournament. Pioneer Pride. Not since the days of Horace Jenkins has the men's program been at these heights.

The Bible has arrived

Its been a busy couple of weeks at the OTWT home office. The scouting department welcome a new member to its staff and the Baseball America prospects book has arrived. I have gotten the book for the last decade and its part of the baseball season starting.

I like him, but he can be annoying

While the men's hockey tournament has been fantastic, something about the coverage is starting to bother me. Its funny cause I really like Pierre McGuire and the work that he does during different events, but something about his roll with NBC during the tournament has driven me crazy and a ton of other people.

"McGuire might know what he's talking about. He might be a fantastic authority on the game of hockey,'' according to a post on the Bleacher Report. "But if you can't be a professional about it, you can't be handed a microphone and expect the listening audience to take you seriously."

While providing great analysis about some of the different players in the tournament, McGuire, who was born in New Jersey, also gives you a little bit of information about something that you could care less about. Like the fifth defense men on the Belarus team played a great game in the 2003 WJC against Switzerland or that the Swiss defense man played with someones father in the ECHL. Its great to show that you know this, but it also makes you look like a arrogant douche bag and that rubs people the wrong way.

McGuire does a great job with the NHL draft and the World Junior Championship and always knows who the next great player is going to be, but sometimes he can get really annoying like he has during the last 10 days.

The End of Route 36

Five years ago the thought of an Eagles team without Jon Runyan, Tre Thomas, Brain Dawkins, and Brain Westbrook seemed like a nightmare, but now its a reality. Last year the management got rid of Runyan, Thomas and Dawkins and now this year the Birds say good bye to one of everyones all time favs Route 36.

Sure this one stings, during the last decade the Birds offense has been built around Mc5 and Route 36. Now there is only one of them left. Westbrook was always the professional, no matter the game he always made the biggest plays.

In 2006,Westbrook set a career-high in rushing yards with 1,217, topping 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. He also lead the team with 77 receptions for 699 receiving yards. His eleven total touchdowns (seven rushing and four receiving) were also tops on the Eagles. On January 7, 2007 Westbrook set a career-postseason rushing record, rushing for 141 yards on twenty carries against the New York Giants, including a 49 yard touchdown. The following week against the New Orleans Saints, Westbrook nearly willed the team to another playoff victory, scoring two touchdowns in the game.

After his strong playoff performance, Westbrook picked up right where he left in 2007 and cemented himself as one of the top backs in the league. He had over 100 yards rushing and receiving combined in twelve of the fifteen games that he played. His 1,333 rushing yards were a new career high and his 2,104 yards from scrimmage led the NFL. Westbrook was named to his second Pro Bowl and first All-Pro team, after setting a new franchise record with 90 receptions.

After the concussion issues this year, I kept hoping that Westbrook would say goodbye to the game and allow us to remember him as one of the all time greats that has ever worn the eagles green. Sure it will be weird seeing him in an another uniform next season, but as a birds fan, I will always remember being on Route 36 and traveling it a high rate of speed.