By Jim Stanford on March 15, 2007
Only a few minutes till the entry deadline of the Bradshaw pool, and I’m ready for tip-off.
As the most exciting sporting event of the spring gets underway, a few questions and observations:
• What is “Bechel Bronn?”
I thought it was some Web site Bradshaw bought to keep his Vertical Media servers from being inundated every March, but it turns out Bechelbronn is the name of the farm his grandfather used to own. A photo of the place is on the banner at the top of Tim’s page.
The house was built in 1798. Apparently Tim has a lot of fond childhood memories from the farm, which his family sold in ‘94, and the Web site is a way of keeping alive the spirit of his youth.
Bechel Bronn is German for “red dirt.”
• Will someone besides Harv Weisman or Fish come out on top this year?
It’s no wonder that Harv is a shrewd stock market analyst. He seems to have a knack for picking teams. Perhaps he’s using Intrade. (No, just checked the site — they aren’t handicapping the tourney, apparently. But they do have odds on whether Alberto Gonzales will resign as U.S. attorney general.)
And Fish? The Final Four is in Atlanta this year, his hometown. Could be good karma.
• Will it be as crazy as always?
The one thing that’s for certain about the NCAA tourney is that craziness will ensue. Shocking upsets have become so expected that it would be crazy if there were none of them this weekend, a scenario I am left pondering as I inevitably fill out brackets with three No. 1 seeds and a No. 2 in the Final Four.
• Is this tourney Carolina’s to lose?
Yes. I didn’t watch much hoops this season, but one team I saw twice, all too vividly, was North Carolina, and they are tough. The ACC is the country’s premier basketball conference, and this year was a particular slugfest. I’d be surprised if the battle-tested ACC champion did not reach the Final Four.
The Tar Holes are deep, they are big, and they are fast. The key player is Brandan Wright; teams can stop the bemasked Monstross-ity Tyler Hansbrough in the middle, but they have no answer to the big-eared freshman with a wingspan of about 12 feet. The guy can take a pass at the foul line, turn and lay it in, his arms are so long.
• How annoying is Joakim Noah?
Check out this video clip of his celebration after the Gators beat Arkansas for the SEC title. Make a shot between your legs, or simmer down, buddy. Then there’s this clip of him taking a swipe at a Kentucky cheerleader who waved a pom-pom too close.
• How warped are Tar Holes fans?
Watch this video of a mother trying to indoctrinate her toddler on the merits of Dean Smith and Carolina blue, to no avail. Kid’s not buying it; he’s with dad and the Wolfpack all the way.
• The funniest cartoon involving NCAA brackets? Mike Luckovich of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in case you haven’t seen it.
• How is anyone going to get any work done today?
I’m thinking of packing up the computer and setting up shop at Sidewinders for the afternoon.
It’s a good feeling to have submitted all my picks last night. I know, some of you are saying that’s a cheesy move, filling out more than one bracket, but in a year where no one knows who’s going to win, it’s smart to take a few shots and hedge your bets. Besides, I see that a few others are doing it. Norman Pear of Afton among them.
I threw a couple of wrinkles into my Final Four picks: Villanova in one pool, Texas A&M in another, Louisville. I like teams with a lot of seniors and tourney experience. There’s always one wild card.
Predicted champ in pool #1 (going with my heart): Ohio State. No way I could pick the Heels, plus the junkies at Deadspin are way into OSU and Greg Oden, and those guys know their sports.
Predicted champ in pool #2 (going with my head): North Carolina. It would be sweet, with all the Tar Holes fans in the Bradshaw brackets, if Carolina won the title and a Dukie took the pool!
Predicted champ in pool #3 (if you can’t beat ‘em, join em): Florida. We’re all sick of Florida, after last year’s tourney and the Fiesta Bowl. But in an age where there is no consistency and cohesiveness in college basketball, thanks to the early exodus to the NBA, Florida has everybody back from last year’s title team, including the subs, cheerleaders and ball boys.
Barring a choke, it will be hard to stop them.
Posted under basketball, march madness, sports
A pretty boring first day, but at least VCU gave us that upset!
Are you shedding blue tears yet?