Since St. Patrick’s Day was a bit rougher than I imagined it would be, I’m a little late getting this up as I rush out the door. But I simply could not let the tournament begin before letting you all know who is going to win the games being played today and tomorrow. So here are my picks for the first round games, which also just so happens to be the two best days in sports, period. There is no great team this year and a lot of mediocre ones so expect a ton of upsets in these first two days. And if you’re curious about who will be playing in the final four it will be Baylor, Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse with Kentucky edging Kansas for the national title. I know everyone loves Kansas because of their experience, but often talent trumps experience and the Wildcats have two of the best players in the country in John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. Now on to the picks.

Sherron Collins probably won't even be needed as Kansas cruises by Lehigh.

Midwest

#1 Kansas over #16 Lehigh. Best team in the tournament won’t be first team to lose to 16 seed.

#9 Northern Iowa over #8 UNLV. Lon Kruger has UNLV back to respectability but Jordan Eglseder will prove to be too much down low.

#5 Michigan State over #12 New Mexico. Tom Izzo is too good of a tournament coach to lose this game.

#4 Maryland over #13 Houston. Did you really expect me to pick anything else?

#6 Tennessee over #11 San Diego State. With suspended forward Tyler Smith Tennessee might be a #2 seed, but even without him they can beat SDSU.

#3 Georgetown over #14 Ohio. Bobcats will suffer from Hoya Paranoia circa 1984.

#10 Georgia Tech over #7 Oklahoma State. James Anderson’s a stud, but Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal will be too talented for the rest of the Cowboys to contend with.

#2 Ohio State over #15 UC Santa Barbara. Evan Turner, I need say no more.

If you don't know about Clemente yet, you soon will.

West

#1 Syracuse over #16 Vermont. Yes, Vermont did beat the Orangemen a few years back but that has no bearing on this game in which they will get blown out.

#8 Gonzaga over #9 Florida State. Gonzaga hasn’t been at their best but they match up well enough to knock off the Seminoles.

#12 UTEP over #5 Butler. Louisville transfer Derrick Caracter is too big and too strong for the guard-heavy Bulldogs to handle.

#13 Murray State over #4 Vanderbilt. The Racers will run over the Commodores before they even get a chance to crack a LSAT prep book.

#6 Xavier over #11 Minnesota. All for One and One for All to Musketeers scream as they blitz the Gophers.

#3 Pittsburgh over #14 Oakland. This Oakland is in Michigan which makes it way less cool than if it was in LA so therefore they aren’t cool enough to beat the Panthers of Pittsburgh.

#7 BYU over #10 Florida. Florida shouldn’t even be in this tournament so how can they beat Jimmer Fredette and the no-drink, no-sex Cougars?

#2 Kansas State over #15 North Texas. Denis Clemente is too fast for those beer-guzzling Texans too handle.

Hobson is the best player you never heard of.

East

#1 Kentucky over #16 East Tennessee State. ETSU has nary a chance.

#8 Texas over #9 Wake Forest. Once ranked #1 in the country this year Texas has too much talent for the undeserving Deacons to handle and will win easily.

#5 Temple over #12 Cornell. Everyone loves Cornell but Temple is too talented for them.

#13 Wofford over #4 Wisconsin. The first time’s a charm as the Terriers keep the party going and their dancing shoes on for another night.

#11 Washington over #6 Marquette. The PAC-10 sucked but Washington has a lot of talent, or at least enough to overcome the overachieving Golden Eagles.

#3 New Mexico over #14 Montana. The Lobo’s Darington Hobson is the best player you never heard of.

#7 Clemson over #10 Missouri. Oliver Purnell has to turn it around eventually doesn’t he?

#2 West Virginia over #15 Morgan State. The Mountaineers will buck the Bears with no problem.

Get to know Baylor's LaceDarius Dunn because you'll be seeing a lot of him over the next few weeks.

South

#1 Duke over #16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Duke sucks, but not enough to lose to the pathetic play-in winner, who should be Kansas’ opponent by the way.

#8 California over #9 Louisville. Jerome Randal can shoot the lights out and will against the Cardinals.

#5 Texas A&M over #12 Utah State. Mormon schools are always a little weird aren’t they?

#13 Siena over #4 Purdue. No Robbie Hummel means not a chance for Purdue in this tournament so why not pick them to lose here?

#6 Notre Dame over #11 Old Dominion. The Irish are playing extremely well right now and with Luke Harangody finally healthy the Monarchs have nobody that can handle him.

#3 Baylor over #14 Sam Houston State. You have to love a school that was in the middle of the Branch Davidian scandal.

#7 Richmond over #10 Saint Mary’s. No Patty Mills for the Gaels means they’ll struggle distributing the ball and the Spiders will catch them in their web.

#2 Villanova over #15 Robert Morris. Villanova is overrated but not enough to lose to the pathetic Colonials.

2009 Campaign: 65-97, Last place, AL Central

The Royals had the Cy Young Award Winner in 2009, Zack Greinke. After starting 6-0 with a 0.40 ERA and refusing to give up an earned run in his first 29 innings of work, Greinke came back to Earth slightly, but still managed to finish the season with 16 wins and a 2.16 ERA. Unfortunately, he was also the only Kansas City starter with a winning record. Aside from the Greinke success story, Kansas City also saw 1B/DH Billy Butler begin to step into his own. The young talent hit .301 with 93 RBIs, an impressive feat for a team that didn’t generate too much offense. In the end though, injuries plagued and already subpar and depth-less KC team, and aside from showing up to see Greinke pitch every five days, there wasn’t much to get excited about.

Key Arrivals: INF Josh Fields (trade w/ White Sox), RHP Jorge Campillo (FA), C Jason Kendall (FA), 2B Chris Getz (trade w/ White Sox)

Key Departures: OF Coco Crisp (FA), 1B Mike Jacobs (FA), C John Buck (FA), C Miguel Olivo (FA), 3B Mark Teahen (trade w/ White Sox)

2010 Outlook: See “2009 Campaign.” Some different players, exact same result. The good news is that Cleveland may be worse.

Jobu Says – Kansas City is dry and smoke-free. Jobu does not visit often. One Jobu means KC fans better hope Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles are a good duo. (Remember, for more on Jobu rankings, click here.)

Share on Facebook ]]> http://www.27pitches.com/2010/03/jobu%e2%80%99s-mlb-rankings-for-2010-kansas-city-royals/feed/ 0 http://www.27pitches.com/2010/03/jobu%e2%80%99s-mlb-rankings-for-2010-kansas-city-royals/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/27pitches/MXvD/~3/IrMcwWtobmM/ http://www.27pitches.com/2010/03/your-march-madness-podcast-with-harvard-crimsons-yanni-hufnagel/#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:09:54 +0000 sean@27pitches.com http://www.27pitches.com/?p=3025 You want some March Madness insights? You got it. Jacober has done it again by enlisting the help of a guy who knows his college basketball, Yanni Hufnagel, assistant head coach of Harvard. So sit back, relax, take some notes, and thank us when you win your bracket. ]]>

You want some March Madness insights? You got it. Jacober has done it again by enlisting the help of a guy who knows his college basketball. So sit back, relax, take some notes, and thank us when you win your bracket.

Yanni Hufnagel was the Assistant Coach at Harvard this year after coming over from the University of Oklahoma, where he most recently served as graduate assistant for the men’s basketball team. In that role, Mr. Hufnagel organized the program’s recruiting database, conducted individual workouts, assisted the coaching staff during practice, and helped develop Blake and Taylor Griffin, a couple guys you may have heard of.

Before placing his stamp on the University of Oklahoma’s basketball program, Hufnagel served as a basketball operations intern with the New Jersey Nets, where he assisted the front office in preparation for the NBA draft and other administrative functions, and also served as a special assistant to the head coach. He knows his stuff, and we are very thankful that he had the time to speak with us. For more info on Mr. Hufnagel’s experience, please click the image below.

Podcast – Jacober with Yanni Hufnagel (should also be available in iTunes later today)

2009 Campaign: 86-77, 2^nd place, AL Central

The Detroit Tigers came so heartbreakingly close to reaching the playoffs last year that it makes me cringe when I think about how their fans must have reacted to a one-game playoff, extra-inning defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Twins (which was one of the best “regular season” games of all time). In doing so, they became just the 4^th team in Major League history to have a 7 game divisional lead on Labor Day and squander it away. So, heartbroken and weary, the Detroit Tigers entered the offseason earlier than they would have liked, at which point management had to make some tough decisions (like trading Curtis Granderson to the Yankees) because of weighty contracts that were previously given to guys like Nate Robertson and Dontrelle Willis.

Key Arrivals: OF Johnny Damon (FA), LHP Phil Coke (trade w/ Yankees), OF Austin Jackson (trade w/ Yankees), RHP Max Scherzer (trade w/ Diamondbacks), LHP Daniel Schlereth (trade w/ Diamondbacks)

Key Departures: OF Curtis Granderson (trade w/ Yankees), 1B Aubrey Huff (FA), RHP Edwin Jackson (trade w/ Diamondbacks), RHP Brandon Lyon (FA), INF Placido Polanco (FA), RHP Fernando Rodney (FA), LHP Jarrod Washburn (FA)

2010 Outlook: As mentioned above, the Tigers tied up some money in risky contracts, and it hasn’t really paid off for them to this point. However, even though they lost some key components in Granderson, Jackson, Washburn, and Rodney, they did stockpile some young pitching talent. Max Scherzer has some serious potential and Phil Coke will have another opportunity to prove himself in a market that is a little less demanding than New York. The acquisition of the noodle-armed Johnny Damon is actually commendable; Damon will provide some punch as #2 in the lineup, and will definitely help set the table for sluggers Magglio Ordonez and Miguel Cabrera. As for the pitching, any team that can go with Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello in the first 2 games of a series has an excellent chance at 2 W’s off the bat. Put behind them young fireballers like Scherzer, Armando Gallaraga, and Jeremy Bonderman, who will finally be back to 100%, and things aren’t looking as bad as they could be in the motor city. The Tigers also have a bullpen with tremendous ability, although the closer role is still undefined. The rocket armed Joel Zumaya may step up and grab it, and if that’s the case, he’ll be set up by a surplus of young talent including Phil Coke, Ryan Perry, and Daniel Schlereth (son of ex-NFLer Mark Sclereth).

Jobu Says – Tigers take my cigars but leave plenty of rum. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Two Jobu’s has Detroit clawing for playoff spot in a contested division. (Remember, for more on Jobu rankings, click here.)

Introducing... the savior of Cleveland football, or so they thought.

The Fumble. The Drive. The Move. Tim Couch. Cleveland Browns fans have been beaten and broken so often that you’d think the Dawg Pound had turned into Bad Newz Kennels. They have had bad coaches, bad players and even worse management and things have only gotten worse since they returned to Cleveland in 1999. They have made more gaffes at the top of the draft than anyone (and that includes the Al Davis-led Raiders) and with no end in sight of the misery, they finally decided that they had to bring in someone with an established track record of success. That’s right: it was time to bring in the big guns. So they dumped GM George Kokinis and replaced him with Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert, who decided to retain the heartless Eric Mangini, at least for a season. Cleveland was finally going to be respected with a revered architect leading the charge and Browns fans were beaming. Finally their days of playing the role of James Caan to the NFL’s Kathy Bates were over. Holmgren was going to save Cleveland.

Boy that was a letting feeling now wasn’t it? Holmgren came in, a curtain opened, light shined down and angels sang. But then he actually started making moves and all of those bad feelings had to have rushed back for Clevelanders. Holmgren is a supposed quarterback guru and since that particular position for the Browns has been in flux for almost a decade you just knew he was going to shake things up and boy did he ever. First he acquired traded for Seneca Wallace, his former backup with the Seahawks. This move didn’t seem so bad at first because it is pretty important to have a backup that is familiar with the system being installed. That made the imminent release of former Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Anderson a little easier to swallow because now they had a legitimate backup quarterback who has proven that he could step up in a pinch and lead a team for a stretch. Releasing Anderson was a must simply because he was due a $2 million roster bonus and that was simply too much money for a very inconsistent and inaccurate quarterback that could never establish a firm grip on the starting job. But he does have a rocket arm and will probably be one of the best backups in the league once he signs a contract.

Quinn was once touted as the franchise's quarterback of the future only to be bartered for carnival souvenirs.

But then the wheels started to fall off. I know that Jake Delhomme is a fiery leader and has done some great things in his career, like leading the Panthers within a minute of winning the Super Bowl. But he is done as a starter in this league. He would be an excellent backup, but he still feels like he is starter quality and a delusional backup is definitely not a positive going into the season. So the fluid depth chart at this point looked like it would be Brady Quinn as the starter with Delhomme backing him up and Wallace serving the role as the emergency quarterback. Oh, but in the words of Lee Corso, not so fast my friend. Holmgren was far from done. He still had some TNT in his pocket. He then turned around and flipped Quinn, the former first rounder, for less than the colonists bought Manhattan for. I would have loved to have been on the phone when they were discussing this trade because I think it went something like this: “Mike, I see you just signed Wallace and Delhomme so Quinn is expendable right?” “Brian (Xanders, Broncos GM) I am definitely interested in listening to offers. Remember he has a ton of potential and was a first round pick a mere three years ago, so it won’t be easy for me to part with him.” “Okay, okay, let me think about it for a minute. Okay, I got it; how about we give you our fifth-string running back, a meaningless draft pick and a roll of skee-ball tickets.” “Brian, that sounds perfect, but can you make it two rolls of skee-ball tickets?” “Not a problem Mike.”

I mean honestly, they traded Quinn who they had traded back into the first round to get three years prior. I know that this is a completely different regime and Quinn hasn’t shown much to this point, but he has been saddled with injuries and hasn’t been on the field much, not to mention his supporting cast was less than desirable. But I think he can only improve on his 52% completion percentage and 66.8 rating. His 10 to 9 TD to INT ratio isn’t actually all that bad for a young quarterback who has played less than a full season’s worth of games. But even more baffling is that he was dealt for Peyton Hillis, a sixth round pick this year and a conditional pick next year. This was a great deal for the Broncos. Do the Browns really think Jake freakin’ Delhomme is going to turn this franchise around? The same guy who single-handedly ruined the Panthers last two seasons and was completely outplayed by the undrafted Matt Moore? I could see if they traded him with someone legitimate waiting in the wings but I don’t think Wallace or Delhomme qualifies. I actually see Quinn going to Denver and playing very well. He will never be a superstar in this league but with a solid supporting cast he can be very effective and he has excellent leadership skills.

Wimbley was one of the Browns only legitimate threats off the edge. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Oh, but Holmgren wasn’t quite finished. He wanted to eradicate any memories of the previous management so he dealt another former first round pick, Kamerion Wimbley, to the Raiders for a third round pick. Wimbley may not have taken the league by storm, but he is an extremely talented player who has been pretty damn productive so far in his career. He had 11 sacks in 2006 and put up 6.5 last year. He may not be the stoutest against the run, but he has special pass rush skills and that is something that is tough to come by in this league, especially when you run a 3-4 defense.

These could be the worst moves of the entire offseason and that is on top of overpaying Scott Fujita, who is just a regular guy and has no special skills but apparently the Browns were blinded by a ring that he very little impact earning, and they dumped way too much money on talented but inconsistent tight end Ben Watson. Boy things are looking up in Cleveland aren’t they?

It seems like the only thing Holmgren got right this offseason was giving Josh Cribbs a much deserved raise because he and Joe Thomas are about all they have left. He still has time to right the ship with the draft on the horizon, but so far things aren’t looking too good in the home of Rock & Roll. It sure is looking like its going to another long year in Cleveland. But don’t worry Cleveland at least you’ll always have LeBron. Oh, yeah, about that…

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MLB 2010 Previews – Cleveland Indians

2009 Campaign: 65-97, Tied for last place in AL Central

The Cleveland Indians are just two years removed from postseason success; however, a lot can happen in a little bit of time. The team continued to purge itself of talent in 2009, trading away another Cy Young award winner in Cliff Lee and All Star catcher Victor Martinez. It’s very clear that the management in Cleveland saw a decline and accelerated it in hopes that they could rebuild that much faster.

Key Arrivals: N/A

Key Departures: 2B Jamey Carroll (FA)

2010 Outlook: Do a quick Google search on MLB rankings for 2010 and you’ll find that many pundits are calling for the Indians to finish the season in the cellar. It’s certainly not an unreasonable prediction, but there’s room for some optimism in Cleveland, because of the pitching. After all, no one guts their team with All Star talent if they aren’t receiving something worthwhile in return – Justin Masterson and Carlos Carrasco are two highly touted pitching prospects that could contribute this year. And although Fausto Carmona failed to impress last year, he has shown signs of brilliance in the past. Aaron Laffey is also a quality fourth starter, and Kerry Wood seems to have finally found success again as a closer. The problem is that these pitchers will need to show up every time out if this team plans on winning games, because aside from fallen star Travis “Pronk” Hafner, their lineup features Grady Sizemore…and that’s about it.

Jobu Says – Cleveland rum and cigars to other teams, not Jobu. One Jobu means cellar for 2010, but Jobu will not hold grudge for 2011.

It doesn't happen often, but this time it was Varnado on the receiving end of rejection.

They’re burning in Blacksburg, complaining in Champaign and steaming in Starkville. With the 65-team field released mere hours ago, the disappointment for the teams snubbed by the selection committee has yet to fully sink in and will probably still sting when they tip-off the NIT later this week. But this happens every year and with only the best 65 teams (or the best 34 and the best of the remaining conferences) being allowed entry into the greatest tournament in sports, there is always bound to be a worthy team or two who just missed the cut. But since everyone always wants to know which team had the most legitimate argument out of the teams that won’t be partaking in the madness of March, I’d have to go with the Bulldogs of Mississippi State (with apologies to the anonymous Hokies fan).

Mississippi State was a mere split second from capturing their conference tournament title and stamping their invitation to the dance, but a last second tip in from DeMarcus Cousins sent the game into overtime where the ‘Cats proved to be too much for the Bulldogs. But this was the second time this season that MSU has taken Kentucky into the extra period. On top of their performance in the championship game, MSU was playing their best basketball of the season when it matters most and would have been a team that no one wanted to play, especially with the prospect of having to go up against all-time NCAA shot block leader Jarvis Varnado. His presence on both ends of the floor is a scary proposition for anybody and his team’s performance against one of the top teams in the country, twice, was indicative of this.

The omission of teams like MSU and Virginia Tech are clear examples this year of the committee deciding not to take into consideration the last 10 games of the season like they have in the past. I know that many had complained saying the last 10 games are not indicative of the entire year and they’re right, but for those teams who have had an overall great year it doesn’t matter anyway because they have nothing to worry about. But when you’re trying to figure out those last few teams it should definitely be a factor because that shows who is playing the best basketball right now and in my opinion MSU is playing some of the best basketball in the country at this moment, bubble team or not. As far as Virginia Tech goes, they were also playing well down the stretch and had more conference wins and more overall wins than ACC dancers Wake Forest, but apparently the committee focused on November and December when Wake Forest far outperformed the Hokies in nonconference play. Both have beefs, I just think MSU’s is a little more legitimate because I think right now the Bulldogs would maul the Hokies (much to the chagrin of dog-hating former Tech Quarterback Michael Vick).

With memories of miracles dancing in their brains, the committee completely overrated Reynolds and Villanova.

The removal of the last 10 games criteria was also readily apparent when considering two Philadelphia teams, of which one was severely over-seeded and one of which was way under-seeded. This is made even more baffling when you consider that the under-seeded Temple Owls dismantled the over-valued Villanova Wildcats.

How did Villanova garner a two seed? I simply don’t get it. Yes, at one point during the season they were ranked second in the country, but they have lost five of their last seven and seem to be in extreme freefall right now. The media is in love with Jay Wright and Scottie Reynolds but they haven’t been able to compete at a high level in about a month and there is no way that you could convince me that ‘Nova is one of the best eight teams in the country right now. Maybe in January, but not in March when it counts the most. I honestly thought they’d be lucky with a three and were most likely a four but that just goes to show how much of this is a crapshoot and not even guys who do nothing but study brackets like Joe Lunardi can pin down exactly what goes on inside the super secretive selection room.  Now that doesn’t mean I don’t think they can make a run, I just think they’ll have a much easier time than they should have because the committee overvalued their play from earlier in the season.

Juan Fernandez and Temple were clearly overlooked by the committee.

Now if I was Temple I’d be fuming right now. The A-10 was overhyped for much of the season but Temple has been the real deal all season long and proved it by hanging a 10-point loss on their Big 5 brethren the aforementioned Villanova, who also happen to be one of the better teams from the best conference in America. They’ve won 10 games in a row, were the regular season and conference tournament champs from a conference that was as strong as it has ever been (even though like I said previously not as good as some had made it out to be). They were 28-5 for chrissakes and didn’t do it in some podunk conference where they just beat up on lightweights, like Siena. So after accomplishing all of that they were rewarded with a five seed and saddled with playing Cornell, a team many has predicted could make a run to the Sweet 16. Cornell is extremely dangerous and Owls coach Fran Dunphy cannot be happy with his team’s situation. The Owls deserved better.

One other quick thing before I split to work on a post about the Cleveland Browns. I know nobody cares about the NIT and rightfully so. But as I took a glance at their bracket something stuck out to me. With some 300 schools in DI college basketball there should never been a chance for a team without a winning record to play in the postseason unless they had a miraculous run through their conference tournament. It happens in college football but there are only a third of the teams and even then it is unacceptable. But when I saw that not only was North Carolina in the tournament, but that they were a four seed I was completely shocked. Again, I don’t care about the NIT but this is simply wrong. They are higher than a 22-win William & Mary team who beat both Wake Forest and Maryland this year, both of whom will be playing in the NCAA tournament. But UNC’s 16-16 record was apparently enough to impress the scrubs over at the Not Invited Tournament to garner a higher seed. What this simply shows is that money ultimately runs college sports. This is definitely not news to me, but is still disturbing every time I see it rear its ugly head.

2009 Campaign: 79-83, 3^rd place, AL Central

The White Sox had a roller coaster of a season in 2009. They fluctuated within the division, grabbed a little piece of history courtesy of a Mark Buehrle gem, and even pulled off a couple of unexpected acquisitions. In the end, injuries and a slumbering offense in the second half killed any chance the team had at a postseason run.

Key Arrivals: OF Juan Pierre (trade w/ Dodgers), OF Andruw Jones (FA), RHP JJ Putz (FA), 3B Mark Teahen (trade w/ Royals), SS Omar Vizquel  (FA)

Key Departures: OF Jermaine Dye (FA), OF Scott Podsednik (FA), RHP Octavio Dotel (FA), IF Josh Fields (trade w/ Royals)

2010 Outlook: General Manager Kenny Williams is counting on the age-old adage “high risk, high reward.” When the White Sox put a claim on Alex Rios last season, it stunned the division, and for that matter, the rest of the league. Rios was having a terrible year, and his $60 million contract through 2014 was hardly sought after. Williams is counting on Rios getting back to his ’08 All Star form; if it happens, Williams looks like a genius, and if it doesn’t, he will taken one giant step backwards. The of course there was the Jake Peavy signing. After getting denied by Peavy’s no-trade clause the first time around, the White Sox continued to go after the ace, and after Peavy finally decided that he’d rather win than have his career slip away with an organization going nowhere, the Sox cashed in. Peavy missed a chunk of time last year to injury, but no one should have any reservations about him returning to All Star form. Consider that the White Sox still have Buehrle, John Danks, and Gavin Floyd taking the mound every five days, and that’s one hell of a pitching staff. There’s no problems with the closer situation either if John Danks can stay healthy. With a surplus of talent in the outfield, including Carlos Quentin fresh off an injury-plagued season and Juan Pierre, who still has some left in the tank, the White Sox have a well balanced offense. Shortstop Alexei Ramirez is also a player to keep an eye on, as he is primed for a breakout year.

Jobu Says: Many tributes have been made. Some are good and others are ok. Jobu says cigars and rum are good as long as they are of good quality. Has yet to be determined, but efforts have been made. Two Jobus mean that Sox are in playoff hunt, but must beware of Twins. (Remember, for more on Jobu rankings, click here.)

I’m pretty sure in the past few weeks that I’ve made it quite apparent that I’m an ACC guy through and through. One of the things I love about the ACC, other than attending one of its schools, is that when it comes to basketball, no other conference in the country has more storied programs, more tradition and for most of the last century, more depth. But while the regular season is always intense and full of excitement, the one thing that ACC is lacking is a great conference tournament.

Yes, the ACC tournament is the first of its kind, but since Duke and North Carolina have basically taken ownership of it since the early 80s it has lost the intrigue that surround many of the other year-ending tournaments. Championship week is always entertaining and is the essence of what college basketball is all about. You have the small conference teams battling it out for their lone bid into the dance and for many of these schools winning their conference championship is as big a deal as winning the national title is to college basketball’s blue bloods like Kentucky, Kansas and Duke. Even better and more refreshing is seeing schools that have recently moved up to D1 or have been wallowing in mediocrity for decades and earn their first trip to the Big Dance.

But while all of the aforementioned things are great and are what make conference tournaments so compelling, if you don’t have time to watch the Woffords of the world make their inaugural entry into March Madness or don’t care to tune into the Big Sky championship and are simply looking for the best conference tournament in America all you have to do is look towards Madison Square Garden, home of the Big East tournament.

Before he was AI, he was a part of one of the best college basketball games of all time.

While the ACC expanded for the sake of football, the Big East countered with basketball moves and while the ACC’s play on the gridiron has been shoddy at best, the Big East’s decision has worked exactly according to plan. So not only have they become without question the best and deepest conference in America, their tournament has followed suit, harboring the most exciting basketball of the year.

But it wasn’t simply expansion that made this tournament the greatest in America, it has been that way for a while; it has just taken many people, including myself, a while to finally come to the realization, whether it be due to conference pride or simple ignorance. But while it may not be simply a result of expansion, adding more basketball-centric schools has only made it more readily apparent.

I first took notice of the spectacle that is the Beast tournament in 1996 when UCONN was supposed to take on Georgetown but instead one of the greatest games of one-on-one broke out, as a pre-cornrow Allen Iverson battled a pre-Jesus Shuttlesworth Ray Allen in what very well may be the greatest college basketball game I’ve ever seen. While both battled toe-to-toe for 39 and a half minutes, it was Ray Allen who eventually prevailed, after a tad more than two steps, with the body-twisting game winner.

Then last year I turned on the Syracuse-UCONN quarterfinal matchup with less than five minutes to go in the game and being the kind of person I am couldn’t turn it off until it was offer. Well the decision to stay up was either a blessing or a mistake, whichever way you look at it. I was exhausted the next day at work but may have been better off for witnessing one of the best games of the decade. The six overtime thriller was everything you could ask for in a basketball game and had everyone talking the next day. If there was a game no one deserved to lose and everyone left a winner, it was that one.

While I can't stand WVU, it was Butler who made me a true believer.

But even after all of the great games that have been played over the years, from Ewing’s dominance to Allen vs. Iverson to Gerry MacNamara’s heroics, I wasn’t ready to crown it simply because, like I have said a million times, I’m an ACC guy. But after watching West Virginia’s Da’Sean Butler hit a three off the glass to down Cincinnati on Thursday I couldn’t deny it any longer. It seems that every time I tune in I’m preparing to watch an instant classic. Then again last night WVU had Notre Dame in a hole before the Golden Domers made a valiant comeback and turned what looked to be a blowout into another fantastic finish before Butler and the Mountaineers again prevailed. Every game is a barnburner and it doesn’t get any better than that.

So while I watch Georgetown and WVU battle to be champion of the best tournament in college basketball, I figured it was only right to finally give the Big East its due. And while I’ve tried over the last 48 hours to figure out exactly why the Big East tournament year after year is head and shoulders above the rest I simply just realized it doesn’t really need an explanation because watching is enough. Maybe it’s because it’s played in the Garden, the greatest, most storied arena in the world. Maybe it’s because it’s composed of 16 of the best basketball schools in the country. Maybe it’s because the Big East values toughness and toughness is exactly what is needed to win in March. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s because the Big East is the best conference in the country and because of that it can’t possibly come up short when, like my boy ‘Pac said, all eyes are on them.

2009 Campaign: 75-87, 4^th place, NL West

To be fair, the Padres didn’t have lofty expectations last year, and it’s impressive that they managed to escape last place in the division after being outscored by 131 runs. Unfortunately, they may not be able to pull off the same feat in 2010.

Key Arrivals: N/A

Key Departures: C Henry Blanco (FA), OF Brian Giles (FA)

2010 Outlook:

San Diego mainstay and staff ace Jake Peavy is gone. Adrien Gonzalez has one foot out the door, and is expecting Teixeira money when his current contract expires. Aside from Gonzalez, most MLB fans will become more familiar with power hitting third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff. Chris Young, supposing he stays healthy, will anchor the starting pitching, and Heath Bell will adequately convert the 12-15 save opportunities he’ll be given. That’s it. You’ve heard of “rebuilding mode” before, and San Diego is praying that they’ll be able to produce some young talent from within the organization, and fast.

Jobu Says

One Jobu means “Go Chargers.” (Remember, for more on Jobu rankings, click here.)