Michigan: Redefining March Madness

March Madness, one of the most celebrated times of the year for die hard and casual fans alike. Watching the Selection Show to see where and who your team plays...filling out brackets...watch parties...

And of course...gambling.

The month-long extravaganza remains one of the country's most exciting sports events because of it's unpredictability. You're more likely to get struck by lightning than to pick every game correctly.

It's the teams that no one saw coming that puts the Madness in March, and to prove that point look no further than the Michigan Wolverines.

Six weeks ago the Wolverines were hovering around the cellar of the Big Ten and had a losing record in the conference. Not only were they in danger of missing the big dance, they were in danger of missing the second-fiddle NIT as well.

Today Michigan is the Big Ten Tournament Champion, capping off a week that gives March Madness a whole new meaning.

For starters, a power outage on campus prevented Michigan from practicing with lights prior to leaving for Washington DC.

The next day a horrifying plane malfunction not only cost the Wolverines a day of travel, but it could have cost them their lives.

Talk about madness...

So much madness that the team held a vote on if they would even travel at all after head coach John Beilein gave his kids the option of forfeiting the game.

The team voted to play, but the madness was just beginning.

Michigan literally arrived in DC just before tipoff of their noon opener against Illinois, and had to play in practice jerseys because their luggage was still on the plane that failed to lift off.

When was the last time you saw that?

After steamrolling through their first opponent the Wolverines faced Purdue, the regular season conference champion and number one seed in the tournament.

Michigan overcame a nine point deficit to upset the Boilermakers in a thrilling overtime victory.

Anyone would have given the Wolverines a pass for bowing out gracefully in Saturday's semifinal matchup against a tough and physical Minnesota team that was playing as good as anyone in the country the last month of the season.

After all, those Michigan kids had to be physically and emotionally drained, right?

Not on senior point guard Derrick Walton's watch.

Led by his career-high 29 points the Wolverines survived a game comeback attempt by Minnesota to advance to the title game.

And today the Wisconsin Badgers simply ran into a buzz saw as Michigan, with destiny seemingly on their side, pulled away late to earn their first official Big Ten Tournament Championship.

It was the fist time in Big Ten history that a seed as low as Michigan (8) won it all. And they did so by knocking off the 4th, 2nd, and number one overall seed.

Ironically enough it was Walton who voted to not re-board the plane and forfeit earlier this week. Today he is the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Hollywood would reject this script for not being believable.

Michigan will now head into the big dance winners of ten of their last twelve games. They are also riding a five game win streak after posting four of them in the last four days.

The 7 seed Wolverines will play Oklahoma State (10) on Friday in Indianapolis, and regardless of the outcome they have already redefined the meaning of March Madness.

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The hypocrisy of calling Kaepernick a hypocrite

NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick can't win for losing, and I'm not talking about the San Francisco 49ers 2-14 record last season.

As we all know, Kaepernick felt the wrath of millions of people when he chose not to stand for the playing of the National Anthem last year. It was a move that dominated the headlines in and out of sports, and everyone weighed in with passionate views on both sides of the argument.

He became public enemy number one...and number two was nowhere in sight.

Today Kaepernick announced that he would do an about-face and stand for the National Anthem this season, and somehow the news was met with even more criticism.

Kaepernick detractors cried foul because he is set to hit free agency after opting out of the final year of his contract with the 49ers. They speak to the hypocrisy of the move...alleging that he is only doing it to help his chances of landing on a new team.

To that I ask "What's wrong with that?"

Anyone who calls this move hypocritical is a hypocrite themselves. I mean...let's face it...we ALL tone things down when applying for new jobs.

We go conservative with our haircuts and hairdos. We cover up our tattoos. We lose whatever slang we are comfortable with and put on attire that displays the most conservative sides of ourselves.

We re-word our resumes to give the impression that we were the most loyal and hardworking employees at each and every job...whether that was actually true or not.

We refrain from bad-mouthing ex-bosses...and we refrain from suggesting that we are really in need of stability and a weekly paycheck.

We've all done it...All of us.

So why knock Kaepernick for doing this in his chosen profession? If, in fact that is the motive behind the move.

But detractors weren't the only ones crying foul today across social media, Kaepernick's most staunch supporters during the Anthem protest are mad too. The word sellout came up time and time again from now-angry supporters.

Wait...what? Let's put that notion to bed as well while we're at it.

Kaepernick started the protest, so it is well within his right to end it if and when he so chooses. He did it before it became popular, and did it with no leverage from a professional standpoint (he was the backup qb at the time with no assurance of an extension).

And most of all, he backed up his protest with action. He put his money where his mouth was. He gave to his community, he donated his time.

He used his fame and fortune to do the unpopular thing, he started a sensitive conversation that needed to be started. He opened some eyes and some progress was made.

To the angry supporters I ask...."So what are you going to do with the movement now? How much have you given? How much of your time have you donated? What stand did you take that could jeopardize the livelihood of your family?"

Again...the hypocrisy of calling someone a hypocrite.

Whether you agree with Kaepernick's views and tactics or not, don't cry foul from the sidelines. If you're passionate about what he started...do something to keep it going instead of bashing him for doing what he feels is best for his family.

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NBA: Remember Steph Curry?

You know how the NBA markets their star players by filming them walking into the arena with headphones on before nationally televised games?

Well...if you're Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors then you've probably been listening to Janet Jackson's "What have you done for me lately" while strolling to the locker room this season.

Seriously...if you've been paying attention to the NBA this year then you've noticed that no one notices him anymore.

This time last year Chef Curry was the toast of the league. He was the reigning league MVP, reigning NBA champion, and reigning media darling in all of sports.

And in some circles he was considered the best player in the world. Yes...even better than King James himself.

Curry was on his way to the best regular season record in NBA history, the scoring title, and a second straight MVP award...the first unanimous MVP in league history.

He was everywhere...he was The Face of the NBA.

Fast forward to today and Curry is treated as just another good player on a great team.

How did this happen?

Blowing a 3-1 lead in last year's NBA Finals started his slide to anonymity, especially when you consider the fact that he was routinely targeted and torched on defense by Cleveland's Kyrie Irving during those all-important series clinching games.

And it all went downhill from there.

Curry's Under Armor shoe line was unveiled around that time, and was met with resounding criticism.

A month later Kevin Durant joined the Warriors in a move that dominated the headlines all offseason.

When the 2016-17 season started there was no talk of an MVP Three-Peat for Curry. In fact, that storyline couldn't even get coverage on the back pages of Oakland's local newspaper.

Instead, the NBA front page news has been reserved for LeBron James and his frustration with his critics and this year's roster, and the drama in New York with Phil Jackson, Carmelo Anthony, owner James Dolan, and former Knicks legend Charles Oakley.

In between those ever-evolving scenarios we have the ongoing feud between Durant and his former teammate Russell Westbrook.

And speaking of Russ, this year's MVP race has come down to him and fellow triple-double machine James Hardin of the Houston Rockets. No mention of Curry for the coveted award...

Not even a sniff.

It's gotten so bad that Curry rocked a red headband in last night's All Star game...knowing that it would ignite Twitter tolls worldwide. And for the record, the trolls didn't disappoint.

Even his little brother Seth, who has been relegated to less than second fiddle, chimed in with a troll of his own last night.

I guess if you're Steph, even if they are talking negatively...at least people are talking about you again.

Think about it, when it comes to newsworthy personalities on the Warriors this season Curry is fourth behind Durant, Draymond Green, and head coach Steve Kerr with his outspoken views on politics and marijuana.

And if Golden State goes on to recapture the title this season the overwhelming storyline will be Durant's first one...not Curry's second.

My how the mighty have fallen.

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The improbable week that saved Michigan's season

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Seven days ago the University of Michigan men's basketball team was reeling and all but eliminated from NCAA Tournament consideration. A devastating home loss to the lowly Ohio State Buckeyes on February 4th dropped the Wolverines to 4-6 in conference play and 10th place in the Big Ten.

Worse yet, the boys in Maize and Blue were staring down the barrel of an upcoming three game stretch against teams that have owned them the last few years.

Last Thursday the Wolverines hosted their arch nemesis, Michigan State, who they hadn't beaten since 2014. Michigan steamrolled the Spartans 86-57, their largest margin of victory in the series since World War II.

And I am not being sarcastic, the last time the Wolverines beat Michigan State by that many points was 1948.

Three days later the University of Michigan traveled to Bloomington Indiana, a place where they lost 17 of their last 18 games. The last time the Wolverines defeated Indiana in their place, Avatar was the number one movie in theaters.

The Wolverines jumped out to an early lead over the Hoosiers last Sunday afternoon and held on for a 75-63 victory, giving them an equally rare season sweep of the series that dated back to the debut of Tupac's classic album..."All Eyes on Me".

Yep...over 20 years ago. Wow...I'm old...

But I digress.

And tonight the Wolverines faced their toughest challenge to date when they hosted Big Ten leader and 11th ranked Wisconsin, who was 21-4 heading into the game.

After falling behind by eight points early in the second half Michigan turned up the defensive pressure to rally for a 64-58 upset of the Badgers, a team that has beaten them consistently over the last several years.

Michigan's surprising turnaround was led by senior point guard Derrick Walton Jr, who had scored at least 20 points in five straight games heading into tonight's contest.

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Struggling for most of the contest, Walton Jr was helped out by his fellow senior teammate in swing man guard Zak Irvin...who broke out of a horrendous month-long shooting slump with 18 huge points.

At 17-9 (7-6), squarely off the bubble now, and riding a three game win streak, the Wolverines must now hold serve with four of their last five games coming on the road...albeit against competition they have had much better success against.

It looks like March Madness came a couple of weeks early for Michigan, thanks to an improbable seven day run.

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Time for Melo to clap back on Phil Jackson

New York Knicks President of Basketball Operations Phil Jackson is at it again, taking yet another passive-aggressive shot at his star player Carmelo Anthony.

Today the former 11 time championship coach took to twitter and sent this not-so veiled shot at Anthony, who he is desperately trying to unload before this year's NBA trade deadline later this month.

His tweet...

"Bleacher's Ding almost rings the bell, but I learned you don't change the spot on a leopard with Michael Graham in my CBA daze."

For those who don't know, Michael Graham played for Jackson back in his CBA days, and was known to be a ball-hogging shoot-first player. Jackson ultimately got rid of him.

For those who have been following this Melo-drama, which heated up last October, Jackson has made no secret of the fact that Anthony's isolation style of play doesn't fit the principles of his triangle offense.

I wonder how long after he re-signed Melo to a max deal that included a no-trade clause did he come to this epiphany?

But I digress.

Anthony, to his credit, has taken the high road all season. But when is enough...enough?

I say today.

Melo's close friend LeBron James has decided to fire back at his detractors. He recently took analyst and former player Charles Barkley to task for his non-stop criticism of his game and willingness to compete. And last night he called an article (and the writer of the article) trash for saying that he is pushing to force Kevin Love out of Cleveland for Anthony.

Its' time for Melo to take a page out of LeBron's book.

It's painfully obvious that Jackson is using Anthony as the scape goat for his failures as the Knicks' team president. He overpaid for an over the hill Derrick Rose and JoakimNoah. He shelled out 50 million dollars for Courtney Lee, who has done nothing to deserve such a deal prior to his arrival in New York.

And last but certainly not least, the Knicks are further away from playoff contention under Jackson's watch in the watered-down eastern conference than they were before hiring him.

And that's just the stuff that we know on the surface. I am sure that Carmelo has plenty of behind-the-curtain ammunition as well...and it's time to clap back.

Where has taken the high road gotten Anthony thus far? Jackson is not letting up, and neither is the media who constantly corner Melo for responses to the numerous body blows delivered by the guy upstairs.

With an iron clad no-trade clause in effect, it's Melo that has the upper hand...not the other way around.

Time for him to start acting like it before his self respect goes down the same drain as the Knicks' playoff chances this year.

Clap back Melo...you represent New Yorkers for goodness sakes.

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NBA: Angry LeBron James is good for basketball

Watching sports is arguably the most popular way for people to spend their free time and disposable income in this country, and it is just as much a part of the American fabric as the flag itself.

When it comes to the Big Three of American sports (football, basketball, baseball), the height of their respective popularity is usually driven by an evil empire.

You know...when a team or player rises to a certain level of success that it irks the casual fan, who in turn, will tune in to (hopefully) watch that evil empire lose.

We saw it with the Dallas Cowboys throughout the early 90's, and to a certain extent, this season when they were steamrolling opponents en route to the best record in the NFC.

We saw it in baseball with the Yankees, and in the collegiate ranks we've seen it with the Duke basketball program and Alabama football program.

The NFL's evil empire, the New England Patriots, are in Houston right now preparing to capture their fifth Lombardi trophy. And most people outside of Boston are predictably rooting for the underdog Atlanta Falcons who are seeking their first championship.

The NBA had that in LeBron James and the Miami Heat when he, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh teamed up to form the Big Three in 2011.

But the vitriol toward James and the Heat disappeared when he elected to return to the lowly Cavaliers two years ago.

I thought that Durant to the already stacked Warriors would draw equal ire from the casual fan, but to date that hasn't happened. As a result, we have what amounts to a "meaningless" regular and post season as fans await Warriors-Cavs III this June.

And just as we were about to hit the snooze button on the rest of the regular season, the usually politically correct and brand-conscious James does an about face...and becomes his own evil empire once again.

Already at war with his front office, and clearly frustrated with the Cavalier's woes in 2017 (7-8 record in January) James pulled out a flame thrower and aimed it at Hall of Fame player and basketball analyst Charles Barkley last night.

His personal attack on Barkley was ether-like, but his closing remark last night spoke volumes...saying...

"I'm tired of biting my tongue....there is a new sheriff in town".

Translation..."To hell with being liked...I was hated in Miami".

And I think that is great for the NBA.

Case in point, on the morning following the NFL's annual Super Bowl media day coverage, LeBron and his remarks led every major sports show today...regardless of market. And that's not hyperbole, I actually bounced around to different markets throughout the day and everyone was talking about LeBron...mostly in a negative light.

Oh, and just in time for the NBA to take center stage following Sunday's Super Bowl.

Angry evil LeBron forces the casual fan to take sides, and by doing that, they are more likely to stay engaged during the dog days of the NBA regular season.

I know I'll be watching Cleveland's next nationally televised game, if for nothing more than to watch the train fall off the rails.

It's just how it works with polarizing players and teams.

If we know anything about the media, we know they become unified when one of their own comes under attack by a player...and that was the sentiment on sports talk radio across the country today.

The media will be watching and dissecting LeBron's every move now, and will no doubt look to bait him into more controversy.

My message to King James? Take the bait...make the regular season interesting again.

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Dallas Cowboys: Why Dak can join Emmitt Smith in the record books.

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By now we've all heard the phrase that records are meant to be broken, and in the case of the 2016 Dallas Cowboys it is certainly no cliché.

Dallas is the first team in NFL history to increase their win total by nine games in just one season. The Cowboys' 4-12 campaign in 2015 feels like decades ago now, thanks in large part to the breakout rookie season of quarterback Dak Prescott.

As a resident of Dallas I can attest that the buzz in the city surrounding this team is unlike anything I've seen in my eight years here, with lifelong fans from eight to eighty believing that the glory days of the early 90's are finally within their grasp again.

A 13-3 record and home field advantage throughout the playoffs can certainly do that to a fan base.

Even in the midst of a stellar regular season there are still detractors, or haters as they are affectionately called in these parts, that refuse to believe that a rookie quarterback can lead a team to the Super Bowl.

After all, it has never been done, right?

While the naysayers are correct, Cowboy Nation should be encouraged by the fact that their team has heard this before...and scoffed at the notion.

In fact, it is starting to feel like 1992 all over again in Big D.

The 92 Cowboys entered the season as a team on the rise, but not expected to do much damage in January. The team was led by a young trio on offense...quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irving.

After years of playoff futility, the buzz surrounding this team grew with each win. As they entered the playoffs the "detractors" pointed to the fact that no NFL rushing champion had ever won a Super Bowl.

Smith finished the 92 season as the league's leading rusher with 1,713 yards.

And as we all know, the Cowboys steamrolled the Buffalo Bills in Pasadena to capture the first Lombardi Trophy in 15 years.

Prescott, who is set to start in his first playoff game Sunday, should keep that reference close to heart because he has a golden opportunity to join Smith in the record books.

Their teams are eerily similar.

Both teams were anchored by the best offensive line and running back in football. Both teams had a play making receiver on the outside donning the number 88.

Both teams had a reliable tight end and opportunistic defense, and both teams could beat you on the ground and through the air if need be.

Both teams endured excruciating playoff losses on the road prior to their Super Bowl runs. The 92 Cowboys were blown out in Detroit in the divisional round of the 1991 playoffs, and the phrase "Dez caught it" still haunts Cowboys fans after their controversial loss in Lambeau Field in the divisional round two years ago.

Most importantly, both teams have a closeness and confidence about them. A swagger if you will, that this is the year to get over the hump.

Dak Prescott has the temperament and talent around him to do what Smith did in 1992, to write his own history instead of falling victim to it.

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