Last Saturday night began my annual month or so of actually paying attention to college baseball. Not by coincidence, this period of time just happens to coincide with the NCAA playoffs and College World Series. Well, it beats the NBA playoffs, although there was amusement to be found from watching King James storm off the [...]

05/04/09 There do seem to be a fair amount of problems besetting the Republic these days. From the recession to foreign wars to the death throes of the domestic automobile industry to the media’s Captain Trips scare, any and every venture into the various communication realms devoted to presenting what passes for ‘news’ these days [...]

So much for Destiny’s Darlings. The media-contrived efforts to turn a Michigan State team that won 26 games and the Big 11 title into some sort of Cinderella fighting for oppressed automobile workers everywhere lasted until Thompson’s first shot seconds into the game. The glass slipper was too small in the Heel. Carolina treated the [...]

Okay, let’s see a show of hands. When you filled out your NCAA brackets, how many picked Villanova and Michigan State in the Final Four? Anybody? I see a couple of hands, but not many. I was breezing along, having a pretty good tournament. Sure, I had made a couple of mistakes, such as vastly [...]

The respite between rounds of the NCAA Tournament does afford the opportunity to take a look at the sporting life goings-on around the rest of the region. From Hooville to Lynchburg to the land of sand, scrub pines and Strawgraspers, there is humor to be gleaned. Finding low comedy from Hooville might seem like RUTS, [...]

It was not exactly the stuff of Little Johnny’s tournament dreams. Of the seven ACC teams that marched off to do battle in the NCAA Tournament, four were home after their first game, while a fifth was bounced in its second. To add insult to injury, both of the league’s NIT entrants were gone by [...]

As usually happens this time of year, the NCAA has decided to conduct a basketball tournament. Once again, that august body’s Selection Committee closeted themselves in a luxury hotel, not emerging until they had thoroughly screened and vetted both the potential teams and room service options. We have the Final Sixty-Five. The NCAA Tournament will [...]

Florida State President T. K. Wetherell pronounced that he was “confused” over NCAA interpretations of penalties due from FSU’s latest scandal, this one involving academics. The NCAA had placed Florida State on probation due to the cheating scandal involving 61 Noles in 10 sports. Wetherell’s ‘confusion’ stemmed from the NCAA ordering the school to vacate [...]

05/29/08 It is World Series time. Shortly after this is posted, the Virginia Tech softball team will begin play in the Women’s College World Series. Superstar pitcher Angela Tincher and the rest of the Tech team will be testing themselves against the best there is in the 8-team field. In a way, it will be [...]

05/27/08 The party continues for the Virginia Tech softball team. A week after acting as a sandman to Tennessee’s season in the Knoxville regional, the Hokies rolled into Michigan to tangle with the Wolverettes in the super-regional. After spotting Michigan the opening game to make things interesting and increase ESPN face time for star pitcher [...]