KANSAS'S CAPTIVATING COMEBACK, MEMPHIS'S CATACLYSMIC COLLAPSE, NCAA Tourney Recap, and Boston sports

They were boogeying down to Elvis in Beale Street. Before Mario Chalmers shut them up for good. It was an NCAA final for the ages. Certainly the best I've seen since I started watching March Madness. Memphis had this game, before an unthinkable meltdown in regulation and in overtime cost them the game. They were up 60-51 with 2 minutes left. And then all hell broke loose.

Kansas started fouling Memphis right away, and suddenly Memphis forgot how to shoot free throws. The team that had an Indianapolis Colts run defense-esque revival at the free throw line during the tournament choked when it was all on the line, allowing Kansas to come back in the game, setting up a wild sequence of events that led to Mario Chalmers nailing a 3 to tie it up at 63 with 2 seconds left. Kansas was down by 3. That's THREE. What do you do there, Memphis? You FOUL! It ain't rocket science! Dude. You gotta foul in that situation. But suddenly Memphis found themselves in some kind of mindfuck and Derrick Rose just let Kansas dribble the ball up the court and set up Chalmers for the game tying 3.

Mario Chalmers and Kansas pulled off a MIRACULOUS comeback last night.

And then more funky shit went down with 2 seconds left, as Memphis for some reason decided to inbound the ball without calling a timeout to draw up a play. Was John Calipari CATATONIC?!!!!!! Dumbasses. So Joey Dorsey hurls up a halfcourt shot that didn't even come close and we're going to OT, where Memphis never stood a chance as momentum had already abandoned their side. Derrick Rose fell ice cold and Kansas pulled off an unbelievable comeback.

It's official. Hey Memphis. Kansas drinks your Jack Daniels. They drink it up. Big time. How about that, two major championship games, two thrillers. First Super Bowl XLI, and now the NCAA Title Game. This is turning out to be one hell of a sports year.

This year's tournament was one of the best in recent memory. Let's relive the good, bad, and ugly.

BEST PLAYER: Stephen Curry, Davidson. Yes, he lost in the Elite 8 but he put up a show like no one else this year. Gotta give it to this guy.

BEST GAME: Kansas vs. Memphis. National Title. Hands down.

BIGGEST UPSET: Davidson over Georgetown. I believe I got that one!

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT: Duke. Almost lost to Belmont, then got their asses handed to them by West Virginia.

BEST PLAY: Mario Chalmers. For three!

BEST PERFORMANCE: Stephen Curry 40 points vs. Gonzaga

And congratulations to the Kansas Jayhawks, who have finally overcome the choker label. About damn time, fellas!



Red Sox had their home opener today against the Tigers, after a bizarre international road trip that included stops in Tokyo, Japan, Los Angeles, Oakland, and Toronto, Canada before finally arriving at Fenway. In a nice gesture, they invited Bill Buckner to throw out the first pitch. Buckner admitted that he was tearing up during the ceremony. Classy move. If and when the Cubs finally break through, it might be a good idea to invite Leon Durham, Steve Bartman, or Alex Gonzalez to throw out the first pitch to apologize for their respective banishment into baseball ignominy.



Anyway, the success of Boston sports teams recently has the rest of America wondering: have Boston sports fans been so spoiled lately that they've turned into the denizens of another sports-addicted and arrogant city in the Northeast--New York? I would argue yes, and then some. The Patriots are the new Yankees. The team that everybody hates. Except they're less classy and cheat, both biologically (Rodney Harrison taking HGH) and physically (SpyGate). And with a few titles brought to Fenway and the Celtics' sudden renaissance with the Boston Three Party, Boston fans are relishing in their teams' success a little too much. Success has made Boston into the new New York, in a sports context. They've become the very thing that they've loathed. Ironic? Hell yeah. Do I still root for the Sox when they play the Yanks? Sure. But in other situations, I would love to see Boston teams fail, just to see these arrogant Boston fans writh in agony like they did after Super Bowl XLI. The world is being turned upside down: Boston is becoming the new New York, and New York is becoming the new Boston. Super Bowl XLI helped solidify this trend.

Remember these days? Well...unfortunately after a 2nd World Series and the success of other Boston sports teams in recent years, Average Joe Sawx Fan may be turning into Average Joseph Yankee Fan...

So let's hope the Boston Celtics have a Dallas Maverickian collapse in the playoffs this year so these nutty Boston fans can come back down to earth. On the other side of spectrum...Miami sports fans must be in substantial agony right now. Ugh. It ain't pretty. Dolphins = worst in the NFL. Heat = worst in the NBA. Marlins = bad, but nobody cares. Panthers = who knows and who cares. Miami Hurricanes football = BAD. Ouch. You gotta feel bad for those crazy, tanned kooks down in SoFlo right now.