NCAA COMES TO THEIR SENSES, WILL ONLY EXPAND TO 68

From everything we were hearing all Winter long it seemed as if it was inevitable that the NCAA was going to expand the greatest event of the sports year to a grotesque 96 teams. Every coach in America (except for UConn's Jim Calhoun) was for this 50% expansion of the NCAA Tournament. More importantly to the NCAA, expansion to 96 seemed like the only way to earn a big, new contract from either CBS or ESPN. For all intensive purposes it was basically all but a done deal.

In fact, I have already gone through the five steps of grief over this issue. First, I denied that the NCAA would ever expand by such a drastic amount. Second, I was angry at the fact the NCAA would ruin their best event just for money. Third, I bargained with myself that maybe the NCAA would settle at 72, 76 or even 80 teams. Fourth, I was depressed looking at my blank 2010 bracket thinking it would be the last time they'd play with 65 teams. Finally, I accepted the fact that they were going to 96 teams when the NCAA announced that would be the best way to expand at the Final Four.

Everyone in the sports world figured when, not if, this move to 96 would become official, but much to most of our delights we awoke to the news of a slight expansion to 68 teams. I have to say I let out a big "YES!" when I opened the link on CNNSI.com. Then, I was like well maybe they have the wrong number. I had to check two or three different sites to make sure it was correct. Phew! It's only 68. The integrity of the tournament stays intact and the regular season still means a little something.

Here's my thinking on why ultimately the NCAA stayed clear of expanding to 96. When I looked at what a 96-team field schedule would look like, I wondered to myself how they were going to pull off the second week. The first weekend would have happened as usual, but the second would have required teams to play three games in five days to get to the Final Four. And that included traveling after the first game! There's no way to can pull a student-athlete out of class for a week, then ask them to play Tues-Thurs-Sat (or Wed-Fri-Sun) in two different cities. Couple that with the first weekend, teams without byes would have had to play 5 games in 9 days. How does a fan follow all of that? It would have been absurd.

Another reason why I think they stayed clear of 96 is much more simple. I think they actually listened to the world. No one I heard was for expansion other than some coaches who wanted more job security. See coaches were thinking by having it easier to make the tournament, they would be more prone to keep their jobs because they'd have more tournament appearances. They tried to say their players deserved the opportunity to play in the tournament, but that was complete crap. They were thinking of themselves and nothing more. Even coaches with no chance of losing their jobs wanted big expansion to make their careers look better. Jim Boeheim from Syracuse consistently has teams on the fringe. Don't you think he knows those NIT appearances don't look good on his all-time resume? What a joke!

Anyway, it was a great relief to see the NCAA stop at 68. I'm sure that expansion will come up again at some point, but at least for the next hand full of years the tourney will stay as it should. I'm also thrilled ESPN didn't get the tournament. They have become utter garbage in how they cover the sports world. Props to CBS and Turner Sports for coming together and taking down the giant in ESPN and getting this deal done. Now please do something about that dreadful Jennifer Hudson version of One Shining Moment! Oh, and I wouldn't mind if newly signed Conan O'Brien did some color commentary for TBS's broadcasts.

Pat Morgan

Quality Over Quantity Could Be Recipe For Sharks

Here we are again. The Sharks are a top seed in the NHL playoffs and the scores do not show that whatsoever. Every game in their Western Conference Quarterfinals against the young and enthusiastic Colorado Avalanche have all been decided by one goal. The last three games have went to overtime, resulting in two Sharks wins and one by the Avalanche. The series is now tied 2-2, with pivotal game 5 scheduled for tonight at 10:30 p.m. at H.P. Pavillion.

The Sharks outshot their opponent 51-17 in Game 3 and had 40 plus shots in Game 4. Not to take anything away from Colorado goaltender Craig Anderson, but there were few shots that were even difficult to stop by NHL standards. From what I've seen, I feel as though San Jose just races down the ice and fires on net, hoping for a lucky bounce and something to go their way. I haven't seen a lot of screening the goalie or setting up decent shots. Yes, the Sharks are by far more talented than the Avalanche, but pure talent does not always result in victories.
Has anyone been paying any attention to the Sharks during recent years? Playoff disappointment after playoff disappointment, resulting in early round exits. I would rather have the Sharks put up 20 quality shots than fire 50 shots that have a very slight chance of going in. As a fan of San Jose, it's getting tiresome watching Anderson make save after save. He is a professional goalie. He will stop easy shots.

The Shark Tank is one of the loudest arenas in hockey, and it should be rocking tonight. There is still a lot of pressure on the Sharks to come through and win this game and series. They have three olympic gold medalists on the front line and neither of them have netted a goal so far. That has to change and it would be nice to see it happen tonight. I know that Anderson can stop a large quantity of mediocre shots. Can he consistently save quality shots from some of the best players in the league? I would like to find out.

Shawn Marosek

Halladay Likely Heading Toward Memorable Season

Practically everyone had predicted before this season that Roy Halladay would win over 20 games and be the unanimous Cy Young award winner in the National League. Many times, predictions such as these don't pan out. Not to worry, this one will.

The Philadelphia Phillies' ace is already 4-0 with a miniscule .82 ERA. He also has two complete games. Whoever has him on their fantasy team, you are going to have a hell of a time every fifth day. I will admit that I thought being in a smaller ballpark might affect the former Blue Jay right-hander, but I was way off. He has been unstoppable and might have the best year a pitcher has had in a very very long time. We are talking about maybe putting up Bob Gibson-like numbers (1.12 ERA in 1968).

Now the rules and ballparks favor the hitters more than they did back in 1968, but it looks as though Halladay could have an ERA in the 1-2 range. Looking at what he has done so far, it is certainly a possiblity. Maybe he doesn't match Gibson's legendary season, but something similar to Dwight Gooden's 1985 season is realistic (24-4 1.53ERA). I don't know what I was thinking. He is a sinkerball pitcher so ballpark size wouldn't have much of an effect on him anyway. For a pitcher to dominate the Yankees and Red Sox and then switch to the National League, it can only equal success.

We can't forget the team he plays for too! The Phillies are hands down the best team in the National League. Even on an off day, Halladay more than likely will pick up the win just because the offense has his back. The general manager got some criticism for not keeping Cliff Lee as well. How's that working out so far?

I am eager to see how Halladay's season will shape up with some of the best that have occurred over the past 35-40 years. Barring any injury, nothing should get in the way of Doc delivering pitch after pitch, resulting in win after win.

Shawn Marosek

Golf and Sex Scandals Don't Mix

So the big event of Tiger Woods coming back into the limelight was too publicized, yet again. There is a plethora of news articles about Woods and his comeback, along with the controversy of the latest Nike commercial, and his losing the Master's title.

Yadda, yadda, yadda. I don't particularly care about golf at all, but I was pleased that Woods botched him big "comeback" to the world of golf, and that Phil Mickelson had won instead. With the media buzzing about the mistresses, Wood's apologies and his Buddhist ways, it's not surprising that most everyone is talking about Woods and his loss this weekend. But what I want to focus on is the fact that Woods is the one person he should blame for everything negative that has gone on in his life; everything the public has been hearing about for months and months.

One. Don't leave golf for a short period of time (what was it, three months?) only to hype up your own comeback. Maybe he did feel bad about the whole cheating on his family thing, but he seemed more concerned about himself in all aspects of his life. If he was really concerned with his family, maybe he wouldn't have cheated with a million women in the first place. Now, I'm not saying that he had to stop golfing in order to fix the damage or whatever you want to call it, but did that actually accomplish anything? I think that all it did was cause even more fervor about Tiger and his escapades, and did nothing to actually help anything but boost his own appearance in the tabloids. That and it led to the controversial Nike commercial... To me it's not controversial. To me, it's just another way Tiger is making money off of his infidelities.

Two. If you are going to hype yourself up, and make all the drama for everyone to hear over and over and over... don't suck at your sport. The moral of the story is, you screwed up in your personal life, which became public to everyone who's ever read a newspaper, watched the news, or watched television in general, and you couldn't even make a good comeback in the sport that made you famous. Maybe instead of running around with women and then going to some sex addiction rehab clinic, or doing commercials, or giving insincere apologies to the entire world, maybe you should have just stuck to playing golf. I was actually very happy that Tiger didn't end up winning the Master's this weekend. If he had, then it would have generated more media about how no matter what he does, Tiger will always be a genius at golf.

Three. If he gets his own reality tv show, I will discontinue my Time Warner Cable service. But unfortunately, I have a feeling something like that is in the works.

Jaclyn Kahn

HOW IS JOE BLANTON WORTH $8 MILLION PER YEAR?

The Philadelphia Phillies have secured yet another man in their rotation for at least the next three years after signing right-hander Joe Blanton to a three-year, $24 million dollar extension. After trading for ace Roy Halladay this offseason, the Phillies are surely the favorite to repeat in the National League East. However, the Blanton deal baffles me. How can he possible be worth that much money? He is an OK pitcher who can be pretty good at times, but $8 million per season for a guy with a lifetime ERA of 4.21! I guess signing an average pitcher, who is RIGHT-HANDED, is not an easy thing to do. If he was left-handed and could throw 90 mph, maybe I could understand this move, but he's not that at all.

Free agent pitcher Joel Piniero also signed for a price similar to Blanton and this was equally hard to believe. The Angels felt like a two-year, $16 million deal was reasonable, even though Piniero hasn't had that great of a career. He did have a good 2009, but that could be credited to Dave Duncan, the best pitching coach in the game. Maybe these guys ARE worth the money, considering how dominant the offenses are in this era. Either way, something doesn't sit right with me when Joe Blanton and Joel Piniero are raking in this kind of cash. I will try not to be surprised when the next ridiculous free agent signing or extension takes place.

Shawn Marosek

THE SEQUEL: JETS AND COLTS TO BATTLE FOR AFC TITLE

The New York Jets are somehow in the AFC Championship Game. That's right. The team that was, according to their coach, "out of the playoffs" after their Week 15 loss to the Atlanta Falcons is one game away from a trip to Miami for Super Bowl XLIV. This is the same group of players that got off to a 3-0 start then managed to lose six of their next seven games. Now they have won seven of their last eight with some help during that stretch. That includes teams who lost as well as teams who rested key starters in the latter part of the season. This rollercoaster of a season continues this Sunday when the Jets take on the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game. These are the same Colts who benched key starters late in the third quarter of their matchup with the Jets in Week 16. Controversy has followed ever since and it all comes full circle now that both teams are facing off again for the right to go to the Super Bowl. It is still hard to believe.

If the Colts lose this game, there will be riots in the streets of Indianapolis. It can be argued that the Colts are the reason why the Jets are even here. Even though Indianapolis only led 15-10 when their starters were pulled from the game, many believe the Jets would not have won. No one will EVER know, but if a bet had to be made, the Colts probably would have pulled it off. Manning has struggled in the postseason before and has lost home playoff games in the past. The entire team looked sharp in last Sunday's 20-3 win against the Ravens, a team that is known for their road playoff success. A late touchdown pass at the end of the first half really hurt Baltimore's chances of coming out on top. The Colts defense is certainly underrated and could be a concern for the Jets. They are awfully quick and could slow the running game down. The Jets' bread and butter is pounding the ball. We will see who gets the edge.

Now we get to the Jets. A team full of young players who jumped out to a fast start this season. Then they hit rock bottom. Then soared again. Now they are one game away from football's biggest game. A rookie quarterback at the helm who basically has been instructed to make a few key plays and not screw up. In the end, that's what he has done so far in these playoffs. The running game has been the league's best all year. They were shut down in the first half of their divisional game against the Chargers, but eventually wore down their opponent with the tandem of Thomas Jones, Shonn Greene and a stellar offensive line. Their defense flustered Philip Rivers, especially in the 2nd half, which included a Jim Leonard interception to set up the Jets' first touchdown. Even though the Jets were 9-7 during the regular season, they have a bunch of talent on this team. Young talent that should give the Jets a promising future. However, these opportunities do not come around very often. Just ask Dan Marino, who went to the Super Bowl in his first season only to never return again during the rest of his career. The Jets have a chance to do something incredible Sunday. If they pull it off, what an upset and story it would be. Suffering Jets fans, many of which have never seen their team reach the Super Bowl, could be rejoicing by Sunday evening. As a devoted fan, I hope that will be the case.

Shawn Marosek

THE TIGER MOVIE

So yeah, we've all heard enough about Tiger Woods, but CNNSI created a cast list should someone make a Tiger movie. I thought it was pretty good. Click the picture to enlarge it!