Why is the (east coast) media doubting the Reds & Rangers?

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Bronson Arroyo on Sunday, April 3

Considering we’re looking mostly at ESPN, that question may seem rhetorical, but even some guys at the venerable MLB Network (a fantastic channel) were picking the Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland Athletics, Anaheim Angels and others to unseat the defending NL Central and AL West champs.

It’s still quite early, and I don’t gamble nor predict — especially in baseball where nothing is guaranteed and parity reigns supreme — but I’m pretty confident Cincinnati and Texas will be “just fine” in 2011.

The teams have opened a combined 9-0.

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For Butler, It Was Not One Shining Moment…But Ten

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Let’s just get a few things out of the way:

Connecticut is an incredible basketball team. What they accomplished over the past month is truly something to be admired. They played with an almost unmatched intensity at both ends of the floor, and are certainly worthy champions.

Kemba Walker – not Jimmer Fredette, Nolan Smith, or Jared Sullinger – is by far the best player in college basketball. He is offensively breathtaking, and always gives his all on both ends of the floor. He was an awesome leader on a worthy champion.

Jim Calhoun is a great coach. Even though this championship may not count some day, and his ethics have always been questionable at best, you can’t argue with the numbers: 850 wins, .700 winning percentage, 3 national titles and 11 Big East Championships.

Go ahead and compare those numbers with Bobby Knight…you will be stunned. And trust me, I don’t throw around Bobby Knight comparisons lightly.

Really, I don’t want to take anything away from the Huskies today. They beat Butler at their own game: they won ugly.

All of that said, this loss hurts worse than most.

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Jon Washburn @The_Dr_Twitch

March Madness 2011 Media Coverage Review

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The annual 3½ week television run of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament sadly (or maybe mercifully) ended Monday night. I look forward to the event every year, especially because NOT ONE SHINING MOMENT (or even a dull moment) of it airs on ESPN.

Here is my critique on the television coverage, which was generally solid but did have its hiccups.

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A Look Back at Indiana’s 1989 Recruiting Class – And a Look Forward to 2012

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Recently, Jeremy Hollowell from Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis (or Lawrence—unigov complicates things) made a verbal commitment to Indiana. He’s the fifth high-profile recruit from the class of 2012 (and the third from the ESPNU Super 60) to commit to Indiana.

The Hoosiers’ 2012 class is shaping up to be one of the best in the nation and may end up being IU’s best crop of incoming freshman since the celebrated 1989 class. If Tom Crean can add Gary Harris, the Hoosier faithful will really have something to get excited about.

Like the 1989 group, the 2012 class includes several top players from the Hoosier State, headlined by top-30 recruits Yogi Ferrell (who just led Park Tudor to a 2A state title) and Hanner Perea.

Hoosier fans—who have spent the last couple years watching Butler cut down nets, Purdue contend for Big 10 titles, and Kentucky reclaim its spot among the nation’s elite—have high hopes for these 2012 recruits. Indeed, the last class to arrive in Bloomington with such high expectations was the 1989 class. The Chicago Tribune’s Barry Temkin asked whether the seven freshman IU recruited in 1989 comprised the “greatest recruiting class ever”—not just at Indiana, but anywhere.

I remember that group well, having watched several of the “Stupendous Seven” (as Dick Vitale once called them) play in high school and having attended my share of Indiana games in the late 80s and early 90s. So I decided to take a closer look at the seven players from that 1989 class, the expectations they brought with them, and the results.

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Butler loses title game again, but no longer Cinderella

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The Butler Bulldogs have been known as the Cinderella story of the last two NCAA tournaments, finishing as the runner-up two years in a row.

It was fair to call them a Cinderella last season, but the label must be removed after another appearance in the championship game.

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‘One Shining Moment’ Video for 2011 NCAA Championship – Connecticut over Butler

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Well, it wasn’t how I thought or wanted the NCAA title game to go, but watching “One Shining Moment” made me tear up like it always does. I can’t help it…I’m a basketball dork who grew in Indiana. Not a lot puts tears in my eyes, but “One Shining Moment” always does.

Coach Crean, I expect to have at least a few IU moments in next year’s.

Discussion for another day; enjoy this year’s video, which features a solid rendition from Luther Vandross and, of course, plenty of clips of Butler, UConn, and some timely editing on the words “shooting star.” [Read more...]

Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.com



UConn beats Butler to win National Championship

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Every MSF writer who posited thoughts this week on tonight’s Butler-UConn National Championship game picked Butler to win. We also railed against the media for not giving Butler the credit that we felt they deserved.

While I doubt any of us will apologize for the latter, we were all proven wrong on the former.

So on behalf of the MSF team, which worked extremely hard this March to provide tournament coverage, let me say this about our title game predictions: we were wrong.

Congratulations to Connecticut. Any team that goes from Big East Tournament 9 seed to National Champion, without losing in between, is a deserving champion. This was an historic run that will most likely never be duplicated, and the Huskies should be unequivocally commended.

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Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.com



6 Reasons Brad Stevens Will Not and Should Not Leave Butler

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Editor’s note: I wrote the post below on March 20th, soon after Butler defeated Pittsburgh to advance to the Sweet 16. I am bringing it back to the front of the site because the questions about Brad Stevens’ future have only intensified since that win, with Butler now sitting on the precipice of the most unlikely NCAA title of all-time.

Since I wrote this, many other posts have come out parroting these points – with some doing this extremely well and adding further insight, like Dan Wetzel today. For those wondering why Brad Stevens would eschew more money and seemingly “bigger” jobs to remain at Butler, this post explains it.

As soon as the final buzzer sounded to officially conclude Butler’s thrilling victory over Pittsburgh (or wait – was that a whistle!?) it was inevitable: the talk of Brad Stevens leaving Indy for seemingly greener coaching pastures.

For example, I tweeted (only half-jokingly) that I was going to add a category to my bracket predictions for next year that awards a point “if your coach is Brad Stevens.” Immediately I received this response from Twitter user @EricJDoll: “So Tennessee gets an automatic bonus point?” I responded that there is no way Stevens will be in Knoxville next year and that the Tennessee job isn’t nearly as good a job as the Butler gig that Stevens already has. @EricJDoll responded: “I hope he stays at Butler, but somebody is going to throw A LOT of money at him this summer.”

And he’s right. There is absolutely no hotter coaching name than Brad Stevens, and a number of high profile schools would probably fire their current coach if they knew they could bring in Stevens. So any big conference team in a BCS conference would gladly throw buckets of money at Stevens to lure him away from Indy. But it ain’t happening.

In this post, I’m going to outline a number of reasons that those buckets of money will not and should not matter. Brad Stevens is going to be a ‘Dawg for a long, long time.

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Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.com



‘One Shining Moment’ Videos: Midwest Edition

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Tonight is one of my favorite nights of the sports year. Not only will a new champion be crowned in my favorite sport, college basketball, but we also get to relive the best moments of another thrilling March Madness with the incomparable “One Shining Moment” montage after the game.

I wanted to post a few “One Shining Moment” videos in advance of tonight’s Butler-UConn title game to whet everyone’s appetite. They are all so equally awesome – well, other than the Jennifer Hudson one, but luckily Luther is back this year – that unless I picked very specific criteria, I’d end up embedding every one.

So below are the “One Shining Moment” videos I could find since it began in 1986 (in large part thanks to Doug Towey, who passed away last year) that feature national champions from the Midwest.

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Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.com



National Championship Game Quick Preview & Live Blog

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Tonight one of the most exciting and unpredictable NCAA Tournaments that I can remember will end with either Butler or Connecticut being crowned NCAA Champion.

The game tips off late, but we’ll be live blogging right here as we’ve done for so much of the tournament thus far.

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Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.com



5’10 dunk champ Jacob Tucker and stationary start Fosbury flopper prove Wesley Snipes was full of crap

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Who says white men can’t jump?

Just over the last week I’ve seen a video and an animated GIF that disprove this age-old cliche in athletics – or, at the very least, provide compelling exceptions to the “rule”.

Quick, someone go get Wesley Snipes and make sure he sees this.

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Email the author of this post: jerod@midwestsportsfans.com



Butler Bulldogs continue to be doubted and disrespected by “pompous” and “foolish” East Coast media

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Vegas has, unsurprisingly but irresponsibly, made UCONN a 4 point favorite over Butler tonight. All but two brave souls (Hubert Davis and Doug Gottlieb) at Connecticut-based ESPN picked the Huskies to beat the Bulldogs. Until the VCU game, I do not know ANY ESPN jerks who picked Butler.

I know Duke alum Seth Davis — one of the worst prognosticators on earth, despite spending every hour of his privileged life obsessing about 19 year olds bouncing an orange ball –  and others at CBS have picked against Butler every time this and last March (until perhaps Saturday, since BU played another so-called “mid major”).

Butler won every game – sans the three inch decision versus Duke one year ago tonight. (A game I attended)

After Kentucky & Connecticut set basketball fundamentals back 50 years with one of the most undisciplined, schoolyard style, poorly-played, terribly-coached second halves in tourney history Saturday night, the cliche elites are saying “Kemba Walker is too good for Butler.”

Seth Davis, who’s never missed a chance to pick against Butler the past two tourneys, told Sporting News Radio this morning, ”Kemba Walker won’t let Connecticut lose.” Yeah, Sethy, because Shelvin Mack, Ron Nored and Matt Howard have definitely proven they’re willing to let Butler lose over the years.”

Foolish. [Read more...]

AJ Kaufman is the Co-Editor of MSF. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ajkauf7

As the NCAA Tournament will later tonight, the Captain Morgan BracketMaster Challenge Names Its Champion

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As you may remember, a few weeks or so ago MSF had our very own Morganette, Erica, participating in the Captain Morgan BracketMaster Challenge presented by Spike.com.

We didn’t win, but but either Kelly or Nicole will be named the National Champion Morganette in all the land, so congratulations to those two lovely ladies. (As of 9:00 this morning, Nicole was winning 68%-32%, so it looks like she’ll be the winner.)

Update: Nope! Kelly won. Congrats to her and Joshua Estrin of Examiner and Celeb Buzz.

Hmm, I wonder how one would go about celebrating a Captain Morgan-sponsored event championship? Hopefully responsibly, at least.

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Butler Bulldogs just keep playing winning basketball on the court despite still losing “on paper”

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Editor’s note: this was originally posted last week, but I’m bringing back to the front of the site for those who missed it. Great work by Twitch. And here is his analysis and prediction for tonight’s National Championship game between Butler and UConn.

Butler wasn’t big enough.

Old Dominion was the BEST rebounding team in the nation. Sure, Butler had finished up a solid season, but they were nowhere near the same level of a year ago.

They were too thin up front. Howard and Smith were certain to get in foul trouble, and as soon as that happened, the Bulldogs wouldn’t be able to keep the best team from the Colonial League off the boards.

Butler really had no chance.

On paper…

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Jon Washburn @The_Dr_Twitch

5 Reasons Chicago Blackhawks Are Set For Another Stanley Cup Run

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The Chicago Blackhawks did not start the last week of the NHL season off right, losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0. Adding to the problem were win by Dallas and Calgary, moving wach to just points away from grabbing the eighth seed from the ‘Hawks.

Plagued by mediocre defense and lack of depth in the regular season, repeating has looked like an almost impossible task for the defending Stanley Cup champions.

While there may be some forces working against the ‘Hawks, there are some that still are in their favor.

Here are five reasons the ‘Hawks have a chance to repeat their 2010 playoff run in 2011.

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