Ramon's News & Views:Thoughts on the Final Four and More

It's like Lotto, you've got to be in it to win it... The University of Gondwanaland has opened up a sizable lead heading into the Final Four after correctly picking all of the Great Eight and Final Four teams with bonus points coming from moneyball team Michigan State. However, Three Boys on Antibiotics still has a chance if his moneyball team, also Michigan State, can make all of us sick by winning the tournament and fooling the pundits into thinking Big Ten basketball has any relevance and is more exciting than watching a high school practice. I think he will also need to pick up the NIT and women's bonus points to win it, though... Only the wallets at the NCAA could take one of the greatest sporting events the world has to offer and try to suck the atmosphere out of it by playing most of the regionals in half-full domed football fields. At least there was the FedEx Forum, one of the best arenas in the country that anyone within a two-hour drive should have already visited... Although it will have its critics, count me as one of the many eagerly anticipating "High School Musical 4: Where's Chang?"... Memo to Dick Enberg: I know they wouldn't allow it at Wimbledon unless it's someone in the locker room who just got beat by Federer, but it's OK to say "40 minutes of hell" during a college basketball broadcast, especially when it's already past 10 p.m... Yes, the Bulls of yore are hard to top, but for my money starting line-ups don't get better than Moses Guthrie, Rev. Grady Jackson, Jamal Malik Truth, Bullet Haines, and Winston Runninghawk... Amen Corner? Try amen when I don't have to hear about "The Masters" every 10 minutes... I agree with the guy about Coke Zero. The other guy shouldn't have had the whole bottle because what is the point without sugar and caffeine... My annual prediction for Razorback football: The UA will send me more e-mails touting Dodge trucks that are disguised as sports news... I can't put my finger on it, but there is something about this year's tournament coverage on CBS that is making it the best year ever... If you are talking about the art of eating pancakes, you are talking about me at Ozark Mountain Smokehouse, my friend... The good thing about Michigan State's uniforms is that the players can also go as Green Lantern for Halloween... See you at Wrestlemania 25.

Final Four standings

(with championship pick followed by runner-up)

198 - University of Gondwanaland (North Carolina-Connecticut)
164 - Three Boys on Antibiotics (Michigan State-Pittsburgh)

163 - The Creature Who Calls Himself Trelane (North Carolina-Connecticut)
162 - Grady and Melvin (Louisville-North Carolina)

155 - Aunt Jemina's love for eating at Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles while once again losing the Dr. Judo NCAA Tournament (North Carolina-Memphis)
154 - Late Night With Vinegar Bend Mizell and the Doobie Sullivan Orchestra (Louisville-North Carolina)
153 - Mean Gene the Vaccinator (North Carolina-Louisville)
152 - More Cowbell (Connecticut-Villanova)
151 - The Stimulus Package (Oklahoma-Connecticut)
151 - Mr. Lawson’s House of Pain (Louisville-Duke)

150 - Sleepless in Russellville (Louisville-Oklahoma)
147 - Chief Goodwill (Pittsburgh-Louisville)

146 - UnTouchable Force Organization (Memphis-North Carolina)
146 - PBR on T-A-P (Louisville-North Carolina)
145 - Exposition Headache (Louisville-North Carolina)
143 - Ballistic Bulldogs (Duke-Memphis)
143 - The Party Starter (Memphis-North Carolina)

143 - Hottie Hog (Memphis-Duke)
142 - The Teacher (Pittsburgh-Memphis)
140 - D. Romeo (Louisville-North Carolina)
140 - Everybody's Bitch (Oklahoma-Kansas)
138 - Danger Bro 1, Johnny Speed (Louisville-Pittsburgh)
138 - Purple Cat (Louisville-North Carolina)

137 - DJ Jazzy Josh (Connecticut-North Carolina)

134 - Who Watches Pygsterio? (Louisville-Pittsburgh)
131 - The Karaoke Master (Pittsburgh-Memphis)
129 - Danger Bro 2, Jack Turbo (Memphis-North Carolina)
128 - Ouzo Effect (Pittsburgh-Louisville)
126 - Sam Dellinger (Memphis-Duke)
122 - L.R. Pound (Syracuse-Memphis)
115 - Bonner Bobblehead Fan (North Carolina-Louisville)
99 - Nice Guy Eddie the Partyball Courier (Louisville-Syracuse)

50 - My imaginary friend "Curt" (Wake Forest-Butler)

Great Eight standings

Standings through Friday's games...

163 - University of Gondwanaland
154 - Grady and Melvin
147 - The Creature Who Calls Himself Trelane
146 - Late Night With Vinegar Bend Mizell and the Doobie Sullivan Orchestra
145 - Mean Gene the Vaccinator
145 - Three Boys on Antibiotics
143 - The Stimulus Package
143 - Hottie Hog
142 - Sleepless in Russellville
139 - Chief Goodwill
139 - Aunt Jemina's love for eating at Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles while once again losing the Dr. Judo NCAA Tournament
138 - UnTouchable Force Organization
137 - Exposition Headache
135 - Mr. Lawson's House of Pain
135 - The Party Starter
134 - Who Watches Pygsterio?
134 - The Teacher
132 - Everybody's Bitch
130 - Purple Cat
130 - Danger Bro 1, Johnny Speed
128 - More Cowbell
128 - Ouzo Effect
127 - Ballistic Bulldogs
126 - Sam Dellinger
124 - D. Romeo
123 - The Karaoke Master
122 - L.R. Pound
121 - Danger Bro 2, Jack Turbo
121 - DJ Jazzy Josh
107 - Bonner Bobblehead Fan
99 - Nice Guy Eddie the Partyball Courier
41 - My imaginary friend "Curt"

X - PBR on Tap

Go Mike Anderson!

Straight getting it done once again in the NCAA tournament.

A Change (of Pants) You Can Believe in

Submitted by Danger Bro 2, Jack Turbo.

A Change (of Pants) You Can Believe in

Submitted by Danger Bro 2, Jack Turbo.

Ramon's News & Views: Hitting it in the Sweet Sixteen Edition

After the tour quits, it's time to make more hits... Taking a well-deserved lead after the first week of games is Grady and Melvin, who have only missed three games in the South and East regions and have racked up the points thanks to moneyball teams Missouri, Marquette, and Maryland... Speaking of Missouri, has any coach in America ever put it to Frank Broyles harder than Mike Anderson, straight getting it done yet again in the NCAA tournament? Good call, Frank. A lot of people picked Missouri to go this far but have them being stopped by the Caliparis. Not so fast, my friends... The Brady family does not get the credit it deserves from the sports world for its pioneering use of artificial turf... The big-money-grip team in the tournament so far has been Western Kentucky, which provided a six-point bounce as the kids say for anyone who had them in the upset and as a moneyball team. But I can promise you that back in the day Western Kentucky would still be so rattled from the heckling it got at the Sun Belt tournament that it would have been a quick exit... Will these lame commercials for something called "The Masters" ever stop? This is supposed to be some exciting sporting event they do somewhere?... The art of MCing has reached its low point with the work of Plies... If Michigan State somehow makes it to the championship game, I am going to throw up on your bracket and mail it back to you, Three Boys on Antibiotics... From Bonner Bobblehead Fan: "Just curious, who other than me knows who Vinegar Bend Mizell is? For that matter, what is 'the Doobie Sullivan Orchestra'?"... Looking back, maybe Discount Records really was a better way to get music to the people... Yeah, watching the NCAA tournament is great, but nothing says the weekend like Old Spice ESPNU lacrosse. Next stop, the regionals.


Sweet Sixteen standings

118 - Grady and Melvin
115 - Mean Gene the Vaccinator
115 - Ballistic Bulldogs
115 - Chief Goodwill
112 - University of Gondwanaland
112 - Three Boys on Antibiotics
111 - Mr. Lawson's House of Pain
111 - The Party Starter
110 - The Stimulus Package
109 - Aunt Jemina's love for eating at Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles while once again losing the Dr. Judo NCAA Tournament
108 - The Creature Who Calls Himself Trelane
106 - Sleepless in Russellville
105 - Purple Cat
104 - Hottie Hog
104 - Who Watches Pygsterio?
103 - L.R. Pound
102 - Sam Dellinger
102 - UnTouchable Force Organization
101 - The Teacher
101 - Late Night With Vinegar Bend Mizell and the Doobie Sullivan Orchestra
100 - Danger Bro 1, Johnny Speed
99 - Everybody's Bitch
98 - Ouzo Effect
97 - DJ Jazzy Josh
94 - D. Romeo
93 - The Karaoke Master
92 - Exposition Headache
91 - Nice Guy Eddie the Partyball Courier
89 - Bonner Bobblehead Fan
85 - Danger Bro 2, Jack Turbo
23 - My imaginary friend "Curt"

X - More Cowbell