Let's Dance
Big day at the 5-at-10 compound.
We love the tournament. Heck, who doesn't, right? (Side question: Do we love the tournament or do we love the brackets? Discuss.)
Speaking of contests, we've got more than 50 entries already but it's not too late to enter the "Madly Marching through the March Madness: Last In/First Out Contest." It's easy, email to jgreeson@timesfreepress.com the double-digit seed you think will last the longest and the No. 1 seed you think will be bounced first. (Reminder on scoring: The double-digit guess is worth 1.1 points; the bounced 1 seed is worth 1 point.)
We will post all the entries when the ball is tipped around noon.
Also of note, if you want to be part of a more traditional tournament bracket contest, you can play along with the Press Row crew here and the TFP gang here.
Good luck.
To that end, let's share our picks. (Side bracket question, part II: Do you enter more than one sheet in your office pool? Discuss.)
First, a house-cleaning item. Here are the broadcast teams for the coverage of the tournament. (Side question, part III: Jim Nantz, friend or foe?)
Also of note is this information: Here's the TV listings for EPB customers and Comcast customers since this is the only time of the year any of us need to know where TruTV is located. And this, the schedule with starting times for all of today's and Friday's first-round games.
As for our picks, we have Arizona surviving a tight game with an athletic and long Kentucky team in a round-two game for the ages as the Desert Wildcats make their way to San Antonio.
We like UNC's experience and Villanova's guard play.
We think Michigan State escapes a Duke team that has too many defensive issues.
We'll take Arizona's size and Michigan State's depth in the Final Four match-ups with Arizona winning it all. Hey, in a season that started with an FBI investigation, moved on to the firing of a Hall of Famer like Rick Pitino as Louisville vacated its most recent national title what better way to end than Sean Miller cutting down the nets as the fans chant "FBI! FBI!"
Good times.
Serious shot to NASCAR
OK, sadly much of the discussion about NASCAR around these parts has been negative.
That's not be design or part of a vendetta. Truth be shared, we loved NASCAR back in the day. Part of a fantasy league or two, traveled across the South to several races and even was known to kick back a Co-Cola or three on Sundays watching with some buddies.
As with a lot of life, our personal stages shape our interests and hobbies and that's part of life. But that's my individual story.
The big-picture narrative for NASCAR is much more bleak.
Yes TV numbers have been a consistently negative storyline. Four races into the season, negative is not a strong enough word.
Dire comes to mind. Devastatingly bad seems an appropriate description.
Game-changingly bad.
For the third time in four races, the TV numbers have been historically bad as Daytona, Phoenix and Las Vegas all posted the lowest viewership in their histories, according to Sports Media Watch. All four NASCAR races this season have suffered double-digit dips in ratings from last year, and last year was not exactly a banner year.
In the last two races at Phoenix and Las Vegas failed to crack a 3.0 TV ratings share and did not draw more than 5 million viewers. Each ranked among the lowest 10 rated races ever on Fox. Six of the nine lowest-rated races on Fox happened in 2017 or 2018.
And that's only the extension of the already known negative narrative of the TV ratings.
We also already know that the sport's two most-recognized drivers - Dale Jr. and Danica - are no longer racing. Now add this little tidbit to the France family migraine: Lowe's is ending its relationship with Jimmie Johnson.
Yes, you read that correctly. And in a time when the only news seems to be bad news, drivers and officials and fans have to wonder this: If Jimmie Johnson can't keep a sponsor, Holy Buckets of Lugnuts, how long will the sponsor money keep coming?
Free agency winners/losers
The NFL deals started becoming official on Wednesday afternoon, and another quarterback piece fell as A.J. McCarron signed with the Buffalo Bills. Man, how the big four quarterback prospects shake out in this draft now becomes very interesting, right?
Anyhoo, where were we?
Ah yes, NFL free agency moves.
WINNER: Chicago Bears. Weapons, weapons and more weapons for quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Allen Robinson will be among the league leaders in catches next year.
LOSER: Arizona Cardinals. Buckets, man, how do you sign Sam Bradford for a one-year deal at $20 million and be rumored to be interested in Mike Glennon as well. The moves end up costing the Cardinals Tyrann Mathieu, a versatile, multi-skilled defensive back who makes plays.
WINNER: Nate Solder. The new Giants left tackle landed the richest deal ever for a left tackle, getting a record $15.5 million a season. And that price tag is for a veteran left tackle who has never made a Pro Bowl.
LOSER: New England. We normally give Bill Belichick and the Pats a benefit of the doubt on personnel decisions, and no one is going to miss Dion Lewis or Malcolm Butler. But allowing Solder to walk when there are not a lot of free agent left tackles with starting experience - how thin is the left tackle market Andre Smith is still getting contracts - and the Pats hold pick No. 31 in a very weak tackle draft class seems like a painful loss.
WINNER/LOSER/BROWNS: Well, no one can say the Browns did not roll the dice and try to overhaul a roster that is 1-31 the last two years. New quarterback (Tyrod Taylor), new running back (Carlos Hyde in, Isaiah Crowell out), new wide out (Jarvis landry), new tight end (Darren Fells), new offensive linemen (Chris Hubbard and Donald Stephenson), new defensive end (Chris Smith) and new corners (Travis Carrie and Terrance Mitchell). Will it work? Who knows. But the added pieces also make the direction of picks 1 and 4 even more unknown.
WINNER: New Orleans. The Saints were a freak play away from being in the NFC title game. And they approached this free agent period like a team that knows it has a year or two in a championship window. New Orleans resigned Drew Brees for less than market value and used the extra coin to add pieces in the secondary with Patrick Robinson and Kurt Coleman.
LOSER: Tennessee. The Titans committed almost $130 million in contracts for four free agents - Butler, Lewis, DaQuan Jones and Josh Kline - and we're not sure for all that coin if the Titans got a single game-changer.
This and that
- Klay Thompson, the best No. 3 scoring option on a team in the NBA since James Worthy, has a broken hand. There is a growing conspiracy theory that Thompson injured his hand during the festivities at Steph Curry's 30th birthday party.
- Minor League baseball has changed some rules. Extra innings will start with a runner on second. There will be a pitch clock when no one was on base.
- OK, there are a few places that past sins make current actions more serious and much more egregious. Take this story about two Baylor University football players being involved in an alleged sexual assault. With the tainted history of that program, man, that's a rotten look. Those players have been suspended as coach Matt Ruhle and school officials investigate.
- Baker Mayfield thinks he is the best quarterback in the draft.
- Game of Thrones executives are dropping big-time hints that the final season of the HBO hit show will be full of deaths. Giddy-up.
- Tiger is back at it again this weekend. Keep up with his first round at Bay Hill here.
Today's questions
There are a couple of interesting talking points in the NCAA part above.
Do we love the tournament or do we love the brackets? More than one bracket or n? Jim Nantz, friend or foe?
Feel free to offer up a mailbag question, we have a spot or two open.
As for today, beware the Ides of March. Julius Ceaser was stabbed to death by Brutus on this day in 44 BC.
The first Internet domain name - symbolics.com - was registered on this day in 1985.
Billboard published its first album chart on this day in 1945. The King Cole Trio was the first No. 1.
Slew of birthdays highlighted by Bret Michaels, who is 55 today.
Rushmore of lead signers of the 1980s hair bands.
Go.