Bracket Time

March is here, and that means madness will begin. Before you get ready to fill out your brackets and write down your final four, might want to read this article first. Here are 5 facts, plus my final four predictions.

1. Fear the Cats

I am not just talking about Kentucky, but Missouri as well. Kentucky lost today to a solid Vanderbilt team, but that was a good thing. The last team to go undefeated and win the national championship was Bobby Knight’s IU team in the 70’s. I know Kentucky wasn’t undefeated, but they were pretty close. With this loss I feel that they can go into the tournament with a new drive and is the favorite to go all the way.

The other cat to watch out for is the Missouri Tigers. They didn’t get a 1 seed, but they are dangerous. They had 30 wins, and went 9-1 versus top 50 teams. They are definitely battle tested.

2. The Big East is overrated

Top seed Syracuse showed a lot of weaknesses in the Big East Tournament. Cincy is only there because the NCAA and the University of Cincinnati didn’t kick Yancy Gates out. Marquette also looked weak in the conference tournament. Louisville, who won the tournament, has the best team in my opinion.

3. The Big Ten is loaded.

Obviously with MSU getting a 1 seed, it shows that playing a tough schedule does pay off. They have a very favorable schedule and should do well. Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan all have teams that can win a few games and maybe get into the sweet 16. The one team who has the most favorable road to New Orleans has to be Ohio State. They have Syracuse as a 1 seed, and can beat the orange if they end up playing against each other.

4. Mid Majors will make runs

Excluding Kentucky’s bracket, I think that there are mid major teams that could end up in the final four. I think that St. Mary’s is a team that is loaded with talent, and has the big men and guards to knock out power teams. Xavier is also a team that people need to watch out for, along with Gonzaga and Memphis.

5. Final Four

I could just say all number 1 seeds are going to go, but that would make the bracket no fun. I think Kentucky is going to win the national championship, so obviously I feel they will be a strong enough team to make a deep run. I would like to say State will go to New Orleans, but I think they rely too much on Draymond Green. The last time they won the Big 10 tournament as a 1 seed they ran the table and won it all. I will stick with state and see how that goes. Kansas has a pretty easy schedule and with this week off they can get ready. Bill Self knows what it takes to get there and will lead his team to Louisiana. The last one may surprise you; I think Florida State will make a run. The same team that beat Duke and UNC 4 times this year. This isn’t fact but I have a good feeling about 3 of these picks.

Risky Investment

In the coming weeks NFL teams will be going crazy to try and fill their roster and address needs. Some people may be thinking Manning is the top free agent, but they are just not correct. I will give you 5 reasons why Peyton Manning isn’t worth the money and risk.

1. Playoff Record

I know this may shock a lot of people; Peyton holds a 9-10 playoff record. I know he has been with the Colts, but for a top free agent, and “best quarterback ever” that is a poor playoff record. He has played against some pretty bad teams and lost (2010 Jets) and doesn’t always come through in the clutch and will go to a team that probably doesn’t have the same offensive talent as some of the teams he has played with in the past.

2. Age

Manning is going to be 35. Most professional athletes fall off when they hit their early to mid thirties. I know that Peyton has been really good at avoiding hits, and saving his body, but father time still has an effect. Not playing a game last year saved his body, so at least he should be fresh.

3. Team options

If Manning wants a real shot at the super bowl, he will have to create it himself. The teams that are the closest to a championship already have quarterbacks of the present. The Giants, Packers, Saints, Patriots, Ravens, Steelers and Falcons all have young quarterbacks who can lead their respective team to the title game. There are rumors about the Texans, but they wouldn’t just dump Matt Schaub, especially when he was playing his best football before he got injured. The Cardinals are a defense away from being competitive. The Seahawks don’t have a consistent offensive line, and their defense is getting older. The Broncos who really could use a real quarterback, won’t give up on Tebow. The Dolphins are the only team that makes sense, and even they don’t have a straight shot at wining the division let alone the conference.

4. Health

I guess this goes with age, but I will put it in a subcategory. Manning has had 4 neck surgeries and hasn’t taken a snap in a year. His body will eventually give out at some point. The biggest question about his health has to be in the future. How can his body handle a linebacker running full speed and nailing him to the ground? I don’t think James Harrison, Patrick Willis or Ray Lewis will take it easy because they feel bad Manning is just coming back.

5. Money

So Manning has 3 years left (my personal guess), and will demand around 15-17 million dollars a year. So the max contract would be 51 million dollars over 3 years. Only Tom Brady and possibly Drew Brees would have annual salaries bigger than that. If you take into consideration the salary cap, and the hit of 15 million dollars, then half the teams I mentioned aren’t really feasible options.

In the end, signing Peyton Manning might be more of a headache than a good idea.

Brotherly Love?

Does the NBA need to contract the league? Some avid basketball fans would say no, but I really believe that if they don’t contract then the league will fall through eventually. Let us start with the realization that the NBA has become a pick up game. All the stars want to go and pair with their buddies and play with a loaded team. You had Lebron and Chris Bosh team up with Dwayne Wade, Blake and CP3 team up and Deron Williams is going to go somewhere to play with another star. By making a set of super teams does it really help the league? No not in the current format.

Only 8 teams last year were profitable when it was all said and done. Yes I did say 8, not 8 in each conference, 8 total. Not Milwaukee or Sacramento or the Pistons. The attendance is at an all time low right now. Detroit for instance averages 13, 344, and just to put it into perspective when Michigan played Oakland University at the Palace, the attendance was 17,000. With just that stat alone it shows that people really don’t care about professional basketball.

Why don’t people have the passion for basketball as they once did? Well to start the game is filled with teenagers who think they are all that. Of the All-star starters only Chris Paul had played more than 2 seasons in college. The game has a youth movement and it has really become more selfish. That also goes with the ego of players growing, which society plays a factor in that. The other big reason is that all the skilled players team up.

When Dwight Howard becomes a free agent this summer, he will not look at Golden State, Charlotte, Utah or Portland. He will look at New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami. He wants to win a championship, but also wants to be with other superstars. There is no parity in the game today. Let us look at the top 3 seeds in each conference, Chicago (Boozer, Rose), Miami(James, Wade, Bosh) and Philly(Andre, Elton Brand). In the west, OKC(Westbrook, Durant), LA Clippers (Paul, Griffin, Jordan) and San Antonio (Duncan, Parker). All of these teams have more than one superstar and these are the teams that players look to go to.

If I was running the NBA I would condense the league down to 20 teams, or make a cap on players so the top players can’t team up. If the league keeps the structure it currently has, I think the game will keep going down the tube.