Midweek Musings and the Phat Dap/Head Slap

Its the anitcipation that is killin me. That and the overkill analysis that ESPN is doing. I'm just getting tired of everyone and their brother giving their spin on the respective conference championships. I mean, I am going to analyze the games on Friday but the spin and re-spin on it is getting to be a little much. That said, I will refrain from putting a lot of spin on the war of words coming from the Chargers so far this week. But I dont think it too good an idea to poke an already known dangerous junkyard dog.

Before I drop my Phat Dap/Head Slap of the week. I wanted to give a coming preview. Besides football being a big love of mine. I love basketball. If you have read my thoughts on my profile you know that I like college basketball immensely. I like pro basketball somewhat, but my once favorite team the Timberwolves traded my favorite player to a team that I cannot root for. Sorry Celt fans I grew up detesting the Green and White, I respect them but I cant bring myself to root for them. But my real passion is college basketball.
There are few things that are more exciting than a college basketball game, I'm fortunate to live in an area that is a hotbed of hoops. I can point in virtually any direction on the compass and be no more than 2.5 hours from a basketball school. Cincinnnati, Xavier,Miami of Ohio, Dayton, Wright State, Butler, Ohio State, Kentucky, Louisville (ick), Indiana are all a decent drive from me. I could realistically go to a different basketball venue every day of the week and see some of the best teams in the country. So after the local interests in pro & college football die down (In this area they quiet down they dont die off) The interest in college ball heats up. There is a pro basketball team in the area to be sure. The Indiana Pacers have a loyal following, and the Cavs draw some interest on this of the state only because of LeBron James but by and large the focal point is about college basketball.
I have been known as a football prognasticator and that I'm proud of, but soon my focus will turn to college basketball and the spec sheet.
What is this? My breakdown of the coming March Madness. I love the tournament, but I espcecially love the scramble for the 65 berths. So after the Super Bowl analysis, twice a week until selection sunday you will be able to see my takes on who I think will and will not get in the tournament. I did this on my other blog for the last three years and last year I got 62 teams correct of 65 right. (I didn't see Miami of Ohio making its run to the tourney, for example)I'm not as detailed as some. I have no idea of what the matchups in the tourney, but I love to speculate on who will get in. The fun isn't picking the obvious ones, its the ones on the proverbial bubble that are the most fun to spec on. So get ready, I'm already reading up on teams and watching more games than a rational person should. I'll keep you abreast on who to watch and the players you might not know that you will undoubtedly hear cats like Bill Raftery, Sean McDonough and Len Elmore cooing over. This is hype you need to believe, the spec sheet is coming!
Ok, now that we have that bit of advertisment out of the way. Its time to give out this weeks award.

PHAT DAP
I usually loath to give credit to Packers in any way, but I have to give one to Ryan Grant who shook off a nasty case of the fumbles to rush for 201 yards and 3 scores in the Packers rout of the Seahawks. See kids, good things happen when you keep ya head up. I also have to give one to Billy Volek, ask the Colts if he is still in this league. Volek stepped in for a hurt Philip Rivers and led the Chargers on a game winning drive in the noisy din that is the RCA Dome. You have to give dap for a cat always being on the ready. The final dap of the week goes to Eli Manning, I know I've been one that has been knocking him for a good part of the year, but he has come through like a champ leading his G-Men to a stunning upset of the Pokes. No one will ever mistake Eli for older brother Peyton, but his efficent play has gotten the Giants to the NFC title game, somewhere no one expected them to be.

HEAD SLAP
Wade Phillips could get one for his clueless comments about how the Cowboys were still the better team after being beaten by the Giants. Uh, Wade did you check the scoreboard? And you do realize the Packers are NOT coming to Dallas this Sunday??? And I could give one to Philip Rivers who was yapping at Indy fans after his Chargers pulled the stunning upset. First of all, Phil you were on the sideline for the winning score so though you contributed mightily you weren't the key element. Second, there is a thing called winning with class. You win, you just smile and extend an index finger, yapping with fans is stupid and makes you that much more of a target. And one should go to the Indy fans that booed the little girl that won the Pass, Punt and Kick contest and had the nerve to be wearing a Pats jersey. I thought that Colts fans had a little more sense that to do that. The Pats will have this young lady at the coin toss at the AFC title game so she can get the cheers she rightfully deserves.
But this weeks Head Slaps go to two people that should know better. Adam Pacman Jones who you would think would have the fool sense enough to stay out of strip clubs considering the trouble that it gets him. He has allegedly sucker punched a lawyer in a strip club. Thats bad enough but then sucker punching a female lawyer, Pacman is rapidly blowing his chances of ever doing what made him the money to be able to frequent such high end establishments. Though the lawyer who made the allegations has just recently dropped the allegations. One has to wonder why Jones would even put himself in that situation. The other slap goes to someone that I cant figure out how he can be so stupid. Our old buddy OJ Simpson who against good sense tried to contact a co-defendant in his armed robberyt case. He tried to pass a message through his bail bondsman who turned the message over to prosecutors. Simpson's idiotic act got him a nice reward, a doubling of his bail from $125K to $250K. Hey OJ, you are already a marked man in this country anyway, its bad enough that you are to soon be on trial for armed robbery, you aren't helping yourself in any manner by doing stupid stuff that draws the ire of the court. Both of these knucklehead need to take this slap upside the head and stay home to stay out of trouble.

The conference championships will be previewed Friday, Until Next Post Fellow Sports Fans!