Wake up baseball fans, it's Opening Day 2023!!!

It's a special day. The Boys of Summer are back. Spring is in the air. The grass is green. Stadiums are packed. Cue the National Anthem. 

It's an opportunity to fall back in love with Baseball. Every team starts with high expectations as every team is tied for first place. It's also a time to sit back and listen to the famous Field of Dreams monologue by the great James Earl Jones.

 Ray, people will come, Ray.

They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway, not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past.

“Of course, we won’t mind if you look around,” you’ll say. “It’s only twenty dollars per person.” They’ll pass over the money without even thinking about it. For it is money they have and peace they lack.

And they’ll walk out to the bleachers, and sit in shirt-sleeves on a perfect afternoon. They’ll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they’ll watch the game, and it’ll be as if they’d dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, they’ll have to brush them away from their faces.

People will come, Ray.

The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball.

America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It’s been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time.

This field, this game — it’s a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and it could be again.

Ohhhhhhhh, people will come, Ray. People will most definitely come.

I can't recall my first opening day but I surely skipped school (Mom said I had a stomach ache) along with my best buddy Greg Soehner to take the 7Monroe bus down to Norton Street to cheer on my Rochester Red Wings. I didn't grow up in a major league city but Rochester was the next best city to enjoy our national pastime. Red Wing Stadium later Silver Stadium was an old time baseball facility with a capacity of just over 11,000 offering close to the action and not a bad seat in the house. Concession stands featured Tobin First Prize White hots and I can admit never passing up the opportunity to indulge. Never remember how man times the home team opened with a win but what mattered most was being in the crowd and celebrating Opening Day.

I've had a couple of opportunities to be present for Arizona Diamondback opening days. Always exciting to take in the opening ceremonies and feel the anxiousness of the rookies who are making their major league debut. It always bring me back to my youth, skipping school and attending the inaugural game of a new season. I've have had a true lifetime of celebrating Baseball on its Opening Day..

It's now time to say: Play Ball 

 It's taken me a day or two to come to the realization of just what exactly happened over the weekend, creating a Final Four that no one would have expected. It's the weirdest ever.

I heard on the Dan Patrick show Monday morning, a $100 Vegas parley bet on Florida Atlantic, UCONN, San Diego St and Miami reaching the Final Four would have paid out $9 Million. Of all the friendly bracket busters I entered, not one and I repeat not one entry had any of the current Final Four as a winner. Effectively, all these brackets ended somewhere around the Sweet 16 or earlier. It's on to next year.

My impression having watched these games are centered around rooster construction. I was taken back time and time again to to hear the announcers comment how entire teams were built around the transfer portal. The NCAA has given players not only the freedom to seek new schools but also the ability to cash in of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness). It's in my very humble opinion taken the word College out of what I deemed to be student-athletes.

Charles Barkley, Sunday on 60 Minutes called out the NCAA and the new transfer and NIL rules, stating in a few short years only a handful of institutions will be able to afford players, while the rest basically go away.

The action on the court was dramatic, with games being decided in the final seconds. It was pure March Madness except something for me was missing. The quality of play was substandard. The college game has digressed. Poor shooting, turnovers, lack of game management and truly pathetic officiating need to be addressed. 

I'm a self diagnosed Basketball snob. Give me the UCLA teams that won all those championships or Duke or Kansas. I want to see quality on the court and not excitement for the sake of excitement. Where's the Wizard of Westwood or Coach K?

The Final Four will go on and I'm sure to tune in just so I can bitch and complain. 

I like UCONN to cut down the nets Monday -  just don't bet on it!!

The first weekend of March Madness, or better known as the greatest sports viewing weekend, is in the books. Underdogs as usual provided the headlines as two Number 1 Seeds and two Number Two Seeds lost their dance cards. 

Here are my winners and losers from March Madness first weekend.

Losers:

Purdue - For what seems like a constant yearly event, the Boilermakers are sitting home after another first round knockout. Apparent National Player of the Year 7'4 Zach Edey was missing in action, either ignored by his coach or playing partners. It's said guard play ignites a long March run, something Purdue fails to recruit.

Arizona - The so-called Wildcats turn Pussycats when you turn on March Lights. This is another repeat story, losing to a 15th seed, thinking back to Steve Nash and Santa Clara. Lower seeds have feasted on UA throughout the Lute Olson years. So, it's back to the Old Pueblo.

Virginia - Here we go again. Have we played this song before? We sure have. Virginia might be the best Vegas bet against year in and year out in March. Okay, they did cut down the nets a few years ago but this yearly fade gets a hell of more ink.  

Kansas - I'm not going to be too critical of KU because they simply did not have the best of talent nor did Bill Self coach. Time to re-load and see you next year.

Kentucky - Coach Cal gets another early tee time. The Hall of Fame should have a recount for the coaching acumen of Coach Cal. 

Winners:

Princeton - Who would have given the Tigers from the Ivy, a snowballs chance in hell versus Arizona from the Pac-12? This game was not even close. Princeton dominated and played with ease not only versus the Pussycats but also against Missouri. Dollar Bill Bradley is smiling somewhere in Jersey.

Fairleigh Dickinson - Can never leave out a 16th Seed who knocks out a #1. This why you play the game and on any given day who might just pull out a shocker.

Big East - Three team are headed to the Sweet 16. UCONN, Xavier and Creighton are representing the league.

Looking Forward - My Picks to head to Final Four

Alabama - Houston - UCLA - Michigan St 

Just don't bet the house on any of theses

 

March Madness and its chaos has arrived. Time to fill out brackets. It's the happiest time of year for all those who love sports. Cinderella stories are awaiting with lower seeds striking down the college industry blue-bloods. Who has a 12/5 upset in their bracket?

I haven't seen a year like this where there is no consensus of what top line teams making it to the Final Four in Houston. Competitive balance has never been greater. Maybe it'll be Oral Roberts or Furman or Drake that spoils the party.

We get started with play-in games tonight, so who's you pick to win it all. For me, I'll be rooting for my alma mater Xavier but in the end, I'll take Alabama to cut down the nets when all is done and One Shining Moment is played.

I'll be back with weekend results and comments.

GO X!!