More March Madness Musings

One of the really nice things about writing for the paper and expressing your NCAA tournament woes is that people read it.

I've received a lot of feedback about my last column on March Madness.

"Did that kid really take your money?"

"Do you really hate Dick Vitale?"

"How are you doing in the fun-only-with-a-small-monetary-stipend pool?"

Well the answer to the first two questions is "Yes."

The answer to the third is "Very well!"

According to espn.go.com, I am in second place in a pool of about 30 people.

And while it is mathematically impossible for me to actually win, it is also mathematically impossible for me to lose.

Everyone else and I have Connecticut, Michigan State and Duke in the Final Four, while none of us predicted Ohio State to be anywhere near the top of the South region.

And, with the exception of some knucklehead who would have won the thing had he not picked Miami (Fla.) to win the tournament, everyone else has Duke beating UConn in the finals.

You know, second place this year might be enough to erase the memory of that junior high scam.

The low double-digit sum I will receive for my near-victory will be more than the $10 "Poindexter" stole from me in the eighth grade.

So now that I am on the verge of being the silver medallist in my pool, a new question will pop up.

"What are you going to do with the money?"

Well, I'll let you know. I promised my girlfriend that I would take her out to dinner if I won any money.

I just hope I can find a restaurant that will take "Monopoly" money.

The Ten is Big

No one was surprised that perennial powers UConn and Duke made it to the Final Four.

Michigan State's presence in the Final Four wasn't much of a shocker either.

The real surprise is Ohio State, led by a couple of former Boston College Eagles.

Coach Jim O'Brien and guard James "Scoonie" Penn both came to Columbus, Ohio, from Beantown.

While pretty much everyone thought top-seeded Auburn had no chance in the South regional, Ohio State was hidden in the huge shadows of Maryland and St. John's the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds.

And then suddenly, from out of nowhere, the Buckeyes passed the Terrapins and the Red Storm to make it into the Final Four.

Now the first question on everyone's mind is, "How did Ohio State, a team that went 8-22 a year ago, make it this far?"

Well, Scoonie Penn has simply been the player of the tournament so far.

He scored 22 points and had 8 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals in 38 minutes against St. John's in the regional final on Saturday.

Michael Redd, Scoonie's backcourt mate, is also a solid player and should give UConn some problems in the semifinal game.

The second question on everyone's mind is, "What is a Buckeye?"

Believe it or not, I had several friends who did not know what a buckeye was. Coming from Illinois, land of the Big Ten, I found this appalling.

For those uninitiated in the ways of the Midwest, a buckeye is a type of tree that produces a hard seed also known as a "buckeye."

Buckeyes are mahogany in color with a white "eye" in the middle, hence the name.

Go Teams with Random Names!

Admittedly, the nickname "Buckeyes" has little significance for those outside of Ohio, but looking around, there seems to be a trend of this.

Indiana has the "Hoosiers," which are actually defined as natives of Indiana. Similarly, a "Tarheel" is a native of North Carolina.

And in my home state of Illinois, we have the "Fighting Illini," named after a Native American tribe.

But even these strange nicknames are not the weirdest of them all.

Youngstown State is the "Penguins." Akron has the "Zips."

And my personal favorite is the University of California-Santa Cruz.

How would you feel rooting for the "Fighting Banana Slugs?"